Point of View July 31, 2024 – Hour 1 : How to Start a Nonprofit Ministry, Global Muslim Awakening

[00:00:00] Hour 1 Hour 1

[00:00:48] Muslims and then in the second hour we have Dr. Sterling Burnett with the Heartland Institute in talking about environmental issues. We go to him frequently about that because we've got a hot summer, you're hearing on the media regularly.

[00:01:02] This is the hottest summer and we've ever had, we've heard that for the last few years. It's been hot over there in the Olympics the first couple of days. Is that really a major change or are there some things going on you should know about?

[00:01:15] We'll talk about that then. It's starting out now. I've got in with me in studio. Kim Till, she is with the Dallas Theological Seminary. I've been on staff there since 1996. She serves dual roles giving oversight to institutional resources development as well as the estate

[00:01:33] and charitable gift planning services for the seminary. She's been doing this for a long time. She's devoted 40 year career to working with charitable organizations. You know Kim, the reason I was on a vacation here on a trip recently and there was a number of Christians around.

[00:01:49] We were just visiting and we were talking and they said you know I've got a little ministry going here where we're providing some food for some people over here or maybe helping some people pay for medical bills or helping orphans or something like that.

[00:02:06] They were talking about some of the struggles they have with those little ministries have. Dallas Theological Seminary is a huge ministry but those aren't necessarily all ministries and so what I wanted to do was ask you to come in and just help us think a little bit about

[00:02:20] what we should be thinking about if we're thinking about doing that. So thank you for joining us. Well it's a privilege to be here. So we're looking at non-profit organizations. There's profit organizations, non-profits and if somebody is thinking about creating

[00:02:36] a non-profit or they've done it there can be a maze of things somebody should be thinking about. And I know for some people that gets to be overwhelming. I was just trying to help out some people over here and you're telling me I need to go

[00:02:49] get a 501C3 designation, I need to write a mission statement, I need to write a fundraising letter, I need to reach out to these people, I need to think about how to get my message out. It can be overwhelming.

[00:03:03] So if I'm thinking about that just walk us through a few things I should think about if I'm wanting to start a ministry. You know first of all I just commend the body of Christ for wanting to help and to make a difference.

[00:03:20] We're generous people, Americans in general and Christians specifically. More power to you because that is really what makes this work is all of us doing what God is leading us to do to do what we can to make a difference to do something that's going to outlive us.

[00:03:38] And so I just want to encourage anybody that's jumping into the trenches and saying you know I'm good at this or I want to do that or I want to help out this way, do it.

[00:03:49] And then if it does lead to more of a structure, more of a cause that you want to build an organization around then don't be afraid. If you feel like that's where you need to go and you have that passion, you feel like

[00:04:05] whatever you're doing is making that much difference. Don't stop. Keep going because you will jump over the hurdles depending upon how much you want to make this thing happen. That you know the bottom line is are you really truly helping?

[00:04:21] Are you is it making an impact or is it really not getting anywhere? But if you really feel very strongly that your passion and your energy and you don't feel like it's depleting your energy but it's invigorating you, you want to make this

[00:04:40] thing happen and you start to see lives change. You start to see the impact being made then keep on going. You can jump over all the hurdles that you need to do. You mentioned anybody and it's an important point because I think some people think

[00:04:54] I couldn't do that unless I have a high income, I have a lot of assets and people I have talked to in many cases and sometimes you see this around Christmas who are highlighted in the news or something.

[00:05:06] They're just average people and they started doing something and providing food for first responders on Thanksgiving or something and all of a sudden it expands and they say no they've got 100 people working for them to help pull that together and

[00:05:22] most of their volunteers because you don't have to necessarily pay all these people. Some you may pay some people, you may be volunteers but it can anybody in any income can reach out and do something like this.

[00:05:33] And I sometimes think people in middle and lower income people are actually more generous in their efforts than others. You know I think the danger is to feel like you're the lone ranger and that you're the only one that can do this.

[00:05:46] What you need to do is know that you see a need and you're trying to meet a need but look around. There's probably others that see that same need and would like to join you in that effort.

[00:05:58] So I think when you're getting started look for the people that are going to help you, the founders. You know there's going to be a small group, it may be a board that you put together or an advisory group that you put together and this group is

[00:06:14] made up of people that are working right alongside you that they're willing to jump in and they've had the same burden or they've seen what you're doing and they say I want to be a part of that too.

