The Power of Radio
Sometimes it can be hard to know if what we are doing is making a difference, so when we got this testimony from our team in Timor-Leste, it reminded us of the power of radio when we broadcast. We don’t know who is listening and what it could be doing to them or their hearts, but our role is to make sure that it is up and running so that whoever may hear it will be encouraged….
EUGENIO LAZEDA is a prisoner who always listens to Radio Voz. He is the one I told you about last month how he really likes Jeff Vine’s program. He is a prisoner who now has the determination to spend time listening to the Radio and reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
Eugenio who is in the red box and his friends who are also Christian prisoners. And I want to show that he wrote a letter about how he responded to Jeff Vine’s program.
This is the contents of the letter from the prisoner who wrote it with his own hand from inside the iron bars. I myself am very happy when I do ministry in prison there are always stories about their faith when listening to Radio Voz and they discuss what we present on the Radio program.
Great is Thy Faithfulness
I just returned from being away these last few days at an international evangelism conference I was asked to speak at and it was held up at the Mount Tamborine Conference centre. I found out the Lausanne confluence of evangelism was started by Billy Graham back around 1974.
My topic was “communicating your Message during times of Crisis and controversy “ I made sure everyone at the conference received a copy of the August edition of Vision’s The Word for today and the Newsletter and spoke a lot about how vision is a wonderful platform to help millions of Australians look to God daily especially in troubled times.
Last week a number of you asked about my trip overseas and how the special 30 year celebration went with Debby Gass and UCB in the UK and all of their amazing team and volunteers. I told you I would send the video link to you, so here it is the recording of Great is Thy Faithfulness” 30 year celebration of the word for Today with UCB. There was around 2,000 people who came from all over the UK and beyond to fill the wonderful Bethel Church Conference centre just near Birmingham.
Behind the main stage and podium was a large choir of nearly 200 volunteer singers that comprised of readers and supporters from all across the country and on this evening was the first time they all sang together.
They also had some really gifted and talented musicians and worship leaders including some from the UCB Kingdom Academy that we learned about during our week with the UCB UK team. It was really incredible to watch and listen to as they led us into the presence of God and the atmosphere was electric. You would have been forgiven for thinking they had been rehearsing and singing together for months . Any way it was truly an amazing evening of celebration.
They did some outside broadcasting from the venue earlier in the afternoon during a special VIP luncheon the UCB UK supporters. And Debby Gass was also interviewed telling the story of how Bob and Debby Gass became involved in writing the Word for Today I put a few happy snaps below.
For me and our UCB family It was extra special to have the remaining founder Hal Short and his wife Annette who flew all the way from Auckland NZ for the event. Debby Gass, who very seldom if ever does public speaking , made an inspiring exception because of her wanting to honour her late husband Robert Gass who was Promoted to glory 5 years ago in 2019, and also to celebrate the 30 year enduring partnership with UCB.
After Bob was diagnosed with cancer he wrote 10 more years of readings for The word for Today before he passed away. Debby shared that when she and Bob were married the Bishop prophecised that Bob , who was a very popular and in demand evangelist and teacher , would reach many people through his writing than his preaching. At that time Bob wasn’t writing anything.
So we still have 3 more years of fresh content no one has read before, what a legacy gift he left us. Debby Gass starts her address around 1 hour 5 minutes into this wonderful night of Praise, testimonies and worship . She speaks just after the MC shows the first edition of The Word for Today that was produced as a special commemorative 30 year reproduction that was given to each of the attendees of the event.
The original edition was printed 30 years ago in a small garage like space back in April 1994 and only 3,500 were printed in that first edition.
Our first edition of The Word for Today was printed the following year in Australia and in New Zealand and was published in 1995.
I have included a selfie below of me reading it at my uncles place a few days later in his nice sunny garden conservative. Fortunately the whole celebration event was recorded as well as streamed live across the world , so we can all watch it in our own time.
