Book Review: The Life You Crave

Find it on Amazon

Though still young, we can confidently say that a 28 year old person has slightly more life experience than an 18 year old. It is now in my latter twenties that I see a snare I fell prey to as a younger man: The Perfect Scenario Mentality. This book, which I am about to recommend, was not written for those of us who have made all the right life-choices and live in the perfect scenario. Rather, it's for those who have run into snags and hiccups and have even made voluntary, bone-headed decisions in the past. I would classify this book as an encouragement book for us, a book that shakes us from our discouragements and shepherds us in God's love through the story of a Bible character who had nothing going for him: Daniel.

Chained into captivity at the age most of us were found stressing out over high school homework, Daniel was stripped of his identity, heritage, religion, and ethnicity by Babylonian forces in 605 BC. He was given a new name (Belteshazzar) in an attempt by his new lords to sever his connection with Israel completely, and some speculate that he may have even been made into a eunuch. Couldn't get any more ideal, right? But Daniel remained faithful to the Lord despite.

What then can we learn through the book of Daniel? Newman excels at tying and retying every point back to this prophetic book, as well as other scriptures. Though circumstances may change from good to bad or bad to good in your life, there is one thing that does not change. And while I'll leave most of this book for you to discover on your own, I will elaborate on the first chapter which is titled Your Greatest Fan.

Newman astutely starts by emphasizing that our greatest fan is none other than the one who created us. God loves us intensely, but it's interesting how the scriptures we see often can be forgotten or lose their power because of overexposure. Consider this passage which is plastered on a googol hallmark cards: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV). Yet we may still walk around thinking that God doesn't have a plan for us but has left us to rot and die because we may have blundered in the past. The pendulum has swung the opposite way, where rather than abusing Jeremiah 29:11, we can neglect it, forgetting that God is for us and not against us.

This is erroneous thinking. It's like God loved us so much to gruesomely die for our sins, but he only casually spilled His blood to redeem from Hell a people He doesn't care enough about to plan a future for them. When we disbelieve  passages such as 2 Corinthians 1:20, we lessen His love; when we lessen his love, we cheapen His blood.

This is why I think it was strategic for Newman to start off with God being our biggest fan. Before we can hear of God's great purposes for us, we need to digest His mighty love and the fact that He is passionately cheering us on in His purposes. His love runs deep with sacrifice, and is constant, not ebbing and flowing with circumstances. Recently I wrote about how sincere love toward God is one that doesn't change with the situation. Spiritual stability comes with knowing that God's love for us doesn't change with the situation either.

His love for us is based on how heavy of a sacrifice His own blood was. All the wealth of the global oil industry a thousand fold is trash compared to the blood of Jesus. Thus I am for you, the Lord says. In light of how heavy an offering a single drop of Calvary was, we can never look at our circumstances and say, "Well, God can't redeem me out of this one." Though we may live in an imperfect scenario at the moment, the Lord is able to use any circumstance to the glory of Jesus the Messiah, whether it be at the right hand of a king or in the den of a lion.

Book Review: Building Bridges

Islam can be a frightening topic for someone to read about or talk about, but the more I read about how to minister to Muslims, the more struck I am by the simplicity of the approach and the intriguing secret behind the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam.
Building Bridges by the late Fouad Elias Accad emphasizes some excellent ways to foster relationships between you and the Muslims around you, but there is one specific emphasis that this book has when it comes to ministry toward readers of the Qur'an: The Qur'an itself.

It turns out that the Qur'an is extremely favorable towards Jesus, the Bible, and Christians. Indeed, the Qur'an is an incredibly pro-Christian book, says Pastor Accad. The Qur'an is peppered with passages that affirm and highly esteem Jesus and those who are His disciples (Christians), such as the latter part of Surah 5:82 (A Surah is a chapter of the Qur'an; keep in mind that believer here is referring to a Muslim): "you are sure to find that the closest in affection towards the believers are those who say, ‘We are Christians,’ for there are among them people devoted to learning and ascetics. These people are not given to arrogance," (M. A. S. Abdel Haleem translation). That's quite a complement from Muslims to Christians! However, if one peruses Google for passages on Christians from the Qur'an, they'll come across both favorable and unfavorable attitudes towards Christians in the Muslim world of religious thought. This is where I'm in over my head at this point, because Pastor Accad takes it back to how the Qur'an was translated from its original Arabic.

