Transformed & Transformational

From playing music with his family to his calling into missions work to touring through Germany, musician Danny Plett traces the story of God’s provision and faithfulness in his life. Danny pulls back the curtain on dark seasons of his life and gives a behind-the-scenes look at his Christmas tour in Germany. Learn more about Danny Plett here! “My prayer had always been: ‘I want to be able to provide for my family, I want my ministry to affect people for Jesus Christ, and I want to be able to not burn my family out.’” “God’s economy is just so different. What we consider big and what we consider successful is maybe great for some people, but it’s a bit of a misnomer in the economy of God’s Kingdom. I began to see things very differently. I began to see success and see what was significant, what was important, in a completely different way.” “In those seasons of vulnerability, the enemy comes and he really tries to ramp up, turn the volume up on fears.” “There’s a lot of material that I can choose from to write songs from – songs of hope, songs of lament, songs of joy because the dark days are over, songs of praise and worship, songs that talk about my doubts and my fears, and many, many people can relate to that.” “There’s a handwork aspect of songwriting that many people can learn, but then you have to put soul into that container. You have to put authenticity and a kind of realness that impacts people on a deeper level.” “Christmas is really just my favorite time of the year. It’s when the Savior of the universe entered my world, and there’s so much material there that can be written in countless songs.” “I want to write songs with depth. I want to write songs that go to the true spiritual meaning of Christmas - and for that, for the unplumbable depth of what took place at Christmas, for that reason, I love Christmas.” What’s changing our lives: Keane: Starting a new journal Heather: Hobby nights with friends resuming Danny: Going slower and being in shape Weekly Spotlight: International Academy of St. Petersburg We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

In this episode, TeachBeyond educators reflect on the profound significance of the incarnation in the classroom, exploring how Jesus’ full humanity and divinity shape Christian teaching. Through personal insights and Scriptural wisdom, we discuss embodying Christ’s love, the power of living out the Word, and practical advice for celebrating Advent with joy. Join us as we consider how the incarnation transforms not only our hearts but also the way we educate. Sign up for TeachBeyond’s OnPractice newsletter here! “Hills of the North Rejoice” “When Love Came Down” by Point of Grace “In Jesus is the full expression of God but it’s Jesus’ full humanity. A central Christian claim is that Jesus was fully God and fully human [...] We only know what God is like through Jesus’ full humanity.” - Wyndy  “While not bound by time, there is significance about the particular ways in which God chose to show up.” - Wyndy  “Jesus was Jewish, Jesus was working class, Jesus had to flee for His life at some point as a political refugee, and those things seem to matter. They matter to the Gospel writers.” - Wyndy John 1 “The incarnation is Word made flesh. While we will never fully be incarnate because God is God incarnate, God became flesh, we are called to be like Jesus. We are called to incarnate the word that He has given us.” - Becky  “Jesus lived out what it means to be love on earth.” - Becky Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics by Samuel Wells “How do we know how to make these improvisations? How do we know how to act? It’s by studying the script.” - Becky “If I want them to see Jesus in me, that means I have to have Jesus in me. I have to be spending time in the Word and have the Word dwelling in me in order for my students to see that.” - Heather The Soul of Ministry: Forming Leaders for God’s People by Ray Anderson “Lean into it, have fun with it. Let’s just rejoice in this time period of a little more crazy. There’s so much fun in it, too.” - Heather “Advent is the beginning of the church year. It now sets the season for everything that is to come.” - Wyndy What’s changing our lives: Heather: Compassionate time management Wyndy: Focus on rest in this season Heather: Using her walk to and from school to be still Becky: Exploring the topic of “the city” in Scripture while working on a course Weekly Spotlight: Positions in Art, Drama, and Music We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

How do you picture the nativity scene? Jessica Jenkins shares historical and cultural insight into the birth of Jesus and shares encouragement for telling the story of Christmas. Follow Jessica Jenkins at We Who Thirst Read about the Historically Accurate Nativity “In a house birth, Mary would be surrounded by family and neighbor women and possible midwives, and so you have this whole community surrounding Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. Rather than them being shamed and ostracized and pushed away, it’s the gathering in and caring for them.” “Luke tells us that this house had a guest room. That word in Greek, ‘kataluma,’ is often what is translated in many English translations as the ‘inn.’ Where we’re used to reading in Luke 2 ‘there was no room for them in the inn,’ the Greek word there is ‘kataluma,’ which really means ‘guest room.’” Luke 22 and Mark 14 “It’s not going to be sparse, like our typical stable scenes, where it’s just Mary and Joseph and a sheep. You’re going to have aunties and hosts and hostess and kids running around screaming and maybe a chicken flying through.” “You mean Jesus came to be one of us? He’s not born in a palace?” “Jesus is the One who draws near. He is with you.” “It’s really amazing to think about how God just surrounds these people, and He just puts Himself right in the middle of everyday happenings. The angels come and announce in a big way, which it’s definitely worth announcing, but He’s also just coming in the absolute simplicity of birth and day-to-day life.” “The typical nativity story is God not with us. God’s away in a manger. He’s pushed out, He’s far away, He’s not really with us, He’s over there. But Emmanuel is God with us.” “Figuring out how to teach kids about Jesus can feel really overwhelming. Don’t feel like you have to do it all at once.” “God came to be with His people, including children.” “If we can ground our kids [in the truth] that Jesus is near them, rather than being a far-off distant God ready to reject them at a moment’s notice for a failure, but He’s a God who draws near, that will fundamentally change how they view God and their ability to attach to God and trust God.” What’s changing our lives: Keane: Staffs made out of dowels for his kids Heather: Meet-up with other Christian women in her area Jessica: Sweatshirts Weekly Spotlight: ENLACE English Language Center We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Brian Delamont talks with co-hosts Heather and Keane about how God often works through difficult circumstances to transform us: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). “He’s in control, and He is good. He leads us into this opportunity to have difficulties and trials become part of the transformation that He longs for us to experience in order to become all that He intends.” “We’ve been given this amazing gift of the Holy Spirit, the glory of God in us, to move us towards transformation.” 2 Corinthians 3:18-4:1 “Transformation means difficulty, and difficulty can mean transformation, if we choose to let it work in us the way God intends it to.” Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer “It’s not a matter of instant change. There is no experience in the Christian life that will reproduce His image in a moment. It is a process, not a crisis.” “You and I are not fully transformed the moment we decide to act on Jesus’ invitation to become His apprentices. It’s this ongoing process.” 2 Corinthians 4:6-10 “Spiritual growth and transformation doesn’t mean we have fewer and fewer challenges. It means that when the challenges come, when I’m hard pressed, for example, my response is that it’s more like Jesus. There’s the fruit of the Spirit.” “Am I suffering because I’m doing things that are contrary to God’s best design for my life, or am I suffering because I’m doing things that are going to reveal His greater glory?” 2 Corinthians 4:15-18 “In the transformation process we don’t run to difficulties, or foolishly seek out persecution or ridicule. This is not the life Jesus modeled for us at all [...] Suffering itself is not the purpose. If that were the case then God would be tremendously cruel.” “God has good outcomes for us in mind: Our transformation through difficulties, our growth in joy, perseverance, character, hope, and in being refined to reveal the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 3:2-6 “Our sufferings, our difficulties do more  than transform us as individuals. They can transform our friends and our family, our community, as we share and journey through these experiences together.” “It’s not instant happiness [...] it’s walking with God through these difficult times. And we know the difficulties are actually a given if we follow Jesus.” “In walking through these difficulties that transformation becomes so much more visible. It reveals the genuine power of the gospel in the midst of my difficulties, in the midst of our suffering together. And yet in these challenges, we do not lose heart.” “God is in control. He is sovereign. He sees you, and He is also running the universe in the way He wants it run – in a good way, ultimately, because God is not just sovereign, He is good. And we can rest in that so that we do not lose heart.” Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller November Reflection: What do You want to transform in my life right now as I face this difficulty? What’s changing our lives: Keane: Sticker door Heather: Functional strength training Brian: Having a rare, non-cancerous tumor Weekly Spotlight: Asunción Christian Academy We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Jack Stenekes has been serving with TeachBeyond (formerly Janz Team) for over 50 years, first on the stage and then behind the scenes in administration and finance. What stories and wisdom does he have to share? Listen in to hear his heart for evangelism and faithful obedience to the Lord. Learn more about the history of Janz Team and TeachBeyond in Episode 159: The Roots of TeachBeyond with George and Beverley Durance. “Music was to undergird and support the work of evangelism, and it always was meant that way.” “We’d have up to 80% unchurched kids that would come out for these events, and I think in those occasions, I realized, ‘Wow, God is doing something very remarkable through our presentation of the Gospel through music and through the preaching of the Word.’” “Even though changes were there, doors of opportunity also became available.” “It’s not necessarily a person’s ability, but a person’s availability.” “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” - Corrie Ten Boom “When you do look back, you see it in perspective, and that’s not possible when you’re in it. With all of the changes that took place, I’m just so grateful that the Lord impressed upon me just to stick with it and do what you need to do at the moment.” “Let’s do this together. The Lord has a way forward. He has solutions for us, and I’m happy to be part of it. A person doesn’t have to be in the limelight; that’s not necessarily where it’s at.” “Anticipate that God is going to continue to give you a means to serve.” “Our vision and our purpose should be to reach people for Christ.” “That’s my prayer for