CAREGIVING – CAN BEGIN WITH ONE TALKING BIBLE

A Talking Bible brings blessing and encouragement to anyone hospitalized, in a nursing facility or when reading becomes difficult. I’ve heard innumerable testimonies of thanks and appreciation from persons who had a TB when down like that.

Any church can get started with just one Talking Bible. Try it for yourselves. You’ll discover that what I’ve reported is true. Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to the feed back. The Lord will lead and bless.

There are circumstances when a person is unable or just doesn’t have the energy required to read the Bible meaningfully. Listening to a Talking Bible is exactly what one wants for times like that.

Yes, your church can begin with just a single Talking Bible for its Caregiving to see for yourself if what I’m saying is true. I am confident you will say, “Wow! That was money well spent – wish we’d done this earlier.”

For more info go to www.talkingbibles.org or call 1-800-318-7262. And I thank each of you who financially support Talking Bible’s Global Ministry and for your Prayers.

Harvey Hoekstra – harvey@talkingbibles.org
http://www.talkingbibles.org/blog.cfm.

Goal: A TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY IN THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES LEARNING MORE, PRAYING, AND TAKING A SPECIAL OFFERING TO PROVIDE TALKING BIBLES FOR NON-READERS AND THE BLIND.

TALKING BIBLES FOR CAREGIVING MINISTRIES

A Talking Bible is a perfect companion for one who confined to a bed at home, in a health care facility or in hospital. I know this to be true because it has been my personal experience when I was hospitalized..

Every local church has in its membership someone who falls ill at home or is sent to hospital or care giving facility. I’m encouraging local churches to have one or more Talking Bibles on hand for its caregivers to use in their ministry.

Every church doing this knows that it is money well spent. The caregiver’s ministry is enhanced and the person receiving that bedside companion, the Talking Bible, is greatly encouraged and blessed.

When that person is released and home again and no longer bed-ridden, the caregiver collects the Talking Bible and returns it to the office to be used over and over in that same way when a similar need arises.

I hope you who read this will share this possibility with your church leaders. It is truly a convenient, practical way to enhance a caregiver’s ministry and to bless one who is down and needs encouragement and assurance. Yes, a Talking Bible is a proven bedside companion to speak God’s word of comfort and hope at any hour of the day or night. With such a companion, one is never alone! Thanks be to God!

To learn more visit the website, www.talkingbibles.org or call 1-800-318-7262. And I thank you all who partner with Talking Bibles International’s global ministry through your prayers and faithful financial support.

Harvey Hoekstra – harvey@talkingbibles.org
http://www.talkingbibles.org/blog.cfm.

Goal: A TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY IN THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES LEARNING MORE, PRAYING, AND TAKING A SPECIAL OFFERING TO PROVIDE TALKING BIBLES FOR NON-READERS AND THE BLIND.

TALKING BIBLES FOR LOCAL ETHNIC MINISTRIES

Many of us live in communities where new neighbors speak a language other than English. Local churches have outreach ministries designed to reach these new neighbors for Christ.
I’m wanting to encourage local churches to use Talking Bibles speaking the language of these new neighbors. With a Talking Bible in hand, one has an ideal way to introduce one’s self to a new neighbor. With a Talking Bible, the person reaching out to a new neighbor has a conversation piece that creates the opportunity. In the conversation, one reaches the moment when, a person can say something to the effect that, “I have a Talking Bible with me that speaks your language. If you are interested, I’d be happy to leave it with you for a few days.” Etc.

You can show this new neighbor how easy it is to use, assuring this person, “You cannot break it, so just enjoy it until I pick it up in a few days.” Etc.

On your next visit, there may be questions to answer. Or this new neighbor may ask how he/she can get a Talking Bible to keep permanently. Have confidence that the Holy Spirit will guide the conversation and your response. God’s word in the Talking Bible is powerful to change minds and hearts. The Talking Bible is a marvelous way to reach out as a friend to new neighbors. Some will become disciples of Christ.

Eventually, several of these new believers in this ethnic community, will want to get together for fellowship with others. A house church is taking shape. A Talking Bible inspired by the Holy Spirit makes disciples who, in turn, make new disciples of Christ.

