Think Global, Do Justice

Being an active follower of Christ will always lead us to find things that are incongruent with God's Kingdom and we'll want to do something about it. To do justice, we have to address injustice and that might require us to start something (and our community is full of people that start things). Starting something is hard though so we've invited author and pastor Bryan Halferty to walk us through the spirit and the tenacity it takes to undertake a new Kingdom venture. Bryan also shares about his upcoming book "Terrible Beauty" which is a memoir of his own journey towards starting a church in the most unchurched metropolitan area of the country.

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Alliance for Children Everywhere is on mission to bring vulnerable children into secure families, schools, and communities.

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Resources and Links from the show

Link to Bryan's Substack "Table"

Conversation Notes

• Engaging other cultures as a means of learning more about God.
• Discerning God's direction to start something new and how that led to a church plant.
• Balancing the realities of injustice with the maintaining spiritual and relational health.
• The role of risk when starting a ministry. Embracing the risk, the vulnerability and the potential of failure.
• The reality of facing rejection and apathy when you've created and brought something into the world
• Christ's example of compassion and suffering that guides towards ministry
• The messianic ache and the cry of Maranatha as we long to be with Christ and for His Kingdom to come in full

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

In our end of January episode, Brandon Stiver is walking through a few current issues as well as a Bible word study that offers a more robust understanding of what it means to do justice and how looking at the word in the Septuagint underscores the inextricable connection to to righteousness. Brandon welcomes Spencer Reeves to the show to share what the team at Child Hope International is seeing in the midst of the conflict within Haiti which has displaced more people than at any other point in the country's history. Lastly, we revisit a conversation we had with Medard Ngueita earlier this month and how to understand the sweeping executive actions by President Trump that has suspended refugee resettlement, canceled legal asylum seeking and pausing USAID support globally.

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Podcast Sponsor

Alliance for Children Everywhere is on mission to bring vulnerable children into secure families, schools, and communities.

Visit Alliance for Children Everywhere Online

Resources and Links from the show

The Guardian : More than a million Haitians forced from their homes amid gang violence

Advocate Alongside World Relief for Compassionate Policies

Conversation Notes

• 1:45 - We talk about justice all the time, but what does it mean? Jump into this Bible study on the Greek word dikaiosunne and how it offers a more robust understanding of justice.
• 21:20 - Spencer Reeves joins the show to help us understand the ongoing conflict and large scale displacement of children and families in Haiti. He helps us make sense of a current news report that Brandon pulls from The Guardian (linked below).
• 37:05 - Reviewing the executive actions from President Trump that are impacting how the US engages the global poor and those that are fleeing violence.

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

There are so many needs within the work of anti-trafficking and orphan care, but what happens when people that are engaging as helpers are actually doing harm. Ego, poor practice and a desire for appearances can corrupt organizations that purport to be doing good. As a practitioner and journalist working in Southeast Asia, Erin Foley has been around the block working in organizations and comes onto the show today to share some of what she's seen and learned doing missions and nonprofit work over the years. She also shares about some of the great organizations she's worked with and about her most recent project, the recently published book "Where They Belong" which chronicles the movement of family care in Cambodia.

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Podcast Sponsor

Alliance for Children Everywhere is on mission to bring vulnerable children into secure families, schools, and communities.

Visit Alliance for Children Everywhere Online

Resources and Links from the show

Book : Where They Belong by Erin Foley

Website : Children in Families Online

Website : Global Child Advocates Online

Podcast : Episode 214 "Storytelling to Empower with Jeff Rogers"

Conversation Notes

• 6:30 - Connecting from anti-trafficking into orphan care and prevention
• 10:30 - Fulfilling the Great Commission by loving our global neighbor and also the opportunities for those that live abroad
• 17:00 Lessons learned in anti-trafficking, the sexiness of it and comparing countries that experience enslavement
• 22:30 - The shadow side of anti-trafficking organizations and unethical practices of nonprofits
• 25:15 - The issues with founder-run organizations
• 32:45 " I was horrified because we were supposed to be helping these women and I felt like we just enslaved them in a different way."
• 38:35 - Transitioning to family based care and Children in Families
• 43:30 - Juxtaposing growing up exposed to cross-cultural orphanages with learning the importance of family based care
• 47:45 - Understanding orphan care in Southeast Asia and what is driving family separation
• 51:00 - Documenting the story of family care in Cambodia and more broadly through Erin's book Where They Belong
• 55:30 - "If your heart leads you, bring your brain along with you"

