Vision Publishing

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From the desk of…

 

Thanksgiving Thoughts

By Dr. Stan DeKoven 

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one anotherwith psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Col. 3: 16

Dr. Stan DeKoven

Happy Thanksgiving!  This holiday, which I will be celebrating on the flight to Malaysia, is filled with many significant and mostly happy memories for me. We have, in fact, so much to be thankful for. For me, I will miss this thanksgiving time of turkey and family, as it is more meaningful to me than even Christmas or Easter (and I love those times too). I suppose when you move into the last third of your life, it is normal to be a bit nostalgic, and often we can have selective memory. But my memories of Thanksgiving, with mom and dad, with Karen and my girls, and now with my daughters and grandchildren…well, they are precious to me.

The Bible reminds us to remember 168 times (in the New American Standard Version) …and yes, there are things we need to forget, but first we have to remember what we are to forget.  Anyway, remembering just a few things this Thanksgiving that you are grateful for will no doubt make it a richer, fuller experience, with whomever you have the honor to break bread (and stuffing) with…especially if we remember to be thankful.

Give Thanks

In this passage of scripture, Paul, addressing the church in Colossae, reminds the believers that there are many things to be thankful for; for the rich word of God that Vision is spreading all over the world, for wisdom that comes through the teaching ministry, for the fact that we have the ability to sing, even if it is in the shower, but most importantly, for the ability and privilege to give thanks in our heart for all the Lord has done for us. Having a heart of thankfulness makes it most difficult to experience hopelessness and despair, anger over real or perceived slights, fear of the past, present or future…thankfulness to God makes thankfulness for others possible.

As we, or more likely you, prepare for a Thanksgiving feast, hopefully with family and friends, you might consider the following as things to be thankful for…I know I am!

  1. Give thanks because God has chosen us. Really, when you think about it, why did God choose any of us? First and foremost, to save us from sin…and give us access to the Father. His grace, grace, grace and love, which is so overwhelming. I am grateful he has saved me, healed me, sanctified me and called me, and given me opportunity to serve him through Vision.
  2. Thanks for the Church.  In all of its dysfunction, the church, the family of God, the Body of Christ, the Army of the Lord, is fantastic…really. In the local church we have friends, iron sharpening iron, people who actually pray for us, pastors and other spiritual leaders that instruct us. I am grateful for my local church, Heart of God, with Pastors (and former students) Mark and Pat McElwee for their faithfulness to their call, and I am grateful to all the local assemblies I get to preach and teach at, as they are all lead by servants of God who love the Lord and Me. Can’t get much better than that!
  3. Thanks for the Vision team. I am so blessed to have the best staff of friends on the planet. The work hard, not for a paycheck (though that is necessary for most) but out of Love for Jesus, Vision, Dr. Chant and his vision, and me…. I am blessed and highly favored. In fact, our staff is not just those in the offices here in Ramona, but we have co laborers around the world…one of which, brother Lucas, is featured below.
  4. Thanks for generous givers. As we move forward in our 2017 Matching Fund program (see below), I am grateful for everyone, whether a Gideon 300 giver or one time Matching fund supporter, for generous giving reflective of generous hearts. Our work cannot achieve its goal without generous men and women helping us with the tangible gift of giving.

Concluding Thoughts

This Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday, will be celebrated wherever Americans gather. Even if you are not from the United States, you might consider setting aside a day or days to focus on giving thanks. As you do, remind yourself of the many things you can be thankful to the Lord for. I will choose to remember:

  • My salvation
  • My calling
  • My family (including my mom and grandparents and wives in heaven)
  • My friends (including the dedicate Vision staff and Leaders around the world)
  • My health
  • My nation
  • My many, many blessings, bestowed on me simply because I am in Christ, and he is in me…all spiritual blessings, now and for eternity…Thanks be to God!

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Vision Associate

Could you use some assistance with your website, video development, or social media? 

Our associate, Pastor Lucas Santana, could be the answer that you are seeking for your ministry!

This month we would like to focus on our associate in Brazil, Pastor Lucas Santana and his family.  Pastor Lucas is married to Janinny Santana. and they have a little girl named Esther.
  • Pastor Lucas Santana is an alumni from Christ For the Nations Institute (CFNI) located in Dallas Texas and and is an ordained a pastor through Fellowship of Ministers & Churches (FMC). 
  • He is an associate pastor at International Apostolic New Jerusalem Church (www.iainj.org) located in Brazil. Pastor Lucas works in full-time ministry with his father.  His focus is church leadership and discipleship.
  • His father, Pastor Jose Santana, has been the senior pastor since 1989.  They work together to raise new leaders/pastors and open new churches. They have a call to open churches in places that nobody wants to go and God is opening the doors. Their ministry has 20 pastors and 12 churches around the city and in the smaller villages.
  • Lucas has also been an invaluable help to the work that we do at Vision.  In particular, he helps with graphic design, video editing and development, and some social media marketing.  He also enjoys working on website development.

