Text Exchange With My Son

Question: How do you say I love you to your 14 year old son?

Answer: Ask him how his day went.

This is how the text exchange went . . .

Presidential Ground Breaking: Mango, Togo

Missionary Tim Neufeld writes about their preparations for the hospital ground breaking (October 22, 2009) which is amped up because the President of Togo is attending.

Update: President a no-show but approximately 4000 other Togolese present for ground breaking!

Of Dead Kings and Borders

I’m working my way through Deuteronomy with my small group.  (Actually, they would probably say that I am inflicting Deuteronomy ON them!)  It is sometimes odd to me the ways that God communicates with us, and Deuteronomy is full of such examples.  For instance, the verse that seems to randomly mention a dead king in the midst of a description of borders.  What’s that about?

Reformed Missional Thinking

Yesterday I posted on Newbigin’s understanding of missional leadership.  That post showed that the Reformation doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is crucial for the church to fulfill its missional calling.  Today I’ve been reading some posts by Reformed theologian Michael Horton (HT: Mike Wittmer) that speak to the same issue:

Newbigin on Missional Leadership

Lesslie Newbigin’s The Gospel in a Pluralist Society outlines his understanding of the role of the church in culture, namely, to be a sign, foretaste, and instrument for the kingdom of God.  But what about church leadership?  What is the role of a church leader in a missional community?

Why I Love the Missional Church

“Missional” is the latest buzzword in evangelical circles.  Some want to be missional.  Some claim to be missional.  Others simply don’t understand what missional means.  Wherever you find yourself, you absolutely must read this:

2nd at Bat, 3 and 1 Count, 2nd Deck, Home Run

Unbelievable!

HT: Challies

Help him Lord!

Chris Brauns writes about what every preacher secretly desires here.  I would love to hear it this Sunday!  I would love it more if you told me you were praying for me.

Backhoe Arrives In Mango

Two ordinary events in our world are life changing in Mango, Togo:  A backhoe arrives, and a peanut field floods.  As you read you will realize that a  flooded field means that a crop of peanuts is lost, and when a crop is lost, people go hungry.  Not a big deal for us, but a huge deal to the people of Togo.  Likewise, a backhoe is common fare – I saw one today – no big deal.  But in Mango Togo, a backhoe has  lifesaving potential.  The backhoe referenced in Tim’s update is the work horse for building the new hospital which will save lives!   Read all about it . . .

The Informant

The Informant doesn’t tell the whole story of Mark Whitacre.  Read about how God used “hard time” to get a hold of his heart here.