Blogs & Opinion
Delivering the Word of God to the Hausa People
In partnership with YWAM, over 300 Davar Hausa audio Bibles were distributed to tribes in Nigeria. This was the first time many had the opportunity to experience the fullness of scripture in a language they could understand.
Trying something new
During this global pandemic, I am attending many video conferences and webinars. A clear message of “be creative” and “try something new” keeps surfacing. We were founded on the principle of being creative and trying new things.
Reaching across language barriers
One challenge that many Bible college graduates have is forgetting their mother tongue. Perhaps they were identified as intelligent and talented from as young as twelve years of age so they were sent to boarding school for the sake of their education. This ...
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Digital Orality: New Signs of Spiritual Opportunities
Orality-based methods and strategies are the most effective ways people have learned and communicated from the beginning of time. Digital Orality is about combining modern technological resources with the most ancient forms of communicating and learning. ...
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Transformed Lives
Earlier this year, Charlotte and another member of our staff were introduced to a family from the Middle East through a mutual friend. They were invited to visit the mother and her adult daughter in their home.
Gospel Spreads Among Truck Drivers in West Africa
In West Africa, truck driving is a dangerous and stressful job. Drivers face job insecurity, the threat of being robbed, extortion from corrupt policemen, and cultural and linguistic barriers as they cross through borders taking imports from the coast to la...
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How to Prepare Your First Bible Story
Bible storytelling is a skill that most of us are not born with. It’s hard the first time but will get easier the more stories you learn. Here is the basic process.
The Importance of Asking the Right Questions
“Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning." “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Unfortunately, many people lose that curiosity and thirst for knowledge as they grow older.
We fit together well!
Everyone was listening to it, and they kept saying, “Wow! God’s word is in our language! And it’s easy to understand!”’ Yan, a Muniyo man passionate about reaching his people with the gospel, recounted excitedly as he exchanged news with Seth.
How Should Missionaries Help Create Indigenous Worship Music?
Let’s face it: we humans like neat categories. We prefer classifications that are easy to grasp. Take music, for example. We classify music into genres, which are perceived as static and “pure” despite the fact that they are always evolving.
Youssef is searching for truth online
Youssef has questions about Jesus and Josh has truth about Him. But they live in separate areas of the same city without knowing the other exists. How can they connect? Many people in these areas are going online to ask spiritual questions—just like Youssef.
Learning from our brothers in the East
Everyday experiences of isolation are something that all of us have become familiar with since the arrival of COVID-19. Middle East and North African (MENA) nations have been affected too, although isolation in other ways is a daily reality that many of the...
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Restoring Missional Vision in Theological Education
Most of the emerging churches are made up of first-generation believers. Therefore, they come with totally different sets of worldviews. They lack deep discipleship under the lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives, which would transform their worldviews. T...
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From no phones to Zoom – and everything in between
Just over twenty years ago I went to Kenya to live in a rural village. I stayed with an American family involved in Bible translation, in order to help homeschool their children. I was to find that landlines barely existed, and my primary form of communicat...
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Fairness and Equality, from God’s Kingdom Perspective
There is a lot of talk these days about inequality and the need for more fairness and equality. People often get the idea that their worth or value is based on their salary, possessions, title or position in an organization or society. Perhaps the greatest ...
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Japan Programs Combat Disasters
Haruka* slumped into her living room chair, her shoulders hunched forward. She breathed deeply, then exhaled hard, almost a breath of desperation. Her life unraveling and her worries mounting, Haruka pleaded with God. “Are You deserting me?” Turning her...
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Rescued into Love
The day I walked through the door, I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard of these places before—these safe houses, these women, this hard and difficult work. I was expecting to meet broken women. But, I didn’t expect this.
Singing the Gospel: How Oral Learners Encounter Truth
In Africa, many village women sing to stay motivated as they work. Children are taught cultural values through songs and stories recounted during initiation rites. The Toposa people of South Sudan are no different. They sing about harvest time or a favorite...
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Overcoming Tunnel Vision: Expanding Our Horizons
In 1965, in Japan my learning journey was greatly accelerated. I began discovering more about various customs, worldviews and cultural value systems. It was a season of discovering how much I didn’t know, and the fact that the rest of the world is very di...
