The Everyday Club

6/2/10 Natalie, about 25
On the bus trip back to Chicago from Minnesota I had some long, interesting conversations with fellow believers, and then I turned to Natalie, the young lady I had met in the seat next to me and said "I guess you've figured out I'm kind of religious. How about you, do you have any spiritual beliefs?" She said she believes religion is important because it is a part of culture, and one has to understand the various cultures of people in order to have a positive impact. Natalie is a PhD candidate in public health, and I asked her about what motivates her in her career choice. "I just want to give back to society what it has given me" she explained, referring to Cesar Chavez as a role model. I told her about my years as director of a non-profit youth center and how in my experience the various social workers usually seemed to fit into one of two categories - those who want to express their love for God by expressing His love for others, and those who are trying to show love for others without any help from God at all. Like Adam and Eve, they have fallen for the temptation to try to "be like God", without God. I think this explanation may have gotten her attention, and Natalie and I went on to have a good conversation in the time we had left on our bus ride. I left her with additional info that she seemed very interested to read.