A Little Slower Pace

I think I only mean that in terms of ministry.  Since our last post, Christina and I have travelled down to Atlanta to stay with my parents in Marietta, made two trips to Gainesville, GA (AIM HQ), which is about 90 minutes away, gone down to Jacksonville, FL, for a stay at my aunt and uncle’s condo (thanks again Aunt Kay and Uncle Bill!!), and are preparing for a trip to Birmingham, AL, tomorrow for the wedding of my best man.  In fact, we’ve spent so much time in the car I’m expecting a letter of thanks from the CEOs of Shell and Texaco for single-handedly giving them a solid second quarter.

Ministry, however, is a different story.  Maybe it’s because we’ve been in the South for the past three weeks, which is notorious for Christians who don’t know a thing about following Christ.  It’s much tougher to do ministry in a place that doesn’t think they need it anymore. 

I’ve also wondered if maybe we’re just not in tune with the Spirit to a point where we’re really able to walk through the doors that the Lord has been opening for us.  I will say, though, that we have been praying for opportunities and it seems as if we’ve been pouncing on the smallest thing.

I was thinking about all of this stuff as I was walking my parents’ dogs today, and what, in fact, came to me was the fact that we’re not really “different” here.  In South Africa, apparently, we can be spotted coming from a mile away.  As hard as we tried to fit in and blend in with the J-Bay culture, I was told time and time again that it’s obvious that we’re foreigners.  The upside of that is that we’re approached a lot and asked what we do.  You can’t get a much better “in” to a conversation about Jesus than that.  Even if we’re really minding our own business, we’re noticed, and quite often approached, because we’re different.

Here in the US, on the other hand, we look pretty much like everyone else.  We’re not noticably different, so there’s no reason for anyone to…well, notice us.  Consequently, we can go an entire day – from grocery store to gas station to coffee shop (which, might I add, is VERY different from the ‘Flower) – and not have any kind of conversation that even lays the groundwork for relational evangelism.

And I don’t even really know what that might look like here – that difference, I mean.  I don’t think I knew what it was before we moved to South Africa, but I never knew anything else, so it seemed normal.  But I know that I don’t want to go through the rest of our summer here just “blending in.”  So, if you think about it, I would appreciate it if you would pray that Christina and I can be different, and that the Lord would honor that and we could see fruit from it.

Finally, for any of you in the Atlanta area, my parents are having a get together over at their house this Sunday, the 24th, from 2-5pm, and you’re definitely welcome to come.  If you need directions, comment on this entry and I’ll give you details.  For those of you in other parts of the country, stay tuned for when we might be in your neck of the woods!