MissioMishmash

Tom Brady on Leadership (Re-posting)

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:02:00 +0000

Congrats to the New England Patriots! Now that they have punched their ticket to the Super Bowl, I thought that it would be fitting that I re-post an article about them from way back in August …

I never thought I would learn something applicable to mission work from Tom Brady. But I did.

Thursday, my son Ben and I watched the Patriots smoke the Bucs in a preseason game in Tampa. We're Steelers fans, so we didn't care about the outcome, but finding some dirt cheap tickets, we got to have one of those spur-of-the-moment, father-son memories.

Since we knew we would be in the nose bleed section, we brought some binoculars. Ben followed the action on the field, but I was probably more intrigued by the action on the sidelines. No disrespect to the Bucs, but I intentionally chose to sit behind the Patriots' sideline, desiring to see Belichick and Brady in action. Let me clarify that I don't like these guys—they usually [but not this year] beat the Steelers—but they are living legends and, unfortunately, modern heroes, being masters of a game that makes no difference eternally.

Belichick was boring and mechanical, hands on his hips, almost robotic. Even his navy/khaki outfit was bland. He stayed between the 45 yard lines, studying and evaluating like a conductor tuning his orchestra before the concert. Once or twice I saw him speak to someone, quick and curt. His players steer clear of him as if he were cloaked by a force field (see photo above). They seem to fear him more than they love him, which is probably why the team can pursue and subdue bargain-priced loudmouths and rebels who straggle in from other teams, like Ochocinco and Haynesworth. One rookie messed up right in front of Belichick and hit the turf; you knew his world had stopped. He slowly raised his head like a mouse, hoping against hope that Belichick hadn't seen the gaffe. Even from the upper bowl, I could see two little white orbs of sheer terror inside the poor kid's facemask as he looked up at Coach Doom.

Tom Brady, on the other hand, was more fun to watch, providing more learning points. He led his teammates onto the field and led the little pep-rally huddle thing they do. He played the first half, throwing two TDs on his first two drives. But I really enjoyed the second half, and focused on Brady using every spare moment to mentor and teach. For almost the entire third quarter, he sat with his top three receivers, Deion Branch, Wes Welker and Chad Ochocinco, newly acquired from the Cincinnati Bungles (see photo below). Brady was talking non-stop, gesturing, getting up and demonstrating, etc. Ochocinco was asking questions, and Welker would get in on the reply. Crass and disparaging as it is to compare football to mission, I have to admit that the exchange really reminded me of a missionary teaching his men how to run with the ball entrusted to us by our Coach. We are to do and teach. Show and tell. Find a "Peter, James and John" and help our disciples to be successful (in God's eyes) ...

... later, Welker and Branch moved on, but Brady stayed put with Ochocinco, investing into his life, certainly knowing that doing so would make the team mission a success. Ochocinco even pulled out an iPad (or some kind of e-tablet), ostensibly with a playbook app on it, and they kept working together, oblivious to everybody else around them and even the game itself (since they were now playing the third-stringers) ...

At one point, the two men got up and Brady took a stroll on the sidelines. Keep in mind, there are a lot of new, aspiring New England Patriots out there who probably still haven't gotten Tom Brady's autograph yet, so it was entertaining watching younger guys try to saunter over his way, like shy junior high boys inching closer to the pretty girl. Brady was kind and small talked, but very quickly made his escape to find another strategic person who would be best served by his input … in this case it was second string QB Hoyer (#8 below). For ten minutes, while the third stringer was playing, Brady and Hoyer debriefed. Again, a great lesson is found here in taking advantage of using every possible minute to build into your team in the most strategic ways possible. Use your time efficiently. What you do off the field is what makes you a success on the field.

Finally, the best photo of the night was in the rainy fourth quarter after everyone else was leaving. My son and I went to the front rows for a closer view. I snapped this shot of a Steelers Nation man snapping photos. There seemed to be more Steelers jerseys in the stadium than Bucs and Pats jerseys. Nevertheless, thanks to the Pats for some good reminders.

As a side note, my son Ben and I were in Green Bay last year during the middle of the season for some ministry at Northland International University. We toured Lambeau Field and the Packers won the Super Bowl. This year we visit the Patriots sideline and they go to the Super Bowl, too. With our good streak, we are now accepting offers from any interested NFL team owners to come bless their team for the coming year.

The Frontline Experience: Cross-training for Cross-bearers

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:15:00 +0000

We preach missions well. We can rally the choir into a "Hallelujah Fit" about not being ashamed of the Gospel and being crucified with Christ. We listen to that favorite MP3 song over and over—you know, that one that talks about going to "every tribe." But when it comes to actually going, we falter, especially when it's the darker, harder places. One reason we falter is because we don't know how to prepare.

Case Study: Someone in your church hears stirring messages about reaching the unreached. He hears that the harvest is plentiful. He recognizes that the lion's share of the world's untargeted and unreached peoples dwell in the world's most difficult places. In war zones, for example. He counts the cost and offers his life. He comes to you and asks you to help him discern the steps necessary to get to one of those ~~God-forsaken~~ Church-forsaken places. What do you do? Do you recommend he choose a safer field? Do you send him unprepared?

