Writing, editing and working with the designers on newsletters was one of my monthly duties at World Compassion Terry Law Ministries. This is a sample of one such newsletter.
Spring in Afghanistan holds a mysterious beauty for me. Across the Afghan landscape, the cold steel hardness of winter begins to slip away into a whole new moment of life. Even the jagged cliffs of the Hindu Kush seem to soften in the gentle spring rains. It’s a time when Afghans become alive again.
But, it can also be a time of burgeoning violence and unrest. This ancient land has seen its share of war and bloodshed, and tragically, this year is no different. In fact, both NATO forces and the Afghan government have long been gearing up for a brutal spring offensive from Taliban forces desperate to regain control over the heart of this nation.
The Taliban has already struck hard. In fact, you may have heard about the attempted assassination of Vice-President Cheney last month. Media reports stated that a suicide bomber attacked the main gate of a US military base in Kabul, where he was visiting, killing 23 people, including two Americans. It also reported a boasting Taliban calling the mission a success and a real propaganda blow to US forces and the fledgling Afghan government. It has vowed to inflict even more casualties in the coming months.
Standing in their way are freedom-loving nations around the world making tremendous sacrifices to bring peace to Afghanistan. We need to thank God for these troops who willingly sacrifice so much for the hope and peace of many. My travels occasionally put me in contact with these devoted men and women, so I’m well aware of the commitment they make. There can be no doubt that if foreign troops leave Afghanistan, the country will fall into bloody chaos and become a “forgotten war” to many in the West.
Not only are Taliban forces attempting to attack troops, they continue to spread terror among ordinary Afghans. In 2006, Taliban rebels killed at least 41 teachers and students, while security concerns forced 208 schools across Afghanistan to close. In the first week of 2007, insurgents torched a newly built school provided by the UN children’s fund for refugee children in eastern Afghanistan.
Such attacks on innocent Afghans are meant to impede the reconstruction process and perpetuate a mindset of mistrust among Afghans toward their government. Most Afghans (and much of the world for that matter) are unaware that since the Taliban was driven from power, almost 5 million children—a third of them girls—have gone back to school. Twelve thousand villages now have clean drinking water, and almost 4 million refugees have returned home.
Despite the success, strategists believe that more must be done toward the reconstruction and development of Afghan society. It could be the only way to shift an attitude of despair to hope. Merely fighting the Taliban through military force is not enough. There must be true change in the nation’s conscience for peace to thrive.
That’s why World Compassion is there.
Last month, my colleague and friend, Joel Vesanen made a trip to the region to meet our new Afghanistan directors, Ville and Johanna Mannisto. Ville is a gifted musician with strong leadership skills. He has a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Vaasa University in Finland. Johanna has a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Turku University—the oldest university in Finland.
Word of Life in Uppsala, Sweden has commissioned them together to “build the Church in Afghanistan.” Both take this directive to heart. They have a contagious excitement for the job ahead, setting their shoulders to it with all their energy, faith, and strength.
The Body of Christ in Afghanistan has been driven underground because of harsh religious persecution. Officially, the government does not recognize any Christians in Afghanistan. There are 48,000 mosques but not one single church building! In fact, the recent arrest and expulsion of the Afghan man, Abdul Rahman, who confessed publicly that he had converted to Christianity from Islam frightened many new believers, and church attendance has suffered because of it.
Evangelism in any form is strictly prohibited in Afghanistan, so we have had to do our work there differently than in other nations. Over the past five years we have built homes for widows and their children, and are now using them for training centers. These homes are built on a piece of land deeded to us by the elders of a village near Kabul called Qilay Badr Khan. Literacy, English and computer courses are now in full session in the village.
We’re seeing tremendous success with these courses. They’re even beginning to receive significant recognition in Kabul as each year more women and young people receive training. In 2006 we trained 63 students in a nine-month literacy program and 150 students in English and computer courses. Our total number of students for the year was 213 with ages ranging from 9 to 41.
Further away from the capital in a place called Bamiyan, God has given us the opportunity to participate in a project completely led by church planters. We currently teach literacy courses in 20 different villages among the Hazara people throughout the province. Seven of these courses are in forest villages that can only be reached by foot.
The 600 women and young people who benefit from our courses in Bamiyan are overjoyed with the opportunity they have to learn to read. To many, it’s almost like learning to see for the first time. They are now able to read street signs, shop signs, menus, newspapers, and other things we often take for granted. One graduate of the program now works as a health professional, giving injections to patients. Without the training, she never would have had this opportunity. What freedom women are gaining through these wonderful programs!
Most importantly, the church planters working in Bamiyan believe the Hazara people are very open to the Gospel and will soon respond to an invitation to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. They have already shown The Jesus Film and have shared the Gospel with many of those who attend our training sessions. We’ve even heard stories of baptisms happening high in the mountains.
In 2007, World Compassion is firmly committed to continue our support of church planters working in Qilay Bahr Khan and in Bamiyan Province. We believe their ongoing efforts are certain to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God in coming months and years.
Currently, we fund courses for 800 women and young people in three locations—Kabul, Qilay Badr Khan and Bamiyan. Our monthly budget for these courses is $8000 or $10 per student. This year we believe God has given us the opportunity to expand our programs to reach an additional 200 students living in the poorest districts of Kabul.
We know we have the potential to reach more than 1,000 women and young people, but we need your help to do it.
To accomplish our goal of reaching 200 additional women and young people, we are looking for sponsors. $10 per month will sponsor one Afghan woman or young person and give her the opportunity to learn to read and to use a computer. $100 per month will sponsor the education of 10 women or young people. What a tremendous impact this will have—World Compassion can train 200 Afghans for an entire year for $24,000.
For a mere $10 per month, we have the opportunity to make a radical difference in the lives of many Afghan women and young people. Not only are we opening eyes by teaching people to read, but we are also opening the eyes of their hearts to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This month and in months to come, will you consider partnering with us in this wonderful opportunity we have in Afghanistan? Will you please join us in bringing Afghans this new message of hope and salvation?
Thank you for your partnership.
Together, we are transforming Afghanistan and the world with the loving touch of Jesus Christ.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries: March 2007 Newsletter
Writing, editing and working with the designers on newsletters was one of my monthly duties at World Compassion Terry Law Ministries. This is a sample of one such newsletter.
I have some wonderful news to share with you. My son, Scot, his wife Kathy and my granddaughter Arianna just returned from an incredible trip to China and brought with them some amazing stories you won’t believe. In this letter, they’ll tell you about their trip and how God is leading our ministry in China this year. It’s a story you don’t want to miss:
Every time we go to China we are amazed by the growth happening at lightning speed. This was our 10th trip to this vast country, and we departed from our normal routine by stopping over for the first few days in Shanghai. Initially, one might be tempted to think Shanghai is a western city—with its sharply dressed business men and women, Times Square Shanghai, beautiful art galleries, all types of cuisine imaginable, and of course, Starbucks (we never thought the Chinese would enjoy anything but chrysanthemum tea!)
It only takes a few days and a few minutes drive outside of this bustling city, however, to quickly realize that initial impressions aren’t always completely accurate. China is a very big country and the lack of privileges such as the opportunity to gather together in communities for worship (apart from the government sanctioned Church) or to print non-government approved books, is often easy to hide from visiting eyes. For Christians living here, however, this is a reality they endure daily.
As you may well know, WCTLM has been involved with the Underground House Church Movements (HCM) in China for more than a decade now. Our goals have remained consistent throughout all of these years—to get God’s Word and other Christian literature into the hands of believers. We began in the early years by smuggling Bibles into the country. This led to many open doors with the HCM’s, particularly its leaders.
They told us of their struggle to disciple the masses of people coming to Christ, many of whom are illiterate, and also their desperate need to train local pastors. They asked us to prayerfully consider helping them locate foundational training materials that simply did not exist for people of the HCM (80% of all believers in China are part of the HCM). They needed our help, and we had to respond.
But, it was no easy task.
This project was unlike any we had ever undertaken as a ministry. However, we knew we had made a promise to these church leaders, and we fully intended on fulfilling it.
It has taken more than ten years to complete our promise, but what we now have to offer the Chinese HCM is a 300-hour discipleship program in Mandarin called ABC (the Audio Bible Curriculum). Over the past several years we have distributed sections of ABC as they were finished; however, it was only this past year that we completed the entire curriculum. Hallelujah!
One dear friend of WCTLM who for the sake of this letter we will call Joel, has lived in China for the past six years and has a passion to see ABC used in all 31 provinces of the nation. He and his staff are responsible for taking ABC to the finish line, and are now creating a tremendous network of distribution channels for us.
In 2006, Joel duplicated 363 complete sets of ABC and registered a total of 300 ABC students in 15 provinces in China. A complete kit of ABC consists of the following:
19 CDs, a CD case, an mp3 player, 16 study books and one instruction manual.
Joel reported to us that our registered ABC students come from many different backgrounds, including future ABC teachers currently living in cities, illiterate minority unreached people groups, university students, farmers, business people, church leaders from all over China, and even newly converted Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists. Politicians represent the only facet of Chinese society not studying ABC today. But, according to Joel, that will also change soon.
Never before have we been so excited about the potential of ABC in China. When Joel told us that newly converted Tibetan Buddhists were studying ABC, we couldn’t believe our ears! He explained that not long ago, he asked for volunteers among a group of ABC Bible school graduates to take the Gospel to Lhasa, Tibet. To his surprise, three young girls boldly raised their hands and offered to go. Later, they made the journey to Tibet, led three Buddhists to Jesus Christ, and are now using ABC materials to disciple them.
ABC has undergone several formatting changes through the years. At first, all of the lessons were recorded onto cassette tape. Then, with the popularity and convenience of CDs, we converted ABC from tape to CD. Now, the most recent format is mp3. As recently as two years ago, one complete ABC curriculum consisted of 300 CDs. Now, all 300 hours of teaching can fit onto 19 CDs in the mp3 format. We imagine our next format will be something similar to an iPod, where the entire audio program is stored on a device smaller than a cell phone. It’s amazing what technology can do!
In Shanghai, a pastor working with young professionals has requested 1,500 sets of ABC. He said that most of his people spend two or more hours a day commuting to and from work, so listening to ABC on their iPod or mp3 player is exactly what they need. He also said that his people are hungry to learn foundational teachings and taking advantage of their commuting time will fit well into their busy schedules. ABC seems to be the perfect way for believers living in cities to grow in their Christian walk.
We have also seen a tremendous increase of Bible schools all over China, which is a fairly recent development (within the past five years or so). Such schools are completely underground and flexible enough to change locations at a moment’s notice, whenever local officials become suspicious of “illegal” activity and come knocking. Because getting effective teaching material is a constant challenge for these types of schools, we have transcribed all of ABC this past year and made this curriculum available to them, not only in audio format, but also in 16 study books.
Joel and his staff are taking quite a risk to distribute ABC. While we were with them, we were unable to visit the office where ABC is duplicated and stored, due to sudden and frequent inspections by local PSB officials. On the first day the officials visited, Joel’s staff had just shipped 240 ABC kits to several provinces while 60 additional kits remained in an upstairs room ready to be shipped the next day. Once the officials left, the staff quickly moved all of the kits to a new storage location and waited several more days before shipping. This is risky business!
Our goal for 2007 is to register an additional 700 students and to provide them complete ABC kits for their study. Each ABC kit costs $84 not including related costs, such as shipping and travel expenses for teachers to follow-up with our registered students.
The following budget represents our 2007 ABC ministry goals and opportunities in China:
700 ABC kits ($84/kit) $58,800
10 full-time teachers to oversee students ($300/month) $36,000
Travel expenses for 10 full-time teachers ($120/month/teacher) $14,400
Rental of one secure storage location for ABC materials $2,760
Monthly support for Joel’s staff ($1200/month) $14,400
Total ABC Budget for ministry expansion in 2007 $126,360
This month, would you consider partnering with us to bring life-changing discipleship materials to the nation of China? The Audio Bible Curriculum is a tremendous tool that has taken years to create and now holds the potential for changing lives all over China. Your gift of $84 today can train and equip a Chinese evangelist for effective ministry for many years to come. What a tremendous life-long investment.
Joel told us that if he had 5,000 copies today, he would have no trouble getting them to believers. Our goal is to distribute 700 sets this year, and with your continued partnership, we can do it! Thank you for standing with us as we change the heart of a nation.
Together we are transforming China with the loving touch of Jesus Christ.
I have some wonderful news to share with you. My son, Scot, his wife Kathy and my granddaughter Arianna just returned from an incredible trip to China and brought with them some amazing stories you won’t believe. In this letter, they’ll tell you about their trip and how God is leading our ministry in China this year. It’s a story you don’t want to miss:
Every time we go to China we are amazed by the growth happening at lightning speed. This was our 10th trip to this vast country, and we departed from our normal routine by stopping over for the first few days in Shanghai. Initially, one might be tempted to think Shanghai is a western city—with its sharply dressed business men and women, Times Square Shanghai, beautiful art galleries, all types of cuisine imaginable, and of course, Starbucks (we never thought the Chinese would enjoy anything but chrysanthemum tea!)
It only takes a few days and a few minutes drive outside of this bustling city, however, to quickly realize that initial impressions aren’t always completely accurate. China is a very big country and the lack of privileges such as the opportunity to gather together in communities for worship (apart from the government sanctioned Church) or to print non-government approved books, is often easy to hide from visiting eyes. For Christians living here, however, this is a reality they endure daily.
As you may well know, WCTLM has been involved with the Underground House Church Movements (HCM) in China for more than a decade now. Our goals have remained consistent throughout all of these years—to get God’s Word and other Christian literature into the hands of believers. We began in the early years by smuggling Bibles into the country. This led to many open doors with the HCM’s, particularly its leaders.
They told us of their struggle to disciple the masses of people coming to Christ, many of whom are illiterate, and also their desperate need to train local pastors. They asked us to prayerfully consider helping them locate foundational training materials that simply did not exist for people of the HCM (80% of all believers in China are part of the HCM). They needed our help, and we had to respond.
But, it was no easy task.
This project was unlike any we had ever undertaken as a ministry. However, we knew we had made a promise to these church leaders, and we fully intended on fulfilling it.
It has taken more than ten years to complete our promise, but what we now have to offer the Chinese HCM is a 300-hour discipleship program in Mandarin called ABC (the Audio Bible Curriculum). Over the past several years we have distributed sections of ABC as they were finished; however, it was only this past year that we completed the entire curriculum. Hallelujah!
One dear friend of WCTLM who for the sake of this letter we will call Joel, has lived in China for the past six years and has a passion to see ABC used in all 31 provinces of the nation. He and his staff are responsible for taking ABC to the finish line, and are now creating a tremendous network of distribution channels for us.
In 2006, Joel duplicated 363 complete sets of ABC and registered a total of 300 ABC students in 15 provinces in China. A complete kit of ABC consists of the following:
19 CDs, a CD case, an mp3 player, 16 study books and one instruction manual.
Joel reported to us that our registered ABC students come from many different backgrounds, including future ABC teachers currently living in cities, illiterate minority unreached people groups, university students, farmers, business people, church leaders from all over China, and even newly converted Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists. Politicians represent the only facet of Chinese society not studying ABC today. But, according to Joel, that will also change soon.
Never before have we been so excited about the potential of ABC in China. When Joel told us that newly converted Tibetan Buddhists were studying ABC, we couldn’t believe our ears! He explained that not long ago, he asked for volunteers among a group of ABC Bible school graduates to take the Gospel to Lhasa, Tibet. To his surprise, three young girls boldly raised their hands and offered to go. Later, they made the journey to Tibet, led three Buddhists to Jesus Christ, and are now using ABC materials to disciple them.
ABC has undergone several formatting changes through the years. At first, all of the lessons were recorded onto cassette tape. Then, with the popularity and convenience of CDs, we converted ABC from tape to CD. Now, the most recent format is mp3. As recently as two years ago, one complete ABC curriculum consisted of 300 CDs. Now, all 300 hours of teaching can fit onto 19 CDs in the mp3 format. We imagine our next format will be something similar to an iPod, where the entire audio program is stored on a device smaller than a cell phone. It’s amazing what technology can do!
In Shanghai, a pastor working with young professionals has requested 1,500 sets of ABC. He said that most of his people spend two or more hours a day commuting to and from work, so listening to ABC on their iPod or mp3 player is exactly what they need. He also said that his people are hungry to learn foundational teachings and taking advantage of their commuting time will fit well into their busy schedules. ABC seems to be the perfect way for believers living in cities to grow in their Christian walk.
We have also seen a tremendous increase of Bible schools all over China, which is a fairly recent development (within the past five years or so). Such schools are completely underground and flexible enough to change locations at a moment’s notice, whenever local officials become suspicious of “illegal” activity and come knocking. Because getting effective teaching material is a constant challenge for these types of schools, we have transcribed all of ABC this past year and made this curriculum available to them, not only in audio format, but also in 16 study books.
Joel and his staff are taking quite a risk to distribute ABC. While we were with them, we were unable to visit the office where ABC is duplicated and stored, due to sudden and frequent inspections by local PSB officials. On the first day the officials visited, Joel’s staff had just shipped 240 ABC kits to several provinces while 60 additional kits remained in an upstairs room ready to be shipped the next day. Once the officials left, the staff quickly moved all of the kits to a new storage location and waited several more days before shipping. This is risky business!
Our goal for 2007 is to register an additional 700 students and to provide them complete ABC kits for their study. Each ABC kit costs $84 not including related costs, such as shipping and travel expenses for teachers to follow-up with our registered students.
The following budget represents our 2007 ABC ministry goals and opportunities in China:
700 ABC kits ($84/kit) $58,800
10 full-time teachers to oversee students ($300/month) $36,000
Travel expenses for 10 full-time teachers ($120/month/teacher) $14,400
Rental of one secure storage location for ABC materials $2,760
Monthly support for Joel’s staff ($1200/month) $14,400
Total ABC Budget for ministry expansion in 2007 $126,360
This month, would you consider partnering with us to bring life-changing discipleship materials to the nation of China? The Audio Bible Curriculum is a tremendous tool that has taken years to create and now holds the potential for changing lives all over China. Your gift of $84 today can train and equip a Chinese evangelist for effective ministry for many years to come. What a tremendous life-long investment.
