The Answers I Found
The Answers I Found……
July 2018 - Our Tribe on Daughter’s Wedding Day
I’m offering this random assortment of puzzle pieces as a collection of ideas and answers that have been helpful for me on my journey. It is with a bit of reluctance that I put them on the table. In elementary school we sometimes kidded each other about ABC gum--meaning already been chewed gum. I’m guessing that the answers I hold so dear have already been chewed and might not mean as much to you. However, if I let you take a peek at my collection maybe you’d get an idea where to get some real gum for yourself.
Puzzle Piece #1—
The Pressures I Face Are Not Only of Human Origin
About a year and a half after leaving the Amish Mennonite culture a niece was tragically killed in an automobile accident and I ended up attending the funeral. In the scramble of planning the trip I ended up arriving at the Kansas City airport with an extra day on my hands because the funeral was scheduled later than expected. Suddenly I was given the opportunity to visit the southeast Kansas community that I had lived in for almost ten years. It was a frightening concept and almost did me in. I buckled down and faced my fears head on and drove those miles in the early morning hours and arrived at my son’s house in time for breakfast.
The time in southeast Kansas was stellar. My son, daughter-in-law and two year-old grandson (who carries my name) were delighted to see me and happily put me through the paces. I had the usual hamburger and fries at a local joint with another son who took off from work to join me. In the evening I attended the regular Wednesday evening church function and was greeted warmly by my old church family. The next morning I drove across the county to visit another church brother followed by the noon meal with one of the original six families who moved to the area.
I thoughtfully drove the 150 some miles to the funeral home in central Kansas where I met my siblings and shared their grief at the afternoon visitation. I slept at my brother’s house, chatted with my father and the next forenoon attended the funeral of my niece. I found the church community quite friendly and welcoming. In fact, one of the senior leaders welcomed me warmly to his home and together with his wife spent a pleasant Friday evening hour with me. I drove back to Kansas City the next morning and caught an afternoon flight to Denver.
I just got done describing my trip back to Kansas and my previous homeland to illustrate a point. I had been quite apprehensive about going back and facing the people I had so deeply disappointed. It was my first time back after leaving and I was a bit on edge. However, I was both surprised and delighted to discover that they were just as friendly and hospitable as could be. I’ve since concluded that tension and cultural fear may well be coming from somewhere or something other than the people I’m looking at. In fact the Apostle Paul mentioned a similar concept many years ago when he wrote “we wrestle not against flesh and blood.” It has been quite an eye opener to realize that many of the cultural pressures and tensions I felt/feel are not really of human origin!
Puzzle Piece #2—
The Feelings Within Me Are Not All My Own
Disclaimer: The following concept is a bit abstract and a bit hard to grasp. However, I am including this because it has been a life changing concept that set me free in a very important way. Please don’t throw me out the window till you have seriously thought about the idea I am about to present. Here goes:
Man is a spiritual being and we can sense, at least to some degree, the spirit of those around us. We aren’t all the same and some of us are more sensitive than others. It is possible to gather clues from the people around us by watching body language. Many of us do this automatically without even realizing what we are doing.
I’ve come to realize that I am relatively sensitive and pick up via eye contact, body language and verbal cues what those around me are experiencing. Let’s just say I’m a “feeler”. That’s code language for describing someone who knows what is going on intuitively at a gut level. It is easy for some of us to tune into the spiritual atmosphere around us and then assume the aroma comes from within. Those of us who are “feelers” need to be careful and not just drift along with what ever wind happens to be blowing in the neighborhood.
Ok, so here’s is the punch line. Are you ready? Often the things I am feeling are NOT my own! They can become my own but were not originally mine. Each morning I should quiet my heart and do a quick spring cleaning so that I know what is going on inside me. Re-calibration of my “at-peace-point” should be a priority.
Puzzle Piece #3—
My Authority In Christ
Another piece of the puzzle has been a deeper understanding of my authority in Christ. I used to beg God Almighty to act in my behalf. I have come to believe it honors Him more if we take the authority he has given us and make it happen. We are NOT victims, we are overcomers.
God put man in the garden of Eden and expected us to increase the size of the garden until it crowded the Devil off the planet. He could have snapped his fingers, or more likely just talked and the Devil would have been toast. Instead he expects us to step out against the stealing, killing and destruction.
God has a special place in his heart for widows, fatherless and strangers. These three categories of people have been victims of stealing, killing and destruction. Is there any wonder that God is asking his people to stand in the gap for them?
All that to say… The Lord has been talking to me about taking a stand instead of expecting him to drop everything out of heaven into my lap. “Lord help me” is NOT an ok prayer if I secretly believe myself to be a helpless victim. What is my attitude?
An example of what I am talking about is the time that the disciples were in a storm and the boat was about to go down. Jesus calmed the storm and then rebuked them for their lack of faith. Apparently he was wondering why they didn’t just stop the storm themselves. For me this translates into I am going to stop being a crybaby and bawling about the storm! Instead, I will stomp my foot and say “In Jesus’ name stop it!”
