[Via Youtube.com and Justin Taylor]

Tags: Jesus, Missionary Life

Listen to the language of President Obama speaking with the troops in Afghanistan. Listen to the words spoken of heros awarded in recognition of their service. Listen to the farewells said to astronauts boarding their space vessel. The speeches, congratulations, and cheers all revolve around one predominant human emotion- sacrifice. Sacrifice is as much an emotion as it is an event. For instance, it’s possible to feel sacrificial even though you're not just as it's easy to be sacrificial and not feel like it. Taking two soldiers aside to ask them if they’ve sacrificed might produce this very reaction; one might feel sacrificial about his duty the other might not. I’ve been reflecting on this over the weekend as we’re packing up the remaining tidbits of personal items and making preparations for the movers to come on Wednesday. Even though we've done it once before it's still a strange feeling packing our things up for our new home in Europe. Above the din of emotions the thought that’s been rattling around in my head is “is this really a sacrifice?”

Part of me says yes, this is a sacrifice. To leave our land of birth and travel to a foreign country to serve those we’ve never met? To struggle with a language and culture of another people in an effort to share with them something that they might reject? To sell off our possessions (again) with no promise that we'll ever see their equivalent return?

The other part of me says no, this is not really a sacrifice. To be able to finally live in a part of the world I've been dreaming of for years? To do what I love in two arenas and get paid to do it? To live an amazing life that we'll look back on with satisfaction not regret? To live life right smack in the middle of God’s perfect will? To expand the kingdom of God so that more people get to know Jesus?

For fear of sounding hyper-spiritual, I have to confess that I don’t feel like we’re sacrificing anything. In fact the only way I would feel that way would be if I felt that we were losing more than we’re gaining. I wonder then if the feeling of sacrifice in ministry comes from the deep-seated fear of losing? Jim Elliot once said,

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

Then there is this weighty quote from David Livingston,

“For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa... Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.”

I’ve heard the self-sacrificing attitude from my own lips and those of others. I’ve gladly accepted the congratulations and adulations of others and have seen my colleagues do the same. Yet, we’ve received a ministry so amazing so profound that we should be envied not pitied! Yet the thought remains, in light of all of the riches that are mine in Christ Jesus, in the midst of leaving much behind, is this really a sacrifice?

Tags: Missionary Life, life

Earlier in the week, a friend sent me a link to J.D. Payne’s blog “Missiologically Thinking” about the #1 critical issue facing North American church planters. Care to take a guess? Yep, money. In fact you could easily substitute North American church planters for missionaries, foreign ministers, foreign church planters, inner city workers, itinerant preachers or any other Gospel worker who isn’t serving a larger, established congregation. According to J.D.:

“Of all the leaders in the Kingdom who should receive compensation for their labors, missionaries rank at the top of the list. These church planters are on the front lines of Kingdom advancement, laboring in trenches where the enemy is the most ferocious. There is clear biblical support that speaks on matters related to supporting those doing such apostolic labors. Therefore, I want you to know that I fully believe that is good and proper to provide financial support to missionaries.”

As one currently raising financial support for foreign service I wholeheartedly agree with J.D.’s assessment. Last week I let my emotions get the best of me on another bloggers post forcing me to issue an apology on his blog and then write through it here. The tone might have been a bit whiney but the sentiment was correct. Something is wrong when many American preachers make a comfortable living and foreign servants facing the front lines have to take a vow of poverty to extend the kingdom. Yet, this week I was reminded of something that I had almost forgotten in the melee of emotion...from theartistfarm.com “What Truly Wealthy People Know About Money:

“In the deepest sense money isn’t real. It’s true. Intrinsically it has no real value. It’s just a fancy piece of paper. If you were to take our money to an alien world what could you use it for? Money is simply a mutually agreed upon token we use to exchange for things that provide REAL VALUE to us like food, community, comfort and shelter. It is the thing we buy with money or the thing people buy from us that has actual value.”

(I’m speaking mainly to my missionary colleagues here) Didn’t Jesus tell us not to worry? Didn’t Jesus say our heavenly father would provide? It is so easy to forget that money has no intrinsic value, only that it is used solely to barter for what people find valuable. If through our work we can extend what is truly valuable, what is priceless, that which money can’t buy we will never be without. Brothers, and fellow laborers, heed these words: “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 12:31

Instead of seeking money, seek to provide value in your preaching, in your counsel, in your friendships, in your care, and in your leadership. Trust that what you’re offering is so valuable that giving it away will always create provision. Seek the Kingdom first, and all else will be added to you.

Tags: Money, Missionary Life, Missions

On Saturday Angelina and I took our semi-regular walk down to a part of our larger neighborhood where there are several man-made lakes. When we take our walks during the week the lake area is usually silent and except for us and a few ducks, empty. However, because the sun was out with a blue sky and a gentle breeze the lake was buzzing with extra ducks and visitors. As we came around the bend we saw something we had never seen before, a group of older people all huddled at the shoreline. I couldn't quite make out what they were doing but they held something in their hands and they were all leaning out over the water intently staring at white floating things. At first I thought they were engaged in some weird duck ritual but as we got closer I discovered that they were racing miniature remote-controlled sail boats! The group was silent in concentration steering their racers through the course while a race announcer countdown played on a portable boombox behind them. No one said a word, the race was cut-throat until the man on the tape called “time.”

As we walked past it occurred to me how apt this event was in describing the American mindset of the “Golden Years.” Without casting aspersions upon our geriatric lake pirates I find it funny (or a little sad, depending on how you look at it) that for many people in the West that scene is the quintessential retirement life. If I was to take a poll, I wonder how many people would agree that this is what life is all about? Work hard, sacrifice, scrimp, save, play it safe, all until one day when your only care in the world is protecting your sail racer championship title near your little house on the man-made lake.

Reading Luke 12:13-21 I don’t get the impression that living life and storing up a fat chunk of change for the golden years is God’s design for our lives. Yet (I’ve posted this before) Francis Chan’s “Balance Beam” describes the mentality of many, many Christians.

• Are you really living or simply waiting for the Golden Years?
• Are you caught up in the adventure of living life with Jesus or working hard so that you can take it easy and retire?
• Are you running a hard race through the finish line or racing for the retirement payout to coast into your coffin?

Count me among those who will not give up, will not give in, and will not retire until God takes me home or Jesus returns. I was never promised ease or comfort in this life nor was I promised an easy retirement in my Golden Years. My Golden Years will come when this physical body lies 6 feet under and I rest with Jesus on the streets of gold for eternity. Until then there is an adventure to live, a wife to love, a church to minister to, a people to save, a King to be glorified, and a hurting world to serve. What about you?

Tags: life, Money, Missionary Life

One great thing about the internet is the instant collaboration and commenting that takes place except when what you say (write) comes out so fast that you can't take it back.

