Episodit

  • For International TCK Day we are going back in our archives to our conversation with MichĂšle Phoenix from Season 1, Episode 22. MichĂšle is known around the world as an advocate for Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and the children of missionaries. Listen in for a glimpse into the world of TCKs!
    “Passport culture plus adoptive culture(s) equals Third Culture Kid (TCK).” “Because I have those two cultures in me, my closest sense of belonging is with others who are, like me, multiculturally formed in their formative years. There’s a misconception that third culture is actually my individual third culture that I form out of the two that shaped me [...] but actually the term means that we find belonging with others who are also third cultured.” “My differences were similar to their differences, and that I wasn’t weird; I was a TCK.” “Mostly belonging in multiple places increases their skillset; it makes them bridge builders.” “To ask them to figure out what is uniquely one culture and uniquely another in the way they think and in the way they think, even in the way they speak, is going to be a real challenge for them.” “Something that feels fairly minor to a monocultural adult who has lived multiculturally for a while might feel like this tidal wave of all of these emotions coming back to the TCK or MK.” Article: Nine Tips for Living Well in a Season of Grief “The enormity of the blessing and the strength that comes from growing up as a TCK is immeasurable. You have blessed them in ways that you probably won’t ever be able to fully realize.” “Generalizations about TCKs are not always entirely helpful, but knowing what the majority of them tend toward I think can be a really helpful thing in mentoring them and walking with them.” “Because of our experience seeing things done differently in other parts of the world [...] we can start to draw people from their highly selective clusters toward each other.” Learn more about MichĂšle’s ministry here! What's changing our lives: Keane: Reading more than one book at a time Heather: The Next Right Thing Journal by Emily P. Freeman MichĂšle: Four Tiny-Small Questions for the Quarantine-Weary What small thing can I do that will make me feel alive in this moment? What small thing can I do to take some sting out of this day? What small thing can I do to make today feel purposeful? What small thing can I do today that will connect me with God? We'd love it if you would subscribe, rate, review, and share this show! And as always, you can reach us at [email protected].

  • TeachBeyond President, David Durance, joins Heather and Keane for the final episode of the season! Keane reveals the season-long mystery message, David shares about the TeachBeyond Way, and, of course, all three share what is changing their lives. Keep listening to hear clips from past episodes in this Season 4 Finale!

    “For us to be on mission together, it’s not just enough to know what we’re doing and where we’re going, but how we’re going to get there. And the TeachBeyond Way gives us this wonderful starting point, so that as we go and live out the mission around the world, we know this is the common thing that makes us TeachBeyond.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Becoming a foster parent Heather: Rabbits in the yard David: Reading through the Bible at a slower pace this year

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

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  • As followers of Jesus, our leadership flows out of His transformational work in our lives. Heather and Keane talk with Brian Delamont about five things that leaders do: advance the mission, build teams, communicate, develop self and others, and evaluate. Also, don’t miss the final mystery word of the season!

    Download the Core Competencies Cube here! “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” -John Maxwell “As a leader, when understood in a Biblical worldview, I’m actually first a follower, I’m a disciple, I’m an apprentice of Jesus. That’s the foundation of leadership.” -Brian “It all flows out of who we are as followers of Jesus. If we are being transformed by Him, if we’re choosing to intentionally follow Jesus and allow Him to transform our hearts, then these behaviors flow out of that. They’re not behaviors to learn, but they’re happening as fruit when we are living and leading as God intends because good leadership always reflects God’s good leadership and God’s good design.” -Brian TeachBeyond Core Competencies of a Leader: Advance the Mission Build Teams Communicate Develop Self and Others Evaluate “Mission and vision will always take you into the unknown.” -Brian “When new people join the team, you make sure they catch the vision, they can understand where you’re trying to go, and then you’re able to release them.” -Keane Episode 146: Doing Life Together “As followers of Jesus, we want to never stop growing; we never arrive. We’re never fully complete because God always has more to do in us.” -Brian Episode 15: Growth Mindset “We can participate in developing ourselves and others by being open to what the Holy Spirit’s doing and modeling that we’re all on this journey together.” -Heather “Leadership is the outcome of discipleship.” -Brian

    May Reflection: Which Core Competency will you start with, and when will you do it?

