The Challenge: DAY 18 – Beatitudes #3

The MEEK

Welcome to DAY 18 of the 40-Day Mission-Minded FAMILY CHALLENGE!

Today’s focus is on being MEEK and being HUNGRY and THIRSTY for righteousness. Throughout this 4th week, we are working through learning and memorizing the BEATITUDES from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, continuing with Matthew 5, verses 5-6.

C’mon . . . Take the Challenge!

• Recommended Mission Resources: The Mission-Minded Child, The Mission-Minded Family, and our FREE – M.A.P.S. for KIDS – Vacation Bible School Curriculum.
• Missionary Quote by Hudson Taylor Also, special feature video about the importance of Bible translation – by Wycliffe Bible Translators
• Geography Quiz at lizardpoint.com: AFRICA
• Memory Verse: Matthew 5:5-6
• Today’s 5-minute online video

The Challenge: DAY 17 – Beatitudes #2

Those who MOURN

Welcome to DAY 17 of the 40-Day Mission-Minded FAMILY CHALLENGE!

Today’s focus is to realize our total need for God, by being POOR IN SPIRIT, along with having a godly heart that will MOURN for the needs and injustices that grieve the heart of God. Throughout this 4th week, we are working through the BEATITUDES from the Sermon on the Mount, continuing with Matthew 5, verses 3-4.

C’mon . . . Take the Challenge!

• Recommended Mission Resource: George Mueller – The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans – From YWAM’s Christian Heroes Then & Now Series George Mueller is also featured (with a Missionary Monologue Skit) in The Mission-Minded Family
• Missionary Quote by Bob Pierce – Founder of World Vision. This insightful article by Christianity Today, focuses on Bob Pierce’s mission life and eventual downfall: “Imperfect Instrument: World Vision’s Founder led a Tragic and Inspiring Life”)
• Geography Quiz at lizardpoint.com: AFRICA
• Memory Verse: Matthew 5:3-4
• Today’s 5-minute online video

A few questions for feedback:
Ask your kids if they understand what it means to be POOR in SPIRIT? And as a family, what types of needs in the world do you MOURN about? Or do you realize that you don’t really care as much as you should? If so, how can you stir up more compassion for specific needs and injustices in the world?

The Challenge: DAY 16 – Beatitudes #1

The DISCIPLES

Welcome to DAY 16 of the 40-Day Mission-Minded FAMILY CHALLENGE!

During this fourth week, we’re going to focus on memorizing and studying the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Today’s focus is Matthew 5:1-2, and the difference between being a “disciple” of Jesus, or a “disciplined” one who follows hard after God, rather than merely “one of the multitudes” in church.

C’mon . . . Take the Challenge!

• Recommended Mission Resource: William Carey – Obliged to Go – From YWAM’s Christian Heroes Then & Now Series and also The Mission-Minded Family
• Missionary Quote by William Carey
• Geography Quiz at lizardpoint.com: AFRICA
• Memory Verse: Matthew 5:1-2

A few questions for feedback:
Would you say your family leans more toward being one of the multitudes, or are you growing as disciples (or “disciplined ones” following Jesus)? Think about each member of your family; how is each person (parents and kids included) growing and maturing, right now, as a faithful disciple of the Lord?

Hand Commands Explanation

QUESTION: Hi I am a children’s ministry director in South Africa and am busy teaching on God’s laws. I would love to use the Hand Commands too. Please could you email the basic outlines, as you did for Virginia in New Zealand? I would be so grateful.

Here you go!!! Included here are the hand motions from my book, HAND COMMANDS – The Ten Commandments for Little Ones (unfortunately, no longer in print), to assist you in helping your children to easily memorize all of God’s Ten Commandments, in order.
Blessings to you all! ~Ann Dunagan

Commandment 1:

I AM the LORD your God…

(Hold up one finger, like a big #1 and a giant Capital “I”)

You shall have no other gods before Me.

(Now shake your finger, as if saying “No, No, No!”)

Commandment 2:

You shall not make any idols to bow down to and worship.

(Hold up two fingers together, and make them “bow” up and down.)

Commandment 3:

You shall not take the Name of the LORD in vain.

(Hold three fingers up to your lips and say, “SHHH.” – Watch what you say – especially when you are speaking God’s HOLY and wonderful Name!)

Commandment 4:

Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.

