"32% of the world's population is considered to be Christian."
--Mary Fairchild, "Christianity Today-General Statistics and Facts of Christianity"
So, nearly a third of the world is Christian, and this includes Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox Christians.
What of the other 68%?
I am interested in this statistic today, because it tells us that 2/3 of the world is NOT Christian, something other than Christian. This also tells me that Christians are a GLOBAL MINORITY.
Is anyone else alarmed by these numbers?!?
Project 68/Objectives:
1. To pray for the 68% of the global population that does not claim to know Christ.
2. To evangelize the 68% in whatever way God allows, by whatever means necessary.
3. To raise awareness amongst the 32% of those people claiming to be Christians on this planet.
4. To encourage cooperation and unity amongst the 32% of those people claiming to be Christians because we can accomplish so much more if we work together.
Project 68/Need Statement:
There is a need to pray.
There is a need to evangelize.
There is a need to raise awareness.
There is a need to cooperate in unity.
----------------------------------------------
I don't know if this "project" will ever become a reality, like a Movement, but if it does, I think it would wonderful if, each year, the theme matched the need. God willing, Project 50 2015, Project 33 2050, Project 15 2060, Project Completed 2100.
Sure, it seems a little bit crazy, even to me. Absolutely. On our own? Certainly, impossible.
But...
"With God, all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
So, who knows?
Shall we engage in a Movement then?
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The Three I's
I have really been praying about where God is leading us to travel in the coming year. Now that Stephen, Psalm, and I have our passports, the reality of next year's travel is dawning upon us.
It's not just a far-off dream or plan anymore. This is reality. It's time to make sure I do my part in putting this plan into action!
Right now, we have received no direct leading in where we need to go together on a missions trip. But we have decided, if we do not hear something otherwise from the Lord, to choose from the following destinations: Israel, Ireland, or Italy.
We are interested in going to Israel because it is where our Lord spent his time and ministry on this earth. We believe it is VERY IMPORTANT to go to Israel, if God leads and allows, in the coming years. We just aren't sure WHICH year we are supposed to go.
We are interested in Ireland because I went there last year and felt a REAL drawing to go back, to return, to invest in the lives of people there, to pray for the Christian churches there. And it's beautiful. I want Stephen and Psalm to get to see Ireland, feel it, experience the warmth of its beautiful people and culture. I cannot wait to return!
We want to go to Italy to see the Vatican, the artwork, the culture of the world's largest Christian church. We want to meet its people, get a feel for the culture. It is a great hope of mine to get to attend a mass at the Vatican, perhaps even with the Pope presiding. What a great honor and experience that would be. I have a GROWING & INTENSIFYING burden for the GLOBAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH, and the CATHOLIC CHURCH is a part of that burden. I want to go and PRAY for the Catholic Church and its people, that we all will be UNITED in our efforts to spread the Gospel on this planet before Christ comes again to get us!
Sunday after church, I gave Stephen and myself a paper and we wrote our Top 3 List of where we think we need to go next year, as a family.
Stephen's reply;
1. Israel
2. Italy
3. Ireland
My reply:
1. Ireland
2. Italy
3. Israel
All three responses started with the letter I, so I've been calling our next destination, "One of the three I's."
Because our lists were EXACTLY the opposite, we said we are leaning toward Italy, since we both chose it as our second option.
Ultimately, though, we will go where God leads us. If we do not hear specifically from him to go elsewhere or serve in another capacity, we will most likely be journeying to ONE OF THE THREE I'S.
AMEN.
It's not just a far-off dream or plan anymore. This is reality. It's time to make sure I do my part in putting this plan into action!
Right now, we have received no direct leading in where we need to go together on a missions trip. But we have decided, if we do not hear something otherwise from the Lord, to choose from the following destinations: Israel, Ireland, or Italy.
We are interested in going to Israel because it is where our Lord spent his time and ministry on this earth. We believe it is VERY IMPORTANT to go to Israel, if God leads and allows, in the coming years. We just aren't sure WHICH year we are supposed to go.
We are interested in Ireland because I went there last year and felt a REAL drawing to go back, to return, to invest in the lives of people there, to pray for the Christian churches there. And it's beautiful. I want Stephen and Psalm to get to see Ireland, feel it, experience the warmth of its beautiful people and culture. I cannot wait to return!
We want to go to Italy to see the Vatican, the artwork, the culture of the world's largest Christian church. We want to meet its people, get a feel for the culture. It is a great hope of mine to get to attend a mass at the Vatican, perhaps even with the Pope presiding. What a great honor and experience that would be. I have a GROWING & INTENSIFYING burden for the GLOBAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH, and the CATHOLIC CHURCH is a part of that burden. I want to go and PRAY for the Catholic Church and its people, that we all will be UNITED in our efforts to spread the Gospel on this planet before Christ comes again to get us!
