The resounding thought in my head has been to do with Thabiti's talk on Race. There is no such thing as 'races', we are all one race descendant from Adam.What do I think when I walk into a room of strangers who are a cultural mix? Do I head for the white guys who are dressed conservatively and have tidy hair cuts because they're safe? or do I think of the whole room:
Children of Adam like me.
Made in the image of God, like me.
and if they're Christians:
Fallen from the glory of God, like me.
Redeemed by the cross, like me.
Sealed with His Spirit, like me.
I'm praying that this will help me in my own social skills across the board, not just with ethnicity but even subculturally, helping me to see people, not for what could divide, like appearance or style etc, but for what unites us - that we are created by God, descendant from Adam, Fallen from the glory of God and that our only hope is Jesus whether we know it or not!
--------------------
Another prevailing thought is concerning our different church cultures and styles. I have to admit that I've been so guilty of judging by style etc, particularly the music style, singing volume and whether its old hymns or contemporary.But those are no reasons for division between our churches, there are many traditional churches that only have an organ and sing only hymns, yet are full of love and life in Christ, equally there are many traditional churches that are stagnant and dead.
But there are also more contemporary churches that fall into both of these catagories.
But we ought not to judge the 'life' of a church by its styles or traditions, rather of the relationship and the depth of love that they have with Jesus Christ.
----------------------
Anyway that is enough of my thoughts, so I'll finish with this -
"Have a God Glorifying weekend"
This is a phrase I use often when leaving work on a Friday, but driving home I was thinking about how it can be said and received in two aspects.
1st, it can mean - ' I hope that a God Glorifying weekend will land on your lap and it'll be brilliant.'
2nd, it can mean - ''I hope you choose, and set yourself about using this weekend to Glorify God.'
I use it with the second motive, one that means a choice on our behalf to use the time for His Glory.
Anyway - Have a God Glorifying Weekend
