Another Look at the Trinity

We talked about the Trinity on our first day of teams class. Since then, we have done so much more. But the importance of looking at the Trinity for the model of the perfect team seems really important to me. So, since we started with it, I thought I'd like to end with it too...

20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17:20-23

The first team was the Trinity. God is a perfect union of 3 distinct persons. They each have different attributes, but they are all equally God. Together, they form a perfect communion. That communion is the very essence of unity, peace, interdependence, perfection, and love.

Several years ago, I struggled with the philosophical question of the purpose of man. Why did God design us and create us. Surely it is not just to watch our silly antics all of the time. If that was the case, He would have destroyed all of us long ago because of our sin. No, I think He created us out of love. I think that the perfect love that flowed out of the union of the Trinity was something that God couldn’t help but share. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness (Genesis 1:26).’” That was God’s first act of love toward man. But the love continues to flow from God to man, even now.

When I was little, I wondered what it meant to be created in God’s image. Certainly it doesn’t mean that we physically look like God. No, it had to be something else. Many adults tried to explain abstract ideas about what it meant to be created in the image of God, but none of them were satisfactory (I guess I was analytical as a child too). It wasn’t until I discovered this idea of unity and love that I felt I was beginning to understand God’s image. God is not just the Father or the Son. He is not just the Holy Spirit. He is all three, in one, perfectly unified and springing forth love. That is what His image is. So, to be created in the image of God is to be designed for community. To bear God’s image, we must bear also His love. To experience life as we were designed to experience it, we also must be unified with one another.

The purpose of man: to bear God’s image

The image of God: perfect unity and love

Two very difficult answers to two very difficult questions. Bearing God’s image is not easy, but it has great reward.

WinShape

Today we got out of the classroom and did some activity!! A group from WinShape came up and did the training for the day. It was raining, so we spent most of the day in the little community gymnasium across the street, but it was physical activity, and it was good!!
Of course, it was all about teamwork. We broke up into teams and began doing activities that required cooperation, communication, leadership, and a bunch of other critical stuff that we are learning about. To give you an idea of what the day looked like, I'll describe two of the activities that we did.
One activity was to get into the middle of a small contraption described as a jail. We were to "escape" from this jail, but we had to devise a strategy based on some rules that were given to us by our facilitator. We lifted some people over the top bar, helped others through the middle, and cheered others on as they squeezed under the lowest bar. There was lots of cheering, and by the end, some of us were a little smelly:)
Another one of our exercises was to do a trust walk with a partner. First, I was blindfolded and my partner led me around the campus, up and down hills, under bars, through trees, all without any words, only physical guidance. We had to accomplish certain tasks, which was difficult without any verbal guidance, but not impossible. Next, my partner, Jim, put his blindfold on, and I got to lead him around, only this time, I was not allowed to touch him at all and had to guide him with verbal guidance only. Without the physical contact, the tasks were a lot less comfortable, but a little easier to accomplish. Surprisingly, I think it took more trust to follow verbal commands than to follow physical direction.
It was great fun, and we learned a lot about ourselves during the debriefing time at the end of each exercise. Three things I want to take with me from these experience are to listen with the purpose of really hearing those I am communicating with, to trust and be trustworthy, and to use the gift of encouragement better.
A bit of trivia: WinShape is an organization formed by the owner of Chick-fil-A, a fast-food chain specializing in chicken. The owner is a Christian, and part of the profit from the business goes to support WinShape.
A group of us made the 35 minute drive to the nearest Chick-fil-A for dinner tonight as a show of support for the organization, and as an excuse to go have fun together:) YUMMMM...

Trinitarian Unity

For the next two weeks I am in the Effective Teams and Team Leaders module of CIT. This morning we were challenged to imagine the Trinity before the creation of the world. We were told to envision how the three persons of God interacted with each other and to think of adjectives and nouns that would describe this interaction. Words like perfect harmony, interdependence, peace, love and unity came to mind.

Then in groups, we were asked to look at different Bible passages and find the principles and values about teamwork that were illustrated through the Trinity. My group was given Genesis 1:26 “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.” God’s very identity in the trinity is diversity unified. The three persons of the Godhead had perfect unity and love even before the creation of mankind, but God desired to draw us into that unity. He wanted to create man in order to generate even more unity, not that God could be more unified.

No wonder the two greatest commandments are love God and love people.

Transitions

I was going over some material from our first module today, and I found something that I want to share.

When I first went to Cameroon, I experienced a strange phenomenon. As time drew close for me to leave, some people grieved openly and said heartfelt, genuine goodbyes, and others just closed off, unwilling to invest any more in our relationship. It was an exciting time, full of new adventures, but it was also difficult, due to strained relationships. I noticed the same thing happening when I left for Southern California for school, at the end of each school year, and each time I changed employment and/or moved. In short, leaving others behind has become a painfully familiar theme in my life. It comes with the territory, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

I know that my family and friends also grieve each time we must separate, and they don’t get to be the one going to a new and exciting place.

