{"id":1833,"date":"2012-09-26T12:01:37","date_gmt":"2012-09-26T17:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/emergentvillage\/?p=1833"},"modified":"2012-10-24T13:39:32","modified_gmt":"2012-10-24T18:39:32","slug":"1833","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/emergentvillage\/2012\/09\/1833\/","title":{"rendered":"Touch Me: it takes a lifetime by Randy Woodley"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

(I began this series See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me<\/em> as a challenge to the colonial Western Church to be inclusive of ethnic minorities at all levels. Intro to Series<\/a>, 1. See Me<\/a>,2. Feel Me<\/a>).<\/p>\n

One of the great values Native Americans share, but often missing in American society, is respect for elders. If there is an issue floating around, we all know it won\u2019t be finally settled until the elders have spoken-everything else is just words and ideas. Elders always have the final say (as far as \u201cfinal\u201d goes in Indian country) and they usually have the most perspective from which to draw. Our elders are honored at gatherings; given their food first; given food and other gifts to take home; given first place in all activities; never interrupted; and shown respect by always being given the seats of honor. Our elders have lived through the things that we have not and because of their experiences, they have had many years to think about things and derive wisdom from applying the best knowledge to real life. Also, they listened to their elders, who listened to theirs, and so on\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>We have often heard White folks say they were \u201creally touched\u201d by what an Indian elder had to say. It is true, many of our elders are able to speak with not only wisdom, but compassion and truth, all coming from the heart. This kind of real, lived experience really touches people. By that I mean, they feel life-giving words of correction or nurture through these words. Words that have been seasoned through life experience have a sacredness to them, sort of a primordial power. This is something people forget in American society and among followers of Jesus because words are used too much, often meaning too little. The words have not made it through a long journey so they end up being somewhat superficial, even when they are the correct words.<\/p>\n

I remember when I was a young man pretty full of myself,\u00a0 I would attend church or conferences or class and have the thought, especially after a guest speaker talked, \u201cI could have said all that.\u201d How often I meet young folks today with a similar attitude. They are well educated, charismatic and brilliant, in fact, much smarter than me. Their words sound good but the power from their words soon wane. A decade or so ago, a young man even told me once after I made a presentation to a fairly large crowd, \u201cI could have said everything that you said!\u201d In times like these, I never seem to have a quick response, \u201cmaybe so,\u201d I said, \u201cmaybe so.\u201d Now that I\u2019ve had a decade or so think about it, I think I\u2019d like to respond to that young fellow by saying something like, \u201cyou can say the right words, but have you lived a life that makes you worthy to speak them?\u201d Our words must travel some distance before they really have integrity and lasting power.<\/p>\n

If you want to get to know me, or perhaps if you want get to know other people who have had to live difficult journeys because of the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their race, their gender, their stance against injustice or any number of other concerns that you may not have had to face, (or that you could easily escape) you have to come within \u201ctouching distance.\u201d You have to get up-close and personal in one\u2019s life to understand the depth in their words. You need to learn about their journey before their words can touch your heart.<\/p>\n

My favorite short story author is Barry Lopez. In \u201cThe Salmon\u201d he tells the story of a man who is so impressed at the salmon run that he decided to build a monument in the middle of the river to honor those salmon. He worked diligently at making that fish made of stone reflect all the colors and shape of a real salmon. By the next year the man was ready for the salmon to behold his tribute. They eventually came rushing in only all of a sudden to turn around, and head back downstream. It was then that the man, his \u201cguts falling away from his heart,\u201d realized his own irreverence. The salmon monument was perfect and as such,\u00a0 it was perfectly reprehensible. In its beauty was the great error. The monument did not reflect the journey of these long traveled elders. The monument was not worthy of the moment he had waited for because he neglected to really understand the fish. The image of the fish that he knew, contained the unimpaired impairment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he stood beside the fish [monument] he realized for the first time how flawless it was. That the ravages of the upstream journey were nowhere revealed.\u201d\u00a0 (Barry Lopez, Desert Notes\u2026 River<\/em> Notes\u2026<\/em>, 1990:113).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(I began this series See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me as a challenge to the colonial Western Church to be inclusive of ethnic minorities at all levels. Intro to Series, 1. See Me,2. Feel Me). One of the great values Native Americans share, but often missing in American society, is respect for elders. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":1989,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76,57,1],"tags":[250,22,1095,16,30,1092,221,216,132,100,192,98,69,24,107,1097],"class_list":["post-1833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-2","category-kingdom-theology","category-uncategorized","tag-american-christianity","tag-church","tag-community","tag-emergent","tag-emerging-christianity","tag-emerging-church","tag-evangelical","tag-faith","tag-god","tag-gospel","tag-humility","tag-jesus","tag-missional","tag-randy-woodley","tag-religion","tag-theology"],"yoast_head":"\nTouch Me: it takes a lifetime by Randy Woodley<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"(I began this series See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me as a challenge to the colonial Western Church to be inclusive of ethnic minorities at all levels.\" 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Renowned Missiologist Ralph Winter said of Woodley's book, Living in Color: Embracing God's Passion for Ethnic Diversity (IVP), \"perhaps the most important book any American citizen could read who wants to truly understand global missions.\" Randy blogs at Ethnic Space and Faith found at http:\/\/ethnicspace.wordpress.com\/ Randy continues to be involved in grassroots ministry\/activism and community organizing today, as he has for most of his adult life. Randy and Edith continue to consult and mentor those serving Native American communities concerning indigenous ministry and mission. They also lead a local Native American gathering at their home in Newberg, Oregon. The Woodleys have four children. Woodley may be contacted at rwoodley@georgefox.edu. His new book, Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision will be released by William B. 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