Pouring back into the next generation of missionaries, Carol’s experience is shared in her non-fiction work on Islam and missions and four novels written under the pen name of Um Daoud which tell the stories of Muslims who come to faith in Christ.

Carol Ghattas' website

Carol Ghattas' Facebook page

Carol Ghattas' books

• Answering God's Call
• Challenges of and Encouragement from Muslim-focused Ministry
• Fruit is Not Always Immediate

Carol Ghattas has spent over forty years in cross-cultural service and has lived in six countries. Having served single, married, and now as a widow, Carol lives what she writes.

Pouring back into the next generation of missionaries, Carol’s experience is shared in her non-fiction work on Islam and missions. She also has four novels written under the pen name of Um Daoud which tell the stories of Muslims who come to faith in Christ.

A sought-after speaker on Islam, missions, and other topics, you can connect with her through her website: lifeinexile.net.

00:32 - Introducing Carol Ghattas

03:42 - Carol's varied background and how she came to be where she is now

04:02 - ...call to missions at a very young age

04:16 - ...ministry to Laotian immigrants

04:32 - ...Ivory Coast

04:49 - ...call to work with Arabs

04:57 - ...seminary in Ft Worth, TX and Masters of Divinity degree

05:05 - met late husband, Raul in seminary

05:09 - ...20 years in North Africa

05:25 - ...came back to her hometown in TN and found out that a mosque was being built there

05:38 - ...natural fit to trach about reaching Muslims for Christ

05:51 - ...began an Arab-speaking church in town

06:01 - ...also worked as the manager at the public library

06:12 - ...stepped back from the church and retired from the library to focus on writing and waiting on the Lord

06:56 - Writing a devotional for missionaries

08:05 - Importance of member care

09:44 - Specific member care for Muslim-focused ministry

13:32 - Financial aspects of supporting missionaries

16:32 - Major takeaways from Muslim-focused ministry

20:04 - Writing fiction stories about Muslim women

21:37 - Encouragement in her writing and helping those on the frontlines

22:14 - Contact Carol Ghattas at lifeinexile.net

23:00 - Lightening the mood...

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Dr Alfonse Javed, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Metuchen, shares a Christmas message on God's Grace on Christmas (Ephesians 2:8-10).

What is grace and why do we need to talk about God’s grace on Christmas? What if I told you that the Christmas story is the story of God’s grace and that most people celebrate Christmas without considering God’s grace, the first cause behind Christmas?

There is no greater good than telling people what grace is, what it does, and why people need God’s grace.

• The Message of Grace
• The Means of Grace
• The Miracle of Grace

Dr. Alfonse Javed, the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Metuchen, has planted a church abroad, has been a missions pastor and has served as a missionary in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.

Born in Lahore, Pakistan — the son of a pastor — Pastor Javed began serving in church at a young age. He has served as a missionary in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. He has also planted a church in Greece. In the 1990s, a providential relationship formed when Calvary Baptist Church started supporting his ministry efforts; he would later serve as the missions pastor of that congregation. Eventually, in 2009, he moved to New York with a new vision — mobilizing churches to engage Muslims in the NYC metro area.

Dr. Javed’s advanced theological training is from the Greek Bible College, Davis College and Liberty University. He has earned three undergraduate, three graduate, and three doctoral degrees. His dissertations have explored various subjects from religious influence on the American school system to evangelism and church planting, to Islamic madrases and the treatment that Muslims students have received in the post 9/11 New York City school system. He maintains a blog, www.alfonsejaved.com, and is the author of The Muslim Next Door: A Practical Guide for Evangelism and Discipleship. Dr. Javed and his wife, Sarah, have four children.

• Dr Alfonse Javed's Recent Book
• Our Urban Voices Podcast
• First Baptist Metuchen Website
• Father's Love Letter
• Email Dr Alfonse Javed

00:04 - What is grace and why talk about it at Christmas?

01:08 - Graceful Athiest

02:21 - Grace is impossible without God

03:35 - It's meaningless to celebrate Christmas without God's grace

04:53 - The Message of Grace

05:05 - ... What is God's grace?

14:38 - ... What does grace do?

17:54 - ... Why do we need it?

20:55 - ... Application

23:08 - The Means of Grace

28:17 - ... Application

29:05 - The Miracle of Grace

32:43 - ... Application

35:47 - Action Step

37:32 - Appeal

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Natisha Matthews, an ordained elder and attorney, shares about the importance of estate planning for Christians, particularly in the urban community.

• Cost of not planning for your estate (even if you think you don't have anything)
• What are wills, power of attorney, health care proxy?
• Mindset for estate planning

Rev Matthews areas of practice are Trusts and Estates and Real Estate. She is passionate about teaching believers and the urban community about Estate Planning. Currently she is one of the ordained Elders of Bethel Gospel Assembly, Inc. where the Senior Pastor is Bishop Dr. Carlton T. Brown.

01:35 - Passionate about estate planning dialog

02:57 - Raised in an urban immigrant community

03:43 - Journey to eldership and attorney

07:51 - Importance of estate planning

09:21 - Basics of Estate Planning: will, power of attorney, health care proxy

09:27 - Wills

09:35 - Power of Attorney

10:22 - Health care proxy

11:02 - People don't feel the need for estate planning

11:25 - Not planning creates chaos, uncertainty, confusion

12:10 - We do not prepare for estate planning

12:19 - Estate planning is not usually known about, especially in urban communities

12:40 - Mindset is important

12:50 - Urban communities tend to think more about survival from paycheck to paycheck

13:16 - Suburban communities more plan for the future

14:14 - Both cultural and racial norms come into play

17:24 - How should Christians approach estate planning?

17:31 - Get understanding and knowledge about estate planning

18:22 - Some culture shy away from talking about death and estate planning

20:06 - How should younger people approach estate planning?

20:49 - Plan for the unexpected

21:16 - Get something in place - it can always be changed, if needed

22:04 - Debunk the myths

22:17 - Not planning is selfish because it will negatively affect loved ones

23:32 - What cultural and ethnic considerations need to be considered?

24:25 - How do we change people's mindset?

26:23 - Opportunity to share Christ in estate planning conversations

27:42 - What are the financial barriers to estate planning?

28:33 - Estate planning establishes a legacy

28:52 - Not planning creates more expensive procedures

29:08 - Petitioning the court

29:49 - Incapacitated people can't sign a power of attorney or health care proxy

31:15 - Pay for a will on a payment plan

32:08 - Unexpectedly used by God and He opened doors

36:16 - Initial Steps to Estate Planning

37:14 - How can a pastor help his congregation in this matter?

38:26 - What is God saying to you using this podcast?

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