Thursday

Jesus: Fact or Fiction? Win a free DVD

Leaving for Orlando 2011 in a few days, but before I head out, I wanted to drop another prize in the prize pot.  Remember, if you give a gift of any amount to support Trinity International Baptist Mission's annual team retreat, you will have a chance to win ALL of the prizes in the pot.  

Today's addition is a DVD entitled Jesus: Fact or Fiction.  This is "an interactive journey" that allows you to "explore the evidence" surrounding the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Does God exist? Would a loving God allow bad things to happen to good people? Is there life after death? Is there historical evidence for Jesus?  Experts such as Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel, Ravi Zacharias and others respond to over 50 of life's toughest questions on this DVD that also includes and English version of The Jesus Film.  It is a great addition to an already great cache of prizes that includes:
For your chance to win, simply give a donation with your credit or debit card of any amount (really, any amount) using our secure Chip-in/PayPal system. As usual, whenever you make a donation to TIBM, it is fully tax-deductible and will be put to work for the Kingdom of God.



Tuesday

Support our team retreat and you could win an ESV Study Bible!

I am busy this week getting ready to attend Orlando 2011 which is the U.S. regional follow up meeting to the historic 3rd Lausanne Congress.  I'll be speaking on diaspora mission and leading a table group at the Orlando gathering.  So do pray for that.  

In light of my busy week, I'm limiting the additions to the prize pot.  I'm adding something today and (hopefully) something later in the week.  Here's the thing, we are about half-way to our goal of raising $1,000 to fund a 3-day retreat for our TIBM staff.  As full-time, cross-cultural missionaries raising our own support, we just don't have that kind of money laying around.  So, we need your support to make it happen. 

Many of you reading this have a dollar, 5 dollars, $20, or even a couple hundred that you could sacrificially give to support this cause. With your gift, you get a chance to refresh some Christian workers who are giving their all for the Kingdom of Christ.  So, I strongly encourage you to give.  If you've already given, please encourage someone else to give by forwarding them this link.

Remember also, that if you give a donation of any amount, you will have a chance to win the entire prize pot below.  Plus, today, I am adding to that pot a slightly scuffed up English Standard Version Study Bible.  This is a really great, kind of heavy new study Bible produced by the fine people at Crossway Books.  I use it personally for my own study. So I can recommend it strongly.  What else could you win?  Just look at the list of things already in the pot:

For your chance to win, simply give a donation with your credit or debit card of any amount (really, any amount) using our secure Chip-in/PayPal system. As usual, whenever you make a donation to TIBM, it is fully tax-deductible and will be put to work for the Kingdom of God.



Monday

Dealing with Death (Pt.2): Teaching Survival Skills to Refugees

On Saturday I recapped part 1 of my 2-part message on preparing for death.  I preached on this topic recently in our Bhutanese-Nepali church here in Chicagoland.  Today, I want to recap part 2.  In the first part, I focused on practical preparations such as preparing a funeral and deciding upon organ donation.  In the second, my focus was primarily on spiritual preparation.

I began by telling the story of the two thieves who were crucified with Jesus (Luke 23:32-46). I made use of volunteers from the congregation to act out the story.  When we finished, we began to reflect together:

1. What was the promise that Jesus made to one of the thieves?
2. Since both men were criminals and both were sinners, why was one forgiven and promised heaven?

The answer was obvious to my audience.  One man, himself not a follower of Christ, answered, "Because he repented and trusted in Jesus." 

I then moved on to explaining that we all have certain things in common.  We are all made by God, we all have to eat, drink and sleep.  We are all equal before God because we're made in His image.  Then I added, also we all have a problem with God.  I read Romans 3:10-12, 23.  (Be warned, you have to sort of earn the right to talk about sin with Nepalis. Note this article first.)  I gave some examples of sin and put it this way:

"We know that lying is a sin, but anyway we lie.  We know that greed is a sin, but anyway we are greedy.  We know that gossip is a great sin, but Nepalis would stop eating before they stop gossiping.  We know discrimination is a very great sin, but anyway we discriminate."

I then gave the following illustration to explain Christ's role in reconciling us to God:

"Imagine that in my family when I was younger, I disobeyed my parents and married someone that they didn't approve of.  Now, in my American culture, after some time, if I wanted to be reconciled to my parents, I would go directly to them and ask forgiveness.  However, this is not the way with Bhutanese-Nepalis.  If my family was a Bhutanese family, I would have to do things differently.  In that case, I could not go directly to my parents.  Rather, I would have to ask some of my friends and relatives to go to them.  They would go to the home of my parents and they would say sorry on my behalf.  After that, my parents would call me and invite me to come and all would be forgiven."

Of course, when I told this story, I drew it out a bit.  

