I got behind by a week after completing a big project for our Up North family of Foursquare churches. So this is a combined devotional to cover two weeks š ‘Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now[…]
This is the last in my series on the meaning of “REACH” and our five values built upon honoring, connecting, affecting, equipping, and now releasing. If you look at these values as layers of a foundation, releasing is the top layer, from here everything else is built upon the foundation. To “release” people means we[…]
What does it mean to “equip” a follower of Jesus? So far we have explored three of our five missional values; honoring, connecting, and affecting. Each of these values are a layer in the foundation of our desire to establish communities centered on Jesus. This means these communities are equipping disciples (all followers of Jesus)[…]
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: āTeacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?ā26 Jesus replied, āWhat does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?ā27 The man answered, āāYou must love the lord your God with all your heart,[…]
Last week I started a short five-week series based on our missional values: releasing, equipping, affecting, connecting, and honoring (follow the links for Polish versions, then click āPolskiā in the upper-right or on the menu on mobile devices) which creates the acronym REACH. We started with āHonoringā as the foundation of those values and now[…]
This week I was slammed with some big projects and this weekly devotional got squeezed and pushed to Saturday instead of Friday. However, as I was praying about what to share, the Lord kept taking me to a devotional I read this morning that was sent to my email. So as much as it seems[…]
Our invitation into the Kingdom of God requires nothing more than child-like faith. Jesus makes the invitation simple… ‘Then he said, āI tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little[…]
This week will be a simpler devotion, to ponder, apply, and make applicable. The book of Philippians is not very long, only four chapters. Yet, Paul (as usual) dives deep into the very heart and soul of the spiritual communities heās encouraging. Hereās just a quick rundown of Philippians: He gives thanks and prays for[…]
Starting in 2021 I (and hopefully more will join me) will be posting a weekly devotional with the goal of encouraging and challenging our missional communities towards centering our worldviews around Jesus, and decentering ourselves. My goal is to be ātrans-culturalā and highlight truths that can be applied in any circumstance, personally, locally, or globally.[…]
We’ve lived in KrakĆ³w now for 18 months, and at times it feels like much longer (not in a bad way, just that it’s been a time full of life), and yet it isn’t much time at all on the grand scale of things, nor compared to many other workers here. However, because I’m keenly[…]
Well, we haven’t written here even once since we arrived on May 5th, there’s a lot of reasons for that, but mostly because we wanted to settle in and “find our voice” and not simply be reacting to all the changes. I believe we’re at a good place, though some new changes are right upon[…]
I posted this on Facebook yesterday, but thought it fits right into our experience and heart for Poland. The community life painted in the New Testament is the most beautiful example of humanity coming together, serving one another, sharing with one another, honoring one another (though it took some time), and most of all, sharing[…]
Sometimes a simple Facebook status update, or tweet on Twitter is just not enough to express exactly what compels Alexis and I to serve in Poland. What does it mean to “serve” anyway? I’m sure many of us have read books, heard sermons, and done plenty of talking about the topic of servanthood. But what[…]
So what does 10+ years in the field look like for us? I don’t know for sure but we’ve got a vision, and it looks something like this: Polish house group leaders Group leaders cultivating other group leaders Intentional living community (this is the big ticket item!) The beginning of looking at sending a team[…]
DearĀ friends in Christ, With the pending miracle of the birth of our new daughter Elena Sofia sometime around November 1st, we have been reflecting on God’s identity and the story of our lives to date. It is imparative that you and I (Travis) are aware of how God is always working to define and refine[…]
These faces and many like them are the future, in this case they are the future of Poland and beyond. These two little girls also need discipleship, and for them it will be through their parents who are challenged with raising children in a world full of confusion, distrust, and false hope. We truly believe[…]
So often when we are thinking about ministry in Poland the topic of culture comes up, this can be a delicate thing to address because it isn’t easy to be objective since we’re attempting to see Poland through our American lenses. The ultimate goal is for us to capture in our hearts what Kingdom culture[…]
So often I (Travis) find myself jealous of otherĀ missionariesĀ serving in places like Africa, South East Asia, the Middle East, South America, etc… these are places I call “the sexy” mission field, there’s a certain automaticĀ appealĀ about these places. Ā Generally (and very generally) people (mostly Americans) associate this appeal with either Islam, third world, or poverty. All[…]
There are three “mile stones” for us to pass before we leave the USA for Poland. Ā The first is to grow our family, we hope to have one more child before leaving, if we end up being fully fund-raised and w/o another child, then we’ll probably move to Poland and grow our family in the[…]
One of the key values of our mission to Poland is building meaningful relationships. Relationships built on God’s kingdom and values. The core to meaningful relationships is interdependency, the idea that we all need one another. Church should reflect a family system, the idea that we are there for each other in spite of circumstances.[…]