This means suffering alongside a friend when they are in pain, and rejoicing with them when life is going well. Both of these tasks are equally challenging for most of us, whether we realize it or not. Some of us avoid suffering at all costs, it’s too scary and we’re not sure we’ll be able to find our way out of it. Some of us have a hard time being thankful when others are doing well, sincerely offering our congratulations. Granted, we will never fully understand the depth of someone’s suffering or joy, but we can still share some of it with them. In doing so we “carry each other’s burdens, and in this way [we] will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

Here’s a profound example of a little girl who did this very thing:

This little girl entered into her brother’s suffering the best way she knew how, yet her action was very simple. Often walking a mile in someone else’s shoes doesn’t have to be radical, it can be as simple as finding common ground over a cup of coffee, or in this case, a haircut.

Jesus entered into our suffering by joining the human experience. God became a man and lived among us. Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT) reminds us:

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Because Jesus has experienced life as a human being, he can relate to us in our sufferings. Hebrews 4:15-16 (NIV) tells us:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

How does Jesus’ life and example help you deal with your own suffering? How can you enter into someone else’s story this week? How has someone entered into yours? I’d love to hear what it is like walking in someone else’s shoes….

Related posts:

1. I Removed My Shoes Twice to Go to Church Today – Part 1
2. I Removed My Shoes Twice to Go to Church [Yesterday] – Part 2 (EDITED)
3. Every Life Has a Story… What’s Yours?

The photo below shows (from left to right) Peter Slayton, Jonathan Burmeister, and Tiffany. Peter is LBT’s recruiter/mobilization coordinator, and Jonathan currently serves as a literacy and translation consultant for Cote d’Ivoire and Mali.

One of the most striking displays at this event was a set of posters listing all of the languages that still have no bible and the number of people who speak each language, shown below.

Here is a close-up:

It is amazing to consider how many people still have no bible available in their language, and then it humbles me to think that I own several bibles. I even have the choice of multiple translations, depending on my preference. Yet so many have no bible at all.

Tiffany and I felt honored to be in the presence of so many people with a passion to bring God’s Word to others in their own languages, and who were actually doing it. We got to hear from Rev. Nathan and Sarah Esala, missionaries to Ghana, as well as Ed and Wilma Rupprecht, missionaries to Nigeria. It was sobering to hear about the trials and sacrifices that these missionaries have made in order to work among people in other cultures (no electricity!), but also encouraging to see how God has given them the strength and resources to carry on.

Tiffany and I want to encourage you to check out Lutheran Bible Translators’ ministry, and if you are not already, to become familiar with the great need for bible translation worldwide. This short video highlights the need if you can spare three minutes of your time.

Overall we had a great time and learned a lot. We met some great people and got to see how God is working through LBT.

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3. What Ever Happened To The Bible?

Iran’s conservative clerical establishment often rails against the perceived dangers of U.S.-inspired culture and consumerism, branding it “Westoxication.”

The Des Moines Register says,

Barbie is sold wearing swimsuits and miniskirts in a society where women must wear head scarves in public and men and women are not allowed to swim together.

In 1996, the head of a government-backed children’s agency called Barbie a “Trojan horse” sneaking in Western influences such as makeup and revealing clothes.

Authorities launched a campaign of confiscating Barbies from toy shops in 2002, denouncing the un-Islamic sensibilities of the iconic American doll. But the campaign was eventually dropped.

Are Barbies really all that bad? Are they genuinely destructive to a culture’s view of women? In an article entitled Talking about positive body image is good…really believing it is hard in the Monterey County Weekly Health & Fitness section, author Brett Wilbur states:

Skinny is where it’s at. Even if it’s impossibly skinny.

As feminists who criticize Mattel, Barbie’s creator, have pointed out, Barbie’s dimensions are impossible for a real woman to mimic. She’s been estimated to have a 39-inch bust, an 18-inch waist, and 33-inch hips. (Just try squeezing one of her teeny mini skirts over her hips. And I can guarantee from the number of naked Barbies strewn about my daughter’s room: she’s stacked.) To recreate her dimensions, a 125-pound woman would have to be 7’2” tall.

Do you think this has altered female’s perceptions of how a women should look in Western culture? In an age where thousands of women silently struggle with eating disorders, self-image and self-esteem issues, is it really right to “Westoxicate” another culture?

