Mission Experience

Blind left hand turns

2010-01-20T10:16:00.010-07:00

When I am in the United States I am blessed to go to an office that is very easy to get to.

That is except for the 2nd to last turn, it is in my opinion one of the hardest parts of my entire day - not because I'm not used to it, but because it takes experience and nerves of steel to navigate it safely.

Let me see if I can describe the turn:

It's a left hand turn
There is rarely (if ever) a turn arrow
Oncoming traffic does not stop
The oncoming traffic comes out of a dip in the road, I the traffic in my lane is pointed uphill and as you can imagine it is frequently difficult to see
The traffic moves at about 50 MPH (though many drivers go much faster)

While driving to work recently I was waiting for what I believed was the right moment to turn when I came to a realization that my drive to work was a metaphor for life (my life anyway).

God calls each one of us to do something for Him, somewhere.

There are times when the road is smooth - everything is going the way we expect it to.
There are other times when there are minor pot holes or detours - things don't always go the way that we expect them to, but we know that in a short (or long) period of time we will be back on course
There are times when we know where we are going and in order to get there we make a blind left hand turn

So the question was - how is it that every day I make a blind left hand turn and do so safely, without getting into and without causing others to get into an accident?

How does one do what God is calling them to when there is risk, things are moving too fast, and you can not see everthing that is coming?

Experience and preperation - You would not want to be an inexperienced driver or a student driver out on your first day trying to make a turn like this or drive on the freeway(1 Sam 7:3) preperation, practice and experience provide context and often times will help you know when you should move and when you should wait or take a different path to get to the same destination
Wait and be patient - being in a hurry leads to dangerous behavior (Isa 40:31), but being patient while driving and in life is a good idea
Watch and listen - being aware of what's going on by not being distracted and watching and listening for traffic. Being aware of what God is doing by being aware of His leading and what His Word says. Sometimes I have heard something on the radio that sounded like a siren or the noise of a car and it distracted me. Don't make the mistake of hearing or seeing something that is not really there or not hearing or seeing something that is.
Eventually I need to turn (or not) - eventually when driving or in life I need to move or decide that I won't and make sure that I know that once that decision is made it can not be undone, and there might be positive or negative consequences.

What is my point? Through life there might be times when you have to make a decision without a 100% perfect and clear view of where you are going - God has given you experience, senses, skills and His Word to guide you. It is your job to use what He has given to guide you to act within His will or to simply be patient and wait for the right time to act or for Him to show you a different way to get you to where He has called you.

Defending the Fatherless

2009-06-08T15:28:00.001-06:00

Recently I had the opportunity to talk with a friend on a podcast about several things related to the work I’m involved in. In the course of our conversation he asked me “what one take away could you give me?”

What a powerful question – and one that reminded me of a saying (that I’m at best only loosely paraphrasing) – the most important thing is making the most important thing the most important thing. In other words, the thing that needs to consume your time, should be the thing that is the most critical, meaningful and impactful.

So what was my answer to him? I shared James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Then I explained it as I understood it – service to those from whom we have nothing to gain was of extreme importance to God. We see it throughout scripture in commands to care for orphans, widows, immigrants, the disabled, and the imprisoned. Without expectation to get anything in return. It was the same with Jesus…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). He did not come to us with anything to gain, but came to serve and to defend us- when we were orphans.

Defending God

2009-05-18T09:54:00.003-06:00

I’ve gotten into a bad habit lately of defending God. My obsession with defending Him is almost always in one specific area, and that is His goodness.

What do I mean by that? Let me give you an example- I often hear people say things like “God caused this to happen” or “God did this to me” or “why did God do….?” These statement almost always proceed a statement about some terrible event, deadly disease, or absolute tragedy.

I am more upset when I hear Christians say things that are lifted from the Bible in fragments that are absolutely disconnected from the context of the book they’re in or even the verse they’re in. Here’s an example that I’ve heard more than once “…we know that God causes all things…”. This is a misquoted allusion to Romans 8:28 and somehow is used to imply that when their is good or evil God is the author of it. In fact this verse says “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose.” Causing things- including tragedies- to work together for good is quite a different thing than causing all things to happen.

