Articles, news and testimonies
Our resources have been creatively used in a wide variety of settings ranging from self-studies to camps and small small groups. Here is one lady’s email to us with a question regarding the use of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus in Sunday school.
Continue reading “Sunday school: Teach live or watch the DVD?”
This is Lien’s testimony which was originally published in her church’s newsletter. We have edited it for brevity.
The Bible says that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:4-5 NKJV). My name is Lien,* and up until just a few years ago, this verse made no sense to me as a young Chinese atheist.
I grew up in Beijing, one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world. I had seen people going into temples and giving money to idols, wishing for good fortune. I had grown tired of people saying, “Be good” so that we could come back in the next life with good fortune. I had also heard about western religions from movies and books. These left me with the general impression that only good people can go to Heaven. I considered religion to be nothing more than a man-created tool to manage society and to advocate for morality. At the time, I did not consider the more important question, namely, what is morality derived from?
I also thought that religious people were bribing their way into Heaven by giving money to the poor people, doing good works and, in some cases, not eating meat or getting married. This kind of thinking never made sense to me. None of my family members were religious and so I did not grow up believing that there was a God.
Some years ago, Kathy* was puttering around in the garden one afternoon when a couple on the sidewalk approached her. In the conversation that ensued, the two strangers quoted some Scripture verses. Kathy was excited. For some time, she had been longing to learn more about God but she didn’t have a clue where or how to get more information. Now, here were two people who were willing to share about the Bible!
Upon their return visit, Kathy invited the couple into her home and had a long conversation with them. She was keen to learn more and enjoyed the time together so much that she invited them over for a third visit. On that occasion, the couple invited Kathy to a Bible study.
One of our GoodSeed staff couples, Simon and Lavonne, were missionaries in Panama for 17 years before returning to the USA where they now continue ministry at the GoodSeed office in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho.
Recently, after being gone from Panama for more than a year, they had an opportunity to go back for a visit to reconnect with many of their dear friends in a remote village as well as in the city. In preparation for their trip, they packed a “Be Ready” suitcase full of GoodSeed resources that explained the Bible’s message clearly. Among the books was a copy of All that the Prophets have Spoken in Arabic to be given to their friends who own the hotel where they often stayed. For the Chinese shopkeeper where they used to buy their groceries, they had The Stranger in Mandarin. Also included in their suitcase were several copies of El Forastero (The Stranger book in Spanish) and El Cordero (The Lamb book in Spanish).
Continue reading “Panama: Reconnecting and sharing the gospel”
Sasha* had been struggling for quite some time with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty. He sought help from, Alex,* a counsellor. As they talked, it didn’t take long for Alex to realize that, although Sasha said that he believed in Jesus for salvation, he was lacking a solid biblical foundation with which to navigate through his trials.
Alex prayerfully began guiding Sasha through The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus because he thought it would be helpful for Sasha to have a better understanding of the Bible’s message from creation to the cross.
Everything was going well until one day, near the end of the study, on page 274 of Chapter 15, Sasha read these words aloud:
We’ve been needing to renovate our Idaho office for the longest time, but because each of us were juggling multiple projects, this task had been repeatedly pushed to the bottom of our to-do list. However, we were finally able to coordinate our schedules and spent this month finishing up the renovations.
Continue reading “Photo-tour: before, during, after Idaho renovations”
The atmosphere was charged as staff and friends gathered in the hall and found their seats. They were about to watch not just any musical, but one about the gospel. And it wasn’t just any musical about the gospel, it was one produced by GoodSeed.
“I had no idea how it would be like before the performance,” quipped one staff member. “We knew the project had been going on for years, but we just didn’t know how it would turn out.”
It’s the end of summer in the northern hemisphere. While school was out and the weather warm, summer camps were in full swing. Many children attended Christian camps, backyard Bible clubs, or Vacation Bible Schools (VBS) where, in the midst of fun activities, they also got to learn the message of the Bible. For many of these children, it was the first time they heard the gospel message.
We received an email from Julia,* who taught at a VBS. She said she had to confess something to us. She wrote:
My work at GoodSeed requires that I fly at times. These days, frugal airlines place their seats so close together that the travel experience they provide is one of shoulder-to-shoulder confinement. But it’s just not natural for us westerners to be sandwiched in so tightly with total strangers!
Recently, as I shoehorned my large frame into the assigned space, the unfortunate soul in the next seat gave me furtive glances, telling me that she was making her own spatial adjustments.
When GoodSeed published its first audiobook, it came on cassettes (remember those?). Now, the soon-to-be-released interactive edition of All that the Prophets have Spoken will come with 98 video clips that can be accessed via QR codes.
While the book is packaged with an accompanying DVD, we recognize that many people have smartphones and tablets. We wanted to marry the effectiveness of video with the convenience of watching on a mobile device. So now, readers will have a choice of watching the video clips on DVD or on their smart devices.
Continue reading “QR codes for “All that the Prophets have Spoken” Interactive Edition”
You must be logged in to post a comment.