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Eating fresh vegetables and making salsa Heather: Growing a cut flower patch Brian: Being in a season of waiting

    Weekly Spotlight: Belize Christian Academy

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • Katherine Haschig shares about student teaching abroad, choosing to stay at that school as a classroom teacher, and seeing the Lord at work through Gospel-centered transformational education all across Africa.

    “I’ve definitely always wanted to be a teacher. That’s been in my heart for forever, but living overseas was not really something I envisioned or planned on doing.” “I was at this pivotal time where I could really do anything.” “I’m not a super adventurous person; I kind of really like my comfort zone. This was really shocking for everyone - including myself.” “That’s really my favorite part - getting to be with the teachers, getting to take school visits, see their schools, see what they’re like, and train the teachers with this curriculum we have.” “I have had the privilege to take what I just learned sort of recently [in university] and add that into part of our curriculum.” “We have no idea the ways God is going to lead us and guide us and direct us.” “God, here I am. I’m here to serve You in whatever capacity that looks like.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Geocaching Heather: Playing the board game Wingspan Katherine: Reading books on a Kindle

    Weekly Spotlight: Student Teaching with TeachBeyond

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • Our guest this week shares from his personal experience with and research about the Indian church specifically, as well as the global Church as a whole.

    To learn more about the International Day for the Unreached, listen to Episode 109: The Alliance for the Unreached. “The Church is influenced by society [...] and yet, we are also different because of the human-Divine meeting in the church. It is not just another human plane of belonging, but there is this coming together with the Divine in the church, which gives us another dimension of being.” “Ultimately, we are united through one Lord Jesus Christ [...] but we are also enlivened by the Holy Spirit, who is present everywhere, and He speaks to us all in our languages in our own spaces, and we are all adopted as sons and daughters of one Father.” “There is no other way for the Church to be but connected in the local and the global; if it’s not connected, then it’s not the Church because then there’s no one Jesus Christ, there’s no one Father, there’s no one Holy Spirit. And yet, we are also diverse and different also because of where we are.” “An ideal vision is that all would be equal - all would have equal opportunities, equal passports - but that is not the reality that we experience.” “If we are one Church, one people, one body of Christ, [we are called] to share and participate deeply in the needs, the pain, the joy of the other also.” “How does the Church reach out in mission? To be very simplistic, by being Church.” “If I were to point out one thing [that the global church could learn from the Indian church], it’s maybe the capacity to be okay with the knowledge that you will be persecuted. [...] Being okay with that does not mean that I am saying there is no pain, there is no suffering.” “Life has been difficult from a human perspective, but in the midst of all of this, I have experienced God in a new way.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: A network of children’s museums Heather: Hard-boiled eggs Sonam: Watching his son grow and learning to be more flexible

    Weekly Spotlight: TeachBeyond Opportunity Board

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • As the end of the school year approaches, listen in for tips from some of our Season 4 guests!

    Linda Kardamis: Step back and consider what you want to accomplish before the end of the year. Christy Biscocho: End the year with a dance party! Jessica Moulding: Pay attention to student needs, stay focused on year-end goals, and give yourself grace. Savana Duke: Create space for all students to process upcoming transitions. Tami: Take time to enjoy your students, and write down everything you need to accomplish. Jacob Cavett: Plan well for the summer. Cesar Valdez: Spend time in the Word of God. Kelly Crandall: Take opportunities to identify feelings and encourage kindness. Clarence Yau: Enjoy each day, and say yes to being intentional with people. Lindsay Nimmon: Emphasize relationships with students. Bastiaen Norel: Make a check-list for final tasks. Then, enjoy your holiday! Tosca Nathan: Look back and celebrate where you saw the Lord at work. David Platt: Make the most of every moment, knowing that your impact is far more than you can see now! Sonam: Take time to slow down with God. Brian Delamont: Ask yourself: What will you celebrate and how? What do you need to leave behind? What conversations do you want or need to have before the end of the year? Keane Fine: Savor the moment and appreciate the time you have. Heather Brown: Plan special activities to conclude the school year together.

    Weekly Spotlight: HopeSeed School

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • What are the potential benefits and dangers of Artificial Intelligence? How can we approach AI through a Biblical worldview? Perhaps you’ve been asking these questions, too. Thorsten Marbach shares helpful insight in navigating the world of AI as humans created in the image of God.

    “The further into the future we look, the more divergent the possible scenarios and predictions are.” “What does it actually understand? There’s a very clear answer to that, and the answer is nothing.” “We need to catch a wake-up; we can’t just let this thing slide. This stuff is developing very fast, and we need to be on top of our game to make sure that it’s going to a good place.” “Previous technologies were very good at disseminating existing ideas, whether that was the printing press or the radio or the Internet, but now here we have something that’s creating - or at least seems to create - new ideas. That’s new.” “Engaging with AI has everything to do with what it means for us to be human.” “If one just were to look at those three things in which we can understand our humanness - identity, dominion, relationship - or if you want, it’s basically just saying being, doing, relating [...] those are exacting the three areas we need to think through and work through when it comes to what we do with AI at an individual level and at a societal level.” Dominion questions: Is this pulling me to a place where I’m doing better at dominion, or is it actually pulling me into a space of domination or a space of abdication? Is this AI thing going to increase or mitigate inequality? “Don’t abdicate your creativity to AI.” “AI might simulate moral agency, but it doesn’t have true moral agency.” Relationship questions: Is it helping me relate in a better, deeper, wider way, or is it actually shutting down my relational capacities? Is this helping me love God and neighbor more or less? “It’s not an AI world; it’s still God’s world.” Identity questions: What does it mean to be a human being, and what is consciousness? “We have a very valuable identity, but it’s a derived identity; it’s not a self-made identity.” “One of our key roles as Christians would be to challenge and perhaps give an alternative to some of the more reductionistic understandings of what it means to be a human being.” “We can know who we are. We can know whose we are. We can know that nothing is going to derail God’s big story of creation, fall, redemption, eternity. No matter what AI does, no matter what happens, it’s still God’s story.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Using the arc browser Heather: Getting a new duster Thorsten: Learning from others in a weekly gathering that he coordinates called TGIF

    Weekly Spotlight: International Christian School of Togo

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • What does it look like to honor God and others while living in community? Brian Delamont returns to the podcast to share about the foundation of prayer, the path through problems, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

    “Doing life together will connect you with prayer, with problems, and with power.” Philippians 1:3-7, 9-11 “When we do life together, that’s when God gives us this wonderful, awkward, uncomfortable opportunity to grow, to take what I see is lacking in someone else’s life and to pray about it, to thank God every time I remember them, to pray that their love for God will abound more and more.” Philippians 1:27, 29 “God grants, in His sovereignty, these problems so that on behalf of Christ we see the work of God moving forward towards the completion He intends for us.” Philippians 4:2 “Resolving conflict, forgiving, giving up our rights for the sake of another - that’s hard. And this is where God, by His Spirit, forms genuine community.” “The only way that we can live this out is when we connect our lives with the life and power of Christ.” Philippians 2:1-5 “Being united with Christ will lead us to be like-minded, to have the same love, to be one in spirit and one in mind.” Philippians 1:6 “He who began a good work in you, the One who has intentions for you, for those you are doing life together with, He will carry it on. He himself is the ‘how’ to lead you to transformation.”

    April Reflection:

    How will you strengthen your connection to doing life together? How will the problems you’re facing strengthen your connection as you do life together? How will you live confidently in the power of the One who began a good work in you and is still moving that work forward until the day when everything and everyone becomes all that God intends?

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Sons beginning extracurricular activities Heather: Sensible Shoes book series Brian: Getting a new coffee maker

    Weekly Spotlight: ENLACE LinGo Centre

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • How has God gifted you to serve? Hear from a TeachBeyond member about his experience leaving Canada to teach English in Asia.

