February 2025 Newsletteer

LET’S HEAR FROM GARY!

First of all, I have a new website that contains ALL of my books in English and Spanish. Check out http://shogrenauthor.com The latest book is at the top of the page: Iceberg Ahead! When God’s servants crash into cold, hard reality.

TODAY’S STORY: Breaking Down Gary’s Ministry Hours!

So, I did some calculations:
 
On average, I spend 50% of my ministry time on MISSIONARY TEACHING, which includes course prep, classroom, grading papers, mentoring, blogging, speaking at conferences or on podcasts. The years I have a major writing project, that captures many, many hours of my time.
 
And I spend maybe 45% of my time on what is broadly MISSIONARY EVANGELISM. We usually picture evangelism as approaching individuals or preaching to a crowd. For me it’s working on a Bible translation for the deaf non-readers around the world. Symbolic Universal Notation was created in 2016 and the entire Bible should be done late this year or in 2027. This hidden people group of 60 million will “hear” the gospel for the very first time. https://missionsbox.org/press-releases/wycliffe-associates-publishes-new-testament-in-new-language-created-for-the-deaf-and-deaf-blind-communities/
 
So, TEACHING and EVANGELISM account for about 95% of my ministry hours.

 
(I’m not including as ministry hours: time in prayer, Bible study, meditation, reading spiritual books. That is “me” time, not ministry time.)
 
What about the remaining fraction – the, let’s see, the roughly 5%? SERVE THE NEEDY. One year I helped build homes for Habitat for Humanity in Costa Rica; several years it was going out early Sunday mornings to feed to the homeless in the streets of the capital. And since last year, it has meant heading out early to load the car and delivering lunch and dinner to shut-ins for Meals on Wheels.

With today’s sharp polarization of American politics, Christians might conclude that as long as they vote a certain way (right, left, center, libertarian, whatever), they are already doing their part for the needy.
 
James had a different opinion: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27). Or Psalm 138:7 – “Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly.” Ministry to the poor and purity before God; not just one or the other. Both/And.

This is why I try to carve out a small 5% to actively SERVE THE POOR. As shown on this pie chart!



Something to think over – we all have a gift, we all specialize in one thing or another. But even Timothy – that master church organizer – was asked also to “do the work of an evangelist.” Like him we might want to “mix it up” with other colors of the ministry palette.