Ben Armacost's blog

August 3, 1914 marks the date of one of the most depressing statements in modern political history.  Edward Grey, British statesman and foreign secretary, heard news that Germany had declared war on France.  Threat of a great war, having festered for years, had well and truly begun.  As Grey stood by the window of his office at dusk, he declared:

     "The lamps are going out all over Europe.  We shall not see them lit again in our time".

Who is a person of peace? That is a question we should all be asking. In the sending narrative of Luke 10, Jesus instructs His apostles to find a such a person and invest in him or her. His strategy to impact the cities and towns was for the apostle (missionary) to reach the person of peace, and the gospel message would flow to their oikos, that is, their circles of influence.

The fact that so few people know who or what a person of peace is, suggests that we are not taking much interest in Jesus’ method for reaching people—much less putting it into action.

Just this morning, I heard more terrible news from Ireland:

(CNN) -- Outrage over the reported discovery of the bodies of almost 800 children at a former home for unmarried mothers run by nuns in Ireland prompted calls Wednesday for a full investigation. The children whose remains have apparently been found in Tuam, in County Galway, are believed to have died between 1925 and 1961, according to local media reports.....
 (Full article can be found on http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/04/world/europe/ireland-children-bodies-tuam/)

Every once in a while, God brings someone into your pathway who changes your life unexpectedly.  Let me tell you about one such man.

Have you ever learned a new language? I’m no linguistic guru, but my experience is that I tend to go through three distinct stages. Let me explain these stages, then share how this discussion is apropos to the process of making disciples.

I am presently in Greece, just outside Athens, near the ancient city of Marathon and overlooking the Aegean Sea. It is a gorgeous location with a great history, but my trip is far from being a vacation.

One of my favorite video clips features comedian Bob Newhart who plays a psychologist with a quick fix to every problem.  A patient comes to him revealing several concerns, and he replies with just two words: “Stop it!”  While this is a very humorous piece, it does remind us that there are certain things we should just stop doing. 
 

In August 2013, Carlos & Josephine moved to the Philippines to continue the work of multiplying disciples.  They had a wonderful and effective ministry in Tasmania, but God had called them to move to this new place.  They started new groups and were making wonderful headway in just a few weeks, having baptised 12 people in October.  But tragedy struck the central part of their country as Typhoon Haiyan wiped out their city on 7 November.  The following is the first report from Carlos & Josephine concerning their ordeal (a version of this story appeared in the Mercury [Hobart, Tasman

Oh, the Christmas memories! In the 60s and 70s when I was young, my dad and his five siblings would all gather at their mother's house on Christmas day. It was such a highlight for me to see cousins who lived far away and to enjoy the festivity, a huge meal, and countless gifts.

When my grandmother died, Christmas day changed. In the 80s and early 90s, the Christmas day gathering was centered on our immediate family. My four siblings and I enjoyed wonderful times together. Add to the mix new nephews and nieces in a growing tribe which quickly filled our old farmhouse.

As a boy, I remember watching a movie called The Incredible Shrinking Man.  This was the story of a man who was afflicted with a substance that caused him to gradually shrink in size.  Day by day he got smaller and smaller, and by the end of the movie he was able to crawl through one square of flyscreen!  While this sci-fi flick from the 50s may not be realistic, it reminds me of something that is not only real but very dangerous: shrinking vision.