ZEROFACTOR

When my wife and I decided to live in another country the biggest question on our minds was which organization was right for us. In our case, we came up with a list of five things that we thought were essential. I can't remember what those five things were, but I know they were absolutely necessary for us to even consider going overseas with an organization. An amazing thing happened to us with our list. We met with the team leader for the Mexico team and he told us what the top five values were for the staff living and working in Mexico. The lists matched. This was what God used to confirm to us where and with whom we should serve. I am not sure what is on your list, but here are three things that will absolutely be a part of any LIVEº team.

Continue reading “3 Ways to Know LIVEº is Right for You” »

In less than a month I will be in Rwanda. There are a bunch of emotions rolling around in my head about the trip.

Continue reading “Rwanda Preparations” »

Let there be no mistake, my life has been completely changed by the act of acknowledging the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as my only hope of reconciliation with God. Here are just a few ways that Jesus has changed me.

Continue reading “3 Things Knowing Christ Has Changed in Me” »

I know the question is a bit vague. Holds me back from what? What holds you back from really following God? What holds you back from serving as a missionary? What holds you back from relinquishing all control of your life to Christ? What holds you back from getting rid of sin in your life?

Continue reading “Question: What is the 1 thing that holds you back?” »

...That may be a very radical way of thinking but I am convinced that the key to changing this world is bringing the transformational power of the gospel to people who are currently without it. Once Christ is embraced then families, communities, and entire cultures can be radically changed.

Continue reading “The Heart of Culture Transformation” »

LIVEº is a ministry designed to send a team for two years. What would you be willing to give up for two years to be used, by God, in another part of the world?

Continue reading “Question: What can you see giving up?” »

In an effort to better understand what holistic ministry is and does it is helpful to hear about some examples of holistic ministry. What have you seen and what has been its impact?

Continue reading “Question: What examples of holistic ministry have you seen?” »

There are many perspectives on what holistic ministry really is and its value. What makes holistic ministry different? What makes it more, or less, effective than wat we would traditionally understand as ministry?

Continue reading “Question: How does holistic ministry differ from ordinary ministry?” »

There will be one other objective to my presence in Rwanda. As I have been in churches or other venues speaking about LIVEº there is a photo I have continually used when explaining the probable ministry in Rwanda. My desire is to know the story behind the face in the photo.

Continue reading “Return to Rwanda” »

There are a lot of things said about holistic ministry. I have heard everything from it is just a way for people to feel good about themselves to it is the only thing anyone should ever do. The word holistic has been used so often lately that it may have lost its meaning. What are your thoughts? How can you help us effectively communicate the message of holistic ministry?

Continue reading “Question: What comes to mind when you hear "holistic ministry"?” »

I was recently looking at friend's blog and it directed me to check out another web site. When I checked it, I was moved by what I saw. The web site was selling t-shirts that are designed to raise awareness about conditions in Africa. Here are the 5 things:

Continue reading “5 Things That Will Make You Think” »

The first film shot in Rwandan national langauge, kinyarwanda, has been released and is getting rave reviews. The film deals with the aftermath of the genocide that took place in 1994 and shows the story of two friends and their reaction to what happened.

Continue reading “Rwandan Film Released” »

Jose Ramos-Horta was released from an Australian hospital and is expected to return to East Timor in several days.

Continue reading “East Timor's President Released from Hospital” »

There is always something happening at LIVEº. Here are some of the recent highlights:

Continue reading “3 Things About Nothing (Mar. 08)” »

We are closing in on the formation of our first teams. There are a few more appliactions that have come in and we are processing them. Keep praying for leadership of these teams. We have some very solid leads and we are trying to push them along (not too hard though).

Continue reading “Horizon Jan. 08” »

I am amazed at the opportunities in East Timor. There is very little in the way of infrastructure in this country and what little there is has been allowed to deteriorate due to lack of resources, interest, and war. I am excited about the kind of impact that LIVEº can have.

Continue reading “Kids Everywhere Love the Camera” »

Hello again. It has been a while since I have put any new material on the blog--sorry for that. I will be working on some notes from my recent trip to East Timor and I should have the next one up later today.

Continue reading “Back into the swing of things” »

We are working with a number of people in order to get them through the application process and it looks like we will be forming some teams in the very near future.

