- SECURE YOUR DATA
- INTERNATIONAL SOUL WINNING WORKSHOP 2007
- NEW ISSUE OF NONPROFIT AND CHURCH LEGAL TRENDS MEMORANDUM
- APOLOGETICS REIMAGINED FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
- ONLINE MAGAZINES FOR THE NON-WESTERN WORLD
- CORE-MEMBER CARE BLOG
- SHORT-TERM MISSION LEADERS’ CONFERENCE
- RESOURCE FOR TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT MISSIONS
- IN SEARCH OF BIBLE LESSONS FOR KIDS
- GOODSEARCH WORKS, POCO A POCO
- SCHOOL OF MISSION AND PRACTICAL MINISTRIES ONLINE COURSES
- THANKS TO THOSE WITH BIG HEARTS
- THE BACK PAGE: TOOLS FOR THE ROAD
- CLOSING STUFF
- SECURE YOUR DATA — Looking for a way to lock down your computer data? Brigada participant, Raul, just tipped us off to TrueCrypt, a without-cost, open-source disk encryption solution that will allow you to secure an entire hard drive, just a few files, or a pocket USB flash drive. Developed by a team of expert volunteers, you can install this in minutes by using the detailed user guide. The setup files are small enough to fit on a floppy diskette, and can be downloaded quickly even on a slow Internet connection. The encryption level can be set to better than what is used by government agencies, it can be installed to autorun on a CD or flash drive, and even run in “travelmode” without leaving a trace. Looks like it should work on Windows XP/2000/2003 and Linux, but I didn’t see a MAC version for now.
(Thanks Raul!)
- INTERNATIONAL SOUL WINNING WORKSHOP 2007 — If you haven’t registered to Exhibit at the 2007 ISWW and you intend on joining them this year, better head on over to their website
http://www.tulsaworkshop.org/exhibits
and register. There are still great affordable booths available. They are expecting a great turnout this year and hope you will be a part of it! Contact Becky isww(at)sbcglobal(dot)net or call 918-443-2108. The event is March 22- 24, 2007, and is largely attended by those attending a cappella Churches of Christ.
- NEW ISSUE OF NONPROFIT AND CHURCH LEGAL TRENDS MEMORANDUM — To see the whole story, go to
Here’s a sampler of what they cover in this issue:
*** Treasury Department releases new anti-terrorist financing guidelines for charities.
*** IRS releases latest statistics on tax-exempt organizations.
*** If a church has a thrift shop that brings in $1200 a month but does not collect sales tax, is the 501(c)(3) status in jeopardy?
*** Can a church or nonprofit send its leader/pastor and his wife to a conference and pay for it all if there is no organizational reason to send the wife? Check out these and more — and thanks to Dallas attorney, Jack Straus, for the great job he does collecting and reporting on these issues for all of us. - APOLOGETICS REIMAGINED FOR THE 21ST CENTURY — That’s what Missional Apologetics hopes to accomplish at
http://missionalapologetics.com
The purpose of the site is to provide resources for a new paradigm of apologetics consistent with the book, _Encountering New Religious Movements_ (Kregel Academic, 2004). It seeks to implement missiological principles, such as cross-cultural communication and contextualization with apologetics.
- ONLINE MAGAZINES FOR THE NON-WESTERN WORLD — All you need is an Internet connection!
*** INTERLIT Magazine, to help those publishing Christian literature in the non-western world, is now an online-only publication. Subscribe at:
*** FOOTSTEPS Magazine, produced by Christian NGO Tearfund, is primarily for Christian national workers and missionaries and covers development issues. The most recent issue is a valuable study on HIV and relationships. Other publications are also offered, in several languages:
(Thanks Tony!!!!)
- CORE-MEMBER CARE BLOG — There is a new blog by Member Care Associates, and moderated by Dr. Kelly and Dr. Michele O’Donnell. The purpose of this blog is a) to discuss current and crucial issues in member care and b) to promote personal and professional growth and good practice. The materials are intentionally chosen to help member care folks think broadly, look into their own hearts, explore member care in light of current world events, and consider additional ways to support the international mission/aid community. This first month they are dialoguing about “core” issues for people in aid/mission work, including member care-givers themselves. They are looking at seven issues in particular (e.g., pessimism, distractions, forgiveness, contentment) and using them as a springboard to share ideas and “matters of the heart.” Join the international conversations. And please share this with others in your networks that might benefit. Here’s the address.
- SHORT-TERM MISSION LEADERS’ CONFERENCE — Don’t miss the Short-Term Mission Leaders’ Conference, held April 19–21, 2007 at Bethany College of Missions in Minneapolis. This national training event is designed for church, school, and agency leaders who lead, train, organize, or supervise Christian short-term mission trips. You’ll learn from more than a dozen speakers and national leaders, including Lisa Espineli Chinn and Tim Dearborn. For more information, visit
http://www.stemintl.org/training
or call toll-free 877.STEM.646 or local 952.996.1385.
- RESOURCE FOR TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT MISSIONS — Looking for some new inspiration on teaching children about missions? Looking for help on how teach missions at your next teacher training seminar or conference? Need a mission speaker for your next children’s faith promise rally? Then contact Michalene(at)who(dot)rr(dot)com . She has developed materials for Teacher Training as well as lesson materials for K-6th grade. You can request that a brochure be mailed to you or a copy be emailed to you with more information.
