WMS
Post WMS2 Disciplines
March/25/09 06:44
The Art of Community Living
Almost everything we are taught in our culture is rooted in the myth “I can do it myself”…from tying your shoes, to riding your bike, to taking exams on the university without, well, let’s call it “input from others”. The Individual is central.
Take the following quiz to find out how “independent” you are: Use the scale in the middle of the chart to rate your Independence. Choose "1" if Column A describes you best. Choose "5" if Column B fits you best. Or Choose 2, 3 or 4 if you're stuck in the middle.
| A | B | |
When I marry I will choose my own mate although I value my family’s advice--it is my life. | 1……2……3……4……5. | My parents will choose my partner as they consider the needs of the family._____ |
| My parents encouraged me to “do it myself”: to learn to play by myself, tie my own shoes and sleep in my own little bed | 1……2……3……4……5. | As a child I was never left alone—not even to sleep alone at night |
| I rarely know who owns the store where I shop | 1……2……3……4……5. | When I purchase something I only go to a friend’s store where we chat about family and friends before I do my business |
| My parents plan to spend the last years of their life in a retirement center or assisted living home if necessary | 1……2……3……4……5. | It is my duty to care for my elderly parents in my home—I would not consider anything else. |
| I find it important to let my yes’s mean yes and my no’s mean no. People should be sincere and honest | 1……2……3……4……5. | It would be considered very rude if I said “no” to someone—its better to say yes or find a polite way to avoid the request |
| Total divided by 5 | ||
Do you realize that 75% of the world has a community mentality (a score of 4 or 5 on the quiz): where you don’t have your own bedroom, or even bed, until you are a teenager; your parents choose your marriage partner for you, on the basis of what is good for the family; and you don’t get to choose your own profession or what you will study in college. The needs and wishes of the community are more important than the preferences of the individual.
While both Individualist and Group cultures have their evil sides, we can learn from each other. The next time you are deciding whether or not to go to Chi Alpha or small group or a weekend retreat, instead of asking “what will this do for me? Do I have time?”, ask yourself, what will my presence do to help the others? If I don’t prepare for the Bible Study, am I robbing others of what God wants to do through me?
When several of your friends are making decisions about what to do or where to go, try to feel the desire of the others, and yield to their wishes.
If you want to incarnate the love of Christ, whether in the 25% of the world that values Independence or the 75% of the world that values community, learn the art of community living. Strike a balance of interdepence. Living for the sake of the others will grow us in Christlike interdependence.
Reach Berlin
February/12/09 11:47
Last night was our last large group SfC meeting for the semester. I can’t believe I’m saying that, the LAST! Wow, these last 4 months have flown. The students are in the middle of taking and studying for their final exams, so we just had a low-key evening of food and games. We invited the students to come to our apartment to give the evening a more homey and relaxing feeling.
We won’t have any formal meetings over the semester break (which is about 2 months long), because a lot of the students leave town in search of vacation, a job, a practicum, or just being home with family. We will keep meeting individually with the students who are around Berlin still, and would like to meet. Plus, we will use this time to plan for the next semester, seeing as our lives will be very busy once our little ones come! :D
It's Up To Us!
February/02/09 11:58
Its up to us! What do we do now? Confronted by the needs in the world and the urgent necessity of bringing the news of God’s love to the world at WMS, you may feel tempted to drop everything and just GO! Isn’t that more important than Economics 205 (or whatever class you are supposed to be writing a paper for)?
STOP! Finish your degree! This is a very important step in the process of your preparation for a lifetime of ministry—yes, even if you happen to be studying English literature or biomedics or sociology, or communications technology. My Bachelors degree is in Pharmacy and it has served me well… as a foundation for a Masters degree and PhD in Intercultural Studies and a point of “extra-curricular ministry” (health care missions trips). Just as importantly, your studies brings to you an area of expertise that opens up conversations, points of understanding and a basis for respect and self confidence in most of the world. It is even truthful for me to write on my visa applications for many countries that I am a pharmacist—for I still carry a license!
However, don’t just finish your degree. No matter what you are studying, creatively add extra classes that enhance your biblical or “cross-cultural” expertise:
Find electives on cross-cultural communications, languages, history and economics
Learn Biblical Greek or Hebrew, take Global biblical classes, be a part of diligent bible studies
Be an involved member of your Chi Alpha group, learning the skills of leadership, evangelism, planning retreats, discipleship.
No time or effort is wasted in God’s economy. Become all that God wants you to be!
What do I do now?
January/19/09 20:35
If its up to me, then what do I do????After incredible conferences with God and tons of excited people, I find myself going through several stages: euphoria, followed by feelings of exhaustion (who wouldn’t be after travel, all night catching up with friends and non-stop sensory and spiritual input!), finally settling back into mundane life of school and work again. In many ways, the decisions that I make at conferences are like New Year’s Resolutions, and after the fervor of the moment, I find that to make the resolution come true, I have to work at it day by day.
Actually, it makes little difference if you signed a card to give a year, or if you are just saying, “God what do you want from me?” The reality is, we are all called to a life-long discipline of participating in Kingdom communities with missional intention. However, you may be asking: what should I be doing TODAY to make His will come true in my life.
Over the next few weeks, I am going to post some blogs that talk about post WMS2 Disciplines. These are not just for you, but are the kinds of things that we have had to put into place in our lives, day after day, year after year.
The result: incredible, joyous, significant life. Life with Jesus is an adventure—believe me, I speak from experience! So stay posted…Discipline 1 will be on line soon.
Its up to Jesus and me? No, Jesus and you? No! Its really up to Jesus and us!
Anita Koeshall
Krystal Harrison on the World Missions Summit
January/12/09 14:08
The Summit is over; I am recovering from the exhaustion of extreme extroversion for 3 days. I’ve been studying stress and realize that one of my red flags of exhaustion is the overwhelming desire for the Rapture to occur immediately (a recurring thought all last week).
It was a great conference, I only wish they had scheduled in bathroom breaks, or at least provided invisibility cloaks so that one could occasionally slip away to the WC. I think I had significant conversations every 5 steps. Great for the Kingdom. Not so great for my bladder.
I’m in the process of packing and saying goodbyes as my “holiday” in the States draws to a close and I prepare for my return to the riot-ridden city of Athens, Greece.
Goodbye dill pickles. Goodbye Cadbury Eggs. Goodbye Pop Tarts.
Goodbye High Fructose Corn Syrup.
Goodbye instant hot showers any time of day.
Goodbye wretched cell phone service (come on America, there is better service in the mountains of Albania than the suburbs of Chicago.)
Goodbye my fellow English-speaking patrons of the grocery store.
Goodbye gigantic portions of food.
Goodbye customer service with a smile.
Goodbye system of hospitals and doctors and emergency workers that I would trust with my life.
Goodbye greenish American currency and all your one-dollar bills.
Goodbye prosperous American churches on every corner.
Goodbye friends and family that I love so dearly.
Hello Greece, spiritually needy land that stole my heart.