Let your conversation (character) be without covetousness (including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions); and be content with such things as you have (including your circumstances): for He has said, “I will never leave you, (fail you nor give up on you) nor forsake you (relax My hold on you).” Hebrews 13:5

· Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, (and on every occasion) even unto the end of the world. Amen Matthew 28:20

· For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake; because it has pleased the Lord to make you his people. 1 Samuel 12:22

· Do not fear, for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness (rightness and justice). Isaiah 41:10

· I will not leave you comfortless (orphaned, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless): I will come to you. John 14:18

· Let your heart not be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. John 14:1

· The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before you; and shall say, Destroy them. Deuteronomy 33:27

· He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds (cures the pains and sorrows). Psalm 147:3

· Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
For it is written, for Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
For in all these things we are more than conquerers through him that loves us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39

· (For the Lord your God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake you, neither destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which he swore to them. Deuteronomy 4:31

· Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them: for the Lord your God, he it is that goes with you, he will not fail you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

· When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up (adopt me as his own). Psalm 27:10

· For the mountains will depart, and the hills will be removed; but my kindness (and love) will not depart (leave) from you, nor shall the covenant of my peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion and mercy on you. Isaiah 54:10

· Cast all your care (anxieties, worries, concerns) on him; for he cares for you (affectionately and watchfully). 1 Peter 5:7

· God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

How To Deal with Loneliness

Be reconciled to God – And although you were once alienated from him and were hostile toward him, now Christ has reconciled you to God in the body of his flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in his (the Father’s) presence. Colossians 1:21-22

Confess your sins – If we (freely) admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

Participate in the fellowship and community of fellow believers – Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together (as believers), as is the habit of some, but admonishing one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

Video: Scriptures for Encouragement

When Jesus left this earth He said this, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” How glad I am that someone had the vision and the insight and the courage and preached the Gospel to me. They kept preaching it until I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and savior. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. God wants everyone to know the truth and to set them free. God loved the whole world so much He gave His only Son so that no one should perish. But God has chosen to reach the lost of our generation by using us. It’s our job to tell the truth, it’s our job to open the eyes of the blind, it’s our job to share the love and power of Christ crucified, risen again and soon returning. The Lord said, “the harvest is the end of the age” (see Matthew 13:39). Pray for workers.

“The Gospel is only Good News if it gets there in time.” Carl F.H. Henry

This has always been God’s way. All down through the ages God called men and women to listen to His heartbeat and they went into one nation after another ready to make disciples of all nations. And one heard here and ten heard there and sometimes hundreds of thousands heard. And because one courageous man and women after another rose up to give their lives and lay it down, the Gospel has reached to almost all the world. I thank God this Gospel was being preached back some 27 years ago when someone walked up to me and said, “I want to tell you about Jesus”. And someone kept the Gospel going until it came to you and now you know about it. And if the Lord doesn’t come in our generation then there’s going to be another generation and they’ve got to know about it. I don’t care if there are Arab Springs or Sharia Walls or political divisions or whatever it is, this Gospel must be preached, and we must make disciples of all nations.
1.6 BILLION people didn’t reject the Gospel, they simply never heard it!

Listen, when I bring the message of Jesus Christ to a Muslim man or women, he doesn’t ask me first what my doctrinal position is on the last days, she doesn’t ask me what my doctrinal position is on eternal security, he doesn’t ask me what my doctrinal position is on baptism, she doesn’t ask me what my doctrinal position is on healing of the sick, that poor man or women is simply there sick and weary and tired and worn and crying out and I say, “Friend, do you know there is someone who loves you, His name is Jesus.” He simply wants to hear about love, she simply wants to hear about a new life, he simply wants to hear about a new way of living, she simply needs to hear an answer to the problems of her existence.