You get the idea.  The above is actually a very familiar scenerio in Nepali culture and goes a long way in helping them to understand the role of Jesus as a mediator between God and sinners.  We put our trust in Jesus Christ, who is the one who goes between us and God to bring us close to Him.

Answering Questions:

The key spiritual questions that Nepalis have about death relate to whether or not they will become a ghost (bhut pret) after they die.  It is believed that certain kinds of inauspicious deaths (e.g. suicide, murder) or mistakes made during a funeral will lead to the dead becoming a ghost who lingers around the house haunting people (see this article for much more on this idea).  I answered this question Biblically using the following:

1. Death is immediately followed by judgment and an afterlife either with or separated from God (Heb. 9:27)
2. Also, I explained that while both thieves died by execution (inauspicious) and neither received a proper burial, one went to heaven and one went to hell.  The type of death and type of funeral made no difference.  Rather the difference was that one was reconciled to God through Christ and one wasn't.
3.  I also referred to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.  While Lazarus died and was forgotten, he went to heaven.  The rich man had a great funeral but went to hell.

I closed my message by briefly explaining how we can put our faith in Christ and be reconciled to God.  I clarified that this is the most important preparation we can make for death.  Then I left them with the following illustration:

"Imagine I and Ganesh (a volunteer from the audience) are going on a road trip.  We are trying to drive to Kentucky.  We have a GPS and a map, but the map is way in the back seat.  After driving some way, the battery in the GPS dies.  But we are too lazy to search for the map.  We keep driving thinking we know the right way.  Some time later we come to a fork in the road.  We're not sure of the way, but again we are too lazy to find the map.  We choose to go left and drive on.  For hours upon hours we drive.  Finally we begin to see signs that say 'Florida'.  We are sure that we are lost."

I asked my audience, if we want to reach Kentucky, what do we have to do.  The answer, "You have to stop the car and find the map.  You have to turn around."

I explained that after traveling such a long distance in the wrong way, we may be reluctant to turn around and go back.  But if we want to reach Kentucky, that is what we must do.  I shared Proverbs 14:12 which says, "There is a way that seems right to man, but the end of it is death."  

We must recognize that for Bhutanese-Nepalis, embracing Christ can feel like a betrayal of ancestors.  We must be sensitive to this.  I tried to use this illustration to teach them the importance of "turning the car around" regardless of how far down the road they, their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents have gone. 

How will the Church Resond? First Refugees From Libya Arrive on the Italian Island of Linosa

The following press release came from IOM today.  Ask the Lord to mobilize His Church.  This is how diaspora mission works.  We must be ready in and out of season.


First Migrants From Libya Arrive on the Italian Island of Linosa, says IOM on March 28, 2011: "IOM Press Note
Monday 28 March 2011

First Migrants From Libya Arrive on the Italian Island of Linosa- Nearly 830 African migrants from Tripoli and Misurata in Libya who arrived on the Italian Island of Linosa between 26-28 March are today being transferred to Sicily.

The migrants are mostly from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, but there are also some sub-Saharan Africans. This is the first group of migrants fleeing Libya to arrive in Italy since the onset of the Libyan crisis more than a month ago.

IOM staff say 80 women and 12 children are among the passengers. One woman gave birth to a healthy baby assisted by an Italian medical team. The woman was immediately transferred by helicopter to Lampedusa for medical assistance.

The vessels were intercepted by the Italian coastguards and taken to the small Island of Linosa some 40 kilometres from the island of Lampedusa, where more than 6,000 Tunisian migrants are currently hosted in increasingly difficult conditions."

IOM staff on Lampedusa say the Italian authorities avoided sending the new arrivals to Lampedusa not only because of the overcrowding and lack of facilities on the island, but also because of growing tension among the island's inhabitants, unhappy over the increasing numbers of migrants.

The new arrivals are likely to be first sent to a migrant reception centre at Porto Empedocle in Sicily before being taken to the Mineo reception centre, near Catania.

The arrivals from Libya present a new challenge to the Italian government which is still trying to find accommodation for thousands of migrants currently hosted on Lampedusa, Puglia and Sicily. More than 18,430 Tunisian migrants have arrived on Lampedusa since February, nearly 1,580 at the weekend.

In 2008 the Italian government signed a friendship treaty with Libya which led to a drastic reduction of irregular immigration. However, the continued violence in Libya has seen a temporary suspension of the agreement.

The Italian government has sought increased assistance from the European Union to help it deal with increasing populations of the migrants and asylum seekers.

