- CORRECT DATES FOR FORUM ON UNREACHED AZERBAIJANI -- Earlier, we
mentioned a North American Azerbaijani Network that is hosting a forum
on gateway Azerbaijani people of Azerbaijan and Iran. The correct dates
for the forum are Apr. 24-26 (not 24-28 as previously announced). The
location is Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more information email
azpartnership(at)galacticomm
(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the
preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .
then reassemble the address onto one line.]
- SOURCE FOR FREE CHRISTIAN AUDIO BOOKS -- Classic Christian books by
writers including E.M Bounds, G.K Chesterton (and, Brigada participant,
Charliy recently noted, "even a few who don't use initials" :-) ) are
available as audio book downloads for free. Start the year with "The
Practice of the Presence of God" in your iPod by going to
http://freechristianaudiobooks.com/
(Thanks for the tip, Charliy! Cool name, too.)
- ARE YOU CATCHING THE GREAT DIALOGUE ON THE BRIGADA BRIGADE? -- If
not, tune in by browsing to:
http://brigada.org/brigade/
for the latest input on topics and questions such as polygamy, how to
determine one's calling, civil disobedience, moral behavior resources, and more!
There have been some excellent pieces there. It's truly a
tribute to the high caliber of readership we have for Brigada Today.
Thanks for participating!
- GET PERSPECTIVES IN 2008! -- Do you need missions education credit
before you can begin your missionary service? The Perspectives on the
World Christian Movement course may be your answer as it covers the
biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic basis for missions. ICM
(International Christian Ministries) offers the course on-line for
certificate, undergraduate, or graduate credit. Check out
http://www.icmusa.org/perspectives.php
for more information and to sign up, or email
info(at)icmusa
(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the
preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .
then reassemble the address onto one line.]
- FREE SPAM BLOCKER -- Thanks much to Brigada participant, Lloyd, who
tipped us off to mail-filter.com. Lloyd, for his part, is an emergency
manager for a city. And we *really* appreciate him referring us to mail-
filter which, according to Lloyd, is not only free but also very
effective. Check it out at...
http://www.mail-filter.com
Lloyd says one can set up multiple accounts, and that the offending spam
can be viewed on the web. Good find, Lloyd!
- PHONE CARDS/SERVICES ON THE CHEAP -- Lloyd also referred us to
http://cheap2talk.us
and
http://kc5fm.pushline.com
where, he said, "visitors can obtain low cost calling cards and other
communications products. Brigada readers who wish to have their
commissions refunded may contact the vendor through either web site or
email the author at
kc5fm(dot)brigada(at)mail-filter
(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the
preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .
then reassemble the address on one line.]
- VIDEO SESSIONS OF WEB MINISTRY CONFERENCE -- Seven of the web
evangelism seminars from the September 07 Web Ministry Conference are
now online (using an innovative system which displays the PowerPoint or
screen content that the participants saw, as well as the speaker):
http://www.webevangelism.com/index.php?id=100
with some additional sessions available in audio only:
http://www.internetministryconference.org/blog/
Of particular interest to the mission world is the video session 'The
Edges of Cyberspace' which looks at the huge potential of digital
evangelism for the non-western world in the coming few years. With the
'Next Billion' web users coming online very soon (mainly in the 10-40
Window), and 3.3 billion people already using mobile devices, now is the
time for mission agencies to look again at how they can use the Web,
video and audio, mobile devices, and Internet Cafes:
http://ong9d.rmxpres.com/Accordent/data/Edmiston/msh.html
(Thanks Tony!)
- THAT NEW MISSIONS TEXTBOOK... -- We mentioned earlier a new missions
textbook that teaches a proper perspective on Muslims. The authors are
actually not "Charles Gailey and Charles Gailey" (oops! sleep-
keyboarding! [blush]). We should have said that "Discovering Missions"
is by Charles Gailey and Howard Culbertson, who was mentioned later in
the item. As mentioned previously, the book is available at discount
prices on such sites as Amazon.com. (Thanks to Andy for catching our
mix-up all the way from Papua New Guinea; and to Bob, who regularly
offices in the cubicle next to me! :-) )
- FURTHER READING ON CHINESE BIBLE PRINTING -- Interested in
further follow-up on that mention we made of printing Bibles in China? Brigada
participant Andrew pointed us to a BBC article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7150613.stm
Another Brigada participant, Martin, reflected on a Chinese pastor he
had visited just a few months ago. Apparently the Chinese government
itself has given him money to build what will become "China's largest
church (holding 8000 inc 2500 Bible College students)." Martin has seen
with his own eyes the foundations of the perimeter wall. It happens that
this pastor and his team have produced all the Bible documents on
http://www.easyBibles.com
Martin mused, "I don't yet fully understand the intentions of Beijing or
the leaders of this work. I await guidance and pray a lot." Let's join
him.
