The frenetic pace of American culture

There’s been a massive shift in our lifestyle over the past six weeks! We left a relatively quiet Welsh town and the typical 37.5 hour work week with five weeks of vacation each year. We walked almost everywhere—to work, to the doctor’s office, to church, to the Chinese takeaway, and to local shops—and if we wanted to travel further, we often used public transportation (bus, taxi, or rail). You could literally not own an automobile in the UK and do quite well most of the time.

Now it seems like we’re back on the treadmill, staring at the possibility of 50-60 hours per week with two weeks vacation. I was offered employment back in February with the provision that I could start anytime within a six-month window. So three weeks ago I began my five weeks of training and then I’m looking at eight additional weeks before my probationary period ends: at that point I’m eligible for company benefits and a 28% pay raise. Great, huh? Unfortunately, most people never make it to the ninety-day mark. They either quit or get fired. Several long-term employees have admitted that very few people from their training class are still working for the company after twelve months. A senior manager told us yesterday that there’s a 100% turnover rate per year, meaning that our 1,200-person workforce will turnover once a year. I hope to be the exception to the rule.

Thankfully, I’m in a recession-proof business…a massive call center that offers customer service and technical support for one of the largest wireless phone companies in the United States. Cell phones have become a necessity, especially the prepaid “throw-away” phones that require no deposits, no credit checks, and no personally identifiable information. If you want to activate your phone under the name “Bugs Bunny,” then it’s perfectly fine with us. We don’t want to know who you are or what you’re doing for a living as long as you pre-pay our company for the services we provide.

And once I complete the initial five weeks of training, the opportunities for overtime abound. I met a young man yesterday who’s working 80 hours a week—earning his regular pay for 40 hours and overtime for the other 40 hours—so he can work his way through university and complete his masters degree. He earned nearly $6,000 for the month of June. If you want to put in extra hours, there seems to be an unlimited supply for the taking. Since we have not received any income over the past six weeks, that looks like an excellent way to get caught up even if only for a couple of months, assuming I survive the training course and the probationary gauntlet.

But it’s this maddening pace of life that I dreaded most when we began talking about returning to the states. People here seem unable to slow down and enjoy life. One really dangerous outcome of this sad reality is the massive amount of car crashes, road rage incidents, deliberate disobedience concerning traffic lights and speed limits, and the downright rudeness of those who drive the streets and highways of our cities. We’re not very nice when we get behind the wheels of our automobiles, especially the big SUV’s with macho-sounding names like Armada, Nitro, Expedition, Commander, and Rogue. Six thousand pounds of machinery with 300–400 horsepower engines can do a lot of damage if the person driving is not having a good day.

I was hoping to bring a little Welsh serenity back to the states and share it with others. Hmmmm… I’m not so sure it’s possible, especially if I get caught up in this frenetic pace along with everyone else. For those we left behind (and others living in idyllic towns and villages all over the UK and Ireland), I sincerely hope you appreciate what you have on a daily basis. It’s a precious thing, often not valued until it slips away.

Grandpa Elliott & Susan Boyle: The Gobsmacked Effect

Until this week, I had never heard of Grandpa Elliott or Susan Boyle, but their names are quickly becoming well known through the internet’s social networking sites like YouTube and Facebook. The two musicians are unrelated: Grandpa Elliott is a jazz/blues street musician from New Orleans and Susan Boyle is a native of Scotland and a participant in Britain’s Got Talent, a reality television show in the United Kingdom.

Last weekend, I watched the following music video produced by Playing for Change, a network of musicians and artists who want to bring peace, inspiration, and connection through a collaborative, multimedia effort that stretches across the entire planet. As they raise funds and awareness, Playing for Change hopes to build music and art schools in impoverished communities, so they can teach young people to share their music with others and connect with other such schools around the world. Their website describes the vision:

Traveling across four continents over three years with cameras and a mobile recording studio, Mark Johnson and Jonathan Walls embarked on a search for musical inspiration. What they discovered on their journey was the power music has to connect the world together. Chronicled in the feature-length documentary, Playing for Change: Peace Through Music, is a journey that starts in the city streets of America and Europe and heads to South African townships and the Himalayan Mountains….Throughout the film, musicians from different locations that have never met each other join together to recreate songs such as “One Love” and “Stand by Me,” further demonstrating the power of music to connect and inspire people around the world.

