PMPod

Today on the Pod, I interviewed myself about distinguishing between Law and Gospel in missions. We talk about how DBS and ZUME struggle to give the believer hope and comfort and how we can recover a better understanding of how to use the Gospel in discipleship and Church planting.

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Timeline

• 00:00 Intro  
• O1:23 Introduction to Law & Gospel
• 02:30 Common misconceptions around Law & Gospel
• 13:00 The Two uses of the Law. What is the role of the Law in the life of the believer? 
• 22:10 Where do you think missions gets the Gospel wrong today? 
• 30:50 The Passive and Active obedience of Christ for us
• 42:50 Do you have enough faith? 

We need people reaching all segments of society. In this Pod, I talk to a guy who grew up on the field, never really wanted to go back, but ended up getting called back by God, and is now serving in places and ways he never imagined. It’s great to hear his story of growing up on the field, studying back in the West, and then heading back out to the Middle East. My guest shares some of the differences between being a missionary kid and being a missionary, as well as some of the struggles he encouraged moving back to the region. We don’t want to look at people’s physical needs as just a gateway to their spiritual needs. There is a temptation to think that the only thing that matters is people's spiritual health; everything else is just an excuse to get there. But Jesus himself valued people’s physical health and he wanted them to be well.
 
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Timeline 

• 00:00 Intro 
• 01:00 What was it like growing up on the field? 
• 04:40 Transitioning from being an MK to living in the West 
• 12:50 Transitioning to go back out to the mission field 
• 18:30 Getting married and having a calling with your wife
• 22:00 Returning to the field as an adult 
• 27:20 Did you have a team “storming” phase? 
• 37:10 What does community look like for you and your family? 
• 40:30 How do you and your wife minister together? 
• 46:00 What do you do for your quiet time? 

"I’ve never wanted to quit….more than three or four times….a day."

Today on the Pod, I talk to a guy who has been in missions for nearly 50 years. Some people get brittle and angry as they get older, but not this guy; he is genuine and humble and has a lot to teach us. Get out your notepad and pen, this is a great interview.

"The natural vitality is slowly ebbing away. But I want to be as faithful as possible as long as I can. And it just means I have to hold on to Christ tighter."

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Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 How have missions changed over the last 50 years? 
• 09:10 Has there been a shift in the message of missions?
• 18:44 What has the role of prayer been in your life?
• 29:40 How have dealt with despair over your lifetime?
• 34:55 What is the secret to your longevity?
• 39:00 What kind of advice do you have for the worker who feels like a failure?

Outside of Christ, there are not many ways to deal with shame or be restored

In this Pod, I talk to a guy who shares his insights into honor and shame and communal vs individualist cultures. He shares some of his personal stories, struggles, and mistakes, while on the field in a way we can learn from them. We close off the conversation by talking about burnout and fatigue on the field, and what that looked like for him. The whole conversation is powerful and well worth listening to.

"Shame only exists in a community. Shame is when you’re doing something that is not in the best interest of the community or violates the ethos that holds the community together. So any shame within the community works to destroy something at the fabric of that community."

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Timeline

• 00:00 Intro 
• 01:03 What is Deep and Wide Discipleship? 
• 10:40 What did the process of forgiveness look like in discipleship? 
• 13:13 Is vulnerability seen as a weakness in a shame/honor society? 
• 20:40 How do we disciple through persecution? 
• 29:30 What blind spots do westerns have while discipling? 
• 37:00 What is cultural trauma? 
• 50:55 let’s talk about burnout on the field 

A lot of missionaries get a radical call to go to the field but then don’t live their lives radically once they get there.

In this Pod, I have a conversation with a guy who left the pastorate to move his family to the Middle East. He has had many humbling experiences both on and off the field but has kept his focus on following his calling no matter the cost. He is passionate about living the Radical Christian Life and has a relentless focus on God, the Gospel, and discipleship. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

"After 12 years in the Middle East, when everything was going well, we were being blessed, our ministry was being blessed, we were working in our ’10’, God called us back to our home country…And it was a deserter. I found myself at 50 years old going from the top of my game to being unemployed."

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Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:47 What is the Gospel, and why do we struggle with this question? 
• 10:46 Moving from Pastor to Missionary 
• 17:30 Dealing with humbling experiences on and off the field 
• 20:10 What’s it like teaching the Bible in the Middle East? 
• 28:10 Why is success so hard to measure on the field?
• 34:35 What is discipleship? 
• 48:00 The Three Holiday Method 
• 50:00 What do you do for your quiet time?

If I can’t remember what we read, how can I share it with others?

