Category: Resource Reviews

Unbelievable: Living in the Son, by Graham Charles Bee. 2015, 310 pages.

Are you a fan of missionary biographies and autobiographies? I bring this one to you because you may not find it on your own and it’s well worth the read. Graham Bee describes his early years in Australia, later ministry in Ghana, family life, and experiences in mission agency leadership with good grace and humor.

Admittedly, this is a self-published memoir and may be of greatest interest to those who know the author, have connections with WEC International or Australia, or who have served in West Africa. Yet the book is well written, and I found the author’s sunny attitude, sensitivity to God, and thoughtful insights reminding me of Thomas Hale (author of Don’t Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees and others). The stories in 50 short and encouraging chapters are well chosen to interest and inspire the reader on his or her own journey of faith.

» Learn more or purchase for US$13.13 from Amazon or elsewhere.

» Looking for something to listen to on a family road trip? YWAM Publishing now offers audio versions of many of their popular biographies.

Source: 30 Days Prayer

Ramadan is coming up, June 18 to July 17, and with it the annual 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World. Do you plan to pray? How might you mobilize others to join you?

Each year a new illustrated prayer guide booklet is published in a number of languages and locations around the world. The booklet contains daily readings that focus on various topics, people groups and geographical areas of the Islamic world. Each day’s subject focus is followed by prayer points. It also features informative background articles and resources for involvement.

» Purchase copies of the US edition from WorldChristian.com for US$3 (bulk discounts and an edition just for kids also available); a downloadable PDF is US$2.50. Excerpts from the US edition should be posted online day by day on the same website. Get material in different languages or locations from the international site.

» See also the DVD In the House of Islam, a documentary based on David Garrison’s book A Wind in the House of Islam.

June

June, GoFest 2015 (across Asia, Australia). One mission mobilization event, seven cities: Singapore; Penang, Malaysia; Dili, Timor-Leste; Pontianak, Indonesia; Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney, Australia.

June 5-6, The Justice Conference (Chicago, IL, USA). Annual event to promote dialogue around justice related issues such as human trafficking, slavery, poverty, HIV/AIDS, and human rights.

June 5-13, Single Vision (Lisbon, Portugal). Renewal for single missionaries.

June 6, Disciple Making Movements Training (Plano, TX, USA). Provided by Act Beyond.

June 8 to August 30, Encountering the World of Islam (online). Twelve-week class will help you discover God’s heart for Muslims.

June 9-29, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (Pasadena, CA, USA). Three-week intensive.

June 10, Rethinking Short-term Mission (online). Free hour-long webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen.

June 9, Mobile Ministry Training Course (online). Start of four-week class, repeated several times a year. Learn how to use mobile technology for evangelism.

June 14, World Refugee Sunday (international). Churches praying for refugees and displaced people. Some also observing this event June 21.

June 14-24, Refresh! (Grenoble, France). Retreat for cross-cultural workers. Provided by Heartstream Resources.

June 18 to July 17, 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus (global).

June 19-21, GOFest (Bulstrode, Bucks, UK). Free, annual mission festival for all ages.

June 23-24, Support-raising Bootcamp (Lombard, IL, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

June 24 to July 4, Breathe Conference (Wilderswil, Switzerland). Ten-day retreat for renewal and encouragement for cross-cultural workers.

June 25-27, National African-American Missions Conference (Vienna, VA, USA).

June 30, Four Things Every Team Leader Should Do After a Short-term Mission Trip (webinar). Provided by DELTA Ministries.

July

July 5-15, Refresh! (Thailand). Retreat for cross-cultural workers, provided by Heartstream Resources.

July 6 to November 8 Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Course (online). Provided by the Perspectives Study Program.

July 12-17, ABIDE (Joplin, MO, USA). Re-entry and debriefing for singles, couples, and families. Provided by TRAIN International.

July 14-17, Thrive Retreat (Breckenridge, CO, USA). For North American women serving cross-culturally.

July 16-17, Disciple Making Movements Experience (Nashville, TN, USA). Hosted by Long Hollow Baptist Church.

July 18-25, New Wilmington Mission Conference (Western Pennsylvania, USA). Annual, week-long multi-generational mission conference; a tradition for more than 100 years.

July 19-25, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (Grapevine, TX, USA). One-week intensive.