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

As we anticipate the inauguration of President-Elect Trump later this month, we take a moment to consider how some of his public comments and proposed policies will affect global neighbors that are fleeing violence and seeking refuge in the US. To guide us through this conversation, we have Medard Ngueita on the show. Medard is the Executive Director at World Relief Western Washington. He has a vast knowledge on refugee resettlement not only as a long time team member at World Relief, but also because he was once an asylum seeker himself. Medard talks with Brandon Stiver about the ramifications of the first Trump administration on refugee resettlement and how organizations are preparing for the prospective policies that will be enacted in the upcoming administration.

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Podcast Sponsor

Alliance for Children Everywhere is on mission to bring vulnerable children into secure families, schools, and communities.

Visit Alliance for Children Everywhere Online

Resources and Links from the show

World Relief Online

Protective Behaviour is a practical framework that will enable both you and the children around you to thrive. This is a highly regarded course and you'll have an opportunity to connect with other practitioners throughout the world.

Click here to learn more and enroll

Follow Up Resources on President-Elect Trump's Proposed Immigration Policies

NPR Report - This report is a little dated and you can skip most of it, but the start of the segment includes clips of President-Elect Trump saying he plans to close refugee resettlement

Center for Migration Studies - The US Refugee Admissions Program: What's at Stake in the Election

KFF - Expected Immigration Policies Under a Second Trump Administration and Their Health and Economic Implications

Christian Post - "Why President-elect Trump should defend persecuted Christians" by Myal Greene and Ryan Brown

World Relief Press Release - World Relief Troubled by Rumors that Trump Administration Will Rescind Guidance Limiting Immigration Enforcement Activities in Churches and other "Sensitive Locations"

Conversation Notes

• 3:27 - The work of World Relief Western Washington and how they partner with the church to engage global crises
• 5:20 - Who is our neighbor that we are called to love?
• 7:35 - Medard's own journey as a political asylum seeker from Chad
• 12:05 - The countries people are fleeing currently that are arriving in Western Washington
• 16:22 - Certain countries fly under the radar but are producing forcibly displaced people and most end up in neighboring countries refugee camps
• 19:40 - Comparing Medard's arrival almost 20 years ago with what asylum seeking looks like now
• 23:50 - Reflecting on President Trump's immigration and refugee policies that sought reduce the amount of asylum seekers entering the country from Latin America
• 29:10 - When President Obama left office, he set the refugee resettlement mark at 100,000 people, President Trump reduced it to 22,000
• 30:43 - The rub between international UN policies and nationalist sentiment within Western countries
• 46:30 - What churches can do to help refugees that are coming to the US in 2025
• 55:10 - The importance of a stance of humility and prayer in pursuing a life of justice

Happy New Year's Eve! We have so much to be thankful for as we reflect on the last year of nonprofit ministry, podcasting, family and everything else! In this end of 2024 episode, Brandon and Phil will catch up our listeners on what is happening in their personal lives and ministry. Most importantly to you, dear listener, we share about the state of the podcast, how it's been since we did some rebrand/rescope and what the future of the podcast is. This is an episode for those listeners that want a peek behind the curtain and are looking for more ways to go deeper with Think Global, Do Justice.