Please don't recommend that the guy choose a safer field. Of course, there may be reasons for that particular person to be steered away from a difficult field, like, say, if he whines about cleaning the church bathrooms—but if the guy's hearty and faithful and is being led to bear the cross, don't divert him. There are already too few who act on God's burden to go to the difficult places. Don't impose your fear on him and call it wise counsel or good shepherding.

Please don't send him unprepared. He may be willing to die, and he may be among those chosen by God for a martyr's crown, but let's not see him die because of some stupid thing he could've avoided with a bit of knowledge about how the world works. (Perhaps we could invoke something Piperesque like, "Don't waste your martyrdom.")

Some local churches have excellent, in-house basic training for missionary candidates. Most churches outsource this to Bible colleges, seminaries, and universities. Often those institutions do an excellent job too, and such a program may (or may not) be advisable (see my post). But don't assume that time spent in a standard missions program will train the person for the specific rigors of going to the world's difficult places. It's also unlikely that anyone in a local church would have expertise in mission field persecution or crisis management. Maybe. But probably not. That's why Frontline has engineered an efficient program to supplement what local churches do to prepare people for difficult fields.

I urge potential candidates for difficult missionary service, or even those on "furlough" from difficult service, to consider Frontline Experience as a supplement to their preparation. I'm a 20-year "veteran" missionary and can't wait to glean from the teaching being offered. And I'm humbled to have been invited to share a few thoughts at the event, as well.

See more at the FX website. Or download an FX Schedule here.

Why Is Language Study So Frustrating?

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:59:00 +0000

Here are a few reasons from a Princeton University Professor:

Great Missionary Presentations—An Example

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:38:00 +0000

I posted about making good missionary presentations here and here. But that was theory. Let me show you a GREAT example of what I mean—the video of Matt & Becky Hancock. I do this for two reasons. Primarily, to urge anyone reading to join this dear couple in mission. Contact them. Partner with them now. Invest in Cambodia for Christmas. Think of it as a spiritual version of getting in on the Initial Public Offering of Apple or Google stock. Let's get these folks to the field. Yesterday!

Next, I'd like to explain why this video is so effective. First, watch it.

Here's why it's so good.

God is magnified.
Their mission is clearly expressed.
Their target field is described well.
It's personal—yeah, it's got facts about Cambodia, but the facts are connected to the mission. Everybody has Wikipedia, so don't give people a litany of dry facts. We want to feel a purpose, a pulse.
Speaking of pulse, we get to see Matt & Becky's heart here—humble and committed to their aim. Maybe that's why I love the video so much—because I love them so much. Missionaries, in the end, people are supporting YOU, so you've got to communicate your heart to people. Facts bore. Fire inspires. And it's not about upbeat music and rousing pep talks. Matt and Becky speak calmly but passionately. The smiles on their faces in the photos with Cambodians tell us that this is where their heart is. The resolve in their eyes shows that they're long-haul type of people, not some naive newlyweds setting out on an adventure to "do the missions thing." They've counted the cost.
It's short. The kind of short that makes me wish it was longer. But in all frankness—it probably is the perfect length, because of today's microwave media culture. I'd rather people be left with the feeling of "It's over ALREADY???" than "WHEN will this be over?

Kudos to the video team and many blessings to the Hancocks.

The Best Way To Learn a Language

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:03:00 +0000

The best way I know to learn a language is to read the foreign Bible out loud, over and over again. By reading it OUT LOUD, several things happen:

Your eyes see it.
Your mind reads it.
Your mouth forms it (sometimes new languages reveal mouth muscles you never knew you had).
Your voice sounds it.
Your ears hear it.
Your heart gets involved (inasmuch as the Word of God is alive even in the second language).
You get familiar with the words you will (hopefully) be using most often.

Another great aid is to read it along with a narrator, which really helps you to get a feel for the cadence and pronunciation. Free audio download Bibles are becoming more and more common, for example at FaithComesByHearing and its App site Bible.is. FCBH has over 601 languages now and is a fun resource for families who pray for or "adopt" missionaries, and an extremely helpful resource for those working with illiterate peoples.

So read.

Out loud.

Over and over and over again.

You'll be surprised how quickly you start picking up the language.

The Inefficiencies of Independent Baptist Missions

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:59:00 +0000

Pastor Jeremy Wallace has a though-provoking, plain-spoken blog post about why independent Baptist missions is failing. I think the world "failing" is a misleading characterization, but Wallace is excellent in pointing out the inefficiencies in our system which must be addressed. He even gives several ideas for change. It's an important read for American churches.

Here's an excerpt:

The process of deputation is simply too long and too costly. I have heard some say that deputation doesn’t need to be changed because it was the time when God taught them so much and grew their faith. I don’t doubt that at all. But let’s not put God in a box and say that He can’t teach people and grow their faith in a more effective and beneficial deputation process. It’s like a member in a church standing up and giving a testimony as to how God has taught them about finances and grown their faith through their bankruptcy, and then the church designing a program to usher people through bankruptcy. After all, God uses that to strengthen people’s faith and teach them about finances. Just because God uses something that does not mean that it is the most beneficial, logical, and prudent process to reach the goal.

HT: my friend Dan Burrell.

The Internet Will Be Fine Without You

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:02:00 +0000

People don't make a list of websites they want to see before they die.
They don't fill photo albums with pictures from an online search.
"Like being there" is not like being there.
It's OK. The Internet will be just fine without you.
That's why we built the Dodge Journey.
It has everything you need to get out there.
Somewhere. Anywhere.
Think of it as a search engine for the world wide world.

I'm not here to promote the Dodge Journey (although it'd be pretty sweet where I live). But the advertisement got me thinking how internet addicted we have become, at the expense of the outernet.

Get out more. Journey to a harvest field. Somewhere. Anywhere. The Internet will be just fine without you.

Think of it as a Call to the world wide world.

Gift Ideas for a Missions Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 07:37:00 +0000

I don't know any better season for missions than Christmas. It marks the arrival of the best Missionary to walk the earth. The Father sent the Son. The Son came to seek and save the lost. I urge you to have a merry, missions Christmas. Make missions big in your celebrations this year. Give big to your church's missions projects. Remember that people need Bibles more than any of us need a new iSomething.

Don't get me wrong, I'm buying gifts for my family this year (and hope to get a few). But please consider some missions gifts. Let me commend two that will be much better than a new necktie or iPad:

1) Gospel Meditations for Missions. This is a 31-day devotional book that will ship in early December. You can order this for just $2.50 (or less for bulk orders). This would make a great gift for the men in your church. Dr. David J. Hesslegrave, missiologist and author of great missions texts like Planting Churches Cross-Culturally, offers this review:

Have you noticed? Currently we Christians are blessed with a variety of books highlighting the Christian mission …. Some authors misconstrue what the mission really is. Not Anderson, Crowley, Hosaflook, Keesee, and Tyrpak, however. They define, defend and describe biblical mission in ways as arresting and unique as their names. And in so doing they deepen both our understanding of what God is doing in the world and our desire to join Him in the doing of it! This book is something. Buy it. Read it. Pray it. And commend it to a friend.

2) Dispatches from the Front DVDs. Thrilling stories of God's work around the world! You can get all four for 40 bucks. Episode 2 even has some great references to Christmas!

How To Encourage or Discourage a Missionary

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:03:00 +0000

Chris Anderson over at My Two Cents has a nice Q&A with missionaries about the things churches and pastors have done that were especially encouraging or discouraging. As a pastor, he wants to know what a church should start doing and avoid doing, in order to energize (and not deflate) his missionaries.

Some helpful answers from missionaries are available in the comments section.

Preaching With An Interpreter

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:14:00 +0000

Once upon a time, a fiery American preacher went to Mexico to visit his missionary. The preacher began to preach, with his missionary interpreting, and began telling a joke the missionary knew—and knew would flop. The missionary tried to warn the preacher, but he said "Just trust me." As the preacher set up the joke, the missionary began telling the people, "This is an American joke / You will not get the punchline / But let's not make the preacher feel bad / So when I say 'laugh,' laugh as hard as you can!" The Mexicans' chuckles crescendoed as they realized what was going on, and when the preacher let loose on the punchline, the missionary said, "Now laugh!" And the Mexicans did—especially as they saw the satisfied face of the preacher—that glib look of having brought the house down.

Then, the preacher leaned over to the missionary and said, "See, I told you they'd get it!" Then the missionary laughed (and is still laughing).

It is not so easy to speak with an interpreter, but here are some practical tips:

Know your audience. Meet them. Hang out with them. Befriend them. My new friend Chris Gardner did this when he came to Albania. He arrived a few days early just to spend time with the believers he would be preaching to. Helped him connect. Don't be a submarine and emerge only for your pulpit time. The people haven't come to hear SermonAudio. They can do that at home. They want to get to know you.
Send the interpreter your material in advance on paper or email. The more you can write out in manuscript form, the better. Why? Because there's almost no way for you to know what portions of your message(s) will be problematic or unclear to the interpreter. He will be saved embarrassing moments and therefore be much better if he is confident and can use his mental energies towards expression and emphasis rather than linguistics. Inevitably, the greatest interpreters mis-hear something in the heat of the moment. This week, Chris was talking about someone becoming deaf and the interpreter heard "death" (made the story a tad more tragic!). Other times, he missed something and other English speakers spoke out to correct him. Help your interpreter out.
Go over your big moments face-to-face with your interpreter. I would especially want to talk through the introduction and conclusion, and make sure the main points all jive.
Remember that alliteration probably won't be alliterated in the target language anyway, so please replace your alliterations with simply the best words available.
Avoid American idioms.
If you have an hour long sermon, cut it to 30 minutes, because translation doubles your time.
Make it simple. This doesn't mean dumb it down, just make it concise (you have to cut it down anyway, right?).
Be aware of your expressions like, "Lead, guide and direct us." In some places, that might translate as "Lead, lead and lead us," because there just aren't so many synonyms.
Idioms, expressions, and jokes can be OK, so long as you screen them in advance. Many times, a local joke or expression will both better illustrate your point and relate to the hearers. Give the interpreter a little leeway.
Practice your cadence a bit before you go out there. I've seen some guys say entire paragraphs before taking a breath and letting their poor interpreter cut in. I think most speakers, however, over-compensate and say too little in order. Many times, an interpreter needs the second part of a phrase before he can properly formulate the first part (i.e., there is a grammatical need to hear the whole thing first).
Don't cut off your interpreter's words. In the first place, you never know when he's "almost done" because you don't understand what he's saying. In the second place, if you top his endings with your new beginnings, you will drown out his endings. Let the guy finish!
Learn (well) and say (well) some local words in your introduction. Make sure you nail it.
Have fun.

