July 21, 2026
Day of Fasting and Prayer
for Africa Theological Seminary

Africa Theological Seminary (ATS) is holding a day of fasting and prayer on July 21, 2026. ATS would be honored if you would join them in fasting and praying. There are different ways to fast. No food or water from sunrise to sunset. No food for 24 hours. Only eat green vegetables and drink water for 48 hours. Fast from all forms of sugar and refined carbohydrates for a week. Skip lunch, etc. The point is not how you fast (which may be limited due to a health condition), but that you fast. Please prayerfully consider the best way for you to fast and seek the Lord on behalf of ATS.

Below are the praise and prayer items. In addition, this information, along with the praise and prayer items, can be found online at rpc.bz/pray.

While not required, if you would like to pray corporately with others praying for ATS, there will be an online prayer time on July 21 at:

• 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time;
• 8:00 a.m. Mountain Time;
• 9:00 a.m. Central Time;
• 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time;
• 5:00 p.m. East Africa Time.

To join in the online prayer time, please visit rpc.bz/pray and find the “Pray Online” link. (The link will be activated a few hours before the prayer time.)

Praise and Prayer Items

1. Praise God for (a) who He is—His attributes, (b) His works—in the Scriptures and in the history of the church, and (c) His redemption of His people.
2. Praise God for what He has done through ATS. ATS students continue to have significant Kingdom impact.
3. Pray that ATS will continue to serve the church well by discipling and equipping its leaders.
4. Pray for the Lord to continue transforming the hearts of ATS students and staff to be conformed to His image.
5. Pray that the Lord gives wisdom to the ATS leadership.
6. There is a bill before the Kenyan parliament that will allow the Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA) to accredit institutions giving bachelor’s and graduate degrees in Kenya. Pray that this bill will pass, will be signed into law, and there will be no legal challenges to the new law. (ATS is accredited through ACTEA. ACTEA is a founding member of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE). Because of ATS’s accreditation with ACTEA and ACTEA’s relationship to ICETE, ATS’s degrees are recognized everywhere in the world, except in Kenya.)
7. Because ACTEA is not recognized by the Kenyan government, ATS currently has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pan Africa Christian University (PAC) so that ATS can continue its bachelor’s program. Pray for a good relationship between ATS and PAC. Pray that the MoU works out the way ATS envisioned it would.
8. Pray for (a) God’s financial provision for ATS, (b) donors to provide ATS students scholarships, and (c) the churches in Kenya with ATS pastors to give generously to ATS.
9. Because the government of Kenya does not accept ACTEA accreditation, ATS has received some bad press. Pray that (a) the quality of ATS’s program and students would be clearly seen by those who have produced the bad press and those who have read it. (b) That the bad press would not negatively influence those who God is calling to attend ATS.
10. Praise God for what He will do.

A one-page printable PDF with this information is available at: rpc.bz/pray/pray.pdf

Photo by Samuel Martins on Unsplash

As you know from our last blog (Where in the World are Paul and Donna?), we did an East Coast tour to visit supporters:

• 25 Days
• 4,441 Miles
• 18 States
• 2 Countries
• 13 Beds
• Saw 4 out of 5 great lakes
• Visited 6 churches/church events
• Lost count of waterfalls, large rivers, and Amish buggies

We had many wonderful, illuminating, encouraging, heavy, heartfelt, and providential conversations. As one of our missionary friends has said, “Missionaries are not rich in finances, but we are rich in relationships.”

Praise God with us for a great trip.

Pray for us as we catch up on all the things that fell through the cracks while traveling (especially Paul, who was traveling before he started traveling and is traveling yet again).

 

Every year we take a month to visit supporters and churches. About two weeks after Paul returned from Kenya, we loaded up the car and headed East. We will be making a large circle with stops in Tyler, TX; New Orleans, LA; Brentwood, TN; Cleveland, GA; Seneca, SC; Houghton, NY; London, ON; Honor, MI; Grand Haven, MI; Kansas City, KS; and back to Denton, TX.

