Reflections and resources for lifelong learning for missionaries
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? - Luke 14:28 I am quick to "count the cost" when I am asked to do something on top of what is expected of me in my …
Continue reading Seeking balance or seeking the kingdom
Over the years, I have often found myself struggling with the "what ifs", primarily in regards to my relationships with people I work with (yes, with fellow missionaries). What if the person responds in a negative way to my email? What if that person decides to go in that direction, contrary to what I have recommended? …
Today, one of my students wrote a note on their assignment about job descriptions, "I think I have too many jobs." I can identify. I have two mission job descriptions. Both of them are leadership roles. One of them is supposed to take up about 60% of my time and the other the remaining 40%. …
In a previous post, I talked about the importance of maintaining margin. Too much stress for too long a period is unhelpful and destructive. But as I also demonstrated from the life of Paul, we must not avoid all stress at all costs. I am afraid that far too often I have said …
Is stress, even cross-cultural stress, always a bad thing? Too much stress is not good. More than 4 years ago on this blog, I mentioned a book by Dr. Richard Swenson on the topic of "Margin" - Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. I had read the book …
This post is contributed by Darlene Jovellanos, a former missionary colleague of mine in the Philippines. After leaving the Philippines, Darlene led SEND's Member Orientation Program in Michigan for many years. Currently she works in a part-time capacity with SEND U, and in a full-time capacity as wife, mother and home-schooler. Cultural adjustment is a …
Continue reading Questioning the Validity of “The 4 Stages of Cultural Adjustment”
Part 5 of a series on defining success for a missionary. Part 1 demonstrated that we, like Paul, can be confident in our ministry, despite all our detractors and critics. In Part 2, we saw in 2 Corinthians that Paul repeats the phrase “commend ourselves,” to identify key criteria that he uses to demonstrate that …
