Opportunity or obstacleSometimes we take a look at a particular neighborhood or subculture and we think it’s really bad… and it may be. But how might God want to redeem or use that area? How can we take the energy we feel and use it constructively? God may very well be at work there.

Let’s take new age thinking for example. Pastors tend to get down on that. But if we look more closely, there’s an opportunity there. We can find people there who are incredibly interested in the spiritual. The very fact that they would pursue such things shows how desperate they are for authentic spiritual transformation.

So instead of bad-mouthing the new age subculture or shunning it, consider how we can appeal to those people who are in it to help them move more toward Christ. There are longings present there that we can connect with. True, some people may be pursuing things that don’t make much sense to us, but that very pursuit shows the strength of their spiritual hunger. View it as an opportunity, not an obstacle.