But is it really that bad? I would argue YES. I watch my wife struggle with losing weight and the emotional roller coaster that goes along with this process, and I know that many other women are on the same ride. The Barbie doll mental image goes along with women to the beach and to the gym, where they watch themselves in a mirror while striding on an elliptical trainer, listening to other women who weigh 125 lbs make comments such as “Look at how fat I am.” Because even skinny women aren’t immune to the destructive mental image of Barbie. Remember, Barbie’s dimensions are impossible to attain.

Flip on the television at home and you are bombarded with a plethora of ridiculously skinny actresses and models — never mind the fact that one of the Olsen twins recently was undergoing treatment for a severe eating disorder. Let’s not think about that… . Shows targeting women feature “ugly” women becoming skinny with the help of personal trainers, plastic surgery, makeovers, new wardrobes — you name it.

So do I think the Iranian official’s concern over the ‘destructive’ social and cultural implications from Barbie is warranted? Absolutely.

Related posts:

1. I Removed My Shoes Twice to Go to Church Today – Part 1
2. Muslims issue warning to South Park creators

I was amazed at the size of the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center (NWIIC) as we drove into the parking lot. The Center is only one building away from the Sikh Gurdwara on Colorado Street, yet the two are worlds apart.

The NWIIC has over 26 nationalities represented during an average Friday prayer service in the mosque; with Muslims from Egypt, Nigeria, and abroad. I was surprised to learn that the Middle East does not contain the main concentration of Muslims, but rather Indonesia and Africa! We were guided by Imam Mongy El-Quesny (the Imam is the leader of the mosque), and he said that the Roman Catholic Church recently acknowledged that the number of Muslims has surpassed the number of Catholics worldwide. We also met Faleed (spelling on these is probably wrong), Omar, and a Nigerian Doctor named Abdul-Faid (spelling?).

The name Islam comes from an Arabic root word meaning “peace” and “submission.” Islam teaches that one can only find peace in one’s life by submitting to Almighty God (Allah) in heart, soul and deed. The same Arabic root word gives us “Salaam alaykum,” (“Peace be with you”), the universal Muslim greeting. A person who believes in and consciously follows Islam is called a Muslim, also from the same root word. The word Muslim simply means, “submitter.”

In Islam, faith and good works go hand-in-hand. A mere verbal declaration of faith is not enough, for belief in Allah makes obedience to Him a duty.

The Imam explained the Shahadah, or proclamation of faith, to us. This is the central pillar of faith for Muslims. The Shahadah simply states: “There is none worthy of worship except Allah (The One True God) and Muhammad is his messenger.” The Imam made it clear to us that worship and daily life are not disconnected as in many other religions (which is often true of subcultural American Christianity). The two go hand in hand and are inseparable, everything a Muslim does is done out of reverence and worship towards Allah.

Muslims place a high value on meeting new people and helping people. This is likely why the NWIIC is where at least 60 doctors from NWI pray and worship together! The doctors enjoy helping people and meeting many new people, which is why many of them enter into the profession. Me met a Nigerian Doctor of Physical Therapy who will be the next Imam at the NWIIC.

Muslims pray five times per day. The Islamic prayers are fixed at the same “time” period each day — before dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening. Because of astronomical reasons, the “times” (according to the clock) for these prayers do change from day to day and depend on location. Islamic prayer times were traditionally set according to the movement of the sun, not of the clock, and this is how they continue to be observed.

We had the opportunity to observe the afternoon prayer session. This is the second time I removed my shoes. Several local doctors came to attend, and also children from the grade school at the NWIIC (the NWIIC currently teaches grades Kindergarten-5th on site, the children learn Islam, Arabic, and more). Women sit in the back, then children, then men in the front. For this prayer all males were in the front. One of the grade school students began the prayer, and then the Imam continued — all in Arabic. It was very impressive that the Imam has memorized the entire Koran and cites parts of it in the prayer from memory, and that everyone moved in unison whether sitting, kneeling, standing, or bowing (and Christians complain about memorizing one verse or standing too long during a service — meanwhile, Muslims do this five times a day!).

They were more than happy to answer any questions we had, including those involving violence in the name of Allah around the globe, and the whole Sunni/Shi’ite thing (essentially a majority of Muslims are Sunnis, and the Shi’ites are typically radicals due to political motives more than religious ideals).

