Category: Missions & Cross-Cultural
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When Freedom is Not Freedom
One of the biggest challenges in cross cultural work is knowing what you can and cannot do. This happens both culturally and in religious settings. The “gray areas” in Scripture are numerous. The do not’s are obvious, but there are many times when we are not sure if it is good or not to walk…
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Power Money Gives Us
Last month at A Life Overseas, we discussed the dangerous stories we can tell in order to raise funds. This requires further consideration if we provide funds, pay national workers, or are just generous in any way. While the debate on this one is hot and heavy, I doubt we can make absolute statements. “Always…
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Dangerous Stories
Sometimes the stories we tell of those we minister to can become dangerous. I’ve been at this mission thing for 23 years now. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I often reflect on things I did in the past and cringe. Hindsight is always 20/20, but perhaps others can learn from my mistakes. The mistake…
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One’s Mission Field, Another’s Opportunity
One man’s mission field is another’s land of opportunity. I realized this in a fresh way as I was interacting with some immigrants to South Africa from Malawi. They were telling me about their home nation, Malawi. The common descriptions were of a lush, green, and beautiful nation which was peaceful. They left their homeland…
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The Signs of Christmas
What are the signs which point to Christmas coming? In every culture there are different visuals which alert us to the coming of this holiday season. When I first moved to South Africa, Christmas snuck up on me because I did not see the normal American signs. Once I learned the new signs, I could…