On Tentmaking

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:

1. Tentmaking is when a missionary church planter works to support himself and thereby eliminate or reduce his need for external financial support.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Recommended Resources and Reading About Islam

B.P., a young single interested in missions, just asked me: "At your convenience, would you mind providing some guidance?  What would you advise that I start reading, studying, exploring?  Recommended books on reaching Muslims for Christ?"

I want to give him some suggestions, and if any readers have some other suggestions for him, please note it in the comments below.

1. Read the Qur'an. Don't mark up your copy (offensive to a Muslim in case he ever sees it), but make notes with your questions. Get a "Study Koran" (yes, they have them, I have A. Yusuf Ali's). Remember that Muslims have about as many different denominations and interpretations as Christians do, but it will be interesting to discover, for example, that the Qur'an itself doesn't SAY Judas was crucified instead of Christ, but the commentators interpret it that way.
2. Read about Islam from Islamic sources. How would we like it if Muslims only learned about Christianity from the Muslim scholars? They often do, and therefore think that Christians believe in three gods, Allah, Jesus, and Mary, for example.  I can recommend Islam World and Islam.com and there are many other sources.
3. The best source of knowing what Muslims believe is simply meeting a Muslim and asking him. So many people waste time learning "what Muslims believe" and discover that the Muslims themselves don't believe that way. Simply ask the Muslim sincere questions ... "a question stirs the conscience, but an accusation hardens the will." The questions themselves may lead the person to realize that his religion is unfulfilling.
   
4. One of the best overviews out there from a Christian perspective is Dr. Timothy George's Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? (Zondervan). I recommend this easy, fair, and scholarly read.
5. Get Badru Kateregga and David Shenk, A Muslim and a Christian in Dialogue, Herald Press.  This book is great because it is a dialogue between friends. David Shenk told me personally about Muslim clerics weeping for him because he was such a good man, but going to Hell because of his heretical views. This book is not "dialogue" as in compromise. It is debate, but not in the Ahmet Deedat form of debate, all centered around sound bites and charisma. 
6. I can't wait to get my hands on Dr. Peter Pikkert's Protestant Missionaries to the Middle East: Ambassadors of Christ or Culture?  Since I have not read it, I cannot be sure, but from what I know of Pikkert and his works and reputation, it is a must-read for anyone considering missionary work to Turkey or the Middle-East.
   
7. I shy away from books and articles with an agenda of proving Islam's link with terrorism. I'm not blind and I don't need books which lessen my compassion for the lost.
8. As far as specific books on reaching Muslims for Christ, I would like to read one from someone who has seen it happen a lot. I understand that the two most effective books are The Bible and the Christian who lives and loves like he is one.
   

Marrieds, Let The Singles Singly Serve!

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 ...

There Is NO TIME

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.

Singles, Get a Divorce!

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.

Does God Exist?

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

Direct link is here.

The Wizard of Oz on Missionary Preparation?

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

1) Jesus.
2) Paul.

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

Guide My Sword

Inigo from The Princess Bride is trying to find the man who can help him get his long-desired revenge against the six-fingered man who murdered his father. He prays to his father, "I cannot find him alone. I need you. I need you to guide my sword. Please, guide my sword."

Missionaries sometimes feel like a lone voice in a vast wilderness, a small drop in a massive ocean, a solitary sword-thrust into the din of a raging battle. There is so little time and so much need! Some will die if we try to rescue another. And shall we go to this village today to the neglect of others? Though one missionary is not the only voice, it can seem as if he is, and the Word confirms that the laborers are indeed few. Amidst a million dying men, to whom shall we administer the Remedy today? And so we ask the Spirit of God to direct our triage. We might cry out, "Heavenly Father, I cannot find that ready soul alone. I need you. I need you to guide my Sword. Please, guide my Sword." And like Inigo, it may often seem that the prayer has not been answered. The Sword has run into a knot. And then a door swings open. God has directed His Sword and His swordsman. Dear Father, guide my Sword.

Smile!

"But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions ... by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God" (2 Cor 6:4-7). Someone has said that a smile is the best gift you can give someone. It disarms, diffuses, befriends and calms. Sincerely offered with direct eye contact, a smile should be one of the first steps in any evangelistic outreach (unless eye contact is immediately offensive in your culture).

My Two Cents

I've known Pastor Chris Anderson since our university days. Loved his fellowship then and love his blog now (My Two Cents). He recently asked a bunch of missionaries for their "two cents" for a sermon he was preaching. I thought the questions were good and I post my answers here.

Non-strategies for reaching Muslims

A friend of mine recently attended a seminar about Islam and reaching Muslims with the Gospel. He wrote about the teacher, Georges Houssney: "His biggest theme throughout the week is boldness. He brought up over and over again most strategies to reach Muslims are born out of failure and not out of success. They fail because of the fear of man. He said the best thing we can do is be like Jesus and PREACH the Gospel."

Well said. There is a place for some strategy. We must not be cultural nincompoops in the name of fearlessness; but sometimes we think we have to come up with innovative strategies when The Strategy is so clearly laid out for us in Scripture ... pray, meet people, tell them about Jesus.

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches From the Front Trailer from Frontline Missions on Vimeo.

The Dispatches from the Front DVD series is a missiological travelogue highlighting the work of Christ’s victorious church in remote locations. The first episode focused on “Islands on the Edge” in Asia.

One of my favorite people in the world is Dr. Tim Keesee. He's like Indiana Jones, but humble and Christian, risking his life to find treasures in the most difficult places of the globe--not golden relics to be put in a museum--but Gospel treasures, being delivered by earthen vessels ... national pastors, missionaries, persecuted believers. He travels the world finding the people with most beautiful feet (Romans 10:15), helping them and equipping them.

Tim has a talented pen ... when you read his journals, you actually smell, hear, taste, and feel. You come away wanting to BE "Indiana Jones" for Jesus (OK, let's better say Paul or Hudson Taylor). The Dispatches DVDs provide his journals in video format. Basically a small film team follows Tim around and matches the images to the journal. A simple concept. A powerful result.

It is no secret that our enemy uses media to spread his poison. But we harness it for the Gospel!  If financing comes in, the second episode will be filmed in Albania this fall and will be released in 2010. This will be a full-feature documentary, not a little promo. We are thrilled that our ministry and others in Albania, Kosovo and Montengro will be presented in such an amazing and powerful way. 

Our eyes are inextricably linked to our hearts. That's why Paul's spirit was stirred in him when he SAW the city wholly given to idolatry (Acts 17:16). That's why Jeremiah said, "mine eye affecteth mine heart" (Lamentations 3:51). These DVDs are opening eyes!

God Made Watermelon

Some of my favorite sounds are crunch of fresh snow under my feet, the words "I love you" from a voice that matters to me, and the French horn wailing at 2:26 in David Foster's "Water Fountain." This summer I am infatuated with the dull crack-thud of Albanian field-ripened watermelons when split down the middle. And today I am in love with the God who made them.

