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Muž ze Severní Karolíny začal pomáhat lidem službou, která jim radí, jak rozumně nakládat s tím nejcennějším přírodním zdrojem – se svým časem. „Čas je jednou z našich nejvzácnějších komodit,“ říká Rick Grubbs, zakladatel a prezident Life Changing Seminars (LCS – Semináře o životních proměnách). Jedná se o duchovní službu, která byla založena v Salisbury, v Severní Karolíně v roce 1987. „Bůh ke mně promlouvá a já vidím, kolik času lidé promarní. Jeden z důvodů, proč jsem přišel ke Kristu, bylo uvědomění si krátkosti života.“ Největším přínosem služby LCS je osobní Grubbsovo svědectví, jeho přednášky na konferencích, kongresech, na setkáních pastorů a sborů. Součástí jeho svědectví jsou i příběhy jiných křesťanů, traktáty, Nový zákon Gideonů, modlitby přátel, svědectví spolužáků, křesťanské rádio a společenství InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Grubbs často zmiňuje množství důvodů, proč by křesťané měli se svým časem správně nakládat. Mezi jiným říká, že čas je vymezený (Žalm 90); je to naše nejcennější pozemské vlastnictví (Matouš 25:14-30); a z toho, jak nakládáme se svým časem, budeme skládat účty (Matouš 12:36). (Religion Today/Agape Press) |
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HUNGARIANS CELEBRATE COUNTRY'S ENTRY INTO EUROPEAN UNION
Huge crowds celebrated Hungary's entry into the European Union Saturday, May
1, 15 years after it became the first Soviet satellite state to break with
Moscow. Fireworks illuminated the night skies above Budapest, mingling with
the strains of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," the European anthem, as hundreds of
thousands of enthusiastic Hungarians celebrated the event. The mainly
Catholic nation of 10 million has been waiting for this moment since the
collapse of communism in 1989. Near Budapest's Heroes Square, Prime Minister
Peter Medgyessy unveiled a 25-foot-high hourglass to measure how long the
nation has been part of the European Union. He thanked "all Hungarians" for
overcoming the legacy of decades of communism and the Cold War. "Hungary has
returned to Europe," he said. Joining the EU also is expected to increase
freedom in Hungary where political dissidents and many Christians still
recall the persecution by the former communists who later transformed
themselves into the Socialist Party, the main governing party in the
Socialist-Liberal coalition cabinet. (Assist News Service)
BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT JOINS EVANGELICAL LEADERS IN PRAYING FOR PEACE
Bolivian President Carlos Meza and his cabinet joined with Christian leaders
and thousands of churches nationwide in praying for peace for the country
Friday, April 30. The initiative, called "International Day of Fasting and
Prayer for Bolivia," was part of a joint activity of the United Evangelical
Churches and the National Association of Evangelicals in Bolivia along with
other Christian churches and organizations. Thousands of believers from
different denominations united in prayer at midday to seek God's wisdom for
authorities in seeking a peaceful solution to the country's problems. At
12:30 p.m. (local time) thousands of while helium-filled balloons were
released into the sky from various cities across the country. Compassion
Bolivia took part in the event with 32,000 children and staff members in 132
projects praying at the same time. (Compassion Bolivia)
MINISTRY WORKS WITH SCHOOLS TO REACH CAMBODIA'S ABUSED CHILDREN
In Cambodia, a country where children are often devastated and abused, years
of a spiritual vacuum may be partly responsible for adults selling its
children into the sex trade. Book of Hope's Rob Hoskins says the United
Nations hasn't had any answers, so the organization is going in with God's
Word, working through the schools. "We've been working with educators there,
using three books that we've completed. We have an early elementary version
that's complete in Khmer for children; there's also a middle school version
and now a high school version based on character development that also
shares the story of Jesus Christ." Hoskins says this is helping the local
church, which is growing. "The church is also looking for tools, and the
Book of Hope is going to be distributed by local church members, reaching
out to them with the love of Jesus through His Word." (Mission Network News)
* HCJB World Radio, in cooperation with Campus Crusade for Christ, worked
with a local partner to plant Cambodia's first Christian radio station in
1998. New Life Radio in the capital city of Phnom Penh broadcasts the gospel
in Cambodian and English.
STUDY FINDS CHRISTIAN MEN 'MARGINALLY SATISFIED' WITH CHURCH
More than 85 percent of Christian men nationwide say they are not
spiritually challenged. According to a Barna Research Group (BRG) survey
released last week, nearly six in 10 men are "marginally satisfied" with
their church experience. The study, which was commissioned by Promise
Keepers, revealed that while spirituality and faith may not be top
priorities for men, family and children are (42 percent), along with
career/money (39 percent) and health concerns (20 percent). "It's certainly
clear to us that we have a great mission field in front of us in reaching
the men of America," Prayer Keepers President and CEO Tom Fortson said.
"Much, much more needs to be done to engage men with their spiritual side,
and then to see them make an impact on their families, churches and
communities. We've only scratched the surface." When asked specifically
about spiritual needs, many men could not think of any, or identified
superficial goals, the BRG survey found. The study also discovered that only
four in 10 men (42 percent) would turn to Christian friends during a time of
crisis. This suggest that even though men have what they consider to be
close Christian friends in place, those networks of relationships do not
typically get used effectively. (Religion Today/Charisma News Service)
AMERICAN PASTORS BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH COLOMBIAN CHURCHES
A group of American pastors connected with Open Doors recently traveled to
Colombia to forge relationships with church leaders there. Colombia is
considered to be one of the most violent countries in the world with
guerrilla movements, right-wing paramilitary groups and drug-trafficking
barons fighting for control, resulting in more than 1 million internally
displaced persons. Church leaders have found the message of the gospel
doesn't sit well with the drug lords. As people respond to Christ, they
withdrew from the drug trade. Dave Culross, traveling with the Open Doors
group, reported, "The specific purpose of this trip was to connect 24
pastors from Denver with a group of pastors from Colombia and find ways to
spread the gospel across that persecuted country. The pastors from Denver
went to see firsthand what the persecuted church is suffering in a war-torn
country in South America. No one else is doing anything of this nature in
Colombia, and we expect it to have a tremendous impact on the outreach of
the gospel there." Open Doors is involved in the training of pastors and
church leaders in evangelism, equipping them to effectively proclaim the
gospel of Jesus Christ. (Mission Network News)
* Together with local partners, HCJB World Radio broadcasts the gospel on FM
stations in four Colombian cities. The ministry also continues to air
Spanish programs across the country and all of Latin America via shortwave
from Quito.
OUTREACH ENCOURAGES BELIEVERS TO MANAGE, MAXIMIZE TIME
A North Carolina man has created a ministry devoted to helping people
develop and wisely invest one of their most valuable natural resources --
their time. "Time is one of our most precious commodities," says Rick
Grubbs, founder and president of Life Changing Seminars (LCS), a ministry
founded in Salisbury, N.C., in 1987. "God had been speaking to me about the
amount of time people waste. One of the motivations for my coming to Christ
had been an increasing realization of the brevity of life." The biggest
component of LCS is Grubbs' personal speaking ministry to conferences,
conventions, pastors' retreats and churches. His own testimony includes a
series of varied Christian influences including a tract, a Gideon New
Testament, friends' prayers, the witness of college dorm friends, Christian
radio and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Grubbs cites many reasons why
Christians should treat time management as a stewardship issue. Among other
things, he says time is limited (Psalm 90); it is our most valuable earthly
possession (Matthew 25:14-30); and we will have to give account for the way
we have used our time (Matthew 12:36). (Religion Today/Agape Press)
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Zprávy HCJB 3.5.2004
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