For the sake of honour....

The main emphasis of our current ministry has become a focus on the issue and impact of 'Honour' and its partner of 'Shame', in the dynamics of the culture we live in, and how that affects effective evangelism and discipleship.

I've just been looking at quite a good website by another guy also interested in more effectively reaching those folk in cultures which heavily emphasise honour and shame (particularly the Middle East) ... I can concur with a great deal of the content of the website and I'd recommend you take a look. But, I found that he does not place Sub-Saharan Africa into the category of Honour/Shame, which is a similar view to so much Missiology and Anthropology literature.  None the less,  the reading of the content of his website actually confirms yet again how much honour/shame is a part of life in this area of Africa.  (To be fair: my guess is that the site is not rejecting the view that sub-Saharan Africa may have a shame focus, but is simply adopting a premise set down in the past by others.)

One day maybe, I'll do a blog with a bit more info on how we got ourselves into this vein of ministry, but for now I just want to raise a few points of interest in regard to how much this issue of Shame is not just an African or Asian or Middle East issue anymore.  Its also a Western issue....in a couple of ways -  

because....

1. Western society is slowly losing its Judeo-Christian ethic. Therefore it is also slowly losing its conscious individual accountability to the absolute authority of Almighty God. That means that a guilt conscience that convicts, knowing that God sees whether other people are watching or not, is slowly being lost. 

Why?

...because if people don't believe God sees everything they do, or actually don't believe God exists at all, then they are not going to be interested in whether God approves, or is pleased.  So God's definition of right and wrong will disappear, and people will only be interested in doing what other people around them see and approve of, or not doing what other people might disapprove of and/or publicly expose.  

So then doing wrong will be defined by what is unacceptable to those around 'me' and I will desire to live according to what is acceptable to those around 'me'.  An absolute authority that is in place wherever I am, irrespective of whether I am alone or with others, will be irrelevant to my thinking.  So as a result, my sinful heart of pride will only lead me to want to avoid shame and seek honour from those around me.

I am seeing this already in the Australian media.  Just think about what happens when people get 'caught' for doing something that actually violates the absolute authority of God's standard of right and wrong, and even the authority of the nation's law (which stands and you are guilty of, whether you are caught yet or not). So often those who were 'caught' did not admit to doing 'wrong' or violating a law, but to 'disappointing' those who expected more of them, and doing something 'shameful'.    (As in the cases recently of the Aussie Olympian who smashed up some shopfronts in the UK in a drunken rage and was forced to issue an apology before being sent home, and the case of Andy Muirhead - the TV personality who was in court for multiple child pornography charges and issued a statement in relation to it.)

Note: Being ashamed for doing wrong is not necessarily a wrong attitude to have, (shame for doing what is shameful before God is a right attitude)  but if it is the only attitude that is exhibited, and if the shame is more about what others think than defying God's law,  then we have great reason for concern.

and, 

2.  As the West becomes more and more multicultural, Asia (also a strongly shame emphasis culture), the Middle East and Africa are no longer far away places. People from these places now live in the West in ever growing numbers.  Just because a person is living on 'Western' soil unfortunately doesn't instantly change their religious view or how they think (their worldview) or their life's dynamics, priorities and heart motives.  These dynamics also don't only function when a person is in their own home and with their own families, they direct every life decision, action and attitude.  We are more and more convinced that the West has failed to realise that these dynamics will influence and direct the workplace relations, social interaction, the definition of right and wrong behaviour, and life priorities of people from such cultures.  And they will affect it in such a way as to lead to behaviour that the average 'Westerner' will mis-understand, mis-judge, and mis-apply solutions to. 

Most recently we have seen this in relation to the Muslim riots in protest of the YouTube video "Innocence of Muslims" which Muslims said dishonoured their prophet.  A most excellent biblical response - to this incident and the West's response, has been published on the "Briefing" website.  click here for part one (be sure to read the follow-on parts too)

I would highly recommend every Christian read these Briefing articles....carefully and thoroughly.

This issue is not just an issue for missionaries like us, to study and address.....although we need to, and have not done a good job at it in the past decades....this is an issue for all Christians to understand and address...and urgently!

Even a bit more about POTS

MORE ON THOSE POTS LIFESTYLE ADJUSTMENTS

With such a condition as POTS, ones lifestyle is radically changed as I cope with symptoms, but also as I try to reduce any unecessary strain on my body so as to maximise the body's resources for healing, and so we have made many adjustments as to how we 'do' life:

- I now sit down to have a shower

- long hot showers are things of the past - the shorter the better and the colder the better.....otherwise by the time its time to get out my heart rate will be high, the blood pressure low and I am pretty unsteady on my feet which is not so good!

- I don't wash my hair anymore.......my husband either does it for me in the shower or else our maid or a carer does it while I lie down in my recliner wheelchair which is backed into the shower and we use a hand-held shower rose.

- Getting ready for the day takes hours - since I can't do everything in a continuous run (as that would mean my heart rate gets too high for too long), instead I get up and visit the loo and then lie down again for a while to let my heart rate settle again.  Then I sit up to have breakfast and lie down again for a while.  Then I get up to have a shower and dress and then lie down again for a while.  Then I get up again and sit down while I clean my teeth and put on my shoes. And then I lie down again on my day bed.

- On my day bed I have a special angled bed-table with my laptop computer on it.  (yes even on the edge of the Kalahari there is internet access - at least in the capital city it is generally available)  and beside me I have a few baskets with books, stationery supplies, and other odds and ends.  I also have a small cabinet with other items I need regularly, a box of snacks and my medications/supplements and the phone, and a 4 litre water flask/pump.

- Nearby is also a wrist Blood Pressure monitor (the above reading was taken on an average Spring day (not too hot), a few minutes after going from a supine to sitting position on my day bed) - the reading below was taken also on an average Spring day (not too hot) but while standing still (upright position) after getting dressed for the day.

 and some days ....

- I also wear a heart rate monitor.  Its what the athletes wear at the gym to make sure they get up to their desired heart rate and it gives a beep when they get over it.  So i wear it to make sure I don't go over a certain heart rate and it beeps at me if I do.  For me the 'beep beep' is a danger sound rather than a celebration sound - but none-the-less it is a wonderful blessing as without it, I really have no idea that my heart rate is going so high.  It was because of this little gadget that I learnt that I needed to sit down in the shower and needed someone else to wash my hair for me, because doing it all myself while standing up, my heart rate was almost 160bpm!  (No wonder my cardiologist compared my situation to like being at the gym 24/7 and that my heart couldn't keep that up forever!)

- I also have a special car seat-belt now - like the racing car drivers wear - so I can ride in the front passenger seat with the seat fully reclined and still be belted in.

- I am now thankfully mostly having the strength to not need the wheelchair around the house.  I can walk to where I need to be and try to not stay standing up when I get there, and instead sit down.  If the weather is not hot and I don't talk too energetically, I can now stay sitting for about an hour without my heart rate going over my limit - as long as I don't do it too often. (In the summer time when my legs can be seen, if I stand up for too long, my lower legs start to go red from the blood pooling and I know I need to get horizontal fairly quickly!)

- in hot weather (of which there is lots here on the edge of the Kalahari Desert - summer days can get up to well over 40), I am much more limited. I found out that for every 10 degrees over 20 the ambient temperature rises, our heart rate rises 10bpm.  With my base heart rate already being high (around 80-85), if the temp is around the 40 mark then my heart rate is 100-105 before I even move.....and the limit I am not supposed to go over is 108!  All I have to do is move my arm while lying down and doing nothing else (not even speaking) and its over!!!!!...............so as you can imagine I am much happier in cooler weather!

- if I want to have a good conversation or do anything that takes concentration I have to be lying down otherwise the heart rate goes too high.

- I have learnt that I can't watch tense drama movies.  I didn't know until recently that the body doesn't differentiate between what it sees on TV and what it sees in real life and although part of you knows this isn't real, the body still responds with 'flight or fight' reaction response like it is real.  Your heart rate increases as the body gets ready for your need to have to make some quick decisions and take quick action like you were actually part of the drama itself!

- I have also learnt that because of the effects on the eyes ability to respond properly (resulting in blurring etc), my eyes also don't cope too well with quick image changes on the TV - fast moving image changes give me a headache real fast - so some movies I have to watch only part and just listen to the rest!  ......that puts a different take on 'watching a movie'!

- I also have to try not to talk while I am sitting up eating - sitting up + eating + talking is like a triple dose of increased heart rate so two at once is the limit.  Talking has to wait till I am lying down again, after the meal!

