In Acts chapter 20, Paul sent for the elders of the church at Ephesus.  This was the last time he was to see them and he gave them final instructions.  Included in this bold proclamation is a phrase that has been a theme of ours at T4 Global this past year.  In verse 27 of that chapter, he states “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God” (NASB).

We start out sharing approximately 10 hours of Biblical content in our evangelism/discipleship programs.  Obviously in 10 hours, you can’t share the entire Word of God, but we make sure that the Old Testament is represented as well as the New Testament.  In subsequent phases of a program we’ll fill in the blanks that are left, best we can – given the resources that are entrusted to us.

You see, God gave us the ENTIRE Word of God.  He supernaturally preserved what we call the Bible for our teaching, instruction, and correction.  We believe it is all important.  Every word, every precept.  So, we believe it is incumbent upon us to share information from the entire Word of God to those we’re ministering to.

Let’s not continue to short change the unreached.  Let’s give them everything WE’VE got.  Let’s not hold back, but give freely what we’ve been given.  For His Glory.

Audio recordings developed by T4 Global's mother-tongue translation partners are placed on solar-powered mp3 players like this AudiBible. The mp3 players are used in listening groups in villages where many people may not be able to read.

Technology is changing how people around the world hear, read and consider the Good News!

For more than 4 Billion people in the world who are oral learners, the Bible is being recorded in many languages and distributed using various technologies to play the recordings.

Oral learners are people who haven’t learned to read AND people who have learned to read but prefer not to read for various reasons.

In most places where people who CAN read live next door to people who CAN’T read, the whole community PREFERS to listen and then discuss in a group — especially if the information is important. That way NO ONE person in their community is left out.

Those who CAN read and those who CAN’T read receive the same information at the same time in the same way!

And they discuss the information as a community — doesn’t matter if you CAN read or CAN’T read, everyone CAN contribute to the discussion.

Everyone CAN learn the story to retell, the song to sing, the drama to have a role.

I can’t speak for others, but I think this is GrrrrrrrREAT!

Folks who can read now often have several Bible translations loaded on their smart phones so they can compare translations quickly. And they often listen to audio versions of the Bible instead of reading!

Sunday, January 29, Susie and I were in Phoenix, Arizona, with our friends at First Christian Church Phoenix who think telling Bible stories followed with discussion is the BEST way to help people study the Bible in their communities.

It was fun to be with them talking about how everyone can learn to tell a Bible story and lead a discussion using simple questions.

What did you hear?

What did you learn?

What do you like about this story?

What don’t you like about this story?

What might you change in your life after hearing this story? Something you want to start doing? Something you need to stop doing?

Who will you tell?

One woman told the group:

“For more than 20 years I’ve been too intimidated to really dig in and study the Bible, much less lead a group in a study. Other people knew more than me and listening to pastors on Sunday I thought I had to know more than just what I read in the Bible. Thank you for helping me see how simple it is to study the Bible. Today I realize I CAN DO THIS!”

Tuesday night, Feb. 7, Susie and I will be with folks in Tucson volunteering with the Tucson Refugee Ministry. We’ll present simple steps to learn Bible stories and lead discussions using questions.

If you live in the Tucson area check out the web page www.tucsonrefugeeministry.com for details and please consider joining us for a couple of hours.

It will be fun!

For me, servant leadership requires knowing when to lead with passion and when to serve with just as much passion.

Prem teaching.

During 2011 Susie and I were humbled to met a young lady in Purnia, India, who I would say is a true servant leader.

Prem knows when to lead and teach with passion at the Bible School.

This last trip I was walking by her classroom when I first arrived and couldn’t resist stepping inside to watch awhile from the back of the room. While I had little clue as to what she was teaching in Hindi, her passion for God’s word was clear and you could tell the students paid attention to what she was saying.

I watched Prem teach with passion knowing well that come 10:30 a.m. she would be serving all of us tea and biscuits. And making sure the cooks knew how many extra mouths had arrived on campus that day and would have to be fed lunch, including mine. And she would be the first to let me know that our car had arrived at the end of the day to take us back to the hotel.

Servant leadership requires knowing when to lead and when to serve.

And doing both with equal passion!

Dr. Alex Philip's Hindi is translated into Surjapuri as we start Listening Group Leader training.

It’s stories like these that reinforce the great need for the accurate mother-tongue tellings of Scripture and social development information that T4 Global mother-tongue translation teams are working to develop.

When translations are recorded and CHECKED the result is accurate communication of important information.

