I hope 2006 has been a blessing for you already. At the end of this page are a few questions to help you pause ands reflect as the new year unfolds. Feel free to print this section out to keep with your Quiet Time materials as a reminder of what you want to see happen this year.

Allow me to share part of a message I received from a regular newsletter, One Minute Monthly Mission Mentor:

The NEED is NOT the call! What is the call?

As we come to the end of 2005 and the start 2006 - let us remind ourselves of the call Jesus gave to His disciples.

We know the above statement is true - "The need is not the call." Wherever we are there is need. Indeed, many who receive a call of God to minister to other nations are met with friends and family saying - you don't have to go overseas - the need here is great as well. Cameron Townsend, founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators was met with a similar comment from his father . His response.. "The greater need is where the greatest darkness is."

The call of God is to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing .and teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you."

Taking the 4 verbs of Matthew 28:19-20 we are to go, make disciples, baptize and teach.

Is that not still the call ?

Yet each year a smaller and smaller percentage of mission and Church funding goes to The Call.

More and more go to needs such as relief, development, care and feeding of the orphaned, poor and displaced. This past year of 2005 there have been tremendous needs to assist natural disasters. Now we have two resulting phenomena - donor fatigue and many missions having a short fall because the donations that usually come to them are going to relieve suffering.

I certainly don't have the answer for all the needs around us. We also know from the Word that we the Church are to minister to the poor, the widow, the orphans, the dispossessed. Definitely God has called and equipped many of His saints with gifts and abilities to do this. I am not against meeting these needs, but I do appeal for balance - and not forgetting the greater need.

My appeal is - Let's not forget the call. "To go, make disciples, baptize, teach." When there is a STRONG Church in the nations of the world - they are then in place to meet the needs of the poor and suffering around them.

For a number of years (15 or so) the Church has been told about the evangelistic needs of the 10-40 window. Yet still only 8% of the worlds mission enterprise is targeting this area. This area from 10 degrees latitude north to 40 north between West Africa and the pacific is home to 4 billion of the worlds 6 billion people, 97% of the worlds unreached live here, 87% of the poorest of the poor live here - and less than one half of one percent of our churches' budgets go here.

As we come to the New Year - Let's not forget the call. To start - let us lift up the peoples of this area in prayer. Let us pray for labourers. Let us seek God as to how he would have us fulfill the Call He has on our own life. Let's ask Him for His ideas of how we can fulfill His call on our life.

At your mission committee meeting why not ask your team - how much of our support goes to the great commission .and how much goes to relief, development and meeting physical needs. Is there a good balance. Are we at all involved in the 10-40 window? How could we be more involved?

We really are called to go and make disciples.

For years I have used Chick tracts and think one of their latest editions is on target. Be sure to read "The Chaplain" and consider placing an order!

A recent "Brigada Today" newsletter had the following:

Operation Reveille has produced a 12 minute slide show detailing the nature and implications of conflict between modernist and fundamentalist Muslims by comparing and contrasting the conflict with differences between liberal and evangelical Christians. You may view a low quality QuickTime version of the show here.

Higher quality versions in PowerPoint, AVI, ShockWave, Keynote, MPeg, or QuickTime format may be requested on CD-rom or as e-mail attachments from bside(at)oprev(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]

"For a free subscription to Brigada's weekly missions publication, write brigada-today-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and/or visit Brigada on the web at www.brigada.org."

On the same day West Virginia residents cheered the Mountaineers Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia, at least thirteen men became trapped inside the Sago mine in central West Virginia, about 100 miles from Charleston. While the Sugar Bowl victory brought a sense of pride to the state, I believe the tiny group of His followers in my birth state approached the Throne of Grace on behalf of those trapped as well as their families. Thank you for continuing to pray. Be sure to visit www.wvcsb.org to see what God is doing in a state where well over 75% of the population is unchurched.

+ Two weeks ago Scott had a rough week with the IPCJ CD and needed your intercession to see 'feedback copies' flawlessly made last week... oh, what a difference your intercession made! The CD software at the Prayer Center didn't fare as well as what I had at home, so I "brought work home with me" (again). Thanks for praying!

+ Shirin asked for your coverage as she started another week of homeschool with Jasmine... oh, what a difference your intercession has made! This was one of the best weeks in our home!

+ Jasmine's greatest prayer need was for focus and concentration on her schoolwork... and did she ever! She focused and concentrated on her schoolwork beyond what we expected, and we thank you for praying!

<T H I S  W E E K><

<>< Scott asks for intercession that will help him meet the computing needs of co-workers as he foresees 'new ground' approaching.

<>< Shirin and a co-laborer are going on a visit this week. Please join them in praying for the ladies that they will be visiting to open their hearts to Jesus.

<>< Jasmine asks you to pray for her as she develops good relationships with our neighbors.

<* Pray for the Jawa Pesisir Lor of Indonesia.><

CALENDAR UPDATES

<If you're not receiving our bimonthly snail-mail newsletter, let us know so we can send it to you!><

28, good health during the cold and flu season

* So far so good, and today's dental visit went well, too!

29, traveling safety on the roads

* Your intercession makes a big difference. Thanks for praying over us!

30, Jasmine is 6 yrs and 7 months today.

* I cherish each hug I give her, knowing she's only on loan from Above.

31, Pray that we finish the year well!

* It's good to be finished and we thank you for praying to that end.

1, May Luke 11:1 be true in our lives this coming year.

* I want to fall deeper in love with Jesus every day and know Him more, and I believe my personal prayer life will be a reflection of it.

2, focus on Main Thing for this month

* I carry two tracts in my pocket, one in Arabic and one in Hebrew (I may add Russian when I get them), and both of them found their ways into the hands of native speakers. I'm looking forward to my next encounter with them to talk about the Author.

3, Thank God for utilities!

* Amen... so far the electricity hasn't gone out this year :-)

(Thanks, Darryl!)

Breakfast for Champions

“Reflection is the breakfast of Champions” is a classic phrase that is harnessed by coaches for their teams who are seeking the gold or looking to secure a national championship. A coach who is worth his weight will encourage his team to take time to reflect and learn. Without a doubt…championship teams are teams that have learned the value and discipline of reflection because reflection is the key to learning, growth and development. In the book of Haggai, the prophet reminds and coaches the people of God to “consider their ways”. He instructs and urges them to reflect on some of the things that are happening and to evaluate their personal spiritual condition in light of what God has told them. All faithful believers need to pause and take the time to think about the direction of their lives. The beginning of a new year provides an ideal time to pause, look up in prayer, reflect and recalibrate. Here are some questions I came across that will hopefully help us ….so let us consider our ways prayerfully in His presence and look to Him for direction and guidance for 2006!

1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in 10 years? In eternity?

In addition to these questions, here are 21 more to help you "Consider your ways." Think on the entire list at one sitting, or answer one question each day for a month.

11. What's the most important decision you need to make this year?

12. What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what's one way you could simplify in that area?

13. What's the most important need you feel burdened to meet this year?

14. What habit would you most like to establish this year?

15. Who do you most want to encourage this year?

16. What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it?

17. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year?

18. What's one new way you could be a blessing to your pastor (or to another who ministers to you) this year?

19. What's one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?

20. What book, in addition to the Bible, do you most want to read this year?

21. What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year?

22. What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?

23. In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year?

24. What's the most important trip you want to take this year?

25. What skill do you most want to learn or improve this year?

26. To what need or ministry will you try to give an unprecedented amount this year?

27. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your commute this year?

28. What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?

29. If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it?

30. What's the most important new item you want to buy this year?

31. In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?

The value of many of these questions is not in their profundity, but in the simple fact that they bring an issue or commitment into focus. For example, just by articulating which person you most want to encourage this year, you will be more likely to remember to encourage that person than if you hadn't considered the question.

The Bottom Line: