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by Jason Holt
on August 10, 2011
in Africa, Cultural Adaptation, Culture, Culture Shock, Europe, Give, Uncategorized
Some years ago an African-American pastor’s wife from Atlanta visited us in Chile. Her husband pastored a church just miles from my old elementary school. During the 90s, my family and most of our friends left the area opting for a less “urban” environment in the suburbs. As we discussed my own history in the south-Atlanta area, the pastor’s wife laughed and said, “We call that white-flight!” Puzzled at the new term, I asked her to explain. She said all blacks know that whites start getting nervous when blacks began to move into a neighborhood, and eventually the whites move… all of them move. I, on the other hand, have been on the other side of those conversations and heard the anxious remarks about the increasing minority population. I knew what she was saying was right. I’m not going to get into the whole socioeconomic discussion, but I do want to talk about racism! Here are some random thoughts about God, the Bible, and racism: All men and women are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). How can we belittle an image bearer of God? The fact that they are bearing His image means they have infinite worth.
by austin gardner
on August 7, 2011
in Cultural Adaptation, Culture, Culture Shock, Family and Culture, Uncategorized
Another major problem that missionaries have is trying to take the United States to the foreign country. It causes them to have severe issues on the foreign field. The national gets very tired of being compared to “back home”. His country doesn’t measure up.
by austin gardner
on August 4, 2011
in Cultural Adaptation, Culture, Culture Shock, Family and Culture, Uncategorized
Below is a lesson in culture that we would do well to heed. Go to the source and read the entire article. Good stuff. Source For Americans, personal space is no joking matter.
by austin gardner
on June 25, 2011
in Family and Culture, Ladies in Ministry, Uncategorized
How are you influencing your children and their view of alcohol? Could you be contributing to your children developing a problem with alcoholism? It is imperative that you consider your influence over your children and friends in every aspect of life. We will complain when our children develop a problem that we may have contributed to! Read this article and think about it! Consider what you should do to help your children as they grow and mature in Christ. Click here to read the original post A new report has found a close link between parents and friends and the drinking behaviour of young people
by austin gardner
on June 23, 2011
in Family and Culture, Uncategorized
Check out the original source here! 1. Believe that all legitimate work is holy or unholy before God based on our faith, not the nature of the work itself. Romans 14:23 2.
by Travis Snode
on June 22, 2011
in Family and Culture, Ministry Philosophy, Quotes, The Leader, Uncategorized
One of the most common statements and disgraceful commentaries of those who work in the ministry is that they are lazy. So many people think that being a pastor, missionary, or full-time Christian worker is an easy, cushy job because you don’t have to work hard, you don’t have to work long hours, and you don’t have to get up and be diligent. The sad reality is that often what people say is true. Preachers and ministers can be the world’s worst at taking time off, needing to spend “family time”, running late, being lazy, and not working hard. Not all are that way, but for some reason we have earned this reputation.
by austin gardner
on June 17, 2011
in Cultural Adaptation, Culture, Culture Shock, Ministry Tools, Training Leaders, Uncategorized
All of the material that you have been seeing on this blog is written in preparation for a book to help train missionaries. It intentionally has the dirty side of what is going on and I hope will present the other side as well. All names and stories have been altered to not be applicable to anyone you might know personally! I love missionaries and nationals. I just want to help us be able to learn and be prepared to do a good work on the field. I was riding down the road one day in that same city with a man who was in charge of a Bible college.
by austin gardner
on June 16, 2011
in Cultural Adaptation, Culture, Culture Shock, Ministry Tools, Training Leaders, Uncategorized
One night, I was invited over to the home of a missionary that worked in the area where the national pastor I mentioned in the previous post lived. This missionary had a very bad reputation among the nationals. (his bad reputation had to do with how he treated the nationals) This missionary had a reputation that he didn’t want to preach, and he’d come down there as a mechanic but yet he’d like to take pictures of their churches. And I am in his home and he told me that he didn’t understand how I can fellowship with this guy and how I can preach in his church after what he had done
by austin gardner
on June 15, 2011
in Cultural Adaptation, Culture, Culture Shock, Ministry Tools, Training Leaders, Uncategorized
The following will not be agreeable to many of you! I do not want to be hurtful but I do think that we need these experiences, however rare they are, to be able to avoid making some mistakes. I love missionaries. I believe in missionaries.
by austin gardner
on June 14, 2011
in DISCIPLESHIP, Family and Culture, Ministry Philosophy, Training Leaders, Uncategorized
You gotta be careful to get the right mentor. In his book Cross Cultural Servanthood, Duane Elmer discusses arriving on the field and finding an older gentleman to learn Culture from. It’s not about ministry, but get a man who will be willing to teach you what it means to live in the country. By the way, never believe everything he says