For more information, please call Flavio Di Giacomo at IOM Rome, Tel: +39 34 708 98 996, Email: fdigiacomo@iom.int 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


For additional information:

Jean-Philippe Chauzy Tel: 41 22 717 9361 - Mobile: 41 79 285 4366, Email : pchauzy@iom.int 

Jemini Pandya Tel : 41 22 717 9486 - Mobile : 41 79 217 33 74, Email : jpandya@iom.int

Jumbe Omari Jumbe Tel: 41 22 717 9405 - Mobile: 41 79 812 77 34, Email: jjumbe@iom.int

ISDN Line : 41 22 788 38 61

Sunday

Quick Post: Encouraged to Lead this Team

Hey, just a quick post today to ask for your support for a really great group of cross-cultural servants here in Chicagoland.  I've just spent the last several hours reading, responding to, and praying through the monthly reports of the people who make up Trinity International Baptist Mission.  It isn't all roses, that's for sure.  But, I am struck and deeply encouraged.

Actually, I've been in kind of a funk lately, but reading through these reports has been quite a boost.  They have provided an excellent reminder today that I am not alone in this ministry.  Sometimes I (sinfully) allow myself to feel that way.  But here is the biggest thing for me:

Every single day, the people that make up this team are in the lives of others.  They are serving them, meeting their felt needs, sharing Christ, and discipling them.  Nonbelievers are softening towards the gospel, new Christians are getting stronger -- lives are being changed, even saved.  Every day.  It isn't a thousand churches planted each year.  It is just small, simple, flawed mission.  But it is making a tremendous difference.

I listened to a young woman this week share with me about her walk with the Lord.  I had baptized this former Hindu and her husband a year ago.  As she talked about her prayer life especially, the thought flooded in: "Here is a woman whose life is actually being transformed by the Lord."

It is simple and perhaps unimpressive.  But I rejoice in it.  Today, I'm just reminded that my teammates are doing this kind of stuff every day.  Some did it today.

Coming up in May, this team will drive to a little cabin in Michigan for 3 days of rest, prayer, renewal, and my famous grilling.  We need to raise the money for this trip.  Will you help us? If so, please use the ChipIn widget below to make a secure, PayPal-based, tax-deductible donation of any amount.  Blessings!

Saturday

Create Professional Voice-Over Recordings

This is a handy little tool that I found today. It is helping me greatly to review my staff reports. I'm actually able to cut and paste text from any document and it will play it as audio. Now, I have to pay if I want to save the recording, but I don't. It just helps me to read through it. Plus, I can listen to my teammates sharing about their month with British, American, or even Chipmunk accents!

Create Professional Voice-Over Recordings

Churches Flattened as Earthquakes Hit North East Burma (Myanmar)

Let's pray for Burma. This is only the latest bit of bad news for that region. However, it is encouraging to know that the Church is considered the front line of response.

Churches Flattened as Earthquakes Hit North East Burma (Myanmar): "Coates said that local churches will be at the front of the relief response. “Baptist churches are right there in the affected region and could be best placed to bring relief and hope to the people that have been affected,” he said in the news release."

Dealing with Death (Pt.1): Teaching Survival Skills to Refugees

I'm in the midst of a series of messages in our Bhutanese-Nepali church on the topic of "Survival Skills for Scattered People".  During this series, my goal is to address some of the most pressing issues that are worried about or asked about by my Bhutanese-Nepali friends.

Several weeks ago, the topic was "Preparing for Death".  I took this in two parts.  The first week was focused primarily on practical issues.  The second was focused on spiritual preparation.  Let me recap here what I shared related to practical preparations for death.  Basically, I gave them 7 steps to consider:

1. Call 911 -- I told my audience that if someone dies or is close to death, they must call 911 first (unless they are already at the hospital).  Emergency workers will come and begin to perform the crucial first steps.  Only after calling 911 should refugee caseworkers, volunteers, or others be called for help.  At this point, I stressed that while they must call 911 first, definitely they should call me as soon as possible.  I emphasized to them that I want to help them.

2. Will you donate organs/tissues? -- Bhutanese-Nepalis have concerns about donating organs.  Sometimes this has to do with their folk Hindu religious backgrounds and wanting to ensure their body is in its proper condition.  Other questions, however, have to do with the fact that Bhutanese-Nepalis sometimes believe anything they see in films.  One person asked if receiving organs from another person would cause them to have elements of the donor's personality.  It was a lively discussion and good to put many of their concerns to rest.  My major point of emphasis was that by donating their organs upon death, they could make their last act in this world one which saved or improved the lives of many others.  I shared a text from Proverbs 3:27, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it."  My exhortation was clear, "Followers of Christ should donate their organs upon death."

3. Figure out child care -- I told my refugee audience that one of the first things they must do is to be sure that any surviving children are properly cared for.  In the chaos of death, the kids must not be forgotten.