(Hold up two fingers on each hand, joined together like a steeple. – “On God’s special day, where do we LOVE to go?” – God wants us to have quiet times with Him – to rest and to listen for His voice.)

Commandment 5:

Honor your father and mother.

(Have child give a “high five” by lifting up their hand and clapping someone else’s hand up high. You need to give you dad and mom a big “high five!”)

Commandment 6:

You shall not murder.

(Hold up six fingers, pointing one finger like a gun into the palm of the other five. – “bang-bang” – God doesn’t want us to hate other people, or to want to hurt them.)

Commandment 7:

You shall not commit adultery.

(Hold up seven fingers – 2 + 5 – and say, “It’s a family!” –  Here is the husband and wife…and over here, their handful of kids! – however many blessings, kids are a handful!!! God wants moms and dads to be married and to always love each other with thoughts and actions pure . . . and He wants ALL of us to keep our thoughts and actions pure.)

Commandment 8:

You shall not steal.

(These hand motions are a little “tricky”! Hold up eight fingers: 5 on the left, 3 on the right, then quickly ‘bump’ your hands together and switch to 4 fingers on each hand. “Did you see that? That right hand just ‘stole’ a finger from the left hand!”)

Commandment 9:

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

(Hold up nine fingers. Then, say with a ‘sarcastic’ tone, “Nine is close enough to ten, don’t you think? Let’s just call it ten. What difference would it make? What’s wrong with just a ‘little lie?'” –  NO!!! God wants us to always tell the truth!)

Commandment 10:

You shall not covet.

(Hold up ten fingers and pretend to “grab” in front on you as if saying, “Gimmie-Gimmie! I want it!” – Don’t be selfish, or “want” things that belong to others.)

These HAND COMMAND motions are from Ann Dunagan’s book, Hand Commands – The Ten Commandments for Little Ones – published by Kregel Publications.

For assistance with these hand motions, please take a look at the 2nd week of the 40-Day Mission-Minded FAMILY CHALLENGE videos, Day 6 (Commands #1-2) – Day 7 (Commands #3-4) – Day 8 (Commands #5-6) – Day 9 (Commands #7-8), and Day 10 (Commands #9-10).

NOTE: Sadly, Hand Commands – The Ten Commandments for Little Ones is no longer in print, and is not currently available. However, since there has been significant interest, Harvest Ministry is considering publishing this book, perhaps, in the future.

Mozambique & Swaziland, SE Africa

It was a thrilling opportunity to preach the Gospel over the course of the recent SE African mission outreach to a total combined attendance of over 21,000 people, in Swaziland and Mozambique.

Raiders of the Lost

January, 2009

Jon Dunagan and our 20-year-old son Josh, just returned home from exciting mission outreach to Mozambique and Swaziland, in SE Africa.

Together with NETS ministers and our Harvest Ministry team, Jon and Josh had the thrilling adventure of proclaiming the awesome news of Jesus Christ to a combined total attendance of over 21,000 people. Over the course of the mission outreach (with two city-wide evangelistic events in Mozambique and Swaziland, and five church services, plus one-on-one witnessing opportunities during a brief layovers in South Africa and Senegal), approximately 1,100 individuals prayed to surrender their lives to the Lord . . . with deep repentance.

Currently, local churches are working on follow-up, and getting these new believers established into local churches. Please keep these countries, and these new Christians in your prayers.

P.S. For fun, we threw in a few “Indiana Jones” photos. In South Africa, Jon got a new explorer hat . . . and combined with his trusty leather jacket (which he’s worn ALL over the world) he looked like quite a character.

We praise God for the opportunity to share His Good News and to be “raiders of the lost” for the kingdom of heaven. Thanks for praying for us!

The Power of Praying Together as a Family

We all know–at least in our heads–that praying together is important.

As Christians, we’ve all heard how powerful is is to pray together as a husband and wife, and how important it is pray together as family . . . but why is it often so hard? Is is worth it to press-through the challenge? How many of us honestly wonder if our our prayers, and the simple prayers of our far-from-perfect family, can really make a difference?

It’s actually that very gut-level of honesty within a family, and our knowledge of each others’ inadequacies, that makes praying together so powerful.

You can’t be fake when praying with your family; you have to rely on God’s forgiveness and His righteousness through the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Praying Together as a Christian Family

If we could comprehend, deep in our spirits, the true power of prayer, we would all pray more–and the difference would radically impact our lives and the lives of those around us.

James 5:16 tells us, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

We want our prayers to be effective, but what does it mean to stand “righteous” before God? It’s totally standing and relying on Jesus Christ and HIS righteousness, not coming to God based on our own “good works” or efforts!

As a family, we’re very aware of our differences and our faults. We’ve all sinned, and we need to acknowledge that no one of earth can stand blameless before our perfect, holy, and awesome God. No matter how good we try to be, our own works are nothing but filthy rags in His sight (see Isaiah 64:6). To pray effectively as a family, we need to grasp the importance of the “fear of the Lord.” We need to realize how powerful and mighty He is.

Self-efforts are like Filthy Rags . . .

• Teach Your Kids about Prayer with Filthy Rags:
  The next time you come across an extremely dirty rag in your house, use it an opportunity to share an important lesson with your kids. We may think our own self-efforts help us earn “Brownie points” with God. But, to Him, our human works are as worthless as stinky rags. If we try to earn favor with God-instead of trusting in Jesus-it’s like collecting yucky rags. The more they pile up, the more they stink and mildew.

But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.

Isaiah 64:6

3 more family prayer ideas:

• Take a Prayer-Walk: As you walk around your neighborhood, take time to quietly praying for each neighbor, and seek God for ideas on how your family can be a light for Jesus.
• Make a Poster: Have your children make a “Ten Most Wanted” list or poster. Have them think of ten people who need Jesus. These can be relatives, neighbors, famous people, or the man who works at the convenience store. Use this list or poster to remind you to pray for these people to come to know the Lord.
• Use a Map: Put a small world map on your refrigerator, and use this area to display newsletters from missionaries you support, along with current international news updates. Pray regularly as a family, perhaps around the dinner table, for specific world needs and for people you know who need the Lord.

Power in prayer is by Christ’s righteousness!

In prayer, each of us must come to God in an attitude of total surrender and humility, keeping our hearts clean and open before Him. Through the cleansing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, every mom and dad, and boy and girl, can pray as a “righteous man” before God. Because of Christ’s forgiveness and righteousness, even your family can come before God with boldness and authority to effectively intercede on behalf of others.

Click here for more Mission-Minded Family articles about PRAYER.

 

This article by Ann Dunagan, is an excerpt from her book, The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny (IVP – InterVarsity Press). It is also a featured article on The Christian Post’s “Better Parenting – Better Families” blog.

Kid Orphan Sponsor Featured on TV News

KELOLife Television in Aberdeen, South Dakota ran a feature about one of Harvest Ministry’s sponsors, an energetic 10-year-old, named Ethan, who’s been selling lemonade (for three years!!!) to support his orphan friend, Allan, in Uganda. Ethan really takes his sponsorship commitment seriously!

It was a sweet news clip . . . and a blessing!

Lemonade for an Orphan Friend!

Please keep Harvest Ministry and all of our orphan children in your thoughts and prayers.

P.S. Ethan was inwardly “moved with compassion” with a specific burden on his heart; he felt that if he didn’t raise that last $4, his orphan friend would “die.” We’re all so inspired by Ethan’s commitment; but be assured that if any of our sponsors are unable to meet their commitment (of $1/day), we’ll simply trust God together for His provision!!! Amen???

BUKWO MISSION: AUDIO REPORT

Jon Dunagan shares an AFRICA MISSIONS update from Harvest Ministry’s recent evangelistic outreach to Bukwo, Uganda – April, 2010.

Hear the details about an exciting dream, God’s timely provision, dangerous mountain-cliffs, an unexpected delay, and many front-line praise reports about MINISTRY, LOVING ORPHANS, and REAPING SOULS . . . fresh from the HARVEST FIELDS!!!

LISTEN HERE (click on REPORT FROM AFRICA MISSION).

• Audio only
• Time Length: 20 minutes.
• Recorded at the Dunagan’s home church in Hood River, Oregon.

Are you called to GO, or to GIVE?

Power Word: “Turn the World Upside Down!”

We live in a totally upside-down world, where “right” seems “wrong” and where “good” is called “evil.” God has called us as Christians to go and turn the world “upside-down” (which is actually “right-side-up”) for the Kingdom of God!

In this short “Power Word,” Ann Dunagan will challenge you, with passion, to boldly share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “Let’s get out there and turn the world upside-down!”

Upside-Down!

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