Global Development

August 2025

Hello from Southeast Asia, where this week I am participating in an inductive Bible study with 63 others from around the world. I’ve been asked not to disclose the location or the name of the group of which I have been a member for 20 years. 

Easter 2025

I’m writing from the tropical island of Borneo, where this week I have been training about 40 Chinese pastors and cross-cultural workers. I sometimes wonder if flying halfway around the world to train people for cross-cultural ministry is making any difference. It’s not getting any easier; the transpacific flights feel longer every time, and adjusting to the time zones seems to get harder with… Read More

Advent 2024

I just returned from three wonderful weeks speaking and teaching in India, and so I was home for Thanksgiving. As I reflect on this past year and the most recent trip, my heart is full of gratitude and thanksgiving for the fulfilling and meaningful life the Lord has given me in this season of life. I’ve been “retired” for a decade now, and as… Read More

July 2024 Update

I have three wonderful and different experiences to share with you in this Global Development update. I’ll begin with the experience this Spring of walking the Camino de Santiago for ten days in northern Spain. The “Camino” is a 500-mile pilgrimage that people have been walking for over 1000 years, and an experience I’ve been yearning to do for a long time.

April 2024 Update

Six years ago this month, I made my first trip to China under the auspices of my non-profit ministry, Global Development, which has enabled me to continue teaching and training people around the world. As one former colleague wrote me yesterday, “You may be doing the best work of your life!”

I think he just might be right.

November 2023 Update

Once again at this time of year I’m writing from Mokokchung, Nagaland, India where I’ve been teaching and training students at Nagaland Bible College and speaking in other places around the city. This year, however, I’ll be home in time for Thanksgiving.

July 2023 Update

The past six months have been very full and rewarding. In February, I taught for two weeks at the Caleb Institute near New Delhi, India. I’m working with them to develop a strong missiological curriculum and am providing books for their library. Next February, my former student and colleague, Dr. Jay Moon, will join me and teach a course on Intercultural Discipleship.

December 2022 Update

I’m writing this from the beautiful mountains of Nagaland, India, where I’m in the middle of teaching for two weeks at Nagaland Bible College a course on “Anthropology for Christian Mission” trying to encourage 23 young students from India and beyond that the days of colonial mission methods should be long gone, but unfortunately, many of them are still alive. Many of the students… Read More

October 2022 Update

I was feeling insecure and anxious as I boarded the Singapore Airlines flight to the Philippines September 10th. I wondered if perhaps I had forgotten how to travel internationally and how to engage people in cross-cultural ministry. I hadn’t done any teaching and training with a live audience in person since February 2020. But it didn’t take long for me to recover my “sea… Read More

The Conversion of a Missionary: A Missiological Study of Acts 10

Keynote address, American Society of Missiology annual meeting June 18, 2022 | Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame