• Our hope-filled future is bound up in sharing the story of Jesus, in discipling others, in bringing those disciples together into communities of believers, and in developing and releasing those believers to create other communities... till Jesus the King comes again!

Language learning, culture and humility

Posted on December 8, 2015 by wtdavid

Most of us are activists at heart.  That’s one of the ‘core skills’ of a cross cultural worker; whether plodding or charging ahead, the cross cultural worker will move forward.  We’ve got that ‘checklist’ mindset where each part of the church planting task gets ‘checked off’ as we move forward to the next part.

Language learning?  Nine months of intensive study in a language school and we can check that requirement off.  Cultural learning?  Digest two to books on Haitian culture plus a weekend stay with a Haitian family and we can check that requirement off.  It’s just so straightforward.language learning

Yet, something in that ‘process’ doesn’t rime with Paul’s confession: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12.9)

During my first few months of language school, one of our professors announced that he was going to share the ‘secret’ to staying long term France.  All of us grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, ready to write down these words of wisdom.  This was his ‘secret’: “Every day, when you get up, go into the bathroom, look at yourself in the mirror and say: “Thank you God that I am your beloved child.  Help me to learn one more French word today.””  That was it. That was all he said.  To say that most of us in the class were disappointed would be an understatement.  However, he touched on one of the fundamental elements of the cross cultural journey.  It’s more about humility than performance.  It’s more about a growing dependency than about independence.

You cross the cultural bridge.  You lay anchors to keep you from sliding back onto the bridge.  And you recognize that each day of this journey will take you deeper into humility and dependency; something that goes against our nature and that we often resist.

All of us know that humility is not part of an online module in which can participate. However, we can certainly strive to put ourselves in contexts where God’s Spirit can continue His refining work, leading us to depend more and more on Him.  Some suggested ‘contexts’:

  • Learn a new word, a new expression today. Grab hold today of the right way to say something you’ve struggled to say correctly for a while.
  • Say ‘thanks for your help’ when someone corrects another one of your grammar mistakes.
  • Ask a neighbor to explain the meaning of a recent cultural event or particular cultural value.
  • Read up on a local historical landmark and go visit it.
  • Ask for help in doing a project at your apartment.
  • Consistently describe yourself as a ‘lifelong’ learner

Filed under: Crossing cultures, Humility | Tagged: | 7 Comments »

Learning to align

Posted on November 10, 2015 by wtdavid

Several years ago, Tim A. wrote a blog post with the title: “The Nine Critical Shifts that must take place in missions today”.  It is well worth a read. shift

The first shift that he mentioned was: “Moving from being primarily doers to being primarily equippers of national workers.” Facilitation is one of the core guiding principles of World Team.  However, words on a page do not always translate well into specific changes in our practices by default.  Three changes, at least, ought to happen in our day to day approach to ministry for us to better align ourselves with facilitation.

First, change our often used vocabulary.  I hear myself and many of us say with a sense of overwhelm: “I’m just so busy. There are so many things I need to get done.”  Moving towards facilitation, I would hope to hear myself and others start saying: “To whom could I give this task? Who has capacity to take on this job?”

Next, find our joy not in being platformed, but in platforming others.  It is understandable that our calling to cross cultural ministry often pushes us to centre stage. However, the overwhelming assurance that our calling depends entirely on God should create a deeper humility in our hearts.  We should move more quickly to putting the interests of others above our own (Philippians 2:3) and look to platform them into ministry.

Finally, operate from the principle that less truly is more.  Letting others discover the truths of the Scriptures and their application has more lasting fruit in the life of another.  Facilitating drives us to open ‘spaces’ where people can take limited but solid content shared and work out its impact on their lives, on their own and in small groups.  Maybe that three day training could be shared in two hours with the rest of the time given over to personal and small group discussion and application?

Actually, when we move from being primarily doers to equippers, a movement and the multiplication of disciples is more likely to be nurtured to life.

