All In! Living The Mission Of God

God is a spiritual cyclone. The way you know he’s pulling you in is that you feel yourself being hurled back out. Going into that cyclone often feels destructive. But that’s only God breaking open the shell of your “seed.” Though painful, it’s a good pain, because out of it comes gospel life. - J.D. Greear, Gaining by Losing On today's episode, we dive in to one couple's journey of going "all in" and responding to God's call. God T-boned them by calling them out of a fruitful ministry in Nampa, Idaho asking them to move to London to become missionaries. When this interview was recorded, they had not yet gone public with their resignation as pastors, nor did their kids know about it. I'm giving you a sneak peek behind the scenes. You'll hear about the struggles and heartbreak that go along with responding to the call to become missionaries, as well as see how God is preparing and comforting them in this time. Next week, they'll be back to  walk us through what it was like going public. Make sure and subscribe 

Hey everybody! This week is the last episode of the summer schedule. September 14th, we will resume with our weekly podcast episodes. You won't want to miss the upcoming episode. You will get a front row seat of one couple's journey of saying yes to the mission of God. God T-boned them out of the blue, asking them to resign from their successful ministry as local church pastors and move to a particular country and become missionaries. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss it. In this week's podcast, we explore the lessons that I learned from the life of Aimee Semple McPherson, founder of the Foursquare Church. Last week I read a book called Aimee Semple McPherson and the Resurrection of Christian America by Matthew Sutton and it got me thinking about the complex life of Aimee Semple McPherson. Aimee is regularly rated as one of the most influential women in American history and in Christian history. There is no doubt that this woman impacted the world. Here is what I have learned from her:

Hey everybody! Back in June and July I was looking back at the 6 or 7 goals I had set for myself. I was feeling the pressure when it came to finishing my goals. I heard on a podcast this idea about Kanter's law and the saying "everything can look like failure in the middle." This is exactly how I feel right now. In this episode we'll talk about this "messy middle" we experience in life. Recommended Reading: Philippians 1:6 Getting Things Done by David Allen I am among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it! Got a question, comment or some feedback on the podcast? Submit it her

Hey everybody! This week I interview the national leader of Foursquare Switzerland, Volker Heitz. Volker and his wife planted the first Foursquare Church in Switzerland about 20 years ago. He is now the National Leader of Foursquare Switzerland, a pastor of a local church and a chairman for Foursquare Europe. Switzerland is a country of about 9 million people and has 5 official languages. The Swiss are known for their tremendous influence politically and culturally. They have a global influence far beyond their size. It is considered a post-Christian nation where only 8% of the population in Switzerland are affiliated with any religious organization. We'll talk about some of the hardships, as well as the strategies to reach the people of Switzerland. Hope you enjoy! To get in touch with Volker visit Foursquare Europe's Website or email Foursquare Europe's Secretary Helga: foursquare-europe@online.de Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying

Hey everybody! This week I have the pleasure of interviewing Professor Karen Tremper. She is a professor and director of Global Life at Life Pacific College in San Dimas, California. She has a bachelors in home economics, a Master's in theology and a PhD in intercultural studies. Karen has a heart for global missions and developing that heart in the younger generations. You'll hear what Karen and her husband have done to reach the students at Life Pacific College, what changes she has seen in the mindset of younger generations, and what Global Life is all about. Enjoy!  If you want to get in touch with Karen, visit the Global Life website or email her at: ktremper@lifepacific.edu. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it! Got a question, comment or some feedb

Hey everybody! This week I interview Paul and Fran. They are the Pastors of Destiny Foursquare Church located southwest of London. They have an amazing ministry going on they call Sunday Lunch. Paul and Fran have created a home away from home for international students. In this interview, you will learn how sharing your home and feeding people can touch the world, what it means to be the household of God and what we can learn from the Amish. Recommended Reading: Romans 12:14 Hebrews 13:2 1 Peter 4:9 If you would like to connect with Paul and Fran, you can email them at: destiny.foursquare@ntlworld.com. I am among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. As always, yo

This is a Bonus Episode of All In. Be sure to check out the podcast. Subscribe in iTunes. If you find this helpful, please share it with your family and friends. Time management is a myth. No matter what you do, you will never have more than 24 hours in your day. You cannot stretch it out. You cannot shrink it down. Time is stubborn like that. It is what it is. Trust me, I know. I have been obsessive about time management ever sense I read Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” back in the 1980s. After thirty years of trying to manage my time, I have faced the cold, hard truth: Time management is a myth. And this truth is liberating. Once I exchanged the myth of time management for the realities of time, my life entered a new level of empowerment. Let me share with you 5 Realities of Time. Time is your friend. By “friend” I mean we should not see time is something we work against, as in “working against the clock.” Time is something we work with to accomplish our goals and to live out

