I’m reading Os Guinness’ The Call right now. It is a book worth reading.

The chapter that shares the title of this post talks about recognizing that all we have comes from God. All we have has been given to us.

Perhaps that is somewhat easier for someone like me to experience. I am a “faith missionary.” My income is based on gifts given to Wycliffe or LBT to support our participation in this ministry. The gifts are a reflection of the value people place in mission rather than the value they place in the specific labor we produce.
I have labored in many vocations and callings (all directed at getting God’s Word into the hands of people yet without it): as a translator; as a student in graduate school; as a computer systems analyst; as a middle manager; as a CEO in a mission; as a consultant to missionaries. At no time did my labor ever affect the amount I was paid.

It is an odd feeling. I can work an 80 hour week or a 35 hour week. There is no real correlation between that and whether I take home enough money to take my wife on a vacation.

It makes me recognize in a unique way that what I have is a gift. A gift from God. Often given through the hands of family and friends. A gift for which I give thanks to God and to those who share their gifts with us.

I choose to think thanks.

I’ve read more of the Worth Keeping book – and been talking about it with my staff.

It takes years for the average missionary to make a firm decision to be a missionary, build a supporting team,  and complete their training to go out. We certainly don’t want to see all that effort lost because they did not have the support they needed to manage cross-cultural stress, or because some difficulty forced a change of assignment location or job.

If we were to lose just 5% of our staff each year from preventable issues, we would be losing about 200 people this year alone! That is not acceptable. Why? It means that for thousands and thousands of people, the Good News of Jesus will again be delayed. For many, another generation will die without hearing God speak to their hearts.
If the Good News is good, we must share it.