• 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!

A start to an answer

Posted on October 24, 2012 by wtdavid

Mark & I dialogued recently in the comment section of the post: “Should I really care about the WTGA?”  I thought his question and my attempt to answer could serve as another step in this ongoing conversation with the WT community. 

Mark wrote: “This post prompted two questions. The first is for me. In order to generously accommodate new friends from other cultures – to genuinely submit in partnership – how do I need to conduct myself in ministry? Attitudinally I certainly need humility but in practice I came up with two.

1. Learn how people from the incoming culture make decisions.

2. Learn how people from the incoming culture value relationships.

The second is: how will you know if we care? In other words, what is practiced on a day-by-day basis in our ministries that shows we care as much about the new global alliance as you do?”

I responded by saying: “Your question is not one easily answered.  The answer will be displayed more in our WT ethos than in specific steps that would be the same for all. Let me try one or two examples. First, when we are building a project for a new ministry outreach, we should look beyond our own team/field/Area, or to put it another way, beyond our own ‘silo’. Others in other places may have valuable insights that would help us in moving that project forward. This would be an outworking of what we mean be interdependence, consciously seeking ‘many voices’ to enter the discussion. A second example might be in how people approach ministry and particularly the issue of contextualization. Too often we will simply translate material from our home culture into the language in which we are working, not thinking about the cultural dissonance that might occur. I will know that people care about the Alliance when I see workers reaching out to others who are different from them for their ideas and input; when I see our growth in life and ministry being impacted by our interaction with those from other cultures and backgrounds.”

I know there is more to be said.  What do you think?

Filed under: Global structure, WTGA | 2 Comments »

What we learned … again

Posted on October 22, 2012 by wtdavid

Here are quotes from some of our posts on King’s Cross:

“What we may learn to give is a deeper commitment and call to follow Him, shedding our self focused way of living which may treat God only as a help in time of need and not a Redeemer needed every day.  What we may learn to get is a richer appreciation of His presence with us, of His love for us despite how we may feel or think.” (ch 6)

“When we try to depend on outside sources, we fall short and end up feeling disappointed, frustrated, depressed, unsatisfied and discontent. It is only a shadow and we will have to keep coming back again and again to feel a sense of true acceptance. Jesus says in Heb 10:10, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”” (ch 7)

“What is amazing is that Jesus Himself, as He goes to the cross, will experience both the rejection felt by the Syrophoenician woman and the silence of the deaf and mute man.  He will take upon Himself the weight of the ravages of sin in this world and in our lives, so as to deliver us, free us from the power that sin seeks to exercise over our lives.” (ch 8)

 

One reader share this comment in response to King’s Cross and what he learned: “I’ve enjoyed the journey through this book, and look forward to the next book we will read together.  In a word, Cross. I feel the book addressed an attitude adjustment in my life: to follow Jesus is to bear my cross.  The followership He invites me to is not easy going, problem free, without struggle, evil and hardship.  To pick up my cross, daily, and follow Jesus is a real challenge when I simply don’t feel like it, or my heart is prone to wander, and/or I find it too darn hard!  Keller, and the interpretation of his work through my colleagues, helped me with this quite a bit.”

 

 

Filed under: King's Cross, Reflection | Leave a comment »

Should I really care about the WTGA?

Posted on October 19, 2012 by wtdavid

The impact of the WT Global Alliance may not be seen or felt in the day-to-day life and ministry of many WT workers.  So, should you as a worker really care about the WTGA?

By all means, yes, and for two primary reasons.

First, because the Alliance will open the door for many more voices to enter the life and ministry of the mission.  One avenue will certainly be by global members from outside of the WT community joining the WT Global Alliance.  These members will bring different perspectives on issues and challenge our default way of pursuing ministry.  Another avenue will be the growing number of non North American workers who will join our teams and potentially lead our teams.  Each of us will need to be trained in greater cross cultural or multicultural communication and collaboration.

Second, because the Alliance will empower leaders and workers to expand ministries much more quickly.  With key resource players around the same table, the Alliance will have the ability to determine World Team’s response to ministry initiatives without having to poll individual resource centres or hubs.  The collaborative spirit of the Alliance will allow faster engagement and capacity to empower teams to move on new ministries and projects.

Certainly, all this is not for tomorrow.  The Alliance is in a building stage, but that is the future clearly before us, and we should care about it.

 

You are invited to share your comments and questions by posting them here on the Thoughts Along the Journey blog.  We are calling on the entire WT community to uphold this newly formed global alliance in prayer.  Pray especially for the invitation of new global members from outside the WT community.  We are praying for the laying of firm foundations that will serve future generations of workers well.