Joel told us that if he had 5,000 copies today, he would have no trouble getting them to believers. Our goal is to distribute 700 sets this year, and with your continued partnership, we can do it! Thank you for standing with us as we change the heart of a nation.
Together we are transforming China with the loving touch of Jesus Christ.
Kathy Law, Resume
Kathleen R. Law
9949 East 124th Street South
Bixby, Oklahoma 74008
918.760.3160
scotandkathy@hotmail.com
SUMMARY
I have a wide range of valuable writing, editing and research experience. I have contributed to the research and editing of several non-fiction books, written and edited monthly newsletters for donors of a non-profit organization, created compelling content for promotional materials, and sculpted scripts used in video presentations and commercials. I have prepared annual field reports for donors and for use in grant and appropriation proposals. I have also written copy for several program booklets, press releases, and segmented donor correspondence.
As an instructor, I researched, compiled, wrote and implemented two Spanish curriculums and two English Language curriculums. As a volunteer, I wrote a summer program used by Western students tutoring South African students in their core disciplines.
My primary work over the past five years has been the creation of a cross-cultural training curriculum that was translated into Chinese, and is now being used by educators in China. Additionally, I have written and presented various teacher enrichment lectures in Iraq, China and South Africa.
INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION
I hold a Master’s degree in Education and have 13 years of curriculum development experience coupled with 8 years of classroom experience as an English and Spanish instructor. I am a very disciplined, deadline-conscious individual, who through work in the classroom as well as in the non-profit sector has gained considerable knowledge in the subjects of language, geography, history, culture, religion and national and international current events. I am also an avid reader who genuinely enjoys acquiring new information and any writing opportunity.
EDUCATION
Masters of Education, Oral Roberts University May 2002 - April 2004
BA Spanish Education, Oral Roberts University August 1990 - April 1994
Independence High School, Independence, Kansas August 1986 - May1990
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Freelance Writer and Editor January 2008 - Present
Since January of 2008, I have worked part-time as a freelance copywriter and editor. A few of my clients include: Hampton Creative, Don Moen, Ed Gungor and Nexus Imagery.
Manager of Editorial Department
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries June 2002 - December 2007
Supervised the Editorial Department, which included the following responsibilities:
• Compiled and wrote a 1,500 page cross-cultural training curriculum, which was later translated into Chinese.
• Responsible for routinely composing the following items: Monthly partner newsletters, monthly high donor correspondence, specialized communication pieces for segmented mailing list, film scripts, promotional materials, annual reports, and grant and appropriation proposals.
• Wrote and/or edited content for ministry website.
• Wrote and/or edited more than 5,000 pages of material during tenure.
Additional responsibilities outside of the Editorial Department:
• Director of Education and Women’s Services
• Director of China Operations
• International Operations Team Member/Leader
Spanish Instructor
Monte Cassino Elementary School August 1999 - May 2002
• Lead Spanish Instructor for Kindergarten through 4th Grade
• Oversaw the writing and implementation of a new Spanish curriculum for all students.
English Instructor
Sekolah Pelita Harapan, Jakarta, Indonesia July 1997 - June 1999
• Compiled, wrote and implemented a new English curriculum for grades 5-8
• Responsible for teaching English as a Second Language to grades 5-12
• Conducted English Language tutoring sessions for students
Spanish Instructor
Victory Christian School August 1994 - May 1997
• Compiled, wrote and implemented a new curriculum for all Spanish courses
• Secondary Spanish Instructor for levels I, II, III and IV
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries June 2002 - December 2007
Team Member/Leader in Afghanistan, China, Iraq, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Bhutan
Teen Mania Ministries Summer Volunteer June 1994 - July 2001
Team Leader/Project Director in South Africa, Guatemala, Eastern Europe, Albania, India and Mexico
Oral Roberts University Summer Study Abroad Program in Spain and France June 1990
People to People International Student Ambassador to Russia July 1989
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS AND MEMBERSHIP
• Executive Course in Volunteer Ministry Development, Colorado Springs
• China Challenge Seminars in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Colorado Springs
• Integrated Thematic Instruction Seminars, Tulsa
• Oral Roberts University Educational Fellowship, Tulsa
GENERAL SKILLS
Three years ago, I converted from PC to MAC and have never looked back. I am quite proficient in Word, Excel, and Photoshop and have some experience with Quark. Navigating the Internet as a means of research and communication is no problem for me, and is something I do everyday.
Additionally, I am able to speak and write fluently in Spanish, and have had limited exposure to French, Indonesian, Chinese and Arabic languages during my travels and work abroad. I am an experienced team member and leader, and am naturally organized, detailed and excellent with logistics.
INTERESTS
Health and nutrition, exercise, food, gardening, theatre, movies, sports, travel, history, culture, world religions and current events are all topics I thoroughly enjoy.
9949 East 124th Street South
Bixby, Oklahoma 74008
918.760.3160
scotandkathy@hotmail.com
SUMMARY
I have a wide range of valuable writing, editing and research experience. I have contributed to the research and editing of several non-fiction books, written and edited monthly newsletters for donors of a non-profit organization, created compelling content for promotional materials, and sculpted scripts used in video presentations and commercials. I have prepared annual field reports for donors and for use in grant and appropriation proposals. I have also written copy for several program booklets, press releases, and segmented donor correspondence.
As an instructor, I researched, compiled, wrote and implemented two Spanish curriculums and two English Language curriculums. As a volunteer, I wrote a summer program used by Western students tutoring South African students in their core disciplines.
My primary work over the past five years has been the creation of a cross-cultural training curriculum that was translated into Chinese, and is now being used by educators in China. Additionally, I have written and presented various teacher enrichment lectures in Iraq, China and South Africa.
INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION
I hold a Master’s degree in Education and have 13 years of curriculum development experience coupled with 8 years of classroom experience as an English and Spanish instructor. I am a very disciplined, deadline-conscious individual, who through work in the classroom as well as in the non-profit sector has gained considerable knowledge in the subjects of language, geography, history, culture, religion and national and international current events. I am also an avid reader who genuinely enjoys acquiring new information and any writing opportunity.
EDUCATION
Masters of Education, Oral Roberts University May 2002 - April 2004
BA Spanish Education, Oral Roberts University August 1990 - April 1994
Independence High School, Independence, Kansas August 1986 - May1990
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Freelance Writer and Editor January 2008 - Present
Since January of 2008, I have worked part-time as a freelance copywriter and editor. A few of my clients include: Hampton Creative, Don Moen, Ed Gungor and Nexus Imagery.
Manager of Editorial Department
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries June 2002 - December 2007
Supervised the Editorial Department, which included the following responsibilities:
• Compiled and wrote a 1,500 page cross-cultural training curriculum, which was later translated into Chinese.
• Responsible for routinely composing the following items: Monthly partner newsletters, monthly high donor correspondence, specialized communication pieces for segmented mailing list, film scripts, promotional materials, annual reports, and grant and appropriation proposals.
• Wrote and/or edited content for ministry website.
• Wrote and/or edited more than 5,000 pages of material during tenure.
Additional responsibilities outside of the Editorial Department:
• Director of Education and Women’s Services
• Director of China Operations
• International Operations Team Member/Leader
Spanish Instructor
Monte Cassino Elementary School August 1999 - May 2002
• Lead Spanish Instructor for Kindergarten through 4th Grade
• Oversaw the writing and implementation of a new Spanish curriculum for all students.
English Instructor
Sekolah Pelita Harapan, Jakarta, Indonesia July 1997 - June 1999
• Compiled, wrote and implemented a new English curriculum for grades 5-8
• Responsible for teaching English as a Second Language to grades 5-12
• Conducted English Language tutoring sessions for students
Spanish Instructor
Victory Christian School August 1994 - May 1997
• Compiled, wrote and implemented a new curriculum for all Spanish courses
• Secondary Spanish Instructor for levels I, II, III and IV
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries June 2002 - December 2007
Team Member/Leader in Afghanistan, China, Iraq, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Bhutan
Teen Mania Ministries Summer Volunteer June 1994 - July 2001
Team Leader/Project Director in South Africa, Guatemala, Eastern Europe, Albania, India and Mexico
Oral Roberts University Summer Study Abroad Program in Spain and France June 1990
People to People International Student Ambassador to Russia July 1989
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS AND MEMBERSHIP
• Executive Course in Volunteer Ministry Development, Colorado Springs
• China Challenge Seminars in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Colorado Springs
• Integrated Thematic Instruction Seminars, Tulsa
• Oral Roberts University Educational Fellowship, Tulsa
GENERAL SKILLS
Three years ago, I converted from PC to MAC and have never looked back. I am quite proficient in Word, Excel, and Photoshop and have some experience with Quark. Navigating the Internet as a means of research and communication is no problem for me, and is something I do everyday.
Additionally, I am able to speak and write fluently in Spanish, and have had limited exposure to French, Indonesian, Chinese and Arabic languages during my travels and work abroad. I am an experienced team member and leader, and am naturally organized, detailed and excellent with logistics.
INTERESTS
Health and nutrition, exercise, food, gardening, theatre, movies, sports, travel, history, culture, world religions and current events are all topics I thoroughly enjoy.
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries: China Mission School
The following is an overview of the 1,500 missionary training curriculum I have spent five years researching, compiling, writing, editing and overseeing the translation. Included are course summaries, module summaries and module outlines.
China Mission School
Program Overview
Course One: World Missions
In the Garden of Eden, God demonstrated His missionary heart when He sought Adam and Eve after the Fall, calling out, “Where are you?” Though some say Paul was the first missionary, missions really began with God, and it continues today through His Church.
We live in an exciting time for missions, because there are more people on the Earth today than have ever lived before. However, modern tools make these people more accessible than they have been in the past, enabling the missionary of today to cross the globe to witness of the saving love of Jesus Christ to the people of far away lands.
Many missionaries have given their lives for the spread of the Gospel, though not all of them died. In laying down their lives for Christ, however, they found something better. Many left behind the comforts and conveniences of home as well as family and friends to share the love of God with others, setting aside what they knew to take up the call. They crossed rivers and valleys, mountains and deserts, suffered from diseases, and endured without—all for the sake of individuals who, without a preacher, would not know the Good News about Christ.
In this course, we seek to cover missions work’s generalities, the history and philosophy behind it, and the types of people to whom missionaries reach out. It is our prayer that the knowledge within this course will enrich your life and build a foundation of learning for every successive lesson hereafter.
Module One Summary: Introduction to Missions
When Adam and Eve sinned, they immediately hid from God. He, in turn, came into the Garden calling out, “Where are you?” Missions began with God and it continues today through the Church. This module primarily studies the biblical foundation for all missionary endeavors. It also covers topics such as missionary motivations of the heart, stages of services, strategy, and how to relate compassionately to lost people.
Module One Lesson Outline: Introduction to Missions
1. God: The Source of Missions
2. Jesus Christ: The Message of Missions
3. The Holy Spirit: The Power of Missions
4. The Church: The Vessel of Missions
5. The World: The Target of Missions
6. Who will be a Missionary? God’s Will for Reaching the Lost
7. Missionary Motivations of the Heart: A Personal Reflection
8. Stages of Missionary Service
9. Personally and Compassionately Relating to the Lost: Identification verses Withdrawal
10. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ Cross-Culturally: The Nature of Cross-Cultural Communications
11. Planning for the Future: The Role of Strategy in Missions
12. Planting New Churches: The First Task of Missionary Work
13. Nurturing New Believers: The Second Task of Missionary Work
14. Training Leaders: The Third Task of Missionary Work
15. Building Responsible Churches: Establishment of Spiritually and Materially Independent Churches
Module Two Summary: The History and Philosophy of Missions
Why is it that men and women willingly sacrifice their own lives to be missionaries? Why were men such as William Cary willing to defy their leaders who said, “When God chooses to win the heathen, He will do it without your help or ours”? History is filled with stories of inspiration, nuggets of truth and words of priceless wisdom from those who have taken the missionary journey. This second module of CMS introduces the missionary to these stories and describes how willing men and women of God touched many lives through their obedience.
Module Two Lesson Outline: The History and Philosophy of Missions
1. The Apostle Paul and the Missionary Task by Arthur Glasser
2. Church History Part I
3. Church History Part II
4. Church History Part III
5. Four Men, Three Eras, Two Transitions: Modern Missions by Ralph Winter
6. Who (Really) was William Carey? by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi
7. The Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens by William Carey
8. The Call to Service by J. Hudson Taylor
9. China’s Spiritual Needs and Claims by J. Hudson Taylor
10. Tribes, Tongues and Translators by Cameron Townsend
11. Learner, Trader, Story Teller by Donald Larson
12. Redemptive Analogy by Don Richardson
13. Women in Mission by Marguerite Kraft and Meg Crossman
14. If I Perish by Brother Andrew
15. Ten Reasons Why I Am A World Christian by Terry Law
16. The Lausanne Covenant
Module Three Summary: The World and its People
When Paul began his missionary journeys, there were two things that significantly contributed to the rapid spread of the Gospel: a common language and a very sophisticated system of roads and maps for easy travel. As missionaries we need to know as much about the world as possible, so that like Paul, we can use modern technology and conveniences to ignite a rapid spread of the Gospel throughout the earth. This third module is an introduction to the biblical concept of nations or people groups. It includes topics such as the 10/40 Window and a brief study of the continents and people groups of the world.
Module Three Lesson Outline: The World and Its People
1. The Nations I: A Biblical Perspective of the Nations
2. The Nations II: God’s Redemptive Plan for the Nations Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
3. The Nations III: God’s Blessing for the Nations: A Fulfillment of His Promise to Abraham
4. The 10/40 Window
5. The Continent of Asia
6. The Continent of Africa
7. The Continent of Europe
8. The Continent of North America
9. The Continent of South America
10. The Continent of Australia
Course Two: World Religions
We live in a diverse world. In fact, new religions and philosophies seem to be born every minute. In most of these man-inspired religions truth becomes a relative and sometimes rather confusing thing. Many misguided worldviews declare that there are many paths to God and certainly no absolute rules to moral conduct. While others only focus on these absolute rules and disregard man’s personal relationship with God.
For Christians, Jesus Christ represents the absolute truth and the only way to God, yet He is also our personal savior. Certainly, our belief in and love of Christ colors our entire worldview. But, it is also essential, that we understand the worldviews of those around us. When we understand the mindset of others, we leap over the largest barrier that keeps us from establishing a relationship and ultimately sharing God’s message of hope with them.
This course focuses on worldview and the four major religions of the unreached world: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. These four represent many of the false worldviews that missionaries are sure to encounter. The missionary must seek to understand these worldviews, but he must also remember his purpose—to share the Good News. He must reveal to them that God longs to open the doors for all people to come into His eternal family; and that He has also made a new way for them to find forgiveness, healing, and permanent acceptance into the family of God through Jesus. This good news is based on grace, not birthright or the deeds of men.
Within these lessons, the student will come to understand the history and beliefs of these religions as well as the vast spiritual problems attached to them. He will come to know the unique quality of the people, their hunger for spiritual truth, and their similarities (and differences) with Christians. These lessons will also encourage missionaries to build bridges between themselves and others of different faiths so that, in time, they may reveal Christ as the sole fulfillment of their long spiritual search for God.
Module One Summary: Worldview
Whether we realize it, each of us has a worldview. Our families, cultures, religions, and personal experiences shape and form our worldviews. As missionaries, we must be aware of the effect worldviews have on people and how they often hinder the Gospel. This module teaches us how to recognize false worldviews, and most importantly, how to clearly articulate our biblical worldview to others.
Module One Lesson Outline: Worldview
1. What is a Worldview?
2. How Does Worldview Affect a Person’s Life?
3. What is Your Worldview?
4. How Does Worldview Influence Communities?
5. How Do Worldviews Differ?
6. Who is God? A Biblical Understanding of God Part I
7. Who is God? A Biblical Understanding of God Part II
8. What is Truth?
9. How Did the World Come to Be?
10. What is the Nature of Man?
11. What is the Meaning of Time?
12. What Will Happen to Those Who Do Not Have a Biblical Worldview?
13. Who is Satan?
14. How Does One Change His Worldview?
Module Two Summary: Islam
God wants each of us to be a part of his eternal family. He has made a way for people of all nations to find forgiveness, healing, and permanent acceptance into His family through Jesus Christ. This acceptance is no longer based on birthright or the deeds of men but rather on grace and one’s willingness to receive it. God longs to heal the hearts of Muslims along with all lost people groups of the world. This module will help explain the history Islam, Islamic culture and how to witness to Muslims, so those who are called to serve Muslim peoples will have the knowledge necessary to win them to Christ.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Islam
1. Introduction to Islam
2. Spiritual Authority in Islam
3. Two Majority Stumbling Blocks
4. Sin and Salvation in Islam
5. History of Islam, Part I
6. History of Islam, Part II
7. How to Work With Muslims, Part I
8. How to Work With Muslims, Part II
9. How to Work With Muslims, Part III
Module Three Summary: Hinduism
Inherent within the Hindu religion is a psychology of failure that permeates the Indian society. Throughout this module on Hinduism, the student will come to understand the history and beliefs of the religion as well as the various problems that often lead to a sense of desperation in the hearts of the Hindu people. Hindus have a unique capacity for understanding profound and complex spiritual ideas. Missionaries must help them see past their conflicting beliefs and find complete knowledge and revelation through Jesus Christ.
