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The Five Love Languages of Missionary Care
A monkey was sitting in a tree during a typhoon. From the safety of his perch he noticed a fish that was struggling tremendously in the...
Jul 5, 20225 min read
How to Find a Meeting Space for a Church Plant
We finished setting up our tents just as the rain blew sideways. It was my first trek through the countryside as a church planter in East...
Jun 27, 20227 min read
The Missions Pastor's Gospel
All my friends are dead. Don’t worry, it’s just the title of a book—a spoofy children’s book for adults. There’s a drawing of a...
May 16, 20223 min read
10 New(ish) Important Books for Church Planting
The cereal aisle will murder you. Don’t believe me? Go live in another country for a few months, especially one that doesn’t have...
May 9, 20224 min read
The Cheerleader and the Curmudgeon: Fostering Both Excitement and Sobriety in Potential Sent Ones
Choosing the right road trip companions can mean the difference between life and death. Maybe I just say that because I recently spent...
Apr 25, 20226 min read
How NOT to Send Marketplace Missionaries
So, this could be a terrible idea for an article. But here goes. I don’t know how to send marketplace missionaries. And that’s a problem....
Apr 11, 20222 min read
Missionary, Choose the Posture of a Learner
Imagine you’re sitting in a coffee shop reading your Bible. Each time you take a sip of your coffee, you notice a stranger staring at...
Apr 4, 20225 min read
Join Me! Guidelines for Recruiting a Church Planting Core Team
Each Christmas my family has a tradition of watching a little known movie called The Nativity Story. We love it not just because it...
Mar 28, 20226 min read
Fully-Funded vs. Support-Raised Missions
I love teaching adults their shapes. They really think they know them. “What’s this?” I ask, drawing a shape on the whiteboard. “Duh—a...
Mar 21, 202210 min read
Lamentations as the Textbook for Newly Arrived Missionaries
I just finished reading Jeremiah and Lamentations. Boy am I glad that’s over. Ever feel that way? If it weren’t for reading plans, there...
Mar 14, 20226 min read
A Liturgy for Missionaries During the Holidays
This may be prayed alone, but could be more beneficial alongside fellow petitioners. Items in bold should be spoken together. O God who...
Dec 23, 20213 min read
A Christmas Meditation from Clark W. Griswold
Chances are, sometime this month you’ll take in a few of the enduring words of Clark W. Griswold. Though the name may sound like a lesser...
Dec 13, 20214 min read
10 Things You Should Think About Before Planting a Church
Think before you post. Just four words, but instantly you know what I’m talking about. It may sound similar to the old ways of saying it:...
Nov 10, 20215 min read
The Grace in Not Yet: A Defense for Staying When Others Say So
So, I live in a seminary town—people like to debate theology, and everybody wants to drop the mic. One day, as egg-headed banter was...
Aug 23, 20215 min read
A Liturgy for Responding to International Tragedy
The following liturgy was adapted from “A Liturgy for Grieving a National Tragedy” in Every Moment Holy, Volume II: Death, Grief, and Hope...
Aug 18, 20212 min read
The Gospel with No Caboose: C2C as Creation to Church
One of my most thrilling moments as a missionary was the first time I shared the gospel in another language. If you know anything about...
Jul 5, 20213 min read
The "Dangers" of Focusing Only on Unreached People Groups
No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there is someone who hasn’t heard it once. Oswald J. Smith Occasionally it hits me...
Jun 28, 20216 min read
The Spring of Tears: Joy and Sorrow in Christian Experience
Soldiers go home seeking long and happy lives in peace. In this world, however, there is no such thing for me. This is a quote from some...
Jun 7, 20214 min read
What’s the Buzz About Churches and Sending?
Last week I was on a personal retreat at a little monastery. With my Bible and journal in hand, I tiptoed away to the surrounding knobby...
May 31, 20214 min read
Toward a Better Definition of Missions
Not long ago I had a conversation with the editorial director of one of today’s most highly trafficked Christian websites. I thanked him...
May 24, 20214 min read
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