1| Five Reasons to Read Missionary Biographies to Your Children |The Gospel Coalition
***I’ve spent more than my fair share of hours thumbing through dusty church libraries, mostly Southern Baptist, full of books the church had bought decades earlier, c. 1930 and onward. Anecdotally, I can tell you that the denominational presses published a lot of “missionary biographies” for kids and teens to read. And not just the 5-10 already well-known narratives. I’d see full-length treatments of missionaries that I had otherwise never heard of before, or since. Church library shelves from 1900-1960 were stuffed with a wide variety of missionary biographies.
You become what you celebrate.
2| ’Dynasty’ of Counter-Cultural Living |BGEA
The Robertsons of Duck Dynasty fame are no strangers to boldness. Phil—the patriarch—has, on several occasions, taken a Biblical stand on marriage and other cultural issues. His son Jase—along with wife Missy—has also affirmed the sanctity of marriage and encouraged sexual purity.
Now, the next generation of Robertsons has taken up the mantle of boldness—and in their own way.
Sadie, Phil’s 18-year-old granddaughter, is familiar to Duck Dynasty viewers through regular appearances on the show. She has millions of social media followers, and has written a book and launched a speaking series that bears the book’s title: Live Original.
As a young Christian navigating today’s culture, she understands the tension between fitting in and standing out.
“It’s one thing to go to church on Sundays or Wednesdays and call yourself a ‘Christian,’” she said. “But when Jesus came, He said our job is to love. If you are a Christian and you want to be bold about it, the way to do that is to love people who disagree with you. That’s how people are going to see God.”…
3| How Donated Bibles Are Building Up Cuba’s Christians |BGEA
To date, the BGEA has purchased and sent more than 28,000 Bibles from the United Bible Society. The next shipment, planned for July, will contain copies specifically tailored for pastors.
The Rev. Juan Carlos remembers walking the streets of communist Cuba as a child with his Bible hidden. If he wasn’t careful, the government would take away the banned book, a perceived threat to the established order.
He remembers standing in line as an adult, watching the butcher shop worker spit on the floor in front of him; a clear signal that his kind—Christians—were not welcome there.
But Juan Carlos said that was before God brought revival in such a powerful way that it sent Cubans to the churches in droves. When he remembers this turning point in the 1980s, his eyes shine; the corners of his mouth turn up.
That hunger for God and His Word is still palpable across the Caribbean island, Juan Carlos said, even almost 40 years later. The ban on Bibles was lifted recently, but with a population of 11 million, the supply is limited in this country.
Generous donors have made it possible for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to purchase and send its first shipment of Spanish language Bibles. The next load—approximately 14,000 Bibles—will include reference Bibles intended for pastors.
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