A growing church-based effort is stepping into those critical moments with both practical help and Gospel hope.

Journey of a Life Giver Training in Uganda. (Photo courtesy of LIFE International)

LIFE International partners with a church network in Uganda, conducting training events titled Journey of a Life Giver and Redemptive Conversations. These trainings equip Christian leaders to respond to family crises in life-giving ways.

April Schmidt, LIFE International’s Life-Giving Ministries Manager, says the goal is to have a spiritual and cultural impact as leaders ultimately point people to God the Father’s heart for life.

“We’re seeing just an expansion and a change of heart in the participants,” says Schmidt. “These are leaders in this denomination. They already love the Lord. They’re already committed to the sanctity of human life. But what this does for them in this training is it’s helping them to take what they know and to put that faith into action.”

That action often begins when people approach Christian leaders during moments of desperation.

Journey of a Life Giver Training in Uganda. (Photo courtesy of LIFE International)

“They are usually coming to you because they have what they perceive as their felt need: ‘I have the need for an abortion. I have to have this abortion. I need money. I need a place to live. I need a job,'” Schmidt says.

“However, the greatest need is the real need. The real need is Jesus.”

One simple training tool has opened powerful conversations. Schmidt explains, “One of the Uganda trainings was we give them this little fetal model of [a] 12-week gestational age baby. They hold it in their hand and they look at it, and they have this realization of how small and how precious life is.”

Schmidt says one Christian leader in family ministry and counseling now carries the fetal model with her everywhere.

“She said, ‘Since I have done this training with you, I am finding more and more that people are coming to me with their crisis pregnancies, with their stories of loss and suffering…. I can pull that little baby out and I can put it in their hand, and I can talk to them about the value of life.'”

Journey of a Life Giver Training in Uganda. (Photo courtesy of LIFE International)

As Ugandan churches engage family crises with biblical truth and grace, prayer support is essential.

Please pray for protection, wisdom, and transformed hearts as pro-life ministry continues in Uganda and beyond.

Learn more about LIFE International at their website.

Header photo: Maternity home in Uganda. (Photo courtesy of LIFE International)

Kurt Dillinger, President and Founder of LIFE International, explains, “This particular building was the first Jewish synagogue built in Grand Rapids over 120 years ago, and they were here in this building for many, many years. Then it evolved into becoming a university building where they did theater here. Then it became another business building.

“It eventually became the largest abortion facility in West Michigan.”

(Photo courtesy of Dominic Blignaut/Unsplash)

Around 20 years ago, when the abortion clinic building went up for sale, it seemed an unlikely place to transform for a biblical pro-life ministry.

Yet, that is what LIFE International did, and Dillinger says it’s what God intended.

“Over a five-year period of prayer, God brought us to this building and He showed us this was the building. It came up for sale and some business people in the community heard about this story. They said, ‘We’re going to buy the building and give it to you.'”

Grand Rapids’ Kent County sees an average of 1,450 abortions per year, according to statistics from 2013-2023. The state of Michigan reported 31,241 abortions total in 2023 — a nearly 30-year high.

The Church still has much work to do in promoting and celebrating God’s value of life in the culture — in Michigan, across the United States, and around the world.

However, this story is a poignant reminder of God’s sovereignty and redemptive work, and He will have the final say.

“We’ve had many women come to our building here who had abortions in their past,” says Dillinger. “They’ll come, and they’ll want to see the building.

“We get to communicate to them, ‘Look what God did with the brick and mortar. He changed it from what it was, to what it is today. A place of death was turned into a place of life. He wants to do the same thing in your heart. You are more important to Him than brick and mortar. This is just a message to you how much He loves you.’

(Photo courtesy of LIFE International)

Dillinger emphasizes, “That’s been our message through our building. God has uniquely given us a wonderful mouthpiece here for our community.”

LIFE International has expanded its pro-life work over the years into more than 100 nations, equipping Christian leaders to communicate God’s heart for life.

Pray for women and men hurt by abortion or considering it to know God’s love for them and their babies.

Learn more about LIFE International’s ministry.

Header photo of historical ministry building, initially built as a Jewish synagogue. Photo courtesy of LIFE International.

Kurt Dillinger, founder and president of LIFE International, explains the heart behind their pro-life mission: “We make known the Father’s heart for life with church leaders all over the globe. So that’s where it all originated many years ago, back in the late 90s, when the Lord just really captured my heart on this issue.”