[00:06:25] It may be a relationship you have with people and just because of your integrity, your relationship with them they're like you know I believe what you're going to do is worthwhile and I want to help you do it.

[00:06:35] So we should before we go into anything we should count the cost and there's the idea of a mission statement that somebody could sit down and write. What are we talking about with a mission statement? A mission statement, now I'm speaking from a fundraising viewpoint. Right.

[00:06:51] A mission statement needs to have clearly written out impact. I mean somebody that reads your mission statement needs to know wow this is some, this is an organization that is going to make a difference. It needs to be clear, it needs to be bold.

[00:07:12] You need to write it with passion. What if I'm not a passion person? Do I get somebody to help me do that or do I just sort of put down my ideas and then try to figure out how to put that in the right words? Right, right.

[00:07:24] I mean you can read a lot of articles. There's a lot of information out there on exactly how to write it. But what I'm saying is if you don't have that passion, that something burning in your gut that you've got to make this

[00:07:37] thing happen and you're able to pour that out into words, then you've got to question whether or not you've got something to build on. But if you're passionate, say like for instance, if you found the cure to cancer, what if I came in today and I said,

[00:07:52] we have the cure to cancer, cure for cancer? And yet you are saying it's going to take $60 trillion to make this drug a possible. Do you think we could raise that money to do that? Absolutely.

[00:08:08] I mean think how many people in this world have been touched by cancer or a member of their family has been touched by cancer? That kind of burning passion, if we said we found a cure for that,

[00:08:20] there would be no limit to the money that could be raised. And that's why you've got to approach your, no matter how small it is, it's I'm making this difference. This thing is going to change the lives of people. It is a transformational idea.

[00:08:35] And that's what the kind of passion that needs to go into writing your mission statement. My guess is Kim Till, we're talking about creating a ministry. How do you go about doing that? How do you raise funds? Stay with us, we'll be back on Point of View.

[00:08:58] This is Viewpoints with Kirby Anderson. The Wall Street editorial board begins with this observation. The laws of economics continue to exist even when politicians ignore them. What they're talking about is the decision in California to increase the fast food minimum wage to $20 an hour.

[00:09:16] When the editors predicted the inevitable outcome, the governor's office claimed that they were pushing a false narrative. Now reality is set in and the predictions have come true. Over the years I've written commentaries about progressive attempts in cities like Seattle and Portland to raise the minimum wage significantly.

[00:09:33] The results are always the same. Some benefit but most others do not. Owners cut back the number of workers and the number of hours of those who remain. The prices go up. California is no different. An associate press dispatch last week reported

[00:09:47] that California fast food franchises have been cutting worker hours after the wage mandate took place. A Dell Taco manager slashed the number of workers for each shift by half. A Jersey Mike's franchise owner reduced morning and evening shifts, reducing his staff by 20 workers and raising prices.

[00:10:04] The greatest harm is to those who lose their job. Research done by Beacon Economics recently found that California's minimum wage law does particular harm to teenagers. In the past two years, unemployment among 16 to 19-year-olds nearly doubled. As the editors noted, instead of flipping burgers,

[00:10:21] more California teens will be flipping through TikTok videos. Think of your first few jobs. Like me, your only job skills were probably a strong back and a good work ethic. We probably weren't worth $20 an hour but we did learn from skills that made us successful today.

[00:10:36] Many young people won't get that opportunity because of this law. I'm Kirby Anderson and that's my point of view. For free booklet on a biblical view of Patriot Preachers, go to viewpoints.info slash patriot preachers. Viewpoints.info slash patriot preachers.

[00:10:57] You're listening to Point of View, your listener-supported source for truth. And my guest in studio, Kim Till, she is Dallas Theological Seminary Fundraiser Extraordinaire. And we're talking about how you can go about setting up just a nonprofit ministry that you might be able to want to work through.

[00:11:19] You know, people see ideas, they see your needs out there. Sometimes the Lord steps in and is moving somebody to try to do something, Kim. And they're like, how do I go about doing this? One of the things we do on Point of View website, pointofview.net,

[00:11:33] I've got a link there to an article in Forbes magazine which goes through a range of different things to think about, processes, things you need to do if you're going to set up a ministry.

[00:11:44] But here with Kim Till, we're talking a little bit about some of the specifics here. And Kim, if I'm interested in starting a ministry, how do I find people? How do I reach out to people who might be interested in either helping me with the project, funding?

