What's In the Wind?

     One of the projects we have been working on for SonSet Solutions is a new promotional video. So last week, a colleague and I packed the car full of gear and headed off to Chicago to interview one of the board members of SonSet Solutions. His office looks across the expressway, right at US Celular Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.

On the Roof to See the Antennas

     I have not been in Chicago a lot. I know that is called the windy city, and it certainly was windy that day, especially on the roof of a 20+ story high rise. Why the roof? Well, our subject for the interview is not only interested in the technology solutions that our mission provides to partner ministries, he is also involved in technology research himself. So he just couldn't resist taking us up to the roof of the building to show us the antennas that monitor the radio spectrum around the city of Chicago. We then returned to his office where we talked about the future of the internet, communications, and mobile devices.

     So many times we use the technology in our hands without giving it a second thought. In fact, it's pretty hard to remember what life was like before desktop computers, cell phones, tablets, cable TV, etc. etc. I have lived in a generation that has seen this amazing growth in technology. But many experts tell us that most of the world will not experience technology that same way. Most people in developing nations will skip right over wired telephones, "standard" cell phones, and desktop computers, and they will jump right to mobile devices. What we have seen happen in the last 30 or 40 years will occur in a matter of a few years for them.

The Chicago Skyline from Our Rooftop Perch

     That is why I am so passionate about finding ways to communicate with people who are using these new tools of communication. Our friend is monitoring radio spectrum usage in downtown Chicago with an eye on the future. We need to be looking at how we communicate the gospel with an eye on the future too. Mobile technology will soon be the way the world communicates, and we want to be ready for that day.

Doug (& Ruth)
    

The Call

You don't hear much about the "call" to missions anymore. That was much more of a thing when I was young. We were often asked about our call to missions 25 years ago when we were headed to Ecuador. I was reflecting again on our call to missions this past as I prepared a devotional for several engineering students who were spending their spring break to intern at SonSet Solutions.

One of the Churches We Helped Plant in Ecuador

Paul talks about his Macedonian call in Acts 16 and the need for people to tell others about Jesus in Romans 10:13-15 where he uses words like "go" and "sent". Jesus talks about the fields that are ready to harvest in Matt. 9:37-38 and of course, the great commission in Acts 1:8. But frankly, few of us get a call like Paul did. For me the call came over the period of a several of years.

First, I became aware of  the need for missions. I had been a good witness to my co-workers I think. But it wasn't until a missions trip to Mexico that I really experienced the white fields of harvest. Witnessing to my co-workers yielded little fruit during the 9 years that I worked in the US. But I saw several people come to know Jesus in a little Mexican church through my simple preaching and translation of the God's word.  People here were ready to follow Jesus... they just needed someone to tell them about Him!

Second, God began to put a dis-satifaction with the status quo in my life. I was working for defense contractors as an engineer at the time, pushing the envelope in radar development. We had the latest technology and were doing things that had never been done before. They were exciting times. But I was increasingly unhappy and uneasy. A growing fear of becoming too complacent in my comfortable world made me long for something more.

Thirdly, God produced in me an intense sense that what I was doing had no eternal value. We were working long hours at times in our push to stay ahead of our competitors. But what was the eternal value of what I was doing? Was this just "wood, hay, and straw" that would eventually burn up when my earthly deeds were passed through God's quality test by fire?  I began thinking about the bigger picture of life and God.

Some 25 years later, I am glad that I responded to God's call to serve Him. It has not always been easy, but it has been rewarding in so many ways. Do you hear God calling you to serve Him in some way? I encourage you to follow His call.

Doug

Exodus: Gods and Kings.

I took the family to see the movie "Exodus: Gods and Kings" last weekend. The production quality was excellent. The special effects were amazing. Some of the scenes were simply epic! But much like the movie "Noah", it was inaccurate in sevearl places. But that is exactly why I recommend these movies to you!

You see, story telling is a tricky thing. The problem is our tendency to "enhance" the story, or "fill in the gaps" in order for the story to make better sense or increase the excitment. The result is usually a published version that deviates from the original story in many ways. If you have ever read a book and then gone to see the movie, you know what I am talking about. I constantly hear people say "well you know... that's not the way it is in the book!"

So why go see these movies? Because they are the perfect opportunity to discuss with your friends, co-workers, and neighbors how "the book" is different from the movie. You might even get people interested enough in the book that they will want to read some of the Biblical account with you.

