Today is the day we remember Jesus’ birth. He came to set captive sinners free from the tyranny of death and sin.

As you celebrate today with friends and family, exchanging gifts, hugs, smiles, laughter, food, music, and more, please take time to pray for:

People around the world who sadly have no reprieve from their pain, such as:

- Pfc Bowe Bergdahl, held captive by the Taliban since June 30 (pictured)
- Christians who suffer loss and persecution in hostile lands like Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, various parts of North Africa, China, and elsewhere
- Christians who are imprisoned around the world simply because of their unwavering commitment to Jesus
- Those who ache with physical hunger and starve in spiritual hunger
- Those who have lost loved ones this year, whether through accidents, crimes, or war

People who have offered up their lives for the spread of the Gospel, such as:

- Street evangelists who daily receive insults, jeers, and taunts as they preach Christ crucified
- Missionaries working in lands as translators, church planters, computer specialists, managers, mechanics, school teachers, etc.
- Itinerant preachers who still circuit travel to exhort, rebuke, teach, and challenge churches full of believers to greater commitment to and intimacy with Jesus Christ
- The few and rare godly pastors who hold fast to Biblical truth and sound doctrine

And, of course, people who continue, even today, to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness”; adamantly refusing to repent and believe.

I’m sure I’m missing many people, but you get the idea.
Of all the gifts we could give today, the gifts of your time and prayers for these people are priceless.

Merry Christmas,
Anthony

Posted: December 25th, 2009 under Announcements, Current Events, Persecuted Church, Prayer, State of the Church, The Church, World Events, World Missions.
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I started writing a few comments about books I’ve read recently and posted them on a business networking site. I decided to go ahead and share them here for wider distribution. First up is a review of missionary Lynn Kennedy’s first book entitled “A God Story”, available at her ministry website, http://www.ShatteringDarkness.org which is also listed to the right as a recommended ministry.

From her website: Written by Lynn Kennedy, “A God Story” recounts the miraculous acts of God while reaching a lost people group called the Dagara (meaning “Cross), who were eagerly waiting to hear the message of the cross of Christ.

At age 36 Lynn Kennedy was a new widow. It was at this time in her life that God called her to go to college and then language studies to prepare her for international missions. Lynn has served the Dagara people of Burkina Faso since September, 1998. In 2004 she founded Shattering Darkness Ministries (http://www.ShatteringDarkness.org) “A God Story” is her 120 page self-published collection of first-hand stories, one after another, of times when–in the face of the impossible–God has answered prayers.

It sounds cliche to say that there are parts that will make you laugh and others that will make you teary-eyed, but it is true. The Lord is rich in kindness and mercy, and He will spare no expense to reveal His glory to the world–in fact, He already has when He sent His Son, Jesus. Lynn’s true stories of answered prayers and changed lives make for a wonderfully challenging and uplifting read.

“A God Story” is conversationally written. Stronger editing could have curbed the use of repetitive punctuation (e.g: !!! or ???) and tightened the grammatical style, but Lynn’s love and joy for what God has done and continues to do make such exuberance easily forgiven.

Posted: December 24th, 2009 under Book Review, World Missions.
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Do you know what the terms “SQL Join Statement”, “Subnet Mask”, or “VPN Tunnel” mean? If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and can answer “Yes” to one or more of the above, do you know that the Lord is looking for YOU to work in His fields using your God-given IT skills?! Check it out:

Check out http://www.itwow.org or http://www.checkitout.org for more information.

Posted: July 29th, 2009 under The Church, World Missions.
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“I have read of a Coast Guard crew summoned on a stormy night to rescue survivors from a sinking vessel. One member of the crew was fearful: ‘Captain,’ he moaned, ‘we’ll never get back.’ ‘We don’t have to come back,’ was the reply, ‘we only have to go.’” – Vance Havner

Posted: June 12th, 2009 under Evangelism, Learning & Growing, Quotations, World Missions.
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On May 21st the International Mission Board (IMB) trustees officially agreed to suspend most (if not all) new missions appointments in 2009. Additionally, Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President Johnny Hunt said: “We will have a significant reduction in 2010…”

Let’s look at some numbers from the SBC website: In the SBC there are an estimated 16,000,000 members in more than 42,000 churches. To give you an idea of the enormity of those numbers, the total SBC membership is approximately 5-to-6 larger than the entire United States armed forces! Obviously, not every SBC “member” attends or gives, and not all the money that is given funnels up to the Convention.

In total, the SBC supports 5,000 international missionaries and another 5,000 in the collective area of the U.S., Canada, Guam, and the Caribbean. Statistically, for every 1 SBC full-time missionary there are 1,600 people at home. Subtract the total SBC population of full-time missionaries from the total SBC membership and that leaves approximately 15,990,000–a drop in the SBC bucket.

By comparison, the Christian & Missionary Alliance, which is about 40 times smaller than the SBC, (about 417,000 members in just 2,000 churches) supports 900 missionaries, or a statistical average of 1 CMA missionary for every 463.3 CMA members.

My beloved SBC brothers and sisters in Christ, something seems not-quite-right.

Out of 16 Million people, why are there only 10,000 in full-time missionary service? I’ve double-checked my math for what I’m about to say and it came up the same both times, so here goes: If we apply the CMA statistical average (463:1) to the SBC’s numbers, the SBC would have 16 Million members supporting 34,557 full-time missionaries to the world!

Dear SBC IMB Trustees and SBC Board Members, now is not the time to be cutting missions! What messages does this send to the world? To those serving out on the field, needing more help? To the enemy who delights in your press release? The world is unraveling! Abandon your new buildings, lighting systems, sound systems, etc. Throw whatever needs to be thrown overboard to free up the resources! God’s portfolio has not suffered the slightest hit from the economy! While the world hobbles expand the missions program, don’t contract it!

“…The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37–38)

Posted: June 4th, 2009 under Challenge, Current Events, State of the Church, The Church, World Missions.
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words fail me.
pray for Isaac.

Posted: May 30th, 2009 under Challenge, Persecuted Church, Testimony, World Missions.
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