Dealing with Deadlines
As we approach the end of a year, we face approaching deadlines, often coming more quickly than we had hoped. Many of our goals in our Annual Ministry Plan Season are due at the end of this year. Back in …
Resilience and fruitfulness
In my first blog post on this topic of resilience, I said that understanding resilience is not primarily about minimizing attrition. Our goal is not simply to prevent missionaries prematurely returning to their sending countries. We want our colleagues and …
Seeking balance or seeking the kingdom
“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 …
Should We Find Joy in Our Ministry Achievements?
“Do not rejoice in that this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20) Over the years, I have heard various missionaries and Christian leaders say that these words of …
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 …
But Will It Last After I Leave?
In my Bible this morning, I found this depressing reflection on the meaning of life: For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for …
Top 10 Definitions of Missionary Success Revisited
The seventh post in 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 …