July 27, 2026

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Category: Training

Teaming, Training

Two are Better than One

Another post from Philip Jackson, a colleague and friend of mine from Macedonia. Phil serves as the field leader and church planting team leader in the city of Skopje.   Phil also runs marathons, and his first full marathon was the Athens Classic Marathon.    No truth of Scripture was illustrated to me more powerfully by participating in a marathon than this simple expression by Solomon in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10…. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Training

You Pay for Excess Baggage

Another post from Philip Jackson, a colleague and friend of mine from Macedonia. Phil serves as the field leader and church planting team leader in the city of Skopje.   Phil also runs marathons, and his first full marathon was the Athens Classic Marathon.   Those who travel internationally know that you can’t even count on two free pieces of luggage anymore. After 50 pounds, every pound will cost you. Those extra pounds actually cost you when you’re running a marathon as well. If you’re 10 pounds overweight, it’s just like putting a bowling ball in a backpack and hauling it for 26 miles. No thanks! Even the weight of an extra sweatshirt, especially when drenched with sweat, will slow and weigh you down. When I ran my first marathon, I was surprised to see how many people were throwing off outer layers of clothing in the first 10 km. They were… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther2 mins read
Training

It’s a Marathon After All

Another post from Philip Jackson, a colleague and friend of mine from Macedonia. Phil serves as the field leader and church planting team leader in the city of Skopje.   Phil also runs marathons, and his first full marathon was the Athens Classic Marathon.   His inspiration for running came about 15 years ago from a conversation with a veteran missionary couple who explained their reason for regular exercise was so that they would be able to serve the Lord into their nineties.… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Spiritual Formation, Training, Spiritual Disciplines

Learning About Spiritual Formation

One of my priorities in my personal growth plan for 2012 was to better understand spiritual formation. I wanted to be able to define spiritual formation in other ways than just spiritual disciplines and I wanted to better understand what things should be taught in our pre-field training in the area of spiritual formation. One of the learning activities associated with that priority was to read a book by David Teague entitled Godly Servants: Discipleship and Spiritual Formation for Missionaries. The book has very short chapters, and the author has made a deep subject very accessible. To my surprise, Missio Nexus featured my review of the book in their recent “Book Look”, and so those of you who have created a profile on Missio Nexus will have recently received this review in your email. You can also find it on Amazon or here.… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Training, Character, Hardship

Don’t Try, Train!

This post comes from Philip Jackson, a colleague and friend of mine from Macedonia. Phil serves as the field leader and church planting team leader in the city of Skopje. Phil also runs marathons, and his enthusiasm for running has inspired me to keep running, maybe not to run marathons but at least to keep physically fit. Phil’s love for God and transparency in his walk with the Lord has encouraged me many times in my pursuit of godliness. I recently took some time to write down the lessons that God has been teaching and re-teaching me through running and particularly through running marathons.… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
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