Would you like some assistance with your website, social media posts, or video creation?  Help us support this wonderful young pastor in Brazil. He is diligently working to advance the kingdom and would be an asset to your online ministry.  If you need assistance in any of these areas, please contact Lucas at lucas.iainj@gmail.com 

For more information on the ministry and services of Pastor Lucas you can also visit his website at:        http://www.prlucassantana.me/contact.html

IAINJ – Discipleship meeting… Matthew 28:19

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From the desk of…..

A Christian Response to Family Violence
Special for October only $8.95

From June 1994 until the verdict in the O.J. Simpson murder trial in October 1995, the whole world was transfixed on the problem of domestic violence. At one point I toyed with the idea of writing a book titled “The O.J. Symptom” regarding domestic violence, but thought better of it. Eventually, I did write a book, motivated by my personal experience growing up  in a dysfunctional home, and the hope of helping others deal with this often unspoken but frequent problem in the church today.

This month is Domestic Violence month or whatever…as such, many in the church and outside are focusing on this scourge caused by sin in the world. My book, Patterns of Destruction deals with Domestic Violence and child abuse head on…if you are looking for a resource…or get the booklet, A Christian Response to Family Violence for a quick read on the subject, available this month at discounted prices.

October is Domestic Violence Month
Special price for October $16.95

For many, domestic violence, whether spousal or child abuse were issues we heard about but did not talk about, especially when they happened in the church. Pretending a problem is not a problem never solves the problem…and for certain, domestic violence remains a problem in the church and without, effecting thousands of lives each year, and hampering people’s ability to love God and others.

During October Domestic Violence month, we want to offer my book, Patterns of Destruction, and the course on Domestic Violence that the book is based upon to anyone interested at a significantly reduced price. The book is filled with practical insights into cycle of violence, and how to stop it when willing to face the truth and deal with the underlying causes.

Special on the Domestic Violence Courses by Dr. Stan DeKoven

Course CC 406 no credit   $39 plus book

Course CC 406 Bachelor level credit –Counseling and Family Violence $300     slashed to $200 plus book 

Course CO 540 Graduate level credit — Crisis Counseling $ 450    slashed to $299 plus book

 

 

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In memory of …

Sandy Jensen was a unique woman. She had a passion for Jesus and a heart to help. Though mostly in a wheel chair, she motored around quite well.  She served in administrative capacities with Vision in the 1980’s and early 90s before moving with her beloved husband Lee to Washington State. Recently, Sandy went to be with the Lord. Without doubt heaven is rejoicing and Sandy is happy; out of the chair, free to run, perhaps reminiscing with my Karen. She worked closely with Maureen Kelley, Karen, and our friend Carolyn Scott, as you can see in the picture which has been on Maureen Kelley, our Director of Student Services desk, for years. Sandy, as all of us, gave her best; she played her part, has eternal fruit as a prayer warrior, helper and friend. Bless you Sandy, and Lee…grieve well friend.

Dr Stan

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New Resource Center in Oregon

Zoe Interns Bible College and Internship

Interns is a 2-3 year Bible College and Internship program based out of Joy Church Medford in beautiful Southern Oregon.

At Zoe Interns, our mission is to train up the next generation of leaders and influencers, and to equip them with the tools and experience they need to lead. We focus on Theology, Ministry, and Leadership training, as well as crucial life skills. We believe the next generation of leaders should be healthy people who have a vibrant relationship with Jesus as well as others. We believe that good character is a requirement for every leader, and we believe all leaders need to live what they preach whether it’s in a sermon, a song, a film, a business or any other sector of society.

Zoe Interns have the opportunity to serve and receive hands-on training in practical ministry areas that are key to building the local church. Within our internship tracks, students have the opportunity to train in areas such as youth and college ministry, children’s ministry, worship ministry, church administration, developing small groups, outreach, missions work, graphic design, video production, and creative arts ministry.

We also offer a missions trip opportunity each year to our students. We believe that visiting another nation and serving alongside other local believers has a positive, life-long impact on each student. Interns have traveled to countries including Cambodia, Ireland, Romania, Mexico, and more. Students are given the chance to develop a heart for the nations and graduates from our program have since returned to the nations they visited as students for longer-term missions work.

We are proud to be partnering with Vision International University to offer a quality education to our students, and are very excited for what the future holds!

Vision Publishing