Yesterday Bill Streger posted a very intriguing blog post asking tough, critical questions of Acts 29 and the types of church planters they were recruiting. Bill is an Acts 29 planter, so he's an insider with insight that you and I don't have. His main contention with Acts 29 was that the recruits he was interviewing were all the same. In his words, “they all sound the same.” Apparently, they looked the same, talked the same, developed the same plans of action, and were all trying to reach the same hip, urban, sophisticated crowd. I thought his post was great and his point “that uncool people need Jesus too” was worth considering. So I commented...

Have you ever had that moment where you wish you could immediately hit unsend? As I was reading my comments right after I posted them, I wished I could’ve hit unsend. It wasn't the content of my comment but rather the tone of the comment. I sounded like a spoilt 11 year old girl.

"My wife and I have been working in Europe and concerned for Europe for the past 8 years. We’re moving back to Europe (to Portugal) in May which only has .08% born-again population according to the last sociology census. The sad/ironic thing is that we’re trying to scrape money together for our project and at the same time have been told that if we were considering planting in Las Vegas or Salt Lake that we would have an all expenses paid church planting career if we wanted it. I know a group that is pouring over 1 MILLION dollars into this project alone. There are more Christians in Mormon Salt Lake than in the entire country of Portugal and we can’t get $2000/month in support.

Am I missing something?"

The reason why I'm posting this here is two fold:

1) be careful not only of what you write on other people's blogs but how you write it. I think I gave the foreign mission crowd a black eye amongst the urban church planters by sniveling my way through that comment.

2) try to make your point when and where it will be heard. There's nothing wrong with my comment per-se. It's true. Why is it that if I wanted to plant somewhere in N.America I would have a $50,000 salary to do so today? Why are most church planting/missional orgs/congregations funneling MILLIONS of dollars into American cities and doing the same type of ministry as everyone else? Why do urban American church planters get money thrown at them but those of us wanting to plant and grow churches on foreign soil have to grovel on hands and knees? Not sure. But, having that kind of discussion is appropriate here, not on a blog post about Acts 29.

So here it is, the apology and warning. I’m sorry for sounding like a spoiled girl scout and next time I’ll be more careful with what I say or write.

Tags: Missionary Life, Why Europe, Money, Planting

If you've been a missionary long you will have most likely encountered the "Someone else syndrome." If not, you will. Over the years I've met a lot of well meaning Christian people who are gung-ho about world evangelism, enthusiastic about going to the ends of the earth, sacrificial about reaching the world, as long as it's done by someone else. To my ears they ascribe to mission evangelism as a concept and laud it's importance in theory. "Yes, the church must be engaged in global missions because Jesus commanded it" I hear them say. But when asked who should go? "Someone else."

Jesus said in Luke 9:23 "If anyone would come after me let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Isn't it ironic that later in the same chapter Jesus called three individuals to follow him and each one had an excuse?

Before you pull out your pitchfork on me, let me state clearly that there are legitimate reasons for not pursuing foreign service and no one should feel guilty for not going overseas. Yet, would you agree that if everyone subscribed to the "someone else syndrome" then no one would hear the message of salvation?

--
For some of you this is a personal matter. You know God has asked you to go or called you to give yet you're making excuses wondering whether someone else can go do it instead. Others of you are struggling because your family members or friends are doubting your decision and hoping that someone else will go or give in your place. Maybe it's your job or bank account holding you back; maybe some illness or disability that seemingly disqualifies you; maybe it's the thought of grand kids or grandparents living far away; maybe the possibility of civil unrest or government oppression. Or maybe deep down you just don't care. These are all hints of the "someone else syndrome" and the only way to immunize it is to fight it.

But how?

There is only one antidote: The Gospel. Understanding that Jesus paid your debt and gifted you for something amazing; knowing that you're saved by grace through faith, not by anything you've done but what he has done; realizing that you owe God your very breath, is sufficient to fight this off.

So how do you know if you're sick with the syndrome? One simple question in light of the Gospel will do...

Is there anything, anything God can't ask of you?

Tags: Missionary Life, Support

I don’t have Missiomishmash in my blog reader but judging by the quality of these two posts I may have to reconsider. The insights from David Hosaflook, minister in Albania are refreshing.

The first article is entitled “On Adaptation (or, Should I Wear a Loin Cloth?)” and features a picture of a thoroughly adapted Hudson Taylor in China. This article is a wealth of knowledge coming from a seasoned foreign minister. (An Albanian resident since 1992.)

The second article is his take on the type of items that supporters should add to their prayer lists. It’s actually an adaptation of an 1984 article on the same subject. It’s comprehensive in its approach to prayer and I think covers the specific needs for successful cross-cultural ministry well. I’m sending these to our supporters and I suggest you do to.

Tags: Missionary Life

In 2001 my wife (then girlfriend) convinced me to switch to Apple Macintosh computers. I had been working (and still am) as a technology expert using Windows based personal computers and had never personally used a Macintosh. Being so in love that I could barely spell my own name, I agreed and it (along with marrying that girl) was one of the best decisions I ever made. They say that once you go Mac you never go back... its true. We’ve been a Mac house ever since.

Last week I plunked down a wad of cash for a brand new 27” iMac. Despite all of the quality control issues they’ve had since December, Apple still got my money. Even though I could have saved $50 from a 3rd party vendor I bought directly from them. Even though I could have built a screaming fast Windows PC at similar cost I still chose an iMac. Why? And what did that teach me about being a missionary?

They make it their goal to offer the absolute best

From shopping, to components, design, and attention to detail, the experience of buying an Apple computer is saturated with the goal of selling the very best technology experience. Don’t believe me? Visit one of their temples stores. As missionaries, we must be utterly convinced that what we’re offering is hands-down the absolute best “product” in the marketplace of ideas. Nothing else out there comes close to a relationship with God through Jesus. Go ahead and sample any other philosophy you want, you will leave disappointed. I am convinced of this because of what I’ve witnessed in my own life; when missionaries believe that Jesus is the only way, people, families, communities, and cultures are transformed. If you need some fire-power, this book will help.

They use what they’re selling

If you’ve ever talked to an Apple employee you will know one thing; they actually use their own products. Back in November, Apple swapped out their old in-store payment system for one designed for the iPod Touch. It was important for customers to see that Apple used their own products. Talking with the Apple rep about my iMac concerns last week he described his experience with his own iMac so I could better understand the quality issues. Because of this, I listened to what he had to say. If you want to be eternally successful in ministry you’d better be using what you’re selling.

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." - Brennan Manning

They serve people well

Having been an Apple customer for nearly 9 years let me assure you, they are not perfect. Their products break, sometimes they’re dead on arrival, and I never buy first releases. However, the one thing that has retained my loyalty more than any other thing is that they have served me well as a customer. The saying is true, “Business is like tennis, those who serve well win.” As missionaries, this same sentiment should define our ministries also. We serve people well because we’re modeling our Lord Jesus who came to serve not to be served. This means that I work to make acquaintances into friends. I remember names. I make sure to contact people and be on time when we meet. I remember important events (even if I have to put the info into my calendar). Serving well means that my ultimate goal is giving people every opportunity to come to know Jesus, never hindering their journey, but allowing them to see him through me.

