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A Willing Heart

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A Willing Heart (saying yes to God) - donotdepart.com

The alarm rings. You get out of bed, like every day, and stumble to the kitchen. Your hair is lopsided as you start water for tea, rustle around in the fridge for a bite to eat. You were tired last night and left crumbs, so you grab a cloth to wipe down the counter while the water boils. As you reach for the sink faucet, your bare foot kicks the pile you swept after dinner but forgot to sweep into the dustpan. You mentally add things to your to-do list for the day.

By the time you settle with your bible to snatch a moment with God, you feel the weight of the ordinary bending you down.

You and I are steeped in the ordinary aren’t we? Swimming in the mundane details of daily life. Yet when I crack my bible open, the extraordinary… the supernatural… flies off the page and into my heart. Do you feel it too?

We were created for a glorious purpose – to love. To love with our whole being all those the Lord sees fit to cross our paths. We are called to be light… to share the truth of God’s love for His people by our words and deeds. Yet how easy it is to be weighed down and even distracted by the mundane.

We all know the stories… stories of amazing missionaries who accomplished great things for the kingdom against impossible odds. George Mueller, Gladys Aylward, Amy Carmichael … the list goes on and on.

What distinguishes the men and women who have made a great impact for the kingdom?

The Lord uses the most ordinary people to show, go and tell. He does not require a special degree, lots of money, or incredible brilliance. No, what the Lord desires is a willing heart.

 

“My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” Proverbs 23:26

 

Because we are each created uniquely, the Lord has unique ways for each of us to live out His purposes for us on earth.

 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

 

Many great heroes of the bible were ordinary people who chose to say yes to God. Noah said yes to building an ark. Abram (later called Abraham) said yes to leaving everything he knew. Moses, the son of a slave woman, said yes to returning to Egypt and confronting Pharaoh. The fishermen disciples, Peter, Andrew, James and John, said yes when Jesus called them to follow Him.

Saying yes to God is not always the easy path. And alas, few do.

 

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;” Matthew 9:37

 

But saying yes to Him is a choice even the most ordinary of us can make. And that choice will make our lives extraordinary.

The mission field is the entire world – we are each called to our own unique role in it. We each have the privilege of showing the world Jesus by our very lives, of going into places of great need to serve, of telling of His great goodness and of His faithfulness in our own story.

We just have to be willing. Are you?

Missions, evangelism

Tweetables:

“Saying yes to God is a choice that makes ordinary lives extraordinary. via @becomingjoyful and @donotdepart http://ctt.ec/I7vD6+” Click here to tweet this

“What the Lord desires is a willing heart. Are YOU willing? http://ctt.ec/Zdt4B+ via @becomingjoyful and @donotdepart” Click here to tweet this

Seek Him now–Isaiah 55:6 {Memory verse}

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Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.
Isaiah 55:6

Remember playing hide-and-seek as a child?

If you were the hider, once you found your spot, you’d sit quietly, passively, doing nothing. But when you were the seeker, you’d actively set out to uncover who you were looking for.

As you meditate on Isaiah 55:6 this week, see yourself as the seeker.

While the Lord is definitely not hiding from you—He’s near and can be found!—He will reward your active participation in calling out for Him.

Today is where He is; this is the moment He’s in. Seek Him now; call upon Him here.

Suggestions for memorizing Isaiah 55:6:

  • Look up “seek” and “call” in an English or Hebrew dictionary
  • Use a concordance to find other scriptures with “seek” and “call“
  • Display Isaiah 55:6 in several places around your house this week
  • When you wake up and before you go to sleep, recite Isaiah 55:6 to the Lord
  • Once a day recite Isaiah 55:1-5, working extra on verses that are difficult
  • Practice using Scripture Typer
  • Actually do it–seek the Lord and call upon Him!
  • Practice using first letters:
    S t L w h m b f; c u h w h i n.

More information here on memorizing Isaiah 55. Download free resources here.

Share on Twitter:

“This is the moment God is in. Memorize Isaiah 55:6 with us this week @DoNotDepart http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2OE #HideHisWord” – Click here to tweet this

Questions:

In what ways can you actively seek the Lord? Are there times/places you more easily find Him? Please share below in the comments and/or on our Facebook Hide His Word page.