If you are somewhere close on this loop and would like to get together, please let us know sooner rather than later, as the adventure has already begun!

 

In my last blog I wrote about the “Double Trouble with Working Remotely.” One of the verses I turned to was 1 Peter 5:7. It is normally translated “casting all your anxieties on him” or “cast all your anxiety on him.” So I was surprised when the New English Translation (NET) read, “​by casting all your cares on him” [emphasis mine]. In the Greek text, “casting” is a particle.[1] The NET Bible is translating this particle as a particle of means linked to the command to humble ourselves in verse 6. How do we humble ourselves? By casting all our cares on him.

As I reflected on 1 Peter 5:6–7, it made sense to see by casting all my cares on him as the means of humbling myself. Worrying is a type of pride. Worry says I will take on the concerns that I should give to a God who cares for me.[2] Pray that Donna and I will humble ourselves by casting our cares on him.

Donna is back in Texas after teaching Child Development. Praise God her class went well. For Donna, this was a fast trip. As I mentioned in my last blog, Donna has become her mom’s “person.” Pray for Donna as she readjusts to the rhythm of life in the USA.

My longtime friend Mario taught Apologetics while I handled all the academic issues of the class. Praise God that the course went well and Mario had a great time teaching. Pray for Mario as he works on raising scholarships for students.

Saturday (Mar 28) was graduation at Africa Theological Seminary (ATS). Praise for a joyous celebration of what the Lord has done. Currently, I am teaching Exegesis, which is a tough class. Pray for the students.

Continue to pray for ATS and the local issues around accreditation.

Footnotes:

[1] Greek particles are extremely versatile, which accounts for various nuances and abuses. Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Zondervan, 1996. 613.

[2] ESV Global Study Bible, Crossway, 2012, 1 Peter 5:7.

Paul with students at the entrance to ATS.

I (Paul) have been in Kenya for a little over a week. While I am thankful to be able to work remotely, there are things you miss working remotely. Below are some examples.

I knew one of my Kenyan colleagues was sick. However, when I saw him, I thought, He does not look well. So I asked, How are you feeling? He said, Oh, I feel much better, and I am making steady improvements. If he is feeling better and making improvements when I thought he did not look well, I can only imagine how bad he looked while I was not present.

While Africa Theological Seminary (ATS) is fully accredited with the Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (acteaweb.org), ATS has had some local issues around accreditation. I have followed these remotely, but now that I am here, I am gaining a new appreciation for the difficulty the faculty has had.

With any institution, policies are constantly changing. ATS is no different, and there have been some policy changes related to the above-mentioned accreditation issues. Again, I knew this was in the works, but getting on the ground and having to implement these things is different from knowing about them.

If I were in Kenya full-time, these things would come up over the course of several months. However, after being gone for some months, I am hit with all of these types of things all at once. It is like double (or triple or quadruple) trouble.

Pray for the above-mentioned issues. Pray that I respond with grace, wisdom, cultural understanding, and in ways that are helpful rather than critical. I am hoping to find better methods to stay in touch remotely; pray for God’s guidance. Also, pray for Donna, who leaves in a week and a half for Kenya. Donna’s mom, Mary, has a great support system while Donna is away. However, Donna has become Mary’s go-to “person,” and Donna is deeply missed while gone.

Grace & Peace — Paul

Paul speaking at the book dedication

 

Paul’s Old and New Testament Intro Classes

 

Duane (Paul & Donna’s good friend) Teaching

 

Donna Reading to Her Class

 

Donna Speaking at Chapel

 

Donna Speaking at a Children’s Rally

 

Donna’s (1 of 2) Sunday School Workshop

 

Paul & Donna in Boston to Attend the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting

We released a pre-publisher, pre-published online proof of Navigating Culture. Navigating Culture is the book we have been working on with our colleagues. You can view the proof online at:

navigatingculture.com/proof

The preface of the proof explains our reasoning for this release. Part of which is to get feedback on the book. We would love for you to review the proof and provide us with your feedback. If you read the proof, like it, and know the president of a publishing company, please let us know. (We did mention the release in our last blog, but it was toward the end.)