One lesson Apple will never teach

There is a lot about service we can learn from companies like Apple. The reason they are so successful is that whether they acknowledge it or not, embrace it or deny it, they are (in principle) practicing Jesus’ model of service. Yet while we can learn a lot from them, there is one lesson they can never teach. In sacrificial love, Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. At the end of the day, this alone is the distinctive principle from which the rest must flow and one only the King of kings is qualified to teach.

Tags: Missions, Missionary Life

Money. Moolah. The almighty dollar. Many a missionary decision has revolved around the subject of money and ultimately where to go. For many years, perhaps since the 1960’s the decision to minister in cheaper locales (like the 10-40 window) has unfortunately been driven by cost, not by command causing many places to be neglected. While we’ve never been beaten over the head because of our choice of ministry location, we have experienced a backlash from those questioning our decision to work and minister in Europe because of the cost. We’ve heard things like:
“Why don’t you go to Asia or India where the needs are greater?”

“We only support the 10-40 window because we get more bang for our buck.”

“Europe had their chance, now it's the poorer countries turn.”

Ironically, when I compare the European portion of the Mint map with this map of Western Europe I see an interesting correlation; those places that we’ve labeled “too expensive” to send missionaries in years past are the very same places where the Christian population hovers between 1%-4% today! Is this merely a coincidence of something more?

Ultimately, I believe the question comes down to a matter of obedient faith. Do we trust God to care for us no matter where we go by being obedient to the command to go into all the world? Does Christ elevate poorer places because of their poverty to the exclusion of richer places. Has cost played a factor in your choosing where to minister? Explain why or why not in the comments.

Tags: Missionary Life, Money, Support

Here are several options for contributing to the relief effort in Haiti in the name of Jesus. These are well known, respected organizations with long ties to mission and relief work around the globe. True religion, James tells us is looking after widows and orphans. Paul collected money for the Jews starving to death in Jerusalem. Events like these give Christians a opportunity to put their money where their mouth is, demonstrating before an unbelieving world that Jesus is the only way.

*Compassion International

*World Vision

*World Relief

*Faith in Action

Desiring God also lists 8 others that are also helping in the relief effort. You can view their list here.

Tags: Christian Life, Missionary Life

Is your family a mission-minded family? A new report on cbn.com asked the question of Ann Dunagan, Author of “The Mission Minded Family” to hear her thoughts for writing the book. Consider the following stats:

According to the latest Barna survey, only 11 percent of all churchgoers have been on a short-term missions trip. That’s only 2 percent higher than the overall percentage of Americans who have been on any kind of brief service trip. To make matters worse, the majority of those who have gone on a missions trip did so more than five years ago—

Interestingly, as missionaries in preparation, it isn’t something I’ve really thought about before. In fact, I’ve never thought about us as a “mission minded family” although this is what we are. Maybe it’s because foreign ministry is just a part of our DNA so we’ve never sat down to scrutinize it? I’m not sure. I wonder if we’re alone in this or if other missionaries feel the same way? Are you a mission-minded family?

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

Last September I wrote two articles about the use of flowery language using what I called “missionese” and today a conversation after worship reminded me of those articles again. I’m reposting them here in hopes of sparking thought and conversation about the use of this language and to bring to light the words missionaries are using to perpetuate bad theology. Enjoy!

Speaking Missionese

Being around the mission-sphere awhile means that sooner or later you’re exposed to a new way of talking and expression. The “missionese” spoken by and about missionaries is a derivative of “christianese” spoken by millions of Christian adherents especially those of an evangelical stripe. A few years ago Bel Air Drama Department posted a parody on learning to speak Christianese:



Unfortunately, B.A.D.D didn’t go far enough to teach us “missionese,” that strain can only be acquired through language immersion. The problem with “missionese” is that it is perpetuated by normal, well-meaning Christians who through their flowery descriptions paint mission work in celestial phrases. We missionaries are guilty of accepting this praise and then turning it around to describe our own work. Phrases like:

• “feeling called”
• “being led”
• “God laid mission work on my heart”
• “having a burden for...”
• “received a confirmation” and
• “the Spirit opened a door”

perpetuate the misunderstanding that missional ministry is something you must feel. J. Hudson Taylor once said, “The great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed” and I read elsewhere (although I couldn’t find the reference) “who needs a calling when we have a command?” I believe that there is a mentality within Christianity influenced by “missionese” that needs to be corrected. Not every missionary needs to be “led” or “called” only obedient. Not every decision requires confirmation, only opportunity and wisdom. Sometimes missionaries walk through doors that appear to be closed and stay put when doors appear to be opened. Missionaries and those that support them need not be super-spiritual people, simply obedient, humble servants obeying the command to go. So the next time you find yourself “feeling led” to do something for Jesus remember, Jesus “didn’t give you a burden,” he gave you a command.

Feeling Called

If you read my post entitled “Speaking Missionese” last week you will know that I believe the modern idea of feeling “called” to missions or “being led to mission work” in-spite of wisdom’s direction or giftedness and opportunity is foreign to the bible. For instance, I would seriously challenge someone’s missional calling to the jungles of Sri Lanka who is married with 3 children and taking care of their invalid mother in Ohio. However I also know that to deny the Holy Spirit’s involvement altogether would be foolish. John Piper had some thoughts on this very issue a few years ago. If you have any sense of a growing desire for mission work read his thoughts.

Is God Calling You to Give Your Life for His Sake and the Gospel in Missions?

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

As a missionary in preparation, this year’s Christmas celebrations have resonated with me and my wife a little deeper than previous years. For us, this may be the last Christmas we spend in the United States for a while. This is the last Christmas at our places of employment. This could be the last trips to parents houses, the last Christmas dinners, the last gift exchanges, the last Christmas services with our congregation. In many ways, 2009 is the closing of another chapter in our lives.

2010 is ushering in a very different set of circumstances, with new locations and new possibilities. 2010 means a new home and a huge overseas move, a new position with my employer, a brand new ministry, all done while learning a new language. In many ways, 2010 is the opening of a new chapter in our lives.

I’ve lived an outpoured life long enough to know that the ending of one chapter and the beginning of another is both a little sad and immensely exciting and I’m hesitatingly enthusiastic. Thanks to all of my readers and fellow bloggers, you’ve made my missional blogging a joy. Until we meet again in 2010 have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed new year.

Last jots for 2009:

C.Holland over at Missionary Confidential writes why he’s “staying home for Christmas.” Well worth a read for a glimpse into the missionary mind at Christmas.

