Thoughts Along The Journey

The world is always becoming ‘smaller’ in terms of the connectedness potential between peoples.  Global trends impact not only large scale structures, but local frameworks and cultures.  However, what is different in today’s world is that the local cultures are choosing to contextualize global changes to their particular environment.  Thus, we are going “glocal”; where global shifts may have different applications or outworkings in different local contexts.

This is particularly important for us as cross cultural workers as it means we will need to listen more intently and exegete more carefully the contexts in which we live and work.  In order to facilitate others well in their local “theologizing”, we will need to recognize our deep need of God and dependence on the insights of those from the cultures and contexts we find ourselves in.  For this is their work. The work of local believers is to discern what “glocal” looks like in their world.  Humility will be needed in this process, but we can be thankful that God truly does “give grace to the humble”.

I will be away for next number of days, and I would like to leave us with this question:  what one step could I undertake in the coming month (September) that would lead me to facilitate others more in applying the Gospel in their context?  Hopefully, we can pick up with that question and your insights when I return.

Filed under: Global realities, Humility, Listening |