A compound; it’s the only word to describe the property; fenced in, walled up, littered with garbage on nearly every yard of that five acres we stood upon. “I just don’t see the vision”, I tell my husband as we stand upon the pasture hill, peaking our way through overgrown trees to a hidden pond, looking up with carnal eyes at a worn down house, almost begging for redemption with a “For Sale” sticking out. Untended, unloved, fenced-in as if keeping something out…or someone in. Yet, doesn’t faith see not what is, but what could be? So, we sign a contract and own this house shortly afterward we stood on the hill that day. A year later, I’m awakened in the night. I see people in my living room, hearing a whisper in my spirit, “Many will come and many will go out changed.” “What did that mean?” I question. An introvert by nature, the last thing appealing to me is a house full of people…especially one uncompleted, in remodel-mode, one imperfect still on the outside, incapable of disguising my insecurities. The first thing we did was take down all the strange fencing, added fresh paint, new windows, spending thousands to make our dwelling place look homey, presentable. But still, oh how it cried out for help… Truth be told, the fences were still there; no, not on our property, but somewhere in my heart. A place no one could see. Weeks pass, a pastor at church one Sunday asks me and my husband, “Would you be willing to start a small group in your home”? I fidget, hope my husband will say, “no”. Unpainted staircase, troubled porch, cracked pavement crying out that we are a home far less than perfect. But then, I remember the words from a few weeks prior, “Many will come, many will go out changed.” And hesitantly, an obedient “yes” slips through my lips, offering hospitality though it’s the last of my so-called, “Spiritual Gifts”. It was one of those moments we choose; will we do what’s comfortable, easy, and safe, or will we step out in faith, trusting, and longing to please Him? Hours before that first small group I labor over not having, “fine things”. But there on the couch God reminds me… Anything I might have is unnecessary, even useless. Him sweetly confirming; we don’t have to be perfect to serve Him…to serve others. We don’t have to decorate our lives before stepping out in faith and fellowship. We don’t have to be Pinterest perfect before living missionally {tweet this}. All it takes is saying “yes” to a God who uses our weaknesses for His glory. Every Tuesday since, God has used our obedience through hospitality, to change us. In the five years plus, I have gone from dreading fellowship to now loving how he has used our obedience to take us to places of open pastures without fences. So many over these years have colored our lives? Kids, older couples, widows, married, unmarried, twenty-something’s, tattoo artists, long-haired, leather wearing bikers, polished Christians….all gathering to know Jesus and make Him known. And that whisper years before was right, “Many have come and many have gone out changed”. Yes, God tares down our fences to go out into all the world making disciples of Him as we walk in obedience toward love and relationship. Still, sometimes I wonder if the one thing we resist most is the very thing God uses to point a world to Him….using our willing obedience despite our broken pavement… So a dying world might see Him…not us. About JenThough born, raised, and still living only miles from where she grew up, Jen's heart lies in the nations. Jen loves the beautiful tapestry found in the wide diversity of people, different cultures, and all nations. Jen and her husband have been married twenty years, and have parented fifteen kids and counting; twelve foster, one adopted, and two bios. Her multi-racial family reflects her passion for unity, desire for faith without walls, and missional mindset to share both the gospel and the power of redemption to a world desperately needing the hope found in Jesus Christ. Jen and her husband have led in a variety of ministries; including prayer, small groups, children's, and women’s. Jen advocates for the orphan as a board member for the non-profit, A New Song; and loves doing missions work internationally, along with her family. You can find Jen writing about faith, while challenging her readers at her blog, Rich Faith Rising, as well as at tweeting faith-filled messages @Jen_Avellaneda . Jen is also on facebook. If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right. Sharing this over at these awesome blogs
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My favorite way of sharing the Gospel with someone is one on one. We can sit down and talk through issues that may be keeping them from trusting Christ and clarifying important truth. But I've also seen outreach events be effective in bringing people to know Christ. And what's the best is when you can mash the two together, use the outreach event to create opportunity to talk deeper. Here are twelve ideas to help you do just that, create an atmosphere non-believers would feel comfortable in and be able to simply transition to the Gospel and their thoughts about Jesus. 12 Simple and Effective Women's Ministry Outreach Events 1. Make a Gift Night There are so many cute gift ideas on Pinterest (I have an entire board full I'd like to get to some day) but time is limited. Many women feel just like me, wanting to make gifts for people but without the time and accountability to actually do it. So, host a gift making night where you can serve a yummy desert half way through the night and either you or someone you ask shares their testimony (Here's a tool to help you put it together). Then after tummies are filled, get back to work and strike up conversation with those who don't know Christ by asking what their experience has been like. 2. Natural Beauty Night Not too long ago I went to a friends house for a make your own natural essential oils care items. As I was making my hand scrubs I got to have some great conversations with ladies I had never met before. As in the make a gift night above, host a make your own natural beauty and/or cleaning making night and half way through stop to eat something delicious and share your testimony (or invite someone else to) Here's a tool to help you put it together. Then after tummies are filled, get back to work and strike up conversation with those who don't know Christ by asking what their experience has been like. 3. Cake & Connecting Night I would love to know how those beautifully decorated cakes are made. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. Why not have someone who knows how to decorate cakes come over to give a tutorial or experiment together using the book below. While the cake is baking use the Solarium cards to connect deeper with each other. The Reveal Cards are a deck of picture cards that you use to answer questions like "Which card would you choose to describe God?" and "Which cards best describes your spiritual journey so far?" 4. Game Night I'm just always a sucker for game nights. Have a few different group games to choose from and play the night away. Throughout the night try to use some of these transition questions to find out where people are at spiritually. 5. Reach an Unreached People Group Night Did you know you can share the Gospel with an unreached people group sitting right at your computer and it doesn't take that much time, money and you don't even have to speak their language. The Lord is using this method to get the Gospel into many peoples hearts and you can easily be part of it. You don't have to do this as a group but often it's easier to do things in groups that otherwise wouldn't get done. Here's the step by step instructions from Joshua Project and here's a free printable. 6. S'mores & Banana Boats Night This would be best as a summer time event (unless of course you live in a gloriously sunny all the time place). Get or borrow a fire pit and make s'mores or delicious banana boats (marshmallows and chocolate put inside a banana and wrapped in tin foil, thrown in the fire for 20 minutes and eat with a graham cracker) while you share God moments or times you've seen God show off. 7. Fondue Sharing Night Have everyone bring something to dip in either cheese or chocolate fondue (great recipes can be found on pinterest). Between cheese and chocolate fondue you can have everyone pick a couple cards from a Table Topics box to share with the group. Then over chocolate fondue you can pursue someone it seems like the Lord is pursuing based on the answers from the cards. 8. Who is Jesus Night. This mini-magazine is great for someone or a small group who wants to know more about who Jesus was. 9. Classy Short Film Night. Global Short Film Network has a bunch of great short films that are produced for the purpose of starting conversations. They also provide training videos and questions. 10. Fashion show. How fun to have a fashion show that displayed what the Lord was doing with ministries all over the world. 11. Dinner and discussion. This is something we did every week for a few years. We invited students over for dinner and after dinner sent a 3x5 cards and pens around the room for everyone to write a question on. We'd collect the cards, mix them up and discuss them one by one. There were two rules. You had to use the Bible as the authority instead of opinion and you had to be respectful. 12. Brag On God Night You can listen to stories of how God has changed peoples lives from IamSecond.com and then take time for people who want to share great things the Lord has done in their life. You also might be interested in: Discipleship Mosaic 10 Creative Interactive Women's Ministry Events Prayer Mosaic. About LauraLaura, the founder of Missional Women is married and has five kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries to college students for 12 years serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura is the Women's Development Coordinator and has discipled over 150 girls, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks to college and women's groups. Laura has authored 5 books, including an award winning 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, and A Devotional Journey through Judges, a devotional to accompany the free online Bible study at TheBookofJudges.com. You can find her on facebook,twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram and her author site. If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right. Sharing this over at these awesome blogs In my last article I talked about how we tend to make our new year resolutions based off what we want rather than what God wants for our lives. We like to ask God about the particulars for our lives before we actually follow through with His general will for all Christians to follow. I truly believe that if we follow God in His general will for our lives, He WILL make the particulars not only known but the other areas of our lives that need the work to workout on their own. So here is my solution, how about instead of making these high standards for ourselves with these resolutions we end up dropping by February, we keep is SIMPLE! (Ahhhh… simple….) Here are the 2 things I would do to make your resolutions simple, attainable and much more satisfying in the long run: 1. Love God DUH LEAH! But seriously!! How many of us would honestly, truly say that we make it a goal to truly love God more? And not by trying to do more, but to enjoy more of God? I can say that I honestly try to please God more through doing what He asks out of obligation then doing things to know that I get to enjoy Him more. What about you? Can you say that you honestly seek to love God more? Are you doing things to appease God or to enjoy and please Him? 2. Share the Gospel Wait wait wait, Leah. Second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. Yeah, and what do you have that your neighbor may not? JESUS! That’s a big deal!! Most people walk around believing that they are living out God’s will by not sharing the most important thing that has EVER happened to them because it’s not their spiritual gift or because they are waiting for an opportunity or [insert excuse here]. I say this bluntly, sisters, because I have lived behind my comfort zone too many times and have missed out on so much joy and understanding for what God really had in store for me. This year, more than ever, God has shown me through Philemon 6 a deep, spiritual truth that is a huge proponent to me sharing this: “…and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.” When we share the truth of Jesus Christ with others – that He died to take care of all of our wrongs, and rose to conquer death itself – we understand more of all the good things we have in Christ. Like this verse says, we become more effective in the knowledge of every good thing – like what we read in scripture, how to live out our daily life, how to take care of ourselves, etc. And I truly believe that when we share the gospel with others (whether friends, family, foes or strangers) we simply love God more. A refreshing cycle occurs where we love God more, which makes us share more, which makes us love God more…. and I when we are in this refreshing cycle spurred by loving God, everything else falls into place because we’re keeping The Main Thing (Jesus) the main thing. Dear Lord Jesus, I admit I suck at loving you! I admit that I often want to do things my own way and want to fit you into my plans rather than have me conform to yours. I pray that you will make the change happen in my life. That you will produce the fruit that needs to come from me instead of me striving to be a better person. I pray that you will help me step out in faith to trust you so I can simply love you and share the truth of Your love with other. In Your Name I pray… About LeahLeah works with Master Plan Ministries at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. Other than watching college students' lives change, she enjoys getting her mind blown by God and His Word, watching sci fi, baking cupcakes, and spending time with her hunky husband. If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right. Sharing this over at these awesome blogs He’s fourteen. Some say fourteen-year-olds are caught up in themselves. Well, Luke isn’t. He’s different. I met him at an orphan conference. “He said he wants to do something meaningful.” His mom tells me as I sit next to her, us hearing how most foster kids come into care with a t-shirt, maybe some underwear….little more. And most of us see a need, feel sorry, and then offer up good thoughts; or at best, a little prayer. But not Luke; Luke did more than sit by with passive sympathy, inactive compassion. Luke took action while others kids his age were scanning ads on the internet, or making lists of all their wants from Santa Claus. He called the foster organization, inquiring of them what their needs are. Then, he decided to create drop boxes at four different locations, asking for specific items needed for foster kids coming into care in our region. He made a flyer. And nearing Christmas, he will distribute the donations to this same organization caring for foster kids this season. And as a missional woman, I find it hard to leap as boldly as this fourteen-year-old young man. Often the older we get, the more we can toy with, weigh, and contemplate “what” or “how” to give. But let’s face it, sometimes I think God just wants us to leap, see a need and meet it as simply and as beautifully as Luke did. And I wonder if we lose sight of the pure giving of Christmas, because our gifts are offered tainted; giving things so we feel good about ourselves; validating hidden insecurities, offering presents in exchange for acceptance, projecting generosity when our hearts reflect otherwise. Yet Jesus, our example, modeled selfless sacrifice, giving it all without seeking reward. He gave fish abundantly, healing unconditionally, offering taxes willingly, loving freely. He gave His time specifically, foot-washing His enemy, grace and forgiveness to those who betrayed Him, shouting, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.” And I think the thing we forget about giving, during our mindlessly chaotic purchasing at Christmas time, is that Jesus gave freely most to those who could offer the least. He gave His life to a people, whose payment for His death could never be repaid or earned. And I don’t know about you, but I want to fill up Luke’s box, giving both locally and internationally to those with real need, so that I might reflect the heart of our giving God. I still remember the Christmas we bought a well for those overseas. At the time it was a sacrifice, but not once did we regret it, and to this day it’s the one gift meaning more than all the Christmas gifts ever given. Is there a way God is calling you to give your time, your resources, your listening ear, your compassion, your concern for others this season? I open Luke’s flyer again after returning home from the conference. “Need’s List” stares strong at me from the page: Socks, shoes, pajamas, comb, shampoo, etc. Yes this year, I refuse to mindlessly fill some shopping cart at Walmart, in a Christmas rush, pretending somehow mass made products, and plastic toys can equal love when a desperate world is looking to us to show them God. About JenThough born, raised, and still living only miles from where she grew up, Jen's heart lies in the nations. Jen loves the beautiful tapestry found in the wide diversity of people, different cultures, and all nations. Jen and her husband have been married twenty years, and have parented fifteen kids and counting; twelve foster, one adopted, and two bios. Her multi-racial family reflects her passion for unity, desire for faith without walls, and missional mindset to share both the gospel and the power of redemption to a world desperately needing the hope found in Jesus Christ. Jen and her husband have led in a variety of ministries; including prayer, small groups, children's, and women’s. Jen advocates for the orphan as a board member for the non-profit, A New Song; and loves doing missions work internationally, along with her family. You can find Jen writing about faith, while challenging her readers at her blog, Rich Faith Rising, as well as at tweeting faith-filled messages @Jen_Avellaneda . Jen is also on facebook. Last December, the Daily Mail (UK) posted a story about one James Gray, 85, who placed an ad seeking someone to spend Christmas day with him, after spending the previous ten Christmases alone. Only one person responded and then later cancelled. When his story hit the front page of the paper, dozens of offers poured in. Reading that, I instantly wondered how many people around me will be spending their holidays by themselves? Who of my neighbors would be in that same predicament this coming holiday? The truth is – maybe more than we care to know! In a recent survey, fifty percent of Americans and thirty percent of Canadians don’t know their neighbors. Similarly, one third of Brits said they wouldn’t recognize their neighbors in a police line up. Wow, that shocked me. We are missing so much in not meeting and knowing those that live right around us. People are looking for genuine relationships with each other, and somehow they are harder to develop these days. In Jesus’ Kingdom, love takes the initiative. Love crosses the yard, the street, the hallway. During Christmas, there are plenty of ways to get to know people and build relationships. And in Jesus’ economy, He always seems to have room for including people. Think Zaccheus. Need some helpful resources or ideas? Nan McCullough, on her blog entertainingforeternity.com, has a post that highlight the possibilities that football season can offer an opportunity for being “Jesus with skin on” to our neighbors. Who doesn’t love relaxing with neighbors while watching a game? What a great opportunity to get to know people and share some snacks or a light meal while rooting for your favorite team. When it comes to Thanksgiving, just keeping an eye out for someone with no family in town can give you an opportunity to share your meal and give thanks together. Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to neighbors- the spirit of the holiday is all about love. It’s the time of year when people want to be generous and kind. No one wants to go down as a Scrooge! It’s also a wonderful time to introduce people to the One who is the reason for the season. A great resource can be found at ChristmasGatherings.com. Years ago, a woman answered her friend’s call to come and share her story with a group of neighbors at a morning coffee. And standing in the back of the room, another woman who had come to pray, got a vision for what has become known as Christmas Gatherings. The combination of hospitality, the holiday, the sharing of traditions all weave their strands into a beautiful setting for sharing the most precious gift of all. On this site, you can download a how to manual, watch videos of how to do one, and learn how to share the message of Christ with your friends. If you’re thinking of doing something fun like this for this Christmas season, now is the time to start meeting your neighbors! May these resources will stimulate your imagination and creativity to reach out in ways that are truly yours! God says, He “sets the lonely in families.” where they can experience His love, forgiveness and peace. The thing is He wants to do that through ordinary people, like you and me. Let’s be “Jesus with skin on “ this holiday season! Let’s make the most of the season for His glory. Guest Post by Andrea BuczynskiOn any given day you might find Andrea in a meeting, on a plane, or in some part of the world where she meets amazing people and sees just a few of the awesome ways that God is working. She serves as the Global VP for Leadership Development and HR with Campus Crusade for Christ. When she’s home, she enjoy books, time with friends and occasionally gets to the beach. Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs. My husband and I got asked by a Pastor the other day how we keep our ministry continually thriving when there is constantly students graduating from college. Good question right? It's common to see a few great years in ministry due to a a group of strong committed Christians and then when they graduate be left with a small group. And though this question was asked in regards to student ministry, the same principles apply to all forms of ministry whether women's ministry or service type ministries. In order to be a consistently thriving ministry you need 3 essential elements. 1. Continually Meet New People. When Jesus told the disciples to "Go and make disciples of all nations" He actually meant the word Go. Not make things super attractive so they will Come to us. Go-ing involves meeting new people. Where does the demographic of people you're reaching out to spend time? Go there. Spend time being where they are. 2. Start Conversations. When you are meeting people where they are you need to start conversations with them. Normal how are you, what's your name, what do you do types of questions. (Here are some questions to help you get into spiritual conversations- a new ministry resource I created called The Connect Cards. Find out more about it here.) The Reveal Cards is an interactive, engaging tool that will help you start conversations. Check it out. 3. Disciple and Train. When someone decides to trust Christ or if someone is already a believer, you can begin to train them to become a disciple-maker them self. If they are brand new believers you can use resources like the Thrive Bible study to walk through together once a week. And with women who are already strong believers you can also walk through the Thrive Bible study as a way to coach them on how to walk through it with others. When another believer knows how to live out the Great Commission by sharing the Gospel and discipling someone and training others also (the 2 Tim. 2:2 principle) then this process can be contextualized to any ministry. If leaders are continually meeting people, starting conversations (and getting to the point of sharing the Gospel) discipling and training others in how to do the Great Commission, you will not be short on leaders. Just as disciples are not born they are made, the same is true with leadership. If you want a continually growing ministry, then continually give yourself to developing and training new leaders. Here's a video explaining the process. About LauraLaura, the creator and host of Missional Women is married and has four kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries to college students for 11 years serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura is the Women's Development Coordinator and has discipled over 150 girls, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks to college and women's groups. Laura has authored 5 books, including an award winning 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, and A Devotional Journey through Judges, a devotional to accompany the free online Bible study at TheBookofJudges.com. You can find her on facebook,twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram and her author site. If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right.
Sharing this over at these awesome blogs The incredible inscribed studies came out this week. They all just look amazing! Well, we have the privilege of getting to hear a little of of Sarah's heart who wrote Just Rise Up; A Call to Make Jesus Famous. Here's a bit about her. Sarah has a passion to do life and ministry with women. By coupling real, raw and relevant life examples with Biblical truth, Sarah encourages women to RISE UP! and make Jesus famous in every area of life. Sarah is a graduate of Texas A&M University and Charles Colson’s Centurions discipleship program, a year-long intense study of biblical worldview. You can read more from Sarah in her first book Stress Point: Thriving Through Your Twenties In A Decade Of Drama. A Texas girl at heart, Sarah now lives with her family in North Carolina where she is a women’s discipleship leader at Grace Church Southern Pines. When she is not typing away at her laptop, Sarah loves to rough house with her young son, go on date nights with her husband and get her hands messy with craft paint. You can find her at her blog LiveitOutblog.com An Interview with SarahWhat is your spiritual background? I grew up in a Christian home and so thankful for that. I remember as a 16 year old driving myself over to our Christian bookstore, The Shepherd Shop, and coming home with the study guide to the group study Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. I was ready to dig in all by myself! Funny thing, no 16 year old should go through such and intense and awesome study with out discipleship! Looking back, I can see how God was calling me to dig deep, to go places with Him! Years later, what took my faith and my ministry to a new level was when I participated in a year long discipleship program with the beloved and belated, Chuck Coleson. Our focus for the year was Biblical Worldview. That year was a turning point as I felt the call from God to encourage others to center their entire existence around Jesus. From there...no turning back in ministry! Have you always wanted to write? I dreamt as a child of writing a book for children! Even in the seventh grade I recall writing a paper titled, God's Not Finished With Me Yet. I wish I could find that paper now. The thing is, though, I'm not a natural writer. I like to speak my words. Writing for me is hard...it takes way to long! But, I've come to realize that it is all about the message and getting that message out. What was your driving desire behind Just Rise Up? I interact with so many women who desire to make a difference with their lives, yet they just don't know how. I also interact with many who sit on the couch of complacent faith. Something in them is calling them to RISE UP! My drive for Just RISE UP! is to call people up off that couch and make a difference with their lives by making the name of Jesus known. We do this by living with bold faith and servant love. We also do this by living a life of praise, with a Kingdom perspective and a humble posture before the King. Was there are point when you felt you couldn't keep writing and if so who or what helped you keep going? Oh YES! There were many times where I would stomp my feet like a toddler and say, "This is too hard!! I am NOT doing this anymore." I was intimidated and felt inadequate to due justice to this Make Jesus Famous message which God clearly laid on my heart. I feel like, though, we come to a cross roads when God asks us to do the hard stuff in life. The best way to move forward? Make this declaration: HE IS WORTHY. He is worthy of our dedication, our trust, our faith. Life get's tough. He never wastes any circumstance. We make Jesus famous when we decide to do the hard things in life and praise Him along the way. What do you think could happen if people lived in a way that showed Jesus to be famous? Here is an excerpt from the introduction of Just RISE UP! that expresses my desire, my hope filled end goal of the book... What would happen if we chose to . . . ■ RISE UP! with integrity at our jobs and work as if our boss were Jesus? ■ RISE UP! and place Jesus at the center of every room in our household? ■ RISE UP! with our money and give until it hurts? ■ RISE UP! with our relationships and love even when that love isn't returned? ■ RISE UP! with our words and speak the fame and glory of Jesus even if people think we are weird? ■ RISE UP! with our actions and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading— even if that leading takes us to uncomfortable places? Let this movement of our lives—of our souls—not be just about words and motivational phrases that look nice on paper. Let us actually step up our faith and change our lives in real and practical ways. I envision sparks all across the world that RISE UP! and live out the fame and glory of our King—women who love the Lord with all their hearts, minds, and souls, and desire to influence others to do the same. You are one of those sparks. Don’t let your spark go dormant with complacency. Don’t let it die because of fear or uncertainty. RISE UP! What else would you like us to know? Something that I would like to express is that we do not have to do this RISE UP! thing perfectly. I certainly mess up royally in my attempts (or lack thereof sometimes!) in making Jesus famous. That is where grace comes in. That is where we soak in God's goodness and faithfulness and operate out of authenticity. Also, we each have the mission to do ministry with our lives. When we make Jesus famous with our words, our actions, our love for others, we take part in God's Kingdom plan. What a privilege! What a joy to get to hear from a kindred spirit! I've started her new book Just Rise Up! and it's incredible! Check it out. It is released at part of a series. Here's the others. About LauraLaura, the creator and host of Missional Women is married and has four kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries to college students for 11 years serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura is the Women's Development Coordinator and has discipled over 150 girls, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks to college and women's groups. Laura has authored 5 books, including an award winning 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, and A Devotional Journey through Judges, a devotional to accompany the free online Bible study at TheBookofJudges.com. You can find her on facebook,twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram and her author site. If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right.
Sharing this over at these awesome blogs I was born a dreamer; staring as a child, starry-eyed out the window at night, peering into the heavens of “what could be”. And maybe it was to escape the vice tightening in my world? Maybe it was the hope of another reality of some fantasy worth living for? But I soon learned; dreamers don't make dreams come true…God does. Still, for a long while, I became a doer of my own purposes. Reaching my twenties thinking money and ingenuity could make anything happen. But I was wrong. "A" type personalities have their own problems. Problems I soon discovered could defeat even the strongest dreamers among us. So eventually, I experienced that hour of confessing, “I am weak”, handing God the paintbrush and letting Him create in me the kind of Missional Life He intended for me from the beginning of time. Giving up my dreams, it was then I learned most....
So, what if the missional life isn’t about “finding our purpose”, but laying down our wills so that He can uncover that God dream He has already placed in us? About JenThough born, raised, and still living only miles from where she grew up, Jen's heart lies in the nations. Jen loves the beautiful tapestry found in the wide diversity of people, different cultures, and all nations. Jen and her husband have been married twenty years, and have parented fifteen kids and counting; twelve foster, one adopted, and two bios. Her multi-racial family reflects her passion for unity, desire for faith without walls, and missional mindset to share both the gospel and the power of redemption to a world desperately needing the hope found in Jesus Christ. Jen and her husband have led in a variety of ministries; including prayer, small groups, children's, and women’s. Jen advocates for the orphan as a board member for the non-profit, A New Song; and loves doing missions work internationally, along with her family. You can find Jen writing about faith, while challenging her readers at her blog, Rich Faith Rising, as well as at tweeting faith-filled messages @Jen_Avellaneda . Jen is also on facebook. If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right. Sharing this over at these awesome blogs Last night I spent some time at a friend’s house, and she showed me her extensive music collection. She had music from every era and genre – contemporary Christian, 70’s rock, disco, Motown, Gospel choir albums. She had over one hundred albums. The problem is that every single one is on cassette. I threw out all of my cassettes and VHS movies quite a while back. My boom box and VCR went with them. Yes, when I was in college, I’d invested quite a bit of cash toward purchasing albums by my favorite artists, but there came a day when I realized that the little square cassette tapes had lost their value. This world is like that. Most things lose their value quickly in this broken, fallen earth. Society will tell you that you need to purchase the next biggest and best popular thing, but ten years from now, that little gem that you spent a pretty penny on is probably going to end up in the trash with your Walkman and your beeper. If we follow God’s economy, we will invest wisely in treasures that reap eternal rewards. Today, we can choose to live differently. We can say no to the glittery and temporal and devote our energy toward what will never fade: Seek to know and obey His unchanging, eternal Word with all your heart. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8) Serve with your hands and feet to meet the needs of others. “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward” (Matthew 10:42) Sacrifice your personal agenda to advance God’s Kingdom purposes. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29). Share your story and tell the lost the Good News that Christ came to save us from our brokenness and sin. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30) Let’s choose wisely and invest our time, talent, and treasure in what God values and rewards. Let’s place pursuing His Kingdom agenda at the top of our “wish list.” This is an investment decision that will always reap a profit. About LyliLyli Dunbar loves teaching. For 17 years, she mentored teenagers in the Christian school setting, and now she has serves as Associate Director of Curriculum at Trinity International University Florida. Lyli married her Prince Charming in her 40’s and has a heart for encouraging young couples and singles in God’s waiting room. She enjoys road trips with her husband, connecting with women through Bible study, and reading way too many books. Lyli writes about life lessons and faith on herpersonal blog. You may also connect with her on Facebook,Twitter, and Pinterest. If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right.
Sharing this over at these awesome blogs In the Fall of 2011, I was just over two years into our life and ministry in Orlando and I was struggling. We had moved to Orlando to plant a church and God had made it clear that our dream of what our ministry would be was not His. I had also grown up in the church and was suffering from a very narrow view of what ministry was. I didn't have a strong support system and I had just survived one of the hardest years of my life. And I read a lot. And listened to sermons a lot. That sounds innocent enough. But having come from a legalistic faith tradition that didn't hold an accurate view of the Gospel, every preacher I heard or blogger I read made me feel more guilt and shame about what I wasn't doing to serve God. Then I read an article that changed my life and I realized two things. First, I had spent too much time trying to work for God and not enough time being with God. Second, I realized that I shouldn't be trying to do ministry exactly like everyone else. God had made and gifted me in specific ways and those were the areas where I should seek to serve Him. Here are the three practical things I implemented that have impacted how I live to this day: God has called you a "missionary." Act like one: The Bible is clear in Matthew 28 that we are all missionaries. Sharing our faith is not reserved for those in full-time ministry or living overseas but is a command to all who follow Christ. For me calling myself a "missionary to Downtown Orlando" completely changed my perspective and how I lived my day-to-day life. Discover your third place. Chances are you already have one: A third place is "an informal public gathering place." Perhaps you go to the same coffee shop regularly. Maybe there's a local lounge or café you frequent. Wherever you spend most of your time outside of home and work is your third place. God has planted you in this specific place for the purpose of bringing others to Himself through you. Do what you love with intention: One of my passions and gifting lies in hospitality and sharing meals others. Perhaps you like to run or create art. Perhaps you have small children or really enjoy gardening. Maybe you love craft coffee roasting. You don't need to add something new to your ever growing list. You simply need to do what you're already doing with intention. Use your passions to connect with others who share the same interest on a deeper level. These three simple things radically changed my perspective. They helped me to be more intentional with those I encountered in my daily life and they also freed me from trying to do ministry just like someone else. What are your practical tips for living missionally and sharing your faith? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. About Joy Joy is a missionary to Downtown Orlando with her husband, Jason, and drool covered Bassett Hound, Sam. She has a degree in Church Leadership and formerly helped manage the Church Planting office of Converge Worldwide. She teaches women how to intersect their faith and life through intentional missional living at joybrudolph.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right.
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