Archive
Where to go in times of Trouble
HOUSTON, TX (ANS) – In the Fall of 2017 Hurricane Harvey hit a large region of Southeast Texas. Millions of lives were impacted by the storm. Many of us were not flooded and had the opportunity to assist and serve others. There was an outpouring of compa...
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The Power of Curiosity
One of the things we notice about most young children is that they have a healthy curiosity and ask a lot of questions. They learn fast because of their inquisitiveness and hunger for knowledge.
Worth and Value in the Kingdom of God
We hear a lot these days about 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 society.
Water and the Word, for Life, In Jesus’ name
There is much speculation and there are many theories about the origin and history of water on earth. However, for those of us who believe in the authority and accuracy of the Scriptures, we can accept the fact that God created water, as He is the Creator o...
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How God Transformed a Community
Orality Training for Trainers in Ethiopia HOUSTON, TX (ANS) —Over a period of about five years, Living Water International, in partnership with local churches, conducted Orality Training with more than 1,200 pastors, evangelists, missionaries and church pla...
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The Water that Satisfies the Deepest Thirst
Clean Water Saves Lives HOUSTON, TX (ANS) — “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But the Lord will answer them,” (Isaiah 41:17). Jesus said, in John 7:37-38, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to m...
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Orality, Memory and Disciple Making
The Power of Personal, Relational Evangelism and Disciple Making Houston, TX (ANS) – After more than three decades of using orality-based methods and strategies with several churches, ministries and mission organizations, we’ve made some amazing discover...
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Surprised by the Work of God
While visiting with a friend who owns a car dealership in the Washington DC area, I had a phone conversation and shared the gospel with a young man I had never met before. He was receptive and open to the Lord, so we had prayer together and he received Chr...
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Thirsting for Living Water
Clean Water and the Living Water of Jesus brings Joy and Transformation HOUSTON, TX (ANS) – A few years ago I visited a region in Kenya where there had been several years of severe drought. Most of the water wells in the region were dry. Living Water Intern...
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Rethinking Church Life, Disciple Making and THE WORD
There are many valuable traditions and spiritual disciplines that can enhance our relationship and walk with God. However, our life in Christ and our walk with Him is not sustained by what we do, our spiritual disciplines.
Prayers and Conversations that Ignite Movements
Increasing numbers of mission and ministry leaders, pastors and church leaders, business professionals and ordinary followers of Jesus are now paying attention to the Orality Movement. There are a number of global mission leaders who are saying that it cou...
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The Power of Community – Sharing Life Together
So often over the years when I’ve had conversations with people about the Lord, I discover that someone else has already had some spiritual influence on them. They have had some exposure to the gospel.
Prayers and Conversations that Ignite Movements
The Power of Praying the Word of God, and Claiming His Promises Houston, TX (ANS) – In 1806, Samuel J. Mills, Jr., a student at Williams College was one of five participants in what became known as the famous “haystack prayer meeting.” It was a catalyst fo...
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Little ‘Trimtabs’ that have Big Impact for God’s Kingdom
There are many African proverbs about mosquitos. One of those says, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.” Anyone who has done much international travel in the more tropical regions of the wor...
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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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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.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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...
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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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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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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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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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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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.
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.
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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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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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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Orality Missiology: The Kingdom Leveraging Factor
Strategic Resource Leveraging is something I first heard about years ago from Dr. Ron Jenson, known as America’s Life Coach. Some of my friends in the business world use the term Force Multipliers. These are powerful concepts that can take on many forms of...
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Orality Missiology: The Simplicity Factor and Oral Learners
Simplicity and reproducibility are vitally important factors for spreading the Gospel and advancing the Kingdom of God. The simplicity factor and oral learners is not about being simplistic in the context of communicating the Good News of Jesus and making ...
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Orality Missiology: The Redemptive Factor
In a recent conversation, my wife and I were discussing some experiences over the past few years, reflecting on how God always brings positive outcomes from our negative experiences. One of my mentors was Norman Grubb, who I can remember saying, “Every neg...
Read MoreOrality Missiology: The Perception Factor
Over the years I’ve often heard people say, “perception is reality.” Actually, perception is reality for those who have that perception. This is an important challenge that we encounter often in the Orality Movement.
Orality Missiology: The Leadership Factor
Good leadership is needed all over the world. There is global awareness and recognition of the need for good leadership. The important question is, what is good leadership and how does one become a good leader?
