My wife and I have been homeowners as long as we have been a couple with a small gap between the sale of one home and purchase of another years ago. Normal for us has been owning one home, except 
for temporarily owning two while in the process of relocating. When the housing bubble burst and our primary residence was so far underwater we could no longer see the surface, we chose to buy then to buy again in hopes that when the market started to rise again we could sell all three properties for enough money that we could break even or make a small profit. Those three homes sold in June 2015, June 2015, and August 2015. So, for now, we are not homeowners. Our current perspective is as tenants, apartment dwellers, and those who know the roofs that are currently over our heads are quite temporary (roofs is not a typo nor an architectural oddity suggesting many layers between us and the outside world; it is a reflection of maintaining two apartments in two states during a season of transition).
The congregation I serve always gathers for worship on Sunday mornings in the Sanctuary. On
normal Sunday mornings the climate in that sacred space is welcoming thanks to air conditioning (needing more heat is rarely a concern in this nearly subtropical climate). Recently, however, the air conditioning did not come on as programmed one Sunday morning. Rather than ask folks to try to worship in an uncomfortably hot Sanctuary , I relocated the experience to the Fellowship Hall. With the help of many hands we set up chairs and moved many things from the Sanctuary to the Fellowship Hall. That morning no one sat in her or his normal pew. For that hour everyone’s perspective changed.
I tend to plan my travel then travel according to my plan whether I am going a few miles or a few hundred. I also prefer to get from point A to point B in the comfort and convenience of my SUV. In an attempt to become healthier, I have recently started running (and walking when the energy to run is exhausted). My new mode of transport provides me a different perspective on my community. It has helped me to see things I had never seen before and likely never would have noticed behind the wheel.
So What?
Sometimes I get so caught up in doing things the way I always do them that I fail to recognize that a habit is blinding me to different viewpoints (and, at times, even leading me to think my view is the only view). Surely I am not alone in needing reasons to (and, also resources to gently nudge me forward to) step outside of my routine and to experience new perspectives.
- Share one aspect of your life that might benefit from intentionally experiencing a new perspective (or perspectives).
- Share some of the ways your own journey of faith has been enriched by intentional interaction with people who have different theological perspectives.
Note: Regular readers will observe this post is in and of itself perspective shifting as my Sunday post is normally a way to share my message/sermon. Today, I have the privilege of being a part of a worshipping community without preaching.