Survey the Beauty

I purchased plane tickets today. This was equal parts frightening and extremely exciting. Our dear Father is faithful and all of the details are falling into place. As I've been thinking about both traveling and embarking on this adventure by myself, I've been overwhelmed with the knowledge of my own inadequacy and the Father's great sufficiency. A song written by Sandra McCracken (one of my favorite song writers!) has particularly struck me over the past few weeks.

"Can't Help Myself"
I confess the things I am afraid of
thorns and danger just around the bend.
I pray for tongues of fire and bands of angels
to come and circle 'round me like a fence.

Chorus:
I lift my eyes to the hills.
Where comes my help?
I lift my hands--empty hands.
I can't help myself.
I can't help myself.
No, I can't help myself.

My enemies surround me like an army,
within, without, the battle's raging on.
I pray the Spirit will be strong and mighty
for courage through the night until the dawn.

Chorus

I trust the Lord, my soul and all that is in me.
Oh, trust the Light to show your darkest parts.
With words of truth and love, a friend who has known me.
A fool would keep his secrets in his heart.

Chorus

"I LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE HILLS. FROM WHERE DOES MY HELP COME? MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD, WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH." --PSALM 121:1-2

I recently read the book "Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships" by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter. (Fun side note: Dr. Lingenfelter received his Ph.D from Pitt!) Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"The Bible speaks to all people and all cultures and that Jesus Christ is the only faithful example of divine love in interpersonal relationships and communication."

"Jesus was a learner. He was not born with a knowledge of language or culture."

"God's Son studied the language, culture and the lifestyles of his people for thirty years before He began His ministry...He identified totally with those to whom He was sent."

"Culture, then, is the conceptual design, the definitions by which people order their lives, interpret their experiences, and evaluate the behaviors of others."

"Culture is always learned and shared with others, and in this process, people perceive and respond to one another in culturally conditioned ways."

"Missionaries, by nature of their task, must become personally immersed with people who are different."

"Our goal should be to become more than we are...even if that means being less than 100% American."

"We must love the people to whom we minister so much that we are willing to enter their culture as children, to learn how to speak as they speak, play as they play, eat what they eat, sleep where they sleep, study what they study, and thus earn their respect and admiration."

"Becoming incarnate in another culture will be a trial by fire, a test of inner strength, of personal faith, and most of all a test of the veracity of one's love."

"We must enter a new community of strangers, often without many if not most of the comforts and symbols of home, and begin as children, learning at the feet of those we have gone to serve. We must be willing to become world Christians."

"Jesus attended to the multitude around Him, and then He ministered to Himself."

"Jesus not only grasped the content of Jewish life and culture but also discerned the workings of the minds of the people."

"Jesus created stories to illustrate and teach particular truths."

"Hudson Taylor made similar demands on his missionary colleagues, forcing them to consider Chinese expectations and showing them how their acceptance of Chinese ways opened the Chinese people to the Gospel."

"In America, we find out very little about others as persons because we do not take the time or have the opportunity to observe them."

"For the Christian laborer, then, the challenge is to have an unwavering declarative commitment to the Gospel and an open, questioning, noncrisis-oriented lifestyle and ministry."

"The missionary is sent to people to serve them, to minister to them, to communicate God's love for them. Building relationships is central to ministry. A missionary must devote his or her time and life to personal interaction."

"Although we might be doing a work of love with our hands or heart or mind, unless we show people our love in a personal way by interacting with them as individuals, our work will mean nothing to them."

"We must seek to share our lives."

"To accept one's vulnerability is to be open to the strength and support of others."