Brigada Today
6 of June, 1997
Now with 5597 participants!!!
News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
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Compiled by Doug Lucas, Cincinnati, Ohio
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with only the words,
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conferences you'd like to join! A one-liner description for each is
provided for your info. And just think -- every last one is free!
with only the words,
in the text of the message. An automated reply will come your way.
We think you'll like the great start
that Brigada participants have provided for on-site workers! To receive a
file stocked full of electronic resources for cross-cultural church
planters, send email to
hub@xc.org with only the words,
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dozens of options. If you decide to add to the file, or suggest a change,
write
DLucas@TeamExpansion.org with the words,
LIBRARY TO GO
in you subject line, please. We regret that we cannot process changes sent in other forms.
We asked last week for input on the tentmaking article ("
WRITERS WANTED FOR PROPOSED
FRONTIER MISSIONS ARTICLE") and several responses have come in, but we
could use some more! The deal is, a writer for a major journal is seeking
an article from Brigada Today with the title,
THE INTERNET: TENTMAKERS'
COFFEESHOP FOR THE NINETIES. There will be sections on "security,
potential, and the future of the Internet and tentmaking." Please send your
ideas/paragraphs/quote to
DLucas@TeamExpansion.org with subject line,
All input must be received no later than June 9. Give any
personal examples of how the Internet has helped you prepare for,
implement, or survive/thrive in tentmaking ministry. Talk about your fears
for security on the Internet, give your favorite horror story
or even
talk about what you see happening in the future. Thanks!
) had finally gotten with Internet standards. Users can upgrade at any time now
by typing in "go newmail" while online and with the new mailbox that will
be created, they can then receive attachments in the same manner as
everybody else on the Internet. (Previously, if you "attached" a file to a
message, then sent it to a Cserver, the file was stripped at Cserve's
Internet gateway.) Now just when I was about to be excited about that,
DavidHousholder@xc.org wrote with news that somehow, when the user
executes this new mail software, his messages sometimes fill with "=" and
"3D." I had noticed these strange symbols in some of my friends' emails
lately, but hadn't caught the link to Cserve! Now the most recent news
(and this is insider stuff -- highly confidential -- top secret -- a
Brigada Today exclusive!
) from David is that if users don't trust
the new mailbox software, they can use a little publicized backdoor that
allows people who have changed to newmail to get back into oldmail. He said
use the GO word "MPX-32." As of last night, David was still unsure about
the whole process -- but the bottom line is that not everything Cservey is
rosey at this point. If you'd rather switch than fight, check your yellow
pages for a list of real Internet Service Providers.
In last week's
Brigada Today, we described a couple of programs that allow you to talk "live"
with a friend on the Internet ("
TALK TO YOUR BUDDY ON THE NET"). One
reader ("Greg Fletcher"
fletch@jms09.jeton.or.jp wrote in to comment, "I
had a look at those sites, but none seemed to compare to ICQ. Have a look
at
http://www.mirabilis.com . They have a great program that notifies users
when friends/acquaintances (selected by the user) are online. It will
also do "pager" messages that pop up when the
addressee goes online next, launch chat, voice chat, game, and other
external programs and link users together to use those programs.
They also have a "White Pages" that to look up people who use the
software." Shew! What'll they think of next!?
And by the way, if you'd like a
list of the people groups to be featured in this October's PTW campaign, just
send a message to
hub@xc.org that reads,
This seems like a simple enough request. But what do we give him? Blake
fmm_personnel@juno.com has an
international consultation coming up in which he'll need to lead prayer
times each day on each major religious bloc (Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism,
Animism, Nominal Christians). They are looking for some resources that
could help guide their prayer time. He's willing to send us a compiled list
once he assembles it. Please drop him a line with your recommendations at
fmm_personnel@juno.com.
God's church is continuing to
grow in the Middle East, despite complications and persecution. One of the
Bible League's teams recently delivered 60 tons of Scripture into the
region, saying the hardships they endured in the process point to great
things about to happen. The group has now received a request for
20-thousand Armenian Bibles and three times as many New Testaments for
distribution in Syria, Lebanon, and Armenia. Also, PrayerWave Asia, based
out of Singapore, kicks off July 1, calling for the Asian Church to unite
in a chorus of prayer on behalf of the hundreds of unreached people groups
who haven't heard the Gospel message.
Benny Mostert
bennie@cis.co.za wrote us this past week to report that he had an
excellent response from many parts of the world from those requesting the
44 day prayer guide (1 June - 14 July) for GCOWE '97. People still wanting
to be part of this and want to give the information to their church prayer
networks or other prayer groups can contact us at
nupsa@glocal.co.za.
Benny reported, "Momentum is building for this very strategic conference.