Due to this book's focus on how pro-Bible, pro-Jesus, and pro-Christian the Qur'an is, it does quote texts from the Qur'an at length, which makes the reading a little dry at times, so I recommend it for those of you who are intrigued by the deep study of written language. A thin book with fascinating insights and illustrative stories, it is an excellent curriculum for learning how to build bridges between your Muslim neighbors and Jesus the Messiah.

Hospitality Evangelism (Acts 28:30-31)

Hospitality Evangelism is the act of transforming your home into a venue for ministering to people. It is intentionally organizing your dwelling, whether it be dorm-room, apartment, house, or estate, to be able to welcome and refresh people at the drop of a hat. A home that is truly a welcoming place is the extension of a heart that is truly hospitable and does not consider sheltering others a burden. In this, hospitality evangelism is a two step process: The disciple of Jesus needs first to have the zeal for hospitality and servitude in their heart, then they will be able to organize their home and create a welcoming, life-giving atmosphere where ministry and evangelism can occur.

A Welcoming Heart...
The first place we need to look at if we want to practice hospitality evangelism is the heart. In everyday normal life, does the Lord move you to take the low road, become the servant, descend into nothingness and submission so that others can be exalted, refreshed, honored, pleased, or served? Whoever wants to become great must become the servant, the slave to all (Mark 10:42-45). Do you take the opportunities the Lord highlights to you? Do you serve in the now by doing that one thing that won't be pleasant for you, but you know will bless the socks off of the other person? The small act of servitude is the seed, consistency is the water, and hospitality of heart is the tree that springs forth in strength, allowing others to come and find rest in the shade. At the core of true hospitality is strong servitude and selflessness.
Also in the center of good hospitality is a godly host or hostess, one who is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good deeds, impartial, and sincere (James 3:17). These are the standards that we expect from a server in any restaurant. Should we not go above and beyond in performance as we serve people the Bread of Life?
Practically, a good host/hostess is one who can put people at ease. They are patient, kind, content, modest, humble, polite, selfless, not easily angered, forgiving, truthful, ready to protect others, trusting, hopeful, and persevering (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). 

 A Welcoming Home...
Some ideas to set you up for success in hospitality evangelism are written below. I have a few years of hospitality training under my belt by virtue of the food industry, and have simply taken the standards applied to a restaurant and put them in a domestic context:

~Keep the Home Clean: Duh, right? I'm not your mother.

~Interior Design with Hospitality in Mind: This could mean transforming a room into a guest bedroom for those with larger houses or perhaps empty-nesters. You could even transform the master bedroom into the guest bedroom so that your guests have the adjacent bathroom right by them. It could also mean organizing your living room in order to host small-groups, engage in one-on-one ministry, or refresh travelers at a moments notice. If you're living in a studio apartment, simply have an area with some comfortable seating for both you and your guest.

~Learn the Art of Atmosphere: Atmosphere is a combination of sights, smells, sounds, textures, and placements that complement each other well. You wouldn't expect to hear Slayer being played in the background of a romantic Italian restaurant because it's not fitting for the atmosphere. The question is, what is the atmosphere you are trying to create? Regardless of the atmosphere, include the following: sight (cleanliness, organization, well-lit or low-lighting), smells (a candle or perhaps the scent of delicious cooking), sounds (music in the background or ambiance noise), textures (thick fluffy blankets in a cold winter's night perhaps), and placements (bookshelves, boardgames, a full set of armor, a fireplace, seating close together or far apart). One thing, such as a fireplace, can accomplish multiple aspects of the desired ambiance (sight, smell, sound).

