In episode 187, we're recapping Season 9 of the podcast (July through December 2021) and also looking ahead to the great slate of people coming up on Season 10 of the podcast. You'll also hear Phil and Brandon's top recommendations from 2021 and how people can get behind the work of Think Orphan. Show notes for the podcast can be found at thinkorphan.com

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On the show today, we're joined by missionary Matt Rhodes who is the author of No Shortcut to Success: A Manifesto for Modern Missions. He talks with Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke about trends within missions that emphasize speed and big numbers, but often lack the depth of discipleship that characterized Jesus' ministry. Matt shares about the mission that he is engaged in a majority Muslim country Northern Africa and what he's learned from being on the field and what faithfulness (even success) can look like for those spreading the Good News abroad.  Podcast Sponsor   Child Hope International reunites families in Haiti by providing pathways for children in orphanages to return home with the necessary support to thrive. If you need help transitioning your orphanage or are looking for an organization to support in Haiti, reach out to Child Hope International.   Visit Child Hope International Online   Resources and Links from the show    No Shortcut to Success: A Manifesto for Modern Missions on Amazon    Conversation Notes    The primary differences between how missions are approached currently as opposed to the days of William Carey and Hudson Taylor  Current trends in missions work  Approaching missions with professionalism and being enculturated  Is professionalism opposed to being relational?  The trajectory of the relatively recent phenomenon of short term missions and it's increasing share of the overall missionary force  Not everyone that is a Christian is also an ambassador of Christ, or are they?  The implications of the center of Christianity moving to the Global South  Charting milestones for successful missions    Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License 

Matt Rhodes - A Manifesto for Modern Missions

We are joined today by global nonprofit leader Gaston Warner who is the Global North CEO of Zoe Empowers. Gaston talks with Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke about their work among vulnerable families, especially child and youth headed households. Over the years, our show has talked a lot about the need for kids to be raised in families and communities and in this episode we learn about a comprehensive model that emphasizes the children's agency to overcome poverty. We talk empowerment, data, promising practices and it's an episode our orphan care diehards don't want to miss.  Podcast Sponsor   Zoe Empowers is equipping orphaned children and youth-led families with solutions to overcome extreme poverty—for good.   Visit Zoe Empowers Online Resources and Links from the show   Data and Research from Zoe Empowers   Conversation Notes    Understanding the reality of child and youth headed households in the Global South  The empowerment model started by a Rwandan practitioner - how it works and how it's applied across countries  Intentionally limiting partnerships and what it looks like for both beneficiaries and donors  Defining the buzzword "empowerment" within global development  The importance of integrating child rights throughout programming       Theme music by Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License  

Gaston Warner - This is Child Empowerment

In this 3+1 episode, we're getting into recent news about ways that Russia is getting around economic sanctions to buoy their economy during their war of aggression as well a couple Asian countries where pollution and contamination is having widespread effects on people's health and wellbeing. We've got Amanda Erne joining us for the conversation. Amanda is on staff with World Concern, is an associate with Canopy International and has a wealth of understanding around climate and sustainable agriculture. We discuss if the term "climate change" is still of use in Christian circles or if it turns too many people off and then get into a documentary recommendation focusing on a Malawian farmer advocating for change.  Podcast Sponsor   Child Hope International reunites families in Haiti by providing pathways for children in orphanages to return home with the necessary support to thrive. If you need help transitioning your orphanage or are looking for an organization to support in Haiti, reach out to Child Hope International.   Visit Child Hope International Online   Conversation Notes    8:45 Alternate economies that Russia is setting up to get around sanctions  21:00 Widespread contamination of drinking water in Bangladesh  29:45 Are we overpoliticizing terms like climate change and shutting off Christians to real stewardship issues?  35:13 A vicious cycle of pollution, cancer and economic collapse in Lebanon  48:00 The Ants and The Grasshopper documentary focuses on the story of a farmer and an advocate in Malawi   Resources and Links from the show    Al-Jazeera : Parallel Economy - How Russia is Defying the West's Boycott    Mongabay : Beneath the surface, a toxic tide threatens Bangladesh’s water lifeline    The Guardian : ‘Where can you hide from pollution?’: cancer rises 30% in Beirut as diesel generators poison city   The Ants & The Grasshopper Documentary       Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License  

