What does spiritual oppression look like, both to Canadians and to missionaries working in other cultures? What are extra challenges for workers living far from their home church and family? These are the questions Gerald Reimer tackles.

♪“Everyone’s plate is full; some of us just have bigger plates.” This quote was given to me by a couple in our church that have demonstrated a significant capacity to serve within the context of our church community. For a time, I was a part of the group that had big plates, and I was proud of the capacity that I had for service.

♪Our son wrestled with the sense that God was inviting him into full-time Christian ministry while at the same time he saw an opportunity to use his videography and editing skills in the marketplace.

♪Inspiring practices of faith based on the first commandment are mainstream in our discipleship process, but inspiring practices of faith that focus on the second command can be a little tricky.

♪An infinitely happy God is good news to a world in pain. God has no baggage. Nothing triggers him. He is always in the best imaginable space to hear our prayers and enter our pain.

♪Do you remember learning about “above,” “beyond,” “in,” “of,” and the other approximately 150 prepositions that belong in the English language?

♪Early Anabaptists, highly committed to missions despite the danger, employed security measures similar to our own.

♪Bible memory was a big deal when I was in Sunday school. My reward for memorizing the most verses in the class was a Winnipeg Blue Bombers game and dinner at Boston Pizza! Core memory.

♪Have you ever heard a so-called “truth” once too often? Here’s one I heard recently: “being on mission is not just about going overseas as a missionary; it’s also staying home to serve God wherever you are.” Who could argue? But suddenly I had heard this one too many times. Instead of a timely truth I now saw a donkey my generation loved to flog.

♪Have you ever heard of Horatius Bonar? He was a pastor in the early 1800s who wrote 600 hymns and poems. I tried to find a relatable comparison in my life. I figure that in 13 years of marriage, I’ve probably written close to 600 grocery lists.

♪In my travels around the conference through the years, I have been part of many conversations that coalesce around certain themes. One question in particular is why we administers our own missions program, when we can and do partner with more than 20 other mission agencies.

♪Maybe this has happened to you. You receive a group text that says, “I just received a bad diagnosis.” Immediately, the 🙏 begin to flood the group. In a world that’s focused on social media thumbs ups, hearts and lol’s, these prayer emojis remind us that our concern has been heard by others and brought to the Father on our behalf.