We are seeking talented writers to help tell the story of Bible translation to churches around the world. The work that God is doing, and the role that the local church can serve in that work, is a powerful message that we need to share.
We are turning the testimonies of hearts changed by God’s Word and accounts of how churches are leading the process of Bible translation for their communities into stories that are easy to translate and understand. Stories are a powerful way to engage new national Bible translators. These stories will be broadcast to remote people groups and those living in persecuted areas. Your stories can help reach people who have never heard God’s Word in their own language!
If you have a professional writing background and are willing to contribute a few hours per week, then we need your help. Experience with or knowledge of our programs is a plus. If you do not have previous Wycliffe Associates experience, we will provide training.
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about this storytelling opportunity, please see the Wycliffe website for more information, email us, or call Jennifer Cunneen toll-free at 1-800-THE WORD (800-843-9673). Jennifer will provide you with more details about this project. See the
Thank you for praying and sharing this opportunity within your circles of influence to help us involve more people in Bible translation.
“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” – The Apostle Paul, Romans 8:26
“Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalms 46:10
Probably too often, we think of prayer as an opportunity to talk to God.
Not nearly often enough do we use it as a profound opportunity to listen to God. When we do – listen, that is – it is quite possible to be stunned by the deep knowledge, creativity, compassion, wisdom, and forethought God can offer each one of us in every prayerful moment. God is always aware of the big plan – His Big Plan – while rarely do we look beyond our present circumstances, and then only dimly. God is big, we are small.
When Jesus is minutes away from His arrest by Jewish guards, hours away from his trials before Jewish leaders and Roman prelate Pontius Pilate, shortly after which He would be crucified by the Romans, His startling last words to His disciples spoke of nothing they could have imagined, asked for, or, until later, understood.
At that juncture, which we see in John 15-16-17, did any single one of the disciples have it in his mind to pray for all the things Jesus was about to bring into their lives, or the work of salvation He was going to complete for all humanity?
Who among the disciples would have prayed that Jesus fulfill His mission by giving Himself up to His own humiliating death? Who would have prayed for their joy to be complete? Who would have thought to ask for eternal life – for themselves? Or to learn the true and immutable name of God in loving relationship as only Jesus truly knew each of them? Who would have prayed for Jesus to send the Holy Spirit by which they later could understand many things, find peace in the Lord, and be comforted?
Who would have prayed for Jesus to be relieved of His loneliness as He was deserted by men? Who would have thought to ask Jesus to forgive them for deserting Him? Who would have known and prayed for the looming sacrifice of Jesus that would cover all their sins and restore humanity’s relationship with God Almighty forever?
Likely someone would have prayed for courage, but would they have included the prayer for the gift of conquest over sin? There’s no record that any prayer was offered by the disciples during this time: Jesus the son of God was doing all the talking.
Simply enough, any Jew you asked at that point in their history about what they expected of the promised “Messiah,” would have responded, “To kill the Romans.” The astute likely would also pray for the return of Israel with a King and a Kingdom.
Absolutely no praying person looked at Jesus and asked him to provide all of humanity with forgiveness, eternal love, eternal life, and intimate knowledge of the good, loving, and righteous God. No one prayed for their own pathway of faith and hope into the Kingdom of Heaven. Neither the disciples, family, nor friends who loved Jesus, nor the greatest minds of Israel trying to kill Him, saw any of that coming.
This is all to say, then, that when you’re not sure what to pray for, invite God to go ahead and do His thing. Then … be still and listen. You may be very surprised.
Saturday, August 10, 2019 | 6:00PM Cross America (840 Daniel Dr., Kokomo)
Youth groups and young adults groups are invited to a night of worship, praise and great speakers on Saturday, August 10th. This FREE event is the first time The Rock has held their event outside of Tipton. They are excited to bring this worship opportunity to Kokomo and to Cross America.
