Of Monsters and Men—“Just Listen”

           Periodically, a popular song comes along that presents the Christian a great opportunity. The song offers a cultural cue—pointing to the Kingdom of God. Such is the case with the popular contemporary song called “Little Talks” by the Icelandic indie group Of Monsters and Men.

            Now I must admit, when I first heard the song on the radio, its catchy tune caught my attention. Although I am not a dancer, I can relate to what participants on (the old TV show) American Bandstand’s segment, “rate a record”, use to say about a good tune, “Its got a good beat, and I can dance to it.” However, Stephanie Schoppert has blogged a profound interpretation of the lyrics.

            To Schoppert, the song is about a couple in a long and loving marriage arriving upon a season of adversity. The wife begins to deal with issues of dementia, Alzheimer's, or some other debilitating affliction of the mind. As Schoppert writes, “Both [husband and wife] are struggling with the woman losing her grasp on reality and the knowledge that one way or another they will soon be completely separated. One of the main lines of the song ‘Though the Truth may vary, the ship will carry our bodies safe to shore’ tell that even though they may both seen the world differently they will both end up in the same place. One day they will both be on the other side and together the way they used to be.”

            That is the Christian hope!

            I have no idea whether or not the members Of Monsters and Men are Christians, nor if Stephanie Schoppert is one; nevertheless, Schoppert’s interpretation and “Little Talks’” lyrics—at the very least instinctively express the hope that humans harbor in their hearts... there is something on the other side. Furthermore, people want to believe that our decaying bodies and minds do not represent all there is to human existence. Surely there is more; and surely there is meaning in the experiences of our lives!

            Well, there is. And we Christians should seize the opportunities our culture offers to share the Christian story of redemption and hope.

             I would encourage you to listen to “Little Talks.” Who knows, perhaps you will find other ways to connect with our culture through the song. Here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghb6eDopW8I

Honor, or No?

            This week’s SPORTS ILLUSTRATED cover story focuses on the amount of athletes in college football, who have criminal records. Hint: the number is a large one.

            This week, Brigham Young University suspended the leading rebounder of their men’s basketball team—Brandon Davies—for violating the honor code. This was in spite of the fact BYU was one of the favorites for the NCAA Tournament, which begins in a couple of weeks.

            Moreover, word has filtered out that one of the reasons the PAC—10 has rejected BYU was because several schools within the conference considered BYU to be too “rigid.” (One example: school policy limits BYU from playing athletic contests on Sunday.)

            Question: Have the events of this week made BYU look commendable, or out of step with a rapidly changing culture?

Will the Proud Father Please Stand Up

            Foreign mission work can be tough. Part of the challenge is the language barrier. One story that illustrates this well was sent to me years ago. I regret I do not know the author, but I think you will enjoy this humorous story:

             A new missionary recruit went to Venezuela for the first time. He was struggling with the language and didn't understand a whole lot of what was going on.

            Intending to visit one of the local churches, he got lost, but eventually got back on track and found the place. Having arrived late, the church was already packed. The only pew left was the one on the front row.

            So as not to make a fool of himself, he decided to pick someone out of the crowd to imitate. He chose to follow the man sitting next to him on the front pew. As they sang, the man clapped his hands, so the missionary recruit clapped too. When the man stood up to pray, the missionary recruit stood up too. When the man sat down, he sat down. When the man held the cup and bread for the Lord's Supper, he held the cup and bread.

            During the preaching, the recruit didn't understand a thing. He just sat there and tried to look just like that man in the front pew.

            Then he perceived that the preacher was giving announcements. People clapped, so he looked to see if the man was clapping. He was, and so the recruit clapped too. Then the preacher said some words that he didn't understand and he saw the man next to him stand up. So he stood up too.

            Suddenly a hush fell over the entire congregation. A few people gasped. He looked around and saw that nobody else was standing. So he sat down.            

            After the service ended, the preacher stood at the door shaking the hands of those who were leaving. When the missionary recruit stretched out his hand to greet the preacher, the preacher said, in English, “I take it you don't speak Spanish.”

            The missionary recruit replied, “No I don't. Is it that obvious?” 

            “Well yes,” said the preacher, “I announced that the Acosta family had a newborn baby boy and would the proud father please stand up.”

            We all make mistakes. Part of the challenge in foreign mission work is to accept the fact that we will all commit our fair share of errors.

            Quitting is not the solution. Instead, we need to laugh along with everyone else—and move on. We take God’s work seriously—but not ourselves.

Culture Clash

Romans 14:1-4:

 1Welcome all the Lord's followers, even those whose faith is weak. Don't criticize them for having beliefs that are different from yours. 2Some think it is all right to eat anything, while those whose faith is weak will eat only vegetables. 3But you should not criticize others for eating or for not eating. After all, God welcomes everyone. 4What right do you have to criticize someone else's servants? Only their Lord can decide if they are doing right, and the Lord will make sure that they do right. CEV

Each culture has its own taboos. Kenneth Matthews writes of a missionary couple from the United States, who grew up in the “Bible Belt.” There, alcohol and cigarette smoking were banished for members of their church.

This couple decided to move to Germany to do missionary work. After they relocated, they decided to visit the home of a German couple, who were Christians.

The missionaries arrived at the house of their hosts and knocked on the door. The German hostess opened the door, and proceeded to drop her wine glass.

The fact the she was drinking wine shocked the missionary couple. Later, they were even more surprised to learn the reason the German hostess had dropped her wine glass— she was shocked to see the missionary's wife with makeup on her face–a no–no in German Christian culture.