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Brigada Today
02 Jun 2006
In this issue...
- ENCOURAGEMENT FROM FELLOW-LABORERS
- MEDIA SUPPORT FOR MISSIONARIES
- FREE CALLS OVER VOIP
- DISK DRIVE RESURRECTION SERVICE NEEDED
- PEOPLE GROUP PRAYER BUTTON
- FREE MP3 DOWNLOADS IN 3190 LANGUAGES
- NEED A RESOURCE TO MENTOR OTHERS?
- MENTORING WORKSHOP
- NEW RESOURCE ON BIBLE STORYING AMONG ORAL LEARNERS!
- THANKSGIVING FOR PARTNERS
- THE BACKPAGE: GREAT TEAMS MAKE GOOD TEAMS LOOK BAD
- CLOSING STUFF
- ENCOURAGEMENT FROM FELLOW-LABORERS -- Every so often, we receive a note of encouragement that reads something like, "How do you do it? How do you keep those Brigada editions coming each week, after all these years?" I'll be honest. Sometimes schedules go ballistic. This past week, I took a week of vacation to lead a new soccer clinic here in Louisville, Kentucky. The week was wacko. In the back of my mind, I find myself thinking, "How/When will I get time to assemble another Brigada?" And then it comes: a gift from someone like Andy at Dial Abroad ($74.18 this time). And I realize that in this special case, his gift is based on people who have signed up their long distance with him so that, in turn, he will help Brigada keep going. (Thanks Andy!) If long distance is a commodity item for you, would you consider switching to Dial Abroad? Maybe you have a cell phone these days and make almost no long distance calls. That's still ok. Even if it's only an occasional call, you still could switch over to Andy for the few times in the future when you *will* need it. His rate is probably better and I *know* the accompanying Brigada gift is appreciated. Learn more at:
http://www.dial-abroad.org/brigada.htm
- MEDIA SUPPORT FOR MISSIONARIES -- MullinsMedia has been providing media support to missions and missionaries since 2001. Recognizing that a well-designed and regularly updated website is the best communication tool available today, they specialize in providing low-cost, easy-edit web spaces to missionaries (hosting, training and maintenance included). MullinsMedia also travels worldwide to produce documentary- style DVDs that mission organizations use to tell their story. Visit
http://www.mullinsmedia.com
and click on "links" to see some of the sites they have developed. Special Offer: For each site built for a Brigada subscriber, MullinsMedia will make a $20 donation to support the great work of Brigada!
- FREE CALLS OVER VOIP -- Call free to over 40 destinations. No catch, no setup fee, no special equipment needed, just a microphone -and headphones if possible - and your computer with broadband connection. (Dialup is possible too, but quality can be low.) Open an account with €10 and calls to landlines in over 40 destinations are free, and very low-rate calls to others. The same company operates under two names - with a few different free countries on each, so check each out before deciding which to go with.
http://www.voipbuster.com/ http://www.voipcheap.com/
- DISK DRIVE RESURRECTION SERVICE NEEDED -- Here's a Brigada participant named Mic from Operation Mobilization (OM) reporting that a disk drive on his office computer died that supposedly contained only "back-up data", when in fact, it had some important files that were not stored anywhere else. He says his friendly technician took the drive out and put it another system and tried to read it but it just "clicks" and fails to read. He's checked with some data recovery specialist who can take the "platter" out of this drive and install it in another drive and copy the data onto CDs - the cost? ($1200 - $2500 depending upon size, GULP!). He's wondering if anyone knows of another way. Mic, all I can tell you is that, having suffered the same malady about 2 years ago, I paid to have an analysis done from my laptop drive, only to be told, in the end, that the data were unreadable anyway. So the sidebar comment for the rest of our Brigada family is -- we have to learn to back up these drives. After my own failure, which temporarily set me back *months*, I purchased a Maxtor "one-touch" external hard drive and, I'm happy to tell you, having been a fellow-struggler, I now back up my entire hard drive every night. ('Course, if my house burns down, I'm still out of luck if both units are stored in the same fire! :-( ) But enough of the prevention -- can anyone help Mic with a cure? I don't think there are any out there, but if you have an idea, write him directly at: mister_mic_323(at)hotmail(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] Mic, if you come up with a solution, please drop us a line reporting how it worked. Best of luck. Now, suggestion: go order your external back-up for the next time.
- PEOPLE GROUP PRAYER BUTTON -- PrayerGuard.net working with the Joshua Project has come up with a cool way to mobilize prayer for the 6,900 Unreached People Groups listed under the Ethne to Ethne prayer movement. The UPG Prayer Button displays a different people group every hour, and when clicked, takes you to a 3 Minute on-line prayer session for that group. The goal is to pray through all 6,900 people groups over the next 10 months, as part of the Ethne prayer focus. By pasting a few lines of code into your website, you can mobilize prayer for thousands of Unreached People Groups. How cool is that? See it in action, and get the code for this button at:
http://prayerguard.net/upg
I did this prayer and it's really well done. Hats off to those who are making it possible.