God’s Move Today Is To Raise Up An Army

I believe that the Word of God teaches that this age that we are living in is God’s last offer to man. Now is the accepted time, today is the day of salvation, this age we are living in is God’s climatic, final, ultimate offer. But back of it is His purpose, He will not fail. God’s move of today is to raise up an army. You have no time to build for yourself a haven on earth. You’ll never have a heaven on earth brother and sister, you’ve either got heaven inside or you’ll never have heaven at all. Too many people are hoping to build for themselves a haven on earth, we are hoping once again to build beautiful church buildings or beautiful organizations or a fine ministry around ourselves. Brother, sister, hear me today, it is God’s will and God’s purpose that the thing He willed right from the beginning, that “This Gospel, this Good News, should be preached in all the earth as a witness and then shall the end come.” I’m not interested anymore in building for myself a ministry or building for myself a church. We’ll never build a kingdom, Jesus has to bring the Kingdom. And I want to do what He told us to do so He can bring it to this earth, hallelujah. “Preach the Gospel,” He said, “in all the world for a witness and then the end will come.” I want to hurry back the return of the King, hallelujah.
The power of the gospel of the kingdom is greater than any other message

The practical part of this is you start where you are. You get together with other believers and you start praying. God hasn’t given up on this world, we have. It’s the Christians who have given up. Commit yourself to what the Bible says to commit yourself to. Commit yourself to what’s important to God. The Lord said, “the harvest is the end of the age” (see Matthew 13:39). Pray for workers.

And remember, if you can’t go, send someone who can. The bible promises you get the same reward!

Video: Hillson LIVE – Mighty To Save

Over the years I have had many people join in short and long-term missions. Some were very sure about the “call” while others were just along for the ride. All of them experienced change in their life, and that change was not always as good as you might expect.

There are many aspects to short-term missions and I’d like to talk about a couple of issues with you today. These are based on experience and relate to the most often-asked questions and concerns about mission trips.

Am I Called?

Despite the fact the Bible says “GO,” many people assume or question whether they are really called to make a missions trip. Most people assume that the “Professional Missionary” (whatever that is) is the only one “called”. People often don’t feel gifted in the area of evangelism and simply don’t see how they can do any good by going on a missions-specific trip.

Little do those who stay home realize that just going is in and of itself a powerful testimony to the world of Christ’s love for them. God “sent” His Son and sends us to. Perhaps the biggest surprise for those who go is how much fruit there is just because they packed the suitcase and joined the group. What God makes obvious to those we go to is that He cares enough about them to send them someone. It doesn’t take long before the conversation comes around to the Sending of His Son.

Are you called? Yes! Do you have to learn to be an evangelist or bible teacher or theologian or professional missionary to make an impact. Nope, just going is going to make an impact.

What Do I Have To Offer?

Related to the above, the next question people ask me is what they can possibly do, what can they offer? Short-term mission is usually a group activity. Certain mission trips are very specific with clear goals, such as: carrying bibles to local believers or renovating a school or teaching how to sow clothes or showing kids how to use the Internet. Other mission trips are more prayer oriented such as visiting an unreached peoples group and simply praying for them so that doors can open to specific, goal-oriented trips later.

Whatever the case, you have your physical abilities and your spiritual abilities to offer. If you can’t renovate a building you can do a lot of good by helping the locals carry a basket of fruit home. Since you’ll be watched by the local people, your godly lifestyle will share an aspect of the Gospel, often impacting more than any words you can say. And because you made the effort to go, the act of service and unity will show the local people the true, father-heart of God.

Do you have something to offer? Yes! I’ve seen enough people come to Christ because someone came and helped wash the toilet facilities! You don’t have to be a professor or CEO of a company or rich to make a difference in a hurting and frustrated world.

Why Go? There Are Enough Lost Right Here

While it is true that GOING can mean a days outing across the city, most people aren’t doing that either. The importance of short-term missions trips has always been the equipping of the saints just as much as bringing the gospel to an unreached peoples group. In most cases people come home from a trip transformed, empowered, engaged and excited. They have seen that God used them and their excitement and energy flows out of them to all those around them, saved or unsaved. Getting out of our daily routine and surrounding opens our eyes and expands our horizons to understand much more about God’s heart and the needs of world around us. It’s hard to picture the history of the Children of Israel or the Book of Acts when one has never traveled. It is hard to remember the power of change the Holy Spirit works in us all when we are stuck in our local church. When we get out of our surroundings we get back the perspective of God at work and that will give us the power to bring change back at home.

Why Go? Christ Jesus went. He came to this earth and the GOING remains a spiritual power source to release us to impact all of our world, both at home and abroad. GOING will change your perspective (back to what it was when you first got saved).

I Can’t Go

If you really can’t go (and of course some cannot) then help send someone who can go! Your reward, the Bible says, will be in heaven waiting for you.

End of Part One

Music Video: GO! by Take No Glory

By now, Pastor Dennis Balcombe is a legend in China, and most of you know about him. Here is a short video we hacked up about some of his legendary work.

Watched this already? Fine. Have you checked the website? Here is the link to his international organization: Revival Chinese Ministries International …?

Keep scrolling – more cool stuff below!!

60 Asians, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 people from Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean, 5 from the USA and Canada, and 1 person from Australia or New Zealand.

Communications

The people of the village would have considerable difficulty communicating: 14 people would speak Mandarin, 8 people would speak Hindi/Urdu, 8 English, 7 Spanish, 4 Russian, 4 Arabic. This list accounts for less than half the villagers. The others speak (in descending order of frequency) Bengali, Portuguese, Indonesian, Japanese, German, French, and 200 other languages.

Religions

In the village there would be: 33 Christians, 22 Moslems, 15 Hindus, 14 Nonreligious, Agnostics, or Atheists, 6 Buddhists, 10 all other religions.

Poor and Rich

In this 100-person community: 80 would live in substandard housing. 67 adults live in the village; and half of them would be illiterate. 50 would suffer from malnutrition. 33 would not have access to clean, safe drinking water. 24 people would not have any electricity. Of the 76 that do have electricity, most would use it only for light at night. In the village would be 42 radios, 24 televisions, 14 telephones, and 7 computers (some villagers own more than one of each). 7 people would own an automobile (some of them more than one). 5 people would possess 32% of the entire village’s wealth, and these would all be from the USA. The poorest one-third of the people would receive only 3% of the income of the village.

More to Ponder

If you woke up this morning healthy … you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the fear and loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pain of starvation … you are better off than 500 million people in the world. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep … you are more comfortable than 75% of the people in this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace … you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. If you can read this, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Copyright

This material is copyright-free. You may reproduce it. Original version by Donella H. Meadows More info at www.odt.org

I have been using Brian Gardner themes for a few years now, even before StudioPress existed. Brian puts a lot of effort into getting it right. Although WordPress has many Themes to offer, I stuck with Brian because of the extra effort he built into his works of art. Even his free themes never broke, had an excellent logic to them, were (are) easy to follow so they could be customized and even had SEO (search engine optimization) built into the back end. SEO is important because no matter how great your website is, if no one can find it …

So now I am trying the Genesis Framework. I’m not going to explain what a framework is, you can read about that on StudioPress.com or on WordPress.org.

I see that the Genesis Framework remains the same quality and standard of excellence as hoped. I read many reviews about this framework and they were all positive as far as I could see. The logic makes it easy to customize and it is amazingly fast, something I had not expected. SEO is built in and a huge plus is that the forums answer any question you might have. I was delighted to see a long support thread which really had little to do with Genesis or a child-theme, yet the people at StudioPress had taken an enormous amount of time and energy to fix the RSS feed problem. Above and beyond what should be expected from a support forum.

Observations About The Genesis Framework

Some of my observations:

Genesis as a framework is up-to-date with all the goodies WordPress has built into the back end. It is easy to add “Hooks” and “Filters” and “Shortcodes”. Of course there is a learning curve to all of these – the difference between hooks and filters for example. But that is the reality of using any technology. One tip I would give you is that if you are searching the forums for answers, make sure you are viewing an answer to do with the latest Genesis release. As upgrades are released, some older issues have been re-deployed in the newer versions. But I’m rambling here… It took me a couple of days to get my live sites set up (this is a testing site). Some simple items such as page navigation is made overly complicated since I was trying to resolve all my needs without editing any of the Genesis code. Adding all the bits and pieces to the child theme was possible, but it took some extra time. (Part of the problem is learning the terminology so as to find the correct answers in the support forums or the Genesis documentation.)

