This is a presentation that we use for Clinical Pastoral Education class. However, I it is quite relevant to missionaries. as well. It draws a bit from Narrative Counseling. "Bible Heroes," as well as missionaries throughout history have complicated and painful lives. Part of their success was in embracing God's perspective rather than their own. …
Month: April 2017
Story Arcs and Ministry
Nice little article in the Atlantic Magazine, "The Six Main Arcs in Storytelling, as Identified by an A.I." by Adrienne Lafrance. (Click Here). It looks at some interesting research as far as how stories flow in terms of emotional arcs. That particular research can be seen HERE. There are many ways to categorize stories, but …
Samson Occom and Friends
A mentor of mine, Ptr. Bruce, gave me a quote... and it was very much on a topic that came up in one of my classes, so I had to share it. Referring to Catholic and Protestant missionaries serving in 19th century China: "Both Christian groups' growth was hampered by the missionaries themselves. They could …
I CAN’T Do All Things Through Christ
In case the title wasn't clear enough... I must say it again. "I can't do all things through Christ." And that feels really good. Now I know some will read this and see a contradiction. After all, one of the most well-known Bible verses is "I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me" …
Missionaries, Ministers, Money, and Manure: Don’t Pile ’em Up, or So They Say | Clearing Customs
I once heard a friend (and fellow missionary at the time) say something on the order of Missionaries are like manure. Pile them all together and they stink, but spread them out and they do good thi… Source: Missionaries, Ministers, Money, and Manure: Don’t Pile ’em Up, or So They Say | Clearing Customs
Is “Orthodox Missions’ ” an Oxymoron?
A nice article from an Orthodox missionary in the link below. The Orthodox church along with other groups associated with the "Eastern Faiths" were by far the most missional in the first millenium (combining in this sense the Greek Orthodox, "Nestorian," and Coptic churches). In the 2nd millenium, the missions of the Russian orthodox involved …
Life Story and Unfinished Tapestry
Okay, this presentation is more pastoral care than missions. However, it takes its inspiration from one of the chapters of my book, Theo-Storying.
Good Friday is Good Enough
I love Good Friday. It seems to be the one thing we allow ourselves in Evangelical churches to be "only good." We are supposed to want Great Churches. A good church is not good enough. Our churches are supposed to have Wonderful Programs. Good programs are not good enough. We are supposed to have Awesome …
7 Rules of Pastoral Conversation
Attached is a short article I posted on our Counseling Center website. Since I teach both missions classes, and a number of pastoral care topics, I love topics that overlap. I saw that the 7 rules of Interreligious Dialogue (IRD) had some interesting correspondences to good guidelines for a Pastoral Conversation, so I played around …