Puzzle Piece #4—
I am a Member of an Ethnic Group
I was in my fifties before I realized the drastic implications of my cultural background—in fact, I probably still don’t get it all. I grew up in Kansas and adopted many of the values common for a rural midwestern farmer. Religious protocol dictated that I saw myself as a citizen of a heavenly kingdom first of all and then in a distant second place, as an American. For the most part however, I thought I was mostly a free lance average Joe Blow with no cultural bias but have since discovered otherwise! Several years ago I had an “aha-ha” moment when the light bulb went on for me. It was as if someone had knocked me over with a sledge hammer. I suddenly understood that I was part of an ethnic group not just a religious affiliation. Here’s how I reached that light bulb moment:
Through a strange series of events four members of my family attended a fifteen Monday night training in nearby Joplin, MO. The Perspectives Course we studied Spring 2010 at Ozark Christian College changed my life forever. It gave me a foundation from which to leap into the great unknown. It was while reading the study materials and listening to the speakers that I began to see the implications of being part of a distinct people group.
My experience in Central America as a missionary in the mid-eighties provided important background information for helping me understand the concepts presented. I was well acquainted with the popular protestant mission field practice of presenting a foreign gospel and then asking nationals to leave their culture and join the white man’s church. I listened carefully as the speakers suggested possible alternatives to this practice. I had never heard it explained this way but could easily see the value of permitting believers to retain their culture and become followers of Jesus. The end goal of creating a followers of Jesus movement within a culture would be to have the revival fires spread quickly along family lines until the whole people group is on fire for Him.
The gospel was given in the Jewish culture and must be understood from that perspective. Our heavenly Father expects us to translate Kingdom principles into our OWN culture. It is very easy but dangerous to run kingdom principles through my cultural filter before sending it on to the target audience. This almost always creates a watered down powerless gospel that has little or no culture changing power. We dare never impose our applications of scripture on an ethnic group different than our own. The Holy Spirit is well able to communicate and we are called to present the simple Gospel with little or no cultural contamination from our personal biases.
The concept of creating a people group movement WITHIN a culture by asking believers to become followers of Jesus is a strange and wonderful idea. It would, on the one hand, ask that Amish Mennonites be careful to not impose their cultural interpretations of the Gospel upon those who are not ethnically like them. However, the follower of Jesus concept is a two edged knife that cuts both ways. It would ALSO ask that Amish Mennonites be permitted to follow Jesus WITHIN their culture. In practical words, the Gospel is powerful enough to transform the Amish Mennonite culture from within the system.
Puzzle Piece #5—
The Power of Culture in Bible Interpretation
I believe it is important to realize the impact of culture on our lives. A Danish researcher named Geert Hofstede wrote a book called Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. The concepts contained in this book have given me vocabulary to describe what I see and feel happening inside myself. I understand that my childhood within a sub-culture gave me a distinct worldview that still influences how I look at life today. Thanks to Professor Hofstede I understand that my background conditioned me to think as a member of a group rather than primarily as an individual.
Something major happened at the Tower of Babel where God gave languages. I don’t believe that God originally gave some cultures a superior worldview that is more Biblical than what He gave to others. It is easy for each of us to unconsciously believe that my people group has the corner on the market and my way of looking at life is balanced. A person doesn’t really know their own culture until they have looked at other cultures and realize that not everyone thinks the way they do. We simply don’t realize how diverse our cultural world is until we have actually looked around and suddenly realize that there is more than one way to skin a cat!!
Some people look at nature and marvel at how intricately God has designed the individual living plants and animals. The second area of amazement is how “everything” works together in perfect balance. Wow! I experience this same kind of shock and awe as I look at the world of culture. There is so much diversity out there that it blows my little boxes apart! Professor Hofstede was able to identify six dimensions of culture that are very useful in measuring how people groups think. Don’t laugh—it is true— we DO NOT all think the same. If you say we do and your way of thinking is the right way then you just haven’t looked very far.
A tape measure is an immensely valuable tool for a carpenter. Here’s why…. This simple tool enables me to take an abstract concept (how long is that board?) and change it into a number (how many inches). This procedure of changing an observation into a number makes it possible for me work as a carpenter. Professor Hofstede did the same thing in the world of culture….. He gave me a tape measure so that I can measure things that are fuzzy and hard to get a hold of. He gave me a language to describe and compare what I couldn’t before.
There are six things that he identified as being variables from one culture to another. It takes too long to explain all of them right now so I will only describe the one that best fits this discussion on HOW TO READ THE BIBLE. I am talking about the cultural dimension called individualism. Some people groups think as groups and others think as individuals within a group. Which way is the best way? Did God give some humans an inferior way of looking at the world around them? NO, just a different way.
I come from a people group that does “group think” and important decisions are influenced heavily by what the people closest to me are doing. The natural, normal consequence of not falling in line with group think is shame. Shame has a powerful influence in the lives of those who received cultural DNA that places the opinion of my group very highly.
I believe that the most necessary first step I must take in properly understanding the Bible is to understand the influence of culture on my life. I wear a seriously tinted pair of glasses on my face whenever I read the Bible. I read the Bible through the lens of my cultural background—especially believing that what my friends and family are thinking is probably right.
