Many approach missions and aid work from the foundation of charity. Gena Thomas shares how the foundation of justice is better. Listen for practical tips and powerful concepts to make your next missions trip better.
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Learning to seek justice for a community can be extremely messy, but also beautiful and balanced. Gena Thomas joins us to talk about pursuing right relationships with short-term missions and missions in general. The topics throughout the episode come primarily from her new book, A Smoldering Wick, which focuses on charity versus justice within the missions world.
Her ideas and thoughts bring to light the issues that come from simply giving handouts to the poor. We tend to see ourselves as having more than them, which makes the relationship imbalanced. A just and righteous form of missions, however, brings about “right relationships.” Gena clearly presents how we as believers can seek such justice and why it is so crucial to the Gospel of Christ.
What we talked about
- 00:26 – Introduction
- 01:15 – Connecting climbers and coffee drinkers
- 02:57 – Building connections in the community
- 04:19 – Returning to the States
- 05:04 – The work of God in difficult seasons
- 06:36 – Raising support from the field
- 07:14 – Meaningful verse
- 07:57 – Doing things differently
- 09:21 – Beneficial habits
- 12:25 – Doing Ministry Well
- 12:48 – Who is this book for?
- 14:15 – Theology, Theory, and Practice
- 15:04 – What prompted you to write the book?
- 16:39 – Justice versus charity
- 20:14 – Fighting the desire to dehumanize
- 22:01 – Becoming a conduit for the Kingdom
- 22:42 – Screening for attitude and aptitude
- 25:59 – The skill of building relationships
- 27:08 – Telling the whole story
- 30:17 – How and when to be vulnerable
- 31:33 – Next week’s episode
- 33:28 – Welcome to the club
- 34:58 – Marketplace matters
- 36:15 – Surrounded by the nations
- 37:49 – Internet and book resources
- 38:17 – Where to find your book
- 38:44 – Contact info and parting advice (genathomas.com)
Resources & Contact Info
Feedback
If you’d have any comments or questions, you can always leave a comment in the show notes or send an email to feedback@engagingmissions.com.
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