I tend to cringe at the thought of dinner parties or even wedding receptions for I know that the conversation will be "catch up" on what's new. In a previous post I related this story from our recent cruise to Bermuda, "I had great difficulty getting into serious discussions about the world that we live in but I did have one lead-in for a serious talk. After returning from an excursion I sat on the bed in our stateroom and turned on the television. That classic 1953 film Titanic had just started and I planned on watching it. Early on, in the middle of a serious scene where Barbara Stanwyck's character was in tears discussing with Clifton Webb's character their soon to be divorce, the screen went blank for a few moments and a Bob Hope comedy started in its place! I couldn't help but wonder if a member of the crew spotted the cable channel's offering about the sinking of the Titanic and hurriedly somehow switched the programming.
I brought this up at the dinner table and focused on the story of the Titanic. Those people were sitting around dinner tables just like we were, being waited on hand and foot by a very professional staff of shipboard waiters, talking about the same incidentals of life that we were talking about. Life was exciting to them on their transatlantic voyage as it was to us on our luxurious cruise to Bermuda.....until the Titanic brushed the ragged subsurface of the iceberg, then life changed for everyone. I followed this concept up with the great film Mrs. Miniver where Greer Garson's character lived a privileged life life in a beautiful English home on the Thames River outside of London. She was preoccupied with the purchase of a Sunday hat that she desperately wanted. Walter Pidgeon's character of her husband was equally preoccupied with the purchase of a new sporty automobile. Their children had wonderful prospects for the future....once again... only until England was forced to enter the war. I mentioned two very different church services from the film, one in the beginning where the family was thinking about anything but God and the other at the end where, under the blue sky visible through the bombed out roof of the church, everyone gave rapt attention to their Creator. They now knew that the God who could sustain them as a nation could also lift His protective hand from them. I received no response from our friends at the table and the conversation soon returned to the cruise.
Sometimes I'm surprised at how conversations can evolve and the following post from December of 2012 is an example of how there might be great conversations out there, and friendships, if we could somehow unearth them.
Who Knew?
One Act Play...sort of. (click on View Web Version for the iPhone)
Betty and John Hunter are in their car talking about the couple that they barely know save for a lengthy conversation while seated together at the wedding of the daughter of a mutual friend. Tom and Jen Ayers invited them over the following Saturday, for their children did attend the same elementary school and it seemed like the proper thing to do. Betty and John cheerfully accepted for it also seemed like the right thing to do.
Betty: Where's your smile John?
John: This is my smile.
Betty: I know better than that.
John: I know. I like Tom. It's just....It's all hunting and sports with him.
Betty: What about me? Jen is like... almost a chef....everything is food, food, food. (pausing) But
they were nice enough to ask us over.
John: I just hope that I don't have to look at more pictures of Tom crouching over a dead deer.
Meanwhile at the home of Tom and Jen Ayers.
Jen: Tom! Try to smile. They're nice people. It's not going to be that bad.
Tom: Jen. I know they are nice but we have absolutely nothing in common. John's a contractor.
Going to Lowe's is like sitting in the dentist's chair to me. And Betty...Her conversation is all
triglycerides, blood pressure and vitamins while I haven't been to a doctor in my life.
Jen: (Peeking through the drapes as a light flashed outside) They're here...be nice.
Tom: I'm always nice.
Betty and John enter with a bottle of wine as a gift.
Jen: Thank-you. Ooh, Tears of Gettysburg. It's one of my favorite wines!
Tom: Hi John. How's everything?
John: Hi Tom. Fine. How's everything with you?
Tom: Good.
Betty: It's just about to rain. My Arthritis always acts up in damp weather.
Jen: Well we have dry heat. Maybe you won't notice?
Jen served up a beautiful (there's no other word for it) vegetable plate and dip. and Tom didn't have to show pictures for a mounted deer head was hanging a foot over John's head at the table. Tom felt that he had to comment.
John: Wow! Get that this year Tom?
Tom: Yeah....ten point. I was only an hour in the woods.
Jen: This dip is great Betty.
Betty: I'll give you the recipe Jen and walk you step by step through it.
Tom: What have you been up to John?
John: I'm remodelling the kitchen. The house is a disaster area right now.
An hour into the visit and John's complete design was laid out for Betty and Tom. Tom then started talking about his golf game. John just nodded not having the slightest idea what a slice was. Jen took Betty into the kitchen and supplied Betty with pen and paper to write down the steps in making the dip while Betty analyzed the ingredients to see how the dip would affect her triglycerides. They retreated to the living room and Tom was just happy to get out from under the mounted dear head.
John: Whew! It's 9:30. Maybe we ought to be heading home Betty?
Betty: Well, church in the morning. We go to a 9 AM service.
Tom: Where do you go to church?
John: First Reformed Presbyterian in Lawrenceville. How about you?
Jen: We go to First Baptist right here!
Betty: Do you have a good preacher there?
Tom: Betty, he preaches the Cross of Christ every week. I don't know what I'd do without it.
John: That's unusual Tom...preaching Christ.....We're blessed too. I don't think that we have ever
had a Lord's Day where the Gospel wasn't preached. We had spent five years in a church
previous to First Reformed Presbyterian where the Gospel was never really preached, the
name of Jesus was everywhere but nothing about our lost condition and His atoning work
work on the cross.
