 "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." -Kierkegaard Here we are, already headed into the second month of 2026. It is a cliché, I know, but true nevertheless, “time goes by so fast.” It was 34 years ago that Randy and I stepped down from pastoring a local church and launched out into the unknown…literally; no plan, no money, no open doors. It was just the two of us with a developing vision and our passports.
Only by looking back can I now understand the process of hard choices, disappointments, perseverance, and many, many opportunities that made us who we were and are. No experience is wasted, they all move us forward to our destiny. World Missions Advance, a name Randy came up with to describe our purpose, continues on. We not only wanted to go to the nations, (Randy traveled to over 40 nations before he passed in 2017), but help others go as well. So many of you have stood with us all these years, I am so thankful. We must never minimize events in our lives but rather stop and consciously make a determination that we will embrace each season. We live our life forward and we’ll understand it backwards. Only then will we be able to look back and “…know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). To quote the great philosopher, Dr. Seuss: “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” No turning back...
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 Chad, Pastor Marek, Peggy, Stephanie, & Susan In 2007, I (Chad) was in Europe on a mission, but found myself confused and feeling like a failure when things didn’t work out as I had envisioned. My dad made contact with a former CFNI student and friend in Poland, and facilitated my appointment there with Pastor Marek. I ended up out in the country, in a small town that felt like the middle of nowhere. Little did I know that that “detour” would start a wonderful friendship that has lasted since. Pastor Marek and I have been good friends ever since I stayed at his Christian Center (formally mafia hotel) in 2007. My dad had been there several times and my mom has also been there speaking at churches/conferences over the years. I have been back many times to minister in Poland. Every year, we are honored to spend time with Pastor Marek when he comes through Dallas on his way to cast the vision and raise money in various parts of the United States. On his recent trip, I was privileged to have Pastor Marek teach my Multicultural Perspectives class in the 3rd Year Program at Christ for the Nations.  Check out the podcast below to hear the amazing testimony of how Pastor Marek’s father was saved in a Siberian Concentration Camp For more information about Pastor Marek and his ministry in Poland, please go to:
www.worldmissionsadvance.org/kiewra  It is always an honor when Christ for the Nations asks me to teach a class. I am so thankful for the time I spent there, as a student, over twenty years ago, and I love to encourage the students when I am given the opportunity to do so. This fall, I am teaching a class in the Third-Year-Program called Multicultural Perspectives. I have 34 students from all over the world, including places like Brazil, Mexico and Bulgaria, among others.  At the same time, mom is teaching a class called Effective Biblical Counseling, with many international students as well. I get to see her after every class. It’s pretty cool that we are both teaching at the same time at Christ for the Nations. I think my dad would be nostalgic about that.  Your support helps us to reach the nations, not only through WMA Associate Missionaries, but through our ministry, right here in the USA. Thank you!
In essentials unity, Do you ever get tired? Right now, I am texting back and forth with a friend about the Iran/Israel/ USA situation. I have another text waiting for me from an old friend asking me to call them. Based on the video that was sent with the text, I’m thinking they want to talk about the Iran/ Israel/USA stuff too. I have a confession. I like to know stuff. And I enjoy telling people the stuff that I know. The older I get though, I’m realizing that I don’t know as much as I thought I did. For the last almost three years, I have been studying at Dallas Theological Seminary. One thing that has been encouraging and perhaps a bit surprising to me is how willing these highly educated and knowledgeable professors are willing to respond to questions with an, “I don’t know,” or “Maybe you should ask so and so in such and such department. They would know more about it than I do.” In a world where everyone seems to be an armchair expert on everything, especially on the internet, anyway, I find people who are willing to say, “I don’t know” to be quite refreshing. Of course we should “know” some things. John encourages believers by saying, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). But it is folly to be quick to argue so much about this thing or that. I must confess I am too guilty of this. Yes, we should be well informed. Yes, we should, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks [us] to give the reason for the hope that [we] have” (1 Pet. 3:15). But we don’t have to have an answer or an opinion about everything. How could we? One famous preacher opined that it was OK to say, “I’m not sure, I’m not finished thinking about that yet.” From those who were so sure of the date of the return of Christ (looking at you 88 Reasons) to those whose eschatology is perfect in every way, we all know the sad consequences of “knowing too much.” Perhaps some humility is in order. -Chad  “To everything (turn, turn, turn), There is a season (turn, turn, turn), And a time to every purpose under heaven.” So goes the opening chorus of the famous song written by Pete Seeger. Such is the timeless nature of Ecclesiastes. Paul tells the church in Rome to, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” Yes, there is a time for everything and wisdom recognizes the moment and finds peace in the seasons of life. It seems like there is a lot of transitioning happening in people’s lives these days. Just this month, I’ve talked to three missionaries who are facing a time of transition. I find myself often identifying with George Banks (Steve Martin) on Father of the Bride. I often long for the way things were and am hesitant to embrace change. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” as the old saying goes. And yet, life is not like that. Winter comes once a year whether you like it or not…whether you’re ready for it or not. I’m not as young as I used to be. I’m guessing that you’re not either. But transition, like winter, is not something to be prayed away, but something to be embraced. There is no growth without death. There is no spring without winter. James, the half-brother of Jesus, writes in his little book of wisdom to, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (Js. 1:2-4). I get it, easier said than done. But if the ultimate goal of our lives is to be conformed into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), then that puts everything, even our trials, even our transitions, into a different perspective. Being conformed hurts sometimes…maybe most of the time. Be encouraged today! God is working something marvelous in you. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) It is not the strength of your faith but the object of Have you ever tried to witness to a Jehovah’s Witness or a Mormon? It can be difficult because they use some of the same words that we use, but mean something completely different. Ask a Mormon if they believe in Jesus, “of course” they will say. The problem is, the Jesus they are talking about is not the same Jesus a Christian is talking about. I started reading a book about world religions the other day called God is Not One, written by Stephen Prothero. In it he writes, “Are Buddhists trying to achieve salvation? Of course not, since they don’t even believe in sin. Are Christians trying to achieve nirvana? No, since for them suffering isn’t something that must be overcome.” He goes on do give a sports analogy, explaining that different religions have different goals. “If you ask which sport is best at scoring runs, you have privileged baseball from the start.” He continues, “Should we be trudging toward the end zone of salvation, or trying to reach the finish line of social harmony? Should our goal be reincarnation? Or escape from the vicious cycle of life, death, and rebirth?” Why am I sharing this? I think, perhaps, as a wake up call for those of us who have been around “church” for any significant length of time. Our world is in desperate need of a Savior, but some things, perhaps especially, spiritual things, take time. Just because we don’t see something happening doesn't mean something isn’t happening. The Bible doesn’t say to “go and get people saved” it says to preach the Gospel. The results are in God’s hands. Do you have someone in your life you’ve given up on? Maybe they speak the same language but have beliefs that are totally different. Or maybe they, like the person playing soccer, are playing a different game entirely. They’re not even trying to score runs. Have you given up hope that your brother, or sister, or son or daughter, or friend can be saved? I just interviewed a friend of mine who baptized his father not too long ago. He prayed and witnessed to his dad for years before the fruit of those prayers arrived (See Interview Below). Keep praying. Keep interceding. Trust in the Lord! Don’t give up! Pray for your family. Pray for your friends. God is well able to save! Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; I want to address the subject of trust. How can we function, really, without the ability to have hope and trust in the midst of confusing circumstances? I read a story of a missionary family—I can’t remember where I read it (I should have written it down), but it’s a good story. This missionary family was home on furlough, and they were staying at the lake house of a friend. One day, as Mom and Dad were busy, their three children—ages 4, 7, and 12—were playing outside. The four-year-old, as four-year-olds do, escaped the big sister’s watchful eye. He ran down the dock, eyeing the big boat tied to it. As he got closer and more excited, his little feet sent him slipping, and he fell into eight feet of murky, dark water. When the 12-year-old saw what happened, of course, she screamed. Dad pretty much knew immediately what had occurred. He came running, jumped in, and had to resurface several times because, as I said, the water was very murky. But he kept going down, coming up, getting his breath, and going back down. A little later, he found the four-year-old holding tightly to a wooden pier several feet under the dock. He had to pry the little boy’s fingers loose, rushed him to the surface, and said to the little boy in his arms, “Billy, what were you doing down there?” The little guy replied, “Just waiting on you, Dad. Just waiting on you.”
Now, I’m telling you, that is trust—“just waiting on you, Dad.” Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” That’s hard, isn’t it? Because we so want the answers to “why” questions. It’s been said that the one thing we owe absolutely to God is to never be afraid of anything. Grace is God’s gift to us, but trust is our gift back to Him. Don’t let your memories of yesterday paralyze your trust for today. There is a fear of the unknown path that stretches ahead of all of us, no matter how many years we’ve been in ministry. There’s always the unknown ahead of us, and sometimes that fear destroys the childlike trust we maybe used to have. So, we begin to determine and question, and we become fearful. Listen, trust does not guarantee that there won’t be times of confusion and uncertainty—there will be, but know that He’ll give you what you need when you need it. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles and without clues as to the outcome, the trusting heart says this: “I surrender my will and my life to You without reservation and with absolute confidence that You are a loving Heavenly Father, and I can trust You with my life without explanation.” Somebody said that the way of trust can be a risky business, but to live without risk is to risk not living. -Susan  In his book, "Dwell: Life with God for the World," Barry D. Jones writes, "Jesus was the incarnate one who dwelt among us to accomplish the mission of God. If we want to become like him, then we too must learn what it means to live a missional life by the power of the Spirit in the places we dwell."
