Here is an excerpt from the conversation John Piper had with Talitha, his daughter:

We prayed during our family devotions. Talitha (11 years old) and Noel and I prayed earnestly for the families affected by the calamity and for the others in our city. Talitha prayed “Please don’t let anyone blame God for this but give thanks that they were saved.” When I sat on her bed and tucked her in and blessed her and sang over her a few minutes ago, I said, “You know, Talitha, that was a good prayer, because when people ‘blame’ God for something, they are angry with him, and they are saying that he has done something wrong. That’s what “blame” means: accuse somebody of wrongdoing. But you and I know that God did not do anything wrong. God always does what is wise. And you and I know that God could have held up that bridge with one hand.” Talitha said, “With his pinky.” “Yes,” I said, “with his pinky. Which means that God had a purpose for not holding up that bridge, knowing all that would happen, and he is infinitely wise in all that he wills.”

Read the whole thing.

One of the most challenging locations in Mongolia to work in is the Gobi Desert. SIM’s Acting Director, “Joseph,” and his wife “Ester” work in the middle of the Gobi Desert…

We have been in many challenging ministry settings around the world, but this location must rank among the most difficult. There is no vegetation; no green, no flowers – only sand. The living conditions are very poor and basic, what you can get to eat is very limited, and a sense of depression overwhelms you as people seek to go about their lives in this harsh environment. We got caught in a sandstorm where the visibility was reduced to about six meters – the darkness was quite overwhelming.

Yet in this little town, a community of God’s people is being established and built up. In an environment of hopelessness, the Gospel of faith, hope, and love is making an impact. It was a very special privilege to see this and to meet people whose lives have been transformed by the Good News.

Sixteen years ago there were four Christians in Mongolia. The Mongolia Evangelical Alliance estimates that there are now around 40,000. The church has grown 10,000 times in the past 16 years – this rate of growth is equivalent to 1,000,000% over this period. These are staggering statistics that we need to praise God for.

It is interesting to note that two key factors seem to have contributed to the growth of the Mongolian Church: 1) radical expressions of cross-denominational and cross-agency partnership 2) a robust commitment to whole gospel ministry. 

Full story here. More details and facts here.

“Most gospel ministry involves ordinary people doing ordinary things with gospel intentionality.” Growing out of a radical call to love other people and society Jesus style, Timmis and Chester argue for a refreshingly simple model of evangelism that is rooted in community. Three Strand evangelism includes: 1) building relationships 2) sharing the gospel 3) introducing people to community. Regarding the role of the community they comment:

Not everyone can think on their feet. Some people are simply not good at speaking to strangers and forming new friendships. One of the practical benefits of the three-strand model of evangelism is that it gives a role to all of God’s people. By making evangelism a community project, it also takes seriously the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in distributing a variety of gifts among his people.

Applied three-strand evangelism includes forming authentic relationships with others, inviting them into your community through dinners, movies, hearing bands, etc, and allowing them to witness the power and presence of God in people who aren’t afraid of culture and genuinely love others.