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12) The BackPage: A Penny for Your Thoughts about Urbana –

brigtoday — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:48:30 +0000

When I was just getting started, I (like everyone else?) attended an Urbana Missions Conference (1984, if I recall). We had been involved in missions for 2 years and I had heard all about Urbana and was hungry to go. About 2 weeks before the event, I strained my back big-time. Pulled it totally out of place. But wild horses couldn’t have kept me from attending. My wife drove and I laid flat on my back the whole trip there. And I didn’t regret it.

For this week’s “BackPage Editorial” would you mind sharing a synopsis of your favorite Urbana story? Some have said that this one conference has done as much as anything else to ignite a new generation of worldwide witnesses If that’s the case, there should be some great stories out there. Was it there that you came to decide for sure that missions was going to be your ‘thing?’ Did you meet your future spouse there? Do you have a story about not having the money to go… then suddenly at the last minute, the provision came through, but only after you prayed & fasted? Are you a former *speaker* at Urbana? Tell us what it’s like standing on the platform, looking into the eager eyes of 18,000 students hungering to change the world? Let’s sort it out and get ready for Urbana 12. Just click on the “Comment” box below to share your story, anonymously or otherwise. Learn more about Urbana at…

https://urbana.org/urbana-12

13) The BackPage: Thoughts on Cruise Ships Run Aground –

brigtoday — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:47:09 +0000

By now we’ve probably all heard about the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship which recently struck rocks off Italy’s coast. The crash seems to have been caused by human error, with the blame having been the Captain himself. He evidently chose to hug the shoreline to greet a former captain (?), then, to add insult to injury, apparently mishandled the resulting crisis by ignoring the gravity of his actions, failing to take responsibility. At the end of it all, he reportedly tried to escape with his own life, even though his crew and his passengers were in grave peril. At least 16 died. More are missing.

The truth is, we’ve seen this kind of behavior before. For example, church leaders throughout the globe have largely ignored the plight of unreached people groups and cities, then systematically tried to explain away their behavior by citing other priorities. By doing so, they (we) have utterly failed thus far to complete the Great Commission, having left large blocks of humanity without adequate witness. If you don’t believe it, just browse…

http://www.joshuaproject.net

Certainly, the captain of the Costa Concordia will have to face justice — and, unless there’s been some kind of misunderstanding, he’ll likely go to prison… maybe for a very long time. Pray with me that the global church can get the word out to the unreached before judgment day happens on a planetary scale. Otherwise, it won’t be just a ship’s captain trying to dream up excuses.

Want to make a difference? Visit

http://www.UnleashedForTheUnreached.com

today, or call your favorite mission organization, assuming unreached peoples and cities are a priority in their outreach.

13) The BackPage: Lessons Learned in 2011: God is Good! –

brigtoday — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:47:02 +0000

So with this edition of Brigada, we wrap up, officially at least, the giving for 2011. The truth is — we can’t begin to thank you… all of you… enough. We’re grateful for those who pray for us, give to make this work possible, and sacrifice to keep us going. Exactly how much came in? The grand total for 2011 adds up to $16,471.92! We’re *amazed* at that number, frankly. As you might recall, our goal was $17,120. To think that we would have come within $648.08 of that goal, all within a very difficult economic year is proof of several factors:

*** Brigada participants are the greatest friends ever!

*** If someone works throughout an entire year, without charging any subscription fee, then if there’s something valuable to be gained by the material, somebody, somewhere, will be courageous enough to step up to the plate to help keep that ministry solvent and moving forward.

*** We don’t really have to *ask* people very much, in some situations. If we just *do* our ministry, making things happen, then sometimes, people will want to fuel the fire simply because they see the flame.

[Note: Gifts received from here on out will now be considered toward the 2012 goal, which for yet another year will remain unchanged at $17,120. Once again, as we did in 2011, we won't mention money again, except to say thanks for any gifts received, until the end of the year -- basically the last 6 or 7 editions. The Brigada world has spoken: We don't *need* to bother you with appeals throughout the year. God be praised for that.]

So above all, the primary lesson learned is — God is good. He provides, even when we start a new year with a zero balance, even when we don’t talk about it throughout the year, and even when we’re sometimes traveling and run behind. Amazing.