I have had many conversations with people who know little or nothing about Jesus and I have often wondered how to steer the conversation around to some spiritual topic without sounding lame or fake or disingenuous. Since Hollywood seems to have discovered that there is a "Christian market" for movies today, why not take advantage of the situation and use these movies to start a conversation. Then at the appropriate time, shift the focus to spiritual things by saying something like, "You know. That's not the way it is in the book...." It's one of the most natural, culturally accepted ways to refocus a conversation today and the best part is that your audience is already interested in the storyline!

In fact, I think the worst thing we can do is dismiss these movies out of hand and leave people wondering why you won't even discuss a story that they know very well is based on the Bible.

What do you think?

Doug

Transition.... Again

Seems like transition is just a way of life these days. After we finally completed our 2-year transition from Ecuador to Indiana, the tech center, now called SonSet Solutions, decided to make a transition of its own. I talked about that in the last post. What this means for us is that I am heavily involved in communicating the change and helping our staff communicate the change both internally and externally. Here are some of the things that I have been involved in recently.

SonSet Solutions Web Page

We recently launched a new web site for SonSet Solutions. I am overseeing much of the content that goes on this web site as well as working with a team that decides things like layout, structure, etc. You can see the site by clicking on SonSetSolutions.org. I am also doing a lot of the posting on our Facebook page, which you can follow at Facebook.com/HCJBTech as well as our Twitter feed Twitter.com/HCJBTech. These are all important tools for telling others about the ministry we do.

Whenever a change like this occurs there is a mountain of communication tools, letterheads, forms, etc that also need to change. So our small communications/media team has been invovled in designing the new logo, creating new letterhead, new e-mail addresses and signature blocks, new brochures, new office badges, new signs for the street and doors, new shirts and coffee mugs, and the list keeps growing. I even wrote an official press release for the first time ever.

Practical Gifts Campaign Photo

We did get some time to create a new video a week or so ago. We are in the midst of a fund raising campaign for SonSet Solutions which will help us with some important startup costs as we become our own, independent 501(c)(3) organization. In addtion, SonSet Solutions does a Practical Gifts Campaign every year to raise money for tools and equipment that we use in ministry, but this year is different.... Find out why by watching our video. Click on ...  Practical Gifts Campaign.

I have been having a great time using my skills and experience to help us during this transition. By the end of the year we hope to be mostly through the transition and I will begin to concentrate on video production again. I already have some things brewing on the back burner.

Doug

The Name Game...

So, how are you doing with the name game so far? Let's review.... HCJB Global became Reach Beyond last January. Ruth and I then became missionaries with Reach Beyond, but we moved to Indiana to work with the HCJB Global Technology Center (no, the Tech Center didn't change their name) in their Nikkel Media Works studios. Are you keeping up? Well, now I have another one to throw at you...

The HCJB Global Technology Center has now changed its name to SonSet Solutions.

SonSet Solutions was also granted permission to separate themselves from Reach Beyond and become their own independent, non-profit 501(C)(3) organization. Although separate, the two organizations will maintain close ties. So where does that leave Ruth and I? We are now Reach Beyond missionaries serving in the Nikkel Media Works studios of SonSet Solutions. See that wasn't so hard now, was it?

Yes, the decision was made this week and announced to our staff today (Friday). And then the www.sonsetsolutions.org web site was launched. I have been working on the web site pretty much exclusively for the last several weeks. This is the first time that the tech center has had their own web site, even though we have beed in existence for some 28 years. You can read about our history on the web page. Next I will be involved in "getting the word out". Since SonSet Solutions doesn't have a "marketing" area yet, my team and I have decided that media should pick up that role until we can get someone in-house to help us. Do you know of any missionaries with a marketing background?

There are a number of things that lay ahead of us. We need to let people know that Reach Beyond has given a generous matching grant to help us get started with some of the startup funding that will be required to get us off on the right foot. It is much like setting up your first apartment.... all those little things you took for granted at Mom and Dad's house. So we need to start producing printed material, some short videos, social media strategies, letterhead and business cards, etc etc.

We are excited about this change and are anxious to get started on some of the new initiatives. If you want to help us get started, you can donate to SonSet Solutions to help with their startup funds (see the web page for more info). You can also pray for us as we work on these new communication and media tools. I don't really have a lot of experience at this kind of thing, and we don't have a lot of time to put things in place.

Thanks for being a part of our financial and prayer support teams...

Doug (& Ruth)