Monthly Archives: April 2017

Good Ways to Decide, Part 1: Because You Can

04 Tuesday Apr 2017

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Last week we said the Gideon tests sound spiritual but often just reflect a misplaced desire for clarity that God doesn’t owe us.

So, what are some good things to decide if you should go on an OYC?

One of the best reasons to go is also one of the simplest: because you can.

Many, many disciples simply cannot go on an OYC. Think of all the circumstances that might prevent disciples from going:

  1. Some need support groups for chemical addiction recovery or same-sex attraction.
  2. Some are under the care of a therapist they should stick with for now, or need to take specialized treatments for mental or physical health problems.
  3. Some have special needs children.
  4. Some have boyfriends or girlfriends who can’t go on an OYC.
  5. Some are caring for elderly parents.
  6. Some are so deeply in debt they could not maintain payments if they went to an OYC site.
  7. Some are in the military or a program of study. Leaving in the middle of these situations would be unwise, so for now at least, an OYC is off the table.
  8. Some would go if they could, but can’t get a visa because of their nationality. For example, it’s much harder for a Russian passport holder to get a work visa in most countries than it is for a Canadian passport holder, unfortunately.
  9. Some are willing to go, but too old or too young to relocate.

You get the picture. Take all these people out of the pool of potential “go-ers”–they need to be stayers for now!–and how many are left?

Are you one of those remaining people who can go? Then, by itself, that’s a great reason to go!

What We’re Reading Today

02 Sunday Apr 2017

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From Steve Rundle and Tom Steffen’s Great Commission Companies:

Using business as a vehicle for missions and ministry is not new. The apostle Paul, for example, was a full-time leather worker during much of his missionary career. A study of his letters reveals that working was more than a way to support himself; it was a central part of his missionary strategy. Preaching the gospel for free added credibility to his message and served as a model for his converts to follow.

One Year Challenge Re-Branding As “One Year Vacation”

01 Saturday Apr 2017

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The ICOC Campus Service Team announced today that it’s revamping the One Year Challenge program. The new program will now be called “One Year Vacation,” or OYV for short.

Organizers decided the word challenge was off-putting and too demanding. One member of the campus service team told us, off the record, that many young disciples felt pressure from reading the OYC blog.

Hopefully, many of the disciples who felt like it was God’s will for them to not go overboard with the whole ‘deny themselves’ thing will realize they don’t actually have to sacrifice to participate in world evangelism.

The locations considered most challenging–Haiti, China and especially Norman, Oklahoma–have been replaced by sites in Tahiti, San Francisco and Las Vegas. However, the OYC site in Maui, Hawaii was allowed to remain in the new OYV program.

“Hopefully, many of the disciples who felt like it was God’s will for them to not go overboard with the whole ‘deny themselves’ thing will realize they don’t actually have to sacrifice to participate in world evangelism,” said Falsum Magister, one of the One Year Challenge coordinators.

As a part of the re-branding effort, the new OYV program announced it will even pay for airline tickets, luxury hotel accommodation and daily all-you-can-eat buffets for disciples who register for a One Year Vacation. The offer is valid today only.