Casual Friday Cinco De Mayo Friday

Hello from Atlanta, Georgia where we are currently visiting with our daughter and her family.  We have some big decisions ahead of us, but I’ll have to report on that subject a little later. Meanwhile, your friends and families on the mission field need your continued care. Here are the latest resources to enhance your effectiveness.

LIFE ON THE FIELD

Self-care can have a bad reputation when it is not properly understood. Addie Zierman helps clear that up.

My spiritual director doesn’t call it self-care. She calls it resourcing.

Who do you know that should read this?

Jonathan Trotter has dusted off a couple of his older posts that deserve a fresh look. This one  about the need to slow down is a must-read for the missionaries you know.

Closely related to the above post is this one from Jonathan about the need for margin: the wasted space we desperately need.

A couple of ladies who are global workers have started a podcast for other women on the field. This session explains the desire behind the project. You can also go to the first couple of podcasts from this site.

Stress can be a breeding ground for bitterness and spiritual fatigue. Bill Tell offers some more good advice for nipping that in the bud.

God gives permission to not understand.

Fasting as a spiritual discipline? Of course. Most of us have heard of that. Michelle DeRusha gives it a twist in this piece on disconnecting from social media. Perhaps your friends on the field should consider this.

CONFLICT

Conflict is inevitable on the mission field. This article explains how to avoid toxic fallout. You should forward this to all your field worker friends.

While conflict is inevitable, casualties are not a foregone conclusion. This piece by Heather Kenny explains. (Full disclosure: I may be slightly biased; the author is my daughter.)

FUNDRAISING

Trevor Johnson deals with a topic that concerns most missionaries who must raise their own support. A good balance on the subject of asking.

TRANSITION

Visiting home may not be everything you think it will be. That’s Amy Medina’s caution to those who are about to experience the “cultural whiplash” of re-entry to their passport country. Know anyone in that category who should read this?

This piece is really a great argument for debriefing, though it is not written for that purpose. Joy Smalley talks about the importance of memories for anyone who wants to move on in a healthy way.

EQUIP YOURSELF

Busyness is the bane of many, if not most, global workers. Could be it’s a major problem for you, too.

How is your heart doing at this very moment, at this breath?

In this article by Omid Safi you will be challenged as well as encouraged to ask some hard questions. Both of yourself and of those you care about on the mission field.

Want to be a catalyst for missions and missionary care in your church? Lois Thorpe shares some ideas for growing missionaries that you will want to explore.

Resilience after unimaginable loss. That’s the subject of this interview with authors Sheryl Sandberg and Adam. Their new book, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy, is something you may want on your shelf. You can listen to the interview here or read the transcript. Prepare yourself for coming alongside the missionaries you know who, sooner or later, will experience profound loss.

Moral care is part of missionary care. This newsletter from Member Care Associates offers several articles about the need for global workers to maintain moral integrity and how we can help them do that.

Shepherd’s Staff has redesigned their web site and I love their resources section. Spend some time poking around here. You’ll find plenty to equip you in your ongoing efforts to care for global workers.

EVENTS

Speaking of debriefing—the folks at Reboot have extended their deadline to register for their June event. Check here for more details.

Recalibrate! is another debriefing event to consider. We have room for 20 adults and teens at the October session to be held at Gull Lake, Michigan. Early registration is advised.

Don’t forget: The best thing you can do to help your friends on the mission field thrive is to stay spiritually healthy yourself. Until next week…

What I’m reading this week:

• The Prophetic Imagination, by Walter Brueggemann
• Blind Spots, by Scott Morton
• Winston Churchill: Young Statesman, 1901-1914, by Randolph S. Churchill
• Songs from the Heart: Meeting with God in the Psalms, by Tim Riordan

Just finished:

• Psalm 116, by Kyle Burkholder
• Winston S. Churchill: Youth, 1874-1900, by Randolph S. Churchill
• Running on Empty, by Fil Anderson
• Life of the Beloved, by Henri Nouwen
• You Are What You Love, by James Smith

Up next:

• Breaking the Rules, by Fil Anderson
• Th!nk, by Michael LeGault