In this issue…

  1. REVIEW YOUR FAVORITE MISSIONS BOOK ONLINE: WIN PRIZES!
  2. GLOBALLY FOCUSED PRAYER
  3. EXTREME MAKEOVER: MISSION WEB SITE EDITION
  4. BLOG FOR PRAYER COORDINATORS AND MOBILIZERS
  5. READ MISSION FRONTIERS ONLINE
  6. SPEAK JAVASCRIPT? OP. WORLD HAS A JOB FOR YOU!
  7. “GREAT COMMISSION KIDS” PUBLICATION
  8. WHAT IS “THE MINISTRY DRIVEN CHURCH”?
  9. A PEOPLE MOVEMENT BEGINS AMONG THE YADAV IN NORTHERN INDIA
  10. SAY “SEEK ‘EM!” TO THIS DOG
  11. THE BACKPAGE: ANOTHER LESSON FROM ’24’
  12. CLOSING STUFF
  1. REVIEW YOUR FAVORITE MISSIONS BOOK ONLINE: WIN PRIZES! — That’s right. Just click to:

    http://brigada.org/brigade/?p=6

    In the “Comments” that follow, review your favorite missions book. Be sure to provide source information at the end (like the link to buy the book at Amazon or the ordering information from some other appropriate vendor). Thanks tons to Jay, the author of the new book, “Baghdad Believer.” He was so appreciative of the recent orders he rec’d after featuring the book in Brigada that he came up with this book review idea — and it’s a great one. Just review your favorite missions training or missions inspiration book… He’ll be the unbiased judge of which five reviews are the best. Those five reviewers will receive a free copy of Baghdad Believer. We’ll run the contest only until the May 18th edition of Brigada Today so be sure and watch in that issue for the five winning reviews. We’ll then ask those five to write us here at Brigada Today, passing along their mailing addresses. We’ll relay those to Jay — and you’ll receive your free copy in the mail shortly thereafter. So sharpen those pencils and get reviewing. Thanks for participating! (Authors, feel free to review your own books! :-) ) Learn more about Jay at:

    http://www.jnealson.com

  2. GLOBALLY FOCUSED PRAYER — Prayer changes things! It opens doors, frees captives, empowers the meek to stand firm, and enables the Word to find good soil. Would you consider adopting a region of the world and working it into your overall church and mission strategy for the rest of this year? If so, select a region and reply to prayer(at)teamexpansion(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 pray for. . . – breakthroughs for the sake of the Gospel – laborers for the harvest fields – resources and funding to send new missionaries – encouragement and effectiveness for harvest workers – perseverance for missionaries in the field – God’s favor – open doors in the unreached strongholds
  3. EXTREME MAKEOVER: MISSION WEB SITE EDITION — This summer, Global Mapping International plans to ask thousands of future missionaries to visit and review mission agency web sites. Their feedback will help agencies design more effective sites — but only if agencies register to participate by May 31. One agency that took part in a similar study in 2004 said it completely redesigned its site based on the feedback obtained. GMI creates a custom report for each agency, so there is a fee to register. Know an agency whose web site could use a makeover? Have them visit

    http://www.gmi.org/webreview

    or contact Jim at jim(at)gmi(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]

  4. BLOG FOR PRAYER COORDINATORS AND MOBILIZERS — Network with prayer coordinators and mobilizers at

    http://www.teamexpansion.org/pcm

    Register as a user in order to post prayer concerns, share resources, and pray for billions around the world. Join others who believe that prayer is the crucial strategy in reaching the unreached with the Gospel.

  5. READ MISSION FRONTIERS ONLINE — (Did you know “Mission Frontiers” was one of the first periodicals ever distributed through the Brigada family.) Now, for all of you who just can wait, the latest issue of Mission Frontiers is now available at

    http://www.missionfrontiers.org

    See articles like “A Cure for Handicapped Churches” and the editorial by Ralph Winter. You can also bulk order it for 80% off (just $4 apiece). At that price you might be able to afford to send copies of this book to your missions committee, friends and colleagues.

  6. SPEAK JAVASCRIPT? OP. WORLD HAS A JOB FOR YOU! — Do you speak JavaScript? If so, the folks at Operation World need you. Even if you simply *know* someone who is somewhat of a JavaScript guru who understands the Opera web browser sufficiently to fix the date-dependent JavaScript code in one of the Operation World files (“today.htm”)… The Operation World staff would love to post the fix on the OW web site. If so, please contact:

    ed_beach(at)sil(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, if you don’t mind, just leave a comment after the entry on this question at Brigada Brigade. Find it by logging on at

    http://brigada.org/brigade/?p=5

    Just click “comments” after the item and say, “I got it.” :-)

  7. “GREAT COMMISSION KIDS” PUBLICATION — All issues of “GC Kids” are now downloadable at

    http://www.worldteam.org

    by clicking on “Resources.” GC Kids is a quarterly publication for children ages about 9 to 13. It aims to nurture a passion for missions and encourage children to be active in the Great Commission throughout their lives. “GC Kids” may also be used by children’s workers to educate children about missions. It is sent to subscribers by postal mail. To subscribe to “GC Kids,” email leahy(dot)ken(at)comcast(dot)net and put “subscribe GCK” in the subject line. The back page tells how to obtain inexpensive multiple copies.

