One of the most significant bits of ministry that we do at Clear and Simple Media is the translation and distribution of our small evangelical catechism, Simple Truths. The “little book” is now in 30 languages and over 200,000 have been distributed and are in use in Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and…

Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way…

I spent part of the month of April in Haiti. I was there as a part of a StoryRunners “advance team” to make preparations for an International School of Storying to take place there several weeks following. Our final day in Haiti had us getting up early so that we could pack our bags to…

Helping people is hard. This is true, not only for the obvious reasons, but for a few unexpected ones as well. When I help someone, I have certain expectations that come with my investment. For example, I expect people to appreciate my efforts. I also count on the people I have helped to use the…

Paul Borthwick is a “missions guy.” We first met when he spoke at the church I was leading during a missions day. He is not only passionate about missions, he is a nice man. He has written several books on world missions – all worth your time. Each time I have read his books or…

I get the occasional email these days about “missions”. Of late, some have included some very insightful questions. Many come from people who are considering the idea of missions themselves. Some come from folks who are wondering why I did. My usual answers have to do with my own understanding of the scripture, of the gospel,…

It seems rather obvious that the parenthetical subtitle for this section of the blog is an allusion to the story of the Good Samaritan in the gospel of Luke. Future posts will tease out the implications of that parable, but this section of the blog will be dedicated to the theme of missions. One of…

In one of my favourite sections in John G. Stackhouse’s Humble Apologetics, he gives the following bits of advice. Always good to remember, but especially as we all step through that complicated maze we have come to call “contextualization.” Substitute the word missions and missionaries for the words apologetics and apologists, and the warnings cut an even broader track. They are so helpful…