Going Forth: Perspectives

Went to a village on November 10. A friend of mine took me, I was grateful for his help. The particular
village is his mother's home village, and he has an old great-uncle there. I went to do some research.
It is really amazing the timing of our culture study. We have noticed that if we did this even a few years
later we would miss the last generation it seems that really knows the culture in its entirity. With
modernization, urbanization, and the advancement of travel, no one is staying put, families are
no longer together as they used to be, the old traditions are fading away. If the old ways of life
were being replaced by good solid Biblical living, that'd be great, but that is why we are doing
the culture study. The old ways of Satan are just being replaced by new tricks from the same
evil power, but now it is masked in media, shallow love, money, material goods, the disintegration
of every society it seems. Well back to the village, the old man agreed to show all we wanted
but at a price, so I had to pay for it, but I really want the information. Unfortunately other foreign
folk have used photos to sell, and such, so now my reputation also is that I am an exploiter, if
only the people new what the result of their sharing would be. But my friend told me that his uncle
shared much top secret info, so that was good, despite the price tag.
All this study really makes think of people's perspective, to this man, the old secrets are not to
be shared, but if he only knew of He who is more powerful and keeps no spiritual secrets to happiness.
I just finished a meaningful book called "When I Relax I Feel Guilty" The title makes its content
pretty clear. It is from a Christian perspective, there are some good quotes I thought I'd share.
"A real Christian is an odd number, anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen; talks familiarly
every day to Someone he cannot see; expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another; empties
himselof in order to be full; admits he is wrong so he can be declared right; goes down in order to get up;
is strongest when he is weakes; riches when he is poorest and happiest when he feels the worst. He dies so he can live;
forsakes in order to have; gives away so hea can keep; sees the invisible; hears the inaudible; and knows that
which passeth knowledge." A.W. Tozer (pg 47)

"I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please, not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just
enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of Him to make love
a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb,
not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please."
Wiblur Rees "$3.00 Worth of God" (pg 49)