Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
There are a few things I truly hate. One is when fear is used to manipulate and intimidate God’s people. Fear is such a powerful tool of oppression. We see it used by politicians to get votes from the fearful. Likewise, it is used by …
Life can be very complicated. So many needs pull at our attention. There are family needs, ministry needs, and the needs of the poor. The spiritually lost, the needs of those we are discipling, our own needs…it can feel overwhelming. Missionaries are generally compassionate people. …
“One more kilometer to go, oh God, please help me do this.” My stomach was cramping from a recent bout with food poisoning. I was weaker than normal, but my heart was set on completing the race. My husband, running alongside me said, “Run through the pain, honey, you can do it.” The finish line came into view. With my faithful partner graciously running by my side, I gave it all I had. In distance races, but even more, in life, many times we just have to run through the pain.
What does that mean? How do you know when to keep going and when to stop to rest and recuperate? Or even quit?
Missionary life comes with serious challenges and trials. We face
There is indeed a delicate balance needed. We must take good care of our souls and bodies, while also persevering through the hardships. Refuse to give up, until you have seen the fullness of what He has promised come to pass.
“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
Phil. 4:13 NIV
It isn’t
I am not one to blame every problem on the devil. Many difficulties come from our own mistakes or are just life. But there are times when we must be aware that we face a very real spiritual enemy. He seeks to destroy our lives and Kingdom work. We should not be ignorant to his lies and attack.
When you seem to be facing unusual things going wrong, it could be spiritual warfare. When the timing of unusual problems links to new efforts, it almost certainly is the enemy. When there is a mental attack, a barrage of thoughts that are not in line with Scripture, demonic forces are at work.
In these times, we must “resist the enemy” by intentionally deciding to continue. We run through the pain.
I’m not saying you should try to do things in your own strength. We can’t “run through the pain” on our own. We need His help. He is the one who enables us to keep going. But our attitude and decisions about this matter. When we decide to keep going, He releases the power within us to do so.
If God has called you to do something and you know it, then refuse to quit until you complete that task. Let’s be honest. Not everything we do is a God assignment. Some things we do are just good things, not God things. You know the difference.
Did you have a specific “word of the Lord” to pursue this thing you are trying to do? Go back to the promises and words He gave you and stand on them. Fight for them. Refuse to give in to despair and take a step forward, even if it is a tiny step. Step by step, God will lead you on. He will help you continue to run.
This is one that I’ve learned with years of experience. My missionary mom taught me this.
Never write that resignation letter at night when you are exhausted. For women, never quit when your hormones are going crazy. Let things sit. Calm down a bit first. Take a few days off to rest before making sudden decisions.
Avoid the tragedy of losing your calling by making an emotionally based decision. Remember Esau’s decision to trade his birthright for a bowl of stew? He was hungry, tired and grumpy. We get that way. But that isn’t when we should make important decisions.
Maybe someone just criticized you once again as a leader. You’ve had it! Wait. Don’t give up yet. Let some time pass.
Or maybe you got malaria, again. It’s the third time now. Your home country is looking pretty attractive. Supporters are encouraging you to consider doing something else with your life.
Wait until you’ve recovered, before you make that choice. For now, you must choose to endure. (I’m not saying you shouldn’t leave and seek medical care if needed. Just don’t decide in the midst of the sickness to stop being a missionary).
In many circumstances, you need to run through the pain and just keep going. Do the next thing in front of you. In spite of the fact that you don’t feel like it. Go visit that sick baby. Read your Bible anyway. Show up at that meeting and just be there even if you can’t contribute much. That is running through the pain.
When you are weak, He will be strong within you. So many times, when I have been weakest, His glory has shown most brightly through me ( 2 Cor. 12:9).
Whatever you are facing today, His strength and grace are enough to sustain you. He is with you today. God will not leave you or forsake you. Let Him come and fill you with the strength you need to “run through your pain” today. And tomorrow. And the next day. Until you reach the finish line of the current challenge. It’s not that far away. The end is in sight. Press on.