Filed under: Facilitation, Gospel, Humility | Leave a comment »

The Gospel digs deeper … again

Posted on September 4, 2014 by wtdavid

Last week, Rebecca and I participated in the Mission14: Vision Forward Europe Area Conference.  Two things caught my attention and reminded me of how the Gospel ‘must go somewhere’ when it floods into a person’s or a community’s heart.mission14-logo

First, the theme for the week was personal and leader development.  As Albert spoke on leader development, he emphasized that the foremost characteristic a leader needs to develop in his/her life is humility.  Of all the elements he could have chosen, he chose an element that only the Gospel could produce in a leader’s life. The antithesis of humility is pride which can only be rooted out by the Spirit’s work to drive us to faith and repentance.

Albert used John the Baptist as his primary example, pointing out the fact that at a given moment in his ministry John began pointing people away from himself to Jesus. A good leader, a gospel centred leader points people not to himself or herself, but back to Jesus.

Second, as I looked around the room, I was amazed by the large number of cultures represented. Yes, there were some struggles in communication, but we were all joined together in a common cause, a shared vision.  We experienced in a small way what the Church is and should be.  The only way that such a disparate group of people could fellowship and serve together would be as a result of God’s Spirit transforming hearts and breaking down barriers which would normally exist between people.

What I felt during that week was something I’m hoping will grow into a much larger reality across World Team as the Gospel continues to drive us back to Him, and asking that He will add more workers to His harvest from everywhere.

Filed under: Community, Gospel, Humility | 4 Comments »

One impact of knowing He was here first

Posted on February 25, 2014 by wtdavid

Last week, I posted about an article in the French evangelical journal, Théologie Evangélique.  At church (our local community of believers) this past Sunday, I leaned over to one of our elders and mentioned how much I appreciated the article.  He replied that he had another article that he wanted to share with me.  It was an article he felt would help expat workers better understand work and ministry in the French culture.   humility sign bis

The unique twist was that the article was about the life and ministry of Roger Williams. an English pastor and theologian who immigrated to the American colonies in the early 17th century.

It was history being used to aid in understanding the history or context of another culture.

I haven’t read the article, and my familiarity with the breadth of Williams thinking and teaching is limited.  However, I was beginning to see a theme running from David Bogue to Roger Williams to our work today.  Knowing that God was here first before my feet even touched the European soil will create above all a gospel  humility in my heart and thinking.

How can it do otherwise?  As I read through history and understand what God has been active at doing around the world through people like you and me, I recognize that this is not our mission, but His mission.  When I consider how easily I can misunderstand cues or insights because of my cultural blinders, I have to reach out to others for help, particularly brothers and sisters from the culture or people group where I have been called to serve.

We will never stop learning about God and what He is about.  Likewise, we will be regularly pushed to set aside our deep rooted pride to humbly join His cause in this world to seek after lost people.

Filed under: Humility, Vision | Leave a comment »

Trying to be better than you

Posted on March 7, 2013 by wtdavid

The music and chanting hasn’t stopped for several days. Though it seems the official cremation ceremony was last night, I was again awakened early by the chanting. Even though the ceremony may be over, it seems people still want to show how respectful they are of the deceased. However, they also want to show others how respectful they are. In a sense, they’re hoping to outdo others; to try and be better than others.humility sign

Pride and unbelief are at the heart of most of our failures. We are no more immune from being tripped up by these insidious motivations than the people chanting and singing down the street from here. Apart from holding firmly to Christ, my heart motivation will be to try and be better than you. What I need, what we need is gospel humility; a humility that comes from recognizing there is only one Rock on which I can stand and build my life and spiritual journey.

Psalm 62 speaks well to this need when David writes: “He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge to us.”

Do you notice who the focus is in this short text? It’s all about God. Everything should go back to him, not back to us and how we measure ourselves in relationship to others.

I know that the people singing and chanting down the street need Jesus, but do I know that I need Jesus again today as much as they do?

Filed under: Gospel, Humility | Leave a comment »

Going Glocal

Posted on July 27, 2012 by wtdavid

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 | 1 Comment »

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