Recent web posts
Befriending Muslim neighbours
so many of us who grew up in church were taught to treat gospel sharing as an urgent task to check off rather than a natural part of a growing relationship. Yet it felt out of place to use such a tactic among my Muslim neighbours who have gently shown their love to me through our daily lives. With a deep desire to honour them, I chose to share life first and surrendered the urge to check off my own evangelism to-do list. Through choosing friendship first I began to trust that taking my neighbour coat shopping or learning to make baklava from another neighbour were God’s creative ways to soften the fertile soil in my neighbours’ hearts. I admit this slow process isn’t easy and the doubts of me not doing the “right Christian thing” still linger. It’s in this tension that I came to rely on praying regularly for my neighbours and the Muslim world. – Victoria Mok in “Lavish hospitality: Drawn into redemption’s drama”
Free aid isn’t always best
an example of charity that did more harm than good was a Western aid organization’s campaign to purchase treated mosquito nets. They had an admirable goal to drastically reduce malaria deaths in Africa, but their method included free distribution. This seemingly good act caused the layoff of 600 employees from one of East Africa’s biggest textile manufacturers, mostly women who supported their families. A better approach is one that begins with engaging community leaders in their own solution to better ensure project success. –Ruth Thorogood in “Entrepreneurship augments charity”
Medication for mental health
how many times do we size people up according to their socioeconomic status, academic background, hair colour, complexion, dress sense, gender and skin colour? Imagine a world where people are valued because God created them, nothing more and nothing less. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:16 (TPT), “So then, from now on, we have a new perspective that refuses to evaluate people merely by their outward appearances.” I love how the word refuse indicates that we have a choice in the matter. –Claire Odogbo in “Seeing past outward appearances”
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