~Have Beverages and H'orderves Ready for Serving: This seems really simple and easy to downplay, but think about how refreshing it would be if you were welcomed into someone's home, were given a seat in a comfortable chair and handed a bowl of freshly cut fruit or perhaps homemade kettle-cooked potato chips! Nom! Have comfortable seating in close enough proximity to the kitchen that you can easily step out to get them a drink and a snack without having to break the conversation or yell across the house.
In Middle-Eastern culture, it's proper etiquette to refuse any offers of food or beverage when you're visiting someone, to which the host will respond by bringing them anyway. It is then proper etiquette for you to select something that they brought to serve you. 
"Do you want something to drink?"
"No, but thank you."
"We have juice, soda, or water."
"I'll take juice please, thank you," is a normal interaction. The point is that your guest will most likely refuse if you ask them directly, so just bring out some finger-food (when and if the situation calls for it) and partake in some yourself while offering it to them also. Present it in such a way as to avoid them thinking that you're going to eat that whole tray of deviled eggs by yourself right in front of them :)

~Learn the Art of Conversation: Learn how to become a great conversationalist. Make people feel comfortable with your words. Have you ever spent time with someone who was easy to talk to? You may have just met them five seconds ago, but you feel comfortable with opening up to them and they just know how to make a conversation relaxed and enjoyable. I submit unto you that good conversationalists know how to effectively do these things: they know how to break the ice by simply talking about things both people can understand or by bringing up something light-hearted (it's not a sin to talk about the weather), they know how to ask questions that will get the other person talking (such as what the other person does for fun or perhaps what they do for a living), they know how to share the conversation by talking about their interests and also giving the other person the chance to talk about what interests them (this keeps the conversation from turning into an interrogation or a monologue), they stay on topic, they aren't easily upset, they listen well, and they aren't afraid to be cut off by the other person and won't take offense at it.
Conversation makes or breaks the hospitality experience, so learn to be a good entertainer, a good storyteller, a good listener, and a good counselor.

A Bold Witness...
The motivation behind all of this hospitality comes down to a desire to share the Gospel with people. In Acts 28:30-31, we see Paul the Apostle living in his home, welcoming those who come to him. That's the hospitality part. The Evangelism part is found in that he was "proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance" (ESV). Biblical boldness does not mean being proud, rude, arrogant, easily angered, or quick to talk over the other person. On the contrary, The Lord's servant must not quarrel, must be gentle with everyone, able to teach, and patient while instructing others in gentleness and respect and being quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (2 Timothy 2:24-25; 1 Peter 3:16; James 1:19). As you welcome people into your own home, you are doing so to show them an environment ruled by the love of Christ, and you have more freedom to tell them about the Gospel that's transformed your life. 
It seems that Biblical boldness in sharing Jesus isn't so much about volume as much as honesty, honestly telling someone of your love for God and how God has made a way for us through the Sacrifice of the Messiah. Don't be timid. What are they going to do, kick you out? 

See Also:
~Romans 12:13
~1 Peter 4:9-10
~Matthew 25:34-40
~Matthew 20: 25-28

Interview: A Muslim Sheikh working in America

A sheikh is a teacher or leader in a Mosque or a Muslim community. Another title a teacher of Islam can be known as is an Imam. Setting foot in the Mosque, I met the sheikh whom shall remain nameless. He was a bearded man of average height, dressed in sandals, a thobe and a kofia. I took off my shoes and he his sandals before we walked through the main area in order to enter his office. I made sure to keep the conversation from getting the awkward hidden agenda feeling behind it by simply telling him the truth: that I went to Bible College, am a pastor in training, and would like to hear what Islam is and is not from someone who is qualified in Islamic thought, rather than from CNN or Fox News. 

