Just back from Chiapas, Mexico. In a future blog I've got to somehow synthesize what I saw - healings, demons being cast out, miracles, and the leaders of a generation being set ablaze with the fire of the Spirit and a passion for missions.

It bugs me that we're so cynical back in the States. It's a real problem amongst those of us who are Jesus-followers. We're missing out on some of the best stuff back here because of it.

Honestly, as a parent, I can't imagine why you'd want to give your children that kind of legacy. If you're going to be a Jesus-follower, why not just dial in all the way like he asked us to do? I think that's the first step to combatting the pool of cynicism in which our kids swim.

I'll walk into the office tomorrow and if I log onto the network to look at our applications for mission trips (from the top tier of students around the country), a flood of dysfunction will pour onto my screen, the product of a nuclear family in meltdown, and an institutional church that mirrors all the trends in society.

This is a very live issue for Karen and I as we watch our five children (ages 17-23) navigate their way out of the safe harbor of our home and into the harsh realities of a world that will chew the faithless alive. We continually ask ourselves, "Is our strategy for imparting our faith in Christ adequate for the challenges they face?"

We won't really know until they've gone a few years on their own, but we love what the World Race is doing for Talia. She is getting a world view like no other as she sees her native culture from the perspective of others. Bad habits she has will be reflected back to her in a way that she can deal with them as she lives in close proximity with her team of six for a year. And by continually ministering to the poor, she is already learning brokenness and the complexities of faith.

As a parent, I was amazed and delighted. What a blessing that the ministry in which I work can so positively impact my own kids.