Let me give an example, I know a young man in the Central African Republic who lost both parents to AIDS when he was a boy. I don’t for a minute think that God caused the death of his parents. His parents died from a disease – disease was not part of God’s creation but came into the world when Adam fell. AIDS itself is also often contracted through illicit sexual activity or intravenous drug use. Sadly there are many others who contract the disease because of someone else's behaviors and are innocent victims.

As a result of this boy’s parents dying he was raised in a different home by Christians who taught him about the love of God and he eventually became a believer. Today this young man leads a class of children, many of whom have also been orphaned by AIDS.

God was able to use (not cause) this terrible situation and use it for His glory and to build this orphan into a man of God.

So do I need to defend God? No. He is more than able to defend Himself. Yet I will continue to deliver a message (which is itself the very core of my defense) that a dear friend taught me- “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.”

Who’s kingdom are you growing?

2009-04-13T09:17:00.002-06:00

In one way or another we’re all in the business of kingdom building. CEO’s focus on the growth of their company, coaches focus on the performance of their team, people in ministry are focused on the growth of their ministry.

The desire to see a company or ministry expand in reach and influence is absolutely natural, we as people desire to succeed and as a result we have an inclination to see the thing that we spend our time working on succeed as well. We look at things like market penetration, number of people served, and name recognition. Trucks are purchased and buildings are built with corporate or ministry names emblazoned on them as evidence of the success of the organization.

Don’t misunderstand me, there is nothing wrong with a ministry growing, or identifying the vehicles or buildings it uses for ministry.

In 1 Corinthians Paul shows an example of kingdom building:

“For you are yet carnal. For in that there is among you envyings and strife and divisions, are you not carnal, and do you not walk according to men? For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each? I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he who plants anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. So he planting, and he watering, are one, and each one shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For of God we are fellow-workers, a field of God, and you are a building of God. According to the grace of God which is given to me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let every man be careful how he builds on it. For any other foundation can no one lay than the one being laid, who is Jesus Christ. And if anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, each one's work shall be revealed. For the Day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try each one's work as to what kind it is. If anyone's work which he built remains, he shall receive a reward. If anyone's work shall be burned up, he shall suffer loss. But he shall be saved, yet so as by fire.”
1 Corinthians 3:3-15

The work we do, no matter who’s name is attached to it must have God’s name attached to it. It must be focused on building God’s Kingdom and not mans, without jealousy or envy.

I have a dear friend who is a pastor of a church that rents a small building for Sunday and midweek services. When he drives past a large church in the area with a beautiful building and a large youth center, he might be inclined to be look upon the work their doing and say “Lord, why don’t I have a building like that? Haven’t I been faithful to what You called me to?” But he doesn’t, I know for a fact that this pastor actually prays for this church’s continued growth and effectiveness in their ministry.

Orphans where you live

2009-03-18T14:17:00.003-06:00

Though I often speak of the 143 million+ orphans around the world.

This is an interesting look at the problem in of orphans in the US waiting for adoption.

http://www.icareaboutorphans.org/Default.aspx?Menu=2&SubMenu=66

State	Children WaitingFY 2006*	Churches*
Alabama	1,658	9,519
Alaska	722	906
Arizona	2,634	2,863
Arkansas	937	5,843
California	18,028	18,398
Colorado	700	3,310
Connecticut	1,360	2,450
Delaware	302	861
District of Columbia	618	734
Florida	7,478	13,979
Georgia	2,305	12,391
Hawaii	752	835
Idaho	545	1,141
Illinois	3,042	12,081
Indiana	3,343	8,612
Iowa	1,432	4,824
Kansas	2,032	4,398
Kentucky	2,083	6,225
Louisiana	1,079	7,045
Maine	691	1,286
Maryland	1,954	4,860
Massachusetts	2,704	3,333
Michigan	6,164	10,268
Minnesota	1,353	5,447
Mississippi	897	6,893
Missouri	2,714	7,860
Montana	608	1,283
Nebraska	971	2,533
Nevada	1,815	887
New Hampshire	250	887
New Jersey	4,672	5,734
New Mexico	858	1,615
New York	8,040	11,761
North Carolina	3,115	15,731
North Dakota	321	1,270
Ohio	4,011	13,364
Oklahoma	3,587	6,123
Oregon	2,776	3,093
Pennsylvania	3,559	14,435
Rhode Island	397	579
South Carolina	1,750	7,999
South Dakota	507	1,384
Tennessee	1,786	9,877
Texas	12,191	23,726
Utah	475	509
Vermont	251	541
Virginia	1,794	9,371
Washington	2,361	4,437
West Virginia	1,063	2,790
Wisconsin	1,205	5,510
Wyoming	209	702
Total	127,489	302,651

