- RETREATS FOR PROSPECTIVE MISSIONARIES
- WIKITRAVEL IS A GREAT RESOURCE
- URBANA 06: YOU HAVE A CALLING
- “GREAT COMMISSION KIDS” PUBLICATION
- PRAYER REQUEST FOR ARABIAN PENINSULA
- NEED HELP WRITING YOUR BOOK?
- STRATEGY CO-ORDINATOR (SC) TRAINING
- HOW CAN WE SAY THANKS ENOUGH?
- GCOMM REGISTRATION DEADLINE COMING JUNE 15
- KEEP BRIGADA COMING TO YOUR SCREEN: CHIP IN?
- THE BACKPAGE: “24” FINALE
- CLOSING STUFF
- RETREATS FOR PROSPECTIVE MISSIONARIES — “The Journey Deepens” is a weekend retreat to help prospects explore what it is like to be a missionary, discover whether a missionary or sender role is God’s fit, and connect with mission agencies. These retreats are for college students, young professionals in their 20s and 30s, adults in their 40s and 50s, and high school seniors willing to explore becoming a missionary. Each retreat of 50 participants and 10 missionary mentors from multiple agencies is highly relational with extended worship, small group discussions, personal reflection and much prayer. Discussions include agencies guidance, finances, singles/families, etc. For those in south central USA a 2006 retreat will be Sep 29-Oct 1 in Davis, Oklahoma (between Dallas and Oklahoma City). For those in southeast USA a 2006 retreat will be Oct 20-22 in Atlanta, Georgia. Agencies may apply to send a mentor/recruiter as well as receive a free sponsored link on every webpage of The Journey Deepens web resources in exchange for reciprocal promotion. These retreats are presented by MissionsFocus Int’l and co-sponsored by ACMC, Caleb Project, Perspectives and the U.S. Center for World Mission. For more visit
- WIKITRAVEL IS A GREAT RESOURCE — Have you been there? Check out this resource, whose goal is a “free, complete, up-to-date and reliable guide” to worldwide travel:
Yes, I recognize several of the pages are empty… and that, of those which are filled in, many are filled in by informal fellow-travelers. But just the same, my hunch is that this project will grow and grow . . . so let’s help make it happen in a healthy way.
- URBANA 06: YOU HAVE A CALLING — God has a place for you in his global plan. He has given you unique passions, skills and resources that can make a difference in his Kingdom. At Urbana 06 over 25,000 will gather to worship and hear how God is using his church to accomplish his purposes throughout the world. Will you be there? Learn about God’s love for people of every tribe, nation, and language, and how you can be a part of his global mission. Organizers look forward to seeing you on December 27, 2006 in St. Louis! For more information, visit
You may also reach them by emailing info(at)urbana.Org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] or calling 608-274-7995.
- “GREAT COMMISSION KIDS” PUBLICATION — GC Kids is a quarterly six- page publication for children ages 9 to 13 who have an interest in missions. It aims to encourage these children to become missionaries. GC Kids may also be used by children’s workers to educate children about missions. It is sent by postal mail. Multiple copies are easy and inexpensive to obtain. For a sample copy as a PDF file by email or to get samples by postal mail, send your request to elinor(dot)young(at)worldteam(dot)org. To subscribe to GC Kids, email leahy(dot)ken(at)comcast(dot)net, and put “subscribe GCK” in the subject line.
- PRAYER REQUEST FOR ARABIAN PENINSULA — Mert is a brother asking us to pray for Arabs: “Pray that the power system of Wahhabi leaders would crumble and that the people of Saudi Arabia would not feel controlled by these leaders. Pray that God would break down the stronghold of pride that binds Saudis to Islam.” He goes on to tell this story: “Salman is an Arab Muslim who began following Jesus along with his wife, just before she died of cancer about 16 months ago. Being with his mom in the hospital these past few days reopened the shallow wounds of his wife’s death. He has not grieved properly for either. He is a young single dad with tremendous responsibility and no time to stop and grieve. Pray that God would touch Salman’s heart deeply this week with comfort and peace. Pray too for his boys, aged 13 and 9, that God would heal their hurting hearts as well.
“One of our workers learned tonight that local tradition mandates returning to the burial site on the third day after the death to make prayers for the deceased. Salman said he hated this tradition, because he said it just reopens the hurt. Could this be because there is no hope of resurrection for most Muslims who are buried in that cemetery! Pray for wisdom as several men and women in the country are involved in his life.”