Hiding-Isaiah-55-in-my-heart

The Most Important Place to Look for Parenting Advice

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Photo Courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/photosbyforeman
Photo Courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/photosbyforeman

Admin note: Lindsey recently joined our writing team here at DoNotDepart, and we’re already so thankful to have her! Also, exciting: Lindsey’s first book just released! Read below for a little bit about the book.

I remember the ride home from the hospital well.

I sat in the front seat—still miserably sore from giving birth one day earlier—while my husband drove and my baby slept in the back.

I was happy, of course, but I was also overwhelmed. VERY overwhelmed. I had no idea what I was doing and didn’t know where to turn for help.

In the weeks that followed, as I adjusted to life with a baby, I scoured the Internet, desperately looking for some sort of guide that would make life easier for me.

What I found instead was a variety of parenting opinions that left me more confused than ever. It was then I noticed my Bible sitting on my nightstand.

Why I hadn’t searched it before is beyond me. After all, God was the One who invented parenthood. He—more than anyone else—knows what’s best for my children and for me.

So today, moms and dads, if you are feeling overwhelmed…if you’re wondering where to turn for parenting advice…don’t neglect the One who knows everything about you.

Turn to Him first. He might not give you a manual to parenthood, but (as I learned when my son was first born), He will help you through the often-overwhelming days of parenthood.

Let’s Talk: Besides the Bible, what are some other great places to look for parenting advice? Leave a comment to be entered to win a gift card from Lindsey for her blog tour contest!

This post is part of a Lindsey’s blog tour for Searching for Sanity, her new parenting devotional. You can read other posts in this tour by going to her blog: www.lindsey-bell.com or her website: www.lindseymbell.com.

You can also find Lindsey on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

 

Searching for Sanity_Lindsey BellAbout [amazon_link id=”1938499751″ target=”_blank” ]Searching for Sanity[/amazon_link]:

Have you ever looked at your beloved children and wondered, what in the world am I doing? Why did God trust me—of all people—to raise them?

Motherhood is the most difficult job many of us will ever take. Searching for Sanity offers moms an opportunity to take a breath, dig into the Word, and learn from parents of the past. In short devotions designed for busy moms, this book uses the parents of the Bible—both the good and the bad—to inspire today’s mothers.

5 Ways to Support Missions

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I’ve wavered between a few different ideas for my post on this month’s theme of Show, Go, and Tell. That’s likely because we’re still figuring out how to best serve “missionally” in my family’s current stage and extra challenges.

It’s easy to feel like we’re not doing “enough” to help others. It’s easier to just stay in survival mode, rather than work hard for ways to thrive.

When you can only do a little, sometimes it feels like so little wouldn’t help at all, and so you stop.

But, we can all help, in little and big ways.

My friend (and writer here), Lisa, doesn’t know this, but she tweeted the perfect thought tonight to spur this post:

“It’s amazing how God can do so much if we’ll just show up with our little.” – @LisaNotes

Just show up.

If we can do something to help, let’s do it.

5 Ways to Support Missions {DoNotDepart.com}

5 Ways to Help Support Missions

If you’re in a season of staying or a season of fewer resources or otherwise, here are five ways to still spread God’s message of love:

  1. Pray. Of course. Pray for those serving afar. Pray for those serving nearby. Pray for you to serve as best you can in your family. Pray for open eyes to see new ways to serve.
  2. Give a gift that gives back to missions. A few years ago, my siblings and I agreed to stop giving each other gifts at Christmas and sometimes birthdays. We all have tight budgets, and we have all the physical goods we need. So instead of giving a physical thing, we’ve been either performing an act of service for each other or donating in one another’s name. For people you do purchase gifts for, you can choose fair trade companies that offer reliable work for people in need (and many offer a faith-based component, too) or donate proceeds to worthwhile causes. A few of my favorite companies/charities that share Christ’s love while providing basic needs include:
  3. Support businesses and charities that have missionary components. See the list above for a few ideas. Donate outright (without making a purchase), if you want. Spread the word about a company or charity through social media, word-of-mouth, and more. Pick which one speaks to you the most and shares your God-given passions. As a family, raise money or goods for a mission in need. You can also shop through applications like Pure Charity or Amazon Smile so a percentage of your normal purchases go to charities of your choosing.
  4. Serve in your family. If you are a parent (or close to any of your family members), you impact lives. Those lives end up impacting multiple other lives, and so on. Serving and training your family absolutely spreads Christ’s love.
  5. Spread knowledge and awareness. Some people don’t help simply because they don’t know how to help or what needs exist. The more we share each other’s stories (and our own stories), the more we can all increase compassion towards others’ needs. Compassion leads to action.

