I Am From
Cultural Conversation Cards
Everyone has a culture, but do we feel confident to talk about it? Imagine easier and enjoyable conversations that can lead to closer relationships and spiritual transformation.
At a conference in 2015, I participated in a "getting to know you" exercise with a deck of cards full of phrases like "only child" or "big family", "Christian home" or "different religious background", and more. We were instructed to find the cards that applied to us and share them with a partner. It was an interesting exercise and I started using the cards in my discipleship appointments back on campus. Over the next two years, I changed some of the cards and wrote some new ones. I started having really deep, intentional conversations with my students about their values and cultures.
When I took the role of Cross-Cultural Training Coordinator for the west coast, I told my boss that I had dreamed of creating an evangelism and discipleship tool around these cards I had created. He connected me with Cru's Research and Development team and with their help, we put together a diverse team of Cru staff to create "I Am From: Cultural Conversation cards". In 2019, we released the tool and it has since been used by campuses and students around the country. The Epic Movement's Winter Conference in Houston used the cards for their Day of Faith and 8 people came to faith!
Every human bears the image of God and is uniquely created by Him, with their culture, values, family, and background an integral part of that. My desire for the "I Am From" cards is that unbelieving image bearers can feel heard, known, and understood, so that missional image bearers can present the gospel in a way that more holistically speaks to the heart of that person.
If you have questions about the cards, or would like some training on how to use them, please email me!