Conversation Notes

• Phil and Brandon share about how God has been moving in their respective organizations in 2024 (Providence World and CarePortal) (0:30)
• The hosts share their top books and movies from the year (13:00)
• They share their favorite episodes from Think Global, Do Justice(22:20)
• Brandon shares the state of the podcast, where we're going (if we're going), how we're doing internally and what traction we have with a competitive podcast market (30:30)
  • Think Global, Do Justice ranks in the top 2% of podcasts globally with over 1,800 downloads each month (but that's a challenging place to be!)
  • The challenge of keeping podcasts viable in 2024
  • Shout out to our 2024 Sponsors - Zoe Empowers, Child Hope International, Accord Network, Christian Alliance for Orphans and Resilient Communities Center
• The 2025 outlook for the podcast and keeping current on the show (40:40)

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Resources and Links from the show

Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys by Richard Twiss (book)

Rooting for Rivals by Peter Greer and Chris Horst (book)

Strong and Weak by Andy Crouch (book)

Lead with Prayer by Peter Greer, Ryan Skoog and Cameron Doolittle (book)

Overcoming by Dr. Nicole Wilke and Dr. Amanda Howard (book)

Leading from Your Knees with Peter Greer and Ryan Skoog (podcast)

What Scripture and Science Say about Resilience with Dr. Nicole Wilke (podcast)

Owning Poverty with Dr. Michael Pucci (podcast)

Decolonizing Theology and Integral Mission with Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst (podcast)

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

The gospel is to be proclaimed and word and deed. Sometimes global practitioners easily step into the demonstration of justice and development work, but how do we make meaningful strides towards sharing the gospel's message with those we reach with critical life-saving services. Christopher Beth from The Bucket Ministry joins the show today to share with Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke about the simple work that their ministry undertakes in fifteen countries to both provide water access and share the good news.

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Resources and Links from the show

The Bucket Ministry Online

Conversation Notes

• Christopher's path from a car accident to the Amazon rainforest to reaching over a million people with a clean water solution
• The different responses that follow interacting with global poverty for the first time
• The World Health Organization estimates that 785 million lack access to clean drinking water
• Scriptures that support reaching the nations and caring for the vulnerable
• Water as something that everyone recognizes they need and everyone can agree on making accessible
• The difference between having an ultimate motive and an ulterior motive
• Using the water filter as an object lesson to explain salvation to new hearers
• Intentionally spreading the gospel while guarding against spiritual abuse or coercion
• The critical work of local missionaries and pastors to follow up and serve the families that are reached with clean water

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Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

Mercy comes in all shapes and sizes and in order to reach the 5 billion people without access to safe surgery, we need a litany of different models. Since 1978, Mercy Ships has been working to increase access to life changing surgeries in underserved areas of the world and Raeanne Newquist from their team joins the show to share about what it looks like to live and serve on a floating city. Raeanne talks with Brandon Stiver about what it's like to serve alongside your kids, collaborating with nationals and stepping out of our comfort zones to see God move in the lives of others.

Podcast Sponsor

The Resilient Communities Center helps you become all God intended for you to be through training and coaching within a community.

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Resources and Links from the show

Mercy Ships Online

Conversation Notes

• 5:51 - Serving alongside your children in cross-cultural ministry
• 9:35 - "If we are followers of Jesus we are to live into the model that he showed for us"
• 11:00 - The specific approach of Mercy Ships and collaborating with large governments
• 15:43 - Working to address the 5 billion people that lack access to safe surgery
• 21:00 - The effects on children and adults when they have medical needs that go unaddressed
• 28:30 - The variety of people that can volunteer and serve on a Mercy Ship
• 31:00 - Safeguarding and risk management with a high volume of volunteers
• 35:19 - Collaboration with the local community to enhance cultural sensitivity and long term support
• 43:27 - Workforce development of Global South practitioners
• 50:27 - Focusing on all that God can do rather than just being overwhelmed by the size of the problems that we face.

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

The common adage "when you know better, you do better" makes sense. It also indicates that there is a need to transform what it is that we've been doing. When nonprofits around the world, including those working in Christian development and justice, recognize the need for organizational shifts, they may undertake the years-long process of change management. Perhaps your organization has gone through this (or perhaps it needs to!) To help us understand what change management looks like and what it says for organizations pursuing transformational development models, we have Dr. Casey Duthiers joining the show. Casey is the Director of Training and Development at Resilient Communities Center where their team supports practitioners around the world to improve their practice and increase their impact through intentional, Christ-centered professional development for development practitioners. She talks with Brandon Stiver about change management, short term missions and what it looks like to follow Jesus to the margins. Glad to have you join!

