After a tough week in France, I feel very blessed.  I can’t get over the beauty of the place, and I’ve entertained fantasies of disappearing into these hills and cafes with nothing but a moleskin and a Bible, avoiding the uncertainties waiting for me when I get home.

Ministry here is not too different that in the U.S.  Watered down westernized versions of Christ’s message have innoculated people against Christ’s message.  Most times, we have to start by, to borrow a phrase from marketing, rebranding, or from YoungLife, “win the right to be heard.”

When I worked with homeless kids we just treated them like human beings by taking them to movies or pool halls.  In other places ministries it’s taken place over gallons of coffee.  Here, it means knowing someone long enough to get them to tell you their name; convincing them that being a Christian does not mean thinking the world is flat or being a war-monger.

Results aren’t tangible like Bible’s smuggled, orphans who swam or school houses painted.  We herded three dozen kids through Vacation Bible School.  Last night, the missionary here ate at a restaurant ran by the parents of one of the visiting kids.  It might not seem like much, but it’s one relationship that they wouldn’t have formed without the extra momentum stirred up by VBS.

For my faithful readers back in the States, I hope you’ll think about how you can both represent and re-present the gospel to your friends and neighbors and win the right to be heard.