‘Nurturing the Nations’ Portuguese translation is underway!

“If I could have written only one book in my life, it would have been Nurturing the Nations,” says DNA co-founder Darrow Miller, who has written and co-written a total of 11 books. This book directly addresses one of the greatest causes of global poverty: the lie that men are superior to women.

Nurturing the Nations currently is available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Romanian, and God is using it to heal broken relationships and hearts all over the world. (Click here to read a powerful story from Spain.)

Presently, DNA friends in England and Brazil are working hard to translate this book into Portuguese. We will announce the book here as soon as it’s finished, so stay tuned!

Please e-mail info@disciplenations.org with any questions.

—————————————————————————————————————-

A tradução para o português de “Nurturing the Nations” está à caminho

     Se eu pudesse escrever um só livro em minha vida, seria o Nurturing the Nations, diz o co-fundador do DNA, Darrow Miller, que escreveu e co-escreveu o total de 11 livros. Este último destina-se diretamente a uma das grande causas da probreza global: a mentira de que o homem é superior a mulher.

     Nurturing the Nations está atualmente disponível em inglês, espanhol, romeno e chinês e Deus está usando-o para curar corações e relacionamentos destruídos por todo o mundo. (Clique aqui para ler uma poderosa história ocorrida na Espanha).

     Atualmente os amigos do DNA na Inglaterra e no Brazil estão trabalhando para traduzir este livro para o português. Nós anunciaremos o livro aqui assim que estiver disponível, fiquem sintonizados.

     Favor enviar e-mail para info@disciplenations.org com suas perguntas.

New book! ‘As the Family Goes, So Goes the Nation’

We are pleased to announce the release of a new book co-written by Scott Allen, president of the DNA Global Secretariat, titled: As the Family Goes, So Goes the Nation: Principles and Practices for Building Healthy Families.

The book is an important addition to our DNA library of resources because of the vital roles that marriage and family play in discipling nations. Historically, the DNA has emphasized the central role of local churches in blessing, healing and restoring broken nations, but equally important is the place of family: the first and most basic social institution in any society.

Simply put, healthy families produce healthy nations. Healthy families are those united by a solid spiritual foundation in Christ.

Today, the prevailing culture has redefined marriage and family, and non-Christian habits of thought and practice dominate, even in the church. Christian parents need a biblical vision of purpose, wholeness and joy in marriage and family life, and a practical plan for applying the wisdom and power of God’s Word to their lives.

As the Family Goes, So Goes the Nation emphasizes the purpose of marriage and family in God’s overarching redemptive plan for the nations. It not only lays out the basic biblical principles that form the foundation of marriage and family; it also encourages application by providing helpful and creative suggestions for applying each principle.

Along with Scott, the book is co-authored by Dr. Elizabeth Youmans and Dr. Jill Thrift. Dr. Youmans is founder and president of Chrysalis International, a DNA affiliated organization. Elizabeth’s calling is to disciple leaders and transform education by nurturing the hearts and minds of teachers, parents and children for Christ through her AMO® Program. She resides in Orlando, Florida and is the mother of four children and grandmother of eight.

Click to read an excerpt

Dr. Jill Thrift is an early childhood educator who serves the interests of children and parents as a teacher, writer and advocate for public policies that protect and nurture children and families. She is the mother of one grown son and resides in San Antonio, Texas.

The book is intended for use by married couples and parents (and those preparing for marriage and parenting in the future). It is also written for pastors and church leaders as a resource for equipping their members to fulfill their roles as husbands, wives, mothers and fathers.

The book now is available at Amazon.com and soon will be available through the DNA Secretariat Office online bookstore.

A Spanish-language version of the book will be published later this year by Editorial Jucum.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: Marriage, Family and Worldview (Scott Allen)

Chapter 2: Pursing God’s Design for Marriage (Scott Allen)

Chapter 3: God’s Design for the Family (Scott Allen)

Chapter 4: God’s Purpose for the Family in Discipling Nations (Scott Allen)

Chapter 5: The Power of Words and God’s Word (Elizabeth Youmans)

Chapter 6: The Christian View of Children (Elizabeth Youmans)

Chapter 7: The Home as a Vital Learning Center (Elizabeth Youmans)

Chapter 8: Nurturing the Whole Child for Life and Leadership (Jill Thrift and Elizabeth Youmans)

Chapter 9: Establishing Family Worship (Jill Thrift and Elizabeth Youmans)

Chapter 10: Celebrating Family Traditions and Godly Heritage (Jill Thrift and Elizabeth Youmans)

Chapter 11: Loving and Serving Others (Scott Allen and Jill Thrift)

Appendix 1: A Note to Single Parents and to the Church

Appendix 2: A Word for Pastors and Local Church Leaders

Appendix 3: “God’s One Anothers” from the New Testament

DNA videos airing on Nigerian state television TODAY

Starting today and airing every Wednesday night through the end of October, a new DNA video series will be broadcast across Nigeria on the state television station PRTVC, which has well over 3 million viewers.

