MORE NETWORK BLOG

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Forced to Adapt or Choosing to Adapt?

By Mark Boughan. Pubished on Tuesday, January 5, 2021

 

In Biology, adaptation’s how organisms adjust to changes in their environment. And there’s no agreement as to how this happens.  Some biologists - holding tight to evolutionary theory - avoid the idea that there might be purpose behind any adaptation. Others hold that it MUST be purposeful and so leave space for God.

For us – created in the image of God - adaptation may come either way - random or purposeful. It’s why we’re told in Romans 12:2, “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

We can let what’s happening around us mold us or we can be purposeful and seek God’s help in adapting to the changes that are going on around us and in us.

Right now, my wife and I have to adapt in 3 ways. 

  1. One, we’ve recently retired and we’re experiencing the effects of extra time and of aging.
  2. Two, in this season of COVID, life sometimes seems ‘on pause’.
  3. Third, we’re responding to a call of God and so have joined Outreach Canada to begin a ministry called ‘Alongsiders’. 

Alongsiders

Based on Biblical descriptions of the work of the Holy Spirit, Alongsiders will respond to the needs of those serving cross-culturally who are under stress.

Instead of them having to come home, the prayer is that temporary help on the field – with whatever is needed – will lighten burdens and provide space for reflection and rest.

So, we’re trying to adapt. Adapt to a new life stage. Adapt to a season in which nothing seems normal and we can’t really make plans. And adapt to a change in our own self-understanding and to a web of new relationships in the Outreach Canada/MORE Network family.

Be Intentional

Just like everyone else reading this, we’re tempted to just drift through major changes like these. But is seems clear that if we aren’t intentional then we’ll be shaped and molded by what we read and see and hear. Our culture, our friends, our fears and our desires will all tell us what to do and be.

Last week I read an article on retirement and was told that I’m now in a life stage in which I’m free to indulge myself. Then I read another about how to use COVID as a season of self-improvement by learning to do all the things I’ve always wanted to learn.

But where’s the call to reflection on asking God what HE wants us to do with the extra time that we have now and with the time that we have left on this earth?

I think that instead of this being a season of drifting, or of self-indulgence, this may the greatest season we’ve ever had in our lives to be intentional about those words of scripture above. THIS is the season of Philippians 3:13,14.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”   

And here’s the missing call on how to adapt. God reminded us of this last week.

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." 


 

Mark Boughan, and his wife Ruth, have extensive ministry and theological education experience.  They work with the MORE Network, providing Member Care support for international missionaries. Now 'retired' from 43 years of ministry and service, Mark & Ruth are dedicated to creating a 'finishers' ministry to cross-cultural ministry workers who are experiencing significant stress. ​



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Did you miss any past blogs? Check them out below!

 

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Pieces of Purple: MKs, This Book Gets You
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Returning Home for the First Time
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5 Ways to Pray for MORE Network in 2024
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Lament of a Returning Missionary
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Deeply Rooted
We invite you to join us during this season of generosity so that, together, we can give Missionary Kids and their fami...
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Deeply Rooted
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Pieces of Purple: MKs, This Book Gets You
The book Pieces of Purple  released by MK writer Michèle Phoenix, a faithful member of our Classic ReBoot teaching staff each summer, compiles over three decades of her research, teaching, and mentorship of MKs. Piece...
Read more...
Returning Home for the First Time
It was the 17 th of November 2023. Our Biman Bangladesh Airlines evening flight began its somewhat rocky decent into Dhaka, Bangladesh. The city sprawled for miles with concrete apartment buildings as far as the eye co...
Read more...
5 Ways to Pray for MORE Network in 2024
At the MORE Network, the key verse we’ve chosen for 2024 is Exodus 33:14: “The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14 (NIV) Prior to this verse, God had told Moses to l...
Read more...
Lament of a Returning Missionary
Loosely based on Psalm 13, here is a prayer of lament of a returning missionary.  How long, Lord, will I miss our former HOME where I sobbed in frustration and prayed, pounding on heaven’s door to learn language(s...
Read more...
Christmas Memories from Around the World
Watermelon, Handprints and Fireworks ... What do they all have in common? They are all elements of favourite Christmas memories and traditions from our MORE Network staff, from around the world! 
Read more...
Deeply Rooted
We invite you to join us during this season of generosity so that, together, we can give Missionary Kids and their families the opportunities to experience a richer soil in Christ and broader branches in community. 
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The Eternal Benefits of Debriefing
I recently returned from RE-VIEW, a week-long family debriefing retreat, where I served as an adult facilitator and debriefer. While there, I had the honour of hearing the stories of missionaries who have worked in...
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Bonds Beyond Borders: The Impact of ReBoot on MKs
There is something so beautiful about the quick bonds that form between MKs (Missionary Kids), who understand each other despite having drastically different life experiences. It’s like a breath of fresh air to be surro...
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Adult Third Culture Kid Research: The Heart Behind the Research
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One Sunday morning in the church where I pastored, a family came to me and shared how some of their friends had left our church to go to another church: a "competitor church". They were completely distracted by their ne...
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