If you missed it, Lisa shared ways to serve in your local community.

In supporting missions in these small (but lasting) ways, we can share Christ together, possibly in bigger ways than we could alone. Let’s shine however we can.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16

I couldn’t possibly list all the avenues in which we can support great companies, charities, and missions here. What are your favorite mission-based companies and charities? How do you support those missions? Share in the comments below.

Tweetables:

“When you can only do a little, sometimes it feels like it wouldn’t help at all. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Pl But, we can all help. @DoNotDepart” – Click here to tweet this.

“5 ways to support missions: http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Pl via @Keep_Tha_Faith and @DoNotDepart. What are your favorite mission-minded companies?” – Click here to tweet this.

The Missional Resource of Me

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Every original follower of Christ had a unique, one-of-a-kind combination of skills, experiences, and gifts to carry out the command to multiply the gospel throughout all of the peoples of the earth. When Jesus delivered the directive to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” (Matthew 28:19a) he was speaking to a group of 11 varied individuals. “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them,” (Matthew 28:16). While on the mountain, the Son of God filled the imagination and vision of the disciples as they heard the missional imperative to reach people with the gospel. Matthew may’ve been thinking about the funding, and Peter may’ve been thinking about traveling by boat.

What skills, experiences, and gifts has God woven into the fabric of your being as resources for reaching the world?

  • Do you know how to deliver a baby and treat illnesses?
  • Do you know how to teach a lesson effectively so people understand?
  • Do you know how to start a small business and manage money?
  • Do you know how to learn languages and relate in other cultures?
  • Have you known what it is to lose a child or suffer a great loss?
  • Have you experienced poverty or struggled with unemployment?
  • Have you faced oppression or experienced prejudice or persecution?
  • Have you made choices that have left you guilty?
  • Do you have citizenship that opens doors for you around the world?
  • Do you have financial resources that meet your needs and then some?
  • Do you have the ability to read and a Bible to explore?
  • Do you have an understanding of God’s truth?

God equips those He callsThe Missional Resource of Me

God doesn’t call us without equipping us. Every disciple of Christ is a resource for reaching those who have yet to experience God’s forgiveness. No one who calls themselves by the name of Christ is exempt from a part in the grand plan of getting out the word of the truth.

God has a heart for all nations

The great giver of grace has a heart for all people, every tribe and tongue. He declares, “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!'” (1 Chronicles 16:31). God plans for all nations to be included in the scope of salvation born when “God so loved the world,” (John 3:16).

God includes all disciples in the plan

In sounding out His plan for all nations to know of the salvation brought by His Son, He strategically equipped individuals, churches, and nations to spread the gospel so all will hear. “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching.” (Romans 10:14)

If you are a disciple of Christ, you are a resource to reach others. The disciples who stood around Jesus on the Galilean mountain had one thing in common with one another and with every follower of Christ since: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” (Luke 12:48)

How will God use the RESOURCE of YOU?

  • Will He use you to send others?
  • Will He use you to pray?
  • Will He use you to train others about His plan?
  • Will He use you to open doors for others?
  • Will He use you to support national believers in their own nations?
  • Will He use you to be the one to go?

How has God gifted you? How has He gifted your church? How has He gifted your nation for this time in history? YOU ARE A RESOURCE TO REACH THE WORLD.

May God entrust us with much as He sends out His truth and multiplies grace among the peoples of the world.

Tweetables to share:

  • God doesn’t call us without equipping us http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2NH #MissionalLiving @donotdepart  <  Tweet this!
  • YOU are a resource to reach the world. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2NH #MissionalLiving @donotdepart  <  Tweet this!

All are invited – Isaiah 55:5 {Memory verse}

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Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
Isaiah 55:5

The invitation has been issued: Come to me, God implores.

But the feast isn’t just for me and mine, or you and yours. It’s for all. And so Isaiah 55:1-3 leads us to 55:4-5 with a call to all the nations.

As you memorize Isaiah 55:5 this week, Feb 17-23, be mindful that Jesus has set a banquet table for all nations, and ask Him what role you can serve at the party to honor our Host.

Suggestions for memorizing Isaiah 55:5:

  • Begin and end each day with a review of Isaiah 55:1-4
  • Write out v5 by hand: circle, underline, color the words for meaning
  • Break v5 into 5 sections, focusing on 1 section a day
  • Ask someone to listen to you recite all 5 verses at the end of the week
  • Pray over the meaning of this verse; read commentaries for extras
  • Practice using Scripture Typer
  • Remind yourself often why you are memorizing scripture
  • Practice using first letters:
    B, y s c a n t y d n k, a a n t d n k y s r t y, b o t L y G, a o t H O o I, f h h g y.

Link up!
Have you visited your fellow bloggers’ links? Check out their posts and leave some comment love for mutual encouragement. The link-up is still live so continue adding new posts through March 31.

More information here on memorizing Isaiah 55. Download free resources here.

How would you explain Isaiah 55:5? Please share in the comments and/or on our Facebook memorization page.

Share on Twitter:

How do you serve at the party? Memorize Isaiah 55:5 with us this week! http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2OC @DoNotDepart #HideHisWord
Click here to tweet this

Hiding-Isaiah-55-in-my-heart

 

When the mission field comes to you

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when-the-nations-come-go

We’re talking this month about the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). For some, that means traveling to the nations.

But what about when the nations come to you?

WHO ARE THE NATIONS?
Actually the word “nations” is translated from the Greek word ethnos, meaning: a race, a tribe, foreigners, Gentiles, heathens.

Was Jesus saying they were to tell others who were “not like them” about Him?

Doesn’t He also want us to tell others who are “not like us” about Him? Everyone needs to hear. Everyone needs to tell.

WHERE ARE THE NATIONS?
We don’t have to board a plane to find the nations. We’re with others not like us all the time. We work in the same offices; our kids go to the same schools; we show up at the same sporting events; we may even share the same pew on Sunday mornings.

Our skin color may or may not look different; we may or may not speak the same language; our socioeconomic status may or may not differ.

But if one of us knows Jesus and the other does not, that’s who we’re called to “go” to.

HOW DO I GO?
You’ll go differently in every relationship, but some similarities might include:

  • Go with food

Feed a family. How often do we eat only with our family or best friends? Can we occasionally invite someone different to the table? It’s a great place in every culture to hear others’ hearts and share our own.

  • Go with service

Step outside church walls and see the needs of your community. Volunteer at a non-profit; join a community book club; play on your company’s ball team. While our church families make great company, we’re called to be the light of the world, not just lights in the sanctuary (Matthew 5:14-16). God gets the glory when we reflect Him in the city.

  • Go with money

Give locally. When you can, help the poor among you. My city is blessed with a local ministry similar to World Vision. At Christmas we were able to give a hand-wrapped present face-to-face to the beautiful girl we sponsor when her family came to pick up the box of food that our sponsorship pays for each month.

  • Go with conversation

Talk to the regulars. Who do you see during your weekly routine that you still don’t know? Be intentional about learning names and interests. The grandmother beside you on the bleachers may be desperately lonely for the discussion you can bring. Relationships are built one conversation at a time. What begins with soccer schedules can end up with sharing Jesus.

  • Go with compassion

Educate yourself on cultures. Several Hispanic families speak no English at our local food pantry. With minimal effort, I learned the Spanish words for items they repeatedly ask for. Maybe you could reach neighborhood teens by learning what snacks they like or what movies they watch. Leaning into others’ interests is a great way to care and open avenues for deeper conversations.

BUT AM I QUALIFIED?
Whether God sends you to the nations or sends the nations to you, He’s equipped you to see them, talk to them, give to them. You don’t need an extroverted personality or a degree in Missions or one-way airfare to Africa.