The topic of the 7-part series is “Monday Church”–in the words of DNA co-founder Darrow Miller, “More work of the church is to take place Monday through Saturday than takes place on Sunday.” These challenging but encouraging lessons will unpack God’s plan for every Christian in every sphere of society to be a ‘missionary of restoration’ every day of the week.

Click here to watch the videos!

A local church in Jos, Nigeria called ECWA Plateau Church has purchased airtime on PRTVC and already has been showing “On Earth as It Is in Heaven,” a video series by DNA co-founders Darrow Miller and Bob Moffitt that looks at what it would really look like–what it would really take–to see God’s kingdom come here and now, on earth as it is in heaven.

“There is such a dichotomized lifestyle between what happens on Sunday and the week days,” says Steve Chia (left) who is organizing this effort through his Nigerian church. “Many profess to be Christians on Sundays, but we do not seem to see the impact in the society.”

Please pray for those who see these videos, that their minds and hearts would be opened to God’s love for them and prosperous plans for their lives, and that they would respond in obedience.

To contact Steve, please e-mail aschia06@gmail.com.

Excellent biblical-worldview curriculum for youth and adults

If you enjoyed Pastor Hector Pardo’s presentation on the kingdom of God, check out this curriculum designed to teach the very same ideas. Developed by our friends at Chrysalis International, this can be used with youth or adults!

Be My Witnesses

This Christian history unit centers on the call of 1st century disciples to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. It highlights the history of the early Church beginning with the three cultures awaiting the Messiah— Greek, Roman and Jewish—through readings, Power Points, the book of Acts, and the study of the New Testament “One Anothers.” The curriculum includes life as a Christian in the 1st century and challenges youth to reflect on their 21st century calling as Christ’s disciples. There are 24 enriched history lesson plans with 13 beautiful coloring pages, Roman Empire map, graphic organizers, vocabulary cards, 8 arts and crafts lesson plans, and the culminating Agape Feast.

Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

$29.95 USD Click here to order!

Possessing the kingdom of God: A live presentation by DNA leader Hein van Wyk

The kingdom of God is a mysterious but central aspect of the Christian faith.

Out of the 40 parables Jesus taught to his disciples and to others within earshot, 18 specifically were about the kingdom. In the four gospels, the phrases kingdom of heaven or kingdom of God are referenced 97 times!

Hein van Wyk, part of DNA’s Global Leadership Team and an excellent teacher, gave perhaps the most thorough  explanation that we have seen of the kingdom of God at the 2013 DNA Global Forum in Brazil. Here, you’ll find his presentation in two parts. Please watch and share with your friends and colleagues!

Possessing the Kingdom (Part 1) by Hein van Wyk from Disciple Nations Alliance.

Possessing the Kingdom (Part 2) by Hein van Wyk from Disciple Nations Alliance.

About Hein van Wyk

Hein van Wyk’s passion is Christ and the establishment of His Kingdom in every area of life. For the last 17 years, he has facilitated Kingdom development as it relates to leadership formation, collaboration initiatives, community upliftment, mission mobilization and strategic planning.  He has been a conference and motivational speaker on topics that include worldview, transformational development, missions, prayer and partnership.

Hein resides in South Africa and ministers nationally as well as internationally. In addition to serving on the DNA’s Global Leadership Team, he works from the platform of Hope for Africa Strategic Alliances and serves as Samaritan Strategy Africa‘s regional coordinator for southern Africa, as well as Africa director for both Churches Together and Experience Mission.

Hein is married to Helene and has three children: Jannandi (24), Heilene (20) and Daneiko (13).

Contact Hein at hein@hopeforafrica.co.za.

Why the church acting as an organization will never transform society

Just as Jesus admonished the religious leaders of his day by calling out their legalism and hypocrisy, so today we have prophetic men and women who challenge the painful truth that, in many cases, the nation has discipled the church–we Christians have put on the clothes of our surrounding culture, sometimes no longer even resembling the radiant Bride of Christ.

Is it too late? How can we return to the original call God gave his Church? How can we tell when a local church has lost its identity?

Luis Sena is the contact person for the DNA local network in the Dominican Republic. He has decades of experience in wholistic community development and presently coordinates the School Development Program (Esperanza-Edify Program) at Esperanza International.