A friend from the Central African Republic

2009-03-11T10:13:00.006-06:00

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1 Peter 2:9

I met this young man in the Central African Republic. He is an orphan.

One thing that I remember well about him was the day I met him. While the rest of the children at the project he attends were playing he came out and away from the crowd, wearing a paper crown and greeted me.

It struck me that he was the only child with a crown on his head, and how different he was than the others. At that moment I remembered the words of Peter, that as followers of Christ we are to be different from the crowd, and that as members of God's family we are in fact royalty - even if the crowns we wear while on earth are only made of paper.

A good word

2009-03-05T19:48:00.001-07:00

But you brothers, do no grow weary in doing good.

2 Thes 3:13

Gold stars

2009-03-03T12:48:00.002-07:00

I remember grade school well, perhaps because I have a child who came through grade school, one in the middle of it, and one about to enter.

One thing I remember vividly about my own school days as well as that of my children was the gold star chart. The chart in case you are not familiar is a simple way to motivate children to accomplish a goal by placing gold stars (or something similar) next to their name. It usually resulted in 2 things; excitement over some nominal reward for earning said stars, and competition/comparison between children.

Sometimes as adults we long for things of childhood, and I believe the gold stars are one of them. We long for recognition and to know that we are achieving an objective or subjective goal. And not only with other people, but also with God.

Work gets done for public recognition and each of us silently (or publicly) compared ourselves to the next guy.

Did I earn a gold star for that? I must have one for giving. I must have more gold stars than him, after all I'm a....(deacon, missionary, pastor, elder, board member, etc...)

I'm sorry to tell you this, but there is no divine gold star chart where we can check our own standing against others. No, the Lord has no chart with carefully placed stickers by which He compares our performance against one another.

Revelation 20:12 references "books" in which works are recorded. But it is important to note that those books are closed, ie not open for public inspection and comparisson.

The standard God looks at is not how we're doing compared to the next guy, but are we being obedient to the standard He has called us to in scripture and to the obedience on His personal call on our lives.

That Old House

2009-01-13T08:31:00.001-07:00

About two weeks ago I was in my old neighborhood visiting with some friends and neighbors and got to see my old house.

My kids wanted to go and play in the yard, but I had to explain to them that it wasn’t their house anymore and that it belonged to someone else.

At the same time I started to notice things that were different – the Christmas decorations on the outside of the house were similar to the way we used to hang them, but different enough that it didn’t seem completely right. Some of the landscaping that I personally had worked on had changed too. Somehow all of us longed for this house to be the way it was when we were there.

But this was not our house anymore, God had called us to serve Him elsewhere.

I was reminded of the Israelites when they had just been taken out of Egypt - Exodus 14:12 “Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”

The people of Israel looked back at their old house and not at the place they were going, and though it wasn’t their home anymore.

There is something about the place we used to be and the things we used to do that pull at us…sometimes these things can be positive. All too often they are the bad habits or sins from years past that pull on us to walk past the old house and glance at what looks like a comfortable place to be and ignore the fact that God has taken you away from that place for a reason, and this is to live a life that would be able to glorify Him.

“And such were some of you. But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
1 Corinthians 6:11

Never Use a Large Word When a Diminutive One Will Suffice

2008-12-22T14:56:00.001-07:00

I heard a pastor say this on Sunday…and at first I though “you’re right”.

