Maybe I Just Ain't That Smart

I get some interesting mail sometimes. Recently a friend of mine in California, who has been reading my blog, sent this note:

“Enjoy your thinking - How come you don't sound that smart when we are together?!

My answer to him was that (a) maybe he’s not listening or (b) he’s talking so much I can’t get a word in edgewise.

Or, I could quote from Goody’s book, The Logic of Writing and the Organization of Society, “In the context of both intellectual and practical developments, it is important to stress that a significant attribute of writing is the ability to communicate not only with others but with oneself.” Maybe that’s what blogging is all about, talking to yourself.

Probably my best defense is in the old saying that good writers are seldom good speakers, as good speakers are seldom good writers. I don’t have a speech impediment, but I do process things differently when at the keyboard than before a microphone. I would never be good in a debate and I hate being a keynote speaker. The other day I was viewing a video of me speaking to a large delegation in Korea. If you think I’m tedious in person magnify that by going through an interpreter!

In my own defense as a tongue-tied spokesman, I’m in pretty good company. Moses told God he wasn’t articulate enough to speak for the people of Israel but he did a pretty good job as a technical writer in penning the Pentateuch (I realize scholars are divided on how much he did write, but he no doubt had a part). Paul was criticized for not being a polished orator as Apollos, but he churned out some rather heavy tomes in the New Testament. I may not be in their league, but they allow me to justify my writing as having influence through the written word. Though I do wish I could verbalize my thoughts better before a crowd, I’d rather be a quite writer than a big talker. I am much more comfortable in a classroom setting as prepared lesson notes are kin to writing.

My answer to my friend was also (c) maybe I just ain’t that smart. Either way, Rick, keep reading and I will keep writing.

Does The Church Care?

About a year ago I met with a young Christian professional who works in Mumbai (Bombay). I’m not a business guy, I’m a culture guy, but I am interested in encouraging the member s of the Body of Christ where God has gifted them...in the workplace. Moving away from the emphasis on the institution of Christianity and more to the incarnational face of a follower of Christ, we need to think of ways we can support those outside the professional role of ministry. It is my belief that the incarnational church is made up of those who do not draw their “daily bread” from the coffers of the non-profits, but instead their salaries are derived from the marketplace.

I want to restate my position; I am neither against the institutional church nor the role of career pastors or missionaries as they play an important role in God’s Divine purpose. It has been vocational pastors, teachers and missionaries of the past that is responsible for many fine churches and schools established throughout the world, provided social programs for the poorest of the poor and made Bible study and theology truly the queen of the sciences. I have a hard time thinking of what the world would be like today if it were not for those who gave up lucrative careers to serve others, many with meager means. However, increasingly the professional clergy and ministries are becoming a part of the problem in putting the emphasis of the local church (ecclesiocentric) rather than the Great Commission of reaching the community with the message of Christ.

One role of the local body is to equip the saints for ministry. The other functions of the local assembly are worship and instruction in God’s word. The institutional church does a good job, generally, in the latter two areas of function but usually not very strong on outreach or equipping. The equipping of the saints has given way to equipping the church staff to do the work of evangelism and the theory is if we can pour enough resources into making the local church attractive, the not yet followers of Jesus will be drawn in. At least that’s the theory.

Meanwhile, the saints (I’d call him Joe six pack, but the saints are to be teetotalers), feels he has no place in God’s grand scheme except to show up for church, volunteer for the church focused activities and underwrite programs with their tithes and offerings. Saint Joe is seldom guided, coached or equipped to do ministry in his community, workplace, and school. In my reading I came across a quote, made by a businessman thirty years ago. His comments are profound as well as convicting. William Diehl, sales manager of a major overseas steel corporation writes:

In the almost thirty years of my professional career, my church has never once suggested that there be any type of accounting of my on-the-job ministry to others. My church has never once offered to improve those skills which could make me a better minister, nor has it ever asked if I needed any kind of support in what I was doing. There has never been an inquiry into the types of ethical decisions I must face, or whether I seek to communicate the faith to my coworkers. I have e never been in a congregation where there was any type of public affirmation of a ministry in my career. In short, I must conclude that my church really doesn’t have the least interest whether or how I minister in my daily work (1976: Christianity and Real Life).

I believe Diehl would be pleased with the emerging churches that are addressing the need of workplace ministry today. Through small group interest groups believers are encouraged to be involved in non-Christian workplace functions and organizations, not necessarily to convert, but to be salt and light in places where people interact on every level of life. Through special interest grouping the topics the institutional assembly never addressed for Diehl’s ministry needs are dealt with as “real life,” issues.

My Mumbai friend and I have created a network of Christian professionals throughout India. What is interesting to me is that some career pastors have joined the group, but the network is steering the discussion away from institutional topics (theology, outreach programs, etc.), to workplace subjects, such as ethics and how to be a relevant witness of Christ as a member of a minority religion. It’s my belief the institutional church does care about the needs of their membership including equipping them to be functional in the world, it’s just they don’t know how to do it. Stuck in a 1,700 year model that focuses on how to be separated apart from the world, they have forgotten how to be holy within the world. How to change directions will not be easy and probably not widely accepted.

Church Planting Challenge

I’m presently working through a book entitled, “The Shaping Of Things To Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church.” I think most people like books if they (a) are not redundant of common themes, (b) provide new insights and (c) are generally in the same ballpark of their own philosophy or thinking. This current reading coincides with my own thoughts on the institutional church and the traditional church-planting model.

As I stated in a recent post, sometimes I believe that the church and missionaries are stuck with the old paradigm of CP, i.e. evangelism, collecting the believers in one locality, buying land, building a structure, filling those structures with church stuff, etc. Authors Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch label this the “attractional” model: build it to attract outsiders and they will come (also know at the Field of Dreams syndrome). The author’s, in contrast, suggest a better way, the “incarnational” model, which begins with reaching people with the message of Christ and from that a fellowship of believers group together, which may not look anything like the institutional church today.

Most missiologist understand the concept of incarnation and/or indigenous principles. The problem is that many, in spite of supporting the incarnational philosophy, seldom execute this model and instead revert back to the traditional CP of the past. Why?

Church planters feel a need to quantify what they do as a defined by ministry activity. When I moved to Kenya I raised support as a pioneer church planter. Following the pattern of the traditional way, I sent reports to our donors on our activities. I learned language, visited people in the villages, found a meeting place for Sunday services and eventually churches were planted. Accountability is important and people who support traditional missions expect there be a return on investment. We bought land, erected church buildings (mud or concrete blocks) established a training program and we were very successful. I was the epitome of a classic pioneer church planter.

In my role today I teach in traditional schools and training programs. My students are equipped with theology, evangelism methods and discipleship programs and at the end of their training are sent out, expected to plant churches using the attractional model. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Every national I have ever taught feel that their greatest need is having enough funds to build it (church, school, orphanage), so they (the lost) will come. In spite of my best efforts to convince otherwise they are stuck in that model? Again, why?

I think it’s partly due to the fact that no one quite understands how to organize an incarnational church plant. The truth is, it can’t be done. It’s my belief, and I would think Frost and Hirsch world agree, that a truly incarnational church shouldn’t be organized, at least not in the traditional sense. Once the leadership tries to harness a movement it loses the dynamics of being indigenous. Let me give you an example.