Heart of the matter online has an interesting post about making Christmas missional.

Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds posted an amazing video about the “Known {unknown} Universe” that Jesus upholds by the word of his power.

I ran across an interesting article from Kouya.net yesterday about realigning ourselves with a scriptural mindset. It’s an interesting thought, well worth considering.

“The Bible does not align us to God’s purposes by giving us a book of answers and instructions. Rather, as we soak up the Scriptures, the Spirit works in our lives to renew our minds (Romans 12:2) and to change our way of thinking. Because of this, we need to remember that the Bible is first of all about God, not about mankind.”

Tags: Missionary Life

Sending your car to the mechanic’s shop is never a blissful experience but leaving it at a new repair shop overnight is even worse. Last night we left our car at a new mechanic’s shop whom we’d never met on a street we didn’t even know existed. Aside from speaking with him on the phone to arrange the repair or this morning as he rattled off the list of repairs I had never even spoken to this person or seen his work. Where did this capacity for trust come from? My trust in him was not based on personal knowledge of his work, he’d never worked for me. My trust in him wasn’t based on first hand knowledge at all! Rather, my trust in him was vicariously built upon the recommendation of his reputation from friends. He treated them right and proved his trustworthiness so it was my hope that he would do the same for us.

I’ve never thought about it before but just like a mechanic, my success as a missionary stands or falls on my reputation too. When we ask people to financially support us we’re asking them to trust us. Most of them have never seen our work, have never been to the places we’re going, and will probably never know the impact their support makes. What that means is that we are obligated to maintain our reputations no matter the cost. Whatever you’re doing and wherever you’re serving, with daily repentance and humility, cherish and nurture your reputation. At the end of the day, it’s all we have.

“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:16

Tags: Missionary Life, Support, Giving

As I noted in my first post in this series, one of biggest oversights in Christian missions is the lack of current event research taking place prior to missionaries moving to their locations. I’ve already covered the importance of getting to know the culture and understanding the cultural importance of food, but what about the day to day happenings and major news events in your target location? In the past, this idea would have been unthinkable; information travelled slowly and cultures were isolated pockets. If something happened on the other side of the globe it was days, weeks or even months before it was known elsewhere. Today however, technological and sociological advancements have revolutionized the flow of information. In the era of globalization and 24-hour news cycles global happening are literally a click away. For those of us preparing for missionary work, this means we don’t have a lot of excuses. With a computer and internet connectivity it is dead simple to integrate your target’s news stories into your daily routine. Read below and I’ll show you a simple way to set an automated news feed for anywhere in the world. Adding this to your preparation time will pay huge dividends for your cultural assimilation. I’ve been doing it for years and it has served me well.

1) For our purposes, we’re going to rely on a global news aggregator like Yahoo! news or Google news. All news organizations use the global news sources like Reuters, Associated Press, and Breitbart. These are the sources behind the sources but using these sites alone is too much work.

2) The next step is to narrow your news scope down to your preferred location or country. Go to Yahoo! News and type your target location in the search field as seen below. Keep in mind that news doesn’t hit the wires using one term. For my purposes, I have RSS feeds for “Portugal” and “Portuguese” which seem to grab most of the major news stories for Portugal.


3) Once you’ve pulled your desired results you’ll want to subscribe to the RSS feed (which stands for Really Simple Syndication) and add it to your favorite RSS Reader.


4) In order to subscribe to these terms you’ll need something that “collects” the RSS feeds. Some people have their RSS feeds updated in their favorite Internet browser- browsers such as Apple’s Safari and Firefox have RSS built in. Others like me use stand alone RSS clients for our subscriptions. No matter what platform, my choice for high quality RSS readers are made by a company called NewsGator. Their RSS readers are easy to install and use, well designed, and best of all free! (They’ve recently switched to an unobtrusive ad-supported model but are virus and spyware free for Windows users) NewsGator isn’t the only option out there but I’ve found them to be the best I’ve used. Click below for your particular platform. (No I’m not a paid endorser...just a satisfied user)


Following the news is another way we can get to know our target locations. This will make us better informed ministers, deepen our love for the people, and equip us in yet another way for the task of preaching the gospel. Happy reading!

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

As I mentioned in my last post, one aspect of cultural preparation often overlooked during the scoping process is the centrality of food. When we moved to Ireland after living our entire lives in California (punctuated by two years in Texas) we entered into a food culture that was completely foreign to our lifestyle. We had no idea what the Irish ate or more importantly how food nuanced our relationships with people. For instance, “calling ‘round” unannounced to someone’s house for a cup of tea and a “bickie” was *gasp* normal. Having tea, fresh milk, chocolates, and biscuits on hand for the potential caller was of utmost importance, yet to us this was (initially) highly intrusive. It took us a while to warm to the idea of having people drop in or go to someone’s house uninvited.

In Portugal, we discovered that meeting for a meal in someone’s house was unusual until a close friendship was formed. However, once considered “family friends” all bets were off. Additionally, we’ve found over the years that when visiting my wife’s aunt in Portugal it is offensive to not plan to eat at her house. Even when she was ill during our visit this past September, not eating with her was out of the question! Even sick with a cold, she proceeded to fix us a beautiful lunch complete with different meats, vegetables, bread, cheese, and wine. Food was a way of demonstrating her familial love for us although we wished she would have stayed in bed.

“Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are” -

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

When we fail to consider food’s importance we unconsciously assume that all cultures see food as we do. This in turn dims our ability to speak into the lives of those we’re trying to share Jesus with. In other words, its difficult to share Jesus when you can’t share a meal together. What we eat, how we eat it, the quality and freshness of ingredients, who we eat with, where we eat and the time of our meals all play an important part in assimilation. While not the be-all and end-all, these are important ideas to consider during preparation not just after our arrival. Start now by reading blogs and books, buy a cultural cookbook, interview your national partners, carefully observe the role of food during your scouting trips, all in an effort to better understand and reach your adopted culture with the Gospel. It’s impossible to know the extent of food’s importance before arriving but it’s foolish to assume it has none.

One last important item...in becoming a Christian foodie don’t forget to have fun! Things always taste better that way.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

Most missionaries preparing to move to a foreign country have never lived in the place they’re moving to and therefore (understandably) don’t know their target culture. There are exceptions to this rule of course; kids from missionary families, students from university exchange programs, or whose parents worked for multinational companies. Aside from the fortunate few who have lived overseas, the rest of us are on our own to learn about our future adopted cultures.

While it’s unreasonable to expect future missionaries to have lived in their target location, not preparing for our future cultures by doing nothing beforehand is unacceptable. Most of us know that in order to better serve a culture we must know that culture intimately, and we all acknowledge that the best way to do that is to and learn the intricacies of being __________. (insert nationality) However, many of us are playing a dangerous game of waiting to “figure it out” until we’re there, deepening the culture shock and threatening our longevity. I’ve even heard stories of missionaries realizing they didn’t like their culture after they moved! That shouldn’t be you.

