During my prayer time this morning I found myself asking God to help me relate to Him as the great and awesome God He is, as well as the friend He chooses to make Himself.
That thought stopped me for a moment. I had asked God to place me in dichotomy. I wanted to relate to God in two opposite ways simultaneously. Strictly speaking that is not possible. However, on reflection I realized as impossible as it is, it's also necessary.
God gives us paradoxes in other situations as well. One common conundrum that people struggle with is the co-existence of God's unfailing love and unyielding justice. It is hard for us to understand that God can love someone completely and still send them into eternal punishment. It stands against every part of our western thought, yet it remains a spiritual truth. Many more wise than I have tackled this question, yet at the end of all the arguments and postulation we still either take it on faith, choose to twist the Biblical facts, or reject both ideas and God with them.
This holds true for our dichotomous relationship with God as well. Are we willing to look at God two ways at once? Can we see Him as to great to understand and as our closest friend simultaneously? I guess if we want to be true to the Biblical record, we will have to.
On a personal note, I like it this way. I'd rather have a God I can't understand than one that's within my mental abilities to fathom. God's mystery makes Him more "God-ish" to me.
The problem comes when we must teach our kids this truth. Do we pick one or the other? Do we make one more real than the other? My personal opinion is that we should give our kids the whole truth. I truly believe children are not stupid. They can understand that God is big yet He is our closest friend. In some ways kids can grasp this better than we can. I think they are better off if they do.
So here's my question: Do you choose one side of God to portray to your children's church or do you give them the whole deal?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
Are Kids All the Same?
Are kids the same everywhere? I've heard this said, mostly in passing, by people who do missions and such. Since those folks do work in other cultures, I thought it was true.
It's not.
Kids vary a great deal from one region of the U.S. to the next. In Texas kids are loud, feisty, and outgoing. Vermont not so much. The kids are reserved, cautious, and quiet. While neither is a bad thing, it does mean my tactics have to be different. In Texas I could just do a "hype-up" of some sort and the energy of the room would reach a peak without much effort. Mostly, new visitors just jumped right in. Here in Vermont, I expect new kids to come in and be overwhelmed at first and need some TLC. A "hype-up" might be to much for them. To be successful, I need to know my crowd.
Some of you may think that since you are native to your area, you instinctively know what to do. While that may be true, understanding your culture on a more intellectual level will open your eyes to what cultural pitfalls your kids are prone to fall in. It allows you to instill the values and skills they need to overcome the shortcomings in their culture. In Texas kids tended to be "saved on Sunday, heathens on Monday". In Vermont, kids tend to cling to the apron skirts of their parents and when they are "cut loose" from those strings, they often don't have the backbone to resist temptation.
My home culture as a dutch boy from Michigan? Don't get me started.
Oh, and every culture has shortcomings... even yours. I've seen them in Texas culture and Vermont culture. I've seen them in mine own. Be willing to criticize yourself and your culture. It will enable you to more easily step into a Biblical world view instead of attempting to place the Bible into your cultural world view.
So here's my question, do you know your crowd (culture)?
It's not.
Kids vary a great deal from one region of the U.S. to the next. In Texas kids are loud, feisty, and outgoing. Vermont not so much. The kids are reserved, cautious, and quiet. While neither is a bad thing, it does mean my tactics have to be different. In Texas I could just do a "hype-up" of some sort and the energy of the room would reach a peak without much effort. Mostly, new visitors just jumped right in. Here in Vermont, I expect new kids to come in and be overwhelmed at first and need some TLC. A "hype-up" might be to much for them. To be successful, I need to know my crowd.
Some of you may think that since you are native to your area, you instinctively know what to do. While that may be true, understanding your culture on a more intellectual level will open your eyes to what cultural pitfalls your kids are prone to fall in. It allows you to instill the values and skills they need to overcome the shortcomings in their culture. In Texas kids tended to be "saved on Sunday, heathens on Monday". In Vermont, kids tend to cling to the apron skirts of their parents and when they are "cut loose" from those strings, they often don't have the backbone to resist temptation.
My home culture as a dutch boy from Michigan? Don't get me started.
Oh, and every culture has shortcomings... even yours. I've seen them in Texas culture and Vermont culture. I've seen them in mine own. Be willing to criticize yourself and your culture. It will enable you to more easily step into a Biblical world view instead of attempting to place the Bible into your cultural world view.
So here's my question, do you know your crowd (culture)?
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Today was a budget day. I'm working on getting a comprehensive financial picture for the 2007 year for our board of directors. I'd rather play cribbage with trained apes. However, it's giving me a chance to look at plans and vision for the future. This is good.
I am looking at the year now with an expectation. I've got some cool plans for outreach. Vermont may have a reputation for it's angst towards religion, but it also has a deep need for love. I believe this year I can reach the children of my city with a bit of selfless compassion. I've had or been given several great ideas for showing Christ's love to kids and parents without strings attached. If that kind of love won't reach them, they are unreachable.
So here's a question. What do you do to show Christ's love?
I am looking at the year now with an expectation. I've got some cool plans for outreach. Vermont may have a reputation for it's angst towards religion, but it also has a deep need for love. I believe this year I can reach the children of my city with a bit of selfless compassion. I've had or been given several great ideas for showing Christ's love to kids and parents without strings attached. If that kind of love won't reach them, they are unreachable.
So here's a question. What do you do to show Christ's love?
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