4. Decide who is in charge --  We discussed several roles that needed to be filled.  The surviving family should decide on an individual to serve as a the "Funeral Agent", the one responsible for making final decisions.  I explained that everyone could be involved in making decisions; however, one person needed to have final authority to sign papers and communicate those decisions.  I spoke also about choosing a clergy person to serve the family during that time and assured them that I will be freely available to them in such a situation.  I also told them that certain people should be assigned the task of calling/informing friends and relatives as well as Social Security, Department of Human Services, the resettlement agency, etc.  This latter is of particular important to refugees who are often enrolled in a number of public assistance programs.

5. Contact and Decide upon a Funeral Home -- I explained what a funeral home is and answered a number of questions about burials, cremations, timing of funerals, transferal of body, location of funeral, etc.  Bhutanese-Nepalis have many questions about this element and it is good to be well-informed.

6.  Begin to notify people of funeral plans.  This much is self-explanatory. If you are working with Bhutanese-Nepalis, be sure that you know the best options for funeral homes that are local to you.  Keep in mind the following:  is it easy to get to and from the funeral home (remember that many refugees don't drive); are there cremation options (Nepalis tend to prefer this); how much does it cost.  If the deceased was a follower of Christ, you will want to work very closely with the family to plan a funeral that will lift up Jesus and announce His gospel.  If the deceased wasn't a Christian, you should still seek to do the same, keeping in mind that the family will likely prefer rather a Hindu priest.  Keep in mind however, that the priest will unlikely spend any significant time ministering to the family.  Just be there and help and show love and Christ.  God will create wonderful opportunities for you.

7. How much will it cost?  Costs are a very important question that Bhutanese-Nepalis are always concerned about.  I shared with my audience the specific information that I drew from official sources in Illinois.  Funeral assistance is usually available to those who are receiving some other kind of public assistance such as food stamps or SSI.  However, at least in Illinois, cremation is not covered by funeral assistance.  Dealing with death can be extremely expensive.  I encouraged my Bhutanese-Nepali listeners to find a way to save some money for this.

At the end of my message on this topic I strongly emphasized to them that they were not alone.  I pointed out that we were one family together and that when death comes, we will all be there to help each other.

I'll recap part 2 on Monday.

Friday

Ricobene's: A Bhutanese-Nepali Pizza Review

I had occasion last week to take pick up a Bhutanese-Nepali guy from Midway airport here in Chicago.  Had a couple Nepalis with me and we were hungry and had time to kill.  So, we punched the work "Pizza" in my GPS and wandered around looking for a place to eat.  We ended up at a little place called "Ricobene's" We ordered a large, pan-crust, pepperoni and some chicken wings, and waited.

Well, the chicken wings were pretty awful, but this is a pizza review. On that front, it was a different story.  Ricobene's pizza was delicious. My Nepali companions were very impressed.  Here are the scores:

Critic 1: 3 Caesars
Critic 2: 3 Caesars
Critic 3: 4 Caesars

So, Ricobene's gets a record score of 3.33 Caesars! That will be tough to beat.

(A "Caesar" refers to a regular $5 pizza from Little Caesars. The question is, how many Caesars would you trade for one of these pizzas?)

Thursday

Christians gunned down in Pakistan

Sad story of persecution of Christ-followers in Pakistan.

Persecution.com

Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13)

A few weeks back, I shared a message from God's Word based on Matthew 13.  That chapter features a collection of parables from the Lord Jesus on the topic of God's Kingdom.  My message was preached to a mostly South Asian audience and translated into Hindi.  So, as I preached, I sought to keep in mind specific worldviews and cultural backgrounds that typify the Indian subcontinent.

Instead of preaching only one or two of these parables, I decided to see them as a collection intended to be understood together.  So, I found myself dividing the parables into two groups.

1. Escatological Parables
2. "Seize the Moment" Parables

Under the first, we have the parable of soils, weeds, the mustard seed, yeast, and the fish in the net.  I classify these as escatological parables because they focus on the culmination of the Kingdom of God.  From taking these together, I derived three principles to share with my audience:

  • God is actively involved.  We don't have to struggle to get God's attention.  We don't have to do something unusual to get Him to notice us.  He is already involved, working, watching, speaking.  
  • Satan is also actively involved (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8).  We ignore this fact to our peril.  If the parables show us that God is working in the world to advance His Kingdom, so they show us an enemy who actively works to hinder it.
  • The end will come.  This world is not a never-ending merry-go-round.  It will end.  Reward and punishment are certain.
I saw the parables of the pearl and treasure are of a different sort.  These parables don't focus on the culmination of the Kingdom, but rather what we are to do now as the Kingdom is proceeding.  And we are to essentially seize it -- to lay hold of it while we still can.  A few straightforward principles flow out of these two parables:
  • We must surrender all unworthy affections.  All lesser pearls but give way to the one of surpassing value.  We must be willing to give away all other things to lay hold of the Kingdom.
  • We must surrender all fears.  I have found that many of those who are not following Christ are hindered by fear.  They fear the criticism and opposition that they will face if they follow Jesus openly.  I can think of people that I know well who are in this situation.  But risk is needed to lay hold of the pearl.  Selling everything you own is risky and invites severe criticism, even opposition.  And what if it all goes wrong.  Surely this is an important point to teach.
  • We must put our trust in God's Son.  This, of course, is what is meant by seizing the Kingdom.
Blessings to you this day!

Wednesday

Almost Half-way There: Adding an Apologetics Book to the Pot

Look at that folks, 44% of our goal is complete.  Thanks to your support, we are well on our way to funding a much needed 3-day retreat for the TIBM team.  I was encouraged this morning as we gathered for our weekly prayer meeting to hear from each member prayer requests related to those they were discipling.  We heard about students at the College of DuPage, children, Nepali senior citizens and young adults, Karen teens, and more.  I praise God for the ongoing work, and I am reminded of how important it is for our team to have these few days of rest and renewal in May.  So, please help us to reach our goal of $1000 for this retreat.  Your contribution helps pay for gas, lodging, food, and recreational activities for the whole team.  

Today, to sweeten the deal and help motivate you to give, I want to add a new prize to the pot.  Remember, one name will be drawn once we reach our goal to win the entire prize pot.  Added today is the book Reasons for Faith: Making a Case for the Christian Faith, a book on Christian apologetics featuring articles from people like Josh McDowell, J.P. Moreland, Gary Habermas and others.  That goes along with our growing treasure trove which includes:

For your chance to win, simply give a donation with your credit or debit card of any amount (really, any amount) using the using our secure Chip-in/PayPal system. As usual, whenever you make a donation to TIBM, it is fully tax-deductible and will be put to work for the Kingdom of God.


Thank you for your support and prayers!

Gulliver's: A Bhutanese-Nepali Pizza Review

 Our second stop on my Chicagoland pizza tour -- in search of the perfect pizza for Bhutanese-Nepalis -- led me to "Gulliver's Pizza and Pub".  Gulliver's claims that its pan pizza is "famous".  I mean, it's even on the sign.  So, we stopped in and ordered it.

By "pan" they basically mean Chicago deep dish, which is fine.  However, their version of it seems to be famous for being kind of bad.  The pizza we received was . . . well . . . goupy, watery.  Kind of disgusting really.  I kind of hated the fact that my Bhutanese companions were experiencing deep dish for the first time at such a place.  I spent a great deal of effort trying to convince them that this by no means represents real Chicago deep dish.  Not sure if they believed me.

Well, the final analysis came down to our key question.  How many Little Caesar's pizzas would you trade for one of these Gulliver's pizzas?  Remember, Little Caesar's $5 "hot and ready" is the Bhutanese default pizza.  The answers:

Critic #1- 0.5
Critic #2- 0.5
Critic #3- 1

So, Gulliver's gives us our lowest score thus far, 0.6 Caesars!  Yikes, can't get much worse than that.  Another review coming soon.

Tuesday

What I'm using to learn Nepali

A lot of people have asked me how I go about learning Nepali.  Actually, I feel my knowledge of the language is really lacking.  But, okay, let me just post a few links to help you out.  Of course, my biggest source of learning is just personal conversation with Nepali-speakers.  Most of my vocabulary and grammar comes from them directly.  My second big source of learning is the Nepali Bible.  The Nepali Bible Society publishes an interlinear Nepali-English New Testament that is a tremendous help to me.  Once I had learned the script, via flash cards that I made using this site, I was able to (slowly) read the Nepali NT.  At the beginning, I would read a verse in English and then the same verse in Nepali.  It took me a long time to get through a chapter.  Now, I simply read the Nepali and check the English when I don't understand what I've read.

Beyond this, there is a good online Nepali-English dictionary here.  It is a very well-respected dictionary.  However, the vocabulary there is far greater than that of most of the Bhutanese that I know.  Many times I have discovered words there that they've never heard of.

Lastly, it is important to have some kind of formal learning method to fill the gaps left by conversational and non-formal learning.  For this, I am using a book/CD set called Complete Nepali.  I like it very much and recommend it as a companion to your learning.

Oh yeah, and some people have asked me how I type in Nepali.  For that, I use a simple, though time-consuming, tool called Nepali Unicode.  It is free and you can find it here.  Or, if you prefer, just bookmark this article and use the unicode converter below:




Nepali Unicode

Monday

Win Dr. Dobson's "Essentials of Discipline" DVD

Now, officially, we're at 40% of our goal.  That's awesome.  Now, it is time for me to add a prize to the pot.  Today, we're featuring the DVD Parenting Seminar entitled Your Child: Essentials of Discipline with Dr. James Dobson.  This is actually a 3-DVD, 12-session set.


