After hearing many positive things from different people about Encountering the World of Islam (EWI) over the past couple of years, I finally had the pleasure of meeting one of their coordinators a couple of weeks ago. He far exceeded my expectations. His explanation of how they serve local congregations (and even individuals) resonated with me. Not only is it informative and relational, but it is also quite practical. And, most importantly, their love for people, especially Muslims, was quite evident. Because of this, I am very excited to share …

For the past few years my service in God’s Kingdom has been mobilizing, training and leading short-term teams to Muslim peoples. This role fits me well and it is a joy to serve in this capacity. Prior to this service, we lived among Muslims and absolutely loved it. Our family has always felt God would eventually move us back among Muslims. It appears that time has come.
In a few months, we are planning a move to live among one of the least-reached people groups in the world… God willing. Of …

In the course of serving God, we come into contact with many brothers and sisters who will never be famous or have their names put into print. Yet they are brothers and sisters who walk with God and have great insight into Him, His Kingdom and our task to proclaim Jesus to all peoples. Today I would like to share some quotes from some of these “no name” folks that have deeply impacted me.
From a mentor and dear friend:
1/3 of the world has never heard the Gospel. This is not …

The majority of the Holy Scriptures are narrative. Not only was the culture they were written into an oral culture, but they also present to us the Greatest Story Ever Told – God’s plan to redeem people. And, while my sound byte-loving American mind often has a hard time thinking deeply about stories and being patient while the Spirit teaches me through them, story form is the primary type of revelation we find in the Holy Scriptures.
Sharing life with Muslims has given me an even greater appreciation for the …

Those of us who have been on a short-term “mission trip” can certainly testify to the positive impact these experiences have on our lives. In addition to increasing our faith and obedience to God, short-term trips can have a positive impact on lostness – even among some of the most difficult to access and unreached peoples in the world. Below are a few ways in which short-term teams can help in Muslim countries:

In many “closed” countries short-term teams can hep in the area of getting the word out. We cannot …

I often read the Holy Scriptures and find myself considering one of the characters an idiot or a madman or sinful or worse. That is good, we need to be able to recognize what is good and bad in a story in the Bible and whose example to follow. The problem I often have is figuring out how my life or current events relate to that idiot, madman or sinner. One of the reasons this “application” of the Holy Scriptures to my life is so difficult at times is due …

I find it encouraging to hear other people’s stories. Stories of their journeys to understanding and embracing God’s love. Often, these stories have common themes, albeit with slightly different details or “twists and turns.” One of those little details that I have noticed is what I call the “attention grabber.” That is, what it was that God used to start convicting one’s heart of sin. Obviously, our rejection of God (sin) is what separates us from God. However, most people in the world are blinded to this and, often, there …

A while back someone sent me this video. It is self-explanatory:

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a version of my testimony that caused quite a stir in our quiet little blogworld. Many of the questions surrounding this version of my testimony centered around the question of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures and how He relates to “Allah” as revealed in the Generous Qur’an. Is He the same? Is He different? I have attempted to answer this question in the past in a post entitled God, Allah and Good News for Muslims. In an effort to further this …

I thought it might be fun to share my story in contextualized form. Some of the terminology or concepts may not be everyday language for many readers here at sbcIMPACT! If you have questions about anything you read below, please feel free to ask for clarification in the comment section. Two quick notes:
1. If you take issue with my use of the Arabic word “Allah” for the English word “God,” please read this post before commenting.
2. I typically share my testimony as a way of seeing if others are interested …