September 6, 2026

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

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A life of holiness
Training, Christ, Doctrinal Statement, Holy Spirit

A life of holiness

“Holiness is consecrated closeness to God.” – J.I Packer in Packer on the Christian Life by Sam Storms The final entry in SEND’s doctrinal statement reads: We believe that the presence of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit in the believer will result in a life of holiness and a walk of obedience to the will of God. Related Posts:Meditations on SEND International's Statement of Faith #1Meditations on the Holy SpiritMeditation on the ChurchMeditation on Sin and SalvationMeditations on the Work of ChristMeditation on Heaven and Hell… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Meditation on the Church
Theology, Doctrinal Statement, Evangelism, Church

Meditation on the Church

The church is important. In Christ and Culture Revisited, D.A. Carson writes, We need to be reminded that the only human organization that continues into eternity is the church. (217). This statement, made somewhat in passing, highlights the importance of the church. The seventh part of SEND’s Statement of Faith is: We believe that the church is the body of Jesus Christ, for which He will return, consisting of all who have accepted the redemption provided by Him. Throughout this series of blog posts on our Statement of Faith we have been asking the basic question, “How does this statement hold us?” We continue with these thoughts on the church. Related Posts:Meditations on SEND International's Statement of Faith #1Meditation on Heaven and HellMeditation on the Person of ChristMeditation on Sin and SalvationMeditations on the Holy SpiritA life of holiness… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Meditation on Heaven and Hell
Theology, Training, Doctrinal Statement, Gospel

Meditation on Heaven and Hell

Sinful humanity naturally looks at life through the wrong end of the telescope. For them time is long and eternity is short; this life is large, the afterlife is small; this world is real, the world to come is unreal. So writes Sinclair Ferguson in “Pastoral Theology: The Preacher and Hell,” chapter 10 in Hell Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment, ed. by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007, kindle location 5762. Related Posts:Suffering for the Gospel without ShameThe Whole Christ: A reviewExploring Spiritual Formation: DisciplineDefining WorldviewMeditations on SEND International's Statement of Faith #1Biblical Theology of Missions: OT… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
A lot more preparation required
Training, Learning Attitude, Pre-field Training

A lot more preparation required

My wife loves to host people.  She is a great cook, and will often spend most of the day preparing a meal for our dinner guests. My participation in the preparations is decidedly less.  Maybe all the guests are thankful for that.  Admittedly, I don’t know much about how to prepare a great meal for guests.  But I have watched someone who does! In a parable-like format, Proverbs 9 presents two different women inviting people to a meal.  The same invitation rings out in both Prov. 9:4 and Prov. 9:16: Let all who are simple come to my house! Related Posts:Set times of prayer - a discipline of preparation and loveTeaching the Bible Story-lineMissionary, know thyself!Book review: Stubborn PerseveranceExploring Spiritual Formation: DisciplineWomen to Women Ministry Training… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Valuing Conflict
Character, Confrontation, Insider Movements, Team Formation

Valuing Conflict

I have just finished reading the latest edition of the Missio Nexus Anthology, an issue solely devoted to talking about conflict in the Christian community. It includes a few articles particularly focused on resolving cross-cultural conflict, and a couple of articles about dealing with differences between mission agencies. But the idea that most struck me was that conflict is important, even necessary for our development in our Christian life. Ted Esler, in his closing article in the Anthology, talks about “Loving Conflict.”  Conflict, he says, deepens relationships, is necessary for good decisions and shapes our character.  He concludes, Do you want to have strong relationships, good decisions, and a deeper character? Then learn to embrace and love conflict. Related Posts:Musar and Healthy Conflict: A Biblical Lens on Team HealthAvoiding conflictThe Kingdom of God paradigm and Insider MovementsDo Jesus and Paul avoid conflict?Building teams that workMaking better decisions… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
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