On January 8, 1956, on a sandy beach along the Cararay River in the rainforest of Ecuador, Jim Elliot and four other young missionaries met the end of their lives on spear-tips carried by the very people they had spent years preparing to bring the good news of Jesus Christ. Only days before, they hadContinueContinue reading "2.10 — Jim and Elizabeth Elliot & Martyrdom and Mission"

How large must a church be to send church planters? How large of a budget does it before a church can raise up and send full-time missionaries? What if I told you that from Silver Bluff Baptist Church in Aiken County, SC, not one but two international church planters emerged from a small congregation ofContinueContinue reading "2.9 — David George & Persistence in Evangelism"

I’ve finally found some breathing room to lay down a few more chapters of Romans. Here’s the first: Romans 10 laid over Roddy Ricch’s “The Box.” If these memory aids are helping you, or you are at least enjoying them, let me know! Regardless, I’m memorizing like a fiend–and that’s the point!

Myth and legend swirl through the shamrocked legacy of Patricius son of Calpurnius, son of Potitus the Catholic priest. Most of what we know for certain about Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, comes from his own Confessio,a defense of his ministry and belief written late in life. This autobiographical treatise along with a letter denouncing theContinueContinue reading "2.8 — St. Patrick & Loving Your Enemies"

Another one. These tracks may not be helping any of you, but I’m having fun. I’ve been on a journey memorizing Romans and putting the verses to various tracks to help me remember them. This time it’s Romans 12 to Big Sean’s “Blessings”. As always, not a single word from the ESV translation has beenContinue reading "Romans 12 (Memory Aid)"

Lightning has struck in the same place twice…this time to the bump of the International Players Anthem. I’ve been memorizing Romans with a friend, and I’ve found bending the lines to various tracks makes them stick in my memory. When it comes to memorizing Scripture, I find the more outlandish the memory aid the better!Continue reading "Romans 11 (Memory Aid)"

In the mid 1850s, a call went out to the ministers of the Scottish Reformed Presbyterian Church for a new missionary to be sent to a chain of islands off the coast of Australia. John Inglis pleaded for another to be sent to help him, claiming that on his island alone “3,500 savages [had thrown]ContinueContinue reading "2.7 — John G. Paton and Steeled Conviction & Courage"

On March 20, 1747, a twenty-nine year old David Brainerd said goodbye to his congregation of Delaware Indians for the last time. His long battle with tuberculosis ended in Northhampton, Massachusetts, on a bed in the home of Jonathan Edwards. He passed away October 9, 1747. Brainerd had been a missionary for only four years.ContinueContinue reading "2.6 — David Brainerd and Power in Weakness"

In 1861, Hudson Taylor contracted a serious illness, forcing him to leave behind a fledging church of 21 believers in Ningpo, China, and return to England in hope of recovery. While away, the lost souls of inland China plagued Hudson’s conscience: “The feeling of blood guiltiness became more and more intense…every day tens of thousandsContinueContinue reading "2.5 — Hudson Taylor and A Heart for the Lost"

Today 3,700 Baptist congregations in Myanmar trace their origins to the ministry of one man: Adoniram Judson. The only Burmese Bible in existence was translated by this Baptist missionary. Hundreds were set free from the oppression of Buddhism during his lifetime, many missionaries were raised up, and a legacy of gospel proclamation was laid inContinueContinue reading "2.4 — Adoniram Judson and Counting the Cost"