The Adventure of Becoming

This week I turn 56 years old, and I finally know what I want to be when I grow up! 

Well, maybe it's more accurate to say that "I now know better who I am," as I'm not planning on changing anything with this realization.  

And the funny thing is that apparently, I have come full circle.  

When I was young, I wanted to be a social worker.  That is what my first degree was in, and that is what I did for the first sixteen years of my working life.  But then I moved to Liberia and got involved in business development, while still doing community development.  I then dropped the community development and moved fulltime into business development.  Felt a bit like a fish out of water.  

In 2013, I began to bring the message of business development into the church and found myself teaching at seminaries and mostly speaking to pastors and denominational leaders.  I usually would start my self-introduction by saying that "I'm not a pastor."  Felt even more like a fish out of water.

Over the years, I often struggled with the fact that I was working primarily with three groups of people (pastors/church leaders, businesspersons, and missionaries) and I didn't identify with any of them!  [While many missionaries say they wanted to be a missionary since they were a child, it wasn't even on my radar until I was 36 years old!]

But this last year confirmed to me that I am, and always have been, a social worker.  The goal of this social worker is to see people flourish and poverty alleviated.  That passion is driven by my faith which says that ALL should flourish, regardless of race, tribe, or creed, for the glory of God...and that the need is urgent.

Why am I telling you this story?  Good question.  Give me another minute and I'll get there.

When I married Bob Reed, attending Madison Square Church in Grand Rapids, I was exposed to the challenges of racism.  As a Canadian, it was not something I was aware of growing up.  Bob and I decided to live a life that would seek to be good neighbors to those suffering under the weight of racism, and for me, also wrestling with the accompanying poverty that comes with racism.  We moved into our church neighborhood and the community development organization, Restorers, was started in partnership with five neighborhood churches and a great team of neighbors linking arms to work together.  We lived and worked there for seven years.

Then Bob had a burden for Africa. I resisted it for a number of years.  But when Restorers was ready to be turned over to other leadership, I agreed to go on an exploratory trip to Liberia.   Upon seeing the devastating poverty there, as a result of a 15-year civil war, Bob and I prayerfully decided to move there with Hannah and Noah.  Through a path that is much too long to write here, I found that business was the best solution for long-term alleviation of poverty.  I did that directly for the next seven years and furthered my education (MBA and PhD in sustainable development) in this regard. Then, DML was born out of the need for ongoing discipleship for the workplace, leading to the next twelve years.

And now the reason for this tome.  

My husband Michael has been working with Christian theologians and authors for the past four years relating to the plight of the Palestinians. As he is an AMAZING supporter of my work with DML, I told him a few months ago that I would support him if he wanted to do something related to this passion of his. That led to us attending a conference last week in Southern California, put on by the Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East (NEME), entitled "How American Christians Should Respond to Palestine and Israel."  

And my heart was broken again by what I heard and saw.  I know I have a lot on my plate with DML, but as my heart broke and my anger was stoked, I again saw that the root of who I am as a social worker. I get angry at injustice and inhumane treatment of humanity.  I learned about my own uninterrogated assumptions regarding Palestine and Israel. 

[And of course, it made me realize that there are countless uninterrogated assumptions that I hold!  In some ways, there is safety in that.  If I truly knew the depth of human depravity relating to every issue, my heart couldn't hold it.]  

So my question to God over this past week has been, why this issue at this time?  Am I supposed to do something with it or is it just Michael's issue?  In the past, Madison's issue became my issue.  Bob's issue became my issue.  What about now?

As I've started reading books written on the history of Palestine and Israel, I feel, at the very least, I need to share what I'm learning.  

It is for this reason that I have kept the "Reeds in the Wind" blog and not given it up to only focus on the DML blog.  The Reeds in the Wind blog was started by Bob in 2005 (formerly called Reeds in Liberia) and it allowed us to chronicle our life journey, being blown in the Wind that is the Holy Spirit.  We've been able to share not just our ministry journey, but our family and faith journey as well.  

So I'm going to write a three-part blog on this particular issue.  This is NOT a DML issue.  This is a "Renita the social worker issue."  I hope that makes sense.