Free Language Lessons

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:54:00 +0000

There are probably many free programs out there, but here's one that my friend Norm Brewer recommended to me. I thought the Albanian version was good for beginners. If nothing else it is a fun family activity around the dinner table ... listen to the words and try to repeat them.

http://www.goethe-verlag.com/book2/EN/index.htm

What Do You See At Chick-fil-A?

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Recently while driving down a busy highway engrossed in a deep discussion with my daughter, we were both overcome with the thought: everyone in the passing cars has a complicated story too, and every one of them needs Christ and His Word.

This training video for Chick-fil-A employees is a graphic reminder of the above concept. A reminder to see people everywhere with eyes of compassion and prayer

HT: Andy Naselli

Justification for Not Pursuing the American (or German) Dream

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:53:00 +0000

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth ... moth ... rust ..."
And now, here's another good reason:

I'm lovin' that bird.

Language Study for Missionaries: Keep Going

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:56:00 +0000

Missionaries, don't give up on your language study, and do not quit learning even if you feel yourself able to "function." Language learning is a marathon. Many have completed "language school" or survived a few books, and think they can move on with life and improve their language by osmosis. Doesn't happen. It takes effort. Continued effort.

Unless, of course, to sound you want like does this sentence. How people will the Gospel understand if sentences of you come across this like in their nativity tonguages?

Dr. Peter Pikkert has some fantastic tips on his site. Here is a large sample.

Decide that language and culture learning will be on your mind all the time
You must have the mindset that you are never done with language acquisition/culture learning.
Take further language courses if you have not mastered advanced grammatical structures. It is better to take the time to finish learning foundational grammar at this stage than to leave it until later on, when it will be much harder to get back into formal language study.
Continue sessions with language helpers, or recruit 1 or 2 native speakers (close friends) who will take some responsibility to think of categories of things that you need to delve deeper into.
Carry a notebook all the time.
Start talking! Develop your conversation practice.
Look for clubs, interest groups, associations, choirs, etc. that you could join.
Our reason for being here is all about getting to know people and spending time with them. It is therefore obvious that regular conversation with both believing and unbelieving nationals be an important part of both ministry and ongoing language development.
Being a good conversationalist is a skill. When meeting new people, the usual topics about country of origin, jobs, family, and impressions of the host country are likely to come up. However, as relationships develop, expect conversations to broaden. This means that your language level should get stretched and opportunities for sharing aspects of the Gospel in the context of the subject under discussion will increase.
Unite language and culture learning more and more. At the beginning, language (articulation, expression, communication, comprehension, correctness) and culture (customs, values, social conduct) are separate foci. Stop seeing them as two separate things. What you investigate in language has cultural overtones—and you can't investigate cultural issues without language. To do this you must be aware of what is going on in the host country and the rest of the world. Watch a local soap opera, as well as the news on a regular basis. Read a newspaper. Some subjects are risky but more likely to lead to deeper discussions, e.g. current political events, involvement in wars, etc. One of the incentives for improving language is to develop the skill of contributing to such conversations in an appropriate way as well as being able to gently steer people to another topic when necessary!
Presumably you will have already learned some proverbs. Continue to learn more from national friends as well as from books. Get to know how and when they are used. Start a collection of idioms and sayings. Jokes and riddles lighten conversations when things get too heavy or stagnate.
Broaden your reading. Reading in the target language is one of the best ways to reinforce grammar already learnt and increase vocabulary. As well as reading a favourite section of the newspaper, become familiar with well-known national literature heroes. Read, read, read. Underline or star things you don't comprehend. Use a local language dictionary as well as non-English speaking nationals to explain things to you.
Try to have minimal involvement with other expatriates, particularly during your first year overseas.
Be careful about making yourself self-sufficient. Becoming a part of the culture includes learning how to give and receive. Learn to ask for favors and how to receive from others. Learn how reciprocity functions. If you are perceived as self-sufficient you deprive people of an opportunity to fulfill one of the basic ingredients to friendship-making: the meeting of needs.
Find out from those considered good language learners what they have found helpful.
Investigate the possibility of living with a national family.
Continue exploring. When did you last ride a random city bus to the end of the line?
Plan a cultural event monthly—museum, festival, sports event, art exhibit, concert. Investigate joining a community club. Get involved in a sport or craft and learn the specialized terms.
Beware of regular trips back home. Don’t welcome too many visitors from home either—both are distractions.
Buy and look at a newspaper daily, concentrating on 1 or 2 topics—e.g., sports, accidents, comics. Make reading the paper a project with your language helper.
Record a news broadcast and go over it with your helper.
Record people telling their favorite stories or childhood experiences.
Learn some Christian songs and choruses.
Memorize a Bible verse a week. Start with shorter verses and work up to John 3:16. Learn simple statements to explain these verses.
Memorize a proper prayer before meals, a simple prayer for a church service and a prayer for God's blessing on a friend.
Work out a monologue on how trusting God resulted in specific things taking place (e.g., specific answers to prayer).
Work out your testimony with your helper (short version to be expanded later). Have him/her record it, then memorize it.