I wish there were better ways to quickly check translation when speaking to large groups.

Story 1

Last Sunday morning T4 Global CEO Ed Weaver was speaking at a church. His text included creation stories from Genesis. When he began to talk about creation of man Ed decided it was a good spot to draw in the children’s attention.

“Children — Do you play in the dirt?” he asked the crowd.

“NO!” the children shouted back to the surprise of Ed and myself sitting in the back observing.

Regrouping to try and make his point, Ed asked, “Don’t you run on the dirt when you play?”

“NO!” the children shouted back.

Recognizing an illustration about to be “lost in translation” Ed moved on.

The next day Ed and I learned what happened.

Dr. Alex Philip, our host, told us the translator had asked the children “Do you play in the dirty?” using a Hindi word for the kind of dirt that is swept up off the floor in a house.

Of course the children had been wisely taught never to play in that kind of dirt!

“If you had said “mud” the translator would have better translated and the children would have shouted YES!” Dr. Alex told us as he chuckled about the story.

“When Shyamal realized where you were going Ed, and what you had tried to ask the children, he began to correct his translation and use the Hindi word for “mud” when describing how God made man.”

Story 2

Introducing myself during Surjapuri training on Monday I reported I live in Tucson, Arizona.

I found out Wednesday from Dwarika, one of our T4 Global staff from Nepal who was with us, how this had been translated when he commented on a Facebook post I made while I was in Chicago waiting for the flight to Tucson.

“Praying for you! One quick reminder when you say you are waiting to go to Tucson, which I forgot to mention about the translation with Surjapuri translator. You told the group: “I am from the city called Tucson.” The translator translated: “I am from the city where Two Suns meet”

I wonder how the Surjapuri folks in the crowd that day pictured the city where Susie and I live?

Now I know why it gets hot in Tucson.

It’s been cold at night in Tucson and recently the furnace began some new noises.

I decided to investigate before calling my friend who fixes furnaces.

This morning I disconnected the flue to look down into the blower cage where the noise was coming from – that’s where the small blower is that makes sure the fumes from the furnace’s natural gas fire go up and out of the house. Not seeing anything I left the metal flue disconnected and started the blower. To my surprise, the remains of a very crispy, very small, bug blew up and out. That’s all. Nothing else.

Maybe it was a Lady Bug? Too black to tell.

I put everything back together.

The noise is gone.

My theory is the bug flew down the flue one day when the furance was on and the heat quickly fried it hard and crisp.

Unfortunately for us, the bug’s remains stayed in the blower cage. Hard and heavy enough to rattle up through the blower blades when the blower started turning, but light enough to stay at top of the cage above the blades when the blower was running full speed. Then the racket began again whenever the blades of the blower slowed to a stop and the bug’s remains fell back down through the blades.

Something very small making so much noise …. and causing me to wonder how much it would cost to repair the furnace before I leave for India Jan. 6.

Susie’s very glad our furnace is quiet again. I’m glad I saved a repair bill.

Jesus told stories about the power of small.

Two come quickly to mind.

“What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” — Mark 4:30-32

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” — Mark 12:41-44

If you are feeling small today, facing some large tasks as the year ends, take heart.

There’s power in small.

I learned our hearts can beat out of rhythm and we might not realize that’s what’s slowing us down — keeping us tired and sluggish. If our hearts are not beating correctly, the blood doesn’t flow properly and all sorts of physical problems result.

The ad’s got me thinking about our spiritual hearts.

Our spiritual hearts need to be in rhythm too…..or we’ll quickly get tired and sluggish when the world presses in.

Rhythm — movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions.

Paul wrote about spiritual rhythm 2 Cor. 12:10.

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Merry Christmas to our T4 Global friends.

Praying that our celebrations this day are keeping our hearts in rhythm!

Tim

Today I’m wondering if American “sports” culture has a modern parable to add … the lost game?

In Indiana I’m confident this morning at work a hot topic of conversation was weekend college basketball. Especially the Saturday game where the unranked Indiana University Hoosiers beat the top-ranked University of Kentucky Wildcats in the final second when a 3-point “buzzer” shot swished through the basket.

Watching the game on TV I was sure the game was “lost.” The game clock started counting down the final 5 seconds. The Hoosiers were down two points. Time was running out. That changed as the buzzer sounded … what was thought lost was WON!… fans went wild flooding onto the game court. I’m sure the decibel level inside the sports arena spiked off the chart. And I have to confess that here in my Tucson, Arizona, living room I let out a “WHOOP!” that surprised my wife and maybe some of my neighbors.

