by Dan Rupple May 6, 2021* The 2003 Christmas comedy, Elf, a popular family favorite, stars Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf. As a child in an orphanage, one Christmas Eve, Buddy mistakenly crawls into Santa’s toy bag and ends up at the North Pole. There he is raised as an elf, but Buddy is not able to do …
St. Francis and the humble nativity.
By Lauren Terrell * Eight hundred years ago, in 1223, St. Francis of Assisi created the first recorded nativity scene. What compelled him to recreate the setting of Jesus’ birth for others to see was not pageantry and spectacle but a realization that many had lost the true spirit of Christmas. It is believed that St. …
Our Family’s Christmas DAF Tradition
by Katie Brubaker* There are two teenagers in our family. When they were toddlers, I read somewhere about a family that set Christmas gift expectations with a little rhyme. My husband and I adopted the idea and added a line about giving. If you ask our kids what’s under the tree, they’ll tell you: Something …
Watchful and Faithful
by Joseph Slife* LISTEN> The Advent season (the weeks just before Christmas) is my favorite time of the year. With every strain of "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus" and "O Come, O Come Emanuel," I'm reminded that God is working toward a good end, even amidst the world's trouble and turmoil. When the time is right, …
December Prayer Update
PRAISE: Five of six new languages of “JESUS” for war-torn Sudan have been completed in just four months for tribal peoples in Northeast Africa. Upon full completion, these languages will help reach up to 400,000 people. This is such a God thing! The Asia Film Equipment video is beginning to see a good response. (Your past prayers for its …
A Praise of Thanksgiving Bring Him Glory!
November Prayer Update
Praise: Last month I asked you to pray for our language recording efforts. One of my colleagues this fall has been training an in-country partner in a restricted Northeast African nation to record “JESUS.” By Christmas there will be five new translations completed for this war-torn region of the continent. Five more unreached, remote people groups will …
Rejoice. It is based on faith and it is not necessarily a feel.
Life brings us plenty of reasons to not rejoice. I wear a wrist band that simply says, "God is Big Enough." When I feel confused or look at a situation that doesn't fit my box, I try to remember to look at my wrist. I don't always remember even though it is right there. We …
Continue reading "Rejoice. It is based on faith and it is not necessarily a feel."
October Prayer Update
PRAISE:In 2010, the ministry embarked on an ambitious goal to produce 865 more languages of 'JESUS' (50,000+ speakers). To date, God has enable us to finish 80% of them. And of the remaining 20%, many are more difficult to do, often in restricted nations. With the help of partners, we are not stopping. Please pray; these …
The Three Stewards
Last spring I heard a talk by Pastor Mark Schatzman on the parable of the talents from Matthew 25:14-30. He looked at it what a faithful steward is in terms of risk. The first two stewards 'traded up' and were rewarded. Jesus declared them 'good and faithful.' But the third didn’t risks and not only …
Larry Buck's Blog: 