So, with that, our prize pot now stands at:
So, ready to win?  You can enter the giveaway right now by making a donation of any amount using the ChipIn widget below.  Your support will help to send the TIBM team on their annual team retreat for a few days of rest, prayer, reflection, and fellowship.  


You can make your donation using a credit or debit card right now using our secure Chip-in/PayPal system. As usual, whenever you make a donation to TIBM, it is fully tax-deductible and will be put to work for the Kingdom of God.


Thank you for your support and prayers!

Saturday

We need your support!

With no additional donations yesterday, we're still at 25% of our goal for the annual  Trinity International Baptist Mission team retreat.  Because of the busy nature of my weekend, I'm not going to be adding any additional prizes till Monday.  But we need your donations.  


During the past week, our team hosted a short-term mission team from Missouri, led prayerwalking in many key places in Chicagoland, conducted small group discipleship with all kinds of different folks, led worship services, preached the gospel, taught English to immigrants, and did much more.  


On the horizon, we are looking forward to new church-planting efforts, new initiatives among Muslim peoples, speaking and presenting at various venues, publishing papers and books to build up the Body of Christ, developing new strategies for training and equipping cross-cultural workers to start churches among refugees, and much more.


In addition, we are facing numerous challenges and spiritual attacks.  The team retreat will be a key time for us to seek the Lord about these matters as well as to catch our breath before a busy summer.  So, essentially, I'm asking you directly to support the ongoing mission of TIBM by giving a donation right now.  Your support in the past has allowed us to conduct this work since 2005.  Since that time, literally tens of thousands of lives have been impacted.  Churches have been planted, missionaries equipped and sent out, followers of Christ have been disciples, and souls have been saved.  


Please give your gift of support today in order to keep this work going!


You can make your donation using a credit or debit card right now using our secure Chip-in/PayPal system. As usual, whenever you make a donation to TIBM, it is fully tax-deductible and will be put to work for the Kingdom of God.


Thank you for your support and prayers!

Friday

New prize in the pot-- Win some great Missional Stuff!

We are now a quarter of the way to our fundraising goal for the Trinity International Baptist Mission team retreat.  We appreciate all who have helped us thus far.  We are now well on our way to seeing a very tired and hardworking group of cross-cultural missionaries get a much needed few days of relaxing, hiking, canoeing, and simply enjoying time together.


But we're not at our goal yet, so it is time for me to add another prize to the growing prize pot.  Remember, once we reach our goal of $1000, I will draw a name at random from among the donors and that person will win the entire pot.  Currently, the pot stands as:


1 autographed copy of my 2007 book, Ethnographic Chicago which contains some key foundational thoughts related to Hinduism, mission and contextualization as well as insights into work among college students and Ethiopian immigrants.  We also have The Journey: The Study Bible for Spiritual Seekers (NIV).  


To this already cool prize pot, I'm adding a limited edition, pre-publication version of my latest article/booklet entitled Pursuing Cruciformity in Diaspora Mission.  This is the paper that I presented last month at the Evangelical Missiology Society regional conference.  I will also be presenting on this next month at Orlando 2011, the United States follow up to the Third Lausanne Congress.  The demand for this article is growing and you could be one of the first people to hold it in your hands.  By the way, I will also autograph it for you.


Now, I know you've got to be wanting this prize pot by now.  We've got some really great missional stuff for all you missional people.  So, remember, give a gift of any amount (even $1) by using the ChipIn widget below, and you will be entered to win.  


You can make your donation using a credit or debit card right now using our secure Chip-in/PayPal system. As usual, whenever you make a donation to TIBM, it is fully tax-deductible and will be put to work for the Kingdom of God.


Thank you for your support and prayers!

Thursday

St. Patrick's Day Contest Begins: Day 1 of ?

Ok, I have a strange idea.  

Actually, I'm kind of making it up as a write.  


So, no one responded to my giveaway offer of Ethnographic Chicago yesterday.  I assume that means that everyone has already bought a copy and the market is flooded.  ;)


But still we need to raise about $800 in order to fully fund our 2011 Trinity International Baptist Mission team retreat.  So, I need another gimmick.  Here it is:


Every few days, until we reach our goal of $1000, I'm going to add a prize to the "pot".  Everyone who gives a donation towards our team retreat (see below), of any amount, will be entered into the drawing.  If you give multiple times, you will receive multiple entries.  Those who have already given, will be entered.


So, I'm putting an autographed copy of Ethnographic Chicago into the prize pot.  Today, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I will add a green book.  It is The Journey: The Study Bible for Spiritual Seekers (NIV).  This is nice, still-in-the-plastic study Bible that you can give to a friend who is beginning to explore faith in Christ.  Plus, we'll ship it all to you for free (in the US).