Reflecting on his personal journey, Dillinger recalls how the Lord changed his understanding of biblical pro-life ministry. Cultures around the world continue to devalue human life in a variety of ways. Abortion is the leading cause of death globally, killing 73 million preborn babies in 2024 alone.

(Photo courtesy of Nina Hill/Unsplash)

Yet, Dillinger explains, “This issue really is not about stopping abortion, even though that’s a very noble cause. And it’s really not about rights of people, of women, and it’s really not even about saving the life of the preborn — even though all those things are vitally important.

“What He (God) was saying to me is, ‘This is an attack on Me. This is an attack on your Father in Heaven, and you don’t even know My heart on this issue.’ That broke me and it just ushered in this desire to do whatever I could to understand His heart. That’s essentially now what we do around the world!”

LIFE International hosts pro-life events for churches and Christian leaders, leads prayer initiatives, and offers personal coaching, online education, and a variety of resources.

The ministry also works with partners in 163 nations to support crisis pregnancy guidance, maternity homes, orphanages, child-feeding programs, and more. LIFE International aims to operate in every nation in the world someday.

“Our purpose in our ministry really is to uphold the biblical value of all human life worldwide,” says Dillinger. “With that comes a vision of wanting to see a world where people of all nations find their hope, find their healing in Jesus Christ, and fully embrace the Father’s heart for life in their nations.”

For those looking to participate in Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, Dillinger encourages engagement with LIFE International’s initiatives. “We offer trainings here at LIFE International. We call it ‘The journey of a life-giver.’ We’re all on a journey and we can grow in our understanding of the Father’s heart for life. Together, we can learn from each other.”

Learn about these trainings and more pro-life resources at LIFE International’s website.

Header photo courtesy of Izabelly Marques/Unsplash.

Brandon Bower with The Lighthouse says, “Often people say, ‘Marijuana is a gateway drug.’ I’d say, ‘Yes, but nicotine is the gateway drug that leads to other things.’

“Scripture will say, like in (1) Corinthians 6, ‘Everything is permissible. But not everything is beneficial.’ So when we’re thinking about things like smoking and nicotine, we’ve got to understand that, well, it may not be sin, it is probably not the wisest thing.”

The Lighthouse offers a holistic addiction recovery process founded on Scripture.
(Graphic courtesy of The Lighthouse)

The Lighthouse helps people in addiction apply biblical principles to their struggles. 

“We would consider that nicotine addiction would be a mastery of our hearts. Scripture says God has some guardrails in our life, designed to protect us for our good, for His glory,” Bower says.

“When a Christian steps out of these guardrails, then we see sin enter. At the Lighthouse, we really talk about those heart issues driving the sinful behavior.” 

The Lighthouse comes alongside people like Pat, a retired pastor from Texas. 

“(Pat) started really struggling with some life-altering issues,” says Bower. “He came in to be with us for seven months. You saw God radically change his heart. He said, ‘I’ve helped people for so many years. I needed a moment just to take some time and and reconnect with God and let people help me.’” 

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, reach out to The Lighthouse for hope and help from God’s Word. 

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Umit Bulut via Unsplash. 

Christian World Outreach’s Single Moms Raising Sons program began by supporting single mothers in South Africa with Bible studies. But quickly, the ministry realized they needed to help fatherless sons too by connecting them with a biblical community of male mentors.

From there, the Men Molding Men camps were born.

CWO’s Greg Yoder says, “We have two age groups that we do camps with. So it’s the younger boys, and then young men up to about 18-years-old. [They are] just dealing with being a young man and someone who is being raised by a single mom and needing a man around them.”

Men Molding Men camp (Photo courtesy of CWO)

CWO has six Men Molding Men camps in South Africa planned for 2024. The personal and spiritual impacts of these camps can’t be overstated.

“One of the boys just gave a testimony,” Yoder says. “He’s 18-years-old and the other young men that he came to camp with, they’ve become his family and they are encouraging him. He said, ‘I’m quitting smoking, and I know you guys will encourage me.’ So they do become a little community that can encourage each other and just keep each other focused on being Christ-centered in their lives.”

Ultimately, these camps introduce fatherless boys to their perfect and trustworthy Heavenly Father.

You can help make an eternal difference in the life of a fatherless boy in South Africa. Give to CWO’s Men Molding Men camps at their website!

