Cultural Illusions

Cultural Illusions- The illusions below have nothing to do with culture other than they are devices/tools to show that just because our brain perceives something as true it doesn't always mean that it is true. So when we enter into a foreign culture, we need to be very aware that what we are perceiving to be true, is true.

Missional Church Done The Right Way

Soma Communities - Tacoma, WA from Verge Network on Vimeo.

Under Pressure? Here is how you can relieve that tension.

How to be a Praying Church

"How important is intercessory prayer in a local church's engagement in global missions?Without fail, people from all parts of the missions community respond: “It‟s absolutely essential!... Yet when I asked missions mobilizers to identify churches they thought were doing a good job of engaging their people in praying for the world... "

Part I HERE

Part II HERE

Something To Think About...

A 15 year old girl holds her 1 year old son; people call her a slut. But no one knows she was raped at 13. People call a girl fat; no one knows she has a serious disease that causes her to be overweight. People call an old man ugly; no one knows he had a serious injury to his face while serving our country in Vietnam.

What color is this car?... Are you sure?

What color is this car? Is it white? Are you sure?... Watch closely. After the car comes out from behind the large cluster of trees you will be able to see what color the car actually is. Get ready, you WILL be surprised!

After you have determined the true color of this car, go to comments and read the follow up.

Language Quotes

Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.

If you can speak three languages you're trilingual. If you can speak two languages you're bilingual. If you can speak only one language you're an American.

Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.

Through learning language, we learn about culture.

Through learning about culture, we learn respect for others.

It Sure Is Hot Down Here!

The importance of clear communication is imperative. Take for example the following story about a man who simply left off one letter in his wife's email address. Here is what happened:

A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to thaw out during one particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the very hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years ago. Because both had jobs, they found it difficult coordinating their travel schedules. It was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday; and, his wife would follow him the next day.

Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. In his room there was a computer, so he decided to send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her address, and sent the e-mail without realizing his error.

In Houston, a widow has just returned from her husband’s funeral. The dearly departed was a minister of many years who had been called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow checked her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends.

Upon reading the first message she fainted. The widow’s son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife

Subject: I’ve arrived. I know you are surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send e-mails to your loved ones. I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you.

Your Loving Husband

P.S. It sure is hot down here.

Bears in our Midst

After you have watched the video and counted the number of passes (remember it is VERY important that you count ALL the passes) made between the people dressed in WHITE in this video, click on comments in order to better understand why we have looked at this clip.
And, lol, NO this is NOT one of the clips where someone in a mask jumps in front of the screen and scares the living daylights out of you! So don't worry! :) Sit back, relax and count. Again it is very important for you to get the right number, otherwise you will not be able to proceed through the exercise, so concentrate!

Please watch the clip before reading the comments. Have fun!!!! :)

Basotho Culture 101…

Just thought I would let you in on just a few things our Basotho friends have told us in the past couple of weeks about what they believe…

1. The Basotho bathe in the morning, because if you abthe at night, you will throw the water out, and if you throw the water out, the witches will come by and have something with which they can ”witch you.”

2. You must not leave you clothes hanging out on the line overnight. If you do... Click HERE

Narrative or Doctrine- What Should You Teach? Walter Wangerin on the art of storytelling and why doctrine still matters. by Brandon O'Brien

Last weekend I attended Spark, a children's ministry conference near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The theme of the conference was "The Art of Storytelling." I think you'd be hard pressed to find a keynote speaker better suited to speak on that topic than Walter Wangerin. Pastor for 16 years in inner-city Chicago, father of four, grandfather of eight or so, and author of more than 40 books, Wangerin has lots of experience telling stories. And he's good at it—really good. In his two plenary sessions, he touched on a good many things that concern me—the role of the teacher, the power of stories, and the nature of the relationship between art and truth. What I appreciated most was his sense of balance.

You might expect (as I did) that when speaking to a room full of ministers, a person who makes his living telling stories would emphasize how story telling is superior to other forms of teaching, such as catechism or object lessons or memorizing facts. In fact, I've come to expect that perspective at ministry conferences in general. It's become very popular to claim that narrative is more important that systematic theology; after all (the argument goes) Jesus spoke in parables not doctrines, and the Gospels are narratives not bullet points. Fair enough. But ... Click HERE to finish this article.