GENERATION XYZ???

I soooo love the generation gaps when it comes to ministry...  :)~

How do you effectively go from teaching a high school/college class to trying to explain the reasoning behind some of your pastoral decisions to members of a church council in their 50s and 60s in less than an hour??

What's really frustrating is that you can talk to some people on up into their 80s and 90s and you seem to get each other just fine.  I don't think some folks TRY to understand anyone who doesn't think like them.  

Isn't it pretty lazy, not to mention LAME, of any of us to only surround ourselves with others we know think like us and will generally agree with us?  Are we that afraid to express our opinions, beliefs, etc., to those that may not agree?  I'll admit to getting frustrated (obviously...thus the reason for this post, LOL) when others don't seem to "Get it".  But, I'm not intimidated or afraid to logically and reasonably discuss just about ANYTHING with ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE!

Not everyone can do that, you know?  I have friends and family even, that I've tried to have discussions with, where it ended up someone getting emotional, defensive, etc., mostly due to not "Getting it".

However, I'm pretty confident in my ability to understand where MOST people are coming from.  After more than 10 years in the ministry, you either develop that trait or lose your ability to reach people.  How can you reach someone if you don't know where they're at or coming from?

I guess like most ministers out there (and many others, I'm sure), I'd just like the same thing in return from certain folks sometime, you know?  You get me out there blog people???