As you may know, I have been reading a lot of books about Islam and ministering to Muslims, but to quote Indiana Jones, "You gotta get out of the library!"  meaning, you must balance good study habits with actual experience. Here then is the conversation we had over the span of an hour in his office. The use of quotations will simply be to simulate the experience of the conversation and should not be taken as authentic quotes from the sheikh. Still, the essence of his responses have been kept the same and not tampered with. The conversation was pleasant and cordial, and we made sure to schedule a follow up meeting afterward.

I began the conversation by showing him that I have a Qur'an already and also a list of questions I came prepared with.
"But we can talk about anything you already have prepared," I said.
"Well," he began, "Let's let you ask the questions so that I don't spend the entire time talking about something not important."
"No problem... I didn't write this question down, but it just dawned on me to ask you about 9/11. How long has this Muslim Community Center been here?"
"Since 1995. It was about 6 years old when 9/11 happened."
"What was it like for the Muslim community when that happened? Was there a lot of fear or concern in your congregation?"
"Muslims were watching 9/11 on tv when it was happening and were afraid. They were wondering what Americans would do because the terrorists were said to be Muslims, but there were a lot of swift actions by the government and the local community that checked any aggression against us."
The sheikh then explained that these three things happened the day after the terrorist attack:

~The federal government quickly established a proper understanding of their true enemy. I was amazed to learn from this Muslim leader that President Bush, in the following week, went to a Mosque in Washington D.C., respectfully took off his shoes, and gave a brief speech to the congregation, telling them that Muslims are not the enemy; terrorists are the enemy, and that's who they are fighting against. (Michigan Daily)
~The local governments positioned a squad car outside of Muslim gathering centers, such as Mosques and schools for Muslim children, in order to protect the Muslims from any angry Americans.
~The local churches visited the Mosques to drop off flowers and offer their condolences, assuring them that the local Christians know they're not the enemy. The Christian women also offered to accompany the Muslim women who wear the burka whenever they needed to go out. Again, the motivation was to protect the Muslims from the threat: big bad angry Americans.

"After the terrorist attacks," the sheikh began, "the American Muslims needed to start being more independent. Usually, if a Muslim in America wanted to pursue further education in Islam, they would go to Egypt or another Muslim country where there are plenty of schools and training centers for deep study of the Qur'an; they would also fly Muslim scholars and educators into America in order to train Muslims here. When 9/11 occurred, it became extremely difficult to fly scholars into this country as well as for students to fly out of the country for Islamic studies. This is why America is seeing more elaborate mosques and more Muslim schools popping up. The American Muslims needed to be more independent from Muslim countries and develop their own centers for training."

This made a ton of sense, and I could immediately see how the appearing of more mosques can be interpreted wrongly, just like the stationing of squad cars outside of mosques after 9/11 could be interpreted wrongly.


I then began to ask him the questions I had prepared. "Are there a lot of different translations of the Qur'an, and do you have one you recommend?"
"Yes, there are a lot of different translations. The one I recommend is the Abdullah Yosuf Ali translation." He then emailed me some further resources on understanding Islam and Qur'anic translations. Later on, he gave me a copy of this translation.
I then asked him, "If one were to start studying the Qur'an, where would one begin?"
"In devotional practices, you would start at the beginning and proceed to the end" (just like we start in Genesis). "The first surah is regarded as most important in the Qur'an." He also stated that there are several different ways one can read the Qur'an: by topic, chronologically, devotional, as well as some others. There were times when the sheikh would recite the Qur'an from memory in beautiful, melodious Arabic.

There were a couple of other questions I had, but the majority of our discussion was on the Muslim's view of the Qur'an as well as 9/11. I asked him at one point about his thoughts on Isis, to which he expressed a disapproval toward them to the point of saying they weren't even Muslims.

He then showed me around the property, which required me to put on my shoes and then take them off again, causing me to vow to myself slip-ons for next time! 

In summation, a genuine studier needs to inquire if all the reading that they're doing is accurate or not. Just because something is in a book doesn't make it true; simultaneously, just because something is in a book doesn't make it false. As stated before, I've been doing a lot of reading on Islam, and this meeting with the sheikh helped confirm some and refute some of the things I've read. It is true that one sheikh doesn't define all of Islam, but the point is that if you want to be a good student, you have to get out of the library at times. If you want to be a minister of the Gospel, you have to get out of your comfort zone and learn how to minister to real live people.

