Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
Advent is a time of waiting for the arrival of Christ. We celebrate His first coming to Earth. We look forward to His second return. It is also a time where we long for Him to come into the brokenness of our lives. Longing for …
The Times reported that in 2019 alone, 69 people were killed in mass shootings. (And the year’s not over yet! Yikes!). Even in countries that used to be considered safe, churches are taking precautions to protect those who attend. On the mission field, safety is …
Terrorists and extremists; we’ve seen them up close. Radical religious fanatics live next door. Unstable governments with dictatorships or authoritarian leaders- they are common. How do we stay safe on the field?
We have families to protect and care for. When faced with danger, we need to know how to respond with wisdom. It is important to prepare for crisis situations well. Then, when they happen, we are following a plan, not reacting out of shock.
In the last blog, I introduced my friend Joe Malhoit. He worked for twenty years as an investigator with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). My friend shared some scriptures and thoughts about safety from a biblical perspective. Joe is a friend of mine from Bible college days and is also an ordained minister of the gospel.
He also shared four important questions with me. These are what we should ask when preparing for dangerous situations in the field. Before I share those with you though, I want to describe a situation I faced when I felt threatened. Maybe you’ve faced things that were much worse. But this was a time I was genuinely concerned for my safety.
I had decided to go to Kolkata late. It was an important trip, so though the trains I normally chose to travel in were full, I took whatever booking I could. Traveling in the cheapest class, I was just happy to book a seat on the overnight trip. I’d board late afternoon, sleep on the train and arrive early morning at my destination. Or so I thought…
Saying goodbye to my husband and kids, I took a taxi to the station and waited on the platform for the train to arrive. It would only stop a few minutes. I was ready to get on quickly.
When the train pulled up, I jostled with the other passengers to get on. Entering the train, it began to move while I struggled with my luggage against crowds of people. I needed to locate my designated seat.
As I moved through the compartment I was aware of the people around me. In India, you always have to be aware, especially in crowds. There are numerous strangers waiting for an opportunity to unzip your backpack and grab a wallet or phone out of it.
I began to notice, as I moved closer to my seat number, that this part of the train was full of young men dressed in orange. They were everywhere…rowdy, and chanting slogans.
When I came to my assigned seat, on the top bunk, it was already filled with four young men wearing orange. I greeted them and showed my ticket. “You are in my seat,” I said. They ignored me and continued to chant and make rude comments.
What was I to do?
Finding another lady in a nearby berth who had managed to wedge herself into a seat and refuse to move, I asked for help. “They are in my seat. What should I do?” I asked. “Maybe the conductor will come and ask them to move?”
“No conductor will come,” she said.
It became apparent to me that I was in a part of the train that had been taken over by a gang. These radical Hindus who had no intention of leaving and no tickets to be there. I was scared. I realized I was in a situation where anything could happen in the midst of this mob. A woman alone and unprotected in a context where the law was afraid to come. How would I protect myself?
Whispering a prayer, I said, “Jesus, keep me safe.”
Somehow, I made it through the night. The Lord did indeed protect me. I didn’t get to lay down and sleep though! Constantly aware, I squeezed onto the corner of the berth. Somehow I managed to make it to my destination the next morning. I could have used Joe’s questions that night.
Joe says, “I have a few simple time tested principles to help keep you and those around you safe. The best place to start as you work on being safer in a dangerous world is to work on your situational awareness.
I use four questions to help people develop a productive level of awareness. This is similar to the “What If Game,” I learned to use as an FBI Agent. Ask yourself at different points during the day, what would I do if…
Pick a difficult or dangerous scenario. Play the “What If Game” on a regular basis. You will then be less overwhelmed when something threatening or dangerous occurs. It helps you fight your natural reaction to freeze or panic.
Joe, with my help, will introduce the first two questions here. See Part 2 (next week) for the remaining two questions we need to ask to stay safe.
There is a broad degree of threatening behaviors. Think about different types of threats. Maybe someone is acting strange or doing physical harm to others. Consider all the different places you spend time, especially gathering spots.
As a way of helping you to anticipate a threatening situation, I encourage you to trust your “sixth sense.” This is when you, even unconsciously, start to pick up on clues in your environment that feel threatening.
Your stomach may become upset, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, or you may just start to feel uneasy.
This is the time to start paying better attention to your environment. Begin making a plan in case violence starts. “Trust your sixth sense, you have been developing it over your entire lifetime.”
I believe what Joe is talking about here is the way God has designed humans to be protected. This “sixth sense” is in everyone. The advantage we have as believers is we also have His Spirit living within us. God can alert you to danger if you are sensitive to His Spirit within you. Don’t ignore the signs and signals He is giving you. Listen to Him as He shows you what to do and what plan to make.
