Articles published in the monthly Together in Prayer newsletter.
Here is yet another way we get our callings wrong. We think them rare, or heroic, or extraordinary. We think them exceptional, somehow unique, almost beyond belief. Like winning the lottery, maybe. Or coming down with an unusual, life-changing disease. … (read more)
In October our Home Council voted to approve an increase in monthly missionary allowances, which will go into effect on January 1, 2015. Paragraph 39 of the Mission Handbook explains a little about our philosophy on missionary allowances: The Mission’s … (read more)
There are so many ways to get missionary callings wrong. One of the most common, as I mentioned last month, is to suppose that we are called to go somewhere and to do some thing, first of all. Well, no, … (read more)
I recently read that a well-known restaurant chain reported $1.7 million in earnings for one year, from gift cards that were purchased but never used. The financial report referred to this as “gift card breakage.” That was amazing to me. Nearly two million dollars were … (read more)
In July we paid our missionaries 100 percent of their target allowance. This marked the 24th consecutive month in which full allowances were paid, overseas and in the Home Office. This is the longest period of “full allowance” during my … (read more)
A few weeks ago we completed our annual Missionary Candidates’ Briefing Course. Fifteen candidates and missionary inquirers from here and there around the country (and a few from elsewhere in the world) gathered at our offices on Clifton Avenue. We … (read more)
Near the end of our recent visit to the Holy Land, we made our way to the Chapel of the Ascension, in the At-Tur district of Jerusalem. I anticipated the stop with considerable eagerness. Here Jesus issued marching orders that … (read more)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew … (read more)
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Philippians 4:13 is a well-known and often quoted Bible verse, and with good reason. The verse is empowering and encouraging. I have heard it mentioned in association with … (read more)
Unlike many sites in the Holy Land, no one seems to know, precisely, where Emmaus might have been. This uncertainty surprised me, while visiting the Holy Land recently. Emmaus, I should have thought, is the sort of place you might … (read more)