- NEW BOOK UNWRAPS LATIN AMERICA -- "From Rio to the Rio Grande:
Challenges and Opportunities in Latin America," is a book by Kenneth D.
MacHarg. It's $16.25 and is available by calling toll free 1(800)247-
6553 in the USA or from Amazon.com as well as through local bookstores.
Readers tell us that it does a good job at revealing the way Latins
tick.
- CENTRAL ASIAN SCHOOL SEEKS STAFF -- Kazakhstan International School
is a non-profit school that seeks to train up the next generations of
leaders for Central Asia. The school is a "secular" school but the
staff are strong, Spirit-filled believers who regularly work with
students whose families come from 32 countries, many of them Muslim.
They are looking for short and long term Christian teachers to share
their lives with these young people and their families. Learn more at
http://www.kisnet.org
- WE'RE THANKFUL! GOD BE PRAISED! -- Praise the Lord for these
partners who have stepped up to the plate to help us connect the dots in
2007:
$50 from a brother in Tulsa, OK, helping launch the Network of
Azerbaijani Partnerships. This is a network of partnerships in several
countries that work among and advocate for the 40 million unreached
Azerbaijani people predominately in Azerbaijan, Iran, and Iraq, but also
in smaller numbers in other countries in Central Asia, plus the UK and
the US. Please take a moment right now to lift up the Azerbaijani people
and this consortium of partnerships. Give praise that they're hooking up
and ask God to bless those who are trying to pull them all together.
$50 from a partner in Minnesota
$100 with love from some anonymous YWAMers who work in Vietnam; "God
bless you richly for all you do on behalf of the unreached!"
$25 from a partner in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
$25 from Washington Injury Lawyers, http://www.washingtoninjury.com and
$25 from Birmingham Personal Injury Lawyers,
http://www.beltlawfirm.com
(Please give thanks tonight for these attorneys who are setting about to
use their gifts & skills for God's glory!)
$216 from a worker in StoryRunners, a ministry of Campus Crusade for
Christ using oral methods to reach Unreached People Groups. They wrote,
"Thanks so much for your ongoing ministry to the missions community! I
read your Brigada regularly and have benefited from it greatly! May the
Lord meet ALL your needs and keep the Brigada flame bright!" Please
pause tonight to lift up this innovative form of gospel outreach.
$25 from a family headed soon to Zambia. They wrote, "I've been a Sr.
pastor for the last 13 years here in Illinois; my wife and I are
departing on Jan 10 to serve with Action International Ministries in
Lusaka, Zambia. I will be involved in pastoral leadership development
and my wife will be involved with pastor's wives and children's
ministries. If the Lord would keep us in good health we hope to spend
the next ten years serving the church in Africa. We are both 56.
Your weekly email has proved helpful on several occasions as we have
been preparing for missions. In fact, it is the only subscription email
that I am keeping as we make the move. Thank you for your service to
us." Whoa. Sobering and encouraging. Please lift them up tonight.
$25 from a worker at Global Mapping in Colorado
$50 from a friend in Perry Hall, MD
$100 from a new friend in Texas
$50 from Honey Brook, PA
$50 from Columbia, SC
$25 from Orlando, FL
$100 from an individual at CAL Berkeley
We're so thankful for these dear friends and partners. Thank you Lord!
- WOULD YOU BE ONE OF THE 76 PARTNERS STILL NEEDED IN 2007? -- Now you
can give directly from your bank account, without having to go through
PayPal or a credit card. Just log on to
http://www.teamexpansion.org
Click on "Resources" then "Donate" and follow the instructions. Be sure
to note that the gift is for Brigada.
Now we only need 76 more people, groups, or churches to step up to the
plate. Unfortunately, only 2 more days remain in 2007. Would you be one
of those 76??? If you *can't* give, would you be willing to ask someone
who might - or at least pray for someone else to step out? We still need
just *one* courageous soul to give $1000 and 2 to give $500, in order to
meet our 2007 needs. Here are the gifts we still need to raise in order
to meet those 2007 ministry needs:
1 (of 1) more gift of $1000
2 (of 5) more gifts of $500
8 (of 10) more gifts of $250
0 (of 13) more gifts of $100
15 (of 28) more gifts of $50
50 (of 70) more gifts of $25
You can pull the money from your PayPal account or from any major 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. (Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so for USA
citizens, your checks made out to Team Expansion are tax-deductible.) 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. And thank you in advance for helping.
- THE BACKPAGE: THE STORY OF LETUNIN AND NGOTO -- Yesterday we
received this note from Dorothea, who served in East Africa. She wrote,
"We had to fix lots of flat tires in the desert. On one such stop we
came upon an extraordinary Samburu couple, Letunin and Ngoto. While my
husband Jim changed the tire and our three children played in the sand,
Letunin told us this of his life story.
Letunin and Ngoto lived far out in a desert village and understood only
a few portions of Scripture that had been translated into a related
language. They had become followers of Christ and were extremely happy
to be married to another person who shared deep faith in Christ. Among
other life lessons, they had learned of the Apostle Paul's instructions
on marriage in I Corinthians 7, telling each man and woman to have
his/her own husband. ("Let each man have his own wife, and let each
woman have her own husband.") So, as a young married couple they had
vowed to follow God's Word in this area. Letunin would not take a second
wife, though most of his friends had multiple wives as soon as they
could afford to feed them.
The village people regularly laughed at this long-married couple and
reminded them that because Ngoto was barren she was obviously cursed by
God. It seemed obvious that Letunin should take a second wife. The women
told Ngoto, "If you really loved your husband you would INSIST he take a
second wife so you will have someone to take care of your camels and
goats when both of you are old." Ngoto always replied that God had the
power to give them a child. The women laughed out loud at Ngoto's non-
traditional notions.
The elders called Letunan foolish and kept urging him to take a second
wife. They called Ngoto "useless." But Letunan always answered from
God's Word, saying that each man should have his own wife (singular) and
each woman her own husband (singular). The couple became the
laughingstock of the entire village and amongst the larger people group.
One morning God turned the tables. Laughter erupted from Letunan and
Ngoto's house, drawing crowds of villagers. Perhaps the couple had gone
insane from years of being childless? No. Letunan came out and
announced, "Ngoto is pregnant. God has the power to answer prayer. Trust
Him. He can do the impossible!"
They named the child the Samburu word for "Laughter." It reminded them
of all the years people had laughed at them, and of their belief in
God's Word. It also reminded them of the joyous laughter God brought
into their lives that day.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit this small East African
village, you will find a growing Samburu church, with many Christians
trying to obey what they understand of God's Word. Many began following
Christ because of Letunan and Ngoto. God used this one couple and their
adherence to His Word to start a God-honoring group of Christ-followers
out in the desert.
Letunan and Ngoto stand as examples to me and to you. Follow God's Word
against all odds. He always has the power to turn situations around to
bring glory to Himself.
I have also wondered about the latter half of that chapter, which talks
about remaining in the state you are when you become a follower of
Christ. Could this apply to polygamy, too? Good question for Bible
scholars."
Hats off to Dorothea for sharing this very poignant example of how
difficult it is to implement life-change when gospel confronts culture.
Her comments gave me further pause not only on the question of polygamy
and how to handle the gospel impacting a culture. But her note also
reminded me of the collective experience of the entire Brigada family.
I'm so thankful for all the people who make up our collective
consciousness and I give thanks to Go for the group-think that can occur
when we process these questions together.
"God, please bless Letunin and Ngoto and the rest of their congregation
tonight. Please meet their needs, keep them from sickness, and give them
wisdom as they try to sort out your will in every single area of their
faith-walk with you. Guide them and keep them close to you. In Jesus'
name we all pray, Amen."
Amen.
- CLOSING STUFF --
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