Excited? More cool stuff is coming.  Ensure your chance to win by entering now!

You can make your donation using a credit or debit card right now using our secure Chip-in/PayPal system. As usual, whenever you make a donation to TIBM, it is fully tax-deductible and will be put to work for the Kingdom of God.


Thank you for your support and prayers!

What kind of devotee is God searching for? (Hindi/English Sermon)

Today, I want to share with you a message that I preached at our weekly Satsang in Chicago's Little India.  This message focuses on asking the question, "What kind of devotee is God searching for?" I think you will like this.  It is a good example of narrative preaching.  Special thanks to Vinod Isaacs for translating the message into Hindi.

Wednesday

Win a Copy of Ethnographic Chicago!

After our first day of gathering donations for our annual team retreat, we're already at 20% of our goal. That's great.  Today, I want to give you a special incentive to give your gift.  If you give any amount today (Wednesday, March 16, 2011), I will put your name in a hat for a chance to win a free copy of my book Ethnographic Chicago -- $15 value!  That's right, just donate any amount, even 1 BUCK, and you'll be entered to win.  I'll announce the winner tomorrow morning.  To make your donation now, keep reading:


Hello friends!

We are coming soon to the time of the year at which the Trinity International Baptist Mission team takes a few days to rest and retreat together. The purpose of the annual retreat is to reflect on what the Lord has been doing and consider how He is leading us into the future. It is also a critical time of team-building and spiritual renewal.

This year, we could use your help to make this trip happen. To make it possible for the growing TIBM team to go and pay for three days of lodging and food, we're trying to raise about $1,000. Would you be willing to bless us by making a donation of any amount towards this cause?

You can make your donation using a credit or debit card right now using our secure Chip-in/PayPal system. As usual, whenever you make a donation to TIBM, it is fully tax-deductible and will be put to work for the Kingdom of God.


Thank you for your support and prayers!

Cody

Church Planting Leader / Pastor
Trinity International Baptist Mission

Tuesday

(BUG FIXED TRY AGAIN!) Support TIBM's Annual Team Retreat!

Hello friends!

We are coming soon to the time of the year at which the Trinity International Baptist Mission team takes a few days to rest and retreat together. The purpose of the annual retreat is to reflect on what the Lord has been doing and consider how He is leading us into the future. It is also a critical time of team-building and spiritual renewal.

This year, we could use your help to make this trip happen. To make it possible for the growing TIBM team to go and pay for three days of lodging and food, we're trying to raise about $1,000. Would you be willing to bless us by making a donation of any amount towards this cause?

You can make your donation using a credit or debit card right now using our secure Chip-in/PayPal system. As usual, whenever you make a donation to TIBM, it is fully tax-deductible and will be put to work for the Kingdom of God.


Thank you for your support and prayers!

Cody

Church Planting Leader / Pastor
Trinity International Baptist Mission

Support TIBM's Annual Team Retreat!

Hello friends!

We are coming soon to the time of the year at which the Trinity International Baptist Mission team takes a few days to rest and retreat together. The purpose of the annual retreat is to reflect on what the Lord has been doing and consider how He is leading us into the future. It is also a critical time of team-building and spiritual renewal.

This year, we could use your help to make this trip happen. To make it possible for the growing TIBM team to go and pay for three days of lodging and food, we're trying to raise about $1,000. Would you be willing to bless us by making a donation of any amount towards this cause?

You can make your donation using a credit or debit card right now using our secure Chip-in/PayPal system. As usual, whenever you make a donation to TIBM, it is fully tax-deductible and will be put to work for the Kingdom of God.


Thank you for your support and prayers!

Cody

Church Planting Leader / Pastor
Trinity International Baptist Mission

Friday

Nooma silliness. Really, Rob Bell?

I just watched a troubling Nooma video. Here's a response to it by James White with clips from the original video. I'm with James on this one. I'm not sure what the motivation is behind Bell's revisioning of history.

Wednesday

Back-pocket Discipleship

Just a thought today really.  Lately, I've been filled with a sense of urgency in discipleship.  This has particularly been the case among my Bhutanese-Nepali friends, brothers, and sisters.  I'm becoming increasingly aware of the reality that some of these folks are going to move again.  Especially the sisters are likely to marry and move to other communities.  So, I've been struggling with this for a couple reasons.  For one, I feel pretty resistant to the idea of being separated from any of these people that I've given so much of my heart to.  But secondly, I'm asking myself whether or not the new/young believers in my community here are really ready to be a strong witness in an environment where there is potentially less of a support system and more hostility towards the gospel.

So, in thinking about this, I have felt -- I MUST DISCIPLE!!!

