Renewed Mind

 

Old Brain Made New!

Arabic makes my brain hurt on a daily basis.  It’s hard thinking about everything in the masculine, feminine or plural.  I’ve (almost) gotten used to reading from right to left and the different forms the letters take depending on where they’re located in the word.   It’s tricky and complicated working between different dialects since we’re living in Lebanon but ministering to Syrians and while most words are the same, many are not.   

It’s also complicated working between formal Arabic and dialects.  Formal Arabic is used in most written texts, particularly religious writings, but is not spoken by the general public.  Just imagine that everything was written in the style of the King James Bible (or older) but spoken as we do now.  

I tell you this not to complain, but rather to give a glimpse into why Arabic is considered one of the hardest languages for native English speakers to learn.  While it is difficult, I feel we’ve also had breakthroughs!  I have successfully read a few texts from people without using google translate and I am recognizing more and more words I know in conversation.   

Tackling a new language as one approaches 40 isn’t something our brains are hardwired for.  We start losing the natural ability as we age.  But there’s something about Christianity.  God can change the wiring.


  Romans 12:1-2


Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

 

God can transform our hearts and minds in so many ways.  So many times, I view this solely as a spiritual transformation and it is, but I feel like my brain is being transformed now too.  Arabic is not simply a means of communicating our physical needs, we are learning it in order to clearly share the Good News! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hedge of Protection

Image
  With school starting up we've been lifting up the girls in specific ways.  We've been praying for strength and endurance for H with her foot, listening ears and obedience for V and for M, courage and friendships.  We've prayed a hedge of protection over them as we've sent them off on their own out into the world.  We've especially prayed for a hedge of protection over M as she's transitioning from being homeschooled to attending 7th grade at the local middle school.   God answered our prayers quickly and literally.   After the first day of school we were winding down the evening with H, V and I in the bedroom and Tommy and M in the living room.  He'd just asked her to walk the dog and she was stalling- thankfully.  Shortly after he asked her, there was a flash of color through the window and then a loud crash.  I don't know exactly how it happened, but the short of it is our neighbor backed up over the sidewalk breaking the handrail and cra...
Read more

Part 2- The World divided

Part 2 The World divided The rush to suddenly stop welcoming refugees who only a few months ago were being welcomed with open arms is making my head spin. Can we guarantee that all refugees will be law abiding residents? No. They undergo vigorous interviews and background checks, but there is no way to give people 100% assurance. Can we guarantee that all U.S. born citizens will grow up to become law abiding residents? No. There are untold things that will influence them. There are no guarantees that our citizens won’t leave and join terrorist extremist groups, then return and carry out mass killings. There are no guarantees that our citizens won’t stay and carry out mass killings as lone gunmen. The bottom line is we don’t have any guarantees in this life. We never have. We never will. We are called to love despite these uncertainties. NAS Hebrews 13:1 Let love of the brethren continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have ent...
Read more

.....aaaannnndddd cut!

Image
I’ve heard that Atlanta is the new Hollywood, but until now I’ve been living in my international/mom bubble. Recently though the two merged. An episode of 24 was filmed next door to some GFM property, so the girls and I took a field trip to check everything out. Unfortunately, there really wasn’t a whole lot to see. There were a couple of huge semi’s full of equipment blocking our apartment complex and some lighting rigs, but all the action was inside a house in the neighborhood. We could tell there was stuff happening, but I honestly have no idea what the episode will entail. We won’t know right away either. The show will air sometime in February… for now it’s undergoing the editing process. Two days of filming and four months of editing seems like a lot of work for a one hour show (45 minutes once you factor in commercials). Do we allow God to work on us from the inside, editing (or pruning) us? At times it can be difficult. We’ve put work in, only to have it trimmed...
Read more