Worship HIM!

When someone signs the word “worship”, we often think of worship as simply signing songs to God during worship service on Sunday mornings. For some deaf people, signing songs is not as touching or as powerful an experience as it is for hearing people singing worship songs.

Really, worship is more than singing and praising God on Sunday morning. Worship is honoring God in everything we do in our lives.

There are many meaningful ways deaf people may worship God (besides signing songs). Here are several Biblical examples of how we may worship God in different ways.

II Chronicles 30:1 tells us, “Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel.” Hezekiah encouraged the celebration of what God had done. Your church may do the same. Consider doing a “praise report” every Sunday morning during worship service. Have different individuals share the wonderful things God has done and praise Him. This is a great and exciting way to worship God. Praising God for the things He has done brings glory and honor to Him.

In Luke 2:36, 37 we read, “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.” Anna worshiped God through fasting and praying. Fasting and praying are great ways for deaf churches and ministries to worship God. Imagine the impact dedication to praying and fasting may bring to your group!

King David wrote and shared Psalms (all recorded in the book of Psalms in the Bible). Create some poems about God in sign language and share them with your church. I have personally seen some deaf people create beautiful poems that follow the alphabet in sign language (the first sign has the “A” handshape, the second has the “B” handshape, the third has the “C” handshape, and continues until the letter Z). I remember watching one young deaf man present an ABC poem in sign language and he went through the whole alphabet FOUR times telling the life of Jesus from birth until His ascension to heaven!

Jesus himself provides us a model of what we may do during church. In Luke 4:16, “He (Jesus) went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.” Jesus read the Scriptures. We may sign Scriptures (the Bible) to others during worship service in church. Signing Scriptures to others brings glory to God because we are sharing His Word.

The early church in Acts shared their possessions with each other. As a result of what the early church did to honor God, He added more Christians to their group daily (Acts 2:47). Share your possessions, time, and skills with others. If you are skilled with acting, present dramas to your church. If you are skilled with construction, build a set for your church’s Christmas program or help another deaf person in your community who needs repairs in his or her house. If you are skilled with graphic design, create bulletins and newsletters for your church. Be creative in what you do to worship God. Eat together. Host potlucks at your church. Go out to eat at a restaurant after church. Laugh together when you fellowship. These are all ways to worship God because if you do all of these things for His church and for the purpose of reaching others, you bring glory and honor to Him. I Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

We may worship God in everything we do with our bodies, in every area of our lives, and every day of our lives. Romans 12:1 encourages us, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”

There is so much we may do to worship God. However, we need to be careful. Make sure everything that you do in your life honors God. Deuteronomy 11:16 warns us, “Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.”

Worship Him.

Acts 20:35

"...remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

Merry Christmas!

A Social Network Christmas

Deaf Lady Baptized in Christ!

A deaf lady is baptized in Christ at First Christian Church of Merritt Island, Florida, on Saturday evening, December 11. PTL! Her sins have been washed away, she is now clothed in Christ and has received gift of the Holy Spirit.

Deaf Missions in Florida This Weekend

My daughter Shekynah and I are looking forward to our trip to Florida this weekend! Think they'll have any snow down there? Seriously, if you're anywhere near Orlando or the Cape Canaveral area, we'd love to have you join us for the Deaf ministry Christmas party on Saturday afternoon and Sunday school/worship on Sunday morning at MiChurch in Merritt Island.

Merry Christmas everyone!
Chad

Not Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but Christmas Specials @ Deaf Missions!

Click JOLLY to shop with joy!

Give Thanks!

You?

We want to help YOU get to know God better and prepare YOU for the world! With God's help, we will help YOU figure out some next steps in your journey with Him. Along the way, we hope to work with YOU to train YOU to be passionate about demonstrating God's love to others.

Are YOU ready to serve...

Personally, in person?
Internet, online through social media?
Individually, training to prepare for the world?
Groups, a life in a lifegroup?
Globally, missions?

