A Matter of Perspective

I have been taking a class on Thursday nights at church for about 7 weeks now called Perspectives. It is a 15-week course that teaches four different Perspectives on the World Christian Movement – biblical, historical, cultural and strategic.

It is one of those experiences that I am just glad that I am having before I try this whole missionary thing. The speakers for the course have a tremendous amount of experience and they have great insight and words of wisdom for my fellow classmates and I. This class is just another dot in a series of dots connecting me to where I think God is ultimately leading me.

Since the course has hit the midway point I wanted to stop and reflect on some of the ideas that have impacted me the most.

Please note: The views and opinions expressed here DO accurately reflect the views and opinions of the Curtival staff…

• God already knows who He wants to bless through me tomorrow.
• In some parts of the world you are actually putting your life on the line if you decide to get baptized (That kinda adds another dimension to it).
• When you worship God alongside someone from another culture, your view of God gets so much bigger.
• Sometimes I think we have a tendency to be in love with God’s blessings instead of just being in love with God himself. I think God is looking for people who can survive the blessings.
• It’s about making God famous, not about Him making me famous.
• Guilt will get you to the mission field, but it will not keep you there.
• Am I concerned about God not being praised?
• Most of us are just trying to get from birth to death in the safest, easiest, softest, most comfortable way possible.
• God is not interested in achieving His work through us without increasing His love relationship with us.
• I want to be more globally aware (thank you laptop and internet).
• Don’t ask, “God, what is your will for my life?” ask “God, what is your will?” and then just join Him in what He is doing.
• It sucks how Christianity has become perceived by so many people to be a western religion.
• First impressions in cross-cultural ministry are often dead wrong.
• Always struggle to admire the things that are truly admirable in any culture because people will eventually find out exactly how you feel about them.
• No one should have to learn another language to find out how to spend eternity with God.
• People have to genuinely feel that I like them before they will listen to anything I have to say. I have to earn the right to speak.
• The first 12,000 miles are the easiest. The last 12 feet are the hardest because that is when people become real.

“In everything you do preach the gospel, if necessary use words.”
- Saint Francis of Assisi