Contentment can feel almost impossible in a world that constantly trains us to compare, complain, and chase after the next thing. In this episode of Missions Life: Navigating Life, Leadership, and Ministry Abroad, we talk with Erik Raymond, pastor in Boston and author of Chasing Contentment, about what true Christian contentment looks like and how believers can learn to rest in God in both blessing and hardship.

Erik helps us think biblically about grumbling, complaining, envy, hardship, church community, and the deeper battle taking place in the heart. We also talk about the difference between Stoic self-reliance and Christian contentment, which is rooted in the strength, goodness, and sufficiency of God.

In This Episode, We Cover:

✅ Where the idea for Chasing Contentment came from

✅ Why contentment is more than simply “being okay” with hard circumstances

✅ How grumbling and complaining reveal what we believe about God

✅ Why discontentment often comes from believing false promises

✅ How trials can become tools God uses to train us in godliness

✅ Why both blessing and affliction can expose our hearts

✅ How the church can move beyond superficial gathering and stir one another toward contentment

✅ How compassion, rather than envy, helps us respond when unbelievers prosper

Key Themes:

Spiritual Resilience & Personal Growth in Missions
Contentment is not passive resignation. It is a learned strength that grows as we trust God in the middle of real hardship, unanswered questions, and daily pressures.

Leadership & Team Dynamics
Grumbling and comparison can quietly shape the culture of a team, church, or ministry. Learning contentment helps leaders model trust, gratitude, and spiritual maturity.

Cross-Cultural Ministry & Adaptation
Missionary life often exposes discontentment through transition, loss, unmet expectations, and comparison. This conversation offers practical encouragement for resting in God when life and ministry do not look the way we expected.

Missionary Family Life & Marriage
Contentment affects how we respond to our spouse, children, teammates, churches, and circumstances. It shapes the tone of the home and the health of our relationships.

Episode Encouragement:

Christian contentment is not found by pretending life is easy. It is learned by seeing God clearly, trusting His goodness, and resting in His care even when circumstances are painful or confusing.

Erik Raymond is the pastor of Redeemer Fellowship Church in Boston. He is also the author of a number of books, including Chasing Contentment.

We want to hear from you!

Have a question, story, or idea for a future episode?

Send us a message at kfarran@abwe.org with the subject “Podcast” or connect with us on Instagram: @kyle.farran

Whether it’s a challenge you’re facing, a topic you’re curious about, or just a quick note to say hi—we’d love to hear it.

Your feedback and ideas help shape the future of Missions Life!

In this reposted interview, Richard Blackaby talks with Kyle about Godly Grit and the kind of resilience needed for life, leadership, and ministry. We explore why spiritual strength matters, how grit is formed through challenges, and what it looks like to keep moving forward with faith and endurance.

Show Notes and Links:

https://www.kylefarran.com/missionslife/34-richard-blackaby-interviews-kyle-on-godly-grit

View Godly Grit on Amazon

The Richard Blackaby Leadership Podcast

Godly Grit: Unshakable Resilience and Grit for Life and Leadership launches today—in this episode we’re talking about how to stay steady when life gets hard and bad news hits.

What if hard seasons didn’t have to shake you to the core?

In Psalm 112, God gives us a picture of the person who is steady, calm, and unafraid—even when bad news comes.

In this episode, we talk about how Godly Grit grows when we stop expecting life to be easy and start building our life on the One who never moves.

“In the world you will have tribulation.” (John 16:33).

“For the righteous will never be moved… He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid…” (Psalm 112:6–8).

“I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8).

In This Episode, We Cover:

✅ Why expecting “easy” sets us up for discouragement and quitting

✅ What it means to be unshakable (and how resilience is different than being shaken)

✅ Psalm 112: the marks of a steady heart that doesn’t fear bad news

✅ How fear is often rooted in comfort, control, and wanting to know the plan

✅ Why real faith isn’t trusting a plan—it’s trusting a Person

✅ A story about a charging rhino (and what it taught us about trusting God)

✅ How your response to challenges can make God look big to the people watching

View Godly Grit on Amazon

Show notes and links:

https://www.kylefarran.com/missionslife/33-godly-grit-how-to-be-unshakable-when-bad-news-hits

We want to hear from you!
Have a question, story, or idea for a future episode?
Send us a message at kfarran@abwe.org with the subject “Podcast” or connect with us on Instagram: @kyle.farran

Whether it’s a challenge you’re facing, a topic you’re curious about, or just a quick note to say hi—we’d love to hear it.
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Your feedback and ideas help shape the future of Missions Life: Navigating Life, Leadership, and Ministry Abroad!

In this episode, we talk with E.D. Burns about why being deeply grounded in Scripture is essential for missionaries who want to endure faithfully for the long haul. Drawing from his book The Missionary-Theologian, Evan challenges common assumptions about preparation, ministry methods, and success in missions, pointing us back to a Word-centered vision shaped by theology rather than trends or results.
In This Episode, We Cover:
✅ The central message of the book and why theology matters for everyday ministry on the field
✅ The dangers of shaping ministry methods around culture, trends, or measurable results instead of Scripture
✅ What modern missionaries and everyday Christians can learn from the Word-centered lives of Adoniram and Ann Judson
✅ How missionary methods reveal underlying theology—and practical ways to evaluate whether our approaches flow from biblical convictions or pressure for quick outcomes
✅ Preparing the heart to endure suffering, weakness, and hardship without losing joy, hope, or faithfulness
This conversation is a timely reminder that lasting fruit in missions does not come from clever strategies, but from leaders who are immersed in the Word, anchored in sound doctrine, and willing to endure faithfully for God’s glory.
E.D. Burns is the executive director for training and development at ABWE, and also directs the MA in Cultural Apologetics at Founders Seminary. He is on faculty at Asia Biblical Theological Seminary, and he and his family live in a small hilltribe village in Northern Thailand, where he works with training and translating materials into hilltribe languages.
We want to hear from you!
Have a question, story, or idea for a future episode?
Send us a message at kfarran@abwe.org with the subject “Podcast” or connect with us on Instagram: @kyle.farran
Whether it’s a challenge you’re facing, a topic you’re curious about, or just a quick note to say hi—we’d love to hear it.
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Your feedback and ideas help shape the future of Missions Life: Navigating Life, Leadership, and Ministry Abroad!

In this episode, we dive into how the right perspective on challenges can help you develop strength, resilience, and grit—essential qualities for anyone in missions and leadership.

This conversation also lays the foundation for my upcoming book, Godly Grit, where I expand on these ideas and offer a practical framework for building resilient, faith-filled strength in life and leadership.

This is the podcast episode I wish I had before starting my journey in missions. If you're a missionary, leader, or someone navigating a difficult season, you know how easily challenges can rob you of joy. A wrong mindset drains energy and motivation—but a biblical, resilient perspective can turn obstacles into opportunities for growth.

Over the past few years, these life-shaping insights have been like water for my soul, reshaping how I face hardship. They form the backbone of Godly Grit, and I truly believe they can transform your mindset and impact your life too.

In This Episode, We Cover:

✅ How to reframe challenges to fuel growth, perseverance, and faith

✅ Why a negative perspective quietly drains joy and strength

✅ How to cultivate mental and spiritual resilience in leadership and missions

✅ How hardships can become stepping stones to deeper strength and grit

If you’re facing resistance, fatigue, or discouragement, this episode—and the message behind Godly Grit—will help you build strength that lasts.

Sign up to be reminded about Godly Grit when it launches:

https://www.kylefarran.com/missionslife/31-godly-grit-unshakable-resilience-and-grit-for-life-and-leadership-kyle-farran

Stewarding your body isn’t about six-pack abs or fitting into a certain size of pants. It’s about being healthy enough to serve God well, for as long as possible. In this episode, we talk about “Stewardship of the Body” and how caring for your physical health is deeply connected to hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

I (Kyle) share some of my own journey of being flat on my back with debilitating back pain, migraines, and stress-related issues—and how that season became a turning point for me.

This episode connects biblical stewardship with our motivation, and gives very practical steps you can start today in the areas of stress, food, exercise, and sleep.

In This Episode, We Cover:

✅ What “stewardship of the body” really means

✅ Why your body belongs to God, not you

✅ How neglecting your health can impact your “well done”

✅ Finding a deeper motivation than comfort or appearance

✅ Practical starting points in four key areas: Stress, Food, Exercise, and Sleep

✅ Why micro changes matter more than massive short bursts

✅ Why there is no “single solution” to health

✅ A sober reminder about eternity

If you want to serve God for as long as you can, stewarding your body is part of your calling.

