Author: Scriptures In Use
Fifteen Percent of the Bible is Poetry!
Not only in Kyrgyzstan, but across Central Asia and beyond we often note that poetic recitation inspires deep emotion and cultural identification with the biblical text, largely because it is a part of the still existing, oral tradition. The presence of ...
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Why this emphasis on accuracy?
Is it really so important that the retelling of the story is exact, word for word? We believe it is! What if someone is telling this story to a group of traditional, oral learners? They may be accustomed to the recitations of the dervish, the griot or the s...
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Trying something new
During this global pandemic, I am attending many video conferences and webinars. A clear message of “be creative” and “try something new” keeps surfacing. We were founded on the principle of being creative and trying new things.
Humility and different gifts in the body of Christ
I am privileged to meet many humble indigenous men and women of peace from communities all over the world. They follow our Lord Jesus Christ, seeking to reflect His image in everything they do. They are “not easily offended” although many of them have gone ...
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Finding Shelter in the Shadow of His wings
Interesting fact about the Word of God: it is approximately 15% poetry. Poetry of the Bible provides much comfort and peace in all types of crisis whether illness, neglect, dominance, injustice, or even a global outbreak of a pandemic virus.
Oral Learning People Groups in the US: Refugees and Immigrants
Did you know that it is estimated that there are about 350 unreached people groups (UPGs) living in the United States? The majority of UPGs learn and pass on their history, heritage, faith and culture through oral communication. “We must welcome the unreach...
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Oral Learning People Groups in the US: Refugees and Immigrants
There is an incredible opportunity in missions right here in the US, at our own doorsteps! As you probably know, there are many thousands of unreached people throughout our country who have come as refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants from some of the mo...
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Comprehensive Oral Bible Strategies: Essential to Effective Kingdom Building
It is a fact that many of the unengaged and least-reached people groups in the world live in hard-to-access places and belong to traditional, oral cultures. Books and printed materials are not part of their everyday experience.
Characteristics of “Healthy” Oral Bible House Churches
As the leader of SIU, I often am asked what I consider a success in terms of new church plants. What is a “healthy” oral Bible house church? It's most important to seek out those who live, breathe and participate in these oral Bible house churches in the fi...
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Integrating the Traditional Oral Arts
The drama ended with song and dance in celebration of God’s miracle. The first time we saw this story from 2 Kings performed among the Banjara tribe of Andhra Pradesh in southern India, we were delighted. This narrative had suddenly become unforgettable, f...
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The Dialogue Style of Jesus
Very early in our ministry we often asked some “analytical, expository” questions about the Bible. In our ignorance about oral tradition and learning styles, our dialogue attempts met with awkward silence. But one day we were struck by the simplicity of Je...
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Overcoming Fears to Reach Our Neighbors
One of the things our SIU team looks forward to the most is hearing new testimonies of impact from people who attend one of our Bridges training events held around the world. We know these testimonies will be coming, and to be honest, I kind of get giddy wi...
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Simple. Organic. Reproducible.
As I traveled to a number of missions conferences last year, I so enjoyed meeting missionaries with different personality types and ages. They were each unique and their callings different, yet they had learned many similar patterns in their journey with Go...
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Getting Resources to the Least Reached
I’m shocked and saddened when I hear that less than 1/100 of .1% (which equates to .0001) of the world’s annual charitable giving goes to places in the world needing the gospel the most. Did you hear that?
Discovering God’s Truth Through Story
Have you ever had one of those moments in which you get so excited about discovering a new truth that it causes you to look at things entirely differently? Your pulse quickens, your eyes light up and something that seemed so distant and non-personal suddenl...
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Contagious, Passionate Disciples, Where are They?
Contagious, passionate followers of Jesus! Have you ever met one? You know it when you do. Recently one of our pioneering SIU partners from Nepal came through town to visit our team. He is a soft-spoken, humble “Man of Peace” who smiles often. The light of ...
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Flipping the Leadership Model “Upside-Down”
One of the most disheartening things I’ve seen in Western missions is leadership that continues to drive an attitude of “I know all the answers” and “I need to be the one making the decisions” and “Nothing happens without my being there, providing my input....
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A Ride on a Bus with a “Woman of Peace”
Listen to this story, retold well by one of our Missionary trainers. The story of the “Woman of Peace” is fresh in from the harvest fields’ of oral-learners.
One Family at a Time, Transformed Lives
Listen to this couple's inspiring testimony of coming to faith through stories. Are you spending time listening for and seeking the Lord with the needs of your spouse or close family? What is keeping you from moving past some possible strongholds in growin...
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For the Kingdom of God Belongs to those…
Our Lord, Jesus, loves the heart attitude and faith of a child. In fact, He addresses it directly in one of the stories found in the Gospel of Mark. For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children or have childlike faith. I so would hav...
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How Long? A Parable of Persistence
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him ...
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New Wine in New Wineskins
One of our biggest challenges here in the western world, especially in our ministry outreach efforts, is doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting different results. Then when we see limited to no new impact from our same old efforts, we ponde...
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The Return of the Prodigal
In oral cultures as we train and equip indigenous grassroots leaders to share the Bible orally, we encounter young men who have experienced the loss of a father. Living in remote communities, under difficult conditions, their families have seen all types of...
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The Power of “Story”
Since the majority of the world’s storytelling people have never been introduced to Jesus in a way they can relate and respond to, SIU works and trains local Christians among these people how to tell the life-transforming stories of the Bible to their famil...
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Dancing and Singing to the Lord
The Fiji Men’s Rugby team, against all odds, won the first ever Olympic Gold for their country in a Rugby sporting venue, which Fiji has not participated in since the 1924 Summer Olympic Games held in Paris.
Avoiding the Common Mistake of “Comparison”
Why, when we receive a financial or other type of material gift do we compare it to what one of our friends or family members might have received? The thought or action of “comparison” is such a mistake and is brought about by selfish greed, not a web you ...
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