Outsider Looking In (1)

I feel like I'm in a coma--from the culture, from classes, and life in general. I kind of wander around like I'm in a fog. After immersing myself in Chinese culture for 2 years, it is rather like I have to relearn America culture, a lot of which doesn't make much sense to me. This blog really helps me to process some of my thoughts...

One new development in the past few days is that I discovered my job for the next 2 years while I go to school. I'll be working in the Department of Family and Community Resources downtown at City Hall. It will be a great challenge as I learn and stretch professionally, I suppose. Some of the cool projects/events/committees I get to work on are the Homeward Bound Walk for the homeless, the Multicultural Expo, and the Commission on Aging. It sounds like I'll be in contact with a lot of different people, which I'm happy about.

And as I've wandered around in a daze, I've been thinking of some things in America that I didn't have in China and should be grateful for. But somehow I'm not all that grateful. I think I really miss the chaos and color of China. The next few blogs I thought I'd share about some facets of life in America that seem totally foreign to me.

1.) Churches

In Bloomington I've already been to two different fellowships (to use my old China language). But these aren't really fellowships; they are more like mega-fellowships in mega-nice-buildings. In China you have to worship in tiny groups or state churches, of which there only about 2 for a city of 4 million.

But here you can pick from about 4 million churches. There's a church for every denomination, preference, lifestyle, color, and mood. Do you like coffee? There's a church for you. Do you like wearing jeans and talking about social justice? There's one down the other street for you. Do you need to meet a boyfriend or girlfriend? Try that church over there. Do you like being at a rock concert with strobe lights? Go to the church I went to this weekend. And make sure, no matter which church you choose, that you immediately exit the church after the very brief service and run over all the other people in your haste to get out of the crowded parking lot.

So of course there are pros and cons of this church culture. It's an amazing blessing to be able to worship wherever freely. But it's sad that the churches aren't more packed. And how come nobody talks about faith in public? When I casually mention being a Christian now and then, people look embarrassed for me. But my heart breaks for them! They don't realize how they're missing out on true life.

In the Sunday school group I went to yesterday, all the believers are still being fed baby food, or as CNN put it, "cake." The leader talked about "quiet times." He asked, "Do you know what a quiet time is?" People just looked at him boredly, blinking through their eyes that are encrusted in 85 layers of eye-liner and mascara. (Sorry, now I'm just being petty!)

I wanted to pipe up, "We should be spending time with Him all the time. Why does it have to be a big deal? We can spend time with Him no matter where we are, not matter what we're doing." I don't think I'm smarter or superior, but when does following Christ stop being about us and start being about Him and other people? When do we grow up?

CNN actually had a good article in somewhat of a similar vein.

Just my thoughts, albeit a little cynical, as sort of an "outsider looking in."