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EPM
E-News Update
June
2007
Welcome
to the first EPM E-news Update. Each issue will contain the
latest news about Randy’s books, radio and speaking
appearances, prayer requests and special projects, as well
as featured audio and Q & As with Randy.
This
month we'll be sharing with you about The Seed Company,
as well as a little bit about how God is using Randy's
writings around the world.
Thank
you for subscribing, and God bless you!
Randy
Speaks at The Seed Company Invitational
On
May 20 and 21, Randy traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to speak
at The Seed Company Invitational, a golfing event for major
donors to The Seed Company, an affiliate of Wycliffe Bible
Translators.
The
Seed Company’s ministry exists to train nationals in
translating the Scriptures into their own languages. There
are almost 2,300 languages that do not have the Bible, representing
an estimated 270 million people around the world who cannot
read the Word of God in their own language – their “heart
language.” Where it would take years for foreigners
to learn the language or even gain access to the people group,
native speakers are able to effectively translate the Word
of God into their own language, with The Seed Company providing
the needed training and technical, financial, and prayer support.
.jpg) Attendees
to The Seed Company Invitational included business people
and professional athletes and entertainers, who all want to
make a difference by investing in the translation of God’s
Word into the language of previously unreached people groups.
During
the program, Chris
Tomlin led in the worship of the
God who died for all
people groups.
 While
at the event, Randy was presented with a copy of a page from
a Geneva Bible dated around 1640, containing Romans 1. It
is a literal reminder that at one time, like those 2,300 languages
today that do not have God’s Word, the Bible did not
exist in English and there were men who gave their lives to
translate it.
One
of the speakers at the event was Kwame, a seasoned field linguist/translator
from Ghana, West Africa, pictured here with Coach Dan Reeves.
Kwame
prayed in three
languages from Ghana: Twi, a large regional language; Dilo,
his mother tongue which he helped translate the New Testament
into; and Paasaal, a small language in the north where he
served as a translator for 7 years. It was there that he oversaw
one of the early Seed Company projects, which
was a great success and resulted in the complete translation
of the New Testament. He has also served as the Associate
Director of Language Programs for The Seed Company’s
sister ministry, The Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy,
and Bible Translation (GILLBT) and has helped oversee the
work of more than 30 projects in Ghana.
EPM
will partner with The Seed Company to fund the translation
of the Bible into one of these 2,300 languages. Praise
God for this incredible opportunity to eternally impact a
people group who has never before heard God’s Word!
Visit
The Seed Company’s website to learn more.
It's
Coming Soon: Tell Me
About Heaven
We
are excited to announce the upcoming release of Randy’s
new children’s book, Tell Me About Heaven,
available in bookstores in July. Tell
Me About Heaven features beautiful paintings by gifted
artist Ron DiCianni. (We've included samples of Ron's illustrations
for the book throughout this newsletter.)
Look
for more information about Tell Me About Heaven in
next month's EPM E-news Update.
Tell
Me About Heaven is
available for preorder from Amazon.com
and Christianbook.com,
as well as from the
EPM website.
Prayer Request
As
the ministry of EPM continues to grow, we are in need of prayer
for God to give us a continued direction and focus for
the ministry.
On
Wednesday, June 27, there is a strategic brainstorming
meeting planned with several key people involved with EPM.
Prayer is needed for Randy and those in attendance in evaluating
how best
to invest
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Randy
with grandsons Matt, Jake, and Ty
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Randy's time in light
of the opportunities.
Thank
you for your prayers. They are deeply appreciated!
Randy
Launches His Blog
Check out Randy's Blogspot
to read his thoughts about Jesus, Scripture, the
Christian life, family, Heaven, discipleship and books.
Praises:
Randy’s Books Around the World
Philippines:
Doug Nichols,
Founder and International Director Emeritus of Action
International, and his wife, Margaret,
ministered in the Philippines for three weeks this past May.
Doug reports that one businessman has provided the funds to
print 5,000 copies of Randy’s book The
Treasure Principle in both
English and Tagalog. The books will be used to impact businessmen
and women throughout the country. Praise God that He can use
Randy’s book to touch these Filipino businessmen and
women and further impact His kingdom!
Papua
New Guinea: “…I
serve as a children’s home parent in Papua New Guinea.
During the school term, we have up to 12 teens living with
us. …I had read Safely
Home and I was glad to
be able to get some more so that I could put them on our bookshelf
for the kids and me to read. I ‘caught’ one of
the kids reading Heaven and
I am in the midst of Lord
Foulgrin’s Letters.
I think it will end up as a dinner devotional to share
with the kids. I am sure it will have an impact on us and
our ‘adopted kids’.”
United
States: A
police officer wrote to tell EPM that he is distributing copies
of Heaven to
drug-selling locations in his city!
Did
you know that many of Randy’s books are available in
other languages? View
the complete list on our website.
Featured
Audio
Click to listen to Randy on Life Change Moments:
Q
& A with Randy
What
are four common misconceptions about Heaven?
Answered by
Randy Alcorn
 Misconception
1: The
present Heaven, where Christians go when we die, is the same
place we will live forever.
In fact, when we die we go to be with Christ, which is
wonderful, but we are incomplete, in a pre-resurrected state,
anticipating Christ's return to earth, and our resurrections.
The place we'll live forever will be where God comes down
to dwell with us, on the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-3).
Misconception
2: The
physical realm is evil, and God's plan is to permanently destroy
it and deliver our spirits to live without bodies.
 In
fact, God created the physical realm and called it "very good."
He has never given up on his original plan for physical human
beings to rule the earth for his glory. God sent his Son to
permanently become a man and redeem and restore the physical
universe-including our bodies and the earth-to become all
He desires it to be. That's why Jesus spoke of the "renewal
of all things" (Matthew 19:27-28), and Peter preached that
Christ will "remain in heaven until the time comes for God
to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his
holy prophets" (Acts 3:21). Isaiah and other prophets speak
in detail about the Earth being returned to the perfection
God designed for it. Speaking of an earthly kingdom, an angel
reveals, "But the saints of the Most High will receive the
kingdom and will possess it forever-yes, for ever and ever"
(Daniel 7:18). This is not for a thousand years, but forever.
Misconception
3: There
will be nothing to do, and it'll be boring and predictable,
without adventure, discovery, process and progress.
This is as wrong as it could be, as I develop in the Heaven book.
Misconception 4: We'll
be absorbed with God and lose our identities.
That is Hinduism, not Christianity, but surprisingly
many Christians seem to believe it. In fact, resurrection
means we will retain our identities and be forever reestablished
as individuals, liberated to see God and worship him as our
primary joy and the source of all derivative joys. Job said,
"And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will
see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes-I, and not
another" (Job 19:26-27).
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