But honestly, there are many barriers to this. One of the biggest is time. Both their and my schedules are inconsistent and difficult to plan around.  It is tough to commit to a regular weekly time to meet and study the Bible together.  This structural concern has been the bottleneck.

So, I'm thinking through a new idea -- well, new for me.  The idea is "back-pocket discipleship."  That is, how can I just be always ready to disciple someone whenever the opportunity presents itself?  I still want there to be some can of organized strategy to it, but is it possible to just have something in my "back-pocket" that I can pull out whenever I find myself with a young believer that needs to be discipled?

Again, just chatting here.  But what I'm thinking about is something simple like the fruit of the Spirit.  It is absolutely vital that Christians cultivate the Spirit in their lives.  So, why not just go through the fruit one by one?  Why not keep a simple list of verses/passages related to love, joy, peace, etc., literally in my pocket? The structure of a meeting can just be prayer and reading/explaining the Scripture.  Specifically, we can ask God to pour out His Spirit in our lives.

Just thinking.  Probably there are other key passages that could lend themselves to this kind of approach.  But I'm going to start with this because I discern a real need for the Spirit's transforming work right now.  I've already jotted down some texts in the back of my Nepali New Testament (which I often take with me whenever I leave the house).  When I get an opportunity with someone, I'll just dig into the first part.  When we finish, I'll not try to plan a specific time to meet again.  Perhaps it will be a week or two weeks or two days.  When we do meet again, I'll move on to the next text.  Conceivably, in this way, I could be discipling many people because I'm not trying to fit them all into a schedule, but rather just taking them as they come.

Does this sound silly?

Tuesday

Namaste Sate' - A new Hindi music video from Aradhana

Listen and watch! A beautiful song from Aradhana:

Tongues Debate: Who won? James White v. David Bernard

Well, I found this to be an interesting debate.  Very interested to get your feedback.  Probably, as I, you don't find yourself in complete agreement with either.  But feel free to leave your comments below.

James White v. David Bernard

By the way, the fact that Bernard denies the Trinity is kind of an elephant in the room.  Seems to lend credence to the idea that tongues can be faked by non-Christians.

Monday

Map: Where Americans Are Moving - Forbes.com

Very interesting map showing how Americans are moving in and out of major US cities. Implications for mission are staggering. I wish I could see a global version of this.

Map: Where Americans Are Moving - Forbes.com

Sunday

TONIGHT--Perpetual Film Fest: "Damascus"

Tonight we'll be screening the new film "Damascus" at Trinity International Baptist Mission (at my house).  This Syrian-made film tells the story of Paul from the book of Acts.  Take a look at the trailer below and then join us tonight at 6:30PM at 112 Horizon Circle in Carol Stream, IL (bring your favorite snacks):

Ahlgrim's Acres: A Funeral Home with Miniature Golf in Palatine, Illinois - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

Oh, my. And does no one notice the irony of the Funeral director's name? Doug Ahlgrim? As in "dug" a grave and "All grim"?

Ahlgrim's Acres: A Funeral Home with Miniature Golf in Palatine, Illinois - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

Friday

Survival Skills for Scattered People: Dealing with Death

This Sunday at TriEak Parmewshwar Mandali - "Survival Skills for Scattered People: Answering Questions about Death" 

This Sunday, we will talk about the issue of death.  We will discuss what you have to do to prepare for death, funerals, and more.  Most importantly, we will talk about how to prepare spiritually for death.  We will answer the following questions:
  • 1.       How can we pay for death expenses?
  • 2.       What about donating organs?
  • 3.       What is the first thing we should do if someone in our family dies?
  • 4.       Who will help us to make plans when someone dies?
  • 5.       Will I become a ghost when I die if there is a problem with my funeral?
  • 6.       How can I be sure I will go to heaven when I die?


Please tell everyone in your family to be sure to come to satsang this week as we study this important topic.

Jay Masih!

Wednesday

Free Audio Book: The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

In case you are not aware, Christian Audio offers a free audio book every month as a download from their website.  I want to make it a point to let you know when the monthly download catches my attention -- i.e. actually gets me to download it.  This month, they are featuring a book by R.C. Sproul called The Holiness of God.  I haven't read this one, but I've always enjoyed Sproul's teaching and frequently listen to his podcasts.  Sproul is a reformed theologian and Bible teacher who leads a ministry called Ligonier.  You may be familiar with him from his radio program/podcast "Renewing Your Mind".  Naturally, I have downloaded the free audio book and will endeavor to listen to it while biking or driving.  If you are so inclined, you can click on over to Christian Audio and download your own copy.  It is available both in MP3 and in M4B versions.  If you prefer reading the book, you can purchase a copy from Amazon using the link here: The Holiness of God