As an American I realize the difficulty of breaking outside of our culture due to the sheer size of our country. Having lived in Texas for a couple of years-did you know you can drive for 12 hours straight in Texas and never leave? Twelve hours in a place like western Europe can take you through 6 or more countries! Moreover, many Americans are rarely apprised of current world events because there is so much going on here. In America, it’s unusual to hear about international issues on the nightly news-they only have 30 minutes to cover it all! Negatively, this American isolation creates weakened ministries for those who do nothing about it. Positively, cultural illiteracy makes prime cultural sponges out of those willing to humbly learn. My contention is that starting cultural immersion before leaving makes stronger missionaries, eases the transition, and endears us to the people we’re going to serve. If this is true, what can you do to prepare before you arrive in your new location? Let me offer some ways you can get to know your future culture where you are:

Buy a cultural cookbook and learn some recipes. Food plays a central part of everyday life in many cultures; it’s imperative that you know and like the food of your destination. Importing American food every month isn’t going to cut it!

Discover cultural food items and try them. This might mean you try a localized beer or wine, packaged cookies, unique sweets, or coffee brand, as scripture and your conscience allows.

Attend cultural events in your area. Are you moving to China? Visit Chinatown. Moving to Portugal like us? Attend as many festa’s as possible.

Learn what the popular sports are and get the hang of them. I found live Portuguese soccer streaming on the internet a few months ago and now I’m hooked.

Find local television stations online and sample them. This is a great source

Start language courses. Some are offered in your area, you can buy a course online, or check one out from your local library.

Read their news. Sites like Yahoo news allow you to filter stories down to a particular country then subscribe to an RSS feed for that term. You’ll get local news delivered to your RSS reader daily and be “in the know” on current events.

Whatever method you ultimately use, getting to know as much about your target culture before you leave will pay dividends in your ministry, lower your stress level during culture shock, and create cultural ties to the people you meet. They’re doing it with our culture we’d better do it with theirs.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

It’s no secret, American home improvement stores and auto-parts dealers thrive off of the Saturday ritual of the weekend warrior. Each weekend these stores transform into base-camp for millions of home and car improvement nerds who mightily announce at bedtime on Friday night, “I’ll have it done tomorrow by lunch.” After tucking into the “quick” Saturday job sometime around noon, these arm-chair experts soon realize that the vital nail, screw, pipe, paint brush, socket, paint remover, tie, flange, or bolt needed for completion is no-where to be found. Thus the frantic, unshaven, unbrushed, dirty, oily, and angry scramble to the store begins; destined to be repeated at least 3 more times that day.

Since this is how the vast majority of us “fix” our homes and cars, it’s no surprise to me that we approach missions planning in the same way.

When we left for our first international ministry job in Europe our cultural education and planning looked a lot like the typical weekend warrior. We thought we had a vague understanding of our target culture but in reality we didn’t have a clue. We had never lived in Europe, our history of Europe stopped somewhere in the middle 19th century, we didn’t understand modern European culture or politics, had only travelled around Europe for a few weeks, and to top it all off, were still newlyweds. To say that we were green around the ears was an understatement. Our informal attitude was that we would simply figure it out once we got there and it showed. We quickly realized shortly after arrival that we were underprepared and slipped into culture shock within days. We made pointless mistakes that should never have been made and put ourselves through unnecessary agony. If only someone had taught us how to better prepare for our international move... (Or if only we had listened)

Understandably, there are some things that are only obtainable in country and I guarantee that you will never become a cultural expert by reading blogs or books. In fact, scoping handled wrongly can produce arrogant and cocky people damaging our impact from the moment we step off of the plane. (and as a missionary myself, I know that no one wants that) However, the lack of preparation with which some have entered the mission field is nearsighted at best and negligent at worst. Having made the mistake of not scoping prior to our first ministry, and knowing that there are many missionaries prepping to repeat the same mistake with theirs, it is imperative that we take the time to more adequately equip. Over the next few posts I am going to teach you what scoping looks like and how to properly scope your destination. My aim is to 1) increase our cultural awareness, 2) help elevate our cultural effectiveness, 3) ease the transition into your new culture 4) and enhance the quality of our ministries. No, you won’t become a cultural jedi after reading this series but you will be better prepared if you give scoping a go. If we American missionaries all commit to studying our future destinations humbly and earnestly imagine the cultural impact we could make for Jesus. What a staggering idea!

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

"Dress Code: Want to wear a Hawaiian shirt to your board meeting in Silicon Valley? Be our guest. But in Dubai? Not so fast. Here's how to look appropriate anywhere, from Indonesia to Italy"

Looking down at the pamphlet on the bench between my wife and I at the airport, the above line caught my eye. I've never seen anything in mass production like "Etiquette 101" before and we've been in dozens of airports through the years. I grabbed the little booklet and carried it with me on the plane to read. As I opened it up, I found out that it was a step-by-step travel guide on how, as an American, I can learn to dress appropriately when traveling in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, complete with instructions on how a women is to wear a properly wrapped Hijab in places like Egypt, Iran, Jordan, and cities like Dubai. Important stuff to know. I have to admit, in all my years of traveling I've never read or seen anything like it in an airport before, and there wasn't just one, they were scattered all over the terminal. When we were living in Ireland it was always a running joke between our friends on how many American tourists we could spot in city centre Dublin, not because they were obnoxious or unwelcome (most of the time), but because of the funny way they dressed. As one who speaks from experience, it takes time to become culturally aware of things like white sneakers and fanny packs!

Now that it appears that we Americans have finally become aware that not everyone dresses like us I started thinking of something similar for missionaries, Missionary Etiquette 101. When Americans travel to other places in the world we have an obligation to quickly learn the local customs, mannerisms, do's and don'ts, and fax-pas. Not because we're representing a nation or government, but we're representing the King. Our job is to be as attractive and winsome as possible, to, as Paul said, become all things to all people in order to win as many as possible. So, without doing something that contradicts scripture or is beneath our calling what are some things we should put on our Missionary Etiquette 101?

• Begin to think like a citizen of heaven, not of a particular country. Leave your localized politics behind.
• Learn their language in order to speak into the heart of the people you're serving. You'll never connect with the heart unless you do.
• Pay attention to the way people dress, talk, eat, socialize, discipline, mourn, celebrate, and play. This is called life and you need to learn how to live it.
• Never assume "the way I learned it is always better."
• Be careful to presume that you "understand" how they are feeling until you do. (This takes time)
• Recognize that you will always, on some level, be culturally different. Discover where you can be the same and where it's safe to differ without jeopardizing your ministry.
• Authenticity attracts real friends.
• Live as economically close to those around you as possible. Don't try to be someone you're not by faking wealth or poverty.
• Align yourself with the culture of Jesus as found in scripture then learn what cultural items you can safely acquire.

