Zondervan Blog

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Mothers: How You Could Get Published in the New NIV Mom's Devotional Bible Posted: 29 Feb 2012 02:15 PM PST   Are you a mom? Love to write? A devotion about parenting or mothering written by YOU could be published in Zondervan's newly updated NIV Mom's Devotional Bible, due in stores spring 2013. We're excited to see your submissions! (Enter the contest before March 15, 2012)   What We're Looking For Your devotional entry should be encouraging or inspirational in tone, and written from the perspective of a mother. Your entry should be original, 250-300 words in length, and focusing on ONE of the following passages from the Bible: Deuteronomy 6:6–9 Proverbs 22:6 Proverbs 31:10–31 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 Ephesians 2:8–9 The Lawyers Made Us Say This Part: Your entry must be in English, previously unpublished, and not submitted or accepted anywhere else at the time of this contest. And don't forget, your entry should be original to you and only about one of the five Bible passages listed above!   If Your Entry Is Selected... Authors of the winning submissions will have their devotion and a short author's bio printed in the upcoming NIV Mom's Devotional Bible. Winners will also receive a free copy of the Bible. So what are you waiting for? Enter the contest at Facebook.com/MomsDevotionalBible.   Sample Devotionals If you would like to see an example of what we're looking for, here are two: Passage: Genesis 1:26–31 A mother tends to define herself most easily in terms of externals: I am a mom. I am a wife. I am a daughter. I am a graduate. I am a teacher. I am a volunteer. I am what I do. I am what others need me to be. I am what I accomplish. While these descriptions may be true, they are incomplete. They overlook the vital fact that we are made, inside and out, by God. We are created in his image and for his purposes. When we gaze into the mirror of God's Word, we find that God has stamped on our being a reflection of his character, his essence, his being. That is not to say we are mini-gods in any sense. But just as children reflect the physical, mental and personality traits of their parents and even adopted children share the mannerisms and habits of their adopted families, so we who are fashioned by God manifest elements of his character in our beings. Who are you, Mom? Genesis 1 and 2 spells it out. You are God's image-bearer (see Genesis 1:26–27). God expresses his being through both genders, male and female. You are a co-laborer with all of God's people in his world (see Genesis 1:28– 31). When you live in the fullness of who you are, you show your children, your family and your world a full and accurate picture of your God. So there, Mom. Take the definition for who you are from how God made you. You are a unique being fashioned after the God of the universe — inside and out! Think about this: How often do you define yourself by the negatives? Who you aren't, what you haven't accomplished, what you aren't doing. How might this negative definition of yourself affect your mood as well as your daily choices? How might it impact others around you? Switch your sight to God's view of you and get ready for great changes!   Passage: Genesis 2:18–25 In Genesis 2:18, God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone." Ask any mom and she'll confirm that it isn't good for moms either! More than any other time in history, moms today are alone — single moms, working moms, stay-at-home moms, moms with kids who have special needs, military moms. Even moms in marriages can experience a surprising "aloneness" — some with a husband who doesn't share their faith and some with a husband who does but buries himself in work or other interests. Families are scattered, separated by great distances. Schedules are stretched so that there seems to be no time for friends. Past wounds hold us back from the risk of relationship. In some seasons of mothering we find time to connect with others only to have those connections swept away as our children change activities, interests and schedules. One of the ways God provides for our need for companionship is through the church — his people together on this planet. Whether it meets in a steepled building on a suburban corner or in a shopping mall, God designed the church to be a safe place for us to gather and grow. If it wasn't good for Adam to be alone, it isn't good for us either. So there, Mom. Take the definition for who you are from how God made you. You are a unique being fashioned after the God of the universe — inside and out! Maybe the idea of church is new to you and you aren't really sure how to start. Did you attend as a child? What was your experience? Maybe you are already very active but would like to go deeper. Whatever the case, consider taking the next step. Join a Bible study. Find a mothers' group. Enlist a prayer partner. Get involved in a service project that reaches out to other mothers. Take your kids along to help.    Enter the Mom's Devotional Bible Contest (Closes March 15, 2012) - Zondervan Bibles Team   (This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's opinions are his own, and are shared for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

Making Time (How to Slow Down - An Excerpt by Ann Voskamp) Posted: 29 Feb 2012 07:15 AM PST   Excerpt from Selections from One Thousand Gifts: Finding Joy in What Really Matters by Ann Voskamp.   I speak to God: I don't really want more time; I just want enough time. Time to breathe deep and time to see real and time to laugh long, time to give You glory and rest deep and sing joy and just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done — yesterday.   I just want to do my one life well. In a world with cows to buy and fields to see and work to do, in the beep and blink of the twenty-first century, with its "live in the moment" buzz phrase that none of the whirl-weary seem to know how to do, who actually knows how to take time and live with soul and body and God all in sync? To have the time to grab the jacket off the hook and time to go out to all air and sky and green and time to wonder at all of them in all the light, this time refracting in prism. I just want to do my one life well.   How to Slow Down Time is a relentless river. It rages on, a respecter of no one. And this, this is the only way to slow time: What I fully enter time's swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here. And when I'm always looking for the next glimpse of glory, I slow and enter. Weigh down this moment in time with attention full, and the whole of time's river slows, slows, slows.   Giving thanks for one thousand things is ultimately an invitation to slow time down with weight of full attention. In this space of time and sphere, I am attentive, aware, accepting the whole of the moment, weighing it down with me all here.   I have lived the runner, panting ahead in worry, pounding back in regrets, terrified to live in the present, because here-time asks me to do the hardest of all: just open wide and receive.   This is where God is. In the present. I am — His very name. I want to take shoes off. I am, so full of the weight of the present, that time's river slows to a still ... and God himself is timeless. This is supreme gift, time, God Himself framed in moment... This I need to consecrate: time.   "My always present God, my rock to hide under." -Ann Voskamp When I'm present, I meet I AM, the very presence of a present God. In His embrace, time loses all sense of speed and stress and space and stands so still and ... holy.   I am a hunter of beauty and I move slow and keep the eyes wide, every fiber of every muscle sensing all wonder and this is the thrill of the hunt.   I hunger to taste life.   To taste God. -Ann Voskamp   Learn More Learn more about Selections from One Thousand Gifts, coming March 2012. Visit Ann Voskamp's blog at www.aholyexperience.com. (Image is from Selections from One Thousand Gifts. Some styling above is web-exclusive. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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Day 3: Call to Prayer Posted: 28 Feb 2012 10:00 PM PST During this Secret Church on Good Friday, April 6, we are focusing our prayer time on the people of the Horn of Africa. Over the next six weeks we will post information and prayer requests on this blog. We invite you to join us in learning about and praying for the people of the Horn. Can you think of anything you do five times every day? There are very few things on my list. But faithful Muslim people in the Horn of Africa take time to pray five times every day. Before praying a Muslim will ceremonially wash their hands, feet, and face to make themselves “clean enough” to be heard by God. Then they face the east, lay out their prayer mat, bow, and prostrate themselves. Photo used with permission from Pray for the Horn Connections I don't know what’s on your list of things you do five times a day, but here are a few suggestions… Today, each time you look at your phone, pray for the Horn. Each time you eat a meal or snack, pray for the Horn Each time you check your email, Facebook, or Twitter, pray for the Horn. Ways to Pray Lift up those who are seeking to be right and clean before God. Ask God to reveal himself as the one, true God. Pray that they find freedom from rituals and accept Christ as the only way they can be made righteous before Him once and for all. Pray that they will share their joy with their families, neighbors and friends so they too can know Christ. For more information about and ways to pray for the people of the Horn of Africa, visit Pray for the Horn.   Source: Pray for the Horn

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An American Rags-to-riches Story [Excerpt by Ben Carson] Posted: 28 Feb 2012 09:22 AM PST   Excerpt by Ben Carson, from America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great.   Learn More It is a testimony to all that is good about America and the opportunities available here that a friend of mine was able to start out as a short order cook in a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant and, from there, through hard work and carefully observing the values that lead to success, established his own national chain of fast-food restaurants. As with any good rags-to-riches story, however, his life wasn't always easy.   My Friend's Rags-to-riches Story Born to an unwed mother he never knew, he was adopted after six weeks. His adoptive mother died when he was five, and his father went in search of work around the country. From his family, my friend learned the value of hard work and perseverance, and in his early thirties, this young entrepreneur was given the opportunity to use his restaurant experience to take over four Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in need of help in Columbus, Ohio. He was able to completely turn around those restaurants, and four years later he sold them back to KFC, making approximately $1.5 million. That was just the beginning of his success, as he went on to found his own national fast-food chain.   'Only in America ... would a guy like me, from humble beginnings and without a high school diploma, become successful.' "Only in America," he was once quoted as saying, "would a guy like me, from humble beginnings and without a high school diploma, become successful. America gave me a chance to live the life I want and work to make my dreams come true. We should never take our freedoms for granted, and we should seize every opportunity presented to us."   His name of course is Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, and my wife and I were among his first houseguests after he built his dream home in Fort Lauderdale prior to suffering a fatal heart attack. The effect that he has had on America has been overwhelmingly positive. Adopted himself, he went on to found the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. He claims his decision to drop out of high school was his biggest regret, and so not only did he go on to get his GED at around age sixty, he started the Dave Thomas Education Center to help other adults complete their GED. The original Wendy's location opened by founder Dave Thomas at 257 East Broad Street in Columbus, OH in 1969.   Dave Thomas's success is not rare in our country because of the freedoms we enjoy, and like him and so many others, I am incredibly thankful to call America home. I have been privileged to travel the world and visit all of its major societies, but to be born in a land of opportunity for anyone willing to work hard is an unfathomable blessing that should never be taken for granted. As I learned growing up, even with all the economic turmoil that surrounds us today, entrepreneurial opportunities still exist for anyone who is willing to work hard and think innovatively.   The more stories I read about the success of people who applied themselves to make their lives better, the more motivated I am to be one of them. The more stories I read about the success of people who applied themselves to make their lives better, the more motivated I am to be one of them. Knowledge really is power, and when I became a voracious reader, my confidence and grades improved accordingly. I needed little in the way of pep talks by adults, and today it is my strong belief that if you can just get children to believe in themselves and understand that when they achieve academically, they are the ultimate beneficiaries, they will do what is necessary to become a successful contributor rather than a drain on society...   Learn More There are few places in the world where people enjoy the level of freedom we have in America. Here you don't have to ask anyone's permission to start a new career or move to a new location. You are free to associate with whomever you please, and you are free to speak your mind if you decide not to allow yourself to be constrained by political correctness. If you have a fabulous idea, you are free to put as much time and effort into it as you like, and if that idea results in a financial windfall, you are entitled to spend your money to your heart's desire — after you have paid your taxes, of course. You can worship however you choose without fear of persecution. Even the poorest people in our society live like kings compared to billions of desperately poor people throughout the world. - Ben Carson, excerpt from America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great   More Posts You May Like Rebels for Positive Change (A coming-of-age story) by Ben Carson Why Not Risk? A Risk Analysis Tool + Case Study by Ben Carson Learn more about America the Beautiful.   (Some styling above is a web-exclusive feature not included in the text of America the Beautiful. Image attribution: Unknown photographer/Wendy's Corporate Headquarters, special thanks to WOSU Public Media. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

Spirit-Filled Living vs. Just Trying Harder [Excerpt by Jim Cymbala] Posted: 28 Feb 2012 06:41 AM PST   Excerpt from Spirit Rising: Tapping into the Power of the Holy Spirit by Jim Cymbala.   Learn More Regardless of whether we have had good influences or bad influences, we still get to decide what will influence our future. It is heartbreaking to meet people who instead of seeking God's strength during the battles of life, have become hardened, embittered, unforgiving, and cynical. You probably know some people like that. You say to them, "Hey, what a beautiful day," and they answer with, "Well, it's not gonna last long." ... Those people didn't start life that way... Somehow they have let the negative influences in their lives control them... As Christians, our lives have been purchased for a price, and we now belong to God. The price was the blood of Jesus Christ, which he shed on the cross... We're God's people now. We belong to him — rescued out of the clutches of sin, guilt, and condemnation, and adopted into his family. In this case, being bought and owned by someone isn't a negative thing; it's a beautiful thing.   Is Spiritual Growth about "Trying Harder"? The irony of Spirit-filled living is that we have to give up power in order to gain a greater power. How many times in your Christian walk have you come to a place where you struggled to do something, so you just tried harder? Have you ever tried harder to have the self-discipline to read your Bible more or pray longer? Have you ever tried harder to love an unlovely person? Have you ever tried harder to be bold when you felt afraid? How did that work out for you? Trying harder has never gone well for me.   Christianity is not a self-effort religion but rather one of power — the ability and might of the Spirit. "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose" (Phil. 2:13). The Spirit is the only one who can produce self-discipline, love, and boldness. But to do so, he has to control us daily. We can't rest on a religious experience we had years or even months ago.   Keep the Fire Going 'For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.' (2 Tim. 1:6–7) Paul's last letter was written to Timothy, a young minister he had ordained. In the letter, Paul said: "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline" (2 Tim. 1:6–7). We get a picture of a fire that's almost out, embers that need to be breathed on to keep the fire alive. Paul wanted Timothy to fan the flames of the Spirit. He warned Timothy not to neglect them, but to stir up the fire and keep it going. Whatever Timothy did, he was to prevent the fire from being extinguished; he was to give attention to the Spirit's work in him...   When we refuse to yield to the Spirit, we miss out on the holy excitement of living beyond ourselves. When God takes control of a life or a church, he takes control through the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is the Helper Jesus sent to do the job. When we fear giving control to the Spirit, we really fear God's control over our lives. When we refuse to yield to the Spirit, we miss out on the holy excitement of living beyond ourselves.   As Paul told Timothy, God did not give him the spirit of timidity; rather, he gave power, love, and self-discipline. Notice, God is the one who gives those gifts, and it is only through the Holy Spirit working in our hearts that we receive them. We cannot live the life God desires for us without the presence of the Holy Spirit, but with him in control of our lives, our hope is in his power and his gifts are available for us to receive.   Would you like to love more deeply and more freely? Do you wish to have more self-discipline? Are your life and ministry producing fruit? For those things to happen, you have to surrender to the Helper. But oh the rewards that come when you hand control of your life to the Holy Spirit...   You and I are going to be controlled by something. There is no question about that. I encourage you to get alone with God today and spend some time praying about who or what is in control of your life. You and I are going to be controlled by something. There is no question about that. So before you go any further, decide now whom you will yield to. Tell God your questions about being controlled by the Spirit. Present him with your hopes and longings for something more.   The first step in the process is giving him control. - Jim Cymbala Learn More Learn more about Spirit Rising   (Some styling above is a web-exclusive feature not included in the text of Spirit Rising. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)     Then, on Sunday...

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Day 2: Why the Horn of Africa? Posted: 27 Feb 2012 10:00 PM PST During this Secret Church on Good Friday, April 6, we are focusing our prayer time on the people of the Horn of Africa. Over the next six weeks we will post information and prayer requests on this blog. We invite you to join us in learning about and praying for the people of the Horn. Photo used by permission of Steve Evans The peoples of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, northern Kenya and Somalia number over 100 million souls. Somalia currently has little or no Christian witness among its people. In Eritrea, believers are cruelly persecuted in an effort to stamp out any vital expression of faith. Numerous people groups with no access to the gospel in their heart language live in Ethiopia & Northern Kenya. Islam remains the stronghold for the peoples of Djibouti. Long-term cycles of severe hunger have been sharpened by decades of failed crops, economic crises and climatic changes, and the people are now suffering through the worst drought since 1951. The UN estimates around 770,000 people have fled to refugee camps and approximately 11 million people are affected by the drought. Thousands of people are dying every day. The great challenge remains to reach the Somali, Beja, and Afar peoples. Many are burdened to bring the gospel to these peoples and see a harvest. It is essentially impossible for outsiders to work among the Somali and Afar clusters in their home countries. Ways to Pray Pray for Christians in this region to be intentional about sharing the gospel with non-believing friends and family. Pray for Christians experiencing persecution to remain steadfast in their faith. Pray that the Church will lead out in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of those suffering from lack of adequate food and water. For more information about and ways to pray for the people of the Horn of Africa, visit Pray for the Horn.   Source: Pray for the Horn and Operation World

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• Remembering Jan Berenstain
• Discover Who You Are & Whose You Are: Listen to the "Your Secret Name" Chat with Kary Oberbrunner
• Imagine that God is Love [Excerpt by Scot McKnight]

Remembering Jan Berenstain Posted: 27 Feb 2012 03:12 PM PST   In remembrance of Jan Berenstain, 26 July 1923 – 24 February 2012. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Jan Berenstain. Her obvious love of family and life, children and reading ... all are reflected in the artwork she has created for so many books over the years. After working with Mike and Jan Berenstain for three years as an editor for the Berenstain Bears Living Lights series, I was finally able to meet Jan face-to-face this past fall. When I met Jan I was struck almost immediately by her vitality. Though petite in stature, Jan had a spirit and a smile as big as Mama Bear's! I was pulled into her circle just as easily as most of us Berenstain Bear fans have been pulled into the Bear family and their stories and lessons. Listening to her relate memories of the early Berenstain Bear books and the story of the Bears and their development, and then later having the opportunity to watch as she painted a current project for the Living Lights series, I remember thinking that I was watching a children's literature icon hard at work. Blessed with a marvelous sense of humor and artistic talent, Jan has brought to life characters that have become friends, family members, and favorite teachers for many of us readers over the past 50 years.   This is how I am going to remember Jan ... a big smile and a hug, with paints smudging her fingertips ... thinking in that sharp mind about the next action-filled, colorful scene on the next spread of the next book ... - Mary Hassinger, Acquisitions Editor, Zonderkidz   It has been a childhood dream and an adult privilege for me to work with Jan and Mike Berenstain over the years. I remember the first birthday card sent to Jan from our team and her response, "I love this year's signed birthday card. Thanks! I'm beginning to understand why readers enjoy getting their books signed — it's great!" Jan was a kid at heart. She will always be that bubbly person to me. The world is a better place because of Jan Berenstain. - Annette Bourland, Publisher, Zonderkidz Image: Jan & Stan Berenstain, via www.harpercollins.com.

Discover Who You Are & Whose You Are: Listen to the "Your Secret Name" Chat with Kary Oberbrunner Posted: 27 Feb 2012 10:22 AM PST Recently, callers from four continents joined Zondervan author Kary Oberbrunner for a conversational chat, as Kary helped listeners gain greater clarity about who we are and whose we are through sharing truths from his book Your Secret Name.   A pastor formerly addicted to self-injury, Kary was honest about how many of us let pain define our lives. But he also traced the hopeful, transformational journey in which we can discover our Secret Name.   During the Call Listeners Discovered: The Given Names that can burden us, both negative (i.e., failure, self-injurer) and positive (i.e., athlete, brain) How men and women differ in their strategies to win at the "Name Game" An ancient promise which reveals that you have a new name written on a white stone How to overcome the chronic personal pain in your life How to tap into your true potential and step into the destiny your Creator designed for you A community who believes in you and shares your passion for personal development Listen to the chat   The New "Your Secret Name" Team Kary Oberbrunner also just launched an international Your Secret Name team whose deep passion centers on helping others overcome the lies of the Enemy and discover their true identity in Christ. Bring a Your Secret Name speaker to your area or learn more about the benefits of joining the new team.   Discover Your Secret Name for God Take the "Secret Name" Test to discover what your secret name for God could be.   Learn More Learn more about the Your Secret Name book by Kary Oberbrunner Watch Kary's 700 Club Interview - Beth Murphy, Zondervan   (This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's opinions are his own, and are shared for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

Imagine that God is Love [Excerpt by Scot McKnight] Posted: 27 Feb 2012 06:55 AM PST   Excerpt from One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow (eBook) by Scot McKnight.   Learn More Lots of people say they know that God loves them, but deep inside they don't feel loved and so they feel like impostors with God. Even more, deep inside they are so conflicted about love itself that they cannot become vulnerable enough to embrace this God and know that God embraces back. It is much easier to say we believe God loves us than it is to bask and dwell in that God of Love by receiving and returning love...   Until we get our heart connected to God's heart, Jesus' dream kingdom will be neither understood nor embraced. At the core of Jesus' dream kingdom is God, and that God is a God of Love. No, even better, that God is Love the way that God is Life.   The only way to be connected to God is to love the God who is Love himself. We need to think back into Time and Before Time to the time when God was all there was, back to Before this world of ours even existed. What we have learned from Jesus and the New Testament and the Church is that ... God was indwelling God. The Father. The Son. The Spirit. One. Three-in-One. Indwelling and interpenetrating One Another in the endless God Dance of love and delight. This dance of love is who God was and is, and this is what God is like and what God will always be like, and that means that the only way to be connected to God is to love the God who is Love himself.   To follow Jesus ... is to enter into the Divine Dance. To follow Jesus into this God-who-is-Love God is to enter into the Divine Dance. Jesus' vision of the dream kingdom, then, is a dream about dancing with the God who is Love. It's like Jesus to imagine a world where that kind of God was at work. So we must listen to another of Jesus' stories and...   Imagine a World Where God Is Love Jesus was imagining the kingdom one day when he told a parable we call the Prodigal Son... The story starts at a table where Jesus is dining with the religious experts of Jesus' day who had serious questions about his table friends [see Luke 15:1-2]. The experts want Jesus to explain himself for doing such an unholy thing like associating with (to the point of sharing a meal with) sinners. Jesus does explain himself, but he does so by telling a fantastic story that takes their question and sabotages it. At the same time, the tax collectors and sinners are listening in to Jesus' response and they discover that he is tossing grace toward them.   What Jesus wants us to see in this Kingdom.Life is a Father-God who loves us in ways we never imagined and a table of fellowship that is full of Kingdom.Life joy and love. But this father sabotages the expectations of many listeners (and many today are like them)...   "We've got to imagine this world to make it happen."   We've got to imagine this world to make it happen. The dream of reconciliation with God and with the family can only happen if we first believe it can, and then we have to take the first steps to return to the Father.   [Read the Parable of the Prodigal Son] -Scot McKnight Question: If we already agree that God is Love, does it make a difference when we take time to imagine that God is Love? Imagine that God is Love, then share your thoughts in a comment. - Adam Forrest, Zondervan   Learn More Learn more about One.Life (eBook). Visit Scot McKnight's blog at www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed. Image and some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of One.Life. Image: Rembrandt's interpretation of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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Day 1: The Horn of Africa Posted: 26 Feb 2012 10:00 PM PST During this Secret Church on Good Friday, April 6, we are focusing our prayer time on the people of the Horn of Africa. Over the next six weeks we will post information and prayer requests on this blog. We invite you to join us in learning about and praying for the people of the Horn. "The Horn" refers to a peninsula in east Africa that resembles the horn of a rhinoceros jutting hundreds of kilometers out into the Arabian Sea. The countries of the Horn are, for the most part, linguistically and ethnically linked together, displaying a complex pattern of interrelationships among the various peoples. These countries generally include Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, and northern Kenya. With a combined population of 100 million people, there are over 160 different people groups in the region, including the Amhara, Tigre, Afar, and Somali. Ways to Pray Pray for men, women, and children in this region to be transformed by the gospel. Pray for the leaders and government officials of these five countries to act wisely and with integrity. Pray specifically for: President Guelleh and Prime Minister Dileita of Djibouti President Isaias of Eritrea President Girma and Prime Minister Meles of Ethiopia President Kibaki and Vice President Musyoka of Kenya Transitional Federal President Sharif and Prime Minister Abdiweli of Somalia Lift up Christian workers in the region. Ask God to strengthen and encourage them as they work in this dangerous and oppressive part of the world. For more information about and ways to pray for the people of the Horn of Africa, visit Pray for the Horn.   Source: Pray for the Horn, Operation World, and CIA World Factbook

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Pray For Pastor Youcef Posted: 24 Feb 2012 01:42 PM PST Continue to pray for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani who was imprisoned for refusing to denounce his faith in Christ and was recently sentenced to death.  Pray for his wife and their two children, that God would sustain them and give them strength.  For more information visit the Persecution Blog at the Voice of the Martyrs.

