April 17, 2024

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Category: Resources

Preparing to Preach: Introductions and Conclusions
Photo by Pascal Meier on Unsplash
Resources, Preaching

Preparing to Preach: Introductions and Conclusions

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series Preparing to preach Taking off and landing require a pilot’s utmost attention. Likewise, sermon introductions and conclusions demand careful preparation by a preacher. In fact, the introductions and conclusions will make or break the connection with our audience. In the introduction, we meet them coming from their daily life of the previous week. Then, in the conclusion, we send them off to live in the light of the biblical truth expressed in the sermon’s big idea. So, introductions and conclusions must be carefully worded to connect our audience with the big idea. For the simple reason that we need to know our destination before we start a journey, writing the conclusion precedes writing the introduction. Writing the Conclusion Conclusions Conclude A sermon conclusion should not resemble a jetliner in a holding pattern waiting to land, or worse, aborting an attempted… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Resources, Book Reviews

A Preventive Guide to Raising Healthy TCKs

Raising Up a Generation of Healthy Third Culture Kids: A Practical Guide to Preventive Care by Lauren Wells is a preventive guide that offers a whole toolbox of practical helps for parents of TCKs. This book is a recent addition to the SEND U wiki MK/TCK Resources page for the parents of MKs/TCKs. A few weeks ago, Sharon Wicker reviewed another resource from that wiki page. Filling a gap On this page are several books that have been go-to resources for years. They are tools that are great for helping parents and others to understand what a Third Culture Kid is. These books help us understand how growing up in a culture different from one’s parents will shape and impact who we are. Two books in particular do a great job describing what a TCK is. They are Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds by David… Read the whole post
Teena Embaugh2 mins read
Khan Academy – a resource for MKs
Resources, E-learning

Khan Academy – a resource for MKs

A new page for MK/TCK resources has recently been added to the SEND U wiki. One of these resources, Khan Academy, is particularly helpful for parents and students alike as a tool for supplemental learning. What is Khan Academy? It is NOT: training to join Genghis Khan and his Hordes of the 1300 and 1400s. It IS: a FREE online personalized learning resource for all ages. “Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computing, history, art history, economics, and more, including K-14 and test preparation.” (from their website)… Read the whole post
Sharon Wicker1 min read
Book Reviews, Pre-field Training, Church, Books, Resources, Training

Book Review: Well Sent

I have frequently been asked about resources for local church missions programs. In 2015, Steve Beirn, Global Ministries Pastor at Calvary Church in Lancaster, PA, published Well Sent: Reimaging the Church’s Missionary-Sending Process. Steve served at our sending church in Holland, Michigan before going to Calvary so I know him well. He writes with passion and experience. In the introduction he writes:             This book seeks to elevate the role of the local church in the sending effort. The trend in missions today is to place the individual at the center of the sending process. Sometimes the agency is placed at the center. This book places the local church at the center of the sending process. – Well Sent, p. 17.… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Islam, Resources, Training, Book Reviews, Contextualization, Missiological Issues

Review: From Seed to Fruit, 2nd Edition

The Second edition of From Seed to Fruit: Global Trends, Fruitful Practices, and Emerging Issues among Muslims, edited by J. Dudley Woodberry contains reports and analyses of the Global Trends and Fruitful Practices Consultation in 2007. The consultation included almost 500 people from around the globe involved in outreach to Muslims. The book is a tremendous resource for anyone involved in Muslim ministry. Many of the fruitful practices would find application among other people groups as well. The tone was upbeat and realistic. The Introduction reports:           Muslims are following Jesus throughout the spectrum of types of contextualization – from those in traditional churches using non-indigenous language to secret believers. A majority of the fellowships are in what is called the C3 to C5 range – that is, from using the Muslims’ language and non-religious indigenous cultural forms and calling themselves Christians to “Messianic Muslims” who… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
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