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Humility and different gifts in the body of Christ
I am privileged to meet many humble indigenous men and women of peace from communities all over the world. They follow our Lord Jesus Christ, seeking to reflect His image in everything they do. They are “not easily offended” although many of them have gone ...
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How the Church Has Responded to Similar Crises in the Past
As we try to find our way during this time of crisis, I think it is instructive to look back at how the Church has responded to similar crises in the past. We keep hearing the word “unprecedented” in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic we are facing. But we ...
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Isolated Together
Millions of children are now in self isolation in their homes in Turkey, and so are most of the SAT-7 TÜRK staff. Determined to joyfully share a message of encouragement, hope, and love to its young viewers, we are broadcasting its children’s program from a...
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Times of Crises can Foster Unity and Mobilize the Body of Christ
From reports, we are hearing from around the world, God’s people are putting aside minor or secondary differences for the greater purposes of God. This is nothing new, and hopefully can be used for greater impact in advancing the Kingdom of God. When crise...
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SAT-7 Shares Church Messages as One Body During Pandemic
Through its non-denominational approach, SAT-7 is providing viewers spiritual messages from churches to unite believers in Christ. Since the first week of the coronavirus crisis, videos from churches in Kuwait, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Jordan continue to po...
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Lessons from the Original Jesus Movement
Consider how the Gospel spread throughout the entire populated world in the First Century, before the invention of the radio, television, the internet, or the printing press. Think about how God preserved the accuracy of His message in predominantly Oral C...
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Finding Shelter in the Shadow of His wings
Interesting fact about the Word of God: it is approximately 15% poetry. Poetry of the Bible provides much comfort and peace in all types of crisis whether illness, neglect, dominance, injustice, or even a global outbreak of a pandemic virus.
Creative Access COVID-19 Style
COVID-19. It has changed all of our lives in a matter of days. I’ve wrestled with what following Jesus looks like in this unique time. We are called to be the light of the world set on a hill, not hiding under a basket (or behind our doors). How do we do t...
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The Storms of Life
We all encounter the storms of life; difficulties, problems and crisis situations. Who do you go to during those storms of life? How do you respond in the bad times? These are important questions and reveal a lot about our relationship with and walk wit...
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3 Things to Pray During Ramadan
This year, Ramadan begins on April 23rd and ends on May 23rd. It is the ninth, and also considered holiest, month of the Islamic calendar. It is believed that the Qur’an was first revealed to Muhammad during this month.
Hannah’s Vision
I first started to think about filming the Gospels when my church installed a screen and I wanted to be able to show Bible footage to my Sunday School members: children who were from very diverse ethnic backgrounds. I could only find films for children depi...
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Missionary died thinking he was a failure
In 1912, medical missionary Dr. William Leslie went to live and minister to tribal people in a remote corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After 17 years he returned to the U.S. a discouraged man – believing he failed to make an impact for Christ...
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Living Water – for the Body and the Soul
A few years ago I visited a region in East Africa where the people had experienced a severe drought for several years; most of the water wells in that region were dry. I was told that 30,000 people were getting water from that one well, and in addition to t...
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Gospel Films
This is the story of Jesus. This is the story of hope for mankind. This is the greatest story ever told. Gospel Films are a ground-breaking, multi-language biblical resource that will transform the way people around the world discover, study, and engage wit...
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A Heart Warmed
Spring comes late to Nanai country in the Russian Far East. Ice on the nearby Amur River can be three feet thick after a winter where temperatures plummet to 40 degrees below zero. Yet life thrives here. Ice fishermen find success even on the coldest days.
Flourishing, Growing, and Bearing Fruit
In 1975 Pat Zondervan delivered an eight point message about the characteristics of the Palm Tree, from Psalms 92:12-14. He compared the Palm Tree to the believer’s life in Christ. One of the points he made was how the fruit of the Palm Tree is sweeter wit...
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A Deep Thirst for Hope in Syria
Since the Arab Spring of 2011, Syria continues to be torn by war until today. Debilitated infrastructure, lack of security, inflation, armed conflicts and continuous displacement of people, mark daily life in Syria. Mina Awny, Presenter of Family of Jesus o...
