Month: August 2012

Whatever happened to Intent?

/ Ari Rocklin

http://globalopps.org/tmbriefs/Intent.gif

Since the 80’s, Intent, formerly the U.S. Association 
of Tentmakers, based in Colorado Springs, organized conferences to spread its message and enhance the networking of tentmaker-minded mission leaders, churches, and strategists.

Watch this space for an inspiring upcoming story from the founders and leaders of Intent. For those of us who were able to attend their impacting conferences, we will forever be grateful for the accomplishments and relationships that were built during that era.

If you’ve tried visiting the Intent website for the past few years, perhaps you’ve noticed it was mostly static. It is our prayer that this will change soon. Before releasing any details on future plans, we have decided to spend 40 days in prayer to seek God and to learn from him what that future should look like.

Would you join this already ongoing worldwide prayer meeting by committing to one minute of prayer per day until Aug 31?

If so, check out our daily prayer topics here. We also ask you to write down what you feel God is telling you during this prayer time and submit it on the website at the end of the 40-days. All of your insights will be read by a team of people in Bergen, Norway as we meet for a time of prayer over the future of Intent.

www.intent.org  

P.S. Feel free to make the graphic your desktop background for the duration of the
prayer time. It will remind you to pray as you turn on your computer.

The Arab Spring & the Power 
of the Gospel.

/ Ari Rocklin

http://globalopps.org/tmbriefs/fistcross.png

We have seen amazing changes in parts of the Arab world recently and more challenges are in the news daily. While much grief and horror has been brought into the region, we are reminded that God is still very much in control behind the nightly news scenes.

Christian expatriates are reporting increased openness by the local people from many of the affected and nearby countries. While intense fighting was still taking place, there was a sense of impending freedom from dictatorial leaders. One worker describes how even taxi drivers were openly asking them about God while adding that a new time is arriving where it is permissible to speak about Jesus.

There are credible reports of new house churches being started with minimal to no direct participation by expatriate Christians. Indeed local authorities have been suggesting that foreigners distance themselves from these new churches for the safety of everyone involved.

Local people are optimistic of a new and better future, where they have a say during this ongoing process. The son of a terrorist group leader, who is now a follower of Jesus has said that even those countries that may initially embrace a more strict form of their majority religion, have now been empowered to make change, and thus will not tolerate any form of government that is not representative of the people they claim to represent.

We remain overwhelmed by these rapid changes in this region and rejoice in the news of God’s kingdom being built on many fronts. Opportunities for expatriate Christians and businesspeople still continues to grow.