Posted in Christian Missions Encouragements and Exhortations Mobilization Motivation for Missions

New Missionaries, From Your Older Brother

I recently had a chance to address students at a missionary training school. It was exciting to see their expectation and joy at the thought of ministering to unreached people groups around the world. I can remember the buzz of expectation mixed with the anxiety of trying something new. Many of them are not sure what continent they will be living on two years from now, let alone what language they will be speaking, or food they will be eating. Spending time with them was fun and inspiring. Into this context I was asked to talk about our mission agency,…

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Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations

Should We Try To Control Who Is In Our Lives?

Back in our village lives a man whom we can call Philippe. Phillippe lives in a broken-down, one-room shack and, although he is in poor health, he always manages to walk out to the bush each day to find something to eat. Philippe does not really contribute anything to his family nor to his community. In fact, because of some mental problems Phillippe is a pretty difficult person to be around. He drinks heavily, screams irrationally, and often asks of the people around him more than they are willing to give. He is seen as a social outsider and the…

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Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations

Millennials, Don’t Waste Your Childlessness

I recently read an interesting article by a man named Shane Morris, called A Message to Intentionally Childless Millennials. The article was inspired by a tweet by Shane which sparked a fierce Twitter debate. Here is the tweet: Apparently my fellow millennials poured in to condemn this tweet, claiming that they preferred their freedom and money to children. Shane obviously disagrees and calls out such hedonism, as he should. He does make one guarded caveat, though: “Not everyone will get married and have kids, and not everyone should. Christians have a very ancient category for those who are called to lifelong celibacy…

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Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations

Don’t Waste Your Church Scandal

A couple of Sundays ago, I was made aware of two churches that lost their lead pastors to disqualifying sin. In my travels around the US the last few months, I have heard story after story of church leaders failing in major ways. These church scandals have lead to heartbreak, division, and in some cases the dissolution of entire churches. As I have been visiting churches, I have seen some that have responded well to these challenges and there are a few observations I have made that I would like to share. There are no heroes There is a common…

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Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations

God Works Witchcraft for our Good

For the most part, Westerners tend to live materialistic lives, focusing almost exclusively on the physical realm. However, in our time in Cameroon, we have come to realize that the Kwakum worldview is dominated by the spiritual. One area in which this spiritualized worldview is particularly evident is in their suffering. Kwakum people believe that sickness and other suffering almost always originate from witchcraft. In general, when experiencing sickness (or really any misfortune), the Kwakum go to a witch doctor. In the case of many problems, the witch doctor prescribes a ritual washing. After such a washing, the bath water…

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Posted in Africa Culture Shock Encouragements and Exhortations

Fear God. Honor the Emperor.

Sometimes culture differences between Cameroon and the US can be pretty shocking. In Cameroon, for instance, and I am not even joking…children respect their elders. I know, it’s a bit hard to believe. This means that when adults are talking, children are seen and not heard. Though I am certain when youth get together they sometimes badmouth their parents, you would never see it in public. This attitude of respect carries over to authorities for adults as well. When the president of the Kwakum language committee arrives to any meeting, people stand. They offer him the seat of honor. Again,…

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Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations

The Discipline of Gratitude

We often hear comments from friends and supporters that they wish their children could come and visit us in Cameroon for a time. What they mean is that their kids have been expressing attitudes of ingratitude or entitlement and they believe that some time spent in an African village will help them to see how much they have to be thankful for. We all chuckle, and sigh, with the recognition that we are not going to fly a child to Cameroon just for an attitude check. However, whether these parents know it or not, there is a greater problem with…

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Posted in Audio Bible Translation Christian Missions Encouragements and Exhortations God’s Work in Cameroon

[AUDIO] Podcast and Sermon

Dave was interviewed this last week for a podcast and also preached at The Mount Church in Clemson, SC. You can listen to them at the below links: PODCAST: Around the King’s Table Pastors George and Brian of The Mount Church in Clemson sit down with Dave Hare to discuss translation and ministry in advance of Missions Week at The Mount. SERMON: Habakkuk: Global Missions with Dave Hare Dave preached a sermon which describes our ministry in Cameroon, and also traces through major themes in the Book of Habakkuk.

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Posted in Bible Translation Encouragements and Exhortations

God is not Like Us, and That’s a Good Thing

There is a major principle in the world of translation: “You cannot translate something you do not understand.” What this means for our project is that before we can even attempt translating a passage into Kwakum, we have to make sure we understand it ourselves. As our team has wrestled through various passages, there have been many times in which the Kwakum translators have posed this question to me: “Why would God do that?” Let me give you a couple illustrations. The first one comes up right away: “Why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and…

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Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations

The Important Role of the Tormented Soul in Missions

“Remember when you see a missionary coming home broken in body and weary in soul, it isn’t the privations or dangers or things he’s done that leave a deep hurt; it’s the things he couldn’t do that break his heart.” –Anonymous missionary As we are about to return to the States, I find myself returning with a great heaviness of soul. Why is this? It is because of the sickness? The hunger? The dangers that were faced on the field? The tireless work? No, none of the above. Like the quote above says, it is because of all the brokenness…

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