International Bible Training Center will begin next year, August 2011! And praise be to the Lord of Heaven and Earth, we have received approximately 9 people expressing interest in taking the 3 year Bible training at Deaf Missions AND the list is growing. Four (4) have already made a commitment! Applications for admissions will soon be posted!

Is God calling you to join Him on this journey?

David Gomez baptized into Christ.

Sins have been washed away!!!!!!! Hallelujah!!!



Praise God for David Gomez!

Do Not Give Up!

The Next Step!!

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

As you may remember, Deaf Missions took her Greatest Step Forward several years ago. All glory to God and thanks to your prayers and support, a new studio was built and equipped with the latest High Definition cameras and editing equipment, along with additional office, meeting and storage space. Since then, this space has been utilized daily to produce quality videos and other visuals for deaf people, to translate more books of the Old Testament into American Sign Language, and to host large group training sessions, Bible studies, meetings and other groups.

The building addition has truly expanded and enhanced Deaf Missions' ministry and helped us become more effective in creating Bible visuals and communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ with deaf people and their families and friends. The $450,000 needed for this addition was all paid for through the generosity of our supporters.

Friend, I am VERY excited to share with you that Deaf Missions is now taking The Next Step. What is The Next Step? The Next Step is establishing a new full- time, three-year training program to prepare people to become preachers, evangelists and missionaries among deaf people throughout the world. There is a major leadership void in Deaf churches and ministries in the United States. Deaf people in various countries are hungry for the Word of God in a signed language they can understand. What they need are trained, qualified deaf and hearing people who can communicate with them and will impact them for eternity!


That is what this training program will do...it will train people to become effective Christian leaders who can reach the current and next generation of deaf people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a known and respected leader in Deaf ministry, Deaf Missions is certainly an EXCELLENT place for this training program. Students will not only take classes from qualified and experienced preachers and missionaries of the deaf, they will have tremendous "hands-on" experiences, too. They can participate in our video productions, work with the Bible translation team, write and sign devotions for Daily Devotions for the Deaf, reach deaf people alongside experienced missionaries on short-term international missions trips, help us teach weekly Bible classes at Iowa School for the Deaf, make an impact at our annual Bible Camp for the Deaf, and preach at the local Christ's Church of the Deaf, among other opportunities.

This training program will be about reproducing preachers and missionaries we have at Deaf Missions. Reproducing "Duane Kings" who will, as a result of their passionate hearts for lost souls, go out and establish Deaf ministries to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ with deaf people locally and globally. Reproducing "Jose Abenchuchans" who will, with a passion for Bible translation, go to different countries and translate the Bible into the signed languages of deaf people. Reproducing "Mark Lowensteins" who will, with a passion for preaching, go and preach the Word of God boldly in Deaf churches. Reproducing "Joseph Josselyns" who will, with a giftedness and creativity in video production, create Bible visuals for deaf people. Reproducing "Jo Kruegers" who will, with their passion for writing, develop and publish devotionals and curriculum for teaching deaf people. All in all, the training program will multiply leaders working among deaf people in different ways and with different God-given abilities.


We have already employed a full-time staff person, Mark Lowenstein, to establish and direct the new training program. It is scheduled to launch in August, 2011. We already have people interested in enrolling. Excitement is growing...we can barely contain it! Now, part of taking The Next Step is to make two investments at this time to prepare us for this training program.


Deaf Missions has already made the first investment by purchasing the house of Founder Duane King and his wife, Peggy. This house, which sits adjacent to Deaf Missions, is the very house where Deaf Missions was founded in 1970 and where the first offices were located. We had planned to purchase the house at a later time; however Peggy has been diagnosed with dementia, and her health has declined much faster than anticipated. Because of this, the Kings had to made a quick, but wise, decision to move into a nearby retirement/assisted living community.