My extended family is going through a major trial, one involving my niece who will be another victim of the American foster system, which seems to be run by people who have never had children, never met children, never been children. But they do have child psychology degrees.

The girl, after years of being hockey-pucked to different homes, finally landed in a loving home with parents who understand and know how to shepherd children. Over a year later, the troubled child is adjusted and attached to the new home. Just now, all of the sudden, the experts say it is time to whack the poor little puck to a new home.

In Christ, there is no such thing as "irreversible damage," but this is getting as close as it comes. Imagine if your three-year old was wrested from your home ... just when she thought it was safe to trust you to protect her ... just when she thought it was safe to let herself love again. In such situations, when we are weakest, when we are in the fog, Appolyon unleashes his worst (he waited until the end of Christ's fast to tempt Him): "How can this plan be right? How can God be good? How can God be God? Look here, He broke His promise."

Simple Church (1 of 2)

The purpose of this article is to clean up what I just spent a few hours scribbling into a yellow legal pad, so I can have it for future reference. Maybe it'll help somebody out there? Soooooo, a friend of mine invited me to have coffee with him and some other missionaries to discuss the concept of "simple church," which he discovered at a conference for missionaries in Europe. The conference speaker had served as a missionary in Central America and then in a restricted access nation in Asia. That setting--the one hostile to open evangelism--forced the missionary to rethink "standard" church planting techniques. Thus emerged the simple church idea in his mind, as it has in the minds of others. I thought it intriguing, so I went. Glad I did, especially since the café--right across from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran--served up the best cappuccino I've ever tasted. I'm going to record some random thoughts about what I was told and have learned, and then give some off-the-cuff reaction:

Simple Church (2 of 2)

The book Simple Church I just referred to was 272 pages long. I have not read it. But if I had written it, I think this would be the entirety:  

About the author: Dave's a pretty simple guy.  

From the publisher: Enjoy the book. Oh, and there's no copyright. We know that's unusual for a powerful publishing company like us, but we're trying to keep this simple.
 
Introduction: A simple church is a group of Christians organized according to the New Testament and obeying the commands of Jesus. This book is about how to start a simple church.
 
Chapter 1: Pray.  

Chapter 2: Meet some people.  

Chapter 3: Tell them about Jesus.  

Chapter 4: Call them to repentance and faith.
 
Chapter 5: Gather with them and other disciples to teach them to observe all the things Christ taught us.  

Chapter 6: Send a bunch of them out to repeat this process.  

Blurbs on the back of the book:

• John Piper ~ "Savored it."
• John MacArthur ~ "Exegetically sound."
• Mark Dever ~ "The Xth Mark."
• Joel Osteen ~ "I dunno, pretty deep."

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing to Waste Surfing the Internet

The following page isn't a bad choice for your "home" page or "start" page on the Internet:

http://www.merlinmann.com/rightnow/ ~ just to keep things in perspective!

How NOT To Drop A Missionary's Support

In my seventeen years as a missionary, we've had some friends and churches make unexpected donations to meet special needs. What a blessing! But few missionaries make budgetary decisions based on those kinds of supporters; instead they need to rely on long-term, monthly or annual support partnerships. Over these many years, some of our regular partners have had to drop or reduce our financial support. Fair enough. We don't have a problem with that, for a few reasons:

"Ten Little Missionaries"

My youth pastor, Sam Aylestock, is one of the many mentors God has put in my life, one of the many who blazed missions into my heart. He wrote a powerful poem I love to quote while encouraging more to offer their lives to missionary service:

Ten little missionaries heard God’s call divine;
Mom steered her child away from it – “Enough,” she said, “is nine.”

Missionary Questionnaires

When missionaries gather for fellowship, you might overhear them talking about the creative questionnaires they've had to fill out from supporting churches (or potential ones). Missionary men rant on together about the most awkward questions they've ever gotten just as normal men rant on about the biggest fish they've ever caught. Missionaries get some whoppers! I don't think the problem is that missionaries resent questions or questionnaires. We actually welcome and want churches to get to know about who we are, what we believe, what we've done, what we want to do, etc. Obviously, it would be the epitome of arrogance to ask people for support and simultaneously resent them for asking questions that are important to them! Missionaries ought to have patience and humility. Nevertheless, here are some reasons why a missionary might sigh when getting a questionnaire in the mail:

Recognizing Potential Church Leaders

A few months ago I attended a pastors' conference at which were invited guest speakers Pastor Scott Ardavanis and Dr. Stuart Olyott (who knew Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones personally). In Q&A, someone asked how to recognize potential leaders. Pastor Ardavanis gave a great formula in the shape of an acrostic, F-A-I-T-H. Potential leaders are:  

F - Faithful (Without which all is vain.)
A - Available (Some are faithful, but they never seem to have time for extra ministry.)  
I - Initiative (Take note when you see someone serving without having been asked.)  
T - Teachable (Does the person have a humble heart? How does he frame questions or pose arguments?) H - Heart for God (This is the indispensible subjective, the passion and fire needed in a prophet of God.)

Pastor Olyott suggested one way of discerning leadership potential is to sit down and read a book together -- a book chosen by you fit for the level you think is good for the potential leader. Read a few paragraphs and discuss. Read and discuss. Read and discuss. Great practical tip!

Pastor Tasered in Arizona

The pastor who was tasered in Arizona appears to be a brawler, having a quarrelsome nature. It's as if the guy was begging to be tasered. My heart sank when the reporter said he was the pastor of an independent Baptist church (what lovely publicity). It's a good thing the guy isn't a missionary; he'd have gotten a lot worse than a tasering if he smart-mouthed officials like he did in some countries I've tread! Whether or not he was wronged or perceived to be so, Christians and especially leaders must respect people in positions of authority. I'm siding with the policemen on this one!

That said, I want to admit there have been a few times I have been so frustrated with local officials here for being unquestionably unrighteous or plain stupid that I have responded to them with sarcasm or disdain. On two occasions, I returned an hour or so later to ask forgiveness, and they were stunned -- so stunned that I had to explain why I returned -- because of Jesus Christ. They softened and listened.

Forgery on the Mission Field

I have one thing to say about this topic, and I'll be very dogmatic about this: forging documents is almost always wrong!

Bribery on the Mission Field

Many cultures are bribe cultures, from the bottom to the top. People in those cultures often dislike the practice, but recognize it as a part of life, plain and simple (whether or not they partake). Should a missionary ever give a bribe? Here are some random thoughts:

Dancing on the Mission Field

After the response I've been getting from my last post about alcohol on the mission field, I've decided to post now about dancing on the mission field. Lorem ipsum dolor vallezimi sit amet, consectetur gjendet adipisicing elit, sed do ne eiusmod librin tempor incididunt ut labore e tatummy shenjte et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim dhe ad minim veniam, quis duket nostrud exercitation se ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ka ex ea commodo raste consequat. Duis ku aute irure dolor in vallezimi reprehenderit in voluptate miratohet velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Ka excepteur nje sint occaecat kohe per cupidatat të lortiset dunt vallezuar non proident, por sunt in culpa me qui officia deserunt mollit anim hije id est laborum. Oops, something must be wrong with my keyboard.