As we “close out our books,” so to speak, for 2011, I just want to make special mention of the folks who, week after week, cull through every news item possible… They’re readers, pray-ers, and boosters. They send us items totally because they want to share the news… “as one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” So thank you to all the unsung heroes of Brigada, some of whom don’t ever want their name mentioned. Thank you to those who *gave* — sacrificially. Thanks to those who went to their church missions committees and said, “Hey, this guy is doing his best. Let’s help him out some.”

In 2012, then, boosted above the waves by an outpouring of grace and mercy, we’ll do all we can to stay in step with the calendar. We’ll do our best to receive, find and share the best news, resources, trends, tools, and more — for cross-cultural travelers, for those sharing the Good News, and for all our other readers, near or far. Thank you Brigada Participants. Thank you Volunteer Contributors! And most of all, thank you God.

Doug

10) The BackPage: My Prediction for 2012: CHE will Transform Us —

brigtoday — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:51:22 +0000

This past week, I attended my first formal “Vision Seminar” on Community Health Evangelism, commonly known as CHE. Our workers had been utilizing the unique strategy for some time. On several of our fields, CHE had transformed the entire approach. But I had never trained in it myself… until now.

I thought it was for health workers. Somehow, I had understood that it had to do mainly with medical practices. Who knew there were 2500 lessons on nearly every topic ever known to plague mankind. Actually, the goal of CHE is to establish a development ministry whose purpose is to bring together Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 25:37-40). This is accomplished by training community members as Community Health Evangelists (CHEs) who regularly visit 10 – 15 neighboring households, sharing the gospel and promoting principles of disease prevention and healthy living. The program is designed to be transferable, multipliable, and ongoing after the training team leaves the area.

There’s no doubt — within the next handful of years, CHE will have transformed the way we do missions (if it hasn’t already). What interests me as much as anything is — the way the revolution is taking place. How can a grassroots philosophy make such a huge impact on our globe? How can a set of practices, primarily articulated by a handful of practitioners, become so ubiquitous that church after church would insist that every mission partner train in it?

It’s too early for me to answer those questions. I only know that my admiration has gone through the roof for Stan, Terry, Val, David, and the other pioneers who have patiently mentored and facilitated these trainings. I’m inspired by the way they’ve adopted such an “open source” approach to something that might have been able to make them rich. But perhaps, one of the secrets to its popularity is the essence of the fact that they gave it away to the world so freely — and continue to do so.

Read more about CHE by downloading this introductory 50-page manual.

http://www.u4theu.com/files/u4theu/docs/CHE_Overview.pdf

Isn’t it crazy that the author isn’t even named? Literally nobody is taking the credit… and nobody is getting a payoff… primarily because of the unselfishness of those who envisioned and experienced these tools. Hats off Stan. Well done Terry. Way to go Val. We appreciate you!!!

Doug

13) The BackPage: How Do we Really Mobilize Nationals For Their Own? –

brigtoday — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:47:28 +0000

Seems like, by now, we’d have this down pat. But in a recent conversation with a good friend, his response came back like this: “I fear we are still mobilizing Americans to go to countries where colonialism and recent foreign policy has pretty much burned the bridges for Americans to serve there. People in the heart of the Muslim world are in their hearts resistant to Good News when delivered by Americans. How do we better utilize the money from the West but send workers from cultures closer to those where the remaining UUPGs live?” No my response was, “It varies. In some parts of the Muslim world, we might be despised. But in other parts, they constantly say, “You are American? You are my friend. You might not be the friend of my government, but — hey — I’m not a friend to my government either!”

So what’s your take? Are you in the first camp? (the “bridges are burned,”) or the second (“You’re American? You’re my friend.”). Which do you believe most accurately portrays the people where you live? To respond, just click in the “Comment” box below. And thanks, in advance, for sharing your opinion.

Doug

13) The BackPage: How Do we Mobilize Nationals to Reach Their Own? —

brigtoday — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:47:50 +0000

Several of us have been wrestling with this question now for some time. How do we effectively mobilize nationals to reach their own people groups? One worker wrote, “I fear we are still mobilizing Americans to go to countries where colonialism and recent foreign policy has pretty much burned the bridges for Americans to serve there. People in the heart of the Muslim world are in their hearts resistant to Good News when delivered by Americans. How do we better utilize the money from the West but send workers from cultures closer to those where the remaining UUPGs live?” Please keep in mind — not *every* bridge has been burned. In many locations, Americans still are loved, cherished, invited, respected, and treated with dignity. But … then there are some other spots. What’s *you’re* opinion? How do *you* propose we manage things in those spots? How is your church and/or agency working with other cultures… say… someone from the Global South? Your thoughts? Just click “Comment” below to leave your opinion. And remember, you can do so totally anonymously.