The ideas are really endless, but Dr. Pikkert's are a great combo.

Don't Relieve Poverty By Stirring Discontent

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:01:00 +0000

I admit that I'm a skimmer. I rarely read anything word for word (I even skim films). Unless, that is, something is so good that I find myself hanging on every word. This article about our skewed perceptions of poverty and contentment is one of those gems. Thanks to Jonathan Biddle for the tip posted on my friend Mark Vowels' Facebook missions group. Here's a good sample:

Giving handouts creates more problems than it solves. It is like casting out demons with long leases. Break the lease or they will come back and bring more roommates (Lk 11:24–26). Where the Church is being established among people that perceive themselves as powerless, there is a great need for deep discipleship, wrestling with the roots of poverty at the community level rather than concentrating on the individual.

Financial help that does not develop sustainable, local, financial self-sufficiency is much more likely to create poverty than it is to meet real needs. Until we realize that we can’t overcome poverty with handouts, we will never be much help in completing Christ’s Great Commission.

As followers of Christ we must fight poverty through discipleship rather than covering it with spiritual frosting. Either we do God’s will God’s way or we aren’t doing His will at all. Discipleship means teaching others what we have learned so they can teach others to care for their community’s physical, economic, emotional and spiritual needs on a sustainable basis! (2 Tim 2:2, Mt 28:19–20)

Professor Vowels added this helpful note: "One book that I found to be very enlightening regarding dealing with poverty is When Helping Hurts by Fikkert and Corbett."

Here is a video of Steve Saint, son of Through Gates of Splendor missionary Nate Saint and author of the article I recommended above. He has helpful thoughts about planting indigenous works, whether church planting or doing humanitarian work.

Apple's Unwitting Contribution to World Missions

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 07:30:00 +0000

Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO of Apple due to health reasons (cancer). He has an interesting story, being fired from the company he started, then starting NeXT, which was subsequently bought by Apple. He also acquired Pixar, which was bought by Disney. Jobs is responsible for the personal computer as we know it, beautiful fonts, the ipod, the iphone, the ipad, and tons of other techie stuff I don't understand.

He is apparently not a Christian believer; in a speech at Stanford several years ago entitled "How To Live Before You Die," he said "You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever." However, his technology is being used for the advance of the Gospel.

Those who like missions and/or technology and who understand (or who can tolerate) terminology like MP4/H.264, microSD, EPUB, and HTML5 might be interested in reading this article to know how Jobs changed the face of Bible smuggling and the distribution of Bible teaching.

P.S. Please pray for Mr. Jobs to be healed of his illness and to put his trust in the One who destroyed death … that he might truly say "iRepent and iBelieve!"

How To Know If God Wants You To Go

noreply@blogger.com (David Hosaflook, the Balkans) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:00:00 +0000

In 1915, twenty-eight men were alone, trapped in the ice-covered waters of Antarctica's treacherous seas. "Frozen," as one man put it, "like an almond in the middle of a chocolate bar." These were the men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition in the coldest climate on earth. They suffered frostbite, gangrene, hysteria, starvation, all for the glory of being the first ones to cross the Antarctic continent from sea to sea, the greatest polar journey ever attempted to date. The leader of the expedition, Sir Ernest Shackleton, had put an ad in the newspaper that read:

"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success. Ernest Shackleton."

And 5000 people applied.

Why?

They wanted some great purpose and passion in their boring lives. Samuel Zwemer said that “so many young people’s minds and hearts are occupied by weak things, by inconsequential things. Their eyes have never been illumined by a great vision, their mind has never been gripped by unselfish thoughts, their hearts have never been thrilled with the passion for the lost, their hands have never grown weary and strong in the lifting of a great burden.”

If you want to be gripped by a cause greater than yourself and the toys you can gather in suburban America, I present you with the cause of the Christless millions and the call to leave houses and lands and family and friends and the Olive Garden restaurant, and find some pocket of people who haven’t heard the Gospel, like gypsie nomads, urban businessmen, or isolated mountaineers.

But how do you know if God wants YOU to go? I recognize that there some is some debate and discussion about this: some say “make sure you are called before you storm the beaches of a demon-possessed land.” Others say “Why do we need a call when we have a clear command?” I agree with both, but offer a little filter for those considering this high calling.

1. You must be surrendered to go. This answers the question, "Would I go?" All believers ought to say "yes" but deep down, most people are saying "no." Some believers say "yes" but do not live with any level of faithfulness and surrender to God where they live now, so the net answer is still "no." I don't see much difference between being surrendered to GOD and being surrendered to GO (just one letter in fact). Anyone surrendered to God would say, "Here am I, send me" (Isaiah 6:8).