Several years ago I was invited to speak at a large church in Cleveland. I was impressed with the facilities…forty acres of land, large meeting place for corporate worship, etc. The pastor gave me the history of the church and said that he was a drug addict when he was introduced to the Gospel message. He told me that after his conversion he and his girlfriend started telling others in the inner city about this Jesus who had transformed their lives. He told me that for years they were just a rag-tag group of converted addicts and prostitutes telling others about the Savior. One day they incorporated and he told me, over 15 years ago, that he was worried that they had lost their edge. I’ve heard that over the years the congregation has struggled with the same things that plague every traditional church -- finances, personnel problems, transfer of membership, etc. This group of redeemed potheads started out incarnational, they became one of many traditional congregations trying to attract others into their assembly. Ministry to the inner city became organized outreach rather than spontaneous and incarnational telling others about Christ.


The church today is a business enterprise and has all the trappings of product. Whether it is books to market, discipleship material to promote or capital campaigns to finance a new and improved worship center, going into all the world requires a business plan. The secret disciples of Christ in a Tajikistan village cannot be measured; the underground church in Laos cannot be identified. Somehow, it is thought, we must rescue these people from anonymity, expose them, promote them, and put up a building for them. It’s only when the product is packaged appropriately that it can truly be called church planting.

No Regrets...Future Focused

The evening I sent out my last post I was “chatting” with my brother in the states. He wanted to know if I was depressed or remorseful that prompted my writing about “Turning Back The Clock”? My brother knows me better than anyone else in this world (he preceded me in life by five minutes), and I do have moments of introspection. But my last post was not one of those times…it was in context with what I have been writing about as it relates to missions today as well as the future. If my brother misunderstood the meaning of the post, maybe others did as well.

The truth of the matter is, my generation of x-cultural workers is stuck in the institutional mission thinking. I believe most churches are stuck, or somehow can’t break out, of doing ministry as usual. I’m coming to the conclusion that church planting and church planters are part of the problem with the mission enterprise, and it has affected the national church around the world. The church planting paradigm necessitates structure, which includes formal theological studies, support for people to go out and plant (like a corn) churches, erect a meeting place, fill the building with church stuff (seats, pulpit, baptistery, sound systems, etc.), have small groups, build another theological school and-on-and-on-and-on. In the meantime one-third of the world has never heard the Savior’s Name and ninety percent of the worldwide outreach effort is doing missions with the old fashion way to one third of the population who have already heard the Gospel!

Having said all of that, I have a very strong belief in the Sovereignty of God. I believe He has used the efforts of the past, which I have played a role, as He is using the traditional Christendom today. My prayer is, however, that I personally won’t fossilize nor will I make sacred the methods of the past. I’d like to die thinking about how to serve Christ in the future rather than talk about the good old days of my past. The buzz trends of “saturation church planting,” “people group movements” and even “business as mission,” remains the brainchild of the institutions. Helpful, yes, but still tethered to program that is often cumbersome and limited.

Someone said to me, “Richard, don’t just give theories, people want answers, they want to know what to do.” Well, my last post was an attempt to do that; it wasn’t just an old guy regretting life.

If I were thirty years younger and just starting out on life’s journey I’d do things differently today. Sadly, most missionaries starting out today are stuck in yesterday’s model spurred on by the institutional church that is mired in tradition that demands structure. My point is, let’s keep pushing the edge even if it doesn’t quite fit into the old mold.

If I Could Turn Back The Clock

If I could turn back the clock I’d do things differently in reaching the unreached with the message of Christ.

* If I were an engineer I would get a job with a company that works overseas.

* If I were in college today I would study international business.

* If I was graduating from college this spring I would take a civil service test, apply for a State Department job and try to get an overseas assignment with the U.S. embassy.

* If I were a history, english or math teacher I would apply to teach at international school in the Middle East.

* At 23 years of age and single I would join the Peace Corp, Red Cross or some other international agency.

* If I were a chef I’d open a hamburger joint in Jordon.

Whatever a person is good at, they can live, work and serve Christ overseas.

For a local church to be involved in M3 ministry they only have to look as far as their local college or university as students from M3 nations are in your town.

In almost every community there are cultural blocks of people. In my hometown in northwest Arkansas of 45,000 people, there is a significant Hispanic population, but also a considerable number, between 15 and 20 percent, of immigrants from the Marshall Islands. One does not need to abandon their local church to reach out to students or immigrants; they merely have to look for ways to interact with others.

If I could turn back the clock I probably would still teach intercultural studies, but rather than following the traditional mission track of working within the established church I would look for ways to serve Christ in the secular workplace. I can’t turn back the clock and I’m too old to start over, but I can encourage others to think about doing missions differently in this age of globalization and post-Christendom.

He Is Risen, Not Reborn

My landlord has never understood the resurrection. As a cultural Hindu, he understands enough of his religion to be confused, not enough to truly have a deep faith. So, when it comes to Christ, the god of the Christian, Mr. J. can’t grasp the meaning of the Good Friday (the death of Jesus) and Easter (His resurrection). Every years he asks, “Now, this is the day Christians believe Jesus was reborn?”

“No,” I patiently explain, “Jesus rose from death, He was not reborn in a different form but demonstrated His power over death by rising the third day.”

There’s not much reason to explain to Mr. J. that the during the three days after His crucifixion Jesus was indeed alive, in a different spirit world establishing His victory over the last enemy of all mankind, death. His death, which means separation, was brief as Christ was separated from the Father and separated from His body. But, like all men, the spirit does not die, it is just separated from the physical. The meaning of the resurrection of Jesus was that He has the power over the physical and for those who believe in Him, one day, we too, will have power over the limitations of the physical. Those who are not followers of Jesus will always be separated, both from God and the physical. This is called the second death.

Whew, no wonder my landlord doesn’t understand the resurrection, it’s a bit confusing to even those who place their faith in Him. But, unlike other faiths, which place their trust in their own good works or in or mortal gurus, our faith hinges on the resurrection. The gods of others possess fantastic stories, as confusing and meaningless as to those who are not followers of the faith of Christ. The difference is that no other faith claims the resurrection. Some would say Christians are duped by historical fiction. Others will see this day as mere ritual of another religion.

Those who are followers of the Christ celebrate this day for the One who gave His life as a sacrifice for all men, rejoice that Jesus did not die a martyr’s death. It was not a death that was an ending, but a death that announces a beginning of eternal life. He is risen, He is not reborn!

Cut To The Chase

In the past couple of posts I ‘ve been pontificating on the need to make missions better. To cut to the chase, what would I do, how would I approach missions if I were a pastor in the U.S.? Whether my congregation was 50 or 500 here is what how I would pastor my flock in the world of global outreach.

1. I would begin a yearlong educational program so that our membership was informed. I’ve talked about this issue over the past two posts, so no need to repeat myself here. I would subscribe to monthly journals, have a reading list, attend at least two seminars on missions and would invite a missions consultant to meet with our people. I WOULD NOT invite a missionary or national to visit my church during that year. The reason is obvious; they have a work and an agenda. That’s not bad, but you should build relationships and partnerships AFTER research.

2. I would create a purpose statement that reflected Acts 1:8, i.e., outreach to Jerusalem (my city), Judea (my region or country), Samaria (similar belief countries) and, uttermost parts of the world (the unreached). I would define missions as outreach outside my local congregation. (I define any outreach for the benefit of our congregation as evangelism, but for the sake of category would identify local outreach as M0). True missions, therefore, would have with these classifications:

a. M1 – Regional outreach. This may mean giving to a Hispanic ministry in the city, supporting a new church plant among the Iranian’s in Dallas, campus ministry to international students, drug intervention program, etc.

