24 Jul Nobody Chooses to be a Refugee: An Interview with John Barnett, Executive Director of Refuge Louisville

Jesus said loving God is our greatest responsibility, and second to that is loving our neighbor.

So what does it look like when our neighbor is a refugee?

Refugees continue to remain a hot-button issue, in both our politics and our churches.  What’s the best way to engage the issue?  What happens to the families when they arrive on our shores? And how are we as Outsiders to respond?

Listen in on my conversation with John Barnett, Executive Director of Refuge Louisville, an organization that empowers local churches to embrace refugees as their neighbors with the love of Christ.

Episode Highlights:

3:26 – How to manage the tension of the refugee crisis

4:43 – Why the compassion vs. security discussion is the wrong way to approach it (and how to look at it the right way)

7:48 – How John went from being a successful business owner to spending over 15 years as a missionary in Uganda and other countries

11:15 – What simple strategy transformed John’s prayer life

13:40 – Hospitality as mission: Inspiration from Jesus’ interaction with Zacchaeus

17:22 – What Outsiders can do to take action…right now