Religion & Life
BE THOU MY VISION by Larry Stout
BE THOU MY VISION by Larry Stout, 7/27/08
Since returning to the United States in October of 2006, Debbie and I have been actively searching to find our place after our ministry in Latvia. What has transpired in these past twenty-months appears to be our ministry finding us!
Local – we have found a wonderful church in nearby Williamsport, Citychurch, and Debbie and I have been able to build trusting relationships there. It appears I may be assuming more of a leadership role in the church in the future.
National – I have hoped to develop more leadership work in the United States, but it has been slow in coming. I currently am working with my son-in-law, Robert Mattox, to build a leadership-coaching network. There is still much work to do in this area, but it has been slowly progressing.
Since returning to the United States in October of 2006, Debbie and I have been actively searching to find our place after our ministry in Latvia. What has transpired in these past twenty-months appears to be our ministry finding us!
Local – we have found a wonderful church in nearby Williamsport, Citychurch, and Debbie and I have been able to build trusting relationships there. It appears I may be assuming more of a leadership role in the church in the future.
National – I have hoped to develop more leadership work in the United States, but it has been slow in coming. I currently am working with my son-in-law, Robert Mattox, to build a leadership-coaching network. There is still much work to do in this area, but it has been slowly progressing.
HAVE YOU READ THE SHACK? by Larry Stout
HAVE YOU READ THE SHACK? by Larry Stout
For the record, I have not read the novel, The Shack, by William Young. My wife, however, has read it, and has asked the question quoted in my article title to almost every Christian she meets. The book has even been written about in the New York Times, so be assured, if you have not yet heard of this book – you will.
What I find even more fascinating than the popularity of this one particular Christian novel, is the fact that there are currently fourteen books centered on Christianity that are currently on the New York Times bestseller list. This is the highest number to have ever occurred on this prestigious list. Of course, the anti-Christian tomes written by Christopher Hitchens (God is Not Great) and Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) also hit number one on the NYT list. And, if we add Ophrah’s latest endorsement, Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, a New Age spiritual guide – we begin to see a pattern.
For the record, I have not read the novel, The Shack, by William Young. My wife, however, has read it, and has asked the question quoted in my article title to almost every Christian she meets. The book has even been written about in the New York Times, so be assured, if you have not yet heard of this book – you will.
What I find even more fascinating than the popularity of this one particular Christian novel, is the fact that there are currently fourteen books centered on Christianity that are currently on the New York Times bestseller list. This is the highest number to have ever occurred on this prestigious list. Of course, the anti-Christian tomes written by Christopher Hitchens (God is Not Great) and Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) also hit number one on the NYT list. And, if we add Ophrah’s latest endorsement, Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, a New Age spiritual guide – we begin to see a pattern.
SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE by Larry Stout, 5/18/08
SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE by Larry Stout
I was once taught a trick about learning that I never forgot. To learn a new subject area, simply find the three top books in this field and read them. I am often asked by young people to suggest a short list of best books in a particular area, so I thought I should begin to do this in a more systematic way.
I would hope that this could become a regular series on various topics, and hopefully those faithful readers of the PrayerNet would recommend their own favorites. My first topic is apologetics – what are the best books that would be useful to a Christian interested in sharing their faith in this post-Christian world.
I was once taught a trick about learning that I never forgot. To learn a new subject area, simply find the three top books in this field and read them. I am often asked by young people to suggest a short list of best books in a particular area, so I thought I should begin to do this in a more systematic way.
I would hope that this could become a regular series on various topics, and hopefully those faithful readers of the PrayerNet would recommend their own favorites. My first topic is apologetics – what are the best books that would be useful to a Christian interested in sharing their faith in this post-Christian world.
TREASURES FOUND IN TALL TALES by Larry Stout
TREASURES FOUND IN TALL TALES by Larry Stout, 5/11/08
I remember years ago reading a quote by William F. Buckley who commented that he could not believe he was fifty years old before he read, Moby Dick. I had the same experience at discovering the marvelous Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis at age 55. I had read the first book in the series (Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe) with my children sometime in the 1980s. But for some odd reason that I cannot fathom now, I never continued to read the rest of the books. With the advent of the new film, Prince Caspian, I thought it would be a good idea to read the book and compare it with the soon-to-be-released film. I found such an astounding blessing in reading Prince Caspian that I could not stop till I finished the seventh volume in the series, The Last Battle.