I commend this sort of outreach from local churches to new neighbors now living in many of our communities.

To learn more about Talking Bibles and in what languages they are available, visit www.talkingbibles.org or call 1-800-318-7262.

Harvey Hoekstra – harvey@talkingbibles.org
http://www.talkingbibles.org/blog.cfm.

Goal: A TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY IN THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES LEARNING MORE, PRAYING, AND TAKING A SPECIAL OFFERING TO PROVIDE TALKING BIBLES FOR NON-READERS AND THE BLIND.

THREE PRIORITIES OF SPECIAL INTEREST

I’ve asked myself what are the three top priorities of concern or interest that God has placed on my heart. Anyone reading my blogs probably already has the answer. Let me attempt to list them for clarity.

1) The Bible translators have a crucial role in everything done in every aspect of Global Great Mission Outreach activities.. With respect to Talking Bible ministries, the work of Bible translators is foundational. Without their authentic, printed Bible translations, there would be no audio Bibles. And theirs remains an unfinished global great commission task until the translated scriptures are completed in the language of every people group anywhere in the world.

2) These translated Scriptures must now be made accessible in audio for non-readers and the blind. We need to recognize the tremendous possibilities that digital listening devices like the Talking Bible now give us to make true disciples of Christ who, with their Talking Bibles, go out and make new disciples. With Talking Bibles, non-readers can have the same access to the translated Word as have we who read.

3) We need to inform and motivate churches to get behind the various audio Bible ministries. One way I do this is by calling upon churches everywhere to observe an annual Talking Bible Sunday. On that special Sunday, churches are made aware and participate by their special offering taken on that day. Churches provide Talking Bibles in needed languages by holding a Talking Bible Sunday. Many of these same churches include the Talking Bible ministry in their annual mission budgets.

To summarize, for me it is Bible translation, Talking Bibles and the Talking Bible Sunday. In all of this, let God be honored, thanked and praised!

For more details go to www.talkingbibles.org or call 1-800-318-7262. And I thank you for your prayers and financial support.

Harvey Hoekstra – harvey@talkingbibles.org
http://www.talkingbibles.org/blog.cfm.

Goal: A TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY IN THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES LEARNING MORE, PRAYING, AND TAKING A SPECIAL OFFERING TO PROVIDE TALKING BIBLES FOR NON-READERS AND THE BLIND.

RETIRED – NEW UNDREAMED OF POSSIBILITIES

You’ve anticipated retirement. No more setting the alarm clock. No more fighting traffic to get to work. Free at last! Retired, but unfulfilled, with nothing really adequately replacing those previously scheduled, daily demands

Perhaps God is giving you an opportunity to do something for Him that your previous work schedule never allowed. Are you open to making yourself available to serve the Lord in ways you may have never considered or dreamed possible?

I hear how retirees here in CA are serving as vital volunteers at Talking Bibles International in Escondido. Some come in to help with mailings. Another comes in once a week and helps package and ship Talking Bibles. One retiree traveled out to CA and gave ten days during which he painted the entire building. Beautiful! And the list goes on.

Let me suggest something additional for wherever you may be living. You could research the www.talkingbibles.org website. Learn all you can about the ministry. Ask God how you can be involved. Talk to someone in the office. Perhaps God would have you contact pastors or key people in churches in your area to talk to them about their church holding a Talking Bible Sunday. Offer to make the presentation in their church. God can use you to bless others through your commitment and passion to help provide God’s Word in audio to people who do not read. The Holy Spirit will empower you.

Also, in your own community there may be ethnic people whose first language is other than English. With a Talking Bible in their language, their door of welcome is open for you to share Christ as they listen to the Talking Bible in your hand which speaks God’s precious, saving word in their first language. A Talking Bible creates the opportunity.

Why not pray over this and be open to letting God bless and use you in a way never before possible until your retirement? “Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me’.” Isaiah 6:8b

Visit www.talkingbibles.org and/or call 1-800-318-7262.

