Eating Ghanaian

  Yesterday, KM and I ate at the Luthers house.  We had a traditional Ghanaian meal of chicken boiled in a peanut/ pimento paste, which creates a soup type sauce.  Then you make giant rice balls and with your fingers, you break apart the rice and dip it in the sauce and chicken.  It was very good, but the idea of ‘eating’ a liquid with your fingers was a bit strange to me.  If you add enough rice, however, you eventually get all of it.  The chicken is cooked long enough that you can actually eat the bones, too.  Honestly, the bones weren’t bad.  But Julie did have to shame me into eating with my fingers instead of a spoon.  I think chopsticks are easier.

One of the things that troubles me here is how the name of the Lord is blasphemed.  In the States it happens, too, but that is usually with cursing or other foul language.  And I don’t like it there, either!  Here, it is in their superstitions.  Almost every shop or store has God’s name used in it.  For example, ‘God is Great Hair Salon’.  On the back of taxis it may say ‘Jesus is Lord’.  At first it seems nice to see the acknowledgment of God, but the reality is they are using His name expecting Him to bless them simply for using His name.  They’re not using His name as a cursing, like is done in the States, but to seek a blessing.  Both are vain uses of His holy, righteous name!  The Lord’s name was never meant as a lucky rabbit’s foot, that you rub and say a few magic words, and voila! – you have that which you asked.  It reminds me how God gets mixed into whatever traditions a culture has, with the idea that, “What we have is not bad, and neither is this Jesus, so let’s just mix Him in with what we already have.”  You know, like in the States. We like our rock music, so why not just add Jesus’ name to it, and He’ll bless it.  Or this idea of dressing and looking like the world in order to attract the world to us, then we’ll surprise them and tell them we’re Christians.  If they think they can keep living like they live and have Jesus, well then they’ll trust Christ.  A changed life doesn’t save a man, but when Christ moves in He should be allowed to set up house as He pleases!

Jesus said He is the ONLY way, not just one of many.  I want to be so careful to present Christ as Savior, not lucky charm.  I'll get off my soap box now.