You see - I totally missed the joke.

It’s the same way when it comes to some things in the Bible – we read the text and nod in agreement and sometimes miss the point.

Case in point…

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:13-14

Somehow I’ve always had the impression, as a lot of people do, that this was a choir that suddenly appeared in the sky and was happing singing the first Christmas carol – when in fact it was something quite different.

I’ll do my best to present my own paraphrase after taking a look at the Greek.

Unexpectedly, there appear with the angel so many angels from the army of the Lord that the sky appeared to be filled by them, they praised God and shattered the silence of the night with this proclamation – Glory and worship is due to God most high in Heaven and to those on earth peace, and to men good will.

Imagine being one of the shepherds in the field seeing one angel (who caused them to be very afraid)…and then in the middle of the conversation the very army of Heaven appears and fills the sky – glorifying God – now that’s something even I wouldn’t miss.

Christmas parties

2008-12-21T21:34:00.004-07:00

Over the past few weeks, and through the end of this week childen that are served in the projects we work with around the world have been able to celebrate something many orphaned and neglected children in the developing world aren't able to, Christmas.

Though there is special food and gifts for the children at these parties, that is not what makes the event special. The customs associated with Christmas are a little different in each country, but one thing is consitent for every child that is at one of these parties - each child hears the story of the incarnation of God the Son - the story of when Jesus was born. The heart and true meaning of Christmas.

I ask you take 5 minutes this week and pray for the Chilren around the world who attend these simple Christmas parties to continue to grow to know the love of God and to develop into mature Christians who can impact their own culture.

Where we're (I'm) going in 2009

2008-12-18T13:42:00.005-07:00

1st of all let me say that we (and specifically me) are going wherever God is going and leading.

With that said I wanted to share a few things that I personally will be working on in 2009.

Ministry management system - this is a fancy way of saying the tools that run behind the scences to enable the "experience". The goal is to cover 4 key areas; relationship management, child sponsorship program management, integrated reporting, and field empowerment.
Country 10 - as you know we're working internationally in 9 countries today. The US is what I sometimes refer to as country 10 - we want to make sure that everything we do in the US is laser focused on one thing - developing orphaned and neglected children into mature Christians equipped to live in their own culture....and to do this in the best (ie the best process, Biblical foundation, Christ centered, as good stewards, for the furtherance of the Kingdom and not ourselves) way possible
Field work - I've already got international projects queued up for 2009, in fact I am expecting to get my passport back today for one of them. I will share more details as the 1st project of 2009 gets closer.
Growing the body - a big part of being a part of God's family is helping other parts grow. One of the ways we can reach our core goal of - developing orphaned and neglected children into mature Christians equipped to live in their own culture, is by helping grow the church as a whole. Some ways we can do that is through empowering believers to put their faith into action, to make the local church an active part of the work God is doing around the world, and enabling other ministries we may partner with to be effective as we work in unison. I've thought about how to put this into words... one thought I have is this - developing individual Christians and the local church into mature, effective individuals and bodies of believers equipped to reach orphaned and negleceted children.
Teaching my own family -as important as getting work done now, the most important thing I can do is to grow the next generation of Christ-followers.

Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Having a tough time posting

2008-11-05T19:40:00.001-07:00

I'm having a tough time thinking of a good post the past few days, so here is a good DIY.

Just read Isaiah chapter 1. Really read it and meditate on it today.

Mobile blogging

2008-11-02T17:35:00.001-07:00

This is just a test, but since it will post let me ask that you keep me in prayer & more so keep the neglected children and the orphans in prayer

Remember those bracelets?

2008-10-29T15:31:00.001-06:00

Does anyone remember when the WWJD bracelets were the “Christian fashion”?

I do think it is a valid question to ask when confronted with a tough situation.

The question I’ve always had about them is this- “How do you know what Jesus would do?” Noodle on that for just a minute.

You know what He would do only by knowing what He did do.

What am I saying? The only way to know what Jesus would do is by knowing Him and by knowing what He has already done in history (you can find this in the Bible of course).