Harvey Hoekstra – harvey@talkingbibles.org
http://www.talkingbibles.org/blog.cfm.

Goal: A TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY IN THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES LEARNING MORE, PRAYING, AND TAKING A SPECIAL OFFERING TO PROVIDE TALKING BIBLES FOR NON-READERS AND THE BLIND.

THAT MONTH WITH A FIFTH SUNDAY

That fifth Sunday would be an appropriate time for a church to do something special.

Some churches already have special projects for that fifth Sunday.

I’m wanting to suggest that this fifth Sunday would be a great time to focus on Talking Bibles. On that fifth Sunday the church would be informed, inspired and become engaged.

Someone in the local church could make the presentation. The Talking Bible ministry has a helpful information packet that makes it easy and a joy to make such a presentation about Talking Bibles. I often think there are dedicated and technically savvy young people in our churches who could do this. Our young people can inspire us old timers.

If you want to give that fifth Sunday a name, why not call it “OUR TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY.” Take a special offering on that fifth Sunday to help provide needed Talking Bibles – especially for Christians living in oral cultures who do not read. Why not? Any church can do this. And every church that does will be blessed and bring blessing to people who will otherwise miss out on receiving their needed Talking Bibles.

Be sure to check the website, www.talkingbibles.org. Or call 1-800-318-7262 and ask for Mark or Paul.

Let me thank all of you for your strong prayers and partnership in this important ministry.

Harvey Hoekstra – harvey@talkingbibles.org
http://www.talkingbibles.org/blog.cfm.

Goal: A TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY IN THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES LEARNING MORE, PRAYING, AND TAKING A SPECIAL OFFERING TO PROVIDE TALKING BIBLES FOR NON-READERS AND THE BLIND.

CHURCHES SENDING OUT A NEW KIND OF MISSIONARY

When I was growing up, having a missionary visit our small country church was a big deal. We lived in anticipation of our missionary’s visit. And after our guest missionary left, his mission was talked about and many prayers were said, asking the Lord to bless them as they prepared to return to places like Arabia, India, China or Japan.

Missionaries are still being sent out to foreign lands. But it’s not the same. No longer is it primarily missionaries being sent out from Europe and America. National churches in Africa, Korea, India and other countries are sending out their own missionaries to unreached people groups. This is a great, inspiring, new fact of our time.

But there is something equally promising and revolutionary with respect to how the global great commission missionary task is being carried out. Churches are equipping Christians in national Christian churches in countries like Africa, India and in almost any country. American churches are enabling TB Int’l to equip Christians in any country to become missionaries among their own unreached neighbors and villages.

With Talking Bibles in their languages, these overseas disciples of Christ, using their Talking Bibles, become missionaries who make new disciples. We have countless reports of Christians with Talking Bibles, going out with their Talking Bibles to other villages or towns. People are attracted by this Bible shaped listening device speaking in their own language. Many are eager to listen. Enlightened by the Holy Spirit, significant numbers become new disciples of Christ. Churches are planted.

As finances are provided, we can place additional thousands of Talking Bibles enabling national Christians to become missionaries to their own unreached peoples.

In this information age, God is enabling us to carry out the great commission from Christ in new, effective, cost efficient ways. TB Int’l’s vision and calling is to audio record authentic Bible translations and make them into Talking Bibles and then provide these to churches out there with disciples eager and able to go out and make new disciples. When given Talking Bibles, these Christians become Holy Spirit motivated to go out and make new disciples. Thus churches helping provide Talking Bibles become missionary sending churches, equipping national Christians to become missionaries, also, to their unreached people—doing so in an appropriate, effective way in this new technological, information age. To God be the thanks and praise.

I thank all of you who partner with us with prayer and finances. I hope you will visit the website, www.talkingbibles.org or just call 1-800-318-7262.

Harvey Hoekstra – harvey@talkingbibles.org
http://www.talkingbibles.org/blog.cfm.

Goal: A TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY IN THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES LEARNING MORE, PRAYING, AND TAKING A SPECIAL OFFERING TO PROVIDE TALKING BIBLES FOR NON-READERS AND THE BLIND.