Alcohol on the Mission Field

Many American missionaries carry with them to the mission field a practice and even a biblical position of total abstinence from alcohol. Some, like me, grew up in Christian cultures where drinking wine was considered sin; we never rubbed shoulders with any serious Christians who drank and thus our conclusions have been mostly unchallenged.

Across the ocean, many Europeans have grown up Christian cultures where drinking wine is considered a blessing, and have never rubbed shoulders with any serious Christians like us who abstained as a matter of principle; thus their conclusions have similarly gone unchallenged. One European brother of mine chided the abstinence position as “an American doctrine, not a Bible doctrine.” When I heard that, I got mad, then decided that a more prudent response would be to evaluate my position and his claim.

How To Know If God Wants You To Go

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?

The Tech Equipment Missionaries Need

A friend of mine in college recently asked my opinion for a project he is doing for a missions class. He was given a good sum of "pretend money" and told to spend it on technological equipment he would need for his ministry. Here were some ideas I sent him:

Albanian Folk Tale About Taking Care of Your Parents

Our national pastor who was raised in a mountain village just told this tale to us, as related to him by his grandfather. Once upon a time long, long ago, the Albanians in the mountains villages dealt with their aged fathers by putting their hunching bodies into a large basket and carrying them on their backs to the highest peak in the mountain range to be tied up and abandoned. There the elderly would die, facing wild beasts and starvation. The cruelty of the thing seemed blunted by the fact that this was a custom as ancient as the mountains themselves. Such was the way life, an end to be expected from childhood. One man loaded his dementia-ridden father into his basket and took him to the summit. Drenched with sweat and feeling a lump welling in his throat, the son began to bind his father, who, to his surprise, began to laugh! The son asked, "Why are you laughing? I would think you should be crying." The father replied, "I'm laughing because you are going to join me here in thirty years!" To this reply, the son looked down on the lower peaks, then to Heaven, and back upon his father (who was still laughing). Then the son let out his own belly laugh, put his father back in the basket, and carried him home. And from that day forward, the Albanians have kept their elderly in their own homes, treating them with utmost care and respect to the very end.

Church Health

A church is a body. My doctor tells me that a physical body's health depends on genetics, diet and exercise. A church's health depends on the same three factors:

1. No church has a problem with genetics: we are born again with incorruptible seed.
2. Most churches I know personally don't have a problem with spiritual diet: they get healthy doctrine every week.
3. Our biggest problem seems to be lack of exercise. Paul often compared his evangelistic work to exercise. Imagine if every believer "worked out" three times per week for 30 minutes, praying, meeting people, and telling them about Jesus. I imagine they would get grilled with questions they do not know how to respond to; I imagine that would drive them to study the Scriptures. I imagine they would meet people who are suffering; I imagine that would drive them to be less selfish.

The 3-Minute Challenge!

A missionary friend of mine recently listened to a veteran missionary to restricted-access Muslim countries, places where evangelism is illegal. He suggested to Christians there that, within the first three minutes of conversation with a new contact, they should make their faith known. Why? Because many Muslims have an intense curiosity about the Bible, some have seen dreams relating to Jesus, and all need to know that access to Jesus has drawn nigh. Ahem, ... within the first three minutes? To ... Muslims? In places where evangelism is ... illegal? Does anyone else want to stand up and shout, "What on earth are we Christians doing hiding our Gospel in places where evangelism is ... legal?!" This year I'm going to take the 3-minute challenge! Anyone else?

On Planning a Missions Conference

Dear pastors and other church missions people, If I was in your shoes, preparing a church for a missions conference, I would want to prepare it for the maximum benefit of both my church and my missionaries. I would want my church to be enlightened about and enthused for missions; I would want my missionaries to be encouraged and better equipped for their mission. Here are some practical things, from a missionary perspective, that I would suggest you do or not do:

Slain Pastor

Can you miss someone you've never heard about until he died? Yes, if you think you would have loved to know him and are sad to see his good influence gone. I miss Fred Winters, the slain pastor of First Baptist Church Maryville. I never knew him, but today I spent my time with God with him, looking at the church website and listening to his final Sunday sermon preached on March 1, a message on giving and contentment. Here's why I like -- and will miss -- Fred Winters.

Stuck in Grammar Learning?

If you are stuck in foreign grammar, put it aside for a while and learn more vocabulary words.

Albanian grammar is infuriating, with its clitics, cases, and genders. (I have grown to love the English word “it”—I wish the Albanian grammar engineers had neutered their words too.) When I was learning Albanian, I loved vocabulary words because they didn’t require much comprehension and gave me immediate progress. Albanian grammar, on the other hand, is a horror film. I still have nightmares about Unit 6 of Colloquial Albanian (this book came out before communism ended, and I just know author Isa Zymberi's intent was to make sure foreigners didn't stay in the country longer than six weeks!). But when you beef up on your vocab--those nice, organic, rooty words--you are at least going to stay in the conversations longer, despite the fact that you confused the 54th conjugation with the 38th. So take those flashcards with you!

A Woman's Work

Missionaries, your wife works at least four times harder on the mission field than she would have to back home. Quadruple your love and appreciation for her.

Who Has The Right-of-Way?

While driving in third world countries, the other guy always has the right of way (he also has the pistol).

Driving in developing countries is all about surviving: navigating intersections without traffic lights, knowing how to handle corrupt policemen, being cut off by truckers and tractors, fitting into spaces more narrow than your vehicle, slamming on your brakes for animal herds, and avoiding potholes which are more like chasms. Rolling down the window and folding in the side mirrors is as common as using your blinkers. A visiting American teenager, riding shotgun, exclaimed to me, “Dude! This would make a great video game.” I said, “Yeah, something like Frogger (but he didn’t know what in the world I was talking about). When coming to a mindless intersection, he asked, “Who has the right of way?” I said, “the other guy,” because, over a dozen times, I have seen half-drunk drivers pulling out pistols to solve insignificant traffic disputes “like real men.”

Mooch-ionaries?

Raising support is not begging for money; it is seeking eternal partnerships. One of the biggest roadblocks I had to overcome before surrendering to be a missionary was the idea of raising support. I remember joking about “mooch”-ionaries giving the “missionary handshake” (an outstretched beggar’s hand). I like being independent, not dependent. Then I met Missionary Mark, and he said, “David, that’s just pride. You’re not begging. God’s not begging. What you are doing is offering people back home the opportunity to be involved in something awesome—something they could never touch unless they touch it through you. Consider yourself the rich one, giving them an opportunity to mooch some of the reward." He was right (if not almost on the arrogant side). My hesitancy was just my pride. And the new mindset helped me to overcome my self-righteous self-sufficiency.

