The Coworkers Podcast

Holidays on the field come with unique challenges and opportunities! Listen in as missionary leaders Samantha G. and Micah C. share from their more than a decade of missionary experience on how to personally draw near to Christ, use Christmas to reach out to the lost and generously gift our national ministry partners, and enjoy traditions with our families and communities. 

Part 3 in our series on the missionary task - preaching the gospel. The core of the pattern in the New Testament for missions is consistent, bold, broad gospel proclamation. All of the missionary task rides on this important part! What should bold gospel proclamation look like in our generation, and how do we get there? Listen in as we share the biblical foundation and practical tips and tools!

What is the work missionaries do? We are going through the 6 parts of the missionary task, and in this episode we dive into the first part - entering new fields. The goal of entry is to provide meaningful gospel access to the target population. Entry strategies should be simple and reproducible so that as many local believers as possible will use them to share the gospel. Listen in!

Is there a specific work that missionaries should, according to the Bible, pursue? YES! Listen in to this series as we dig into the biblical pattern of the work that the Apostle Paul and other sent-out-ones did. In this episode, we show from Acts 13-14 that the missionary task can be simply divided into 6 parts: Enter a new place, Proclaim the gospel to the lost, Make disciples of those who believe, Gather them into new churches, Appoint elders in those churches, and Entrust that church to the Holy Spirit and exit to partnership. 

How can fathers in ministry make sure their kids know they love them more than their ministry? How can fathers invest in their children, set boundaries for family time and fun, and disciple their children and involve them in the work? Listen in as Steven C, a dad of 5 and missionary leader with 17 years of field experience, shares wisdom from his experience and God's Word.

Joe and Christy Allen served for 14 years as missionary leaders in South Asia, and endured many types of sickness as a family (GI, thyroid, endemetriosis, food allergies, chronic lyme, mono, parasites, chronic fatigue, appendicitis, and more!). Their family had to leave the field due their son's combination of an immune deficiency, autoimmune encephalitis, epilepsy, concussions, and parasites. Listen in to hear how God strengthened, provided, and guided this family in both suffering well and getting healing. They share helpful insights such as advocating for yourself, fighting for your kids and their needs, teaching your kids to suffer well, being willing to share your weaknesses, how to deal with dietary restrictions on the field, and rhythms for health.  
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Several years ago, God showed me (Shanee) unforgiveness in my heart towards a few friends and coworkers, from hurts that were several years old. My lack of processing and forgiving those hurts resulted in hard-heartedness and self-protective tendencies in how I related with my teammates. God gave me the power to fully forgive these friends, and that opened up the door for God to do much more work in my heart and relationships. The Bible teaches that unforgiveness and bitterness is dangerous. Please listen in prayerfully and see if there are any hurts or relationships in your life that need healing.

Book Mentioned: The Voice of the Heart: A Call to Full Living by Chip Dodd

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In 2006, the Barrick family was struck head-on by a drunk driver and experienced life-threatening injuries. Their teenage daughter Jen was in a coma for 5 weeks with severe brain injuries that took away much of her basic functioning and memory for several months. God worked in miraculous ways both in healing this family physically, and through speaking to and through Jen in amazing ways! Listen in to learn the power of praying and praising out loud, flip-flopping negativity with biblical promises, and re-wallpapering our brains with God's Word. Connect with Andy and Linda at www.hopeoutloud.com

Motherhood on the field is particularly challenging, as moms juggle family needs, ministry, and often leadership responsibilities. Debbie C, mom of 5 and missionary leader with over 17 years of field experience, shares biblical principles and tons of practical ideas for every season of motherhood. 

We all have false beliefs about what gives us worth, such as worth based on our performance, people-pleasing, or perfectionism. We try to earn our worth through accomplishments, through winning the admiration of others, and through meeting standards. These are all worldly, satanic philosophies that are both fueled by and result in fear and shame. As believers, we gain freedom from the bondage of those false beliefs through knowing and living out our biblical identity of who we are in Christ.