Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
“Knowing God is about a relationship, not religion,” we tell people. This is true! We believe it. If we are honest, though, there are times when our relationship with God can feel pretty religious. We go through the motions without much connection. Dryness creeps in, …
One day I was teaching in a discipleship school. I got an emergency phone call. The country we were working in was not friendly towards Christians. The police had come and arrested many of my friends. My family and I were under threat. Trouble had …
In missions (and life), I’m not big on formulas. I’ve found that often A+ B just doesn’t equal C. But in John 15, Jesus gives us a simple answer for how to become more fruitful. Spiritual Rituals Bring Life After returning from a long trip, …
My heart pounded as I approached the immigration line. What would they say? Would I be allowed to enter the country? Would my bags be searched? I’d shared my testimony with someone on the plane feeling prompted by the Holy Spirit. Had I been courageous …
Have you ever met a missionary who seemed angry with the people of the country they worked in? Their mouths are always spouting off negative comments about the traffic, the food, and the way of life of the people in their host country? It’s an …
The Lord’s Prayer is a wonderful model. We use it to teach new disciples how to pray. There are other prayers our Lord prayed that can be instructive to us as missionaries as well. In this article, we will spend time looking at the prayer …
Scripture sometimes frustrates me. I get annoyed when the realities of scripture don’t seem to match my life. Ever happen to you? Like the verse found in Isaiah 40:31, “they will run and not grow weary…” Hmmm. I get tired, really tired, sometimes. Perhaps you …
Some contemplatives live in a monastery cloistered far away from a broken world. Others engage with it believing that God’s transformation is not only for us but for many. Rich Villodas and his co-author Peter Scazzero live into this tension well. The Deeply Formed Life: …
“Hope is hard sometimes,” I thought, contemplating the impossible situation before me. “I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment. Is it worth hoping things can change?” Semi-hopeless thoughts ran through my mind. It is important not to put our hope in the wrong …
Hardship is not a popular topic. “Three Reasons You Should Embrace Suffering,” is probably not going to make a list of best-selling book titles. Yet in our lives as believers, hardship is something we must embrace. Popular Christian preachers tell us God doesn’t want suffering …