Just in case you're wondering...

Forty-four verses will be translated for the Ning people as a result of our partnership with the OneVerse company.   Thank you to all who gave money or are committing to fund the translation.  Special thank you to the KIDZ and youth who gave enough to fund two and one-third verses!!

Posted by Janiece_Bat on Thu 10 Mar 2011 11:47:34 pm     | no comments

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It has been encouraging to me lately to have some of the kids upstairs be willing to pray.  And it's not just sharing requests, but also praise and thankfulness for requests we've prayed about previously.  Some of their requests are so "heavy".  And to have a group of seven to ten kids agree to pray during the week for someone else who is hurting...that says a lot about our kids.

Prayer is such a vital part in our communication with God.  I've been feeling the need lately to work on this with the kids, my own and the ones upstairs.  To ask them for requests/praises, to give them the opportunity to pray if they want, and to pray with them.  I want them to know how important prayer is and how important they are to God. 

Posted by Janiece_Bat on Thu 10 Mar 2011 11:40:47 pm     | no comments

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One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.  When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray...'  -- Luke 11:1a

     "Jesus had just finished praying.  And the disciples had been watching Him. 

     "Their observations led to curiosity, and curiosity created a desire to learn, to grow, to   experience what Jesus experienced.  So they asked Him to teach them -- to train them -- to pray."¹

And so He did.  The disciples wanted so desperately to know how to pray; do we?  It's interesting that Jesus didn't give a long dissertation on the finer points of prayer.  Prayer wasn't to be preachy or lengthy.  He taught them in five (yes, just five) verses. 

Matthew 6: 9 - 13 NIV 1984

  ⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

   “‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done
   on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² Forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’”

Prayer can sometimes seem like a chore, and it shouldn't be.  Communicating with God is such a vital part of our understanding of who He is and what He has done for us.  What is prayer worth to you?  What would your day be like without prayer? 

What about the Ning, who don't have the Bible in their heart language?  How do they learn to pray?  What is the (simple) act of praying to our Heavenly Father worth?  For the Ning, it is a whole new experience. 

Five verses.  That's all.  At $26 per verse, we can help them learn for just $130.  

  

¹Bill McCoy, p. 12, Seedlinks magazine, February 2011.

 

 

 

  

Posted by Janiece_Bat on Thu 3 Mar 2011 7:09:57 pm     | no comments

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This week, as you finish up the Blank Bible Challenge videos and think about your part in helping the Ning people have a Bible of their own, enjoy a Tanzanian meal.  Here are some suggestions...

Chick-Peas in Coconut Milk  [Kunde na Nazi (KOON-day nah NAH-zee)]

Combine in a saucepan:

2 c. cooked or canned chick-peas (garbanzos), drained

1 tomato, chopped

4 whole cloves or 1/8 tsp. ground cloves

2-3  cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 c. coconut milk

1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes to blend flavors.  Serve with rice.  Serves 6.

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Mango-Orange Drink

3 c.  water

1/2 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. orange, peel, grated

2 c. mango, mashed

1 c. orange juice, fresh

1/2 c. lemon juice, fresh

1. Heat the water with the sugar and orange peel over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Cool down to room temperature.
3. Add the mango and the juices; mix well.  Serve cold. 

Makes about 2 quarts.

---

Ndizi Kaanga (Fried Bananas or Plantains)

8 whole plantains or green bananas, peeled

lemon juice

brown sugar (optional)

butter, melted

nutmeg

1. Melt butter in frying pan.
2. Cut and quarter the bananas or plantains.
3. Dip the banana pieces in lemon juice and place them in the buttered frying pan.
4. Lightly brown, remove, and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with nutmeg and brown sugar, if desired.  (Ndizi is typically not sweetened in Tanzania.)

Serves 8 - 10.

 

Posted by Janiece_Bat on Mon 28 Feb 2011 5:47:50 pm     | no comments

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Tanzania is located on the eastern side of Africa.  It is the 31^st largest country in the world – about twice the size of California.  It is home to familiar landmarks such as Mount Kilamanjaro; Lake Victoria (Africa’s largest lake); Lake Tanganyika (Africa’s deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish); and the Serengeti National Park.

 If we were to take a trip to Tanzania, we would find the Ning people there as well. 

Many generations ago, most Ning people joined another major religion to avoid being enslaved.  Since that time, elders have continued to pass on that religion to each succeeding generation of Ning children.  However, the majority still openly fears witchcraft.  For example, if drought persists, locals will beat someone accusing that person of witchcraft.  A man, woman or even a child is generally blamed and made to pay, even for natural phenomena.   

The Ning church is small.  It accounts for less than 1% of the population of 384,000.  However, they do have a strong testimony.  Their neighbors notice dramatic changes in new believers’ personal lives.  Translating the Scriptures into the Ning language will further equip them to share God’s love with their people. 

Translating the Bible is also dangerous work as well.  Persecution is a very present danger because of the other religion.  Because of that, their identity has been changed.  So we know them as the Ning, although that is not their true name.

This week have some fun as you finish up the online devotionals.  Enjoy a meal filled with Tanzanian cuisine with your family or even with your life teams.  

A few weeks ago I met with several of you and your life teams.  I asked you to prayerfully consider participating in the Blank Bible Challenge and being open to learning something new from old stories.  And I hope you have been enjoying the daily devotionals.  Next Sunday is Commitment Sunday.  It will be time for us to partner with the Ning people, to help provide those stories to them for the very first time.  Again, I ask you to prayerfully consider what part you will have in providing them with the hope of life in Jesus Christ; so that they will no longer have to live in darkness, but in the Light.

