Something on which I have been ruminating of late is the challenge to effectively communicate cross-culturally. I am making every effort to find a voice that transcends for the purpose of this blog. The significance of this struck me at Bike Week 2014 in Laconia as I found myself a member of a subculture within a subculture.  What I mean by that is, Bikers comprise a subculture and Christians are another subculture and within the Biker culture there a good number of Christian Bikers. I was very pleased to see how well Christian Bikers are integrated into the greater Biker community and it got me thinking about language, culture and context.

In referencing Bike Week, I closed my last posting with “rumor has it that Christ can be found there.” Yet, even as I wrote that, I knew such phraseology would have appeal to only a portion of my desired audience. Make no mistake, I am unashamedly a Christian and I want other Christians to read this blog; vicariously participating in the Emmaus Road Trip. My desire for my friends who are a part of the Christian/Church subculture, however, is mostly that they be challenged to stretch and grow, opening their minds and hearts to the greater culture in which we live, gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to be “the hands and feet of Christ.”

Interestingly though, the folks who gave this project their endorsement or expressed enthusiastic appreciation for the concept in its early developmental stages, were people who don’t attend church and some who would label themselves as atheist or agnostic. I am most grateful and indebted to you who fall within that camp and desire to honor you and your apparent hunger for learning and truth. I hope that what I discover and share throughout the coming months will be uplifting and edifying to you. If at times I come off a little too “preachy” or “churchy”, I trust you will extend to me patience and grace.

The largest potential audience, I hope to address are those who would refer to themselves as “spiritual but not religious” This label has become so popular that perhaps we could say this reflects the mainstream culture of North America. Frankly, there have been times that I have been so frustrated with the lack of depth in the church subculture that I have been tempted to wear that label myself. Within the church I know I am not alone as I see a growing number of those who are calling themselves “recovering evangelicals.” (Plenty of bloggers out there who fall into this camp) I confess, I cringe just a little when I hear someone so define himself/herself.  I won’t go quite that far myself, preferring rather to strive to recover evangelicalism, but I get where you’re coming from.

So yeah, I’m talking to you. If you attend church, keep going and keep growing to be more like Jesus. If you are “spiritual but not religious” keep digging, keep searching, keep reading and follow the golden rule. If you are a skeptic but have a sense that there is something more to life than just living for yourself then please, please, please, pay attention for I was as you when I began my journey of faith.

As always, if you are aware of ministries that are doing great work, Please share that information with me. If there is something about Christianity or this blog that bothers you, feel free to share that as well. Reader comments are critical to the development and success of this project. I am working on some basic interview questions for when I actually hit the road. I will be posting those soon for your input and feedback so stay tuned.  Blessings