You’ve heard of “speed dating,” but have you ever heard of “speed faithing”?
It may seem paradoxical for one to share something as deep and meaningful as one’s faith in only a short 10-minute burst, but that’s exactly what students at UC Irvine did last week, and what students are doing all across the country as part of the Interfaith Youth Core’s outreach program.
As the Los Angeles Times reports, the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago nonprofit, seeks to promote understanding of different religions through the program, in which students of all faiths rotate around a room, asking and answering questions about their particular faith. “Is it required to wear wraps on your head?” “What exactly do you do on a mission?”
Learning about “speed faithing” got me thinking. In a way, that’s what Mysterious Ways stories are. These stories aren’t long—in Guideposts, they only take 350 to 400 words—but through these short, inspiring true stories, we reveal a lot about ourselves and what we believe. They go deeper than “Why light candles on Shabbat?” or “What does born-again mean?” Instead, they share a very real experience from our lives when we witnessed something too incredible for earthly explanations to suffice.
In every issue, we share “Mysterious Moments,” brief notes from readers (150 words or less) about experiences they’re sure are due to more than just luck or chance. Over on Facebook, our assistant editor, Dan Kessel, shares little moments from his life every Monday. Here’s the one he shared this week.
What about you? If you had 10 minutes to tell a “Mysterious Moment” from your life—or someone else’s story that you believe wholeheartedly—which one would you tell? What story helps to explain your faith in miracles? Which one would get a “wow” from even your most skeptical friend?
Send your moments to us or leave them in the comments below. Quickly! Let’s call it “speed Ways’ing.”
Ok, I’ll work on coming up with a better name for it.