I remember years ago reading a quote by William F. Buckley who commented that he could not believe he was fifty years old before he read, Moby Dick. I had the same experience at discovering the marvelous Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis at age 55. I had read the first book in the series (Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe) with my children sometime in the 1980s. But for some odd reason that I cannot fathom now, I never continued to read the rest of the books. With the advent of the new film, Prince Caspian, I thought it would be a good idea to read the book and compare it with the soon-to-be-released film. I found such an astounding blessing in reading Prince Caspian that I could not stop till I finished the seventh volume in the series, The Last Battle.
JANUARY 20, 1991 by Larry Stout
JANUARY 20, 1991 by Larry Stout 1/20/08
Few dates are as important to me as the 20th of January. It was on that date seventeen years ago that my family and I embarked on a historic mission to what was then the Soviet Union. We were the first American family to live in the capital city of Riga and very possibly the first officially recognized missionaries to the USSR. (“Officially” recognized in that the KGB apparently did not flag our visa application as they should have when we listed ‘missionary’ as our occupation!)
I remember the chaos of trying to check in five people and nineteen pieces of luggage at JFK airport, of the tearful goodbyes to our family, of the long layover in Helsinki awaiting our Riga connection, and then the twilight flight into Riga itself. Though I had been to the city three times before, it seemed different that night. In some incredibly strange way, I felt like I was going home.
Few dates are as important to me as the 20th of January. It was on that date seventeen years ago that my family and I embarked on a historic mission to what was then the Soviet Union. We were the first American family to live in the capital city of Riga and very possibly the first officially recognized missionaries to the USSR. (“Officially” recognized in that the KGB apparently did not flag our visa application as they should have when we listed ‘missionary’ as our occupation!)
I remember the chaos of trying to check in five people and nineteen pieces of luggage at JFK airport, of the tearful goodbyes to our family, of the long layover in Helsinki awaiting our Riga connection, and then the twilight flight into Riga itself. Though I had been to the city three times before, it seemed different that night. In some incredibly strange way, I felt like I was going home.
THE FIRE OF LEADERSHIP by Larry Stout
THE FIRE OF LEADERSHIP by Larry Stout
I celebrated my 55th birthday on October 25th, and my mind always turns to the fact that this day was once known as the Feast Day of St. Crispin. On this day in 1415, Henry V and his underdog British, outmanned at least four to one, fought and won a crushing defeat over Charles VI of France at the Battle of Agincourt. Though this salient fact would certainly carry little notice beyond very serious undergraduate history majors, it does stand out because William Shakespeare chose this particular event to shape his stirring play, Henry V. The eve before the battle, Shakespeare portrays Henry disguising himself and listening to the comments of the troops as they curl up around their campfires. They know they are outnumbered and few expect to be alive the next day. You can almost feel Henry’s blood begin to boil as he hears these men expressing their true hearts.
I celebrated my 55th birthday on October 25th, and my mind always turns to the fact that this day was once known as the Feast Day of St. Crispin. On this day in 1415, Henry V and his underdog British, outmanned at least four to one, fought and won a crushing defeat over Charles VI of France at the Battle of Agincourt. Though this salient fact would certainly carry little notice beyond very serious undergraduate history majors, it does stand out because William Shakespeare chose this particular event to shape his stirring play, Henry V. The eve before the battle, Shakespeare portrays Henry disguising himself and listening to the comments of the troops as they curl up around their campfires. They know they are outnumbered and few expect to be alive the next day. You can almost feel Henry’s blood begin to boil as he hears these men expressing their true hearts.
The Mystery of the Lost Sock by Larry Stout
The Mystery of the Lost Sock by Larry Stout
I took the laundry out of the dryer and set about to separate my wife’s clothes from mine. Everything was fine until I saw that I was missing a black sock. I was absolutely positive that every sock had a match when I collected the clothes, when they were put in the washer, and again when they went into the dryer. I checked and rechecked the washer and dryer, and there was no sock there. It just…vanished!
Of course, I did not lose much sleep over the lost sock, but it kept bugging me. What happened to the matching sock? There is something about ambiguity that bothers the human mind. We believe that we have the necessary information, and we should be able to come up with an answer. Instead – there is mystery.
I took the laundry out of the dryer and set about to separate my wife’s clothes from mine. Everything was fine until I saw that I was missing a black sock. I was absolutely positive that every sock had a match when I collected the clothes, when they were put in the washer, and again when they went into the dryer. I checked and rechecked the washer and dryer, and there was no sock there. It just…vanished!
Of course, I did not lose much sleep over the lost sock, but it kept bugging me. What happened to the matching sock? There is something about ambiguity that bothers the human mind. We believe that we have the necessary information, and we should be able to come up with an answer. Instead – there is mystery.
