This morning I had a terrifying cross-cultural experience. I ate breakfast at the 1st Street Diner in Cleveland Tennessee. I'm here to do a wedding and Chris and the kids haven't yet joined me, so I was left alone to make these difficult decisions - like where to eat.
So I did a Google search for "local food" and it came up with the Diner. I drove on down and bellied up to the bar (literally). They cooked my eggs, bacon and pancakes five feet in front of my face on a sizzling grill with more grease on it than food. The waitress called me "honey" and all the men talked about God, guns and their truck. Every one made me look small.
I tried to look "local" and blend in, but I was outed when the man next to me flashed his toothless smile and said "Where ya from son?" I mumbled something and then he asked me what I was reading - I was the only one reading a book.
Here's the funny thing about the whole morning. I was reading a book I brought back from England called Distinctly Welcoming - Christian Presence in a Multi Faith Society. I just flew in from a very post Christian U.K. and now here I was - reading a book about how to live out our faith in meaningful ways in this new flat world we live in - but I was doing it in the middle of the most funny of places.
Don't get me wrong. I grew up as a gun-toting, God-loving, Republican, white male. (I still am several of those things, by the way). But when my new toothless friend asked me what I was reading - I really didn't know how to explain it. Maybe I underestimated him. Probably. But I just didn't think he'd understand. Here I was, a fish out of water in my own country.
Funny thing is, while in England, even though I was officially a foreigner, I felt quite at home. Partially because I was among friends, but also because I saw Muslims everywhere. Now back in the country where the passport control agent welcomed me "home," I felt very lost. Not quite at home either here or there.
What might I learn from my "Greasy Spoon versus England" encounter? This is what I'm thinking:
1. About 5% of people in the United Kingdom would say they believe in Jesus as the way and do something about it. Nearly 40% of Americans would say the same. But I'm not sure there's any substantial difference between the two places. America is far more "Christian" in culture but we are losing the same battles that they are - and at the same pace.
2. Here in the Bible Belt, where nearly everyone would call themselves Christian, the divorce rate is just as high as everywhere else. Drugs and alcohol are everywhere and yet the churches are full on Sunday (and their are churches on every corner). I just had lunch today with a local pastor in Chattanooga and he claims that his county is the most churched county in America and yet has an unbelievably high rate of crime and all the same sins as the rest of the country. Doesn't surprise me, but it sure seems weird.
3. In England, the church (the real body of Christ there) knows it is light in a dark place. I'm not sure the church here does. We're still hoping to get back to the good-ole-days when things were even more "Christian." But we're already more "Christian" and that isn't doing it. Are we being fooled by that word? Whether someone calls themselves "Christian" or a "nothing" does it really matter if they aren't actually following Jesus?
What if Jesus came to turn the world upside down? To give us new life, not just in a personal way, but also in a public way. To change our nations by fully changing our hearts. I know we believe this, but do we really? And if so, maybe the church in Great Britain is better situated then we are - they're not just happy "being Christian" - because they're not. They see the issues clearly and are preparing for a harvest.
Finally, I'm left wondering if feeling like an outsider is a good thing. We're not really at home here. Are we feeling a bit too comfortable? Where is home?
And maybe that's a part of being like Jesus - he wasn't quite at home here either. He was both a compassionate outsider and a prophetic insider. Can we be both?
We're not "Missionaries"
I was talking to our oldest, Anna, the other day about college scholarships (what else). I mentioned that Taylor University might have some scholarship money for MK's - Missionary Kids.
She looked at me funny and said "So...." I think I replied with "Huh?" And then she said "What." And so on...
I told her it could be free money for her. She had no idea what I was talking about. "Why me," she asked, "we aren't missionaries."
I acknowledged that technically speaking it is a little harder sell to convince the financial world we're officially missionaries now that we've been in America for nearly five years, but we were when we lived in Lebanon for sure.
I could tell she was so confused. Remember, this is our very bright 18 year old daughter who wants to be an international journalist.
I asked her what she thought we were doing while in Lebanon. Her answer was as shocking as it was insightful. "We were just living in Lebanon as regular people loving others in Jesus' name. All our friends were Lebanese. "Missionaries" don't do that. They don't hang out with the local people as much as we did. They do projects."
Wow. I'm not sure she's totally right, but it was her perspective. We were just "living with our Lebanese friends and loving people." May it have been so.
Without knowing it, she summarized the style of life we've adopted. It is a bit strange, I have to admit. When people ask me what I do, I often say "build friendships around the world." Or I might say "try to follow Jesus and act like he acted - although not very well."
Chris and I (and the kids) take the great commandment as seriously as we can - love God and love people. There is nothing more or better to do than that.
Friendships. Jesus. Building real and lasting friendships around Christ is the most profound thing we can do. Encouraging those friends to love other friends and simply fan the flames of God's spirit as he brings people together.
This is what we do. In the Middle East. In Highlands Ranch. Hopefully wherever we are. Is this being a "Missionary?" Well, I hope it is for the sake of the college scholarship. :)
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