This week I interview Marc and Kathy Shaw. Marc and Kathy have been church planters, pastors, missionaries, regional leaders for Europe, and my former boss. Now, they are answering the call of God to return to Europe to plant a church in Vienna, Austria. But first: I need your help! I want this podcast to be a resource to serve you but I need you help to do it. I'm conducting a 10 question survey that will help me make this podcast helpful to you. I will be running the survey from June 15-30, so head on over and take the survey. Finding God, hearing the call of God, church planting, burnout, cancer, God's provisions, and saying yes to Jesus to make disciples: It's all here in this week's episode. Marc and Kathy plan to deploy to Vienna in October of this year. You can connect with them on FaceBook (for Marc, click HERE, for Kathy, click HERE) or by email: marcodareshaw@gmail.com. To partner with them to reach Vienna visit their FMI Give Site. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so y

This week I hit the big 50. I know it is hard to believe. But yes, I am 50 years old now. Debbie asked me on the morning of my birthday, “So how do you feel, Old Man?” Well, I feel great! In the Old Testament the priests would start their ministry at the age of 30 and then retire at the age of 50. After they retired their ministry was to mentor the younger priests. I think this is awesome. When I was young I longed for fathers and mothers in the faith to mentor me. Now that I have crossed that strange threshold of 50, I am thinking about what advice I would give to young leaders. Here is a list of 10 things I would advise all young leaders. (If you are a “not so young” leader, you may benefit too.) Always connected equals never present. Go to any public place and you will see it: Dozens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of people all tethered like slaves to their smart phones. It may be a gaggle of young people at the mall, sitting together but not being together because they are too busy texting the people who

Hey everybody! This week I have the pleasure of interviewing Jim Scott. Jim is the director of Foursquare Missions International, my boss and a dear friend. He has a Bachelors from California State University, a Masters from Fuller Seminary and a PhD from Bakke University. Jim has been involved with missions since he was a youth pastor, and is a phenomenal leader for the FMI team. In this interview, we discuss the importance of positioning yourself as a learner, what the local church can do to partner with global missions and FMI, and how FMI missionaries are funded. Recommended Resources: Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer The Perspectives Course God of My Everything by Ken Shigematsu Introduction to Global Missions by Zane Pratt Speaking of Jesus by Carl Medearis Simplify by Bill Hybels Defeating Anxiety by Ralph Moore You can find Jim on Twitter or Instagram. If you want to connect with his wife Melinda, you can find her on Twitter. I am among the more than t

Hey everybody! This week I am re-broadcasting an interview I did with Gabe Barreiro. When this aired originally, Gabe was the Missional Director of the Northwest District. Starting May 2015, he was appointed District Supervisor of the North Pacific District. Here is a glimpse of the quality of a man Gabe is and what he did while in the Northwest. I am excited for the potential of the North Pacific District with Gabe as their supervisor. Recommended Reading:  Center Church by Tim Keller The Next Christendom by Philip Jenkins Disciples of All Nations by John L. Amstutz Arrival City by Doug Saunders If you want to get in touch with Gabe and get more info on the church plant training, visit thenwd.org  Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it! Got a question, comment or some feedback on the

Hey everybody! This week I interview someone I will call Joe. Joe is working in a part of Asia where Christians are persecuted. It is for this reason his identity and location are kept secret. In this interview we will talk about some of the struggles Joe and his wife have gone through, and how they addressed them. We will learn the difference between calling and assignment, why meeting people's needs should not be our primary focus, and the importance of caring for our souls. Recommend Reading: Soul Keeping by John Ortberg Joe and I are among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it! Got a question, comment

Hey everybody! This week, I have my longtime friend Dr. Sam Rockwell on the show. He is the Foursquare District Supervisor for the Gateway District, is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University, Life Pacific College and Kings University, and a published author. Sam has his PhD in Human and Organizational Systems and brings a great perspective on leadership and Church development. You'll hear about the importance of being able to exegete your culture, how culture shock makes you a better pastor, and why we should pay attention to our systems. Recommended Resources: Simple Church by Thom Rainer Leading by Being and Doing by Sam Rockwell Gateway Collegium  If you would like to connect with Sam, you can find him on Facebook, Rockwell and Co or Gateway Foursquare. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life

Hey everybody! This week I interview Dave Veach. He is the foursquare district supervisor of the Pacific Northwest, one of the most unchurched regions in the continental US. He is best known for telling people to make a mess. In this interview you’ll hear what Dave is doing to support the 210 churches he overseas, what he’s doing with upcoming church planters in the district, and some common elements you can learn from so you don't crash and burn. Enjoy! If you'd like to contact Dave, you can find him on Twitter, Facebook or by emailing him: dveach@foursquare.org. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it! Got a question, comment or some feedback on the podcast? Submit it here.