Module Lesson Outline: Hinduism
1. History of Hinduism, Part I
2. History of Hinduism, Part II
3. Beliefs and Practices of Hinduism
4. Hindu Gods
5. Literature of Hinduism
6. Fulfillment of the Vedic Quest through Jesus Christ
Module Four Summary: Buddhism
Today we live in a world of religious diversity, where people of differing beliefs live side by side. We cannot escape this fact. If we are to reach Buddhists with the Gospel, we must first start where they are (how they live and what they believe) and build bridges to Christ from there. This course will help the student understand the history and beliefs of Buddhism. It will also explain the differences between the teachings of Buddhism and the teachings of the Bible, as well as suggest effective and diverse ways of sharing Christ with a Buddhist.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Buddhism
1. 21st Century Buddhism
2. Historical Background of Buddhism
3. Core Beliefs of Buddhism
4. The Expansion of Buddhism
5. Christianity and Buddhism: Contrasts in Concepts
6. Social/Religious/Racial Identity with Buddhism
7. Blessing the Buddhist World through Prayer
8. Witnessing in Practical Ways to Buddhists
Module Five Summary: Judaism
The Bible instructs us on how we should view the Jewish people. This module discusses the history of the Jews, their desire to return to Israel and the obstacles they have encountered along their journey. It also discusses God’s hope for the Jewish people to come to the knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Module Five Lesson Outline: Judaism
1. The Biblical History of the Jewish People
2. Who are the Jews?
3. Jewish Beliefs
4. A Fulfillment of Prophecy
5. The British Administration of Palestine
6. A Time of War
7. The State of Israel
8. The Peace Process
9. Salvation for the Jews
Course Three: Missionary Skills
God Himself loves variety and diversity. Like Him, we should honor all of God’s creation especially in regards to other cultures. If we truly love all people like God, then we will seek to understand them. To do this, we must be willing to put aside our way of doing things in order to be effective in communicating the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel. Part of this act of self-denial involves putting ourselves out on a limb. When we learn about a new culture, particularly that culture’s language, we become vulnerable as human beings. This makes us real and sincere before the people we are trying to win to Christ.
Missionaries are very limited in their ministry if they only minister to those who know their language. If they accept God’s global call to missions on their life, then they will seek to communicate with others in their native tongue. Language learning is ministry and can help one create relationships and open doors for witnessing to others. When the doors are open, people are more willing to listen to God’s message of hope for them.
One of the most essential part of mission’s work is planting churches. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “…I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” As we go forward in ministry, we must understand that for the Kingdom of God to advance in this world, the local church must be established in every community.
Our goal as missionaries should be to spread the Gospel of Christ throughout the nations by developing sound leaders and thriving churches. It is not enough to be mere social workers; we must move the people to repent and confess Christ as Savior and Lord.
The missionary’s ultimate goal is a limited one: to win new souls to Christ. How he does this is up to him. But to become the most effective witness for the Gospel, he must learn how to enteract with the people to whom he is sent. In this endeavor, he will need some rather essential skills to help him along the way. This course will discuss the skills that all effective missionaries must cultivate, detailed in the following modules: Cross Cultural Communications, Language Acquisition, Church Planting Strategies, and Christian Leadership. Indeed, a sincere heart is not enough to win others to Christ. We must also have a strategy to do it. With God’s grace, what you learn in these lessons will give you the practical side of mission’s work along with some valuable knowledge that one can only get from others’ experiences.
Module One Summary: Cross Cultural Communications
God Himself is the author of cultural diversity. His plan from the beginning was that people would be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth. This module encourages missionaries to acknowledge their need to change and adapt when living in a new culture, in order to effectively communicate the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel. In this module, we will learn to be effective cross-cultural communicators by putting down our prejudice, ethnocentrism, and cultural pride. We will also learn to approach new cultures as learners and servants, sensitive to cultural differences and eager to communicate with the people.
Module One Lesson Outline: Cross Cultural Communications
1. Foundations of Cross Cultural Communication
2. Beliefs about Culture and Ministry
3. Communication
4. What is Culture? Part I
5. What is Culture? Part II
6. What is Culture? Part III
7. What is Culture? Part IV
8. What is Culture? Part V
9. Understanding Your Own Culture
10. Ethnocentrism
11. Freedom from Ethnocentrism
12. Cultural Adjustment, Part I
13. Cultural Adjustment, Part II
14. Conclusion
Module Two Summary: Language Acquisition
Some missionaries try to minister through the use of an interpreter or limit ministry to those who speak their language. However, if missionaries truly want to see the body of Christ established among the unreached peoples of the earth, then they must learn to communicate in the heart language of the people God calls them to serve. This module will introduce simple steps to learning a new language, as well as why and how language learning is ministry. The language learning process itself is often what establishes a missionary’s place in a foreign community and opens many doors for the Gospel.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Language Acquisition
1. Introduction to the Course
2. Language Acquisition
3. Becoming a Language Learner
4. What Language Learners Do
5. Language Learning as Ministry
6. The Daily Lesson Plan
7. Numbers and Transport
8. Shopping
9. Pronunciation
10. Questions and Answers
Module Three Summary: Church Planting Strategies
Planting churches is the most critical part of fulfilling the Great Commission. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “…I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” As we go forward in ministry, we must understand that for the Kingdom of God to advance in this world, the local church must be established in every community.
Our goal as church planters is to spread the Gospel message throughout the nations of the earth and to make true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Module Three Lesson Outline: Church Planting Strategies
1. God’s Purpose for His Church
2. God Calls Us to Join Hands with Him & One Another in His Work
3. Be A Disciple to Make Disciples
4. Lift Up Your Eyes, Look at the Fields
5. Look for Bridges, Pray for the Harvest
6. Go Out in Dependence on God
7. Look for People of Peace
8. What to Do with a New Believer
9. Prayer, the Word, Baptism & the Church
10. Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Sharing Good News
11. Two or Three Gathered in His Name—The Church
12. Leadership, Transformation and Commitment
Module Four Summary: Christian Leadership
Jesus Christ is the Christian’s ultimate example of leadership. As a leader, He corrected and encouraged His disciples in their faith. To be effective leaders, we must be intimately familiar with Christ’s model of leadership. In this module, we begin by discussing basic leadership principles. Then, we move into more advanced material to prepare you to teach others how to remain intimate with Jesus Christ as they grow in leadership responsibilities.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Christian Leadership
1. What is Leadership?
2. Why Do People Follow You?
3. The Five-Element Module
4. Christ in the Life of a Leader
5. Community in the Life of a Leader
6. Character in the Life of a Leader
7. Calling in the Life of a Leader
8. Competencies in the Life of a Leader
9. What Do Leaders Do? Part I
10. What Do Leaders Do? Part II
11. What Do Leaders Do? Part III
12. What Do Leaders Do? Part IV
13. What Do Leaders Do? Part V
14. Building Leaders, Part I
15. Building Leaders, Part II
16. Building Leaders, Part III
17. Building Leaders, Part IV
18. Building Leaders, Part V
19. Building Leaders, Part VI
20. Building Leaders, Part VII
Course Four: Discipleship
Experienced leaders father disciples. Just as we desire spiritual leaders to mentor us so we can grow from their walk with God and experiences, we too must in turn love people while they are still sinners. We must let them see God’s change in our lives and then show them how they too can experience this new life.
The people we seek to disciple are in bondage to their sins before they come to the Lord, yet they have been born into their life of sin and know nothing else. They often have no concept of the freedom awaiting them in Christ. As we disciple the lost souls around us, we must first ensure that these people have experienced the life-changing power of new life through Christ Jesus to free them from their past and sinful existence.
Just as we are concerned with the growth and discipleship of those to whom we seek to minister, we must not neglect our families. Our children often see the truth of our Christian lives more clearly than those to whom we minister, and we must not overlook their relationship with Christ or the importance of our family lives. We must look only as far as a man of God with children not living for Him to understand the consequences of neglecting our families. We may save souls abroad, but what of those at home?
Really, without the Holy Spirit inside of us and without a healthy spiritual life, we are unequipped to disciple anyone—our families or others. Even healthy Christian walks can drift away from Christ if we ignore them. Learning to feed ourselves on the Word and understanding the basic tenants of Christianity is vital for a missionary to continue God’s work among the lost. When we disciple others, we must remember where our model ultimately comes from—Jesus Christ. We must look to Him continually, learning and growing as He disciples us. Without Him, we will lack the oil that keeps our own lamps burning brightly. And if we lack God’s fire in our lives, how will others see it and desire it as well? Join us in this course as we consider both the practical and the spiritual aspects of discipleship.
Module One Summary: Making Disciples
Disciples are not made through lessons and programs. They are spiritually fathered. Classes and lessons are useful to a point; however, God wants more. He desires to have sons and daughters. This course is not designed to teach you methods, but to help you live the kind of life that new believers will want to imitate. Making disciples is primarily a matter of loving people while they are still sinners, letting them see the fruit of God’s Spirit in your life, and inviting them to join you.
Module One Lesson Outline: Making Disciples
1. The Importance of Fathers and Mothers
2. Teach Them to Love God
3. Teach Them to Love Their Families
4. Teach Them to Love Christ’s Church
5. Teach Them to Love God’s Will
6. Teach Them to Love God’s Judgment
7. Teach Them to Love God’s World
Module Two Summary: Freedom in Christ
Many people, even sincere followers of Jesus Christ, live in bondage and never move into a level of freedom that God longs to give His children. This module reveals from a biblical perspective our identity in Christ and describes how He desires to heal our damaged emotions. Through these lessons, the student will learn how to bring life to those bound by sin and set them free through the power of Jesus Christ.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Freedom in Christ
1. Our Identity in Christ
2. Healing Damaged Emotions
3. Steps to Freedom in Christ, Part I
4. Steps to Freedom in Christ, Part II
Module Three Summary: Marriage and Family
As surely as God provides for our needs, we also must care for the needs of our families. To do this, they must be a top priority, even above the demands of ministry. Children who see this example in their parents grow up to be devoted parents and followers of Christ themselves. This module encourages believers, particularly those called to some form of full time Christian service, to put their God first, their families second, and ministry third.
Module Three Lesson Outline: Marriage and Family
1. Salvation and Call to Ministry
2. The Covenant of Marriage
3. Spiritual Successors
4. Training Our Children to Hear the Voice of God
5. The Power of Our Words
Module Four Summary: Personal Spiritual Development
Before any missionary can attempt to lead others to Jesus Christ and disciple them, he must first have a firm understanding of his own faith. This module contains foundational principles of the Christian faith, such as righteousness, salvation, baptism of the Holy Spirit and prayer. It is meant to encourage and equip the missionary for the task of discipling nations.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Personal Spiritual Development
1. Righteousness With God
2. Initial Effects of God’s Word
3. The Nature of Faith
4. The Uniqueness of Faith
5. Faith for Salvation
6. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
7. Receive the Holy Spirit
8. How to Receive the Holy Spirit
9. Liberty Under Control
10. Conviction of Eternal Issues
11. Supernatural Attestation
12. Your Authority as a Believer
13. Why Pray?
14. Seven Basic Conditions for Answered Prayer
China Mission School
Program Overview
Course One: World Missions
In the Garden of Eden, God demonstrated His missionary heart when He sought Adam and Eve after the Fall, calling out, “Where are you?” Though some say Paul was the first missionary, missions really began with God, and it continues today through His Church.
We live in an exciting time for missions, because there are more people on the Earth today than have ever lived before. However, modern tools make these people more accessible than they have been in the past, enabling the missionary of today to cross the globe to witness of the saving love of Jesus Christ to the people of far away lands.
Many missionaries have given their lives for the spread of the Gospel, though not all of them died. In laying down their lives for Christ, however, they found something better. Many left behind the comforts and conveniences of home as well as family and friends to share the love of God with others, setting aside what they knew to take up the call. They crossed rivers and valleys, mountains and deserts, suffered from diseases, and endured without—all for the sake of individuals who, without a preacher, would not know the Good News about Christ.
In this course, we seek to cover missions work’s generalities, the history and philosophy behind it, and the types of people to whom missionaries reach out. It is our prayer that the knowledge within this course will enrich your life and build a foundation of learning for every successive lesson hereafter.
Module One Summary: Introduction to Missions
When Adam and Eve sinned, they immediately hid from God. He, in turn, came into the Garden calling out, “Where are you?” Missions began with God and it continues today through the Church. This module primarily studies the biblical foundation for all missionary endeavors. It also covers topics such as missionary motivations of the heart, stages of services, strategy, and how to relate compassionately to lost people.
Module One Lesson Outline: Introduction to Missions
1. God: The Source of Missions
2. Jesus Christ: The Message of Missions
3. The Holy Spirit: The Power of Missions
4. The Church: The Vessel of Missions
5. The World: The Target of Missions
6. Who will be a Missionary? God’s Will for Reaching the Lost
7. Missionary Motivations of the Heart: A Personal Reflection
8. Stages of Missionary Service
9. Personally and Compassionately Relating to the Lost: Identification verses Withdrawal
10. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ Cross-Culturally: The Nature of Cross-Cultural Communications
11. Planning for the Future: The Role of Strategy in Missions
12. Planting New Churches: The First Task of Missionary Work
13. Nurturing New Believers: The Second Task of Missionary Work
14. Training Leaders: The Third Task of Missionary Work
15. Building Responsible Churches: Establishment of Spiritually and Materially Independent Churches
Module Two Summary: The History and Philosophy of Missions
Why is it that men and women willingly sacrifice their own lives to be missionaries? Why were men such as William Cary willing to defy their leaders who said, “When God chooses to win the heathen, He will do it without your help or ours”? History is filled with stories of inspiration, nuggets of truth and words of priceless wisdom from those who have taken the missionary journey. This second module of CMS introduces the missionary to these stories and describes how willing men and women of God touched many lives through their obedience.
Module Two Lesson Outline: The History and Philosophy of Missions
1. The Apostle Paul and the Missionary Task by Arthur Glasser
2. Church History Part I
3. Church History Part II
4. Church History Part III
5. Four Men, Three Eras, Two Transitions: Modern Missions by Ralph Winter
6. Who (Really) was William Carey? by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi
7. The Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens by William Carey
8. The Call to Service by J. Hudson Taylor
9. China’s Spiritual Needs and Claims by J. Hudson Taylor
10. Tribes, Tongues and Translators by Cameron Townsend
11. Learner, Trader, Story Teller by Donald Larson
12. Redemptive Analogy by Don Richardson
13. Women in Mission by Marguerite Kraft and Meg Crossman
14. If I Perish by Brother Andrew
15. Ten Reasons Why I Am A World Christian by Terry Law
16. The Lausanne Covenant
Module Three Summary: The World and its People
When Paul began his missionary journeys, there were two things that significantly contributed to the rapid spread of the Gospel: a common language and a very sophisticated system of roads and maps for easy travel. As missionaries we need to know as much about the world as possible, so that like Paul, we can use modern technology and conveniences to ignite a rapid spread of the Gospel throughout the earth. This third module is an introduction to the biblical concept of nations or people groups. It includes topics such as the 10/40 Window and a brief study of the continents and people groups of the world.
Module Three Lesson Outline: The World and Its People
1. The Nations I: A Biblical Perspective of the Nations
2. The Nations II: God’s Redemptive Plan for the Nations Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
3. The Nations III: God’s Blessing for the Nations: A Fulfillment of His Promise to Abraham
4. The 10/40 Window
5. The Continent of Asia
6. The Continent of Africa
7. The Continent of Europe
8. The Continent of North America
9. The Continent of South America
10. The Continent of Australia
Course Two: World Religions
We live in a diverse world. In fact, new religions and philosophies seem to be born every minute. In most of these man-inspired religions truth becomes a relative and sometimes rather confusing thing. Many misguided worldviews declare that there are many paths to God and certainly no absolute rules to moral conduct. While others only focus on these absolute rules and disregard man’s personal relationship with God.
For Christians, Jesus Christ represents the absolute truth and the only way to God, yet He is also our personal savior. Certainly, our belief in and love of Christ colors our entire worldview. But, it is also essential, that we understand the worldviews of those around us. When we understand the mindset of others, we leap over the largest barrier that keeps us from establishing a relationship and ultimately sharing God’s message of hope with them.
This course focuses on worldview and the four major religions of the unreached world: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. These four represent many of the false worldviews that missionaries are sure to encounter. The missionary must seek to understand these worldviews, but he must also remember his purpose—to share the Good News. He must reveal to them that God longs to open the doors for all people to come into His eternal family; and that He has also made a new way for them to find forgiveness, healing, and permanent acceptance into the family of God through Jesus. This good news is based on grace, not birthright or the deeds of men.
Within these lessons, the student will come to understand the history and beliefs of these religions as well as the vast spiritual problems attached to them. He will come to know the unique quality of the people, their hunger for spiritual truth, and their similarities (and differences) with Christians. These lessons will also encourage missionaries to build bridges between themselves and others of different faiths so that, in time, they may reveal Christ as the sole fulfillment of their long spiritual search for God.
Module One Summary: Worldview
Whether we realize it, each of us has a worldview. Our families, cultures, religions, and personal experiences shape and form our worldviews. As missionaries, we must be aware of the effect worldviews have on people and how they often hinder the Gospel. This module teaches us how to recognize false worldviews, and most importantly, how to clearly articulate our biblical worldview to others.
Module One Lesson Outline: Worldview
1. What is a Worldview?
2. How Does Worldview Affect a Person’s Life?
3. What is Your Worldview?
4. How Does Worldview Influence Communities?
5. How Do Worldviews Differ?
6. Who is God? A Biblical Understanding of God Part I
7. Who is God? A Biblical Understanding of God Part II
8. What is Truth?
9. How Did the World Come to Be?
10. What is the Nature of Man?
11. What is the Meaning of Time?
12. What Will Happen to Those Who Do Not Have a Biblical Worldview?
13. Who is Satan?
14. How Does One Change His Worldview?
Module Two Summary: Islam
God wants each of us to be a part of his eternal family. He has made a way for people of all nations to find forgiveness, healing, and permanent acceptance into His family through Jesus Christ. This acceptance is no longer based on birthright or the deeds of men but rather on grace and one’s willingness to receive it. God longs to heal the hearts of Muslims along with all lost people groups of the world. This module will help explain the history Islam, Islamic culture and how to witness to Muslims, so those who are called to serve Muslim peoples will have the knowledge necessary to win them to Christ.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Islam
1. Introduction to Islam
2. Spiritual Authority in Islam
3. Two Majority Stumbling Blocks
4. Sin and Salvation in Islam
5. History of Islam, Part I
6. History of Islam, Part II
7. How to Work With Muslims, Part I
8. How to Work With Muslims, Part II
9. How to Work With Muslims, Part III
Module Three Summary: Hinduism
Inherent within the Hindu religion is a psychology of failure that permeates the Indian society. Throughout this module on Hinduism, the student will come to understand the history and beliefs of the religion as well as the various problems that often lead to a sense of desperation in the hearts of the Hindu people. Hindus have a unique capacity for understanding profound and complex spiritual ideas. Missionaries must help them see past their conflicting beliefs and find complete knowledge and revelation through Jesus Christ.
