Whenever we compromise our integrity, we lose the trust, respect and confidence of both our ministry partners and the very people we seek to reach. When our integrity is damaged, it takes years to regain it. When integrity is destroyed, effectiveness in ministry is impossible. When integrity is bargained away, our standing before God is… Continue reading INTEGRITY, THE ESSENTIAL QUALITY
MAINTAINING YOUR INTEGRITY
Whenever we compromise our integrity, we lose the trust, respect and confidence of both our ministry partners and the very people we seek to reach. When our integrity is damaged, it takes years to regain it. When integrity is destroyed, effectiveness in ministry is impossible. When integrity is bargained away, our standing before God is… Continue reading MAINTAINING YOUR INTEGRITY
UNDERSTANDING CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY
When Ruth & I went to East Africa as missionaries 35 years ago, we were expressly told during our field orientation that we were not to hold hands in public, not even on our mission station. Men were allowed to hold hands in public, but for any man and woman to show affection in public… Continue reading UNDERSTANDING CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY
HANDLING CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY
Jesus’ command is for his followers to take the gospel to people of all cultures. How do we do it successfully? To begin with, there can be no ethnocentricy in Christian ministry. Ethnocentricy is the mindset that my culture is better than anyone else’s culture. Remember, the only culture that is pleasing to God is kingdom-culture.… Continue reading HANDLING CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY
THE LONELIEST CHOICE OF ALL
The relocation saga begins for most pastors with a bedeviling question: “Is it time to resign my present church?” The future of one’s ministry, the trust of a congregation, the needs of spouse and children, and the opinion of peers all seem to heighten the emotional stakes and blur objectivity. In this first chapter, Calvin… Continue reading THE LONELIEST CHOICE OF ALL
BUILDING TRUST
Recently, I made an appointment with a friend to meet at 2 o’clock the next afternoon to review some important activities we were doing. It was an important meeting for me. I rescheduled my entire day so I could be at the appointment. However, when 2 o’clock came, I was left alone, waiting for… Continue reading BUILDING TRUST
SHIFTING BLAME
We live in a world where people love to blame others for their problems. We like to find scapegoats for things that go wrong. We make excuses. We have become good at avoiding responsibility for what happens in our lives. Frequently, we just blame the devil. The story is told of a person sitting outside… Continue reading SHIFTING BLAME
WORKING AS A TEAM
Let me tell you a parable. An old man was walking down the road when a strange thing happened, his nose started talking with his eyes. The nose was very angry because the old man had poor eyesight and needed to wear glasses in order to see. The nose said, “You eyes are no good.… Continue reading WORKING AS A TEAM
DEALING WITH FRUSTRATION
The other day, I was going to an important meeting in Kenya but was stuck in a traffic jam. It took nearly an hour to go a few blocks. I was frustrated because I was late for my meeting. In another country, the leaders of Book of Hope are frustrated because a shipment of books… Continue reading DEALING WITH FRUSTRATION
PATIENCE
A ministry leader told me recently, “I am losing patience with a person to whom I gave an assignment and who said he would do it right away. But he hasn’t done a thing.” Another national director said, “I wish the people in our international office had more patience with us. They don’t seem to… Continue reading PATIENCE