The greatest thing we can do is not ministry but cultivate a loving relationship with the Father.

Today on the Pod, I walk to a woman who has learned from 20 years in missions to treasure Christ above all other things in her life. My guest shares the big lessons she has learned from a lifetime of surrendering to Jesus. There is no way you will come to the end of this episode and not be blessed!

Read more at pmpod.org

Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 The process of total surrender
• 03:05 Lesson 1 It’s not about me
• 04:15 Lesson 2 The Lesson of Worship
• 06:40 Lesson 3 The Lesson of Prayer
• 07:12 Lesson 4 The Lesson of my own Brokenness
• 09:12 Lesson 5 The Lesson of Grieving
• 10:08 Lesson 6 The Lesson of Relationships
• 10:40 Lesson 7 The Lesson of Highest Importance
• 12:00 Learning to grieve
• 16:15 You are not a victim
• 18:16 Don’t compare
• 24:25 What is faithfulness?
• 27:13 Practicing the presence
• 30:50 Transitioning
• 35:43 Church mobilization
• 45:52 The effects of technology admissions

The arena of God's activity is far bigger than you can imagine

Today on the Pod, we discuss discipleship, finding your unique calling in God's Kingdom, living in a dynamic relationship with God, developing people, learning to hear God's voice, and much more.

Find out more at pmpod.org

Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 From conversion to missions
• 04:20 Discipling and spiritual warfare
• 18:43 People Development
• 24:40 Finding God’s will
• 33:00 Learning over the long haul
• 35:00 Leadership matters
• 42:50 Pitfalls and Competencies
• 47:30 Restoration after failure

"I think it’s biblical to be un-offendable"

Today on the Pod, my guest share with me from her 20 years of experience on and office the mission field. My guest has been in "normal" missions as well as marketplace missions, giving her incredible insight into both worlds.

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Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 Missions is for everyone
• 02:56 Doing different kinds of jobs
• 04:18 Why turnover is difficult
• 07:40 Conflict on the field
• 12:33 How the field helps you back home
• 14:35 Re-entry
• 17:17 Marketplace missions
• 22:45 Singleness of the field
• 31:30 Staying spiritually healthy

"Don’t live a juvenile life. Have a life where you are dealing with realities of what’s in front of you, and you’re not just wishing stuff away."

Today on the Pod, my guest shares seven surprising keys to practicing simplicity and why it is so important to do so. This episode is packed with deep insight to help us move our lives towards that profound simplicity God has in store for us.

Learn more at Pmpod.org

Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 The Spectacular Ordinary Christian Life
• 05:00 The value of living with simplicity
• 07:25 The missions community needs more simplicity
• 10:00 Overwork on the field
• 12:00 The Cycle of Grace
• 14:35 #1 Tell the Truth
• 20:49 #2 Live with an open Palm
• 28:00 #3 Allow yourself to be Vulnerable
• 32:16 #4 Beware of Answers
• 39:05 #5 Practice Self-forgetfulness
• 44:33 #6 Take your time when saying Yes
• 48:58 #7 Keep Jesus and His Kingdom at the Center

"How do you move from a bible study to church?"

Today on the Pod, I talk to a guy with over 20 years of experience church-planting in the Middle East. His insights and learnings from his life devoted to serving Christ overseas are well worth listening to. What most people talk about, my guest today, is actually doing.

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Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 Called to the Muslim World
• 03:27 Being a mentor
• 05:30 Keeping the Spiritual fire going
• 09:47 Advice for spiritual strugglers
• 13:55 Keeping a passion for ministry
• 22:00 Pivoting in Ministry
• 27:34 Rookie DBS mistakes
• 31:51 What is the Church
• 38:10 Local leaders

God, Your plans are not my plans. Change my heart to be inline with Yours

Today on the Pod, we take a deep dive into leadership in missions, as well as thinking through issues of identity and how to break from some of the lies we believe about ourselves. We also discuss measuring usefulness, understanding coping mechanisms, how to avoid burnout and much more.

If you want to see those links, click here

Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 From militia to missionary
• 10:14 Moving to the Middle East
• 12:38 Should you send yourself to the field?
• 15:00 What makes a great leader?
• 17:19 Characteristics of a good leader
• 23:00 Measuring your own usefulness
• 27:47 Coping mechanisms on the field
• 34:31 Slowing down to avoid burnout
• 39:45 Thinking through some team stuff
• 43:00 Conflict resolution within teams
• 49:04 Building resilience against failure

What do we actually mean when we say God called me?

Today on the Pod, we are talking about calling and what it actually means to be a follower of Jesus wherever you are. My guest today is passionate about seeing the whole body of Christ join in the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Bringing the Gospel to the whole world is not just for a few paid church staff and missionaries, it’s the mission of the entire church.

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• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 From military kid to missionary
• 03:26 Missions in the 80s
• 05:56 The negative effect of two identities
• 07:45 Secular vs Sacred work
• 14:20 The priesthood of all believers
• 17:06 Getting everyone involved in the mission
• 20:19 We are asking too little of our people
• 27:00 Being intentional
• 32:31 Understanding our calling
• 35:00 Myth 1: Frontlines
• 36:51 Myth 2: Calling
• 42:09 Myth 3: Full-Time ministry
• 45:20 Myth 4: Significance
• 48:40 Myth 5: Pray, Give, Go
• 50:38 Myth 6: Business For Mission
• 55:23 Myth 7: Missionaries

Everyone we talked to said it was normal, but we felt that something wasn't right.

We often talk about the struggle missionary kids have following their parents’ calling, but how do parents respond to their calling when their kids aren’t thriving on the field? Today on the Pod, I talk to a guy who had to make some hard decisions when he and his wife found out their oldest son had autism.

To read more go to PMPod.org

Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 Getting called to missions
• 06:46 Being effective in the culture
• 09:45 Expectations on the field
• 12:30 The dangers of people pleasing
• 16:00 The stress on marriage
• 20:45 Having young children on the field
• 24:38 Ministering as a couple
• 28:20 The need for community
• 31:05 Autism diagnosis
• 40:37 Hard decisions