God's Epistemological Kindness

E·pis·te·mol·o·gy (adj: epistemological) is the theory of knowledge, especially in regards to its methods, validity, and scope. How is it that we know what we know, and how do we know that what we know is justified belief from mere opinion? Are we bound to simply believe what our culture, upbringing, and past tells us to believe, or do we have the freedom to truly see and learn and know the real? Do we have the ability to pull back the curtain and see things as they are, like in the Wizard of Oz, or are we blinded from the truth and enslaved to subjectivity?

As believers in the Bible, what is our response to these questions? Do we have the ability to know reality or not? When I was in Bible college, this subject of epistemology was something the Lord continuously brought up, though I didn't know how to define it at the time. It started with me reading Proverbs 2:6, which says, "for the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding" (NIV). It occurred to me then that the Lord is pleased with sharing the truth with us and giving us knowledge of the real, not giving us impressions of what we think is real when it actually isn't. The next thing I knew, I saw this theme emerge everywhere in the scriptures (I've compiled a list of clickable references below), and was blown away at the Lord's willingness to bring clarity, knowledge, understanding, intelligence, and insight to those who ask Him for it. That's the question we need to ask the skeptic before we even open the Bible to them: Does God love humanity enough to show us what He is actually like, or does he prefer to remain distant and to keep us guessing in the dark? Scripture not only shows us that God is willing to give us wisdom, but also that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are attainable to us in the first place, and most importantly that God is knowable! This is great news!

That's what the Epistemological Kindness of God is all about: God is ready, willing, and able to share the truth with those who come to Him. He loves to impart wisdom to those who love the truth, and He isn't afraid of our deep questions. We have the ability to know things as they truly are. God loves us, delights in our education, and wants to be close to us. Knowledge and closeness go hand-in-hand.

Supplemental Reading:
Worshiping God with the Mind
What is Epistemology? (gotquestions.org)

Scripture References:
Exodus 31:3, 36:1
Job 28:23, 38:36
Psalm 19:7, 51:6, 119:32
Proverbs 2:6
Jeremiah 33:3
Daniel 2:28, 9:22
Luke 24:45
John 17:26
1 Corinthians 2:10-16
Ephesians 1:8, 1:17
2 Timothy 2:7
James 1:5
1 John 5:20

Book Review: Robotics: A Very Short Introduction

Here's another great read I just finished and highly recommend for anyone interested in introducing themselves to a new subject. There's an entire series of books called Very Short Introductions by Oxford University Press. This one was a very short introduction to robotics (written by Alan Winfield).

As a missionary, what were some of the takeaways I found in this book, seeing how it's nowhere near the field of religion? It was an excellent book for dissecting fact from fiction when it comes to the reality of robots (robots will not be taking over the world anytime soon). This has somewhat equipped me for having conversations with a roboticist someday. It helped me understand how to define what a robot is and how often we utilize robots without even knowing it, thus enabling me to appreciate a roboticist's works and step into their world of thought. Part of evangelism is stepping into the shoes of another and understanding their culture, whether they be a roboticist or a seamstress. The Messiah stepped into the peasant world of first century Judea and preached about the Kingdom using parables about fish, nets, marriage, farming, shepherding, and other things the people could understand. The Christian doesn't study in order to talk over people, acting as if they're intellectually above the person, but in order to talk on the person's level. God loved humanity so much that He entered into our context and spoke plainly to us. Because this theology permeates every area of our lives, we can read a book about robots so that, when the opportunity comes, we can illustrate the Good News with imagery a roboticist will relate with. We can step into their world and learn to speak their language. That is the heart of studying in light of evangelism.

Lastly, have you interacted with a robot this week? If you took an elevator recently, then the answer is yes.

I pray that the Church would flourish academically out of the scriptural knowledge of God’s epistemological kindness. Shalom on you as you read!

