A group of 50 young Nigerian women, promised a better life, had made it overland across the obstacle of the Sahara, run the gauntlet of exploiters waiting for them in Libya, and amazingly, made it to Italy in an overcrowded, barely seaworthy boat. Yet within days people checking on them found that all but two […]
I was recently challenged again from Acts 4:13 NIV : “When they (the rulers, elders and teachers of the law) saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” How do we ‘be with Jesus’ today so that […]
When I was growing up, first in Pentecostal and then in Baptist churches in Scotland and England, I thought I knew what “mission” was. It was what missionaries did. They were special people who had responded to a call from God, directly to them, to leave behind the familiarity of home and the material benefits of […]
We all like to think we're making a difference, don’t we? We invest our time, effort and resources into things that we care about, and we grasp onto a deep desire to see something good come of it all. Sometimes we're delighted by what we see, but other times we wonder if the effort was really worth it. Recently, I completed […]
"We will die off one day – but the dream is for freedom to multiply and continue with locals, with people who know that place much better than us."
Organisational and personal histories have always fascinated me. I think it’s the knowledge that the present is just a moment in a far broader story; and to arrive at that present point in time, many people have contributed, decisions have been made, tears have been shed and joys have been celebrated. Because of it all, the future is moulded. It’s the […]
How do we understand the moment that we are living in? God’s mission is truly from anywhere to everywhere. In Colombia, Nigel and Richelle Webb are mentoring these young candidates for mission overseas. Leidy and Jenny are looking to go to India, Cristal to refugee ministry in Greece and Liz is a dentist with her […]
"The drawn curtain across our friend’s door was soon disturbed by two young men exiting her room. Kundola and I waited patiently outside. It took all I had within me not to throw the tiffin box at the boy-ish customers who, with such an air of entitlement, had nonchalantly exited her room, smoothing back their hair and holding their belt loops. Tensing my grip on the cake, I breathed deeply, wrestling with the notion of loving my enemies; a biblical concept, a Jesus-spoken command, but a really, really difficult thing to actually do. Soon enough our friend poked her head around the curtain, smiled, and called us into her room just in time for me to not have to dwell on that thought for too long. Thank God."
I was on my way to visit the children in a neighbouring country. It was the half term break at their school and I would spend that time with them out of school. I had arrived at the airport in plenty of time for my flight and I was soon in the departure lounge waiting. I had nearly 2 […]
Being the outsider has made me wonder if community should really have little to do with our similarities. "Perhaps it’s more about everyone continually showing up, about building trust and about being valued not for what we contribute but for who we are."
