One of the principle things that drew me to Texas was the knowledge that I would be able to connect those who want to help with those who need it. Last week, through a series of circumstances, I met a local Hispanic pastor who had been praying for people to help him reach his community. Like many pastors down here, he does the best he can with the meager resources that he has. Anyway, I went by his place to have a look, and it's a great place to do ministry. It looks like we'll be able to send a couple of teams his way this summer, and that feels pretty good.
Last weekend I was in Dallas (Euless) for the annual SENT Conference, sponsored by our state convention. The theme of SENT is world missions, and I enjoy rubbing shoulders with like-minded brethren (and sistern). There are always several workshops to sit in on and ministry booths to visit. This year there was a lot of talk about the changing face of our state. The Texas of popular imagination is cowboys, tumbleweed, and J.R. Ewing. But this is rapidly changing, as folks from all over the world come here to work, study, and raise a family. And believe me, they aren't all baptists.
Speaking of missions, let me recommend a book to you. It's called "Serving With Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions With Cultural Intelligence". The subtitle sums it all up pretty well. Read this, and you'll save yourself, and probably some poor missionary, a lot of grief.
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