• Our hope-filled future is bound up in sharing the story of Jesus, in discipling others, in bringing those disciples together into communities of believers, and in developing and releasing those believers to create other communities... till Jesus the King comes again!

Five Coins

Posted on March 13, 2019 by wtdavid

As I was heading my way to the gathering of WT Asia leaders this week, I remembered an article that I had read.  The basic gist of the article was that in many conversations with other colleagues, we tend to talk way more than we listen to the others in the room.  The author stressed that robust dialogue and discussion come when we give a majority of our time to listening as opposed to speaking.  Listening serves as the critical context for responding (speaking) well to others.

Now, we recognize that this principle is a basic biblical truth: “Know this, my beloved brothers (and sisters): let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”  (James 1.19)  I think the problem for many of us is that we know this truth, but we’re not sure the best way to actually practice it.  Oftentimes, we’ll try to practice this truth by talking to ourselves into being a better listener: “You know, David, in this next meeting, you need to just listen more and not talk so much.”  Then we get into that next meeting, and before we know it, we’re speaking up the bulk of the time!

Now there are certainly a number of possible applications, and we know that the only way we will become a better listener is by the working of grace in our hearts.  However, the author of the article I read suggested an idea that might provide some fuel for the Spirit in our ‘training’.

Here’s the author’s simple recommendation:  imagine walking into a conversation or discussion with five (5) coins in your hand. Each coin represents one time where you inject your thoughts into a conversation.  When the five coins have been ‘used’, your ‘microphone’ is turned off.

Now I’m not saying we should slavishly practice this idea, but I will say it causes you to think more carefully about the words you think are so important to share at each and every moment in a conversation.  It also pushes you to listen well and try to better understand what the other is really saying before speaking.

I’m hoping by the end of this week, I (and each of us) will have ‘made some progress’ in listening well and speaking with more wisdom … by using our five coins well.

Filed under: Communication, Listening | 4 Comments »

Calling

Posted on March 6, 2019 by wtdavid

Rebecca and I have close friends that we have known since university days.  Nancy has always been prolific and insightful in her writings.  Monthly emails often contain what I call ‘spiritual gems’.  She has a way of capturing Christ in so much of what happens day to day, and then to use that image as a reminder of our need to ‘speak the Gospel to our hearts’ each day.

Let me quote from one of her emails titled: Calling

“Of all the staggering Scriptures, the verse that most staggers me these days is Hebrews 5:7, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” He was heard. Not saved from death, but heard. Isn’t that enough? To be heard by the God of the universe? If it was enough for Christ, how dare it not be enough for me?

At the recent Together for the Gospel conference, we wore these bands:

10,000 people wore the black bands allowing access to the conference. Far fewer people wore the white bands that allowed access to the speakers. How foolish we would have been to have this gift of access and not use it to get notes from and have conversations with the speakers so we could better serve the main participants!

We still have the bands, but we no longer have access to the speakers. I can’t ask John MacArthur what to say to the students about prayer. Chuck can’t ask John Piper about a thorny paragraph he is trying to translate for seminary. But God has given us better-than-white-bands: unlimited access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)!

What thirsty person, tongue brittle as a leaf in drought, has access to a fountain of pure water but crawls past it? We have access to the life-giving fount, but pass by it if we skip or skimp on prayer.”

At first I pondered why she gave the subject line as “calling”.  Then I realized that our calling is first and foremost to God (read Os Guinness, The Call, on that topic) and our main ‘access’ is by our conversation with the Father.

We might say, in other words, that our calling is to bring the nations of the world before the Father’s throne and plead with Him to work in us and through us that many might come to know the Messiah Jesus.

Filed under: Calling, Mission, Prayer | 4 Comments »

Just the start

Posted on February 25, 2019 by wtdavid

Earlier this week, each of us as members of the World Team Global community received a copy of our global outcomes.  Global outcomes are those faith-stretching desires we as teams long to see God bring about through us.

There are three facts we should keep in mind about these global outcomes.

First, global outcomes are not just about numbers.  They are about people, relationships, heart desires, and the call God has placed upon us as a community to see a multiplying movement of disciples and communities.  Numbers push us to think beyond ourselves, and they are a way to cause us to recognize that to accomplish this God given vision will require God’s work in us and through us. 

Second, global outcomes implicate all of us.  Global outcomes are the fruit of discussions we have had with one another.  These are not just objectives for one part of our community.  They are outcomes that call for each of us to get involved in some way in seeing them become a reality. 

Finally, global outcomes are not something we are going to ‘put in a drawer and forget about’.  This effort is not a ‘one off’, but a long term team effort we trust will lead us to see God do even more among us and through us.  One member of the World Team Global Alliance (WTGA), when he first heard about the global outcomes, commented (with much passion) as to “how these outcomes would unite all of the World Team community (WT workers, staff, boards, and partners)!“

However, we are just at the start.  Working our global outcomes means that we need to start now to more intentionally engage others with the Gospel.  It means that we need to begin now to prayer about and research those seven (7) new UPGs among whom we believe God desires us to work in 2021.  It means praying for one another now as new church starts begin each year (2019, 2020 & 2021); that these church starts would become viable communities of believers, capable of multiplying themselves.