[00:11:59] How do I do that? Okay, I like to think of it like a concentric circle. So you get your piece of paper and just draw you a small circle. Inside the smallest circle will be the people that you probably already are talking to

[00:12:17] or maybe people that have helped volunteer to help you do what you're wanting to do. So the founders, the people that are just on the ground floor of helping you get going. And maybe it's somebody that really is helping you fund what you're doing.

[00:12:36] I mean, it really might be a key funder to get it started. They're saying, I'm going to put in the upfront money that you need to get started. It may be the volunteers that you just get to man the table or to actually help put together

[00:12:51] the event or whatever you're going to do. Then the next circle out would be people that are being touched by this ministry, people that are being impacted. Who is benefiting from it? Well, they may not be able to be supportive or they may not be able to volunteer

[00:13:09] or join with you in what you're doing, but they may know people. They may have family members who can see the life change or the transformation that's happening. And they may get excited and tell their family members who might get excited to fund it or to volunteer.

[00:13:29] There might be some people that say, you know, we need to build a board around this idea and they're wise. They're business leaders. They are people who can help you think through all the steps of getting started.

[00:13:43] Really important issue because many times we think, oh, I've got this idea myself. I need to keep it to myself. And but having that board with people who have experience in business or the area

[00:13:55] you're looking at or so forth or ministry, yeah, it can be very, very helpful having this those extra thoughts. Yeah, you're not in this by yourself. You know, God's going to probably call other people to come around you and help you. He's going to provide what you need.

[00:14:09] And then the next circle outside of that would be those who see the benefit. I mean, just think of all the people out there that think, gosh, that's a great thing to do or wow, I've heard you're doing great things.

[00:14:23] I mean, if you really start seeing some traction, you start seeing some success in this idea, people are going to notice and people want to join with you. So don't go into this thinking, oh, there's nobody that's going to help.

[00:14:36] There really will be people as it grows, as it gains momentum. People want to be part of what you're doing. I don't have any data on this, but my sense is that the vast majority of ministries start out very, very small.

[00:14:50] I mean, I don't start out creating Dallas Theological Center. I start out very small and it begins to build over time. How does that work? Yeah, I think again, you're as the organization. The visionary, I guess. Yeah, the visionary.

[00:15:07] You are your key because it's your passion and your passion is going to be contagious. So people are going to want to be a part of what you're doing because of the passion that you show in doing what you're doing. And then you start seeing results.

[00:15:25] If there's results, if it's a winner, if it's not going down, it's going up. And more and more people are starting to be affected. And even if it's just a little small group is successful, then people can see that and say, wow, I have this kind of skill.

[00:15:40] I think I can help you do that. You know, I've talked to people in nonprofits and even politicians who have to raise funds. And one of the most often complaints I hear is, I just hate asking people for money. I just hate doing that.

[00:15:55] And yet that's what you have to do. Give us some hints. Oh, my goodness. Some techniques, things we could think about there. I'll tell you, most CEOs, presidents that I've worked with over 40 years, when they

[00:16:06] finish their tenure and they look back, they will say that fundraising was one of the highlights. Really? Yes, because fundraising is about people. Fundraising is about relationships. And as you do what you do best, as you do what God's called you to do, and you

[00:16:25] go to people and you say, would you like to join with us? Would you like to be part of it? And you see them say yes. And you hear their stories and you see their sacrificial giving.

[00:16:36] You see what they're willing to do to help you get where you need to be to accomplish this great mission. It blows you away. You just can't believe what amazing, amazing people there are out there that are willing

[00:16:50] to give and support what you're doing and what God is doing in this world. Is it the best part of the whole thing? Yes, it really is. Yes, it is.

[00:16:59] Is it best to do that one-on-one as a person or do you write a letter or do you do both? Both. Absolutely. You're going to have like your donor base is going to look like a pyramid because

[00:17:09] at the very top is going to be the fewest number of people giving the greatest amount. So you're going to really spend a lot of time one-on-one and then it's going to scale down to where it's going to be a lot of people at the base but you

[00:17:21] don't have time to go and meet with all them. So you write them a letter or you send them an email or you invite them to an event where you can talk to a lot of people at once.

[00:17:32] How much does prayer play in the role of creating a Christian ministry? Oh my goodness. Obviously that is the first step. Yeah, pray. I mean because you're not going to do this unless God has called you to do it and

[00:17:45] you're going to give up real quick because you need his wisdom. You need his spirit to guide and direct you and give you the passion and energy you need. There have been ministries which said we're not going to go out and fundraise.