2. You must have a desire to go. This answers the question, "Do I want to go?" Paul said, “Necessity is laid on me, yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel.” One of the evidences of a call of God on a man to preach is what 1 Timothy 3:1 calls a desire for the work. The Bible teaches that as we delight in the Lord He fills our heart with His desires, as a branch fills up with the life of the vine. If your thoughts fly to the foreign fields and if your heart goes after the poor and needy, this is not devil-work; it is Divine desire. Why not verify this desire by spending a few years serving in some needy outpost. It really isn't all that difficult to find a short-term opportunity, you know.

3. You must have the qualifications to go. This answers the question, "Should I go?" You see, you may want to fly fighter jets, but if you do not have perfect eyes, you won’t fly F-16s. You need qualifications. Young Timothy joined Paul in the mission because he showed the signs of being qualified. There is nothing about foreign geography which makes a missionary spiritual. If you don’t walk with God now, you won’t on the field. Timbuktu will not make you holy, and unfortunately, many who want to go are simply not going to pass the tests of faithfuless that God requires of his stewards. By the way, how would you know if you are spiritually qualified? Ask your local church--the institution/organism God ordained to ordain missionaries! Ask your pastors and other church leaders where you need to improve your character and gain skills. Ask them to be honest! And if you are lacking in your qualifications, start now. Grow your soul.

4. You must have the opportunity to go. This answers the question, "Could I go?" Avoid things which will stifle your opportunities: financial debt, a wife or husband not interested, etc., and then look for the opportunities to get to a foreign field! If the Red Sea of opportunity parts for you, don't stand around thinking "Uuuh, is this God? Should I cross?" Of course you should get counsel before seizing an opportunity, but remember that over-analysis can cause paralysis. As Matt Recker preaches, "Sometimes you have to get going in the wrong direction in order to arrive in the right direction" (Acts 16:6-10). And as my pastor (Dr. Bud Calvert) preached, "If you go to the field and plant a bunch of churches, go to Heaven and discover it wasn't God's will, He'll probably forgive you." I'm not advocating a spin-the-globe kind of decision-making here, but my hunch is that we're off balance to the side of strategizing and planning missions, not on the side of boldly doing missions. When you're surrendered and have the desire and qualifications, God sends an open door.

Would you go? Do you want to go? Should you go? Could you go?

Improve Your Presentations

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Someone has said that resources flow towards vision. I would add that resources flow when there is a coherent and passionate presentation of vision. I have blogged before about missionary presentations, here and here, for example, but again the folks at Duarte hit on some really good thoughts that can help you organize and present your vision as a missionary. Please note that this is slanted towards the business world and sales—so cut me some slack when some ideas here come across as worldly—but there's no excuse for a sloppy presentation when presenting the greatest cause in the world, world evangelism! You don't need to have slick graphics or spend lots of money to implement some good design and communication principles found here. Worth a look if you are making presentations.

Health Insurance for Missionaries

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:11:00 +0000

Missionaries who serve with mission boards or as members of large organizations often have no choices in health insurance—they are part of the organization's group plan, usually a good enough plan with good rates. The bigger the organization, the better the plan. That's simple enough and eliminates significant efforts to find the right insurance policy.

But what do the independent missionaries do? The ones being sent out directly from their home churches without a middle manager? Or what about newer, smaller organizations with small teams in diverse fields? What options are available for those groups who don't have enough numerical strength to sweet talk the actuaries into issuing a good policy?

Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions. Health insurance is what it is—expensive. And you get what you pay for — unless you get swindled.

I aim for two things in this post: 1) to report what I've learned through my family's process of shopping, and 2) to refer you to my agent, ASA.

The latter first: ASA has been our agent since 1997. The Cornejo family runs this out of Phoenix. They have been impeccably honest, capable, hard-working on our behalf, even going to battle for us when the insurance company made a four-figure mistake. They are experts on international insurance. I strongly urge any missionary to use an agent like ASA instead of dealing directly with an insurance company—it does not cost you anything extra to use them. And I can give the Cornejos an A+++ recommendation based on a 15-year relationship. If you tell them that David Hosaflook referred you, I will get a referral bonus (at no extra cost to you). Pretty please?

Now about our discoveries. Like everywhere, we have been astonished by the rising costs of health insurance. In our search to get a lower rate, we were thrilled to learn about some similar policies for half the cost of our current plan! We were all over it and ready to go through a new underwriting process. But then we discovered a crucial difference! The cheaper plans will drop you if you return to the USA and stay a day over six months (or three or nine months, depending on the plan). So, let's say someone in our family gets cancer and we choose to return to the USA for long-term treatment. After six months, we're dropped like a hot potato. So we must get a new insurance policy, right? Well, there are two major problems with that notion:

One, most insurance companies would never take on this "pre-existing condition." (Get this … the cheaper company we were dealing with wanted us to sign a waiver that it was forever exempt from covering anything remotely connected to allergies in one my kids, simply because we were honest enough to report that he had had some allergies in infancy —!— that he has long since recovered from. So do you think they would cover a pre-existing cancer? Not a chance.)

Next, I've heard from two reputable insurance agents that US insurance companies will deny covering you for up to 18 months after you've been serving abroad, to make sure all the foreign diseases are out of your system before taking you on to their risk load. So even if you come home for a non-medical reason, you could be without insurance for 12 months.