Let’s face it. Not everyone is a gifted language learner. It’s frustrating when your peers seem to race ahead toward fluency. They leave you behind, battling to get a normal sentence out without stuttering. Many very real factors affect our language learning abilities. Things like …
I was surprised (and a bit embarrassed) by the exercise. A seminar leader asked me to write down the names of 15-20 people I knew who were not believers. They were supposed to be people I interacted with in the course of my normal life. …
Are you an intentional learner? Your answer is likely yes, or you wouldn’t be reading this! Here is my next question. How will you take your learning to the next level in 2019? One way is to commit to consistently reading books that enrich and develop your skills and life.
This past year, I read around twenty books. There are many people who read more, but I achieved my goal for last year.
I value learning from a wide variety of books. I also like Audible. While exercising, gardening or driving, I listen to books.
What do you do to intentionally learn and grow?
Below are short summaries of the top 10 books I read this past year. Included are my take-aways.
Some of these would be good books to put on your 2019 reading list. Even if you aren’t going to read them, check out the summaries and glean something from my takeaways. Buy them on Amazon using the button below and I get a small commission that will help me maintain this website and blog. Thanks for considering
Enjoy!
This is one of the more detailed books I’ve read on setting goals. It helped me to gain clarity and focus to set up a system to monitor progress. Hyatt takes the reader through 5 simple steps as you design a plan for growth for the year. 1) Believe the Possibility 2) Complete the Past 3) Design Your Future 4) Find your Why and 5) Make it Happen.
Take-Aways:
1) It’s important to clarify my top motivations for the goals I set. Write these down and refer back to them.
2) Set high enough goals. They need to stretch me (and those I lead). This is key to seeing the
3) Get started immediately with something that is relatively easy and in my Comfort Zone. Then build from there after gaining momentum.
Every leader experiences pain. “Pain is inevitable, misery is not,” this book says. The basic premise of this book is, “You only grow to the threshold of your pain.” In other words, if you aren’t willing to endure pain, you won’t grow.
At the point where you decide that you’ve had enough pain and difficulties, you will hit your “ceiling” as a leader.
One of the things I liked about this book was that each chapter started with real life stories of leaders. They faced major struggles, suffered relational pain and came out on the other side. I could identify with them and learn from them.
Take-Aways:
1) Don’t try to avoid pain as a leader- it is a natural part of growth for both me and my vision/organization.
2) Allow pain to develop me: my understanding of God and myself. Expect it to be a stepping stone for the greater things God has for me ahead.
The author encourages us to acknowledge that we, as leaders, are our organization’s “chief sinners.” Leading from this kind of transparent humility is the opposite of how the world operates. It carries risks. The book does not minimize it, but helps the reader understand why this risk is worth taking.
Take-Aways:
1) My personal weaknesses and the cost of leadership must be embraced.
2) Allow disillusionment and the death of idealism to birth a new realistic hope within me.
3) The description of the prophetic aspect of leadership was very affirming. “Prophets disrupt complacency and awaken desire through dreaming,” he writes. They call people to dream about going to a new level in God’s plans and desires for the organization. They aren’t always welcomed but are needed for God’s purpose to come about. Click here to read a more detailed reflection on this book.
Shame researcher Brene Brown shares her unique humor and powerful insights. Throughout it, she writes about what it means to live as a “whole hearted” person.
We must be willing to own our stories. Learning about our own shame triggers is key. So is being able to call shame what it is. We then must walk into it rather than running from it. This requires vulnerability but is key to living as a whole person. This is an expensive book. I recommend you get it free or for a credit on Audible.
Take-Aways:
1) At the end of the day or year, like Brown, I want to have “contributed more than criticized.”
2) Insights into what she calls foreboding joy. This is when we have moments of joy and find them triggering fears about tragic things happening. A key to overcoming this is the regular practice of gratitude.
I read this book right before starting a 3-month sabbatical. Mark is a skilled writer which makes this book a joy to read.
According to Buchanan, Sabbath is a time to play, rest, remember, listen, and to anticipate. We reject the world’s standard that busyness is a sign of importance and embrace a more kingdom way of life. That is one where we enter the Rest of God. We stop trying to serve or be God. Humbling ourselves and letting Him carry the world (without us) is practicing a Sabbath discipline.
Buchanan describes Sabbath as liturgy, a rhythm, not a law.
