Color-man, 5 June, Birmingham, England

We are novices at this craft. We're not yet the writers we wish to be, but we have been trained to progress--by teachers, parents, friends. And now we put it to the test of experience. We now have the raw stuff--the muscle--to flesh out this bare skeleton. Our daily experiences in each different culture we see will fill us with stories, but beneath all this we hope to find the true color of this trip--ideas affirmed or shattered in our heads. Surely the providence of God will lead us to the right people and places; we have seen it already. Last night, boarding our flight from Philly to Gatwick, we spied out the most intriguing person at our gate, a tall black man with an urban beret and mustache. When we found our seats on board, he was right there with us. Lionel, a Nigerian and a Christian (as we soon found out), told us he had been praying at the gate that the Lord would place him somewhere on the plane where he could pray comfortably and read Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Bible. When he saw Sam's Bible, he saw his prayer answered. Christians are told to live by faith, but we are also given wonderful physical signs of our faith's reality. Just when we need such reminders, or change perhaps, affirmation or chastisement, He provides it in healthy doses. We've seen it already, and trust in it to make all our plans worthwhile.

Snapshots of "pensees" so far/Questions we're asking:

*Antidenominationalists focus not on dividing doctrines, but solely on the person of Jesus Christ. Lionel said as much of himself. He is a joyful and loving brother in Christ. He studies the Bible deeply. But without denomination, does he have a family? Does he have a foundation? I think so, but I want to watch out for those who wish to defenestrate "dividing doctrines." Dividing doctrines often separate the true Jesus from false ones...

*What is a good concept of Christian worship? Beyond techniques of worship, a general rule is that it must be steeped in Scripture. More on this soon...

*How does a woman involve herself in worship without "asserting authority" over men? If she can write hymns, dance, sing, etc, can she not preach? What's the fundamental difference?

Drew

Action-man, 5 June, Birmingham, England

I am in a flat in Solihull, England. Uncle Al and Aunt Julie live here. Drew and I are sleeping in a narrow double bed. Its corners are low and sharp. I have a purple mark on my knee from a fresh hit. The walls of the flat are white and bare. Below the wide-ledged windows are open radiators. Aunt Julie told me that the kitchen is a "one-man kitchen." She made me leave the kitchen after dinner so she could do the dishes.

Uncle Al and Aunt Julie park their small car (everything is bigger in the United States) underground. An iron fence makes the building look "exclusive" and formidable to thieves. To get in, Aunt Julie punched a five-digit code at the front gate and at the door.

A year ago, Uncle Al came to England to plant a church in Solihull--Solihull Presbyterian Church. Solihull is south of Birmingham. Today, we drove and walked through Birmingham. I didn't see very many white people or hear very much English. The streets are full of foreigners--Middle Eastern women in burkes with varying degrees of exposure, Indian shopkeepers and dark Pakistani boys in English soccer jerseys. Shop crowds shop and merchandise crowds the sidewalks like a street in Monrovia.

But that's Birmingham. Solihull is quiet and private. Ethnic Brits live here and send their children to private schools. By morning, the children walk to school and the parents to work. Aunt Julie calls them the "busy tribes." In the evening, the roads are empty and the shops are closed.

Sam