It was a great weekend of playing basketball. Our dorm floor had rented a basketball court in a nearby gym where we could lower the rims to 8 1/2 feet. It was a dunk fest followed by some good 5 on 5 basketball dunking on each other, throwing alley-oops. It was a blast. We were back … Continue reading Divided Focus and the Kingdom of God
There are many people we meet in our lives that have encouraged us, inspired us and shaped us. For me, it was a man who was a missionary in India for over 40 years. He heart, passion, and dedication for the people of India and for Jesus were unlike anything I had ever seen before. … Continue reading Made for the Extraordinary
What worries you? Or maybe a better question, What keeps you up at night? It was January of this year that I was laying in bed and my mind would not turn off. We had opened our 2019 Mexico trip registrations two months earlier and our sign-ups were not where I thought they should be. … Continue reading Thorns
This summer is almost over and there are many who have traveled the nation and the world on short-term mission trips. We have had incredible experiences partnering with other ministries, churches, and organizations. We've made new friends, new prayer partners, and hopefully, everyone including those who hosted groups has changed and grown closer to what God … Continue reading Your Short-Term Mission Trip Isn’t Over
Over the course of the last few months, there has been some “high profile” Christians who have stated that they are walking away from Christianity. Their list of reasons are different, but yet have similar reasons why. Josh Harris said, “By all measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christians.” The … Continue reading “God Said it, I Believe it, and…Wait, it’s Not Settled.”
Eleven years ago we began to dream about what could be. We began to ask “what if” questions. -“What if we were to facilitate service trips to Mexico as our full-time job?” -“What if we made a safe place for students to feel loved and accepted for who they are?” -“What would happen if students … Continue reading A Big Dream, A Big Risk, and 10 Years Later
Proximity means,” nearness in space, time, or relationship.” I was there when a student I was mentoring received a phone call about his grandfather’s passing. I could hear the pain in his voice as he talked on the phone with his parents. I could see the tears rolling down his face. I could feel the … Continue reading Proximity “You will always have the poor among you.” (Part 2)
The last few weeks we have visited and served people who live on the old Tijuana dump. Houses made out of scraps of wood. Fences built out of the garbage that has been thrown away, a broken table, an old box spring, and other thrown away items. Seeing how people live like this can feel … Continue reading Did Jesus Justify Poverty? “You will always have the poor among you.” (Part 1)
Honestly, going to the zoo is not one of my favorite activities. But the one time I did enjoy it was for my daughter’s 3rd birthday. My daughter’s favorite animal is the elephant and the only place we could see a real live elephant was the Oakland Zoo. So we packed into our car with … Continue reading What do Short-Term Missions have to do with a zoo?
I love questions. I love asking questions. Many times a question can lead to another question. It is essential that we ask good hard questions about many things in the world, especially as it relates to short-term missions or any service work we are doing. Before we go, we need to ask good questions. When … Continue reading The most important question you can ask.
Phil Steiner 