I know there are dozens, maybe hundreds of other things I could add to Missionary Etiquette 101 but these are but a few born out of personal experience. What would you add to the booklet?

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

I was struck by the depth of my need for Jesus this week.

As one who claims to love people and culture I sure enjoy laughing at people at their worst. The conviction struck me while I was imbibing in a very funny website at work, laughing it up with co-workers and ridiculing the people portrayed on it. "Is this becoming for a Christian?" I thought.

If you work in the technology industry or spend a lot of time around the internet as I do, you'll know the kind of website I'm talking about. In the last few years, the internet has created a humor sub-culture which collects the worst of human behavior, mistakes, flubs, tricks, and pranks and lays them out for everyone to see. This humor-mill has turned into a full on media cash bonanza with start-ups raking in wads of cash and expanding their reach farther and farther afield. Make no mistake, some of these sites are extremely funny, especially those that capture people in their most failed moments.

However, as I read that site this week, the thought occurred to me that I was not laughing with people, I was laughing at people. People made in the image of God. People for whom Christ died. People who needed to hear the message of Jesus from a missionary, not the laughter and scorn of an anonymous prankster. My call to maturity meant putting away the juvenile, to stop wasting time. It was a gentle reminder from the one who showed us what it means to really love people that he didn't laugh at me when I was at my worst. I'm just glad there's no video evidence of me.

Tags: Culture, Missionary Life, Technology

I've been saving this post for last to cap off the Upstream Collective's Jet Set Tour to Asia because I like it so much. One of the last videos posted was an interview with Caleb Crider about the missionary aspect of the church:



This is an important piece to the puzzle and I'm glad it came out. One of the mission aspects that has been overlooked for many years is the idea of goers and senders contributing to the mission of the church. For too long, missionaries went and churches stayed. Missionaries were the professionals and churches were the bankers. Missionaries spread the kingdom and churches were content to let them do it. What has changed in my mind and what I'm sensing in the conversation is the rediscovery of partnership missions. Paul understood it in his relationship with the Philippians:

“I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it...
Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.” - Philippians 4:10-16

John Piper has also stated and written this clearly, “There are three types of people; the goers, the senders, and the disobedient.” In other words, what I’ve come to understand is that missions is a partnership between two sets of missionaries, those that go and those that send. There is no middle ground.

Ultimately, I think that this is a healthy idea and one that will carry the gospel further and deeper into the hearts of all involved. Which are you, a goer or a sender?

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

As most of you know already, we’ve been in Portugal this week exploring mission opportunities for our future ministry plans. These strategy sessions along with nationalization processes have made the last three days tiring. We’ve been going from 8AM through 10 or 11PM every night since arriving which as I mentioned last week deflates any sense of a “vacation” mentality. This type of mission prep is challenging but having an opportunity to meet with national Christian leaders, listening to their stories and their needs, and strategizing about ways to plant, grow, and multiply healthy churches has been a wonderful experience. Below are 3 short observations from along the way:

• We didn’t know it, but we were on everyone’s meeting list. We came with the intention of meeting a handful of people for very pointed discussions. We’ve had a chance to do that... on top of meeting the other 100 people that weren’t on the list. In a small evangelical community word seems to travel quickly that we’re here, creating lots of extra meetings and more opportunities to meet people.
  
  

• The need is greater than we even imagined. The spiritual needs in Portugal are staggering and if we weren’t Christians they would be downright overwhelming. In Portugal, there are 44 counties with no New Testament, born-again, Christian church. None, nada, zip. There are cities/suburbs in and around Lisbon (the capital) with hundreds of thousands of residents with no church presence at all. Not even a prayer meeting or small group bible study. We discovered from Missâo 2015 that only .08% of the population is a non-Roman catholic/evangelical of any flavor. There is just a monstrous need.
  
  

• The fact that we are experienced missionaries with a few years under our belts makes us “chum” in the missionary water. Everyone want’s to talk to us and explain their needs. Everyone wants to request our help. We wish we could listen and we want to help but it’s just not possible to help everyone. I remember feeling that way about experienced missionary possibilities considering our (former) ministry field. Every time someone with experience and smarts walked in we put a letter of intent in their hands and talked their ears off before they left. The fact is, no mission field ever has enough workers (national or foreign), they’re all struggling.
  

This week guys from the Upstream Collective will be doing something similar to us. I’ll try to add some thoughts to theirs as the come in. If you want to follow along simply click the Upstream Ticket on the left. Here’s to the work, and the conversation.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

It's Monday night and I'm at home after a long day at work. In two days I'll be on a plane with my wife, mother-in-law, and mission director flying to Lisbon, Portugal. Under normal circumstances, traveling to Portugal is one of our highlights but this trip is different, it's all about business. Don't get me wrong, this is not a whingy blog post about the trip looking for sympathy about having to travel to one of the most beautiful places on earth. But this trip unlike others is not for pleasure, it's for mission prep.

There is a misconception among American christians that missionary work is a permanent vacation. In fact many workers in global missions present their work as permanent vacations unintentionally. Always presenting our work as wonderful, always highlighting the good stuff, always showing the beautiful pictures and the smiling faces... who wouldn't wonder if it's actually Margaritaville behind the missions curtain? Not everyone does this but too many do. The truth is that mission work is hard, not every day is a good day, and sometimes people aren't smiling, the sun isn't shining, and no one wants to hear about Jesus.

Trips like the one we're taking are a part of the harder, necessary side of missionary life. We're changing time zones for three days of meetings, trying to get citizenship paperwork done in one, while trying to meet people who we hope to meld our lives with for the Gospel. My mother-in-law has donated her time, our mission director has donated his, and we're taking no-pay time off from work and paying our own way to get this stuff done. (Not to mention the people we’re meeting with who have taken time out of their schedules.) And none of what I've said is for our glory or fame! Here’s the problem, speaking this way can be interpreted as whining or arrogance so many missionaries don’t even bother. Why tell people how difficult things are when it’s turned back on you as being weak, complaining, or pride? Because they need to know. Our people need to hear this stuff because it’s the truth and it’s what adds to the satisfaction of both goers and senders. Most importantly, it makes missions real and shows that we’re serious about Jesus.

Mission work: Not always easy but always satisfying.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

If you read my post entitled “Speaking Missionese” last week you will know that I believe the modern idea of feeling “called” to missions or “being led to mission work” in-spite of wisdom’s direction or giftedness and opportunity is foreign to the bible. For instance, I would seriously challenge someone’s missional calling to the jungles of Sri Lanka who is married with 3 children and taking care of their invalid mother in Ohio. However I also know that to deny the Holy Spirit’s involvement altogether would be foolish. John Piper had some thoughts on this very issue a few years ago. If you have any sense of a growing desire for mission work read his thoughts.

Is God Calling You to Give Your Life for His Sake and the Gospel in Missions?

