Glenn Duker’s Mission Trip to Malawi

August 4th, 2018

These wonderful people are so rich in the joy of the Holy Ghost. The children received the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, in about a minute or less and were baptised, as were so many adults. We can learn so much from these fellow saints. The Lord is right there, waiting to bless. We would be wise to put our “questioning” mind to one side and follow their example: just believe our wonderful God without hesitation … and the miracles will follow. Jesus Christ is truly the same yesterday, today and forever.

-Glenn Duker

 

August 6th, 2018

Had a great few days here in Malawi with an outreach, then two communion meetings yesterday and a visit to a newer Meeting today, which is growing rapidly in numbers. This is “spiritual immersion” and I am loving it.

Had a great time this morning at the hotel – I spoke to two of the hotel employees and they were happy to seek for the Holy Spirit, which they received, speaking in other tongues, within a few minutes of each other. This is incredibly exciting stuff. All we do is preach the word and, willing to receive what the Lord has for them, they receive it freely!

What is the rest of the world doing!!!

The Bible says that only the fool says in his heart that there is no God.

The time is now to receive the Holy Spirit. Forget trying to work it all out… the Lord is there to fill people right away!

This is real and powerful – the power of God unto salvation and an incredible joy and privilege to be part of.

-Glenn Duker

 

August 8th, 2018

Another amazing day…our day off turned out to be a big day on… and it was worth it. From talking to the gardeners, to the walk to the village to meet the lady chief, to a strong talk from Pastor Nelson to the ladies in the village (the men were at work fishing… I guess we were also fishing!), to praying for the sick in the village and seeking or for the spirit and.. of course, some baptisms, then to the assistant manager of the resort receiving the Holy Spirit. C’est la vie. I just wish all days off could be like this!

-Glenn Duker

 

August 11th, 2018

Great couple of days… 7 more baptisms today and encouragement. Made some wonderful friends: we are united in the Lord, one hope, one faith, one baptism. The Church here continues to grow rapidly and these folks are well grounded in the Lord’s doctrine and passionate about staying on the Word of God. They tell us that they are grateful for our time of fellowship….yet we are so grateful for theirs. We are one in Christ.

The scenery is nice but that’s not what this trip is about. For me, this just reinforces, as Pastor Vic so aptly puts it, that this our “real job”.

-Glenn Duker

 

The Most Common Things That Can Distract You From God

The best way to solve a problem is to admit there is one. There are many distractions in our lives such as our jobs, relationships, and even ourselves. A lot of these are not problems themselves and only become a problem when they start distracting us from God. These days we have so many things fighting for our time and attention and sometimes we allow them to take it. It’s then when we lose our focus on God. Here’s a list of some common things that can distract us from our journey with God.

Money

Of course, we need money to survive in this world but letting the love of money consume our lives is taking away from our focus on God. We only need a certain amount of money to survive, then it becomes the comfort of having the means to afford whatever you want. It’s very tempting but do not let this overwhelm you.

Work

Working overlaps with money in many ways. The main reason why you work is to earn money. If you want more money you will work more and have less time. This will engulf your life in a never-ending cycle of only worrying about your paycheck. You may think you need to work long hours to survive this world but you must trust in God and that He’ll take care of you. Don’t go and quit your job but realize you need to make more time for what really matters.

Media

This is one of the biggest distractions you see daily. Internet, television, music, video games, and more distract us and consumes most people. After a long day at work, most people come home to watch tv, go on social media, listen to music, and do not realize this time could be used to be with God. We think we need to keep up with the current trends and styles and have it influence our lives. You don’t have to completely give up any of these activities but limit your time doing them.

Church

Going to church doesn’t necessarily mean you are walking with God. It can actually. In a way, hinder your relationship with him. This comes from people focus on pursuing church and not God Himself. It’s easy to say “I go to Church every week” but are not sincere at other times. The Lord is looking for those who love him not just in spirit and in truth but in sincerity.

Relationships

Relationships include your family, friends, coworker, and significant others. It is in our nature to connect with others but sometimes it can become more important to us than God. Typically the relationship that can be the biggest distraction from God is a significant other. These relationships usually demand more time and if your significant other does not walk the same path to God as you, it can be difficult. Don’t let your relationship hinder yours with God and don’t compromise your morals. Anyone in your life worth being there will see how important this is to you and support you in your walk with God as a spirit-filled person.

