Category: Encouragements and Exhortations

I grew up with a misunderstanding in my mind as it relates to how Christians serve others, and particularly the poor. While I have seen this misunderstanding primarily reflected in American conservatives, I am not blaming anyone in my life. I think that this misunderstanding led me at times to look down on others, to refuse help, and to protect my own interests. The misunderstanding is this: while the Bible teaches that we are to serve and help the weak and poor, we should only serve and help those who deserve it. One of the first times I had to…

Throughout this year of home assignment, I have had numerous opportunities to preach and share at churches all around the US. I am not much of a preacher myself, but I am glad to have the opportunity to share about what God is doing and encourage churches to think about and pray for the unreached peoples of the world. But I have noticed a funny thing that happens every time I preach: I feel the worst that I ever feel on Sunday night. It is a little hard to describe. There is a shade of me questioning how well I…

I recently had a chance to address students at a missionary training school. It was exciting to see their expectation and joy at the thought of ministering to unreached people groups around the world. I can remember the buzz of expectation mixed with the anxiety of trying something new. Many of them are not sure what continent they will be living on two years from now, let alone what language they will be speaking, or food they will be eating. Spending time with them was fun and inspiring. Into this context I was asked to talk about our mission agency,…

Back in our village lives a man whom we can call Philippe. Phillippe lives in a broken-down, one-room shack and, although he is in poor health, he always manages to walk out to the bush each day to find something to eat. Philippe does not really contribute anything to his family nor to his community. In fact, because of some mental problems Phillippe is a pretty difficult person to be around. He drinks heavily, screams irrationally, and often asks of the people around him more than they are willing to give. He is seen as a social outsider and the…

I recently read an interesting article by a man named Shane Morris, called A Message to Intentionally Childless Millennials. The article was inspired by a tweet by Shane which sparked a fierce Twitter debate. Here is the tweet: Apparently my fellow millennials poured in to condemn this tweet, claiming that they preferred their freedom and money to children. Shane obviously disagrees and calls out such hedonism, as he should. He does make one guarded caveat, though: “Not everyone will get married and have kids, and not everyone should. Christians have a very ancient category for those who are called to lifelong celibacy…

A couple of Sundays ago, I was made aware of two churches that lost their lead pastors to disqualifying sin. In my travels around the US the last few months, I have heard story after story of church leaders failing in major ways. These church scandals have lead to heartbreak, division, and in some cases the dissolution of entire churches. As I have been visiting churches, I have seen some that have responded well to these challenges and there are a few observations I have made that I would like to share. There are no heroes There is a common…

For the most part, Westerners tend to live materialistic lives, focusing almost exclusively on the physical realm. However, in our time in Cameroon, we have come to realize that the Kwakum worldview is dominated by the spiritual. One area in which this spiritualized worldview is particularly evident is in their suffering. Kwakum people believe that sickness and other suffering almost always originate from witchcraft. In general, when experiencing sickness (or really any misfortune), the Kwakum go to a witch doctor. In the case of many problems, the witch doctor prescribes a ritual washing. After such a washing, the bath water…

Sometimes culture differences between Cameroon and the US can be pretty shocking. In Cameroon, for instance, and I am not even joking…children respect their elders. I know, it’s a bit hard to believe. This means that when adults are talking, children are seen and not heard. Though I am certain when youth get together they sometimes badmouth their parents, you would never see it in public. This attitude of respect carries over to authorities for adults as well. When the president of the Kwakum language committee arrives to any meeting, people stand. They offer him the seat of honor. Again,…

We often hear comments from friends and supporters that they wish their children could come and visit us in Cameroon for a time. What they mean is that their kids have been expressing attitudes of ingratitude or entitlement and they believe that some time spent in an African village will help them to see how much they have to be thankful for. We all chuckle, and sigh, with the recognition that we are not going to fly a child to Cameroon just for an attitude check. However, whether these parents know it or not, there is a greater problem with…

Dave was interviewed this last week for a podcast and also preached at The Mount Church in Clemson, SC. You can listen to them at the below links: PODCAST: Around the King’s Table Pastors George and Brian of The Mount Church in Clemson sit down with Dave Hare to discuss translation and ministry in advance of Missions Week at The Mount. SERMON: Habakkuk: Global Missions with Dave Hare Dave preached a sermon which describes our ministry in Cameroon, and also traces through major themes in the Book of Habakkuk.