We have always viewed medical insurance as a way to take care of long-term, expensive, and significant medical problems without presuming upon supporters to cover gargantuan costs in an emergency. Many of these kinds of problems might bring us back to the USA for treatment, not just because our healthcare is excellent, but also because we might need to be nearby our support structures.

Therefore, the cheaper policy we looked into was not really insurance at all, at least as we define it. Your policy is not truly international unless it covers you in America. And that is why our current plan is twice the cost. It covers us anywhere, guaranteed, for life (cheaper plans kick you out at age 75). I encourage any short-term or long-term overseas worker to contact our reputable agent to find the best policy to meet your needs:

ASA, Inc.
http://www.asaincor.com
1-888-272-8288
Please tell them David Hosaflook referred you!

Disclaimer: I offer this advice as a long-time, satisfied consumer, not a professional. Feel free to add other suggestions in the comments below.

Growth By Theft — When Missions Hinders Missions

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:59:00 +0000

There is a grave danger threatening world missions and the health of the church worldwide. It is the danger of American church planting groups infiltrating foreign fields.

Though it's as old as the apostles, "church planting" is a popular buzz in American Christianity, like an old fad rediscovered. My pastor Dr. Bud Calvert, who has been harping on church planting for decades, told me recently how he is aware of this heightened buzz, but disappointed in its non-global focus.

Ed Stetzer recently wrote about the emergence of church planting networks and also noted the exclusively local focus, saying:

Since some of those networks … are non-denominational, they often do not have a global "arm" with which to cooperate for international missions. So, it is often easier to just say, "well, we are just planting here." But, I say you are missing out on God's global mission. So, I am encouraged when I see some groups take initial steps toward global mission engagement.

So far, so good. I like hearing more about church planting in the USA. And I like hearing more about church planting globally. But what are those "initial steps towards global mission engagement"?

I know nothing of the groups Mr. Stetzer is associated with, so this is not a critique of his connections. But for two decades, I've observed how western para-church organizations and church planters function in foreign fields. I've also had the chance to observe church planting operations in the United States.

Some church planting is thrilling—with growth by new conversions. This usually happens intentionally, when we aim for the lost and non-churched (we usually get what we aim for).

Most church planting, however, is disappointing, with a seemingly intentional strategy of aiming for membership transplants by emphasizing internal programs over outreach, aquarium decor over fishing for men. One pastor said, "If I had the best children's program and the best music program, I'd have the highest attendance of any church in the area." Some churches even have a marketing tagline that labels themselves "The Cure for the Common Church" (the implication being that "our cool, new church is better than your dumb, old church").

Please don't export that tripe to the foreign field. If you're going to do church planting globally, then go plant churches globally. Find an unseeded field. Seek the lost. Plant the seed. And grow your own work.

Ah, but that takes work. And time. And suffering. And learning languages. And navigating cultures. And risking failure. Winning new people to Christ and discipling them is harder than winning an already saved and committed Christian to your programs.

Do it anyway. Stop building upon another man's foundation (Romans 15:20).

One of our converts recently told me that in my field of service, a BIG name in American church planting has come in, not to learn the language and culture and win new converts, but to gather a group of believers to plant churches. They are each to seek out 5-10 families with which to plant new churches. My guy, ever discerning, said, "And where, pray tell, will you find those ten families? FROM OTHER CHURCHES!"

This is happening all the time on the foreign fields. I call it growth by theft.

Instead, please follow the Biblical model for global Gospel engagement—don't look to the old American model, or to any of the many new American models, or even to models that are sweeping the East. Look to the Scriptures. You will discover that it will be hard to give a better definition of Scriptural missions than Peters gave in A Biblical Theology of Missions. It is the most succinct and cogent formulation I have found:

Missions is 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.

So find a "Gospel-destitute area" and go do that. That's a great "initial step towards global mission engagement." The call to missions is not to win converts from other Christian groups to your dazzling vision or to your niche of theologia. It is not a call to revitalize other people's ministries with your fresh methodology. It is not about expanding your network or movement. It is to win converts from other faiths and non-faiths to Jesus Christ. Then train them up until your heart's content.

So many mission organizations and big shot pastors swoop down into a foreign culture like Big Business seeking mergers and acquisitions. Who can we tap into to promote our movement and publish our materials? Under the feigned humility of "working with the national leaders because they know the culture better" they use (and often pay) national leaders to expand their networks and push the missiological method de jour. Then they return home with a nice batch of photos and boast of how many countries their network has reached and how many languages their materials are published into. A new flag goes up on the wall. A new nicknack displays on the bookshelf. More frequent flyer miles accrue. More missions money is spent.

And more indigenous movements are stifled.

They didn't mean to do it. They thought they were helping. Their intentions were as pure as they could be, perhaps. They didn't mean to destroy a movement with their money. But they imposed their vision and took a short-cut to global missions engagement. They were sold on their program and so they sold the people on it, too. Over the short-term, it looked awesome. But over the long-haul, it merely gave some existing churches a facelift.

That's not missions.

I am not against all partnerships and training. But please don't go in to see how many churches you can integrate into your network. Go build your own network with people you win to Christ yourself (and by extension, with those that they win).

