This powerful, moving story captures much of the struggle in communicating the Gospel to unreached peoples that have no written language.
It is the story of some IMB journeyman missionaries that have spent the last couple of years learning the language of one tribe in Mali so that they can create 30-60 Bible stories for the tribe. One evening, the chief asked them to pray for rain. As they bowed to pray, a breeze swept across their faces and thunder rolled in the distance. God showed his power that day to the Senafo people.
The rest of this story can be found here at Commissionstories.com
Men are God’s method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. . . . What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer . . .
-EM Bounds’ forward in Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret
Do you feel like life is full of ups and downs? I despise this game, but I love playing it with my daughter. It is so funny how you can be doing so well and hit a down-slide or be doing so bad and hit the big ladder. There is really no skill involved in this game. The best part about this game is that it must be played with someone else. In the midst of playing the game, you get to laugh together and fret together over who will finish first. It doesn’t really matter who wins. We are all really to be rooting for one another.
Phil. 3:14 says, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Life has so many surprises, but without the shoot and ladders that interrupt life, it would be way too predictable.
Note: I won the game, but my opponent is still in the background spinning. She kept playing alone until she finished.
I would encourage you to listen to this incredible story of how we actually keep people from hearing the Gospel instead of showing them the true love and mercy of Christ.
Our team is headed home from South Asia. We had a good time and we were able to do a lot of education. However, I think we received just as much education. I only have about 1500 pictures. Here are a SELECT few from the first couple of days:
I came upon this amazing sight today. These men are about to walk out the door and follow up on a slew of personal decisions that have been made among the youth on Wednesday nights. Pray for them. Join them. Thank God for them.
This week I have been spending a great deal of time studying. There is a great sense of satisfaction in making progress. I am reminded, however, of the many hours of frustration and uncertain direction as I began studying for this project. I am not sure how many Fridays and Saturdays and late nights I have spend reading and taking notes. Some of those hours seem wasted now that I look back and realize that various notes were not used.
My point is this: it seems that in all things that we do, progress is not felt all the way along. There are times when what you are doing will not specifically be used, but indirectly you are being shaped for something that you have yet to envision. It is like taking two steps back before you can take three steps forward.
If you are currently in a situation where your efforts are not showing progress, trust that God may be using it to prepare you in another way.
Photo: an Orthodox Jew copying scriptures into a new scroll. There are errors in every scroll. To erase them, he used a blade to scrape the page.
I find it disconcerting that the Secretary of State continues to confuse the public with ballot language. Ms. Carnahan, please honor valid initiative petitions without twisting it. It makes it appear that you are trying to sway the public in another direction.
Press release from the Missouri Roundtable:
MISSOURI ROUNDTABLE FOR LIFE UNCERTAIN AS TO SECRETARY CARNAHAN’S BALLOT LANGUAGE
St. Louis, MO - January 30, 2009 - Late yesterday evening, the Missouri Roundtable For Life received notice from a member of the press that Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has issued ballot language for our initiative petition. The Roundtable has yet to receive notification from Ms. Carnahan’s office. This is at least the second time in this process that Ms. Carnahan has communicated with third parties before she has communicated with the filers of the petition.Read the rest of this entry »
