2008 Woodie Awards
Letter to the Editor
Issue date: 10/6/05 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Dear Editor,
I am thankful for the missionaries that gave their time to speak at NGU last week. I have a great amount of respect for them, for Dr. Jerry Rankin and for the International Mission Board.
Although Rankin's messages were ones that I have heard before, God used them to touch my heart in a new way. As an American, I know that God has blessed me beyond measure. The fact that I grew up hearing about Christ, that I have a Bible and that I belong to a church family are ones that I often take for granted. It astounds and dismays me that, especially in an age of high technology, there are 1.6 billion people that have not heard the name of Christ.
To have the heart of God is to have a heart for missions. Christ "died for all" (2 Cor. 5:15) and, as His children, we are called to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). I long for a missionary's heart and am willing to go wherever God may send me. However, I have learned that missions is more than just answering a call by stepping onto a plane destined to a foreign land. In responding to the call, each member of the body of Christ has a different role to play in spreading the good news. It is true for some this will mean leaving what is "home" to live among a different people. For others, answering the call to missions may mean faithfully praying, supporting missionaries or teaching or preparing others to step into the unknown.
The missions conference left me asking myself if I am living in such a way that people see a heart that is burdened for the lost. My prayer is that He will ignite within me, and within this campus, a passion for missions that spreads like a wildfire.
God has blessed the land that we call home for a reason. God forbid that I hoard those blessings and, ultimately, waste the life He has given me. A wasted life is, as John Piper once wrote, one that is not lived to display His glory. By using the blessings and abilities that God has given us, may we reach those within our nation and those who have not yet heard the name of Christ. "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah. That your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations" (Psalm 67).
Ashley Faulkner
Sophomore, Print Media
If you have comments about this article or want to write a letter to the editor, access the "Letter Submissions" link to the left of the page. Please be sure to add your name, grade level, major and phone number.
I am thankful for the missionaries that gave their time to speak at NGU last week. I have a great amount of respect for them, for Dr. Jerry Rankin and for the International Mission Board.
Although Rankin's messages were ones that I have heard before, God used them to touch my heart in a new way. As an American, I know that God has blessed me beyond measure. The fact that I grew up hearing about Christ, that I have a Bible and that I belong to a church family are ones that I often take for granted. It astounds and dismays me that, especially in an age of high technology, there are 1.6 billion people that have not heard the name of Christ.
To have the heart of God is to have a heart for missions. Christ "died for all" (2 Cor. 5:15) and, as His children, we are called to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). I long for a missionary's heart and am willing to go wherever God may send me. However, I have learned that missions is more than just answering a call by stepping onto a plane destined to a foreign land. In responding to the call, each member of the body of Christ has a different role to play in spreading the good news. It is true for some this will mean leaving what is "home" to live among a different people. For others, answering the call to missions may mean faithfully praying, supporting missionaries or teaching or preparing others to step into the unknown.
The missions conference left me asking myself if I am living in such a way that people see a heart that is burdened for the lost. My prayer is that He will ignite within me, and within this campus, a passion for missions that spreads like a wildfire.
God has blessed the land that we call home for a reason. God forbid that I hoard those blessings and, ultimately, waste the life He has given me. A wasted life is, as John Piper once wrote, one that is not lived to display His glory. By using the blessings and abilities that God has given us, may we reach those within our nation and those who have not yet heard the name of Christ. "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah. That your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations" (Psalm 67).
Ashley Faulkner
Sophomore, Print Media
If you have comments about this article or want to write a letter to the editor, access the "Letter Submissions" link to the left of the page. Please be sure to add your name, grade level, major and phone number.