[00:17:58] We're not going to even tell people. We're just going to wait on the Lord to bring that money and that has worked for some. Yes, it has. But that's not the typical process. Yeah, I've talked to many people in ministry that just say we're not going to ask.

[00:18:10] In fact the founder of Dallas Seminary believed that. We're going to wait for God to bring it in and he does but it's rough going. I think it's also a yes, absolutely we are dependent upon God all the way but it's also

[00:18:26] important to let people know what you're doing. It's not like you're out on your knees or you're twisting arms or pressuring people. You are literally just telling people through a letter through an email, through speaking to a group, you're just telling them what's happening and you're excited, you're

[00:18:43] passionate and then they catch on to that and they want to be a part of it and some of them the only way they can be a part is by giving. So you're really giving them the opportunity to plug into something that's bigger than they are.

[00:18:56] If it's successful at some point you go from this just being kind of an avocation to being a vocation. What's that step like? Well, I've never been in that situation so I'm not an expert but I would think it

[00:19:10] would be when it really builds up to the point where the need is overwhelming and the time is just there's nothing else you can do but pour your whole heart into it. I think it's wise to not give up everything that you're doing in order to do this.

[00:19:27] Wait and see if it does gain that momentum and you do see the impact and you do see lives being transformed and then other people see it and funds are starting to come in because you're going to need to provide for yourself as well.

[00:19:42] So just ease into it and go for it all the way and then when you see that it's going and you see others are going to come alongside you and help you, your board is in place.

[00:19:52] You've got your 501C3 because you have to have that in order to raise money to be able to give tax deductible receipts for gifts. But I think you'll kind of know. You'll know when the wave is moving and you've got to write it.

[00:20:08] Is it possible that you're at church and you see your church doing something and you could step in somehow or other and have a ministry underneath another ministry? Yeah, that's great. How does that work? Yeah, that's wonderful that if a church could see what you're doing

[00:20:23] and say we want to take that on as our ministry as well. And you may have to give up some little control. That's hard for some people. Yeah, but yeah especially if you're very, very passionate about what you're doing then you may need to do it by yourself.

[00:20:36] But boy if it's a small enough organization that you can come under the umbrella of your local church or another ministry, that's wonderful. Since we're talking about this, how do people get to Dallas Theologian Seminary? Oh, anyway you want to. We're ready to have it.

[00:20:50] You know, it is a privilege to ask people to give in support of... This is a graduate level school that trains ministry leaders for work all over the world. It is just amazing what a trained ministry leader can do.

[00:21:08] He can open up God's Word and share the truth that the world is looking for. So we ask people to give to that and be a part of that. My guest has been Kim Till. She is with Dallas Theologian Seminary.

[00:21:18] You can find out more about her at the Point of View website. And while you're there, you can hit the donate button to give to Point of View. Thank you, Kim, for joining us. I hope many people call in today and give to Point of View.

[00:21:30] It almost seems like we live in a different world from many people in positions of authority. They say men can be women and women men. People are prosecuted differently or not at all depending on their politics. Criminals are more valued and rewarded than law-abiding citizens.

[00:21:50] It's so overwhelming, so demoralizing. You feel like giving up, but we can't. We shouldn't. We must not. As Winston Churchill said to Britain in the darkest days of World War II, Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never. Never yield to force.

[00:22:09] Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. And that's what we say to you today. This is not a time to give in, but to step up and join Point of View in providing clarity in the chaos.

[00:22:23] We can't do it alone, but together with God's help, we will overcome the darkness. Invest in biblical clarity today at PointOfView.net or call 1-800-347-5151. PointOfView.net and 803-47-5151. Point of View will continue after this. You are listening to Point of View.

[00:23:00] The opinions expressed on Point of View do not necessarily reflect the views of the management or staff of this station. And now here again, Dr. Merrill Matthews. And welcome back to Point of View. I'm Merrill Matthews sitting in for Kirby Anderson today

[00:23:18] and we have joining us by phone Don Schenck. He is the Executive Director of the Tide Ministry. He was born to missionary parents in what was then Rhodesia. He joined the tide in 2001 and he served as a missionary teaching in a Bible school in Zimbabwe

[00:23:35] for a number of years. And he is now Executive Director of that organization. And we want to welcome him to our microphones. Don, thank you for joining us. Thank you. The pleasure to be here.