Sunday after church, I gave Stephen and myself a paper and we wrote our Top 3 List of where we think we need to go next year, as a family.
Stephen's reply;
1. Israel
2. Italy
3. Ireland
My reply:
1. Ireland
2. Italy
3. Israel
All three responses started with the letter I, so I've been calling our next destination, "One of the three I's."
Because our lists were EXACTLY the opposite, we said we are leaning toward Italy, since we both chose it as our second option.
Ultimately, though, we will go where God leads us. If we do not hear specifically from him to go elsewhere or serve in another capacity, we will most likely be journeying to ONE OF THE THREE I'S.
AMEN.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Our Priority Mail
WE GOT OUR PASSPORTS IN THE MAIL TODAY!!!!!!!
When I got home and checked the mail, I saw three Priority Mail envelopes from the United States Postal Service.
At first, I didn't realize...
I looked at the return address: "U.S. Government Official Mail." Still, I wasn't processing...
And then I noticed, in the bulk of mail that we had received, that we had THREE OF THE SAME ENVELOPES.
"PASSPORTS!!! IT'S GOTTA BE OUR PASSPORTS!!!"
I screamed out loud at the mailbox, so loudly that Stephen and Allie came out, thinking that I had seen a snake.
"OUR PROMISE IS HERE!" I yelled. "OUR PASSPORTS CAME IN THE MAIL!!!"
Psalm was excited, as excited as I, it seemed, "excited about being excited."
Stephen shrugged.
------------------------------------------------------------
Again, today, something happened in my spirit. A spiritual marker just went down.
I can feel my heart soaring. Literally. I KNOW that something has just happened. Something BIG.
Maybe no one feels it like I do. Maybe no one else is as excited as I....
But this is a DREAM COME TRUE!!! One more PROMISE that has been fulfilled!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Prayer:
"Lord, O Wonderful Lord! I am sooooo overwhelmed with joy right now, so taken aback by the promises coming to pass! I feel one more step closer to whatever it is You have in store, the next step, the next Puzzle Piece. THANK YOU for having mercy on me. THANK YOU for loving me enough to put this dream in my heart, and for letting me see part of the dream come to pass today.
"I don't know what You have designed for me, for my family, but I pray that You will revive us, renew us, prepare us for what lies ahead. Please, O Lord, help my family to SHARE THE VISION and THE HEART you have given me for Your Global Church. And help me to have the COURAGE to go forward and do what You have called me to do.
"In Jesus' Name, I pray,
Shirley Harrod Yandell."
When I got home and checked the mail, I saw three Priority Mail envelopes from the United States Postal Service.
At first, I didn't realize...
I looked at the return address: "U.S. Government Official Mail." Still, I wasn't processing...
And then I noticed, in the bulk of mail that we had received, that we had THREE OF THE SAME ENVELOPES.
"PASSPORTS!!! IT'S GOTTA BE OUR PASSPORTS!!!"
I screamed out loud at the mailbox, so loudly that Stephen and Allie came out, thinking that I had seen a snake.
"OUR PROMISE IS HERE!" I yelled. "OUR PASSPORTS CAME IN THE MAIL!!!"
Psalm was excited, as excited as I, it seemed, "excited about being excited."
Stephen shrugged.
------------------------------------------------------------
Again, today, something happened in my spirit. A spiritual marker just went down.
I can feel my heart soaring. Literally. I KNOW that something has just happened. Something BIG.
Maybe no one feels it like I do. Maybe no one else is as excited as I....
But this is a DREAM COME TRUE!!! One more PROMISE that has been fulfilled!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Prayer:
"Lord, O Wonderful Lord! I am sooooo overwhelmed with joy right now, so taken aback by the promises coming to pass! I feel one more step closer to whatever it is You have in store, the next step, the next Puzzle Piece. THANK YOU for having mercy on me. THANK YOU for loving me enough to put this dream in my heart, and for letting me see part of the dream come to pass today.
"I don't know what You have designed for me, for my family, but I pray that You will revive us, renew us, prepare us for what lies ahead. Please, O Lord, help my family to SHARE THE VISION and THE HEART you have given me for Your Global Church. And help me to have the COURAGE to go forward and do what You have called me to do.
"In Jesus' Name, I pray,
Shirley Harrod Yandell."
Monday, July 9, 2012
Magnality
Where we will go, Lord?
Who we will meet?
What will we say, Lord?
(Your hands and feet.)
One step closer to you, Lord,
To your will and to your plan;
Through good and through bad, we march, Lord,
Because you've promised that we can.
Ups and downs await us, Lord,
But we welcome what may come;
We know you will not leave us, Lord,
And Your Will, will be done.
We trust you for our futures, Lord,
We trust you know what's best;
And we will march when you say march,
For you will take care of the rest.