 

 

Filed under: Collaboration, Communication, Global structure, WTGA | 6 Comments »

What we learned

Posted on October 15, 2012 by wtdavid

Here are some quotes from our very first posts on King’s Cross:

“However, if I really understand God, and if I’m truly amazed by Who He is and what He has done, then I would live a life full of devotion, focused on Him.  I’m asked to join Him in this dance, ignore my inhibitions and ignorance, and humbly ask, as I dance with my Savior, “Why me?!”  I don’t deserve the opportunity to join in the dance, but that’s just it.  It’s all about Him inviting me, not what I deserve.” (ch 1)

“Left to ourselves, we continue in our brokenness. This is the reason His call is so significant, He is calling us from a self-centered, self-destructive life by calling us into a whole relationship which requires sole devotion to Himself, so much so that “all other attachments in [our] lives look like hate compared to Him.” Jesus cannot and will not accept moderation, His call is for complete devotion, “He must be the goal.”” (ch 2)

“It is not possible to write about Jesus and his cross without writing about sin as our biggest problem. But he pushes us further. Tapping into C.S. Lewis, as pastors are prone to do, Keller wrestles with this Biblical passage in light of a Lewis story and gives us another phrase – “not deep enough.” And he recommends this: Jesus will cut deep in dealing with our sin. He will pull back the scales. As he did with the paralytic he will identify our bigger problem and then he will go deep enough to provide the core healing that is needed.” (ch 3)

“Experiencing anew real “rest” comes when a greater treasure displaces our constant search for acceptance in others.  “On the cross Jesus was saying of the work underneath your work – the thing that makes you truly weary, this need to prove yourself because who you are and what you do are never good enough – that it is finished.  He has lived the life you should have lived, he has died the death you should have died.  If you rely on Jesus’ finished work, you that God is satisfied with you.  You can be satisfied with life.””   (ch 4)

“Oh, to be like You Jesus. That’s what I feel when I read this. I have a hard time resting. I know I need it.  Jesus was sure it was time to ‘get away’. He knew that there was just so much a person can handle . . . and He is God! When He spoke to the wind and waves, there was ‘dead calm’, much like a guy sleeping on a cushion. He didn’t need the storm to stop for His own rest. Perhaps He did it for His disciples so that they could see His ability to take care of them. Perhaps He was just proclaiming the importance of rest in a dramatic way . . . reconciling the world to Himself in inexplicable ways.”  (ch 5)

 

Share your insights to the book, King’s Cross with the larger WT community.  Post your responses here to the question: “What thought or idea from King’s Cross has brought about a change in your heart and attitude?”

Filed under: King's Cross, Lifelong learning, Reflection | 4 Comments »

What Exactly Is The World Team Global Alliance?

Posted on October 11, 2012 by wtdavid

The WTGA is a global structure and forum for assessing and implementing WT’s global vision. It provides input and accountability for the ministry vision and direction of the agency. The Alliance is comprised of WT’s International Director, Assistant International Director, Sending Country Directors, Sending Country Board delegates and global members from outside WT who are invited to serve based upon their expertise. With the launch of the Alliance, the WT International Board has been dissolved leaving the separate Sending Country Boards intact.

In addition to providing input and accountability for the International Director, the Alliance will help integrate new Sending Countries and ministry partners, approve the WT Global and major project budgets, guard the fiscal integrity of WT, call and release the International Director, and foster greater global resource sharing.

Filed under: Global structure, WTGA | 3 Comments »

the Beginning

Posted on October 8, 2012 by wtdavid

Today’s post comes from Kevin in the US about chapter 18: The Beginning

The beginning of eternity.  That’s what Christ’s death and resurrection allowed us to glimpse.  The disciples didn’t get this and, as Keller points out, they were shocked that He rose—even though He told them He would.

The beginning of eternity.  We laugh at the disciples, but do we get this?  Interesting that in light of a chapter mentioning the story of Joni Eareckson Tada, I have a daughter in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy.  Ya know, I think she gets it too.  Life is the beginning of eternity.  A disability, a struggle, a broken relationship—they are painful and seem to limit us in this life.  But eternity is so much longer.

The beginning of eternity.  This is what the Gospel opens up for us: a reason to live, a reason to minister to others, and a reason for hope in the future.  Christ’s death and resurrection provided this, and so much more.

What helps you to see and live life in light of eternity?

 

This is the last installment of the King’s Cross blog post.  Next week, October 15th, we would like to share your insights to the book, King’s Cross with the larger WT community: “What thought or idea from King’s Cross has brought about a change in your heart and attitude?”  Please send your answers to this question to international.director@worldteam.org before next Monday, so we can post them to the TATJ blog.

Filed under: King's Cross, Reflection | 1 Comment »

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