Module Lesson Outline: Hinduism
1. History of Hinduism, Part I
2. History of Hinduism, Part II
3. Beliefs and Practices of Hinduism
4. Hindu Gods
5. Literature of Hinduism
6. Fulfillment of the Vedic Quest through Jesus Christ
Module Four Summary: Buddhism
Today we live in a world of religious diversity, where people of differing beliefs live side by side. We cannot escape this fact. If we are to reach Buddhists with the Gospel, we must first start where they are (how they live and what they believe) and build bridges to Christ from there. This course will help the student understand the history and beliefs of Buddhism. It will also explain the differences between the teachings of Buddhism and the teachings of the Bible, as well as suggest effective and diverse ways of sharing Christ with a Buddhist.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Buddhism
1. 21st Century Buddhism
2. Historical Background of Buddhism
3. Core Beliefs of Buddhism
4. The Expansion of Buddhism
5. Christianity and Buddhism: Contrasts in Concepts
6. Social/Religious/Racial Identity with Buddhism
7. Blessing the Buddhist World through Prayer
8. Witnessing in Practical Ways to Buddhists
Module Five Summary: Judaism
The Bible instructs us on how we should view the Jewish people. This module discusses the history of the Jews, their desire to return to Israel and the obstacles they have encountered along their journey. It also discusses God’s hope for the Jewish people to come to the knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Module Five Lesson Outline: Judaism
1. The Biblical History of the Jewish People
2. Who are the Jews?
3. Jewish Beliefs
4. A Fulfillment of Prophecy
5. The British Administration of Palestine
6. A Time of War
7. The State of Israel
8. The Peace Process
9. Salvation for the Jews
Course Three: Missionary Skills
God Himself loves variety and diversity. Like Him, we should honor all of God’s creation especially in regards to other cultures. If we truly love all people like God, then we will seek to understand them. To do this, we must be willing to put aside our way of doing things in order to be effective in communicating the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel. Part of this act of self-denial involves putting ourselves out on a limb. When we learn about a new culture, particularly that culture’s language, we become vulnerable as human beings. This makes us real and sincere before the people we are trying to win to Christ.
Missionaries are very limited in their ministry if they only minister to those who know their language. If they accept God’s global call to missions on their life, then they will seek to communicate with others in their native tongue. Language learning is ministry and can help one create relationships and open doors for witnessing to others. When the doors are open, people are more willing to listen to God’s message of hope for them.
One of the most essential part of mission’s work is planting churches. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “…I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” As we go forward in ministry, we must understand that for the Kingdom of God to advance in this world, the local church must be established in every community.
Our goal as missionaries should be to spread the Gospel of Christ throughout the nations by developing sound leaders and thriving churches. It is not enough to be mere social workers; we must move the people to repent and confess Christ as Savior and Lord.
The missionary’s ultimate goal is a limited one: to win new souls to Christ. How he does this is up to him. But to become the most effective witness for the Gospel, he must learn how to enteract with the people to whom he is sent. In this endeavor, he will need some rather essential skills to help him along the way. This course will discuss the skills that all effective missionaries must cultivate, detailed in the following modules: Cross Cultural Communications, Language Acquisition, Church Planting Strategies, and Christian Leadership. Indeed, a sincere heart is not enough to win others to Christ. We must also have a strategy to do it. With God’s grace, what you learn in these lessons will give you the practical side of mission’s work along with some valuable knowledge that one can only get from others’ experiences.
Module One Summary: Cross Cultural Communications
God Himself is the author of cultural diversity. His plan from the beginning was that people would be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth. This module encourages missionaries to acknowledge their need to change and adapt when living in a new culture, in order to effectively communicate the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel. In this module, we will learn to be effective cross-cultural communicators by putting down our prejudice, ethnocentrism, and cultural pride. We will also learn to approach new cultures as learners and servants, sensitive to cultural differences and eager to communicate with the people.
Module One Lesson Outline: Cross Cultural Communications
1. Foundations of Cross Cultural Communication
2. Beliefs about Culture and Ministry
3. Communication
4. What is Culture? Part I
5. What is Culture? Part II
6. What is Culture? Part III
7. What is Culture? Part IV
8. What is Culture? Part V
9. Understanding Your Own Culture
10. Ethnocentrism
11. Freedom from Ethnocentrism
12. Cultural Adjustment, Part I
13. Cultural Adjustment, Part II
14. Conclusion
Module Two Summary: Language Acquisition
Some missionaries try to minister through the use of an interpreter or limit ministry to those who speak their language. However, if missionaries truly want to see the body of Christ established among the unreached peoples of the earth, then they must learn to communicate in the heart language of the people God calls them to serve. This module will introduce simple steps to learning a new language, as well as why and how language learning is ministry. The language learning process itself is often what establishes a missionary’s place in a foreign community and opens many doors for the Gospel.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Language Acquisition
1. Introduction to the Course
2. Language Acquisition
3. Becoming a Language Learner
4. What Language Learners Do
5. Language Learning as Ministry
6. The Daily Lesson Plan
7. Numbers and Transport
8. Shopping
9. Pronunciation
10. Questions and Answers
Module Three Summary: Church Planting Strategies
Planting churches is the most critical part of fulfilling the Great Commission. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “…I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” As we go forward in ministry, we must understand that for the Kingdom of God to advance in this world, the local church must be established in every community.
Our goal as church planters is to spread the Gospel message throughout the nations of the earth and to make true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Module Three Lesson Outline: Church Planting Strategies
1. God’s Purpose for His Church
2. God Calls Us to Join Hands with Him & One Another in His Work
3. Be A Disciple to Make Disciples
4. Lift Up Your Eyes, Look at the Fields
5. Look for Bridges, Pray for the Harvest
6. Go Out in Dependence on God
7. Look for People of Peace
8. What to Do with a New Believer
9. Prayer, the Word, Baptism & the Church
10. Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Sharing Good News
11. Two or Three Gathered in His Name—The Church
12. Leadership, Transformation and Commitment
Module Four Summary: Christian Leadership
Jesus Christ is the Christian’s ultimate example of leadership. As a leader, He corrected and encouraged His disciples in their faith. To be effective leaders, we must be intimately familiar with Christ’s model of leadership. In this module, we begin by discussing basic leadership principles. Then, we move into more advanced material to prepare you to teach others how to remain intimate with Jesus Christ as they grow in leadership responsibilities.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Christian Leadership
1. What is Leadership?
2. Why Do People Follow You?
3. The Five-Element Module
4. Christ in the Life of a Leader
5. Community in the Life of a Leader
6. Character in the Life of a Leader
7. Calling in the Life of a Leader
8. Competencies in the Life of a Leader
9. What Do Leaders Do? Part I
10. What Do Leaders Do? Part II
11. What Do Leaders Do? Part III
12. What Do Leaders Do? Part IV
13. What Do Leaders Do? Part V
14. Building Leaders, Part I
15. Building Leaders, Part II
16. Building Leaders, Part III
17. Building Leaders, Part IV
18. Building Leaders, Part V
19. Building Leaders, Part VI
20. Building Leaders, Part VII
Course Four: Discipleship
Experienced leaders father disciples. Just as we desire spiritual leaders to mentor us so we can grow from their walk with God and experiences, we too must in turn love people while they are still sinners. We must let them see God’s change in our lives and then show them how they too can experience this new life.
The people we seek to disciple are in bondage to their sins before they come to the Lord, yet they have been born into their life of sin and know nothing else. They often have no concept of the freedom awaiting them in Christ. As we disciple the lost souls around us, we must first ensure that these people have experienced the life-changing power of new life through Christ Jesus to free them from their past and sinful existence.
Just as we are concerned with the growth and discipleship of those to whom we seek to minister, we must not neglect our families. Our children often see the truth of our Christian lives more clearly than those to whom we minister, and we must not overlook their relationship with Christ or the importance of our family lives. We must look only as far as a man of God with children not living for Him to understand the consequences of neglecting our families. We may save souls abroad, but what of those at home?
Really, without the Holy Spirit inside of us and without a healthy spiritual life, we are unequipped to disciple anyone—our families or others. Even healthy Christian walks can drift away from Christ if we ignore them. Learning to feed ourselves on the Word and understanding the basic tenants of Christianity is vital for a missionary to continue God’s work among the lost. When we disciple others, we must remember where our model ultimately comes from—Jesus Christ. We must look to Him continually, learning and growing as He disciples us. Without Him, we will lack the oil that keeps our own lamps burning brightly. And if we lack God’s fire in our lives, how will others see it and desire it as well? Join us in this course as we consider both the practical and the spiritual aspects of discipleship.
Module One Summary: Making Disciples
Disciples are not made through lessons and programs. They are spiritually fathered. Classes and lessons are useful to a point; however, God wants more. He desires to have sons and daughters. This course is not designed to teach you methods, but to help you live the kind of life that new believers will want to imitate. Making disciples is primarily a matter of loving people while they are still sinners, letting them see the fruit of God’s Spirit in your life, and inviting them to join you.
Module One Lesson Outline: Making Disciples
1. The Importance of Fathers and Mothers
2. Teach Them to Love God
3. Teach Them to Love Their Families
4. Teach Them to Love Christ’s Church
5. Teach Them to Love God’s Will
6. Teach Them to Love God’s Judgment
7. Teach Them to Love God’s World
Module Two Summary: Freedom in Christ
Many people, even sincere followers of Jesus Christ, live in bondage and never move into a level of freedom that God longs to give His children. This module reveals from a biblical perspective our identity in Christ and describes how He desires to heal our damaged emotions. Through these lessons, the student will learn how to bring life to those bound by sin and set them free through the power of Jesus Christ.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Freedom in Christ
1. Our Identity in Christ
2. Healing Damaged Emotions
3. Steps to Freedom in Christ, Part I
4. Steps to Freedom in Christ, Part II
Module Three Summary: Marriage and Family
As surely as God provides for our needs, we also must care for the needs of our families. To do this, they must be a top priority, even above the demands of ministry. Children who see this example in their parents grow up to be devoted parents and followers of Christ themselves. This module encourages believers, particularly those called to some form of full time Christian service, to put their God first, their families second, and ministry third.
Module Three Lesson Outline: Marriage and Family
1. Salvation and Call to Ministry
2. The Covenant of Marriage
3. Spiritual Successors
4. Training Our Children to Hear the Voice of God
5. The Power of Our Words
Module Four Summary: Personal Spiritual Development
Before any missionary can attempt to lead others to Jesus Christ and disciple them, he must first have a firm understanding of his own faith. This module contains foundational principles of the Christian faith, such as righteousness, salvation, baptism of the Holy Spirit and prayer. It is meant to encourage and equip the missionary for the task of discipling nations.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Personal Spiritual Development
1. Righteousness With God
2. Initial Effects of God’s Word
3. The Nature of Faith
4. The Uniqueness of Faith
5. Faith for Salvation
6. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
7. Receive the Holy Spirit
8. How to Receive the Holy Spirit
9. Liberty Under Control
10. Conviction of Eternal Issues
11. Supernatural Attestation
12. Your Authority as a Believer
13. Why Pray?
14. Seven Basic Conditions for Answered Prayer
Ed Gungor: What I Hate Most About Christianity
This is Chapter One of Ed Gungor's newest book, Things I Hate About Christianity: Honest Reflections From a Christ Follower. I worked alongside Ed on this book, primarily as a researcher and sounding board for each of his chapters. I read through the chapters as he finished and commented on the ease of reading, areas I felt needed clarified, etc. I also contributed the name of this chapter.
CHAPTER ONE
WHEN GOD PLAYS HIDE AND SEEK
I believe in God most of the time. But I have my moments when I wonder if I’m wrong; times when I have a strong taste of doubt in my soul. Faith is a tricky business. Those of us who embrace it live our whole lives for someone we’ve never seen, and believe in things we are convinced of, but cannot prove (at least empirically).
This could easily be resolved if God were visible. It bothers me that he isn’t. I wish every person could access a peak at him even if it was just once in their lives before they died. I’d even vote ‘yes’ for people to see God while they are kids, and then, like an imaginary friend, when they come of age, they stopped seeing him. Then they could wrestle with whether or not he was real or imaginary—I think that would be better than him being invisible. But invisible he is. And as you study scripture, you discover he is invisible on purpose.
There is a rich tradition in Judeo-Christian thought concerning the “God who hides.” The biblical claim is that God loves to hide—he loves to tuck himself so completely into the backdrop of life and creation that many completely miss his presence. Isaiah comes right out and says it, “Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel.” After the resurrection of Jesus, the Bible records that he is with two of his disciples who knew him well, yet, “they were kept from recognizing him.” They had no clue they were walking along the road with the resurrected Christ. He was hiding. God was hiding another time from the biblical patriarch Jacob who exclaimed, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” God often told Israel, “I will hide my face.” The psalmists repeatedly lamented how God was “hiding” from them.
But God doesn’t just hide his presence. When it comes to his message, he tends to cloak it in obscurity, making it fairly inaccessible. In one of Jesus’ prayers he says, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned.” Often Jesus’ own disciples didn’t get what was going on: “The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.” When teaching the crowds Jesus would say, “If you, even you, had only known…but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Jesus claimed, “This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” God often hid the true meaning of his message from people.
After Jesus departs and the apostles began to teach about faith, they too alluded to this conspiracy of hiddeness. Paul writes, “We speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden.” Paul repeatedly calls the gospel a “mystery” that “was kept hidden in God” only to be “revealed” at a special time to a special group of people.
WHAT’S THE POINT?
At the simplest level, the conspiracy of hiddenness is like the hide and seek game children play. God hides; those of us who are suspicious of that hiding, seek him. Scripture tells us well over a hundred times to “seek the Lord” or to “seek his face.” The very fact that he asks us to “seek” him implies he is hiding. But God has rigged the game so that the persistent, dedicated seeker always finds him. God promises to those who seek him, “I will be found by you.” Jesus adds, “Seek and you will find.”
Any thinking person has to ask, why would God do this? Why would God hide from people or make his message obscure? I think there are several plausible answers for this. One is simply that God hides because he has chosen to establish a relationship with humanity through the pathway of faith. And in order for faith to be faith, God must remain invisible and unprovable to the senses. If God were seen as plainly as the sun or experienced as unquestioningly as gravity, faith would not be required—God would just be an undisputed fact.
It is the pathway of faith that locates a relationship with God firmly in the domain of human free will and out of an orbit resembling anything forced or involuntary. Faith can only exist in freedom—where we can choose to believe or not to believe. By God using faith as the only modality for a connection between him and us forces any possible relational connection between us to be the result of choice or free will. The human race remains in control because as we observe phenomena around us we can either interpret it with God in the picture or not. It’s our choice.
Christian theology sees God as Almighty, all-knowing, and everywhere present, and, yet, as One who respects the right of those he created to completely ignore him. He respects our right to ignore him because he only wants authentic relationship with individuals. Authentic relationships require choice—forced friendships or shotgun weddings do not constitute real relationships. But the choice to ignore God would be impossible if God were visible. Why? Because God’s presence is ubiquitous—he is everywhere interacting with us in everything from holding creation in tact, to being the one who chose the time and place where we would live, to being the cause of all the good we know, to being the one who gives us “life and breath.” Only invisibility affords us the choice to ignore him. And only invisibility gives us the option to leap by way of the modality of faith past that invisibility into a relationship with him. The idea of God playing hide-and-seek is so scandalous, yet, so amazingly brilliant.
IN GOLDILOCKS FASHION
Though God is invisible, he is committed to leaving us “clues” that point to his existence. There are hints of his activity all around us. But they are only hints. As you study the biblical record, God’s loves to spill his life into the world through subtle, almost unperceivable ways. In other words, unless you are actively looking for him, you will most probably miss him.
As silly as it sounds, there is a Goldilocks way in which God sneaks around our world. Let me explain. In the children’s story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear come home one day only to discover that someone had been eating their porridge, sitting in their chairs, and lying on their beds. It wasn’t till the end of the story that they find out it was Goldilocks.
I think God, in Goldilocks fashion, gets involved with our lives before we notice him. As the creator and sustainer of all life, he metaphorically messes with our porridge, sits in our chairs, and lies on our beds. And though we can see and feel the results, we don’t get to actually see him till the end of the story. The essence of faith is the human commitment to "seek" the clues until they lead us to the hiding One—we may only get to “find” him metaphysically or spiritually, but it is finding him indeed. James writes, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
But clues pointing to God’s existence are not proof of God’s existence. No one can argue from biology or philosophy in a way that successfully “proves” God exists. The ones who have tried have had their work mercilessly scrutinized. All attempts end up becoming surefire recipes for the triumph and expansion of agnosticism and atheism.
All the evidence can do is show that a belief in God is not inconsistent with what we see in the world. For example, the amazing order and symbiotic nature of the universe can be explained on the basis of the existence of God as its Creator—that belief is coherent with what we observe in the world. But it is at best a hypothesis, which means another person may hypothesize that the order seen in the world is here is by chance. And their hypothesis would not be any less valid than the one offered by the Christ-follower.
But suggesting that the Christ-follower’s hypothesis is in some way evidence that we are stupid, anti-intellectual, science-haters is not fair either. Often anti-faith attacks are based on the notion that faith is a childish or infantile notion, like believing in Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy. The inference is that people of faith are like unreasoned children who need to abandon their faith position just as childish beliefs are abandoned once reason-based thinking emerges in a child. However, beliefs in Santa or the Tooth Fairy are based on folklore, not evidence. There is evidence of God’s existence—there are clues. Though some see faith as intellectual nonsense, we can stand on the grounds that, though our beliefs are not provable, they are nonetheless perfectly reasonable to entertain—certainly as reasonable as the “belief” that all things are here by chance.
*The full chapter is available upon request.
CHAPTER ONE
WHEN GOD PLAYS HIDE AND SEEK
I believe in God most of the time. But I have my moments when I wonder if I’m wrong; times when I have a strong taste of doubt in my soul. Faith is a tricky business. Those of us who embrace it live our whole lives for someone we’ve never seen, and believe in things we are convinced of, but cannot prove (at least empirically).