I have seen people in various situations with the WWJD bracelet on or have even heard them say “what would Jesus do?” and then act 100% opposite of the way Jesus would have acted in the same situation.

If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
(John 13:17)

My personal verse (?)

2008-10-21T14:18:00.001-06:00

What I would call my personal verse has changed over time, but over the past couple years this one has stuck with me.

See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;
(Exo 31:2-6)

What does this mean? It’s pretty simple, when God needs something done- He will equip and enable the right person (or people) to do it.

New Bible(s)

2008-10-20T09:31:00.002-06:00

This has little to do with the theme of this blog, but I had to share anyway.

This weekend I bought 2 new Bibles… one to carry with me all the time and one for general reading.

Why is this a big deal? If you take a look at my book shelves you would see that I have a lot of Bibles. Some of them are for reading, some are for research and some… well I’ll be honest some don’t get used ever.

When I find a Bible I like, I will use it until it is falling apart… and sometimes longer. A Bible I am retiring is currently held together by a custom made duct tape cover. When people see it I usually get 1 of 2 comments. 1- “do you need money to get a new Bible…” or 2-“man you must read the Bible a lot to wear it out like that…”. The truth of the matter is it’s more like this...I try to take a Bible everywhere I go, in a jungle, up a mountain, on the plane, in a village, in a boat…etc… and to be honest this puts a lot of wear and tear on a Bible.

I like to be able to have the Bible available for a quick verse lookup or just casual reading at a moments notice no matter where I am.

I have heard it said that a Bible in bad shape is a sign of a life that isn’t. Now to get to wearing the new ones out.

A partial DIY blog post - God is a life changer.

2008-10-06T20:30:00.004-06:00

On your own read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10....

Now make a list of the things that Paul lists and just put a check mark next to the ones that ever described something you've done. Circle the one's that you've never done / or never would.

Take a good look at the list and ask yourself this question-why are these things in the same list?
I'll be more specific, one word that I'm sure everyone who is actually doing this check was "covetous" or something like that depending on your translation.

I'll answer in a second. Right after the climax of this passage--->

1Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

God is a life changer! He can change a heart & spirit of a person that was any of the things in that list....and even things that are not on that list.

What does this have do with missions? God is a life changer whether He's changing the life of a lost sinner in your neighborhood, or in another country. And He's a God who changes orphans into children who are loved.

Working for a reward?

2008-10-02T10:39:00.006-06:00

This is a Do It Yourself blog post.... so get your Bible out before continuing.

The other day I was listening to a podcast about Matthew 6:1-6 (please go read it, this blog should still be here when you're done)....

It got me thinking about how God rewards people -vs- man rewarding people, and the motivation for why I (or anyone does what they do).

The funny thing is that I tend to not think about doing things for a reward (from men or God), but that doesn't change what Scripture says about it.

God is a rewarder of people who are seeking after Him ( go ahead and look up Hebrews 11:6 if you still have your Bible out.)

Everyone else is doing it...

2008-10-01T16:21:00.005-06:00

If someone else told me this I would honestly think they're making it up...but I notice a trend that a lot of my friends are going into missions work or other full time ministry work.

That might sound sort of obvious, coming from someone who works from a ministry that does international missions work...except for the fact that I'm talking about friends that I had before I started chasing after what God was calling me to.

As a point of reference over the summer I've had one friend leave the country for full time missions work, another has started down the road to missions training in Guatemala then full time missions after that....

Today, I recieved an email from a 3rd friend who was offered a missions position in Zambia that he will leave for around February.

I'm open to your feedback on this trend.

The chain

2008-09-22T12:49:00.003-06:00

I've read this story in multiple places so I apologize for not having a good source as to who the actual story came from:

July 1, 1885, a man named Kimbell had a burden for a shoe salesman, by the name of Dwight L. Moody - D.L. Moody. This layman, Kimbell, went to the shoe store and talked to young Moody about his salvation. Moody got converted. He began Bible classes and then later began preaching. He went to England and preached in Dr. F. B. Meyer's big church. Meyer's life was touched by the Holy Spirit through the Moody's preaching.

