Posts tagged ‘Experiences’
Don't abandon your own culture, embrace it.
A good friend of mine, Nikki Lerner, called me today and left a voicemail with an excited tone saying, “Call me, I have a funny story for you.”
Being the curious person that I am I called her back right away. She wanted to tell me that her church was planning on doing this song by Steven Curtis Chapman called The Walk. Now, I haven’t listened to his music in awhile, but apparently this song is kind of country-ish.
Nikki thought it would be a perfect song for one of her guitar players to sing and lead on. Well, he came back saying that the song had, more or less, brought up some complications. Basically, he felt that he sounded too white.
Being an observant person that Nikki is, she pointed out that her guitar player was indeed white. He responded by saying, “But, I’m black on the inside.”
…..You know, as we start to become more intentionally immersed in other people’s cultures we may feel the need to abandon our own culture. Maybe the grass seems greener on the other side. I don’t know.
When I sang at my sister-in-law’s wedding a few years ago she asked me to sing a Rascal Flatts song. (They’re a popular country band with a lead singer who always seems to sing beyond my range.)
Anyways, my sister-in-law Erin didn’t want me to try and sing it in the country style. She wanted me to sing it in my own style.
Why? I’m guess that what was important to her were the lyrics of the song and that I be authentic to who I am. I can’t change who I am. I can’t change where I was born. I’m grateful for how God made me.
To be honest, it took me a long time to embrace how God made me because I didn’t quite understand who God made me. And this is not uncommon. A lot of people I know still don’t know who God made them to be. It’s an intentional process we need to be on.
At the same time, once I understood who I was it made it so much easier to fully appreciate how God made other people….whether they are Chinese, Hmong, Black, White, guitar player, vocalist, preacher, etc.
Lesson: Learn to appreciate how God created you while you learn to appreciate other cultures.
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
© 2010, Peter Park. All rights reserved.
God looks at the heart and so should we
In 1 Samuel 16 we read that Samuel is on his way to find a new king.
It sounds like Samuel had his own thoughts about what a proper king should look like. Maybe he was looking for someone who was like Saul. Maybe he was looking for a tall, clean-cut, athletic guy, who got straights A’s on his report card? I don’t know.
1 Samuel 16:6-7 says – When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
God led Samuel to David, the youngest of the sons of Jesse, who was tending to the sheep at the time. (Although the bible does seem to indicate that he was a good looking kid.)
After reading this passage over and over the question that came to my mind is this: What is at the heart of a man?
When a person accepts Christ in their heart, of course, they should be passionate about Christ. That’s a given. But listen to the heart of that person. What do you hear them talk about most often? What areas has God gifted them in?
We so often try to bypass this part of our relationship with God’s people and talk only about “spiritual things”. I know we tend to do with our pastors sometimes, right?
During my trip to Georgia I asked my friend, Chuck, who is a worship pastor, what he enjoyed doing besides work. He talked about his family and going hunting. It really was fun to hear about some of the things God has put in his heart.
The take away lesson from today is this…Culture, giftedness, and passion lie in the heart of a person. So, don’t let some of those outward expressions scare you from reaching into someone’s heart.
What is at the core of your heart? And, how do you see God using you as a vital part of His body, which is diverse and multiethnic?
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
© 2010, Peter Park. All rights reserved.
Race…a social invention?
While different theories abound regarding the origins of the category of race, it is largely acknowledged that race is a sociologically created category, rather than a scientifically created one…It is also clear that the category of race as applied in American society does not exist in the Bible.
~The Next Evangelicalism by Soong-Chan Rah
Biologically, I’m no different than a Native American person, African American person, or a Russian person. As I continue to read through The Next Evangelicalism by Soong-Chan Rah
In Western society we tend to generalize race as a physical characteristic, don’t we? I know I’m guilty of this. I’m never sure what to call an African American person. I hesitantly switch between that term and black. But, I was assured by my friend, Nikki, that using African American is the safest term to use if you’re unsure in a situation.
The bible, on the other hand, tends to refer to people based on people groups or ethnicity. And this means that people are identified based on their customs, beliefs, or even language.
I met a missionary back in June of 2009 who identified himself with the country that he was serving in. He felt weird being back in America, even though he was born and raised here. Being away for so long didn’t really leave much for him to connect with the culture here. The color of his skin is white, but his heart was deeply ingrained in this Asian country, which will remain confidential.
How can referring to someone based on the color of their skin, instead of their ethnicity, hurt your relationship with that person? What are some ways you can really understand someone’s culture? How can you take what you’ve learned and incorporate it into multicultural worship?
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
© 2010, Peter Park. All rights reserved.