March 17, 2025

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

All Blog Posts

Persons of Peace: How Do I Find Them?
Church Planting, Evangelism, Gospel

Persons of Peace: How Do I Find Them?

This entry is part 15 of 15 in the series "Church planting". I understand that I need to look for “POPs” or Persons of Peace / Prepared Open People, but how do I find them? How would I recognize them? In our previous blog post, “Persons of Peace: 1. What are they?“, we discovered what Persons of Peace are. We learned why they were part of Jesus’ strategy for spreading the good news of the kingdom. We saw from biblical examples and modern stories that they can be unbelievers, pre-believers, new believers or established believers. They are local, well-networked people. God has prepared people of peace in very different ways – through sickness and a sense of need, through a sense of inadequacy or maybe through the change in their own lives. They reduce exponentially the amount of time it takes to penetrate a new area. This is because they… Read the whole post
David North13 mins read
Persons of Peace: What Are They?
Church Planting, Missionary Roles, Evangelism, Gospel

Persons of Peace: What Are They?

This entry is part 14 of 15 in the series "Church planting". When we enter a new area, we often wonder, “Where do I start? I don’t know anyone here, and who am I to come into their world and start teaching them?” Jesus prepared his disciples for this by giving them a strategy When Jesus was sending out His 12 disciples on a missionary training trip in Matthew 10, and when He was sending out 72 of His followers on evangelism training in Luke 10, he gave them each some special instructions. This command was to be part of their strategy for reaching those areas. Jesus told them to find a “person of peace” (CSB) or “someone who promotes peace” (NIV).1 See Luke 10:5,6. In Matthew, Jesus calls them “worthy” people. Jesus told them they were to look for these kinds of people who would help them reach the… Read the whole post
David North12 mins read
The process of journeying towards Christ
Training

The process of journeying towards Christ

This entry is part 13 of 15 in the series "Church planting". An event or a process? Is evangelism an event or is it a process… or both? And why does that matter? When I was in Bible College, I was introduced to the Engel Scale. This was a chart that showed how coming to faith in Christ and growing in Christ is a process that takes time. Accepting Christ and being born again is an event. At one moment we were lost and the next moment we had eternal life. But coming toward Christ is always a journey, and growing in Christ as a disciple is a journey. See a previous blog post on “Connecting with the lost.” Saddleback Church’s adaptation Saddleback Church in California used the Engel Scale in their evangelism training and adapted it to include their purpose-driven discipleship process. They showed that many people move through the following stages, though it might be at… Read the whole post
David North8 mins read
When God Calls: Entrusting Ourselves and Our Children to Him
Cross-Cultural Living

When God Calls: Entrusting Ourselves and Our Children to Him

Jenna Ness, alongside her husband Kevin and family, lives and works in North Macedonia. Together, they are navigating a life of faith, growth, and service, embracing new cultures and challenges with their children. This post was first published by the blog, Risen Motherhood. Was it wise? Five years ago, I found myself sitting in a women’s conference. At the time, my husband and I believed that a huge transition was impending, and we were getting input on all sides, both positive and negative. Should we move across the world for ministry? Was it wise? One of my greatest fears during these days and months was how our children would handle such a huge transition, especially due to the losses—mostly relational—they would experience. I didn’t feel like I could talk about it with anyone, so it became a deep groaning between me and the Lord. Will you provide for them? For… Read the whole post
Jenna Ness6 mins read
Work-Life Balance
Cross-Cultural Living, Resilience

Work-Life Balance

This past year, I have been reading about work-life balance. I have been looking for resources that would help our workers in cross-cultural contexts. Over the past few years, I have heard many of them tell me that work-life balance is a huge issue for them. So in 2024, I sought to both understand the problem more fully and look for ways to equip our missionaries to better deal with this challenge. The following is a summary of some of the things that we have learned. The Myth of Work-Life Balance I quickly learned that many authors question whether a work-life balance is even possible. Our May 2024 edition of our monthly newsletter, the SEND U Training Tracks explored the concept of work-life balance and questioned whether it is a myth. Pursuing balance can actually create additional stress and anxiety. The 7-Slice Method In this newsletter, I introduced David McNeff’s book, The… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther5 mins read
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