July 19 to August 7, Manarah (Detroit, MI, USA). Muslim evangelism training provided by Christar. Also offered elsewhere in Spanish.

July 22-23, Support-raising Bootcamp (Rogers, AR, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

July 28, How to Protect Yourself after a Short-term Mission Trip (webinar). Provided by DELTA Ministries.

July 26 to August 1, ReBoot Re-entry Program (Kitchener, ON, Canada). For returning missionary kids, ages 17-20, transitioning to life in Canada.

August

August 3-9, MK/TCK Re-entry Retreat (Gaston, SC, USA). Retreat designed for teens transitioning to college from missionary families.

August 8-14, ReBoot Re-entry Program (Calgary, AB, Canada). For returning missionary kids, ages 17-20, transitioning to life in Canada.

August 9-15, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (Pittsburgh, PA, USA). One-week intensive.

August 11, Four Things Every Friend of a Short-term Missionary Needs to Know (webinar). Provided by DELTA Ministries.

August 17 to December 20, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Course (online). Provided by the Perspectives Study Program.

August 20-21, Support-raising Bootcamp (Blooomfield, NJ, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

» View the complete calendar and/or submit an item.

Dear friends,

While we don’t have a full edition of Missions Catalyst for you today, here are a few quick items and updates which might pique your interest.

1. The Kindle edition of the novel Child of Ishmael, which we reviewed in April, is free on Amazon. But the sale ends today. A good read.
2. Christianity Today drew together reports about how the earthquake has affected Nepal’s Christian community. Keep praying.
3. A new Discovery Bible App includes 30 “Creation to Christ” lessons, in text or audio, which anyone (who has an android device) can use to lead a reproducible Bible study in English or Arabic. Well done.
4. TheNations.us, a mobilization website, now features an interactive chart for prospective workers seeking a sending agency. It profiles 14 of the larger agencies that send US workers to the least reached. A handy reference.

We’ll be back with you next week with the May edition of Practical Mobilization.

Blessings,
Marti Wade

Missions Catalyst Resource Reviews 4.22.15

1. BIBLE STUDY: God’s Heart for the Nations
2. FOR USE WITH CHILDREN: Fabric Map and Lesson Plans
3. BOOK: Missiographics 1.0
4. BOOK: Mission Mobilization Fiction?
5. EVENTS: May Calendar

Dear Readers,

In this issue we highlight a new edition of the Bible study God’s Heart for the Nations. I should let you know: I worked on that one! So I hope you’ll let me know if you have any comments or questions about it.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us about resources you’d like to see featured in future editions. We don’t have space to write about all the new books that come out or describe upcoming events in detail, but we can always use your tips about new videos, websites, online tools, and other resources that are accessible and would be interesting to other readers. We’d also welcome your comments on our website or Facebook.

Much thanks!

Marti

God’s Heart for the Nations, by Jeff Lewis. BottomLine Media, 2015. 63 pages.

Looking for an affordable, effective tool to open eyes to God’s global purposes as revealed in scripture from Genesis to Revelation?

God’s Heart for the Nations is an inductive Bible study that explores how God’s blessings and global purposes are woven together. Originally published in 2002, it has recently been revised and updated by the author in collaboration with Pioneers, which now distributes the booklet.

The eight lessons include more than 100 Bible passages to explore along with memory verses, mission quotes, people group profiles for prayer, and suggestions for reflection or further study. There’s also a video introduction for each lesson.

You might work through it on your own, include it the curriculum for a class or small group, or use it to prepare a short-term mission team.

Jeff Lewis is a professor at California Baptist University and also has a ministry teaching and consulting with churches and other groups about seamlessly integrating God’s heart for the nations into their lives and ministries.

» Learn more or purchase from Pioneers for US$6 (with discounts available for bulk orders) or get it from Amazon. Not available electronically.

» See also these resources of similar scope and purpose: Witnesses to All the World: God’s Heart for the Nations, by Jim and Carol Plueddemann and Missions: God’s Heart for the World, by Paul Borthwick. You could also download Embark, a free four-week study from Frontiers.

Parents and teachers might be interested in a new attractive fabric map to use in learning about and praying for the world. This large, hemmed 29” x 40” cloth map is brightly colored and each country clearly identified. The map also comes with suggestions for fun family activities.

» Preview or purchase fabric map from CMM Press for US$12.00.

