01.24.08

Ecumenicalism

Posted in church, culture, ministry at 10:18 am

So we’re in the middle of Ecumenical Week here in Ancona. The Catholic churches are hosting protestant pastors from all over so that the Catholics can get to know us crazy Protestants.

Tuesday night our church was invited to head to Numana, about twenty minutes away. It was a normal prayer service, with a question and answer period in the middle. The people were generally nice, and asked basic questions like, “Do you submit to the pope?” and “Can your priests get married?” But I couldn’t help but notice the slight edge on the questions. They were more like, “I heard you don’t submit to the pope, and if not, who do you submit to?” or possibly “Well I heard, that your priests get married!”

Jason & Josh politely answered their questions. Some people even agreed with our stance on things and publicly stated that the Catholic church needs to change and do what we’re doing. But the thing that struck me, and that I hadn’t noticed before so strongly, is how ignorant people are here about Protestantism. There was a level of suspicion because it is such an unknown. In America that’s not an issue. Most people have some level of understanding of Protestant beliefs, and even a flawed view of the Church is something to go on. But here, we’re completely outside day to day living. And unfortunately, when we don’t understand something, we tend to make it scarier than it is.

I haven’t been terribly excited about these meetings. I sincerely hope they are more than surface-level “Christian unity.” But I do appreciate that they help average people to put a smiling face on Protestantism, which makes it a little less scary. As I told a friend after the meeting, “I hope that we were able to put a face on the enemy.”

01.12.08

Defending Culture

Posted in culture, ministry at 9:05 am

Last night our church held its monthly Coffee House. This time a poet came and read some poetry that he had recently written, and a guitarist came to play some classical guitar pieces (she was incredible!).

At a certain point during the evening I found myself feeling kind of defensive. During the discussion following one of the poems, several people began to lament the fact that people don’t understand or know how to read poetry anymore because of the “hurried” lifestyle that America exports. It was said in a kind way, but the speaker directed his comment directly at the Americans in the room, as if we were somehow responsible for invention of Day Timers.

I’ll be the first to admit that there are parts of American culture that I wish wouldn’t spread into other countries’ way of life. But somehow I took it differently when someone outside of American culture began to criticize. Another friend on mine rightly observed that many cultural things that America “exports” are actually things that people want to copy. A subtle, but important, difference I think.

I think part of what I felt was the straw that broke the camel’s back. With the American primaries making the headlines even here,  it seems like every person on the street wants my take on things - and wants to get a subtle jab in as well. So perhaps this series of subtle jabs has made me a little sensitive.

It’s made me think a bit. Where did the defensiveness come from? Why do cultural criticisms that come from someone who has lived in your culture seem more palatable, while those from outside seem like a judgment from someone who couldn’t possible understand all the angles? Which then made me wonder what judgments I have made of Italian culture that could seem offensive to them. Perhaps even more importantly, shouldn’t we, as Christians, identify with a Christian culture more than an American culture?

12.16.07

You do believe me … right?

Posted in church, culture, ministry at 4:51 pm

A friend of ours recently called and asked if she could talk with Jason and I about some things that had been going on in her life. We arranged for a casual dinner the following night. As soon as she arrived and began explaining her situation, I quickly realized that I was in unfamiliar territory. I took very few counseling classes during my time at Bible college, but I doubt that they would have offered the class that I needed. The subject was the occult.

We’re dealing with this issue more and more. Seemingly harmless things like horoscopes and palm readings have woven their way into the culture here, and we’re left with a nasty mix of post-Catholic, superstitious, and mystical spirituality.

Our friend wasn’t involved with any of these things. But she was placed in a situation where she had to deal with some very real and very scary things: evil presences, fear, even some other strange physical signs that not all was right. I was struck at a certain point during our time together when she looked right at us and said, “You do believe me … right?” I think she really was afraid we would think she was a nut case. And the look of relief that I saw in her face when I told her that I absolutely believed her really taught me something.