Puzzle Piece #6—
The Real Answers Come Through Relationship
I have been looking for answers for a long time and have discovered them in a strange and unlikely place. I suppose they have been there all along, I just hadn’t thought of looking for them there! The type of answers I’m talking about are the kind that carry weight and actually make a difference—they are strong enough that they don’t fizzle out before they get to my heart. The twelve inches from my head to my heart have been the hardest foot of distance to conquer I have ever seen or experienced.
I was looking in all the wrong places because I believed that the truth would be found in formulas, procedures, protocol, 1-2-3’s and A-B-C’s. Well, it turns out that the truth is found in and through relationship. Actually, the Truth is a Person! Real life is found in relationship with God, others and myself!
Appendix A
An Invitation for Feedback
Did you enjoy taking a peek at my questions and answers?? Have they been thought provoking? Maybe you have some questions about my answers? Or do you have your own answers for my questions? Perhaps there is a question burning in your mind that I haven’t looked at?
I’d be delighted to hear from you—What did I miss that would add to the story or the list of questions and answers? My email address is samnisly@pm.me Don’t all talk at once because I may not be able to keep up—especially since I’m busy doing school with handyman work on the side. Also, remember that my wife Brenda enjoys chatting (as time permits) via email address is brendanisly@pm.me We are actually real people and not just fish in a bowl.
One final suggestion: This document may some day become a real book and so I’d be grateful if it wouldn’t be published anywhere without permission.
Appendix B
Sources for Further Study
Puzzle Piece #4—But what about my ethnic background?
1. A Video?? If you are ready for some really serious medicine, Google this YouTube presentation. Seven Deadly Sins Speech by Geert Hofstede https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inzsm_Zr_Ss
2. A phone App? If you want something more interactive, get out your phone and crank up this free app: CultureCompass
Android-- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=zoomtouch.culturecompass.com&hl=en
IOS-- https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/culturecompass/id939554242?mt=8
3. A Book? Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind
*If you want the whole nine yards, check this 550 page book out…..describes the codebooks inside our heads-- (download the pdf and open in Ibooks or Kindle)
Appendix C
Eureka!! Eureka!!
(I’ve found it!)
What is it like to be living in a culture far different than my roots? I have been searching for words to describe the inner anguish and have finally discovered a concept to help explain. Remember, I’m trying to understand why my insides are so strangely twisted and tossed about by the actions of fellow believers.
Clean and Dirty
It appears that some of us are more concerned about personal cleanliness while others are more concerned about public cleanliness. To say the same thing in a different way: How can I be so shocked by lack of personal spiritual cleanliness while happily ignoring environmental spiritual filth?? Or, from the other side of the fence: Why are others so shocked by environmental spiritual filth while (apparently) ignoring personal spiritual cleanliness??
Here’s the concept that struck me as an explanation for my lack of peace with perceived absence of spiritual hygiene in those around me……
* * * * * * * * *
Americans traveling abroad often have a shock as they encounter other cultures. The surface issues actually point to a deeper worldview that is quite different from our own.
Here’s a quote from “Clean and Dirty: Cross-Cultural Misunderstandings in India” by Paul G. Hiebert: “Keep in mind that India is known for its personal cleanliness and its public filth, and America for its public cleanliness and its personal filth.”
Why am I pointing to this discussion of Clean and Dirty by Paul G. Hiebert? I’m fascinated with the idea that it may explain what I am feeling as I encounter believers from a different culture than my own.
If you have five or ten minutes, skim over this three page article—It will provide a high energy jolt once you catch the drift. http://hiebertglobalcenter.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lecture-Note-1-Clean-and-Dirty-Cross-Cultural-Misunderstandings.pdf
The article is talking about Americans visiting India and Indians visiting America BUT this could actually apply to a Charismatic visiting the Plain People (Amish & Mennonites) AND the Plain People interacting with Charismatics.
Moral of the story: Imagine yourself as an ultra clean Indian coming to America where there is relative disregard for dressing up. How would you feel? How would you cope?
Maybe the visual image of an Indian in America for the first time will help you picture what it might be like for an ultra clean Amish Mennonite coming to the bigger Protestant world scene. How might they feel? And what advice would you offer to make their stay more pleasant?
Now in reverse: Imagine yourself as an ultra clean American coming to India where public cleanliness is not emphasized. How would you feel? How would you cope?
Maybe the visual image of an American in India for the first time will help you picture what it might be like for an ultra clean Charismatic (that can feel and sense spiritual atmospheres) coming to an Amish Mennonite community. How might they feel? And what advice would you offer to make their stay more pleasant?
Appendix D
Why Was This Book Printed?
One Friday evening in May 2014 I attended a church service in which God given creativity was emphasized. Creativity can be a medium God uses to reach out and recreate a spiritual experience within the participant. I searched inside me to see what I get fired up about and decided that words are my way of painting.
I came away from that meeting with a profound respect for the many different ways that God speaks through our talents. This booklet was printed up because our creativity pastor had the nerve to ask, “What Lights You Up?” Near as I can tell, the word painting you are holding in your hand and looking at is a creative expression that should be shared.