Why would we make such a drastic investment? The most important reason is that we will utilize it as a residence for training program students! In addition, we may use it to house interns, to host visiting ministry partners, short-term international missions teams here for training or international missionaries on furlough, and to provide housing for cast and crew during video productions. What a blessing it will be to provide all of the above at a location within a "stone's throw" of the main building at Deaf Missions! When Deaf Missions made the decision to invest in the purchase of the King's house, Duane said, "It's bittersweet, but I'm very excited for Deaf Missions to buy my house because of the ministry purposes it will be used for!"


The second investment is building a training center in Deaf Missions' facility and equipping it. The training program will host classes, usually all day, Mondays through Fridays, so this meeting space is needed. We have an existing garage that can be converted into the training center and equipped with a large screen LCD television for video and PowerPoint presentations during classes and with tables and chairs for students.

The total cost to make both of these investments is $220,000 ($210,000 for the purchase of Duane and Peggy's house, and $10,000 to convert the garage into a new training center). Will you please join us in making an investment for God's kingdom and the future of deaf souls by helping us pay for this training center and residence?

As proven by the Greatest Step Forward (and throughout all of history!), God has provided. And, we are trusting God to provide again as we make The Next Step, by blessing us with a total of $220,000 through faithful, loving and caring people like you. Deaf Missions is an incredible story of God at work. Through you and your support, God has grown Deaf Missions in outreach and impact (from local to international ministry), ministry programs (from several to 18), number of kingdom laborers (from one to 18 staff members, scores of contract laborers and hundreds of volunteers), and building size (from the basement of founder Duane King's house to our current facility of 11,000+ square feet). Deaf Missions has faithfully, steadily and wisely gone from one step to the next to reach our current level of ministry. We will continue taking steps forward, as God leads and provides.

As Duane also shared in his Greatest Step Forward challenge, please DO NOT subtract from your regular giving to Deaf Missions in order to contribute to The Next Step. And please DO NOT subtract from supporting your local congregation. But please DO something! If it's prayer and $100,000 or more, praise God. If it's prayer and $10 or less, praise God again. When every person gives as much as God leads him or her to give, that's all that is needed...but that much is needed.

I look forward to your response. Just mark your gift The Next Step and mail a check or money order to:

Deaf Missions
21199 Greenview Rd.
Council Bluffs, IA 51503

Or you may give online with your credit card by clicking here.

You, dear friend, are a TREMENDOUS blessing to Deaf Missions. Thank you for loving and caring for the deaf people whom we, TOGETHER, are reaching with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sincerely in Christ,



Chad Entinger
Executive Director

Bobby Franklin

For I was blind but now I see! Bobby Franklin buried his old, darkness blinding life in the Lord and raised to see the power of God at work in him! Praise God for Bobby's decision to follow Jesus!


This photo is HILLARIOUS! There were huge, sharp rocks in the lake and they had a difficult time walking into the deep, deep enough to fully immerse Bobby. ;) Enjoy the rest of these pictures of Bobby's life-giving sacrifice to the Lord!

Fairfax '10

Fairfax, our former home church where I preached for over 9 years. It was so good to be there after 2.3 years since our move. So much have changed there! Michelle and I were glad to be there. We wished we had more time so we could meet with everyone. Wednesday through Sunday just flew by way too quickly. Enjoy these pictures of our trip:


Michelle with Kathy, Bev, and Karen before the lunch cruise on the Potomac.



A nice setting inside the boat.



Me and my love on the Potomac (nearing the DC memorials in the background)



Michelle and Hope (the dog we gave to the Garretts)



Our favorite Starbucks Deaf Chat (Michelle has been faithful to this chat gathering for years!)



Mexican fellowship at the Hinckleys (Nancy, Jason, Mel, Gary, Donna, Sally, Michelle, Cindi, Kayla, Kathy, Dennis)



We met at Starbucks before Deaf Class and Worship.



A full house during deaf class (more came for deaf worship)! Praise God!