    “[Teaching] a wide range of things means a lot of really great opportunities to hang out with the kids and give them the best of what I know, best of what I have and share with them as best I can what it means to know God and be a part of what He’s doing in the world.” “The stakes are really high. We can’t really afford to not care about this. We’ve got to go! If there are people who haven’t heard, then people need to go.” “It’s not me that really made the impact [...] it’s God’s Holy Spirit in them.” “My answer is pretty simple: I’m here for you.” “There’s real purpose in all the weird puzzle pieces that don’t seem to make sense at first.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Losing his wallet Heather: The new default Microsoft font, Aptos Jonathan: Road trip to visit former students

    Weekly Spotlight: English Teacher positions

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • What’s your story, and why does that matter? Long-time educator Tosca Nathan shares about the significance of knowing your story and connecting to God’s bigger story, especially as teachers.

    “Like any story, our life stories have a path, they have a trajectory, and it’s full of meaningful events, defining moments, key relationships, trials and disappointments, dreams and aspirations, passions and discoveries.” “How coherent your life story is and how coherently you can talk about your life story has been seen as a factor in well-being.” Coherence of time, thematic coherence, and contextual coherence “Your life story never exists in a vacuum. It is always part and parcel of a bigger story.” “In the telling itself, every time you tell it, there’s more meaning making that happens, so it’s important to tell your story.” “If teachers are not fully aware of who they are and have exercised all of the areas of coherence, they will not be as effective in their teaching.” “The teacher, with what they do or how they relate, helps the student understand how their story connects to bigger things.” “You can’t give what you don’t have.” “To realize that scholarship is part of that grand story completely changes why I even engage in research or why I engage in teaching and learning, and then on top of that, it elevates it to the level of worship.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Playing the board game, Sorry Heather: Reaction buttons on emails Tosca: Reading the Bible through the lens of the grand story and watercolor painting

    Weekly Spotlight: Lingo

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • Do you have a big life transition looming ahead? Is someone you know planning to move away? Lindsay Nimmon provides a Biblical framework for saying goodbye well, then gets practical, walking through the RAFT acronym and five tips for applying these transition principles.

    “When you’re living overseas, you’re bound to say more goodbyes and experience more grief as a result of those goodbyes than any monocultural or non-mobile peer.” “People are eternal beings who are not meant for endings, so goodbyes hurt, but we hear God’s call to us as Christians to go into all the world and make disciples, and so we trust that He can and does use this grief to shape mobile people into His likeness and give people full lives.” Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds by David Pollock Safe Passage by Douglas Ota “It is possible to form and help our families form healthy, Christ-centered life patterns surrounding transition, loss, grief, people, the world, and learning through the process of learning to say goodbye well.” “Saying a good goodbye to a place and a community is part of cultivating personal health and recognizing that we are loved by God.” Moving On: Beyond Forgive and Forget by Ruth Ann Batstone RAFT: Reconciliation, Affirmation, Farewell, Think Destination “Reconciling then, thereby fostering humility, reliance on God, and merciful attitudes, paves the way for a better exit from one community and a more open posture upon entering another community.” “Be specific about what you see God doing in the lives of those around you, and take this moment to encourage their souls.” “Tokens of the affirmation we want to give people during times of transition allow the affirmation to be revisited over and over again and help quiet the negativity that can come when people are feeling isolated.” A Life Overseas Blog “Even as we are in the process of saying goodbye to one people and place, we can begin looking ahead to the people and place we are going.” “It is good to begin to let your heart and the hearts of your children float on the RAFT across the ocean to the destination, trusting that Jesus is leading you there to love a different part of His creation and a different group of people for His name’s sake.” “Doing all of the right things doesn’t necessarily guarantee the future outcome, but it doesn’t mean that we give up either [
] It does something to our own hearts even if it doesn’t create the outcome we were hoping for.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Joining a church mentoring program Heather: Hair getting long Lindsay: Loneliness

    Weekly Spotlight: AsunciĂłn Christian Academy

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • Pastor and author David Platt joins us for this Good Friday episode, where we focus on the Gospel and its centrality to missions. What makes the Gospel the good news, and how can we be part of sharing it with others? Listen in for an inspiring story about Gospel impact on a community and be challenged to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

