In his first letter to the church in Corinth Paul wrote, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

There are certainly days when my head is down with my thoughts focused on mundane administrative tasks that I wonder if my work is really making a difference. Those same thoughts never occur to me when I’m standing on a mountainside in Nepal delivering food to families after an earthquake or leading a team of teachers presenting a training conference. No, I’m not concerned about laboring in vain when reports of the latest microfinance launch arrive or when I’m hearing the remarkable stories from our many church planters.

Here’s the truth I need to remember. The mundane office tasks and seeming drudgery of managing day-to-day operational details are just as important as presenting a conference or planting a church or providing another child an education. It is all work toward a common goal, to propel reconciliation and justice by building global community. Building a community of which you are such a vital part. It could be argued that the behind the scenes operational work is even more important since without this attention to detail there would be no stories of life change to tell.

Your steadfast generosity may, at times, seem far removed from the powerful stories that come from India and Nepal. But we are, together, abounding in the work of the Lord and in the Lord our labor is not in vain!

May we abound in the work of our Lord whether in the mundane or on the mountainside!

Tim Kurth
Assistant Director