This question takes it a step further. You need to have some answers before the violence starts. This is key.
When surprised by unexpected violence, most people freeze or panic. You need to have answers prepared ahead of time. Then, you can do something purposeful to survive the situation.
For example, you should already know alternative exits. Identify how you can get out of the place you are in.
Know who around you is good in a crisis, and who needs extra help (like a child).
What do you have around you or on you to defend yourself with? Think of this as cheating ahead, which is important. If you have plans in place ahead of time you will be much more likely to do something productive.
I’m sitting in a coffee shop. Typing away, I’ve been completely unaware of my surroundings. Not practicing very good situational awareness, am I? It is probably best if I “practice” this in safe situations and train my mind to be prepared.
I just took a minute to become more aware of those around me. I checked in with my “sixth sense” and with the Lord. No one is threatening or acting strange. There are no children or others around who would need help. I found my exits.
Staying safe on the mission field is important for us and our families. God wants to use you for many years to come. You don’t need to assume you will be a martyr. Join me in learning to stay safe.
What threatening experiences have you faced on the mission field? How did you respond? Feel free to share with me by email, on the Missionary Life Facebook group or in the comments below.
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Ambition. It’s not necessarily a good thing. It can be positive when properly focused. In his well-known book, Good to Great, Jim Collins talks about Level 5 leaders. He describes the kinds of leaders who take their companies from a good company to becoming a great company.
These leaders are incredibly ambitious and driven. He goes on to clarify this however, “their ambition is first and foremost for the cause, for the organization and its purpose, not themselves.”
Are you driven by a passion for God and the expansion of His Kingdom? Though Collins is talking about business, the principles are universal. They easily translate to Kingdom work as well.
Ambition for God’s Kingdom is not wrong. Sometimes, we mistake ministry ambition, though, for an unhealthy striving to earn God’s acceptance. This leads to burnout, family problems, addictions, and many unhealthy things within us.
Ministry goals can push you into a performance-based mentality. Rather than living from a place of rest in the Father’s acceptance, you are always wanting more. This isn’t God’s intention for us!
He places big dreams in our hearts. We must always remember, however, it is God who will accomplish these things. It’s not us. While pursuing God-given dreams in an ambitious way, we must also rest in His amazing, absolute and unconditional love.
Paul, the apostle, was incredibly ambitious for God’s Kingdom to grow. Collins would definitely have called him a Level 5 leader. He pressed on toward the goal God had given him with all he had. In Corinthians, he tells those he is discipling to strive to excel in building up and growing the church.
“So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”
1 Cor 14:12 ESV
Ambition isn’t wrong. But, there are some things to carefully avoid.
This is so subtle! We can easily confuse our passionate desires for expanding God’s Kingdom, with a need to “make something of ourselves.” We want to be noticed as being someone who is successful. Having a big ministry and growing church will make us feel “worthy” of the praise and recognition of others, we think. This perspective is self-motivated, not God motivated.
We must regularly evaluate our hearts as we do ministry! Why are we doing what we are doing…really? Is it so God will be glorified? Or so we will be well-known, recognized, and valued by others?
It is easy to tell when you are swinging into selfish motivations. Do you feel slighted or angry when others don’t notice what you have done? That is a warning sign.
Guard your heart against motivations that flow from a desire to be recognized for what you accomplish.
You don’t need to earn something you’ve already received from God. He loves us! Nothing we can do in ministry or life can make Him love us more. We are already His beloved ones in whom He is well pleased. When you see yourself striving and over-working, ask yourself if you might be trying to earn His love.
Did you have parents or key influencers in your life who loved you only when you succeeded? This can easily be transferred to your view of God. Did you have a father who only praised you when you got high marks in school? Or a teacher who scolded you?
God isn’t like that. His love is unconditional. Relax a bit, and enjoy His blessing. He takes great pleasure in you simply because you are His child.
As much as we wish missionary marriages and family life would be automatically good, that is far from true. Keeping your marriage and family healthy takes careful thought and hard work. It is so easy to let ministry demands push in and rob you of quality time with your spouse or children. Don’t allow this! It isn’t worth it.
There are seasons when demands of ministry are greater. Certainly, there are times when we have to sacrifice family time in order to serve. Don’t let that become your norm.
Take quality sabbath days of rest. Play with your kids and enjoy your spouse. Do fun things together. Take a vacation at least once a year.
Be sure that your ambition doesn’t cost you your marriage or your health. That would never be God’s desire or plan. He wants us to be healthy and thriving in our missionary lives and families. Lean into God for better understanding of how to live in that place.
