Chapter Two...The Church

*Is communal decision making such a new concept??
Livermore makes it sound like communal decision making isn't used very often in the west, but more with tribal communities. He says that big decisions usually end up being made by one guy. I thought this was kind of odd, because, in most churches, I see the communal decision making in action: with elder boards, governing boards, youth group leadership teams, etc. etc. Are the churches that I've observed really the minority in this?

*Why doesn't the American Church experience spiritual forces the way the majority world church does?

*Does this correlate at all with the amount of persecution we(st) face?
*The American church has been given an amazing amount of freedom,
1) Why aren't we thriving?
2)What is our responsibility with this freedom?
-Leadership, how does the west compare?
3)If the majority church is trhiving so well, do they really need a western type of leadership training? What kind of training is necessary for them, and is it necessary at all? (Is daily life training enough for them?)

This chapter made me really frustrated. Most of the cultural examples in the book are from Pastors who did leadership training in another country...it seems so arrogant that a church who is (generally) stagnant is sending its leaders to other countries to train leaders of churches who are growing exponentially. And I'm not just talking about the numbers. I know this may seem very hypocritical for a person who is going to another church across the world to teach and to serve, straight up...I don't feel very adequate. And I'm trying to make sense of this whole idea...meanwhile...I'm excited to go b/c I know that God has called me to go and given me this opportunity.....unkown...here I come.

Chapter One!

Here are some more thoughts of mine. Chapter one was on The Globe:
*Does it matter that the standard for poverty changes with the country or region?
For Example: many people, when talking about poverty, state the fact that, "even America's poor are fat" While I know this statement is true, compared to many countries, can we just simply blow off America's poor? I know that there are many opportunities for the poor here, but I know many people are getting slammed by the system that is supposed to help them. While I agree that the poor here probably don't deal with the level of disease and poverty that is all over the world, I'm still just not sure how to deal with that fact...can we say, "who needs us the most?" with a clear conscience? (THis last statement is a real question...anyone have any opinions?)
*Need vs. Want
I thought that this was a great point. I want so many things, and many times, I pass it off as need. This is so apparent to me right now especially: I have my suitcases right now in my basement for HK, and I'm starting to fill them. I know that I don't need to fill two gigantic suitcases with things...but it is tempting!
*Is globalization just westernization?


That's all for now folks

So, after I read the forward, I thought.....

PS: These are notes directly from my notebook that I made while I was reading the book>

I whish everyone was more aware of cultural intelligence, just last night, Conan O'Brien made a joke about Viet Namese and Nail Salons...I have been thinking a lot lately about short term (in every aspect of ministry). After taking Urban Intercultural studies, I've been thinking a lot about the value of extended service projects to the city, and how suburban churches can partner with city churches in a way that actually helps them. (Anyone have any suggestions here?) I've been thinking especially about short term missions, especially those who arent doing a work project. Is a work project more productive in the long run than a short term trip based only on evangelism? Esp. for people who don't have CI, I feel like an evangelism trip may be more harmful than helpful in the long run.

Conversations in a Coffee Shop!

Hello Everyone!
These next few posts will be about one subject: Short Term Missions. If you have looked at my previous posts, you will know that I was frustrated about a book called "Serving W/ Eyes Wide Open" By David Livermore. Well, I had (and still have) a lot of questions that the book brought to my mind. So the next posts are going to be a conversation between me and Pastor Mike Rose (some may know as PM) who was my former youth pastor and is serving God in Hong Kong, but in August he will be my mentor for my internship. I would love anyone who has any thoughts to join in the conversation, share some answers and maybe questions of your own. Grab a cup o' Joe and start thinking!

PS: These pictures are just to help you visualize!

Being Genuine

Hey all! Lately I've been thinking about and been convicted by the word "genuine". Isn't it such a refreshing term? I have been thinking about this a lot. Is it better to be genuine, or to hold your tongue and go along with something (not neccessarily something bad) for the sake of peace? Or can you do both? Anyone have any thoughts on the word genuine and what it means?