An M1 mission is not VBS, short-term mission trips to Mexico. Though important, these projects promotes and benefits the local assembly, therefore would be M0 evangelism.

b. M2 – Outreach to the Reached. Missions and missionaries (Western or National) to people and countries who already have access to the Gospel. I am well aware that the people in Mexico City, Stockholm and Pusan are not yet Christian centers and those who serve in those areas are important and some do have significant ministries. If I were a pastor, those serving in M2 missions would need to get my attention if our church is to partner with them.

c. M3 – Outreach to the Unreached. One third of the world’s population has no viable Gospel witness. They live in the restricted countries where politically it’s impossible to openly declare the message of Christ; they are religiously resistant (Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Animist). An M3 mission is ministry in hard-ground among hard people and the fruit of the ministry may not be seen in our lifetime.

3. I would institute a 70/30 budget…70% for Jerusalem/Judea (M0) and 30% for Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world (M1, M2, and M3). Of the 30% to missions I would dedicate 10% to M1 and M2 and 20% to M3.

To make this budget work the congregation must be diligent to protect the integrity of its purpose. If the teen-agers want to have a Bible club in New Orleans; if the mission committee wants to take a fact-finding trip to Moldova; if a missionary comes by for lunch, monies for such activities should either come out of the M0 budget or paid for out of a persons own pocket.

When I think of budget, I am thinking of ALL monies that are raised through the church. If my church needs a million dollar expansion, we should think about how to raise $300K for M1-M3 missions. I realize I lose most of my audience at this point, but I contend that there needs to be radical shift from centripetal ecclesiastical centered congregations to centrifugal missional assemblies. If the reason for our church existence is to compete with other congregations so we can survive I’m not convinced we have a right purpose. If our purpose is to reach the world with the message of hope in Christ, then a spirit of sacrifice of must prevail within the assembly. If a group of believers of people can’t function on 70% of its income, it seems to me, our priorities are a bit out of kilter. Real radicals might suggest a 60/40 budget.

To go 70/30 and to budget toward M3 ministry is a process that will be difficult for the institutional church. Denominational intuitionalism will make it even more challenging. The larger and older the congregation the more the “choke law” of innovation becomes evident. If I were a pastor of an established program I would set a five-year goal, beginning with education, in moving toward a 70/30 M3 mission plan. Those with the newer congregations or who do not have a defined mission strategy can move much quicker toward the reality of a missional church.

Idealistic? Perhaps. One thing is certain, churches throughout the world are captivated with church growth and what it takes to become more attractive in their community. Though half of the churches in our region could die tomorrow and Christ would still have an adequate witness, we can’t or won’t realign our outreach that is more outward and less inward focus. To cut to the chase, we need to revaluate how we do missions and to those who have never heard His Name.

Get Understanding

Os Guiness asked,

How are we to be wise and understanding, not simpy well-informed with a surplus of facts and figures? How are we to be always timely, never trendy? How are we to be redefined -- in the right way?

An increase in mission knowledge doesn’t make one an expert, it’s merely a tool to go to the next level in developing a purposeful purpose statement and a strategic plan for ministry. Without relevant and current information we don’t have a prayer (no pun intended) in creating world outreach program for our churches that will have a meaningful impact. Missions, as I've argued before, should not be “a thing we do,” but rather “the thing we are about.” To go to the next level in global outreach the local church must be purpose driven (that’s a catchy phrase, don’t you think) with in-depth research on the state of the world need.

Ed Dayton outlines the importance of doing research.

1. Research is an effort to supply missing information. If you know what you need to know you don't need research.

I am making the assumption that the average church does not have all the information needed to make well informed decisions about global missions. What does your church know about:

* The percentage of the church budget goes to missions? Five, ten, twenty percent?
* Of the money that goes to missions, how much of that money actually gets out of the country? (That does not mean buying lunch in the states for a missionary who works in the 10/40 window or a "fact finding mission" to Mongolia.)
* Of that money that actually gets overseas, how much of that goes to reaching the most unreached (two billion) people of the world? (Companion question: who are the unreached, where do they live and why are they unreached?)
* Of the missionaries your church supports, how many of them are actually a part of reaching those without a gospel witness?

2. How much research do you need? Just enough. Just enough to be able to make adequate plans at the level you are now working.

It’s true, we live in an age of information overload. There is more information in a daily issue of the New York Times than a seventeenth century Britisher would encounter in a lifetime. It’s also true that it’s impossible to attain all the facts; that we can be afflicted with analysis paralysis and never get anything done because we are still studying the problem. But in reality, information overload is not the problem I see in most churches. Most congregations are not looking for information and what little they have is either outdated or irrelevant to the task at hand.

3. If you don't intend to plan, don't worry about doing research. Any road will get you there.

And this seems to be the situation with so many. Churches plan on how they will conduct their worship service, they will plan on their next building program, heck, they will even plan for this summer’s softball league, but they have no plans for reaching the world. The mission project is most often an annual conference, showing a clip of starving kids and orphans, throwing money at the best presentation -- but plan? Not a chance.

The Preacher said, “With all your getting, get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7)

Here are some resources to begin the process for research and information:

www.missionbooks.com
www.missionfrontiers.org
www.perspectives.org
www.asmweb.org
www.emqonline.com

A "D" Is Not A Passing Grade

Recently I read about a “movement” of sorts. Though small in number, this movement is made up of educators who are disturbed by the American educational grading system. Their concern is about high school graduates who do not have the basic tools of math, science and reading skills to compete in a global market. This has spurred these educators to challenge the status quo. Their mantra is:

A “D” is not a passing grade.

Their argument is that giving a student a “D,” and some even argue against a “C” is rewarding, maybe even encouraging, students to just get by. By passing kids to the next level in school with an average or below average grade, our school system is encouraging mediocrity. Our children, they contend, should only be allowed to move forward when their scores are above average.

When I think of missions, the local sending church and worldwide outreach, I wonder if part of the harvest problem isn’t due to having a “D” mentality. Getting by seems to be sufficient. Missions is not an integral part of the local church purpose but merely a part of their portfolio -- ministry things they do. To raise the bar in missions, to go beyond minimum requirements for the Great Commission (GC), I am suggesting there be a focus on three things: Information, Purpose, Plan (strategy, tactic, etc.).

In some ways I think Purpose should go before Information. The problem, however, is that without proper information a purpose is often created in a vacuum. There are many churches that have a purpose statement that says little to nothing about its role in the GC. When a local congregation is properly informed it can create an informed and focused purpose. So, here is a list of things the church needs to be educated about for global outreach.

* The Need – Two-thirds of the world population are not followers of Christ, one-third without a Gospel witness.

* People Group Thinking – Overseas and in your local community.

* Balanced Allocation of Funds – 70/30 plan….70% of resources for Jerusalem, Judea, Samara (Ac. 1:8) ministry, 30% to the utter most part of the (unreached) world.

Information is the engine for both Purpose and Strategy. It’s tempting to start making a mission plan on everything from partnering with national’s in reaching the unreached to creating a short-term mission projects before becoming well informed. But being partially informed in missions is part of the problem with “C” mission outreach in today’s church. We have too many churches who have just enough knowledge to be dangerous but not helpful. Much of their knowledge is based on half-hearted research and following the trends or flavor of the month mission strategy. Before launching into a tactic consider this:

Begin a year’s study of missions which includes, setting up a reading list, find a study program (like a Perspectives class) in your area, create a committee, enlist a consultant to walk your church through the process.

For the most part I would give the average American church a “C-“ for their GC grade. Certainly those who do it right, and there are a few, bring the average up. The church worldwide surely gets a “D.” For those who have never heard the name of Jesus, a “D” is not a passing grade.

Is Your Church The Solution Or The Problem?

