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Ourselves on God’s Word in Changing Times
Dear Friend,
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by all the changes around you? We live in a time of uncertainty and change: war, inflation, soaring oil prices, and many other economic and social developments, all of which have left many of us feeling unsettled and unsure about life each day.
Such changes also affect how we practise our Christian faith. How do we ensure we are doing what pleases God? How can we avoid the sinful ways of the world while still interacting with it? How can we share God’s love, as salt and light to others?
The answer is being anchored on what is unchanging: God and His Word. As Isaiah 40:8 declares: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures for ever.”
Our readers tell us that Our Daily Bread Ministries’ material—by being encouraging, faithful, and trustworthy—helps them to stay rooted in the Bible and cope with the many challenges around them. We thank God for His wisdom and provision, on which we rely to serve our readers and reach out to new and emerging audiences.
In this letter, we’d like to share with you some of our ongoing ministry efforts, aimed at encouraging more people to turn to God’s Word and find strength in it.
In our mission to make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to many more, we hope to find new ways of sharing God’s wisdom, while ensuring that our resources continue to be anchored on God’s unchanging truths. We pray that you, too, will be strengthened by His Word as you journey through life’s challenges.
Grace and peace, Tan Meng Poo Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific Our Daily Bread Ministries
The Word of
Go d Endures
for Ever
AP1D22-07 December
February 2023
2022 -
Finding New Ways of Sharing God’s Comfort and Wisdom
Australia
Supporting people with mental health challenges
Following on from our first Anxious Faith series of podcasts on mental health issues which many listeners found helpful, we launched a second edition this year. With more in-depth interviews with people struggling with mental illness, doctors, psychologists, and pastors, we hope to broaden perspectives on mental health. For more articles and useful resources on this important issue, visit us at anxiousfaith.org
“Thank you for your article on caring for those with autism. I found it to be truly invaluable. This article gives a broader understanding of how it affects the daily lives of those with autism, and how we can be more aware and sensitive to their needs.” —A reader
Hong Kong
Making print resources available for seniors
While Covid-19 showed us the need to distribute more biblical resources online—to reach readers isolated by lockdowns—we were also reminded that print remains relevant even today, especially to older readers. We will continue to produce both print and digital media, knowing that both have their place in today’s world.
“Although the electronic version is good, the seniors in my congregation are much happier to read it in print.”
—A pastor, on the print version of a new Easter devotional
Taiwan
Bringing joy and hope to seniors
As part of our efforts to help Taiwan’s growing population of seniors, we came up with more resources to help them discover how they can continue to have joy and hope in their old age. Through churches, nursing centres, hospitals, and community organisations, we distributed printed and audio books such as Growing Old Gracefully and The Best Season Yet that share inspiring biblical lessons about life and ageing.
“We meet more than 600 seniors weekly in our centres and community outreach points. The Best Season Yet is a wonderful resource for us to share God’s message of love and hope to these seniors.” —YWCA Kaohsiung
Malaysia
Bringing families together in God’s Word
In May and June 2022, we held several Bible teaching sessions (English, Chinese, Bahasa Malaysia, and Iban) to encourage family devotions. We also shared how our new resources, written just for families, can help them draw closer to God and one another as
spend time together in His Word.
Indonesia
Inspiring believers to dig deeper into God’s Word
To enrich readers’ experience of our Journey Through Series (Teman Jelajah in Bahasa Indonesia), we started a regular online Bible study which offers in-depth exposition with a faithful Bible teacher. These sessions have drawn more than 1,000 people, and we hope to encourage more to spend time in God’s Word and dig deeper into the Bible, so that they will be blessed by the transforming wisdom of God.
Japan
Our new website on Good News for Fathers and Children aims to help fathers build healthy parent-child relationships rooted in the unchanging truths of God, who is our perfect Father. Amid changing views and expectations of fathers’ roles, it offers biblical insight on how fathers can build and maintain nurturing relationships with their children.
Myanmar
Comforting the distressed
To support the many young people struggling with depression, anxiety, and loss of hope amid Covid-19 and political instability, we launched a digital project, Strength In Weakness, to share testimonies and wisdom from God’s Word. Resources on coping with mental health challenges were made available to strengthen readers and encourage them to turn to Jesus, their true hope.
Sri Lanka
Encouraging believers living in turmoil
Amid a challenging season of economic hardship and political instability, we launched a new website, Comfort Amidst Despair, to bring God’s message of hope and comfort to believers in Sri Lanka. Some of these written and video resources were made available in Sinhala.
Inspiring fathers to build strong bonds with their children
they
“The sessions were very edifying. I believe many families would have found answers to the struggles of trying to stay together.” —A participant
Singapore
Partnering believers to spread the good news
More than 600 Christians actively partner us in our outreach efforts, to spread the good news of Christ in the marketplace and the community. From their stores, shops, and businesses, they help us reach out to customers and visitors, sharing our outreach materials that address real-life concerns and introduce readers to Jesus.
“I always have a stack of outreach materials in my car so that I can give them to people I meet. I used to give one colleague a lift, and would give her your reading material. She and her son eventually became Christians.” —A consultant
Thailand Reaching younger viewers through videos
In May, we launched Mustard Seed TikTok to reach out to a younger generation through short-form videos on the popular TikTok platform. Our TikTok videos have drawn more than 6,000 followers, including Christians as well as non-Christians, and we hope that this channel will enable us to encourage and strengthen more young Thais with the wisdom of God’s Word.
YMI
Helping readers go beyond “Instagram Bibles”
As part of our efforts to reach out to young adults, we explored ways of balancing new short-form content formats with contents that help readers gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word. A new initiative, “Does the Bible really say . . .?”, invites readers to explore the true meaning of popular—and often misquoted—Bible verses, and has helped many discover how to apply God’s Word to their lives.
“Thank you for the much-needed interpretation in the midst of a culture where many are happy to claim verses out of context.” –A reader
Creative Access Nations
Sharing books to strengthen faith
Our efforts to make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible accessible to all include Creative Access Nations, where Christians have limited access to good biblical material that would help them grow and mature in the faith. Here, we work with approved partner organisations to distribute much-needed biblical resources to seminary students, pastors, and lay preachers, to support them in their ministry.
Pray with Us!
In this time of uncertainty and constant change, we need to stay anchored in God’s Word and truths even as we look for new and creative ways to share His life-changing wisdom and reach people of all ages through different platforms. As we continue striving to make biblical resources available and accessible to all, please pray along with us for . . .
Open hearts and minds, that those who read and view our wide range of resources—from devotionals to materials that help them engage deeper with the Bible—will be touched and transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Creative and bold ideas to share the life-changing wisdom of God’s Word in print and digital formats so as to engage people of all ages and at different stages of their faith journey.
Passionate partners and financial support, to join us in the production of our resources, and to enable us to share our resources with those who need it most.
How we are funded
We are not funded or endowed by any group or denomination and are grateful for the support given to Our Daily Bread Ministries. Our work in each country is supported by local believers, pastors, and churches who, in making even the smallest of donations, enable us to reach others with the lifechanging wisdom of the Bible.
Join us in our mission of making the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to many more in the Asia Pacific.
Visit us online at ourdailybread.org/donate for more information.