What We’re Reading

3. The very spiritual, Toilet Training In Less Than A Day, is the book of choice this week. J  My goal is to go through the training process by the end of the month—day to be determined.   I know, I know, many people go longer than 18 months and have multiple kids in diapers.  I could continue, but why wait when she´s ready?  I´m not expecting 100% trained by the end of Wednesday, but it won´t be much worse than our cloth diapers that need to be change every couple hours or they leak, or they just plain leak occasionally.  Wish us luck on this new adventure.

2. I, Sandy, just finished The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. It was a good reminder that the money and opportunities that we have our entrusted to us, ours to use to God’s glory and in service of His people.  Are we, Christ’s church as a whole and individuals, revolutionizing our world?  Does my heart break for the suffering people around the world?  Do I even ask God for a heart like His, and really mean it?

1. This combined with Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover is causing us to take a look at our finances and how we save, give, and invest our money.  I was taught well as a child how to manage my money, and Albino is naturally frugal.   A job change, raising a child and other life circumstances are all good reasons for us to do an even better job.  This very practical book is great for me.  I always want the HOW of something, and this has the steps, right down to percentages.  I’d learned the principles but now have a better idea of how to go about them..

Apu Yaya Jesucristo

While reading Turn Right at Machu Picchu I, of course, learned much more about the history of Peru and the Incan rulers. I read names and places that were familiar which brought back fun memories. Most interesting, however, it sparked a language and cultural conversation that also taught Albino more about his language (Quechua). The author mentioned a song commonly sung in churches around the Cusco area, Apu Yaya Jesucristo. I, like the author, understood apu to refer to the mountain gods (a simplified definition for this blog entry), and, thus, the translation of the song title makes Jesus an apu. “This doesn’t sound right,” I thought. But, I chalked it up to the synchronistic tendencies seen in the churches. Albino recognized the song and didn’t seem to take issue with the lyrics. Confused, I asked him to explain how Christians could sing songs that apparently made Jesus just one of many gods. Upon closer examination of the word, apu, it means, the highest—a title, not a thing. Jesus holds the title of being “the highest” He is the highest, the best. He is Lord of creation, Lord of the mountains, Lord of our lives.

Christian Quechuas struggle with their traditional worldview and the new biblical worldview. For Quechuas, spirits cause illness, etc. Rather than saying that those spirits don’t exist (which is our tendency to believe in North America) we all must recognize that Jesus is greater than those spirits. He truly is the apu. My disclaimer: I write now that Jesus is the apu in order to share my cultural and language insight, but I will probably be cautious to use the terminology in the future. Too many common misunderstandings of traditional Quechua culture and language can get in the way. I’m not an expert and even native Quechua speakers have difficulty explaining.