I (Heart) Atheists

A new friend I met where I go swing dancing got quite the surprise when she heard what I did for a living. Her response: "Oh, well you may not like me then. I'm an Atheist." I thanked her for her honesty and assured her that I don't limit my friendships to people who believe the same as I do. She told me she and her family had come across different speakers who challenged the belief in God, but apparently had never heard any good responses to those challenges. I got to meet her boyfriend and a bunch of other recent Vegas arrivals in the next few weeks. After a game night at her place her boyfriend caught wind of my "day job" and started asking me a lot of questions about what I believe, while sharing his own story. We decided to continue the conversation another night over dinner. I was surprised when they invited 2 others to join us, both of whom saw no valid use for "religion" as they saw it. Not all who came were open to respectful conversations on such matters (so we decided to table the conversation until later), but one has come to a couple of our Missional Community gatherings, while the original couple has asked about coming to hear me preach. I love the honesty and desire for community I see in this group, and would love to see what God has in store for them in the future.