Points of Contact

A few years back, when Robyn and I were just married, we went on a caving trip in Horne Lakes Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. It was my first time caving and we had chosen to do the extreme adventure tour, which of course came with a guide. We were going to journey to the depths of the earth and see dwarfs and dragons and stalagmites. It was going to be awesome! At this point in my life I was an enthusiastic but slightly under-educated adventurer. I was not totally unlearned in the ways of hiking and outdoorsy type stuff, I had just never heard anyone put into words the things one should do to prolong one's life on this planet when exploring the underworld. Our guide shared some advise with us as we prepared to enter the cave system through a little tiny metal door at the end of the muggie trail that we had been hiking: always keep your helmet on, don't urinate in the cave, stay with the guide so you don't fall down into a bottomless pit, (and this one that I have entitled this entry with) always maintain two POINTS OF CONTACT. This simply meant that if we wanted stay balanced and safe while walking in this lightless world of mystery that has slippery rocks and uneven ground it was in our best interest to have a hand reaching out and resting on something while we moved a foot. I have recognized this to be true in other forms of travel. Using a hiking pole while climbing a mountain, or an ice axe while climbing a wall of frozen water, or hanging on to the rail in a subway car or bus. I find that for terrain that is not part of my regular routine it is usually best that I stick to the 2 or 3 points of contact guide-line.
I have started to think about what the implications of this might be for my walk in this life, and here are some thoughts I have had.

• As people we should be seeking out others who would help steady us as we journey forward.
• In building new friendships we must be using multiple points of contact in getting to know each other.
• When we venture into the world of familiar with long term friends it is then safe to walk with the confidence that comes from knowing.

For instance, if I am going to meet with someone new I usually talk to them two or three times before the meeting; once to introduce myself, once to set up a time to meet, and once to confirm that the meeting is still a go. If I am meeting with someone familiar I usually just talk with them once to set up the meeting and I know that I will wee them there.
I see this working out in the world of business as well. Companies are always trying to maintain as many points of contact with us as possible through fliers and commercials, and all the other things that go on in marketing. It is fairly cold and impersonal for the most part, but we see it non the less.
Perhaps this is something we could use in the world of church. We need to recognize that we are Christ's ambassadors and that he is miraculously using us to reveal himself to the world. The more we as christians reach out to people in our communities who don't yet know Christ, the easier it becomes for those people to trust that He loves them too. I am sure that this could carry on in a number of directions, and I hope that it does.

Bye for now,