We are not called to seek ecclesiastical mergers, but rather to seek the lost in places where the Gospel has not yet been proclaimed (Romans 15:20).

A Stirring Word on Indifference

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Legal notice: By viewing the following video clip, you hereby release MissioMishmash from any liability for intense discomfort.

(I was made aware of this video by my friend Roland who works with Water of Life.)

Beautiful Conversion Story

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0000

This reminds me that no one is too old, famous, or sinful to share the Gospel. I need to open my eyes and my mouth.

Public Evangelistic Meetings in Hostile Places

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Recently while discussing methods with one of my respected mentors who travels the world teaching church planting, he mentioned, "I do not know of any [religiously hostile] environment in which churches have multiplied as a result of large public meetings."

He was quick to note he wasn't claiming omniscience on the matter, but merely that, in his very wide travels, reading, and discussions, he couldn't remember that happening. Instead, churches in those environments multiply as evangelists discover "persons of peace" and intentionally train them to share their faith, lead small churches and multiply.

I concur that, in my years of ministry, exponential growth happened more at the grass roots level than at a huge meeting level. Huge meetings can provide big numbers of decisions, but I do tend to wonder how effective they are in fomenting church multiplication.

I am curious to know if any reader knows personally of church planting movements in hostile environments that have been advanced significantly by open evangelistic meetings.

Comments or email appreciated.

She Will Come | For the Single Missionary

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:00:00 +0000

A desire to be married does not mean it is God's will for one to be married. He provides all we need for His purposes. I was a single missionary for five years before God provided my wife. They were lonely years in which God desired to teach me that is all I really needed was Him alone. I wrote this while waiting. The final verse is shortened to show the soul at rest, still desiring, but needing fewer words.

As leaves did turn on oak and vine
And weather warned of aging Time,
I prayed that she would come.

When other doors the Lord did close,
With sometimes woeful heart, I chose
To hope that she would come

When swelling hopes had reached their ends;
When Tear and Lonely were my friends,
I begged that she would come.

When walking back to empty home
While knowing I was all alone,
I said that she would come.

As God Almighty slowed His man,
Revealing, some, His sacred plan,
I doubted she would come.

In time, alone, in solitude,
I learned my mind had misconstrued
This need that she must come.

A wily plot, indeed, a lie
To think true joy would multiply
Somehow if she should come.

For all my joy is fully met
In knowing One who now has let
Me see that He has come.

The leaves are turning once again.
He knows if she will come.

As You Leave The Field For Furlough ...

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Here's a letter I found from one missionary to his partner who was going off the field to his furlough assignment. It reveals the passion for missionary service and some nitty-grittys about the little sacrifices in it.

Dear …,

Congratulations. You made it another term without a heart attack or without making shipwreck of your faith. You made it without major family disasters and your children are ruly (I guess that is the opposite of “unruly”). In short, you didn’t mess up, which is a major accomplishment.

On top of that, you have contributed more than you are aware to the life of a needy church. You have exhorted and discipled, witnessed and counseled. You are making your life count for Christ in a way the people you will soon rub shoulders with cannot even comprehend. You are a servant, a valuable partner in the team God has chosen for this time in this church. I consider you one of my dearest personal friends. I am sharing this small gust of encouragement in order to compensate for what may be a constant feeling of guilt that you are not what you could be or should be as a missionary (we all sense that at times). I continually struggle with hauntingly introspective thoughts that I should be doing this job better, more efficiently, etc., and always feel a weight of (self-imposed) pressure that never goes away. You are the same—I can sense it. Perhaps this is because we are males teeming with testosterone (that’s what Dobson seems to think), or because we are mentally warped, or because we simply have grand desires to do greater things for the Lord. But when grand desires meet the daily grind, we find ourselves in a swirl of tension as if we are listening to a symphony of fingernails scraping the chalkboard, 24 hours a day.

That’s why I’m encouraging you. If I need it, I know you do too.

At this moment, with the G-forces pulling lightly on your back, the guys in the cockpit tipping you up and softly away from life in the crockpot, you are feeling that welcomed lifting of the burden we bear daily for the Lord. Up, up and away from loud conversations, circular reasoning, open corruption, and dizzying logic … I long for that moment. Yet I long for another moment too—the moment when tears streamed down my face for the plight of those I was leaving behind. I long for the time when I loved calling them “my people.” I am forgetting that some and it saddens me. Do you relate?

My “prophetic word” to you is to enjoy yourself. Enjoy the minivan and real pepperoni pizza, electricity and knowing 911 is ever ready should you need them. Break the record for uninterrupted time on cruise control. Charge your credit cards and forget the grungy feel of soiled currency and the wad of them you have to carry in your pockets. Enjoy waiting in orderly lines and hearing the words “how may I help you?”. Breathe deeply and note how good it smells. Go skiing, and when you get close to the top of the lift, look back. Pray and thank God for letting you be born in America to learn the way things "ought to be," then ask Him to make you discontent with the American dream and content with the way of suffering. Communicate that passion to churches. Be yourself as you preach and let them see your heart. Raise the dead and awaken the sleeping.

We will miss you, friend.