PARACLETOS BLOG
Casual Friday Missionary Care
Seems like the only thing that comes close to keeping up with COVID-19-related news is the mass of articles, podcasts, webinars, and other suggestions about how to deal with it. (My inbox is blowing up. Yours?) I have tried to restrict my selections here to those that...
Jumpstart: Keeping Perspective
No matter how badthings get onthis earth, that is notthe end of the story.
Casual Unusual Friday
A lot of you may be stuck at home. Great! Use the time to connect with global workers, many of whom are also on lock-down. Use whatever mode of communication they prefer (Skype, Zoom, Whatsapp, phone text…) and let them know you are thinking of them and praying for...
Not So Casual Friday
Seems like everything is about COVID-19, and most of that is not encouraging. Nothing casual about that. I am convinced that, if we really knew the forces arrayed against us spiritually, we would take spiritual health even more seriously than we take physical health...
Casual Friday Resources
I have definitive proof that Spring has arrived: ladybugs. Or Asian lady beetles, to be more accurate. Our windows are covered in them as they seek to get back outdoors from where they have been overwintering. Hopefully you don't have such distractions to deter you...
Casual In Like a Lamb Friday
March may have come in like a lamb in these parts, but my body did not get the memo. I managed to contract the flu (though not, as far as I know, the one that has everyone in a tizzy). Two days after returning from our most recent trip I was down for the count. Two...
Casual Leap Year Friday
Leap year. Does it seem like this month is lasting forever? There’s something about turning the calendar page to March that says Spring is near. Meanwhile… There are a lot of resources this week focused on self-care. Be sure and share these with your friends on the...
Casual Midwinter Friday
Another week, already gone. Does anyone else think this year is just evaporating? Well, at least that means there is another week’s worth of missionary care resources for you to peruse. As always, thank you for caring in such a vital way for the sent ones God has...
Casual February Friday
We were traveling last week and decided to practice what we preach. Rather than try to cram in another activity (last week’s post) I chose to skip it. (Did you miss us?) While living in a somewhat artificial world for 10 days (visiting supporters) it was easy to lose...
Casual Fresh Friday
What a week we’ve had! Earthquakes, deadly viruses, political drama… Whether or not your friends overseas have been affected by current events, they certainly could use your ongoing encouragement. Share these resources with them, and with anyone you know who wants to...
Casual Friday Missionary Care Resources
Well, here you go—the freshly redesigned format I promised. I trust this will help you navigate this list of resources more efficiently. The point of sharing these with you is so you can use them yourself and/or forward them to a missionary you care for. So have at...
Casual Friday Missionary Care Resources
Already behind on your New Year’s goals? Yeah…me too. These first two weeks have evaporated! Meanwhile, there are global workers out there who need our encouragement. Here are some resources to help you provide effective care. SELF-CARE One invaluable service you...
Casual New Year Friday
Welcome to 2020! Let’s make it the best year ever in terms of missionary care. With resources like these, you can play a vital role in keeping global workers healthy and growing. Be sure and spread these around. SELF-CARE Even if you don’t believe in New Year’s...
Casual Friday Christmas Edition
I know everyone is busy this time of year (I certainly am), so I’ll keep it a little shorter this week. Then we’ll take a break until January 10, to give everyone a chance to relax and enjoy relationships. Don’t forget to pray for global workers who will be...
Merry Casual Friday
It’s that time of year again – the season of gifting. Have you ever considered giving a missionary something special for Christmas (rather than money)? You could, for instance, buy a book or enroll in a class about missionary care; your gift would be the increased...
Jumpstart: Can you hear God’s voice?
There's a special stillness in the air these days?Can you hear it?Can you hear God's voice in it?
Casual Friday
Happy Thanksgiving! We realize you have better things to do this next week or so than check the latest missionary care resources. So we'll take a brief time out. Thank you for caring, for making yourself available to be used of God as a representative of his heart...
Jumpstart: Practicing Thankfulness
So what would you like more of?For what do you have to be thankful?
Casual Autumn Friday
In the spring we have several little sayings to aid us in describing the season. (In like a lion, out like a lamb, for instance.) We ought to have some for autumn, don’t you think. This season is so mercurial. Unpredictable in every way except its unpredictability....
Jumpstart: You have a choice
How much is next week's joy worth to you?How badly do you want to avoid unhappy hassles?You have a choice...
Casual Cold Friday
We had some record-breaking cold this past week—and our first measurable snow of the season (a bit earlier than usual). We are approaching a time of year when we traditionally slow down a bit and think about what all we are thankful for. I am thankful for you, for...
Jumpstart: Keeping up
As a result, we lack a margin of power that lets us meet our responsibilities with something left over. When is the last time your soul had a good meal?
Casual Glorious November Friday
It had to happen sooner or later: snow is a possibility in our forecast this next week. How is it where you are? How is it where your friends serve as missionaries? The more you know about their living conditions, their environment, their responsibilities, the better...
Jumpstart: How much are you risking?
