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Dear family and friends:

“…The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom…” (Matthew 13:37-38)

Sowing” is being co-laborers together with him. (1 Corinthians 3:9)

As you look at the story, it’s really not so pastoral at all. I remember working the fields as a teenager, watching the disc behind me slice neatly through soft dirt, smelling the rich fragrance it gave as it was turned over. Occasionally, I would uncover a large rock and have to get off the tractor and throw the rock in the woods at the field’s edge. There were stony patches with so many little gravel-like shards that it was impossible to get them all out. Larger fields had little “islands” of debris from our collections over the years and we would occasionally light them afire. For the most part, though, the dirt was soft, there were few rocks, no thorns or hard-packed dirt; the plow had done its work and my disc or section-harrow met little resistance.

That isn’t the picture of the Son of Man’s field. This field is what we’d have called “new ground.”

In fact, it appears this sower has done nothing to prepare the soil at all. Maybe the picture is that the property cost so much that there was nothing left for farm implements to work the soil. But somehow there was seed in abundance, and the sower is fairly indiscriminately and abundantly scattering it instead of planting it in neat rows that would be easier to tend.

Here there are rocks, thorns, and a hard-packed roadside. There is scorching heat, hungry birds, competing weeds. There is deception, tribulation, persecution, lack of depth, misunderstanding and choking.

Is this depressing picture really what it’s like? Even the soil that produces a crop and gives the impression that it is going to be productive is choked or scorched. Some plants even overcome the odds to reach full maturity, only to be revealed to be a poisonous weed with an unbowed head, instead of a nourishing food crop whose tip bends under the weight of its produce.

When we communicate such large numbers in our results, sometimes I think the message comes across that we are saying that millions are born again—but of course we cannot say that, because the time of the final harvest is not yet.

In our ongoing attempts to refine our discipleship offerings, we’re finding more and more that we have a lot to learn, and that the parable of the Master is startlingly accurate. Although it’s usually hard to say for sure what the cause is, there often does appear to be falling away. There is trouble; there is persecution. And there certainly are large numbers of people struggling to breathe amidst the temptations and anxieties of this life.

As new technologies enable me to speak directly to contacts on our websites, this is becoming more and more clear. Marital problems, health issues, addictions and false doctrines plague many of our contacts. The field is a rough neighborhood!

Struggles don’t mean defeat, however. And apparent lack of struggle doesn’t necessarily mean success, either. It is vital for me and all of our online missionaries to maintain a posture of hope in extending the grace of Christ to the new ground all over the world—and in our own backyard.

GMO registered 15,507,537 indicated decisions for Christ in 2010, which is over a half-million more than our prayer goal. We also received 2,468,662 form submissions with e-mail addresses, over a half-million fewer than our prayer goal for follow-up. We want to make 2011 a year of deeper growth, which is why we’re setting more modest increase goals for 2011—please join us in prayer that at least 20 million will indicate decisions and 3.5 million will initiate follow-up with e-mail addresses.

“Kuran teaches that Jesus is the prophet like mose, mohammed,... On the other hand, jesus himself teaches that there is some one superior to him. And he prey to that superior to heal human beings and other prophets like mohammed have done this by praying to their superior. Is jesus really prophet like kuran says?” — J, Ethiopia, 2009 4StepsToGod.com response.

“Please help! I can work. I have enough monthly income. My house is full. But i am not happy. I know that being religious can save me. But i can't believe b/c of my mind is complicated with useless phlosophies. I have read dogmas of different religions. I want to be religious but still my heart can't believe.” — J, Ethiopia, 2011 weekly prayer letter response

“I meant to write to you for sometime now but could not remember the web address. I am so glad that you wrote.

“I have gotten a new job and still picking up the pieces and trying to find a home for my family after the devastating fire. Nevertheless, I am holding strong knowing that God will work it all out for me in his time.

“Continue to keep me in your prayers as sometimes I am frustrated and feel like giving up, but even though I don't personally know you, I know that I have found a friend who cares.” — N, Jamaica

If only another ministry had forged a trail ahead of us with effective online evangelism and follow-up, I feel confident that we would try to adopt their best methods. But one of the challenges about being in the lead is the absence of such a marked trail. Please pray for us to find effective solutions to care for the millions we encounter—pray that we will cultivate the “good soil.” Love, in Christ

P.S. Please see our latest photos!

Mike and Cindy Skinner

“One day closer!” (Romans 13:11)