“It is hard to escape the conclusion that today, one of the greatest roadblocks to the gospel of Jesus Christ is the institutional church. The student protester who held up a placard “Jesus Yes! Christianity No!” was expressing a sentiment widely felt: The institutional church too often represents something radicallyRead More →
Reentry Into Familiar Territory As I was preparing to move to Ecuador to serve as a missionary more than five years ago, I wrote blogs like “Leap of Faith”, “Preparing to Launch” and “Taking Flight”. In early July, I moved back to the U.S., so this blog post will reflectRead More →
Introduction: As I neared the end of my five-year missionary service in Ecuador, my new friend Trace Pirtle asked if I would answer these interview questions that follow for his website. Structured Interview Questions: (by Trace Pirtle) · Can you share the moment when you first felt called to mission work?Read More →
Facebook Post from Raquel Espinosa – June 3, 2025 David, it has been a privilege to have you in Ecuador. Your presence here was not in vain. Although you have gone through difficult trials, your faith, love, and service have left a deep mark on many lives. You sowed inRead More →
News from David Batcheller – June 2025 Greetings again from Ecuador. I hope this letter finds you and your family are doing well. I’m overdue in sending out an update, so here goes. Over the past year, my involvement with the Arco church here in Machala has decreased asRead More →
Movie Review: Jesus Revolution A short time ago, my home church here in Ecuador watched the movie Jesus Revolution together. The aim of this movie was to dramatically portray the revival of the Jesus Movement that swept through the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Since IRead More →
Merry Christmas from Ecuador! Update from David Batcheller – Dec. 2024 Greetings from Ecuador to all my family and friends. It’s the time of year when many of us reflect upon the good times we have had together and look forward to a new year of fresh possibilities. It hasRead More →
A Brief History of Modern Zionism In the late 1800s, a movement began with the dream of creating a homeland for the Jews, who had been displaced and persecuted around the globe for centuries. Most scholars and historians agree that the father of this movement was Theodor Herzl, an Austro-HungarianRead More →
To all my dear friends and family, I wanted to give you another update on how I am doing here in Ecuador. I have tried to keep in touch by writing blogs, sending a newsletter earlier this year, and posting on social media. I really appreciate all of yourRead More →
My Cross-Cultural Learning Curve I wanted to share with you some more details about my new life here in Ecuador. There have been many cross-cultural adjustments, in addition to the language and changes in physical surroundings that are typical of any move. I believe the Lord has prepared me forRead More →
Greetings again from Ecuador! I wanted to share an update with you since it has been awhile. I hope you are doing well. I am continuing the process of conquering Spanish (poco a poco) and adjusting to the climate and culture here in Machala. We are getting ready to enterRead More →
The Call to Multiply Excerpts from the forward to Multiply by Francis Chan Written by David Platt, Pastor and author of Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream From the beginning of Christianity, the natural overflow of being a disciple of Jesus has always been to make disciples of Jesus. “FollowRead More →
The book opens with examining the secular mindset and models used for leadership. This revolves around hierarchical structures and positions that allow people to be in control. This was quickly followed by the world-shattering teachings of Jesus about the subject.Read More →
Hello again from “Bananaland,” My adventure in Ecuador continues and in the process, I am getting a real education in cross-cultural ministry. At times it is difficult to not only speak or understand the language but also to comprehend the reasons for customs and traditions. Let me give you aRead More →
How I ended up here, I’ll never quite know for sure. While growing up and through most of my adult life, I never really thought about becoming an author. As a young student, reading and literature in general were way down the list of fun things to do. Yet somehowRead More →
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream A while back a friend of mine mentioned he was reading a book entitled Radical by David Platt. Intrigued by the simple, yet unmistakable title, I proceeded to investigate and then purchase the book. To give you a sneak preview, the subtitleRead More →
Preparing the Church for the Last Days For many years, my concern for the Church has been deepening, as I have witnessed changing trends and the gradual loss of influence in our culture. While statistics show that a whopping 77% of Evangelical Christians believe that we are living in whatRead More →
One of the best jobs I ever had was with a jewelry supply company called Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was first hired as a sales and customer service representative for their call center, and later transferred into one of the accounting offices. The business has a basicRead More →
From the earliest days of the Christian Church, there has been a passionate longing to see the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself planted the seeds of this desire deeply into the hearts of His disciples, and ever since, the cry of Christians around the worldRead More →
Today I would like to tell you a story. It’s a true story about a young man whose life was completely and radically transformed exactly fifty years ago. It is a heart-warming story of hope for anyone who may be struggling to find true meaning and purpose in life, orRead More →
Now that the dust is apparently settling from the most contentious presidential election in our lifetimes, I have been reflecting on my past political involvement and the new course I have chosen for my life. In reality, this is not really a new course, but one that I felt calledRead More →