The Best Book on Missions

Read the book of Acts and write out all the principles of missions you can find there. Consult it often.

There are many missionary classics out there: biographies, textbook types, fire-us-up books, etc. They will keep coming, because publishing must be funded. The best text is the transitional book of Acts--filled with all of the above, authored by the Holy Spirit, and containing a "choose your own ending" ending that we are choosing to ACT out, right in this moment! I know it’s not good hermeneutics to apply everything in Acts to current situations. It tells us what happened, not necessarily what is supposed to happen. But there is no better source for pioneer missions.

The Centrality of Christ in Proclaiming the Gospel

The Gospel is Christ; hence to argue for the centrality of Christ in proclaiming the Gospel seems as absurd as arguing for the centrality of food when promoting dining. Surely in dining we may have peripherals like etiquette and utensils, but we can survive without the peripherals; we cannot survive without the food. Likewise in evangelism we may utilize techniques and strategies to present the Bread of Life, but too often our evangelism focuses on the method instead of the Mediator.

Wanted: Used Tea Bags

I feel left out. I've heard this urban legend that missionaries get used tea bags in their care packages, along with truly "holey" hand-me-downs. I must be living in a different missionary age. At the risk of letting the cat out of the bag and shattering the "poor missionary" image, I have to admit that we've never been treated with such disrespect, nor have we heard of any colleagues so mistreated. Don't get me wrong: we don't expect generosity. God's called us to a life of sacrifice. We love, use, and pass on good hand-me-downs. We shop at Goodwill and the Albanian "aid piles." (And this isn't sacrifice, just stewardship!) You don't have to be a missionary to enjoy saving money, having a budget, and loving a bargain. But rarely are we given hand-me-downs. If some supporter decides to get us clothes, it usually comes with the tags and a gift receipt. We've been given many different teas through the years, but never Castoff Chamomile or Pre-Dampened Darjeeling. We've experienced more than we deserve from our friends and supporting churches. When I first went to Albania, I was gathering clothes for the orphans. One girl from my home church had received a new coat for Christmas and her parents suggested she donate her older one. She asked them, "Do you mind if I give the NEW one?" (Now there's a great set of parents!) That's been the spirit we have experienced over and over again. We've been showered with gifts at missions conferences, have received lovely care packages, and have been given substantial love offerings. No, we're not living high-on-the-hog. We're not home-owners. We often struggle to make ends meet, just like most Christian people. However--and maybe it's just because we have the best supporting churches and individuals in the world--it sure seems to us that God's people are the antithesis of the used tea bag-sending stereotypes; they really care about our needs and some of them actually go overboard trying to honor their missionaries. We don't deserve it. We don't expect it. But we are grateful! And at least once I'd like to receive a little box of used tea bags, just to see how it feels.

Pastors Preparing for Missions Trips, Read This ...

Those preparing for a short-term mission trip would be well-served to check out Pastor David Doran's perspective at Missions Mandate.

Prayer Central Asian Style

Recently my friend T.S. was invited to a prayer meeting in Central Asia. With his permission I am relaying parts of his email explaining the meeting:

On the Hosting of Mission Teams

I'm not going to beat around the bush. I shouldn't say what I'm going to say. If you have ever visited me on the field, or if you are thinking about visiting me, please stop reading. No missionary would ever want his guests to hear what I'm going to say now from his own lips (but he might want them to read it in some other missionary's blog).

The Long Walk From Stern To Bow

Today I read an interesting article on short-term missions trips in The Washington Post (of all places).  It's worth reading for all those involved in such trips, and echos some of the points I made in an earlier blog. The most troubling statistic of The Post's article is the decline in long-term missionary volunteers, despite the explosion of short-term trips.

Blessed are the Hungry

Today I am remembering the late summer of 1992.  In Albania's capital, Tirana, we were following up on hundreds of people who had made professions of faith in Christ.  In one visit, I gave a 14-year old girl a New Testament.  Two weeks later, I visited here again and asked her if she had read her new Bible.  She said "yes."  I asked her which parts she had been reading.  She was perplexed at the question.  I explained it again, and, almost offended, she said, "Well, I've read the whole thing.  Twice."

Oh, for those days again, for such hunger, such revival, such openness.

The Hats Missionaries Wear

Evangelist. Prayer-warrior. Husband. Father. Pastor. Theologian. Preacher. Professor. Mentor. Friend. Musician. Linguist. Author. Musician. Translator. Editor. Fund-raiser. Educator. Project-manager. Proposal-writer. Proofreader. Construction worker. Accountant. Mechanic. Consultant. Messenger. Trader. Janitor. Financial planner. Globetrotter. Driver. Grammarian. Analyst. Electrician. Missiologist. Manager. Moneychanger. Diplomat. Interpreter. Inventor. Paralegal. Handyman. Negotiator. Nurse. Interior-designer. Jack-of-all-trades. Organizer. Administrative assistant (to himself). Bridge-builder. Problem-solver. Red-tape navigator. Social worker. Travel agent. Itinerary scheduler. Fisherman. Accountant. Legal adviser. Librarian. Plumber. Guitarist. Pianist. Illustrator. Logistician. Story-teller. Importer. Computer technician. Real estate developer. Garbage collector. Innkeeper (i.e., visitors). Emergency Medical Technician. Bus-driver. Counselor. Worship leader. Mediator. Webmaster. Zookeeper (missionaries have lots of kids and sometimes animals). Currency trader. Minivan trader. Artist. Where-there-is-no-doctor doctor. Barber. Navigator. School-teacher. Builder. Film producer (i.e., furlough). Graphic artist (i.e., prayer cards). Camp director. Camp counselor. Carpenter. Chef. Ethnologist. Pilot (sometimes). Geographer. Buckstopper. Forgery specialist (just kidding). Blogger. Privileged servant of the Lord.

Euro 2008

The European 2008 football championship is in full swing. We have no TV but I've been able to watch a few match halves and see a few clips of some goals. My impressions are:

1) This championship is of far better quality than the World Cup. European teams are phenomenal. England didn't even qualify!

2) I root for gritty underdogs, but they haven't fared too well this year, except Turkey who came from behind and won 3-2 and confirmed again why coaches fear being up 2-nil ("pride cometh before a fall").

3) Based on #2 above, I was rooting for underdog Austria to win over Germany, but they were actually so pitiful that I switched sides mid-match, for the sake of quality football (once Germany bows out of any tournie, something dignified is lost). Good thing the Austrian goalie didn't touch that set piece blast from Michael Ballack.

4) I think I'm rooting for Holland, because I like hustlers, because I like orange, because I still think they deserved a win back in 1998 against Brazil, and because their goalie is older than me (once ALL the players are younger than you, you know you're REALLY over the hill).

Are We Starving Our Missionaries?

Such was the title of an article I picked up recently. It discussed many factors combining to make life very difficult for missionaries: skyrocketing food and fuel prices, general inflation, changing tax laws in foreign countries, and the continuing plunge of the US dollar (which multiplies all these problems exponentially). The article demonstrated how missionaries are all struggling, from Niger to Argentina to Japan.

What Is Missions?

It has been well-said that "if missions is everything, then missions is nothing" (if anybody knows who first said that, please comment it in for me!).

Most people never think about defining missions biblically, which I suppose is OK if you're actually doing it. But sometimes there is great value in wrestling some words down to a page to clarify and crystallize; at the least, I think every pastor and missionary should write down or adopt a succinct statement.

My personal favorite is adapted from George Peters in his book A Biblical Theology of Missions (Chicago: Moody Press, 1972, p. 11) (my adaptations are italicized):  

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 churches who will bear the fruit of Christianity in that community, to that country, and to the whole world.

What Do Missionaries Do All Day Long?

Once upon a furlough, a sweet but naive man told me, "I bet it's so incredible to be a missionary, to have nothing else to do but evangelize all day long." (At this point my missionary readers are chuckling audibly, because they all know that sometimes the simplest tasks can be all-day events in developing nations.) Yesterday, as I must do each summer, I re-registered my Ford Transit van--and that's about all I did yesterday. Here was my day:

Step 1. Drive out of the city to the police station with all the documents that were required of me last year for the same process.

Step 2. Wait in a line for an hour in the sun (OK, I'm being generous -- this is NOT a line, it is a mob of other sweaty, stinky men, all mashed upon you, jockeying for position, elbowing into one another's ribs in front of a small barred window, behind which one man is processing what seems to be the whole world's vehicle documents, by hand. Three other employees are sitting with him, drinking coffee but, predictably, doing nothing.)

Step 3. An hour later, when I finally elbow my way up to the window, I learn that this year I need to go to get a pre-inspection, down the road, so they can make sure my van isn't stolen. My first hour in the sun amidst the aroma of body odor has been in vain.

Step 4. I wait behind other cars for pre-inspection, and after 30 minutes, it is my turn. But the people need to see my passport and visa. I have in my hand the originals and photocopies. But no, they want a notarized photocopy. Logically, there is no notary nearby. I must drive back into town.

Step 5. The notary takes 40 minutes to put a stamp and signature on two documents.

Step 6. Back to pre-inspection. They inform me that my van is my van. Thanks. Then they spend 20 minutes filling out forms by hand verifying the same.

Step 7. Back to the police station to rejoin my mob friends, back in line to repeat Step 2. A young Italian priest shows up for the first time here. I think he is offended by my newly-acquired body odor.

Step 8. Finally, my documents make it into the hands of Mr. Processor. He pulls out files of forms to fill out by hand. Poor guy. The mob is insulting him. He must have incredible job satisfaction. Ten forms and $500 later, he tells me to return in an hour and a half, because the chief needs to sign my papers--but he is in "an important meeting."

Step 9. I have my laptop, so I go to a nearby coffee bar to work on Sunday's message. The chief is there having coffee with friends, watching reruns of last night's Euro 2008 soccer matches. This is his "important meeting." Thirty minutes later, he leaves.

Step 10. I return after the full 90 minutes, and Mr. Processor tells me the chief is still in his meeting and that I should return in another hour. God tells me, "Patience." I have just enough time to run home, wolf down a bowl of soup, offend my family with my acquired bodily aromas, and drive back out to the station.

Step 11. This time, the chief has come back and my document is ready. I look it over. They have mistaken my middle name for my last name, so the vehicle is now registered to David Edward, not to David Hosaflook. This could result in the police confiscating my vehicle, so I ask for a redo. Mr. Processor first tries to convince me that my name is actually David Edward, but I insist that I am indeed David Hosaflook, and he agrees to ask the chief for a redo. He says, "I hope he is still here," and I hope for the same!

Step 12. Thirty minutes later, they have redone my registration. David Hosaflook still owns his van. Now I can go get the thing inspected. As I am leaving the mob, I notice the Italian priest again. He's mumbling long, colorful, Italian words at a rapid pace, and he has body odor.

Step 13. Inspection. Five more forms to be filled out by hand and two more people to pay. The actual inspection has just one test: inside a huge building that looks like an airplane hangar, I must accelerate up to 35 miles an hour and slam on my brakes. If I leave nice long skid marks and manage to stop the vehicle before slamming into the inspectors and the inspection offices, I have will have passed inspection. If my brakes should fail, I will have killed the inspectors. This is beautiful, one of the few extant vestiges of communist genius.

Step 14. The inspector congratulates me on my beautiful skid marks as I emerge from the van massaging my whiplashed neck. I have passed. After 15 more minutes of paperwork, I am presented four stickers I can now affix to my windshield.

Step 15. I go home to get a cold shower and start nursing my sunburn.

A Strategy of Saturation for Syncretistic Peoples

Imagine a huge knot made up of a million cords pulled so tightly together that you can't get a needle between them. So intertwined they are that you can't distinguish cord from cord. And your job is to extract a cord, a specific one, from the mass. Welcome to the evangelism of syncretistic people.

Why I Find It Hard To Report Conversions

Every once in a while, missionaries get notes from supporting churches requesting statistics like how many hours they spent on door-to-door visitation, how many people were converted last week, how many churches they planted last year, etc. Fair enough. Some missionaries complain about such questionnaires, but I've always thought that if I'm eager to accept their support, I should be eager to answer whatever questions they deem important.

Blessing the Missionaries

I thought John Piper's blog from December 17, 2007 was terrific: 13 Ways to Bless Missionaries Without Paying for Postage; however, Pizza Hut isn't here yet.

My Dream About the Problem of Islamic Worship

Several nights ago, I dreamed I ran into a friend from college. After we “caught up” with each other concerning family, jobs, etc., he told me that he has recently been studying the Kuran and the teachings of Islam, causing him to doubt the Holy Bible and Christianity. He noted that he thought their worship was somehow more authentic or devoted and wondered if those stories of the Kuran’s compilation might be true after all. My friend’s only question was whether or not even their seemingly more devoted worship than his own could be accepted.

The Power of Love

Wits of the ages have wearied the theme
Volumes of pages have spoken the scene
Rhyme set in meter, pictures in prose
Assonance, dissonance ("love" they compose)

Literature's fantasy blows on its blaze
Theaters thrive on the passion it plays
Drama and opera, sonnet and song
Dances and trances (melting the strong)

Four Wives

It isn't often that guys like him approach me with a smile on their face, saying, "Hey David!" I didn't recognize him at first, disguised beneath his long, patriarchal beard. Then I realized that this guy, years earlier, had attended our church. He moved away to England and came back soundly Muslim. He said he had found brotherhood and true righteousness in his Islamic roots. He brought up how backward the Albanian government was because it prohibits polygamy. He couldn't conceive how that would possibly be a problem. He wants four wives. "With four," he said, "a man won't have problems with lust." Yeah, right. I didn't probe why the magic number was four, instead of three or seven. I didn't engage him in a debate. I did ask him if he had ever lusted. He had. I asked how he will be forgiven. He answered, "through my Islamic rituals." We were on the side of the road. He was in a hurry. I had just enough time to remind him that Jesus died for his sins, the Just for the unjust. What a beautiful Gospel, the clear voice of Jesus ringing out like a clear bell over the din of the imams! Open their ears, Lord!