Imam Mongy El-Quesny talked with us about coming to America from Egypt, largely due to persecution from the Egyptian goverment. After September 11, he says that America has lost its freedom as well. He related to us how customs agents are always waiting for him when he gets off of airplanes, which is humiliating (For more about Arab bigotry in Northwest Indiana, check out this news article).

The NWIIC partners with several other churches, including Methodist missionaries, to send medical supplies overseas to countries that desperately need them. Dr. Abdul-Faid passionately explained to us how even though our government gives millions in foreign aid to underprivileged countries, most of that money never reaches the common people who need it the most, due to corruption. It is so sad that this is the state of our world’s affairs. But, so long as human greed and other vices thrive in the political sphere of worldwide power, this is what we can likely continue to expect for the future. I wish more Christians were impassioned about these issues, but they, like most Americans, would rather stay in their safe suburban bubbles and pretend like everything is OK. I was very happy to see genuine passion over our world’s social injustice.

Overall, I had a very positive experience at the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center. It is good to meet other religious leaders in your community and to learn more about other cultures. It was very intriguing learning about Islam and having all the myths and rumors debunked firsthand.

If you haven’t had a chance, read Part 1 of this series, where I talk about visiting the Sikh Gurdwara. Thanks for reading and I hope this has given you further insight into Sikhism and Islam! God bless!

Related posts:

1. I Removed My Shoes Twice to Go to Church Today – Part 1
2. Muslims issue warning to South Park creators
3. Race Relations in NWI

“Please remove your shoes and cover your head before entering the ‘Gurdwara.’” Yes, I wore a head covering for the first time in my life today (both men and women wear head coverings). The Sikh who helped me put it on was surprised that as an American I had never even worn a bandana before. Then of course we all also removed our shoes.

With all of the gold on the roof of the outside of the building, I was surprised at how simple the interior looked. It was a newer building, with plain white walls and a modern look and feel.

I learned that Sikhism is one of the youngest world religions: it’s only about 500 years old. Its founder, Guru Nanak, was born in 1469. Guru Nanak spread a simple message of “Ek Ong Kar”: we are all one, created by the One Creator of all Creation. This was at a time when India was being torn apart by castes, sectarianism, religious factions, and fanaticism. He aligned with no religion, and respected all religions. He expressed the reality that there is one God and many paths, and the Name of God is Truth, “Sat Nam”. It seems to me that Sikhism mainly began as a way to allow Hindus and Muslims to live in harmony with one another within the Indian culture.

Guru Nanak’s Hindu and Muslim followers began to be called Sikhs (learners). He taught them to bow only before God, and to link themselves to the Guru, the Light of Truth, who lives always in direct consciousness of God, experiencing no separation. Through words and example, the Guru demonstrates to followers how to experience God within themselves, bringing them from darkness into light. Guru Nanak was a humble bearer of this Light of Truth. He opposed superstition, rituals, social inequality and injustice, renunciation and hypocrisy and inspired seekers by singing divine songs which touched the hearts of the most callous listeners. These songs were recorded, and formed the beginnings of the Sikhs’ sacred writings, later to become the “Siri Guru Granth Sahib”. Our guide explained it this way: in the Judeo-Christian mindset, we tend to think of the relationship between God and man as that of a potter and a pot. There is a clear distinction between the creator and the created. In Sikhism, the relationship is more akin to a dancer and a dance. They are essentially inseparable and one flows from within the other.

I was surprised to learn that when you meet someone who looks like the man in the image above (or below), he is a Sikh, which is Indian, not Arab. In America, Arabs and Muslims typically blend into our culture and dress normally in the prevalent western styles. When you see someone like in the image above, he is most likely a Sikh. Our guide explained how most Americans assume that Sikhs are Arabs and think they are terrorists and such. I really hope that people read this last little bit and remember it. Americans need to become aware of our cultural stereotypes and biases!

When we entered into the main area of the Gurdwara, where Sikh’s conduct regular Sunday morning services, we got to see the Holy Book, which is venerated and is located in the center of the room. We also received a demonstration of traditional Indian music, which was really neat! The Sikhs were sure to explain that they do not worship the Holy Book as an idol, but they venerate it out of respect much the same way some Christians bow or genuflect in front of crosses or other religious symbols. During services, Sikhs sit on the floor. In America, men sit on the right and women on the left side of the room. Surprisingly, this custom is only practiced in (and originated in) America! Anywhere else in the world you go, men and women sit together in the Gurdwara.