Book Review: Introducing Cultural Anthropology by Howell & Paris

Find it on Amazon.com

This being the first anthropology book I’ve ever read, I came into it without any expectations except to be stretched. Now, an anthropology book isn’t my first pick, but it being a part of the curriculum for online schooling compelled me to read it. In the end, I’m glad I did pick this up; the insight (and not just the grade) is vital for one who will be working cross-culturally. Some of the key lessons that I’ve learned from this book include the following:

First off, it appears that culture is not so static as much as it is an ever-evolving conversation. As a missionary, one of the things that I’ve noticed is the common perception that Native America would have remained the same had the pilgrims not landed, or Africa would have remained the same hadn’t missionaries “ruined” the African culture (more on that in a later blog).  This has apparently never been true. Whether a people-group is isolated or rubbing shoulders with another people-group, their culture is ever changing. We must not be ethnocentric in thinking that we Westerners make or break the world. The peoples of the world are involved in the fluid conversation of culture, and that culture can change apart from American or European influence.

Secondly, the West is not the sole influencer in globalization, nor is globalization a modern Western creation. Rather, America is being globalized as well, not simply globalizing. Case in point: We look at McDonald’s getting a footing in China and the word Westernization comes to mind. But what do we call Californian Suburbanites doing Saturday morning Yoga? Indianization? America is not solely influencing other cultures, but being influenced as well, and it turns out that globalization is far more complicated than just some cruel capitalist wearing a suit and sitting behind a desk, seeking the next culture to stamp out.

Due to this book, I’ve also noticed the… egotistical attitude of America in general. I was on a ranch in a particularly large southern state when I met a cowboy (literally, he had spurs, a hat, and a lasso) who told me how superior America is to other or “second-rate” countries. Had I read the book before I met him, I could have pointed out his ethnocentric attitude. Being ethnocentric means that you glorify your culture over that of other nations. It’s the view that if everyone just did things my way, the world would be a better place. One’s own culture becomes the standard. This is what was perhaps the most interesting lesson I’ve learned from this book: the potential to be ethnocentric. It was evident in the thinking of early anthropologists, and it’s evident in American culture now. While the rest of the world is swimming in speedos, American men are wearing swim-trunks. The ethnocentric American looks at the rest of the world swimming and says, “They’ll eventually come around,” while the anthropologically savvy person realizes that we’re just the weird kid in the corner of the pool swimming in little pants.

The end goal is not to come to hate American culture, but to put it in its appropriate place. I love being an American, but I do not hold America up to a glorified light. I love the fact that I grew up in Philadelphia visiting Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, watching baseball, and eating Philly cheese-steaks. I love America and its passion for freedom, but I understand that American culture is not the answer to the world. Jesus is the answer.

There is so much more I could say about this book, but I’ll wrap it up and recommend it for this reason: to stave off any ethnocentricity in yourself.

Worshiping God with the Mind

I love to read and to write, and I love schoolwork, but this wasn’t always the case. I scarcely picked
up a book in high school, which I passed with minimal enthusiasm and effort. Yet over the years, God had been working in my heart, not with furious bolts of lightning and forceful rain, but with a gentle, consistent drizzle. People commend me for enjoying reading and writing, but I am certainly not a self-made man. The Lord changed my heart into something new starting in 2006 and subtly transformed me into a studier.

Bertrand Russell once said “There are two motives for reading a book; one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.” Those are two reasons one can read a book, but I feel that Russell’s analysis is incomplete and (being atheistic) doesn’t take into account the Lord’s ability to touch the human heart and fill it with purpose outside of self. Do people read books because they enjoy them? Yes. Do people read books so that they can boast about it? Yes. Yet a person can also open up the driest books on the planet out of a desire to worship Him with the mind rather than to worship the mind. From Old Testament genealogies to grammar to the history of Canada, nothing is too boring (no offense, eh?) because the believer reads a great breadth of information while passionately saying, “Lord, I understand that I don’t know as much as I ought to know. Give me knowledge and understanding that I may worship You.” This is the Christ-centered motivation for study. It’s the heart that wishes to fulfill 1 Peter 3:15 by being able to give a reasonable defense and not settling with a shrug or a pat answer.

