Wednesday, August 31, 2011

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 2

¹ Why do the nations conspire^[a]
   and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
   and the rulers band together
   against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,
³ “Let us break their chains
   and throw off their shackles.” ⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
   the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger
   and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
⁶ “I have installed my king
   on Zion, my holy mountain.”
⁷ I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:
   He said to me, “You are my son;
   today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask me,
   and I will make the nations your inheritance,
   the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron^[b];
   you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
   be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear
   and celebrate his rule with trembling.
¹² Kiss his son, or he will be angry
   and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
   Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Footnotes:

Psalm 2:1 Hebrew; Septuagint rage
Psalm 2:9 Or will rule them with an iron scepter (see Septuagint and Syriac)

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Luke 5 (with text - press on more info.)

Proverbs 30 (with text - press on more info.)

The GMWA Women of Worship - Order My Steps

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields ...

Psalm1 in Aramaic

Psalm 1

Psalm 1 (New International Version)

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Psalm 1

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 1

BOOK I
Psalms 1–41

¹ Blessed is the one
   who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
   or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
   and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
   which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
   whatever they do prospers. ⁴ Not so the wicked!
   They are like chaff
   that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
   nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
   but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Let everything that has breath - kids with lyric

Pray Today - August 29

Join the Prayer Movement

click map to enlarge

click map to enlarge

click graph for key

Mexico

United Mexican States

Latin America

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 1,958,201 sq km
Latin America’s third largest country. Wide range of topography and rainfall ranging from arid northern plateau, central volcanic plateau and the southern mountains and rain forests. Only 10% of the country is arable.
Population: 110,645,154 Annual Growth: 0.99%
Capital: Mexico City
Urbanites: 77.8%
HDI Rank: 53 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 317 (4% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Spanish; the world’s largest Spanish-speaking nation Languages: 297 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Christian

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	105,143,877	95.03	1.0
Evangelicals	9,166,346	8.3	3.8

Prayercast

Answer to Prayer

There is a steady growth of evangelicals, who were only 2.1% (800,000) in 1960, but are now over 8% and numbering over nine million. If anything, such growth appears to be accelerating, not slowing.

For an additional 2 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

Challenge for Prayer

Mexico is a growing nation that is still discovering its own identity. Meso-American origins, Hispanic history and a dynamic but turbulent relationship with its neighbours all shape Mexico profoundly. This search often manifests itself through religious identity (both animist and Catholic) and the inevitable accompanying anti-Protestant sentiment. Pray that Mexicans, both indigenous and mestizo, might find their ultimate identity and destiny in the love of Christ and the purposes of God.
For an additional 11 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Mexico.

Luke 4 (with text - press on more info.)

Proverbs 29 (with text - press on more info.)

Psalm 150

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 150

¹ Praise the LORD.^[a]   Praise God in his sanctuary;
   praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
   praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
   praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
   praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
   praise him with resounding cymbals.
⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
   Praise the LORD.

Footnotes:

Psalm 150:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 6

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Luke 3 (with text - press on more info.)

Operation World - Pray Today Sunday August 28th for

Proverbs 28 (with text - press on more info.)

Praise The LORD - A great song of praise!

Majesty (Psalm 149:6) - Benjamin Daydreamer

Hava Nagila (Let us rejoice)

I Will Celebrate

Psalm 149

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 149

¹ Praise the LORD.^[a]   Sing to the LORD a new song,
   his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.
² Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
   let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
³ Let them praise his name with dancing
   and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
⁴ For the LORD takes delight in his people;
   he crowns the humble with victory.
⁵ Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
   and sing for joy on their beds.
⁶ May the praise of God be in their mouths
   and a double-edged sword in their hands,
⁷ to inflict vengeance on the nations
   and punishment on the peoples,
⁸ to bind their kings with fetters,
   their nobles with shackles of iron,
⁹ to carry out the sentence written against them—
   this is the glory of all his faithful people.
   Praise the LORD.

Footnotes:

Psalm 149:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9

Saturday, August 27, 2011

This week’s Blog Audience Page views by Countries

United States 126, Malaysia22, United Kingdom 14, Germany 10, India 6, Singapore 4, Canada, 2 South Korea 2, Palestinian Territories 2, France 1

Operation World - Pray Today Friday August 27th for

Song of Thanks

Luke 2 (with text - press on more info.)

Proverbs 27 (with text - press on more info.)

Creator King - Psalm 148

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!.wmv

Psalm 148

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 148

¹ Praise the LORD.^[a]   Praise the LORD from the heavens;
   praise him in the heights above.
² Praise him, all his angels;
   praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
³ Praise him, sun and moon;
   praise him, all you shining stars.
⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens
   and you waters above the skies.
⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
   for at his command they were created,
⁶ and he established them for ever and ever—
   he issued a decree that will never pass away.
⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth,
   you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
   stormy winds that do his bidding,
⁹ you mountains and all hills,
   fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,
   small creatures and flying birds,
¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations,
   you princes and all rulers on earth,
¹² young men and women,
   old men and children.
¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
   for his name alone is exalted;
   his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
¹⁴ And he has raised up for his people a horn,^[b]
   the praise of all his faithful servants,
   of Israel, the people close to his heart.
   Praise the LORD.

Footnotes:

Psalm 148:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 14
Psalm 148:14 Horn here symbolizes strength.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Give Thanks

OpWorld | Libya

With the current uprising Please keep Libya and her peoples in your Prayers.

Equippers Church: I will extol the Lord.

Michael W. Smith - Great is the Lord

How Good it is....(to sing praises to our God)

Luke 1 (with text - press on more info.)

Today we start the book of Luke.

Proverbs 26 (with text - press on more info.)

Psalm 147

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 147

¹ Praise the LORD.^[a]   How good it is to sing praises to our God,
   how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
² The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
   he gathers the exiles of Israel.
³ He heals the brokenhearted
   and binds up their wounds.
⁴ He determines the number of the stars
   and calls them each by name.
⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
   his understanding has no limit.
⁶ The LORD sustains the humble
   but casts the wicked to the ground.
⁷ Sing to the LORD with grateful praise;
   make music to our God on the harp.
⁸ He covers the sky with clouds;
   he supplies the earth with rain
   and makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹ He provides food for the cattle
   and for the young ravens when they call.
¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
   nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
¹¹ the LORD delights in those who fear him,
   who put their hope in his unfailing love.
¹² Extol the LORD, Jerusalem;
   praise your God, Zion.
¹³ He strengthens the bars of your gates
   and blesses your people within you.
¹⁴ He grants peace to your borders
   and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
¹⁵ He sends his command to the earth;
   his word runs swiftly.
¹⁶ He spreads the snow like wool
   and scatters the frost like ashes.
¹⁷ He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
   Who can withstand his icy blast?
¹⁸ He sends his word and melts them;
   he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.
¹⁹ He has revealed his word to Jacob,
   his laws and decrees to Israel.
²⁰ He has done this for no other nation;
   they do not know his laws.^[b]
   Praise the LORD.

Footnotes:

Psalm 147:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 20
Psalm 147:20 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint nation; / he has not made his laws known to them

Operation World - Pray Today Friday August 26 for

Republic of Malta

Europe

Thursday, August 25, 2011

A Note from Our Friend Pat

Waiting for God's direction and blessing can be a great test of our faith, but waiting on God for our rescue can be an even greater challenge.

There may be times when our ability to trust is severely tested. But our faith in God - in His ability to hold us secure - must be independent of the force of the wind.

Most storms last longer than we prefer. But our Heavenly Father is leading us to the place where we can have peace, contentment, and even joy, whether the sun is shining or the storm is raging. He is calling us to be free of fear; calling us to trust Him more and experience His calm within the storm.

