The Future of the US Church?

If Italy, or Eataly, has anything, it's cathedrals.  They talk about a church building on every street corner in the SE USA, that's close to true in Italy too.  We have seen so many beautiful cathedrals that our interest in them has declined somewhat.  They are often HUGE, with beautiful adornments.  It also appears there is seldom occasion to use them.  Italy and Japan offer an interesting contrast.  Japan appears to have some old Buddhist shrines but very few Living Christian churches.  A few years back I traveled from east coast to west coast near Osaka and saw a total of one cross.  In Italy, I think you would be hard pressed to walk 100m without seeing a cross, a relevant statue, or some other symbol of Christianity.

But the differences end there.  It seems that  western Europe is truly largely in the post-Christian era.  There aren't many Christians left, and most of the citizens are not only irreligious, they are also disinterested.  Europe has a rich heritage of Christianity, but little residual impact.

It is sad to see.  In fact, the institutional church, especially in Italy, seems to be a MAJOR obstacle to the Gospel.  Sad indeed.

But what does that have to with us and US?  I fear we are headed down the same road as the European Christian Church.  We build impressive structures.  We have huge organizations.  We have economic clout.  But, we have declining influence.  A young friend of mine said his generation is more concerned with social justice than they are with Christianity.

How sad.

My Favorite Barber

My father was a barber, and so for the early part of my life, every haircut came from Dad, later known as Pop-Pop.  He was a good barber, and I never had to pay him.

I left home and went to the US Naval Academy where the Navy provided my barber for several years.  I even cut hair a little myself, first at USNA, then onboard ship.  Sometime along the way I recruited a terrific barber who is willing to make house calls, even here in Africa, and previously in Sweden.

One of our early purchases here was a set of barber clippers that run on 220v.  I think we got them on sale for $2 or so.  They aren't terrific, but they work,  see:

For many years now Brenda has cut my hair, which is part of the reason, just part, why I am so handsome.

It is just a very small example of what a blessing Brenda is to me.  She takes care of me in many ways, and she does it with a smile (mostly).  As I said before, she is a Proverbs 31 woman.

And, she is... my favorite barber.

The honor system?

The Honor System doesn't seem that plausible in this part of the world.  Thefts are so common that people wall in their houses.  Cars are guarded in good parking lots, because it is needed.  You leave nothing of value visible in your car.  Warning abound about not taking chances, being alert, and watching out for your stuff.

Yet, around Gabs people stack up firewood by the road. I am not sure it is the honor system, but it seems close.  In South Africa, near Montagu, the honor system is a reality.  Brenda and I these oranges and just had to stop.  For 10 Rand ($1) we bought a big bag of oranges.  The money was put in a slit in that blue plastic jug, which is chained down, but it still requires some degree of trust.

It was comforting to know that even in "lawless South Africa" there is a vestige of honor. 

The fallen nature of man is undeniable.  We are broken, all of us, and we need a Savior.

There shouldn't be any doubt about that observation.

Clouds

As we are driving into the valley of Montague South Africa, we are struck by the beauty of the clouds.  The mountains force the wet sea air upwards which causes cooling and the result is the beautiful "orthographic" clouds.

Clouds are pretty simple. Little particles of condensed water vapor collected in sufficient density to be visible.  We don't get too many clouds in Bots, especially now during the dry season.  Maybe that's why we appreciated seeing them this time.

In our culture we seem to value complexity, yet there is much to be said for simplicity.  How about this simple story:

• Good news- G^d created the world.
• Bad news- Man fell.
• Better news- G^d in the form of the Christ comes to rescue man.
• Worse News- Man crucifies the Christ.
• Best News- He rises from the dead, defeating death and giving us a way to a relationship with the G^d of the Universe.

An Odd Winter Day

Winter in Botswana is mostly contained within the month of July.  Strangely, adjusting to the seasons reversal in the Southern Hemisphere has been one of the hardest things we have encountered.

At night here, with no central heat, our apartment gets cold.  We counter this by using two small space heaters and these neat little blankets we bought months ago. 

The north side of our apartment warms quickly as the sun hits it.  That has been an adjustment too, for those of us used to seeing the sun in the south.

Some of the first nights of winter seemed very cold, and we were afraid that we would be very uncomfortable, but most nights haven't been too bad.

Regardless of the night temps, once the sun rises, it warms quickly.  By 11 AM or so, it can be very warm in the sunshine.   I see people wearing shorts at mid-day most winter days.

Today for example, the low was 39F and the high is 80F.  Pretty good swing eh?  Apparently this is due to the lack of cloud cover.  Clouds condensed water and the  limited moisture here means few clouds.  The clouds act as a blanket at night to reflect solar radiation being re-radiated by the earth.  No blanket makes for a much colder night.   The same thing happens at home, it's just that we have a LOT more cloud cover.

Genesis 8:22 is a promise from G^d, "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease."  The key phrase here is the first part, "While the earth remains...".

It's important to keep in mind that phrase.  This earth is not permanent, and it is NOT our home.  It's easier to see that when you are a long-time visitor in Africa, it is harder when you are "at home".  But home will pass away one day... unless your home is heaven.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Communications is tough!  Brenda and I were asked to give a workshop at a Navigator's Conference here in Gabs.  The topic?  Communications.

Why picked me to do this, I have no idea, but I am glad they did.  I have mentioned before that I hear from G^d most clearly when I am preparing to teach.  This was no exception.

The first thing that struck me was that good communications skills was NOT the objective.  As I prayed and prepared it became clear that communications by itself just made you more effective, but effective at what?  If I am a bad husband, and a bad communicator, that could be good.  If I become a good communicator but a bad husband, what good is that?

No, it is clear the goal, my goal whenever I speak, is to help all of us deepen our RELATIONSHIP with G^d.  Communications with G^d is crucial- not just the speaking but the listening, what the late Howard Hendricks called "...the more difficult skill".  So speaking with the L^rd of the Universe, and more importantly hearing from Him is the key goal.  If I do that, then acting as husband or wife is a lot easier.  If I can communicate with G^d then communication with mere mortals is easy.

L^rd help us to LISTEN to you, and to speak with You O L^rd!

One Little Quirk

Last fall one of my friends remarked to me, "You know Phil you got some quirks!"

He would be correct if I were in any other profession, but I am a professor.  Quirks to other folk are just normality to us.  We get paid to be quirky, so it isn't really genuine quirkiness.

I will admit to one little quirk however.  I am particular about my hair.  My dad cut my hair as a professional barber until I went off to the Naval Academy.

I am so particular about my hair that I only use one barber now, ever.  In fact I have to time my haircuts around my travels because I am not going to let some foreigner stranger take a whack at these locks.

Having passed more time in Sweden, and now in Africa than I usually can between haircuts, I decided to fly in my barber.  I know that sounds extravagant, and I guess it is, but like I said, I do have that one quirk.  Besides, I save enough money buying my clothes at Goodwill, and never buying soda pop at restaurants.

I managed to get a photo of my barber, and here she is: