MissioMishmash

For The Sake of His Name

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:45:00 +0000

My friend Chris Anderson has blessed us with a rich missiological hymn text. Click here for links to the sheet music and live MP3 recording at the recent Student Global Impact Conference.

I'm all goose pimply and throat lumpy (for the sake of His name).

Go to the world for the sake of His name;
To every nation His glory proclaim.
Pray that the Spirit wise
Will open darkened eyes,
Granting new life to display Jesus’ fame.

Refrain:
In Jesus’ power, preach Christ to the lost;
For Jesus’ glory, count all else but loss.
Gather from every place
Trophies of sov’reign grace.
Lest life be wasted, exalt Jesus’ cross.

Love the unloved for the sake of His name;
Like Christ, befriend those whose heads hang in shame.
Jesus did not condemn,
But was condemned for them.
Trust gospel pow’r, for we once were the same.

Rescue the lost for the sake of His name;
In Christ-like love snatch them out of the flame.
Tell that when Jesus died
God’s wrath was satisfied.

Urge them to flee to the Lamb who was slain.

Look to the Throne for the sake of His name;
Think of the throng who will share in His reign.
Some for whose souls we pray
Will share our joy that day,
Joining our song for the sake of His name!

P.S. Listening to the MP3 recording of this hymn was nice detox after my previous post.

The Shirtless Dancing Man (or, How a Movement Develops)

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:29:00 +0000

I deny having posted the following about "The Shirtless Dancing Guy." I think it was a computer virus.

After you read the following bullet points, then decide whether to click the link below.
If you are offended at a shirtless guy dancing in the distance, please do not click below.
If you are offended at a bunch of people dancing on a mountainside, please do not click below.
In my defense: there is nothing I thought sensual about the video, but I admit is is somewhat gross.
To my credit (hopefully): I think there are some important illustrations herein about being willing to be a fool for Christ and about training national leaders to reach their own people.

Click here to see the shirtless dancing guy unwittingly teaching us something about church planting movements.

The Father's Will

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:48:00 +0000

Recently an elder brother in Christ (who prefers to be anonymous) taught some of us a simple principle to help brand new believers to start spreading the Gospel before their heads hit the pillow on Day One of their new relationship with God.

You tell them something like this--right away:

The Father’s will is for your entire family to become believers on Jesus … and your close friends.

Many years ago, God spoke to a man named Noah and told him about a great flood that would destroy the world. Most people did not listen, but at least Noah listened and rescued his own family.

Later, a man named Lot lived in a wicked city. God told him He would destroy the city, but Lot was able to rescue most of his family.

Later, a woman named Rahab saved two godly men from their enemies. She begged them to save not only her life, but her whole family when God's judgment came. And so she rescued her entire family.

Much later a man named Cornelius asked a messenger of God to come to his house to tell him what he should do. When the messenger came, he found the house filled with all Cornelius' relatives and friends. They all heard the Word of God, believed, and were saved. And so Cornelius rescued his family and friends.

Later a woman named Lydia heard about God's salvation while she was out working, and immediately took the message to her entire household and they were all saved. She opened her house for people to come in and hear the truth, and so she saved many people.

Later some men of God were in jail and their jailor heard how he could be saved. That very night, he took the message to his household and they were rescued.

Another time, there was a man who lived at a graveyard. He was possessed by devils and cut himself with stones. Jesus came and healed him. Then the man wanted to follow Jesus and learn more … but Jesus said, "No, you must go home to your friends and tell them what God has done for you."

So if you have become a believer today [or in the last week], THIS is the Father’s will for you today: to take the Gospel to your family so they can be rescued too.

Then, it is recommended to write down some names of the person's family and friends and begin praying for their salvation … and also go with them if appropriate. In so-doing, a new believer gets "programmed" from day one to share the Gospel and reproduce.

Help Us If You Can ... Re: Group Health Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:24:00 +0000

One of the benefits of a mission board is group health insurance. But many, like us, aren't part of a board; we're sent out by our local church, without the sometimes-necessary middle man. But we just discovered that we're paying more than twice as much for health insurance on our Bupa Denmark individual family plan than some missionaries are paying on their mission boards' group health plan (Aetna, for example).

Does anyone know of a co-op of independent missionaries (those who aren't part of a missions board) who have pooled together to get the same kind of rates mission boards get--with a reputable insurance company? Or any other solution?

Since we are talking about hundreds more dollars to raise per month (and therefore weeks and weeks more time off the field to raise and then maintain so much more support), we are desperate to find a solution and therefore be better stewards of God's time and money.

Any ideas? Please comment!

Dispatches From The Front: "A Bold Advance"

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:51:00 +0000

My friend Dr. Tim Keesee and Frontline Ministries have produced another episode of the film I blogged about earlier. This second episode is set in our part of the world and tells the story of God at work through His servants in what has been a historically dark part of the world for missions. I enjoy and watch dramatized re-creations of old missionary stories (I watched William Carey last night), but it is hard not to be aware that you're watching actors on sound-stages; Dispatches DVDs are so powerful because they are real-time, real-life documentaries of life as it unfolds on the ~~mission-field~~ battle-field.

The full DVD is around 53 minutes, includes special features and discussion guides, and sells for $15 individually (or $100 for 10) ... this and Episode One are worthy items for church bookstores and libraries.

On Adaptation (or, Should I Wear a Loin Cloth?)

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:16:00 +0000

On a recent post about praying for missionaries I urged people to pray for us to have wisdom in cultural adaptation, some missionaries going "too far in their adaptation, compromising their health or their faith." ScottSB asked "Could you give an example of what you mean?"

So much has been written about cultural adaptation that anything I say will probably be redundant; but here are some simplistic examples to demonstrate where I was going with that ...

If western missionaries do not filter their drinking water in some locations, they could really suffer physically. By drinking bottled water instead of the water the locals drink, have you failed in cultural adaptation?
My field is a cigarette culture. I have developed mild asthma by breathing so much smog, dust, and second-hand smoke while evangelizing in coffee shops. Have I gone too far in my adaptation?
I read on a blog called "American Missionary" that a guy started drinking, smoking, and watching R-rated movies in order to win folks "organically." Has he gone too far in his adaptation?

There are no cut-and-dried answers for a million questions like these, but I would like to throw out some general thoughts on adaptation:

Some missionaries seem to think that the acid test of a "true" missionary is 100% cultural adaptation: "I'm gonna be a 'hard-core' missionary, incarnational just like Jesus, so I'm gonna drink the water that the locals do." I say, "OK, whatever floats your boat"--but just remember that it's hard to have a Jesus-like ministry--being out meeting people in the harvest fields--if you have to stay continually within 10 yards of the toilet. And I would add that faithfulness, fruitfulness, genuine humility and love are much higher on my list of "acid tests" for missionaries than a legalistic standard of cultural to-dos that you've brought in from your cultural anthropology class.
That said, I think most of us missionaries do too little, not too much, in learning our new cultures well enough to engage them effectively.
Hudson Taylor wore Chinese garb, shaved most of his head, dyed the rest, and grew a braid to bridge a gap to a people that had an arguably deserved chip on their shoulder about westerners and their ways. It was effective for Hudson, but most people think it was merely because it endeared him to the people--"Ooooooh," say missiologists, "let's all be like Hudson Taylor." But what was going on? There were foreigners on both sides of a rebellion and his foreign clothing immediately cut off one audience or the other, or both, and immediately stigmatized him. People still knew he was a foreigner by his accent and admission, but his Chinese attire helped him cut through the politics and get to his message. It wasn't his new look that made him effective, but his character, passion and God's power on his life. So is Hudson's model for us? Are you going to wear a loincloth into your new jungle neighborhood to be like Hudson? Sorry, but in many cultures that's going to backfire and you're just going to look strange. In America, we might notice that immigrants from India stand out a bit, sporting a heavy accent and a red dot on their foreheads, but it might be even weirder for them to attempt a southern drawl and wear cowboy boots and a baseball cap ... we'd be like, "this person is trying just a LIT-tle too hard." They'll know you're a foreigner anyway, and unless you're younger than 10 years old, total adaptation will be nigh-impossible. So don't force the adaptation thing from Day One. Sure, when possible and appropriate, learn to blend in. Study. Learn. Ask questions. And use common sense. As a very young missionary starting out in a culture which valued age, I tried to dress UP like the men here, both to blend in and to counter-balance for my young age, improving their perceptions of my credibility. But clothes do not make the man, nor does adaptation make the missionary.
Yes, I have damaged my health by frequenting the Balkan coffee shops which are essentially tobacco saunas. That's where the men are. Have I gone too far? Well, I hope I am on the right side of the fine line between sacrifice and recklessness. But now I am trying to find other solutions, like choosing coffee bars with chairs outdoors. All of life is about balance, and we should try both to reach people and preserve our health. If I am invited to dinner and am served lettuce rinsed in questionable water, I'm going to eat it. Nor will I squirt anti-bacterial gel on my palms every time I shake hands (I've seen this done, and it seems to send a pretty awful message). But when I can, I want to make healthy choices.
Will I take up beer-drinking, cigarette smoking, and watching filth-saturated flicks to advance the cause and connect with more sinners? I don't think that's exactly what Paul had in mind in the concept of "being all things to all men" or what the synoptics meant to teach when they describe Jesus as eating and drinking with sinners.

In the end, I wonder if we overvalue cultural adaptation as a missionary virtue. Any missionary who thinks he's hot stuff because of his acculturation, or who puts more emphasis on it than holiness, has adopted a skewed missiological philosophy. Becoming Albanian is not my goal; rather, it is becoming like Christ. It's not about the house I live in or the clothes I wear or the food I eat ... it's all about MINDSET--"Let this MIND be in you which was also in Christ Jesus ..." It's about having the mind of our Servant-Lord. Sure, adaptation includes learning the host language and culture and trying to avoid faux pas and blatant offenses. But if you are humble and respectful and love your God and your people; if you can resist becoming bitter and critical and sour; if you can learn (or if you are trying hard to learn) the people's words and ways, then they will probably not expect you to live just like them and wear a loin cloth; the love you will be demonstrating to them will "cover a multitude" of cultural differences, boo-boos and no-nos.

How To Pray For Missionaries

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:52:00 +0000

Is there more to missionary intercession than “Lord, please bless all the missionaries”?

Much missionary prayer is shallow. Yet prayer is a vital part in the fulfillment of the Lord’s Great Commission. Every Christian should be involved in world evangelism through faithful, biblically based prayer. Here are some suggestions I think will empower your intercession:

Love for God. The most important commandment for all Christians, including missionaries, is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind.” Like Martha of Bethany, missionaries can become so service-oriented that their worship grows cold.
Genuine love for others. Because missionaries face cultures which often seem (to them) difficult, it is easy for missionaries to become frustrated and angry at the people to whom they minister. Also, relationships with coworkers can become tense on the mission field. Pray for harmony and patience.
A deeper relationship with God. Missionaries do more than go door-to-door witnessing each day! They must wear a thousand hats, from auto mechanic to accountant, not to mention preaching, evangelizing, discipling, counseling, providing theological education, home schooling, etc., all in a different culture and language without the help of secretaries or paid church staff members! Wives must do all cooking from scratch without electricity for much of the day! Hence, missionaries are tempted to skip or skimp on their time alone with the Lord. The only result is frustration. Pray for consistent devotional lives.
Vital, supportive home churches and individuals who are willing to pray fervently and faithfully.
The supply of financial need. Missionary ministries are more expensive to maintain than expected. The problems of money exchange, the fall of the dollar, inflation, endemic bribery, etc., are constant points of concern.
Cultural adjustment. Culture shock hits in the first term, but culture stress continues in every term. Many missionaries cannot make the adjustment to new foods, life styles, languages, value systems, and attitudes. Some return home disillusioned and with a sense of failure, others react wrongly on the field and hinder their fellowship and witness; yet others go too far in their adaptation and compromise their health and sometimes their faith. Pray for wisdom, balance, and flexibility.
Protection from Satan’s attacks. In many areas Satan’s strongholds have never been challenged. Missionaries are attacked through bad health, loneliness, depression, threats, and even well-meaning Christian workers. They need victorious faith.
Family life. For some, the missionary call may mean foregoing marriage for the sake of the Gospel. For others, family life may be made difficult by living conditions, inadequate amenities, lack of finance, or be disrupted by long separations, many visitors, and overwork. Missionaries’ children can sometimes become resentful or rebellious in their teens. Pray that missionary families may be an effective witness and example of all that a Christian family should be.
Single life. Many missionaries are still single and struggle with loneliness, doubts, lack of direction, and temptations. Some have purposefully surrendered the married life for the sake of the Cause. Others have strong desires to be married, but would rather use their singleness for the Lord than waste it hopping from singles group to singles group looking for a mate back home. These blessed servants of the Lord can be amazingly effective because they can “log more hours and travel more miles” than many married missionaries.
Fruitfulness. All workers desire an effective ministry that bears fruit. They need clear objectives and time to achieve them. Too much time can be spent on survival and handling trivial interruptions, and too little on the real task.
A sense of urgency. Expulsions or enforced departure from the field could suddenly terminate a ministry. The missionary needs to work hard to train his successors and help local believers to maturity.
Homecoming for “furlough.” Missionaries need wisdom and good counsel from their home churches and mission boards about when, why, and how long to take so-called furloughs. Many missionaries chuckle at the word “furlough” because it is anything but restful. Pray for an effective ministry with churches at home, grace during reverse “culture shock,” and spiritual refreshment and refocusing.
Health and strength. One of the top requests from missionaries are health issues, because they often live in unsanitary conditions with insufficient medical facilities. Also, many parts of the world are becoming more and more hostile to foreign missionaries. Pray that the Lord will grant the strength, health and protection that will bring His greatest glory and the greatest good for the missionaries.
Specific ministry needs. Stay updated and informed! Perhaps the biggest way to encourage a missionary is to tell him, “I’ve been praying for the outreach in Timbuktu, how did the Easter evangelistic service go?” It is always refreshing to hear someone say, “I pray for you regularly.” But it’s even better when someone asks specific questions revealing that they really HAVE been reading websites and updates, and have been PRAYING for the needs specifically!

Note: This article is not entirely my own ... many years ago I read a similar article, modified it, and saved it. Unfortunately I do not remember the source, or even how much of this is modified from the original. I would love to quote the original source if anybody turns it up.

Notice Anything Different?

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:44:00 +0000

Men, don't you hate this question? (After three wrong answers, you're pretty much doomed.)

I've recently discovered how to add a menu of pages to this blog. So just above this entry, you will notice several new pages, or tabs, including Top Posts, Links, and Got Questions?. I hope it will help people navigate and make more efficient use of the growing content of this blog.

- David

Does Election Preclude Tears for the Lost?

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:10:00 +0000

I recently reported the following to our prayer supporters:

This weekend, we will have two more evangelistic services in the mountains. On Sunday, a national pastor told how he invited a former co-worker who had rejected Christ many times; the guy promised to come, and our pastor was "on Cloud Nine"; but several days ago, the man was killed on a treacherous mountain pass. As the pastor reported the death to us, he couldn't hold back his tears--another soul, lost eternally. Astrit's sensitivity choked me up, reminding me that while Christmas should be "merry," it is an extremely serious rescue operation which brings about the joy!

A person who I do not know responded with the following message (in its entirety) ... this person, without any introduction, wrote:

I feel bad for the national pastor, but I am always a little confused by these stories. If the Biblical doctrine of Election [sic] is correct, no one goes to hell [sic] that was intended by God for salvation. The fact that he was presented the gospel several times and never responded is an indication that he was not one of God’s chosen. I will continue to pray for your ministry.

A strange email and I didn't understand its purpose. To me it read like the airing of a theological pet-peeve. Was he confused that the national pastor cried about his friend going to Hell? Does being sad about the eternal death of the wicked somehow contradict the biblical doctrine of election? In his mind, does a more Calvinistic view of Biblical election allow for tears to be shed at the fate of the lost? Does it allow us to continue to call sinners to repent and believe, even though they have rejected once or twice or twenty times? So I think out loud, and blog the following thoughts ...

To be biblical, your theology of election must never, ever dry your tears for the lost (and I'm not talking about GOD laughing at the calamity of the raging heathen, I'm talking about the lost WE are commanded to rescue).
Any theology of election which tends to dampen your compassion for the lost or make you shrug and say, "Well, I guess that guy wasn't God's chosen--oh well," is a skewed theology.
Tears for a friend who has gone to Hell does not mean that you think that God failed to save one of His elect.
Any theology of election which causes grammatical errors (or Freudian slips) like capitalizing the noun "election" and failing to capitalize the proper noun "Hell" may be indicative of a dangerous theology. I've met far too many people who focus so much on election that it has become Election while Hell has become hell. (Interesting that the author of this email "feels bad for the national pastor"; I feel bad for the guy in Hell!)
The fact that we feel sad for our friend in Hell does not mean that we think God is unjust. The guy rejected Christ. One too many times. He is guilty, not God. And how sad it is that he rejected his many chances to have been saved!
To the author's defense, I think he was reacting to an idea that sometimes so much responsibility is placed on our hands as missionaries that a sinner's personal culpability is ignored. They so emphasize man's role that they ignore God's role and can give us such a guilt trip that we begin to be fueled by guilt rather than joy. I can sympathize with this tension but also welcome all the Biblical "guilt trips" like "How shall they hear without a preacher?" I really do believe that blood will be on my hands if I fail to warn the wicked. But that anyone in Hell will be there because of his own sins, not mine, and certainly not God's.

Simple Church Growth

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:43:00 +0000

Whereas Jesus is building His church ...
(cf. Mat. 16:18, Acts 1:1 note the word "began"--Jesus is still at work!)

And whereas He has chosen to use human witnesses (i.e., us, gulp!) to build His church ...
(cf. Acts 1:8)

And whereas He empowers us for bold and convicting witness through the Holy Spirit ...
(cf. Acts 1:8)

And whereas we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit ...
(cf. Ephesians 5:18)

And whereas the consistent fruit of being filled with the Spirit is witnessing ...
(cf. Acts 2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 6:3, 6:5, 6:7-10, 9:17-22, 13:6-12, 13:52 ...).

Therefore can we not conclude that being filled with the Spirit is the sure and simple way to see supernatural church growth--not the transfer-of-membership, "our-church-is-the-cure-for-the-common-church" kind, but the making disciples kind--all over the world (including where you happen to live right now)?

And how do we be filled with the Spirit? I cannot find a verse that says "this is how" explicitly. But I shall never forget Dr. Stuart Olyott who came to Albania and taught from Ephesians 5:18, saying, "You get drunk by ... drinking; you get filled with the Spirit by ... drinking. So drink and drink and drink and drink and drink of the Spirit."

Therefore, it is not the grand strategies scribbled on a legal pad which will drive men to Christ and accomplish the task, but the natural outflow of the Spirit of whom we have drunk ("out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" / "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard").

Children, Obey Your Parents

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:43:00 +0000

(Yes, he's our kid.)

Is It Safe To Be A Missionary?

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:15:00 +0000

Once while growing up, an evangelist came and told us about a missionary family who left the field because they were afraid their children might be bit by the poisonous snakes in the region. Not long after their return to the USA, two of their boys were playing in the yard and unwittingly uncovered a snake nest. They were bitten. The dad threw them in his Suburban and rushed them to the hospital, but to no avail; the two boys died. Then the man came home and, to his horror, discovered that his wife had died of a heart attack because she watched her husband roll over and kill their two daughters when he had backed out of the driveway to rush the boys to the hospital. This kind of story adds to the guilt former missionaries encounter and to the fear many current former missionaries encounter if forced to consider returning from the field (but that's another topic altogether).

The evangelist's point was "it's always safer in God's will." -Which is a nice spiritualized cliché, but is it true?

Well, no. Absolutely not! Just ask the wives of the five Through Gates of Splendor missionaries who were speared by the Auca. Just ask the wife of Tillman Geske who was tortured, slain, and buried in Turkey. Or ask just about anyone familiar with New Tribes missionaries. Or statisticians who work at life insurance policies (who immediately deny policies to missionaries). No, Christ has never given the guarantee of physical safety to His missionaries. Quite the contrary. But He has promised to be with us and give eternal reward, and that's better than safety.

Is God's will safe? NO! Is it best? Yes!

Doran's "Human Sympathy vs. Missionary Compassion"

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Dr. Dave Doran's post is well-worth reading--one of those posts that make you stop and wonder why you haven't thought about a certain concept before. Even Doran admits he is just thinking the concept through, asking questions, not pontificating. Some crux excerpts to help you get the idea are below:

Should the current deprivation of some people create more motivation for missions than the relative prosperity of other people?

The tendency to motivate Americans for missions by appealing to the deprivation of other people is really a base attempt to turn our materialism into an ally of the gospel. Instead of seeing people as headed toward an eternity apart from Christ, they are presented as objects of our pity because of their desperate [physical] circumstances. If you doubt that this is what’s happening, imagine the presentation full of rich kids dressed in designer clothes or young adults chatting in a Starbucks.

My responses to the post are below, but like Doran's post, they are thoughts out loud rather than dogmatism:

No, missionary motivation should not be rooted in a target group's poverty or prosperity, but in God Himself, the Great Commission, our love for Christ, jealousy for His name, and God-infused compassion for lost people (despite their economic condition).
Arguably (from the Scriptures and church history), the poor are the ones most likely to turn to Christ. Yes, there are the Lydias, the Zaccheuses, the Corneliuses, and the like, but "not many" of those who come to Christ are high-born (1 Corinthians 1:25-31). In this sense, we might have justification to give the poor a bit more weight in our presentations and targeting.
No, I do not think our materialism can be an "ally of the Gospel" in the sense of making human sympathy a motivation for missions; but poverty may be an ally to reveal materialism as a great hindrance to missionary volunteerism. I do think there is probably some benefit, missiologically, to seeing people in poverty or sickness, in the sense that it may awaken our consciences to our abundant self-love and stuff-love. I can remember the cup of ice-water that my first missions trip was when I was confronted by poverty and the unusual (to me) responsiveness to the Gospel among the poor. And as we made our final descent back into Washington, God used the plethora of opulent city lights beneath my wings to bombard my heart with the question, "So what are you going to live for?" My materialism wasn't necessarily an "ally" of the missions call, but was revealed to me by the poverty God dropped me into for the week. Perhaps it was something like the law which "revived sin"--how would I have known materialism if I had not been awakened by poverty? God wanted it smashed before it could take over my life.
It is probably a sign of spiritual maturity to have compassion on someone richer than you (so long as your "compassion" is not a masked, spiritualized jealousy).
Finally, Dr. Doran, if you ever invite me to Inter-City Baptist to seek financial support, I promise you that my slide show will display the rich neighborhoods here (and of course, to "become all things to all men," I'm going to need a good amount of financial support from you guys).

Student Global Impact Conference 2010

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:15:00 +0000

If you can make this conference, make it! Just get there!

Featured speakers ...

JD Crowley, Cambodia (missionary I'd most like to meet)

Matt Hoskinson, pastor Heritage Bible Church (I respect him more than he could imagine)

Tim Jordan, pastor, Calvary Baptist Church (his 2008 message still convicts me, and makes me laugh)

Mark Minnick, pastor, Mount Calvary Baptist Church (my favorite expositor).

Here's what I said about SGI in 2008.

Tips for Staying Warm?

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Many places in the world have bad or no insulation, no central heating, etc. We're looking for some good tips to stay warm without electricity ... here are some of our favorite tips but we are looking for some good ideas to add to our repertoire. Missionaries are some of the most creative and resourceful people in the world, so I hope to see some great comments to employ this winter ... I'll get the discussion going:

1) Hot water bottles to warm the bed ... but not too hot ... once I was so tired that I slept through a bottle branding my right knee ... the burn scar remains to this day ...

2) Fleece sheets are the most amazing winter gift we've ever received. Forget flannel sheets--FLEECE is amazing.

3) Helly Hansen LIFA thermal underlayers ... my first roommate Jon Faucette recommended this to me and it is amazing how it traps in the warmth under other layers ... and since it is made for sports, it is thin and made for action--great for evangelistic forays into the mountain villages ... keeps me warm and wicks away the sweat ...

4) Warm feet. I consistently have problems here, and when the feet get cold, everything gets cold. Ideas?

5) And how in the world do you keep the tip of your nose warm?

Comments anyone?

(Thanks to my brother-in-law John for this photo ...)

Quarterbacking

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:53:00 +0000

It's Thanksgiving and I just returned from the Turkey Bowl, gathering with a bunch of American missionaries. All four teams were good. We won because we had the best quarterback, or at least the best one on this day.

I don't like football as much as other sports and don't know the game well. But I learned today why quarterbacks are the highest paid players in the NFL ... because ...

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

My quarterback today called most of the plays. He threw accurate passes ... floating bombs for us to run down ... Roesthlisberger-to-Holmes-like bullets just whizzing over the fingertips of the defenders ... and when needed, some little pitches for first-downs.

He also threw some incompletions, taking responsibility for them. But he was the difference. He made us look good. He led us to victory and gave the credit to his receivers.

On my motorcycle ride home with my son, I thought, "I am the spiritual quarterback of my family ... and I also take some snaps in the ministry, leading churches. Jesus is my Owner, Coach and Captain--but he has put me on the field." How am I doing? Because ...

Everything, and I mean everything, rises and falls on leadership.

Preaching Illustrations via Bento

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:02:00 +0000

Missionaries, like all preachers, need a good system for recording and remembering their illustrations--and we come across them every day. In the past, we had to depend on file folders and index cards. Now most of our input is electronic. I recommend a good database program.

For Mac users, Bento is one of the most effective software programs available. I had never used a database before, but now my Bento is always open, and, oh so very maccie. Some of my favorite libraries I use within Bento are: Encrypted Passwords, Sermon Ideas, and Notes. But by far the most useful is Address Book with Mac Address Book integration, which allows me to keep up with our supporters (directions, gifts received, related emails, last visit there, etc.)

For Mac/Bento users wanting a good way to store their sermon illustrations before they slip away, try my free template now on Bento's website. I get no commission for this, just passing along a helpful tip!

On Tentmaking

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:38:00 +0000

Recently I recently joined a group of friends, pastors, missionaries and educators in a discussion about tentmaking as missiological strategy. It's a topic I am unversed in and therefore unqualified to teach. So at the start, you might consider taking a detour to several thoughtful and more reputable sources than me:

"Why Did Paul Make Tents" by Ruth E. Siemens.
Tentmaking 101 and other informative articles and papers from GO.
Tentmaking: Business as Missions, a book by Patrick Lai.
Today's Tentmakers, a book by Dr. J. Christy Wilson Jr. (often considered the seminal work).
www.tentmaking.org, links to tentmaking sites and organizations.

I have much to learn (if I have the need and the time); but I've learned a few things already and am developing some first impressions.

If I were asked to offer a definition it would be any one, or some combination of the following:

Tentmaking is when a missionary church planter works to support himself and thereby eliminate or reduce his need for external financial support.
Tentmaking is when a missionary church planter takes a job or engages in activity unrelated directly to church planting for the specific purpose of facilitating or enhancing his church planting efforts.
Tentmaking is when any Christian takes a job or engages in activity unrelated directly to church planting for the specific purpose of joining a church planting effort.

Connected with these definitions, let me explain several assumptions and make clarifications and comments:

"Tentmaking" appears to be an overused and undefined buzzword. I think we add to its value by restricting it ...
Tentmaking exists exclusively in the context of missions. It is a missions strategy.
Tentmaking should not be considered a "thing" like church planting. I think the idea that "you are a church planter; I am a tentmaker; he is a Bible translator" is fallacious. Paul would've never said that. He was a church planter who made tents for a living. His occupation served his mission. Tentmaking is not mission. It supports mission. It is secondary, not primary, just as every Christian's vocation should support his local church ministry. I don't think this is just semantics, because wording forms mindsets: once we elevate tentmaking as a "thing," it can upstage the main thing--church planting.
The main thing--missions--is biblical church planting. Missions is best defined by George Peters: “the sending forth of authorized persons beyond the borders of the New Testament church and her immediate gospel influence to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in gospel-destitute areas, to win converts from other faiths and non-faiths to Jesus Christ, and to establish functioning, multiplying local congregations who will bear the fruit of Christianity in that community and to that country" (A Biblical Theology of Missions. Chicago: Moody Press, 1972, p. 11). Yes, anyone can "be a missionary every day" in the broad sense of making disciples every day, but we're talking about "sent ones," the ones whom we've propelled from our midst into a "gospel-destitute region." They can have MBAs instead of MDivs, but they must be sent to proclaim and plant and/or water.
Non-"authorized" persons--people who are not God-called, ordained, and commissioned evangelist-preacher-missionaries--can also be involved in church planting teams and efforts--and they should! Businessmen, surgeons, engineers, etc.--many of them female--have all been used in foreign fields even though they were not called and commissioned to plant churches. From their work, churches have sprung forth, praise to God! It is the seed of the Word which is incorruptible and brings fruit. We are all just servants, whether businesspeople or missionaries. And yet there is a Biblical scheme, a "traditional" method which should not be abandoned just because it is old and Pauline. Many of the people we call "tentmakers" were called "fellow laborers" by Paul. Every church planter needs them, so ...
I think every Christian should consider engaging in definition #3! Take a job overseas or in an inner city (the "duress pay" may even be quite nice!), connect with a church planter or church planting team, and serve the Lord together as you would in an area where churches or more plentiful.
Tentmaking is gaining steam, but I think every God-called, local-church sent evangelist missionary should consider NOT engaging personally in tentmaking (especially if he is already supported). Yes, in many countries you may be required to have a "legitimate" activity for your entry (men with AK-47s at the border will ask you why you are coming into their country!). But many missionaries receiving financial support from churches are doing "business as mission" in places they really don't need to, thereby using time and money inefficiently. I would counsel missionaries to "think inside the box," that is, what is your biblical calling? Can you do your calling without the need to do business as mission? (Business is not the Great Comission, of course.) Many missionaries are struggling, spinning their wheels because they were told they need to do business to achieve cultural legitimacy. But they don't know business--they are square pegs in round holes. They bought into it because it is the new thing and seemed logical for difficult fields; it was the "out of the box" innovation revolutionizing missions, the thing that would make our witness credible. Oh? Where is that in Scripture? I know Scripture teaches that our good works should shine, and we should serve the sick and needy, and we should be wise and ethical in business. And we church planters need and want the help of Christian businessmen and professionals to help show our people a model of that; but we, as evangelists, are authorized by God's Spirit and the agency of the local church to preach the Gospel. The message we bear is credible by itself and the Word we proclaim is powerful when preached by God-soaked, spiritually credible prophets.
That said, this is no repudiation of tentmaking! Would I support the efforts of a Christian nurse going into Central Asia even though she is not a God-called, church authorized church planter? Yes, especially if her field was closed to traditional foreign "religious workers" and if her dream and desire was to see Biblical churches planted through her witness, and if that was embedded in her long-term strategy. Would I support a brainy Bible translator not endowed with Pauline gifts of evangelism? Yes, insomuch as church planting often explodes on its own when the Bible arrives!

In my opinion, tentmaking is an indispensable strategy in some situations and should be utilized and considered. But its value should be scrutinized. As all good business plans, "business as mission" should be evaluated by some objective equation of the value it adds to a church planting effort compared to its costs in time, money, overhead, and workers. If it is necessary for access to a certain field (and it often is) or unquestionably advantageous (and it often is), then go for it!

But in many situations, the traditional Pauline model, with all its difficulties, is the leanest and most efficient missiological strategy after all.

Marrieds, Let The Singles Singly Serve!

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:06:00 +0000

I've gotten interesting and emotional feedback already from a previous post on singles. One single sister expressed the "challenging phenomenon" of the when-are-you-getting-married? comments from the peanut gallery in church. I remember that now--but I had forgotten, as we often forget when we move from one stage of life to another.

Married folks, don't look at the singles like the undergrads of the church, just hoping that they will "graduate" to marriage. Don't treat them as if there's something "incomplete" about them. If they continually get that impression at church, how will they ever learn that we are complete in Christ? How will they ever not appear "desperate" to would-be suitors who are not "in" to the desperate type?

Of course we, as married people, should be pro-marriage! Our marriages should be so awesome that singles should desire such a life, if the Lord wills it for them. But often our problem is that we think we have to convince singles that they should get married, as if they are anti-marriage. In our sincere desire for their long-term well-being, we say insensitive things like ...

"So why don't you get married?" ("Like I could just do that? Like ... getting a tattoo or something?")
"You're gonna make somebody a great little wifey" ("Oh thanks, that's encouraging ... coming from a 78 year old!")
"Isn't there someone special in your life?" ("Well yes, actually, but just-my-luck, last night she got engaged to somebody else.")
"Why are you still single?" ("Uh, I dunno, whattayathink? Because I'm a loser? Oh, please, please, rub more salt into my open, festering wound! I like it! More pain, please--that's why I came to church this morning!")
"Maybe you should lower your ideals and just say yes to one of these people!" (Oh? So YOU want to be complicit in their marrying an idiot?)

Instead of encouraging singles to seek marriage, we should encourage them to seek the Lord. Instead of "matchmaking" them with other singles (often against their wills), we should "matchmake" them with awesome missiological opportunities they might only be able to do as a single--opportunities we as married folks could never seize. Instead of giving them the impression that they should graduate UP to marriage, let's realize that there is no up or down in the body of Christ, no inferiority or superiority, just a bunch of servants serving together. There may be wisdom in splitting up into groups for Sunday School, but let's guard against compartmentalizing the church. We are one body.

There Is NO TIME

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:40:00 +0000

A dear friend of mine bought and sent me this book. Here is my review:

There is NO TIME is a missionary fable by J. Paul Nyquist of Avant Ministries (and now president of Moody Bible Institute). Its purpose is to advance the idea of "Short-Cycle Church Planting." The parable begins with a war-hardened African boy soldier guarding Dave, a missionary who was kidnapped for financial gain and who was to be killed imminently. Dave narrowly escapes death and returns back to the US after only six years on the field--and no indigenous church to show for his labors. He assumed he would have more time.

Back in the States, he reflects upon the changing world and the fact that some of the most needy places for evangelism are hotspots like the one he narrowly escaped. No longer can missionaries go "where Christ is not named" (Romans 15:20) and expect to have 40-50 years of service there.
If it takes a long time to plant churches, and missionaries cannot stay long in the most needy areas, then how will churches ever be planted?

Then re-studying the book of Acts, Dave recognized that within 15 months, a team of two missionaries planted four churches complete with elders in four different cities hostile to the Gospel.

It happened fast then; it needs to happen fast today. Why can't it be? How could it be?

To this he enlisted the help of his three old friends: Landis, a chief officer in a bio-tech firm, Ken, a senior pastor, and Todd, an expert in sales recently promoted to sales manager. They all converged upon a cabin in Colorado to brainstorm.

At the outset they acknowledged that, with more unsaved people alive than at any other time in history, God must want to see churches started rapidly. Then they established some Biblical truths on which to found their discussion, calling it the faith context. Inside the faith context are four elements:

The power of the Gospel. Self explanatory.
Divine serendipity, a way to describe God's sovereignty in bringing people and events together for his mission. A tension between God's control over all and man's responsibility. Like Philip leaving Samaria for the desert to meet the eunuch.
God's ability, specifically that He is able to "perform everything that is necessary to establish a mature church in a relatively short period of time" (p. 35).
The power of prayer, as demonstrated by Paul the prayer warrior, always seeking more prayer.

Then they discussed the reason we need to plant churches swiftly:

Socio-political realities (you may be forced to leave quicker than you expect).
The imminent return of Jesus (a factor which should not be under-appreciated just because we've used this argument for so many years without seeing Him return ... on the contrary this point should intensify precisely because He has not come yet).
Numerical growth -- we aren't keeping up with the population (four people born per second). Landis compared the disparity with an assembly line ... if you can't process things quickly enough, you can turn down the speed of the machinery; however, we cannot turn down the speed of the birth rates, and it is only increasing.
Stewardship -- money is invested, and why wouldn't we want to see a church started in 5 years instead of in 20? Albeit a sensitive issue, sometimes missionaries are so honored that their fruitfulness/productivity is not evaluated at all.

From here they set off to define a new church planting model. The traditional model often requires much time, especially the high percentages "of each day ... devoted to activity that does not move the church-planting process forward" (55). How can it all be streamlined?

Landis the business guru provided three appropriate concepts from the business world:

Lean Thinking, a process identifying when value is added to a product and when time or resources are wasted (muda in Japanese). In church planting, we should eliminate waste and move rapidly from value-adding point to value-adding point.
Continuous Quality Improvement, a process mastered by Toyota in which you are always "looking at ways to improve yourself and your processes" (57).
A Team Mindset as opposed to individual heroes. Dave noted the problems team dynamics can bring, and Landis countered that most so-called "teams" are simply "work groups" of individuals led by a supervisor and doing work individually. Teams should first be carefully selected with multiple gift sets so the individuals can operate on their strenghts. Teams should also have a common goal and agreed-upon methodology. Thirdly, teams should have mutual accountability and trust. The group then agreed that a team should be trained together and committed to each other, even more so, perhaps than to the field itself (like Paul and Barnabas who traveled all over together).

The group noted that "most experts say the ideal range [for how big a team should be] is seven to twelve members" (60). They also thought that their concepts would "completely change the organizational paradigm of a mission agency" (62). They decided to call it "Short-Cycle Church Planting," not to be confused with "short-term missions."

With all these philosophical considerations behind them, they got to the tough question, "What principles will this team use to establish a mature church faster?" The five principles would unwittingly--by "divine serendipity" (or the author's creativity)--form the acrostic "S-H-O-R-T."

S - Simultaneous Activity, as opposed to sequential activity. In other words, instead of learning the language, THEN developing relationships, THEN sharing the Gospel, THEN discipling them, THEN gathering them, etc., you can do all these simultaneously. Even from the beginning, before the language is mastered, seeds can be planted and potential leaders recognized.

H - High Trust. Missionaries never leave because they do not trust the national believers, or perhaps more accurately because they do not trust God's Spirit to lead them. Yes, there are dangers in leaving a church quickly, but Paul knew them and left them to God's hands anyway. Yes, he visited them and sent people to them to help establish them, but he trusted them early.

O - Overt Witness. Much time can be wasted in developing relationships that "bear no fruit." In a short-cycle paradigm, you assume you have no time. Overt Witness "seeks to sow the seed as broadly and early as possible in order to identify those who respond to its message. While it seeks to be culturally appropriate, it does not shy away from being direct and even confrontational" (72). If your mind set is short-cycle, you will not hold back for fear of offending the people you will live with the rest of your life ... because you're not going to live there forever! Hopefully early on the missionary will reach locals who will be better equipped to reach their own people.

R - Restricted Scope, restricting the scope of the missionary's activities only to those which do not create dependency. In other words, the missionary should only do things that ONLY he could do. In pure pioneering situations in which there are NO national believers, this scope may be wider at first. Then it should get more narrow as the new work grows.

T - Tactical Advantage, or leverage. Like using a pulley for lifting heavy items, missionary teams should look for things that give them tactical advantages. For example, a Muslim country's fascination with Old Western movies could provide an opportunity ... or a secret believer in a government position could help them sidestep harassment. Even political unrest or natural disasters could provide leverage, shaking people up to more eternal realities.

The book concludes three years later with Dave on a short-cycle church planting team getting initial results. The team had been born and then trained together, went to a highly unreached location, and established a five-year plan with an aggressive goal of planting two reproducing churches. Two influential people came to Christ. The team trusted the national believers for tough decisions. The second church was being launched and they had started dreaming about the next place they would go to plant a church rapidly.

My brief reaction: A good read. A quick read. An inspiring read. Well-presented as a story. Excellent "big idea" of getting into a quick-plant mindset and exploring ways to trim fat and become more efficient. One of the greatest benefits of the book is identifying this as a need.

I'm not a big fan of the language of "completely changing organizational paradigms" or touting "new church planting models" and indirectly pitting them against "traditional methods." I fear we can create unnecessary tension based on semantics and give zealous young people a silly idea that they are going to revolutionize missions.

Oddly, although I'm not too happy with some of the semantics about "new" and "completely changing," I actually think the book's big ideas are old--merely revisited, or rediscovered, or reapplied, which is a good thing. Paul and his partners did "short-cycle church planting"; therefore what is being touted as "a new model" is not really new at all.

Inconsistently, the book refers to Dave's studying Acts, which is the biblical catalyst for advocating short-cycles, but then cites unidentified "experts" recommending 7-12 team members as the ideal number of team members. Paul and Barnabas of short-cycle fame seem to suggest the ideal number is two. But this is not nitpicking. I don't think the Bible prescribes any specific instructions about the ideal number, so I am fine with twelve. I just would hate to see churches, Avant, and other agencies holding teams back because they have not yet met the "experts'" ideal minimal requirement of seven.

The bottom line: I really like the book's big idea of doing our church planting faster. I love the book's reasoning for it and the principles of efficiency it preaches. I love the author's humble spirit and tacit recognition that he is merely onto something big, though he doesn't have all the puzzle pieces neatly in place. Like the book of Acts which ends with the "Acts-ion" still ongoing, this book ends with a short-cycle team in action ...

I look forward to seeing how Avant's short-cycle models develop. I want to learn more from these people. And I want to incorporate these excellent principles into my philosophy.

Singles, Get a Divorce!

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:24:00 +0000

Single adults--and there are many of you out there--please leave your wives or husbands for the sake of the kingdom! "But I don't have a husband/wife!" you reply.

Exactly. All the more reason to get a divorce.

Divorce yourself of the imaginary ideal partner you have in mind. Men, divorce that fictitious woman with the perfect body (which will stay perfect your whole life) and who would also go with you to the ends of the earth. Ladies, divorce that "Jim Elliot" of your half-sanctified, half-Hollywoodized fantasies. Divorce yourself of the idea that you just might find the right person if you switch singles groups (again) or go to another mega-conference or get another degree or spend another few hours making good impressions on Facebook. Jesus said, "There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting."

How can you "leave" a spouse you do not have? Simply by rejecting the idea that you have to have one. You don't, you know. And if you are currently single, make no mistake: it is God's will for you to be single. A desire to be married is natural, but it is no proof that God wants you to be. "My God shall supply all your need ..." (Phil. 4:19). If you are not yet married, then it is not yet your need, however you may be obsessing over it. If it ever does become a need for you, a romance will develop so clearly and biblically that it seemed the Red Sea had parted before your eyes ... and all without your maneuvers and manipulations and jockeyings-for-position and doing the stuff of junior high school.

Seriously now, is marriage an idol in your life? Is singleness an embarrassment to you? A source of worry? A roadblock between you and the mission field?

Then just get a divorce and marry yourself to missions.

"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:37-38).

I'm not saying single missions is easy. I did it for six years. It was lonely, excruciatingly so at times. But by immersing yourself in the work of the ministry and caring exclusively for the things of the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:32), you will have little time for pity parties. "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:39).

And maybe, just maybe, God will do for you what He has done for so many others: by divorcing this imaginary beauty queen who will follow you to the mission field--or this godly hero man who will take you there--you may just find the mate God really has for you ...

She may be more beautiful than you had ever imagined, both inside and out. He may be wiser and more genuine than you had ever thought possible. It happened for me. It happened for many of my friends, both for young men and young ladies.

It also has NOT happened to many of my friends, but they are thriving anyway! Why? Because ...

... the mate God may have for you may turn out to be a lifetime of undistracted single service to the Lord, gathering up "manifold more" houses, parents, brethren, wives, and children in this present time than the figments you so recklessly abandoned before it was too late.

Does God Exist?

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:24:00 +0000

Fun video someone emailed me about "the impeccable wisdom of man" (ahem).

Direct link is here.

The Wizard of Oz on Missionary Preparation?

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:15:00 +0000

OK, granted he wasn't really talking about missions, but when the Scarecrow asked him, "Can't you give me brains?" the Wizard of Oz replied:

"You don't need them. You are learning something every day. A baby has brains, but it doesn't know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get" (Baum, L. Frank, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, chapter XV).

Pretty good analysis there. Sure, read some books on evangelism and missions and benefit from the experience of others (lest you think your experience is the final authority); but in the end the only sure way to learn how to meet people and tell them about Jesus is ... to meet people and tell them about Jesus.

Two Strong Arguments for Sending Single Missionaries

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:22:00 +0000

1) Jesus.
2) Paul.

(More on singles being missionaries in a future blog.)