Week of November 21, 2016

"The only place where the Cristian can be naked without fear is in the presence of Christ." - RC Sproul

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications

Thanksgiving is two days away. The office is gearing up for the holidays. Thankful for our crew in this office, the crew in our international office and the reps on the front lines. Also, thankful for you Reader, for checking in on the weekly goings-on at the Uttermost Office. As we approach the online shopping season remember to select Uttermost Sports as your nonprofit of choice at Amazon Smile!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Bubby Bryan, DOC

VERSE OF THE WEEK: 2 Corinthians 4:15

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Libya

The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and did not relinquish their hold until 1943 when defeated in World War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar al-QADHAFI assumed leadership and began to espouse his political system at home, which was a combination of socialism and Islam. During the 1970s, QADHAFI used oil revenues to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversive and terrorist activities that included the downing of two airliners - one over Scotland, another in Northern Africa - and a discotheque bombing in Berlin. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically and economically following the attacks; sanctions were lifted in 2003 following Libyan acceptance of responsibility for the bombings and agreement to claimant compensation. QADHAFI also agreed to end Libya's program to develop weapons of mass destruction, and he made significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations.

Unrest that began in several Middle Eastern and North African countries in late 2010 erupted in Libyan cities in early 2011. QADHAFI's brutal crackdown on protesters spawned a civil war that triggered UN authorization of air and naval intervention by the international community. After months of seesaw fighting between government and opposition forces, the QADHAFI regime was toppled in mid-2011 and replaced by a transitional government. Libya in 2012 formed a new parliament and elected a new prime minister. The country subsequently elected the House of Representatives in 2014, but remnants of the outgoing legislature refused to leave office and created a rival, Islamist-led government, the General National Congress. In October 2015, UN envoy to Libya, Bernardino LEON, proposed a power-sharing arrangement - known as the Libyan Political Agreement, which was signed by the rival governments two months later and subsequently endorsed by the UN. The agreement called for the formation of an interim Government of National Accord or GNA and the holding of general elections within two years.

JOSHUA PROJECT PROFILE

PRAYERCAST PROFILE

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for a unified government that will rebuild the nation with justice and peace.
• Pray for the tiny Libyan Church to be united and established despite intense persecution.
• Pray for Jesus to reveal Himself to moderate and extremist Muslims alike.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers on the field.
• Pray for the US office.

Week of November 7, 2016

"Tomorrow we will have a new president but the same King. The future is bright." - Jared Pickney

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications

Tomorrow we elect a new president. It will be controversial either way and while we adjust to whatever the outcome is... let us also remember our fellow believers in places where transitions of power, freedom of assembly and religion and democracy are not a part of their experience.

For the Win[dow],

Bubby Bryan, DOC

VERSE OF THE WEEK: Ephesians 2:8

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God...

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Afghanistan

Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist countercoup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-communist mujahidin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Usama BIN LADIN.

A UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan, and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. KARZAI was reelected in August 2009 for a second term. The 2014 presidential election was the country's first to include a runoff, which featured the top two vote-getters from the first round, Abdullah ABDULLAH and Ashraf GHANI. Throughout the summer of 2014, their campaigns disputed the results and traded accusations of fraud, leading to a US-led diplomatic intervention that included a full vote audit as well as political negotiations between the two camps. In September 2014, GHANI and ABDULLAH agreed to form the Government of National Unity, with GHANI inaugurated as President and ABDULLAH elevated to the newly-created position of chief executive officer. The day after the inauguration, the GHANI administration signed the US-Afghan Bilateral Security Agreement and NATO Status of Forces Agreement, which provide the legal basis for the post-2014 international military presence in Afghanistan.

Despite gains toward building a stable central government, the Taliban remains a serious challenge for the Afghan Government in almost every province. The Taliban still considers itself the rightful government of Afghanistan, and it remains a capable and confident insurgent force despite its last two spiritual leaders being killed; it continues to declare that it will pursue a peace deal with Kabul only after foreign military forces depart.

JOSHUA PROJECT PROFILE

PRAYERCAST PROFILE

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for appropriate and expedient solutions to ongoing threats of violence.
• Pray for Afghans who are seeking Truth to boldly embrace a new identity in Christ.
• Pray for protection over Afghan believers and perseverance despite suffering.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers in the field.
• Pray for the US office.

Week of October 31, 2016

"The Church does not exist for the sake of its members; it exists to continue the mission of Jesus." - Leslie Newbigin

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications

I'd like to use this office blog to publicly apologize for stealing Halloween candy from the office next door. Our children deserve better...

Sike!

Milk Duds Forever!

For the Win[dow],

Bubby Bryan, DOC

VERSE OF THE WEEK: Galatians 5:6

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision or uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love."

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Vietnam

The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the communist North and anti-communist South. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under communist rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies, the persecution and mass exodus of individuals - many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants - and growing international isolation. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The communist leaders maintain tight control on political expression but have demonstrated some modest steps toward better protection of human rights. The country continues to experience small-scale protests, the vast majority connected to either land-use issues, calls for increased political space, or the lack of equitable mechanisms for resolving disputes. The small-scale protests in the urban areas are often organized by human rights activists, but many occur in rural areas and involve various ethnic minorities such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands, H'mong in the Northwest Highlands, and the Khmer Krom in the southern delta region. (CIA World Factbook)

JOSHUA PROJECT PROFILE

PRAYERCAST PROFILE

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for effective witness from believers in prison for their faith.
• Pray for unity among Christians and Christian organizations who are seeing an increase in new believers.
• Pray for freedom from government repression of unregistered house churches.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers in the field.
• Pray for the US office.