Posted by Janiece_Bat on Mon 28 Feb 2011 5:00:05 pm     | no comments

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You know, I had seen some of these videos before, but I hadn't read through the questions.  I don't know about you, but some of those questions are, shall we say, thought-provoking and convicting.  There is one in particular that keeps nagging me.  A recent incident in my life made this question even more relevant.  Ouch.

Having God's Word in our heart language:  We've been hearing about that lately and how important it is for all of us, but especially those people groups who don't have it.  I have read that particular story, how many times?!  And yet, I think, this week is the first time it has spoken to me in this particular way.  What must it be like to hear or read it for the very first time?

The following is an update I received from OneVerse last week.  I thought it was a good illustration of how freeing the knowledge of God, the love of God, the hope from God is.  (And, being someone who loves languages, I like the sound and meaning of the word 'kaisuru'!)

 

Posted by Janiece_Bat on Wed 23 Feb 2011 2:01:37 pm     | no comments

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What is your favorite Bible story?  I asked the kids upstairs a few weeks ago this question.  There were some of the expected answers:  birth of Jesus; resurrection of Jesus; David & Goliath; Daniel in the lions' den...  But there were others that weren't expected:  the whole story of Joseph (son of Jacob), and Job!

I'm not sure which story would be my favorite.  Different stories have meant more at different times in my life.  Is there one that has impacted your life in a special way?  Listen to this story of how a people group responds when they realize God's love for them.

I don't know about you, but I will look at that story in a new way now.  It is not one that I would have thought as pivotal in a salvation decision.  All the more reason why having a Bible in one's heart language is so important:  we never know which story will speak God's love to someone.

 

"My Heart Hurts" was told by Morgan Jackson, International Director of Faith Comes by Hearing

Posted by Janiece_Bat on Wed 16 Feb 2011 5:00:19 pm     | no comments

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We are so blessed.  I've been thinking a lot about that this week.  The fact that we have choices in which version of the Bible to read; we take it for granted.  I don't know what it's like to hear about God in a language I don't understand; to not have it in my "heart" language.  The closest that I can come to it is when I read a passage in one version, but it is clearer, more understandable in another.

Do you appreciate your Bible?  How important is it to you?  Is it well-read (and looks like it!) or is it the "family" Bible that has an honored place on the shelf?  What if that Bible was blank, with all knowledge of God gone.  How our culture would be so different, our lives...  The songs wouldn't be there on the radio; we wouldn't have a church.  There would be no hope.

Each week, the kids upstairs have a verse to memorize.  We have been trying to impress upon them the value, almost the urgency, to "hide God's Word in their hearts."  Today's lesson was about when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness.  When I asked the kids how Jesus responded to Satan, they got it!  They understood that He rebuked Satan with scripture.  And that when we are tempted or just having a hard time in life, we can rely on God and know that He will not give us more than we can bear. (1st Corinthians 10: 13)  The more we are familiar with God's Word, the better our defense when we face temptation.  Encourage your children to learn their verse; in fact, learn it with them!

Father, thank you so much for loving us.  For providing us with Your Word.  Give us, give me, the desire to know You more, to want to know what You say in the Bible and the desire to share the hope we have in You with others.

Posted by Janiece_Bat on Sun 13 Feb 2011 9:57:39 pm     | no comments

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 “Tell me a story!”  As parents, how many times have we heard that?  And the stories that are the favorites?  You know the ones…the ones you “read” with your eyes closed.  I remember one story Claire just loved, The Pony Show.  On more than one night I would be telling her this story from memory, hoping she’d finally go to sleep!

 Don’t you just love listening to people tell stories?  Especially when they’re really good at it.  Jesse is one of those people; he is a great storyteller.  And his stories seem to carry the reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness. Thanks, Jesse.

 How are you enjoying the professional storytellers so far?  The voice inflections, movements, emotions…it all makes the story become more alive.  And the fact that they have the passages memorized; wow.  It is so important that we have God's story hidden in our hearts, not just for the purpose of a production like this, but to rely upon in hard times.  I think it’s quite possible that as we read the Bible, that we will read it with a different voice from now on.  To think of it as a story and how could it be more engaging to ourselves or to whomever we might be reading it.  In that process we'll learn a bit more from the story.  And, if we're willing, we'll hear God telling us just what we need to hear.  Try it and tell me what you think.

Posted by Janiece_Bat on Wed 9 Feb 2011 2:24:31 am     | no comments

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This week I've met with many of you talking about the Blank Bible Challenge that is starting at Lifepointe on Sunday, February 6th.  It's been interesting seeing who all is involved in small groups, what you're studying... and eating!  =)  Thank you for letting me come.   

Your responses to the Challenge have been encouraging; I'm excited to see what God has planned for us.   His timing is so perfect, even if we don't think so.  These past couple weeks have seen a big blessing/gift to our church (I'm still marveling at that kitchen set up!) and it came right when we needed a "lift."  I think this Challenge will be another big lift for us as together we open up our Bibles and learn something new from old stories. 

You can sign up for the Challenge at church on Sunday, February 6th, or go here. Be sure to set your start date as the 6th so that we're all on the same schedule.

Posted by Janiece_Bat on Sat 5 Feb 2011 3:53:25 pm     | 1 comments

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