March 19 – “Speaking of St. Patrick’s day …”

Speaking of St. Patrick’s Day, I spent some time talking with my fashion consultant the other day.  Now I grew up with the knowledge that you always wear green on that day or else whoever caught you could pinch you.  And if you actually did have green on, they had to let you pinch them back.  You know, basic holiday policies and procedures.  Well, after Cailyn caught me with no green on, I received a lecture on the basics of St. Patrick’s Day décor.  She informed me that there are certain things that just don’t count toward the famous pinch if you’re not wearing green thing.  Underwear apparently counts.  But you have to be willing to verify.  Wearing plants, however, just does not cut it.  I even tried saying that I had green teeth from not brushing.  She didn’t believe me for one thing.  She has been here when I tune up my miniature lawn mower motor that operates my toothbrush.  But that was one of those intangibles that just doesn’t fit the mold of the day.  After several other attempts to get by such stringent rules, I succumbed to the pinch and we returned to watching TV.  Not long after that, a commercial came on that got my attention.  Another possible option.  It was a bad breath commercial, and the breath was portrayed as a thick, green fog emanating from the unfortunate person’s mouth.  I took a deep breath and turned toward Cailyn to make my case with this new evidence.  But she was a step ahead of me.  With arms crossed and a stern look on her face she was already staring in my direction.  Before I could even speak, she declared, “And that green doesn’t count either.”  Ouch.  All my best ideas shot down.  Oh well, back to the green drawing board, I guess.

I also learned some things about the real St. Patrick.  Well, wait a minute.  I didn’t really verify my sources all that well, but it was on the internet, and they don’t let anything on the internet that isn’t true, right?  It seems St. Patrick developed a system of missionary work that was absolutely the best ever.  Although born in Briton, he had been a captive slave of one of the tribes in Ireland for years, so he knew the people and their language.  He eventually escaped, rediscovered his family’s Christian religion, and many years later returned to do missionary work.  But his plan was ingenious.  He always worked in a group of about 12.  They would settle in near one of the tribes and get to know the people.  Slowly, as they were accepted into the local culture, they would then start to share about Jesus.  When enough converts were trained to support a church, he would leave a few from the missionary team there, replace them in the group of twelve with some of the native Christians, and move on to the next settlement to do the same thing.  He always had a full, trained team, and the churches he established always had strong leadership.  Smart man, that St. Patrick. 

Psalms 18:32 says, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

Father, thank you for breakthroughs in understanding and respecting cultures while we seek to share what is most important to us – you.  Amen.