Tag: Ministry
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A Voice in the Wilderness
As daytime eased into nighttime, the animals began to sing their song. In this oasis of greenery, situated outside the capital city with all its clamour of horns honking, sellers shouting, power-tools working… there was peace. During the day, we had walked around the beautiful gardens of the retreat centre, our kids insisting on swimming…
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A Call for a Holy Imagination
Imagination. For some, this can be a touchy word in Christian circles. Not all appreciate the tales of Lewis and Tolkien that bring Christian truth to bear on our lives through use of imaginary stories. Others are wary of an imagination that runs wild in the things of Scripture, putting forward more conjecture than fact.…
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The Sacrifice of Sending
Sacrifice is a foolish thing. To the uninitiated it appears to be a frivolous expenditure of the best, with nothing to show for it. From humble shopping to high-end business transactions, a deal may be good or bad depending on the return on investment. But even the most clueless investor would laugh at the idea…
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The Wisdom of God in Movement
Recently I did three posts on responses that people have given to our leaving for the foreign mission field. Namely regarding: risk, sacrifice, and prayer. Having mulled over things, I’ve decided to add one final response. And while others have expressed the following sentiments, it is something that has elicited the strongest pushback from another…
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A Striking Example of Patience
“For who ever dwelt even for a short time among you, and did not find your faith to be as fruitful of virtue as it was firmly established? Who did not admire the sobriety and moderation of your godliness in Christ? Who did not proclaim the magnificence of your habitual hospitality? And who did not rejoice over your perfect and well-grounded knowledge?…
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We Are Praying
This is the third and final post looking at some responses to our call to missions that we have experienced over the past couple of years. The previous installments consisted of my response to two opinions that have cropped up on multiple occasions, namely: an overstated view of risk, and an overstated view of sacrifice.…
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They Just Don’t Make Them Like They Used To…
In the last post, I spoke about one attitude that we have received from a number of people, which responds negatively to the risk that moving overseas brings. I will do a third post on the overwhelmingly majority response which we have received (which is incredibly positive and encouraging), but today I am going to…
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Thinking Strategically Is Not Just For Missionaries
“For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you…. but with toil and labour we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you…
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Worth One Minute of Glory
Last year I had one particular week that was somewhat conflicting. I had been listening in online to a large Christian conference that had delegates from all over the world. It was an incredibly encouraging few days of hearing how God was, and is, at work across the globe. My heart was lifted up and…
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Others Appear Later
I have written the last couple of posts on the topic of our waiting to head out to the mission field. One final thought on this matter. I am thankful that our sending church did not seek to hasten things along. I am reminded of the most horrible aircraft I ever worked on. It was…
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Add Tools To Your Kit
“8 years. That’s the average length of time it takes someone to get to the field after they start making steps. I was told that when I was starting out, and it was true for me!” These were the words of one person who discipled me, themselves a full-time worker sent to Ireland many years…
Imitators of Those 