“How was school today?”

“Good,” the boys reply. One boy tosses his bloated book bag on a chair while the other reaches to hang his coat on a coat hook.

“I’ve got some chili here if you’d like a cup,” I say.

“Mmmm,” says one boy.

“So, did you learn anything interesting at school today?”

“We learned about different world religions.”

“Really? That’s pretty cool. Which ones did you study?” I ask.

“We talked about Christianity, Islam, and the Jewish faith.”

“Which religion did you find most interesting?”

“Islam,” says one boy. “But I can’t wait to study Buddhism.”

“So, do Muslims believe in one god or many gods?”

“ONE!” the boys shout in unison. Their answer and confidence made me feel that they were eager to share what they had learned.

“And how many gods do you guys believe in?” (See how I snuck that one in there? I couldn’t resist. I mean we were all openly talking about gods and what they were learning in school.)

“One,” they say again.

“Interesting,” I reply with a nod.

The conversation may have ended there but it’s not over. They’ll be back again.

And…who knows?

Maybe the next time they stop in we can talk about Buddhism.

Thank you for supporting Cups Cafe. There is a verse on the chalkboard at Cups. It’s Romans 10:9 which reads, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Our brief conversations and those scriptures written on chalkboards are small ways in which we can plant seeds of faith in the hearts and minds of inquiring students.