I didn’t have a lot of wise counsel for her. I was very thankful for Jason and the different perspective that he brought to the table. But it was interesting to me because I think about 50% of what she needed was practical things she could do to get out of this situation. And the other 50% of what she needed was just to be heard and know that she wasn’t alone.

As I get deeper into this culture, and find more and more how deeply these occultish things have woven their way into even a strong Christian’s life, I think I’m going to have a lot more conversations like this one.

09.13.07

If you’re God, whose prayers do you answer?

Posted in friends, ministry at 5:58 am

The news is on right now, and the anchorman just reported how the Dollar fell to a record low compared to the Euro yesterday. The Euro, which when introduced had a 1:1 ratio with the dollar, is now at nearly $1.40 to €1.00. It certainly makes finances tough when the dollars that people send for our support slowly decrease in value.

But I have an Italian friend who is an investment banker. He is investing lots of his clients’ money into American funds because they can use their Euro to buy more shares than normal. So he’s really happy that the dollar continues to fall.

So if you’re God, how do you decide who’s prayers to answer?

09.07.07

Night Life

Posted in church, culture, ministry at 7:05 am

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Sometimes being a missionary means doing some very different things than what you are used to.

Our team is currently without Josh, and we are about to lose Marcus, both because they will be in the US on furlough. Unfortunately, that means that only old, married people will be in Ancona. Night life is such an important part of Italian culture, and even though the old, married people aren’t used to going out on the town after dinner, we want to make it a priority to be a part of the community.

Last night we met at Piazza del Papa, and under a cloudy sky and the watchful eye of Clement XII’s statue, listened to La Piccola Banda Ikona play “Klezmer” music - which sounds kind of eastern to me. I’m still not sure what Klezmer means. But we met some friends and enjoyed the music and the cool breeze coming in off the Adriatic. We listened to another friend tell funny stories about his experiences at work. One friend introduces us to another friend, and the web of community grows a little bit.

On the surface, it looks like all we did was attend a concert. But looking deeper, it’s easy to see that these little interaction, these little bits of time, all add up into something that could someday bring a person further along in their relationship with Christ.

08.26.07

Refting

Posted in Team, church, ministry, travel at 3:43 pm

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Our team recently hosted one of the first events focused on the guys in our church. We decided to go white water “refting” (that’s how it’s pronounced here) at the Cascata delle Marmore, about two hours away from Ancona. Being the manly men that we are, we opted for the normal rafting, and not the rafting “soft.” The falls in the video above started just up the river from where we began our adventure down the river. And, incredibly, these falls can be turned off. Several times a day the water is diverted from the falls to a nearby hydroelectric plant.

I really enjoyed getting to have a time for only the guys to get together and do something quasi-dangerous. I got to see a side of our normally-mild-mannered church members that I might not have gotten to see otherwise. And you can’t help but see the lessons involved as we tried our best to be unified and work together to get home safely.

The only thing I didn’t really enjoy … the wet suits.

Manly Men

08.16.07

Harmony

Posted in Team, ministry at 7:36 am

Twice a year our team tries to get away for a few days for a planning retreat. This summer’s retreat just finished up, unfortunately without our teammate, Josh, who is in the US right now.

We discussed virtually every aspect of our ministry here in Ancona. Everything was on the table for discussion. We wanted to evaluate everything we do here, to see if it lines up with our purpose and vision for the church here in Ancona. Meetings like this can be difficult. Feelings can get hurt, and battle lines drawn.

But incredibly, none of that happened. Jason, our team leader, led an incredible three days of dreaming about the church here. Several things emerged from the meetings, some of which I will be sharing with you soon. But the thing that bubbled to the surface time and time again was a desire to have an increased emphasis on prayer. More prayer on our team, more prayer as a church, and more prayer in our community. The message that God was sending us was unmistakable.

Can you join us as we go before the Father and ask Him to help us with the task He has given us? Ask Him to work boldly among the people in Ancona - especially those that are already believers here - and to raise up a vibrant community here. Please join us as we make beautiful, harmonious music before the Lord.