- FREE MP3 DOWNLOADS IN 3190 LANGUAGES -- Global Recordings Network (Gospel Recordings) has placed 4326 evangelistic audio programs in 3190 languages and dialects on their web site. These can be downloaded free in MP3 format. Audio Cassettes and CD's can also be obtained in many more languages through this site. Go to
http://globalrecordings.net/
Look for "RESOURCES" on the sidebar and click on "Language List" or "Country List". You can also order cassettes or CD's in 5,500 speechforms by emailing the following address: orderdept(at)Globalrecordings(dot)com. [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
- NEED A RESOURCE TO MENTOR OTHERS? -- Mentoring thru Intentional Relationships by Phillip Jeske is a 250 page (8.5x11) manual to help you walk with someone in a mentoring relationship. Since it was first introduced to Brigada readers, it is now being used by missionaries, pastors, and Christian leaders around the world. While there are books about mentoring, this resource provides you with a tool to actually do it. The 12 Chapters cover issues relating to personal growth and leadership development, designed to guide someone through one-on-one discussions and small groups, so that they may most effectively make a contribution for the Kingdom. It is available as pdf file on CD ($12USD) or in printed form ($29USD) and can be purchased using PayPal or major credit card through the webpage:
http://www.icmcanada.org or by writing icmcanada(at)cs(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] The Introduction can be downloaded for free from the Website. It is also available as pdf in German & Russian and later this year French and Spanish.
- MENTORING WORKSHOP -- The author of the resource, Mentoring thru Intentional Relationships, is now available to present a workshop on mentoring. This workshop has been shared with groups such as the Campus Crusade staff in Germany, Church Planters Academy in Canada, and Russian Assemblies in Moscow. The author has years of missions and leadership experience with a focus on mentoring others. If you are a missions leader or pastor and see the need for mentoring but perhaps don't know where to start in your church or missions organization, this workshop might just be the answer. To inquire regarding available bookings or for further information write: icmcanada(at)cs(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] or through
http://www.icmcanada.org
- NEW RESOURCE ON BIBLE STORYING AMONG ORAL LEARNERS! -- Check out the story4all podcast and website! "story4all" produces a free weekly 20 minute program of stories, discussion and interviews from the field about how Bible storytelling is changing nations and aiding church planting movements to occur in places once termed "hard". 4 billion people in our world are oral learners (those who can't, won't or don't read) and they need to hear the Gospel that is proclaimed. story4all is a weekly podcast (Internet show) and web site with resources to help you whether you are working in remote fields, are in training or training others to go, or, whether you just know there's more to sharing God's Story. Explore and find more details at:
http://story4all.com or send your questions to:
story(at)story4all(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
- THANKSGIVING FOR PARTNERS -- Our hats go off to those who make our work possible, for example, the Fellowship of Believers in Sarasota, FL, who pitched in $30 this past week. Want to help Brigada spread the news about missions resources, unreached peoples, and outreach conferences all around the world? Just click on "sponsor" in the top menu (to use PayPal or a credit card), or if you prefer, send a check payable to Team Expansion to: Team Expansion (Brigada secretary), 11327 Jefferson Trace Blvd., Louisville, KY 40291. As always, be sure to let us know if you'd like us to promote any particular service or ministry, or if you'd prefer your gift be anonymous. In any case, thanks for considering Brigada in your estate giving, your monthly church missions fund, and/or your own personal giving for this calendar year.
- THE BACKPAGE: GREAT TEAMS MAKE GOOD TEAMS LOOK BAD -- Well if you've been monitoring World Cup news, you know that most commentators are saying some pretty hideous things about the USA's opening game against Czech Republic. I heard one observer say the USA looked "flat". That was probably the nicest way of saying it. Another said we looked "awful", and others have used even dicier terms.
But I'd just like to point out . . . Czech Republic is a great soccer team. Sometimes it's important to see things in perspective. If we had been playing against a lesser side, maybe we would have come out on the field with more confidence, charisma, creativity, and success . . . and maybe our same tactics would have turned out to be more effective.
The same thing happens in missions. The team in Latin America reports amazing success. Hundreds of baptisms, a dozen new church plants, and lots of great stories. Meanwhile the team in North Africa works for 30 years with only 2 converts. Before long, some church in Georgia is rethinking their support so they'll get better "return on the investment" (ROI) of missions dollars. It's beyond Receptivity/Resistance ratios. Sometimes it can't even be charted in any tangible sense.
So what do we do? Do we pull those workers home? ... or transfer them to a different field? I don't think so . . . any more than we would want our National Team to quit the World Cup. We keep on competing... adjusting our strategy wherever necessary, subbing players in and out to keep them fresh, and investing in better training & evaluation. But in the end, we realize -- we can't ask Landon Donovan to do better than his best. And if McBride doesn't get the ball, there's not a whole lot he can do. Likewise, in the world of missions, my take is -- we keep investing energy in playing on tough turf. We don't quit, just because the opponent is strong.
I told my sons this morning, "I'm not so sure I would have said the things that Bruce Arena said. The critical question is -- did these players give it their all." If they did, I'm not sure *any* of us should be so quick to pass judgment.
Unfortunately, their next game will be against Italy. Likewise, Italy will be a tough challenge too. Let's hope the USA guys will put forth a better outing, but if they don't, I'll still be backing them just the same. Because hey... it's not easy going up against tougher sides.
- CLOSING STUFF -- SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION -- Important! Please don't just hit "reply". Subscriptions are automated. First, you need to determine the mailing source of your individual copy of Brigada Today. We're now sending them from 2 sources. To find out, just look at the "From:" address of your last edition. The domain will tell the tale. Here's how to do it:
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COPYRIGHT -- This issue of _Brigada Today_ is Copyrighted 2006. However, permission is granted to freely redistribute these materials, including those available on the Brigada website, provided that such redistribution is to those who will help the Good News of Jesus Christ to reach the unreached.* To copy or reproduce _Brigada Today_ for any other reason is illegal and is not permitted. * When you quote or paraphrase material from Brigada, please include this phrase: "For a free subscription to Brigada's weekly missions publication, write brigada-today-subscribe@googlegroups.com and/or visit Brigada on the web at www.brigada.org."
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