[00:23:49] Tell us a little bit about the tide because you've been around since I think 1946. I mean, you reach out to countries all over the world. Yes, certainly the tide ministry did start in 1946. Obviously I wasn't around then to clear up any confusion.

[00:24:06] But God used that and opened doors for it to expand. And it was initially a local radio broadcast. But by 2008 we'd realized that there was a great need for the gospel in other areas of the world and God was opening doors into some of those regions.

[00:24:26] And so the ministry went through a transition and had already started in the early 70s to broadcast in other languages in other countries. And then we made that decision to become really a mission outreach, which is working together with Indigenous groups to help them create content

[00:24:44] for their own Indigenous media outreach. And then also to put together the resources and the training and to enable them to utilize that media broadcast to make disciples and to plant churches and to raise up leadership for those.

[00:25:03] Now you joined in 2001, so a lot of this expansion came after you joined. But you reach out to several countries, and in particular I think we don't want to talk today about your outreach to Muslim, but tell us about some of the countries you're in. Yeah, certainly.

[00:25:20] Initially what opened the door to get into the overseas areas was going into some of the countries like Zimbabwe in Southern Africa where it was a former English colony so English was widely understood. Then also into India where again English is spoken quite widely across.

[00:25:43] But the real transition to go to Indigenous languages actually was triggered by India when they switched it from English to Hindi. And the response, the increase in the response as people realize they don't have to speak a foreign language to engage with God. God speaks their language.

[00:26:07] And so that's where India became the largest area of expansion where we have a studio there. And out of that studio we're producing languages that are broadcast to tribal groups in India that currently, or if we were not broadcasting the gospel and working with boots on the ground

[00:26:27] to reach them with the gospel, they likely may not ever hear the gospel. But then out of that same studio we also have programming that is broadcast into Nepal where we do two different languages and also into Bhutan.

[00:26:43] So that's that region, but currently we're in 12 different countries plus the Middle East. So I can go through all the countries if you'd like. No, that's not true. But you typically use native speakers for this, don't you?

[00:26:57] So that you have sort of that closeness and then a sort of a cultural awareness? Yeah, that's one of the commitments that we've made is certainly there are benefits to taking these programs and translating them.

[00:27:14] But then when you do that there's also a lot of cultural adaptations you have to make. Like there might be a speaker may use an illustration that just doesn't resonate with listeners. But our strategy is instead of translating programs, helping to train local believers and a local pastor

[00:27:34] how to put together a radio program or in some cases now we're doing much more video. So that person is sharing the gospel out of their own heart and experience in a culturally relevant context.

[00:27:50] So they're speaking to their own people in their own language, sharing what God has done for them and what the provision that God has made for those people to be saved.

[00:28:01] Now you are working to broadcast and reach out throughout the Muslim world and I think Iran is included in that. How is that going and what really sort of inspired you to take on that? I suspect that may be one of your most difficult fields.

[00:28:18] It is and it is interesting when we look at along the way how God opened doors for the Thai ministry to develop partnerships in different areas. It's just unique that God has opened some of those doors into Muslim dominant areas

[00:28:37] that we maybe wouldn't have chosen to go there. They are not always easy to get into especially to make connections with boots on the ground. But as God has opened those doors it is amazing to see connections that he's made

[00:28:52] and of those 12 countries that I mentioned where we currently have active partnerships at least five of them would be considered predominantly Muslim in nature. And yet we have people there who are responding and there's an openness that we're seeing.

[00:29:15] Your broadcasting is there an effort to try to jam the broadcast? Are there efforts to try to keep you from reaching these people in the Muslim countries? There are in some cases there are efforts. Now we just to be clear we do not own any broadcasting facilities.

[00:29:36] We work with our partners on the ground to produce the content and then in some countries where we can't get it on a station within the country then we work with ministries like a Trans World Radio, Far East Broadcasting, Sat 7 in the Middle East.

[00:29:55] They are broadcasters they have the facilities to get that out there. And so that's how we get it in. They could speak better to times when there are issues with broadcasting and it tends to jam that.

[00:30:10] Of course today with a lot of internet access it's amazing how many people even out in remote village areas in parts of the world they have access to cell phones and they can get on the internet.

[00:30:21] I think some countries it's easier for those countries to kind of shut down access to internet than it is radio broadcasting which is why shortwave is still a relevant media outreach even though a lot of people here in the US might say does anybody still listen to shortwave?

