May 16, 2025

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Author: Lynn Karidis

Exploring Spiritual Formation: Grief – Part 2
Photo of praying man by Samuel Martins on Unsplash
God, Character, Hardship, Spiritual Formation, Theology, Prayer

Exploring Spiritual Formation: Grief – Part 2

This is the second of two posts that explore the subject of grief in the life of a believer. Part 1 presented the hallmarks and pitfalls of grief, along with a biblical perspective of grief. This month, in Part 2, the post will present ways we can prepare ourselves for, and respond to, grief.  Pandemic Grief I am an introvert. Actually, I’m a flaming introvert. Which means that, though I love people and find them interesting, I really, really, like to be alone. Fortunately, I married an introvert. And though we love being together, we’re also adept at making space for one another. Thus, you can imagine my surprise when I noticed myself suffering from loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown and subsequent work-from-home state of affairs—a situation I thought was made for introverts. After some introspection, I realized I was missing my co-workers. Though we’ve seen each other over the… Read the whole post
Lynn Karidis1 min read
Exploring Spiritual Formation: Grief – Part 1
Photo by Karim Manjra at Unsplash
Hardship, Spiritual Formation

Exploring Spiritual Formation: Grief – Part 1

This is the first of two posts that explore the subject of grief in the life of a believer. Part 1 presents the hallmarks and pitfalls of grief, along with a biblical perspective of grief. Next month, in Part 2, the post will present ways we can prepare ourselves for, and respond to, grief. Loss and Grief It’s a stunning number: over one million deaths worldwide due to COVID-19 in 2020—with untold millions grieving the unexpected loss of a loved one. Though loss of life is surely one of the most severe causes of grief, COVID-19 has fostered other losses, such as the loss of jobs, travel, meetings, conferences, businesses, relationships, human connections, gatherings of all kinds, ministry opportunities, and milestone celebrations. Add to this the loss of normalcy, sense of general well-being, and rampant uncertainly about the future, and we have the makings of a pandemic of grief.… Read the whole post
Lynn Karidis1 min read
Exploring Spiritual Formation: Fruit – Part 2
Photo by David Kohler Unsplash
Spiritual Formation, Cultural learning, Character, Disciple-making

Exploring Spiritual Formation: Fruit – Part 2

This is the second of two posts that explore the growth of fruit in the life of a believer. Part 1 presented biblical fruit and focused on the fruit of the Spirit. In Part 2, the post will present three necessary components for bearing the fruit of the Spirit. It will also touch on fruit and disciple making, and fruit and cross-cultural considerations. Dwindling Fruit Somewhere in the second month after the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic, I began to notice a slow eroding of my peace of mind. By the end of the third month, I discovered my quotient of joy was diminishing as well. Then, during the fourth month, several incidents severely tested my patience. While any of us may find ourselves with varying quantities of the fruit of the Spirit in a particular month, the decrease of so many in a relatively short time concerned me and… Read the whole post
Lynn Karidis2 mins read
Exploring Spiritual Formation: Fruit – Part 1
Photo by Mika Baumeister at Unsplash
Character, Spiritual Formation

Exploring Spiritual Formation: Fruit – Part 1

This is the first of two posts that explore the growth of fruit in the life of a believer. Part 1 presents the biblical subject of fruit and highlights the fruit of the Spirit. Next month, in Part 2, the post will present three necessary components for bearing the fruit of the Spirit. It will also touch on fruit and disciple making, and fruit and cross-cultural considerations. Fake Fruit I love candy. As a child, when gifted with a few coins, I would head off to “The Little Store” and purchase something sweet. Favorites included strawberry licorice, orange slices, and grape popsicles. We didn’t have much fresh fruit in our home when I was young, and it wasn’t until adulthood that I learned to appreciate the superior taste found in the real thing. Now, when I bite into a fresh, sweet strawberry, I wonder why I so often settle for… Read the whole post
Lynn Karidis2 mins read
Exploring Spiritual Formation: Empathy
Photo by Annie Spratt
Spiritual Formation

Exploring Spiritual Formation: Empathy

Jesus and the Disciples Perhaps you will find this odd, but, one of my favorite stories about Jesus is found in Matthew 15, where, responding to Peter’s request for an explanation of a parable, Jesus says: “Are you still so dull?” It makes me laugh every time I read it. There are more passages that describe the disciples’ cluelessness—including two in which Jesus again confronts the disciples about their lack of understanding. And there are other people who also don’t understand Jesus at times, including Jesus’ parents, Nicodemus, and the crowd. But none of those passages use the Greek word translated in the New International Version as “dull.”… Read the whole post
Lynn Karidis3 mins read
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