Culture Shock

Photo by  Jackson Simmer  on  Unsplash Throughout my 18 years in Croatia, there are generally three ways I've dealt with the cultural differences I've encountered:  Completely accept the new culture's way of doing things. Coffee culture comes to mind. Completely reject the new culture's way of doing things. The draft is a prime example. Make some sort of compromise.  This post is about one of the compromises I continue arguing with myself about making. It still causes a degree or two of tension in my mind when it comes up. In fact, I sometimes end up talking to myself (in English) while speaking (in Croatian).  Since a year or two after I moved to Croatia, I have worked towards learning Croatian as well as I can. There have certainly been ebbs and flows, mountains and valleys, but the progress has generally looked like the sort of economic growth chart a company would strive for. But there's one thing I have to - and often do - push against when it comes ...

  What does it mean for us to pray like a child? That is, after all, what is implied by the opening words of the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father..." And Jesus calls his disciples to be like children , right? I don't think it's a stretch for this to be our starting position when we pray.  Of course, it's helpful to make the distinction between being child-like and childish.  I believe Jesus is pointing to the fact that children are inevitably vulnerable. We as parents take their hands when we're on a sidewalk next to a busy street. Children tend to make mistakes, say what they think at times when it can be uncomfortable and ask for things continually. Children don't have positions of power or influence either. In sum, they have to rely on someone to guide them. I think that's the point.  Our prayer lives ought to look like we are constantly in need of someone to guide us. Because that's exactly what we need if we're followers of Jesus. Praying l...

  "Pick up your feet!" That was my grandfather's tongue-in-cheek demand everytime we would approach a toll booth somewhere in the Buffalo, NY vicinity. (Go Bills!) Of course he was referring to the buh-bump, buh-bump the tires made on the grooved pavement to pursuade drivers to slow down. The image of my own feet dangling down, causing the car to make that noise often made me laugh.  Later in life, when I had my license, whenever I inadvertantly moved toward the shoulder of the road, the highway would rumble and groan warning me to stay in my lane.  It turns out that this technology can be used not only for the purpose of safety, but also for art.  I was in northern Hungary last week, on my annual retreat , when I encountered something I had never seen before. My first inclination was to (literally) steer clear of it. But later, I drove the same road again and experienced this:  I'm not sure what speed I was supposed to drive in order to hear the tune in its id...

Loving our neighbor as ourselves is not simply something we as Christians should endeavor to do. Rather, loving our neighbor is a natural result of abiding in Christ.  Photo by  Vimal S  on  Unsplash There’s an interesting line from Leo Tolstoy ’s novel Anna Karenina in which Levin is thinking deeply about how it is that he learned to love his neighbor. His first impulse is to attribute this value to reason. But as he ponders this possibility, he realizes loving ones neighbor cannot ultimately be discovered by reason, “because it's unreasonable”. Rather, he comes to the conclusion that what he knows about loving his neighbor was revealed to him. Tolstoy here offers us a glimpse into the biblical understanding of loving our neighbor.  Throughout the Old Testament, Israel was commanded love its neighbor. In Leviticus 19:18 we see a contrast; rather than taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against their neighbor, Israel was commanded to “love your neighbor as yo...

Sveti duh, Zagreb "Thank you" is such an important staple of American culture that you probably don't realize how much you say it. Whether we're in the checkout line in a store, or at an interview, or just getting to know someone, chances are we will try to find a spot to get a "thank you" in. This is the go-to phrase for putting our best foot forward.  I was just watching a youtube clip in which a fairly well-known actor was shuttled to an exclusive airport lounge before being chauffeured to the plane on the tarmac. One of the comments was how great a person he was because he thanked all the people along the way.  If you're an American, this is a very normal comment expressing a well-known value throughout our culture. But there was something about it that shocked me a bit.  What this comment reveals is how strongly a simple "thank you" can affect how people judge each other. In this case, this celebrity's character, at least to the person...

Since we moved to Croatia, many people have asked me what I miss most about the States. My response is #1: Family and friends, and #2: Baseball.  Of course the former makes a lot of sense. The latter, on the other hand, in a culture where baseball is just in the movies, takes most off guard.  Regardless, my most recent trips to the States represent these two reasons. Last year I went to western New York to celebrate my grandparents’ 70 years of marriage . This year, in fact, right now , I am arriving in Boston to enjoy the Cubs' first trip to the World Series in 71 years. That may sound like a trivial reason to cross the Atlantic, but this is where I come back to reason #1. Having gained a love for the Cubs from my father and having shared it with my brother, it will be a joy to watch several games with them. I'll also be able to visit close friends in Chicago, whom I haven’t seen in three years, and whose children I’ve never met. I will be able to have my cake a...