Good-bye, Mona Lisa

It was the nasty mice which started it all. Our rented home was infested with them, but due to my allergies to cats and my general disdain for them, we resorted to mousetraps. Still, they overcame, and my wife woke up daily to vermin turds all over our baby's bed. One day, at a Florida pet store, my mother-in-law asked, half-jokingly, "Ever heard of a dog that goes after mice?" The guy said, "Of course, Schipperkes!" So embarked a long process of studying and getting one of these terrific animals. Ours hailed from northern California. We named her Mona Lisa, primarily because "MONA!" shouts so well, important during the training months. (Go ahead, give it a try, I know you want to). Mona was perfect for us: beautiful, the perfect size, great with the kids, not a mindless yapper, smiled and wiggled when we came home, and always protecting, ever willing to attack the bad guys. A big dog in a little dog's body. We loved her. She also eradicated our home from the mice. But she got Erlichioze, or Leshmania, no one really knows, as these awful diseases are hard to pinpoint and our local vets are ill-prepared. At only 6-years old, we had to put her to sleep and bury her in the Albanian mountains. Our home is curretly a somber place!

The Irony of Chains

People join the Kingdom of Heaven when they repent and believe on its King. They subsequently testify that they have been delivered from chains of darkness. Some of us recognize the Lord's work in our lives to be a real invasion, permeating into our darkest corners as leaven affects an entire lump (Matthew 13:33). As we surrender to the invading King, we are freed. Ironically, those who are resisting the intrusion of Heaven do so under the deception that, in so doing, they will get their freedom. They say: "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us" (Psalm 2:3). "Off with authority! Let good times roll!" But they are always bound; they never gain what we have been gifted.

"Free," they go down to the pit struggling like a fat man in quicksand.

"The Day I Left My Home" (The Pain of a Third-Culture Kid)

I first saw Jill when she was about six, hiding shyly behind her mommy's dress at the crumbling Albanian airport. She was the youngest child of my co-workers, a family who labored with us for 10 years before leaving for a new ministry. Jill recently wrote a descriptive essay for her high school and chose the day she left Albania as her theme. It is what most MKs get to look forward to. I give you "The Day I Left My Home," by Jill DeHaan:
 

As I scan the yard full of those I love, my heart clenches tight at the thought of never seeing them again. These are the people with whom I have grown up, with whom I have shared my life and all of its memories. During the past ten years in Albania, these people have become closer to me and nearer to my heart than most of my actual relatives. For this reason, leaving them is the most difficult thing that I have ever had to face.

Too Much Short-Term Missions?

Recently, I talked to my friend who leads a missions agency. We began discussing the modern missiological phenomenon of short-term missions. Never in church history has there been so much short-terming. My friend recruits short-term missionaries to teach English in restricted access nations: they must commit to a minimum of two years. There are many reasons for such a "long" minimum, but one thing I think it does is to weed out missiological tourism and the resume-padding that is often associated with the short-term adventure trips.

Too Much Missiology?

Recently in Durres, Albania, I had dinner with the president of a large missions agency, a man much more scholarly than I will ever be, more widely traveled than I ever wish to be. He said something I liked, something I wish I'd recorded (because I can't remember exactly how he worded it). The crux of his quip was that we have too many missiologists and not enough missionaries. The Bible says that the laborers are few. The great need of missions is God-saturated, Gospel-proclaiming, people-loving, Bible-trained, prayer-bathed, battle-ready, long-term missionaries. Before they go, and while on the field, they should learn some missiological theory. But one of the most successful and proven missiological principles in the history of missions is simply going, working, and staying for the long haul. Over-analysis can cause paralysis; we need more laborers who will dive into the world's great seas of dying people and tell them about Jesus.

The Soccer Reveals The Man

Soccer is the world's game. I am no fan of the European leagues and championships which make heros out of mostly wicked men, but I have to admit a glaring weakness for the quadrennial World Cup. I first caught this fever when on my first missions trip, to Guadalajara, in 1986, when Mexico was host to the Cup. I was intrigued to see the main markets practically paralyzed, black and white TVs blaring in every booth. I could hardly persuade a salesman to pull away and sell me a sombrero.

I've often thought that missionaries should be required to learn something about this game before being approved by their mission boards. I like the World Cup because you see the culture and character of the nations through the way they play. Brazilians play with color and flare. The Germans are calculated, almost mechanic. African squads are as delightful as their music, but unfortunate at the final buzzer. The Americans, though still considered football featherweights, train hard and play like the 1980 Miracle-On-Ice Olympic hockey team (in the last Cup, we played with one man down and still fought to draw with Italy, who went on to win it all).

Where Are The Men?

"Who can find a virtuous ... MAN?"

During December, January, and February -- my blogless months -- I have been able to travel about the United States visiting colleges, churches, and student gatherings. I have been extremely disturbed by the dearth of men going to the mission field. In one of my missions classes, the young ladies outnumbered the young men by a score of 19-4--and that ratio seems to be the approximate score everywhere I go. Praise God for the ladies! But how sad to have such a host of godly women in a justifiable pickle: "should I forge ahead to the mission field single, or wait around for a missionary to propose to me, or settle for a husband whose missions aspirations stop at putting prayer cards on the fridge?"

Kosova and stars and snow and war and love and

I recently spent two weeks in Dubovë, a Kosova village just outside of Pejë. (Yes, Kosova, not Kosovo. Kosovo is the Serbian spelling, Kosova the Albanian, and never has a vowel meant so much, as Albania demands nothing but independence and Serbia offers anything but. Hatred runs so deep that one granite monument on a mass gravesite reads, "Do not forgive anyone who attempts to forgive them.")

Having grown up in Washington, D.C. and living in a significant-sized city, it takes me a while to adapt to village life. Moooooo! And "cock-a-doodle-doo." Would you believe I, a missionary, missed church? I lost track of days! Surely this day was Saturday, until my cell phone rang with news I was late for preaching!

Open Invitation to SGI Conference 2008

I was asked to send a blurb to promote the coming Student Global Impact conference to young adults--I extend the promo to any of my readers here: 

Facebook and the Field

"The field is the world"--not the computer. I'm blogging to remind myself that computing can be addictive. I've tended to boast in that I have no TV and no video games on my computer--"what a waste of time," I say to myself smugly. And then this Facebook thing crops up. A few months ago, I had no idea what it was, nor did I have any "friends." Now I think I've got more than 70 FB friends, and yes, it is great fun! I've reconnected with folks I've often wondered about, and even better, have seen pictures of some of the most beautiful children who look just like their parents (my friends). Cool indeed! I've prayed for some of them; they're praying for us! But instead of comparing movie tastes this morning, I decided to pray, and was convicted ...