[00:30:38] Yes I can say in Africa, India, Central Asia yes they do. So for some of them that's their only access. What kind of response have you been receiving? Do people then eventually try to reach out to you and say thank you for what you've done,

[00:30:57] appreciate it we've converted. How do you judge the response? Yeah what we do when we work as we set up these partnerships all responses go to the boots on the ground. Obviously we can't 30 some languages from our office here in the US we can't handle that correspondence,

[00:31:18] contacts, do effective discipleship that's what our partners on the ground. We refer to them as our boots on the ground. So in many cases it is either a post office box that they can send mail to

[00:31:34] but more and more as more people get on to online access with cheap cell phones they can send text messages or respond with short message responses through that. And the types of responses that we're getting are indicating that people are finding a solid truth

[00:32:01] and placing their faith in Jesus Christ. And that's across all of the areas where I can give you a few examples here. You know if I would say for example here's one from Albania where a young man says

[00:32:17] I was raised as a Muslim and I believe that was the best way to go until the one day that Lord Jesus revealed himself to me.

[00:32:27] And he goes on to share how he's a university student how it's difficult for him to share as an ex-Muslim in that country where others around him ridicule him, he faces persecution from friends and families.

[00:32:44] He even shares here my father destroyed my Bible many times and he has abused me. But listening to the radio helps me to get the energy I need and their inspiration to live another day.

[00:32:57] And what's interesting in that one is he didn't say that he found out about Jesus through the radio. He actually says that Jesus revealed himself to him and that's one thing that comes through sometimes in some of these responses. Jesus our God is making himself known.

[00:33:17] He's putting whether it's just a searching, instilling in the hearts of people. And our goal is to get that answer out there, to fill the void and the gospel is the void. Sorry the gospel is what fills the void.

[00:33:33] It's an amazing story. Hold on Don we've got to take a break. We'll be back with Don Shank executive director of the Tide Ministries in just a minute. To point of view is for truth. My guest for one more segment is Don Shank.

[00:34:04] He is executive director of the Tide, a Christian ministry. And Don you were pointing out something I thought that was really important which is it's the word comes to somebody but often times the Lord has prepared that heart so that when the word comes that person responds.

[00:34:20] And what it sounds like you're saying is that you see the Lord working in the hearts of some of these Muslim countries and then they're able to hear your message, they hear the gospel through some outlet that you've worked with and that is then they're able to respond.

[00:34:37] Yeah and I think that's what a lot of evangelistic efforts should be aimed at or targeted at is providing the answer to the question that God is putting in the hearts of people.

[00:34:49] There's just a natural, I think we're created in the image of God and Scripture says that Jesus came full of grace and truth and so when we put that truth out there it resonates with people. What kind? Go ahead.

[00:35:08] I was just going to say what the gospel is. Sorry, go ahead. I'm glad to share stories and some of these places where it is extremely difficult to get in. Yes, Afghanistan being one.

[00:35:24] Right and so you brought up Afghanistan that we have a dialogue language broadcast that goes out across Central Asia and that's right in Afghanistan, right in the middle of that.

[00:35:36] And one of the reports here, the way we operate as we work with these indigenous partners is we ask them to send us quarterly reports with an update on how things are going and to include translated segments of responses that they're getting.

[00:35:52] So here one of the reports I have in front of me says there has been a massive number of calls and messages more than a thousand

[00:36:01] but the Taliban has brought fears of people so I'm sure that there are more people who want to share their stories and questions but they're afraid of getting caught. But some of these things that are coming out of Afghanistan, the name of the program is Window of Love

[00:36:18] and someone wrote The Window of Love showed me the real love I needed because I always thought I was not loved by God but now I know that the real God loves me. And another one says Jesus helped me understand my worth in life.

[00:36:34] And here's somebody wrote in that Jesus changed my perspective on God's character because I thought God wants to punish us always but now I know that he loves us. So there's people are finding love and a different perspective.

[00:36:49] Do you have a way to sort of follow up with that? If somebody reaches out to you, are you able to send a Bible to them in their native language? Does another group that you're working with able to get a Bible to them?

[00:37:02] Is that possible in some of these countries? Yes it is. There's a variety of ways and it all depends on which country exactly what type of resource we can provide and this is what I sometimes tell people the media outreach is how the tip of the iceberg.

[00:37:18] The real work is following up and connecting with the listeners to provide literature. In some of the languages for example in India which I mentioned earlier, we do actually have correspondence courses that we can get people engaged in. There's also village workers who are trained to go out.