I pray that the Church would flourish academically out of the scriptural knowledge of God’s epistemological kindness. Shalom on you as you read!

Passages to Consider:
Prov. 2:6
Jer. 33:3
2 Tim. 2:15

Why we Give to Missions

It is understood that not all are called to travel across the border of their home
country. Each disciple of Jesus has their particular assignment from the Lord and is behooved to obey it to the nth degree, keeping in mind the day when we will stand before the Bema Seat and give an account of our faithfulness.

While some are called to go, others are called to send, but what is the heart of the sender? Particularly, what is the heart of those financially funding missionaries to go to a foreign field? I would like to take a moment to spell out the Biblical heartbeat of financial partnership in Jesus' name, describing what it is and what it is not. I encourage you to select the Bible references and see each verse cited, doing your own research on the topic.

First, the definition of giving to missions is this: expending our money, time, energy, assets, services, and/or anything of value in order to enable missionaries to do their job effectively. This is called partnership. From here on out, we'll define sending missionaries or giving to missionaries as partnership, and I'll explain why in a moment.

 1. Partnership is about joining in on the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). It is not about the spread of conservativism, republicanism, religion, or Western culture. It is simply about telling people the Gospel and leading those who believe the Gospel into discipleship and becoming more like Christ in whatever situation and culture they're in.

2. Partnership is voluntary (2 Corinthians 9:7) Forcing someone to give is a huge no-no in God's eyes. Those who are lead by God to fund a missionary do so willingly out of obedience to and love for God. God can quicken the heart of anyone to partnership, and partnership must be done with a heart of worship.

3. Partnership (funding missions) is of equal value as going (3 John vs. 8, Romans 10:15) This is why we call it partnership. The one who sends and the one who goes are both participating in reaching people with the Gospel. If the sender doesn't have someone to go, then he can't use his money to worship God and invest in the coming Kingdom. If the goer doesn't have someone to send him, then he won't be able to go, spread the Gospel, and invest in the coming Kingdom. The one who sends and the one who goes are both partnering with each other and with God in the Good News. One job in the Great Commission isn't any less valuable than the other. The goer needs the sender; the sender needs the goer.

4. Partnership will be rewarded in the coming Kingdom (Matthew 6:19, 1 Corinthians. 3:8, Revelation 22:12) Being called to partner with missionaries financially is no meager calling. God will reward those who faithfully go, and God will reward those who faithfully send. Money is a very powerful thing and is able to make astounding impact on the world for God. This present time before the Kingdom comes is the only opportunity for us to use our money to invest in such a way that will last for eternity.

My desire is to enter into the Kingdom knowing that I did everything possible to store up treasures there. My family and I don't want to be in the Kingdom and ever find ourselves saying, "I wish I did more!" We want to put all of our effort into the Kingdom by spending the rest of our lives making disciples. It is our prayer that you have such a desire too whether you go or send.
Grace to you.

Job Description: A Philosophy on Missions

I have been preparing for missions ever since I graduated High School in 2006, starting off unwitting diligence with ministry internships which eventually lead me to Biblical and cross-cultural training at BCOM. Throughout college, I was impassioned for the Gospel, the Great Commission, and the unreached peoples of the earth. Passion is usually what we see in missionaries, and passion is essential. There is, however, another thing that all missionaries need as much as passion: Planning.

Every worker of the Gospel, no matter if they're in Marseille, France or Brownsville, Ohio, needs a plan. The unspoken question of, "So, Jarred, what will you actually... do with your time?" must be answered. It must be understood by the Senders that my family and I aren't going to Marseille for vacation, but for the important work of laboring for the Gospel. It is my desire to be open with the various activities that will make up my 40-45 hour work week, that those who send may be encouraged by our faithfulness, that fellow missionaries may be exhorted by our intentionality, and that we may be strengthened by your accountability.