    “We are made for life in relationship with God.” “He rose from the grave, conquering sin and death, so that anybody anywhere in any nation, no matter who you are and what you’ve done, if you will repent and believe, turn from your sin and yourself, put your trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, then God will forgive you of all your sin and restore to relationship with Him forever. That is the greatest news in the world.” “The beauty of the Gospel is that it’s not based on what we do; it’s based on believing, trusting in who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for us.” “Gospel flows directly into mission: When you believe this Good News, you want to spread this Good News.” “We all have a unique and significant part to play in the spread of the Gospel to all the nations.” “It should be totally intolerable to us as followers of Jesus that there are thousands of people groups in the world that have little to no access to this Gospel.” “This is actually what it means to be a follower of Jesus - not just to say a prayer or believe some truths, but to die to ourselves, pick up a cross, and to live with Him as Lord of our lives in every way.” “He’s called us to die to the dreams of this world in order to live for a much greater dream, a global dream, the spread of His glory to the ends of the earth.” Philippians 3 “In following Jesus, it may cost you everything, but He is worth it.” Luke 9:23 “If Jesus is Lord of my life and I’m living for the spread of the Gospel and His glory through my life, then what does that look like in my workplace? What does that look like in my home? What does that look like when I think about my future plans?” “We need followers of Jesus in every domain in the workplace, filled with the Holy Spirit of God working for the glory of God.” “We’re not going to over there what we’re not doing right here where we live.” Radical.net

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Writing in his books Heather: Spending time with my nephews David: Communicating with his 2-year-old daughter

    Weekly Spotlight: TeachBeyond Opportunity Board

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • Brian Delamont returns to the podcast to explore the Merriam-Webster Dictionary word of the year – “authentic” – through a Biblical lens. Heather draws a connection to her word of the year from 2023, and Keane shares a profound quote from C.S. Lewis.

    Holiness in Everyday Life by Raphael Haeuser The Truest Thing about You by David Lomas “It’s crucial to ground identity in something proven and dependable, something that doesn’t shift.” Genesis 1:27 “Humans are inescapably, for all eternity, created in God’s image; it’s inherent in us. Therefore we long for the characteristics that can only be satisfied in Him.” Mark 8:35 “Jesus is inviting us to find our identity in him, and in the presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit, to let this identity of being deeply loved by God shape our desires to align with what He knows will lead to our flourishing, to shalom.” “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” -C.S. Lewis Matthew 3:17 2 Peter 1:17 Colossians 3:1-10 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “When I live in my identity as a person indwelt by God, who loves me, I let Him rule. This anchors me in my authentic identity.” Spiritual Direction by Henri Nouwen 1 Corinthians 13:11 1 Peter 2:9-10 “I’m not a solitary individual who chose to follow Jesus; I’m a part of the global community of Jesus followers alive today, and I’m a descendent of every Jesus follower before me. They are my people.” Philippians 1:6 “Until the day God returns to make everything declare His full glory once again, He will be at work in you. And you have work to do in this, as well. You answer the call; you respond by actively becoming who you authentically are.”

    March Reflection: As you look at yourself, who are you becoming? What will you do to experience this more fully?

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Rediscovering Josh Garrels music Heather: Hosting a favorite things party Brian: Learning from these podcasts

    Weekly Spotlight: International Academy of St. Petersburg

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • How does an Internet search lead to missions work? What is it like to provide literacy training amongst nomadic communities? Hear from WangĆ«i Maina about her experiences following the Lord to multiple different countries and what it’s like to serve now in Northern Kenya.

