Are the Kids Alright? An Introduction to Missionary Kids and the Sending Church
This is Part One of a three-part series. One question growing up caused me more existential dread and conversational anxiety than any other: “Where are you from?” How do I answer that question? Do I tell them the country that…
Training for the Work Ahead: The RTIM Global Internship
Last week, Reaching & Teaching launched its Global Internship—a two-year program intended to equip men and women with ecclesiological and missiological tools and instincts that will prepare them for whatever assignments the Lord has for them. I’m excited about this…
My Life Changed at CROSS 2013 . . . But Not in the Way You’d Think
It was the winter of 2013, and I was the last of my siblings still living at home. So when my parents agreed to participate in the first CROSS Conference, I tagged along for what would be a much colder…
The Joy of Christmas
Darkness looms over the people. The people of Judah crave the pleasures of sin rather than the pleasures of God. As a result, storm clouds of judgment approach. This is the sobering setting of the book of Isaiah as he…
The Incarnation Is Good News for Tempted Sinners: A Christmas Meditation
It’s Christmastime here in Brazil yet again. Which means it’s time for 90-degree heat, swimming on Christmas Eve, and Santa in Bermuda shorts. The mall in our city even has an attraction each December that provides Brazilians with a “white…
Missionaries Abroad Need Friendships Back Home
When we arrived on the field to check out a potential short-term teaching site, we were greeted by a beautiful missionary family. They warmly welcomed us with homemade, freshly baked cookies. That day, the jungle didn’t seem so inhospitable. But…
Fellow Missionaries, Don’t Be Afraid of Raising Support
I’m sure you’ve read these words: “We’re moving our family overseas to advance the gospel and equip church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. Would you be willing to . . .” You can probably finish the sentence. A…
Don’t Just Be a Sending Church, Be a Staying Church
My wife and I dropped our first child off at college this past August. There’s nothing easy about saying goodbye to a kid you watched being born, taught to read and ride a bike, evangelized and discipled. She slept under…
Local Church Partnership on the Field
“You can’t commend what you don’t cherish.” Missionaries, John Piper writes, will never call the nations to worship if they’re not personally engaged in heartfelt worship. [1] I want to apply this principle to the missionary and the local church….
Who’s Most Qualified to Identify and Prepare Missionaries? Your Local Church.
One of the great privileges we have at Reaching & Teaching is partnering with faithful churches who desire to send people overseas to make mature disciples, establish healthy churches, and train local leaders. Frankly, we wouldn’t send missionaries who weren’t…