A Helmet Is for Protection

I had breakfast with my friend Ken this morning. He invited me, and we needed to talk about a class he's teaching this fall; more about that later. When I pulled up at Al's (great name for a hamburger and breakfast place, eh!?!... It's run by an Asian family... but that's another story)... anyway, when I pulled up, Ken had pulled up as well... on a motor scooter... and was taking off his helmet. He said his kids and grandkids had bought it for him so he could get used to riding something with two wheels before getting a motor cycle again. We went inside and talked for a bit about the helmet, Ken noting that to be safe it should fit snuggly but not so tight so as to give you a headache. I agreed and wondered if my bicycle helmet was snug enough.

Breakfast was good... 2 huge pancakes, eggs and some bacon... washed down with fresh coffee. Didn't need lunch. The conversation was better. Ken has had a variety of life experiences, and he's one of those guys who wants to use his experiences and training and gifts to benefit the church and to build community. Well, this summer he's been going down to Pepperdine to renew his training in conflict resolution at the Law School's Straus Institute. This fall he will teach a Sunday morning class we're calling "Building Community Through Peacemaking," based on Matthew 18:15 and using principles from the Straus curriculum. He's excited about it; I'm excited about it. One step in becoming a community of faith must be learning how to deal with conflict biblically and gently. I thanked him for teaching the class, and we talked about some other stuff, and then we left.

As I was getting into my car and Ken was putting his helmet back on, I hoped he would be safe, and I was glad his class might mean we'll need to wear fewer helmets at church.