The music video “Stand by Me” begins with Roger Ridley, a street musician from Santa Monica, California, who launches into a laid-back rendition of the song with simply an acoustic guitar. But hold on tight because Ridley’s brought friends, thanks to the wonders of high-tech digital music and video production. A New Orleans blues and jazz singer, Grandpa Elliott, takes the first verse of the song:

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we’ll see
No I won’t be afraid, no I won’t be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me.

A third musician, Washboard Chaz, also from New Orleans, brings his unique instrumentation into the mix and all three buskers are digitally joined together for the chorus. It gets better! At the onset of verse two, the music goes transatlantic with the amazing vocals of Clarence Bekker, standing in a side alley of Amsterdam, Netherlands; however, a group of drummers from the Twin Eagle Drum Group in Zuni, New Mexico, set a driving pace with their Native American drums. Okay, here’s the video:

All I have to say is…the video accomplished exactly what it’s founders intended! I found myself inspired, even to the point of tears, as I embraced the impact of what was taking place right before my eyes: virtually unknown street performers who, if we’re honest, we wouldn’t give a second thought. Recognizing the technical hurdles and the behind-the-scenes planning that must have been poured into this project, I was simply and utterly blown away by the amazing performance of this rag-tag group of nobodies, especially Grandpa Elliott who featured quite prominently and cut loose with a really cool harmonica solo.

Then yesterday my wife called me upstairs to watch the video of Susan Boyle, a 47-year-old unemployed Scottish woman who entered the Britain’s Got Talent competition because, in her words, “I’ve always wanted to perform in front of a large audience.” Susan admits, “I’ve never been married. I’ve never been kissed. Shame, but it’s not an advert!” As of this moment, nearly thirteen million people have viewed the following video in only four days, not to mention the millions who have watched several other versions floating around cyberspace:

Miss Boyle attempted to walk off-stage when the song ended, but the judges quickly called her back to hear their comments. One of the judges, Amanda Holden, summed up everything I was feeling during Susan’s solo:

I am so thrilled because I know that everybody was against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical and I think that’s the biggest wake-up call ever. And I just want to say that it was a complete privilege listening to that.

You would have to be brain-dead to watch the above television clip without having your heart stirred, perhaps needing a box of tissues on hand. I’ve begun thinking about these two seemingly unrelated videos, featuring Grandpa Elliott and Susan Boyle, and asking myself, “What can I learn from this?”

Why do such things stir us so? Many people willingly pay exorbitant prices for tickets to see top talent such as Sir Elton John or U2 or Lady GaGa, often forming long lines at the ticket office, camping out for days in advance to avoid the disappointment of a sell-out. But when you go to an event like that, you expect a great performance. It’s what the professionals do, isn’t it? And we love them for it.

But we’re not normally tuned into watching nobodies perform, unless it’s to make fun and have a laugh. If they are truly talented, we reason, then they would already be at the top of the charts. Since they’re not, they must be rubbish. So it might be worth taking a chance and listening to thirty seconds before changing channels or looking for another form of entertainment, but what if we get totally blown away by the unexpected? To borrow a phrase from Susan Boyle, I was gobsmacked…completely and utterly astounded, overwhelmed, beyond amazement, rendered speechless.

People are now searching the internet to buy Grandpa Elliott’s music on CD—some might even be willing to buy his stuff on 8-track tape if it existed—because of one brief appearance in a collaborative effort by Playing for Change. Unfortunately, Grandpa Elliott doesn’t have an agent or a record label or a public relations manager. He’s been playing jazz and blues on the streets of New Orleans for the past fifty years, an “undiscovered” talent that most passersby probably wrote off as another homeless bum who could have been a good singer if he had not thrown his life away on booze or drugs.

Susan Boyle has been living in obscurity in a small Scottish village, enjoying a simple life and singing in her church choir, until now. The reality of what’s happened could change everything for Miss Boyle and Grandpa Elliott; and unfortunately it may take away as much as it gives them in notoriety and fame.

Following Jesus Into the Unknown

In less than sixty days, I plan to be back to the United States after spending five years in the United Kingdom (UK) as an independent missionary and I have no plans to return to my previous life as a lifetime, died-in-the-wool Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) loyalist. I’m not going back as a church planting strategist…not as an SBC pastor or church planter…and not even as a member of an SBC church.