- NEED HELP WRITING YOUR BOOK? — There’s a book inside you, and if you need help writing it, a new e-book, called “How to Write a Book,” can help. In seven easy-to-follow steps, writer’s coach Diana Scimone shares practical insights that will help you move your book from dream to reality. Her encouraging and motivational teaching style can help you finally write the book you’ve always dreamed of writing. Cost for the e-book is $14.95, and you can download it (as a pdf) at
http://www.peapodpublishing.com
- STRATEGY CO-ORDINATOR (SC) TRAINING — Sign up for this training from 07 to 31 August 2006 with Asia Pacific Mission Limited (APM) in partnership with the Singapore Centre for Evangelism and Missions (SCEM). Learn the work of a Strategy Coordinator (SC) to focus on developing Church-planting Movements (CPM) among Unreached People Groups (UPG), Cities or Regions. It’s happening at the Global Training Centre, Singapore for US$600.00 per single person or married couple (plus your airfare, board and lodging). Sign up before 15 July, 2006 or you’ll pay a $50 late fee. For more info, write scanet(at)gmail(dot)com with subject: SCT06 or contact Frank (Mobile: +65-9682-4493; Fax: +65-625-777-29)
- HOW CAN WE SAY THANKS ENOUGH? — Hats off this week to the kind- hearted individuals who gave $25 and $10 respectively to empower Brigada to keep pumping out missions resources to your screen. Thanks, too, to Insurance Services of America for their gift of $30. The really cool part about this ISA gift is that it was based on two different short-term teams having purchased trip insurance for their journeys. One group, from Fairbanks, Alaska, had gone to the Philippines… and another, from Joplin, MO, had traveled to Jamaica. Because they used ISA and this link:
http://www.missionaryhealth.net/brigada.htm
they received a great deal on their trip insurance while helping Brigada too! (Thanks Carla and Lyle, for choosing ISA!)
This past week, we were also humbled by the generosity of Covenant College and, in particular, its Chalmers Institute
We were floored when they sent a $600 gift for Brigada. I’m telling you… if we had our way, we’d ask all 10,000 Brigada subscribers to register for “Foundations and Principles of Holistic Ministry”, offered in distance format on August 28 – September 22, 2006. But even if only 100 of us decide to check out a course at the link above, I’d be thrilled!
Finally, Blessed Hope sent $16.45, based on long distance use by those who had signed up at this link:
http://www.lowermyphonebill.com/brigada
Once again, if you’re looking for long distance service anyway, you’ll get a great deal while helping Brigada if you travel to that link and switch your long distance to Blessed Hope. Thanks in advance!
- GCOMM REGISTRATION DEADLINE COMING JUNE 15 — The second Global Consultation on Music and Missions (GCoMM 2006), a worldwide gathering of hundreds of musicians, music missionaries, educators, worship pastors, and Christian leaders, will be held July 11-15 at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Exhibitor information is now available at
as well as speaker information and a convenient online registration. The regular rates for North America attendees (as well as highly discounted student and overseas registration rates) are available only until June 15. After this date, late and walk-in registration rates will be available for an additional cost.
- KEEP BRIGADA COMING TO YOUR SCREEN: CHIP IN? — When you empower Brigada, you keep Brigada Today editions cranking out each week to people all over the world who perhaps can not, at this time, pay a subscription fee. We keep sending them Brigada Today on a weekly basis — and you have the opportunity to make that possible for them. 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), 13711 Willow Reed Dr., Louisville, KY 40299. 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: “24” FINALE — Previously on “24” (in our BackPage Editorials), we’ve discussed courage, patient wisdom, speaking the truth, freedom, accountability, a sense of urgency, and private pain. In this “season finale”… the final episode in our series of metaphors with “24”, let’s consider what happens when Miles erases the tape… or when the witness dies. Let’s talk about what Jack does when the bottom falls out of his world.
If you’ve seen “24”, you know that Jack isn’t perfect. Many of us probably squirmed as he sat on that hospital bed, talking to Audrey, while Miles snuck in and erased the tape that would have served as evidence against President Logan. (If you haven’t been watching “24”, all you have to do is realize that, basically, Jack dropped his guard because he assumed everything was good.) I think one of the most encouraging lessons I’ve drawn from my analysis of the character of Jack Bauer is that, although he does express some disappointment, and, at times, even anger over a setback, he seems to immediately go back into fighting mode. In short — he never gives up. Bad guys get away. People he loves get kidnapped or killed. Witnesses vanish. Enemies resurface. And, at least on a couple of occasions, he’s even essentially been killed – then revived. (Someone joked that the only time we’ve ever seen him rest was during those moments when he was dead!) But regardless of the extent or nature of the setback, he just shifts into the next gear, trying to design a contingency plan. And, because it’s TV, most of the time, something eventually works in one form or another.
I take a lot of encouragement from that model. I’m involved in several very difficult and trying negotiations at present. Some of them seem, at times, even overwhelming. When I begin to feel that cold wave of discouragement sweeping over me, I pray to the Father, take comfort in the fact that He is with me, and yes… I’ll admit it… I have even succumbed to the line of thought… “Jack wouldn’t quit.” Now I’m not suggesting we sell wristbands reading, “What would Jack Do?” :-) But just as Jesus drew parables from nature, I’m drawing parables from today’s world — and this parable of “24” has meaning to me . . . and I hope and trust it will to some of you as well. Missions is very hard work. Stephen Neill said that mission work is so hard, it’s a wonder anyone should have ever even attempted it. Whoa. Conclusion: when life is tough, remember — don’t quit just because someone erases your evidence tape. :-)
So, with that we close our series on “24.” Besides… Jack’s on a slow boat to China and we have some time to ponder season 6 anyway. So… until next time, please take heart — and don’t give up. Even if the battle costs you your very life. Keep fighting. Never give in. Jack doesn’t.
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