Part one of this blog will look at the actual historical formation of the country of Israel and the interaction with Palestine.  Part two will be to examine the role and beliefs of Christians in relation to the formation and the current situation.  Part three will examine the current war between Israel and Palestine and how Christians should respond.

I hope you will join me on this journey.  I'm not an expert by any means.  I will provide some book recommendations, articles, and links for you to do your own exploration should your curiosity be piqued.  I would welcome your feedback as well as we journey together!

Not everyone will be an entrepreneur. But everyone should be entrepreneurial.

There are some sayings that I run across now and then that stick.

One such saying is that "not everyone has a job, but everyone has work."

Another saying is that "not everyone will be an entrepreneur, but everyone should be entrepreneurial."

We are made in the image of a creative, working God, who is innovative and entrepreneurial. While many of us may never start a business or be called an entrepreneur, we are all to be entrepreneurial in how we work. This means that we are to look at how we can bring creativity and problem-solving skills to our workplace - wherever it is that we spend our time. And this means that we must be in a posture of learning and creativity.

At our recent Global Summit, we declared 2025 to be the Year of Entrepreneurship and Agriculture - in other words, YEA 2025!  Regarding entrepreneurship, many of our partners are receiving invitations to speak at denominational youth conferences.  The young adults in the majority world (ages 18-35) are facing significant unemployment, despite having university degrees.  We have access to millions of these young adults through our denominational partnerships!  In fact, one of our key leaders in a very large denomination is now the leader of young adult ministries, opening the door for us to break down the sacred secular divide in significant ways.

The impact study that we just concluded with 500 marketplace ministers across ten countries tells us that for every business trained, five jobs are created!  This is an increase from last year's impact study which showed two new jobs created for every business trained.  This is truly exciting as it means more people can care for themselves and their families and find their way out of poverty.

Imagine the potential if every young adult is trained in entrepreneurship?  The median age in Africa is 19.2 years old (compared to 38.5 years in the US and 44.5 years in Europe).  Imagine if every young adult understands that they can be job makers, not just job seekers?  That they can bring solutions to problems, for the flourishing of their communities and nations, and not just work for money?  That they can have a Biblical worldview towards work, doing their work with excellence and integrity, while loving their neighbor and being mission minded?

Are you ready to say YEA 2025???

This Tuesday is Giving Tuesday, and we have a donor who will match all gifts given in the last six weeks of 2024, up to $25,000.  Will you partners with us to reach this goal so that we can move into 2025 with strength? With your partnership, we will have the ability to bring this message to 21 countries, through 28 partners.  To be a partner with DML, please click here for more information.

Thanksgiving: Scientific Facts About Gratitude

Recently some of the DML leadership team spent time looking at an article that discussed some scientific facts about gratitude.  This was not an article written by a Christian (as far as I know) or by someone who referred to the Bible verse which says that we are to be "grateful in all things."  

The author gave the following facts:

1. Gratitude is good for your cholesterol and lower blood pressure.
2. Gratitude can improve your sleep.
3. Grateful people spend more time exercising.
4. Females are more grateful than males, from an early age onward.
5. Gratitude can help you achieve your goals.
6. You can overdo it - which is explained by saying that if you view it as a chore, it might not have the positive effect. 
7. People are less likely to express gratitude at work than anywhere else.  Only 10% of people say thank you to their colleagues on any given day, and 60% of people never express gratitude at work.

Some of these can generate some interesting conversations around the Thanksgiving table this week - for example, thankfulness relating to gender - what about cultures or people groups?  Are some more thankful than others?  Is it related to contentedness or simply politeness?

But it is the last one that caught my attention - our lack of gratitude at work.  At DML we have seen the impact of seeing work as worship, understanding that work is not drudgery or a mere means to get money (which is never enough!).  When work is understood as a gift, that we have been created to create and to do work that contributes to flourishing of all, it can help us do a 180-degree change in our attitude about work.  And when we understand the positives of gratitude, we recognize that it is not just good for our colleagues and customers, but also for our own health!

I encourage you to ask these questions around the table this week:

1. What are you grateful for at work?
2. What is God doing at your workplace?  Where is He at work?
3. How can you join Him in that work?