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The Resilient Communities Center helps you become all God intended for you to be through training and coaching within a community.

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Resources and Links from the show

Integral Mission and Decolonizing Theology with Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst

When Collaboration Helps Families with Dr. Brian Fikkert and Gabriel Walder

Free Resources from Resilient Communities Center

Conversation Notes

• The persistence of intractable poverty and examining the roots of it all
• Valuing Catholic social teaching as a theological basis for the work that we do
• Following Jesus to the margins of society and serving there
• What does it look like to change from a simple charity model to an organization that is anchored in a transformational development approach
• The key drivers that lead to organizations wanting to change
• The constraints of a shrinking donor base for nonprofits and how that can actually drive us towards better work
• Centering short term missions within long term relationships
• The need for continuing education for community development practitioners
• Relationships are key in every way when it comes to justice work

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

Trauma has the potential to cripple individuals that have experienced adversity, poverty and exclusion. There isn't an area where this is more clear than in global orphan care and there isn't a better person to walk us through what building resilience looks like than our guest today. Dr. Nicole Wilke is the Director at the CAFO Research Center where she leads a team focused on making research applicable to everyday practitioners in global child welfare. On the show, Nicole talks with Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke about what she's learned both from living in Peru as well as through the research that she has conducted in promoting better practice for orphaned and vulnerable children. We close our conversation with diving into the new book that she co-wrote with Dr. Amanda Howard called Overcoming which is out now. There's something in this conversation for everyone, so jump in with us!

Podcast Sponsor

The Resilient Communities Center helps you become all God intended for you to be through training and coaching within a community.

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Resources and Links from the show

Caleb Koala's Comeback Ride

Overcoming: What Scripture and Science Say About Resilience (CAFO Site)

Overcoming Book on Amazon

CAFO's Core Elements

Transitioning to Family Care Resources

Conversation Notes

• The needed mutuality between Global North and Global South within the family of God
• The difference between endogenous and exogenous empowerment in cross-cultural missional work
• Christians in orphan care had become known with leading with their hearts rather than their heads
• Addressing the distrust between research and Christian orphan care practice
• The products and resources at the CAFO Research Center that turns research into applicable practice
• How scripture and science align to bolster understandings of resilience
• Trauma is real and at the same time use of the word 'trauma' is often watered down in the West
• Adversity that turns into trauma happens at an instantaneous and subconscious level and will affect people differently
• The keys to building resilience that can happen at any time for anyone
• Data-informed practices and frameworks that will promote resilience in children

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

The problems surrounding poverty are wicked and complicated. Pat answers and short term solutions are never going to get us where God is calling us to be. The challenge is that nonprofits often experience constraints (either real or perceived) that keep them from innovating better approaches to meeting peoples needs. We're joined today by Abe Wright and Greg Bixler who are the co-founders of Design Outreach. As an organization that not only values innovation but actively invests and rallies donors towards research and development, they've been able to provide significant upgrades to common problems in WASH and medical care. The communities that we partner with deserve better and Abe and Greg provide us with helpful insight and direction as we iterate and innovate.

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The Resilient Communities Center helps you become all God intended for you to be through training and coaching within a community.

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Resources and Links from the show

Design Outreach Online

When Global Ministries Merge on Think Global, Do Justice (A Conversation with the Leadership from Water For Good)

Conversation Notes

• The necessity of transforming what it means to be a humanitarian organization and the ways in which we operate
• 40% of water pumps are no longer in function and we need to improve that
• The need for collaboration and working with government partners
• Understanding research and development as practical problem solving
• Comparing the efficacy of LifePump with other water pumps or water solutions. The importance of both access to water and the durability of water pumps.
• Wrapping your donors into the work of innovation even as some solutions don't pan out
• Additional innovations in hygiene and medical care

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License