Our prayer is that you will encounter God’s unconditional love for you as you come into a place where the Spirit of the Lord is able and willing to rescue you where you are no matter how impossible it may seem. We pray that not only do you experience the Holy Spirit’s presence, but that you will make the exchange from your old self to your new self in Christ. We want to go with you on this journey and know that you will be set free and set a blaze with passion for God by the power of Jesus as you let Him invade your life.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.” (Luke 4:18)
“… I tell you the truth, my father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” – Jesus to the disciples, John 16:23
For quasi-Christians with a stubborn, worldly cant who go to church only when convenient, study the Bible only lightly, and think religion is “to get stuff,” John 16:23 appears to be the ultimate good news: God will give you whatever you want.
Wow! A free pass through the check-out lane of life! Just pray and say “Jesus!”
It’s a fake-news notion that’s launched a thousand sinking ships. Our purpose today is not to rant about the “prosperity” gospel, “name it-claim it” doctrine, the “golden” gospel, or any other assorted false flags of me-directed faith. Context in the Bible is everything – I mean, Jesus is everything, of course – but a “Playtex” interpretation of scripture where you “lift” a verse or phrase you like and then “separate” it from its holy intent, dis-serves the Spirit and darkens one’s humanity. It’s never a good thing to replace a truth with a lie, not when God is watching.
And He’s always watching.
We’ve been studying this section of scripture – John 15-16-17 – in our Thursday morning Mustard Seed Bible Study. It’s the teaching of Jesus after the Last Supper and before the Garden of Gethsemane. Last week’s column, pulled from John’s earlier writing in chapter 3, focused on our “belief” in Jesus the Son of God as the key to salvation.
As Jesus spends these final couple of hours with His disciples before His arrest, trial, humiliation, beating, flogging, crucifixion, and death, Jesus is decisively and directly telling the disciples that He is one with the Father, that He came from the Father, that He is going back to the Father, and that because they know Him – Jesus – they – the disciples – also now know the Father. That is Jesus’s final teaching, and the headline Jesus leaves with His disciples is: “You know God, because you know Me.”
That’s the revealing and critical bit of the context to the line, “whatever you ask in my name.” It’s a line Jesus repeats in verse 26, “…you will ask in my name.” Jesus says it twice – so it’s important – and it is as shocking as it is true. But the focus here should not be the word “ask.” Instead, take full measure of the word “name.”
After previous BC (or BCE) millennia of Jewish instruction never to say the name of God, and that we will never see God, Jesus is telling His disciples that they have encountered both the person and the name of God … in the flesh … in Him. “Name” here isn’t just a “Joe-Bob” or “Linda-Sue.” No, in this context “name” implies both knowledge of and relationship with the person being “named.” Jesus is talking about not just His own person but the very name of God; Jesus is saying, “That’s Who I Am.”
The disciples of course don’t quite get it all; not yet. They know Jesus saw into their hearts, revealed to them what they were thinking, and knows them personally. But what Jesus really is giving to them and to all humanity is something for which they never would have thought to ask: to know the heart of Almighty God; to know His Name.
That is our gift from Jesus, and it can only be unwrapped by a believing heart.
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, June 28, 29, & 30 Doors open at 6PM; Program starts at 7PM First Church of the Nazarene 2734 S. Washington St. www.kokomonaz.org (765) 453-7078
9AM—6PM, Saturday, July 27, 2019
Criterion Water Labs, LLC (329 E. Firmin St., Kokomo)
Hey Overcomer!
Have you ever thought about why we call you an Overcomer? Well, it simply means there is something to overcome. Surely this is spiritual but there are also natural or physical things to overcome as well. It could be a loss of a hope or dream, loss of a loved one, or even a job. But it doesn’t have to be a loss at all. It could have to do with something else that holds your attention and keeps you from feeling free to thrive moving forward.
Stressful events are something that many people face but not everyone that experiences stressful events will get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. I want to help you understand why that is.
It is not something you plan for, nor is it something you can write steps 1, 2, and 3 of how to get through it during the difficult moments. But, we have created a panel to discuss the Biblical principles to a person’s journey before, during and after stressful events of life.
We have used biblical, scientific and psychiatric studies to create this amazing conference and we invite you to join us online as we have this panel discussion. We believe you can overcome all traumatic stresses with God’s Word. Come and join us for this one day dynamic discussion and receive a new level of understanding for your journey of overcoming.
We want everyone well holding to this standard of all we do…
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 1:2
God wants you to be happy, well, sane and healthy. And so do I!
Would you join me online for this one-day discussion panel on Overcoming PTSD? This will not only help you if you are stuck in the past of a traumatic event but it can also help you NOT be affected by PTSD in the future.
Lately, I keep hearing the word “delight” whispered to my heart. It has been following me through the day like a puppy longing for attention. So tonight, I turn to face this word head on and ponder why God keeps dangling it in my view.
I retrace the steps of my day looking for clues. Woke up, prepped for the day, ate breakfast, grabbed the to-go coffee cup, and headed in to work. On my drive to the office, I spent time in prayer. Told God all my requests, my hopes, my dreams, my burdens, my sorrows. Arrived safely and jumped into the piles of paper on my desk.
Then it hits me- I have been so caught up in me that I have been missing Him.
Did I notice the sunrise this morning? On my way home did I take note that the farmers were finally out in the fields prepping to plant due to a day filled with sun rather than rain? Even now as I type this out, I am catching hints of God’s daily presence; the songbirds outside my window, the hummingbird as it lands so delicately on the feeder, and the fresh blooms dotting the backyard with color.
The pleasure of delighting in Him had slowly been replaced by the duty of doing for Him. It happens so swiftly and yet subtly. This has been His whisper. He has been calling me back to His heart, to the simple act of delighting in Who He is. To delight is to give keen enjoyment or to take great pleasure in.
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. –Psalm 37:4
Several years ago, while experiencing a waiting time in my life, the Lord impressed upon my heart this little essay/song. It rocked my heart then, and today it calls me back to the joy of delight.
Hush. Be Still. Don’t rush away.
Don’t just settle for a touch from Me.
Stay. Linger. Come know Me.
As did Adam, come walk with Me
In the cool of the day.
Know Me. Know my heart.
Do you see it?
Do you see the delight in my face as we walk together?
It’s because of you.
I created you and I bought you.
You are my precious treasure.
I do-I do delight in you.
Do you delight in Me?
Sarah Young once wrote in her devotional Jesus Calling, “I begin each day with a sunrise, announcing My radiant Presence. By the time you rise from your bed, I have already prepared the way before you. I eagerly await your conscious thought. I rejoice when you glance my way.”
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24
When was the last time I truly delighted in, took great pleasure in the person of Jesus Christ? Today, may we take time to glance His way. To delight in His love, His grace, His communion with us, and to behold His beauty.
“The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.” – Psalm 27:4
Hi There! My name is Evelyn. I am a lover of all things family, faith and Fall. So grateful that you found your way here. The chaos of life can leave us feeling a bit worn around the edges. Sometimes a little ray of hope is all we need to provide courage for the next step in our journey. So come on in, take a deep breath. My prayer is that in this space, you will be able to grab hold of hope. For more of Evelyn’s columns, see her blog Hope for the Journey.
We are very happy to welcome two new authors to Afikomag!
Evelyn Sherwood is a pastor’s wife in Kokomo, Indiana. Her blog, Joy for the Journey, offers encouragement in your walk with Jesus. In her own words:
I am a lover of all things family, faith and Fall. So grateful that you found your way here. The chaos of life can leave us feeling a bit worn around the edges. Sometimes a little ray of hope is all we need to provide courage for the next step in our journey. So come on in, take a deep breath. My prayer is that in this space, you will be able to grab hold of hope.
Bob Walters is a former sportswriter and public relations executive who became a baptized believer in Christ in the fall of 2001. He writes, edits, and serves in the Christian community. From 2006-2015 his “In Spirit” column was published in the north metro Indianapolis, Ind., “Current” newspapers in Carmel, Westfield, Noblesville and Fishers (circulation: approx. 100,000 homes). Upon coming to Christ in his late 40s, Walters became friends with longtime Christian minister Russ Blowers (1924-2007), who mentored Bob’s faith and Christian writing. Walters is a member of East 91st Street Christian Church, Indianapolis, where he is active in several ministries and coordinates a Wednesday night study taught by retired Cambridge theology lecturer Dr. George Bebawi. Born in Michigan, Walters grew up in Kokomo, IN, and went to Franklin College of Indiana (’76). He is married to Pam and is dad to sons Eric and John.