Happy Thanksgiving from the DML team, for whom I am so grateful!  Allow me to share some pictures of our summit that convey the joy and family atmosphere that we have, hoping that it will put a smile on your face as well!

On Having Two Wings

I returned home from Ethiopia on Saturday, grateful for traveling mercies for our whole team, and for the opportunities to join God in His work!

Last week the DML Ethiopia leader, Yoseph (pictured between board member Letta Jean Taylor and I), relayed the following story in his talk on generosity:

A 74-year-old man went to the doctor as he was having difficulty breathing.  The doctor checked his lungs and told the man that he would need to go on oxygen.  As the medical system was one where you have to prepay for services, the doctor told him it would cost 5,000 birr (about $42) for one hour of oxygen.  The man began to cry.  Concerned, the doctor asked whether the man didn't have the money to pay for the oxygen?  The man replied, "No, it's not that.  It's just that I am realizing the gift of having breathed for free for 74 years!"

What a beautiful response by this man!  We too need to be reminded that not one of us have paid for our hands, for our feet, our ears, our eyes.  This, Yoseph said, is the beginning of understanding generosity.  When we know the gifts that we have been given, and why we have these gifts (blessed to be a blessing), we understand that a healthy person both gives and receives.  

It is like flying with two wings - one is for giving and one is for receiving.  You can't fly properly with just one wing - you will go in circles and crash.  Every organ of our bodies understands this.  It's impossible for you to say that you will receive oxygen and refuse to give carbon dioxide.  It is impossible to eat and not have bowel movements.  These are natural cycles! We need to understand this for ourselves and also for those around us.  

God is the author of generosity.  And Yoseph reminded our team that this is not a subject that we teach - it is a life that we are to live.  If we are not generous in small things, it will be difficult to be generous in big things.  

In DML, we ask every church to teach three things: a healthy theology of work, wealth creation God's way, and wealth management God's way.  Last week, in Wolaita, Ethiopia, we met with 50 pastors and church leaders (see picture).  This is an area that has 1,500 EKHC local churches (Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church), with more than one million members!  The leaders who gathered are just a few of those implementing a workplace discipleship ministry in their church. I was blessed to hear testimony after testimony as to what happens when these three things are taught.  Personal income growing, church income growing, more missionaries being sent out, more people being reached for Christ.  The church is teaching wealth creation and at the same time, teaching stewardship and generosity, so that the increase is not just going to help one family but to be a blessing to more and more.  

It's amazing what happens when every person understands that they are part of the priesthood of believers!  

I am so thankful for the Kale Heywet Church and the work that they are doing throughout their 11,000 churches and twelve million members to increase Christian influence in all of society!  And one of the strong members of the DML team, Yonatan Simon (pictured next to me), is also the leader of the Youth Ministry, with a mere 6 million members (aged 18-35) and he is eager to get the message of entrepreneurship out to them.  The opportunity to teach work as worship is immense and we thank God for it!

DML Ethiopia Team (zonal leaders/trainers)

DML Global Summit 2024: A Journey of Fun, Fellowship, Worship, and Wisdom

We had an intense but amazing week together in Ethiopia.  We are so grateful for your prayers!  

We laughed a lot (see pictures!), cried together (not pictured), played together, and iron sharpened iron. 

I was asked how this summit was different than the one in Tanzania in 2022, and I think the key difference is two-fold:  

1. 
   The family/community of this group has grown even deeper over the last two years as we continue to pray together three times a week.  There is a depth in the relationships that is born out of that prayer time that allows for immediate closeness despite only seeing each other in person every two years.  
2. Ownership of this message, and calling in delivering it, is growing and deepening.  We can see how the Lord is working in a number of leaders who are willing to take this message beyond their borders and beyond their comfort zone.  The Holy Spirit is sending out laborers and we are thankful to be witnessing that work!  At this Summit, we commissioned our Ambassadors-at-large, our International Chaplain, and other key DML leaders.

The highlight of every summit is hearing the "country reports" where every partner shares what is working well and where there are challenges.  It is always amazing to hear the creativity of how people are disseminating this message to the Church and beyond, reaching business leaders, employees, governments, educators, orisons, health sectors, police, and more!  But we also looked at where we encounter barriers and discussed how to overcome them.  Some of the barriers are the prosperity gospel, the fear of wealth creation, the structure of an inward-focused church, church-program mentality (as opposed to a disciple-making mentality), and more.  

We had good diversity in this group, beyond 15 nationalities:  denominational leaders from many denominations, NGO leaders, pastors, businessmen/women, and educators, and generational diversity. We had DML board members present as well as partners from Asia for the first time.

Our recurring chant was, "How many are we?  One!" as we learned again what it means to move in one accord as the global church.  We reminded each other that we are not to "major on the minors" but stay true to the message God has given us.  

We reminded ourselves that "a persecuted church will survive, but a church with a compromised gospel will not." 

We spent a day touring Addis Ababa and learned about the wonderful and complex history of this beautiful city.  We then had a wonderful cultural dinner together, eating Ethiopian food, listening to Ethiopian singers and watching traditional dancing.

On Saturday, most of the team headed home, except for a few of us who went to Arba Minch to do some visiting of businesses and churches there.  I will move to Wolaita on Monday (while the balance of those here head home) to do a training of trainers for our course called, "Economics of Hope" with some of the many, many DML trainers that are across the country of Ethiopia.  

Speaking on behalf of the global DML team, we are so grateful for every person who supported this endeavor and made it possible.  We are grateful to you!

On Being Selfish: From Mission Field to Mission Force

This past week, I was privileged to speak at a missions conference in Tennessee, where I was reminded again of the incredible work that is being done in so many places of the world by ordinary people seeking to bring the love of Christ and the gift of grace to ordinary people in difficult circumstances.

While I struggled with some of the language around "mission" and "missionaries," I resonated with the speaker who said that representing Christ is "not a mission should you choose to accept it; rather, it is your identity."

Too often we still find that the language around missions includes the idea of a few people "going" to a place far away, yet all of us can be on mission every day of the week, as we meet people who might never step foot into a church and people that the pastor may never meet. 

I was reminded that while the USA is still the country that sends the highest number of missionaries globally, it is now also the country that RECEIVES the highest number of missionaries globally.  

In many places, the mission field has become the mission force.  The global south has more Christians than the global north.  The face of Christianity has moved from being a white Western male to being an African female (more women are Christian than men, and highest number of Christians are found in Africa).  

But I loved what one speaker said in talking about the US culture as it moves toward being post-Christian:  We must go to the nations so that they will come back to us when our Christianity has become "something-like-Christianity."

What a powerful statement.  

As the majority world moves from mission field to mission force, we find ourselves, in North America, moving from mission force to mission field.  

The quote below from A.W. Tozer reminds us that Christianity will always "reproduce itself after its kind." Who we are is what we will spread.  We must be careful in this.  He goes on to say, "The popular notion that the first obligation of the church is to spread the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth is false.  Her first obligation is to be spiritually worthy to spread it."  While one could say that we can never wait until we are worthy (but through the grace of God), the argument of living of striving to live lives of integrity and wholistic discipleship needs to be beyond our words to our actions.

In another book I was reading this week, Leading Well in Times of Disruption, the writer said, "People are unreached because God’s people are unsent.  The unreached are not unreachable…but sometimes the unsent are not sendable.  We lack character formation."

May God help us to send the 99% of Christians who work in the marketplace.  May God help us to be sendable.  May God help us to do discipleship that will lead to people of integrity - living on the outside what we proclaim on the inside.

From the book, Of God and Men, this quote from A. W. Tozer

The task of the church is twofold: to spread Christianity throughout the world and to make sure that the Christianity she spreads is the pure New Testament kind....

Christianity will always reproduce itself after its kind. A worldly-minded, unspiritual church, when she crosses the ocean to give her witness to peoples of other tongues and other cultures, is sure to bring forth on other shores a Christianity much like her own....

The popular notion that the first obligation of the church is to spread the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth is false. Her first obligation is to be spiritually worthy to spread it. Our Lord said "Go ye," but He also said, "Tarry ye," and the tarrying had to come before the going. Had the disciples gone forth as missionaries before the day of Pentecost it would have been an overwhelming spiritual disaster, for they could have done no more than make converts after their likeness, and this would have altered for the worse the whole history of the Western world and had consequences throughout the ages to come. (page 35-37).