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Embracing the Great Commission
None of us can begin to know what tomorrow holds, let alone this new year. And yet, with all the changes we face, whether personally, relationally, politically, or globally, there are unchanging truths that we as believers in Jesus can hold on to with great...
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Sowing and Reaping, and the Law of Averages
I first learned about the Law of Averages selling books door-to-door for several summers during my college years. I found that if I gave my sales talk about 30 times a day, that on average, I could expect to make 3 or 4 sales, sometimes more. It was hard ...
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Women of Hope Audio Helps Families Communicate
As her children grew increasingly rebellious and resentful, Nofoto knew the fabric of her family was being ripped apart. But this South African mother realized that the problem rested with her and not her kids. And that the solution required dramatic change...
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Delivering the Word of God to the Maasai
In partnership with the Bible Society of Kenya and Kivah, Davar delivered solar devices loaded with Davar's audio bible recording to the the Maasai in their home language. This is the first time many will have the opportunity to experience the fullness of s...
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Communicating Truth — By All Means
We all have influence on other people, whether we realize it or not. We are all influenced by others, in more ways than we might be aware of. Many of the influences in our lives are out of our control. However, we certainly can control many of them by our...
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The Stewardship of Influence
We all have influence on other people, whether we realize it or not. We are all influenced by others, in more ways than we might be aware of. Many of the influences in our lives are out of our control. However, we certainly can control many of them by our...
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Oral Learning People Groups in the US: Refugees and Immigrants
Did you know that it is estimated that there are about 350 unreached people groups (UPGs) living in the United States? The majority of UPGs learn and pass on their history, heritage, faith and culture through oral communication. “We must welcome the unreach...
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Zealous for the things that matter
“I was trained by David Watson,” my friend said over lunch. “My mentor in Disciple Making Movements was so and so,” I replied. A bit later I added, “I also learned under Ying and Grace Kai.” George Patterson was another person whose name came to my mind. Wa...
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Breaking Through Despair to Deliver Hope
Though surrounded by her four children, Chantou sat discouraged in her Cambodia village, feeling alone. Her husband had abandoned her and their family, and she couldn’t shake the spirit of despair hovering over her.
The Many Benefits and Applications of Orality Training
It is amazing, and sometimes surprising, how many people are receptive to discussing what it means to have a relationship with the Lord and become a follower of Jesus. So many people today seem to be resistant to institutional religion, even institutionaliz...
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The Role of Orality for Disciple Making
It would be a valuable exercise to consider what is meant by Disciple Making and Church. There is a growing awareness with many now for the need to focus more on disciple making, rather than church planting and church growth, although in many cases we’re ta...
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A Lifetime Experience
I love broadcasting and I love working with SAT-7 because of my background in media. I have two degrees in broadcasting and started my career on a gourmet cooking show with Julia Child. When I started a family, I began to volunteer in the media ministry of ...
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The Power of Community and Missional Living
When followers of Jesus grasp the significance of being on mission with God, it can become a delight to share His life changing message with others. It’s also a great joy to be a part of a community where there is a tangible demonstration of love and unity...
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When You Are Not Enough
Following Jesus and making disciples of all nations is a privilege. And yet while seasons of sweetness, victory and answered prayer are a very real experience for those living on mission and pursuing Jesus wholeheartedly, they’re also not the whole story.
From Many Gods to the God Who Sustains
I was born into a non-Christian family and used to worship many gods and goddesses. I used to follow all the rituals and fast for various gods. Performing so many rituals religiously didn’t make me or anyone else in my family happy.
The Place of Orality in the Great Commission
What is the Great Commission anyway? A recent study showed that a large percentage of church goers in North America did not know. A very simple summary of the Great Commission could be “communicating the Gospel to everyone” and “making disciples (follower...
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The Way of the Cross
Over the past few days, I read a book by Elisabeth Elliot. She was a linguist among unreached peoples in Ecuador, serving alongside her husband, Jim Elliot, to make Christ known where He was not yet known.
