The Serve Asia Podcast

Hope is in short supply in discussions about environmental issues today. The last book of the Bible gives us a picture of 'a new heaven and a new earth' (Revelation 21:1). How does this hope help us engage with the pressing issues of our day? Finishing off our series Creation Care and Living Out the Gospel, we hear from Ruth Valerio at Tearfund about some of the key passages in this area and the challenges of interpreting them. Plus, theologian Daniel Button introduces us to themes from his PhD exploring what the new creation might look like and how the themes of creation link together Genesis and Revelation. Our other guests explore themes, including the importance of thinking about the 'now and not yet' of God's kingdom and how to ground our theology in our everyday lives. Your host for this series is Reuben Grace. He’s part of the Communications team in OMF (UK) and has been exploring some of the big questions on the topic of creation care for us. If you have questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you - email us at uk.podcast@omfmail.com or drop us a DM on Instagram at @ServeAsiaPodcast. Useful Links Ruth Valerio, Saying Yes to Life https://www.eden.co.uk/saying-yes-to-life/   Ruth Valerio, L is for Lifestyle https://www.eden.co.uk/l-is-for-lifestyle/ OMF ‘Why care for creation?’ booklet series https://omf.org/uk/resources/why-care-for-creation/ OMF creation care ministries https://omf.org/uk/resources/why-care-for-creation/

The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for people and their relationship with God, for whole communities and for creation itself. But how do these different areas fit together in practice? To help answer that question, in this episode we take a detailed look at two case studies of two environmental projects in East Asia. First, we hear from Bryan Martin, the founder of Reefs for Life, an innovative non-profit in the Philippines, about the difference caring for creation is making in local fishing communities. Then Peter Nitschke, the Global Director of Community Partnerships at the Plastic Bank, shares why reducing plastic pollution matters to God, blesses some of the world's poorest communities and has the potential to aid our evangelism too. Your host for this series is Reuben Grace. He’s part of the Communications team in OMF (UK) and has been exploring some of the big questions on the topic of creation care for us. If you have questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you - email us at uk.podcast@omfmail.com or drop us a DM on Instagram at @ServeAsiaPodcast. Useful Links Find out more about: Reefs for Life: https://www.reefsforlife.org/ Plastic Bank: https://plasticbank.com/ OMF and creation care:  https://omf.org/en-GB/our-ministries/creation-care/about ‘Why care for creation?’ Bible study series from OMF (UK) https://omf.org/en/web/uk/resources/why-care-for-creation-

Are we the planet's biggest problem today? Would it be better off without us? Increasingly we're told that the answer to both those questions is ‘yes’. But what does God have to say about our role in the world - as humanity in general and followers of Jesus in particular? And what on earth does the food you eat, the way you get around, and a host of other practical questions have to do with our discipleship and following Jesus Christ? We dig into these challenging practical questions in episode 2 of Creation Care and Living Out the Gospel. Guests include Tearfund's Ruth Valerio, Caroline Pomeroy, Director of Climate Stewards and OMF's Jasmine Kwong, bringing a perspective from the Philippines. Plus, we hear from Bryan Martin, a self-confessed ‘unlikely environmentalist' from California now serving as a missionary in the Philippines. Your host for this series is Reuben Grace. He’s part of the Communications team in OMF (UK) and has been exploring some of the big questions on this topic for us. If you have questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you - email us at uk.podcast@omfmail.com or drop us a DM on Instagram at @ServeAsiaPodcast. Links Find out more about OMF and creation care ‘Why care for creation?’ Bible study series from OMF (UK) More from Ruth Valerio Climate Stewards

With the COP27 climate talks underway in Egypt, environmental issues are in the headlines again. As followers of Jesus, what do we have to say about these things? How do we live out the gospel in this area? In the first of our three-part series on creation care, we explore what the Bible says about the environment. At a time when so many appeals are made to good reasons to care for the environment, what does the Bible have to say? How does knowing Jesus compel us to get involved? We hear from guests including Ruth Valerio at Tearfund, Caroline Pomeroy from Climate Stewards and Dr Tim Davy, a lecturer at All Nations Christian College on these topics and more. Your host for this series is Reuben Grace. He’s part of the Communications team in OMF (UK) and has been exploring some of the big questions on this topic for us. If you have questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you - email us at uk.podcast@omfmail.com or drop us a DM on Instagram at Serve Asia Podcast. Links Find out more about OMF and creation care ‘Why care for creation?’ Bible study series from OMF (UK) More from Ruth Valerio Climate Stewards All Nations Christian College On the Serve Asia Podcast we have conversations about the people and places of East Asia, sharing the good news of Jesus and how you can be involved. To get in touch with the Serve Asia Podcast: Follow us on Instagram @serveasiapodcast Or email us at: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

Reuben lets us know what's coming up very soon on the Serve Asia podcast. He's been diving into Creation Care and its place in life following Jesus and sharing the gospel with others. On the Serve Asia Podcast we have conversations about the people and places of East Asia, sharing the good news of Jesus and how you can be involved. To get in touch with the Serve Asia Podcast: Follow us on Instagram @serveasiapodcast Or email us at: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