Alternate Economies and Climate Change (April 3+1)

"We stand together at the foot of the cross and we will work for peace." Dr. Karen Fancher from Multnomah University joins the show today to walk us through the profoundly Christian field of peacebuilding. In her conversation with Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke, Dr. Fancher walks us through what it means to promote peace within the humanitarian space with direct application to situations in Palestine and Sudan as well as explores the biblical foundation for Christians to be actively engaged in bringing God's Kingdom of peace and justice. Podcast Sponsor  Child Hope International reunites families in Haiti by providing pathways for children in orphanages to return home with the necessary support to thrive. If you need help transitioning your orphanage or are looking for an organization to support in Haiti, reach out to Child Hope International.    Visit Child Hope International Online   Resources and Links from the show     Visit Multnomah University Online and the Graduate Peacebuilding Certificate Program     Strategic Peacebuilding by Lisa Shirch    Combatants for Peace Online   Conversation Notes    6:20 How God intertwines our work and our passion into a life story  11:05 “Reconciliation takes place when we step across difference”  16:00 Honoring those that have been traumatized and not making assumptions as outsiders when trying to understand conflict in other countries  19:20 Understanding the biblical concept of shalom  24:15 Peace as a central theme for Jesus and his followers  29:10 The primacy of being citizens of the Kingdom of God in contested times and situations. Should we be pro-Israel or pro-Palestine?  34:00 Common drivers of violence and conflict - disparity, feelings of powerlessness, trauma and redemptive violence  43:05 Considering the history of conflict in Sudan and the impact of war trauma on the populations  51:10 The difference between peacekeeping, peacemaking and peacebuilding in the humanitarian space  56:55 Proximity, skills and posture that promote peace  1:03:10 The role that foreign bodies, international entities and INGOs should and should not play in conflict resolution  1:09:00 Organizations and stories of peace: "We stand together at the foot of the cross and we will work for peace."  1:14:10 Learning from the prejudices and hurts in our own heart towards other people and seeking to better understand the Kingdom of God  

Dr. Karen Fancher - Blessed Are The Peacemakers

We are privileged to be joined today by a Christian leader that really embodies the ethic that we are all striving for as we pursue justice, mercy and shalom in the nations. We're grateful to have Eugene Cho join Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke on the show today talking with us about the work of Bread for the World and what it looks like to advocate for the poor and hungry both in the US and throughout the world. Eugene shares a pastoral word for those of us engaged in global justice work and offers his own reflections of how he remains grounded in Christ in the midst of busy lives of pursuing justice. Podcast Sponsor  Zoe Empowers is equipping orphaned children and youth-led families with solutions to overcome extreme poverty—for good.    Visit Zoe Empowers Online  Resources and Links from the Show   Overrated by Eugene Cho     Thou Shalt Not Be A Jerk by Eugene Cho    Visit Bread for the World Online Conversation Notes  Conversation Notes    5:20 - Finding your vocation through following the Holy Spirit and seeking first the Kingdom of God  9:30 - Living a Christian ethic and counteracting egoism, isolationism, scarcity and individualism  14:20 - "Right now, this is the worst global hunger crisis in the last fifty years" The gravity of worldwide hunger and where are we seeing the most acute hunger.  19:20 - The Five C's that drive hunger globally - COVID, Conflict, Climate Change, Cost, Corruption and how we respond with Compassion and Courage  28:30 - The difference between poverty and hunger within the US and poverty and hunger in the Global South  36:00 - What Eugene would do if he was a global dictator  41:35 - The importance of avoiding apathy and cynicism and embracing learning and praying when it comes to global issues.  52:15 - What is true advocacy and should Christians be involving themselves in politics  1:04:50 - Humanizing the struggle of families to make ends meet  1:09:20 - Staying grounded in the midst of undertaking really big global nonprofit work  1:15:55 - Reflecting on Overrated a decade later and pastoring the global nonprofit community   

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