photo by paul obregon

Hard soil. Quite frankly, I was intimidated. What does hard soil have to do with me? I wondered, as I helped piece together this issue of On Mission, my first since joining the staff. What could I possibly say to inspire or encourage others to share the gospel with homosexuals, prostitutes or people suffering from various addictions?

Having spent the majority of my life in small east Texas towns before moving with my family to Atlanta less than a year ago, most of the knowledge I had of hard soil came from the six-oclock news.

I spent our last 11 years in Texas working as a church secretary, a position that provided many opportunities to minister to people in our town who had fallen on hard times or to strangers who were just passing through and needed some gas or food to make it to their destination. Those were the closest first-hand experiences I had to draw from.

Maybe your background is like mine. I grew up in Southern Baptist churches listening to my father preach.  I served as a pianist and organist in several churches. As a child, I learned about missions in Sunbeams and Girls in Action (GAs). As an adult, I was active in Women on Mission groups.

I knew there was a need to share the gospel with the lost of North America. I prayed for the lost. I gave to missions. I participated in mission projects. I thought I was doing all I could. Soon I would learn I could do more to be more directly on mission.

Being with people here at On Mission and the North American Mission Board, whose priority every day is to communicate practical ways to share Christ in the real world, has awakened me to new possibilities.

The theme of this issue has opened my mind to the realization that people on the fringes are all around us and that reaching them for Christ might not be so daunting after all. Its an exciting thought, and its given me a sense of optimism.

I hope this issue does the same for you.

Debby High, editorial assistant, high@namb.net