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Courtney Simpson's blog
Missionary Focus Update
Missionaries Tom and Cynthia Martin, featured in this month’s Missions Mosaic, mentioned the value of incarnational witnessing. To understand this style of witnessing, read Tom Martin’s explanation:
Reaching the Nations in Philadelphia
Peter Yanes watched as the Asian-Indian man pulled out his prized copy of the Bible. The man caressed the cover and explained that he had read the Bible for many years but still did not understand what it meant. Peter, a North American Mission Board missionary serving near Philadelphia, spent the next few hours explaining the gospel. At the end of their discussion, the man eagerly prayed to follow Jesus and said he wanted to share the good news with his people.
Park Conversations
Fran Newton* glanced out her apartment window and saw her neighbor walking toward the park across the street. Fran and her husband, Dale*, had recently moved into the apartment building and were searching for ways to meet their neighbors.
Compassion for the Hopeless
Larry was a miserable, hopeless man. His skeletal frame gave evidence of a hard life spent addicted to alcohol. David Longstaff, a North American Mission Board missionary in Michigan, and a co-pastor were directed to Larry’s hotel room to offer some counseling.
Julie Pickern: When God Is in the Story
The doctors told Julie she would never be able to travel abroad again, but in November 2011, they gave her permission to return to the Dominican Republic to say good-bye to the people she loved. In February 2012, she returned for a 10-day visit. When she left the Dominican Republic that time, she waved good-bye and said, “I will be back.”
Soft Hearts in Hard Times
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).
Don’t Die, I’m Laughing—Not! God Is Always In Control!
When young, I entitled a work of fiction “Don’t Die, I’m Laughing.” Many years later, after losing my best friend, a childhood friend, and two pets to death, I knew that title was wrong.I found myself slipping into a pit of depression, which scared me, because I’m not a person who stays depressed very long.
Morality and the Media and How It Affects You
How many hours do you spend a day watching television? The A. C. Nielsen Co. estimates the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day. Focus on the Family states that children spend about 5 hours using media every day, with television making up the great bulk of it.
Don’t Drink the Poison!
“Unforgiveness is like drinking a poison and expecting the other person to die from it!” Those words from Rabbi Marc Gellman on a morning talk show several years ago stuck with me. As I have pondered them over these years, I’ve come to the conclusion that rather than drinking, it is more like sipping—slowly taking in a deadly poison so one doesn’t notice the effects.
WMU Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting: Houston
Celebrate 125 years of missions with WMU as we kick off a yearlong celebration at the WMU Missions Celebration in June in Houston! The Story Lives On will be our theme for this inspiring celebration as we focus on how the gospel story is not only still relevant, but is at the very core of our existence and the reason we do what we do in WMU.