This could easily be resolved if God were visible. It bothers me that he isn’t. I wish every person could access a peak at him even if it was just once in their lives before they died. I’d even vote ‘yes’ for people to see God while they are kids, and then, like an imaginary friend, when they come of age, they stopped seeing him. Then they could wrestle with whether or not he was real or imaginary—I think that would be better than him being invisible. But invisible he is. And as you study scripture, you discover he is invisible on purpose.
There is a rich tradition in Judeo-Christian thought concerning the “God who hides.” The biblical claim is that God loves to hide—he loves to tuck himself so completely into the backdrop of life and creation that many completely miss his presence. Isaiah comes right out and says it, “Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel.” After the resurrection of Jesus, the Bible records that he is with two of his disciples who knew him well, yet, “they were kept from recognizing him.” They had no clue they were walking along the road with the resurrected Christ. He was hiding. God was hiding another time from the biblical patriarch Jacob who exclaimed, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” God often told Israel, “I will hide my face.” The psalmists repeatedly lamented how God was “hiding” from them.
But God doesn’t just hide his presence. When it comes to his message, he tends to cloak it in obscurity, making it fairly inaccessible. In one of Jesus’ prayers he says, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned.” Often Jesus’ own disciples didn’t get what was going on: “The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.” When teaching the crowds Jesus would say, “If you, even you, had only known…but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Jesus claimed, “This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” God often hid the true meaning of his message from people.
After Jesus departs and the apostles began to teach about faith, they too alluded to this conspiracy of hiddeness. Paul writes, “We speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden.” Paul repeatedly calls the gospel a “mystery” that “was kept hidden in God” only to be “revealed” at a special time to a special group of people.
WHAT’S THE POINT?
At the simplest level, the conspiracy of hiddenness is like the hide and seek game children play. God hides; those of us who are suspicious of that hiding, seek him. Scripture tells us well over a hundred times to “seek the Lord” or to “seek his face.” The very fact that he asks us to “seek” him implies he is hiding. But God has rigged the game so that the persistent, dedicated seeker always finds him. God promises to those who seek him, “I will be found by you.” Jesus adds, “Seek and you will find.”
Any thinking person has to ask, why would God do this? Why would God hide from people or make his message obscure? I think there are several plausible answers for this. One is simply that God hides because he has chosen to establish a relationship with humanity through the pathway of faith. And in order for faith to be faith, God must remain invisible and unprovable to the senses. If God were seen as plainly as the sun or experienced as unquestioningly as gravity, faith would not be required—God would just be an undisputed fact.
It is the pathway of faith that locates a relationship with God firmly in the domain of human free will and out of an orbit resembling anything forced or involuntary. Faith can only exist in freedom—where we can choose to believe or not to believe. By God using faith as the only modality for a connection between him and us forces any possible relational connection between us to be the result of choice or free will. The human race remains in control because as we observe phenomena around us we can either interpret it with God in the picture or not. It’s our choice.
Christian theology sees God as Almighty, all-knowing, and everywhere present, and, yet, as One who respects the right of those he created to completely ignore him. He respects our right to ignore him because he only wants authentic relationship with individuals. Authentic relationships require choice—forced friendships or shotgun weddings do not constitute real relationships. But the choice to ignore God would be impossible if God were visible. Why? Because God’s presence is ubiquitous—he is everywhere interacting with us in everything from holding creation in tact, to being the one who chose the time and place where we would live, to being the cause of all the good we know, to being the one who gives us “life and breath.” Only invisibility affords us the choice to ignore him. And only invisibility gives us the option to leap by way of the modality of faith past that invisibility into a relationship with him. The idea of God playing hide-and-seek is so scandalous, yet, so amazingly brilliant.
IN GOLDILOCKS FASHION
Though God is invisible, he is committed to leaving us “clues” that point to his existence. There are hints of his activity all around us. But they are only hints. As you study the biblical record, God’s loves to spill his life into the world through subtle, almost unperceivable ways. In other words, unless you are actively looking for him, you will most probably miss him.
As silly as it sounds, there is a Goldilocks way in which God sneaks around our world. Let me explain. In the children’s story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear come home one day only to discover that someone had been eating their porridge, sitting in their chairs, and lying on their beds. It wasn’t till the end of the story that they find out it was Goldilocks.
I think God, in Goldilocks fashion, gets involved with our lives before we notice him. As the creator and sustainer of all life, he metaphorically messes with our porridge, sits in our chairs, and lies on our beds. And though we can see and feel the results, we don’t get to actually see him till the end of the story. The essence of faith is the human commitment to "seek" the clues until they lead us to the hiding One—we may only get to “find” him metaphysically or spiritually, but it is finding him indeed. James writes, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
But clues pointing to God’s existence are not proof of God’s existence. No one can argue from biology or philosophy in a way that successfully “proves” God exists. The ones who have tried have had their work mercilessly scrutinized. All attempts end up becoming surefire recipes for the triumph and expansion of agnosticism and atheism.
All the evidence can do is show that a belief in God is not inconsistent with what we see in the world. For example, the amazing order and symbiotic nature of the universe can be explained on the basis of the existence of God as its Creator—that belief is coherent with what we observe in the world. But it is at best a hypothesis, which means another person may hypothesize that the order seen in the world is here is by chance. And their hypothesis would not be any less valid than the one offered by the Christ-follower.
But suggesting that the Christ-follower’s hypothesis is in some way evidence that we are stupid, anti-intellectual, science-haters is not fair either. Often anti-faith attacks are based on the notion that faith is a childish or infantile notion, like believing in Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy. The inference is that people of faith are like unreasoned children who need to abandon their faith position just as childish beliefs are abandoned once reason-based thinking emerges in a child. However, beliefs in Santa or the Tooth Fairy are based on folklore, not evidence. There is evidence of God’s existence—there are clues. Though some see faith as intellectual nonsense, we can stand on the grounds that, though our beliefs are not provable, they are nonetheless perfectly reasonable to entertain—certainly as reasonable as the “belief” that all things are here by chance.
*The full chapter is available upon request.
Youth Vision International Brochure
This is copy I wrote for Youth Vision International, a client of Hampton Creative who contracted me for the project.
Cover Page
1. Youth Vision International, Inc.
2. Giving Young People a Voice, a Face and a Mentor
Page Two
Who We Are
Youth Vision International was founded in 2002 for the purpose of teaching, equipping and mobilizing children and youth workers worldwide. We are passionate about reaching young people because they are the world’s future fathers, mothers, and citizens…ones who have the capacity to bring lasting change to their developing communities.
Our Vision
The dream of Youth Vision International is to make an eternal difference in the lives of 1,000,000 children and youth worldwide…to bring permanent transformation, rooted in the love of God. We are called to be a voice to the voiceless, a face to the faceless and a father to the fatherless.
Our Commitment
We must fight to reach the hearts of the young, or face the possibility of losing the next generation of kids to the same things which are destroying people today: poverty, disease, drugs, human trafficking, fundalmentalist religious groups who target children and teens with radical doctrine, and a host of other negative and often deadly influences.
Page Three
What We Do: We Train
A study recently referenced by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, qualified what youth leaders have struggled for decades to reveal: that young people respond most positively to a message when it is given to them through a peer—one who has been where they are, and who has also found a way out.
Youth Vision International places great value and trust in young people. We believe the world’s youth are the very best communicators of the message of hope. This is why we focus our energies on training young, energetic children and youth workers, who will, in turn, go forward with a vision of establishing youth outreaches in each of their communities.
Page Four
What We Do: We Equip
Youth International is committed to empowering and equipping youth leaders with the confidence, competency and comfort needed to begin effective outreaches…and to do this work all on their own.
We invest ourselves into young people, guiding them through a development process that allows them to grow into progressive leaders with hearts filled with a passion for reaching disadvantaged children and teens in their cities.
We demonstrate practical skills, such as how to capture the attention of children and young people through interesting activities and conversations. We teach our leaders to look for open doors into the hearts of those to whom they are extending God’s love, and how to build trusting relationships as an entrée and foundation for influence.
Page Five
What We Do: We Establish Lasting Change
The primary benefit of empowering and instilling confidence in grassroots leaders is they remain in our absence, when we return home.
Over a sustained period of time, their determined efforts are proven to lead to lasting change in their communities. Crime rates decline, fewer young people become infected with sexually transmitted diseases, the appeal of illegal drug use weakens, suicide rates decrease, young people learn a skill or trade that empowers them to break free from the bondage of poverty. So many wonderful benefits come when we believe in young people!
In tangible ways, Youth International draws from years of experience in establishing youth centers, orphanages, children’s Bible clubs and other various kinds of training schools. In all of our conferences, we give suggestions on how to effectively facilitate such wonderful and inexpensive demonstrations of God’s love.
Page Six
Our Success
Since 2002, Youth International volunteers have trained thousands of children and youth leaders in West Africa. One such leader, who attended a YI conference in Ghana, left the gathering equipped with fresh materials and a new mentoring philosophy. She immediately returned to her hometown, Conakry, Guinea, and put this new knowledge to use. Within a period of two years, her ministry to children had grown from weekly meetings of 50 children to more than 2,000 children in attendance each week. Having experienced such tremendous success, she decided to replicate herself by training others to do in their communities what she had done in hers. Today, this one woman’s ministry reaches over 64,000 children per week throughout West and East Africa.
Youth International Liberian Orphanage
In 1995, close to the end of the horrifying rebel war in Monrovia, Liberia, Youth International Founder, David Rogers, was present in the country. He saw and heard the stories of destruction of over 200,000 lives and the exodus of nearly 1,000,000 people. It was impossible to listen to the stories and not respond in some tangible way to the suffering.
David felt compelled to help the fatherless, motherless and homeless children sleeping in the streets Monrovia. The result was the construction of an orphanage that is today home to 27 children—ones who lost parents during the rebel uprising.
The building also serves as an elementary school and community center. And, throughout the city of Monrovia, there are weekly gatherings of up to 2,000 children, who are drawn to God through the compassion and care of people who were personally impacted by the ministry of the orphanage.
Page Seven
About the Founders
David and Sammy Rogers fell in love as teenagers, sharing a common heart for ministry to young people. As early as age 17, they found themselves involved in street ministry to troubled teens, and through the years have served in many various roles—as children and youth pastors, on prison ministry teams, and walking the streets of the U.S. and many foreign countries in order to share with love of Jesus with hurting people.
In 1997, the Rogers joined the International Missionary Center as the Directors of Children and Youth Ministry, and that same year were ordained through Living Word Missions, Inc., the parent ministry. Through the IMC, they trained students and workers from 35 nations on how to have a thriving children and youth ministry. They have also facilitated Back Yard Bible Clubs in Africa, Europe, Philippines and in Central and South America for children who would not have ever entered a church building.
The guiding scripture of David and Sammy’s lives is Matthew 25:40, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” They are thankful for the opportunity to be a voice for the voiceless, a face for the faceless and a Father to the Fatherless.
Page Eight
How You Can Participate
1. Pray
2. Travel With a Team Overseas and Facilitate a Training Conference
3. Sponsor a Conference
4. Give Financially to Youth Vision International
If you are interested in learning more about Youth Vision International, please use the following information to contact us:
David and Sammy Rogers
1939 N 289th E. Ave.
Catoosa, OK 74015 USA
Phone: 981.266.0460
Email: youthvision@intergate.com
Cover Page
1. Youth Vision International, Inc.
2. Giving Young People a Voice, a Face and a Mentor
Page Two
Who We Are
Youth Vision International was founded in 2002 for the purpose of teaching, equipping and mobilizing children and youth workers worldwide. We are passionate about reaching young people because they are the world’s future fathers, mothers, and citizens…ones who have the capacity to bring lasting change to their developing communities.
Our Vision
The dream of Youth Vision International is to make an eternal difference in the lives of 1,000,000 children and youth worldwide…to bring permanent transformation, rooted in the love of God. We are called to be a voice to the voiceless, a face to the faceless and a father to the fatherless.
Our Commitment
We must fight to reach the hearts of the young, or face the possibility of losing the next generation of kids to the same things which are destroying people today: poverty, disease, drugs, human trafficking, fundalmentalist religious groups who target children and teens with radical doctrine, and a host of other negative and often deadly influences.
Page Three
What We Do: We Train
A study recently referenced by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, qualified what youth leaders have struggled for decades to reveal: that young people respond most positively to a message when it is given to them through a peer—one who has been where they are, and who has also found a way out.
Youth Vision International places great value and trust in young people. We believe the world’s youth are the very best communicators of the message of hope. This is why we focus our energies on training young, energetic children and youth workers, who will, in turn, go forward with a vision of establishing youth outreaches in each of their communities.
Page Four
What We Do: We Equip
Youth International is committed to empowering and equipping youth leaders with the confidence, competency and comfort needed to begin effective outreaches…and to do this work all on their own.
We invest ourselves into young people, guiding them through a development process that allows them to grow into progressive leaders with hearts filled with a passion for reaching disadvantaged children and teens in their cities.
We demonstrate practical skills, such as how to capture the attention of children and young people through interesting activities and conversations. We teach our leaders to look for open doors into the hearts of those to whom they are extending God’s love, and how to build trusting relationships as an entrée and foundation for influence.
Page Five
What We Do: We Establish Lasting Change
The primary benefit of empowering and instilling confidence in grassroots leaders is they remain in our absence, when we return home.
Over a sustained period of time, their determined efforts are proven to lead to lasting change in their communities. Crime rates decline, fewer young people become infected with sexually transmitted diseases, the appeal of illegal drug use weakens, suicide rates decrease, young people learn a skill or trade that empowers them to break free from the bondage of poverty. So many wonderful benefits come when we believe in young people!
In tangible ways, Youth International draws from years of experience in establishing youth centers, orphanages, children’s Bible clubs and other various kinds of training schools. In all of our conferences, we give suggestions on how to effectively facilitate such wonderful and inexpensive demonstrations of God’s love.
Page Six
Our Success
Since 2002, Youth International volunteers have trained thousands of children and youth leaders in West Africa. One such leader, who attended a YI conference in Ghana, left the gathering equipped with fresh materials and a new mentoring philosophy. She immediately returned to her hometown, Conakry, Guinea, and put this new knowledge to use. Within a period of two years, her ministry to children had grown from weekly meetings of 50 children to more than 2,000 children in attendance each week. Having experienced such tremendous success, she decided to replicate herself by training others to do in their communities what she had done in hers. Today, this one woman’s ministry reaches over 64,000 children per week throughout West and East Africa.
Youth International Liberian Orphanage
In 1995, close to the end of the horrifying rebel war in Monrovia, Liberia, Youth International Founder, David Rogers, was present in the country. He saw and heard the stories of destruction of over 200,000 lives and the exodus of nearly 1,000,000 people. It was impossible to listen to the stories and not respond in some tangible way to the suffering.
David felt compelled to help the fatherless, motherless and homeless children sleeping in the streets Monrovia. The result was the construction of an orphanage that is today home to 27 children—ones who lost parents during the rebel uprising.
The building also serves as an elementary school and community center. And, throughout the city of Monrovia, there are weekly gatherings of up to 2,000 children, who are drawn to God through the compassion and care of people who were personally impacted by the ministry of the orphanage.
Page Seven
About the Founders
David and Sammy Rogers fell in love as teenagers, sharing a common heart for ministry to young people. As early as age 17, they found themselves involved in street ministry to troubled teens, and through the years have served in many various roles—as children and youth pastors, on prison ministry teams, and walking the streets of the U.S. and many foreign countries in order to share with love of Jesus with hurting people.
In 1997, the Rogers joined the International Missionary Center as the Directors of Children and Youth Ministry, and that same year were ordained through Living Word Missions, Inc., the parent ministry. Through the IMC, they trained students and workers from 35 nations on how to have a thriving children and youth ministry. They have also facilitated Back Yard Bible Clubs in Africa, Europe, Philippines and in Central and South America for children who would not have ever entered a church building.
The guiding scripture of David and Sammy’s lives is Matthew 25:40, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” They are thankful for the opportunity to be a voice for the voiceless, a face for the faceless and a Father to the Fatherless.
Page Eight
How You Can Participate
1. Pray
2. Travel With a Team Overseas and Facilitate a Training Conference
3. Sponsor a Conference
4. Give Financially to Youth Vision International
If you are interested in learning more about Youth Vision International, please use the following information to contact us:
David and Sammy Rogers
1939 N 289th E. Ave.
Catoosa, OK 74015 USA
Phone: 981.266.0460
Email: youthvision@intergate.com
Teacher Training Seminar, Baghdad
This is an outline of a teacher enrichment seminar I wrote and presented in Baghdad, Iraq in September 2003. These notes were deliberately written at about a 6th grade reading level, to assure accurate translation, as well as simplification of a very challenging topic—trauma and the affects war has on the most vulnerable ones of society, the children.
Children, Trauma and a Loving Teacher: Helping Children Who Have Experienced Traumatic Life Events
I. Introduction
a. Example of a traumatic life event
A boy named Peter was eight years old when his mother was tragically killed in a car accident. The family was devastated, as any family would be, particularly Peter’s father and the three children. Many people gave their love and comfort during the days surrounding the funeral and after; however, it simply wasn’t enough. The children never learned how to properly cope with the loss of their mother.
Life continued as usual, and all three children quietly carried the pain, suffering and emptiness of the loss of their mother in their hearts. It was a traumatic experience that none of them fully understood until, as adults, they each individually visited a counselor who helped them talk about the loss of their mother and explore how it had negatively affected their lives and life choices.
Peter realized during his counseling sessions that as a young boy he had learned how to cope with the death of his mother by ignoring his emotions. The counselor gave him an illustration of a “gunny sack” (a large burlap bag used to carry potatoes or onions). She said that people learn to hide, cover up or push away their emotions (feelings) because they do not know how to handle them. Many people carry around with them a gunny sack filled with emotions they have never learned to overcome.
The counselor helped Peter realize that when his mother died, he learned that the only way to give himself temporary freedom from the pain was to push it away deep into the hidden places of his heart, such as pushing it away deep into the bottom of a dark gunny sack. As he eventually convinced his heart and mind that everything was OK, he found relief, but only temporarily. As other difficult life events completely unrelated to his mother’s death occurred he pushed them away and ignored them. With these too, he learned to put them away into the hidden places of his heart where no one, not even himself had access. He learned, instead, to be a comedian and to convince the world that he was happy and doing well. This, however, was not true. Deep inside his heart, he felt depressed and thought of taking his life.
The counselor helped Peter talk about present problems. As they talked, each event was pulled from his gunny sack and examined. One event led to an earlier event in his life, which led to an earlier event, until he came to the bottom of his gunny sack. There he rediscovered the death of his mother. With great care, the counselor helped Peter talk about his mother. She helped him to understand that all of his present distress – his depression and suicidal thoughts – began when he learned to push away his feelings and ignore them.
Because Peter and his siblings did not as children learn how to properly cope with the death of their mother, they spent their adolescent and early adult years struggling through life. Fortunately, as adults they have all found freedom from their pain, first through the love of God which comforts them, and secondly, through acquiring skills to help them cope and properly handle difficult life situations.
It is very important for parents, teachers and adults who work with young children and adolescents to realize their significant role in helping children overcome traumatic life events. Children can and do experience trauma.
II. Personal Reflection Time
a. Take a few moments to think about your life experiences. Have you had a happy life? Have you experienced difficult things – the loss of a loved one, the loss of a home, the pain of war?
b. Next, think about your heart? Are you happy and at peace today? Do you have anxiety about the future? Do you have anxious thoughts about the recent events in your country? Do you feel angry? Do you feel discouraged or depressed?
c. As you think about these things, briefly write on a piece of paper one very difficult event from your life. When finished, carefully fold this piece of paper and place it inside your bag. Continue to do this with additional life events and feelings – past and present. You will have 10-15 minutes.
d. (Once the 10-15 minutes has finished) Now, having carefully and privately considered your life and looked into your hearts for a few moments, here are a few questions to discuss with your group:
i. Would you feel comfortable sharing the information you have written on the papers with another person? Is it acceptable in the Iraqi culture to discuss matters of the heart with others?
ii. If so, who would you feel comfortable sharing your troubles with? Would you share all the details, or would you only share a small portion of them? Would you talk about your troubles directly, giving specific details or would you talk about them indirectly?
iii. Would you feel safe sharing your feelings, especially the feeling of anger, with people in your neighborhood or school?
iv. What about fellow teachers? Would you ever consider speaking openly about personal matters of the heart? Why or why not? Do you feel you could trust other teachers? What characteristics would you look for in a fellow teacher to demonstrate trustworthiness?
v. A child comes to your classroom after months of being out of school because of the war. Do you know this child? Do you ask questions and learn about his experiences over the past number of months? Do you dare ask him/her to share with you sensitive issues, or do you protect yourself by only teaching the lessons? Is it your role as a teacher, a loving adult, to discuss personal matters with your students?
vi. Will the children in your classroom know people who will help them talk about the trauma they have faced? Will adults in their lives have the skills needed to help the children?
vii. When children in your classroom have behavior problems, will you consider that the problems could be related to trauma experienced over the last number of months due to the war? Will you correct the behavior problem, or will you search to learn the cause of the behavior problem?
e. The life events written about in your bag are for you. It would be unfair of me to ask you to share such personal information with strangers. The point of the exercise is to first challenge each of you to think about the condition of your heart, and specifically how the events of the past and present (war) are affecting you personal. Secondly, it is to encourage you to find someone you trust with whom you can talk. It is very important for you to come to a place of inner peace with the traumatic events in your personal life before you will be able to help the children in your classroom who are in need of adult comfort, guidance, support and love. The teacher creates the environment of the classroom and is the one through which children can be comforted and healed.
III. What is trauma?
a. When children are exposed to traumatic life events, their reactions to these events have the potential to interfere substantially with their day-to-day functioning. Their reactions can also cause them and their families significant distress.
b. According to the dictionary, trauma has several meanings and different levels of severity.
c. First, trauma is an emotional wound or shock that creates substantial, lasting damage to the psychological development of a person.
d. Second, it is an event or situation that causes great distress and disruption.
e. Third, it is a life event or situation that causes imbalance in a person’s life.
IV. How can trauma affect a person?
a. It can cause great pain and suffering that affects the body or the mind.
b. It can cause people to feel they are in a state of desperate need.
c. It can cause people to feel they are in a state of being in great trouble.
d. It can cause great unhappiness, especially when a person is living with sickness, poverty, or loss.
e. It can cause bodily and mental pain that is often too intense to be borne.
V. Stress is a by-product of trauma
a. Stress is created by life events that cause imbalance or abnormality in a child’s life. When children respond in unhealthy ways to stress, there is a strong indication they do not have the emotional or mental ability to properly cope with the situation.
b. Stress shows itself in children in complaints about stomach aches, nervousness, trouble sleeping, anger and infections.
c. Reactions to stress vary with the child’s stage of development, ability to cope, the length of time the stress continues, intensity of the stress, and the degree of support from family and friends.
d. The two most frequent indicators that children are stressed are:
i. Change in behaviors
ii. Regression of behaviors (doing things they would have done at an earlier stage of development but not at their present stage or age)
e. Children under stress change their behavior and react by doing things that are not in keeping with their usual behavior.
VI. Responses of children of various age groups to stress
a. Children are unique individuals and respond to stress in many different ways. They also learn to cope with stress in different ways. Some children manage stress through tears or tantrums or by retreating from unpleasant situations. Usually a child’s thinking is not fully developed enough to think of options or think about the results of possible actions.
b. Ages 1-3
i. May regress to infant behaviors
ii. May feel angry and not understand their feelings
iii. May fear being alone or without their parent
iv. May withdrawal from others
v. May bite
vi. May be sensitive to sudden or loud noises
c. Ages 4-5
i. May be irritable
ii. May have anxiety
iii. May cry uncontrollably
iv. May tremble with fright
v. May have eating or sleeping problems
vi. May become sad, angry or aggressive
vii. May have nightmares
viii. May be accident prone
d. Ages 6-12
i. May complain and whine
ii. May withdraw from others
iii. May feel unloved
iv. May be distrustful
v. May not do their school work
vi. May have difficulty naming their feelings
vii. May worry about the future
viii. May complain of head or stomach aches
ix. May have trouble sleeping
x. May have a loss of appetite
xi. May need to urinate frequently
e. Ages 13-18
i. May feel angry longer than younger children
ii. May feel cynical or critical about life
iii. May lack self-esteem (may think bad thoughts about themselves)
iv. May generally distrust everything (friends, parents, family, government)
v. May show extreme behaviors such as doing everything they are asked (expect perfection from themselves) to rebelling against authority and breaking all the rules
vi. May participate in high-risk behaviors, such as drugs, alcohol, stealing, not going to school)
vii. May feel depressed and have suicidal thoughts
f. Children who live in supportive environments and develop a range of coping strategies become more resilient or able to return to their normal happy selves after a stressful experience or crisis. Many children, however, do not have a supportive environment and do not learn to cope with stress. Not having the skills needed to cope with stress has the potential to create even more stressful events in the future for the child, his family and ultimately the stability of a nation if enough children are left without help.
VII. Example of a distressed child and a loving teacher: “Lilies of the Valley”
When I was seven, my grandma died. I cried at her funeral because my older cousins were crying, not because I was grieving. I was too young to fully understand my loss at that time. But four years later, when I was eleven, one of my best friends died, and I could not stop grieving.
Linda was a beautiful girl with long, brown hair that curled softly on her shoulders. She had a warm, friendly smile for everyone and a heart full of kindness. We had slumber parties together, practiced cheerleading, went biking and met at the movies. We loved to sing and to dance. Pretending we were famous ballerinas, we would twirl and glide and leap through the air until we fell to the ground, laughing and exhausted.
When Linda’s appendix burst, no donor could be found in our small town to match her rare blood type. She died in an airplane on the way to a Chicago hospital.
I was overcome with an emptiness that was nearly unbearable. I couldn’t stop crying. Mom came to my room several times throughout the first night, but nothing she said could console me. The next few days were no better. I cried incessantly, still feeling that hollow loneliness.
On the day of the funeral, Mom took me to church to say a last good-bye to my friend. Linda looked as angelic in death as she was in life. Fragrant lilies of the valley, with tiny, delicate bells, surrounded her casket. They reminded me of a song that Linda and I sang whenever Mom took us to pick wildflowers in the wood:
White silent bells upon a slender stalk
Lilies of the valley deck my garden walk
Oh, don’t you wish that you could hear them ring
That will happen only when the angels sing.
The bells will never ring, I thought bitterly, because the angels won’t sing. Who could sing now? Not even angels.
We left before the service began. Mom was afraid I might cry uncontrollably. Perhaps she was right.
The next day at school, when the others went outside for recess, I sat at my desk staring numbly at the windows. I could hear the loud taunts and joking from the playground. How could the others even think of playing when Linda wasn’t there with them? How could they be laughing and having fun? How could life ever be the same? I would never, never smile again. That wouldn’t be fair to my friend.
I was alone in my own little world of anger, guilt and heartache when our teacher, Mrs. Zink, walked over to gaze out the window near me. She stood there for several minutes and then did the strangest thing. She plopped herself up onto the desktop across from mine, just like one of the kids!
“Linda was pretty great, wasn’t she?” she asked. “What did you like most about her?”
Mrs. Zink asked me question after question and gently guided the conversation to focus on my feelings. The more I talked, the better I felt. My teacher, in a patient, caring way, helped me understand that I shouldn’t feel guilty because I was alive and my friend was dead; that Linda would not want me to be sad or to stop playing and having fun. She assured me that my precious friend was in paradise.
In a moment of certainty I examined, “And the angels are singing to welcome her!” I pictured Linda in heaven – her head flung back with her long hair blowing in the breeze and her arms outstretched and swayed, dancing in a massive field filled with lilies of the valley. Then, for the first time in days, I smiled. And in my heart I knew the bells were ringing.
That day in our fifth-grade classroom, with my teacher casually perched on top of a small student desk, my grieving passed and healing began.”
VIII. How to create a safe and supportive environment for children
a. Spend time developing a trustful relationship with the child.
b. Demonstrate to the child that you support him through listening and being willing to help whenever possible.
c. Show caring and warmth.
d. Have high and clear expectations of the child without being overly strict
e. Provide ways for the child to positively contribute to the classroom (and his own family) in meaningful ways by including him in discussions and jobs.
f. Be sensitive to the beliefs and practices of the family
g. Build on the strengths of the family by creating a family environment in the classroom – an environment where children are completely accepted, loved and appreciated for their unique qualities and abilities.
IX. Things that help children feel supported and safe
a. A healthy relationship with at least one parent or close adult.
b. Well-developed social skills – has the ability to get along well with other children.
c. Well-developed problem-solving skills.
d. Ability to act independently
e. Has at least one coping strategy (see information below)
f. Has a positive self-esteem and knows how to take personal responsibilities for his behaviors.
g. Has the ability to focus his attention when learning or involved in a conversation.
h. Has special interests and hobbies, such as playing sports, a musical instrument, art, dance, etc.
X. How to help children develop strong coping strategies to manage their stress which comes as a result of traumatic experiences in life.
a. A key element to reducing stress is to create a low-stress environment. Such an environment is based on social support, having the ability to cope by thinking through situations, and being able to anticipate stress and learn new ways to avoid it.
b. Social support means having people to depend on during difficult times. Parents who listen, friends to talk to, hugs and help in thinking through solutions are ways children feel support.
c. As adults, we can make sure we don’t add to children’s stress by expecting them to act in adult ways. We can praise, be positive, seek positive solutions, help children name their feelings, teach fairness, help children learn to like themselves, be patient, teach honesty and give lots of love and encouragement, particularly during difficult times.
d. Notice them. Well-developed observation skills are essential. Observe children for increased quarrels with playmates, poor concentration, or bed-wetting.
e. Praise them. Encourage children and show you care. Be positive.
f. Acknowledge feelings. Let children know it is OK to feel angry, alone, scared or lonely. Give children the names for their feelings and words to express how they are feeling.
g. Have children view the situation more positively. Some stressors make the child feel ashamed. Shaming affects self-esteem.
h. Structure activities for cooperation, not competition. This allows individuals to go at their own pace and increases the learning of social skills.
i. Involve parents, family members and friends. They can read books together, encouraging openness and listening. They also can ensure good nutrition and proper rest.
j. Host regular, safe talks. Members of the classroom or others who feel comfortable can share experiences, fears, and feelings. Adults can recognize the steps a child uses to cope and help others learn from these experiences. Hold regular meetings in the classroom to plan activities or to suggest solutions.
XI. How to teach children to think situations through clearly, rather than respond negatively to a situation because of stress.
a. Show children how they can cope with their stress in a healthy way. Keep calm, control anger, think through a plan and share the plan with the family.
b. Be proactive. Plan plenty of playtime, inform children about changes, and plan activities where children can play out their feelings through books, art, and writing. This helps children think through their emotions and name their feelings.
c. Develop thinking skills. Help children think through the consequences of actions. Create hypothetical (real situations that could happen but are not presently happening) situations where children are able to think through what their reactions to the situations would be. Ask questions with no exact answer about the solutions to the problems, such as “What could we do about this?”
d. Help children tell reality from fantasy. A child’s behavior, for example, did not cause his or her parents to problem with others in the neighborhood.
e. As an adult, focus on the stressor. Model how thinking though options for dealing with difficult people, situations or problems helps you find solutions.
f. Find individual talking time. Talk with your students about stressful events and everyday events.
g. Use stories and books. Stories can help the child identify with the feelings of the character and identify his own feelings. This is a gentle way to discuss feelings and coping strategies for real events through the lives of fictional characters.
h. Use are for expressing feelings. Paint, clay, sand and water all allow for active expression.
i. Encourage children to act out coping skills. Playing with dolls, boxes, toy telephones, puppets, blocks, cars and similar items provides another way to bring feelings out for discussion.
j. Give the child some degree of control. Children should be allowed to choose within the framework of what is expected. Allow them to make some manageable decisions, such as how to arrange their desks, to voice their opinions in some discussions, etc.
XII. How to help children foresee stressful situations and avoid them in the future.
a. Identify what could cause stress and plan ways to avoid it or deal with it.
b. Encourage children to be proud of themselves in some way. Developing a special interest or skill can serve as a source of pride and self-esteem.
c. Use gentle humor or read a silly cook to create laughter and to reframe negative thought into opportunities.
d. Offer personal space. Modify the environment. Quiet space and time alone should be allowed.
e. Teach relaxation and deep breathing techniques. Ask children to close their eyes and imagine a quiet and happy place (a gentle river, a birthday party, a cup of sweet tea).
f. Teach conflict resolution strategies. Teach children to think through alternative ways to solve problems. Who else can help solve given problems? What additional information do they need?
XIII. Final example of a distressed child and a loving teacher: “Once upon a time…”
Some parents just don’t want to hear any bad news about their children. Mr. Reardon seemed to be one of them. Though I needed his help, I wasn’t getting anywhere with him. I’d spent my entire lunch period trying to convince him that his ten-year-old daughter was in serious emotional pain. I didn’t succeed; talking to him was like talking to a prosecutor.
After twelve years of teaching, I consider myself a “pro”. (read the remainder of the story on page 3 of Chicken Soup for the Soul).
Children, Trauma and a Loving Teacher: Helping Children Who Have Experienced Traumatic Life Events
I. Introduction
a. Example of a traumatic life event
A boy named Peter was eight years old when his mother was tragically killed in a car accident. The family was devastated, as any family would be, particularly Peter’s father and the three children. Many people gave their love and comfort during the days surrounding the funeral and after; however, it simply wasn’t enough. The children never learned how to properly cope with the loss of their mother.
Life continued as usual, and all three children quietly carried the pain, suffering and emptiness of the loss of their mother in their hearts. It was a traumatic experience that none of them fully understood until, as adults, they each individually visited a counselor who helped them talk about the loss of their mother and explore how it had negatively affected their lives and life choices.
Peter realized during his counseling sessions that as a young boy he had learned how to cope with the death of his mother by ignoring his emotions. The counselor gave him an illustration of a “gunny sack” (a large burlap bag used to carry potatoes or onions). She said that people learn to hide, cover up or push away their emotions (feelings) because they do not know how to handle them. Many people carry around with them a gunny sack filled with emotions they have never learned to overcome.
The counselor helped Peter realize that when his mother died, he learned that the only way to give himself temporary freedom from the pain was to push it away deep into the hidden places of his heart, such as pushing it away deep into the bottom of a dark gunny sack. As he eventually convinced his heart and mind that everything was OK, he found relief, but only temporarily. As other difficult life events completely unrelated to his mother’s death occurred he pushed them away and ignored them. With these too, he learned to put them away into the hidden places of his heart where no one, not even himself had access. He learned, instead, to be a comedian and to convince the world that he was happy and doing well. This, however, was not true. Deep inside his heart, he felt depressed and thought of taking his life.
The counselor helped Peter talk about present problems. As they talked, each event was pulled from his gunny sack and examined. One event led to an earlier event in his life, which led to an earlier event, until he came to the bottom of his gunny sack. There he rediscovered the death of his mother. With great care, the counselor helped Peter talk about his mother. She helped him to understand that all of his present distress – his depression and suicidal thoughts – began when he learned to push away his feelings and ignore them.
Because Peter and his siblings did not as children learn how to properly cope with the death of their mother, they spent their adolescent and early adult years struggling through life. Fortunately, as adults they have all found freedom from their pain, first through the love of God which comforts them, and secondly, through acquiring skills to help them cope and properly handle difficult life situations.
It is very important for parents, teachers and adults who work with young children and adolescents to realize their significant role in helping children overcome traumatic life events. Children can and do experience trauma.