12) The BackPage: Heart Language vs. Preferred Language –

brigtoday — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 04:48:56 +0000

In keeping with our theme from last week (population guesses for unreached peoples), we received a note this past week from a worker in the Middle East who wrote, “The majority of the Unengaged Unreached People Groups still on the list don’t prefer the language they are listed as speaking as the language in which they want to study the Bible. Governments and globalization have successfully shifted the younger generation to prefer the trade language as the preferred language of learning. Americans who trained years ago, who do not stay up with the younger generations on the field keep saying, “Heart language is the key.” I now call those “heart languages” more like “Home languages.” The minority groups might eat breakfast in a tribal language but they long to spend the rest of their day speaking the national trade language.” This would have radical implications for Bible translation. Do you agree or disagree? Just click “Comment” below to express your opinion please.

11) The BackPage: Unreached Peoples – Assimilation and Estimates —

brigtoday — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:49:48 +0000

One of our friends, a worker in the Middle East, wrote this past week, “If we would really stick to the criterion of why a people group makes it onto our list of UPGs in the first place we should follow through and reduce the populations radically lower. The Qashqai for example. They made it onto the list as the NOMADS who wear colorful clothes and live isolated from their Persian conquerors. Qashqai the real Turks who prefer to marry Turks number probably 200,000, not the 1.5 million that we list them as in our database. An Iranian professor in Iran says that in 50 years most of the minority languages will die in favor of Persian and English the languages of commerce and the Internet.” Most all of us understand that these unreached people group lists exist mainly as mobilization tools. We all have a responsibility to clean them up when we see/experience errors. Some believe theologically that when we actually have a church among every people group, Jesus will finally be willing to come (Matthew 24:14). Your thoughts? Just click “Comment” below.

10) The BackPage: Good, Evil, Suffering, Wrongdoing, and More –

brigtoday — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:50:19 +0000

Today, I’d like to ask you to think with me about an issue that I’m convinced is at the core for many believers and non-believers alike. With believers, it nags at us from the inside out, while, with non-believers, it sometimes becomes a perceived barrier that can stand so tall, it can be large enough to keep them from wanting to enter the Kingdom. For the sake of getting on the same page, please read Psalm 10. Listen deeply and closely to the Psalmist’s questions there. They first of all relate directly to his context – his situation. He asks deep questions such as, “Why in the world do these bad guys go off unpunished, while the people they hurt face suffering?”

In a broader context, these issues also imply something just as critical: Real men (and women) of God, like David, are still human. They have doubts. They sometimes have questions — even about God’s decisions. But at the same time, like David, real men and women of God keep following Him, in the meantime.

For the missionary, this translates into trying to learn what kind of force is needed to move a particular tribe, caste, or kindred closer to acceptance of God’s Good News. For you, it might mean sitting down at the supper table to a deep conversation about “good and evil” with your teenage son. You see, it only takes a quick visit to Wikipedia to find dozens of writers and opinions about these weighty questions. But one thing is certain: If we’re to believe Hebrews 11:1, we know with certainty that faith is having confidence in what we hope for and assurance in what we can’t see. So — at the end of the day, even if I can’t quite figure out the problem of good and evil, I have chosen to believe that there is a solution — and God will reveal it to us, if not before, at least at the end of time.

How ’bout you? What deep, heart-felt questions are *you* facing regarding God? And which problems, biblical or otherwise, seem to bother you most. Leave your message below in a “Comment” box. Feel free to answer anonymously if you’d like. Who knows; Talking about it among the Brigada community might be just what you need!

To Comment or inquire about this item, please go to…

10) The BackPage: “What Can We Buy or Make for Christmas?” –

brigtoday — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:50:08 +0000

That was the question that a good friend of Brigada asked this past week. He wrote, “Jackie and I have learned contentment to the point that ‘gift giving’ has become a challenge. What can we buy or make that doesn’t add unwanted clutter to our home, or calories to our waist? If you face this same challenge, I’d be interested to know what ideas you have come up with.” I was wondering… could we ask for your input on this question? Just click “Comments” below. Write a message in the box. You can do so anonymously if you choose. You will not be put on a list. Your information will be guarded.

