This I believe.

Working in the heart of downtown Fort Worth has put me in the path of a variety of people I wouldn't normally come into contact with. From corporate Americans, homeless teens, restaurant owners, service workers, college professors, vacationers and business travelers; everyday is a new adventure because of the diverse types of people that I encounter. This week I had the pleasure of meeting an interesting group of individuals who came from all over the world to attend the Believer's Convention, hosted by Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

First of all, if you asked me if I was going to the Believer's Convention, I would have told you no because my faith doesn't follow textbook Christianity. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure where I stand in my faith and beliefs. I know that I believe in a higher power and the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", and "good energy promotes good energy and bad energy promotes bad energy".

That's pretty much the foundation of my personal faith.

In the past, if someone were to approach me from an organized religion, I would've judged them because I didn't share their beliefs, and I would've tuned them out before they even spoke. I've realized in my 27 years on this planet, that if I judge someone because I think they're going to judge me, that type of reaction is negative, and is rooted in fear and ignorance. Fear and ignorance stagnate minds and isolate people, which only hinders our humanity's evolution.

I believe we're capable of something better than fear and ignorance.

On this spiritual journey, I'm striving to be a well-rounded and welcoming spirit and I do my best to try to stick to that philosophy 24/7. I do this because I want to be a better person and also so I don't shut myself out from opportunities; personal experiences and business/career standpoints. I will admit that it's tough not to judge people who approach me, and I have to remind myself throughout the day not to give in to the cycle of negativity and react to someone negatively, especially when they treat me poorly.

I confess, last Sunday, when my boss asked me to make extra coffee base for frappuccinos an hour before we closed, I took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. Then I slowly opened the cabinet where we keep the powdered mix and took my time measuring out the water for the base. Moving at a glacial pace was my private protest against having to serve the soon-to-be masses of people who would be in our store the next day, demanding tasty, icy beverages. Before I even had time to take another heavy sigh, a group of customers came walking into our store.

I stopped stirring and started talking.

"Hi! What can I get started for you today?" I asked the first man who approached the counter.
"Can I get a large coffee?" he asked, politely.
"Sure! Can I get you anything else?" I asked him as I grabbed the large paper cup and turned around to pour the coffee.
"Nope that's all. But I'm sure you'll see me in here everyday for the next week," he replied.
I still had my back turned, pouring coffee as I asked, "Oh, are you here for the convention?"
"Sure am!", he replied back, matter-of-factly.

In the course of the 60 seconds I had my back turned, pouring the man's coffee, T-minus 1 hour from home became T-minus 2 hours, as I was greeted with a line of people waiting at my register. The people appeared to be sweaty, and I just knew that the extra coffee base I was making for frappuccinos was about to be gone. I relished in some comedy relief by impersonating Charlie Brown, as I thought to myself, "Rats."

I smiled at the man, "Your total comes to $2.01."
"Thank you!" and he handed me exact change, then left me a dollar tip in my tip jar, and walked away.
I put the exact change in the register, "Thank you and have a nice day sir!"
"You too!" he replied from a distance.

Even with my tip jar +1, I wasn't thrilled about the idea of having to make drinks for the next hour. We were an hour away from closing, and I was looking forward to going home shortly after we locked the doors. Despite the fact, I did my best not to take it out on the customers. After all, it was hot outside. Who wouldn't want a tasty, icy drink right now? I couldn't blame them for wanting to rehydrate and recharge.

I smiled at the blonde haired woman now standing at my register and asked her jubilantly, "What can I get started for you today, ma'am?"
"A mocha frappuccino", she replied.
"What size would you like?" I asked, oozing politeness and good vibes.
"Medium...I mean, grande," the woman said, slightly embarrassed that Starbucks was not her first language.
"Okay, can I get you anything else ma'am?" I asked, and I smiled again to reassure her that I wasn't going to judge her based on our language barrier.
"That's it", and she gave me a smile in return.

Good energy promotes good energy.