F. B. Meyer came to the United States and was preaching in a college at the chapel service and his sermon was about full surrender. He said, "If you cannot tell God you are willing to give Him everything, ask Him to make you willing to be willing." Wilbur Chapman, who was listening to Meyer, said to himself, "He is talking to me, I've been ready to quit, give it up and get out of the ministry." Wilbur Chapman was touched by God and let God use him in a mighty way.

Chapman then began to look for someone to help him in evangelistic work. He found a professional baseball player, a young man converted from a life of drunkenness in Chicago. His name was Billy Sunday. When Chapman got old, he turned his work and equipment over to Sunday. Billy Sunday became a world famous evangelist. He was in his generation was Billy Graham has been and his to his generation.

In 1924 Sunday preached a city-wide crusade in Charlotte, North Carolina. Out of that revival meeting a group of men formed a men's prayer group to pray for the world. They prayed for Charlotte to have another great revival.

God sent another evangelist named Mordecai Hamm. Hamm went to Charlotte in 1934 to hold a crusade. Under the big tent were two young men, Grady Wilson and 15-year-old Billy Graham. Graham was converted in that crusade and dedicated his life to telling others about salvation. Grady Wilson became a preacher too, and the two of them worked together for many years.

I don't know what the chain is that led to me personally, but I think of the man who introduced me to Christ and the man who introduced me to serving in missions. I also thank God in advance for others who will come after me in ministry.

What makes a powerful ministry? (Bible verse and commentary for the day)

2008-09-18T08:51:00.005-06:00

Some friends just worked at a volunteer fair yesterday and mentioned to me this morning that a lot of people wanted to do more "direct" or "hands on" ministry.

Sometimes we forget that the motivation and who you are doing the ministry for (ie God), and His empowerment is what makes ministry....a powerful ministry.

For example Stephen:

Act 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

What was Stephen's ministry? Surely he was an evangelist or great teacher!

Nope- Stephen was a "waiter" in church who's job it was to distribute food to the widows.

Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

(Act 6:2-6)

Bible verse of the day

2008-09-12T09:59:00.002-06:00

And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
(1Co 12:21)

Tools of the trade - a Bible

2008-09-12T09:23:00.004-06:00

OK, I hinted at this before in an intro to tools of the trade, but I really want to take a moment here and discuss why the Bible is one of the most important tools you can have.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2Ti 3:16-17)

I don't just mean having a new leather bound version of the Bible either. I mean having the word of God in memorized in your head, engraved in your heart, spoken from your lips and implemented in your hands.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
(Jas 1:22-23)

The Bible is not just "a book", it contains the very words of God and is:

A manual for living
A weapon against our enemy
A mirror by which we see our own sin
A yardstick by which all other things are measured

I have known people in various ministries that despite their best intentions and natural abilities had allowed the Bible to take a back seat in the operation of their ministry, and all have struggled and many failed as a result.

What is a hero?

2008-09-11T07:56:00.003-06:00

Yes I know this appears to deviate from my theme and purpose, since this is my blog and since today is the day that it is I 'll take the liberty to discuss it. I also I believe it applies to many missionaries.

I wish I could remember where I first heard it so that I could attribute the quote correctly, but the best definition I ever heard for a hero was something like this -

A hero is someone who is running into a place, while everyone else is running out.

Think about it for a second, and think about the people you consider heroes.

This statement applies to everyone from firefighters, to missionaries working in dangerous areas, to the Lord Jesus Himself.

For a firefighter the place could be a burning building, for a missionary it could be a country that everyone else is abandonding and for Christ it could be the life of a person that everyone else thinks is hopeless.

But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

(Rom 5:8)

Tools of the trade - Intro

2008-09-10T16:02:00.003-06:00

What are some of the tools needed (other than spiritual giftedness and a call from God) to be successful in missions?

A Bible
Sturdy pants
A Swiss Army knife (or leatherman)

What am I talking about?

Don't worry I'll explain more later.

Bible verse for the day

2008-09-10T10:07:00.002-06:00

Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.

