August 15, 2026

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Author: Ken Guenther

Director of SEND U
Review of the God Ask
Book Reviews

Review of the God Ask

It’s been a long, long time since I have had any training in partner development.  More than 30 years have passed since I went through “candidate school” and first “raised my support” as we called it back then. This year, at part of my Individual Growth Plan, I wanted to learn some new skills in this area, and decided to read The God Ask: A Fresh, Biblical Approach to Personal Support Raising by Steve Shadrach.  I ended up listening to it as an audio book over a period of a few weeks on my morning runs and walks (see previous blog post).  What a valuable resource!  I wish I had read it ten years ago, although I guess that would have been impossible, since it was only published in 2013.… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Finishing Well, Lifelong Learning, Success in ministry

Achieving Everything You Desire by Mid-career – Not a Recipe for Finishing Well

A month ago, SEND U conducted a mid-career retreat for those missionaries who had served at least 15 years with our organization.   This week, as I was reading about Solomon in 1 Kings, I was struck by how much this leader accomplished by the time he hit “mid-career.” When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.  (1 Kings 9:1–2)… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Multicultural Teams, Cross-Cultural Living, Teaming

Making the Most of Multi-cultural Teaming

SEND International is intentionally multi-ethnic and multi-national because it takes people from all nations to reach all nations. Our membership is currently composed of at least 13 nationalities, and many more cultures are represented within those nationalities. Our “multi-culturalness” provides unique opportunities as we seek to fulfill the mission of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ among unreached peoples of the world. But the diversity that accompanies this mix of cultures also has many inherent challenges; challenges that should be acknowledged and addressed.… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Books

How Do You Find Time to Read All Those Good Books?

A young friend of mine recently posted on Facebook that he did not want any books for his birthday, even the very best.  He already had more books stacked up to read than what he would be able to finish in the next 2 years. I can identify with his problem.   I just am not as disciplined as he is in telling people not to give me books!   My problem is not as visible, since almost everything I read is in digital format.  But my digital collection continues to grow and so is my list of books that I really want to read.  I have recently started using Goodreads.com to keep track of my books and it tells me that currently I am reading 5 books and there are 12 books on my top priority To-Read list.   Now some of those “currently reading” have not been touched for a while.  … Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Spiritual Formation, Training, Leadership Training

Saul Was Not Ready

1 Samuel 9 introduces us to a very promising young man named Saul, a young man who we soon find out has been destined by God to become Israel’s first king.  He is from a good, highly-respected family with wealth and influence (1 Sam 9:1).   He himself is physically impressive, tall and handsome (1 Sam 9:2). But this young man has a problem – his father’s donkeys have wandered off, and he and his servant have already spent three days looking for them without success. At this point, we come to an interesting discourse that gives us a window into Saul’s spiritual formation up to this point in his life.… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
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