    “I felt the Lord say, ‘Forget all of the things you’re trying to figure out. Just trust Me and go.’” “Northern Kenya in 2024, still has the highest illiteracy rates in the whole of East Africa.” “One of the greatest impacts that I have seen is seeing children who were not interested in school because of the cultural practices that prevail in these communities take up an interest in going to school and staying in school.” “Where Christ is preached fearlessly, transformation happens.” “Whatever negativity or whatever darkness, it can’t come against the light.” “People think God’s calling is some big voice up in the air or you’ll hear some booming, but it’s those impressions that the Lord puts in our hearts.” “Start your day with the Lord; it really makes a difference.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Planting the garden Heather: Teaching at her alma mater Wangƫi: Discovering new nearby routes

    Weekly Spotlight: Creative Access Locations

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • Who says that learning can’t be fun? Hear from seasoned educator Bastiaen Norel, along with several other TeachBeyond teachers, about what it can look like to make learning fun, encourage exploration, provide opportunities for creativity, and celebrate achievements.

    Cultivating a Culture of Love for Learning by Bastiaen Norel “We all have a bit of intrinsic motivation for things we love.” Drive by Daniel Pink “I forget about time, and that’s when ‘flow’ happens. You want to aim at getting children to come to a point where [...] they’re unaware of what’s going on, they’re so intrigued by their subject and what they’re doing.” “Keep their interest by changing or mixing your learning styles. I think that is vitally important to get a good response.” “If you teach the subject over two or three years, you will build up material that you can use again.” “All children are placed in their class for a purpose; it’s not by accident.” “We are always on a transformation journey.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri Heather: Getting a larger rug for my living room Bastiaen: Playing the flute with orchestral background tracks

    Weekly Spotlight: Sparrow Project

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • Dr. Allen Yeh shares about generational distinctives and provides perspective on how this impacts views on faith, values, church, and global missions.

    “When we talk about culture, it’s not just ethnicity and nationality or even gender, it’s also age. So the different generations are different cultures, even if they come from the same country.” “With Gen Zers, it’s harder to reach them with the institutional church. It’s not necessarily that they are less interested in Christianity; it’s just that the traditional methods don’t work as well.” True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In by James Choung “The four generations each have a gateway question in order to reach them. For Boomers, their gateway question is ‘what is true?’ For Gen Xers, our gateway question is ‘what is real?’ For Millennials, the gateway question is “what is good?’ and for Gen Zers, the gateway question is ‘what is beautiful?’” “If you look at Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the numbers of Christians continue to grow, and in the West, the number of Christians continues to decline.” “If the Global Church is starting to look more like the first century church, I think this will attract Gen Zers.” “We need to be much more sensitive about our language with Gen Z. Maybe a better word than ‘mission’ could be something like ‘witness.’ That is actually a Biblical word.” “The chief verb of the Great Commission is not to evangelize; it is to make disciples.” “Discipleship is a long obedience in the same direction.” - Eugene Peterson “In the West, we often teach that people have to do believing, then behaving, then belonging. But, in the Bible, it’s more belonging, then believing, then behaving.” Jason Dorsey, The Center for Generational Kinetics “If the older generation always rolls their eyes at Gen Z and denigrates them, then Gen Z is not going to fulfill their potential; in fact, there’s just going to be generational warfare.” “Gen Z has such a huge potential for fulfilling mission in this world.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Taking a trip to the mountains in North Carolina to go sledding Heather: Unseasonably warm days to read outside on my balcony Allen: Job transition

    Weekly Spotlight: Thinking Christian International School

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • What does it mean for us to co-labor with God? How can we partner well with others? This episode concludes a four-part series unpacking TeachBeyond’s four core values – humility, excellence, love, and partnership – with Brian Delamont, TeachBeyond Executive Vice President.