In this Pod, I talk to a woman who has a lot of experience leading DBS groups and training others to lead them. We walk through the 12 questions of DBS, and my guest shares her insights on each one. Even if you’ve done DBS training in the past, this conversation will give you fresh and practical insights.

"When I was living in the West, we would study books about the Bible that were very much leading to the answers. But through DBS, new believers can discover the Bible for themselves."

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Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:50 What is DBS trying to accomplish? 
• 5:31 Leadership and DBS
• 8:41 The first six DBS questions?
  1. What are you thankful for?
  2. What are your needs?  
  3. Do you remember last week’s story? 
  4. Were you able to share last week? 
  5. What can this group do to meet the needs of others? 
  6. Did you obey the text from last week? 
• 16:01 How would you treat an unbeliever differently than a believer in a DBS? 
• 20:21 Reading the Text 
• 26:25 The last six DBS Questions 
  1. What did you like about the text? 
  2. What did you learn about God? 
  3. What did you learn about humanity? 
  4. What does this text mean for you personally? 
  5. What do you change in your life? 
  6. Who are you going to share it”
• 30:07 What’s the ideal number and length of time for a DBS group? 

We felt stranded and didn’t know what to do. But we saw how God was using us and completely shifting the focus of the team and the year.

In this Pod, I talk to two guys who share their story of how God worked through the pandemic to bring people to faith in Him. It wasn’t always roses and sunshine, though. My guests take us into their lives when they didn’t love each other, struggled to get along, and how doubts about their faith. The Pod is equal parts encouragement and challenge. "The love that we grew for each other over time was what prepared us to be a home and a family to our Arab friends."

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Timeline

• 00:00 Intro 
• 00:44 From Cultural Christians to Surrendered Christians 
• 4:39 What is the Spirit-Filled Life? 
• 10:42 How did you end up on the field? 
• 19:36 What is the emphasis of your ministry? 
• 22:47 The daily practice of family devotions  
• 24:27 Do your kids give you pushback? 
• 26:06 Watch me eat, and I’ll tell you how it tastes 
• 27:53 The weekly practice of rest
• 29:00 The daily practice of saying I’m sorry and thank you. 
• 32:06 The weekly practice of worship and communion 
• 33:00 How much of what you do is by design, and how much is just you? 
• 35:27 What is discipleship?
• 27:18 Does constant hospitality ever drain you? 
• 47:51 Why is what you do so attractive to people? 

In this Pod, I sit down with a guy who grew up his whole life on the field and has rare insight into the life of an MK. We talk about the pressure MKs feel to perform, the lack of identity and belonging, being a “hidden immigrant,” the effect all this has on faith, and what the pathway to real connection and belonging looks like.

"I don't know an MK who doesn't have a deep level of grief or bitterness or confusion about their experience."

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Timeline

• 00:00 Intro 
• 00:44 Born on the field 
• 3:11 Affects of Parents’ attitude towards locals
• 6:32 How did you understand your own identity growing up a Third-Culture-Kind (TCK)? 
• 9:13 The Hidden Immigrant Phenomenon 
• 11:13 How children understand living between two worlds 
• 12:55 Did you ever feel resentment for being raised on the field? 
• 15:31 What is Relational Instability?
• 20:21 Struggling to find identity, connection, and belonging 
• 24:25 Making the transition from the field to the West 
• 29:51 What effect did your transition have on your faith? 
• 32:35 The pressure on MKs to be meet unrealistic expectations
• 37:17 The path to finding belonging and connection 
• 42:41 How did people cultivate an environment of acceptance for you? 

In this Pod, my guest shares deeply, personally, and vulnerably about dealing with depression on the field. We also talk about marriage, children, and re-finding your identity when life changes. We close off our conversation with an insightful look at what it’s like working with children with disabilities in underprivileged villages.

"I battled with God and wondered how am I supposed to bring hope to unreached people when I’m sitting here in the darkness of despair."

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Timeline

• 00:00 Introduction 
• 02:11 Transition from single to married on the field 
• 06:10 The community pressure to have children
• 09:51 Having more experience than your husband on the field 
• 12:37 Was there a lopsided calling in our marriage? 
• 14:40 The role of calling in the midst of depression
• 18:40 What it’s like going through depression  
• 21:31 Knowing when depression is spiritual and when it’s medical
• 23:25 Do you know what triggered the depression? 
• 28:34 What would you say to the person struggling with depression right now?   
• 36:26 Re-finding your identity after having children
• 44:31 Working with children with disabilities in underprivileged villages 
• 52:32 What would say to the critic who says social development isn’t worth it?