After that, we moved over to the cafeteria to have ‘Langar,’ or lunch. After every service, Sikhs eat Langar together and fellowship. This custom began in order to feed the poor and needy in the communities. Today it is mostly maintained for tradition’s sake. I thought that what our guide said about this was profound: “How can you tell people to pray on an empty stomach? We believe that we must first meet people’s physical needs or else helping them attain the spiritual reality is pointless.” We got to eat real, home-made Indian food. It was great! Curry is certainly a little bit more spicy than our American taste buds are accustomed to, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

After and during Langar we had the opportunity to ask questions. Enlightenment seems to be the chief goal of Sikhism. Our guide described the Holy Book as an atlas — it is good for pointing us in the right direction, but absolutely pointless if we never start our cars and drive to the destination. The Holy Book is not an end unto itself, the journey is much more important than the destination. Truth is a relative concept, along with evil, good, etc. It is more important to Sikhs to first discover who you are, and then to ascertain what is true to you — all the while focusing on the process not the end. Sikhs do not see reality in terms of having a beginning and an end, and so do not focus on these ‘concepts.’

All in all, it was fascinating to learn about Sikhism and to meet people of the Indian culture who I may have never had a chance to speak to otherwise. Sikhism really isn’t that much different from the many postmodern and existentialist beliefs that people hold today, only with more cultural influence and tradition. I am very glad I had the opportunity to visit the Gurdwara and learn about Sikhism.

Thanks for reading! Look for part 2, which talks about our visit to the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center!

Related posts:

1. I Removed My Shoes Twice to Go to Church [Yesterday] – Part 2 (EDITED)
2. America: Deep Faith, Shallow Beliefs
3. Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes…

In the book of Exodus, the Israelites had been enslaved to Egypt for 400 years and God delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh by trumping their pagan Gods with 10 plagues. The 10th and final plague was the killing of all the firstborn in Egypt. God instituted the Pesach with His people in preparation for this plague:

“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ² “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. ³ Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. ⁴ If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. ⁵ The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. ⁶ Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. ⁷ Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. ⁸ That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. ⁹ Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire—head, legs and inner parts. ¹⁰ Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. ¹¹ This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.

¹² “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals — and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. ¹³ The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

¹⁴ “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD – a lasting ordinance” (Exodus 12:1-14).

If you’ve never had the opportunity to attend a Seder, try to make it a priority next year — particularly with other Christians so that you learn how this Jewish tradition can be so meaningful to our faith and understanding of Jesus.

“¹²On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹³So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

¹⁶The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.”

A quick note, preparing for the Passover means ridding the home of all ‘chametz’, i.e. leavened foods (including bread, baking powder, yeast, etc.). The terms ‘Feast of Unleavened Bread’ and ‘Passover’ are synonymous.

¹⁷When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

¹⁹They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?”

²⁰“It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. ²¹The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

²²While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

²³Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.

²⁴“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. ²⁵“I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.”

²⁶When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Mark 14:12-26).

Understanding that this ‘Last Supper’ was the Seder, the Passover meal; can open so many doors of understanding to us as believers. It is amazing when the story is placed back into its context and you understand how and when these events transpired. This blog is not a sufficient medium to explain the entire Haggadah (the liturgy or ritual used to conduct the Seder meal) and how it sheds amazing insights into Christianity, but I would encourage you to attend a Seder and find out for yourself. I attended a Seder led by AMF International, and they explain the Haggadah on their website in more depth. I’d encourage all of you to follow that link and read about this great Jewish tradition in which our Lord Jesus participated (and promised to participate in again in the kingdom of God!). I was going to break down some more of the service here, but you really need to visit this link and read the article in it’s entirety — it’s not very long.

For those of you who are in Northwest Indiana and would perhaps like to participate in a Seder next year, you can contact AMF International directly or get in touch with me (my email address is provided on my profile page) for more information. AMF International will typically come to your church or gathering and conduct the Seder for you, teaching about it’s significance to us as believers. I hope you have learned a little bit about our Jewish roots and have been reminded of our connection to the Jewish people, whom God still dearly loves, and whom we are also called to love.

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