JD

There have been a few people who have had a particularly profound and positive effect on my life. My father, David Russell (formative years teacher) and John Davis are three that immediately come to mind. Earlier this week I mentioned JD in passing in my blog entitled 'Food poisoning', which elicited a response from my old mate Greg to tell me the news that JD had passed into glory just a few weeks before. JD was our missions lecturer at Moorlands College in the early '90's. This is my tribute to him. (The photo was on the front cover of his thanksgiving service.)

I first met JD when Jan and I were interviewed at Moorlands in early 1991. I remember that interview with a good degree of embarrassment. When asked what sphere of Christian ministry I thought I might be called into, I replied with something like, 'I feel called to serve in this country not overseas - the real need is here, no offence intended Mr Davis.' JD just smiled and the interview continued. Oh how wrong I was! Within a few short months, JD's lectures would blow me away and transform my view of the real needs and most effective strategies in Christian mission. In the intervening 28 years these needs have not changed and, yet, I can find very few Christians, especially and sadly those in Christian leadership, who understand and act on those needs which JD so clearly and passionately presented.

On leaving Moorlands, the last thing I would have considered for future ministry became the first: overseas mission. This is my third sabbatical. It is no accident that each one has been spent ministering abroad. Ironically JD's teaching led me to consider the next least likely area of ministry on my original list: pastoral ministry. JD would occasionally tell us stories of his time as an evangelist and church planter in Northern Thailand. He would never have considered theological education as a viable alternative but that is what God eventually called him into and equipped him for. With a wry smile he stated: "don't let past gifting dictate what God will do with you in the future." When God seemed to be calling me into pastoral ministry in the UK, it was JD's words that encouraged me to consider this highly unlikely possibility.

So, here I am in Kosova, directly as a result of JD's transformational teaching 28 years ago. I'm tempted to elucidate the thrust of JD's teaching on mission here, but I'm going to resist the temptation. His book 'Poles Apart' is out of print, but it was a major contributor to contextualisation studies in Christian mission when it was published in the early '90's. However, suffice to say that the oft-quoted, but strangely ignored and scandalously underfunded, commission of Jesus in Matthew 28:20 is nowhere near complete. A little bit of research would tell the realities of the situation far better than I could.*

A few updates from here in Gjakova:
1) Deda (blog post 'Another hospital visit') is miraculously still alive, 3 weeks after being given days to live. Please continue to pray that his liver somehow regenerates itself.
2) It's taking some time for me to fully recover from food poisoning. However, I had the privilege of preaching again at the church plant in Klina today.
3) I have at last finished the book 'Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus' by Nabeel Qureshi. Wow.
4) The temperature today was at least 36C and is due to climb to 39 (102f) next week.
5) From Wednesday next week the church is hosting a team from a fire-eating (!) evangelistic team of 18 from Italy for town centre missions in Gjakova and Klina over 4 days. Your prayers would be much appreciated.
6) I'm preaching twice on Sunday 18th, morning in Gjakova and then in Gostivar, North Macedonia in the afternoon! Please pray for our last week in Kosova and onward journey.


*Google 'unreached people groups', the main result of which is www.joshuaproject.net

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