Contrary to common understanding, the United States is NOT the only country left in the world that uses the English measurement system of feet, pounds, gallons and Fahrenheit. We are not!!!
Okay, so forget that the other two countries are Liberia and Myanmar. Liberia is a small country in west Africa started by former American slaves who returned to their homeland and build a nation whose capital is named after U. S. President James Monroe. Myanmar, when it was Burma, was a British colony. They gained their independence and changed their name, but did not change their measurement system. Oh, and don’t forget that other country…wait. There is no other country that measures things like we do.
Change is difficult, isn’t it?
Research has shown that many worshippers who leave a traditional church setting to plant a church eventually return to the traditional church setting because their “new” church requires much flexibility. New church plants need a dynamic relationship between worshippers and their spirituality, between the organization and the community in which it lives. A friend of mine explained it to me this way at a recent church conference. New land is explored and developed by folk that basically fall into two categories—pioneers and settlers. The unknown “wilderness” does not thwart the spirit of the pioneer who is determined to withstand and tooled to live off the oft-rugged landscape. Settlers will not survive because the “wilderness” is too fluid, to say the least. Settlers are suited to refining and accommodating the new surroundings. A new church plant needs people with a pioneering spirit.
Pioneers can handle change and probably enjoy effecting change. A pioneer could change from the archaic English measurement system to the metric system. Settlers…well…settlers do not know whether I have a fever if my temperature is 37 degrees Celsius. (This website might help you: http://www.translationtown.com/tt/cont/conversort.asp)
This new church God has called me to start is a wilderness to my family and me in many ways. It is very exciting even with the challenges we face. We’re praying for a few other pioneers willing to join us in taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Christian, Husband, Father, Pastor
