In This Issue: Don’t Waste Your Life!
- BOOK: ‘Out of the Comfort Zone’ by George Verwer
- BOOK: ‘Go and Make Disciples’
- 30-Days Muslim Prayer Focus 2004
- BOOK: ‘Don’t Waste Your Life’ by John Piper
Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!
Resource Reviews, edited by Marti Smith, are published once a month.
BOOK: ‘Out of the Comfort Zone’ by George Verwer
From: MMN – August 13, 2004
George Verwer has managed to write a book that is humble and hard-hitting at the same time. His approach to mission is down-to-earth, honest, and thoroughly biblical. After 40 years of experience in mission, George Verwer shows how many Christians have the feeling that someone else will take care of it, and how they have a vague, detached, and unrealistic attitude to what mission is about. He challenges readers to adjust their view of how missionary work is being done.
Order by e-mail or visit Amazon.
BOOK: ‘Go and Make Disciples’
From: MMN – August 13, 2004
Go and Make Disciples! by Roger Greenway is a missions survey in plain language that can be used by individuals for whom English is a second or third language. It would be useful for many lay people and church leaders who have not done an academic study of missions. The book is in three sections – The World, Biblical Foundations, and Issues. Each chapter is followed by helpful discussion questions.
Greenway lists 10 worldwide challenges – including population growth, population movements, unexpected open doors, cultural barriers, the strength of non-Christian religions, growth of non-Western missions, Western countries now mission fields, the center of Christianity moving south and east, increasing poverty, and children and youth.
It is specifically written to mobilize the Church in the two-thirds world.
Available from OM Books, Logos Bhavan, Medchal Road, Jeedimetla Village, Secunderabad – 500 055, Andhra Pradesh, India. You may also order by e-mail.
30-Days Muslim Prayer Focus 2004
From: 30-days Muslim World Prayer Guide
Annual prayer guide and worldwide prayer focus on the Muslim world during Ramadan. This year it began on October 15 and runs through November 13. Printed guides are available in 42 languages. See the 30-days web site for information.
You can also subscribe to a free, abbreviated, daily e-mail prayer guide for the 30 days by sending them an e-mail, or e-mail Ron for general inquiries.
BOOK: ‘Don’t Waste Your Life’ by John Piper
From: Student Mission Resource Newsletter – March 9, 2004 – Source
Dubbed to be “hard hitting” and “straight up,” John Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life challenges the subconscious middle-class mantra of “nice home, nice job, and nice life” absorbed by many Christian students and young adults.
Here’s a quote. “Oh, how many lives are wasted by people who believe that the Christian life means simply avoiding badness and providing for the family. So there is no adultery, no stealing, no killing, no embezzlement, no fraud – just lots of hard work during the day, and lots of TV and PG-13 videos in the evening (during quality family time), and lots of fun stuff on the weekend – woven around church (mostly). This is life for millions of people. Wasted life. We were created for more.”
In the book, the middle class mantra is replaced by God’s magnificent purposes of seeing a people from every tongue and tribe and nation worshiping him. Students are challenged to discover how they can participate in God’s global redemptive purposes. Click here to order.
Questions? Problems? Submissions? Contact publisher/managing editor Marti Smith.