(Exo 22:22)

Experience & the missionary part 1 - support

2008-09-08T10:11:00.006-06:00

What should the experience of a missionary be?

This is a little more complicated, so I'll have to break it down into a few posts.

First a missionary should be supported in 3 primary ways

Sending -missionaries are responding to a biblical call from God to serve the lost and hurting in whatever mission field they might be working in. It is better to be one who is sent, than to be one who went. Even Jesus Himself was sent by the Father (John 5:23). The act of sending, whether it be by a local church, a missions board, or other body... allows the person who is sent to act with the blessing and authority of those who sent him.
Financial support -I just heard a wonderful message about this yesterday, the gentleman speaking said "God's people, using God's money to do God's work" It doesn't get much more straight forward than that. Individual missionaries and missions organizations as a whole put their faith in God that He will provide, and the way that God in His sovereignty has chosen to do that is through other believers. In a 2008 study of missionaries in Kenya by Patrick Nabwera "Lack of financial support" as the #1 reason missionaries leave the field
Prayer -I'll keep it simple missionaries (pastors, leaders, sunday school teachers, etc...) need your prayer. (1 Thessalonians 5:25).

I praise God that I am blessed to have a home church, family and friends that get this 3 key ingredients.

Bible verse (and commentary) for the day...

2008-09-05T12:02:00.003-06:00

Most christians are familiar with this verse...

Come now, and let us reason together, says Jehovah; though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.
(Isa 1:18)

But that's not my verse for today, it's actually right before that:

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
(Isa 1:16-17)

Did you catch that?

I will give my paraphrase:

Get forgiveness for your sins, then stop doing evil. But not only that, learn to do the right thing too- here are some examples- seek justice for others, right the things that are wrong and help those who have been oppressed. Act as an advocate for orphans and plead the case of widows.

Experience and the served.

2008-09-04T21:07:00.004-06:00

When I think about misisons end to end (that is the person providing financial support to the person who is being served in the field) I want to examine the person being served first.

What should the experience be of someone being served (that is what should they expect)

They should hear the Gospel (Mark 16:15)
They should experience the love of God through people (John 13:34-35)
They should have their physical needs met (food, shelter, clothing, education, health care) (James 2:15-17)

I realize I've simplified it down to the kernel, and I've done so intentionally.

In a future post I will examine what the experience should be for a missionary or mission team

What's next.

2008-09-02T19:01:00.004-06:00

I will spend the next few posts examining some of the way that experience matters to different people.

Scripture for the day

2008-09-02T13:14:00.001-06:00

Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners: The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous: The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.
(Psa 146:1-10)

Places I'm praying for this week.

2008-09-01T18:54:00.003-06:00

India
Myanmar
China
New Orleans
Guatemala

OK, what is mission experience?

2008-08-29T19:56:00.002-06:00

Now that is the million dollar question. What is mission experience?
To sum it up mission experience is the end to end experience (that is the the affect a mission has) of:

The missionary
Staff in the field
Local nationals who are partners in ministry
Ministry partners (NGO's, Churches, etc...)
Those being served
Support staff
Donors who support the mission

Throughout the lifecycle of a particular missionary undertaking whether it be a short term process, or multigenerational.

I will discuss more in depth as time progresses the importance of experience to each of the roles I described above as well as practical ways to enhance that experience.

What is Experience?

2008-08-29T19:55:00.000-06:00

Webster's says it pretty well- 1 a: direct observation of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge b: the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation

What is missions?

2008-08-29T11:44:00.000-06:00

My younger sister and I had a conversation a few days ago, about what missions was (and wasn't) as well as what made a missionary a missionary:

Websters Dictionay Defines it this way:

Mission -ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work b: assignment to or work in a field of missionary enterprise c (1): a mission establishment (2): a local church or parish dependent on a larger religious organization for direction or financial support dplural : organized missionary work e: a course of sermons and services given to convert the unchurched or quicken Christian faith.

Missionary -a person undertaking a mission and especially a religious mission

Does it get any simpler than that?

Here's my definition - a mission is any work done to advance the Gospel and the Kingdom of God on Earth. And a missionary is a person doing that work.