“Missions Possible, Part 3” by Larry Stout
“Missions Possible, Part 3” by Larry Stout
In the first two parts of this series, I discussed the necessity for both long-term and short-term missionaries, as well as how important it is to support the long-term missionary on the field. The responsibility for this support is generally designated to a missions board in a church. It is a very inconvenient truth that missions boards are probably the weakest link in the entire spectrum of missions.
Most missions boards fall into two different groups, which could be termed the Micro-managers and the Macro-managers. The Micros are those who actively work very hard to supply the tools the resident missionary needs to accomplish their work. The major denominations such as the Southern Baptist and Assemblies of God pride themselves in making sure their missionaries are well supplied. They make sure the missionaries are financially secure, that they get needed rest, and that they receive periodic visits from their supervisors for assistance and encouragement.
In the first two parts of this series, I discussed the necessity for both long-term and short-term missionaries, as well as how important it is to support the long-term missionary on the field. The responsibility for this support is generally designated to a missions board in a church. It is a very inconvenient truth that missions boards are probably the weakest link in the entire spectrum of missions.
Most missions boards fall into two different groups, which could be termed the Micro-managers and the Macro-managers. The Micros are those who actively work very hard to supply the tools the resident missionary needs to accomplish their work. The major denominations such as the Southern Baptist and Assemblies of God pride themselves in making sure their missionaries are well supplied. They make sure the missionaries are financially secure, that they get needed rest, and that they receive periodic visits from their supervisors for assistance and encouragement.
“Missions Possible, Part 2” by Larry Stout
“Missions Possible, Part 2” by Larry Stout
I had spoken at a church in the USA and afterwards was greeting the people after the service. One lady commented to me, “It must be easy for you now on the mission field after all these years.” I thought to myself, “Oh yes, it is easy to live for months at a time thousands of miles from your loved ones, in a country that speaks two languages that defy your comprehension, constantly dealing with a host of petty government bureaucrats on an almost daily basis, and all the time depending on the uncertainties of financial support.” I did not have the heart to tell her that far from getting easier, it actually got more difficult with the passage of time.
I had spoken at a church in the USA and afterwards was greeting the people after the service. One lady commented to me, “It must be easy for you now on the mission field after all these years.” I thought to myself, “Oh yes, it is easy to live for months at a time thousands of miles from your loved ones, in a country that speaks two languages that defy your comprehension, constantly dealing with a host of petty government bureaucrats on an almost daily basis, and all the time depending on the uncertainties of financial support.” I did not have the heart to tell her that far from getting easier, it actually got more difficult with the passage of time.
“Missions Possible” by Larry Stout
“Missions Possible” by Larry Stout
I was probably asked the same question one hundred times – “Larry, what is like to be visiting Latvia?” To be honest, it did feel strange. After all, while living there for over fifteen years we had owned a home, raised three children, adopted another and for the most part held ‘regular’ jobs. Now I was there in Riga for a very limited time, living in an apartment house for professors, and had a schedule that gave me very little opportunity to do much outside of my assigned duties.
For two decades I have been doing mission work, both short-term and long-term. I realized that both serve an important function. There is a body of missionologists who claim that the day of the long-term missionary is over. From my perspective, I wholeheartedly disagree. Right now, there is a crying need for a resident director for the Baltic Reformed Theological Seminary, and it ideally should be by someone from Europe or North America. In Latvia alone, there are at least five positions I know of that would be greatly served by someone who would be willing to commit to a minimum of two to three years. Those who argue that these positions could be filled by nationals are right if we lived in a ‘perfect’ world – however in the real world, it often takes a pioneer who is willing to till the ground ahead of time so that the national can then take over.
I was probably asked the same question one hundred times – “Larry, what is like to be visiting Latvia?” To be honest, it did feel strange. After all, while living there for over fifteen years we had owned a home, raised three children, adopted another and for the most part held ‘regular’ jobs. Now I was there in Riga for a very limited time, living in an apartment house for professors, and had a schedule that gave me very little opportunity to do much outside of my assigned duties.
For two decades I have been doing mission work, both short-term and long-term. I realized that both serve an important function. There is a body of missionologists who claim that the day of the long-term missionary is over. From my perspective, I wholeheartedly disagree. Right now, there is a crying need for a resident director for the Baltic Reformed Theological Seminary, and it ideally should be by someone from Europe or North America. In Latvia alone, there are at least five positions I know of that would be greatly served by someone who would be willing to commit to a minimum of two to three years. Those who argue that these positions could be filled by nationals are right if we lived in a ‘perfect’ world – however in the real world, it often takes a pioneer who is willing to till the ground ahead of time so that the national can then take over.
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