Category: French Society

The strikes in France, my two pennies worth

From outside France, you might be wondering what is going on here at the moment, so I thought I’d give you my two pennies worth on the subject, as a Frenchman who has lived abroad for the most part of the last 11 years, an recently gone back to the homeland.

First of all, French people are very conservative. They do not like change, and often live in an idealised past, where “history is used as a windshield against reality” to quote Le Monde, reality being to painful to face. Over the last 10-15 years, people have become more and more worried. The world has changed, they know it. They probably also know that things need to change, but it is painful as it does not fit with their idea of how things should be. So, I would say that the massive disruptions we are seeing at the moment are an expression of a deeper anxiety.

I would also add that when I grew up, going to High school and University here in France, there was always a romanticised view of May 1968. Each time there were student strikes, people were longing to see a new Spring of 1968 happen, with its national strikes and urban riots. I think there could be a bit of that as well. There is a lot of hype, and people are like sheep, and follow the lead. The medias are not helping, and social medias must have a role in mobilising more people. I think if you took time to chat with some of the people demonstrating, you’d see that the government reforms are only an excuse. They are anxious about their present and their future.

So, what next? There’ll be problems for another few days or weeks. I don’t know what the government will do, it doesn’t really matter I think. Then, people will go home, with their anxiety about the present and the future. They’ll bury their heads in the sand once more, until next time.

So, what can you do? Well, pray for two things. First for the government, that they will have wisdom to do the right thing. Secondly, pray for the preaching of the gospel, that it will come with power, and that the Lord will visit his people here, so that they can bring a change to society for good.

The Librarian

The conversation I had with a Librarian this afternoon is typical.

We went to register to the local Library in the center of town. And when the lady saw on the form that I was on minister, she asked if I was going to be working in a church here. I replied positively and explained I was working alongside the pastor of the local Evangelical church. She did not know there was a church here, so I started explaining to her where the church was located. But she almost immediately interrupted me, saying forcefully she was an atheist, and was only interested in religions from a cultural point of view. I wasn’t even trying to witness or anything, just explaining the location.

People here are very uncomfortable with the subject of religion. As soon as it is mentioned, they react in the same way as this lady. It is sad. I am often taken a back by this and I am thinking about the best way to challenge these people.

It reminds me of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman. When she tried to evade his questions, he had an answer and brought the conversation back to where He wanted it to go. And she was saved. Pray for wisdom and discernment in these conversations.

Living on rue Yves Guyader

The part of the estate we live on is quite recent, about 5 years old. The street is quiet, with little traffic. There are a lot of families, with young children from our children’s age to 12-13, and a few teenagers. The children often cycle around together, the older include the younger quite easily in their group. They’ve accepted Jean-Baptiste quite quickly, some of them practicing their English with him. We wonder sometimes if he is not too young, but we keep an eye on what is going on, and they usually hang around in front of our house, or on a nearby car park, which mean we can easily see them.

As I am writing, our children and a few others are making the most of the dry weather to play football on the street in front of the house. We pray that somehow we will have the opportunity to witness to these kids and their families. The house is ideally situated since they often gather right in front of it.

Overall, the street is quiet. people work long hours, and keep to themselves. But they are getting used to see us around.

La chasse/ Hunting

Today, the hunting season is starting. It is a big thing in rural France, and hunters have been preparing this opening day for weeks. It also means you may want to wear bright colours when you go for a walk, and you need to talk loudly.

The father of a little girl in Jean-Baptiste’s class loves hunting and was talking about it two weeks ago. Who knows, we may get to eat some game in the coming weeks?