Jen: Hey! Can you two stay a little bit longer. I'd like to go into the den and show you Tom's book
shelves. Have you ever heard of Michael Horton?
John: Jen, we were on a White Horse Inn cruise in April and had conversations with all of those
guys! I'd like to see the books. Got any decaf coffee?
Tom: It'll only take a few minutes. What about getting up early?
Betty: Ah...we both had afternoon naps today...Right John?
John: I'm not tired at all.
John and Betty spent and additional two and a half hours at the homes of their new friends.
In the car on the way home.
John. Ya know. I really like Tom. He's a wonderful brother in Christ.
Betty: When do you think the kitchen will be done so we can ask them over?
John: The kitchen doesn't have to be done. I already asked Tom about coming over next week. You
Don't mind do you?
Betty: No! We'll just put some plastic up over the doorway to the kitchen.
Meanwhile back at Tom and Jen's.
Jen: How about that Tom. I just love Betty. What a wonderful time tonight!
Tom: I was wrong about John. Yeah he has those interests but I never knew that they paled next
to his Christian faith.
Jen: Who knew
Tom: Yeah. Who knew?
Betty and John Hunter are in their car talking about the couple that they barely know save for a lengthy conversation while seated together at the wedding of the daughter of a mutual friend. Tom and Jen Ayers invited them over the following Saturday, for their children did attend the same elementary school and it seemed like the proper thing to do. Betty and John cheerfully accepted for it also seemed like the right thing to do.
Betty: Where's your smile John?
John: This is my smile.
Betty: I know better than that.
John: I know. I like Tom. It's just....It's all hunting and sports with him.
Betty: What about me? Jen is like... almost a chef....everything is food, food, food. (pausing) But
they were nice enough to ask us over.
John: I just hope that I don't have to look at more pictures of Tom crouching over a dead deer.
Meanwhile at the home of Tom and Jen Ayers.
Jen: Tom! Try to smile. They're nice people. It's not going to be that bad.
Tom: Jen. I know they are nice but we have absolutely nothing in common. John's a contractor.
Going to Lowe's is like sitting in the dentist's chair to me. And Betty...Her conversation is all
triglycerides, blood pressure and vitamins while I haven't been to a doctor in my life.
Jen: (Peeking through the drapes as a light flashed outside) They're here...be nice.
Tom: I'm always nice.
Betty and John enter with a bottle of wine as a gift.
Jen: Thank-you. Ooh, Tears of Gettysburg. It's one of my favorite wines!
Tom: Hi John. How's everything?
John: Hi Tom. Fine. How's everything with you?
Tom: Good.
Betty: It's just about to rain. My Arthritis always acts up in damp weather.
Jen: Well we have dry heat. Maybe you won't notice?
Jen served up a beautiful (there's no other word for it) vegetable plate and dip. and Tom didn't have to show pictures for a mounted deer head was hanging a foot over John's head at the table. Tom felt that he had to comment.
John: Wow! Get that this year Tom?
Tom: Yeah....ten point. I was only an hour in the woods.
Jen: This dip is great Betty.
Betty: I'll give you the recipe Jen and walk you step by step through it.
Tom: What have you been up to John?
John: I'm remodelling the kitchen. The house is a disaster area right now.
An hour into the visit and John's complete design was laid out for Betty and Tom. Tom then started talking about his golf game. John just nodded not having the slightest idea what a slice was. Jen took Betty into the kitchen and supplied Betty with pen and paper to write down the steps in making the dip while Betty analyzed the ingredients to see how the dip would affect her triglycerides. They retreated to the living room and Tom was just happy to get out from under the mounted dear head.
John: Whew! It's 9:30. Maybe we ought to be heading home Betty?
Betty: Well, church in the morning. We go to a 9 AM service.
Tom: Where do you go to church?
John: First Reformed Presbyterian in Lawrenceville. How about you?
Jen: We go to First Baptist right here!
Betty: Do you have a good preacher there?
Tom: Betty, he preaches the Cross of Christ every week. I don't know what I'd do without it.
John: That's unusual Tom...preaching Christ.....We're blessed too. I don't think that we have ever
had a Lord's Day where the Gospel wasn't preached. We had spent five years in a church
previous to First Reformed Presbyterian where the Gospel was never really preached, the
name of Jesus was everywhere but nothing about our lost condition and His atoning work
work on the cross.
Jen: Hey! Can you two stay a little bit longer. I'd like to go into the den and show you Tom's book
shelves. Have you ever heard of Michael Horton?
John: Jen, we were on a White Horse Inn cruise in April and had conversations with all of those
guys! I'd like to see the books. Got any decaf coffee?
Tom: It'll only take a few minutes. What about getting up early?
Betty: Ah...we both had afternoon naps today...Right John?
John: I'm not tired at all.
John and Betty spent and additional two and a half hours at the homes of their new friends.
In the car on the way home.
John. Ya know. I really like Tom. He's a wonderful brother in Christ.
Betty: When do you think the kitchen will be done so we can ask them over?
John: The kitchen doesn't have to be done. I already asked Tom about coming over next week. You
Don't mind do you?
Betty: No! We'll just put some plastic up over the doorway to the kitchen.
Meanwhile back at Tom and Jen's.
Jen: How about that Tom. I just love Betty. What a wonderful time tonight!
Tom: I was wrong about John. Yeah he has those interests but I never knew that they paled next
to his Christian faith.
Jen: Who knew
Tom: Yeah. Who knew?