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Re:Word Weekly - 2/24/12 Posted: 24 Feb 2012 03:53 PM PST   Re:Word is a weekly roundup of stories on faith, relationships, and the creative life.    1. How Big Is Your BUT? - Watch Lysa TerKeurst's webcast on overcoming excuses.  (via @LysaTerKeurst)   2. On Writing The Perfect Ending - Sue Brower (Executive Editor at Zondervan) shares proven wisdom for making your romance, women's lit, or suspense story go out with bang. (via @acfwTweets).   3.  The Cost of Not Failing - The engrossing story of would-be comedy star Duke Fightmaster leads Ed Czyewski to observe, "When we refuse to fail, we rob ourselves of important lessons ... and prevent ourselves from taking important steps forward." (via @TheHighCalling).   4. Four Ways to Be a Better Friend by Ann Voskamp (@annvoskamp).   5. What about Purgatory? asks author and scholar Scot McKnight... (@scotmcknight)   The poet Dante presents his poem "Purgatorio" to the city of Florence.   6. Five Ways to Spice Things Up with Your Spouse by author Sheila Wray Gregoire (@sheilagregoire)   7. 19 tips for authors (and aspiring authors) by Seth Godin. If you're not familiar with Godin, he's an incredibly entrepreneurial (and busy) thinker, writer, and marketer -- so I'm not surprised his first love is for self-publishing. We disagree on a few points about publishing (i.e., Tip #7), but even when Godin isn't right he's worth considering. Here are two of my favorites from the list: The best time to start promoting your book is three years before it comes out. Three years to build a reputation, build a permission asset, build a blog, build a following, build credibility and build the connections you'll need later. Pay for an eidtor editor. Not just to fix the typos, but to actually make your ramblings into something that people will choose to read... One of the things traditional publishers used to do is provide really insightful, even brilliant editors... but alas, that doesn't happen very often.* (*I can't speak for the personnel at other publishers, but my editor colleagues at Zondervan are insightful and even brilliant. // I tip my hat to Zondervan author @pastorbrady for bringing Godin's post to my attention.)   - Adam Forrest, Zondervan   (Disclosure: Some Re:Word stories are by Zondervan authors. Some are not. All regard words or the Word, and all are useful / enriching / or just flat-out interesting. Image attribution: Domenico Di Michelino [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer shares these personal opinions for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

Prisons and Other Places the Kingdom Takes Root [Excerpt by Philip Yancey] Posted: 24 Feb 2012 09:05 AM PST   Excerpt from Grace Notes: Daily Readings with Philip Yancey (eBook).   Taking God's assignment seriously means that I must learn to look at the world upside down, as Jesus did. Instead of seeking out people who stroke my ego, I find those whose egos need stroking; instead of important people with resources who can do me favors, I find people with few resources; instead of the strong, I look for the weak; instead of the healthy, the sick. Is not this how God reconciles the world to himself? Did Jesus not insist that he came for the sinners and not the righteous, for the sick and not the healthy?   People often look upon [Jean] as mad... The founder of the L'Arche homes for the mentally disabled, Jean Vanier, says that people often look upon him as mad. The brilliantly educated son of a governor general of Canada, he recruits skilled workers (Henri Nouwen was one) to serve and live among damaged people. Vanier shrugs off those who second-guess his choices by saying he would rather be crazy by following the foolishness of the gospel than the nonsense of the values of our world. Furthermore, Vanier insists that those who serve the deformed and damaged benefit as much as the ones whom they are helping. Even the most disabled individuals respond instinctively to love, and in so doing they awaken what is most important in a human being: compassion, generosity, humility, love. Paradoxically, they replenish life in the very helpers who serve them.   In India I have worshiped among leprosy patients. Most of the medical advances in the treatment of leprosy came about as a result of missionary doctors, who alone were willing to live among patients and risk exposure to study the dreaded disease. As a result, Christian churches thrive in most major leprosy centers.   In Myanmar, I have visited homes for AIDS orphans, where Christian volunteers try to replace parental affection the disease has stolen away. In Jean Vanier's center in Toronto, I have watched a scholarly priest lavish daily care on a middle-aged man so mentally handicapped that he could not speak a word. The most rousing church services I have attended took place in Chile and Peru, in the bowels of a federal prison. Among the lowly, the wretched, the downtrodden, the rejects, God's kingdom takes root.   "The most rousing church services I have attended took place in Chile & Peru, in the bowels of a federal prison. Among the lowly ... God's kingdom takes root."     Learn More -Philip Yancey Learn more about Grace Notes eBook Visit Philip Yancey's blog   (Image & some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of Grace Notes. Image attribution: By MicheleLovesArt (Van Gogh Museum - Tree-roots, 1890) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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