We all know that God calls many people to go. He calls them to leave behind all that is comfortable and familiar so they can minister in his name. But it’s clear that God also calls many to stay. He calls them to remain in comfortable and familiar surroundings so they can minister in his…
For nearly thirty years, Charles Woodrow has been serving as a missionary-doctor in Nampula, Mozambique. (All the while he has also served as a conference founder, church planter, theology teacher, bookstore owner, and much more.) For a good part of that time, my church has been supporting him. Recently, on the occasion of the twentieth…
This summer I had the privilege of traveling to Mozambique to pay a surprise visit to Charles Woodrow, a missionary-doctor my church has supported for many years. This was the twentieth anniversary of the founding of a conference for pastors, and I was asked by his church and family to read a letter expressing my…
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of spending some time in Newfoundland—Canada’s easternmost province (and the easternmost point of North America). It was a joy to be there and to explore some of what the Lord is accomplishing through his people. With the help of Thomas Heidman, I put together a little…
Suddenly the whole world is talking about Christian missions. In his own way, John Allen Chau has sparked a conversation that now rages within the church and outside of it. I’ve spent the past week gathering my thoughts about his situation, and would like to offer a few points I hope you find helpful. First,…
What Christian hasn’t been moved by the beautiful vision of Revelation 7? John sees a powerful display of what God means to accomplish—and, indeed, what he is accomplishing and will accomplish—through the gospel of Jesus Christ. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all…
We pray. We pray because we believe prayer matters, we pray because God hears, we pray because God chooses to act on our prayers. We pray because we can and we pray because we must. These prayers are not hopes whispered into a void or wishes cast into a cold and empty universe. They are…
While I was in India, I had the privilege of sitting down with a dear friend who pastors a key local church in northern India. I got to ask him questions about some of the joys and some of the challenges of ministry in that great land. Here is our brief discussion. Transcript Tim: What…
As I continue my year of so much travel, and as 2018 begins to draw to a close, I find myself pondering themes. What are some of the themes I have seen or experienced as I’ve traveled 16 countries across 5 continents? What are some of the common elements I can identify? I’ll have much…
I am an avid reader of books related to the Second World War. In my estimation, no conflict in history has been more interesting than this one. It has generated a wealth of fascinating stories and riveting accounts of unbelievable heroism. And even though countless thousands of books have already been written, new ones pour…
From “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” to 1800 AD. That’s how long it took for earth to reach a population of 1 billion people. The next billion took just 130 years, the one after that 30 years, then 15, then 13. By the new millennium, earth’s population had reached 6…
Sometimes it’s the little lines that get you, the parentheticals, the throw-aways. I heard one a few days ago: “No one else is coming.” It’s what you say when you realize that a responsibility has now fallen to you. You were hoping and waiting for backup, for reinforcements, for someone—anyone—else. But then you realize: No…
For many years now I have told you about the excellent series of videos called Dispatches from the Front. These videos follow Tim Keesee as he travels the world to discover and document all kinds of gospel advance. In past episodes he has traveled through Eastern Europe, North Africa, China, India, and just about everywhere…
This week marks the 150th anniversary of Hudson Taylor’s Brighton Beach experience. It was there and then that he made a decision that would forever shape church history. In honor of it, my friend Tim Keesee has prepared this excellent article. He also invites you to visit his site to watch a video clip from…
I don’t use the television much anymore. There was a time when I watched a lot of movies and a lot of programs, but these days there isn’t a lot that catches my attention enough to actually dedicate the time to it. There isn’t much that promises more value than I would get from the…
There is some of the missionary in every Christian. As the Lord extends to us the ability to trust in him and as he begins that work of transforming us from the inside out, he gives us the desire to share our faith with others and to extend his love to them. Since the church’s…
David Platt’s Radical was one of those rare books that catapults a first-time author straight to top of the charts. For two years it was a fixture on the lists of bestsellers and even today it remains a top seller in the Christian ranks. Radical was a call for Christians to escape the doldrums of…
If books dealing with death are to be a regular part of my reading diet, so too are books on missions. I don’t mean missional living or the mere theory of mission work, but books describing real work on the real mission field. In Reckless Abandon, David Sitton of To Every Tribe Ministries has given…
Whatever David Platt is selling, people are buying it. At last count 750,000 copies of Radical were in print and it had been on the New York Times list of bestsellers (paperback advice) for 52 weeks. That is no small achievement! To be frank, it is the kind of achievement every author dreams of. Radical…
Dear God, if you should give us a son, grant that he may work for you in China.” That was the prayer of James and Amelia Taylor as they consecrated their first child to the Lord, months before he was even born. That child entered the world on May 21, 1832. His parents named him…