II. Personal Reflection Time
a. Take a few moments to think about your life experiences. Have you had a happy life? Have you experienced difficult things – the loss of a loved one, the loss of a home, the pain of war?
b. Next, think about your heart? Are you happy and at peace today? Do you have anxiety about the future? Do you have anxious thoughts about the recent events in your country? Do you feel angry? Do you feel discouraged or depressed?
c. As you think about these things, briefly write on a piece of paper one very difficult event from your life. When finished, carefully fold this piece of paper and place it inside your bag. Continue to do this with additional life events and feelings – past and present. You will have 10-15 minutes.
d. (Once the 10-15 minutes has finished) Now, having carefully and privately considered your life and looked into your hearts for a few moments, here are a few questions to discuss with your group:
i. Would you feel comfortable sharing the information you have written on the papers with another person? Is it acceptable in the Iraqi culture to discuss matters of the heart with others?
ii. If so, who would you feel comfortable sharing your troubles with? Would you share all the details, or would you only share a small portion of them? Would you talk about your troubles directly, giving specific details or would you talk about them indirectly?
iii. Would you feel safe sharing your feelings, especially the feeling of anger, with people in your neighborhood or school?
iv. What about fellow teachers? Would you ever consider speaking openly about personal matters of the heart? Why or why not? Do you feel you could trust other teachers? What characteristics would you look for in a fellow teacher to demonstrate trustworthiness?
v. A child comes to your classroom after months of being out of school because of the war. Do you know this child? Do you ask questions and learn about his experiences over the past number of months? Do you dare ask him/her to share with you sensitive issues, or do you protect yourself by only teaching the lessons? Is it your role as a teacher, a loving adult, to discuss personal matters with your students?
vi. Will the children in your classroom know people who will help them talk about the trauma they have faced? Will adults in their lives have the skills needed to help the children?
vii. When children in your classroom have behavior problems, will you consider that the problems could be related to trauma experienced over the last number of months due to the war? Will you correct the behavior problem, or will you search to learn the cause of the behavior problem?
e. The life events written about in your bag are for you. It would be unfair of me to ask you to share such personal information with strangers. The point of the exercise is to first challenge each of you to think about the condition of your heart, and specifically how the events of the past and present (war) are affecting you personal. Secondly, it is to encourage you to find someone you trust with whom you can talk. It is very important for you to come to a place of inner peace with the traumatic events in your personal life before you will be able to help the children in your classroom who are in need of adult comfort, guidance, support and love. The teacher creates the environment of the classroom and is the one through which children can be comforted and healed.
III. What is trauma?
a. When children are exposed to traumatic life events, their reactions to these events have the potential to interfere substantially with their day-to-day functioning. Their reactions can also cause them and their families significant distress.
b. According to the dictionary, trauma has several meanings and different levels of severity.
c. First, trauma is an emotional wound or shock that creates substantial, lasting damage to the psychological development of a person.
d. Second, it is an event or situation that causes great distress and disruption.
e. Third, it is a life event or situation that causes imbalance in a person’s life.
IV. How can trauma affect a person?
a. It can cause great pain and suffering that affects the body or the mind.
b. It can cause people to feel they are in a state of desperate need.
c. It can cause people to feel they are in a state of being in great trouble.
d. It can cause great unhappiness, especially when a person is living with sickness, poverty, or loss.
e. It can cause bodily and mental pain that is often too intense to be borne.
V. Stress is a by-product of trauma
a. Stress is created by life events that cause imbalance or abnormality in a child’s life. When children respond in unhealthy ways to stress, there is a strong indication they do not have the emotional or mental ability to properly cope with the situation.
b. Stress shows itself in children in complaints about stomach aches, nervousness, trouble sleeping, anger and infections.
c. Reactions to stress vary with the child’s stage of development, ability to cope, the length of time the stress continues, intensity of the stress, and the degree of support from family and friends.
d. The two most frequent indicators that children are stressed are:
i. Change in behaviors
ii. Regression of behaviors (doing things they would have done at an earlier stage of development but not at their present stage or age)
e. Children under stress change their behavior and react by doing things that are not in keeping with their usual behavior.
VI. Responses of children of various age groups to stress
a. Children are unique individuals and respond to stress in many different ways. They also learn to cope with stress in different ways. Some children manage stress through tears or tantrums or by retreating from unpleasant situations. Usually a child’s thinking is not fully developed enough to think of options or think about the results of possible actions.
b. Ages 1-3
i. May regress to infant behaviors
ii. May feel angry and not understand their feelings
iii. May fear being alone or without their parent
iv. May withdrawal from others
v. May bite
vi. May be sensitive to sudden or loud noises
c. Ages 4-5
i. May be irritable
ii. May have anxiety
iii. May cry uncontrollably
iv. May tremble with fright
v. May have eating or sleeping problems
vi. May become sad, angry or aggressive
vii. May have nightmares
viii. May be accident prone
d. Ages 6-12
i. May complain and whine
ii. May withdraw from others
iii. May feel unloved
iv. May be distrustful
v. May not do their school work
vi. May have difficulty naming their feelings
vii. May worry about the future
viii. May complain of head or stomach aches
ix. May have trouble sleeping
x. May have a loss of appetite
xi. May need to urinate frequently
e. Ages 13-18
i. May feel angry longer than younger children
ii. May feel cynical or critical about life
iii. May lack self-esteem (may think bad thoughts about themselves)
iv. May generally distrust everything (friends, parents, family, government)
v. May show extreme behaviors such as doing everything they are asked (expect perfection from themselves) to rebelling against authority and breaking all the rules
vi. May participate in high-risk behaviors, such as drugs, alcohol, stealing, not going to school)
vii. May feel depressed and have suicidal thoughts
f. Children who live in supportive environments and develop a range of coping strategies become more resilient or able to return to their normal happy selves after a stressful experience or crisis. Many children, however, do not have a supportive environment and do not learn to cope with stress. Not having the skills needed to cope with stress has the potential to create even more stressful events in the future for the child, his family and ultimately the stability of a nation if enough children are left without help.
VII. Example of a distressed child and a loving teacher: “Lilies of the Valley”
When I was seven, my grandma died. I cried at her funeral because my older cousins were crying, not because I was grieving. I was too young to fully understand my loss at that time. But four years later, when I was eleven, one of my best friends died, and I could not stop grieving.
Linda was a beautiful girl with long, brown hair that curled softly on her shoulders. She had a warm, friendly smile for everyone and a heart full of kindness. We had slumber parties together, practiced cheerleading, went biking and met at the movies. We loved to sing and to dance. Pretending we were famous ballerinas, we would twirl and glide and leap through the air until we fell to the ground, laughing and exhausted.
When Linda’s appendix burst, no donor could be found in our small town to match her rare blood type. She died in an airplane on the way to a Chicago hospital.
I was overcome with an emptiness that was nearly unbearable. I couldn’t stop crying. Mom came to my room several times throughout the first night, but nothing she said could console me. The next few days were no better. I cried incessantly, still feeling that hollow loneliness.
On the day of the funeral, Mom took me to church to say a last good-bye to my friend. Linda looked as angelic in death as she was in life. Fragrant lilies of the valley, with tiny, delicate bells, surrounded her casket. They reminded me of a song that Linda and I sang whenever Mom took us to pick wildflowers in the wood:
White silent bells upon a slender stalk
Lilies of the valley deck my garden walk
Oh, don’t you wish that you could hear them ring
That will happen only when the angels sing.
The bells will never ring, I thought bitterly, because the angels won’t sing. Who could sing now? Not even angels.
We left before the service began. Mom was afraid I might cry uncontrollably. Perhaps she was right.
The next day at school, when the others went outside for recess, I sat at my desk staring numbly at the windows. I could hear the loud taunts and joking from the playground. How could the others even think of playing when Linda wasn’t there with them? How could they be laughing and having fun? How could life ever be the same? I would never, never smile again. That wouldn’t be fair to my friend.
I was alone in my own little world of anger, guilt and heartache when our teacher, Mrs. Zink, walked over to gaze out the window near me. She stood there for several minutes and then did the strangest thing. She plopped herself up onto the desktop across from mine, just like one of the kids!
“Linda was pretty great, wasn’t she?” she asked. “What did you like most about her?”
Mrs. Zink asked me question after question and gently guided the conversation to focus on my feelings. The more I talked, the better I felt. My teacher, in a patient, caring way, helped me understand that I shouldn’t feel guilty because I was alive and my friend was dead; that Linda would not want me to be sad or to stop playing and having fun. She assured me that my precious friend was in paradise.
In a moment of certainty I examined, “And the angels are singing to welcome her!” I pictured Linda in heaven – her head flung back with her long hair blowing in the breeze and her arms outstretched and swayed, dancing in a massive field filled with lilies of the valley. Then, for the first time in days, I smiled. And in my heart I knew the bells were ringing.
That day in our fifth-grade classroom, with my teacher casually perched on top of a small student desk, my grieving passed and healing began.”
VIII. How to create a safe and supportive environment for children
a. Spend time developing a trustful relationship with the child.
b. Demonstrate to the child that you support him through listening and being willing to help whenever possible.
c. Show caring and warmth.
d. Have high and clear expectations of the child without being overly strict
e. Provide ways for the child to positively contribute to the classroom (and his own family) in meaningful ways by including him in discussions and jobs.
f. Be sensitive to the beliefs and practices of the family
g. Build on the strengths of the family by creating a family environment in the classroom – an environment where children are completely accepted, loved and appreciated for their unique qualities and abilities.
IX. Things that help children feel supported and safe
a. A healthy relationship with at least one parent or close adult.
b. Well-developed social skills – has the ability to get along well with other children.
c. Well-developed problem-solving skills.
d. Ability to act independently
e. Has at least one coping strategy (see information below)
f. Has a positive self-esteem and knows how to take personal responsibilities for his behaviors.
g. Has the ability to focus his attention when learning or involved in a conversation.
h. Has special interests and hobbies, such as playing sports, a musical instrument, art, dance, etc.
X. How to help children develop strong coping strategies to manage their stress which comes as a result of traumatic experiences in life.
a. A key element to reducing stress is to create a low-stress environment. Such an environment is based on social support, having the ability to cope by thinking through situations, and being able to anticipate stress and learn new ways to avoid it.
b. Social support means having people to depend on during difficult times. Parents who listen, friends to talk to, hugs and help in thinking through solutions are ways children feel support.
c. As adults, we can make sure we don’t add to children’s stress by expecting them to act in adult ways. We can praise, be positive, seek positive solutions, help children name their feelings, teach fairness, help children learn to like themselves, be patient, teach honesty and give lots of love and encouragement, particularly during difficult times.
d. Notice them. Well-developed observation skills are essential. Observe children for increased quarrels with playmates, poor concentration, or bed-wetting.
e. Praise them. Encourage children and show you care. Be positive.
f. Acknowledge feelings. Let children know it is OK to feel angry, alone, scared or lonely. Give children the names for their feelings and words to express how they are feeling.
g. Have children view the situation more positively. Some stressors make the child feel ashamed. Shaming affects self-esteem.
h. Structure activities for cooperation, not competition. This allows individuals to go at their own pace and increases the learning of social skills.
i. Involve parents, family members and friends. They can read books together, encouraging openness and listening. They also can ensure good nutrition and proper rest.
j. Host regular, safe talks. Members of the classroom or others who feel comfortable can share experiences, fears, and feelings. Adults can recognize the steps a child uses to cope and help others learn from these experiences. Hold regular meetings in the classroom to plan activities or to suggest solutions.
XI. How to teach children to think situations through clearly, rather than respond negatively to a situation because of stress.
a. Show children how they can cope with their stress in a healthy way. Keep calm, control anger, think through a plan and share the plan with the family.
b. Be proactive. Plan plenty of playtime, inform children about changes, and plan activities where children can play out their feelings through books, art, and writing. This helps children think through their emotions and name their feelings.
c. Develop thinking skills. Help children think through the consequences of actions. Create hypothetical (real situations that could happen but are not presently happening) situations where children are able to think through what their reactions to the situations would be. Ask questions with no exact answer about the solutions to the problems, such as “What could we do about this?”
d. Help children tell reality from fantasy. A child’s behavior, for example, did not cause his or her parents to problem with others in the neighborhood.
e. As an adult, focus on the stressor. Model how thinking though options for dealing with difficult people, situations or problems helps you find solutions.
f. Find individual talking time. Talk with your students about stressful events and everyday events.
g. Use stories and books. Stories can help the child identify with the feelings of the character and identify his own feelings. This is a gentle way to discuss feelings and coping strategies for real events through the lives of fictional characters.
h. Use are for expressing feelings. Paint, clay, sand and water all allow for active expression.
i. Encourage children to act out coping skills. Playing with dolls, boxes, toy telephones, puppets, blocks, cars and similar items provides another way to bring feelings out for discussion.
j. Give the child some degree of control. Children should be allowed to choose within the framework of what is expected. Allow them to make some manageable decisions, such as how to arrange their desks, to voice their opinions in some discussions, etc.
XII. How to help children foresee stressful situations and avoid them in the future.
a. Identify what could cause stress and plan ways to avoid it or deal with it.
b. Encourage children to be proud of themselves in some way. Developing a special interest or skill can serve as a source of pride and self-esteem.
c. Use gentle humor or read a silly cook to create laughter and to reframe negative thought into opportunities.
d. Offer personal space. Modify the environment. Quiet space and time alone should be allowed.
e. Teach relaxation and deep breathing techniques. Ask children to close their eyes and imagine a quiet and happy place (a gentle river, a birthday party, a cup of sweet tea).
f. Teach conflict resolution strategies. Teach children to think through alternative ways to solve problems. Who else can help solve given problems? What additional information do they need?
XIII. Final example of a distressed child and a loving teacher: “Once upon a time…”
Some parents just don’t want to hear any bad news about their children. Mr. Reardon seemed to be one of them. Though I needed his help, I wasn’t getting anywhere with him. I’d spent my entire lunch period trying to convince him that his ten-year-old daughter was in serious emotional pain. I didn’t succeed; talking to him was like talking to a prosecutor.
After twelve years of teaching, I consider myself a “pro”. (read the remainder of the story on page 3 of Chicken Soup for the Soul).
Terry Law Ministries: Teaching on Islam for Chinese Missionaries
This is a chapter from a course I wrote on the subject of Islam. The content was converted to a script, then was filmed and a DVD created to accompany the book.
The overall cross-cultural training program consists of four courses, divided into 16 modules and totals 1,500 pages. The entire program was translated into Chinese, and then filmed in English with Chinese voiceovers. This project took five years for me to complete. I researched, compiled, wrote and edited the entire program. Today, it is used by Chinese house church leaders to train missionaries and is the only one of its kind in China.
History of Islam, Part I
Introduction
Welcome once again to our teaching on Islam. In this lesson I’d like to talk with you briefly about some of the historical events that contributed to the rise and spread of Islam beginning in the sixth century. My goal is for all of us in the end to have a deeper understanding of the changes that occurred in Islam through the years and how these shaped the Islam that is practiced today.
When we study topics such as the standard practices of Islam, the religion seems somewhat simple and straightforward. However, the deeper we get into our study, the more questions and contradictions come to the surface, making the topic much more complicated. Just as in Christianity where followers of Christ have differing interpretations of the Bible, Muslims vary in their interpretation of the Quran and even in the understanding of their own history.
What I’d like to do in this session is present to you a few of the facts surrounding the life of Muhammad, the expansion of Islam under his leadership, the selection of Muhammad’s successor and the split among his followers as a result of this decision.
Pre-Islamic Period
Muslims call the time before Muhammad the “time of ignorance” and the emergence of Islam as the “time of literacy.” They like to claim that before Islam, ignorance and emptiness abounded universally, but soon gave way to knowledge revealed through the Prophet. The idea of the pre-Islamic period as a “time of ignorance,” however, contradicts what we know of the great expanse of knowledge available for centuries prior to Muhammad’s birth.
Just as Muslims view the time before Muhammad as a time of ignorance, many also tend to disregard the possibility that other religions and cultures influenced the development Islam. Instead they adamantly believe the message of the Prophet was spoken in pure form from God’s lips to man’s ears. Nevertheless, all religions have a historical context, which must be studied and carefully considered.
Up until the time of Islam, the Arabian Peninsula was a center of much cultural and religious activity. Undoubtedly, Muhammad would have interacted with Arab tribes whose religious beliefs were very diverse. For example, Christian Arabs inhabited regions of Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. They thrived in many Arabian cities such as Mecca where Muhammad was born. Jews were actually the largest people group living in Medina (Saudi Arabia) at the time of his birth. It is known that early in his prophethood Muhammad preached to and debated with many Jewish tribesmen over Jewish Law.
Also, in this region, pagans (people who worshipped a number of different deities) practiced rituals that were not unlike certain rites that Muslims perform today. They made pilgrimages to distant lands to worship their gods. Interestingly, many of them called on the name of “Allah,” a supreme god who had three daughters. On certain holy days, they worshipped at statues of deities, paced around sacred icons and walked for long distances between holy sites. Ironically, Muslims today perform similar rites during their annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
The Jewish tradition played a substantial part in Islam’s development. Some Jews who became Muslim also kept many of their Jewish customs. For example, some of these converts to Islam incorporated stories from the Old Testament into their new religion. The Islamic connection to the Jewish faith is revealed in the Quran as well as in other pieces of Islamic literature. As suggested earlier, Muhammad’s frequent debates with Jewish leaders in Medina helped shape his earlier writings. In these debates, he confronted Jewish Law and formed his own opinions about religious and moral practices.
Other evidence also shows how Judeo-Christian philosophy influenced the early Arabic culture. Assuredly, the expansion of the Roman Empire, which had adopted Christianity as its official religion, dispersed people of the Christian faith throughout the region. Muhammad was a trader so he would have traveled extensively throughout the Arabian Peninsula and encountered some of these early Christians. Christianity and Judaism had been well established in the region for centuries. Interestingly, many Muslims today don’t realize that Christianity existed for six centuries before Islam.
It is therefore my conclusion that the formation of Islam occurred over a period of many years, rather than just once during a brief encounter between the angel Gabriel and Muhammad in a cave. Islam was most assuredly influenced by the cultural and religious practices of various belief systems that had existed on the Arabian Peninsula for centuries prior to the coming of Muhammad.
The Life of Muhammad
Muhammad was born in 570 AD. Both of his parents died when he was quite young. As a boy he lived with his grandfather who also later died, leaving him to be adopted and raised through adulthood by his uncle.