Continue reading “Horizon Nov. 07” »

The local church is God's primary model for evangelism and discipleship. There are other valid, biblical forms for increasing and maturing the universal church, but we believe the local church is the most powerful and effective means for sustained numerical and spiritual growth. As a member of the ReachGlobal International Mission, LIVEº is committed to encouraging church planting and strengthening local churches in any way we can.

Continue reading “What is LIVEº? (6 of 6)” »

Sometimes there are images that only a photo can capture but the mere act of taking a photo would not only be tacky, it would be wrong. I will try to describe the image burned into my mind one December morning in the streets of Kigali, Rwanda.

Continue reading “Rwanda Reflections, part 3” »

The purpose of this trip is to help finalize details for a team in 2008. This team will be done in conjunction with the Evangelical Free Church of Singapore (EFCS) and we will need to talk through what it means to have a joint team. We will be talking about leadership issues, understanding fellow team members, and how to work with the nationals of East Timor.

Continue reading “Traveling” »

Indeed, we may know something "they" don't, and God will provide opportunities to share our knowledge of the gospel. Yet if we are serious about learning language and culture and earning the right to be heard, then we must come as students and learners rather than as experts.

Continue reading “What is LIVEº? (5 of 6)” »

One of the people I met while in Rwanda was Esron. He is a gentle guy with hands the size of small cities and a smile that can light up any room. There are a couple things that really stand out about my time with him an I would love to share them with you.

Continue reading “Rwanda Reflections, part 2” »

It only makes sense that if we are committed to learning local language and culture, and to lifestyle evangelism, we need to live where we minister.

Continue reading “What is LIVEº? (4 of 6)” »

We drove about three or four hours from the capitol of Kigali and stopped in front of a school. Classes were not in session but it didn't seem to cut down too much on the presence of kids. As we walked from building to building we each had about three kids per hand leading us around.

Continue reading “Rwanda Reflections, part 1” »

Than name came from a study of Philippians chapter 2. It is a pretty familiar section of the Bible but we wanted to capture the idea in a way that would engage our target group and allow us to teach about the concepts that Philippians 2 has in it.

Continue reading “What is in the name?” »

There are many things happening in the next few weeks that will have an impact LIVEº. One event is a missions conference in Wisconsin where the executive director of ReachGlobal will be speaking and highlighting LIVEº. That will be an important event in further generating momentum for us.

Continue reading “Horizon Oct. 07” »

In LIVEº, we believe it's critical to share the gospel in the heart language of the hearer whenever possible. They are experts in their culture and language and we need to convey truth of the gospel in that heart-language. Liveº team members spend time in intentional language and culture acquisition to be the sharpest tool possible in the hand of God. Having a simpler lifestyle can remove some of the barriers between ourselves and those we are seeking to share the truth of the gospel with as well as become integrated into their lives.

Continue reading “What is LIVEº? (3 of 6)” »

One of the things that helps people get a better understanding of what we are all about here at LIVEº is to share what is going on in the day-to-day functioning. We are just a few simple people trying to make a difference for the cause of Christ. Here is what is going on:

Continue reading “Horizon Sept. 07” »

Prayer is not just what we do before we eat or go to bed, though you can totally do both of those. Prayer is the very battle itself and not just preparation for the battle. Prayer has to be a part of our very DNA and seen as a lifestyle throughout the program.

Continue reading “What is LIVEº? (2 of 6)” »

Its all about pointing people to Christ. We can feed a billion people but if we never show them Christ they will be well-fed but still going to hell.

Continue reading “What is LIVEº? (1 of 6)” »

I have seen some statistics that make me want to toss my cookies. I was reading a book by Eamon Kelly, Powerful Times, in which he says that over 33% of the world lives on less than one dollar a day. What he goes on to say is that each day every cow in the EU gets the equivilant of two dollars for food and mediciene. That makes me a feel little sick and a bit angry.

Continue reading “I Feel Sick” »

LIVEº was developed in 2006 as a vehicle for Christ’s followers to live out compassion among the underserved in the most overlooked places in the world. LIVEº teams live simply among those they serve for a period of 2 years....

Continue reading “About Liveº” »

ZEROFACTOR is the blog site for a ministry known as LIVEº which is designed to reach out to some of the most underserved and overlooked people of the world. There are many notable people trying to raise awareness of the...

Continue reading “About ZEROFACTOR” »