A series of 24 downloadable lessons for teaching kids about the world has recently been “freshened up.” Most are designed for a 30-minute time slot. They introduce children to kids around the world and different issues affecting their lives.

» Learn more or purchase lessons from CMM Press for US$5.00 each.

» Visit the CMM Press store for additional resources for children, parents, and teachers written or collected by Weave Family ministries. See also the extensive resource lists on the Weave Family website.

Missiographics 1.0, by Justin Long. GMI Books, 2015. 80 pages.

In an age of data and information overload, images may be the best way to tell the story of global missions. That’s why our friends at GMI started publishing Missiographics, a series of free, compelling, mission-related infographics to help mission leaders, mobilizers, teachers, and students see the world through new eyes.

Missiographics 1.0 collects 16 of the most helpful graphics in this series and supplements them with thoughtful essays from researcher Justin Long addressing the “so what?” questions they evoke.

» Learn more or purchase one of several ebook editions from GMI for US$9.99. This is the kind of book you might want to have on paper, though, and the print edition is US$14.99.

» Also see the complete Missiographics library or subscribe to newsletters.

Child of Ishmael, by James Wright. CreateSpace, 2015. 418 pages.

Mission books don’t tend to make the best-seller lists, and mission fiction is almost non-existent. So when an author whose previous book we’d reviewed and enjoyed told me he’d written a novel to help mobilize people for missions, I thought you’d want to hear about it. An unusual resource!

The novel deals with the awakening of a somewhat naive Iowa college-town pastor and his community when a mosque goes up across the street from their church and brings them face-to-face with Islam, apparently for the first time. They start questioning their assumptions about faith, world religions, and how the church should respond. You probably know people who hold the same views or struggle with the same questions. Several characters even end up traveling to Central Asia to solve a few mysteries and visit a man they met through the mosque.

» Learn more or purchase the Kindle edition for US$8.99 from Amazon ($14.99 for the paperback). See also Fields of Gold: Planting a Church among Central Asian Muslims, or read our review of it.

EVENTS: May Calendar

May 1-3, TENTmaking Impact Seminar (Seattle, WA, USA). Provided by Global Opportunities.

May 5, To Send or Not to Send? Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen. Part of the series The Mission Table; free.

May 6, Is There Any Good News in the Muslim World? Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen with Keith Swartley; free.

May 7, Megacities and the Urban Future. Webinar from Missio Nexus with Douglas Batson.

May 8-9, MissionNext Forum (Arlington, VA, USA). Find your fit in missions.

May 11-17, Single Vision (Hong Kong). Renewal for single missionaries.

May 13, Maintaining the Vision for the Long Haul and Staying Encouraged. Webinar from Missio Nexus, with George Verwer.

May 14, Organizing to Reach the Diaspora: A Case Study in Changing Overseas Structure from Geographic Components of Global Affinity Groups. Webinar from Missio Nexus, with Jerry Rankin.

May 15-16, The Journey Deepens (Portland, OR, USA). A weekend retreat for prospective missionaries.

May 18-19, Support Raising Bootcamp (Nashville, TN, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

May 18-30, Theology of Honor and Shame (Simi Valley, CA, USA). A 3-unit intensive course at Eternity Bible College developing a biblical missiology for Majority World cultures.

May 19, How to Keep Social Media from Wrecking Your Short-term Mission Trip. Webinar provided by DELTA Ministries.

May 21, Beyond Welcome Back, 10 Things You Need to Know About Reentry. Webinar from Missio Nexus, with Lisa Chinn.

May 23-31, Darshan (Chicago, IL, USA). Hindu evangelism training provided by Christar.

May 24, Global Day of Prayer (international). An annual event.

May 27-29, 2015 COSIM Conference (Nashville, TN, USA). Annual conference of the Coalition on the Support of Indigenous Ministries.

May 28, Identifying Doors God Opens for Shorter Term Mission Endeavors and the Cost of Effective Integral Engagement. Webinar from Missio Nexus, with Gil Odendaal.

May 28-30, Serving Internationals (Wheaton, IL, USA). Annual conference by the Association of Christians Ministering among Internationals (ACMI).

May 28-30, Global Children’s Ministry Equip Conference (Chiang Mai, Thailand).

May 30-June 6, Sahara Challenge (St. Paul, MN, USA). Intensive training for ministry to Muslims, from Crescent Project.

» View the complete calendar and/or submit an item.