August 15, 2026

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

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Meditations on SEND International’s Statement of Faith #1
Missiology, Doctrinal Statement

Meditations on SEND International’s Statement of Faith #1

I have been convicted recently about neglecting our statement of faith. No, I have not changed my belief in it but I just don’t think about it that much. I tend to sign it when required but then file it away and go about my business. So, in the coming months my blog posts will focus on the eight statements of SEND International’s Statement of Faith. The Opening line in our statement reads, “Based on our understanding of Scripture, the members of SEND International hold to the following Statement of Faith.” This is the statement that we hold, but the question that comes to my mind is, ‘Does it hold us?’ I will use a little help from my Puritan friends as I reflect on each statement. Puritan meditation (see my blog post on 4/30/15) engaged the mind, the heart, and action. So, we will ask: 1. How does this… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Training

Confident Proclamation in a Pluralistic Age

Is there any place for confident proclamation of the gospel anymore? Robert Bellah’s book, The Good Society (1991) quotes a graduate student’s comment of his experience at Harvard: They tell us it’s heresy to suggest the superiority of some value, fantasy to believe in moral argument, slavery to submit to a judgment sounder than your own. The freedom of our day is the freedom to devote yourself to any value we please, on the mere condition that we do not believe them to be true.” (quoted in D. A. Carson, The Intolerance of Tolerance, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012, 97)… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Success in ministry

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 Jesus indicate that he intends that his disciples should find their joy and satisfaction not in their ministries but rather in their personal salvation (justified status with God). I found a recent example of this thinking in a book I am reading, The Emotionally Healthy Leader. Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples two by two. When they return, they are excited to report significant numerical impact and that the demons submit to them in his name. Jesus affirms their activity of kingdom building, but he also reminds them of something more important: “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Review of the God Ask
Book Reviews

Review of the God Ask

It’s been a long, long time since I have had any training in partner development.  More than 30 years have passed since I went through “candidate school” and first “raised my support” as we called it back then. This year, at part of my Individual Growth Plan, I wanted to learn some new skills in this area, and decided to read The God Ask: A Fresh, Biblical Approach to Personal Support Raising by Steve Shadrach.  I ended up listening to it as an audio book over a period of a few weeks on my morning runs and walks (see previous blog post).  What a valuable resource!  I wish I had read it ten years ago, although I guess that would have been impossible, since it was only published in 2013.… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Book Reviews

Review of What is Biblical Theology?

  Review of James M. Hamilton Jr., What is Biblical Theology?: A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism, and Patterns. Wheaton: Crossway, 2014.In Jackson Wu’s book, One Gospel for All Nations, he states, “Missionary training must emphasize biblical theology, not simply systematic theology.” (25). I could not agree with him more. I was delighted when I came across James Hamilton’s book, What is Biblical Theology? because here was a short (128 pages) clear explanation and example of biblical theology. Hamilton makes it clear that, “by biblical theology [he] does not mean ‘my theology is more biblical than yours.’” (Kindle location 136). The author states, “To do biblical theology is to think about the whole story of the Bible. We want to understand the organic development of the Bible’s teaching so that we are interpreting particular parts of the story in light of the whole.” (Kindle location 102) He further notes,… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley2 mins read
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