Week of October 24, 2016

"Jesus is far better at redeeming than you are at sinning. You are no match for his grace." - Jack Miller

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications

Returned to my alma mater over the weekend to watch some football. Our quarterback broke 2 NCAA records. He accounted for 819 total yards of offense AND WE STILL LOST! Friendly reminder from the Uttermost office that you can gain the whole world and still lose your soul...

For the Win[dow],

Bubby Bryan, DOC

VERSE OF THE WEEK: Mark 8:36

"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Morocco

In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, a series of Moroccan Muslim dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad al-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. The Alaouite Dynasty, to which the current Moroccan royal family belongs, dates from the 17th century. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Sultan MOHAMMED V, the current monarch's grandfather, organized the new state as a constitutional monarchy and in 1957 assumed the title of king. Since Spain's 1976 withdrawal from what is today called Western Sahara, Morocco has extended its de facto administrative control to roughly 80% of this territory; however, the UN does not recognize Morocco as the administering power for Western Sahara. The UN since 1991 has monitored a cease-fire between Morocco and the Polisario Front - Western Sahara's liberation movement - and leads ongoing negotiations over the status of the territory.

King MOHAMMED VI in early 2011 responded to the spread of pro-democracy protests in the region by implementing a reform program that included a new constitution, passed by popular referendum in July 2011, under which some new powers were extended to parliament and the prime minister but ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch. In November 2011, the Justice and Development Party - a moderate Islamist party - won the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections, becoming the first Islamist party to lead the Moroccan Government. In September 2015, Morocco held its first ever direct elections for regional councils, one of the reforms included in the 2011 constitution. Nationwide parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 2016.

JOSHUA PROJECT PROFILE

PRAYERCAST PROFILE

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for widespread distribution of evangelistic materials among the many unreached people groups.
• Pray for those troubled by increasing tensions between Islamists and moderates to be open to the Good News.
• Pray for fellowship and freedom from fear for isolated believers.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers in the field.
• Pray for the US office.

Week of October 10, 2016

"It is entirely by the intervention of Christ's righteousness that we obtain justification before God." - John Calvin

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications

Short staffed around the office this week. Our Director of Strategic Partnerships is in Florida this week for a series of meetings. Pray that these meetings are fruitful and lead to future partnerships; additionally, pray for that entire area as they recover from Hurricane Matthew.

For the Win[dow],

Bubby Bryan

VERSE OF THE WEEK: 1 Samuel 16:7

"Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Algeria

After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), was established in 1954 as part of the struggle for independence and has since largely dominated politics. The Government of Algeria in 1988 instituted a multi-party system in response to public unrest, but the surprising first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991 balloting led the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. The army began a crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin attacking government targets. Fighting escalated into an insurgency, which saw intense violence from 1992-98, resulting in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s, and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000.

Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA, with the backing of the military, won the presidency in 1999 in an election widely viewed as fraudulent and won subsequent elections in 2004, 2009, and 2014. The government in 2011 introduced some political reforms in response to the Arab Spring, including lifting the 19-year-old state of emergency restrictions and increasing women's quotas for elected assemblies, while also increasing subsidies to the populace. Algeria’s reliance on hydrocarbon revenues to finance the government and large subsidies for the population is under stress because of declining oil prices.

JOSHUA PROJECT PROFILE

PRAYERCAST PROFILE

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for the Berber peoples and many other unreached people groups who span across the entire nation.
• Pray for faith-filled bold believers to persevere despite intensifying persecution by Muslims.
• Pray for those scarred by violence and war to find their healing in Jesus Christ.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers on the field.
• Pray for the US office.

Week of October 3, 2016

"What thou cannot find in thyself thou shalt find in Christ." -  John Bunyan

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications

Normal week back in the office. Two things I can't help but keep my eye on this week - Hurricane Matthew over the Caribbean and the continuing horrors in Syria. Keep these two areas in your prayers this week. They can't seem to catch a break...

For the Win[dow],

Bubby Bryan, DOC

VERSE OF THE WEEK: Romans 8:1

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Kenya

Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country in Africa and a founding member of theEast African Community (EAC). Its capital and largest city is Nairobi. Kenya's territory lies on the equator and overlies theEast African Rift covering a diverse and expansive terrain that extends roughly from Lake Victoria to Lake Turkana (formerly called Lake Rudolf) and further south-east to the Indian Ocean. It is bordered by Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west,South Sudan to the north-west, Ethiopia to the north and Somalia to the north-east. Kenya covers 581,309 km2(224,445 sq mi), and had a population of approximately 45 million people in July 2014.[2]

JOSHUA PROJECT PROFILE

PRAYERCAST PROFILE

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for the end of government corruption that continues to broaden the gap between rich and poor.
• Pray for foreign agencies and missionaries to transition from leadership to consulting for growing national organizations.
• Pray for fresh Holy Spirit fire among the majority, though nominal, Christian population.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers in the field.
• Pray for the US office.