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

Being around the mission-sphere awhile means that sooner or later you’re exposed to a new way of talking and expression. The “missionese” spoken by and about missionaries is a derivative of “christianese” spoken by millions of Christian adherents especially those of an evangelical stripe. A few years ago Bel Air Drama Department posted a parody on learning to speak Christianese:



Unfortunately, B.A.D.D didn’t go far enough to teach us “missionese,” that strain can only be acquired through language immersion. The problem with “missionese” is that it is perpetuated by normal, well-meaning Christians who through their flowery descriptions paint mission work in celestial phrases. We missionaries are guilty of accepting this praise and then turning it around to describe our own work. Phrases like:

• “feeling called”
• “being led”
• “God laid mission work on my heart”
• “having a burden for...”
• “received a confirmation” and
• “the Spirit opened a door”

perpetuate the misunderstanding that missional ministry is something you must feel. J. Hudson Taylor once said, “The great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed” and I read elsewhere (although I couldn’t find the reference) “who needs a calling when we have a command?” I believe that there is a mentality within Christianity influenced by “missionese” that needs to be corrected. Not every missionary needs to be “led” or “called” only obedient. Not every decision requires confirmation, only opportunity and wisdom. Sometimes missionaries walk through doors that appear to be closed and stay put when doors appear to be opened. Missionaries and those that support them need not be super-spiritual people, simply obedient, humble servants obeying the command to go. So the next time you find yourself “feeling led” to do something for Jesus remember, Jesus “didn’t give you a burden,” he gave you a command.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

“...and they know...they can’t stay. They’ve gotta go.”

Tags: Missionary Life

Part 2

Last week, I began a post looking at the preparation process of getting to the mission field for those gifted for ministry but also working a full time job at the same time. There are several things that we full time workers can’t do and several things that we need to expect during the process or support raising and mission preparation. You can read part 1 here then continue with my continuing observations of the process below.

4) You’ll be better equipped to minister to people who work full time. During my first ministry in Ireland I vividly remember an early morning appointment my colleague and I had that woke me up to the realization that I had forgotten what it was like to get up and be somewhere early in the morning. Working from home had dulled my understanding of their lives and made me less sympathetic and understanding to the juggle of life. Now that I’ve been a member of the workforce going to work at 7 AM for the past 2 years I know and can sympathize with the fatigue that my congregants feel when trying to work, raise a family, and also serve in the church. It ain’t easy. During this season of preparation I have reminded myself over and over not to forget what it feels like to work all day, come home to prepare a sermon, prepare, lead, or attend a mid-week small group, or go to some congregational function. I’m hopeful that upon arrival in Portugal we’ll have a new perspective of what it means to be a Christian in the midst of a hectic life.

5) You’re going to feel out of the “ministry” loop because you’re working. This perhaps has been the biggest struggle for me during this season of preparation. In the ministry world there is a lot of activities taking place all over the United States and the world that as full time employees we simply cannot attend. Missionaries get to attend conferences, meetings, and are blessed to be with other ministers and missionaries. Working full time does not afford us the opportunity so in some ways we are out of the loop. While you might feel “out of it” fret not, missing some conferences isn’t altogether bad. You can still stay with the happenings around the ministry world by staying involved and engaged in your local congregation, reading and contributing to ministry blogs and news sites, and listening to podcasts. Most large conferences gift the main sessions to the church body though podcasts or .mp3 downloads. Get an .mp3 player or an iPod and stock up!

6) You’ll feel impatient and wonder if you’re doing enough. Do you remember waiting for something when you were a little kid? Christmas seemed light years away and summer camp might as well have been cancelled it took so long to arrive. It’s the feeling of ordering something really exciting but having to wait for what seems like forever. When planning for ministry (especially ministry overseas) you will be tempted to think that you’re doing enough to get there when you’re working full time. Those of us who work 8-10 hours a day at our normal daily jobs are forced to take things slower by nature of our schedules. We just don’t have the time to rush things along. That doesn’t mean we have the luxury of intentionally slowing things down but you shouldn’t make things hard on yourself. For instance, I have been working on our website, blog, schedules, ministry material, calling supporters, meeting supporters, writing emails, building our presentation, all on top of living. Working on our main website, building our presentation, and calling supporters isn’t something that I can pull out and work on during the day so I’m left working on it for an hour or two in the evenings. Doing things this way takes t...i...m...e... and that’s just the nature of the beast. Keep plodding along, eventually you’ll get there.

Tags: Missions, Missionary Life

Part 1

For you missionaries-in-planning, perhaps you’ve been down this road before. You’re certain about your vision, you’ve thought through the implications of your decision, you’ve found a spot on the map, you’re ready to make that commitment and... you’ve got that nagging full time job to deal with.

For those of us gifted specifically for mission/ministry work in a foreign country getting to the field while working a full time job can be another full time job by itself. This has been our experience. When we left for Ireland we were just finishing preaching school and had no real ties to anything. At that point we had been in school for two years and living on support, so we didn’t really have any issues transferring onto support for our work in a foreign country. Planning this time around has not been so easy. We’ve both had full time jobs to contend with and busy lives that make support raising, ministry planning, and logistics time consuming. If you find yourself in this particular situation in your life right now here are a few issues we’ve dealt with and how to keep hope during the process:

1) Support raising is going to go painfully slow. Traveling around from church to church while you’re working full time is impossible. As a full time employee somewhere you simply don’t have enough vacation time to cover all of the places you need to go. Your support raising is going to crawl. Don’t worry about it and don’t rush it. “But, but, there are lost people there that are going to hell unless I get to them asap!” Calm down, you’ll get to your destination when you get there, and once you’re there you’ll have a lifetime to teach and preach. Just take your time and get the support raising right without intruding on your employers time. Knowing that your support raising is going to slug along takes the pressure off of you to perform and allows you to raise money relationally while at the same time forcing you to depend upon God’s providence and timing. It’s a hearty process.

2) You’re not going to be able to speak about your vision to everyone. You’re excited, your families are excited, your church is excited...but not your boss. There is a right time and a wrong time to discuss your plans with your employer and unless you’re looking at concrete departures and finalized decisions, it’s not the right time. No, it’s not. You may be tempted to rush right into your boss’s office and tell him or her about your missionary vision to the Congo but... you might find yourself packing right then and there. Only when you have made concrete decisions, sought enormous amounts of counsel, prayed and prayed again should you go and speak to your boss. Remember, only you know when the time is right but this does not give you a pass to lie either. Dishonesty is not an option but self-control and discipline are. Keep your mouth shut while you’re working on the details and never let your ministry planning overtake your job responsibilities. Do your job with excellence until your very last day, you may find some hidden support when you leave.