Genesis Child Themesy

The Child-themes are nice and simple. They all have the style.css file, functions.php and home.php and some have landing pages or other custom pages. That makes initial setup and quick changes relatively simple. Not all the child themes look modern, but behind the scenes they too have been updated. (If you remember back to the Revolution days, you will find those themes are on the StudioPress site.)

Since I am terrible at graphics and color coordination, I rely heavily on graphic artists tastes and ideas to put together a nice looking theme. A small wish I have is that a couple more “modern” themes would be added. For example, if the last StudioPress theme had been added to the portfolio I would have taken it. I read somewhere that Brian argues too many choices don’t help. He is probably right about that but perhaps retiring some of the older-looking Revolution themes would be an idea (hiding them somewhere where people could still find them).

Conclusions

Genesis is:

• Fast
• Up-to-date (HTML5 and Responsive Design and Flexible Grid are all coming – probably done by the time you read this )

UPDATE: there are already a couple of Responsive Design themes available!!

• Customization-able
• SEO friendly
• Well supported (even the old themes I don’t use anymore are still supported!)
• Costs some money, but not much by comparison
• Reliable / trustworthy
• Has several plugins created just for Genesis
• PSD files included for custom headers

An example of some of the many Shortcodes: (within a blockquote)

Wednesday, January 18, 2012 5:55 · Nitrous Theme on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress powered by WordPress

Ten years from now we will interact with the internet in completely different ways. Roger McNamee identifies six changes that are already transforming the ways we consume and create content.

Quote: The next big shift is now, and it’s not what you think: Facebook is the new Windows; Google must be sacrificed.

Another great site for Free Stock Photos & Images for personal, educational and non-commercial usage is www.stockvault.net/

Another one I like for church is creationswap formerly CreativeMYK

If you are looking for backgrounds for your website, try subtlepatterns.com. They have a very nice collection of good backgrounds. Just pick what you like, download and then login to WordPress and click, Appearance, Background and upload the image.

Arguably the most popular free photo site, stock.xchng offers more than 350,000 images you can use for your blog – absolutely free. Some photographers may require a link back or credit in some form, however, so be sure to read the fine print and comply with what they’re asking. They have a simple search feature which allows you browse by keyword, or you can do an advanced search to really narrow down your results if you are looking for something specific.

Another free photo site is Stockvault. They have around 30,000 images. The site is nicely laid out and quite easy to use, and the photos are fairly good quality.

Everystockphoto is a search engine for free photos. I don’t particularly like this site as it is difficult to know 100% that the linked photo is still free to download and use, and often the sites Everystockphoto is searching are login only sites which can end up confusing later not to mention with a large number of emails coming back at you offering products, often premium or sign-up only…

The bottom-line with any search for free photos or graphics or images to be careful before downloading and using other peoples work. More laws are coming into effect which will make suing for infringements easier. Sometimes I feel certain sites are trying to trick us into downloading images which have no clear copyright nor is it easy to understand just who owns the image. If you can, design your own but if you can’t, be careful out there.

Please Pray for North Africa and the Middle East

Islamic World In Turmoil

Download the PDF

As regimes topple in North Africa and shakings threaten Middle East leaders, could this be the breaking down of a wall of Islam many have predicted for years? Or will it have the opposite effect? Will it strengthen extremism and create an open door for radical Islamist groups to take power?

In the space of just weeks the impossible happened in the Muslim world. Starting in Tunisia December 17, 2010, Mohammed Bouazizi’s suicide started revolts against repressive regimes in the region. The Tunisian government was quickly overthrown and people in Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Jordan, and several other countries began demonstrations.

For those of us who have been praying and working into this area of the world for years, we are amazed and rejoicing at all God is doing. Nevertheless, it is too soon to abandon prayer for the region and assume the job is done. We need to listen to God’s prophetic voice and continue to pray and intercede in accordance for the people.

This short guide (PDF) will help you. Download: Islamic World In Turmoil