Pick one thing you already know you should do—and start there.

Join the Book Launch Team for Godly Grit

Go to: https://www.kylefarran.com/launch-team.html

Show Notes and Links:

https://www.kylefarran.com/missionslife/30-stewardship-of-the-body-kyle-farran

We want to hear from you!

Have a question, story, or idea for a future episode?

Send us a message at kfarran@abwe.org with the subject “Podcast” or connect with us on Instagram: @kyle.farran

Whether it’s a challenge you’re facing, a topic you’re curious about, or just a quick note to say hi—we’d love to hear it.

Your feedback and ideas help shape the future of Missions Life!

An Unhurried Life — with Alan Fadling

In this episode, we talk with Alan Fadling, author of An Unhurried Life, about what it really means to slow down and lead from a place of rest. Alan reminds us that hurry isn’t just about a busy schedule—it’s about a busy heart. Together we explore what it looks like to follow a relaxed Savior, lead from stillness, and embrace the slow, deep work of spiritual growth.

In This Episode, We Cover:

✅ The difference between a disordered schedule and a disordered heart—and why hurry begins in the soul.

✅ How seeing Jesus as “relaxed” changes the way we view leadership and ministry.

✅ Why Jesus’ 30-year wait before ministry teaches us to trust God’s timing instead of forcing outcomes.

✅ How leading from stillness transforms our decision-making and dependence on God.

✅ The temptation to measure success by crowds instead of deep discipleship.

✅ What it means to welcome “holy interruptions” as part of God’s work.

✅ How to become “oaks of righteousness”—deeply rooted and slow-growing.

✅ The practice of Extended Personal Communion (EPC) days and learning to simply be with God.

✅ Seeing prayer as strategic leadership, not an afterthought.

Alan’s insights invite us to live and lead at the pace of Jesus—unhurried, rooted, and deeply present.

Alan Fadling (MDiv) is a founding partner of Unhurried Living, Inc. in Mission Viejo, CA. He writes and speaks as an expert in the challenge of hurry in contemporary life and work and how to overcome it.

He consults and coaches leaders and their organizations in the U.S. and around the world, helping them work towards long-term productivity that lasts rather than settling for quick fixes that don’t work.

He is the award-winning author of six books including An Unhurried Life, An Unhurried Leader and A Non-Anxious Life.

Show notes and links:
https://www.kylefarran.com/missionslife

We want to hear from you!

Have a question, story, or idea for a future episode?

Send us a message at kfarran@abwe.org with the subject “Podcast” or connect with us on Instagram: @kyle.farran

Whether it’s a challenge you’re facing, a topic you’re curious about, or just a quick note to say hi—we’d love to hear it.

Your feedback and ideas help shape the future of Missions Life: Navigating Life, Leadership, and Ministry Abroad!

What does it mean to be truly productive in life and ministry? In this episode, we talk with author Tim Challies about his book Do More Better and explore how missionaries and ministry leaders can steward their time, energy, and resources for God’s glory and the good of others.

Tim unpacks how productivity is not about doing more things—but about doing the right things, with the right heart, for the right reasons.

In This Episode, We Cover:

✅ How biblical productivity reshapes the way missionaries think about ministry

✅ Why busyness can be just as dangerous as laziness—and how both steal fruitfulness

✅ Why the absence of productivity is first a theological problem

✅ The principle of “planned neglect” and how missionaries can let go of good things to focus on the best things without guilt

✅ The key tools in Tim’s productivity system: task management, scheduling, and storing information

✅ Practical tips for managing email, WhatsApp, and multiple messaging platforms without drowning in digital clutter

✅ The importance of daily and weekly planning times

Tim is husband to Aileen and father to two daughters who are young adults and one son who is waiting for him in heaven. He worships and serves as an elder at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Canada. He is the author of many books and a daily blog.

Show notes and links:

https://www.kylefarran.com/missionslife

We want to hear from you! Have a question, story, or idea for a future episode? Send us a message at ⁠kfarran@abwe.org⁠ with the subject “Podcast” or connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@kyle.farran⁠ ​Whether it’s a challenge you’re facing, a topic you’re curious about, or just a quick note to say hi—we’d love to hear it. Your feedback and ideas help shape the future of Missions Life!