Analysis paralysis. That’s what they say about my generation. We live in a world of so many choices it can sometimes be hard to know what to do. Fifty years ago, so many people, I realize not all, lived in the quintessential small town with a courthouse in the middle of the town square surrounded by all the entertainment, shopping, or whatever one would need. Even growing up in my day, I remember the exhilarating feeling of going to Blockbuster on a Friday night and picking out a movie or two for the weekend. Even those choices could be overwhelming sometimes. Now we have an overabundance of everything and more choices than we know what to do with. How many hours have we spent not watching something on Netflix or Amazon Prime, but just scrolling through trying to find something to watch? We are blessed and cursed with great abundance. It’s hard not to be a glutton these days. Not just for food, although, let’s be honest, that’s a problem, but for consumption of any kind. We can see it every day in the wealthy and famous people of our day. It’s not enough to have more than enough, but we must have more than someone else. Maybe we don’t consciously wish ill will upon someone, but we compare. And don’t think this is just a problem relegated to the likes of the worldly and unchurched. Comparison is poison to contentment. There is a temptation and struggle to always want more. As some of you may know, I’ve been an actor for many years. I started out doing community theatre, and then have done a few TV shows and commercials along the way. I just recently did a commercial, that fifteen years ago, would have been a major dream come true for me. And it absolutely was. But it’s funny how once you reach a goal, five more goals that you haven’t reached yet seem to overshadow the others. Timothy said that, “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). Are you Godly? Are you content? We are called to be like Jesus where we are, right now, in the place God has planted us, right now. Goals and accomplishments are great, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking you will reach people for Jesus once this thing or that has been done. There will always be something else. “If we want to become like [Jesus], then we too must learn what it means to live a missional life by the power of the Spirit in the places we dwell [right now].”  I have a confession to make. I had my first class of the semester at seminary a few weeks ago. It turns out, that one of the requirements of the class, is to have six conversations of a spiritual nature (with an eye toward evangelism) with unbelievers. While I can’t say that my palms started getting sweaty, my mind began to wonder. How am I going to do that?
Sure, I’m bold about my faith. I’m happy to post stuff on social media declaring my love for Jesus. I love to write out my thoughts about life and spirituality and put it out in public in hopes it can be an encouragement to someone. And of course, I have personally witnessed to people over the years as opportunities present themselves. If I’m honest, in the busyness of life, I’m not sure how often I go looking for such opportunities. But purposefully, personally, engage with six unbelievers in one semester! That sounds scary. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes. How many unbelievers do you know? When was the last time you personally shared your faith with an unbeliever? I can’t remember who said it, but it’s true, you can’t outsource the Great Commission. I was talking to some of our WMA missionaries the other day about prayer. It’s obvious I know, forgive my simplicity of thought, but it’s not the intellectual affirmation of prayer that works, it’s actually praying that works. Sometimes it can be easy to conflate the two. How many times I have deceived myself into thinking that because I mentally affirm that praying and fasting or reading the Bible are good, then, well, that’s it. No it’s the practice of the disciplines. It’s the actual walking the walk, not just talking the talk that works. What if 2025 is the year we actually step out in faith and share our faith? Maybe you already do. That’s great! Then disciple others to do what you have learned to do. Multiply yourself. We are not promised tomorrow. Let us hold our convictions until the end. Run the race. Finish the race. “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end” (Hebrews 3:12-14). "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation'" (Mark 16:15).  The other day, I was lamenting the fact that our society is such that drug commercials have to warn people not to take something if they are allergic to that something. “I’m so smart,” I thought. “Who could be dumb enough to do such a thing?” These thoughts, as I drift quicker and quicker to the proverbial old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn. Good thing I don’t have a lawn.
Anyway, the red light on my air purifier came on the other day so we ordered some replacement filters. I did a quick search online to see if I really needed to change the air filter or how long I could wait, etc., etc. and I found a picture of what a dirty air filter looks like. When I opened up my air purifier, to my amazement, I discovered that my air filter was spotless, like new! But we’ve been running it 24/7 for months. In my ignorance or just plain stupidity, I had installed the first air filter without taking off the plastic wrapping (I have included a photo below just in case you think it’s impossible for a married man with three kids to do something so dumb). So, for months, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, our air purifier has been giving all indications that it was running and purifying the air. The light was on, it sounded like it was working, and yet, I had been wasting electricity and deceiving myself into thinking the air I was breathing was pure. Sometimes, in our walk with the Lord, we think that there is some secret out there. We think that if we had just the right knowledge then our lives would fall right into place. We order the hottest new Christian Living book that’s on Amazon’s bestseller list. We are sure that the secret must be in there somewhere. Look at the success of the preacher. He must be doing something right. And maybe he is. In this world of transformative technology and AI and all the rest, it can sometimes seem like the newest thing is the best thing. But in the world of theology and our walk with the Lord, it is the old knowledge that we most need to be reminded of. The instruction to read your Bible and pray every day is just as much relevant now as it was when you first believed. The secret to Christian living is that there is no secret. Maybe you’re thinking you need a new filter and that will really fix the problems you are experiencing. But the truth is, you might just need to take the wrapper off the old one. Let us then, “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). |
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