 

What Can You Do on a Mission Trip

Going on a mission trip can be an experience you will never forget. You are going to less fortunate areas to provide help and the love of God. Along with the opportunities to spread the word of God, mission trips can include humanitarian projects also.

Construction:

Countries hit by natural disasters or lack financial aid could have construction projects that consist of renovations, rebuilding, or starting from the ground up. The mission trip typically helps to build new schools, churches, orphanages, and homes in less fortunate areas. If you are able-bodied, you do not need extensive previous knowledge or experience with building or construction.

Teaching/Child Care:

You could be teaching in a school, church, or orphanage. There could possibly be a language barrier and you would need to pick up on language norms of the area you are residing. You could be teaching students, teachers, or townspeople. Teaching can help children grow academically, socially, and spiritually. Typically qualified or experience school teachers are meant for this role but if you have a passion for it, there should be no stopping you. You can also provide child care in certain locations. Child care does not require a qualification to spend time with people in need.

Medical:

If you are a doctor, nurse, or student in related fields of study, then you might want to consider a medical mission trip. This helps with practical experience, practice medical skills, and most importantly make a difference in someone’s life. You can bring medical relief to communities in need and lack the basic services in healthcare. Whether you are performing basic check-ups or shots, every moment helps.

Conservation:

If you love wildlife, nature, and ecotourism. a conservation mission trip may be the one for you. Helping the locals preserve beaches, rainforests, or mountains could be your next calling. Traveling abroad to exotic locations to help protect and help rehabilitate endangered species worldwide. You will be protecting natural habitats of wildlife and sometimes specific animal conservation projects.

The main difference between these trips just being thought of as humanitarian work, is that during them the members are spreading the word of God. The projects are a great thing to do but the participants will focus on promoting the Gospel of Jesus during mission trips.

 

Types of Intellectual Property

To define intellectual property in simple terms, it is the creation of ideas, technology, inventions, literary works, artistic works, designs, and more used in commerce. When dealing with your company’s intellectual property, it is good to be cautious. Depending on what type of property you are dealing with, you can legally protect it. Listed below are the definitions of the protections.

Copyrights:
Copyrights give protection to authors for their original content. It protects writing, pictures, music, and art. If you do not want people to reuse your work without your permission, copyrights will protect that. Fair Dealing gives people use of your copyrighted works such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

Patents:
A patent is a legally enforceable right for a device, substance, method or process. Your invention must be new, useful and inventive or innovative for your application to be valid. You can search for your idea you want patented to make sure it is a unique idea. There are different lengths of time covered for different types of patents:

  • A standard patent lasts for up to 20 years.
  • An innovation patent only lasts for up to eight years.
  • Pharmaceutical patents can last up to 25 years

Trademarks:
A trademark is not just a logo, it can be a number, letter, sound, shape, picture, logo, or a combination of these. You get exclusive rights to use, license or sell the mark after you register for it. Registering for a mark is extremely difficult because the process compares you to millions other marks already trademarked. You could be too similar to a mark or you could have a weak mark that wouldn’t be easily recognizable. You are able to search for other trademarks. Trademarks can be used as a marketing tool since consumers can identify you from your mark. The registration lasts 10 years and can be renewed 12 months prior to expiration or 6 months after. You are able to produce trademarks without registering them. You can label them with ™, but they are not protected as an intellectual property. Registered trademarks carry the ® symbol. It is illegal to label your trademark with it, if not registered.

Trade Secrets:
Trade secrets can’t be registered like trademarks can. The best way to protect your secrets is to have a confidentiality agreement for employees and distributors to sign. For it to be considered a trade secret, it must be used for business and give an advantage over the competition who don’t have the information. According to IP Australia, common law provides protection for infringement of trade secrets, breach of confidentiality agreements and passing off trademarks. Proving a breach of confidentiality under common law can be complex and is potentially more costly than defending registered rights.

**This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. In relation to your individual situation, always seek advice specific to your circumstances from a lawyer.