“Even if we’re just casually chatting, at heart that conversation is either a way for me to keep you at a distance, or a way to build a bridge between us. Small talk can be saying: ‘I don’t want to know you, and I don’t want you to know me,’ so I’m going to keep it light, as quick as possible, and see you later. Or, small talk can be a way to say, ‘I care about you and I’d like to get to know you.’ We might start by talking about football, or the weather—but it’s heading somewhere more honest,” he says. “Our small talk is going to be judged by God for its deeper intentionality.”