[00:37:37] It's not quite as easy as that in some of the other countries. It has to be a little bit more of an underground. There are areas where we're working to connect people with other believers in an underground church.

[00:37:51] In other areas it can be more open but literature just distribution, gathering together, one-on-one discipleship. Like in Albania and Kosovo there's a lot of that going on because it's common for people to meet in coffee shops and have discussions.

[00:38:09] There's a variety of ways but all of it is, as I said earlier, is to engage people deeper into the gospel, to lead them into a committed faith in Jesus Christ and for them in turn to join that disciple making movement.

[00:38:27] We can have churches established and when we talk of churches here in the US we think of a big structure in many of these places. It's a house church, sometimes it's a group that gathers under a tree.

[00:38:40] But that is still, it's a church and they need to be fed and they need leadership developed for that. Do you see an awakening in the Muslim countries? I think there's data out there that indicates that mosques are being closed, that there is an increasing number of Muslims.

[00:39:09] As this one reported I read here from Afghanistan the guy says we think there's even more that want to respond but they're afraid. I think there isn't an openness. Another story coming out of Kosovo, our radio pastor there shared how he was out on the street.

[00:39:28] He said four guys walked up to him and started talking to her. They were obviously Muslims. They assumed he was a Muslim. They invited him to their mosque and he was able to share from scripture at a mosque which is incredible.

[00:39:42] There is an openness and I think for many of us what we see on so much of the media, we see the violent radical side of Islam. We don't realize that there are millions of people who would probably identify more as cultural Muslims.

[00:40:06] They're realizing that maybe Jesus is more than just a prophet and that's what we're telling them. Yes, Jesus is more than a prophet. Jesus is the savior.

[00:40:17] Is it fair to say that in the more repressive countries, Iran, Afghanistan and so forth, there is a bigger response or is there any way to tell? That's a really hard question because it's so hard to really get a grasp on numbers.

[00:40:36] I really think that there is a bigger response, the greater the persecution and we see it throughout history even after the crucifixion of Christ and the beginning of the New Testament church how persecution fueled the expansion of Christianity.

[00:40:56] Yes, and that was sort of my thinking behind it. Tell me what's next for the tide? What are you engaged in in the near future?

[00:41:05] Right now we are looking at two projects. We've been working trying to get into Yemen because we have three Arabic dialects and we want to get into Yemen. That's still fairly closed. Another big project right now is expanding in the Balkan region.

[00:41:21] We're in Albania, Tosovo, North Macedonia. There's several more countries for the north that were all formerly part of Yugoslavia and now independent countries. It's very predominantly Muslim in those areas and we have programming that's actually in production now trying to get broadcasting facilities lined up.

[00:41:42] I just got an email today from our coordinator there that said the programming production is going well, the permits to broadcast they're facing some opposition there primarily just anti-Christian sentiment.

[00:41:59] It's not necessary that it's illegal to get a broadcasting license but you run into something in a government office or in the application process where somebody has some animosity towards Christianity. It just bogs things down.

[00:42:12] Don, take about 30 seconds to tell people how they can reach out to you and find out more about the tide.

[00:42:21] Certainly. The tide.org, our website at the tide.org. You can go there, sign up for our newsletter, learn all about the different countries where we are and of course we welcome any support that will come through there.

[00:42:34] We also have a Facebook page where people can visit and join, interact with us there. The best is just go to thetide.org. Very good. We'll be glad to connect with you.

[00:42:47] Thank you Don Shank for joining us and Executive Director of the Tide and I encourage people to go take a look at the website. We also have a link for that on pointofview.net. Thank you Don. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

[00:43:00] And when we return in studio, Dr. Sterling Burnett will be answering all your questions about the environment. Stay with us when we come back. The Bible tells us not to worry and yet there is a lot of worrying stuff in our world today.

[00:43:19] Thankfully the Bible doesn't stop at telling us not to worry. God gives us a next step. He says we need to pray. But sometimes even knowing what to pray can be difficult and that is why PointofView has relaunched our Pray for America movement.

[00:43:38] A series of weekly emails to guide you in prayer for our nation. Each week you'll receive a brief update about a current issue affecting Americans along with a written prayer that you can easily share with others.

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[00:44:14] Again, that's PointofView.net. Click on the Pray for America banner. Let's pray together for God to make a difference in America.