Let us run the race together, keeping our eyes fixed on the author and perfecter of our faith!

Filed under: Assessment, Global outcomes, Vision, Working together | Leave a comment »

Praying together

Posted on February 14, 2019 by wtdavid

Praying together

So, what really happened during our World Team Day of Prayer last week?

Here are a few comments I received back from World Team Global members which I hope will encourage your hearts:

“As Spain Team West gathered to pray together on Friday, we enjoyed praying for these 2 people groups and learning more about them. It enabled us to lift our eyes from our own endeavours and surroundings and contemplate others from very different cultures and the challenges of reaching them with the gospel. I sensed it was our privilege to pray for these people groups for God’s Spirit to break through so that others can know the deep love of God.”

“We are going to Lorraine who, as you know, is wheelchair bound. It will be an encouragement for her to continue participating in this vital day. After the passing of her husband Paul into glory, our team has shrunk even more. Nevertheless, we carry on with the day of prayer and the work. First things first.”

“It is always a special time when I pray for World Team ministries in other parts of the world.  I pray a lot for our WT Americas missionary team, for new people groups and new ministries, but less for other Areas’ needs.  Praying for the Cham and Dadjo opened a new window on what the Lord is doing in other parts of the world, and in a small way, to be a part of what He is doing.”

World Team Canada met for prayer ‘virtually’ and a fair sized group was surprised to have a member of Hook Evangelical Church (UK) join them and explain their church’s passion for the Dadjo and their commitment to pray for this people group for the past 10+ years!

So, what really happened?  I believe we united our hearts in prayer, for God to work in significant ways among the Dadjo and the Cham … and we did this ‘work’ together, all around the globe [a Doodle online calendar was a first start at seeing how we prayed together over the 24-48 hour time period].

Much thanks and gratitude for your participation!  However, let us not forget that this is only the start of the ‘marathon’ of prayer for these two people groups! Press on together!

Filed under: Community, Prayer, Unreached people groups | 2 Comments »

Culture wins

Posted on February 11, 2019 by wtdavid

Culture wins

I’ve been reading a book on my Kindle lately entitled: Culture Wins: The Roadmap to an Irresistable Workplace.  I was somewhat skeptical given the title, but the farther I have gone in the book, the more I understand the thrust of the writer’s argument (who, by the way, was a pastor, before creating his own startup). 

William V simply argues that at the end of the day, it’s the context, the ‘culture’ that causes a company, a group, a mission to retain their workers. It’s the environment that causes people to want to stay long term with you, to recruit others to work with them, and to always speak highly of your organisation even if they move on to another ‘job’. It’s primarily because of the culture and how it makes them feel, how it makes them more productive and fruitful in their work.

Of course, the difficulty comes when our “culture” needs to be worked out in practice.  We know that it is easier to talk about culture than to actually function according to the principles or elements of that desired culture. 

World Team (based on the WT Ministry Framework) desires an organisational culture where we grow in accountability, character, competence, collaboration and community. We are probably doing well in some elements, and maybe less well in others.  What I have gotten out of this book, so far, is that we should not be content with where we are, but strive to grow more in all elements of our desired culture.  So that who we say we are, is how we actually live and minister together.

From where you stand, in which elements would you say we are doing well and in which elements less well?

Filed under: Cultural intelligence, Guiding Principles | 2 Comments »

Lulled to sleep

Posted on January 24, 2019 by wtdavid

Last week, I traveled west to North America to participate in the WT Americas leadership meetings.  On the way, I met up with my older brother, who took me out to dinner (midnight my time,18h00 his time).  Afterwards, he invited me to his place to watch a short video.  Sitting there in his living room after an 8 hour flight, dinner, and recognizing that it was now 02h30 for me, the video was all the ‘music’ needed to lull me to sleep. 

Ever happen to you? 

In the World Team Ministry Framework, we talk about ‘growing in character’ as a guiding feature of our organizational culture.  To grow implies that we have ‘progressed’ or changed from our current attitude, habit or practice to one that is more aligned with Christ and His calling on our lives.  However, if we are ‘lulled to sleep’, that growth is stagnant and we will continue to act, react and live in ways that are not ‘in line with the Gospel’ (Galatians 2:14)

The ministry, daily life, and all the ‘things’ we need to do in a day can easily cause us to forget, can easily ‘lull us to sleep’ in regards to our own inner spiritual life.  I believe it was Bobby C who said that most people stop growing before they hit 40 years of age. They simply ride the rest of the lives on what they have learned up to that point.

To wake ourselves out of our spiritual drowsiness, I would suggest the following step: begin to write a short paragraph in a journal each day.

Now I’m not the journal writer type, but I have found this to be a good way to start reflecting on where God desires growth in my life.  Summarizing briefly the main activity(or activities) of a day, allows me to begin to see links and focus on one specific area of growth.

You may have a better way, or further steps to suggest. The objective in the end though is to avoid being ‘lulled to sleep’.

Filed under: Lifelong learning, Transformation | 2 Comments »

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