If I tell you about earthly things and you will not believe, how will you believe when I tell you of heavenly things? (John 3: 12) The night wind was sweeping through the narrow street as Jesus spoke with his interlocutor. Perhaps, during the inevitable pauses in the conversation they watched leaves spiraling around the courtyard…
Month: October 2015
Roma, Chinese, Mission and Me – Part Four – Changing hearts changes vision
A major goal of the Roma to the Nations consultation was to inspire and motivate leaders in the global Chinese church to reach out to the Roma. This shaped the dialogue in a unique way. During the consultation, Chinese pastors offered meditations on Scripture, which shine a light on the deeper thinking that is emerging…
Questions Jesus Asked 4 | Signal to Noise Ratio…
You are a teacher in Israel and you do not understand this? (John 3: 10) It doesn’t seem like Jesus was implying here that being a “teacher in Israel” was a bad thing. Nor do I think that we was trying to rap his night visitor for being a bad teacher. This was not about…
The Roma, the Chinese, Mission and Me – Part Three – Owning and paying our OWN “gospel debt”
In the last post in this series, we were thinking about the deep feeling expressed by several Chinese believers that they “owed a gospel debt” to the Roma of Europe. Letting that concept percolate, we can think of at least two reasons why we who are Christians of European extraction, who have been involved in…
Questions Jesus Asked 3 | Good Wine and Line of Sight
“How does this concern of yours affect me?” (John 2:4) Yes, this question is asked in the context of the first miracle Jesus is recorded as performing, which, at first glance, seemed to be for the purpose of keeping the party going. But that’s not the point. He had a greater purpose: he realized that…
Questions Jesus Asked | 2: In search of…
“What are you looking for?” (John 1:38) Knowing what was in the heart of people (John 2.24), Jesus was not asking because he didn’t know. “What do you want, expect, require… What are you seeking?” Jesus asks of two young men who, after having had Jesus pointed out to them at a distance, had begun…
Owing and paying a “Gospel debt” | Chinese. Roma. Europe. Mission. Me #2
Why are there so many Chinese who are drawn to minister to the Roma in Europe? Particularly when Europeans themselves have been – and pretty much continue to be – participants in the generations-long process of marginalizing them? All the same, here there are Chinese churches from three continents, each struggling with critical European questions…
Questions Jesus Asked – #1: Lost and Found
What does a good coach, a good cross-cultural worker, a good discipler, and a good porch-sitter have in common? They ask good questions. One of the things I’ve learned over time is how important it is to, firstly, just ASK questions. The world isn’t out there waiting for you to show up and tell them…
Mill Pond Porch 