Hey everybody! This week I interview Zach. He and his wife are church planters in Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul has a population of 14-17 million people. Zach was involved with YWAM before he went to LIFE Pacific, and felt a call to reach Muslims in the Middle East. He began to pray for every country in the Middle East, except for Turkey. He didn't necessarily think of Turkey as part of the Middle East. Zach continued onto LIFE and while sitting in LA traffic flippantly asked God where he was supposed to be. When Zach heard Istanbul, he wasn't sure where it came from. Zach asked God to give him a passion for the city if this was truly from Him. He and his wife moved there 8 years ago. They have planted a church in Istanbul and have a desire to see more churches planted in the country of Turkey. Turkey is a country of 76 million people, and there are only 5,000 Protestant Christians. It is one of the least reached countries in the world. I hope this interview stirs in you a desire to pray for the people of Turkey

Hey everybody! This week I have a special treat. I interview Sam Johnson, foursquare overseer to the MENICA region which is predominately Muslim. When Sam was in Bible College, he discovered that the vast majority of resources are going towards ministries where Christianity is already established. He felt the call to reach the Muslim people. So took a year off between his Junior and Senior year to "test the waters" to see if it was the right fit. In the region that Sam works .001% of the population are Evangelical Christian. In this interview, a simple way to spread the gospel with foreign college students, practical tips on how to reach out to your Muslim neighbors now, and how we can address our prejudices towards a people group. Resources: Discovery Series The Crescent Project  Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Sam and I are among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Globa

Hey everybody! This week, I interview Ted Vail. He is a full-time husband and father. In his spare time he is the Associate Director of Missions for FMI, Area Missionary to North America, he runs the urban and multi-cultural program and disaster relief, as well as pastors a local church in Colorado. He is full of wisdom and insight, and is a great resource for pastors and missionaries alike. Resources and Recommended Reading: Pew Research Forum Welcoming the Stranger by Matthew Soerens Christians at the Border by M. Daniel Carroll Many Colors by Soong-Chan Rah If you would like to connect with Ted, you can do so by following him on Twitter, or by emailing him at: vail@foursquare.org. Ted and myself are a few of the many missionaries that are supported by Foursquare Missions International. If you would like to give to support the missions visit The Global Missions Fund. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the wor

Hey everybody! This week I interview Ken and Linda Stapleton. They have been in the Czech Republic for 17 years now. For about 20 years before they became full-time missionaries, they had the sense they were to be on the missions field. They always felt it would be Latin America, but God changed their course. He asked them both separately while on a short time missions trip to the Czech Republic, "why are you doing this part-time, and not full-time?" Two years after this, they moved to the Czech Republic. God's doing amazing things through this couple. If you wish to contact the Stapleton's you can email them directly at czmates@gmail.com, Visit The CzechMates Ministry Facebook, or Ken and Linda's personal Facebook, as well as their YouTube channel. If you wish to financial support their missions work, visit FMI Give Site. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends. As always, you

Hey everybody! This week I interview Adam Hartel. He and his wife Sarah are missionaries to Amsterdam, Netherlands. The post-modern and post-Christian mindset is encapsulated in Amsterdam. Because of this, Adam and Sarah have been working in the Netherlands to build bridges between the Church and the surrounding communities with common spaces and environments that don't exist in normal schedules. We also discuss the transition the Hartel family is entering into next month. If you want to get in touch with Adam, check out their website here. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it! Got a question, comment or some feedback on the podcast? Submit it here.

Hey everybody! This week I interview Travis Mielonen. He and his wife Alexis are missionaries to Krakow, Poland. At the age of 21, Travis went to Poland to plant a church. He experienced burn out while was there, and returned to the US a year later. He always knew he would return to Poland someday. Over the next 10 years, God worked in Travis and Alexis's lives, giving visions and desires for them to reach the people of Poland. Now, 9 months in to their families relocation to Krakow, they are doing wonderful things! If you'd like contact or partner with Travis, visit his website or Facebook. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it! Got a question, comment or some feedback on the podcast? Submit it here.