Free Book: Raising Resilient MKs

One of the scariest parts of being a missionary is wondering if my children will grow up to thrive as adults. It’s already hard enough to be a kid these days, so throw living in another culture into the mix and one would think the difficulties arise.

Missionarycare.com is offering a few free ebooks to help missionaries. I just downloaded “Raising Resilient MKs” from their site for free. I’m looking forward to reading through this incredible volume of knowledge about how to raise children overseas.

Since you’re still reading this, will you please take some time to pray for our three kids as we try to raise them up to be adults who follow Jesus with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength? Thanks.

Be thankful. Focus on what you can do.

As I was finishing a quick run this morning (something I've recently taken up…I know, you're shocked), I passed a girl in a wheelchair on the track at the park. She was being pushed around the track by a friend, and we smiled at each other. I said hi and she waved, and I was on my way. But I couldn't stop thinking about our little encounter.

By the time I was done running, I was thinking of how cold my head was, how I couldn't breathe, and how I was ready to quit. But after seeing her, I began to think about the fact that I have the ability to run. It's not something I take advantage of much, but it's something I can do. The next time I think that I don't want to run in the morning, I hope I remember that girl and get out of the house and get running.

It's like that with a lot of things. Too often we focus on the things we can't do. We try to make excuses and are not very thankful for those gifts we have been given and the abilities we have. Too often I'm running around past people who wish they could run. Too often I take for granted the blessings I have in my life and complain about what I don't have. I hope I can remember to be thankful for the blessings and abilities I have and focus on them instead of constantly complaining about those things I feel that I need or do not have.

Posted via email from Life and other things…

Early American Youth Workers

I’m doing a lot of research on the history of youth ministry for a paper I’m writing, and I came across this list of early youth workers today. I pray that God will use us the same way He used the guys on this list.

Source: Adams, Dave. The Development of Youth Ministry as a Professional Career and the Distinctives of Liberty University Youth Ministry Training in Preparing Students for Youth Work. 1993

Time management and IKEA

Ingvar Kamprad is the founder of IKEA, the furniture store. I was recently looking at an infograph comparing him and Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, and I came across this quote from him, “You can do so much in 10 minutes time. Ten minutes, once gone, are gone for good. Divide your life into 10-minute units and sacrifice as few of them as possible in meaningless activity.”

That is pretty good advice. It reminds me of Psalm 90:12, which says, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

What are some things that are meaningful that you can do in 10 minutes? How many of those 10 minute increments do you spend in meaningless activity? I wonder how many of those 10 minute increments I spend in meaningless activity. I sure don’t want to waste my life 10 minutes at a time.