Recently at the breakfast table we were talking about how we
are adjusting to our new life in NE Georgia. I said to Ruth, “I don’t always
know what I’m looking at, but I like what I see.” Those of you who have ever
lived in a culture that was not your own can appreciate my thought. Sometimes
what we see and experience is just different from what is familiar to us. Now
different is not bad – in fact different can be very good. That’s why I
say, “I like what I see”.
I had never experienced a chicken mull until last month. While
I didn’t know what I was looking at I liked that I saw friends cooperating in a
centuries old tradition, one generation teaching the next the value of their
heritage.
Where I grew up there are no BBQ joints - let alone one on
almost every corner – but it doesn’t take you long to discover that good smells
and good food can come from a place named The Butt Hutt. I like that pulled
pork and tea can result in meaningful conversation and friendship.
I’m not used to hearing young people reply with a respectful
“Mame” or “Sir” but I like it when I hear it. The respect and polite manners common in southern cultural
add value and dignity to others. I’ll take it over “huh?” or “what?” any day of
the week.
We have been made to feel welcome from the first time we
walked through the doors of Antioch Church back in November and there has not
been a Sunday that has gone by that someone has not said, “We’re really glad
you’re here!”
While it’s easy to spot differences, it’s also easy to spot
similarities. Each Sunday we worship together with people who love God like we
do. We have been welcomed by people whose hope of eternal life is based on
their faith in what Jesus has secured for them through his death and
resurrection. We have become part of a family that desires to reach their
county and the world beyond with the life changing power of the gospel.
Ultimately this is what binds people together – their identity and their
purpose. When I look at the church
I know what I’m looking at and I like what I see!
