Taking it in steps?
A missionary doctor, nurse or health provider in his or her first term is all enthusiasm. After all, he or she may think, “After all that preparation, let’s get on with the real work!” But those first few years show how much more there is to learn! First there is…
“…not merely a doctor”
“The doctor has so objectified himself that he never faces up to himself and his own life at all.” “Somewhere in Pembrokshire a tombstone is said to bear the inscription, ‘John Jones, born a man, died a grocer.’ There are many whom I have had the privilege of meeting whose…
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?
Foundations of the burnt room, a house in the wall of the city of Jerusalem during David’s time, destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians. The sign at the site reads, “He burned the house of the Lord, the king’s palace, and…
So where did hospitals come from anyway?
Many of us have some sort of notion that hospitals are just a natural part of the community; the idea of a hospital must be handed down to us from classical times. But we we would be wrong. They were nurtured in an unexpected place. Among the ancient and pagan…
Third culture leadership
William Dryness points out two parallel realities in our world: (1) the mobility of our times, and (2) the changing demographics of Christianity. Not only are the majority of Christians no longer “Western,” but they are increasingly found in countries with young and growing populations, frequently among the poor, and…
Zeal without Burnout: Seven keys to a lifelong ministry of sustainable sacrifice
Quotes from this helpful little book by Christopher Ash and Alistair Begg: “God so often allows his ministers to come to an end of themselves in order that they might begin to be more useful to his service. And it is worth remembering that none of us thinks we are…
Christian Social Responsibility as described in the Lausanne Covenant
I think the Lausanne statement on Christian Social Responsibility is a helpful framework for our response to the brokenhearted of the world, and I commend it to you, along with the commentary by John Stott produced below. Medical missions is an expression of our beliefs about God and man. We…
New sustainable development goals
The online journal “Globalization and Health” has produced an article called “Health in the Sustainable Development Goals: Ready for a Paradigm shift?” Current goals include reduction in infant and neonatal mortality and other important health markers. The newly suggested UN sustainable development goals would focus more on leadership development for…