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Be prepared to be stretched! Being a missionary has challenged so much traditional thinking for Gary and Jason. There are so many things that we as Americans assume should be done one specific way. One major challenge in the Dominican Republic is driving! If you have never driven in the Dominican Republic, we recommend hiring a driver if you come here for a short time. As you drive down the road, you are swarmed on every side by motorcycles and scooters. Sometimes you can be innocently going down a two-lane road, and there is a van barreling toward you at a high rate of speed! These moments don't always solicit the most sanctified responses! The real challenge is when things have to be dealt with within a body of believers. Do you assume that someone has a character problem if they arrive late to a planned activity?  What if that person doesn't have a car or motorcycle and depends on public transportation? All these scenarios make up the daily life of a missionary in the Dominican Republic. Listen to Gary and Jason as they talk very candidly about how they TRY to walk that fine line (and don't always succeed!). 

You spend your whole life studying the word of God. You feel pretty buttoned up in your theology. God calls you to the mission field, and you find yourself being a student all over again! Foreign culture is a great teacher. Both Gary and Jason have been challenged to dig deep into why they believe what they believe. While solid doctrine never changes, cultural elements often cause us to evaluate modes and methods.  There is no question that baptism is done by immersion, that it has no salvific value, and it is a testimony and example of dying to our old self and being raised again to walk in the newness of life. But, how often should you hold baptism services? Should you make someone take a class on baptism? How do you deal with the cultural aspects? Many people have very pentecostal or very catholic views of baptism. How do we handle those situations? Listen to Gary and Jason's conversation as they unpack this critical subject. This episode can be extremely valuable to fellow missionaries. It will challenge you to know why you believe what you believe and why you believe it!

It is always a good thing when God moves us toward spiritual growth. Often it is outside the scope of our comfort zone. Invariably, when He gives us these opportunities, they are designed to draw us closer to Him and give us new opportunities for the gospel. God has recently opened a new ministry opportunity for Gary. He has been taking a "walk alongside" role by helping in his wife's rescue ministry. Gary describes himself as the "silent partner" who is not there to take the lead, but to be there to serve. Listen how God has used this opportunity to grow Gary as well as minister to a group of women that is often marginalized, misunderstood, and avoided. We all stand in need of grace and this is a beautiful testimony of how this new opportunity has been used by God to grow Gary in his walk with God.

Most churches have programs for younger children. Often there is some class for students until the end of their High School years. What happens to university-age students? Many times they can be an easily overlooked group. They are also in a transitional stage of life where they are leaving the protection of their parents and beginning to form their values and convictions. How do we help them navigate these waters? We're glad you asked! Gary and Jason talk about university student ministry here in the Dominican Republic and how we handle ministry with this incredible group of youth and help them navigate the waters of transition!    

There's no other way to say it; this episode is AWESOME! Listen as Curt opens up his heart about growing up as a missionary kid in South Africa. He even demonstrates their unique click language. Curt's mission experience shaped his life and his view of missions today. You will definitely learn and appreciate Curt's perspective and you may even laugh a time or two! 

We have heard the phrase "pastoral authority" many times while growing up. What about pastoral responsibility? How do we balance these two crucial aspects of being a shepherd? What does shepherding look like? Is it the pastor's responsibility if someone in his church sins? All of these questions are discussed in this episode in a balanced and applicable manner! You will definitely enjoy this discussion between Gary and Jason.

The DRVision team has had the opportunity to host many groups who want to be integral to mission work. Northstar Church has had a profound impact on the ministries in the Dominican Republic, especially in the area of our seminary. Listen as Gary and Jason chat with Curt and Nick from Northstar Church about how missions and the local church work together as partners to fulfill the Great Commission.  

As believers, it is too easy for us to fall into a performance mentality. As much as any one of us would say we oppose legalism, we are very legalistic because we qualify the effectiveness of ministry with the busyness of our schedule. This episode will challenge you to take a fresh look at your schedule and push you to ask hard questions of yourself.  

The book of Mark presents Jesus Christ from an exciting and fresh perspective. Listen as Gary and Jason dive into how Jesus was both the servant as well as divine authority.  This episode is guaranteed to make you think!  