And it has nothing to do with my previous employment and experience in denominational life, in spite of what some may think. Yes, I have been hurt and disappointed and wrongfully treated, but then who hasn’t? As the saying goes, “Join the club!” You cannot be engaged in meaningful ministry without making yourself vulnerable to misunderstanding and there’s often nothing you can do to defend yourself.

This may come as a shock to many life-long friends and family, but I believe God is leading me to follow Jesus into places where no one else is going and in ways that few evangelicals may understand, much less engage in. That may sound like I’m putting myself on a pedestal, but I honestly don’t mean to do that. Living and serving in the completely secular culture of the UK has radically altered my priorities and assumptions about what it means to follow Jesus, something that previously seemed so easy to do within the utopian Christian bubble of “come and see” evangelical churchianity. For those who may be avid readers, the following books have shaped my thinking and plans for future ministry.

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While it may seem that American evangelicals have completely penetrated the middle class culture of the Deep South, I can remember being startled that only 10% of the population in the traditionally “Bible Belt” counties of western Florida attend an evangelical church. The SBC represents the largest single grouping with approximately 5% attending their weekly services on a regular basis; and I would be willing to guess that the numbers have declined even more over the past five years.

I love Bill Easum’s open remarks in Unfreezing Moves: Following Jesus into the Mission Field:

Faithful congregations follow Jesus into the mission field to make disciples who make a difference in the world. Jesus’ command to “Go make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) describes the heart and soul of any authentic Christian community of faith, because it is Jesus’ Last Will and Testament. Faithful congregations intentionally go out from the congregational mission post to make disciples; congregations that omit this purpose are unfaithful. No individual, congregation, or denomination is excused from this mandate, because disciple-making is the reason the Church exists. Take disciple-making away and our congregations have no justification for existence.

In the closing story to St. Luke’s Gospel, as well as throughout the Acts of the Apostles, we encounter a series of “road stories.”…In every instance Christianity is depicted as a movement away from the center of religious institutional, professional life into the fringes of the mission field.

Once again, God asks Christians the question: “Will you follow me again into the mission field?” If we wish to be faithful and claim the future for Jesus, we must quit trying to save our institutions and be willing to follow Jesus into the mission field, even if it means abandoning or sacrificing our institutions. The basic purpose of Christianity is to be with Jesus on the mission field. Every faithful hero in the New Testament joined Jesus on the mission field. The purpose of Christianity has nothing to do with health or growth.

So consider this a brief update of where I’m heading for the immediate future. While I do have some specific plans in mind, it’s going to take some time to get reoriented to American life, including getting settled into new employment and a host of other things. I’ll keep you posted as details unfold, so that you can either pray for God’s provision and/or for my sanity—not sure which is the most pressing issue right now. The future is exciting! We can always look forward to life when we’re learning to rest in God’s love and mercy.

New diesel smart car gets 85 mpg in UK

New 85 mpg Smart Car

smart fortwo cdi coupe begins shipping in March 2009

I saw a television ad last night, while watching Jack Bauer save the world, about a new diesel smart car being offered that gets an estimated 85.6 mpg combined city/highway driving. That’s incredible! You can check the details on smart’s UK site for this vehicle that has begun shipping this month (March 2009).

Strange thing, though. The manufacturer’s site for a similar model—gasoline, not diesel—in the United States only boasts 33 mpg (city)/41 mpg (highway): an economical car, but nothing to jump up and down over. At $13,905 USD for the entry level coupe, it’s also relatively inexpensive, but not enough to tempt most Americans into its tiny (but extremely safe) cabin. One can purchase a Toyota Yaris for $12,205 that gets an impressive 29/36 mpg or a Honda Civic Coupe for $15,305 with a fuel economy of 25/36 mpg.

The TV spot for the UK smart car can be viewed HERE: just click on “Fuel Economy” after the brief intro clip. It shows the driver at the petrol pump on a snowy winter day, then fast-forwards at high speed—the impression of hundreds of cars filling their tanks—until Spring when the smart car appears once again at the pumps. Clever!

