Where do you begin in living out God's mission in 2012?
Michael Breen believes it begins with two very simple questions as you are praying:
1) Who do you want to be good news to?
2) To people in that community, what is good news?
The answer to these questions and the following prayer should be INTEGRATED into your daily life. You only live one life, so live one life. INTENTIONALLY, live this one life on mission to your neighbors and in your community WITH your community of faith.
A simple prayer to pray: “God, who are you sending me to where you are already at work and what is my entrance into that community?”
What does an integrated life look like? Sara Breen offers this:
"Begin sharing stuff. It breaks down the barriers when someone borrows your sewing machine, lawn mower or car. It’s a lot easier to shape an inter-dependent family when you’re sharing things regularly.
Don’t think about people as possessions. (i.e. my children, my husband, etc). Think about what they bring and who they are within the wider community.
What gift do I have that I could share with others for good? (cooking , cleaning , decorating, computer skills, etc). I could swap my gift for another (“if you teach me how to use Quickbooks, I’ll babysit your kids so you get a date night). What do I need and what do others need, and what ways do they relate to each other so we can be more interdependent?
What shared tasks would be more fun and completed quicker if done in oikos (extended family)? Christmas /thanksgiving, children’s parties, landscaping, etc.
If you’re discipling someone in your extended family, is there something I’m already doing that someone else could tag along with? Driving kids to school. Going grocery shopping. Going to the airport. Rather than setting up a coffee or lunch every time someone needs something, fold them into your regular life and use the time more efficiently. Plus, there are lots of other things they’ll pick up.
Start thinking about major decisions (like schooling , where to buy a house, etc) in terms of where your community and relationships are, not just your individual preference .
Start with where the People of Peace are (people God has already prepared in advance to be open to you).
Have at least one meal a week when you invite someone(s) over. You’re already eating, invite someone to do it with you!
Walk the same roads and neighborhoods.
Park the car in the driveway instead of the garage so you have to talk to your neighbors.
Go to the same restaurants at the same time on the same day each week and sit in the same place so you get to know the staff over time."
Read more of Mike's blog here: http://ping.fm/KBddk
Read here http://ping.fm/NzElv to see how Jesus encouraged the 70 (a missional community?) in Luke 10 to intentionally live out the mission by constantly asking the Lord of the Harvest for more harvest hands, and to be willing to be the answer to this prayer.
Michael Breen believes it begins with two very simple questions as you are praying:
1) Who do you want to be good news to?
2) To people in that community, what is good news?
The answer to these questions and the following prayer should be INTEGRATED into your daily life. You only live one life, so live one life. INTENTIONALLY, live this one life on mission to your neighbors and in your community WITH your community of faith.
A simple prayer to pray: “God, who are you sending me to where you are already at work and what is my entrance into that community?”
What does an integrated life look like? Sara Breen offers this:
"Begin sharing stuff. It breaks down the barriers when someone borrows your sewing machine, lawn mower or car. It’s a lot easier to shape an inter-dependent family when you’re sharing things regularly.
Don’t think about people as possessions. (i.e. my children, my husband, etc). Think about what they bring and who they are within the wider community.
What gift do I have that I could share with others for good? (cooking , cleaning , decorating, computer skills, etc). I could swap my gift for another (“if you teach me how to use Quickbooks, I’ll babysit your kids so you get a date night). What do I need and what do others need, and what ways do they relate to each other so we can be more interdependent?
What shared tasks would be more fun and completed quicker if done in oikos (extended family)? Christmas /thanksgiving, children’s parties, landscaping, etc.
If you’re discipling someone in your extended family, is there something I’m already doing that someone else could tag along with? Driving kids to school. Going grocery shopping. Going to the airport. Rather than setting up a coffee or lunch every time someone needs something, fold them into your regular life and use the time more efficiently. Plus, there are lots of other things they’ll pick up.
Start thinking about major decisions (like schooling , where to buy a house, etc) in terms of where your community and relationships are, not just your individual preference .
Start with where the People of Peace are (people God has already prepared in advance to be open to you).
Have at least one meal a week when you invite someone(s) over. You’re already eating, invite someone to do it with you!
Walk the same roads and neighborhoods.
Park the car in the driveway instead of the garage so you have to talk to your neighbors.
Go to the same restaurants at the same time on the same day each week and sit in the same place so you get to know the staff over time."
Read more of Mike's blog here: http://ping.fm/KBddk
Read here http://ping.fm/NzElv to see how Jesus encouraged the 70 (a missional community?) in Luke 10 to intentionally live out the mission by constantly asking the Lord of the Harvest for more harvest hands, and to be willing to be the answer to this prayer.
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