B4T Blog
Greg M, Patrick Lai, and guest bloggers write about the joys, challenges, and rewards that come with taking the Gospel to the least reached through real business.
MONEY & MISSIONS: KILLING WITH KINDNESS OR EMPOWERING LASTING TRANSFORMATION
Last month I was in Tijuana. The city seemed to be thriving, but my hosts clarified that the crime is real (all three of them had had their cars stolen and homes broken into). I wondered aloud what impact the church was having on all this that led into a good...
CHANGE AHEAD
For 5 years now we have been advocating that mission agencies need to adjust to the times or face going out of business. Solutions have been offered but received with silence. For 2 years now we’ve seen an increasing number of young people shun going overseas with a...
BREAKING BOXES
I recently met with three men at a nearby hotel whom I’ve never met before. The first thing we did was introduce ourselves. “I am John and I am the regional director for XYZ mission organization.” “I am Zul. I am the Indonesian national director for XYZ mission...
THE SECOND MILE
I received an email this week from a B4T worker who writes. I am a bit discouraged. My partner in the business (they are just getting started) quit today. He says doing business is just too hard. He prefers to use the traditional approach despite its drawbacks. ...
TRANSPARENCY: AVOID GETTING THE BOOT
Another North African country is cleaning house. Over 20 expats have been asked to leave since November last year. All were kicked out for doing the right things. But were they doing the right things, the right way? I thought so, until I met one of the workers who got...
JARS OF CLAY
This week I read in Romans 9 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? Near our old house, there’s a place which sells pottery. When I drove by recently, I admired the large clay...
FAILURE, A WAY FORWARD
I attended a meeting recently where a number of Christian leaders were sharing about the programs their organizations were promoting for their overseas workers. Some of these programs centered around improving the workers ability to share their faith, others on...
INNOVATION IN MISSIONS – A LEADERSHIP PROBLEM
In the post-modern world, change is normative. To stay on top of change we need to innovate. Four years ago David Wittenberg spoke at the Bangkok OPEN Huddle on the topic, challenging us to expand our limits and try what hasn’t been tried. This week I a read an...
MONEY & CHANGING LIVES
My son had graduated from university and moved to Chicago to being work with a bank. During our first visit to the Windy City we went out for dinner. He suggested an expensive outdoor restaurant in Grant’s Park, just a stone’s throw from his apartment. It was a...
TRANSPARENCY
A friend gave me the following. He does not know the original source, maybe you do. If so, let me know. I share it as it clearly reflects one of our core values. Enjoy. Consider, once upon a time, there were two kings who ruled successively over the nation of...
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