08.12.07

Your hairdresser called … your wine is ready to be picked up

Posted in Team, church, friends, ministry at 5:22 am

Marcus and I met at an outdoor coffee shop the other day. As we talked, we saw a friend of ours pull up on her scooter. She’s the lady that cuts all of us Americans’ hair. I knew that she was closing up her shop for a week to go visit family down south.

As she started to drive off, I jokingly asked her to make sure and bring me some wine from her parents’ region. She looked at me and said, “Are you serious?” I thought I may have offended her somehow and said, “Well … I’ve been down south and tried it before.” She paused and said, “Tomorrow, you come to my shop and I will bring you a bottle of wine I get from a farmer around here. It’s wonderful.” I thanked her and she drove off.

The next day, I got a call. It was our hairdresser. My wine was ready.

So I stopped by her shop, she gave me a bottle of homemade wine. No label. Just a glass bottle and a kind of makeshift cork that reminded me of a Mason jar (they’re fairly common here for bottling your own stuff). I thanked her for her kind gift, and went on my way.

As I walked to catch the bus back home, I sort of smiled as I thought about what a different life I have here in Ancona compared to America. It was raining. I was walking slowly down the slick sidewalk with an umbrella in one hand and a bottle of homemade wine (that the lady who cuts my hair gave me) in the other. The piazza where I was going to catch the bus is actually where a lot of the winos hang out, so I was sure I was going to fit right in. But at the same time, I was honored that she wanted to share something with me that is so important in Italian culture.

Despite the differences, I absolutely love it here.

06.01.07

Concentration Camps

Posted in books, family, ministry at 8:00 pm

I have been reading a classic C. S. Lewis book called Surprised by Joy. It is, as he calls it, his autobiography and the story of his conversion. I’m only a few chapters in, but the second chapter, called Concentration Camp, talks about life at a boarding school he attended as a boy. I’ve known a lot of missionaries who, not having any schools to send their kids to in the country where they serve, have also sent their kids to boarding school. The results of such an education are decidedly mixed. Some who I know have done great in this kind of learning environment, some not so well.

C. S. Lewis vividly explained the tyrant that he had as a teacher at his school. This man, a supposed religious person, routinely beat the students with a cane pole. Any mistake was grounds for punishment. Lewis’ description of his teacher, who the students called “Oldie,” is enough to scare anyone away from religious education. As I read the chapter, I thought of my mom, who has often told us how teachers in her high school mistreated the students. Instead of encouraging the students to learn, they scared the students into submission. To this day, my mom, an intelligent person, has doubts about her abilities because of what several “religious” teachers told her.

I think it’s a miracle that C. S. Lewis walked away from his experience and was able to move on and grow in his faith. Unfortunately not every student in a similar position can say the same. Our work in Italy involves a certain amount of religious education. It’s my prayer that our education inspires people toward a relationship with Christ, and doesn’t scare them into some sort of “holy” fear.

01.18.07

Iron Sharpening Iron

Posted in culture, ministry, travel at 4:14 pm

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17

Just after Christmas we attended the Mid-Winter Rally in Germany. This annual missionary convention is one of my favorite events to attend. One of the best parts (in my opinion) happens when the items on the schedule are done for the day, and all that is left to do is hang out with other missionaries who know better than anyone what you are going through.

My good buddy Randy was there this year. He and I arrived on the mission field about the same time, and so it’s been great to have a sounding board in another country. One night after all the other convention attendees had gone to bed, Randy, Josh, Cory, and I stayed up to talk. Randy shared some of the struggles of missionary work in a closed country. He told us about how hard the culture was, and how he struggled to fit into it. We mostly sat and listened, and then prayed with him. We asked God to break through the culture and work through Randy. When we were finished, we played another round of Spades, and headed for bed.

I think one reason the church exists is for this very reason: we need each other. I need friends like Randy to sharpen the rough spots off of me. I need people who notice subtle imperfections that I can’t see. And somehow in the process both people become a little more like the One we seek to imitate: Jesus.