Missionary Funding Problems

Is anyone else noticing that missionaries overseas are having more and more problems with funding?

As a Sailor, I've had the sincere honor of meeting numerous missionaries in far away places like Sapporo (Japan), Kagoshima (Japan), Pattaya (Thailand), and even here at home in the US. So far, all but one of my missionary contacts are reporting that they are behind the curve in funding. The only family I know that is doing perfectly well just reported to the field last year and is still fresh on their supporters' minds.

One missionary I know supplements his meager donations by performing weddings. I guess you could call it "Business as Missions" but not really. Another reports that he's unable to do things to earn money because of the type of visa he has for that country. He truly has to rely on donated help, and churches are dropping away left and right.

I have two questions for you, dear reader.

1.  Where is it in the Bible that I have to give my tithe, or even the bulk of my tithe, to my local church? I don't see it anywhere in the Bible.

2.  Isn't this an indication that the missionary strategy has to change? I'm thinking more along the lines as Business as Missions and I have ideas I would like to propose, but we'll see where the conversation goes.

We military folks have some interesting insight into missions, especially those who have been active as missionaries ourselves. Maybe it's time we start putting our money where our mouths are.

Mother's Day

My children have quite possibly the best example of a mother. Alicia is humble, dedicated, and passionate about being a mother, and it shows every day. In frustrations, excitement, happiness, and a host of other emotions, she is a mother of the highest caliber.

For the longest time, and even now to some degree, I've struggled with the idea that my first ministry is to my wife and children. Furthermore, I've struggled with the idea that being a dad and a father is enough. It's weighed heavily on me at times. What I believe doesn't seem to work with the Bible, at least at times.

And then there is Alicia. What I wouldn't give to be as humble and dedicated as she is to her task as a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM). She arguably does more than me on any given day and gets no pay for it. And during that time where she is often out-working me, she is doing it with a simple passion that I really can't explain, but that I can see very clearly.

She is a woman who wants our children to believe in Christ. More than just wanting them to, however, she takes great pains to show them Christ. She shows them through the Bible and through her actions.

Alicia also cares about other mothers. As a woman of some age (which will remain top secret) and the mother of an 8 year old, a 6 year old, and a newborn, she has quite a bit of experience. I've seen her work with other mothers and it's very intriguing. As a man, I would barge in on another man's life and say, "Hey, do it this way." Ok, not quite like that, but close. Yet Alicia is so gentle (most of the time) and truly cares about the women and young mothers she works with.

No, Alicia isn't perfect. This post isn't trying to prove her sainthood to you. That is between her and God and is none of my business. What I want to say is that I believe that she is fulfilling God's requirements for her and she's doing it in a way that is simply amazing. A great woman for a great day.

Happy Mother's Day Alicia! I hope that God will continue to bless your ministry to our children!

Lose the Christianese

There is a phrase that the Navy uses to describe one barrier to effective communication: Lack of common-core experience. Just because you know what transformational means doesn't mean that your younger believer will. He or she needs to hear things on his/her level. This is certainly true of a non-believer. 

Sometimes we as experienced believers don't talk in church slang on purpose. These may be words that we've known for decades, especially those of us who grew up in the church. However, we are called to make disciples! Many of those young believers who need our help are spiritual orphans or outright unbelievers. They need to know that we aren't going to expect them to know everything we know. Yet our language, if we aren't careful, can betray this desire.

Get rid of the Christianese as much as you possibly can. Not only will your younger Christian disciple appreciate it, but so will the unreached around you who need to hear “normal” language!

5K Race #2 just about killed me

I put "hot and miserable!" on my status for runkeeper, but the fact was that the 5K I ran on Thursday of this last week as so much worse than that. The temp was at 83 degrees with 60% humidity. Sure, some of my adoring readers have ran in worse conditions, but they hadn't been running in dry and 50 degree temps for almost all of their training runs.

Anyway, I did very well on my first mile, making good progress. I ran the first mile 8:23. I thought that was pretty good considering the weather. Then it was like I hit a wall. I remember hitting the asphalt around the clock tower on base and just about quitting. It was sudden and demoralizing. I don't know if the heat ramped up suddenly or if it was just the end of my reserves, but I had nothing left, but I struggled hard. People were passing me and I shifted down from race to training. By the 1.5 mile mark, I shifted down again from training to survival. It was absolutely horrendous. Mile three was more of the same except I went slightly down in elevation, so that helped. I ran that mile about 10 seconds faster than mile 2, but obviously still horrible for me. Here are my stats:

Here is the route we ran:

Honestly, it was the worst race I've had on the base, and I've run several. I've had it sleet on me before and that race was better than this one. Hopefully I'll get some better training in the heat for next month, especially as I'm training for the Fort2Base in September and the Chicago Marathon in October.