Maybe you have been reading this and thinking, “I’m really not very ambitious. I used to be but somehow I’ve lost my drive to see the Kingdom grow.” If that is you, ask God to renew your godly ambition once again. It’s a good thing to have!
Or, perhaps you identify with one of the three things above. You realize there are some things you need to avoid. Take a moment to pray and invite God to work in your life. Then, find a friend to share with about that, someone to help you stay accountable to change in this area.
What is God speaking to you about this today? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or on the Missionary Life Facebook group.
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Have you ever been on a vacation with a hyper- organizer? Every minute is structured weeks before you leave for the trip? For some people that makes the holiday enjoyable. They’ve spent a lot of money traveling to an exotic location and want to see all the sites. Others in the family might declare, “I don’t want a plan! I just want to relax and do whatever I feel like doing.” Every family has to work this out and find the right balance. Sabbaticals, are not the same as a vacation. While they definitely need to include unstructured time, a basic sabbatical plan can help a great deal.
It is best to prepare for your sabbatical before it starts. This will help you gain much more from your break from ministry. Those who take unplanned and completely unstructured sabbaticals rarely gain what they hope for.
A sabbatical is not the same as a
Sabbaticals are longer. There is no rule about how long, but most people recommend some time between three months to one year. They are based on the Old Testament year of sabbatical rest every seven years (Leviticus 25, Deuteronomy 15). In the early
“But in the seventh
Leviticus 25:4. NIV.year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.”
A bit more than a year ago, I took a three-month sabbatical. Ten years before that I took a longer one of nine months. Seven years earlier I’d also done this. Each time, I learned more about sabbaticals. I find this an extremely good practice when in a season of major transition. Sabbaticals provide a chance to be renewed in body, soul, and spirit. They help us transition and pivot (turn) when we are entering a new role or period of life.
After a sabbatical, you will be able to contribute in a more effective way than before. Without planning properly, I’ve seen some ministers end up discouraged after their sabbatical. Sometimes even more than they were before. You don’t want that!
To get ready for sabbatical, the first thing I did was to talk with my coach. There are some organizations that provide specific sabbatical coaching. In my case, I just continued with my normal coach. He helped me create a plan ahead of time.
I read an excellent book called The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan.
See my Best Books of 2018 blog for a short review and my take-aways on that book.
In the months leading up to my sabbatical, I created a basic structure for what I would do. Resources such as Bill
At the end of my three-month sabbatical, I was refreshed and ready to start my new season. It would be one that would include a lot more writing – thus this blog!
I’d achieved most of my sabbatical objectives. My main goal had been to hear from God about the new season, be renewed in my walk with Him and to have genuinely rested well.
This is what you will need to do first. Decide before your sabbatical starts how much time to give to this. If you are seriously burnt out, you will need more time. I would suggest at least a month to six weeks for this phase. You may want to schedule time with a counselor. Debriefing from pain, conflicts, and wounding you’ve experienced as a leader is important. It is a time to grieve losses, and open yourself up to the healing touch of the Lord. Hear Him speak to you of His love, compassion
During the decompression phase, you are learning to disconnect from work completely. You might be surprised how hard it is to stop working, to stop being needed every moment of the day by those you minister to. In this phase, you may feel sick, lonely or lost. This is quite normal. That is why it is helpful to schedule time with a prayer minister or counselor.
In this second phase, you are now more free to enter into true rest with God. You become more comfortable with being, rather than doing, as the source of your identity. That doesn’t mean you sleep all day though! Plan for this phase of sabbatical by; taking trips to places you’ve wanted to visit, doing creative projects, etc.
Is there an instrument you always wanted to learn to play? Maybe you could take an art class, write poetry, or design a treehouse for your kids. During this rest and restorative phase, don’t schedule too much. A few creative and fun activities that are “life-giving” are what this period calls for.
The third phase is a time to hear from the Lord about the future. What is God wanting to speak to you about for the next season? Be careful not to start working on those things, but just listen to Him. You may want to include times of retreat where you practice spiritual disciplines like silence and solitude.
You can split this third phase into two segments if you would like. I prefer to combine these two; spending about half of my time listening, and half my time learning something new. What would you love to learn more about? This may be something related to your personal life, family or a hobby. Or it could be related to your ministry.
Avoid books that have to do with leadership or developing ministry skills in the earlier phases of your sabbatical. They will prevent your mind and spirit from truly resting. Now in this last phase, however, you are starting to prepare to re-enter ministry life. Learning and listening get you ready for that.
Prepare well and your sabbatical will be a memorable and wonderful season of rest! Do you have questions about sabbaticals? Feel free to comment below or join our Facebook group for Missionary Life and ask your question there.
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