3) You’ll have to think outside the box. If you’re working full-time, you don’t have the luxury of spending hours of planning and support raising time on the phone. You’re going to have to think outside the box to get your message and your vision out. What this has looked like for us is a website that I created to house the majority of our missions information. I have also worked on maintaining a blog (this one) where I can share my ideas. Being able to direct potential supporters to our sites while I’m working during the day lets them get the information they need and communicate with me without me having to spend hours on the phone. Something else to consider is staying away from sites like Facebook and Myspace until your plans are public at work. We’ve made the conscious decision to refrain from Facebook (despite the obvious benefits) because nothing would kill our stealth planning faster than our colleagues at work finding out through Facebook prematurely. Can you imagine a Facebook poke saying, “so what’s this I hear about you leaving us and moving out of the country?” Ooops, better get packing.

(To be continued)

Tags: Missions, Missionary Life

Kate Taylor over at Mission Leader penned a very poignant article back in July and I thought I would share it here. As a missionary, it is easy to be mindful of the sacrifice that we’re making for the gospel expansion. As Kate says:

“Most of us realize the enormous sacrifices which long-term international missionaries make when they go overseas. They are willing to walk away from their country, their home, their families and their comforts for the sake of Christ. It takes an incredible leap of faith to love a people enough to step outside everything you have known so they would come to know the love and peace that flow from the hands of Christ.”

However,

“What few of us truly understand is the sacrifice made by those left behind...When a couple answers the call of Christ to love the unlovable in the slums of India, two sets of parents lose their beloved children. Two loving families have fewer members at the Christmas dinner table and fewer stockings on the mantle. When God blesses that couple with children, two sets of grandparents miss the chance to play hide and go seek in the backyard or unload the bags for a long weekend sleepover.”

Its easy to forget those who don’t go, who support from afar, and cheer us as we move away. This is a reminder to remember those left behind and to thank them. Here is my letter to our prayer and support team below:

I was reminded today by a missions article about all of you...and no, not in a bad way! It was about you who stay behind to cheer us on, to support us from afar, to offer supplications to the Father as we work on the front lines of the kingdom expansion. Sometimes it is easy to forget that we're not alone in our calling and vocation to ministry. That there are many of you whose sacrifice for the kingdom is different than ours but still a sacrifice. And that you all matter to God because those of you who have chosen to support us through money and prayer are also called to send and support. The truth is we would not be going if you were not sending. As we work towards our eventual leaving please know how important you are and how much we cherish each and every partner. As John Piper says:

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't."

As a large team, we're all working because worship does not yet exist across the majority of Portugal, yet. This week, let's pray for our immediate families, our church family, and our friends that stay behind to do the work of sending and praying in America. From us to you, thanks.

Tags: Missionary Life

Moving back to the states from Ireland was a difficult transition, especially because we were desperate for a car. After searching fruitlessly at the local car dealerships (too expensive) we started perusing the want ads for cars more in line with our price range (cheap) and finally stumbled across one that seemed perfect, a 2001 VW Turbo New Beetle. The car had a few minor cosmetic issues but nothing that really stood out, especially in the shadows of an outdoor garage which was where we went to look at it, at night. Common sense stepped aside for expediency on that one. Had we been thinking straight we would have taken that car to a mechanic to be examined, not purchased it with no knowledge of its history. No less than a few months after purchase we started having major issues with just about every aspect of the vehicle. Our mechanic told us time and again to sell it because we were heading for ruin and every time we shrugged and hoped that it would be fixed. Every thousand dollars we gave to him was traded for his advice to ditch the car, but we didn’t listen. Finally after a year and a half we took his advice and got rid of the demon car that nearly bankrupted us. If only we’d listened in the first place...

Living the missionary life is a lot like playing the role of life’s mechanic. Most people don’t realize that their lives, like our demon car, are really broken beyond repair. They continue to sink time, money, and emotion into something that cannot be fixed no matter how much they pour into it and yet they keep trying. Just like the mechanic, our job is to lovingly, humbly, and patiently explain that no matter what they do, they cannot repair their broken lives. At some point they need to ditch it:

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. Luke 17:33

We Christians are prime candidates for helping people because we know what its like for the brokenness to be fixed. Just like a good mechanic tells you what’s wrong with your car, we have the opportunity to help people fix what’s wrong with their lives through Jesus. This is who we are and it is what we do; it’s what makes missions “right.”

Tags: Missions, Jesus, Missionary Life

Who gives us the “right” in being missionaries? In other words, on what authority do we leave our culture, move to a new place, preach about Jesus, call sin sin, call people to repentance, and grow churches? Living in a post-moder-esq society brought this idea to my attention especially in the current political climate as each side is claiming that the other doesn’t have the right to do or spend what they’re doing. Here we are planning on moving to Portugal and I’ve never stopped to ask why I believe we ought to.

It’s easy to assume that because we’re all Christians we should be involved in missions. But that is a foolish notion. Not everyone who calls themselves Christians believes that we have the right or the duty to be engaged in evangelism, whether in America or Europe. Some see missions as crusader-like or authoritarian but Jesus didn’t see it that way:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus claimed all authority for himself and through that authority sent his disciples to make more disciples. He sent them out.

So the first principle on the “rightness” of missions is that we go because Jesus sends. We don’t go on our own authority but on the authority of the one we call Lord.

(To be continued)

Tags: Missions, Jesus, Missionary Life

Sometimes media has the power to smack a person into reality; this one smacked me into why we’re pursuing ministry in the first place. I remember one Friday evening sitting in our car this past winter as Angelina and I were debating our future telling her that I didn’t want to look back and the end of our lives regretfully saying “I wish we’d done that...” I had a sense of dread that after only 5 years on the ministry road we were heading towards an existence called “safe Americans” and that we had become another ministry statistic; 8 out of 10 church planters, ministers, missionaries burnout within the first 5 years. That is a haunting statistic. What was our experience at SIBI about? What were those 3 years in Ireland for? Had God called us into ministry just to quit after we had our fill of ministry experience? Had we become one of the statistics?



Just as Satan works through sexual sin, divorce, money trouble, gossip, division, and heresy to break a ministry he also uses the tried of true method of safety to woo us into complacency. Somewhere many of us bought the lie that God’s purpose for us was to be safe. You can hear it in our prayers:

“Jesus, please take this away from me.”
“Jesus, please keep them safe.”
“Jesus, please send someone else.”

God promised to work together all things for our good, including the difficult and the bad. He might have promised eternal fellowship but he never promised blanket safety. I’m not suggesting that we don’t implore God for his protection, but that we refuse to settle for the mundane, mediocre, and padded life. On the day I face eternity, I don’t want to look back on a safe life with nothing to show for it. (more like the unlived life) I want to finish across that line panting, sweating, triumphant, humble and filled with joy to finally hear those words from Jesus, “well done, well done.” This is why on that winter’s day we decided to go for it, to get back into the adventure of missions and to let God use us. So far, it’s been an adventure with much more to come. Will you join us?

Tags: Missionary Life