This year has seen a tremendous amount of change for Christian NGOs doing transformational development throughout the world. In many ways, we are entering a new era of global mission and international development. To talk about some of those changes and to help us keep a pulse on what God is up to, we’re joined by Michael Cerna who serves as the CEO at the Accord Network. Building on topics from Accord’s Thursday Three weekly newsletter, Michael talks with Brandon Stiver about recent reports, articles and resources that are charting a path forward for us.
Category Archives: Humanitarian Relief
Understanding the History Behind Gaza with Dr. Ben Norquist
There is no more salient, no more pressing global event right now for the Church to engage than what is happening currently in Gaza. Gaza presents not just a lightning rod for conversation (or controversy), but also serves as a moral compass for all humankind. The global Church is wrestling with questions like, “is Israel justified in their offensive?” “how do we understand the theology and politics in play?” and “are we watching a genocide unfold before our eyes?” To help us understand the broader history and context around Gaza, we’ve invited Dr. Ben Norquist from Churches for Middle East Peace to the show. He sits down with Brandon Stiver to discuss all things surrounding the conflict and most importantly the decades leading up to what we see in 2025. Join us in this conversation and join us in praying and acting for peace.
The Power of Hope in Humanitarian Crises with Heath Adamson
Hope is a bit of a buzzword, but at the same time it is a lifeline for those that are experiencing humanitarian crises. What does it look like to experience hope in the midst of forcible displacement or losing your home in a flood? Is it possible to have hope that is disconnected from the truth of Christ? Heath Adamson joins the show to help us think through these big questions. He talks with Brandon Stiver about his new book Hope Breaks Through and the work that Convoy of Hope is doing throughout the globe. Heath brings a wealth of biblical knowledge and on the ground experience that points to the God of hope and how we can partner with Him in bringing His promises to bear on the earth.
Wrestling with the Problem of Evil with Dr. Chris Palmer
War. Famine. Poverty. Violence. Natural Disasters. Working in humanitarian spaces puts us up close and personal with some of the worst kinds of evil and suffering. In the face of it all, we follow a God who is both all good and all powerful. How do those two realities compute? It’s a quandary that has been around a long time and we’ve invited Southeastern University’s Dr. Chris Palmer onto the show to help us think biblically and theologically when we’re faced with the problem of evil. From the killing fields in Polpot’s Cambodia to earthquakes in the Middle East, we wrestle the reality of pain while clinging to God’s goodness and embracing the mystery.
Losing USAID Support On The Ground and Cyberscam Trafficking
It’s been a whirlwind of a month for global development practitioners. We’ve heard a lot of the 30,000 foot view of what the shuttering of USAID means and today we’re talking with a practitioner from our community that was working on a USAID-funded project in El Salvador and what it was like to receive the stop order. After that, we’ll be looking at a recent Christianity Today article that discusses the rise of cyberscam trafficking. Lastly, Brandon Stiver will be sharing a word of encouragement for all those that find themselves disheartened after recent blows to the work that so many in this podcast community are called into.
Global Advocacy and Praying with Our Eyes Open with Dr. Krish Kandiah
We live in a world of tremendous conflict and as Christians, we are called to welcome those that have been forced to flee violence in their communities. For those of us called into this space, how do we mobilize Christians and advocate to the government for compassionate responses to such crises? We have long-time friend of the podcast Dr. Krish Kandiah on the show today to share what this has looked for him and the spaces God has called him into in recent years. Krish is an author, advocate and the Director of Sanctuary Foundation in the UK. We bounce around from Hong Kong and Ukraine to Sudan and Gaza to pursue God’s justice for these global neighbors.
Refugee Resettlement in the Age of Trump with Medard Ngueita
As we anticipate the inauguration of President-Elect Trump later this month, we take a moment to consider how some of his public comments and proposed policies will affect global neighbors that are fleeing violence and seeking refuge in the US. To guide us through this conversation, we have Medard Ngueita on the show. Medard is the Executive Director at World Relief Western Washington. He has a vast knowledge on refugee resettlement not only as a long time team member at World Relief, but also because he was once an asylum seeker himself. Medard talks with Brandon Stiver about the ramifications of the first Trump administration on refugee resettlement and how organizations are preparing for the prospective policies that will be enacted in the upcoming administration.
Healing Hearts and Lives Amidst the AIDS Crisis with Echo VanderWal
There is no lack of complex challenges when delivering health care in the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS crisis. On the show today, we have Echo VanderWal who is the Co-Founder and Executive Director at The Luke Commission in Eswatini. Echo joins Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke for a conversation about calling, the pain and loss created by the AIDS Crisis, the irreplaceable impact of PEPFAR and what it looks like to provide holistic care in rural communities. With over 20 years in the country, Echo points us to what excellence looks like as follow Christ’s example of humble service.
Eighty Years of Responding to Global Displacement with Myal Greene
The number of forcibly displaced people in the world are at an all-time high. On every populated continent, we are seeing conflicts and climates that lead to people fleeing their homes. Our guest today is Myal Greene, who is the CEO of World Relief and he says that the global displacement crisis is the most significant issue that we face in the world today. We look at the last eighty years of how God has used World Relief to meet needs of people from war-torn areas and look at some of the most gripping conflicts today (Ukraine, Sudan and others). Myal has worked with World Relief for nearly two decades both within the US and in Africa. He walks us through what Christians should be aware of when it comes to displacement and how we can be instruments of welcome and support to global neighbors next door and abroad.
Blessed Are The Peacemakers with Dr. Karen Fancher
“We stand together at the foot of the cross and we will work for peace.” Dr. Karen Fancher from Multnomah University joins the show today to walk us through the profoundly Christian field of peacebuilding. In her conversation with Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke, Dr. Fancher walks us through what it means to promote peace within the humanitarian space with direct application to situations in Palestine and Sudan as well as explores the biblical foundation for Christians to be actively engaged in bringing God’s Kingdom of peace and justice.
Canopy International 