Gateway Worship - The Lord reigns (lyrics) (True Spirit Worship 37)

"The Lord reigns, let the people shout
He reigns in righteousness
Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice
The Lord reigns, let the people clap their hands
Angels shout, the re- deemed have come to dance
To celebrate, to celebrate He reigns

The Lord reigns, the Lord reigns
The Lord reigns, we will sing and shout
You reign, You reign
You reign, for- ever King of all

Let all the people sing of Your awesome power in all the earth
Let darkness tremble at Your Name
Why do the nations rage when the King is on His throne?
Now and forever You will reign

The Lord reigns, the Lord reigns
The Lord reigns, we will sing and shout
You reign, You reign
You reign, forever King of all

The Lord reigns, the Lord reigns
The Lord reigns, we will sing and shout
You reign, You reign
You reign, forever King of all

Forever King of all
Forever King of all"

Sing Your Praise To The Lord - Amy Grant (HQ)

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty - Fernando Ortega

Proverbs 25 (with text - press on more info.)

Mark 16 (with text - press on more info.)

Psalm 146

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 146

¹ Praise the LORD.^[a]   Praise the LORD, my soul.
² I will praise the LORD all my life;
   I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
³ Do not put your trust in princes,
   in human beings, who cannot save.
⁴ When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
   on that very day their plans come to nothing.
⁵ Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
   whose hope is in the LORD their God.
⁶ He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
   the sea, and everything in them—
   he remains faithful forever.
⁷ He upholds the cause of the oppressed
   and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
   the LORD loves the righteous.
⁹ The LORD watches over the foreigner
   and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
   but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
¹⁰ The LORD reigns forever,
   your God, O Zion, for all generations.
   Praise the LORD.

Footnotes:

Psalm 146:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 10

Holy is Our God- Starfield with lyrics

Map of Mali

Pray Today August 25th for the Republic of Mali in Africa

Mali

Republic of Mali

Africa

Geography

Area 1,240,192 sq km. Landlocked state. Dry

southern grasslands merge into the Sahara Desert.

The Niger River runs through the southern part

of the country.

Population Ann Gr Density

2010 13,323,104 2.40% 11/sq km

2020 16,767,115 2.26% 14/sq km

2030 20,466,789 1.93% 17/sq km

Capital Bamako 1,698,520. Urbanites 33.3%.

Pop under 15 yrs 44%. Life expectancy 48.1

yrs.

Peoples

Sub-Saharan African peoples 89.4%. 55

peoples. Major people clusters:

Malinke-Bambara 30.2%. Bambara 28.9%.

Gur 17.4%. 23 peoples. Senoufo(4) 10.0%; Dogon(15)

5.4%; Bobo (Bomu/Bwa) 1.4%.

Soninke 12.5%. Soninke 8.1%; Bozo(4) 4.4%.

Malinke 10.2%. 9 peoples. Kita 6.9%; Khasonke 1.4%;

Maninka 1.2%.

Fulbe 9.7%. Maasina Fulani 7.0%; 4 other groups.

Songhai 7.2%. Songhai(3) 6.5%; Idaksahak 0.7%.

Other Sub-Saharan Africans 2.2%.

Arab/Berber 10.5%. Tuareg (speaking two

Tamacheq languages and including Bella, the former

slaves of the Tuareg) 5.1%; Arab 5.4% including Moor

3.0%.

Other 0.1%. Mostly French.

Literacy 19%. Official language French.

Trade languages Bambara, Fulbe, Songhai. All

languages 60. Indigenous languages 56.

Languages with Scriptures 4Bi 10NT 20por

17w.i.p.

Economy

One of the world’s poorest nations. Subsistence

farming and fishing occupies 80% of the

population; drought, locust plagues and

desertification frequently devastate the land.

The exports of gold and cotton are highly

vulnerable to market fluctuations.

HDI Rank 178th/182. Public debt 72.5% of

GDP. Income/person $657 (1% of USA).

Politics

The modern successor to the great Malian

empire of AD 1230-1400. Independent from

France in 1960. Popular protests ousted a

military dictatorship in 1991. Elections and a

multiparty democracy have since endured.

Tuareg unrest in the northeast sees frequent

outbreaks of violence, usually settled by

government concessions over autonomy or

poverty reduction. But restive Moors in the

north and Al-Qaeda add to the trouble,

augmented even further by rapidly growing

drug cartels using the desert as a transshipment

point for drugs from South America into

Europe.