“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. “ Luke 15:10

Traveling back to Tucson from India last month I had a pleasant surprise. A young pastor friend “just happened” to be on the same flights with me from Delhi to Chicago to Tucson.

It was Abhi’s first trip to the US. He was coming to meet one of his partners based near Tucson and then spend about a month visiting various churches and friends in the states.

We met at the gate in the Delhi airport. When I first saw Abhi he was repacking his briefcase and getting ready to check his carryon bag. His carryon bag had made it through the Delhi security screening, but the second x-ray screening at the gate revealed some problems — toothpaste, shaving cream, shampoo and other things more than 3 ounces each and a pocket knife.

In Chicago I helped Abhi navigate immigration and customs. I realized they hadn’t checked his bag all the way to Tucson so helped him solve that problem before he got stuck at the next security checkpoint.

We enjoyed our time together waiting for the flight to Tucson.

The first plane we boarded bound for Tucson had mechanical problem discovered after everyone was on board. We were glad they identified the problem BEFORE we left the ground, but it took another plane, a few gate changes and another boarding to get us on our way two hours later.

I had enough free upgrade coupons, and there was space, for both of us so we enjoyed First Class service and breakfast together the three-hour flight to Tucson.

Yesterday I had lunch with Abhi’s host here. Dan said Abhi had told their staff about the prayers God was answering during his trip. Abhi included the story of how I was on the same plane with him from Delhi; helped him in Chicago and then provided him a First Class upgrade that included a free breakfast — all God’s provisions and answers to his prayers for a good journey.

Susie and I leave Sunday for India to work with the T4 Global teams translating and recording Scripture stories. We always wonder what unexpected ways we’ll be able to serve others while we’re traveling.

So… whose prayer(s) will we help God answer today?

The list of things to do even extends to family sometimes. My mom and my middle sister Debbie came for a visit last week. Since Mom lives in Tulsa and Debbie in Kansas, it has been a while since we have been together. It was short but we managed to pack in a trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes and Mackinac Island in 2 ½ days. Debbie had never been to Mackinac so we tried to pack in as many things to see as possible. Fort Mackinac. A carriage ride. The Butterfly House. Lots of things to do and sites to see for 4 generations of Whitbys together.

My mom loves to clip articles  and columns from the Tulsa paper and The Baptist Messenger that she knows I will enjoy. She left a “care package” of clippings for me as usual. One of the columns she always includes is called Rite of Passage written by Walker Moore, a missionary from Oklahoma. One of his columns in this batch struck a little close to home for me. His article reminded me that sometimes I spend so much time and effort doing that I forget the being part of following Christ.

Walker said, “Have you noticed? The Bible is full of doers. The Sadducees and Pharisees always kept track of what people did or didn’t do. Jesus had a new message for them: “Quit doing. Start being.” But they didn’t want to hear it. He was trying to tell them true life comes from being born again. And He was letting them in on a deep secret: He is the One who does the doing in us. All we have to do is . . . be.

Yes, the Bible instructs us to be “doers of the Word” (James 1:22 KJV). But “Just do it” was never the life He intended us to have. Jesus never said, “You must do born again.” Instead, He said, “You must BE born again” (John 3:7).

This applies to all of God’s creation. I can walk like a dog and bark like a dog, but I will never be a dog. And when we concentrate on doing, we miss out on the essence of what God intended us to . . . be.”

On the trip to Africa I want to accomplish all of the trip goals, but more importantly I want to BE all that God intends for me to be.

Last night I was invited to speak here in Purnia, India. Scripture text was Matt. Chapter 25 — three stories Jesus told.

The third story tells us that one day the righteous and the unrighteous will be divided much as a shepherd sorts out sheep from goats.

This spring I was traveling in Himachal Pradesh state. We were driving up a mountain road as the sheep and goats were being moved to summer grass. We rounded a bend in the road and began to drive slow through a herd of sheep and goats — all mixed up.

Last night I told the church that that’s how it is now — the righteous and the unrighteous are all mixed together — like the sheep and the goats moving up the mountain.

In the story, Jesus said the righteous and the unrighteous were both surprised when they were separated. No one in either group knew when they had ever seen the Master hungry, thirsty, homeless, sick, naked or in prison.

Then the King will say, “I’m telling you the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked, or ignored, that was me-you did it for me.” ( Matt. 25:40, The Message)

Praying that today we are serving someone who may be hungry or thirsty or homeless or sick or without clothes or in prison.