He encouraged a Sabbath golden rule: “Cease from what is necessary, embrace what gives life.” This is a very freeing book that gave good parameters for both my sabbatical and for future Sabbath habits.
Take-Aways:
1) Sabbath is not a law but a habit and rhythm.
2) Playing is part of my Sabbath worship.
I have not read a more profound and transformational book this year. This wasn’t a quick read. It took me seven months to finish it. I’d read a chapter, then
Allender says that as we listen to what is referred to as our “dark” emotions, we can experience God in powerful ways. He writes, “Every emotion is a theological statement.” What we feel reveals what we believe about God.
The book has separate chapters on; anger, fear, envy, jealousy, abandonment, despair, contempt, and shame. It then ends with chapters on the mystery and goodness of God.
The biggest impact on me came from the chapters on shame.
We feel shame when we feel unworthy, ugly, stupid…when we don’t belong. The author explains that is because we are looking to those things (our self worth, beauty, intelligence, family, etc) to fulfill us. They give us identity. Instead, we must only look to God for this.
When our “false gods” let us down, we feel shame. This was an important revelation. When I experience the trauma of shame and shame triggers, I can run to God for comfort. I also must repent of my idolatry. This brings true freedom, transformation and hope.
Take-Aways:
1) Shame reveals my idolatry.
2) Ugly, dark emotions can help me know God better.
This book is broken into three parts. The first part looks at suffering from a philosophical, cultural and historical viewpoint. The second part moves from theoretical to practical. It looks at what the Bible says about suffering. The final section of the book contains “down to earth” help for the sufferer.
There is a radical contrast between how society today views suffering and how it was historically viewed. Keller unpacks this well.
Take-Aways:
1) Christian explanations for suffering in the world are far more reasonable than any other philosophy or worldview.
2 In times of suffering, the world sees this contrast in dramatic ways. Suffering can cause our light to shine brightly.
This true story is inspiring, encouraging and thought-provoking. It is the true story of an international art dealer (Ron Hall) and his unusual friendship with a homeless man.
In the book, Hall displays a genuine love and respect for Moore. The homeless man shows himself to be wiser than the educated, rich, mature, Christian. Also interesting in the story is the struggle Ron faces as his beloved wife battles cancer.
This is a hope-filled, authentic tale. The story makes a case for authentic ministry and friendship with people who are different than we are. It was an uplifting easy read for evenings and holiday time.
Take-Away:
1) Reaching out beyond my set of natural friendships leads to great treasures.
2) There is a great example in the book of authentic relationships with God and others in the midst of grief and loss.
This is a classic I’d heard many other authors refer to. It is a metaphor about people who have dreams but feel they are impossible. A boy who goes in search of his treasure, starting in Spain and traveling to Egypt. It is brilliantly written, a delight to read, and has a great message.
Take-Away:
Dreams must be pursued. There is no time like the present to get started on them!
This book is about women in Afghanistan. It gives powerful insights into what it is like to live as a Muslim woman in times of war. I found it well written and engaging. I enjoy learning about other countries, peoples and their situations even when reading novels. If you are like me in this, you will enjoy this book!
Take-Aways:
I have gained greater compassion for those who have suffered through the tragedies of war. This book only increased my love for Muslim women who need Jesus.
Start now. Make a wish list of books you want to read in 2019. Why not join me in writing a summary about each book? That way you can recommend them to others like I have to you.
Is there a great book you read last year that you’d like to recommend to me? Let me know in the comments below!
“People are feeling pressure.” I hear this from missionaries and leaders sometimes. Or I get an email from someone saying they feel pressurized – especially at the end of the year when reports are due. Others express genuine feelings of being overwhelmed by their work. …
It is predictable. Every spring when school fees are due in India, the messages and emails come. “We don’t have enough to pay for our kid’s fees this year!” Desperate missionary parents send out appeals. Often they come in inappropriate ways. They beg people to …
“The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” Ps 29:11- NIV
As a missionary kid, I always knew my parents loved me. In that way, I was fortunate.
I love working with brand new believers! Like toddlers, they say hilarious things. My neighbor who recently accepted Jesus posed a question the other day. I was teaching her about prayer. “Do you think God understands Chinese?” she asked. “Of course He does! He is …