--------------------------------------------
Mag*nal"i*ty\, n. [L. magnalis mighty, fr. magnus great.] A great act or event; a great attainment. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne. (from dictionary.com)
Who we will meet?
What will we say, Lord?
(Your hands and feet.)
One step closer to you, Lord,
To your will and to your plan;
Through good and through bad, we march, Lord,
Because you've promised that we can.
Ups and downs await us, Lord,
But we welcome what may come;
We know you will not leave us, Lord,
And Your Will, will be done.
We trust you for our futures, Lord,
We trust you know what's best;
And we will march when you say march,
For you will take care of the rest.
--------------------------------------------
Mag*nal"i*ty\, n. [L. magnalis mighty, fr. magnus great.] A great act or event; a great attainment. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne. (from dictionary.com)
This Day [Not] Like Any Other
This day began like any other ordinary summer day. I woke up, straightened the house, figured bills for the rest of the summer, and wrote out my lengthy "To Do" list. I thought I knew what kind of day it was going to be.
After all, I had it all recorded in a bullet list on the back of an envelope.
Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I noticed the pile of passport applications sitting in the living room by the stereo.
"I wonder..." I thought.
I got out all of the paperwork and started assembling all of the necessary documents that I knew I needed to have in order to apply officially for the passports.
"I have everything...?!?"
Passport applications. Official birth certificates. Social Security cards. Drivers Licenses. Yes. I had it all.
"Stephen," I said, looking up at my husband. "Do you think we can run into Ft. Smith today to get our passports? I think we have everything."
"I guess so," he said. "We need to go to Sam's anyway."
By mid-morning, I realized that this day could NOT be like any other day.
Sure, everyone acted normally. The girls were playing and fussing and laughing and pestering one another, just like always. It had started to rain outside and Stephen had a headache. I started getting ready, wondering if we were going to leave in time, if this was really meant to happen "today."
No one would be able to tell by looking at us that something spectacular was about to happen.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just after 3 p.m. today, at a post office in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, Stephen, Psalm and I purchased our U.S. passports.
Although there were no loud celebratory exclamations by USPS staff our my own family, and no one around us seemed to notice us, let alone the importance our purchase, I was aware of a knowledge deep within me:
A Spiritual Marker had been placed.
A Vision had been realized.
A Promise had been fulfilled.
The Future looked brighter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In about 4-6 weeks, God willing, I will have my passport; Stephen will have his passport; and Psalmie will have her passport.
And then, as a family, we will be ready to go WHEREVER God calls us.
There is no going back now.
(I am trembling, I am so excited.)
After all, I had it all recorded in a bullet list on the back of an envelope.
Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I noticed the pile of passport applications sitting in the living room by the stereo.
"I wonder..." I thought.
I got out all of the paperwork and started assembling all of the necessary documents that I knew I needed to have in order to apply officially for the passports.
"I have everything...?!?"
Passport applications. Official birth certificates. Social Security cards. Drivers Licenses. Yes. I had it all.
"Stephen," I said, looking up at my husband. "Do you think we can run into Ft. Smith today to get our passports? I think we have everything."
"I guess so," he said. "We need to go to Sam's anyway."
By mid-morning, I realized that this day could NOT be like any other day.
Sure, everyone acted normally. The girls were playing and fussing and laughing and pestering one another, just like always. It had started to rain outside and Stephen had a headache. I started getting ready, wondering if we were going to leave in time, if this was really meant to happen "today."
No one would be able to tell by looking at us that something spectacular was about to happen.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just after 3 p.m. today, at a post office in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, Stephen, Psalm and I purchased our U.S. passports.
Although there were no loud celebratory exclamations by USPS staff our my own family, and no one around us seemed to notice us, let alone the importance our purchase, I was aware of a knowledge deep within me:
A Spiritual Marker had been placed.
A Vision had been realized.
A Promise had been fulfilled.
The Future looked brighter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In about 4-6 weeks, God willing, I will have my passport; Stephen will have his passport; and Psalmie will have her passport.
And then, as a family, we will be ready to go WHEREVER God calls us.
There is no going back now.
(I am trembling, I am so excited.)
Friday, July 6, 2012
Project Gideon 2013
It's official: We're going to Project Gideon 2013!!!
-----------------------------------------------------
I am totally excited...Again!!!
I cannot attempt to express what the 2012 conference did to this soul. Only God knew how desperately I needed the instruction, the prayer, the anointing.
After we received the confirmation that we would be attending next year's conference, Stephen and I started reminiscing about its lasting effect on our lives.
"I was so in need of that. My spirit needed it," I said to him.
He agreed.
"It was like water to my soul," I said.
And then I thought of her. The woman at the well. You know, the infamous Samaritan woman of John, chapter 4?
I found myself blurting out, "Is this what happened with the woman at the well? Is this what Jesus was saying to her? Is that what she felt like, in that moment?"
This woman no one gave any mind to--save to discount or slander her, I'm sure--was probably worn out that day, filling and lifting heavy water containers and transporting them in the hot sun. She'd half given up on life and love and religion, though she apparently maintained that whole "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again" philosophy. And there she was, just putting one foot in front of the other, doing what she knew to do, until she ran into Him.
John 4:13-15: Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water [from the well] will be thirsty again, / but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” / The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
What happened at Project Gideon for me, for Stephen, was something similar. God moved through that conference, filling us with His Spirit in a way that has somehow changed our core. Unlike many "experiences," this one has not subsided or "worn off." The instruction, the prayer, the anointing has only intensified.
What will God impart at the well to this girl in 2013?
I'm prayerfully anticipating every move of God's Spirit.
-----------------------------------------------------
I am totally excited...Again!!!
I cannot attempt to express what the 2012 conference did to this soul. Only God knew how desperately I needed the instruction, the prayer, the anointing.
After we received the confirmation that we would be attending next year's conference, Stephen and I started reminiscing about its lasting effect on our lives.
"I was so in need of that. My spirit needed it," I said to him.
He agreed.
"It was like water to my soul," I said.
And then I thought of her. The woman at the well. You know, the infamous Samaritan woman of John, chapter 4?
I found myself blurting out, "Is this what happened with the woman at the well? Is this what Jesus was saying to her? Is that what she felt like, in that moment?"
This woman no one gave any mind to--save to discount or slander her, I'm sure--was probably worn out that day, filling and lifting heavy water containers and transporting them in the hot sun. She'd half given up on life and love and religion, though she apparently maintained that whole "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again" philosophy. And there she was, just putting one foot in front of the other, doing what she knew to do, until she ran into Him.
John 4:13-15: Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water [from the well] will be thirsty again, / but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” / The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
What happened at Project Gideon for me, for Stephen, was something similar. God moved through that conference, filling us with His Spirit in a way that has somehow changed our core. Unlike many "experiences," this one has not subsided or "worn off." The instruction, the prayer, the anointing has only intensified.
What will God impart at the well to this girl in 2013?
I'm prayerfully anticipating every move of God's Spirit.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Anointed / Appointed?
"You may be anointed for a level, but not yet appointed to that level. God will transform you into that which He’s appointed you BEFORE you occupy that position. Wait on God’s transformation."
--T.D. Jakes Ministries on Facebook, July 3
I love this quote.
This morning, as I sit here reading and re-reading it, I can't help but wonder:
God, what have you anointed me to do that I have not yet been appointed to do?
(What have I not yet been anointed to do that you will anoint me for?) or (What have I been anointed for that I've forgotten or just don't realize?)
Am I supposed to know this ahead of time?
I don't really sit around and think about what God's anointed me or appointed me to do. (Should I?)
When I think of the young man David, who got called out of his pasture and awkwardly brought in to be seen of the Prophet, in front of his brothers and father, then doused with olive oil and declared Anointed Servant of God, and then sent back outside in the hot sun to continue the same job he had, working with the sheep, I think, "Um...., I wonder what HE thought about being anointed and appointed...?!?"
But the thing about THAT David...the David in the pasture, sitting there NOT watching His sheep for those long moments afterward, rather wiping the smooth parts of his eyes and mouth and skin where all of that oil HAD been, had poured over him, from head to floor...is that despite that supernatural Moment of Anointing, he just went out afterward and kept doing what he knew to do.
"He kept doing what he knew to do." I can relate to that.
--T.D. Jakes Ministries on Facebook, July 3
I love this quote.
This morning, as I sit here reading and re-reading it, I can't help but wonder:
God, what have you anointed me to do that I have not yet been appointed to do?
(What have I not yet been anointed to do that you will anoint me for?) or (What have I been anointed for that I've forgotten or just don't realize?)
Am I supposed to know this ahead of time?
I don't really sit around and think about what God's anointed me or appointed me to do. (Should I?)
When I think of the young man David, who got called out of his pasture and awkwardly brought in to be seen of the Prophet, in front of his brothers and father, then doused with olive oil and declared Anointed Servant of God, and then sent back outside in the hot sun to continue the same job he had, working with the sheep, I think, "Um...., I wonder what HE thought about being anointed and appointed...?!?"
But the thing about THAT David...the David in the pasture, sitting there NOT watching His sheep for those long moments afterward, rather wiping the smooth parts of his eyes and mouth and skin where all of that oil HAD been, had poured over him, from head to floor...is that despite that supernatural Moment of Anointing, he just went out afterward and kept doing what he knew to do.
"He kept doing what he knew to do." I can relate to that.
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