    TeachBeyond’s Core Value of Partnership: Understanding our role as co-laborers with God, we intentionally seek to partner with others to promote the work of transformation around the world. We commit to working together in unity and community as a family of faith. Genesis 2:15,19-20 Courage and Calling by Gordon T. Smith “God invites us into His action of flourishing and fruitfulness as His creation
 He invites us to join Him in his greater work, to see His Kingdom come.” Genesis 12:1-3 Luke 9:1-2 John 20:19-21 “As the Father has sent the Son, so the Son sends us! What a high elevation of the Gospel call. It’s more than a task, or a mandate to travel and share good news, it is literally the giving of authority to be sent by the Son of God.” Matthew 28:16-20 Mark 9:37-40 Acts 2:5-11 Acts 1:8 “It takes a lot of intentionality to partner well.” Acts 15:7-9 John 17:20-23 “Partnership is not built on a foundation of similar likes or similar culture or similar views; it’s built on the love of God.” Episode 43: May They Be One with Brian Delamont 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 “The cross is Christ’s unifying action for His body, the Church. It is the work of Christ that is the central unifying factor, not this messenger or that messenger.” “Koinonia” Acts 2:42 2 Corinthians 9:13 1 John 1:3,7 “Missions exists because worship does not.” - John Piper Revelation 7:9-10 “That’s the culmination of partnership - every tongue, tribe, nation, people [standing before the throne].” “We can’t have a value without an action.”

    February Reflection: Who am I currently partnering with – or who is God prompting me to partner with – to see the Gospel have more influence?

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Playing sports in the backyard Heather: Navigating time zone difference with Australia Brian: Making music and learning to record again

    Weekly Spotlight: Puebla Christian School

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • From single young adults to parents of teenagers, Clarence and Anna share about their journey of serving with TeachBeyond in Germany in different seasons of life.

    “God brings a new opportunity; I just said yes.” -Clarence “I’ve taken all of these spiritual gifts tests, and pastoring or shepherding has always been an underlying theme. My heart is for people. My heart is for people to love each other and love God.” -Clarence “How can we come alongside people and guide them and help them thrive?’ -Clarence “Being a missionary, it feels like everyone’s supposed to be really good at pastoral ministry, like my husband is. I finally came to a place of realizing, of course I love people [...] but my gifting is more behind the scenes.” -Anna “Don’t be afraid to lean into your giftings, even if it’s not what we think traditional missionary giftings are supposed to be.” -Anna “You are capable of doing the hard things. Don’t shy away from those things.” -Clarence “Intentionally stepping away from the project and getting out of the surroundings here allows you to gain more perspective.” -Clarence “Especially as our boys are getting older, I see people that genuinely care about them [...] That absolutely helps our longevity as a family, knowing that there are so many amazing people that are caring for our kids alongside us.” -Anna “God knits this community together to continue His work over time, and we get to see it time and time again. It’s a huge privilege to be able to serve the Kingdom in this way.” -Clarence

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Motion sensor lights Heather: Hobby nights with friends Clarence: Coaching middle school girls basketball Anna: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour

    Weekly Spotlight: Administrative Assistant positions

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • This episode is for teachers, parents, and any caregivers of children! Hear from Kelly Crandall, TeachBeyond educator in the Philippines, about how to create environments, establish routines, and integrate strategies that foster emotional regulation.

    Equipping Students to Manage Strong Emotions article by Kelly Crandall “If kids are anxious or upset or angry, there’s not a lot of learning that is getting into their brains. I see talking about emotions or helping students to regulate their emotions as an investment in the rest of their learning.” “We do value academics as teachers, but we also recognize that our students are whole people.” “As teachers, we have to stay regulated. It can be that when students’ emotions get big, ours get big, too.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Glow-in-the-dark stars Heather: Partial meal prepping while cooking Kelly: Learning Calculus and being a learner

    Weekly Spotlight: Faith Academy

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

  • Be aware and play it safe! Listen in for cybersecurity tips from Matt Johnson, who works in IT with TeachBeyond.

    “The best response to phishing is to be aware that it’s out there.” “It’s better to be wrong and not send the information than to be wrong and send the information.” “Hang up - you don’t need to continue to engage with somebody if you feel like it’s a voice phishing attack.” “You always learn the most by ‘getting got.’ It’s always better to ‘get got’ by your IT person than it is to ‘get got’ by someone that actually has malicious intentions.” “The idea of just removing technology from our day-to-day lives is not a possibility, so you need to learn how to use it responsibly and how to prepare yourself and protect yourself the best way you can.”

    What’s changing our lives:

    Keane: Boxcar Children book series Heather: 1000 Hours Outside app Matt: Feels Like Home by Lee Eclov

    Weekly Spotlight: Dakar Academy

    We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
    Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
    Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/