One Lord Many Tribes

Sometimes when I'm in church on Sundays, I find myself thinking about all my Christian brothers throughout the world. Think of it, as we lift up holy hands to God, as we take our communion, all around the world, God's children are praising Him. All throughout heaven, songs are being sung to the glory of God.

I've got to say that that just amazes me. To think that all my brothers across the world are praising God with me. "Let us exalt His name together."

As a creative person, I have always loved God's creativity. The Creator made so many things that we see and so many things that we will never see. Sea worms under the ocean, insects in the side of rocks. The Creator has even made some creatures that I don't personally like. Mice and snakes, only to name a few. And He seems to have a weird extreme love for beetles. But nevertheless, I love him with all my heart.

As Christians, we love nature and we love the God of nature. We love our brothers and sisters in Christ -- even those who belong to other cultures and ethnic groups. Yet, we North American Christians often do not understand those other cultures. I dare say, some of us rarely read books by folks in other cultures....even if those folks are Christians.

When I wrote Wind Follower, two books influenced me. One is Eternity in their Hearts, by Don Richardson. It is an account of missionaries and their encounters with different cultures.

The other book is One Church, Many Tribes : Following Jesus the Way God Made You by Richard Twiss and John Dawson. A great book written by a Native American Christian pastor.

I'm sure there are other books out there. I recently saw an East Indian Christian who explained how Jesus Christ -- the Divine Guru, the Light, The remover of the Sin Debt-- is the fulfilling of many East Indian hopes.

Out of all nations, God has created a people. In heaven all His children will know and understand each other. But it would be nice if we could begin understanding each other's cultures now.

Seek out a specfic book written by someone from another culture. Or a Christian multicultural romance. And if you aren't in the mood for fiction, these two books are highly recommended. May the Lord richly bless you with His love this holiday season. -Carole