I have had a number of things come up that have reminded me of an area of weakness that I have in ministry. 1. Our financial support is going down considerably in 2015, and precipitously in 2016. I realized that I don't really know how to raise support. Our 11 years here in the Philippines …
Continue reading Selling, Informing, and Teaching This Old Dog a New Trick.
Storytelling affects human biology, beliefs and behavior, say DARPA researchers.
I am not sure that this cartoon has a lot of theological significance... but since today is Christmas... a beautiful day often marred by soul-shriveling avarice, there is a certain charm of a stick figure who is fully satisfied. Perhaps we all need a bit of dissatisfaction to learn and grow, but perhaps not. My …
I was asked to lead a commissioning service today. It made me think about what a commissioning is... or at least should be. Commissioning is an interesting Christian tradition. And it is even used in non-Christian circles. In 1987, I was involved in my first commissioning service. I was commissioned as an officer of the …
Sometimes I put answers on "Answers.com". I saw the following question: How do Thinking Christians persuade modern men that it is necessary to shed blood to atone for sin that it is necessary for Jesus to die in order to reconcile men to God? It is possible that this is a loaded question... implying that …
Continue reading Answering the Wrong Question to the Wrong Person
< You can click on "Previous" above to see the previous post.> How does this apply to missions or ministry? “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.” -Blaise Pascal. I have heard that this is a poor translation from the original French, and probably did not …
Continue reading Personhood and the Escalation of Conflict. Part 2
A few days ago, the "Islamic State" or "ISS" or "ISIL" made a statement (or its leadership made a statement) that it was okay to enslave and have (non-mutual) sex with non-Muslim women and girls. It is hard, as an outsider, to fathom why a group that claims to be acting for a righteous …
Continue reading Personhood and the Escalation of Conflict. Part 1
I am about 2/3 done with a textbook for Cultural Anthropology. "Ministry in Diversity: Applied Anthropology in a Multicultural World." It will primarily be used (hopefully) for Seminiary by Extension classes in the Philippines. Here is the section on Magic and Magical Thinking. It is still a bit rough... but getting there. Magic is often …
<I wrote this post back in 2015. At the time we were under stress from some financial changes. One can read some sadness and stress in the post, but some hope as well. I am happy to say that now in 2017 we understand better that God is good. We are surviving... and sometimes even …