A post about dinner. Not really.

Statement: I don't usually talk much at meal times.

Reasons:
1) Because I eat slow enough as it is,
2) I'm too tired and hungry to make conversation,
3) I don't usually talk much anyway, regardless of whether it's a meal time or not.

So I was sitting at the dinner table tonight, and before long my parents started talking about some church issue, which is not an entirely unusual occurence during dinner at my place. In fact, it happens so often that I consider "dinner time" to be synonymous with "parents talking about church things".

Usually I turn my attention to satisfying my stomach, while my brain gradually zones out. This was happening tonight; my mouth was chewing and my brain was nearly out of it, when it picked up something interesting and thought, "Hang on, this is sounding controversial", so then it activates my mouth, which says "What's going on?" (It had stopped chewing at this point.) And my dad says "It's better if you don't know", and my brain is like "But you've been saying it all right in front of me anyway", and my stomach is like, "I want more food".

But my parents keep talking about it really loudly anyway, and so I eventually work out what the issue is vaguely, and I'm like, that's really dumb.

Grrrr at church *issues*.

OK, forget about having BGR talks, DaVinci Code seminars, WEWIN arvos, music workshops, youth houseparties, missions nights, dialogue dinners and evangelistic events (ok, maybe not the last few), what we really need is a "How to solve conflicts within the church in a Godly way" session, or a practical study on "How to rebuke lovingly".

I mean seriously! How much grief could be avoided if we just practised good communication skills! As an extremely incompetent pharmacy student, I know that's a lot more easier said than done, knowing the right thing to say comes with experience...but ok, can we just get some basics right...

For instance, there are times to use email, and there are times not to use email. Now email is a wonderful invention, it makes organising large groups of people so much more convenient...but there are some matters which should not be communicated using this form of technology. Or other similar forms (you know what they are).

OK whatever. That's all I would like to fume about. Shoot me down if you would like. But please consider carefully what mode of communication you are going to use before doing so.

Thank you for your attention.

(By the way, this post is not directed specifically at anyone I know.)