Getting ready to teach, "Power in Weakness"



Lunch after church at Longhorns! We took over almost half of the seating area.



Kitty and Blue, the Shenoy's getting ready to bury their old lives in the Lord in baptism!



Kitty buried in Jesus!



Blue sharing his heart with us..



Blue buried in Jesus!



There's a story in this picture...


Thank you, God, for WAMAVA!!!!

Operation Deaf Orphans New Blog

Check it out!!!
ODO BLOG

Attention Prayer Warriors!

Hey, all you prayer warriors, please include the following in your fervent prayers:

- Praise God for Deaf Missions' 40 years of reaching deaf people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
- Praise God for the Bible translation team has completed translating and filming the 12 Minor Prophet books of the Old Testament and Song of Solomon, too! Please continue to pray for the team as they edit these books and prepare them for distribution. Pray also for the team as they begin translation of the book of Psalms.
- Pray for the ministry and impact of the September/October/November/December 2010 edition of Daily Devotions for the Deaf. People in more than 85 countries around the world appreciate these booklets that help them know Jesus Christ more and mature in Him. Pray also for the next devotion book that will be mailed to 18,000+ people around the world in the end of November/beginning of December (the edition for the first few months of 2011).
- Praise God several episodes of Big Bible Stories have been completed and are available - the stories of Ruth, Abraham, Gideon and Jonah. Pray for the video production staff at Deaf Missions as they work on the next episode, the story of Elijah!
- Praise God for a new resource for deaf teenagers and young adults. "College Tips for Christians" are available at www.deafmissions.com/collegetips. Pray for those viewing this valuable resource to be challenged and encouraged to mature in Him, even during challenging times in their lives.
- Pray for our upcoming Extension Program beginning January, 2011. Pray also for Stacey Morgan who is serving as the Dean and for all teachers and students involved.
- Pray for Angie Mathis as she prepares for Deaf Missions' upcoming Christian Interpreters Conference, to be hosted in Council Bluffs in April, 2011.
- Pray for Mark Lowenstein as he develops the curriculum and recruits students for Deaf Missions new full-time, three year training program, scheduled to launch in August, 2011.
- Pray for Alex and Alexa Abenchuchan, both of whom are preparing to serve deaf people with Operation Deaf Orphanage in Eastern Europe throughout 2011. Deaf Missions is serving as their sponsoring organization.
- Pray for God's continued provisions through our wonderful prayer and financial supporters.

Thank you for PRAYING for the ministry of Deaf Missions!

Exciting Weekend for Deaf Missions!

Deaf Missions has an exciting weekend of training and outreach ahead of us!

Mark and Michelle Lowenstein are in Fairfax, Virginia, this weekend. Mark will be preaching at Fairfax Church of Christ. Want to go? Check out www.fxcc.org/deaf.

Chad Entinger will be in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Besides enjoying the chocolate there, Chad will be conducting three workshops on Saturday at the Eastern Christian Convention at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. For more information, go to www.easterncc.com/ (click on Deaf Ministry).

Blessed weekend to all!

Missionaries

Alex and Alexa Abenchuchan signed a contract with us allowing us to oversee their mission work in Eastern Europe. We're extremely excited to be a part of their work especially reaching out to the deaf in orphanages. You can check out their website at www.odeafo.com. Also, they welcome your support, both with prayers and financially.

They will be leaving Saturday morning for their cross country trip (going westward toward California, then through Texas toward the East coast) so please check out their cross country trip map in their website.

We will keep you up-to-date on their progresses!

Trivia #4

Q: At the time of the census conducted by Moses, which of the twelve tribes of Israel was the smallest?

1. Judah - 0 (0%)
2. Gad - 3 (60%)
3. Manasseh - 2 (40%)
4. Asher - 0 (0%)

A: Manasseh! (Numbers 1:34-35)

5K Run & Walk

Don't forget to register for the Deaf Missions 1st Annual 5K Run/Walk to support our children's ministries! This exciting event will take place on Saturday, November 6 as part of our 40th Anniversary Celebration. Register by October 29, this Friday, and you will even receive a free t-shirt!

For details about this event and to view the registration form, click here to download.

See you there!

Me Me Me by DTQuest

Captive

Coming to Virginia on November 14, 2010
Speaker: Mark Lowenstein

Fairfax Church of Christ Deaf Ministry
3901 Rugby Road
Fairfax, Virginia 22033

Deaf Bible Class: 8:30 am
Deaf Worship: 9:50 am

Questions: contact David Hinckley @ dhinckley@verizon.net

Trivia #3

Q: Saul and Jonathan... In their death they were not divided: they were swifter than ___________. They were stronger than __________. (Fill in the blanks..

1. the rivers, many waters - none (0%)
2. eagles, lions - 5 (62%)
3. lions, bulls - 1 (12%)
4. the Philistines, their enemies - 2 (25%)


Answer: #2 - eagles, lions... (2 Samuel 1:23)

Holy Hands

Fairfax's Holy Hands Praise Team back in 2004...

Deaf Missions at DeafNation World Expo in July 2010

http://deafnation.com/videolibrary/deafnation-world-expo-2010/

Deaf Missions had a large booth area and reached out to thousands of deaf people at the DeafNation World Expo in Las Vegas this past July. Check out a video produced by DeafNation at the link posted above - it includes an interview with Deaf Missions and a short video segment developed by Deaf Missions.

Song of Solomon (2011)

What is a song about sex - with no mention of God - doing in the Bible?

That's a question that people of faith, Jews and Christians alike, have been asking for more than 2,000 years. Most believers in ancient times couldn't handle what many scholars today insist is the truth about this book.

And the truth is that it's an erotic celebration of love between a man and a woman who graphically praise the physical features of each other and trade fantasies about making love. Though their words aren't obscene, they are unapologetically sensual.





Too sensual, it seems, for most believers until the 1800's. Until then, most read the book as an allegory. They though the symbolic meaning was more important than the literal meaning.

For many Jews the Song was a symbol of God's love for Israel. The man in the story is God. The woman is Israel. The bedroom is the land now called Israel. The kissing is God giving Israel the laws they're to follow. And the woman's confession of having black skin is Israel's confession of sin - worshipping idols.





Christians did much the same thing, with the man usually representing Jesus. Even John Wesley, a preacher in the late 1700's, insisted the Song "could not with decency" refer to a literal man and woman. "This book is to be understood allegorically concerning that spiritual love and marriage, which is between Christ and His church."*




ASL Bible DVD coming 2011!

*excerpts from "The Complete Guide to the Bible"

Creative Giving

Besides being a regular, faithful prayer and financial supporter of Deaf Missions, here are a couple of other simple, creative ways to bless your family, your church and Deaf Missions:

- First, include your family, your church and Deaf Missions in your will and/or trust as beneficiaries of your assets. (Send me an e-mail at chadentinger@deafmissions.com if you'd like us to send you a free booklet - "Planning Your Legacy: A Christian Guide to Will and Trusts." Be sure to include your mailing address.)

- Second, include your family, your church and Deaf Missions as beneficiaries in your life insurance policy. For example, designate 80% of your life insurance policy benefits to your family, 10% to your church and 10% to Deaf Missions. Discuss this with your life insurance agent.

For more on these and other creative giving ideas, go to www.deafmissions.giftlegacy.com. The decisions you make today can impact the next generation of deaf children and their families.

Thank you for loving and caring for the deaf people we are reaching together!

Sincerely in Christ,
Chad

Spiritual Workout

FALL BACK INTO YOUR ROUTINE



"If you can pray 3 x's a day, 7 days a week, and if you can read the Bible daily for 15-30 minutes, if you re-commit your life to worship the Lord, not only every Sunday but everyday, YOU WILL SEE RESULTS!"

