The above is the title of a book that I have on my heart. Whether or not it ever makes it there we will see but in the process I want to put some thoughts down and see what it opens up.
I grew up with phrases like "God helps those who help themselves" or "Too spiritually minded to be any earthly good". There are many many more that I am sure you know of - I would love to hear them so please blog me about them or Facebook me so I can add them. But phrases like that that we grew up with that actually have become a part of world view and things we base our lives on. Things of our culture that are so much a part of culture that we think is actually a part of the bible or at the very least is no big deal in God's eyes; like sarcasm. I have had to question some of these phrases - "where does it say in the bible God helps those who help themselves?" "What actually is sarcasm and does it build up and encourage people?" etc.
Jim and I lived overseas for five years on the Tibetan Plateau. We were part of an inter-denominational, multi-cultural team of people. We were the only kiwis. In that place we were rubbed like sand and rubbed in such a way that it eventually made pearls. As we were rubbed, our culture rubbed others. But in that rubbing we began to see what was God's way - Kingdom Culture, and what was our way - Kiwi culture.
We were forced to confront issues, we were forced into unity. We were such a tightly knitted group of people who were the only ones there for each other in a very harsh environment. We cried together, we fought together, we celebrated together, we prayed together and we forgave together - we learnt to love!
In our culture in New Zealand (or wherever we are) we don't often have that pressure of a melting pot that makes us deal with things. If we don't like something or someone we often choose to move on rather than cross the bridge that would bring reconciliation and healing.
In that process of learning to love, I learnt too some of the ways of our culture that other cultures don't carry and so don't accept. We all deal with things in different ways but in the end we have to learn what is God's way in things and not cultural understandings, wisdom or world views. There are things in our lives whether it be a recession, a world war, our family life and upbringing etc, all things that contribute to our thinking and ways of living and acting that define who we are and what we believe. But that does not necessarily mean that it is God's way.
Lets keep looking at his word to see what it says. Lets challenge some of the phrases that people so off handedly throw out there to see whether they line up with scripture and if not, lets speak truth into them. Lets be a people who don't run away from issues but are willing to confront them head on and bring reconciliation, peace and light into our situations.
I grew up with phrases like "God helps those who help themselves" or "Too spiritually minded to be any earthly good". There are many many more that I am sure you know of - I would love to hear them so please blog me about them or Facebook me so I can add them. But phrases like that that we grew up with that actually have become a part of world view and things we base our lives on. Things of our culture that are so much a part of culture that we think is actually a part of the bible or at the very least is no big deal in God's eyes; like sarcasm. I have had to question some of these phrases - "where does it say in the bible God helps those who help themselves?" "What actually is sarcasm and does it build up and encourage people?" etc.
Jim and I lived overseas for five years on the Tibetan Plateau. We were part of an inter-denominational, multi-cultural team of people. We were the only kiwis. In that place we were rubbed like sand and rubbed in such a way that it eventually made pearls. As we were rubbed, our culture rubbed others. But in that rubbing we began to see what was God's way - Kingdom Culture, and what was our way - Kiwi culture.
We were forced to confront issues, we were forced into unity. We were such a tightly knitted group of people who were the only ones there for each other in a very harsh environment. We cried together, we fought together, we celebrated together, we prayed together and we forgave together - we learnt to love!
In our culture in New Zealand (or wherever we are) we don't often have that pressure of a melting pot that makes us deal with things. If we don't like something or someone we often choose to move on rather than cross the bridge that would bring reconciliation and healing.
In that process of learning to love, I learnt too some of the ways of our culture that other cultures don't carry and so don't accept. We all deal with things in different ways but in the end we have to learn what is God's way in things and not cultural understandings, wisdom or world views. There are things in our lives whether it be a recession, a world war, our family life and upbringing etc, all things that contribute to our thinking and ways of living and acting that define who we are and what we believe. But that does not necessarily mean that it is God's way.
Lets keep looking at his word to see what it says. Lets challenge some of the phrases that people so off handedly throw out there to see whether they line up with scripture and if not, lets speak truth into them. Lets be a people who don't run away from issues but are willing to confront them head on and bring reconciliation, peace and light into our situations.