To-Do:

Here is a list of the various activities I will engage in as a pastor/teacher:

~Prayer This is not an exhaustive time of extreme isolation, but rather taking time with others every day to intercede for the French people.
~Communication Skills This involves reading French books and taking language classes to develop a robust French vernacular. This will also include Learning Arabic via Rosetta Stone.
~Preparing to Teach Studying the Scriptures in order to be thoroughly versed in the Bible as well as reading a broad variety of subjects in order to be a competent teacher.
~Individual Meetings Sitting down with Christians in order to encourage them in the faith and with non-Christians in order to share the Gospel with them.
~Developing Discipleship Curriculum Blogging devotionals as well as designing and printing Bible study handouts for small-groups.
~Hosting/Facilitating Small-groups Welcoming people into our home as well as the homes of other believers for teaching, worship, communion, fellowship, and prayer.
~Assisting Fellow Missionaries Taking time every week to lend a hand to my fellow missionaries in whatever ministry they're participating in.
~Updating Senders This includes but is not limited to writing letters, emails, post cards, Facebook updates, and video chatting via Google Hangout.

There is more that we can put on the list, undoubtedly, but this is a clear job description of what we will be doing during the week. As a teacher, I will dress as a teacher and conduct myself as one too, having in mind my mission while in France: To teach the Bible and to preach the Gospel. This will take many forms, but I am a teacher in the end and will answer as such when asked what it is that I do.

It is our prayer that us practicing excellence, integrity, professionalism, and faithfulness will encourage all to do everything possible to schedule their time with the Kingdom in mind.
Grace to you.

Book Review: Chasing Daylight, by Erwin Raphael McManus

This book was loaned to me by my youth pastor, and it has served to explain to me the impetus behind his very effective youth ministry, a ministry that my walk with God is an alumni of.

Chasing Daylight is a must read for anyone who wants to be heavily involved in Christian activism. It's not so much a book on what to do, but on why to do it. And it is described as any God-idea that you have floating in your brain. Whatever God thought you have, whatever ministry idea you feel tucked away under the "someday" category in the back of your mind, that is it. McManus doesn't seek to define what it is (he lets you do that), instead he gives you motivation as to why and in some ways how you can go about making that ideal of yours into an entelechy.

The book was much like a sermon. The entire teaching hinged on the story of Jonathan and his armor-bearer fighting the Philistines in 1st Samuel 14:1-14. He noticed that Jonathan acted not out of an absolute knowledge that God would bless him, keep him, and protect him, but out of a knowledge of God's overall character. "Perhaps the Lord will help us," is what he says in the HCSB. Jonathan didn't have all of the story figured out, but he did know the character of God. Because he knew the character of God, he was able to say "Nothing can keep the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few" in the next sentence.

In knowing the character of God, you are able to discern what is pleasing to him and what isn't pleasing to him. When you learn the things that are pleasing to him, life and calling and ministry become so much more definable. This book has helped me loose the chains holding back my effectiveness for the Kingdom. It isn't merely a "go-until-he-says-no" kind of book, it's a freeing read that grabs you by the shoulders and says, "Jarred, it's okay! Just do what you know is pleasing to God!" (it probably won't call you Jarred).

Hence the importance of daily devotionals. Through the Bible, we know the character of God, and his character is summarized by the image and life of Christ. Know Christ, know what he did, and you will know what to do.

McManus' imaginative vernacular by which he tells the tale of his faith journey was quite elating. In some ways, it read more like a story than a character development book. He, being a seasoned pastor, had many stories to tell. It was these stories that pulled you along through the pages as apposed to leaving you to wade through mere opinions and exegesis on your own strength. I never read a McManus book before, but if all of his books are like this, then he's got one more fan under his belt.

Here's a question: Could it be that God's will isn't so much a list of events as much as a standard of conduct he wants you to practice irrespective of your circumstances?