You only need to give what Jesus has given to you:

  • company to the lonely
  • vision to the blind
  • hope to the hurting
  • bread to the hungry
  • grace to the guilty

Regardless of the nations around you— the depressed, the discriminated against, the broken, the confused—this is your mission field.

When the mission field comes to you, show up in it.
Shine the light of Christ on it.
Love like Jesus among it. 

Who is in your mission field in this season?
How can you love them?

Please share in the comments.

Tweetables:

5 ways to “go” when the mission field comes to you http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Oi Ideas from @LisaNotes at @DoNotDepart Click here to tweet this.

“We’re called to be the light of the world, not just lights in the sanctuary.” http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Oi @DoNotDepart Click here to tweet this.

Missions, evangelism

Use Your Words

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Over the years, I’ve heard many believers say something like this:

“My life is my witness.”

And while it is true that our lives should testify to Christ and bring glory to God (Matthew 5:16, 1 Peter 2:12), this kind of statement is often used as an excuse to not open our mouths and speak words out loud about Jesus. People may indeed look at our lives and think we are great, kind, loving people. But if we don’t tell them Who makes the difference in our lives, it would just be sheer dumb luck for them to connect our good character with Jesus.

The New Testament is packed full of examples of believers “telling” the Good News of Jesus. The Gospel didn’t spread from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to Asia and to Rome because the first century believers led good lives. They “showed,” “went,” and “told!”

Use Your Words

I love Peter’s encouragement to tell in 1 Peter 3:15:

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

Are you prepared to tell others? The rest of this post is filled with some practical helps and links to resources to help you be prepared to give the reason for your hope!

Prepare Your “Story”

Your personal testimony about Jesus’ work in your life is really your life “story.” And “story” is a lot less threatening word to many people than “testimony.” Can I share my story with you?

4 components of your Jesus story:

  1. Background – What was your life like before you came to know Christ? You may not have a “dramatic” story and that’s okay!
  2. Transition – What caused you to begin thinking about spiritual things? Even if you were raised in church, there still had to be point where you realized you were a sinner and needed a Savior.
  3. First Step – What was your first step toward God? How did God bring you to salvation? (Be sure to include the primary components about why we need a Savior and how only Jesus is able to save.)
  4. Now – They will be encouraged if you let them know that you are growing in your relationship with Jesus but you have not fully “arrived.” It’s important that people see that salvation is just the beginning and not the “end.” Share what God is doing in your life right now, what are you learning about God right now.

 4 Tips for Helping Your Story Connect:

  1. Use everyday language instead of “churchy” words.
  2. Emphasize an active, dynamic relationship with a person instead of a plan.
  3. Show how your faith is a growing, changing, and fulfilling relationship with a person instead of a one-time decision in the past.
  4. Consider what you can use that will connect with the person you are sharing with. For example, do you both have young children? Maybe you’ve both recently lost a loved one.

Free Prayer Resource: The most important thing we can do to “prepare” is to pray. Pray for your heart, for God to give you not only opportunity to share, but also to break your heart for the lost. Pray for those in your life that don’t yet know Jesus. The “Sharing Jesus” Prayer Guide is a downloadable resource that lists Scriptures to pray for yourself and for those who need to know Jesus. Feel free to print it and share it!

When we take time to pray and prepare, we will be ready when God gives the opportunity. Are you ready? Let’s preach it, sister!

When was the last time you shared Jesus with your words? Do you find that hard?

Tweetables:

“Your testimony about Jesus’ work in your life is your life “story.” “Story” can be less threatening to many.  http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2M8″ – Click here to tweet this.

“4 Tips for Helping Your Faith Story Connect with Others – http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2M8 via @KathyHHoward at @DoNotDepart #ShowGoTell” – Click here to tweet this.

Scripture Memory Link-Up {Winter 2014}

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Scripture-Memory-Link-Up

It’s link-up time!

But first, thanks to all who are memorizing Isaiah 55 with us. We are off to a great start. If you’d like to join in, it’s not too late: jump in whenever you’re ready, wherever you’d like. Resources available here and Facebook conversations here.

This week (Feb 10-16) we’re memorizing Isaiah 55:4:

Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.

God made David a witness for His power. And later Jesus became the ultimate demonstrator of God’s power.

But what about you and me? How do we witness to God’s power? As we memorize this week, let’s think about sharing with others how we see God in our own lives.

Now, please link any posts from your own blog about scripture memory and/or any verses you’re memorizing. Share your struggles, your victories, your tips, your insights. We all learn from each other! Linky will remain active through March 31. Leave comments here.
 

Tweetables:

It’s link-up day! Read & share posts on scripture memory here. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2KD @DoNotDepart #HideHisWord – Click here to tweet this.

 

Being Missionally Minded during Seasons of Staying

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Admin note: We’d like to welcome Ali Shaw to our writing team! Ali is a wife, mom of three daughters, and a blogger with a great heart. Meet Ali and her writing below.

Showing Jesus

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
~Matt 28:19,20 ESV

The Great Commission is a tenet of the Christian faith. Because we’re designed to reflect Jesus, God has blessed Christians with the responsibility and privilege of shining His light. We are commanded by Christ to go, make disciples, baptize, and teach others to observe His commandments. But how does this work when you feel God is asking you to stay put? How can you be missionally minded during a season of staying?

A verse in Acts, spoken by our resurrected Messiah, encourages me:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
~Acts 1:8 ESV

As Believers, we may be asked to stay put in what equates to our “Jerusalem,” like some of the very first disciples. But, wherever we are called, our purpose is the same. As the collective Church, we still are asked to go, make disciples, baptize, and teach others. Individually, we may only participate in a few of these steps. Regardless, keeping this missional mindset in our daily lives is crucial.

Being Missionally Minded During Seasons of Staying {DoNotDepart.com}
Photo Credit (CC license, Modified)

Showing Jesus by Shining

The whole world is a mission field–from the far away jungles to your neighbor’s yard. This is why we need to show Jesus tirelessly! A familiar Christian cliché states that we may be “the only Bible some people ever read.” The way we reflect Christ may be all some people ever come to know about Christianity.

I believe that the closer your relationship is with God, the better you can reflect Him to others. The overflow of spending time with Him each day, praying, reading, studying and learning of His gracious heart and sacrificial love will touch people you encounter. Ask Him prayerfully to strengthen you to be like Him. When those around you wonder just what it is that makes you different, be ready to tell them (1 Peter 3:15)!

Showing Jesus by Supporting Others

Just because you aren’t traveling doesn’t mean you can’t be involved. If you are in a season of staying, look for opportunities to support world missions. Consider asking your pastor for ways you can personally help missionaries and missions organizations. Supporting them financially, volunteering your time and talents, and partnering in prayer are all needed and can usually be done locally.

Carefully assess the talents and skills God has given you. What gifts have you been blessed with that could be useful to missions? Are you an encourager? Perhaps you could write letters of encouragement to those serving on the mission field. Are you artsy? Maybe that item handmade with His love could be delivered to someone on the other side of the globe. Are you a writer? Use the internet as a platform to share the gospel worldwide. Maybe “all” you can do is pray?  Sister, you are certainly needed! Pray for missionaries and the people groups who need to hear the story of Christ all around the world. You get the idea.

Here are a few resources you may wish to check out to get you started:

  • Pray for a Wycliffe Missionary
  • Puppets for Orphans
  • Book: [amazon_link id=”1850783586″ target=”_blank” ]Windows on the World[/amazon_link] (Great to read with older elementary kids and up, this book is a great introduction to various people groups around the world and how to pray for them.)
  • Book: [amazon_link id=”0830857249″ target=”_blank” ]Operation World[/amazon_link] by Jason Mandryk, InterVarsity Press. (Defined as the “global prayer handbook.”)

Remember…

The Great Commission is all about love. It’s about loving Christ enough to obey Him. It’s about loving our fellow man enough to share the gospel message and making the effort to disciple them. If you are in a season of staying, you can still share the gift of salvation and shine His light brightly.

How do you stay missionally minded during seasons of staying?

Tweetables:

“How can you be missionally minded during a season of staying? http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Nv <- Some ideas from @HeartfeltbyAli at @DoNotDepart” – Click here to tweet this.

“The way we reflect Christ may be all some people ever come to know about Christianity. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Nv via @DoNotDepart” – Click here to tweet this.

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