It’s a good thing to equip the saints. God has admonished every Pastor and Ministry Leader to do so. It couldn’t be more clear, sequential and rational than this…”And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of […]
Newsletters
Itinerant Refugees
Pastor Aklilu Zerihun Belay is a man of remarkable stories. A life lived on the razor’s edge of disaster time and again. Born in Eritrea, he survived several wars that created countless Refugees. His “home” has been wherever he laid his head, year after year. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and Kenya have been signposts along […]
The Great (Commission) Reset
I have the unique opportunity to travel between North America and East Africa quite often. Ministry responsibilities require my presence on two continents. They are separated not only by distance, but also by culture. North America being historically a Western Christendom culture. East Africa lies at the frontier of traditionally Eastern Oriental cultures. As missionaries, […]
Ash Heaps
Some say the glass is half Empty. Others say it’s half Full. Pessimism and Optimism abound in extremes these days. Both in the world…and in the Church. People casually viewing life through foggy lenses of new-fangled philosophies, fickle feelings, popular pundits, personal preferences and prayerless “prophesies”. In an age of information overload, we can get […]
Face Time
The “Great Commission” is a mandate for all Christians. Not a select few. We will all be held personally accountable for our stewardship of the Salvation, Gospel and Grace that God has bestowed upon us. We are not allotted the luxury of Subcontracting the Command to “make Disciples of all nations.” Yet that is what […]
Where God Is Moving
I remember well our days of missionary training in our home church. We were blessed to be in a missions-minded church that took missionary preparation seriously. It included a series of classes and practicums over a year. We never intended to go further than the initial class. But God had more in mind. As much […]
Help That Hinders
There is a profound uncomfortableness in ministering to the poor. Coming from outside to inside the slum settlements, you immediately experience shock and horror. There are no videos, no pictures, no words to adequately describe the deprivation, despair and depravity of third world urban slums. Which begs the question for anyone with the privilege to […]
Ties That Bind
At our point of Salvation, there is an eternal Severing. Severing from prior Purposes, Priorities, Practices…and People. Forever our temporal human Relationships are demoted. Becoming Secondary to our Relationship with God. He alone is to have Preeminence in all matters of living on this side of eternity…“All things were created through Him and for Him. […]
A Year Of Making Disciples
The Sword of Christmas
Surely there is nothing like the Christmas season. It’s undeniable that people act nicer, if only for a few days. The extra “Hello!”, the unexpected “God bless you!”, and unusually courteous gestures abound. There is “something in the air” at Christmas time. And it seems to affect the entire world. All of us wish it […]