Religion

A secular state with freedom of religion

despite the large Muslim majority. Islam is

strongest in the north and centre. The

traditionally animist peoples, such as Dogon,

Bobo and Senufo, are now largely Muslim; the

window of opportunity to reach them before

their Islamization is now all but closed.

Religions Pop % Population Ann Gr

Muslim 87.38 11,641,728 2.6%

Ethnoreligionist 9.88 1,316,323 0.8%

Christian 2.64 351,730 2.5%

Non-religious 0.10 13,323 2.4%

Christians Denoms Pop % Affiliates Ann Gr

Protestant 17 0.70 93,000 2.5%

Independent 8 0.01 1,000 5.1%

Catholic 1 1.92 256,000 2.4%

Marginal 1 0.01 1,000 1.5%

Churches MegaBloc Congs Members Affiliates

Catholic Church C 45 143,017 256,000

Evang Protestant Ch P 260 22,000 43,000

CMA P 360 9,875 39,500

Assemblies of God P 67 1,107 3,100

Seventh-day Adventist P 4 1,650 2,250

Alliance Mission P 24 486 1,020

Jehovah’s Witnesses M 11 275 880

Church of Pentecost I 13 583 670

Norwegian Prot Mission P 18 264 660

Evang Baptist Mission P 8 242 460

Other denominations[15] 116 1,662 3,521

Total Christians [27] 926 181,161 351,061

Answers to Prayer

1 The continuing stability, in the midst of poverty, is a reason for praise. Mali stands as a

role model of democracy and stability in a sea of troubled nations, free from the coups,

civil wars and shady politics of its neighbours. It remains secular despite strong pressure from

neighbouring countries to become an Islamic state.

2 The consolidation of the gospel is an answer to prayer:

a) The Church is taking root in a number of the cultures and peoples of Mali as believers

persevere and second-generation Christians emerge.

b) A diversity of ministry sees church planting, development work and all types of holistic

approaches bear fruit. Most missions combine outreach with works of compassion, since both

are clearly needed.

c) Partnerships have formed for all Protestant ministries in Mali – Association des Groupements

d’Églises et Missions Protestantes Évangéliques au Mali (AGEMPEM) – and for the evangelization

of seven of the largest or most strategic peoples in Mali or West Africa generally: the Bozo,

Fulbe, Malinke, Soninke and Tuareg.

Challenges for Prayer

1 Mali’s socio-economic quandary is sobering. It is one of the poorest nations on earth,

with people making on average $1.5US/day. Cotton growing employs one-third of the

population but is highly vulnerable to world market fluctuations and competing growers

elsewhere. Functional literacy is low and secondary school enrolment is under 20%. About onefifth

of children will not survive to the age of five, and of those who do, one-third will be

malnourished. Two-thirds of the land area is desert or semi-desert, and the threat of desertification

is ever present. Pray that Mali’s leaders have wisdom and insight in knowing how to provide health,

education, gainful employment and long-term stability to their people.

2 Islam in Mali tends to be moderate and uniquely West African. The large majority practice

a tolerant brand of Islam that incorporates elements of African traditional religions and

superstitious folk practices. Large amounts of aid from Libya and Saudi Arabia keep the population

further tied to Islam. In Bamako alone, over 3,000 Qur’anic schools and individual marabouts teach

about 40% of children. Pray for Muslims in Mali to have the opportunity to hear, read about and

experience Jesus and the assurance of salvation He alone offers.

3 The number of Christians has not increased by enough to even keep pace with

Mali’s rapid population growth – evangelicals fell from 0.91% of the population in 1990

to 0.69% in 2010. Most growth is biological, and many who make decisions for Christ return

to their former religion. This could be addressed with better follow-up through evangelism

activities, discipleship programmes, pastoral training and Bible schools, but lack of funds to train

for and support such ventures is a real problem. There are nearly 700 evangelical congregations,

but most of them are not actively engaged in evangelism and outreach, despite many in Mali

being spiritually open. Pray for boldness, passion and a burden for the unsaved to awaken in the

churches and for a new wave of evangelism such as happened in the 1980s.

TransBloc Pop % Population Ann Gr

Evangelicals

Evangelicals 0.7 93,630 2.5%

Renewalists

Charismatics 0.2 29,347 6.2%

Pentecostals <0.1 4,120 2.7%

4 Opportunities abound for a positive impact by caring Christians. Pray for the many

agencies actively involved in the following: church planting and evangelism (Avant,

CAPRO, World Venture); relief; local development to conserve soil, vegetation and water

(CRWM, Norwegian Lutherans); education (UWM); digging wells; and medical outreach (CMA,

Allianz Mission). All of these groups minister in more than just one way, and many others work in

Mali as well. The door is open to serve in Mali; ask God to send more workers for the harvest.

5 Missions have multiplied and few areas of the country are untargeted, but breakthrough

has not yet been seen. Mali is still a pioneer missions country, with two-thirds of the

population unevangelized. For years there were only four Protestant missions – Avant, CMA,

and then UWM and Evangelical Baptists. Only in the more receptive Avant and CMA areas

have strong churches emerged. There are now over 40 agencies from all continents, comprising

several hundred workers. But the trickle of responses has not yet become a flood. More and

more African and even Malian ministries work here; pray for them to collaborate with foreign

missions and to have a galvanizing effect on the national churches.

6 Bamako, the capital and only major city in the country, has 60 small churches and over

100 expatriate missionaries, but only a minority are involved in urban church planting.

Many suburbs are still without a meaningful witness, even as the city rapidly grows and spreads.

The churches struggle with limited facilities and with expanding what facilities do exist. A

prominent, visible Christianity – with actual buildings as symbols of growth and presence –

would be an answer to prayer; a dynamic, growing movement of people to Christ irrespective

of physical infrastructure would be even greater!

7 Of the 60 indigenous ethnic groups, only five are more than 1% evangelical – the

Bambara (1.1%), Bobo (2.9%), Dogon (3.5%) and Senufo (1%). All peoples are in desperate

need of the good news; 35 of them are categorized as unreached. Pray also for the smaller

(therefore often neglected) groups of 25,000 people or less with no or few known believers

(Wolof, Fulbe Jeeri, Kagoro, Banka, Yalunka, Jahanka, Humburi-Senni, Pana, Tiemacewe). Ask

God to reveal the right approach so that they might be reached with the gospel. Pray for a

decisive breakthrough among all peoples.

8 There are a few strategic peoples among whom pioneer work has been established,

but for which prayer is requested:

a) The Bambara are a key people for the evangelization of the country. Many agencies work

among them, and most denominations include some Bambara speakers. There are small

victories in evangelism but no major breakthroughs. Pray for the spiritual and numerical

growth of the church among this strategic people.

b) The Fulbe (mostly Fulbe Maasina), who are often semi-nomadic, reside throughout the

country but are concentrated in central Mali. Several groups of believers are discipled by

workers from nine different agencies, including the Norwegian Lutherans, CRWM, Pioneers

and the Eglise Protestante. Some solid foundations are laid for a more significant spiritual

breakthrough among these peoples.

c) The Northern peoples are more strongly Muslim, yet hard pioneering work has resulted in

some congregations and believers among the Tamacheq/Tuareg and Songhai.

i Work among the desert-dwelling, semi-nomadic Tamacheq is often disrupted by frequent

insurrections, but upheaval, desertification and urbanization create opportunities for the

gospel. The Idaksahak, a distinct Muslim people living among the Tamacheq, appear

responsive. There are now congregations of Tamacheq believers and a NT.

ii The Songhai, once rulers of an empire, practice folk Islam with strong elements of sorcery.

There is Baptist work among them, and the JESUS film and portions of Scripture –

especially in audio format – are proving effective.

d) The Dogon, including 15 sub-groups, are known for their traditional religion with rich

mythology, songs and masks. But many looking for alternatives now turn to Islam. The

Dogon are more evangelized than most groups in Mali through the CMA, and they have a

relative wealth of Christian resources (NT, the JESUS film, audio resources, holistic ministry

projects); this unprecedented opportunity for the gospel must not be missed.

e) The Soninke group, including the four Bozo fishermen peoples, has very few Christians but

are engaged by teams from many different missions. The Soninke presence across much of