Uncomfortable Lessons

By Michael Lytle

As a missionary kid, I well remember visiting a different church each week while our family was on stateside assignment (back then it was called furlough). My parents shared about what the Lord was doing in Panama. Often, my mom provided special music, and then my dad preached. At some point in the service, my parents would thank those in the church who had supported
our ministry and ask others to get involved in supporting us in prayer and through their giving.

I was always a little uncomfortable about having to ask for money. While some people surely have a gift in fundraising, I imagine most people dread the idea of asking others for financial help. What I failed to realize as a child was my dad was doing so much more than asking people for money. He was giving individuals and churches across the denomination an opportunity to partner with our family in the cause of making disciples of all nations.

I also failed to fully comprehend everything we have belongs to the Lord anyway. In His grace, He grants us the privilege of joining what He is doing, both in our communities and around the world. It is such a wonderful thing to use what God has blessed us with to be a blessing to others!

I have worked for Randall House most of my adult life. While Randall House is a nonprofit ministry, our mission has always been funded by selling curriculum, books, and conference
registrations. As we reflect on 2020, we hear the word “unprecedented” used quite often. I guess that is to be expected when we are in the midst of a global pandemic. At Randall House, we have had to ask ourselves, “How do we continue as a ministry providing curriculum for churches when churches have stopped meeting?”

It helped me to remember the lessons I learned many years ago watching my parents share about our ministry in Panama. Randall House exists to build believers through church and home, and much like missionaries, we invite churches and individuals to partner with us as we provide resources to help make disciples of the families in your church.

That partnership may take the form of ordering Sunday School curriculum if your church is meeting for Sunday School. For others, it may take the form of ordering At-Home bundles for the families in your church, so they continue in their discipleship journey while churches are not meeting in the same way they have in the past. For others, it may mean donating to the ministry of Randall House as a church or as an individual. All of these are options to consider. For all our churches, we ask you to keep Randall House in your prayers as we navigate these uncharted waters and seek to fulfill the mission the Lord has laid out for us.

We don’t take lightly the opportunity to be involved in what God is doing, both in the United States and around the world. We thank all those currently supporting Randall House through prayers, curriculum orders, and generous gifts. If you are not involved in the ministry of Randall House, we challenge you to prayerfully consider how you can be a part of this wonderful work that God is doing.

About the Writer: Michael Lytle is the chief financial officer for Randall House Publications. Learn more about the Randall House mission: www.RandallHouse.com.