Sam's work with a hearing dog charity in the north of England turned out to make him just the right person to support a family looking to Thailand with OMF. Through his various life experiences, God had been preparing Sam and his family to be uniquely placed to serve friends of theirs in ways they'd never considered. Find out how Sam, his wife Heather and their two young children ended up flying to East Asia, and how a global pandemic turned everything on its head. Sam shares how he has grown as a follower of Jesus through these times of challenge and uncertainty and how he and his family continue to be involved in making Jesus known across the street and across the world in Yorkshire today. Find out more about the online prayer group Sam mentions here: omf.org/uk/online-prayer-groups/ The book Sam recommends, Rediscover Church, can be found here: 10ofthose.com/uk/products/27960/rediscover-church To find out more about volunteering with Bridge Asia here: omf.org/uk/volunteer-in-the-uk/ Get in touch with the podcast Instagram: @serveasiapodcast Email: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

Shirley-Anne headed to the Philippines in the summer of 2019 to teach for a year at Faith Academy as part of the Serve Asia programme. She was all set to teach 5-year-olds for one academic year. God had other plans and in his providence Shirley-Anne was about to experience life, faith and teaching during a global pandemic, with lockdowns, online classrooms, and a whole lot of uncertainty and the unexpected. In the Unexpected Series, we’re chatting to people whose plans for serving Jesus didn’t quite turn out as they expected. For more about the Serve Asia programme visit - omf.org/uk/get-involved/serveasia/ Listen to the song Shirley-Anne mentions - Is He Worthy? by Andrew Peterson  Get in touch with us: instagram.com/serveasiapodcast/ uk.podcast@omfmail.com

In the Unexpected Series, we’re chatting to people whose plans for serving Jesus didn’t quite turn out as they expected. Ten years ago, if you’d asked Sarah what she thought she’d be doing today she’d have told you she hoped to be in East Asia, living in a city of millions with a desire to make Jesus known to people who do not know him. Instead, today she lives in the North of England and her life and ministry look completely different. It was great to chat to her about how this unfolded, all she learned along the way, and how she has found new ways to be involved in making Jesus known across the street and across the world. Find out more about Sarah's book recommendation Covered Glory by Audrey Frank

Allen McClymont is a typical Londoner: born in Malaysia, he grew up in New Zealand and has taught New Testament Greek in Malaysia! He was a guest on Christian Heritage London, and today we're sharing that conversation with you. Allen has a great story and shares openly and honestly about how he continues to learn what it means to be involved in sharing the good news of Jesus across the street and across the world. If you enjoy this conversation, do subscribe to the Christian Heritage London podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify If you have questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you email us at ⁠uk.podcast@omfmail.com⁠ or drop us a DM on Instagram at ⁠@ServeAsiaPodcast⁠.

Chris Wright, author of “The Mission of God” joins us to talk about mission. What even is mission? Is it biblical? If it is what does it mean for each of us as followers of Jesus and what does it mean for the churches we each belong to? Chris is an excellent communicator and has thought long and hard about these topics, digging deep into the Bible and seeking to be faithful to what it teaches us. Do check out Chris’s book The Mission of God and his paper on The Church & Integral Mission If you enjoy the conversation do check out Chris Wright's podcast On Mission with Chris Wright Book and Song suggestions from Chris Wright: The Overstory, a novel by Richard Powers Leonard Cohen – Anthem  U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For To get in touch with the Serve Asia Podcast: Follow us on Instagram @serveasiapodcast Or email us at: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

Patrick Fung, OMF International General Director, was recently a guest on the @thekingdomspodcast. They were kind enough to let us share the conversation with you. Patrick’s testimony is striking and reminds us of how wonderful the good news of Jesus is, but also that he calls his disciples to a costly life of following him. He shares how the diversity of the organisation he leads is a constant source of learning. Patrick also speaks about the shifting landscape of making Jesus known among the nations, in a world changed by a pandemic and migration. If you enjoy the episode go and check out other great conversations from The Kingdoms Podcast. --- To get in touch with the Serve Asia Podcast: Follow us on Instagram @serveasiapodcast Or email us at: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

Sandra Richter explains why she is passionate about creation care and believes that all who take the Bible seriously as their rule of faith and praxis should be too. Our conversation with Sandra is largely based on her book Stewards of Eden. Sandra shares her own experience of speaking and teaching on this subject and why she started getting interested in it in the first place. The discussion covers a wide variety of topics from farming, shopping, endangered species, Old Testament law and much more. Sandra is an Old Testament scholar, author, speaker, and seminary lecturer. She currently lives in California, USA, where she is on staff at Westmont College. Useful links and resources from the episode Stewards of Eden by Sandra Richter blessedearth.org/ Why Care for Creation? – biblical reflections on creation care from OMF UK Ed Stetzer - Christians in the age of outrage  --- To get in touch with the Serve Asia Podcast: Follow us on Instagram @serveasiapodcast Or email us at: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