- IN SEARCH OF BIBLE LESSONS FOR KIDS — Good News Productions, International and others are exploring the need for and potential of a universal beginners’ curriculum. The idea originated as a response to the need for a curriculum free of western culture to teach children weekly Bible lessons. The concept is growing into a dynamic, modular, template-style curriculum that can be easily adapted to various age groups in a variety of settings. This would be available via a Web site. Their goal would be that those who have Internet access can use it to have the ability to constantly add illustrations, games, songs, crafts, etc. that they have used for a particular language, region, culture, age of student, or type of environment (tribal/village, rural, small town, metro) to the Web site. In an effort to assess the need for such a curriculum and look for any current materials that might exist, they’re inviting Brigada participants to take five minutes to participate in a survey at …
http://www.gnpi-host.org/Survey/CurriculumSurvey/tabid/147/Default.aspx
- GOODSEARCH WORKS, POCO A POCO — For those with a base in the USA, we can now testify that Goodsearch seems to work, albeit poco a poco. Check out the results at…
To see our example, type “Team Expansion” into the 2nd blank (“Who do you GoodSearch for?”), then click “Verify”. You’ll notice that it’ll fill in “Team Expansion, Louisville, KY” into the blank for you. (That’s the organization that tries to cover for Brigada’s costs if we don’t come up with the budget here.) Now click on “Amount raised.” You’ll see that since we mentioned the concept in January, there’s now a whopping $82+ set aside for Brigada’s mother ship. Of course, Good search waits ’til the end of the calendar year to cut a check, but like we said before, if someone offered to send you a check for $82, would you turn it down? For the concept to work though, you have to have web- users who are willing to let go of Google (no small challenge). Give it a try . . . and even if your organization elects not to pursue it at this time, remember, every single Goodsearch is a penny for Brigada. :-)
- SCHOOL OF MISSION AND PRACTICAL MINISTRIES ONLINE COURSES — Enroll in the introductory semester of a “School of Mission” and “Practical Ministries” courses at a new “Biblical Learning Center.” Learn how you can reach the world for Christ, and also minister to the “poor, lame, maimed and blind” leading to the construction of self-financing ministry centers. Study on-line if you have a fast Internet connection, or download the courses and study off-line by email. To enroll online, go to
http://www.agape-biblia.org/indexBLC-E.htm
and click on the courses you want to enroll in, then click on “Enroll” and fill out the enrollment form. To register by email, write to agape(dot)biblia(at)gmail(dot)com telling us which courses you want to enroll in. Better hurry — you might already be “late for class.” :-) The deadline for enrolling in the spring semester is February. [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] (As always, Brigada cannot be responsible to match every course and/or site for your own theological stands. Be sure you check it out first for your own mindset.)
- THANKS TO THOSE WITH BIG HEARTS — Today we’re grateful to a new friend in California who sent $150 anonymous dollars to help us make ends meet at Brigada. Would you like to join them this week with a bridge-building gift of $25? $50? $100? If so, just click on “Sponsor/Donate” 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), 13711 Willow Reed Dr., Louisville, KY 40299. (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 BACK PAGE: TOOLS FOR THE ROAD — It occurred to me last week, as I was traveling through Bosnia, that more than one person has asked me about some of the tools I use for “the road.” I thought I’d just go ahead and do a series on some of the tools that have become dear to me over the past nearly-30 years. Some of these are fairly personal, I guess, in that not everyone would appreciate them. But others are just some kind of “hack” that I’ve found to “beat the system” for a particular problem or challenge I was facing. So… as long as you realize I’m just a fellow struggler (“one beggar telling another where to buy bread”; I’m confident we *all* have found certain principles or “hacks”; you probably have just as many.), here’s a new series on “Tools for the road.”
*** Tool #1 — Determine to beat jet lag: How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m jet-lagged.” They usually are referring to the disorientation and “heavy eyelids” one feels after switching 4 or more time zones. The human body seems to have a kind of “memory” for the previous time zone. So when the individual arrives at the destination, it takes him/her 2, 3, sometimes 4 days to get adjusted. For some reason, I don’t usually experience jet lag. When I arrive in Europe or Africa, I’m awake enough to function through the day. When I arrive back home in the USA, I can go right to sleep and sleep the whole night through. Granted, some might argue that I have some better “natural” jet lag wiring. It could be in my DNA programming, I guess. Since I can’t climb into someone else’s skin, we’ll never know. But I also think there are several tools or “hacks” that help me. The first one is just making up your mind you’re going to do it. It’s my personal belief that jet lag is, at least in part, the power of suggestion. We believe, therefore we *do*. Since we *think* it’s going to be hard, it *is*. So the first tool is to make up your mind that you’re *not* going to experience it. There’s a good movie for background on this. It’s called, “Somewhere in Time,” and my wife loves it as a “chick flick.” :-) I like it because it helps prepare me for the power of suggestion. No, I don’t believe in astro-travel. :-) I don’t think I can “think” myself into a different *year*. But it’s fun to pretend I’m in a different *time* zone at least. And that’s the first tool. Just *pretend*. Make up your mind that you’re already adjusted, and it’s my theory that it’ll help you adjust. So no matter what, resist that age- old saying, that it’s such-and-such o’clock “my body time.” Just don’t go there. Explain to your friends that you’re following a Brigada “tool” or “hack” and you’d appreciate them not reminding you. Tell them the story about Christopher Reeves’ character in Somewhere in Time… the way that when he just saw the present-day date on the penny, it was enough to “jar” him out of the old-fashioned dimension he was living. (And while they’re wondering if you’re nuts, you’ll have time to change the subject. :-) ) Either way, just do it. Pretend. Imagine you’re in the new time zone. Set your watch to it. Pretend your hungry at the right time. Pretend you’re awake at the right time. *Believe!!!”* :-) Next week… more tools. :-)
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