The million dollar question is: Why does the American version, even though it’s not the more fuel-efficient diesel engine, get such pitiful gas mileage compared to the UK version? Unless I’m missing something, it’s a puzzler considering the overall fuel efficiency of most British cars versus their American counterparts, manufactured by the same automakers. Do I smell a rat? I mean, really, what’s going on here?

This little piggy had none. Sure about that?

Before you bite into your next pulled pork barbeque sandwich, you might want to ask yourself “I wonder if this little piggy had none” as it relates to (what some insist is) animal cruelty. Several British organizations—including the House of Commons’ Environment, Food, and the Rural Affairs Committee—are insisting on new packaging labels, “to ensure that consumers know the country of origin of their bacon sandwich and that the animals were well treated.”

I was reading today’s Times article, “Alarm over cruelty behind the bacon on our breakfast plates,” on the train to London; and since I am heading to the Deep South tomorrow, I couldn’t help but smile a little. Most Americans would roll on the floor laughing at the idea of pampering pigs Continue reading

Skippy Peanut Butter Arrives in the UK

Skippy Peanut Butter URLOkay, I realize this may not make the headlines in the United States, but it’s big news for American peanut butter fans living in the UK! For decades, American ex-pats have experienced a famine of certain “comfort foods” when living abroad; and our British friends look with horror when we talk about eating peanut butter sandwiches since childhood. And for good reason…their peanut butter tastes like coarsely-ground peanut paste: the kind you Continue reading

Singing The Star-Spangled Banner in the UK

4th of JulyThe 4th of July, a.k.a. Independence Day, is just two days away and very difficult to celebrate in the United Kingdom. Just think about that for a second and you’ll understand why. We have missed this bit of Americana for the past four years, but we do love what God has called us to do here, so we’re not complaining.

Last night I heard “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung by an American church choir in our small town of Pontypridd, South Wales. Since I organized the event, I already knew that there would be two choirs—a Gospel choir from the Atlanta area and the Pontypridd Male Voice Choir—and that the audience would be singing the national anthems for America and Wales. It was the first time I have ever attempted to sing the Welsh Anthem, “Land of My Fathers,” in Welsh and it was also the first time I have heard my national anthem in the United Kingdom. Continue reading

How should Christians vote in November?

Image © iStockPhotoThe 56th American presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2008; and nearly everyone has an opinion about Barack Obama and John McCain, the apparent nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. Quite a diverse field of third party contenders are lining up as well, hoping to snag a few votes and produce a couple of sound bites, but I doubt anyone considers them serious challengers to the two major parties.

A friend on mine suggests that choosing a presidential candidate in November may involve selecting “The Lesser of Two Evils,” but I’m not so sure I agree. Reading the responses to his article, I found myself drawn into the discussion and I posted a response that I thought might be worth posting here with a few modifications. Continue reading

Anglican Bishop compares global warming opponents to incestuous Austrian father

Aberystwyth Sea FrontSo you’re having second thoughts about global warming? Not convinced by Al Gore or a growing number of scientists that climate change is being brought about by the human contribution to carbon emissions? Then you’re no better than Josef Fritzl, according to the Church of England’s Bishop of Stafford, Gordon Mursell. Horrific stories have surrounded Fritzl, the Austrian father who allegedly locked his daughter in a sound-proof, underground cell for twenty-four years and fathered numerous children with her while he frolicked in holiday resorts in Thailand. But to make his point in a recent pastoral letter, Bishop Mursell writes:

And yet Josef Fritzl represents merely the most extreme form of a very common philosophy of life: I will do what makes me happy, and if that causes others to suffer, hard luck. In fact you could argue that, by our refusal to face the truth about climate change, we are as guilty as he is—we are in effect locking our children and grandchildren into a world with no future and throwing away the key. We are right to be disgusted at these crimes. Continue reading

Tony Blair Launches Faith Foundation in NYC

Image © REUTERS/Mike SegarSeveral news agencies have shown interest in yesterday’s public launch of The Tony Blair Faith Foundation from New York City. Here are several links for those who might be interested in more details:

BBC News: “Blair launches faith foundation

Time Magazine: “Tony Blair’s Leap of Faith

New York Times: “Blair Charity to Enlist Religion as a Positive Force

Catholic Diocese of Westminster: “Faith and Globalisation” (see 3 April 2008 video by Tony Blair)

The Office of Tony Blair: “Tony Blair calls for faiths to act for global good