News and Stories

How will God use Your Story?

| 11 Jan 2011

Stories inspire us. They provide teaching, encouragement, correction, and insight in a way that comes alive because the stories themselves are living. Much better than any lecture, stories are authentic examples of the lessons they wish to share. So it is no surprise that the most watched vide on the Lausanne Global Conversation is a…

“How Shall We Then Live…”

| 03 Jan 2011

There were few years as significant for the cause of Global Evangelization than 2010. The events in Tokyo, Edinburgh, Cape Town and Boston served to engage many young believers in the cause for the first time and provide fresh inspiration to countless believers who have been involved in evangelism for many years. So as we celebrate the new relationships, ideas, initiatives…

A Christmas Reflection

Mary DeMuth | 27 Dec 2010

A guest blog post by Mary DeMuth (Cape Town 2010 participant and Blogger Network member) I’m stunned by the incarnation. Jesus leaving the splendor of heaven to wrap his majesty in skin. He left what was beautiful and familiar in order to sacrifice and bring God the utmost glory. I see parallels in the lessons I…

Debriefing Cape Town 2010: Acts of Incarnation

Jon Hirst | 20 Dec 2010

During the Christmas season we naturally reflect on the idea of incarnation. After all, the baby Jesus was the incarnation of God of the Universe . . . captured in the body of a little boy in a small town in the Middle East. It is so spectacular that Jesus would make Himself known to us personally, experience our lives and then…

Debriefing Cape Town 2010: Your “God Moments”

Jon Hirst | 13 Dec 2010

What are “God Moments?” Simply put, they are those moments in your life when God shows up in a powerful way and makes His presence known through the circumstances and events in your day. We all have these moments in our life that show us God’s power, His love, and His sovereignty. And it seems…

Debriefing Cape Town 2010: Growing in Community

Jon Hirst | 06 Dec 2010

Experiences are different when shared with others. It is one thing to watch a movie, listen to a song, hear a story, fix a door, or sing a song by yourself. It is quite another thing to do it with others. Each person that we share an experience with brings a different perspective on our…

Debriefing Cape Town 2010: Cultural Connections

Jon Hirst | 30 Nov 2010

Many of us who were part of the Lausanne events in October have traveled internationally. So Cape Town 2010 wasn’t a brand new experience for most. However, often time when we travel we are kept in a bit of a bubble aren’t we? We travel for conferences or to visit specific people and we have…

Debriefing Cape Town 2010: Your Ministry

Jon Hirst | 22 Nov 2010

One of the clearest evidences of God’s creativity is the variety of ministry outlets in which His children serve. You find some ministering to the homeless in urban centers. Others are reaching out via technology tools to people engaging via the Internet. Still others turn a sporting event into an opportunity to mentor, teach and…

Debriefing CapeTown2010: Relationships

Jon Hirst | 15 Nov 2010

Each of us knows that relationships are the most important aspect of an event or cause. We know that in our minds, but many times we don’t live like it is the case. What do I mean? We say that relationships are what make events like Lausanne’s congress in Cape Town, South Africa so critical,…

Debriefing Cape Town 2010: Expectations

Jon Hirst | 09 Nov 2010

Over the next few weeks I will be writing blog posts designed to help you debrief the Lausanne Congress experience. Before the congress I spoke of how important the “PRE” work is to a successful event. Now it is our chance to talk about the “POST” work. So many of us attend an event, watch…

Cape Town Reflections from the Lausanne Blogger Network

Jon Hirst | 01 Nov 2010

One of my great joys has been to work with a wonderful group of bloggers who make up the Lausanne Blogger Network. They come from all over the world and represent many parts of the Body of Christ. Their perspectives are fresh, creative and worthy of our consideration. I have asked them each to write…

Missionaries from everywhere to everywhere

Dion Forster | 25 Oct 2010

Reflecting on the closing of the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization The atmosphere in the plenary hall of the Cape Town International Convention Centre was wonderful as the 4300 delegates from all over the world entered to close the congress in worship, prayer and Holy Communion.  After a busy week of sessions, dialogues and…

October 24 Daily Wrapup: Be Strong Together

Jon Hirst | 24 Oct 2010

Throughout the Bible and the history of the Church, the call to be strong and have courage in our gracious Lord is one of God’s great and timeless messages. This message is what gives strength to those toiling in urban jungles, those translating the Bible in living jungles and everyone in between. On the last…

October 23 Daily Wrapup: Watch How You Walk

Jon Hirst | 23 Oct 2010

Our faith always becomes most transformational when we are examining our daily steps in light of God’s Word and Jesus’ example. It is in each step that we decide whether we are going to sacrificially follow Christ or follow other influences in our life. Today’s exposition focused on Ephesians 4:17-6:9. Calisto Odede, a pastor from…

October 22 Daily Wrapup: Celebrating Snowflakes

Jon Hirst | 23 Oct 2010

“When we freeze water, we make ice cubes. When God freezes water, he makes snowflakes – each one different.” Vaughn Roberts (via Justin Long) Our Lord is infinitely creative (as evidenced in the uniqueness of each snow flake) and able to bring millions of unique members of humanity together in His Global Church to accomplish…

October 21 Daily Wrapup: Bringing Your Response

Jon Hirst | 22 Oct 2010

As we wrap up the day-long break in the Lausanne Congress, this prayer from Ephesians seems very appropriate. Paul offered up this prayer for the Ephesians and it has great application to us today. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,…

October 20 Daily Wrapup: What’s the BIG Deal?

Jon Hirst | 21 Oct 2010

Everything today was BIG! The focus on how to engage other faiths . . . the challenge of bringing work into our concept of ministry . . . the focus on the Middle East and its huge opportunities and finally the focus on urban ministry. Listen to a quick audio report from HCJB Global’s Wayne…

October 19 Daily Wrapup – How Living Stones Behave

| 20 Oct 2010

After an unwavering affirmation of God’s Truth in troubled times on the first day of the Congress, Day 2 began to focus on the incarnation of that Truth in our world today. The topics were weighty ones which included among others poverty, reconciliation and HIV/AIDS. However, unlike our natural tendency towards “this or that” thinking,…

October 18 Daily Wrapup: Things are Never What They Seem

| 19 Oct 2010

There are many forces at work in our world today. The dynamics of cultures, personalities, nature, politics, technology and faith make our path hard to decipher. Many of us seek easy answers, but those seldom come. Instead we are forced to reject the world that is defined by those around us and seek after a…

October 17 Daily Wrapup: Capturing the message in a song . . .

| 18 Oct 2010

  How fitting that on the first night of the Congress they would sing the song sung 100 years ago at the Edinburgh missions conference – “Crown Him with Many Crowns”! As I watched peoples reactions via blog, facebook and twitter I heard amazement and awe at such a diverse and global group gathered with…