This is a very practical podcast episode. Gary and Jason share the essential components of discipleship. Discipleship should be personal. Listen as the guys share practical points on making sure that your discipleship process can be as effective as possible. Never forget that the relational aspect of discipleship is so important! 

Join in on the conversation as Gary and Jason talk with some first-time visitors to the Dominican Republic. Steve and Byan are residents of South Carolina doing some mission partnership scouting. Listen in on the conversation from both the perspective of the local church as well as the perspective of the missionary. You are sure to have a few good laughs as the guys banter back and forth, but there is tremendous substance that you will truly enjoy in this podcast! 

If we are going to be genuine followers of Jesus, we must learn to serve others. Listen as Gary gives us a pre-sermon look at a message he was preparing to preach and apply it to practical daily living. Both Gary and Jason talk about the importance of serving others and being a reflection of our walk with God. This episode will both challenge and convict. Get out the washbasin and be ready to serve others for God's glory!

In this episode, Gary and Jason talk about the "how's" and "what's" of discipleship. Listen as Gary and Jason share experiences that they have had in discipleship and how those experiences have changed their lives. Discipleship is a transformative process both for the discipler as well as the disciplee.  The dynamic is different in that it is not a teacher/student relationship. Discipleship done right will change both the personal discipling as well as the person being discipled.  One thing is for sure, once you experience this transformative process once, you will always be hungry for more! We hope this episode is both an encouragement and a challenge for each of us to go out and make disciples who make more disciples! 

We hope this episode will be found by those who consider themselves "retired." So many times, when Christians reach a certain age or start to suffer from their health, they feel that they have nothing more to give. Listen as Gary and Jason hope to dispel the myth of uselessness. We need more seasoned believers to pour into the lives of us young "whippersnappers". Maybe you cannot stand behind a pulpit or travel the world, but you can pour into lives from the comfort of your living room. Some of the strongest spiritual lessons are not learned from the professional setting, but from casual coffee talks. Don't give up on yourself if your health is not what it used to be! There are plenty of us "younger" guys who are looking for someone to pour into our lives as we continue in the process of making disciples!  

Revival is an often misunderstood word in evangelical circles. Recently we invited a special speaker to come to the Dominican Republic and encourage our hearts to return to the deeply committed living. Listen as Gary and Jason talk about the various aspects of revival. One of the most important aspects of revival is seeing our own personal need for a renewed daily walk. We hope this episode will be a practical encouragement.

It's incredible how small incremental changes can affect an outcome. Gary and Jason talk about a recent sermon that Gary preached regarding small changes that yield significant results in this episode. As believers, we often go to such extremes of change that we cannot maintain our set trajectory because it is beyond our ability to attain. An applicable analogy of this would be in the area of exercise. Rather than consistently deciding to do ten situps a day, we start with 100 the first day and never remain consistent because the outcome is not practical or attainable. Apply Gary's practical spiritual advice and begin to up your intimacy with God with small changes that yield significant results. You will enjoy this episode!

COVID restrictions have really affected ministry in the Dominican Republic. One of the ministry areas that has been hit hard by the pandemic is the seminary. Thankfully, restrictions are reducing and we have been able to return to a consistent teaching schedule. In this episode, Gary and Jason talk about the new Romans class and how things are moving along in the seminary.  The seminary is a tremendous opportunity to combine academic excellence with practical daily living. God is doing some really awesome things here in the Dominican Republic, especially in our seminary!

The Bible is the best source of practical daily living advice. Our life is about one thing...God. Walk with Gary and Jason as they walk through James chapter 5 and apply it to practical Christian living!

James is such a practical yet convicting book. Today Gary and Jason dive into chapter 4 which deals with the real source of wars and fighting. This powerful yet convicting chapter quickly helps us understand that it is our own sin that is the cause of wars and arguing. Dissension and arguments divide families and churches and ultimately do harm to the gospel. Listen in on this very important conversation about the necessity of an intimate walk with God which ultimately translates into subduing our sinfulness and divisiveness.

As we continue to walk through the book of James, Gary and Jason talk about the power of the tongue as laid out in chapter 3. The tongue is an influential body member and can do tremendous damage. What does the book of James say about the tongue? How can we tame our tongues? Join in on this powerful yet practical conversation about the power of the tongue and ultimately how to bring it under subjection!