"It's a bunch of garbage," mumbled Edna, the oldest—and most out-spoken—member of my small group. I sometimes wondered why she bothered to attend this outreach course on basic Christianity.

I'd been trained as a leader to sit directly across from the most difficult person. Tonight Edna fit the bill. She stared defiantly at me, challenging me to a mental duel. I prayed silently for help—which was not unusual. I had never facilitated such a diverse group. It took all I had to keep everyone on topic without tempers flaring.

The video we watched that night was on finding God's will. I asked the group how they felt about God guiding their lives. Discussion followed, but Edna was not participating. That was unlike her.

"What do you think? I asked her.

"I don't believe any of it," she said, shaking her head in disgust. "It's a bunch of garbage. That guy (on the video) is just a salesman trying to make money." ...