Topic > Evangelism & Missions
Tears of a Teen
As I sat with four teenagers and a 20-something homeless man at a soup kitchen in Alaska, I was touched by the teens’ compassion for him. They listened as he talked about what he believed and then they gently presented the gospel to him—lovingly offering him hope in Jesus. Sadly, the man refused to seriously consider the gospel.
As we were leaving, one of the girls, Grace, expressed through her tears how much she didn’t want the man to die without knowing Jesus. From the heart, she grieved for this young man who, at least at this point, was rejecting the…
The Likes of Us
In the late 19th century, William Carey felt a call to travel to India as a missionary to share the good news of Jesus. Pastors around him scoffed: “Young man, if God wants to save [anyone] in India, He will do it without your help or mine!” They missed the point of partnership. God does very little on earth without the likes of us.
As partners in God’s work on earth, we insist that God’s will be done while at the same time committing ourselves to whatever that may require of us. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done,” Jesus taught…
When It is Frowned Upon to Share Your Faith
One of my most vivid memories of college was my Sunday morning routine. I would wake up at 7:00 a.m. to attend a rehearsal before the early service at my local church, where I played the cello in the ensemble.
Not Saying Goodbye
Francis Allen led me to Jesus, and now it was nearly time for Francis to meet Jesus face to face. I was at his home as it grew time for him to say goodbye. I wanted to say something memorable and meaningful.
For nearly an hour I stood by his bed. He laughed hard at the stories I told on myself. Then he got tired, we got serious, and he spent his energy rounding off some rough edges he still saw in my life. I listened, even as I tried to sort out how to say goodbye.
He stopped me before I…
Fired Up For the Lord
To start a fire for an outdoor barbecue, I was instructed to arrange the charcoal pieces close together, so that when the briquette—a compressed block of combustible material like sawdust and woodchip—was lit, the flames would spread from one piece to another quickly.
The Slow Walk
Caleb was sick. Really sick! Diagnosed with a nervous system disease, the 5-year-old suffered from temporary paralysis. His anxious parents prayed. And waited. Slowly, Caleb began to recover. Months later, when doctors cleared him to attend school, all Caleb could manage was a slow, unsteady walk.
One day his dad visited him at school. He watched his son haltingly descend the steps to the playground. And then he saw Caleb’s young friend Tyler come alongside him. For the entire recess, as the other kids raced and romped and played, Tyler slowly walked the playground with his frail friend.
Job must have ached…
A Letter To My Future Self
Dear Future Self, Hey! Hello there! Howdy doo! Yes, I need to remind you that you are still weird—that’s my obligation as your past. You are welcome.
From Whining to Winning
Growing up in a traditional family in the Philippines, I, being the youngest, bore the duty of running errands for the family. These usually involved purchasing spices, sauces, cigarettes or worse, sanitary napkins for my sisters from convenience stores.
A Voice in the Night
Psalm 134 has only three verses, but it is proof that little things can mean a lot. The first two verses are an admonition to the priests who serve in God’s house night after night. The building was dark and empty; nothing of consequence was occurring—or so it seemed. Yet these ministers were encouraged to “lift up [their] hands to the holy place and bless the Lord!” (v. 2 esv). The third verse is a voice from the congregation calling into the darkness and loneliness of the night: “The Lord who made heaven and earth bless you.”
I think of…
The Whole Story
Recently my 5-year-old grandson, Dallas, asked, “Why did Jesus die on the cross?” So we had a little talk. I explained to him about sin and Jesus’ willingness to be our sacrifice. Then he ran off to play.
A few minutes later, I overheard him talking to his 5-year-old cousin, Katie, explaining to her why Jesus died. Katie said to him, “But Jesus isn’t dead.” Dallas replied, “Yes. He’s dead. Grampy told me. He died on the cross.”
I realized I hadn’t completed the story. So we had another talk as I explained to Dallas that Jesus rose from the…
Why I’m Mourning for the Sabah Quake Victims
Written By Amy Ji, Singapore The reports on the victims of the recent Sabah earthquake have been for me, most horrifying to read. As the names of the bodies identified were listed, I realized that I had trained some of these students and had even worked with the teacher who had lost his life, just […]
One Man’s Quest to Bring Hope
Written By Edna Ho, Malaysia Browse through the newspapers in Malaysia, you’re likely to read news about Kelvin Wan and his team distributing food, medicine and other forms of aid to poor villagers or victims of a flood or fire. The founder of Hope Place, a welfare group in Kuching, is well known in this […]
Stuck In The Mud
We were absolutely stuck! While I was laying the wreath in place on my parents’ grave, my husband eased the car off the road to allow another car to pass. It had rained for weeks and the parking area was sodden. When we were ready to leave, we discovered that the car was stuck. The wheels spun, sinking further and further into the mud.
Striving to be Somebody
Written by Lydia, Beijing, originally in Simplified Chinese (The article below is inspired by a true story.) “Study hard so you can become a somebody”, her parents used to tell her. And that was Sammy’s goal as a child—to make it someday, just like the next-door neighbor who made it to Oxford University. She accomplished […]
Guard Your Focus
That’s my disciple,” I once heard a woman say about someone she was helping. As followers of Christ we are all tasked with making disciples—sharing the good news of Christ with people and helping them grow spiritually. But it can be easy to focus on ourselves instead of Jesus.