  8. WHAT IS “THE MINISTRY DRIVEN CHURCH”? — Dr. Robert Hosken has written this book with the subtitle “a Biblical theology of ministry”, demonstrating from scriptural usage of over twenty Greek words all in the semantic field of “ministry” that the true purpose of the Church is ministry in the Biblical sense (not “men’s golf ministry” or “ladies’ quilting ministry”). After the first press run just about sold out, Dr. Hosken decided to make the book available FREE in electronic (*.pdf) format. You can read the book online or download it at

    http://www.agape-biblia.org

    and if you read and appreciate it, send him a thank-you note to agape-biblia(at)gmail(dot)com. [The format of the preceding email address(es) helps prevent spam for our contributors. To write them, please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]

  9. A PEOPLE MOVEMENT BEGINS AMONG THE YADAV IN NORTHERN INDIA — In the largely unreached north of India, one of the largest, most unreached (and very strategic) people groups is The Yadav. Numbering over 54 million, speaking more than 50 languages, and comprising nearly 1% of the earth’s population, they may well be a strategic key to bringing the Gospel to the heart of the most unreached part of the world. A few short years ago their name was not known by most of the missions world. But at this moment, the start of a people movement is beginning, and prayer is needed by churches around the world to help make it happen. To facilitate this needed prayer, THE YADAV 500 (a global initiative to recruit churches around the world to commit to pray for the Yadav) was begun. To join THE YADAV 500 or for more information go to

    http://www.ReachTheYadav.com/

    or send an email to: Info(at)ReachTheYadav(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]

  10. SAY “SEEK ‘EM!” TO THIS DOG — One Brigada reader did this past week. She sent $100 to encourage us here. She’s a worker with OMF International. As a result, she’s caused us to forever be grateful, thankful, and prayerful for the folks at OMF! What’s more, she’s spurred us on to good works! It’s like saying “Seek ’em!” to a dog. Thanks!!! Want to give a gift to cover for some young missions recruit who can’t afford to give? 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.
  11. THE BACKPAGE: ANOTHER LESSON FROM ’24’ — In season 2, “1am”, Jack Bauer barges into an immediate care clinic with an injured commando named Wallace. Wallace has information; Jack believes that he has to keep him alive to get it. He demands that they treat the commando, even though his injuries go way beyond the norm. The intake lady refuses. In fact, she explains that she’ll have to call the police. Pulling his gun, Jack responds, “Lady, I *am* the police.” Needless to say, she has a change of heart. :-)

    You can say whatever you want about Jack Bauer, but one has to respect his willingness to take responsibility. Taking responsibility is an attribute in short supply these days. Personally, I think we need more of it. In our own office of about 40 or 50 mobilizers, administrators and missionary care-givers, I’m often amazed at the initiative our staff members take. But part of it is due to the environment we’ve created here — where they know it’s safe to try new things. For sure, if someone’s going down a trail that, in my opinion, will take us slightly (or significantly) off course, I’ll step in and help with a correction. But often, I’ll also just let them move forward. Because sometimes, they’re doing a better job than I could have done under the same circumstances. I say quite often, “I like your way of doing that job better than my way of not doing it.” And besides… as people try new things and get better at them, after a while, they learn to do them in a special way. Throughout 2007, in particular, we’ve committed to being a “learning organization.” Supporting learners sometimes means supporting failure. But to me, supporting someone who has tried and failed is a lot better than inactivity. Because in the end, inactivity is only one step away from being frozen in one’s inner fears. And being frozen in one’s inner fears is only one step away from habitual apathy.

    So my advice is to create a climate in which your peers and team members feel ‘safe’ to innovate, knowing you’ll course-correct if need be, but also knowing you’ll support them if they try and fail. Because in the end, sooner or later, you’ll find yourself in the situation in which I find myself today — surrounded by a bunch of teammates that have learned to get it right. Because they had and *have* freedom to try.

    And next time you have to get medical care for an injured commando, just explain to the lady that you’re innovating. Maybe she’ll admit the guy after all. :-)

    [Want to comment on this “Backpage”? Just browse to:

    http://brigada.org/brigade/?p=7

    Click on “Comments” below the item and give your feedback or opinion.]

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