Peter Rowan, Co-national director of OMF (UK), was interviewed earlier in the year by Eddie Arthur. Drawing on experience his experience in Malaysia, Peter shares some of his thinking about how the gospel of Jesus, through the local church, is a powerful agent for reconciliation across societal and cultural divides. Peter Rowan and his wife Christine served with OMF in Thailand and Malaysia before taking up their role leading OMF (UK). Eddie and his wife have worked for many years with Wycliffe Bible translators and Eddie writes and blogs regularly about making Jesus known across the world. Peter's PhD thesis on the themes of reconciliation in the Malaysian church context became the book Proclaiming the Peacemaker and later a shortened version Seeking Reconciliation. Follow us on Instagram: @serveasiapodcast Or email us: uk.podcast@omfmail.com Resources links Peter’s book - Seeking Reconciliation https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seeking-Reconciliation-Peacemaking-Witness-Malaysia-ebook/dp/B07XF7RKHZ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=peter+rowan&qid=1639647616&s=books&sr=1-3 Eddie Arthur’s blog and YouTube https://www.kouya.net/?page_id=10381 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gG08E9fT9k&list=PLgzJ1U5nPm7ASlXwDKn87gFSe1gnl01ZB Some books Peter mentions New World Coming by Andrew Kirk https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-World-Coming-Andrew-Kirk/dp/0551010657 The Recovery of Mission by Vinoth Ramachandra https://www.amazon.co.uk/Recovery-Mission-Beyond-Pluralist-Paradigm/dp/0802843492 Deacon King Kong by James McBride https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deacon-King-Kong-Times-Oprahs/dp/0857527584/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Nathaniel talks to CUI worker Hollie about sharing the good news of Jesus with international students. They share their own experiences of ministry throughout the pandemic and share valuable insights and practical ways to reach out to students from overseas. Whether you're already involved in ministry to internationals in your local area or haven't even considered the possibility, we think you'll find this episode interesting and helpful. For more from CUi check out their website cui.ie You can listen to their podcast here To get in touch with the Serve Asia Pocast: Follow us on Instagram @serveasiapodcast Or email us at: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

Morgan shares how during a Bible study with a Japanese student, she unexpectedly ended up talking about marine life. She shares how learning a language has taught her more about how patient and generous God is. If you want to read more about the story Morgan wrote about it in this blog post: https://omf.org/uk/japanese-study-taught-me-more-than-the-language/ Get in touch Instagram @serveasiapodcast Email: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

Sometimes it is best to just admit when you don't know. Paul found this out the hard way when trying to build work relationships in Cambodia. When trying to build friendships and sharing the gospel with people from another country one of the biggest hurdles can be language. How do you make yourself understood? Even with hours of practice it can sometimes feel impossible. In this third language mishaps episode hear from Paul about his embarrassing conversation  with one of the deans of the university he was working in

When learning a new skill are you ready to be corrected? To laugh off your mistakes and keep trying? When making friends in a foreign country one of the biggest hurdles can be language. Even with hours of practice it can sometimes feel impossible. In this episode we hear from Natch about a time he accidentally ended up being rather rude to new friends he was sharing a long journey with. If you’ve got questions or feedback we’d love to hear from you, get in touch: Instagram: @ServeAsiaPodcast Email: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

When trying to build friendships and sharing the gospel with people from another country one of the biggest hurdles can be language. How do you make yourself understood? Even with hours of practice it can sometimes feel impossible. In this episode we hear from Litsa about an occasion when she unfortunately got her words muddled up when trying to befriend her Malaysian neighbours. If you’ve got questions or feedback we’d love to hear from you, get in touch: Instagram: @ServeAsiaPodcast Email: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

In the fifth episode of the Discover series, we learn more about the beautiful country of Taiwan. From its high-tech and forward-thinking cities, to its colourful festivals, and the people's deep spirituality, Taiwan is full of interesting stories! But how can we show God's love to Taiwanese people? And how can we pray for the Taiwanese church? One exciting way to join in with what God is doing in the world is to learn more about his heart for the nations. This is exactly what the Discover series is all about. We would love for you to join us as we learn more about Taiwan! If you’ve got questions or feedback we’d love to hear from you, get in touch: Instagram: @serveasiapodcast Email: uk.podcast@omfmail.com

In the fourth episode of the Discover series, we learn more about the vibrant country of Thailand. From its wonderful scenery and food, to its deep sense of community, and the people's strong cultural identity, Thailand is full of interesting stories! But how can we start to share God's love with Thai Buddhists? And what might we be able to learn from the Thai church? One exciting way to join in with what God is doing in the world is to learn more about his heart for the nations. This is exactly what the Discover series is all about. We would love for you to join us as we learn more about Thailand! If you’ve got questions or feedback we’d love to hear from you, get in touch: Instagram: @serveasiapodcast Email: uk.podcast@omfmail.com