Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations Missionary Biography

Self-Reliance in Parenting and Missions: Reflections from Nevius

The miraculous cannot be brought about through human striving or effort. The sacredness of preaching the Gospel both within the context of missions and of parenting is nothing short of asking God to take a pile of dry bones and make them into an army of committed soldiers. The Teachings of Missionary to China, John Nevius John Nevius, born in New York in 1829, was a missionary to China who spoke out against the missions methodologies of his day. At that time, missionaries were employing national Chinese helpers to go out and preach the Gospel in order to reach as…

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Posted in Christian Missions Missionary Biography Motivation for Missions

“If your God is so smart, why can’t he speak our language?” The Life and Legacy of Cameron Townsend

Understanding Scripture in a language other than the heart language in which we think and experience emotion is like trying to eat soup with a fork. You can get a little taste, but you cannot get nourished. William Cameron Townsend  William Cameron Townsend, or Cam, was one of the most influential missions leaders in the last two centuries. He founded three organizations: Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), and the Jungle Aviation and Radio Service (JAARS). These three have the purpose of promoting Bible translation among minority language groups.  His Life Cam Townsand was born in 1896…

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Posted in Christian Missions Encouragements and Exhortations Missionary Biography

William Carey’s Greatest Obstacle: The Local Church

At the end of the 18th century in England, an impoverished shoemaker started reading a book called The Last Voyage of Captain Cook. This book catalogued the exotic adventures of sailor and explorer Captain Cook and caused young William Carey’s mind to drift outside the borders of his native land. This book “became a revelation of human need.” The “savages” that were referenced in the book “were now seen as God’s creatures and in need of a Sovereign’s mercies” (13).* Carey then looked to the Scriptures and saw that the Sovereign’s mercies were poured out on the lost of the…

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