I wonder sometimes what kind of work I’d be qualified for if I couldn’t be a missionary anymore. Speaking Chinese might open up some doors. But I think the occupation that I’d be most qualified for would be one of those guys on Shark Tank that listen to inventors and entrepreneurs pitch their investment proposals. At […]
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Rethinking Unreached People Groups (Part 2)
In the first post about the ‘people groups’ interpretation of the Great Commission, we said that it depicts the ethnic groups of the world as the target or ‘hoop’ of our missions efforts. To be successful by this plan, we must aim to evangelize some from each and every people group on the planet. In […]
Rethinking Unreached People Groups
Imagine that you encountered in your travels a person who (O blessed man!) had never been exposed to the game of basketball – or any other game with a goal, for that matter. As you explain the sport to him, the wave of technical terms overwhelms him. He stops you with a confused look on […]
Product and Process
I just finished my rookie season as a parent, so I’m far from knowing it all. But I think I at least have figured out the goal of parenting. Might say it like this: “the goal of parenting is to train a healthy, mature, fully-functioning adult.” I think most parents would agree that this is […]
Review of ‘Light in the Darkness’
This week, I got a pre-release screening of ‘Light in the Darkness’, a new documentary about Christianity in India from ProChurch, thanks to my friend Trent Cornwell, who was one of the film’s producers. The preview for this film is available as of today. Please go to their page, check out the preview, like it, […]
Church Planting Movements: Viral or Bust
I’ve been thinking about starting a business. But here’s the thing. I don’t really want to start a small business. If I start a business, I’d like it to be, like, a massively successful online start-up. That way I can sell it to Facebook or Google or someone after a few years. Probably for more […]
Love-forged Missionary Strategies
When an older person sees my wife and I out with our daughter, almost without exception they tell us, ‘Enjoy her… it goes by so fast.’ Why do they feel the need to tell us that? It’s the voice of experience. They don’t know where their own time went. They can’t help but remind us […]
Missionary Crutches
I was back home in China this past week. Still fighting some final skirmishes with jet lag. But a great trip – got to spend lots of time with the pastors and with the good group of young men who are preparing for pastoral ministry. Taught through 2 Timothy a couple hours a night over […]
Missions: Westerners Need Not Apply? (Part 2)
The last post started to discuss the idea that national believers are the most qualified to serve as missionaries (meaning, the most qualified to be exported to another place with the Gospel). Let me say again that there is certainly a core of truth here: already speaking a language and fitting into a culture are […]
Missions: Westerners Need Not Apply?
I am finding more and more that people like me (middle-class Americans) are considered ill-suited candidates for church-planting missions to foreign fields. I try not to take it personally (I just close my eyes and pretend it’s just sixth grade all over again and my friends are choosing me last for a baseball team – […]
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