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The Greatest Gift for Christmas is Being Good to One Another

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I have an odd way of thinking about the quality of goodness. In my mind, I have an impression of the earth spinning in space—the photo we’ve all seen so frequently taken from some satellite circling our planet. An exquisite globe shimmers in the dark, turning and turning. Blue mostly, vast seas accented by green and white with pinpricks of lights shining out through occasional cloud cover, across thousands of miles of dark. I know these are cities and towns glowing on the surface of our planet, but I prefer to think that these points of brightness mark an act of kindness here, a gift of sacrifice there or initiatives of uncommon goodness everywhere. Perhaps this is purely fanciful, perhaps it’s imagination gone awry, perhaps it’s an artistic vision given for the purpose of prayer—or maybe, it’s just an old woman’s meanderings. However, it seems as though my mental fancy has some precedent. The term “one thousand points of light” was used in a speech by George Bush at the 1988 Republic...
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Gunja Watched a Film That Changed the Course of His Life Forever

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What impact can a simple film make? This question is being answered every day as many remote Asian villages get the chance to watch a film on the life of Christ. Many of these precious people have never seen a film before, let alone heard of what Jesus has done for them. The message of Jesus’ sacrifice compels many to realize the vastness of God’s incredible love for the world. It opens up a new perspective—one that shows how everything the world has to offer pales in comparison to the love and life Jesus gives. This is exactly what 17-year-old Gunja found when he watched a film that changed the very course of his life forever. Finding What the World Can’t Give From an early age, Gunja and his twin brother attended church with their parents. They watched as their mom and dad remained faithful to Jesus despite the hostile treatment they often faced from their relatives who wanted nothing to do with Christ. Those relatives sowed seeds of doubt in the minds of the young impressionable bro...
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Veil of Tears Movie Features Plight of Women & Widows in Asia Reports Gospel for Asia

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Imagine. You’re a woman in Asia with no rights. You’ve just been married to a man who wants to use you to get rich. You really don’t have the money he’s looking for, yet you’re family’s required to provide a “wedding gift” — a dowry. Your father takes out a loan to pay the groom and his family, yet it’s still not enough. The husband’s family demands even more while your family is left impoverished with nothing more to give. Now your fate is to be burned in a blazing fire because what your family had to offer him didn’t make the cut. Sound unbelievable? Bride burnings and dowry deaths still occur in Asia, even today. Imagine. You wake up one day to find your husband went to work one morning then suddenly went missing. Days pass and you find out he was mauled by a fierce tiger, or lost his life in a work-related accident. You’re a widow now. But instead of getting support from your family during your grief, everybody who loved you before now abandons you and no longer cares for you, beca...
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Lord, Don’t Let Me Be Someone Who Tosses You a Yearly Grunt of Gratitude Says Dr. David R. Mains

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Recently my wonderful daughter-in-law Angela asked if I could pick up her children, ages 8 and 10, from school when their classes were dismissed. Later in the afternoon she would drop off the third child, age 5, by the house. Angela is the widow of our son Jeremy, who died several years back from aggressive lymphoma, or cancer. She has her hands full. Not only does she work full-time, she is also close to getting her doctorate in adult learning. So I am always happy to help out. At the appointed time, Eliana and Nehemiah tossed their book bags in the car, hopped in themselves and promptly announced they were hungry. “Tell me what you want and Papa (that’s me) will get it for you,” I replied. Eliana, the oldest, had a hankering for a cinnamon pretzel. There’s a shop that sells them a few blocks from the school, and what she wanted looked huge in the glass case. I should have given the price tag of $4.00! Nehemiah’s request was for a Blue Ice. “Where do I get that?” I asked. “My friend g...
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In Asha’s Community, Girls Were Married as Young as 10, Reports Gospel for Asia

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You’re 10 years old, enjoying your happy-go-lucky days by running around with your friends and playing games. But in a few months, all that will end when you assume the mantle of being a wife to a man you only just met. What’s the point in going to school and learning anything besides how to take care of a home and a family if your fate has already been decided? It is estimated that one-third of girls in developing nations are married before the age of 18—and 1 in 9 are married before the age of 15 . In Asha’s community, they were married as young as 10. “In their society, girls were not given consideration,” reported a Gospel for Asia-supported field correspondent. “They were believed to be a burden upon their parents. At the age of 10, they would get them married. Parents did not want them to study more, since they are going to be in someone else’s house after their marriage.” Asha, too, had no regard for her education. Why would she when it was common knowledge her life would end up...
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Jagat’s Burning Passions Turn From Drugs to Helping His Neighbors Reports Gospel for Asia

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Jagat isn’t a super hero. He isn’t a genius. In fact, he dropped out of school early. Yet he is a mighty man of God. Through him flows the Spirit of the Living God, and within him dwells the One who gives all wisdom and strength. But it wasn’t always this way. Jagat is a Gospel for Asia- supported national missionary . Because of Jagat’s willingness to be used by God, many people in South Asia have started intimate relationships with Jesus. But each one of their glory-filled stories exists because of Jagat’s own story of finding Jesus. Pastor Jagat and his family. Jagat’s life took a dramatic turn from drugs and irresponsibility to serving God as a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary. Form of Godliness Fades Away Jagat grew up in a Christian home, but he had many of the characteristics James 3 warns against. He held a form of godliness—he obediently followed his family to church services, Sunday school and other activities—but he did not know Jesus personally or live in His power. So...
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Film Teams Endure Hardships, Constant Travel, Persecution & Opposition to Share God’s Love Reports Gospel for Asia

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How many movies do you suppose you’ve watched in your lifetime? Even in the last year? Some clever punchlines or visuals of intense scenes probably stuck in your mind, but there’s a good chance you haven’t thought back to many of the movies. It’s quite a different story for many people in Asia who attend a film show hosted by Gospel for Asia supported workers . For many, that simple movie night ends up changing the course of their lives. Through Gospel for Asia-supported film ministry, the heart of Christ is displayed in a culturally relevant way. Many have found new life in Christ as a result! But even if you loved a certain movie, would you risk your own safety to organize a movie night? Rajak did. Rajak, a Gospel for Asia ( GFA )-supported worker serving on a film team, and his team members drove to a village they had not visited before. They approached the village leaders to get permission to show a film on the life of Christ, but the men denied their request and sternly warned th...
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