The proportion of the world’s population that is unevangelized came down dramatically last century. The proportion that had not heard a gospel presentation shrank from 50.2 per cent in 1900 to 27.5 percent in 2004. Yet there are an estimated 1.747 billion people in the world who have never heard the gospel. Their ranks are expected to increase to 1.946 billion by 2025.

In a booming, high tech-oriented economy in which personal incomes have reached a combined $8 trillion…giving to Evangelical Protestant mission agencies has remained modest at best, at around $3 billion annually. For all the current emphasis on unreached peoples, only 0.01 per cent of the average Christian family income is aimed at reaching the so-called 10/40 window.

(Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century)

After one of my talks a man came up to me and said, “Talking about missions and the vast need is like trying to comprehend the national debt. I just can’t get my arms around it.”

Like the national debt, the Church has two options as it relates to world outreach. One, ignore the statistics and just go about doing missions as usual. This passive approach is part of the reason one third of the world has never had a Gospel witness.

Two, try to do something different, creative and strategic. The enormity of the task should not deter us from trying, even in a small way, to solve the problem. The great need is for the church to begin the process of truly fulfilling the Great Commission in taking the message of Christ to those who have never heard. Here is an outline for that process, which will be expanded in future posts.

1. Informed Missional Church. Local assemblies are the gatekeepers of the GC. One third of the world’s population, if they are to have a chance to hear the message of Christ, will only have that opportunity if, and when, the local church becomes truly informed. This education process will be long and continuous.

2. Purposed Missional Church. An informed congregation is one that creates an intentional purpose for reaching those without the message of Christ.

3. Strategic Missional Church. Purpose drives the local church to know (a) the target people for outreach, (b) the people who will do the work and, (c) how the task will be accomplished through global resources.

With these three components, coupled with focused and purposed prayer, the local congregation will be in a position to break away from being the problem to becoming a part of the solution in world outreach. This progression will not be accomplished overnight, but it does not require years to implement. The key is to begin and to move consistently forward.

The Great Ecclesiastical Dilemma

Speaking before a group in a city with a population a little over 100,000 people, I asked this question? “How many churches are in this community?” A man in the class, who is also a member of the Gideon’s answered, “About 126.” I have no way of knowing if that number of congregations includes Catholic or ethnic churches, such as Hispanic or Korean assemblies. Either way, that number of assemblies represents one church for every 800 people in the area. By every standard you would have to say that the city has been reached with the Gospel.

The purpose of my talk was to point out the inequity of fulfilling the Great Commission. One third of the world’s population (now over 6 billion people) claim to be a followers of Christ. Another third of the world’s population are people groups who have never had an opportunity to even hear about Jesus. Ninety-five percent of all resources (money, human energy, programs) are to the one third who already claim to be followers of Jesus, along with the other third of the population which, though not believers, live in areas where there is an opportunity to hear the Gospel. Less than five percent of Christian resources is dedicated to the one third who have never heard the Good News.

What is interesting about this church, and typical of all congregations I visit, is that they are in phase one of a three-phase building program that will cost over a million dollars. Just about every church I visit are either already in or planning on an expansion program. Even though the class agreed with me that “If half of the churches in the city died tomorrow God would still have an adequate witness,” they couldn't possibly entertain the thought NOT to go forward with their church expansion.

Yesterday a friend was telling me about his church, one of the "first" churches in the city. They have a lousy location and are pressed by the competition of the other mega-churches in the area to do something to survive. They are now in a multi-million dollar relocation campaign because, quite honestly, they either have to compete or disband (a blasphemous thought).

Practically I cannot and do not judge these churches or pastors. To be a viable congregation the local church must think of ways to maintain their congregational size and at least marginal growth. Most of the time that reality means pouring money into upgrading everything from the nursery to sound equipment. Every congregation is at best a small business enterprise hoping to be the next super-center that is the largest congregation in the community. Falling short of that their next best hope is to survive. To reach that mega-church status will necessitate spending mega-dollars into a community that is already evangelized.

Missiologically, the inequity in allocation of resources borders on being criminal. People and nations, those who make up two-thirds of the world with little or no Gospel witness, compete for the five cents that is not consumed by the one-third over evangelized Christian population.

The ecclesiastical dilemma is trying to figure out how reach the unreached while locally staying in business. Is there an answer in solving this inequity? Yes, but it will be painful and probably not popular. We’ll look at some of the options later.

Churches Do The Darndest Things

Standing in the front row listening to the worship music, the pastor leaned over and said to me, “In a few minutes there will be a lady in our church who will present you with a gift. We have group of older women in our church who make quilts and they give them to Alzheimer patients and missionaries.”

I nodded in the affirmation, but after a few minutes I couldn’t contain myself, almost busting out loud laughing as I thought of the pastor’s comment. I leaned toward him and said, “Think about what you just said. You give gifts to Alzheimer patients and missionaries!”

The pastor didn’t miss a step as he smiled and replied, “Yeah, I think they see you as an affinity group.”

I don’t feel a need to make a point out of this incident -- I thought it was incredibly funny. I do think, however, it’s interesting that when congregations think of charities, they think of missionaries. The days of missionary barrels (used clothing for those returning to the U.S.) is still alive and well. Missionaries are kind of like God’s Goodwill project. Since I spend so much of my time trying to elevate the profession of vocational missionaries before churches, my preference would be their admiration for us be demonstrated differently than a quilt. However, these dear women in this church gave a gift that was a truly a labor of love. The message may get mixed sometimes, but the motive is genuine. Who knows, next week I may get a jar of homemade jam that is given to missionaries and convicts. Churches do the darndest things.

Donor Attrition

Last night I received a call from a colleague. He was “ticked off” at a supporting pastor because he, seemingly, has dropped their monthly support. He was not so upset with the action as much as he was with the process. The pastor of the church has not written him about dropping they’re funding and this, to my friend, is unethical. Quoting my granddaughter I told my friend he needed to take a “chill pill.” Getting irate, incensed and writing a nasty letter to the pastor wasn’t going to help things. My advice to him was to pick up the phone or write an email or letter to the church and just make a casual inquiry about the fact he has not received financial backing from them for past two months. From there we talked about the reality of donor attrition.

One of the reasons this unhappy colleague called me was because I told him over lunch a couple of days before that I was in the states to shore up my donor base. Throughout the course of a year we generally lose one or two donors and I recounted that I had received a letter from one donor congregation stating they were going to discontinue their support, which reflected 5% of our budget. Living in a country where the inflation rate is over 10% a year, a significant drop of funding can result in a serious financial situation if there are not new streams of resources in the pipeline. If a vocational missionary is not actively raising support they are passively moving into deficit.

As I told my caller last night, because we depend on the freewill gifts of others we must recognize donor support will always be in a state of unrest. Churches often change pastors who don’t know our work or me. Congregations change mission philosophy; donors lose their jobs or there are economic downturns in the community. Sometimes people just don’t like what I do, or even my personality. I have lost support for all kinds of reasons; some don’t make any sense at all. (Like the pastor who said he can only support people through his denomination, as it’s too much work for his secretary to make out two checks every month). Donor attrition is a reality; it just comes with the territory.

Since I have been in the business over thirty years, I am no longer surprised or even angered when a church or individual ceases to discontinue their financial backing. It’s never fun to lose support and sometimes there is a temptation to take loss of funding as personal rejection. I have friends who are very generous in supporting other ministry projects, but for some reason don’t even think about our ministry. (It’s probably "A prophet is worthy except in his own country" syndrome.) It would be easy to feel hurt that those closest to me and my wife would think so little of what we do that they don’t perceive our work as an eternal investment. However, I refuse to dwell on that line of thinking, as it is a snare of false validation.