the organization - that we actually aim for the heart of people, not just for their minds.” “God is going to provide what we need for the moment in the times of challenge.” What’s changing our lives: Keane: Getting a large white board Heather: Stories from the 70th anniversary episodes Jack: Getting older and learning a new pace We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Persevering through difficult seasons often brings new perspectives on God’s faithfulness and provision. In this episode, two school leaders - Steshire Buyinza in Uganda and Ellen Kujawski in the Dominican Republic - share about their experiences pioneering in establishing new schools and how they have seen God at work amidst challenges. Don’t miss the special 70th anniversary story from TeachBeyond’s first teacher! Learn more about Arbor Christian Academy ( serve | give | follow ), Butambala Christian Learning Center ( learn | give | follow ), and Black Forest Academy ( serve | give | follow ) “We started this school out of the need that we saw in the community for young people to have something that they could do and feel like they mattered in the community - but as well, preach Christ to them, preach the living hope to them, give them the love of Christ, for them to know that they are loved, they are not alone.” - Steshire Buyinza “Is this where God has called us? Is this what we’re supposed to be doing? And He just over and over affirmed that, ‘Yes, I have called you to San Francisco.’” - Ellen Kujawski “We didn’t want to be the people who came in with our vision of what we thought a school should be. We really wanted to be sure that it reflected the needs and desires of the local community.” - Ellen Kujawski “I have learned that God is good and He is good. I have learned that when you trust God, everything is possible.” - Steshire Buyinza “What I have really learned from persevering through these difficult things is that God is faithful.” - Steshire Buyinza “It’s so easy for us to forget the things that God has done because in the moment they are such big concerns, and then I’m learning to celebrate when God does meet those needs instead of just moving on to the next concern.” - Ellen Kujawski “This all belongs to God. He is the one who called you and He is faithful [...] This is His work. Whatever we are doing, it is all for His glory.” - Steshire Buyinza “You’re not alone. You’re not the only one who is facing these kinds of situations.” - Ellen Kujawski “You’re doing a great job. God has trusted you as a vessel to reach out to these children, to reach out to these young people. May God bless you.” - Steshire Buyinza What’s changing our lives: Heather: New routines with shorter days Ellen: Raising a 15-month-old Steshire: Reading through the book of Genesis with her students We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

This year, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of TeachBeyond! TeachBeyond was actually formerly known as Janz Team Ministries for over 50 years, changing its name to TeachBeyond in 2009. Listen in to hear more of the story of how TeachBeyond came about as we talk with George and Beverley Durance - well known for their family ties to the original Janz Team and their roles as former TeachBeyond President and Donor Services. “Being part of the Janz family played a huge, positive role in my life.” - Bev Durance “We said, ‘Wow, we would really like to do something for God, and we don’t want to get old and wonder what it would have been like to do that.’” - George Durance “The biggest motivator [..] was just strictly a deep desire to say the same thing in the 21st century that our forefathers had said in the 20th century, and if we were going to do that, we had to change how we said that.” - George Durance “We started by praying. I think this has become a real hallmark of TeachBeyond – that we pray.” - George Durance “When you have faith, you always act. Faith is never sitting on your backside. You ask and then you act.” - George Durance “When you put your foot on the accelerator, don’t take it off because you’ll never find it again.” - George Durance “If you’re going to cast a vision, you have to actually have a vision.” - George Durance “We see transformed lives, we see people changed across the globe, based on an educational initiative that the Holy Spirit has empowered and used.” - George Durance “Who would have guessed that I would follow in my mother’s footsteps to process the donations to support this work?” - Bev Durance “We determined that we would take every opportunity to develop relationships with the donors […] Our job was to give the organization face for the many people who wanted to support the work.” - Bev Durance “I just love seeing God's hand of provision at work every day, and that transforms a person.” - Bev Durance “So how does one keep going? How does one persevere in doing good? As we know, we will reap the harvest if we keep persevering, and one of the ways is to remember right from the beginning that God has gone before and prepared hearts and that you’re in the center of His will, no matter how hard or discouraged you feel.” - George Durance “Our missionaries are doing this – communicating the Gospel and discipling students in educational settings around the world – and I think my uncles would be so pleased to see the work they started continuing in this way.” - Bev Durance Learn more about TeachBeyond’s annual Day of Giving here! What’s changing our lives: Keane: Scheduled phone calls with his brother Heather: Visiting her mentor from a past season Beverley: Entering retirement and more time with family George: Keeping busy in this season of life We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Can missions really have a positive impact on diplomacy? Dr. Phil Dow, Head of School at Black Forest Academy, shares about his research and personal experience with faithful missionaries whose impact expanded beyond what they could have imagined. Phil’s book, Accidental Diplomats: American Missions and the Cold War in Africa Special Providence by Walter Russell Mead “I’ve grown up within the missionary community; I have a passion for seeing that work thrive, seeing God honored through the Great Commission around the world. Missions was everywhere around me.” “The history books actually have a lot to do with people’s misconceptions.” “When I looked around the peers of my parents, the work that they were doing, what I saw was people that were there not getting wealthy, not in with the rich and powerful, not politically powerful or aiming for that, so the reality was very, very different from the stereotype.” “They were going truly to the ends of the earth. And so, if they were going for wealth and power and influence, they went to the wrong places.” “These missionaries went out to share their faith and to love their neighbor, and not to do that at the center of political power, and yet they end up having a massive influence.” “How in the world did they have such a huge influence? The answer is really because they simply were doing the work that God had called them to.” “Christianity as a global faith has been a twentieth century story, and that is intimately connected to the story of evangelical missions, and Africa is the most obvious glaring example of that.” “It was because they didn’t care about political power that they were so influential. It’s because they were simply being obedient to God’s calling on their lives that they were trusted because they weren’t seen as manipulating or power hungry.” “What excites me is the future of the Global South in the Great Commission.” “I’m optimistic about the continuing role of the US and Canada and countries that have been traditional sending countries to continue to play a role, even if it looks a little different than it did thirty, forty, or fifty years ago.” What’s changing our lives: Keane: A crawling baby and an office full of plants Heather: New mug from a Germany pottery market Phil: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer Weekly Spotlight: Black Forest Academy We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

In this episode, Brian Delamont returns to the podcast to talk with Keane and Heather about Romans 12:2 — what it means to be transformed by renewal of our minds, rather than being conformed by the world. Romans 12:1-2 “God is the master designer of all transformation. Since He created humanity in His image, He has the most precise and the most boundless understanding of what we can become in His design.” 1 Peter 1:14 “It’s a moment by moment discipline to think and live in the Holy Spirit’s path for us.” “This is what He intends for us – not to be squeezed into something we’re not, but rather to have every aspect of our lives be everything He knows it can be.” “metamorphoo” - Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:2 “The glory God has for us is revealed as we do the things our Father does and live the lives He intends for us to live. Our transformation shatters the power the mold of conforming wants to put on us and reveals more and more of the glory of God in our lives and in our world.” Vision (the desired outcome), Intention (deciding to do it), Means (the way or ways to achieve the desired outcome) Titus 3:5 “Transformation challenges all of how I live as a human, and for renewal to happen I need to make a commitment to transformation.” “Changed thinking both comes from and results in a changed brain - literally, a renewed mind.” October Reflection:  What is your vision? (Do you genuinely want to be transformed?)  What is your intention? (You must decide to change.)  What is your means? (What action steps will you take to move towards the change God has for you?) What’s changing our lives: Keane: A crawling baby Heather: The Gift of Limitations by Sara Hagerty and the boundary lines falling for us in pleasant places (Psalm 16) Brian: Stretching his skills as a musician Weekly Spotlight: Ukarumpa International School We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Have you ever felt pressure to figure out your whole life? Do you ever wonder what God is doing when you look at the fragmented pieces of your story? Gabriel Klein, TeachBeyond member in Brazil, shares how God has led him from a teenage dream to play in a band to go to seminary, learn video editing, and become a missionary.  “For lots of students, what impacts them the most is listening to other students talking about what happened, talking about how God changed them, how God worked in their lives. So right now I have the chance to be the one listening to the stories and like recording them and editing and sharing them.” “What God is doing is a lot bigger than what I can see and what I can put in a two-minute video.” “God uses different things to transform people’s lives… God uses our gifts, no matter how different they are.” “I don't need to have this huge crisis every time I need to make a decision because He's taking care of it.” “It’s not about what I do but about being someone that loves Him and growing in my relationship with Him, and remembering that He is doing it and not me. It’s His job, it’s His ministry, it’s His story, after all. I’m just a part of it.” “I was looking at my calling and my future as something that was like a mystery that I needed to try to solve so that I could understand God's will for my life. Right now, I can see that He has been guiding me all the way through here, through all these transitions, through all these different jobs and different experiences.” What’s changing our lives: Keane: Playing street soccer with his sons Heather: Dahlias blooming late Gabriel: The Common Rule by Justin Earley Weekly Spotlight: English Camps We’d love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/