Taking leave of loved ones is only one aspect of the changes that become all too familiar to a missionary. Many things are lost, many things change, and many things simply end. I have to come to grips with the fact that even the loss of insignificant things like my kitchen in Manteca, may be painful. Then I have to deal with changes in climate, culture, language, cleanliness, and privacy. All these changes precipitate an internal transition from what I know now to reality in my new place. This takes time, but knowing what is happening makes a difference in understanding how to make a good, though not painless, transition.

Through this portion of class, I realized that I have been undergoing almost constant transition for the last 8 years. No wonder I feel homeless sometimes!

Transition involves many endings, a long unsettled neutral zone, and many new beginnings. Transition is not over until the new beginnings begin to normalize and I become settled once more. I am looking forward to ending this time of transitions soon, and settling down to my home in Cameroon. Home, that sounds good!

Lord, until I reach my final home, my real home with you, help me to live well in the many transitions that you have given to me.

Credit goes to G. Schultz at Center for Intercultural Training for many of the ideas expressed in this entry.

Childlikeness, Phonetics, University and Village Life

On Friday, we finished up the Second Language Acquisition module. No, I am not yet fluent in either French or Baka, though I hope to be near fluency in both within the next few years. To be completely honest, we didn’t even work much on our individual languages (people here are going all over the globe, so we are not all working on the same languages), but we certainly learned a ton. Through the course of this 2 week module, we learned how to approach a new language humbly, how to find a language helper, how to supplement language school, how to use different tools to learn the language in a more effective way, and how to better articulate the sounds of the language we are going to learn.

I found out that I am a structured, analytical learner, and that I will probably do very well in French language school. However, I will probably be challenged when it comes time to learn Baka, since there will be no structure provided for me. We discussed different language learning options ranging from very unstructured tribal type situations where one must learn from an illiterate native speaker, most likely without a “bridge (common) language,” to a highly structured university type setting. I get to try to learn language from both ends of that spectrum. Many in our class will have to do something in between.

With the help of one of our instructors and many people in Wycliffe, I was able to procure a copy of a Baka phonology. This is a document, written about 25 years ago, that describes, in linguistic terms, what sounds are in the Baka language. It was very difficult to locate, but it is a very neat tool to have.

At the end of last week, when I was beginning to get a little discouraged about learning two languages, God used two events to encourage me. First, I heard from a teammate, who has just reached level 2 in Baka. That means that he will get to begin doing formal ministry now and dedicate less time to language learning. If he can do it, then it must be possible! Second, when I met with our phonetics specialist to go over some of the sounds of Baka, I was told that I was making all of the sounds just perfect! I knew that I had been listening to Baka the whole time I was in Cameroon before, but I didn’t know that I had heard and remembered the sounds so well. What a great encouragement at the end of two weeks of learning. Now, I can’t wait to get started!

Sunday Morning

I went for a short walk this morning before church, and look at all the little treasures I found!

Linville Falls

A week ago, a few of us took a trip to Linville Falls. It was only about an hour drive, and we got to enjoy the emerging fall colors the whole way. We took a short hike, and saw the falls from several different viewpoints

Then we piled back into the cars and drove about 4 miles on a dirt road to a canyon overlook. It was quite a spectacular view.
After our hike, we were all quite hungry, so we invaded a little home town style restaurant, and enjoyed some southern cooking. It was just what we needed!

Language Aquisition

It's time for a new course here at CIT. We've finished the Equipping course, where we learned some of the basics for leaving our own culture and entering a new culture. What I have learned is priceless, and I am still trying to process some of it, but it is time to move on. We begin the Language Acquisition course tomorrow morning. We get to learn how we each individually best learn language and acquire some skills to take into the language learning process. Unfortunately, we don't come away from this two-week course with another language learned:)

Our Heart

John Chisum, George Searcy

Our heart our desire

Is to see the nations worship
Our cry our prayer
Is to sing Your praise to the ends of the earth
That with one mighty voice
Evey tribe and tongue rejoices
Our heart our desire
Is to see the nations worship You

Heavenly Father
Your mercy showers down upon all people
Every race upon this earth
May Your Spirit pierce the darkness
Break the chains of death upon us
Let us rise in honest worship
To declare Your matchless worth

There is no power that for one hour
Can withstand the greatness
Of Your Word on tongues of faith
So we're bold in intercession
Praying now that every heart will bow
Before You Lord in praise in praise

Our heart our desire
Is to see the nations worship You

© 1993 Integrity's Hosanna!/Integrity's Praise! Music