This episode of the Accidental Missionary Podcast is coming to you from the nation of Australia!

We have been in Adelaide, Australia for a two and a half weeks now and are still trying to recover from travel shock. It seems a bit surreal to realise that life has changed so dramatically in the last few months and that we are now trying to make our home and settle in a new city and new country. At the beginning of the year I certainly didn’t foresee all of this happening…

I think that it will take me a while to get used to being back in Australia. This morning I made the mistake of throwing on laundry without first checking the weather. I find that it is usually not a good thing to do your laundry in the rain when you need to dry your clothes on a clothes line…

Yesterday we went to visit the YWAM Adelaide ministry and was really encouraged to see some of the fantastic ministry that they are involved with. A lot of their work is working with the homeless in Adelaide and they are also engaged in ministry into the sex industry. I must admit that I was shocked to hear that there are over 100 illegal brothels here in Adelaide …

With less than a week to go until we make the move to Australia we are working hard to get everything done that we need to. This leads to some pretty crazy hours and things to do as I’m sure you can imagine.

This week I confess something very “un-Canadian” in the first few minutes of the podcast that I am hoping won’t get me in too much trouble and I also talk about what I believe is meant by the following verse:

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

It may be a bit different than how that verse has been traditionally looked at, but it has been opening my eyes more to God and His desires…

As I record the seventh episode of the Accidental Missionary podcast things in our house would probably best be described as “nutty”! We have less than a week in our house before we move out and the house is in organised chaos as we work on selling what we need to, and working out what to put on the ship and what to bring with us on the plane.

Like I said, the house is “nutty”…

In this episode I answer some voicemail feedback that I got through my contact page. I also answer some email feedback that I got to my last podcast episode where I shared some of my testimony.

Caleb Breakey has written a book entitled How to Follow Jesus Without Leaving the Chuch. It is a book that talks about the millennial generation and their involvement with the church. As part of this project he is wanting to create a DVD series and has launched a Kickstarter project to do so. Here is a bit more about it …

And finally I also talk a bit more about the YWAM Book group writing project that I wrote about in my last blog article. I’m excited about the feedback that I have recieved so far and look forward to seeing what develops out of it in the new year when I may actually have time to move it beyond the concept stage …

This week’s intro music is part of Miranda Lambert‘s autobiographical song “Heart Like Mine“.

Today in the sixth episode of the Accidental Missionary Podcast you the listener help me to fill out some paper work for my YWAM Adelaide staff applications form …

Despite sitting down over a dozen times to try to write down my personal testimony of how I came to accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Saviour I have always managed to walk away with a blank piece of paper. To help me in writing it down I decided to record and release my personal faith testimony as an episode of the Accidental Missionary Podcast.

In this episode I talk about some of the key events in my life that lead me to accepting Jesus first and Saviour, and then finally as Lord.

David Ring

Zig Ziglar

This we I talk a bit more about why we are moving from Canada to Adelaide, Australia and I also give an update on how we are progressing with the move.

I also talk about an article written by Mathew P. Gahm over at ExcelGodsWay.com. The article is called “Are you more like Noah or Moses?“, and it talks about our need or desire for further confirmation when God speaks. I talk about my own personal struggle with trusting God, or more accurately, trusting myself to know when I am hearing God, and what He is saying.

While talking about hearing God I also touch on the subject of submitting our hearts to Him so that the desires of our heart align with God’s desires. I wrote a bit about this subject in two other articles on this site:

The fantastic introduction music to this episode of the podcast is provided by Rachel Frecka. The song is called “Holy” from the album “Rays of Mercy” and can be purchased from Amazon.

Some of the projects that I am currently working on are:

Welcome to episode 3 of the Accidental Missionary Podcast, “Happy Canada Day!”.

YWAM International Ministry Communication Tools

Part of what I feel God has called me to do is to help other YWAM centres and ministries with their communications. This week I talk about using Media and Press Kits for ministries and how they help communicate what God is doing in and through different ministries.

YWAM Webinars

To help us communicate better as a mission we like to pursue the use of many different technologies, including webinar services and online media.

YWAM Teaching Reasources

Canada Clips

Molson Canadian – I Am Canadian Anthem Commercial

Edmonton Oilers Fans sing O Canada

Thank you for downloading the second episode of The Accidental Missionary Podcast.

This week I talk a bit about my band geekiness and former glory as a “second trumpet”. I also talk about the Youth With A Mission breed of YWAM Goats in Uganda that David Hamilton mentions in the latest teaching podcast that I edited and posted in the YWAM Podcast Network teaching podcast.

I also explore how we can potentially use virtual staff in our ministry locations. Many of the smaller, or more remote ministry locations in Youth With A Mission can be greatly served by remote staff who have easier access to technology and communications tools. I want to challenge other YWAM locations to aske themselves about how can they serve the greater body of YWAM in this way …

Links:

In this, the first episode of The Accidental Missionary Podcast, I share about what I hope to achieve with this new podcast. I also talk a bit about how I got to where I am now serving as a full time volunteer missionary with the YWAM International Communications Team.

With this podcast my desire is to encourage others to find and pursue the plan that God has for their life. Whether it is on the missions field or somewhere else I know that God has a plan for everyone who listens to this podcast. Hopefully through this podcast people will be encouraged to find God’s plan for their and to pursue it…

Links:

Title music for this week’s episode is the opening credits for one of the best science fiction televisions shows ever created, Firefly.

After spending the last two years working on the YWAM Podcast and producing 55 episodes I’m feeling in a bit of funk about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that God has called me to be a missions communicator to tell others about what God is doing in Youth With A Mission around the world. I am not questioning God’s call on my life, I love what I am doing and feel very blessed to be able to do it. The team I work with is great, even though they are on the other side of the world.

Despite knowing God’s call on my life I’m still struggling. One of the articles that I read recently had the following quote in it that really spoke to me:

The real battle is when the lie comes: “There is no point to what you are doing, you are not making a difference”

The audio recording that you can listen to above probably describes better what I’m thinking than my writing does. In talking with others both inside and outside of YWAM I am not the only one involved in communications feeling like this.

Your prayers for renewed vision and passion would be appreciated…

Related Links: