Do small groups help or hinder followers of Jesus becoming more missional? My answer: depends on the groups!
I answer this question in my latest podcast. You can listen to it on the bottom of this post, on iTunes, or on Stitcher.
If you like it, would you please rate it and even leave a review on iTunes or Stitcher? That would be super cool!
Thanks!
By: AIGA Wisconsin
I think we all have that one friend, co-worker, or family member who insists on being annoyed that anyone else has anything good going on for them. Do you know what I’m talking about?
This condition is called “envy” and it is really pretty unseemly and downright ugly!
But I think if we’re all honest, then we know that we exhibit lots of envy in our lives too. So that means that our behaviors, words, and attitudes make us pretty ugly to others too. (Did you see what I did there…”pretty ugly”…get it!?)
Green with Envy
Recently my wife and I were having a conversation and I was talking about someone that we both know. Everything in his life has seemingly just come together without much effort while many things in my life have taken great struggle and persistence. I went on and on and eventually I veered off into envy territory. I started saying things like “Well, if I were him…” and “It would be nice if my life were as easy as his…”
My guess is that this story resonates with you. Envy is real and its reach extends to each one of us.
What’s so bad about envy? Some people argue that envy doesn’t really hurt anyone, so why would God tell us not to envy what our neighbors have (cf. the 10 commandments)?
Well, I think there are two reasons, at least:
So what’s the answer to envy? Well, I don’t think there’s a quick fix.
Honestly, I think we have to start by being totally satisfied with God and God alone. If we lost it all but still had him, would we be okay? Would we be happy? Or are we so tied to our stuff and relationships that we can’t exist without them?
A second area to work on would is being content with what we have (cf. Philippians 4). Do we really need more shoes, more gadgets, more square footage, and more fame? Will it ever be enough?
And a third way to combat envy would be to surround ourselves with community, the kind of community that will love us, correct us, encourage us, and hold us accountable. So when we start exhibiting signs of envy, they can call us on it and help us change.
Lastly, a fourth way would be to pray. We need to ask God to help us. We can’t do this on our own — we’ll always default back to envy. We need the internal power that only God can provide through the indwelling presence of the Spirit.
What do you think? How big of a problem is envy and what can we do about it? Let me know in the comments below.
This is podcast number nine and here’s the question we’ll try to answer this time: How should a follower of Jesus make decisions?
By: Jacob Bøtter
Have you ever found yourself in a position where you need to make a decision but you have many options, most of which seem quite good? What did you do? How did you choose between the options?
I have recently found myself in this very position. The future direction of my professional life could go many different directions and I’m at a place in my personal life where I need to choose which way to go. And I can tell you without equivocation that making a decision in circumstances like these is extremely difficult!
How do we proceed? And does being a follower of Jesus cause things to change?
I answer this question in my latest podcast. You can listen to it on the bottom of this post, on iTunes, or on Stitcher.
If you like it, would you please rate it and even leave a review on iTunes or Stitcher? That would be super cool!
Thanks!
What is prayer and what does it have to do with following Jesus actively in the real world?
In this podcast I attempt to answer this question. I discuss prayer, its connection to being on mission with Jesus, and a few examples of how prayer has impacted some of the missional efforts I’ve been a part of.
You can listen to it on the bottom of this post, on iTunes, or on Stitcher.
If you like it, would you please rate it and even leave a review on iTunes or Stitcher? That would be super cool!
Thanks!
Thanks!
I don’t even know where to begin other than with sorrow.
My heart is full to the brim with sorrow over the deaths of 21 Egyptian Christians on a Libyan beach at the hands of ISIS militants.
And where there is sorrow, many other emotions can quickly follow. I know for me there’s an indignation that wells up in response to this extreme persecution. I want these ISIS militants to pay for what they’ve done.
But almost at the same time a real feeling of helplessness arises too, since I know that violence almost always only results in more violence.
So how should I, a follower of Jesus, respond? What’s a gospel-centered reaction?
ISIS Militant leading their Egyptian captives to the place where they would be beheaded.
It’s hard, if not impossible, to control one’s first response to something. It just happens.
And my first response to the news out of Libya was sadness. My heart fell for the families of the slain. I was deeply saddened by inevitable damage done to Christian-Muslim relations. And I was heartbroken at the way that so many would surely talk about God, violence, and retribution, whether Christians or otherwise.
In fact, as I first heard this news one line of Scripture continued to run through my head: “Darkness is my closest friend” (Psalm 88.18b). This must be the sentiment of so many right now: the family, friends, and neighbors of the deceased; most people living in Egypt and Libya; many of my friends here in the US who originate from Egypt; most Muslims; most Christians; all Coptic Christians; and, frankly, most people in the world.
The sorrow caused by the actions taken by ISIS is real and can’t be minimized. No words or actions will mitigate it. Time will not erode it. It will just be there — to be sure, more acute at some times than others.
But sorrow can’t be the last word of this story. Sorrow can’t win the day. There has to be a broader response — a reaction that will embrace the darkness but prepare us for God’s glorious light.
And that response is trust.
Don’t get me wrong, trust is probably the hardest thing to do right now. Who can we trust if people are capable of this sort of evil? What government can we trust to keep us safe if buildings in the USA, offices in France, and beaches in Libya are all compromised? And how can we trust God if he allowed this atrocity (and ones like it) to happen?
This is my contention: We must trust or the only choice we have is to give in to the darkness. And I, for one, will not give in to the darkness! I refuse to let the shadows of this life cause me to forget that the light that’s on the other side of the thing casting the shadow.
And this is no pie-in-the-sky kind of hope I’m talking about. No. What I have in mind is a level-headed, open-eyed trust.
This is what it might look like…
How can I trust anything or anyone, much less God, in the wake of the horrific crimes committed by ISIS? Here are a few initial ideas that might help. However, I fully realize my limited perspective and expertise and I am fully willing to listen to any other ideas that you might have. Please share them in the comments below.
Well, that’s all I have. We must learn to trust God again. We can’t let time-bound circumstances influence our eternal relationship with God. We have no choice by to turn to him, to place our full faith in him, and to continue to follow him.
If you have any thoughts you’d like to share, please do so in the comments below.
(Just FYI, I will be moderating the comments carefully, so please abstain from hate speech, racist remarks, bad language, and the like. Thanks!)
Maybe you’re like me and you have a hard time remembering things. I’m horrible with dates, names, places, directions, and on and on.
In fact, I was so nervous that I would forget my wife’s birthday that I set it as my password for everything when we were dating. Then I did the same thing with our anniversary date when we first got married. (I have since changed it, so don’t try to log-in to my stuff!)
So it should come as no surprise that I almost never remember to pray for someone when I tell them I’m going to.
So, in response to my poor memory, I started praying for people on the spot. I began with my close friends and family.
Sure, it was a bit awkward at first, but once we all got used to it, things were great!
I then extended the “praying on the spot” circle to include other people in our church community. That went well too.
But lately I’ve started praying for people I barely know, like cashiers and other people I run into in my daily life.
Well, as many of you already know, my wife and I are in the process of finalizing the adoption of our little boy Jude Myron. Here’s an obligatory picture:
Jude Myron, posing for his newborn pics.
For part of Myron’s time in the hospital after he was born, he had to stay in the NICU’s nursery due to some particular adoption regulations. Well, as you might imagine, we saw some tired and stressed out parents and family members in the NICU (which is short for neo-natal intensive care unit).
On one particular day a woman walked out of the NICU and it was clear that she was really shaken up. She was sobbing as she walked by in her hospital-issued gown to go back to her labor recovery room. My instincts were telling me to reach out to her, to console her, and to pray for her.
But I thought it would be awkward, her being in a gown and all. So I let the moment slip by.
I saw her early the next day and she was with a friend. They were chatting and things seemed better. I naively thought, Well, I guess the worst times are behind her. I felt okay about passing on the opportunity to pray for her the day before.
Then, later on that same day, I saw her exiting the NICU again. She was in tears once more, but this time she was wearing street clothes.
All the excuses were gone. Now was the time. And since Myron was about to be discharged, I wasn’t going to get another opportunity.
As she approached the area where I was seated we made eye contact. When she was right in front of me I finally gathered the courage to talk to her:
“Are you okay?”
“Not really.”
“I’m sorry. How long does your baby have to be here?” I asked.
“Eight and a half more weeks,” she replied.
I knew at that point only one tiny drop of the pain she was feeling. Myron had been in the NICU for three days and that felt horrible…and he was healthy. My heart broke for her.
“I saw you the other day and I wanted to talk to you but I didn’t,” I said.
“Was I crying then too?”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry about that.”
“No. Don’t be sorry,” I responded. Then I paused for a second or two. We were still making eye contact. I knew that I was about to ask her if I could pray for her but I was scared.
“I know this might sound weird…but can I pray for you?”
“Sure,” she said as she brightened up ever-so-slightly.
I motioned her to move closer to me since there were half a dozen people in the waiting room.
“What’s your name?” I asked. She told me. “What’s your baby’s name?” She shared that information with me too.
Then I offered my hand to her and she took it. I paused, trying to gather my strength, and I prayed.
I simply offered a prayer for her recovery and the health of her child. I had a really hard time holding it together though.
I finished praying and I looked up and we shared a nice little moment together. She then told me some more of her story and how hard it was to have such a tiny baby. I wished her the best and told her I would continue to pray for her.
For every one story like this that I have, I have twenty where I did nothing. Praying for someone you don’t know can be difficult and weird.
But praying for a stranger can sometimes be the best missional ice breaker ever.
What’s the worst that could happen? Someone could ask you not to pray for them?
The missional benefits outweigh the “risks.”
Praying for someone who is far from God can be the catalyst to put them on the path toward Jesus!
What do you think about praying for people on the spot? Is praying in this manner difficult or weird for you? Or do you find it easy and natural?
If you’d like to help us with our adoption finalization costs or if you want to read more of our adoption story, then please CLICK HERE. Thanks!
I’m starting to learn that following Jesus is a full-time calling.
And I’m not talking about this government-regulated 40-hour work week stuff. No. I’m talking about every waking moment.
Now I’m not saying that we have to be “on” and doing “ministry” at every moment. But what I am saying is that we need to be open to whatever God wants to do in us or through us at any moment in any place.
Even at the grocery store.
Are you ready to follow Jesus…even at the grocery store?
By: r. nial bradshaw
So here’s the story that inspired this post:
The other day I needed to run to the grocery store. So I left the comforts of home and made my way to the market.
The grocery store that I went to is one of my regular haunts. I know most of the cashiers’ faces and a few of their names. This time, however, when I went to check out, I ended up in a line with someone I had never seen before.
I never caught her name because her name tag was flipped over, but she was pleasant enough. She made a few little jokes and I politely laughed. As I have mentioned before, I am an introvert and small talk is pretty much the bane of my existence. But I felt like I needed to clue in, so I started paying attention.
The cashier was making a small grimace with her face each time she reached for my items with her right hand. She noticed that I noticed and started talking about the pain in her wrist. She told me all about it — when it started, what her doctor said about it, how long it takes to get in at the local clinic, and how she has to miss work sometimes because of the pain.
In fact, she talked so much that she was still talking even though I had paid for my items and reloaded my basket. She kept talking.
Now I need to be honest. My first reaction was to be frustrated. My wife was waiting for me at home and it had been a long day. All my selfish side wanted to do was to shut her down and get out of there.
But due to the fact that my wife and I (and some of our closest friends) have been attempting to make ourselves more available to God, I felt a small voice in the back of my mind telling me to listen up. So I did. I put all my introvert tendencies aside and continued to listen.
The cashier talked for another minute or two. (Luckily there was no one else in line!) Then I felt a very clear impression to ask her if she was a praying person. So I did:
“Are you a praying person?”
“What?” she said.
“Do you pray?”
“Sometimes. Well, not really all that much.”
“Would you mind if I prayed for you?” I replied.
“Uh, sure, I guess.”
I let go of my basket and moved in closer to her and asked if I could touch her wrist where she was feeling pain. She extended her right hand and I took her forearm in my right hand. It kind of looked like a Roman hand shake.
Roman Handshake
I bowed my head and closed my eyes and said a really short prayer asking Jesus to heal her. When I finished praying, I opened my eyes and we made solid eye contact for a few seconds. She had gotten a little misty and I told her that I hoped Jesus would heal her. Then we parted ways.
I went back last night to check on her at the grocery store and she wasn’t at work. When/if I see her again, I’ll post a short update!
So I’m only telling this story for one reason: we need to be more available. I’ve lived much of my life viewing others as extras in the movie of my life. This is unfair and selfish on my part.
God sends us to the places where we work, live, play…and shop! Even the grocery store!
And the only reason this story sticks out in my memory is because it is the exception to the rule: I’m usually unavailable.
I’m distracted, or looking at my phone, or staring off into the distance, or talking to someone I came with.
But when I make myself available for God to use, he does! And I guarantee that if you make yourself available, God will plug you into the work he’s already doing in the places where you work, live, and play.
Even at the grocery store.
(BONUS: This isn’t the first time that something interesting has happened to me at the grocery store. Click here to read another post about an unexpected missional encounter at the grocery store!)
So, how has God used you in unexpected ways? Has he used you at the grocery store? Let me know in the comments below!
As I’ve been studying various missional practitioners and their ideas, one thing seems to be overlooked from time to time — prayer. It’s not that folks don’t talk about it; they do. However, it is often not a focus. Other things tend to take center stage, such as strategies, stories, and studies of Scripture. All of these things are good, great even!, but prayer can’t be overlooked.
By: tiffany terry
Full disclosure: my wife and I aren’t perfect. Far from it! But from time to time we get a few things right; and I think the particular prayer habit I’m about to describe is one of them.
We recently moved to a new neighborhood and we want to be a witness of the gospel of Jesus and his kingdom in it. In order to do so we quickly realized that we need to get to know our neighbors — both those in our immediate vicinity and those a little further away. To accomplish this my wife had the brilliant idea of taking a walk in our neighborhood each night that we eat dinner at home.
Here’s how it works. We eat dinner, then pray for God to bring whomever he would like across our paths, and then we go out for a walk. Sometimes we bring something with us, like cookies, to give to people. Other times we simply walk around and strike up conversations when it’s appropriate.
God has been faithful to bring someone along our path each time, someone that we have the opportunity to meet and to bless.
Here are a few examples:
On one of our first walks we met a man named Louis who looked rather dejected. When we said that we had cookies for him, he flashed us the biggest smile and gobbled them up happily! A week or two later we were out walking and saw Louis once again. We called him by name, which seemed to make his day, and gave him some more cookies.
Another time we approached a group of eight or so young people. We had been nervous about talking to such a large group, but after praying we both felt compelled by the Spirit to go for it. In so doing we got to meet some really cool people, including one man who has lived in our neighborhood for more than three decades. We’re hoping to get to know him better so that he can help us learn about where we live!
Last night we went on a pretty eventful walk and were almost back home. That’s when one our neighbors in our closest vicinity stopped to chat with us. We made some small talk and then she revealed that she was facing some real drama and pain in her life. This opened a great door for us to engage in some missional listening and to pray for her when we returned home.
And what led to each of these encounters? A simple habit of praying for God to bring whomever he wanted us to bless across our paths.
What sort of missional prayer habits do you find helpful? Let me know in the comments below!
By: bayasaa
How can this new year be great?
Every year over the holidays a nagging feeling begins to grow. We all start wondering how the new year will be our best year yet. We think about what kinds of promises we could make to ourselves or our loved ones that might help us succeed.
But, you know the drill. We make 12 resolutions to do this or that. But by the time Valentine’s Day rolls around we’ve failed at almost all of them in one way or another.
Well, how can this year be different? I haven’t the slightest! But I do know that there are some basic things we could all do to help every year be great.
What do you think? What are some other ways that you can make the new year great? Let me know below!
Like everything worthwhile in life, becoming more missional requires us to prepare. Does that mean that we have to be rigid? Of course not! But it does mean that we need to be thoughtful as we begin to live like a missionary.
Let me illustrate this:
My parents are visiting us for Thanksgiving. We’ve had such a great time so far! I’m so grateful for them and their love for us! One of the realities when they visit, however, is that we need to prepare; we need to get ready for their arrival if we want to be hospitable.
What does that look like? Well, this time around it meant Alida (my wife) and I carefully planning out our meals, including our Thanksgiving feast (which was a-ma-zing!). It also means that we need to plan a few things to do. We don’t want to fill our schedule up, because we want to have some time to just hang with my parents, but we do want to do a few things. So this year we planned to go to a stage production and on a movie studio tour. We’ve already had a blast, and I hope it’s going to continue! And part of the reason this is true is that Alida and I planned well.
What then does this have to do with being on mission as a follower of Jesus? Well, in my opinion, being on mission requires intentionality. We usually won’t just fall into being more missional! We need to plan for it and then we need to carry out those plans!
Here are a few ways to prepare to be on mission:
There are lots of other ways to prepare to be on mission. Can you think of any? Let me know in the comments below!