For me, and those who share my vocation, we must keep things in perspective as it relates to finances and ministry. While I must continue a posture of maintaining support due to donor attrition, funding is merely a means to an end. My role in God’s grand scheme is to promote and facilitate the taking of the message of Christ to those who have never heard. To get uptight about who is or who isn’t backing us is pointless. To try to analyze why someone has ceased to support us is a waste of energy. Focus on the reason why we work and Who we serve. Donor attrition is serious and sometimes painful, but it’s a historical reality. Our Lord is a pretty good example of one who lost support. Rather than becoming angry with those who left Him in His greatest need, He focused on His purpose. My advice is to keep your eye on the goal, not the financial bottom line.

Educating the Church

Neither rain, snow nor a blizzard can keep me from my appointed fund raising rounds. Last week I got caught in a “white-out” between Kansas and Colorado as the 50-mile an hour winds and blowing snow closed I-70. Like a mother cow trying to find a hole in the fence to reach her bawling calf, I headed south trying to find a highway that was open for me to cross into Colorado. Talking with my brother on a cell phone, he scanned Doppler radar guiding the best he could. I continued south until I ended up in New Mexico attacking the allusive Rocky Mountain State border going north on I-25. The twelve-hour journey ended after eighteen, but I made it, for which the host pastor was grateful.

The next morning I taught the combined Bible Study class and in the evening spoke on the importance of cross-cultural communication with my lecture on “Being a Bridge of God.” In the Q and A there was some interesting enquires of terms I used throughout, such as defining what it means to serve cross-culturally and explaining the meaning of contextualization. After services I interacted with many who said, “I have never heard of these things before.” Amazing, since many of these people have been in the church for over forty years.

The next morning over breakfast the pastor said to me, “I learned more about missions yesterday than any class I have ever taken.” This comes from a pastor who has been in the ministry for over thirty-five years and who has led his church to support missionaries for all those years.

Why was there such an awakening in the congregation about missions? Is it because I am such a profound expert on the subject that I presented new information that is just now hitting the church? Not at all. I believe there are essentially two reasons for such a reaction. (BTW, the reaction from this congregation is not isolated as I experience this response in many churches I visit).

First, most missionaries when they visit a congregation spend more time on inspiration and little or no time on education. Most missionary presentations are filled with pictures of the country, their family and ministry. With the technology that is now available PowerPoint presentations are slick with video clips, testimonies and music. The appeal is made for reaching the lost that have never heard or an anecdote how someone came to Christ and was delivered from evil spirits or idol worship. Good stuff, but designed to reach the emotion of the heart rather than informing the mind.

Second, there really isn’t that many missionaries who have a desire to educate and many more who lack mission education in their own lives. It’s difficult (impossible) to talk about contextualizing the message when in your own ministry you are still using a western method and model for your ministry overseas. If one has never wrestled with the issue of Hindu or Muslim secret followers of Christ, it’s not going to be a part of the missionaries presentation. Since the western church is focused on church planting, how does one report on what God is doing if it isn’t easily identifiable? (And how can we possibly raise forty-thousand dollars for a church building if the converts are not yet ready to openly declare their faith?)

In my talk yesterday I said that ninety-five cents of every Christian dollar given is dedicated to those who have already declared they are followers of Christ. Less than one cent of every Christian dollar given goes to the effort of reaching the two billion people who have never heard the message of Christ. In spite of this reality we are still supporting projects home and abroad that will not have any impact on the masses that have never heard the Good News.

This stuff isn’t new, it’s just seldom talked about. Churches need less inspiration and more education in world-wide outreach.

Unexpected Encouragement

The church office doors were locked, so I rang the doorbell. Sharon, the church secretary, saw me from me from the security camera and came down stairs to let me in.

“I know you,” she said with a big smile.

“Really?” I replied with surprise.

“Twenty years ago,” Sharon continued, “you preached here and it changed my husband’s life. Some people thought we were going to end up on the mission field. Obviously we didn’t, but that night had a profound impact on my husband.”

The following Sunday the pastor at another church began his introduction of me by stating, “Seventeen years ago Richard gave us some advice on how to structure our missions conference differently. Instead of the traditional approach of having services at the church each evening, he suggested we have home meetings where people could get to know missionaries on a more informal setting. It was the best advice we’ve ever received and we have been using that model every year since.”

I always resist taking time away from my “ministry” of teaching and training to visit churches in America. The stated goal for my visit is to report to our donors and hopefully find new churches and individuals who will partner with us. It’s painful for me to turn down invitations to teach as that is my passion as well as my calling. However, I realize that visiting churches is a necessary part of the job; raising support comes with the territory of taking on the profession of a career missionary.

God has blessed me in many ways, but one of His gracious acts this past two weeks came in the form of unexpected encouragement. Comments from a church secretary and a pastor were God’s way of reminding me that no matter what the venue, my service for Him has no geographical boundaries. Whether I teach in a classroom or from a pulpit, whether the location is in Delhi or Downey, the message of world evangelism and the need to take the message of Christ to every people in every cultural context is ministry. To think that God used anything I said twenty years ago is humbling. To think that anything I say on this trip may have eternal value is sobering. And so it is with all of us. No matter how mundane or even distasteful the task may seem God can use it for His honor and His purpose.

Land Of Free Refills

As the guy who lives and works in Denmark said the other day, “It’s good to be back in the land of the free refills.” Great line. There are so many things about this country that is unique and interesting. For those who live in this country it is hardly noticed, but for those who are based outside the U.S., it’s always a of bit fun to experience the land of our birth, though not the land of our residency. Here are a few luxuries that I am taking advantage of while stateside.

W/O Bucket - It’s hard to beat a good shower. I’m not talking about the refreshing feeling one has after a good scrubbing, I’m talking about exquisite sensation of standing under running water. In India my daily ablution require that I fill a five-gallon bucket with water, squat and pour water over my head. I must admit that I fill a bit guilty standing in a shower as I wonder how much more water I use under the five speed spigot (regular pressure, pulse, low rinse, etc.), but it’s an extravagance I truly enjoy.

The bonus of a shower goes beyond water pressure but also includes regulated temperature, both of water as well as room temperature. My flat in India has only one pipe running into the washroom and the water supply comes from a large tank that sits atop the flat roof of our three-story building. In the summer, when it’s 115 degrees, it’s best to fill the bucket when it is reasonably cooler. In the winter I have to guess on how long to keep the electric geezer (hot water heater) on. Too long and it’s scalding; too short and I’m taking a lukewarm bath with the air temp hovering in the 40’s. Can it get any better than standing under regulated flow knowing that when I turn off the faucet the bathroom air will be as delightful as the water itself?

Cheap Gas - I know that it’s outrageous to pay $2.50 a gallon for gasoline. I’m old enough to remember when five dollars filled up the tank. I’m also old enough to remember when petrol was four dollars a gallon in Kenya and that same gallon is now over six in India. With the profits Big Oil and the Saudis continue to make, I’m guessing over two dollars is too much to pay at the pump, but filling the tank here is less painful than other parts of the world.

One Stop Shopping - What does one do when they have jetlag and wake up at 2 a.m.? How about going to Wal-Mart? I still find it fascinating that no matter what I need I don’t have to travel all over the city, like on a scavenger hunt, to get things. To think I can get a wood screw without going to a hardware store, or a writing pen that isn’t sold exclusively in a stationary shop, or bread that is available in the same place that I can purchase a tire! And not only can I find these things under one roof but I can have a variety of choices with each item. Amazing.


If life was judged only by price index and convenience it would be hard argue that there is a better place to live than the land of the red, white, blue and dollar green. Like all countries, the U.S. has its good and bad points. But it’s still fun to be in the land of free refills.

Journey To Holy Land

Yesterday I made a trek to holy ground. As I passed the big donut sign on the corner, which was there when I was a kid, my heart picked up pace. As I drove slowly past the white building a flood of memories surfaced. The neighborhood had changed, but surprisingly remained intact. On the corner of Marine and Gramacy was Chapman Elementary where I first fell in love with a first grader, Rochelle Arnold. Amazingly, I can remember her name and face but can’t remember people I met last month…a true sign of old age. Two blocks south I turned right on 149th St. I looked at the little matchbox houses in the neighborhood that was my home nearly sixty years ago. I take another right and back to the white building that I consider sacred space.


I knocked on the door that at one time led me to the Sunday School wing. Scott, the pastor, was waiting for me as I had called the day before. After a few minutes in his office he gave me the tour. He told me that after the “fire” in the ‘70’s they remodeled the whole church, but it looks basically the same. I told him that there was a fire in 1959 as well that gutted the main auditorium and we had to meet in the back where he now has an office. As we rounded the corner I recognized the room where Dr. Loys Vess preached and my father walked forward to become a Christian. I remembered how that on that day I was perplexed as my dad didn’t cry or show any emotion when making his decision for Christ. I thought everyone cried when they became a believer, but not my dad. It was as though it was business transaction and shaking the pastors hand was like signing the deal.

When Scott led me into the auditorium my mind went back fifty-two and half years. Of course the hard wooden pews no longer existed and the concrete floor was now carpeted. I told Scott about that day, Friday August 19, 1955. It was the last day of VBS and my brother, Bill, and our friend Ronnie was sitting on the left side of the auditorium. I can still remember walking down the aisle and kneeling at what we called an altar. I cried and repented of my sins as though I was a hardened criminal, though I was only eight years old. After the service I ran back to our little home on 149th to tell my mom I got saved. A few weeks later I was baptized. The baptistery was actually a tank and the pulpit was built over it. The day I was baptized they didn’t put enough water in it and I was barely dunked. But my pastor, Gilbert Thomas, made sure I got all the way under.

Without question a humble beginning of a long and interesting journey. An obscure little boy attending a little known church led by an unheard of pastor and yet it had universal significance. The neighborhood around the Bible Baptist Church in Gardena, California may just be the inner city to some, but for me, it’s holy ground.

Worthless Rage

We live in such a fast pace world that when things slow down or doesn’t move as we think they should it’s a catalyst for stress. For some it’s a recipe for rage.

In the hustle and bustle of the New Delhi airport, standing in the British Airlines check-in line a man was yelling as loud as he could, shaking his fist and causing quite a stir. Turns out that he was told that he was going to have to pay a considerable amount for overweight baggage and he was outraged. The little girl behind the check-in desk was the object of his scorn, though he was sharing his wrath her supervisor and BA in general. His conclusion was that he wasn’t going to pay, and told his family of four that they would just go home. As they were escorted from check-in he continued his tirade and I stepped into his spot, still warm with fury.

The girl smiled and said, “Sorry about that. But he’ll be back?”

“Really,” I said, “how do you know?”

“They all do,” she answered. “They make a scene and make threats, but they won’t miss their flight.”

Sure enough, before boarding I saw the irritant man with wife and two children in-tow. I wondered if airline gave him a discount on the baggage fee? I find it interesting that some people seem to barter for anything and everything. I could as easily see this guy yelling at the vegetable vendor or the rickshaw driver as to the BA attendant. Does he really think he can negotiate the price of luggage as lettuce? Perhaps.

Our departure from Delhi was delayed over an hour. Snow and low visibility in London caused another holdup. Backlog of getting flights in and out of Heathrow caused a traffic jam and our plane wasn’t able to park at its gate. I had just forty-five minutes before my next flight but felt that I could still catch my connection. One hour later, we were still stuck on the tarmac and the natives were getting restless. In desperation/frustration a French passenger lost it and stood up to take his bags down from the overhead bin. Surrounded by three flight attendants they tried to restrain him and moved him back to his seat. I’m not sure where he thought he would go if he got his bags, open the side door and jump off?

Once off the plane rather than standing in the long line at the transfer desk I opted to go to my gate and see if the flight to Chicago was also delayed. The door to the jet way was literally closing when I arrived, but I was able to catch it before it locked. I made my flight, but assumed my bags wouldn’t. I was right.

When I started writing blogs I wanted to call it “Lost Luggage” as it seems to be my lot in life. On arriving at Northwest Arkansas Regional airport, the second thing I did after hugging my daughter and granddaughter was to tell them, “I need to file lost baggage claim.” My daughter just moaned having to go through the familiar and time-consuming ritual. Twenty-four hours later my bags arrived, a mere ten hours before my flight to Los Angeles.

I have been traveling for more years and miles than most people. In the process of time, partly through observing others, I’ve learned some crucial life lessons that help, not only when in transient, but also facing everyday challenges.

First, there are some things we can’t control. I wish it hadn’t snowed in London causing the backlog inbound/outbound traffic. But snow is one of those things that God does, not man. To pour wrath on humans for a non-human circumstance doesn’t make sense. Not only does yelling not do any good, it makes the screaming manic look like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum. I’m not impressed with those who scream at employees to vent their frustration. They just look like idiots and they solve anything.

Second, when bad things happen to good people, me, the best thing to do is rise above problem -- yeah, be better than the situation. Why? Because I still can’t change anything and if it can be changed I probably can get the same mileage in making it right by being civil rather than being hostile. I must have called American Airlines five times in one day inquiring about my lost luggage. They were courteous and so was I. Yelling at the person on the other end of the telephone line, whose only job is looking at the computer screen, wasn’t going to get my bags to me any faster.

My daughter reminded me that I wasn’t always so laid back and non-aggressive. But she also admitted that she likes this dad over the old one. Wish I had learned these lessons years ago.

Program Notice

From February 9th until April 5th I will be in the U.S., visiting friends and reporting to donors. I usually try to post something on Blue Passport a couple of times a week and I expect to continue that practice. However, plane/car travel, schedule of meetings, Internet access may play havoc on when the posts go out. Because some of you are regular readers, which I appreciate, I wanted to give you a heads-up on the possible irregular postings.

If I am in your area, let me know and we’ll see if we can work out a time to visit. Present itinerary is:

Southern California - February 10 – 19
Colorado – February 25 – March 5
Ohio – March 11-14
Texas - March 17 - 21
Kansas – March 23 – 27

My base will be NW Arkansas, Eastern Oklahoma and when not on the road in-between these dates I am available. Sending me an Email is the best way to get in touch with me.

Teaching The Salt and Light

This past weekend I had the privilege of speaking at a retreat for DevPro, a group of Christian professionals working in India. Most of these people are associated with the Emmanuel Hospital Association but they are not limited to just medical work and have members with accounting, software development, teachers, social workers and people with other workplace skills. The purpose of the retreat was standard, spiritual refreshment as well as to hear reports from DePro members throughout the country.

Why did they invite me to speak at the retreat? I’m not a business guy; I’m a culture guy. But, as I continue to tell anyone who will listen, I believe EVERYBODY in every work environment needs a concentrated course in cross-cultural studies. Why? Because every social environment, where there are more than two people working, is a setting of communication; the larger the group in that workplace environment the greater the need is for cross-cultural studies.

In the secular marketplace, where Christian professionals are in the minority, to effectively be “salt and light,” it’s important to know how to communicate a witness that is both relevant as well as non-offensive (the Cross will always be offensive to some, but that doesn’t mean we should be). My goal for this retreat was to give some guiding principles to use in the situation God had placed them and to encourage them in their vital role in the Kingdom.

What I gained from our two days together was significant. I met some incredible people, some working in some very difficult situations. Many of these good folks are underpaid, understaffed and their work environment is stressful and often times lonely. To many unbelievers in the world, these do-gooders are perceived as foolish, setting aside good careers and retirement to work with the marginalized of society. As often is the case, the teacher was taught more than he taught, and I’m obviously the better for it.

To those interested, I encourage you to visit DevPro and Emmanuel Hospital websites.

You Can't Shine Over Dirt

Isn’t it amazing the things people remember from their childhood? My dad use to rip off one-liners all the time and what’s startling is that I still remember them. When I protested of chores he would say, “There are some things in life you have to do even if you don’t like it.” Or “If you don’t stop crying, I’ll give you something to cry about.” Some of his sayings were meant for encouragement, others were threats. They usually worked.

The other day when I was getting ready for a meeting I got some polish out to put a new coat on my dull and dusty shoes. Before applying I heard my dad say, “Son, you can’t shine over dirt.” Instinctively I got up and got a moist cloth to clean my shoes before I smeared on the black. I dwelled on that saying while I continued my chore. What a great principle for life, I thought.

We all know that most of God’s creatures spend a lot of time trying to keep the shine on. In a social setting I find it fascinating, and times a bit annoying, listening to people go on and on about their life, their career, their kids, their importance. They spend so much time talking about themselves it never occurs to them to ask about you, your life or story. Some people work really hard at projecting their shine by the clothes they wear and the accessories that are meant to impress. But for many, under that shine is a lot of dirt.

In the news recently there is a story of an evangelical leader who seemingly had it all -- pastor of a large church, beautiful family, invitations even to the White House to counsel on morality. It all came to and end when it was found out that he had for years been taking methanphanmine and seeing a male prostitute. His confession was that for decades he lived with the reality that he had a dark and diabolical other self. His shine was a beautiful family, the gift of verbal persuasion and a ministry that was successful. What the world did not know, but he and God did, was that beneath the shine was grime and in the end the shine came off because you can’t shine over dirt.

Character, they say, is what you are when no one else is around. Persona doesn’t tell the whole story, sometimes not the real story. I find this thought troubling as I think of the dirt that creeps into my own life. Like the thin film of soot that hovers over the city of Delhi and rests on my computer, desk and floor, so, too, does the dirt of this world settle over my soul each day. The daily battle to keep the dust from my life is wearing and, like Paul I say, “I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway…Oh what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”

Though I cannot escape the grunge of self, I don’t have to live with it. I do have a choice, I can either try to keep the chambers of the heart clean or I can let the muck build. If I choose the latter it will one day come back to bite me for nothing stays hidden from God and I can’t shine over dirt.

My God, Why?

Flipping through the TV channels the other night I stopped at a movie already in progress called Awakenings. It’s an old movie, starring Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams, a story about people who have a disease that causes them to be in a statue like, frozen state of being. This true story, set in the 60’s, is about a doctor who finds a drug that bring these patients come out of their comatose state and they experience an awakening. For a short period of time these people feel the joy of walking and talking once again. Unfortunately the effect of the drug was not long lasting and the patients would revert back to their catatonic condition.

There is a scene in the movie where a mother is speaking to the doctors about her hope for her son. “When my son was born,” she said, “seemingly healthy and normal, I never questioned, ‘Why am I so fortunate, why am I so blessed with such a healthy baby?’ But, now, you bet I ask, ‘Why has this happened to us? What have I done so wrong that my son would suffer so?’”

At so it is with all of us. When things are going well we are not emotionally perplexed with why we are so fortunate. By our actions of not probing our blessings we may even think that our lives, free of heartache, is somehow normal, or the way things should be. It’s only when things begin to go wrong that we wonder what we’ve done to incur God’s disfavor.

Because I live in a developing country I get pretty jaded with the disease and poverty I see around me each day. People who visit this country seem not to be able to cope with the beggars, dirty street kids and the squalors that many call home. Because it’s my environment I am sometimes oblivious to such tragic surroundings. However, the next morning after watching Awakenings, I was on my daily walk and saw the trash pickers as they roamed the neighborhood. These young women and girls get up before dawn, and pick up paper and plastic that people have thrown out the night before. Scavengers with no education, I can only imagine where they slept the night before and what a miserable existence they have. No opportunity to go to school, to learn a trade, to raise a family in a decent home. Their children will perpetuate their hopeless condition; their future is as bleak as the morning fog.

As I made my rounds that morning I thought, “God, why am I blessed so much? Why have you allowed me to enjoy good health, a decent home and a wonderful family? Why have I found favor in your eyes?”

In reality all of the sons of Adam should be as alarmed with any blessing we experience. Born in sin, rebellious to our Creator, any good thing should cause us to stop in our tracks and ask, “My God, why are you so good to me?” I’m not sensitive enough to His goodness, but will awaken when things go wrong. When difficulties come into my life you can bet I will run to Him and plead for relief, healing, salvation. In reality I should be awakened to His goodness each day the sun shines and ask with urgency, “Why have you shown favor to me?” The answer of course is one word – Grace, the most profound act of God.

The Flight Of Time

My niece sent this picture titled, “A Biker And His Babe: What happens when the kids take away your drivers license.” God help me if this is Sandy and I in a few years.

Since crossing the sixth decade of life I am sensitive to social time. In the past month I have been asked to speak to a couple of youth groups and my theme has been from Ecclesiastes 11:9, 10:

Young people, it’s wonderful to be young. Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.

Solomon, also refereed to as “The Preacher,” wrote these words at the end of his life, when time had nicked him and he became cynical of man’s existence. I can relate. Every time I speak before young people I can hear Billy Crystal’s speech in “City Slickers” in my head (go to: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q2Mh_2a29qk). Both Solomon and Crystal had a similar themes…enjoy your youth for time quickly flies by.

In many countries old age is celebrated, as the elderly are perceived to be closer to God. That is certainly true physically, but their reference is more to old age and spiritually. As one grows older and the body begins to breakdown, mortality is more evident than when you are twenty and have more energy than common sense. In every country I’ve had the privilege to work in it is the elderly who go to church. It’s the elderly in Bolivia and the babushka’s in Russia who go to daily mass. I visited an Orthodox Church in Romania a few years back and the ten people who attended were all over seventy, even the priest who faithfully recited the prayers out of duty, not out of passion. It is the elderly who visit the Hindu temples, the “blue hairs,” who go to church. Why? Because they are aware that the clock of life is set on one minute to midnight, and the second hand can neither be reversed or stand still.

My message to the youth, however, is not that different from my message to any group of any age. First, “man makes his plans but God directs his steps.” I’m not a determinist and believe that I do indeed have a say on what happens in my life. The grand design for our lives does have some predetermined components. I can’t change where I was born, my gender, my parents, and my culture. But there are many variables that I do have control over. God has given us an opportunity to write the script of our lives and that leads to the second point of my outline -- choices. As Stanley Barrett wrote in “The Rebirth of Anthropological Theory,”

Virtually every value, norm, act and decision has one or more plausible alternatives that contradict it. All social action involves choices between alternatives.

Everyday I (we) get to determine how the story of our life will turn out. The food I eat, the books I read, how I spend my time each day, all is the screenplay I am creating. It’s possible that I will get hit by a bus today (something I think about daily as I walk the congested streets of Delhi), and be rendered paralyzed and bedfast for the rest of my life. Perhaps I will suffer a stroke that will make and end to my writing and teaching life. But, apart from those things I cannot control, God has given me freedom to travel my course without interference. Of course the key is to allow God to direct our steps as well as not abuse the freedom we possess. I can do all things, but not all things are edifying, either to God, others or myself.

