My Hope

We grew up in an innocence/guilt society but we’re now living and working around people who primarily grew up in honor/shame societies. There is no right or wrong, all three structures are addressed in the Bible, but it takes some adjusting. I’ve had some social and cultural blunders in our short time here. First and foremost, what’s the difference? What motivates you to do what is right? Do you get a ‘guilty conscience’ if you’re breaking the rules? Tommy always laughs at me for seeing the world in black and white- it’s right or it’s wrong, there isn’t much grey. I’m a work in progress- what can I say. I’m a rule follower and feel guilty if I break a rule- even if no one else knows (or cares for that matter). Our justice system centers around the idea that people are innocent until proven guilty. American churches focus the gospel message on the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood- bringing innocence and washing us white as snow (which in itself is humorous as this w...

I went to a new grocery store yesterday. The rules are different there though and no one warned me. You have to deposit a quarter to get a cart and there were no bags. I was blindsided and hadn’t brought my own this time. It wasn’t too big of a deal until I got home and didn’t want some of my neighbors to be offended by the ham I was bringing in, so I quickly bagged everything up to haul ten feet to our door. It’s easy to be thrown off when the rules are suddenly different, even in our own culture. I expected different social rules when we moved out west and when I’ve visited people here from different places, but I expected the rules of a grocery store to be fairly standard (except of course in states that are banning plastic bags across all stores). How much harder must it be when the rules everywhere are new and different? Do our rules intimidate in churches too? I overheard one person sharing how she went to a new church and realized she wasn’t taking communion the ‘ri...

There’s a community garden in Clarkston where Tommy has been helping. I have found so much healing tilling the soil of our garden in Bainbridge and spending time talking to God and am glad there is a place here for people to feed both their bodies and souls, in more ways than one. I’ve wondered what the transition to the United States must be like for some of the families, coming from war torn nations where violence disrupts day to day life. I’ve wondered how they adjust to different cultures in which values are vastly different from those in their homeland. There were some disruptions to family life that I hadn’t taken into account though. Leaving their homeland and coming to the United States has created an imbalance in the multigenerational family units. The normal hierarchal system allows the wisdom of the ages to be revered and honored. The grandparents guide and assist their children and grandchildren with knowledge and understanding, gleaned through years of experience ...

It’s easy to forget that not everyone has the same perspectives. Different things take on a different meaning when viewed from different cultures. Last week a family we’ve been getting to know came knocking on our door asking for a ride to the grocery store. The rain was just starting and it appeared to be getting harder. Not the type of weather I generally want to go grocery shopping in but I couldn’t tell them no. The whole family came along. On the way the wife kept telling me how much she loved the rain. I started thinking about it from her perspective. She comes from a dry desert climate. Rain is not an inconvenience, something to grumble about. It is something to be cherished, savored. There’s a little boy in the apartment complex who literally lies in a puddle that forms in the parking lot. Free water falling from the sky is such a blessing, just ask anyone in California. We’ve just grown so accustomed to it, we forget to see it for what it really is. The Word ...

The internet is hit or miss and our phone reception is terrible, but word of mouth can travel faster than the speed of light at Clarkston Oaks. Everyone seems to know who we are, especially the kids. We’ve had kids ask us about stuff that we were unaware people noticed- the ice cream truck came by Saturday and someone who hadn’t been nearby asked us two days later what flavor popsicles the girls picked out. When I seemed surprised and told him, he laughed and informed me that people are watching. The banker when we set up an account said the same thing. Not that I really do anything I feel the need to hide, but it’s good to know. I’ve felt under a microscope for the past five years anyway. I want the girls to view my life and faith as consistent which means I have to do my best to live out what I say. Do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched? It’s because you are. That isn’t always a bad thing though. God is always watching over us. Sometimes we treat his careful ...