When was the last time you stopped everything just to enjoy a sunset?How much damage might your soul have accumulated?
Casual November Friday
First day of November, and already we are made to we realize how close winter is! Snow in many parts of the U.S., blustery winds and freeze warnings where we are in southeast Indiana. It’s a paradoxical season—just like life on the mission field. You are a vital part...
Jumpstart: A cause to wonder
Maybe this is part of what it meansto cease striving and knowthat he is God.
Casual Friday Missionary Care Resources
We are enjoying glorious autumnal weather in these parts (sorry for those of you who aren’t). The transition of seasons parallels in so many ways the transitions that global workers go through. And as the old saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the...
Jumpstart: A place to stand
Like the breathtaking beauty of an autumn landscape,your friendship is more refreshing than you probably realize.
Casual October Friday
We finally had our first frost around these parts. The trees have responded accordingly; their shuddering has resulted in far fewer vestiges of summer’s dense foliage. How is it where you are?Well, we’re done traveling for a while and we’ve got an extra-large...
Jumpstart: Don’t chase the wrong thing
The extraordinary is just that - extra. Don't overlook the meanwhile.
Jumpstart: How good things really are
How much joy do we cheat ourselves out of?
Casual Glorious Autumn Friday
Blizzards in the Northwest; drought in our neck of the woods. Will autumn ever truly arrive? Seems we ask that question more years than not. Some of us are waiting eagerly for our favorite season to settle in. Others are dreading the harbinger of winter. The affect...
Jumpstart: Let grace find you
You don't have to figure it all out. Let the One who already knows reveal it to you.
Casual Autumn Friday
It’s been a crazy week in the news for many in the U.S. Surprises, paradoxes, disasters and pending disasters—very similar to everyday life for many of the missionaries with whom you partner. Challenges are always easier to face when resources are available. That’s...
Casual Officially Autumn Friday
If autumn begins when pumpkin spice makes its first appearance, then we been in it for weeks. Went into a hardware store this week and saw Christmas trees set up next to the Halloween decorations. So maybe autumn is almost over??? So confusing. You don’t need to be...
Casual Early Autumn Friday
Eighteen years ago we had just returned from the mission field. No longer of a single culture; no longer simply Americans. Eighteen years ago we were more focused on the the country we’d left than the one we’d re-entered. Until September 11. The entire world was...
Casual Friday Missionary Care Resources
Paradox. It’s all around us. Some of us are relishing delightfully cool nights; others are dealing with a hurricane. Missionary life is full of paradoxes, too. It is the best of all jobs, and it is the hardest/worst of all jobs—at the same time! You can help the...
Casual PSL Friday
Brace yourself. Pumpkin spice is about to descend in mass quantities. (I’ve even seen pumpkin spice Cheerios on the market!) I enjoy a good PSL as much as anyone, but surely there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Except when it comes to missionary care....
Casual Friday Missionary Care Resources
Well, autumn is officially one month away. Around here leaves are already turning and dropping. I for one always look forward to what is my favorite season (but I can hold out for another couple weeks before breaking out the candy corn and pumpkin spice everything)....
Jumpstart: Make this investment today
Talk about a good investment! What's holding you back?
Casual Friday Missionary Care Resources
What a week it’s been. The world is in dire need of what missionaries have to offer. Let’s make sure they are adequately cared for, with resources like these. And make sure to take care of your own spiritual health, too. So much sad news has a way of pulling us...
Jumpstart: Don’t fail at the wrong thing
Don'tfear thewrong thing.
Casual Dog Days of Summer Friday
As the dog days of summer settle in, many of us are also scrambling to get ourselves or our kids back to school. It’s also high season for harvesting and storing many crops. It would be easy to forget about our friends in some other country who need our care and...
Jumpstart: To save or to savor?
"This makes it hard to plan the day.But if we forget to savor the world, what possible reason do we have for saving it?In a way savoring must come first."
Casual Dog Days of Summer Friday
Ah, the dog days of summer. Life seems to slow way down, even as the days have already started getting shorter. Sorry if you came looking for fresh Casual Friday content last week. We lost our internet connection for nearly a week. That reminded me of what life was...
Jumpstart: Some day will come
One day you will wake up and be where you've always been headed.Maybe tomorrow.It's too soon to quit.
Jumpstart: A place to play and pray
Where is your play space and prayer place?How often do you go there?Maybe it's time you scheduled a visit.
Casual Scorching Hot Friday
If you are in the portion of the United States that is experiencing brutal heat this weekend, it would be a good time to stay inside and check out this latest batch of missionary care resources. And the heat might remind you to pray for the global workers you know who...
Jumpstart: The only way to avoid criticism
Fear of failing can be crippling.Fear of criticism is just as bad - especially if you fail.There is a way to avoid all that. But do you really want to?
Casual Friday Missionary Care Resources
Well the Fourth is behind us. Summer is in full swing, and we have the bug bites and sunburn to prove it. But the need for missionary care knows no season; it is a constant that you can count on. And just in case you were wondering if you really are a strategic part...