The Power of Storytelling
There are many places throughout the world where a written language doesn’t exist. There are others where literacy rates are extremely low. In both cases, without the ability to read the actual text from the Bible, storytelling is an effective method for sh...
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Children As Story Tellers
When children learn stories, they tend to tell stories. One of the things we’ve observed all over the world is how children can have a significant role in the spreading of the gospel. There seems to be a growing recognition of the place of equipping and m...
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Oral Learning People Groups in the US: Refugees and Immigrants
There is an incredible opportunity in missions right here in the US, at our own doorsteps! As you probably know, there are many thousands of unreached people throughout our country who have come as refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants from some of the mo...
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Using Arts in Trauma Healing
Imagine living in a society where you are considered garbage. Women in Sierra Leone already face challenges, but the women in a recent workshop have the added stigma of being blind, deaf, or disabled in other ways.
The Clarification Factor: Fruitful Living and Ministry
We are certainly living in a time where we need a lot of clarification on a wide range of issues. Many people make judgments based on limited awareness and knowledge. Often the problem is being exposed to the wrong source or a distorted perspective. Of c...
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Comprehensive Oral Bible Strategies: Essential to Effective Kingdom Building
It is a fact that many of the unengaged and least-reached people groups in the world live in hard-to-access places and belong to traditional, oral cultures. Books and printed materials are not part of their everyday experience.
From Rejection to Hope
The Kurdish people have a history of rejection. They do not have a country of their own but live in an area known as ‘Kurdistan’ that spreads across Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq. The majority of the Kurdish people speak Kurmanji, one of several Kurdish lang...
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Characteristics of “Healthy” Oral Bible House Churches
As the leader of SIU, I often am asked what I consider a success in terms of new church plants. What is a “healthy” oral Bible house church? It's most important to seek out those who live, breathe and participate in these oral Bible house churches in the fi...
Read MoreThe Place of Orality in the Marketplace
Many of those who are new to the Orality domain are still thinking about a foreign mission strategy. However, the concepts, principles and practices of Orality are beginning to be recognized as important in many other areas, including the marketplace and t...
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If Only God Spoke My Language – Introducing Render
Imagine this: You’re sitting on a worn, wooden bench—or even the floor—of a tiny church in a rural community. Maybe you walked hours just to be here, carrying the weight of the troubles from this past week into this place of rest. Your feet hurt, your lips ...
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Prayer, the Word, and the Great Commission
Prayer leaders and mobilizers are saying that there are more people praying for revival and spiritual awakening now than ever before. The Prayer Movement, over the past four decades, has gained momentum with a focus on World Evangelization. Researchers te...
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What’s the best story you’ve ever heard?
Our lives are full of stories, big and small: thrillers, romances, adventure, tragedy and the stories of everyday, seemingly mundane, life. We’ve had stories read to us as children, we’ve shared stories with others, we’ve watched stories unfold in front of ...
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Integrating the Traditional Oral Arts
The drama ended with song and dance in celebration of God’s miracle. The first time we saw this story from 2 Kings performed among the Banjara tribe of Andhra Pradesh in southern India, we were delighted. This narrative had suddenly become unforgettable, f...
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Growing orality trends impact how we share the Gospel
Instagram and Facebook are expanding their TV platforms. Podcasts are growing in popularity. More and more, people are ditching written text in favor of audio and visual communication. These modern developments are not only shifting how society shares infor...
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What is Bible storying?
Probably every people group in history has used stories to record important events, pass on their beliefs, teach correct behaviour or reflect their world view. Much of the Bible itself was transmitted orally for centuries before it was first written down.
Why the Community Caste Focus is Needed
Let us start with how people perceive themselves. There is too much of classifying people by who we think they are, rather than who they perceive themselves to be. That is arrogance on our part, not a respect of people as people who are living as members of...
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Animating the Bible for Children
In an effort to engage Persian-speaking children with stories about Jesus, the creative team at SAT-7 Persia are producing a new animated Bible series. These unique animations depicting the life of Christ are bound to draw the attention of children and adul...
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The Trimtab Factor and Church Multiplication
Trimtab was an entirely new term to me until a friend of mine explained it to me several years ago. Every aircraft and ocean going vessel has a rudder that guides and directs the airplane or ship. On the tip of the rudder is a smaller rudder, known as a t...
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One Great Tool to Explain the Gospel in Real Life
Missionaries working in countries where there is no printed gospel available in the heart language of the people use a method called storying to present the gospel message. Story sets help create bridges and address barriers to the gospel.
The Kindness Factor and Kingdom Impact
The gentleman was a little surprised as I smiled and greeted him as we crossed paths through a revolving door at a major convention hotel. So surprised in fact, that he immediately turned around and followed me back into the lobby of the hotel and asked, “...
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Hearing the Truth at Last
Imagine this: You’re sitting on a worn, wooden bench of a tiny church in a rural community. The pastor speaks, and your ears tune in to hear a life… but there is a disconnect. Confused, you begin scanning the pages of your precious Bible; but to your dismay...
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The Tree of Life and Worship!
We recently sent a team to South Asia to teach about using the arts to reach out to communities. Participants from a previous workshop worked together with the American team to facilitate this year’s training. The group stayed in a beautiful area full of ru...
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The Trust Factor and the Good News
When you hear news reports, or when someone tells you something, how do you know if it’s true or not? How much confidence can you have in the source of information you receive every day? These are pretty important questions, and in some cases, could be a ...
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An Open Door Opens Hearts
God works in many ways to reveal his love for people – through acts of kindness, a word timely spoken, and truth from the Bible. One Christian Lenthomi woman could never have imagined where an unexpected visit from a neighbor in need would lead.
Worth and Value in the Kingdom of God
In many parts of the world, women and children are not seen at the same level in society as men. Actually, a number of regions where Living Water International has operations, children are not given names until they’re one or two years old.
From Commission to Completion
A recent Barna group study found that 51% of churchgoers are not familiar with the term “Great Commission.” Hold on a second… what?!
Orality Missiology: The Discovery Factor and Life Encounters
A study conducted several years ago showed that almost every Christ follower acknowledged that a priority in their lives should be sharing their faith, communicating the Gospel and advancing the Kingdom of God.
Forbidden Words Over the Air Bring Salvation
As college classmates in northeastern Africa, Beza and Naomi spent a lot of time together studying and enjoying each other’s company. Their abiding friendship helped save Beza’s life – physically and spiritually.
Equipping Little Musicians
SAT-7's Persian children’s series Little Musician is teaching young Persian-speakers how to play a musical instrument. Some of these young viewers may go on to lead Persian-speaking believers in worship in Iran and beyond.
Where do we start when the world is so big?
The Great Commission sometimes seems just a little too... great: 7.6 billion people, 7 continents, 7000 languages, 17,000 people groups. Jesus must be made known in all those languages. I do not know where to begin.
Orality Missiology: The Organic Factor and the Gospel
Organic anything seems to be a preference for many these days. Go into almost any grocery store and you’ll probably find an organic section or department. The definition of organic is related to or derived from living matter or living organisms. It also ...
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Is It Time to Declutter the Great Commission?
Started by a Japanese woman, a recent viral movement is spreading rapidly. All over the world, people are growing more and more enthusiastic—to declutter. More and more, I’m thinking the global mission community should take Kondo’s advice about decluttering...
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Orality Missiology: The Memory Factor
We often say that the Kingdom of God is based on relationships. Of course, our relationship with the Lord is the first and foremost relationship. When we are in a right relationship with our Heavenly Father, the Creator God of the Universe, it makes it po...
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Fula Stories Spread Rapidly
It was a special night for the Fula OneStory team. They had worked together for a year producing a set of Bible stories for the Fula in their language. Fulas in Guinea Bissau, West Africa are almost exclusively Muslim.
The Dialogue Style of Jesus
Very early in our ministry we often asked some “analytical, expository” questions about the Bible. In our ignorance about oral tradition and learning styles, our dialogue attempts met with awkward silence. But one day we were struck by the simplicity of Je...
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Orality Missiology: The Relationship Factor
We often say that the Kingdom of God is based on relationships. Of course, our relationship with the Lord is the first and foremost relationship. When we are in a right relationship with our Heavenly Father, the Creator God of the Universe, it makes it po...
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