Don't worry, I'm not on a pious and legalistic rant suggesting that Facebooking is evil. Indeed I plan to continue, and that happily! But as God was exposing my heart today in prayer, He pointed His finger at too much time on the computer to the neglect of the ministry of prayer and evangelism to which He has called me. I'm not saying this is anyone else's problem, but this week, it was mine. So I write myself a warning that Facebook and blogomania, helpful as they are, can be a "weight" diverting my time from all the faces around me who need an up-close and personal witness.

Running on Battery Power

After the incident recorded in the previous post, my computer kept working on battery power, but it could receive no more electrical power. The battery was charged but I knew it was a matter of time before it all shut down. I thought about my life. How often do I run on spiritual battery power, old times of prayer and meditation which recharged my batteries but, without daily charging, will leave my processor slow and my screen dim, eventually powering down completely. I know the Holy Spirit should not be compared to energy, since He is a person. But we all know the reality that He is our power source in the spiritual journey. Battery power on a laptop is great while on the go. And thank God for spiritual battery power in times of overload--there are some times when we will just not be able to have good "quantity time" alone with God. But remember, battery power only lasts so long.

Third World Electricity Woes

It was shocking, 400 volts worth. I don't really know what happened at the precise moment I plugged my printer's USB cord into the laptop. My wife happened to pass by at the moment, saw a brilliant flash of light and heard the scream of my almost electrocution. A neighbor said that there had been a massive power surge. While I was thankful that I did not blow up, my surge "protector" did, as well as the laptop's power supply and internal I/O board. Hence, I've been computerless for a month and have emerged feeling like a survivor. Now I am catching up, with 346 emails to not reply to. So depressing, I think I'll blog.

A missionary should know as much as he can about electrical power: What's a volt? What's a watt? What's an amp? What's an inverter? What's a voltage regulator? How does a generator work? What's the difference between an adaptor and a transformer? If you don't learn these things you may descend the long road to trichotillomania. I'm pretty much an electricity ignoramus, but I'm learning more every day. One thing I've learned, for example, is that not many electricians here practice grounding, which, in laymen's terms, seems to mean that you get little electrical shocks throughout the week, especially if you touch an appliance while barefoot on a tile floor. This is reminiscent of mychildhood, testing 9 volt batteries with my bare tongue.

Missionaries-to-be, consider spending some time learning from people who know about electricity and alternative power supply.

On Life Insurance

Many people don't think life insurance fits in with a missionary's (or a Christian's) core values. I'm sure that's a good debate. In my mind, both life and health insurance are prudent to avoid the situation of presuming upon the good-will of supporting churches who might feel like assuming some responsibility for our well-being in case of an emergency. (Thanks to Rev. Jim Histand, my home church's minister of finance, for pointing that out to me years ago).

When I got married in 1997, I thought it reasonable to buy a $100,000 ten-year "life insurance" policy. Before it expired, I tried to upgrade in light of our having four children now. But I failed to qualify because I am a missionary. Over the last decade too many missionaries and other global nomads have been getting killed, so it is only natural that we are an eschewed clientele. Once you're in, they can't drop you, but once your term's up, the price starts flying to the moon. In light of this I offer advice: if you are not opposed to buying life insurance and think you may be a married, foreign missionary someday, get some good life insurance while you're still in the US workplace, for as long a term as you think you will have dependent kids.

Only One Life To Offer

Yesterday my wife met Virginia, a senior saint who looks to be in her mid-60s. She's American, just arrived here to assist the South Korean missionary family with their homeschooling. My wife was impressed with her verve and get-down-to-business demeanor. She's been serving missionaries all her life, over 40 years now. At her age, we might expect her to retire, rest, and commence her ministry of lazyboy prayer. Like others in her season of life, she has medical challenges, some which the Albanian health system will not be able to address. But she's come with an obvious chip on her shoulder about wasting even one millisecond of life. What an example to the senior saints of the world! What a challenge to a young man like me without arthritis (yet)! Now ready for the kicker? She's not in her 60s ... she's 78.

Thinking Like A South Korean

The South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan has made many people ask, "What were they doing there in the first place?". The Korean press is criticizing the hostages' judgment, as we should expect from lost people acting like lost people analyzing saved people acting like saved people.

On the Writing of Prayer Letters

We missionaries sometimes groan about the busywork of letter-writing. We often joke about dangerous or nauseating experiences “which will sound really good in the prayer letter.” We even tease each other about things to deliberately keep OUT of the prayer letters in order to keep up the “suffering missionary” image: things like getting peanut butter in the mail or driving a Mercedes (a fairly inexpensive used car in eastern Europe because so many are stolen--at least six can be seen in the photo). But regardless of the work of prayer letters and the jokes they inspire, they must be written.

Unfortunately, writing (and reading) prayer letters can be done lifelessly and prayerlessly. It’s a to-do list item stuck in our palm computers on otherwise busy days. Like congregational singing, we can do it mechanically without deep thought or passion.

Yeh Hum Naheen

This is Urdu for "This Is Not Us," the title of a song by Pakistani pop music stars who joined together in "We Are The World" fashion to give voice to "the silent majority" of Muslims and to denounce terrorist acts in the name of Islam. The song is a hit not only in Pakistan, but all over the world. The video can be found on YouTube, but here are the words translated from Urdu.

This story that is being spread in our names is a lie

These stamps of death on our forehead are the signs of others

The name by which you know us - we are not that

The eyes with which you look at us - we are not that

This is not us - this is not us ...


As with the coming of night one loses one's way

We are scared of the dark so much that we are burning our own home

What is this rising all around us ...

The stories that are being spread in our names are lies
 This is not us ...

We have lost on the way the lesson of living together

We are now even scared of each other
They are others whose faces are on your hands
Your hurts are a deep sea - our wounds are deep

The stories that are being spread in our names are lies

Yeah Hum Nahi. Yeah Hum Nahi, Yeah Hum Nahi. Yeah Hum Nahi. This is not us...

Why am I impressed enough to blog about this? Because of my secret passion for Pakistani pop? No. Rather, because the music video was a moving reminder of the millions of boys, girls, men and women in Pakistan and Islamic communities who need Jesus Christ and who are seeking an identity. They know what they do not want to be (Yeh Hum Naheen) but need to know that only Jesus can help them find their way. As the song says, "[Their] wounds are deep."

Let us pray for and work towards their healing.

Two Things To Remember

One, it's never as bad as it seems.
Two, it's never as good as it seems.

I forget who gave me this counsel, but it has saved me from both misguided exuberance and unnecessary woe. In missions work and church planting, never walk by sight. When things look good, we feel good. When things look bad, we feel bad. But the reality under the surface may be quite different than the way things look.