Yoder also asks, “Pray for the leadership of the ministry as they make decisions [and] stay focused on what God’s given us as a ministry.”

Header photo courtesy of CWO.

However, Resti Kawuki wasn’t alone when she started her new restaurant. Thanks to the Family Empowerment Program with Every Child Ministries (ECM), Kawuki was given biblical business training and resources to become a small business owner.

Mark Luckey with ECM says, “We helped her to start up this little restaurant and it’s gone crazy. She’s very outgoing and has a big smile on her face and people love to come in. She knows how now to run the business and so she’s needing to expand her business because of all the new customers!”

Kawuki plans to invest in more tables, chairs, charcoal stoves, saucepans, utensils and cutlery since her restaurant business is booming.

With the income generated from her new restaurant, Luckey says, “She supports her kids, is able to send them to school, is able to save some money every month, [and] is able to care for her family the way she wants to. She just needed a helping hand.”

(Photo courtesy of Every Child Ministries)

The Family Empowerment Program is fairly new to ECM’s ministry model. But they saw a need to go farther than individual child sponsorships in places like Uganda.

Luckey explains, “Staff would often say, ‘In this home, there are three other kids and a mom or a grandparent, or mom and dad. They’re all really struggling — and they’re super happy that one of their kids is having his or her needs met — but could we do more? Could we do something to help the family?'”

With ECM’s Family Empowerment Program, parents and caretakers learn biblical business skills over the course of two years and support to start their own business.

“God has set certain principles how to run a business,” says Luckey. “There’s a worldly way to do that, and there’s a godly, biblical way to do that. So we teach them from a biblical perspective and we ingrain that in them through Bible studies and…tell them how a follower of Jesus would conduct himself or herself in the business community.”

Click here to support ECM’s Family Empowerment Program!

Then, pray for other parents in Uganda like Kawuki entering the Family Empowerment Program. Ask God to encourage them in the coursework and grow them in relationship with the Provider, Jesus Christ. Pray for these small businesses to be a platform for community enrichment and the Gospel!

Header photo of Resty Kawuki, courtesy of Every Child Ministries.

One week after this report came out, spiritual revival broke out at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky.

The revival was characterized by young college students who stayed after a chapel for continued prayer and worship. It persisted in a spontaneous outbreak of confession, worship, and prayer that lasted for several weeks and drew in people from around the world.

Revival at Asbury University (Photo courtesy of OneWay Ministries)

Regular chapel schedules resumed at Asbury yesterday. However, other universities and churches across America are opening their doors as more people — particularly youth — seek the Lord through prayer, confession, and worship. There are even stories and online videos surfacing of worship gatherings in other countries inspired by the movement at Asbury.

Stan Key, Minister at Large for OneWay Ministries, describes America at a spiritual crossroads.

“Oh, my goodness, the world we live in. I think I’ve despaired for our nation. The nation that you’re going to grow up in, your generation, and particularly your children, it’s not going to be a pleasant place to be. So this gives me hope,” Key says. “Lord, can you revive our nation? Can you revive the Church?”

Many Christians have been greatly encouraged by testimonies of repentance and humility out of Asbury University and other related worship gatherings. But other believers are cautious to get excited about the so-called revival. Responses range from curious and questioning to skeptical and even outright critical.

Biblical discernment is important in all things, and especially in any movement that would claim the name of Jesus.

Key says this desire for biblical wisdom in the wake of the Asbury revival is important!

“In terms of discerning what is going on,…I don’t think we should just criticize all those who want to be cautious. I’m a skeptic at heart myself. I need some proof.”

(Photo courtesy of OneWay Ministries)

Was this emotional sensationalism? A bandwagon effect? Did lack of one centralized leader mean it was a spiritually-hyped free-for-all?

Many of the critics simply are curious to see what kind of lasting spiritual effect this revival could have on individual lives and American culture. “I think there’s two kinds of critiques of a move of the Spirit like this,” Key says. “One is the legitimate sort. ‘What is going on? And how should I respond?’…. Most of the critique is quite respectful. It’s like, ‘Well, we’ll see.’ Okay, that’s fair.”

However, Key cautions, “There is a critique in which I sense arrogance and condescension.’”

So what is the spiritual fruit that has come out of Asbury?

Key’s father-in-law, Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, was the president of Asbury College (now Asbury University) during the 1970 revival on campus.