The long relaxing days of summer have transformed into the busy rush of fall, which meant it's time to get back and kick-start your spiritual routine into high gear! But working your spiritual stamina and energy into consistency is the difficult part. When the days of the week are divided between school, work, family, running errands, and the occasional home-cooked meal, finding a regular time to pray, read the Bible, attend Bible class(es), and worship God requires an extra creativity and commitment.

Just like everyone else in your life, planning your spiritual workouts will help you get your spiritual stamina up and running. Consistency is the key! Time-blocking is the key to making it happen. If you can pray 3 x's a day, 7 days a week, and if you can read the Bible daily for 15-30 minutes, if you re-commit your life to worship the Lord, not only every Sunday but everyday, YOU WILL SEE RESULTS! Or shoot for two-three days of spiritual workouts and two days of one-on-one fellowship with a brother or sister in Christ.

Another great suggestion is setting up a reward system: indulging in something that is your favorite such as a restaurant that you love after each week of spiritual workout, a trip to Aruba (I may be exaggerating here :) ) after a year of commitment to the Lord in worship and fellowship. The reward system is especially helpful if you have a specific spiritual workout goals defined and recorded. Have a Christian friend or spouse be your coach and you can coach them to ensure you're keeping up with your spiritual workouts.

But whatever goal you choose, make sure to ease back into your spiritual routine to avoid early spiritual burnout. You see so many people defeat themselves because they come in with their expectations so high. It is like Christians making a "New Year's Resolution" with a desire to do more for the Lord in a month! And that's just not realistic. Christians come in too fast, too hard and they over-train in their spiritual workouts.

In order to maximize your spiritual workouts, it is recommended that you have a buddy system to keep you from missing your workout sessions. Having someone who is relying on you to be spiritually fit will help you stay on track. Couples, or pairs tend to stick to it, they have fun, and it becomes this thing they're doing together. When you're doing it with a loved one, or a Christian, your entire goal is being supported. If you can include the kids in it too, how inspirational is that!?


"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12 (niv)

Trivia #2 Answer

When were Israelites required to free their servants?

The votes were:

1. In the seventh year of service, (8 people - 88%)

2. In the twelfth year of service,

3. When the servant produce offspring (babies)

4. Never (1 person - 11%)


Answer:

1. In the seventh year of service...

Christian Interpreter's Workshop

The Deaf Missions Christian Interpreters Conference is just around the corner. Mark your calendars for April 7 - 10, 2011, and plan to be in Council Bluffs, Iowa! The conference will not only offer solid interpreter training with CEUs for most everything on the schedule, it will also deal with specific issues that may be faced by a Christian interpreter in ministry settings. Our featured presenters will be David Reynolds, Actor and Deaf Advocate; DeAnn Sampley, Interpreter Educator; Pam Warkentin, Nationally Certified Legal Interpreter and CODA; Rosemary Diaz, Certified Deaf Interpreter; and Dr. Francis Casale, Deaf-Blind Pastor to a thriving Deaf church in California.

Registration will open in January (watch for details about online registration). Plan to register early for the best value. Registration cost will be $130 for the early-bird rate (available Jan. 1 - Feb. 15), $160 if registering Feb. 16 - Mar. 31, and $190 if registering Apr. 1 or after.

Our conference hotels are in place and you can call them directly to make your reservations -- simply say that you are attending the Deaf Missions Interpreters Conference. They are: Microtel Inn and Suites (712-256-2900) with rates of $65 or $70 per night and the SpringHill Suites by Marriott (712-256-6500) offering a rate of $79 per night for our conference.

Monthly e-mail updates are being sent out specifically about the conference. To receive the e-mail updates, contact Deaf Missions or directly e-mail our conference coordinator at angiemathis@deafmissions.com.

VDC

Another great resource site to add to your bible study journey!

Click here: Virtual Deaf Church