Traditions run deep.  Very deep. 

Think of your family’s holiday traditions.  “It just wouldn’t be Christmas without…”  Or, “Every summer, we…”  You fill in the blanks.

For my part, birthdays just wouldn’t be birthdays without Lucky Charms for breakfast!  My dad instilled this tradition in me, and I’ve faithfully upheld it.  As you can see, I’m also passing it on to my own children (Titus just turned three):

Another ingrained tradition, quite the opposite of Lucky Charms, is that of healthful eating (instilled by my mother).  Ivan just turned one–much too young for a sugary cake!–so he got fancied-up watermelon instead:

During our time here at the Missionary Training Center, we’ll be learning about how the ancestral traditions of tribal cultures will directly affect how we minister as missionaries overseas.  On Wednesday we will begin a class called “Worldview,” which will teach us many of the tools necessary to discover the deeply ingrained perspectives and thought patterns of individuals and cultures.  With this kind of information, guided by the Holy Spirit, we can become more effective communicators of the gospel, both home and abroad. 

The harvest season is swiftly approaching, and with it will come many down-home American traditions–corn mazes, football, apple picking, color tours, harvest parties, cider and doughnuts, Thanksgiving turkeys, family reunions…the list goes on!  As you enjoy these good times with family and friends, take a moment to remember and pray for people around the world who are trapped in traditions of deceit, cut off from fellowship with God.  Pray that their worldview will be transformed by the truth of Christ!   

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?  And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?  And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’

Romans 10:14, 15 (ESV)