Short and sweet this week, since we’re in Texas to speak at a missionary retreat conference.  I know you’ll put these to good use.

LIFE ON THE FIELD

Lingering? Who’s got time for lingering…especially on the mission field?! Well, perhaps we should make time. Margaret Feinberg makes a pretty good argument for the necessity of shifting from living for God to living with God. My guess is that every cross cultural worker you know would benefit from this concept.

TRANSITION

Most of the time most people are less than fond of change—even good change. Since missionary life is replete with changes (aka transitions), it might help to know how to handle them. Lee McDowell offers that help in this Thrive article.

One thing that can help people cope with difficult change is forewarning. Veteran missionary Sue Eenigenburg explains. (By the way, you might want to tell the female missionaries you know about Sue’s web site, offering “hope and humor for women in cross cultural ministry.”)

Another way to combat the upheaval of seemingly endless transition is to develop and maintain routines. Joy Smalley shares four of hers, as a starting point in helping others.

Cross-cultural life is all about interruptions and the unexpected.

Who do you know that would appreciate this?

EVENTS

Far too many missionaries are driven by shame, and many more suffer from its effect on their ministry. Potter’s Inn is sponsoring a one-day seminar by Dr. Curt Thompson, author of The Soul of Shame, January 25, in Colorado Springs. You may be interested in expanding your understanding of this topic and learning ways to deal with it.

The folks at Thrive have opened registration for their July, 2019 women’s retreat in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Who could you host for the exceptional deal? Want to volunteer to help at the retreat? There’s opportunity for that, too (scroll down a bit on the page).

EQUIP YOURSELF

Beth Barthelemy offers four reasons churches should visit their missionaries. (Believe me, there are ten times that many good reasons, but these four are top of the list.) If you are not the person in charge of making such decisions, make sure the right person sees this. If you are the one with authority—start making plans.

If your missionary friend was depressed, would you know it? Do you know what to look for? Ruth’s post can help you with that. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that missionaries don’t get depressed. And don’t kid yourself that you can’t be strategically important to them when they are.

BUMP IT UP A NOTCH

What is your understanding of moral humility? Of public humility, semantic humility, or intercultural, incarnational, or theological humility. If you’re like me, those phrases have rarely if ever crossed your mind. They are the subject of Andy McCullough’s new book Global Humility: Attitudes for Mission. Marilyn Gardner reviews it here, and her thoughts were enough for me to order the book. How about you? Does this look like something that would challenge you to growth? How might it be useful in your care of missionaries?

Have a great weekend however and wherever you choose to worship. May the Father’s cascading abundance overflow from you onto all in your path.

New on my bookshelf:

• Sacred Pathways, by Gary Thomas
• Moving from I to We, by Paul Ford
• Knocking Over the Leadership Ladder, by Paul Ford
• Dare to Lead, by Brene Brown
• Coaching Financial Support Raiser in Ministry, by Jordan Smith
• Arriving Well: Stories about Identity…, by Brubaker, Watts, and Cumberford
• Invitation to Retreat, by Ruth Haley Barton
• The Marketspace, by Larry McCrary
• Souvenirs of Solitude, by Brennan Manning

What I’m reading this week:

• Dragging Baggage: A Guide for Those Struggling on the Mission Field, by Alice Young
• Inspired: Slaying giants, walking on water, and loving the Bible again, by Rachel Evans
• Formed for the Glory of God, by Kyle Strobel
• Winston S. Churchill: World in Torment: 1916-1922, by Martin Gilbert

Recently finished reading:

• Autumn: A Spiritual Biography, Schmidt & Felch, eds.
• Under Our Skin: Getting Real about Race, by Benjamin Watson
• The Garlic Ballads, by Mo Yan
• Receiving Sent Ones During Re-entry, by Zach Bradley

Up next:

• The Bible Tells Me So, by Peter Enns
• Receiving Them Well, by Lisa Ennis & Lori Bryan
• Desiring the Kingdom, by James K.A. Smith