Orality Missiology: The Networking Factor
Almost everything in life works better together. That is, two is better than one, and a threefold cord is not easily broken, as the Scriptures tell us. While there is general agreement that networking and cooperative efforts are important, it’s often a ma...
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Orality Missiology: The Multiplication Factor
When I think about Orality Missiology, I ask what does it take to ignite a movement, to build a business, or grow a church or organization? What are the principles, methods or strategies that enable each of us, as followers of Jesus, to make the greatest p...
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Orality Missiology: A New Reformation?
When I think about Orality Missiology, I ask what does it take to ignite a movement, to build a business, or grow a church or organization? What are the principles, methods or strategies that enable each of us, as followers of Jesus, to make the greatest p...
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Orality Missiology: Cultivating a Prayer-Care-Share Lifestyle
In a recent effort to activate individuals to more intentionally reach out and share the Gospel, a group in a local congregation launched a prayer walking initiative. Actually, it’s more than praying, and more that walking. The idea of cultivating a Praye...
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Are orality methods useful in literate contexts?
In a Western society, literacy is often assumed and even taken for granted. But the beauty of orality methods for communication can tend to be lost in Western contexts — including with how we present the Gospel. Orality is essentially the reliance on non-wr...
Read MoreConnecting for Change: Worth and Value in the Kingdom of God
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. However, God’s Kingdo...
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Storytelling in the Business World
Jerry Wiles is President Emeritus of Living Water International and North America Regional Director of the International Orality Network. He has more than 30 years of experience in ministry and international mission work, has been a paradigm pioneer in the ...
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The Continuing and Growing Learning Journey in the Orality Movement
In a recent Orality Consultation and Advanced Training in East Africa, I was once again reminded of the power of networks and collaborative learning. The focus of this training was on developing leaders for Oral Cultures, in ways that would be reproducible ...
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Connecting for Change: The Multi-Faceted Aspects of the Orality Movement
I first came across the book “Oral Communication of the Scriptures: Insights from African Oral Art,” by Herbert Klem, and started hearing about Orality, Oral Cultures and Oral Learners back in the 1980s. It was a seemingly obscure conversation among a few m...
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Connecting for Change: Communicating Truth by All Means, Anywhere, Anytime
I had a three-hour flight between two African countries, and I was seated by two ladies from East Asia. I was reading my New Testament and one of the ladies asked me, “Is that a dictionary?” I replied, “No, it’s a New Testament.” She asked, “What is a New T...
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Sharing stories, sharing the Gospel
How come it’s so hard to talk about Jesus with strangers? Well, the truth is, unless we’re relating on a deeper level, there’s no way to convey the deep transformational power of the Gospel in an impactful way.
ION appoints Jerry Wiles as North America Regional Director
Dr. David Swarr, ION International Executive Director, on behalf of the Global Executive Team, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jerry Wiles to the role of North America Regional Director. In this role, Wiles will facilitate the North American aspec...
Read MoreMore Than Just Stories
More and more missionaries around the world are learning just how valuable orality method is when working with oral people groups. As we learn more about orality, some mission groups like Living Water International are finding applications that minister to ...
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Connecting for Change: The Orality Movement – More than Storytelling
At about 8 am on Tuesday morning, March 22, 2016, at the airport in Brussels, Belgium, a terrorist bombing took place. Two Living Water International (LWI) co-workers and I had just landed a couple of hours earlier, en-route from Liberia, West Africa, on ou...
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Connecting for Change: The Phenomena of Paradigm Shifts
A modern phenomena that we often hear about these days is something called a “Paradigm Shift.” In 1962, Thomas Kuhn, an American physicist, historian and philosopher introduced the term “Paradigm Shift.” While he used the term in the context of scientific a...
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Connecting for Change: Making Known the Righteous Acts of God
At about 8 am on Tuesday morning, March 22, 2016, at the airport in Brussels, Belgium, a terrorist bombing took place. Two Living Water International (LWI) co-workers and I had just landed a couple of hours earlier, en-route from Liberia, West Africa, on ou...
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Connecting for Change: Changing in order to connect
HOUSTON, TX (ANS – October 7, 2015) – Why are things the way they are? Why are people the way they are, and why do they do what they do? These are vitally important questions that can be transformational and life changing when taken to heart. I personally n...
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Connecting for Change: Questions that Matter Most
HOUSTON, TX (ANS – September 1, 2015) – Why are we doing what we are doing? What are we here for? How did this get started? What is the origin and history of some particular practice or custom? These are all great questions that can prompt important convers...
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