It's a terrible admission to make but sometimes I really believe that Christians aren't always as honest as we'd like to think. Listening to two of my favourite comedians recently- Frank Skinner and David Baddiel- I was struck by how painfully honest they were in their observations about life and especially about their own lives. Now many observers might disapprove of their explicit dialogues about sex, for example, but what I admire in a perverse way is the fact that are completely open about personal issues. For the most part, what they say reflects what they are really like underneath. Interestingly enough, Baddiel is Jewish and Skinner is a devout Catholic (hearing his 'confessions' would be fascinating) but you won't often hear evangelical Christians bear their souls as indiscriminately as the Fantasy Football duo. That's my point really, in that mostly we don't talk about what's really going on or what we're really thinking about but WE SAY WHAT WE THINK WE SHOULD SAY AND WHAT WE THINK PEOPLE WILL WANT TO HEAR IN ORDER TO CREATE A GOOD IMPRESSION.
Today I've heard the truth from different perspectives. Ignite have had a mission team in Portugal for the last 10 days and today I've had two debriefs. The formal one with Becky the team leader- who incidently did a fantastic job in organising the whole trip and leading the team- which focused on all the right areas that a formal debrief should; and then the informal debrief with team members Elen and Veeves at an evening meal tonight. Becky was honest and personal in her appraisal of the mission but it was the informal debrief where the stories came out about 'beautiful Portuguese guys', team gossip, blossoming relationships, and all the stuff you don't hear in an official report. Now I want to say again that this is in no way a reflection on the excellent leadership of Becky because she responded openly to the questions I asked, but it is a reminder to me that sometimes all of us have our own 'official' version of life alongside the real 'no holds barred' version. Public image and private reality are often quite distant. Perhaps it's a vulnerability issue as much as an honesty issue. I guess what I actually admire about Baddiel and Skinner is their willingness to be vulnerable, and the potential for humour that brings. As for the two Ignite Expedition to Portugal debriefs, both were informative, both enjoyable, both equally valid, and between them painted the real and honest picture. Both of them also reminded me that the hand of the Lord is very definitely on Becky Williams and she's going to be leading plenty of overseas mission teams in the future.
Becky Williams rocks!
xxx
Posted by: Cat Will | 07/20/2006 at 01:27 PM
I appreciate the topic. I think it's good to examine this area. Nigel has the best blog Ive ever seen because of content and always something new to read. Thanks for inspiring me- Matthew from FW
Posted by: Matthew Wilkinson | 07/23/2006 at 07:53 PM