"So are you here for the convention?" I inquired as I began to pump the correct amount of coffee pumps into the cup.
"I am", she said, happy that I had asked her about it.
"That' cool", I said, "So, I've never seen or heard of a convention like this before. What exactly is it?" I asked, now curious to know what all the fuss was about. 
"Well it's like an intensive bible study where Christians from all over the world come together to listen to different speakers talk about the word and the love of God."
"I heard Randy Travis was supposed to be there", I responded. I wasn't being facetious though, I truly did hear that rumor from my boss.
"That's what everyone is saying but I don't know that anything is confirmed", she responded.

After carefully adding all of the ingredients into the blender, I turned the blender on and walked back to the register to begin totaling her ticket.

"Your total comes up to $3.56" I said.
She handed me a five dollar bill and said, "Kenneth is such a great speaker, and Jesse Duplantis...He's from Louisiana, he's really funny."
"Louisiana? What part of Louisiana?" I asked her as I was handing her back her change.
"New Orleans", she replied, and she dropped the coin change in my tip jar.
"I have family in Louisiana" I told her, "My dad...well my surrogate dad, he lives in Louisiana. I really miss him."

I began to think about my surrogate dad, and how long it had been since I saw him last. Completely out of character, I asked the woman, "Do you know where I can get a schedule for the convention?"

"Sure! Would you like to come?!" she asked me, excitedly.
"I think I will", I replied.
"I have a schedule in my room upstairs, I'll bring it down for you!" the woman offered.
"Really? That's really nice of you! Thank you so much!" I told her.
"You're welcome" she added, and she walked away.

I decided to go to the convention because I thought it would be an interesting experience. I had never been to an evangelical event.  At the very least, I knew it would help with my writing because I would be experiencing something out of my ordinary. I also wanted to get some information for my surrogate father, since he is very strong in his recently renewed Christian faith, and I want to support him in his faith, no matter what. Even though I didn't necessarily agree with the beliefs being taught, I couldn't see where it would be wrong for me to go to the convention. It was a win-win all around.

So I went to the convention, and thanks to the man first man who came into the store that Sunday, I got VIP seating on the floor of the convention. They were right, Mr. Jesse Duplantis was funny, and I could see where he made his sermons entertaining and casual, so people could understand his interpretation upon his faith and belief in God. The entire week of the convention, work was good, and the people took care of all of our baristas, making sure to acknowledge when we made drinks well and tipping us. Not once, did any of the people from the convention press their beliefs on me nor did they treat me rudely. This was even after I confessed to them that post 2009, I wasn't sure where I stood in my faith about anything except for my own life and humanity. The week flew by, and each person I made a connection with came by the store to say good-bye and some gave me their business cards with the hugs. It was awesome giving out hugs at work. What can I say? You can't blame me, I'm a hugger.

The Sunday everyone departed, I looked at our empty store and began to miss the mass of good energy.

I took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. Just as I did, a tiny woman walked into the store with a huge smile on her face. I couldn't help but mirror her action, and I smiled back. As I made her drink, we talked, and she informed me that she was from Australia. She inspired me with her devotion to her faith, traveling that far to come to the convention. She began to ask me about my life, and I gave her the synopsis. She told me that I inspired her, and she asked me if she could pray for me and I obliged. So right there at the register, she held my hand and asked God to guide me on my spiritual journey and she said that I was going to lift people up through my writing.

It was the nicest thing a complete stranger has ever done for me, in my entire life.

So have my faiths and beliefs been changed since this experience? Yes and no. I still don't believe I'm a Christian and I still believe I have a lot of learning to do when it comes to spirituality and faith. I'm proud of myself for opening up to the idea of Christianity because even though I didn't leave the experience sharing the exact same beliefs of those I met, I still came into contact with amazing people that touched and impacted my life. Instead of fearing them and ignoring them I tried a different approach and immersed myself in their energy. I also picked up the literature I intended to get for my surrogate father. Hopefully, once he gets the books in the mail, he'll be happy learning more about his faith, and he can connect with the ministry. Mission accomplished.

I believe we're capable of something better than fear and ignorance.
That's pretty much the foundation of my personal faith.