11) The BackPage: A Personal Appeal from Doug Lucas –

brigtoday — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:49:50 +0000

When we began 2011, we decided to take a different approach this year for our fundraising. Here’s the BackPage editorial from January 2nd, 2011:

Our Gamble — the Fundraising Strategy for 2011 –

Each year, we notice that many… maybe *most* givers decide to pitch into Brigada at the end of the year. We’re not sure why that happens but we observe it. Maybe it’s because of the spirit of giving in the Christmas season, I don’t know. Either way, we also notice that there is also a very small contingent who used to be annoyed that we asked for funding for Brigada. Of course, many of them have run their course and perhaps stopped generating the purely volunteer ministries that they were staging. But Brigada, in part because we can hire some secretarial muscle with these funds (not a full-time secretary, mind you) and because we operate lean and can keep the bills paid — well, we’re still around. Yes, sometimes we get behind, but somehow, maybe partly because of the debt we feel to those who pitch in, we keep doing this… from one midnight to the other.

So for 2011, whether for good or for bad, we’re going to roll the dice and try a different gamble: We’ll work week after week throughout the year and never mention finances until November & December. In those final weeks of the year, we’ll ask you to take part… to participate in making Brigada happen again for another year. It’s a gamble. Maybe nobody will give? But we’ll give it a try and see what happens. And we’ll pray. Please join us.

Doug Lucas

Brigada Founder/Editor

[end of excerpt]

So — here we are. … and here’s your chance to pitch in. If you like the idea of Brigada, if you’d like to keep the fire burning, if you’d like to assist with the partial secretarial help we try to muster each year, if you’d like to help spur us on through the end of the year and get us started in 2012 in the black, if you feel there is a place for a Brigada Today — then please send a generous donation (or ask your church to do so today). Only the month of December remains. Would you help cover the cost for someone who can’t?

12) The BackPage: Would you Consider a Generous Gift to Brigada? –

brigtoday — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:48:28 +0000

Since January, 1995, we’ve operated Brigada Today as a free publication. With over 10,000 subscribers, some have said that Brigada just might be the longest-running, largest-circulating missions ezine on the entire web. Yet, some might not realize that we don’t have a large staff, nor do we sell ads. We feel that to do so would jeopardize the purity and simplicity of a simple missions mobilization and resource publication. We do, however, accept gifts from likeminded believers who want Brigada to continue.

Those savvy enough to look for publishing times have noted previously that many Brigadas are posted well into the dark of the night. It’s true — we’d stay up to produce this publication even if we were doing it for free (and we did so for many years, purely as volunteers). But your gifts of $100 (or whatever amount you desire to share) not only help undergird the work of our favorite charity (Team Expansion), they also pay the power and light so more Brigadas can inform more nations about more unreached peoples the world over.

So as you and your family enjoy, perhaps, a traditional Thanksgiving meal, would you consider sending a check or making an online donation? To give online, just navigate to

http://www.brigada.org

then click “Donate” in the upper right and follow the instructions. By the way, you don’t need a PayPal account to give. If you reach a screen asking for your PayPal I.D., look on the left side of the screen, about halfway down, and find the prompt which says, “Continue without a PayPal Account.” If you’d rather send an old-fashioned check, just make it payable to Team Expansion and send it to:

Team Expansion (Brigada),

11327 Jefferson Trace Blvd.,

Louisville, KY 40291

USA

(And by the way, Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so for USA citizens, your checks made out to Team Expansion are tax-deductible.) Thanks to those who have suggested this cause to their local church missions committees, mission teams, and/or missions ministers/pastors. We appreciate you!

12) The BackPage: Christina Made This Video; What Will We do? –

brigtoday — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 02:48:22 +0000

Regardless of how one feels about today’s generation of young people, one has to admire the fact that there are still individuals willing to get involved. Christina and David did that. A student at Asbury University, Christina heard about a woman in Pakistan who was apparently imprisoned for her faith in Jesus. Christina asked her brother, who was studying filmmaking, to help her make a video. See the result at…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-4YWFJFO4Q

As the video reports, there’s a petition you can sign at…

http://www.CallForMercy.com

(By the way, I wrote VOM to ask if they intended to market petition-signers in any way. They responded that petition-signers are given the opportunity to sign up for VOM’s newsletter. They didn’t specifically promise *not* to email signers again, but they did say they wouldn’t sell or give away the contact information to anyone else.)

The lady in question is apparently still being held. Read updates on her life at…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_Bibi

Join me in praying tonight for this accused woman. Pray for her release from captivity and for safety for her family and anyone who should end up helping her.