Half a lifetime ago, I worked closely with an Australian leader. He had a great accent, lived and told tremendous stories of ministry at the ends of the earth, and generally had a very different view of the world than the Americans he was leading. At some point, he posted a map of the world oriented with north at the bottom, south at the top, and Australia featured prominently. It helped me understand that there are many ways to look at the world.
During the first two weeks of this year, we've had many of our international team members converge in Orlando to reconnect and recalibrate our teamwork for the new year. As I met with the various teams, I was reminded of a description that the Thessalonians used to describe Paul and Silas. "These men who have turned the world upside down..." Acts 17:6 (ESV). Wycliffe Associates has a lot of men and women who could rightly be described this way.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
The answer depends on your perspective.
There are lot of people who prefer their world "right side up," or at least oriented according to their norms, comforts, and perspectives. To them, world upsetters are a problem to be solved or eliminated. Preserving the status quo or, better yet, reorienting things to the way they used to be, consumes their energy.
There are others, admittedly fewer, who actually think that turning the present world upside down is the best way to improve it. Sure, there are always critics and inertia to overcome. But adjusting to a new center of gravity and momentum may improve things. It's risky, but in their view, it is a risk worth taking.
I'm blessed to be part of a global team that is moving in the same direction that Paul and Silas were moving—turning the world upside down. We are taking steps of faith, leveraging new technology, engaging more partners, overcoming limitations, and learning new ways to accelerate Bible translation into new languages.
May 2016 be a year of unprecedented progress for God's Word among the nations!
(Photo credit - Gail-Peters Projection, Daniel R. Strebe, August 2011. Modified.)