As someone who is familiar with conversations surrounding faithful Christian revivals, Key says, “The word that, to me, always marks the authentic presence of the sanctifying Spirit is the word humility. Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount by saying, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they get the Kingdom.’”

Another litmus test is the five characteristics of a work of the Holy Spirit, as outlined by Jonathan Edwards in the First Great Awakening.

Key explains, “If it’s those marks that Jonathan Edwards said — if Jesus is exalted, sin is exposed, the Bible is lifted up, sound doctrine is preached, and it’s about love — where’s my can of gasoline? That’s about as good as it gets.

“If this is of God,…all I want to do is bring my can of gasoline and pour gas on what God is doing.”

(Photo courtesy of Jon Tyson via Unsplash)

More and more stories have come out of Asbury about students and young people repenting of sin, coming to the altar broken and crying out for Jesus, praying for one another and restoring relationships with one another.

Far from sensationalist reports, those who were there speak of peaceful worship and biblical conviction.

“I did hear the president of Asbury and his team in a prayer meeting with about 500 alumni last weekend,” Key says. “They were responding to questions. But he said something to the effect of they’ve had quite a number of Christian celebrities show up and…a number of them said, ‘If you like, I’ll address the crowd or I’ll be a part of this in some way.’ To a number of them, they’ve said no.”

Students and young people, travelers and townies were not there to see celebrities and political pundits.

This generation is open to — and even hungry for — spiritual truth. Truth that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

The Asbury revival may be over, at the official campus capacity level. But if the Holy Spirit has kindled a fire for the Kingdom of Heaven in the hearts of young people in America, may our prayers fan the flames.

May this be a generation that seeks the face of the Lord.

Header photo courtesy of Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash.

This makes programs like Hashtag on SAT-7 PARS critical for young believers.

SAT-7’s Farsi-speaking channel, SAT-7 PARS, is a Christian satellite TV broadcast in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. All three of those countries rank on the World Watch List for Christian persecution. Iran and Afghanistan especially are in the top 10 with extreme persecution levels.

Parastoo Poortaheri is a Broadcast Officer, Presenter, and Producer with SAT-7 PARS. Their program Hashtag is aimed at Christian kids and teens ages 8 to 16.

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

Poortaheri says Hashtag is a mix of educational and biblical programming. “It has different parts in the program such as ‘Around The World.’ We take them every few weeks to one country or a specific place, let’s say, and just talk about that place so that they get to know the place or the area or the city of that country.”

Hashtag started running on SAT-7 PARS last year and it was well-received. They are currently on season two.

“We have ‘Heroes of the Bible’ and we talk about a certain part of the Bible every week,” Poortaheri says. “Every time we are on the show, we are introducing next week’s theme or the part of the Bible that we’re going to talk about. Then through our social media…every Monday morning, they can find a voice file of the story plus the video which is on Instagram. For some people who don’t have a Bible, that would be easier because it’s like a brief part of the story that we’re going to talk about. But we also mention (in case they have a Bible) where they have to go and read that part.”

Then they host a game on Hashtag featuring 12 questions from the Bible story that week.

Poortaheri says, “This way, we’re asking of them to learn those Bible stories. It [is] amazing because many times when they answer the question, they know it and they love it. Some of them for example, like Noah and Abraham might be a little bit familiar for them and they already know about it. But…many other stories, they don’t know about it and they’re so happy when they know it.”

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

Hashtag also features a time of worship, celebrates viewers’ birthdays, and more! Ultimately, they want to engage Persian kids and teens with Christian community and God’s Word.

SAT-7’s channels operate on the generous support of the global Body of Christ. Support SAT-7 PARS and their Gospel ministry here!

And please pray for young Christians in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan to grow deep roots of faith. Ask the Lord to use SAT-7 PARS for the growth of His Kingdom.

Header photo of Parastoo Poortaheri on Hashtag, courtesy of SAT-7.

Wycliffe Women of the Word is presented by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA and feels like grabbing a cup of coffee with a girlfriend to talk about life through the lens of Scripture. Hosts Beth and Jenn talk with women from all walks of life – from moms-next-door and missionaries to well-known authors and singer-songwriters.

Beth Matheson, one of the hosts for Wycliffe Women of the Word says, “I think we tend to categorize people in our heads, where we’re like, ‘Oh, you’re in full-time ministry. You’re famous. I’m just a typical woman living my life.’ The reality of it is our context may be different, but the content of our souls is the same.”

