The key article in Lesson 15, World Christian Disciples is from the study guide. A summary and discussion questions are below: From “Life on Purpose” by Claude Hickman, Steven, C. Hawthorne, and Todd Ahrend The Practice of Going: Immersing ourselves cross-culturally. The P

Today’s program interviewed Dylan Debruin and Joe Shafbuch about ministry in Uganda. Dylan and Joe work as realtors in Central Iowa. The program aired on Saturday, April 28th at 12:00pm on KTIA 99.3 FM. To listen to the program click on the link below, each segment is around 12 minute

The subtitle of Serving with Eyes Wide Open is “Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence”. The purpose of the book is to introduce the concept of “cultural intelligence” to those who serve on short-term mission teams or relate to other people cross-

Risk is always a consideration when traveling to an unfamiliar place. Anyone who does not want to take risk should not go on a short-term mission trip. Below are some safety tips and information for travelers that I’ve picked up over the years and lessons learned from personal t

The key article in Lesson 14, Pioneer Church Planting is “Three Kinds of Movements” by Rick Brown and Steven C. Hawthorne and “The C-Spectrum” by John J. Travis. A summary and discussion questions are below: Brown and Hawthorne list three kinds of movements of

THE MYTH OF SOARING MUSLIM FERTILITY RATES It is considered common wisdom among Western analysts that Muslim countries are plagued with large families and ever-swelling masses of young people are a threat to stability. Only problem is all the hard evidence to the contrary. 5 Distincti

Today’s program interviewed Roger Wheeler about five years of ministry to Native Americans both on the reservation and through a cultural exchange program here in central Iowa.  The program aired on Saturday, April 21st at 12:00pm on KTIA 99.3 FM. To listen to the program click on the

Transforming Worldviews is a must read for anyone working or living cross-culturally. Worldview analysis is necessary for understanding and communicating in a new culture. This understanding only comes with careful analysis and reflection, not just more time spent overseas. It is poss

Churches should not send individual volunteers on short-term mission projects, they should send teams of volunteers. The division of labor, safety, and accountability that teams provide are essential elements of successful volunteer projects. The team should be selected based on the s

Dr. Blumenfeld warns us in his article (below) about a new thinking infecting our country called “neoliberalism” that has crept in to ruin us and has even influenced the likes of Mitt Romney. Blumenfeld describes neoliberalism as, “… a market-driven approach to economic and social pol

My response to the Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus video   So, your office is restructuring again?       My Response to Article: ISU cancels business class because of biblical perspective   A peek into our church’s budget allocations for 2012 World Watch List Countries, where pers

The last post in this series is a list of resources to help with next steps… Whew… many things to think about… deciding to go, preparing, picking an assignment… Hopefully these posts have helped to clarify your thinking to make a sound decision. I disagree with

The key article in lesson 13 is The Spontaneous Multiplication of Churches by George Patterson. A summary and discussion questions are below: Patterson’s article brings out two elements of the Great Commission: 1) that to disciple a “nation” we should strive to see i

Today’s program interviewed Jake Sullivan from Huxley, Iowa. Jake’s interest in adoption in the West African country of Ghana led to adoption and development of ministry among orphans and much more! The program aired on Saturday, April 14th at 12:00pm on KTIA 99.3 FM. To l

The number of people who take part in short-term missions projects has exploded in the last two decades. One recent survey indicated that 41% of all 15-20 year-olds have been on a mission trip. The number of people from the USA who go on short-term missions projects is now well over o