Contact: Sara Van Horn, Standard Publishing, 513-728-6876
CINCINNATI, Feb. 5, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Short-term missions are effectively spreading the gospel and the love of Christ to nearly every corner of the world. Yet most who accept the call to short-term missions experience an all too familiar cycle -- the spiritual high during the trip and a rapid, sometimes deflating return to reality afterward. To help people prepare for a missional life change that will last far beyond the trip itself, Standard Publishing is pleased to announce the release of "Disrupted: Cultivating a Mission-Focused Life" by lifelong missionary and author Gayla Congdon.
Gayla Cooper Congdon has spent over 30 years personally serving and sending 9,000 volunteers each year to serve the poorest of the poor through Amor Ministries, the mission organization she cofounded with her husband. Based on her vast personal and ministry experience, "Disrupted" offers essential tools and resources to transform a short-term experience into a whole life change.
"It's all about allowing your worldview to be disrupted," explains Matt Lockhart, Vice President of Product Development at Standard Publishing. "Once we see the world and its people as Christ does, our lives don't just go back to normal after a mission experience. Instead, we begin to look for ways to love and serve daily. It's often surprising to find just how much mission opportunity is right in front of us all the time."
The book includes guidance for readers on how to prepare for a short-term mission trip, how to serve when there, and how to debrief the experience once home. Gayla includes a year's worth of weekly devotionals illustrated by stories of disruption, along with disruptive questions plus challenges to give each month a specific mission focus.
"Gayla Congdon, one of the leading practitioners in the short-term missions movement, understands the essential role of discipling short-term missionaries for long-term impact," says David Livermore, author of Serving with Eyes Wide Open. "Her spiritual discernment and expertise make her the ideal person to guide participants in making the most of their short-term experience."
Gayla will be sharing the principles from the book in a workshop entitled "Building Missional Families: Helping Parents Develop a Missions Heart in the Lives of Their Children" at the upcoming Children's Pastors' Conference in San Diego and will be hosting a launch event in San Diego on February 10, 2013.
Congdon's new book, "Disrupted: Cultivating a Mission-Focused Life," is available for purchase at www.standardpub.com, www.amazon.com, or anywhere Christian books are sold. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be going to Project Hope. To schedule speaking engagements, please contact Amor Ministries at 619-662-1200.
About the Author: Gayla Cooper Congdon is the cofounder and Chief Spiritual Officer of Amor Ministries, a missions agency based in San Diego, California. Gayla has been a finalist for the San Diego Business Journal's "Women Who Mean Business" Award and was recently named a corporate officer of the International Conference on Missions. Gayla speaks to churches, women's groups, and at youth conferences on a number of topics all over the world throughout the year. In April 2013, she will be a featured speaker at Soul Survivor, Australia. For more information, visit www.amor.org.
About Standard Publishing: Standard Publishing serves churches worldwide and is recognized as a leader in true-to-the-Bible resources that educate, encourage, and enrich adults, youth, and children. The company is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, visit www.standardpub.com or call 1-800-543-1353.
