May 16, 2025

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Author: Gary Ridley

Education: BA Gordon College 1973; M.Div. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 1977; DMiss Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 1990. Ministry: SEND Missionary 1977-present. Faculty at Alaska Bible College 1978-2013. SEND U Missiologist 2013-present. Family: Married, 3 children, 6 grandchildren.
Spiritual Formation, Theology, Book Reviews

New Series from Crossway Books: Theologians on the Christian Life

  SEND U is always looking for new resources for spiritual formation. A few years ago, Crossway Books launched a new series called Theologians on the Christian Life. I am excited about this series. The editors, Stephen J. Nichols and Justin Taylor write in the series preface: Some might call us spoiled. We live in an era of significant and substantial resources for Christians on living the Christian Life. We have ready access to books, DVD series, online material, seminars – all in the interest of encouraging us in our daily walk with Christ. The laity, the people of the pew, have access to more information than scholars dreamed of having in previous centuries.        … Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Spiritual Formation, Self-Feeding, Spiritual Disciplines

Puritan Meditation: The Centerpiece of Spiritual Formation

In our pre-field training and on-field coaching of missionaries, we emphasize the critical importance of feeding yourself spiritually, or in other words, taking the initiative to regularly nurture your soul in a context where the busyness of ministry and stress of cross-cultural living can make it difficult to keep our hearts and minds set on things above (Col 3:1-2).   Feedback from our missionaries in training suggests that this emphasis is greatly appreciated and desperately needed.    One of those ways that we can feed ourselves spiritually is by learning the spiritual discipline of meditation.   In this area, we have few better teachers than the Puritans.… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Book Reviews

Developing a Strategy for Missions: A Book Review

Review of John Mark Terry and J.D. Payne, Developing A Strategy For Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Cultural Introduction, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2013. When I was in Seminary, one of my professors began “Pastoral Duties” class by saying, “The church should celebrate Columbus Day – He set out not knowing where he was going, when he arrived he didn’t know where he was, and he did it with someone else’s money – that’s what we often do in the church.” Historians may want to nitpick with elements of that statement but the professor made his point that strategic planning is important. John Mark Terry and J. D. Payne have provided missionaries a helpful resource for developing strategy for missions. As they point out in the introduction (viii), this is the first comprehensive book on mission strategy since Dayton and Fraser’s book, Planning Strategies for World Evangelization, 1980, revised 1990… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley2 mins read
Leadership, Mission Leadership

Shepherding or Herding?

The Shepherd-leader I have often heard the remark that leading missionaries is like herding cats. Yet are we in the herding business? As followers of the Good Shepherd we are to shepherd, not herd those in our care. Even if we shift the imagery from herding to shepherding, we can still go astray because of our cultural perception of shepherding. Last year, my pastor was preaching on the Good Shepherd from John 10. He told a story of watching a sheep dog demonstration at the state fair. The dogs would circle the sheep barking and nipping at their heels to get them to go in the desired direction. If we look at shepherding from this cultural perspective, we lead by threatening and scolding (barking and biting). This is not the model of shepherding from a Middle Eastern perspective in biblical times or today and not at all what Christ was… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
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