Missions Catalyst 06.27.12 – Resource Reviews

In This Issue: Murat chose to live as a shepherd

  • VIDEO: Murat
  • WORKBOOK: Before You Move Overseas
  • BOOK: Ambassadors to Muslims
  • GRAPHICS: Free Bible Story Images
  • BOOK: In the Land of Blue Burqas
  • JOURNAL: Seedbed
  • EVENTS: July Missions Events

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 share it freely!

VIDEO: Murat

Source: Deidox

Filmed on location in Central Asia, Murat is a personal story of a local man who becomes a shepherd and demonstrates God’s love to his adopted community. “There’s a saying where I’m from,” says Murat, “that one healthy family can influence 12 others.” The documentary is beautifully done and just five minutes long.

Deidox short films can be used by churches, small groups, schools, ministries, and individuals to illustrate the faith of everyday people. Cost depends on intended use.

>> Watch Murat (and other films) for free.

WORKBOOK: Before You Move Overseas

Source: Everyday Language Learner

Before You Move Overseas, by Aaron Myers. Everyday Language Learner, 2011, 32 pages.

While much has been written about the logistics of a move overseas, this short guide focuses on just one aspect of that move: language.

Before You Move Overseas describes ten things you can do to prepare for the language-learning journey, explains the rationale, and rates the difficulty and importance of each one – as well as suggesting further resources.

>> Purchase this workbook from Everyday Language Learner for US$2.00. You can also find many practical resources on ELL’s website that are free, including a guide to sustaining your language efforts and a ten-week email course in language learning.

>> Readers, can any of you recommend a good resource with language-learning tips and tools for people who aren’t moving overseas, just going short-term? Let me know. Thanks!

BOOK: Ambassadors to Muslims

Source: Crescent Project

Ambassadors to Muslims, by Fouad Masri. Book Villages, 2011, 176 pages.

The founder of Crescent Project and author of the Bridges study has published a short volume to inspire and equip North American Christians to reach out to Muslim neighbors and share the gospel with them. This book explores differences between Islam and Christianity and highlights similarities between Muslim and biblical worldviews. “Ambassadors” is written with a loving and winsome tone and is filled with practical ways to overcome obstacles, meet Muslims, and sensitively and effectively introduce them to the teachings of Jesus the Messiah.

“Seven million Muslims now live in North America and twenty million in the United Kingdom. Out of the 100,000 Muslims in Orlando, Florida, more than 25,000 are from one country – Morocco. Want to reach Moroccan Muslims without flying to North Africa? No problem. Pay a visit to Orlando.”

>> Learn more or purchase from Crescent Project for US$14.99, or download the Kindle edition for US$7.99.

>> Editor’s note: Stirred to pray for the world’s Muslims? It’s almost Ramadan again (this year, July 20 to August 18). Join 30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World. Materials to purchase, subscribe to, or download for free include booklets for children and adults, a one-page calendar, and more.

GRAPHICS: Free Bible Story Images

Source: Free Bible Images

Free Bible Images is a not-for-profit venture by Christians working together to make accurate images of Bible events freely available for download by anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Includes sets of photographs and color drawings designed for use in telling various stories from Scripture – e.g., 24 slides that dramatize Joseph being sold as a slave (Genesis 37). Each is available in multiple formats.

>> Editor’s note: Thanks to Brigada Today for the tip!

BOOK: In the Land of Blue Burqas

Source: Moody Publishers

In the Land of Blue Burqas, by Kate McCord. Moody Publishers, 2012. 320 pages.

Kate McCord (not her real name) is an American single woman who went to Afghanistan to start a nongovernmental organization to help Afghan women. Recently returned to the US after five years, she writes about her experiences living and working among the women of Afghanistan.

McCord’s stories reveal the sometimes harsh realities of Afghan culture and worldview and explore how these shape the lives of women. She recreates conversations with both men and women about such central aspects as marriage and family life, Muslim and Afghan identity, and community expectations.

She also describes how she and other believers responded to the most common questions they faced and learned to share the love and truth of Christ with the people of their host culture.

The resulting volume is a sobering but informative and thought-provoking read.

>> Purchase this book from Christian Book Distributors (or elsewhere) for US$9.49; US$7.99 for an electronic edition.

JOURNAL: Seedbed

Source: Pioneers 

Originally published by Arab World Ministries, Seedbed is a professional journal exploring the topics of church planting in Muslim contexts. Annual subscriptions begin with the first issue of the year. Mid-year subscribers will be sent back issues for that year. Seedbed is published by Pioneers two to three times per year and is approximately 100 pages.

Due to the sensitive nature of this publication, the identity of all Seedbed subscribers must be verified before fulfilling subscription requests.

>> Learn more or subscribe for US$17 (slightly more for delivery to addresses in other countries). A copy of the December 2011 edition, assessing approaches to church-planting movements, can be purchased separately for US$5.00.

EVENTS: July Missions Events

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

July 01 to 11 – RETREAT: Refresh! (Chiang Mai, Thailand). Provided by Heartstream Resources for Cross-cultural Workers.

July 01 to 20 – CLASS: Manarah (Dearborn, MI, USA). Learn about Islam and Muslims through an immersion experience, reaching out to local Muslims. Provided by Christar.

July 03 to 06 – RETREAT: Women of the Harvest Furlough Retreat (Colorado Springs, CO, USA). For North American women who live and work cross-culturally and are on home assignment.

July 16 to 20 – CONFERENCE: International Conference on Computing and Mission (Colorado Springs, CO, USA).

July 20 to August 19 – EVENT: 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World (global). Join the millions of Christians around the world who have participated in this, the largest ongoing international prayer focus on the Muslim world.

July 21 to 28 – CONFERENCE: The New Wilmington Mission Conference (Western Pennsylvania, USA). Week-long multi-generational mission conference. A tradition for more than 100 years.

>> View the whole calendar and/or let us know about events.

Marti WadeMarti Wade is a writer, speaker, and project manager for the Church Partnerships Team at Pioneers. Since the mid-90s she has also helped prepare cultural research teams to explore unreached communities and mobilize efforts to serve them.

Marti has managed and published Missions Catalyst since 2004 and is the author of Through Her Eyes, a book about the lives of women serving cross-culturally in the Muslim world. She married Chris Wade in May 2012.

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