As a small town prepared to be flooded before the building of a large dam, an interesting thing happened. In the months before the flooding, all improvements and repairs in the town stopped! Why paint a house if it will be destroyed in a few months? As time passed and the town deteriorated, the man offered this conclusion, “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.”
Hope is the picture of the future. Without that picture there is no confidence to move forward and certainly no power by which to live!
If you need hope today, you’ll find inspiring resources at www.lesliemcnulty.com. There you will find stories of people just like you discovering hope for everyday life! http://bit.ly/1L0XAFK
What is hope? Is it a feeling? A force? Or could it be something as simple as the picture of a bright future? From Parade magazine comes the story of self-made millionaire, Eugene Land, who greatly changed the lives of a 6th grade class in East Harlem. Though located near the more affluent areas of New York City, East Harlem is notorious for its violent crime rates and poor education.
Mr. Lang was asked to speak to 59 sixth-graders. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would surely drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children to even look at him!
Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. “Stay in school, and I’ll help pay the college tuition for every one of you.” In that moment, their lives changed. For the first time they had hope. One student said, “I had something to look forward to. It was a golden feeling.” Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school!
For these young students, the promise of an education provided a picture of a new outcome for their lives! Instead of facing the harsh reality that they would spend their lives on the streets struggling like most of their friends, they now had opportunity to break their financial and educational barriers and to rise to a new future! http://bit.ly/1cufu9O
Today we look at the last of our three Power-Phrases that will help you overcome the obstacles and hindrances you will encounter on the way to realizing your dream.
Power-Phrase #3: The difference between great and small people is that while all may fall, small people just fall, but great people get up again.
You see, positive thinking is the power to look at your situation and find just one positive aspect, one positive thought that you can hold on to in order to transform your negative situation into an opportunity!
Regardless of what you may face today remember this, never give up! You may be at the end of your rope but remember—one positive thought has the power to loosen the grip of impossibility and propel you forward into possibility!
Did you know that India has a population of 1.2 billion people? Drs. Chandra and Leela Bose started the Bethel Bible College in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh in 2002, because of the burden they felt to reach their country with the Good News. Their desire is to take this Good News to the utmost regions of their country, with no community left out.
The bible tells us that the harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. India needs literally millions of laborers to take the gospel to 1.2 billion people! Hundreds of thousands of bible colleges are necessary so that the indigenous leadership can be equipped with the scriptural, theological education necessary to go and preach the gospel to the people of their own languages, in their own states and communities.
Drs. Chandra and Leela Bose are pastors and educators, religious leaders, and founders of churches and schools, colleges and many social programs, including the extraordinary after school tutoring and feeding program, “5 Loaves 2 Fish.” This remarkable outreach provides a warm meal and tutoring that helps establish a holistic foundation in a child’s formative years. Impacting more than just these hungry children, whole families are being strengthened and encouraged through the program!
I encourage you to go to our website and watch our previous interviews where you’ll learn much about their work in the nation of India. http://bit.ly/1LfFLFF. To watch the 5 Loaves 2 Fish afterschool program in action, click here: http://bit.ly/1JeS94S
What if you had God’s complete attention for 5 minutes and could ask any question you want? Let’s look at a recent survey done by USA today entitled: “Questions for God.”
In the survey the following question was posed to adults:
If you could get in contact with God directly; ask a question, and get an immediate reply—what would you ask?
34% wanted to know: “What is my purpose here?”
19% would ask: “Will I have life after death?” Have you ever thought about life after death?
16% want to know: “Why do bad things happen?”
12% had no idea what they would even ask.
What burning question might you have for God?
Scientists say, God? What need is there for God when we have science that certainly explains all? Yet, with all of our medical understanding, scientists still face increasing incurable ailments of the mind, soul & body, and the fact that they do not have all the answers.
So who is God and where does He fit into your world? In reality, He is only one step—one decision away!
I’d like to share a story with you about a man from the Congo who was only one step away from a very tragic decision in his life. However, in just a matter of moments his world was changed instantly.
How? He heard words. Simple words of Good News opened the door to a new world. Do you need doors opened in your life? Today is your day!
In one of our meetings in the Congo, a young father was distraught and very upset about how life had treated him. I don’t know what situation you are facing—maybe you find yourself like this young father.
He had just purchased poison at a local pharmacy and was on his way home to take his and his family’s lives that night. As he walked, he heard words in the distance over loud speakers and decided to see what was happening. As he listened, he heard a new idea. The words began to penetrate his heart, and he had an overwhelming sense of God’s love and presence.
This young father later made his way to the platform to tell the audience what had happened. He stood weeping before 100,000 people, telling them the evil he had planned and how God had freed him and forgiven him. Suddenly, the crowd began to part as a woman with several children made her way to the platform. She was crying and shouting, “Honey, honey! We are here too!”
The couple embraced on the platform, forgave each other and committed their lives to the LORD. In an instant the question of who God is was answered—God is love! He is forgiveness, peace and restoration!
Do you need God’s presence? We have seen Him touch the masses around the world. Jesus is here for you right now. Wherever you are, just stop and turn your thoughts to God. He loves you. He believes in you. And today, He offers you forgiveness!
What does your eye see? The scripture says, The person that has a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for this person gives of his [or her] bread to the poor” (Proverbs 9:22).
There is a story of a Russian woman on a very small pension. One morning she looked into her refrigerator and realized she had only one frozen chicken—and nothing else. In her village dozens were hungry and without any food, so that day she made the decision to take that chicken and make a pot of soup.
You would think that she would savor every drop of that soup, but instead she took it to the streets and began feeding the hungry. So impressed were her neighbors with her act of kindness that others began supplying bread, and even vegetables from their gardens. Even more astounding was the day the mayor walked by and noticed the impact this woman was having in her village. He called his office and told the city clerk to find a facility for her to open a kitchen, and to supply her with whatever she needed!
In the midst of her poverty, this woman found a principle of true wealth. Her eye was full of abundance, and her thoughts were pointed in that direction. With one chicken she became the solution for the needy of her community!
Scripture: Proverbs 22:9 (paraphrased) http://bit.ly/1GM2cPj
My husband, Kevin, and I founded the 100 Tent Project, and Tatiana is just one of dozens of Russian missionaries committed to helping the estimated 100,000 unreached villages of Eurasia through this unique method of connecting with these isolated communities and regions.
Tatiana and her evangelistic team travel from village to village with their 350-seat tent, bringing good news of encouragement, joy, and hope to regions overwhelmed by hopelessness.
No, Tatiana was not a public speaker, an educator, a government official, or an official voice of any sort. She was a Babushka, a grandmother, who was gripped by what she saw—a staggering need with no apparent solution. But with God’s help, direction, and the gift of one great tool: a big, bright yellow and white tent, she brought an answer that has impacted the entire area.
Follow this link to find out more about the 100 Tent Project and learn why the project began, as well as its intended purpose and destination: http://bit.ly/1SgDNLR. If you’d like to get involved in these rural regions of Eurasia and invest in the 100 Tent Project, I encourage you to go to www.LeslieMcNulty.com.
Imagine arriving in an Evenki village in the Ural Mountains of Russia just days after 13 young people committed suicide. This was the scene that missionary evangelist Tatiana encountered one cold, fall day. She had been waiting for the road over the marsh to freeze over so that she could deliver supplies and bring good news to the families of these forgotten Evenki villages. The pain and the suffering that she encountered in this village impacted her so deeply that she determined to eradicate suicide from these remote villages.
According to the most recent available global data, almost 125,000 people commit suicide each year, with the highest percentage being the former Soviet states. Of these states, Tatiana’s area was one of the highest. Why is this suicide rate across Tatiana’s region so incredibly high? Hopelessness. In a region reflective of much of rural Russia, hope of advancement, achievement and success is non-existent. For many, even hope of survival is absent.
Well into her sixties, evangelist Tatiana from Buryatia, Russia, just north of Mongolia, determined to change this tragic statistic. Today she is a hero in her region, and well known for her work in the 100 Tent Project. It is documented that due in part to her tireless efforts among the children and families to bring humanitarian aid, children’s education and the Good News, mass suicide has been eliminated in these forgotten Evenki villages.