This may be the last of these type of conferences this century." Benny
added, "This conference is going to take place in the midst of a remarkable
prayer awakening in many parts of South Africa. People are praying for
revival as never before."
How do
you sustain long term effective prayer for unreached people groups? How
will the thousands of churches which have agreed to pray for the Joshua
Project 2000 list stay committed? How can you increase prayer for the 10/40
Window this October? Well according to the Raleigh office of the US Center
for World Mission, the answer to all these questions is simple: "Disciple's
Prayer Life." That's a 5-Day training course to help you teach Disciple's
Prayer Life and/or greatly enrich your prayer life during this week of
August 11-15, 1997 at Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. Sponsored
by the Southeast Regional Office-USCWM (see the add in the June issue of
Mission Frontiers), it's $75 (includes materials, refreshments and one
lunch, but doesn't include housing). Space is limited. For more information
email
bsuscwmse@aol.com and put
in the subject line or call 919-787-3821, speak slowly while leaving name and address to receive brochure.
).
Well, maybe I'm reading just a bit into it. But not
much. The plot revolves around a preacher who has seemingly "lost his
first love" in more ways than one. So this angel drops in (pretty much
literally) and, well, gets a bit side-tracked at times with the pretty
preacher's wife. (Now that I write about it, it sounds pretty zany.) At the
church, he is feeling like a failure, with faltering numbers and no visible
opportunities for growth. And at home, his marriage is a wreck. His wife
(Whitney -- man can she sing!) is feeling pretty underwhelmed with their
relationship. She isn't looking to leave or anything... just weary with
his 12-hour days and 7-day work weeks. He's always missing appointments to
meet her and their son at the park and he forgets about "dates" and trades
them off for hospital calls.
As I thought about the fact that this movie was produced by media-types in
Hollywood, it dawned on me that they, too, must sense a real "conflict of
interest" for men and women in Christian service. The producers do a
fairly good job of showing the preacher in a good light. He isn't having an
affair with the organist... and the choir director is his own wife!
In fact, during one of Houston's songs in which she's reflecting back on their
earlier love, the scenes cut over to glimpses of the preacher doing really
cool things like serving in a soup kitchen and praying for the sick in
nursing homes -- and those are pictured in a positive light! In fact, over
all, the writers set him up in a pretty positive light throughout the whole movie.
But still, something's unnerving about the fact that the world knows how hard of a time we have achieving balance. We're supposed to be loving people, in love with our families, setting the pace on care for our children while we set the pace on care for the sick and the imprisoned. So -- when is enough enough? How do we know when to say "uncle!"
As much as I hate to admit it (why do we men hate to admit that our wives
know more than we do!
), it seems the
answer can usually be found in
the heart of the female. It almost seems that God has given them this
magical barometer for a heart. They know when the magic in marriage is
gone... and they know what it would take to get it back, if we'll just
listen. At first, it goes against our nature to hear their pleas for "more
time" or "more help" at home. But, as one of our Team Expansion
missionaries in Caracas told me a few years ago, once we see the "glory"
returning to their faces, it's well worth the energy and love we invest in
rebuilding the relationship.
And how do we achieve balance without going too far (cheating "the company"
by taking too much time off?
), strangely enough, it seems that once
the wife is convinced that she's first -- before job, career, and
everything else (second only to one's personal relationship to God), then
she willingly 'shares' her mate with the world! Pragmatically speaking, I
won't claim to have an answer, but some of our best missionaries tell me
that they focus on tracking their time by looking at the day in 3 "blocks"
(morning, afternoon, and evening). According to this model, if you're
spending two blocks per day, 5 or 6 days per week, you're doing great. If
you feel yourself hitting several "3-block" days in a row, better slow
down, for everyone's sake. (And by the way, if you feel you're only
doing 1-block days, or only hitting 4 days instead of 5 or 6, then consider
having a heart-to-heart talk with your team leader about how you can build
back up to "critical mass" for your ministry's sake. But for some reason,
that's usually not the problem -- for some reason, we're more likely to
cheat our spouses than the ministry. What does that say to our wives
about where they stack up in the pecking order?)
So what's the bottom line?? Balance. Finding that critical balance where we're serving 2 "blocks" per day, 5 or 6 days per week and giving families the attention and investment they deserve and need, in order to be fruitful and effective for the long haul.
That's all I've got to say about that.
Epilogue: I won't tell you how Preacher's Wife ends. Who knows. Maybe
you'll rent it someday???
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DLucas@TeamExpansion.organd many other occasional contributors too
numerous to mention!6 of June, 1997
| "If you've been asked to lead, you've been asked to serve." | |||
 Page | Doug Lucas DLucas@TeamExpansion.org | Phone: +1 (513) 244 8149 |
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