Back in our July 10 blog, we mentioned the donation of over 1,300 books to the Africa Theological Seminary from Christianbook International Outreach. Praise God, the books did arrive, and we had a celebration and dedication of the new books.

Praise God with us that we finished the Navigating Culture proof. Pray that we find the perfect publisher or have wisdom in self-publishing. Pray that the content will help those working internationally (whether serving overseas or working with foreigners in one’s home culture). Praise God for the arrival, celebration, and dedication of the books. Pray that they would help students grow in their knowledge of, service to, and heart for God.

One of our supporting churches interviewed us and wrote an article for their monthly newsletter. The article did a great job capturing our hearts and what is going on, so we wanted to share it with you. Other than one small change that was specific to this church, the article below is verbatim from the church‘s newsletter. One significant piece of news at the end of the article is the live link for the pre-publisher, pre-published, e-version proof of our book. We will have more information on that in our next update. As always, thank you for being on Team Cox.

Paul and Donna Cox Ministry Update

Where in the World are Paul and Donna?

After a 6-month interlude back in the states getting to spend time with their moms, children and grandchildren (they even welcomed a new grandson in September!), Paul and Donna Cox have returned to Africa Theological Seminary (ATS) in Kenya, ready to take on more of the Lord’s work in Kitale and beyond! Paul is teaching two courses: Introduction to the Old Testament and Introduction to the New Testament.

Meanwhile, Donna is teaching a diploma level course (similar to an associates’ level) called Introduction to Children’s Ministry, which all ATS students are required to take. She will also be leading two Sunday School workshops with attendees from more than 20 local and regional churches. “It’s an intense month when we’re [here]; there’s really not a day off!” says Donna. “We try to be as prepared as possible upon our arrival so we can just hit the ground running.” Additionally, Donna plans to spend some of her time processing – and celebrating! – the single largest one-time gift the seminary has ever received: more than 1,300 textbooks, commentaries, references, children’s books and Sunday School resources that were graciously donated to ATS by Christianbook International Outreach (who also covered the shipping and customs cost). What a tremendous blessing!

Motorcycles for a Mission

Before heading off to Africa, Paul had the privilege of representing ATS at the 21st annual Jon “Just Get Er Done” Memorial Motorcycle Ride and subsequent Motorbike Ceremony in Minnesota, held in memory of Jon Just, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2004 on the way to pastoring the youth at his church. “A year after his death, his friends wanted to do something to remember him,” explains Paul. “About that time, his parents had heard of a missionary in Ghana who needed a motorcycle, so they were inspired to raise money to buy it for him.” Since that first memorial ride in 2005, more than 600 motorcycles have been gifted to pastors in Africa via an application process, and ATS receives 30-40 of those each year for its students and graduates – taking a heartbreaking tragedy and turning it into something for God’s glory.

“Many of our students must walk everywhere or use public transport,” says Paul. “So when a pastor can go out on his own with a motorcycle, it dramatically changes his ministry – it truly is a game changer. And there are so many stories as to how God has used the motorcycles.” For example, the husband of one of Donna’s students had told his wife that if she applied for and got a motorcycle, he’d buy a projector and generator so she could go and show the Jesus film in the more isolated areas up north – which she is now able to do! Paul recounts another story in which a woman in a remote village was having a difficult labor and delivery; they literally tied her to the motorbike and to the pastor, who got her to the hospital in time and was able to save the mom and baby. And in another miraculous occurrence, an imam (Muslim leader) was very sick, and a pastor with a motorcycle took him to the hospital and spent time with him and shared the gospel. By God’s grace, the imam accepted the Lord and was also transformative in getting his family and followers to as well. The Coxes look forward to sharing many more accounts of how God is using these motorcycles in and around their community in Kitale.

On the Cusp of Publishing a Book

Paul and Donna Cox have always had a heart for helping others connect with and better understand Africa, which is just one of the reasons they’ve invested time over the last several years to write a manuscript, Navigating Culture: A Simple Guide and Map to Cross-Cultural Ministry.

The inspiration for the manuscript stems from Paul’s many years of PhD research and studying cultural biases in biblical interpretation. “I was looking at how we can identify biases in a meaningful way and how to move past just saying, ‘Oh, that’s an African thing,’ or ‘Oh, that’s a Western thing’,” says Paul. “What do these things actually mean?” He goes on to highlight the work of Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede, who provided the framework for understanding this very question with his cultural dimensions theory. “Hofstede provided a grid in which to work and evaluate cultural biases,” explains Paul. “One of his dimensions is that of individualism versus collectivism.” For example, in individualist cultures like the U.S., we have a guilt/innocent society (in which “right” and “wrong” are internalized). In collectivist cultures, such as countries that place a strong emphasis on tribalism and family, they have an honor/shame society (in which you feel shame if you do something that hurts your community). “That’s part of why it’s so hard for Muslims to convert to Christianity – because it brings shame to their families,” Paul says.

Paul and Donna collaborated with 3 other missionaries from Asia and Central America to put together a series of anecdotes, maps and illustrations that help explain these complex cultural concepts. “We’re working from a well-researched grid that cultural scholars have spent astronomical amounts of money to figure out through surveys and statistical data,” Paul explains. “So we’re helping to illustrate that grid with stories from our own personal experiences.” They have striven to make Navigating Culture a reader-friendly, pocket-sized tool ready to equip those who are interested in or heading out to the missionary field.

The Coxes plan to share their pre-published proof with various people they know to help generate interest, and they invite YOU to take some time to read through this e-version and provide any feedback you may have for them (send to family@cox-net.com)!

The other day Donna asked me, How was your day? I replied, Productively unproductive. Getting a “final product” off my desk and “out the door” makes me feel productive. On that particular day, I went through five years’ worth of downloads from my downloads folder, moving files to where they belong or trashing them. So, I was very productive—cleaned my downloads folder. However, I did not get any projects closer to going out the door. So it felt unproductive.

As you know from our last blog (All plans are tentative…), Donna postponed her trip to help receive and celebrate the gift of books from Christianbook International Outreach (CIO). The timing was incredibly providential as Donna’s mom, Mary, ended up in the hospital, and Donna accelerated the time frame for moving Mary into assisted living. Donna’s time (and to a certain extent, my time) has been full of hospital visits, rehab visits, doctor appointments, phone calls, packing, moving, figuring out assisted living, etc. So Donna has been very providentially productive with her mom; however, as far as things “out the door” go, not as productive as hoped.

In the past, we have mentioned that we are working with some colleagues on a book about culture that has been in the works for years (2025: Purposeful–doing what we do with purpose). The hope was to have a manuscript (or at least the first couple of chapters) submitted to a publisher in the first half of 2025. However, after consulting with a friend who has published books, we have decided to release a pre-publisher, pre-publication, proof for review and to evaluate interest. The ultimate goal of this proof is to secure a publisher by receiving comments to improve the book and, hopefully, find influencers and organizations who will commit to endorsing, helping promote, and buying copies (pre-sales) once we have a publisher. We have been productively preparing this proof. However, neither the submission to the publisher nor the proof is “out the door.” So it feels productively unproductive. By God’s grace, we will finish the proof by the end of August.

Praise God with us that Mary is settled in her new place. Pray with us for the timing of the books from CIO, and as we prepare our proof.

Mary and Donna

When visitors come to Africa, I, Paul, always tell them, “All plans are tentative until they happen.” This captures the fluid nature of things in Africa and the reality that everything does not always go to plan.

In our last blog, Donna talked about the donation of books from Christianbook International Outreach. In that blog, she said that the books would arrive at the Africa Theological Seminary last week. This timeframe was the information given to us. On Friday, we learned the books had not yet arrived in Kenya. The new and improved arrival date is August. So Donna’s trip to Kenya has been postponed.

Praise God with us that we found out about this before Donna got on the plane, and we received a travel credit for the full cost of the ticket to Africa. Pray with us for the speedy and safe arrival of the books, good relationships, and clear communication with all involved.