- And of course some of the biggest adjustments are that I can't 'run' my own house like I once did. I thank the Lord for a hubby who not only can cook but likes to cook and treats shopping as a 'hunting expedition'!  He actually gets great satisfaction from finally finding and capturing and bringing home his 'catch'!

In a future blog maybe I'll share some of what God has done with a person who He 'put on her back'!

A bit more about POTS....

DIET and EXERCISE CONSIDERATIONS with POTS

Having a good doctor to work with, makes all the difference in any
medical situation especially for chronic conditions such as POTS. I
couldn't really wish for a better Doctor who is highly professional,
intelligent and has great 'bedside manner' and humble enough to listen
to and learn from his patients.

Of course when a person is first ill there is always the thought of
what pill can I take that might help. And I didn't lack for people's
suggestions coming from all over. I was very thankful for the
internet to be able to check them out and for a doctor who is cautious
and careful when it comes to jumping on medications. However, there
are several 'potions' that are now part of my regular daily regimen as
well as various changes I have made to my diet....and so far these
seem to be having a positive effect.

I am now on various vitamin/mineral supplements - some that I have
found beneficial and some that my doctor has prescribed which include,
Magnesium, Vit D, Vit C, Omega 3.

and.....SALT - lots of it!

......did you know that we don't all need to reduce our salt!....some
people like me actually have to work hard to increase my salt intake!
(and yes its with my Cardiologist's blessing!)

We all actually need salt in our diet. The problem is that many
people eat too much processed food that has added salt, and end up
with too much salt. But if you don't eat too much processed food then
it is highly possible you need more salt in your diet. I discovered
that a person should have 2300mg sodium (6000mg salt) per day
according to the American Heart Association.

When I actually added up how much salt I was having each day I was
struggling to reach 500mg sodium each day! We ate a diet of mostly
fruit and vegetables, a little bit of meat, very little bread and I
couldn't have much dairy due to an issue with Chronic Bronchitis and
needing to reduce the mucous production in my lungs and so wasn't
eating much cheese either. We rarely had any processed meats or take
aways and we had been told it was good to reduce salt and so we didn't
cook pasta or rice or vegetables with salt either. So I have actually
had to work hard to get my salt intake up and now I use the salt-
shaker at almost every meal! It's actually not easy to keep up enough
salt when you don't want to eat "junk food" or too much oil or
processed food. V8 or Tomato Juice is good and its easy to add even
more salt to it without it tasting too bad. If a person's salt levels
are too low then it can mean their Blood Pressure would be too
low....and mine was certainly low and my husband was diagnosed with
Low Blood Pressure issues two years before as well.

and WATER -

The other issue I have to work at is keeping up my fluid intake as
getting dehydrated is a big problem that contributes to low blood
pressure and in turn can raise my heart rate. And we live in one of
the driest places on the earth....we are in a desert and our daytime
humidity has got as low as 3%!!!! This past year most of our daytime
humidity was below 20%. That's almost like living constantly with the
humidity as low as it is on an Airplane. So I have to make sure I am
constantly drinking enough water - a minimum of 2 litres per day and
some days in summer quite a bit more than this. I have learnt that a
certain type of headache probably means I am starting to get
dehydrated and with some extra water the headache vanishes.

EXERCISE

Exercise is a difficult one as most exercise requires a person to be
sitting or standing and moving energetically - which would all send my
heart rate too high for too long, and give me a lot of muscle pain for
days or weeks afterwards. This would end up being severely
detrimental to my recovery and general health, rather then helpful.
So, apart from doing as much physically as I can without nasty after-
effects, and especially limiting what I do to mostly in a sitting or
recumbent position, I have found other ways to help my body in this
area:

I was able to get a second hand APT trainer machine which enables me
to 'ride a bike' while lying down and not necessarily exerting effort
to do it, to help with maintaining muscle tone.

God has also blessed us with a wonderful and helpful maid/house help
who we sent on a massage course and is now a qualified massage
therapist and gives me a massage every week. I have learnt that like
the APt trainer, massage is a form of 'passive exercise' and a full
body massage is equivalent to a five mile walk in its effects on
circulation and body health. I have also learnt that it is a very
effective means of lowering heart rate and improving muscle tone!