How I Accidentally Planted a Church
As a teenager I said I would never pastor a church. I had watched my father and mother pastor. It made me respect them, but I also saw the cost of pastoring first-hand. I pursued my education in law school, but every time I turned around there were people around me, people I was loving […]
A Letter From Vineyard Missions
Dear Friends, I continue to be amazed and thrilled at how God is at work around the world and how we get to be a part of seeing the Kingdom break into the lives of people, bringing redemption to entire families and communities around the globe. So many of our Vineyard churches are actively participating, […]
The Kingdom Of God Vs Witchcraft And Karaoke Trucks!
I later learned that the mayor specifically welcomed us because he believed a “pay-to-play” spiritual healer was taking advantage of his villagers. He loved that we freely offered prayer, and he witnessed the difference that Christ made in the lives of our congregants. After the session, three teenage women prayed to receive Christ. Then, we […]
Puerto Rico One Year Later: Thriving Through Maria
September 20, 2017. It was a perfectly normal rainy day in Puerto Rico. Until it wasn’t. Sure there was a hurricane coming, but the whole event was only supposed to take 12 hours. The hearty, family-oriented communities built within cities, tucked away in mountain villages, and spread across the rolling countryside of Puerto Rico took […]
Ministry Highlight: Living Hope Community Outreach Center
A Commissioning Dothan Vineyard Senior Pastor Lyle Peluso has deep roots in overseas missions work. During an outreach in India several years ago, the Lord spoke to him as he was distributing food, clothing and prayer to those in need. “Go home and do this,” the Lord said clearly. An image of an old southern […]
An Unlikely Brother
I spent the second half of the trip on the north shore of of this island, where I’m excited to say, we now have our first official La Viña in this nation! Although Vineyard is not a recognized denomination there, the congregation has started to call themselves, La Viña Casa de Amor. On one of […]
South Sudan At Seven Years Old
South Sudan found its name and independence in 2011. Freedom of any kind is a sense of hope and promise, but the world’s newest country is also one of its least developed – anywhere you look. There are no precise population figures, but in 2014, the World Bank estimated there were 11.91 million South Sudanese, […]
Discerning A Local Church’s Work In Global Missions
Vineyard Missions has asked me to share how our church, the Red Bluff Vineyard, is discerning and working toward joining a Missions Partnership. Our goal is to spend the next two years (or less) exploring where God is calling us, who God is calling us to, and how to best engage in global missions! I […]
At Home Or Abroad, Posture Is Everything
In Mozambique, most places we visit lack running water, restrooms, etc. But Mozambicans understand the need for hygiene, so the custom is to offer a pitcher of water and a basin to wash your hands. The water is usually warmed over an open fire. Before any meal, when you enter a home, or even sometimes […]
We Praise The African Way | Cultural Context
On a recent trip, I had the opportunity to experience worship and ministry “the African way,” as I visited three countries in eight days, witnessing the manifold ways Kingdom values are being contextualized in the various cultures of Africa. First stop was Cameroon. The Cameroonian team leader shared a small two bedroom apartment. For those […]