Early on, I rejoiced in how many decisions were being made for Christ. We had to rent out a cinema to seat the hundreds of people joining our meetings. It was an emotional high; I felt great. Then when people recognized I wasn't giving out visas to America, our attendance dwindled to about ten. It was an emotional crash. But then I discovered that those ten were passionate converts to Jesus Christ. Wonderful! Then some of them moved away. Terrible! On and on they go, these ups and downs. How do we survive the emotional rollercoaster? Only when we walk by faith, something Pastor Gil Hansen of Mountain View Baptist Church in Oregon called "the key to consistency" in one of the most useful sermons I can remember.

Heights Unseen

An empty page. A barren stage.
A canvas colorless and dry
Will sing a long (but silent) song
Of heights we never dared to fly.

Should Missionaries Go To Seminary?

I hear this question often and it usually provokes a measure of emotion fueled by one's experiences. Those who have been to seminary usually argue for it, primarily because they have appreciated the experience and have seen (or foresee) practical benefits in their ministries.

Wanting the Wounding

Most missionaries greatly used by God testified of the trials they faced early in their lives and ministries, often in the form of illness, severed relationships, personal attacks, or sustained loneliness. Spiritual survival and fruitfulness are only achieved when we recognize God's chisels and by faith embrace what we ought to be becoming. Here's a hymn to the Gracious Wounder.

Drag Racing and the Chronological Approach to Evangelism

Last night I went to the gypsy village for our weekly riverbank evangelistic Bible study. We were to study Abraham's almost-sacrifice of Isaac and the significance of the substitutionary ram. I was prepared to have to deal kindly with the objections that, no, it was not Isaac, but Ishmael who was almost sacrificed (the Muslim version). But alas, again, half the group was late and some of the most serious participants were gone (par for the course when reaching groups like nomads or gypsies). Hence, God transformed our meeting from a formal discussion of an OT type of Christ into an informal time of hanging out with friends and building trust ... before long I was discussing motor scooters and then I found myself drag racing my Honda 90 CC motorcycle with two of the guys and their similarly powerful scooters.

At full throttle with no helmet I wondered what in the world I was doing, prayed for our safety and then rejoiced to see my opponents giggling wildly in the wind--two religiously-hardened men for whom I have prayed for a breakthrough. I may be wrong, but I think there is evangelistically beneficial bonding power in a good time of from-the-belly laughter.

Howling, Whirling, and Awakening

Sufism (mystical Islam) attempts to awaken a Divine order hidden within one's heart. Through religious rites like howling to drum beats or whirling oneself dizzy and repeating names of Allah, one becomes aware of the hidden mysteries of spirituality residing within. I know men of Sufi sects who achieve spiritual ecstasy every Sunday and interpret the world as mystery, but all they really need is Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

The Right-Of-Way

Driving in developing countries is all about surviving: navigating intersections without traffic lights, knowing how to handle corrupt policemen, being cut off by truckers and tractors, fitting into spaces more narrow than your vehicle, slamming on your brakes for animal herds, and avoiding potholes which are more like chasms. Rolling down the window and folding in the side mirrors is as common as using your blinkers. A visiting American teenager, riding shotgun, exclaimed to me, “Dude! This would make a great video game.” I said, “Yeah, something like Frogger" (but he didn’t know what in the world I was talking about). When coming to a mindless intersection, he asked, “Who has the right of way?” I said, “the other guy,” because, over a dozen times, I have seen half-drunk drivers pulling out pistols to solve insignificant traffic disputes “like real men.”

To survive on the roads, I suggest the following recipe: precool your temper with prayer and mix heaping portions of patience, caution and self-defense with just a pinch of agressiveness, stubborness, and idiocy. Use your horn liberally. If oncoming night traffic is blinding you with high beams, blind them back and they will get the point. Remember that tensing up your body will not protect your vehicle when it slams into potholes. Keep your emergency and breakdown equipment current. Above all, when returning to your home country for furlough, be extra careful! What you now know is not at all reckless may be deemed otherwise by the patrolmen. If they stop you, be aware that you may have a latent chip on your shoulder due to the respect you have lost for all those in that uniform! (Photo by Ricky Blaha)

"The Linguistically-Struggling Missionary Community"

Even though I have been fluent enough to preach in Albanian since 1994, I still catch myself avoiding complex grammatical patterns. It’s a rut that many expats never emerge from. So after a hiatus from any serious Albanian language study, I picked up a local novel and a university grammar textbook. Delving in again reminded me that there’s always more language to learn and that fluency is not a missionary’s goal, but his means of understanding local culture, which is not his goal, but his means of understanding the human beings around him, which is not his goal but his means of connecting with them, which is not his goal but his means of explaining Gospel to them. The title of this entry is extracted from an article by Dr. Peter Pikkert, with whom I became online-acquainted just yesterday but who has already joined my group of mentors-never-met. Is he right? Is the missionary community struggling linguistically? According to my experience, I judge that he is being gracious. Some missionaries don’t produce coherent (or interesting) prayer letters in English; imagine how they fare in a new language. It can be embarrassing. For anyone considering foreign service and language learning, I recommend the articles “Send Some Rogues” and "Life-Long Language Learning" at Dr. Pikkert’s blog site.

Speechless

Three years ago, his first son drowned in the Drini River. Last year, his second son died in a car accident north of Florence. Last Tuesday, his third son drowned in the Adriatic Sea. His fourth son is still alive. But he ... he must be dead inside.

Sons should bury their fathers, not the other way around. Oh God, what shall I say to him today when I pay my respects?

Missing Michael Chang

Tennis is fun on any surface, but priceless on a good red clay court ... softer on the knees, slower and hence better suited to a guy like me with more pluck than power, and, of course, sliding forever after chasing a ball cross-court. I have loved the French Open since watching young Michael Chang defeat the Great Ivan Lendl while suffering from cramps and exhaustion. Chang ate bananas between games, resorted to high lobs, and served underhanded (!) due to the pain surging through his body. He never quit, Mr. Lendl made too many unforced errors, and Michael won the title.

Chang will never be on the same level with Sampras, Agassi, Lendl, or Federer. He didn't win enough biggies because he never had enough raw power. But he'll always be my favorite. Why? Because he ran down every shot. He digged. He never "retired." His theory of winning was simply "Mike, get to that ball and get it back over the net just one more time."

Not a bad philosophy of life.

Redefining Furloughs

Not long ago a small newsletter published an article recommending that the length and frequency of missionary furloughs be reevaluated, specifically the 4-to-1 year field/furlough ratio which has become the standard practice and assumed right of North American missionaries.

While I agree wholeheartedly with the discussion, I disagreed with the article’s comparison of furlough to “paid vacation” and “absence from duty.” Indeed, such a characterization concurs with Mr. Webster and may be the case for many missionaries. However, “furlough” may be one of the busiest seasons of a missionary’s life—a hectic and stressful time of displacement for the entire family. Just like on the field, the extent of a missionary’s enterprise or idleness while on furlough depends primarily upon his character and partially upon the accountability structure he functions under.

My Poems About James 4:14

The Brevity of Life (1989)

Breath,
Death


Brevity II (1991)

Womb,
Tomb