i have things to say too

i was sitting in Panera bread this morning, working. i was wearing one of my Amsterdam t-shirts, and some guy asked me if i was from Amsterdam. I told him "no. but I'm moving there soon." He asked why. I started to talk about my church and the church plant, the guy started shaking his head.
The next thing I know, he's talking at me about all this "intellectual reason" stuff. I say "talking at me" 'cause I never finished one sentance. He just rambled on and on. Eventually, I told him that I didn't see any point in continuing, because he wouldn't let me share any of my own thoughts. I said "I'd love to talk *with* you, but I'm not interested in having you talk *at* me." and i left.
I've seen the guy here before. He's here nearly everyday. Which means that when I come here to work tomorrow, he'll be here. And I hope we talk. I mean really talk. 'Cause I have things to say, too.

I know where this guy is coming from. Totally. I played the intellectual game for a long time. Intellectuals think that faith is reserved for those poor souls who aren't smart enough to reason their way through life.
Guess again, buddy.
I have a relatively high IQ. I can "intellectualize" with the best of them. And I have. I did it for years, reasoning my way through life's struggles, pitying those who didn't have the intelliegence to figure things out on their own.
Know what I discovered.... reason, without faith, is empty. It's empty and boring and stupid. It takes more courage to simply *believe* than it ever will to only trust what you can see and touch.
Faith is powerful. It's beautiful and inspiring, and "geweldig" [glorious]. It doesn't just give me hope, it gives me myself. We can't fully come to life without faith. We can't. Living by reason alone means that a part of you is still dead. Still unawakened. And not just *a* part, but the most important part. The part of you that's really you is dead without faith.
So... to this guy who thinks his intellect is enough, I say, guess again. I've tried a life of reason, and it sucks. I'll never go back. Ever. And if he were nearly as smart as he thinks he is, he'd give faith a try, too. And the next time I see him, that's what I'm gonna tell him.

amen&amen