Blessings in Jesus.
Ian Worby
I was enjoying the live outside broadcast with Debby Gass and UCB UK ceo David L’Herroux being interview from the celebration venue
Debby Gass and some of her family from Ireland sharing stories with the UCB UK and European team
Hal Short and Debby Gass giving God praise for what He has done through the amazing partnership over the last 30 years and how we look to the future for many more.
Hal and Annette Short beaming with appreciation for all that God has done across the world with UCB and The Word for Today . Hal was our first Chairman in Australia back in 1988 until he retired around 2012
Me reading the 30 year commemorative edition of the first copy of The Word for Today . April May and June 1994.
Praying over Munda Station
The following Testimony is from Dennis sharing about what God was showing him through some time of prayer with a team from YWAM when they visited the station in Munda. Munda is a small town located on the southwestern coast of New Georgia Island in the Solomon Islands.
Yesterday I took a visiting YWAM team up to our Munda station to pray over it. We walked up and down. Below is what God told them. Very encouraging.
Praying for the radio station
– Psalm 121
– Testimony by Anthony Brown – the radio station itself and the messages it will send out are a witness to Gods goodness and the good news
– The location of the radio station gives us a higher perspective of Munda, in the same way God is speaking Lordship and having a renewed mind and kingdom thinking, especially reaching the youth
– Word of Encouragement – prayer that this dream that seems stagnant will come to fruition
– Trusting Gods promises (the promises of people may be unreliable, but Gods promises will also be fulfilled)
– Trust the process
– What the enemy meant for evil God will turn for good
– He will finish every good work he has started
Kind Regards
Dennis McAdams
Message of Hope encouragement
The following testimony is from our team in Nepal from a reader of The Word for Today in Tansen Palpa Nepal…
Greetings,
My name is OM Khamcha from Tansen Palpa, and my family and I attend the Hebron church. I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude towards the Message of Hope Nepal’s media ministry. Every morning and evening, I read The Word for Today and it fills me with new spiritual enthusiasm. It also helps me to raise my family in harmony and we have fellowship by reading this book at home.
Before I became a believer, my life was filled with many difficult and challenging situations that weakened me from time to time. However, the various examples given in this devotional book have helped me forget those past things and move forward with new strength and enthusiasm. Reading this verse every day has helped me in my spiritual life and given me new strength and enthusiasm in my weak state, and it has helped my family move forward as well.
I am grateful to have received this booklet until now, and I hope to receive it in the future as well. Thank you very much, on behalf of me and my family for making it available to us.
Some quick facts: Tansen is a Municipality and the administrative center of Palpa District in the “hills” of central Nepal. It is located on the highway between Butwal and Pokhara, on the crest of the Mahabharat Range or Lesser Himalaya overlooking the valley of the Kaligandaki River to the north.
Quick facts from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tansen,_Nepal
Inspiration for you from…
Avoid strife
‘For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.’ James 3:16 KJV
The apostle Paul writes: ‘Make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.’ (Philippians 2:2-4 CSB). Strife wreaks havoc in relationships. It often stems from an inflated ego and leads to comparing, competing, and condemning. James points that out: ‘For where envying and strife is, there is … every evil work.’ (James 3:16 KJV) So be a strife-spotter! The moment it rears its ugly head – uproot it!
‘Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many’ (Hebrews 12:15 NLT). If you want to walk in God’s blessing today, try to live in harmony with others. Is that always easy? No, but the sooner you learn to do it, the better things will go for you. When God prompts you to turn the other cheek, or do the thing no one else wants to do, draw on His grace and do it.
Pray: ‘Lord, give me Your wisdom in this situation.’ He will. ‘But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.’ (James 3:17-18 NASB20). Bottom line: if you want God’s blessing on your life – avoid strife.
SoulFood: Heb 11:23-28, Exo 3:1-22, Exo 33:7-23, Exo 34:29-35
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2024