His 15-minute speech from the 2013 DNA Global Forum in Brazil will make you cringe, but in a good way. After you watch the video (it is in English and Portuguese), please share your comments on the blog. You may also wish to follow along with the written transcript or simply listen to the audio file.

Excerpt: “…in general, the church in our generation has adopted the form, the model of the ‘corporation’ from the western culture. As a consequence, instead of discipling their members, in most cases, churches have Christianized cultural practices like advertising and marketing. They have done this in order to be friendlier to the public and to have a wider impact in their city as religious organizations, but not as the people of God.”

New book! Recovering Our Mission: Making the Invisible Kingdom Visible

Hot off the press! This week, the DNA releases Darrow Miller’s newest book called Recovering Our Mission: Making the Invisible Kingdom Visible. This 136-page book is geared at anyone interested in God’s Great Commission.

Get yours for $6

Here’s a synopsis:

Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples of all nations. This Great Commission is central to the existence of the church in every generation. Why? Because if the church does not live out the Word of God in the world, the ideas that dominate our societies will govern it. We must leave behind the incomplete vision of “saving souls for heaven” and take up the commission of discipling individuals and communities toward a reflection of the truth, goodness and beauty of God’s kingdom.

There is no neutrality: Either the church will disciple the nation or the nation will disciple the church.

In this important work adapted from Emancipating the World, Darrow Miller challenges us to rethink and restore the church’s mission amid today’s greatest challenges. We are to overwhelm the nations with the nature and character of God, anticipating the consummation of Christ’s reign, when all nations will bring the glories of their cultures into his kingdom. We are to battle tyranny with love and service, and we are to combat lies with truth and goodness. In these ways, we can recover our truly great mission to the world.

Visit our new Cry Freedom website

Free, just and thriving nations are like fruitful trees. To flourish, they require the right conditions and the right soil.

What are the conditions that give rise to such a nation? What are the foundational principles upon which such nations are built?

This is what we must understand, for upon it depends the future of our nations, our families, and our very lives.

Last year, the DNA released a set of 10 Arabic-language videos that present biblical principles for nation building. The series was called “Cry Freedom.”

Cry Freedom video #1: An Opportunity for Nation Building

For several months in 2012, these videos were shown across the Middle East by a prominent Arabic TV station with more than 45 million active viewers each month. At one point, the videos were being used as fillers between television programs, airing three times a day!

Now, these videos are easily accessible to the whole world on www.cryfreedomnow.com. Please have a look and share this link with your friends.

We also have developed a training workshop in conjunction with these principles. Please e-mail info@disciplenations.org to request a copy of the PowerPoint presentations, Trainer’s Manual and Participant Handouts.

Announcing a new partnership with PovertyCure

We are so excited about our new partnership with PovertyCure, a new initiative that champions the creative potential of the person and seeks to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit that fills the developing world.

The core values and principles of the DNA are closely intertwined with those of PovertyCure. One common value is the dignity and God-given potential of all humans, even children born into the poorest of societies.

We often ask, “What causes poverty?” But the real question is, “What causes wealth?”

PovertyCure seeks to shift the emphasis:

• From aid to enterprise
• From poverty alleviation to wealth creation
• From paternalism to partnerships

PovertyCure is about re-thinking our assumptions. We are an international network of individuals and more than 100 organizations committed to a vision that recognizes the dignity and capacity of people to create value and prosperity for their families and communities.

Check out PovertyCure’s Voices section, which features short videos of entrepreneurs, political and religious leaders, and development experts like Paul Collier, Marcela Escobari, Michael Fairbanks, Hernando de Soto, and George Ayittey.

Visit the blog, and contribute to the discussion on Facebook and Twitter!

We’ve joined the PovertyCure network to help champion these ideas, and we encourage your organization, church, or non-profit to do the same!

Video: A wholistic education leads to a wholistic, missional life

“When it comes to school, there’s no shortage of what to learn. The shortage is, Why?”

Here is an innovative video from our friend Christian Overman at Worldview Matters. DNA co-founder Darrow Miller said this is “one of the clearest explanations of the sacred/secular dichotomy that I have seen.”

Worldview Matters exists to help followers of Christ recover from secularized thought, instead revealing God’s plan for Christians in the marketplace to shape culture and transform society every day of the week–not just on Sunday.

Worldview Matters also helps Christian educators create lesson plans that directly, relevantly connect to God’s “bigger picture,” filling students at all levels with a biblical worldview.

Contact Christian Overman at thinkagain@biblicalworldview.com.