(Image courtesy of Wycliffe Bible Translators USA)

For example, Matheson says, “Our first episode, we kicked off the season with musician, Laura Story. She, again, is just a very regular person who opened up about her struggle to surrender her own plans and shared about ways that her community has come around her family during hard times for them.

“We also talked with Ellie Holcomb, who’s another singer-songwriter who we love. She talked with us about loneliness that she experienced as a young mom, and I think that’s something that a lot of women who have kids can identify with. She talked about how it led her to pursue deeper, honest relationships where she allows friends to look at God’s Word and go, ‘You know what? Your life is not matching Scripture here,’ and challenging her to grow and she can challenge them to grow.

“We also have an author, Leslie Leyland Fields, who is encouraging people to learn how to tell their own stories so that they can recognize the value that God has placed in their lives and the lessons that He has for them in their own stories. Then we’ve also got missionaries and we’ve got even a couple of members of my own personal community who are moms of special needs kids.”

Wycliffe Women of the Word first aired their podcast episodes on April 30th. Since then, they’ve heard feedback from ladies who are encouraged by the biblically-focused episodes that deal with hard topics — especially in this season of loneliness and fear.

“We want to just encourage women to come together and to hear women, our guests, talk through experiences that are universal and ways that they have encountered God’s Word in their daily lives and are being transformed by God’s Word in their daily lives with the goal of encouraging our listeners then to also dig into Scripture and be transformed.”

(Photo courtesy of Pexels)

Wycliffe also offers a link for each episode with ways listeners can engage and get resources mentioned in the podcast episode.

Matheson says, “Really honestly though, more than anything, we just want them to pick up their Bibles. We want them to pick up Scripture and to be in engage with it and be transformed by it.”

Find Wycliffe Women of the Word on the Apple Podcast app here! You can also find it on many other podcast streaming apps.

Finally, as you are encouraged by the podcast and transformed by Scripture, you can also help Wycliffe get Scripture into the hands of women and men around the world who still don’t have God’s Word in their heart language. Click here to learn more about Wycliffe’s ministry.

Wycliffe Women of the Word Podcast Trailer from Wycliffe Bible Translators USA on Vimeo.

Header photo courtesy of Wycliffe Bible Translators USA.

“Now we’re just a seat at the table and not the head of the table…Hey, we’ve got to figure out how to live in this multi-religious world, this pluralistic world where lots of other -isms are being followed, including paganism and immorality, so on. But we’ve got to still proclaim the Lordship of Christ to all of life.”

Sharing God’s Love

It might be time we take a page out of SAT-7’s playbook. SAT-7 is unique in how it uses satellite TV to make God’s love visible. This allows the organization to respectfully make known God’s heart for people, even in restricted nations.

(Photo by Michael Heuss on Unsplash)

“I work with a ministry in the Middle East and North Africa, where the church is a very small percentage, church meaning the body of Christ. And they have for decades or even centuries lived under oppression or outright persecution. The Church there is resilient and strong. And the Church knows who they are. They have figured out how to live out their faith in, a coin a phrase, a multi-religious world,” Rogers says.

SAT-7 uses non-traditional methods of ministry to make God’s love visible. The organization is careful to obey and be sensitive to the rules of the areas it broadcasts into without sacrificing the truth and hope it shares.

SAT-7 USA also provides a weekly podcast called “Unconventional Ministry”. The podcast explores unconventional ways ministries in the U.S. are sharing about Christ’s love and living out biblical Christianity. Take a listen here.

Living out Biblical Christianity

Rogers notes living out biblical Christianity includes looking for hypocrisy in our own lives. How can we share the Gospel and God’s Word if we ourselves do not submit to it? Rogers has some other thoughts on living a biblical Christian lifestyle which impacts the local culture, too.

(Photo by Joshua Hanks on Unsplash)

“Share our faith with our neighbor, and by all means, love our neighbor. There’s not a lot of love your neighbor floating around in current politics right now. And for that matter, maybe even church politics but boy, that gets right back to those basic commandments. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”

As for today, start with prayer. Pray for political leaders on both sides of the aisle. Pray for unification within the U.S. Church. Also, pray for the culture in the U.S. and for the children who will inherit it.

Learn more about SAT-7’s work here.

Header photo courtesy of Akira Hojo via Unsplash.