food for fish

We seem to be experiencing a little bit of culture shock. The people here say �Well you can do that, your American�, but we say �You can do it! God made us all the same!� They almost make it sound like being American gives you special powers or something, that we can have a relationship like �this� with God because we are American. Even Chris (who is Polish) is under the �American� umbrella because he has spent significant time in the States and understands that we (Carol, Denise and I) are part of God�s culture, which is universal and has no borders.

So, what are my ideas for solutions to these problems? First, over the next couple of months I will talk about the �Kingdome Culture� or God�s culture. I am very excited to start the �upper room� nights on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. The upper room will be a time where each of the young adults brings some kind of dish, like a potluck. Then over dinner we discuss a certain theme, the first nine week we will discuss one of the nine characteristics of biblical fellowship (as mentioned in the Purpose Driven Life). Then after dinner we will have prayer, but not just any prayer, depending on the context of the discussion, and what comes out of it, I will choose someone for each of us to pray for aloud, then we will have worship. I pray this will begin to cultivate a Kingdom Culture in our young adults group. Yes we may come from the nation of the United States, but we are a part of God�s culture, not the American culture, yes we see things differently because of where we have been raised, but in God�s culture all of those differences can be used for good, and for spreading love. I do agree that in the US we have a culture which more easily cultivates the culture of God, but I know it is not impossible to do the same thing here. Further west in Poland there are people who know the Culture of Christ, they live in larger cities though, where new ideas are more welcomed.

To most people in our area we look a little shady because we don�t have a �building�, and because we don�t have a building we must be some kind of cult. So, Houston (that would be you, the reader) keep us in prayer as we look for a place to meet, since having a place will give us creditability, we will soon be looking into real estate and asking churches in the States, Switzerland, and all over Europe to support the buying or renting of a place. The people here just do not make enough money to substantiate such a cost, right now, but I have hope that we will have a self sustaining church. The idea of church here is basically as if we were in the United States in the 50�s. If we have a building, they will come, and hopefully their mentality will change when they feel, hear, and touch the heart of God, our God for all people of the universe. In the name of Jesus, I welcome them to expierence his kingdome and culture!