Imitators of Those

“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Hebrews 6:11-12

Tag: Mission

  • A Smog-Filled City and a Murky Pond

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    Dee Ceall
    in

    This is (finally) the first guest post from my insightful wife, Dee. Hopefully lots more to come! – Dónal I sit on a swing in the park, as I do every morning, gently rocking back and forth. I look out through the grey haze and through the tree branches, towards the murky green lake in…

  • A Call for the Long, Hard & Slow Work

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    Dónal
    in

    I recently attended a conference for workers in our area of the world. There was some really wonderful teaching, encouraging reports, and thought-provoking break-out sessions. Overall, it was a blessing. However, one session in particular gave me a new way of framing my own story; and not in a positive way. In the early 1970s…

  • A Voice in the Wilderness

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    Dónal
    in

    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…

  • The First 24 Hours

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    Dónal
    in

    The golden glow out the window disappeared as the plane descended into the eventide shadows. Delayed, but not excessively, we hauled from the aircraft our heavy bags, (over-the-limit hand luggage, making use of as much space as possible), as well as our heavy eyelids, which surely had bags beneath. The dry, filtered air of the…

  • A Prayer for the Families of Missionaries

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    Dónal
    in

    God our Father, You have brought us into your family by adoption, through your everlasting love. Christ our brother, You are not ashamed to call us your siblings, despite our constant shameful behaviour. Holy Spirit, our guarantor, You remind us of our position in the family of God, and of the inheritance that belongs to…

  • A Better Inheritance than Stability

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    Dónal
    in ,

    As I write, the warm glow of the fire fills the room. Through a crack between the curtains I can see the dark outside. As is to be heard on the lips of many an Irishman at this time of year (amidst other colloquialisms regarding the general discontentment with whatever weather patterns exist on a…

  • Visa Delays and Kingdom Readiness

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    Dónal
    in ,

    It was surprisingly mild for a September night at 2am as I walked down the country roads in the eerie, yet serene, silence of the “wee hours”. Darkness, our old friend, does have a sound of silence. It has a way of simultaneously stilling us with its abrupt ending to our vision, focusing our attention…

  • A Call for a Holy Imagination

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    Dónal
    in ,

    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.…

  • The Sacrifice of Sending

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    Dónal
    in

    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…

  • The Wisdom of God in Movement

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    Dónal
    in ,

    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…

  • A Striking Example of Patience

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    Dónal
    in

    “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?…

  • They Just Don’t Make Them Like They Used To…

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    Dónal
    in ,

    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…