As a young man in Medina, Saudi Arabia, Muhammad became a trusted and respected businessman. He worked for various people on caravans traveling all over the region, one of which was a wealthy woman named Khadija, who later asked him to marry her. They remained married until her death. Eventually, Muhammad, for political purposes, married a total of eleven women and instituted the practice of polygamy still held by many Muslims today.
During his first marriage, Muhammad enjoyed, as his grandfather did, retreating to nearby mountain caves to meditate. On one of these meditation trips, Muhammad had an experience that today is used by Muslims worldwide to authenticate the Quran and Islamic practices. In a cave at the base of Mount Hira, he fell into a trance and Muslims claim, was visited by the angel Gabriel with the final message from God to mankind – a message of one God and of coming judgment.
After receiving this message, Muhammad fearfully fled the cave and told his wife Khadija everything he had heard. He wasn’t certain if the message was really from God, or if he were possessed by an evil spirit. To receive clarity, he consulted a Gnostic monk. (Gnostics believe that everything in the earth, all matter, is evil and it is only through knowledge one can find salvation). This monk confirmed (falsely) the words Muhammad had received were an authentic message from God to which he should heed and preach to others. Khadija was the first to believe Muhammad was a prophet, and soon others such as his cousin Ali and friend Abu Bakr also believed he was a prophet.
Approximately three years after he had the experience at Mount Hira, Muhammad gained courage and began to publicly preach what he believed was God’s final, incorruptible message to the world. He preached that there is only one supreme God who will one day judge the world, so people should perform good deeds by caring for the poor and needy, etc., to avoid God’s wrath and gain entrance into paradise. It is therefore not surprising that many of Muhammad’s early disciples—approximately 150 people in total—were from among the poor and disadvantaged of society of his hometown, Mecca.
As Muhammad preached the message of one God, he encountered opposition from his own tribe, the Quraish. The Quraish were polytheists known to make pilgrimages to the Ka’aba, a place of worship containing 360 idols and the famous Black Stone. Ironically, today Muslims make pilgrimages to the Ka’aba, which they believe was originally built by Adam and later rebuilt by Abraham and Ishmael as the house of God. Historically, however, the Black Stone was worshipped for centuries prior to Muhammad.
Initially Muhammad tried to make friends with the Quraish by honoring their deities and incorporating into Islam the Quraish practice of pilgrimage to the Ka’aba. The Quraish, however, still hated Muhammad for insulting their gods and for trying to elevate himself as the leader of their tribe. They plotted to kill Muhammad around the time he and a group of 150 followers fled from Mecca to Medina. This event was a turning point for Muhammad and marked the first official year (622 AD) of the Islamic calendar.
In Medina, Muhammad created the first Islamic state, lead by himself as the one who knew the will of Allah. Soon thereafter, he came to believe that preaching alone was not enough to win converts; the people of Arabia would only convert by force. So, he adopted a doctrine of war (jihad), practiced by many Muslims today.
The Islamic state grew as Muhammad led his followers into battle against the “infidels” who refused to yield to his leadership or recognize him as the final prophet of God. He and his followers raided caravans headed to market in Mecca. Through this they gained great wealth and also hurt the economy of Mecca, making it more vulnerable to invasion.
Muhammad’s army grew and slowly, battle after battle, acquired the lands and leadership of the entire Arabian Peninsula. One historian said this of the spread of Islam under Muhammad: “The Arabs converted to Islam not because of spiritual revival or religious persuasion, but because of their fear of Muhammad’s army. The new religion, which began by merely seeking to introduce monotheism to the Arabs, developed into a means for military conquests. Muhammad was able to take control of Arabia because of intertribal strife, the lack of foreign domination, and the cultural backwardness of the people (McDowell and Zaka, page 41).
The Debate Over Succession
When Muhammad died in 632 AD, his followers were quite shaken and unprepared to continue without his rule. Muhammad made the grave error of not appointing a successor prior to his death, which caused a great debate and eventual divide to occur among his followers who needed to select a new leader.
One group, who eventually would become known as Shiite Muslims, believed Muhammad’s successor should come directly from his family lineage. Because Muhammad had no son, his next of kin was his cousin and son-in-law, Ali. Ali eventually was appointed as the fourth caliph, spiritual and political leader, to succeed Muhammad. To this day, Shiites, a minority Islamic sect, believe Ali was the rightful heir to leadership.
The second group, who would eventually become known as Sunni Muslims, supported the idea that a close companion of Muhammad, who was intimately acquainted with him, should assume leadership of the Islamic state. This group drew the greatest degree of support and made it possible for Muhammad’s first successor or caliph, to be Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s closest friend and advisor. Today, there are far more Sunnis than Shiites worldwide.
Abu Bakr’s first order of business was to stop Muslims from abandoning their faith and thus weakening Islam. He decreed that anyone who left Islam should be killed. Unfortunately, this Islamic law still exists today. In fact, certain death awaits many Muslims, who convert to Christianity.
Although it began as a religion of peace, Islam eventually became a religion full of violence and bloodshed. In fact, after Abu Bakr died, every leader of Islam that succeeded him was assassinated. Under Abu Bakr’s successor, Umar, Islam saw its greatest expansion—until he was assassinated after ten years of rule. The next leader, Uthman immortalized himself within the pages of the Quran and demanded that his version of the holy book be the only one used.
The fourth ruler, Ali reigned from 656 to 661 AD. As mentioned earlier, Shiite Muslims favored him as Muhammad’s successor. Because of great tribal tension, Ali tried to reconcile a truce between the major groups. The truce had strong opposition and ended with his assassination. Upon Ali’s death, the two groups, Shiite and Sunni, became permanent divisions in Islam.
Ali’s sons, Hasan and Husain, succeeded him as the next two caliphs. In 680 AD Husain was defeated and killed in Karbala, Iraq by Muslim enemies. Shiites claim Husain was publicly humiliated and died as a sacrifice for Shiite Muslims and consequently honor him each year in a festival called Ashoura. During the Ashoura, Shiites walk together in a parade, flogging themselves with iron chains and slicing their foreheads with swords.
Because the concept of sacrificial death and public shame is so well known among Shiites, Christian workers have reported a stronger openness to the Gospel among Shiites than among Sunnis. Sunnis reject any form of public humiliation and therefore consider the story of the cross absolutely absurd. God, in their minds, would never allow one of His prophets to endure public humiliation and shame as Christians claim Jesus endured on the cross.
After Hasan and Husain, there were a total of six more caliphs who ruled over the Islamic community. The twelfth and final caliph disappeared in the year 877 AD. Shiites view this last caliph as a Christ-like figure who will one day return to earth as the “Mahdi” or “Guided One”. It is believed that Mahdi will return to earth to establish righteous and justice. As with the Festival of Ashoura, the Mahdi is a story that has the potential to direct a Shiite Muslim to Jesus Christ, the one who will ultimately return to permanently establish righteousness and justice on earth.
Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed the first half of this lesson on Islamic history. My main desire is that you have a historical understanding of how the religion began and how it spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula under Muhammad and his immediate successors. In the following lesson we will talk about the “Golden Age of Islam”. This was a very important period of time for Muslims.
The overall cross-cultural training program consists of four courses, divided into 16 modules and totals 1,500 pages. The entire program was translated into Chinese, and then filmed in English with Chinese voiceovers. This project took five years for me to complete. I researched, compiled, wrote and edited the entire program. Today, it is used by Chinese house church leaders to train missionaries and is the only one of its kind in China.
History of Islam, Part I
Introduction
Welcome once again to our teaching on Islam. In this lesson I’d like to talk with you briefly about some of the historical events that contributed to the rise and spread of Islam beginning in the sixth century. My goal is for all of us in the end to have a deeper understanding of the changes that occurred in Islam through the years and how these shaped the Islam that is practiced today.
When we study topics such as the standard practices of Islam, the religion seems somewhat simple and straightforward. However, the deeper we get into our study, the more questions and contradictions come to the surface, making the topic much more complicated. Just as in Christianity where followers of Christ have differing interpretations of the Bible, Muslims vary in their interpretation of the Quran and even in the understanding of their own history.
What I’d like to do in this session is present to you a few of the facts surrounding the life of Muhammad, the expansion of Islam under his leadership, the selection of Muhammad’s successor and the split among his followers as a result of this decision.
Pre-Islamic Period
Muslims call the time before Muhammad the “time of ignorance” and the emergence of Islam as the “time of literacy.” They like to claim that before Islam, ignorance and emptiness abounded universally, but soon gave way to knowledge revealed through the Prophet. The idea of the pre-Islamic period as a “time of ignorance,” however, contradicts what we know of the great expanse of knowledge available for centuries prior to Muhammad’s birth.
Just as Muslims view the time before Muhammad as a time of ignorance, many also tend to disregard the possibility that other religions and cultures influenced the development Islam. Instead they adamantly believe the message of the Prophet was spoken in pure form from God’s lips to man’s ears. Nevertheless, all religions have a historical context, which must be studied and carefully considered.
Up until the time of Islam, the Arabian Peninsula was a center of much cultural and religious activity. Undoubtedly, Muhammad would have interacted with Arab tribes whose religious beliefs were very diverse. For example, Christian Arabs inhabited regions of Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. They thrived in many Arabian cities such as Mecca where Muhammad was born. Jews were actually the largest people group living in Medina (Saudi Arabia) at the time of his birth. It is known that early in his prophethood Muhammad preached to and debated with many Jewish tribesmen over Jewish Law.
Also, in this region, pagans (people who worshipped a number of different deities) practiced rituals that were not unlike certain rites that Muslims perform today. They made pilgrimages to distant lands to worship their gods. Interestingly, many of them called on the name of “Allah,” a supreme god who had three daughters. On certain holy days, they worshipped at statues of deities, paced around sacred icons and walked for long distances between holy sites. Ironically, Muslims today perform similar rites during their annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
The Jewish tradition played a substantial part in Islam’s development. Some Jews who became Muslim also kept many of their Jewish customs. For example, some of these converts to Islam incorporated stories from the Old Testament into their new religion. The Islamic connection to the Jewish faith is revealed in the Quran as well as in other pieces of Islamic literature. As suggested earlier, Muhammad’s frequent debates with Jewish leaders in Medina helped shape his earlier writings. In these debates, he confronted Jewish Law and formed his own opinions about religious and moral practices.
Other evidence also shows how Judeo-Christian philosophy influenced the early Arabic culture. Assuredly, the expansion of the Roman Empire, which had adopted Christianity as its official religion, dispersed people of the Christian faith throughout the region. Muhammad was a trader so he would have traveled extensively throughout the Arabian Peninsula and encountered some of these early Christians. Christianity and Judaism had been well established in the region for centuries. Interestingly, many Muslims today don’t realize that Christianity existed for six centuries before Islam.
It is therefore my conclusion that the formation of Islam occurred over a period of many years, rather than just once during a brief encounter between the angel Gabriel and Muhammad in a cave. Islam was most assuredly influenced by the cultural and religious practices of various belief systems that had existed on the Arabian Peninsula for centuries prior to the coming of Muhammad.
The Life of Muhammad
Muhammad was born in 570 AD. Both of his parents died when he was quite young. As a boy he lived with his grandfather who also later died, leaving him to be adopted and raised through adulthood by his uncle.
As a young man in Medina, Saudi Arabia, Muhammad became a trusted and respected businessman. He worked for various people on caravans traveling all over the region, one of which was a wealthy woman named Khadija, who later asked him to marry her. They remained married until her death. Eventually, Muhammad, for political purposes, married a total of eleven women and instituted the practice of polygamy still held by many Muslims today.
During his first marriage, Muhammad enjoyed, as his grandfather did, retreating to nearby mountain caves to meditate. On one of these meditation trips, Muhammad had an experience that today is used by Muslims worldwide to authenticate the Quran and Islamic practices. In a cave at the base of Mount Hira, he fell into a trance and Muslims claim, was visited by the angel Gabriel with the final message from God to mankind – a message of one God and of coming judgment.
After receiving this message, Muhammad fearfully fled the cave and told his wife Khadija everything he had heard. He wasn’t certain if the message was really from God, or if he were possessed by an evil spirit. To receive clarity, he consulted a Gnostic monk. (Gnostics believe that everything in the earth, all matter, is evil and it is only through knowledge one can find salvation). This monk confirmed (falsely) the words Muhammad had received were an authentic message from God to which he should heed and preach to others. Khadija was the first to believe Muhammad was a prophet, and soon others such as his cousin Ali and friend Abu Bakr also believed he was a prophet.
Approximately three years after he had the experience at Mount Hira, Muhammad gained courage and began to publicly preach what he believed was God’s final, incorruptible message to the world. He preached that there is only one supreme God who will one day judge the world, so people should perform good deeds by caring for the poor and needy, etc., to avoid God’s wrath and gain entrance into paradise. It is therefore not surprising that many of Muhammad’s early disciples—approximately 150 people in total—were from among the poor and disadvantaged of society of his hometown, Mecca.
As Muhammad preached the message of one God, he encountered opposition from his own tribe, the Quraish. The Quraish were polytheists known to make pilgrimages to the Ka’aba, a place of worship containing 360 idols and the famous Black Stone. Ironically, today Muslims make pilgrimages to the Ka’aba, which they believe was originally built by Adam and later rebuilt by Abraham and Ishmael as the house of God. Historically, however, the Black Stone was worshipped for centuries prior to Muhammad.
Initially Muhammad tried to make friends with the Quraish by honoring their deities and incorporating into Islam the Quraish practice of pilgrimage to the Ka’aba. The Quraish, however, still hated Muhammad for insulting their gods and for trying to elevate himself as the leader of their tribe. They plotted to kill Muhammad around the time he and a group of 150 followers fled from Mecca to Medina. This event was a turning point for Muhammad and marked the first official year (622 AD) of the Islamic calendar.
In Medina, Muhammad created the first Islamic state, lead by himself as the one who knew the will of Allah. Soon thereafter, he came to believe that preaching alone was not enough to win converts; the people of Arabia would only convert by force. So, he adopted a doctrine of war (jihad), practiced by many Muslims today.
The Islamic state grew as Muhammad led his followers into battle against the “infidels” who refused to yield to his leadership or recognize him as the final prophet of God. He and his followers raided caravans headed to market in Mecca. Through this they gained great wealth and also hurt the economy of Mecca, making it more vulnerable to invasion.
Muhammad’s army grew and slowly, battle after battle, acquired the lands and leadership of the entire Arabian Peninsula. One historian said this of the spread of Islam under Muhammad: “The Arabs converted to Islam not because of spiritual revival or religious persuasion, but because of their fear of Muhammad’s army. The new religion, which began by merely seeking to introduce monotheism to the Arabs, developed into a means for military conquests. Muhammad was able to take control of Arabia because of intertribal strife, the lack of foreign domination, and the cultural backwardness of the people (McDowell and Zaka, page 41).
The Debate Over Succession
When Muhammad died in 632 AD, his followers were quite shaken and unprepared to continue without his rule. Muhammad made the grave error of not appointing a successor prior to his death, which caused a great debate and eventual divide to occur among his followers who needed to select a new leader.
One group, who eventually would become known as Shiite Muslims, believed Muhammad’s successor should come directly from his family lineage. Because Muhammad had no son, his next of kin was his cousin and son-in-law, Ali. Ali eventually was appointed as the fourth caliph, spiritual and political leader, to succeed Muhammad. To this day, Shiites, a minority Islamic sect, believe Ali was the rightful heir to leadership.
The second group, who would eventually become known as Sunni Muslims, supported the idea that a close companion of Muhammad, who was intimately acquainted with him, should assume leadership of the Islamic state. This group drew the greatest degree of support and made it possible for Muhammad’s first successor or caliph, to be Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s closest friend and advisor. Today, there are far more Sunnis than Shiites worldwide.
Abu Bakr’s first order of business was to stop Muslims from abandoning their faith and thus weakening Islam. He decreed that anyone who left Islam should be killed. Unfortunately, this Islamic law still exists today. In fact, certain death awaits many Muslims, who convert to Christianity.
Although it began as a religion of peace, Islam eventually became a religion full of violence and bloodshed. In fact, after Abu Bakr died, every leader of Islam that succeeded him was assassinated. Under Abu Bakr’s successor, Umar, Islam saw its greatest expansion—until he was assassinated after ten years of rule. The next leader, Uthman immortalized himself within the pages of the Quran and demanded that his version of the holy book be the only one used.
The fourth ruler, Ali reigned from 656 to 661 AD. As mentioned earlier, Shiite Muslims favored him as Muhammad’s successor. Because of great tribal tension, Ali tried to reconcile a truce between the major groups. The truce had strong opposition and ended with his assassination. Upon Ali’s death, the two groups, Shiite and Sunni, became permanent divisions in Islam.
Ali’s sons, Hasan and Husain, succeeded him as the next two caliphs. In 680 AD Husain was defeated and killed in Karbala, Iraq by Muslim enemies. Shiites claim Husain was publicly humiliated and died as a sacrifice for Shiite Muslims and consequently honor him each year in a festival called Ashoura. During the Ashoura, Shiites walk together in a parade, flogging themselves with iron chains and slicing their foreheads with swords.
Because the concept of sacrificial death and public shame is so well known among Shiites, Christian workers have reported a stronger openness to the Gospel among Shiites than among Sunnis. Sunnis reject any form of public humiliation and therefore consider the story of the cross absolutely absurd. God, in their minds, would never allow one of His prophets to endure public humiliation and shame as Christians claim Jesus endured on the cross.
After Hasan and Husain, there were a total of six more caliphs who ruled over the Islamic community. The twelfth and final caliph disappeared in the year 877 AD. Shiites view this last caliph as a Christ-like figure who will one day return to earth as the “Mahdi” or “Guided One”. It is believed that Mahdi will return to earth to establish righteous and justice. As with the Festival of Ashoura, the Mahdi is a story that has the potential to direct a Shiite Muslim to Jesus Christ, the one who will ultimately return to permanently establish righteousness and justice on earth.
Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed the first half of this lesson on Islamic history. My main desire is that you have a historical understanding of how the religion began and how it spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula under Muhammad and his immediate successors. In the following lesson we will talk about the “Golden Age of Islam”. This was a very important period of time for Muslims.
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