While I may be closer to God than the young idealistic youth I speak to (though I remind them there is no guarantee as the curtain of their play may fall before mine), I pray that I have a few acts left before I leave the stage. If I make the right choices, stay close to Him, I will finish well. I just hope I exit before someone takes a picture of my babe and me as we toddle down the last mile of life.

The Bane of Vision

Ahh, the comfort of the status quo. Can anyone think of a more peaceful place than a rut that is constant? No surprises, no challenges, no criticism, no hassles. I remember watching the goat herders in Kenya who all they did everyday was tend to their flocks. They would get up in the early morning, throw rocks at the wanders to get back with the bunch, take a nap in the hot afternoon sun when the goats rested, herded them back to the kraal at night. What a life!

In this fast pace world we live in, especially if you are, like myself, self-employed, you can’t afford to “go with the flow.” My clients are those who have entrusted me with their resources to take the message of the Good News to people who have never heard. As I look at this new year I am forced to consider my teaching schedule in India, Kenya and the U.S.; launching a new initiative called the Center for Advanced Mission Studies (CAMS); publishing training material; upgrading everything from my webpage to real-time lectures online. My clients presume I will go beyond status quo; more importantly, my omnipresent Boss expects more of me than being in the rut of life.

I am well aware that many people in my profession, once in the system, can get lost in a rut and few people in the states know or care. Sad, but true, all one needs to do to continue to get support is write a newsletter once a quarter, tell a few stories about someone getting “saved,” about the neighbors coming down with beriberi, or how hard it is to find good bread at the local market and one can live a lifetime on the field. That’s a sad commentary on missionaries, it’s even more of an indictment to the local sending church and mission agency. Accountability is almost non-existent in my work and those back home who try to hold people to a standard usually know so little about missions they wouldn’t know how to evaluate a work if they were inclined to do so.

Does God expect us to have vision and goals? Yeah, I think so, but we need to keep things in perspective. God is more interested in our relationship with Him than sacrifice. But just being faithful, which is often code for “I’m unproductive but I’m still on the field,” isn’t what God has in mind either. He expects us to make plans as He directs our steps, to consider the work ethic of the ant and recognize that a little slumber and a little folding of the hands leads to poverty. I’d love to find a rut to ride, but I’m too paranoid that in the end I will end up cast into outer darkness because I didn’t diligently work out my own salvation. Okay, that may be stretching it, but a little holy fear keeps me on my toes.

As I look forward to 2007 I make no resolutions, except one. I resolve not to just let life happen, but, with His help, move toward some measurable goals. One day, maybe when I’m too old to move, I will take the time to throw rocks at goats.

Hand Out

In talking with a friend of mine recently he said, “I feel sorry for you guys (missionaries). Everyone seems to have his or her hand out asking for support. The problem is that you all are fishing from the same pond…the local church.”

Of course I can’t disagree with his underlying argument. There are a lot of people crisscrossing the country every Sunday giving their pitch on their ministries, ranging from orphanages, sports ministry, Bible translation, schools, youth camps and feeding programs. I, too, have a tendency to be jaded by the dog-and-pony shows of missionaries who put on silly looking national dress, have their kids sing songs in Swahili, show pictures of the poor in Cambodia and tell fantastic stories that border on Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. It doesn’t help my attitude when I turn on the GOD channel and see the televangelists who wear outrageous costumes, jump up and down like Masai warriors with people lying on the floor, presumably slain by the Spirit, jerking as though they are having an epileptic seizure. It’s embarrassing and I hate that some people would lump me in with others who “have their hand out.”

Though I disdain the reality that missions have become a business, which requires that each program must seek funding, I’m not sure there is an alternative. The corporate world certainly isn’t going to advance the Kingdom nor will secular NGO’s. I may not be convinced that Christian camp programs in Moldova are strategic or that distributing food to the hungry will produce anything but “rice Christians,” but because I don’t buy into it doesn’t make those ministries illegitimate. I’ve been in the business long enough now to realize that God uses some of the dumbest ideas for His glory, which includes some of my dumb ideas. This is not a defense for nonsense, but a check on being critical for sake of putting down ministries we personally may not agree with.

Missionaries go to the local church because, as Willy Sutton said of banks, “That’s where the money is.” God’s people, interested in God’s work are challenged to give for the cause of reaching the world with the message of Christ. While it does seem that there are a lot of people “with their hand out,” statistics consistently report that not much more that five cents of every Christian dollar given ever gets to the mission field. Missionaries are not competing with other mission projects but with new church buildings in the states, sound systems, church parking space and short-term mission trips for the youth. Missionaries, with their “hands out,” struggle with funding, not because there isn’t enough money to go around, but rather because they are competing with local interests.

In reality, most people in this world have their “hands out.” The politician who wants to get reelected solicits funds, the employee who fills out a job application, the businessman who seeks clients, the NGO who tries to get a government grant, the church passing the collection plate are all, in a sense, begging “Brother can you spare me a dime?” I suppose it’s a matter of perception and presentation. The skeptics, like myself, need to show a little more grace. Most missionaries are honorable and sincere people who just want to serve Christ. Even if they wear funny shoes or hat, God give me the grace not to see them as just having their “hands out.”

A Life Hidden

Many years ago I visited Mali, West Africa. Mali is one of those countries in the world that gets little notice. It’s poor, hot and insignificant. It’s greatest claim to fame is that there is a city in the north called Timbuktu, and though many have heard of it, few know that it is really a city and that it is in this non-descript country.

In a village called Keniba, there is a hospital built by a missionary by the name of Robert Correll. Correll was the son of the founder of a mission agency called United World Mission and he had a tragic death. One night, in the mid-60’s, Correll was trying to siphon gas into his Land Rover by the light of a kerosene lantern. As the story was told to me, he sucked too much gas into this mouth and instinctively spit the petrol out in the direction of the lantern. Immediately engulfed in flames his body was so badly burned that he only lived a couple of days. When I visited Keniba in 1992 I saw where he was buried, in the tall grass in an abandoned compound. The hospital was, for the most part, also abandoned, used primarily for storage of grain.

As I think of this missionary I never knew and few have heard of, it causes me to pause and ask questions of life and legacy. In today’s world where success is measured by the size of the project, its effectiveness, it’s “bang for the buck,” what good was Correll's life? There seemingly is no lasting fruit from Correll's existence on earth…no thriving church, no ongoing presence of a medical mission to help the disadvantaged. It’s as if his life didn’t matter and in the end, his death was a cruel reward for his sacrifice to a thankless people.

Correll did live; he did exist. And though the efforts of his life are not seen today it is because of our, my, inability to see God’s eternal handiwork. Correll lived for his day, not necessarily for legacy. All the education he accumulated in becoming a medical doctor, the money raised for his support and building of hospital was for a brief snapshot in time. Wasted? If that is my conclusion then I will have to take it up with the One who orchestrated Correll’s life, work and death. Harnessed with the limits of time, I do not now see those who were influenced by Correll’s life. Did his brief existence bring one or two people to know the love of Christ through his humanitarian efforts? Though the church in Keniba is small, are they not enough to justify the life of a young doctor whose remains are hidden in an African field?

Correll’s story is sobering. What is mission effectiveness? How is success measured? Perhaps we have it all wrong. Life is for what we accomplish for the moment, not a legacy to build. The ongoing results of a life well lived will continue, though as hidden as unmarked grave, until it all is revealed in eternity.