Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Journey of FIVE
As a family, we are taking Matt's call about "5" very seriously. All five of us are pumped to charge his admonition with energy and enthusiasm. But my husband, our three kids, and I express that very differently.
My husband and six-year-old daughter feel most challenged by the task at hand. Inviting five people to church seems the most daunting to them. They're just not as comfortable starting up a "random" God-conversation with one of their friends. A little bit down the spectrum sits our seven-year-old son, who excitedly wrote out his list a few weeks ago but who kind of freaked out down the road. Then there's our four-year-old daughter and myself, who take on Matt's challenge as a fun adventure.
So what does that mean for you? You probably identify where you fit on that spectrum right away. Maybe you've already invited like one hundred friends to church and you're running out of the cute little note-cards. That would be more like me. But perhaps, you're more like my son who got super excited initially... but then lost his steam when push came to shove.
My little guy was so pumped about inviting his Muslim buddy and their family. But when I asked him recently if he'd actually invited him, he said, "No." And the conversation pretty much ended right there. He still wants his friend to come to one of our Easter services, but he's trying to figure out how the actual conversation will play out.
Maybe you're more like our middle daughter who feels shy just praying at the dinner table. Perhaps you guys can just pray for the rest of us as we put ourselves out on the line. But even she got excited about inviting her best friend, Haley, (who already attends another awesome church) to Easter service. So, what excuse can my husband have? His own daughter, who hides under a shell, figured out who she wanted to invite. Shouldn't he be able to think of his closest friend from work as well?
Our youngest daughter is even more outgoing than I am. She's more talkative than the Press and has probably already invited her entire preschool. With a few simple reminders about Matt's challenge, she'd just start going door to door if that was an option. Matching her enthusiasm, I have already thought of and invited way more than five people to our church for Easter. And I continue to pray and ask God, "Who else, Lord?" I tell Him that I will invite whomever He leads me to. It's simply not that hard of a task!!!
But since we're wired with a plethora of different personalities, it's important to accept your own skill set where it's at. That said, it doesn't mean that shy people get off the hook completely. Instead, it could mean that you should reach out to two people that God has laid upon your heart, instead of FIVE. I mean I know Matt said FIVE, but we'll catch your slack if you simply can't reach that goal on your own. I'm planning to text blast an invitation to most of my local contacts by tomorrow, so you can borrow a few of mine if necessary, okay?
The most important part of this challenge no matter how old you are or regardless of your personality type is that you TRUST the Lord to step up to the plate. Remember all those cool verses about the Holy Spirit? Like how He'll intercede on your behalf and how He'll give you the words to say? So, as you pray over these next few days, believe that God is going to lead you to the right people. If it's not His will, it won't play out anyways.
The thing we all have to remember is that we'll go before the King one day and He's going to hold us accountable for what we have done and also for what we have not done. When I frequently check the updates on one of my favorite blogs about a ministry in Uganda, I'm always humbled and weeping. Missionary Katie has adopted thirteen girls by herself as a single woman in her twenties. Sure she misses Starbucks and fun movies, but God's call on her life is way BIGGER!!!
Recently, she set up a triage center for those living in the slums near her village. She and her thirteen daughters did their best to bind up the physically oozing, dripping, and bleeding patients (many who were HIV infected). They dealt with their deep physical wounds, fed them, and offered the water of life for their souls with a simple invitation to meet JESUS.
I challenged my husband this morning with Missionary Katie's recent post and asked, "Can't we at least tell people about Jesus?" My observation for most Americans is that no matter how hard we have it, physically, financially, or emotionally... we still have it exponentially easier than two thirds or more of the world. At least we get clean drinking water. At least we get access to a warm bed, to three meals a day, and to safe transportation.
I'm not doing one hundredth of the amount of outreach that Missionary Katie is doing for her small Ugandan village. So can't I at least tell someone about Jesus for a few minutes over a coffee? Or can't we just invite them to our church so Matt can tell them? Go ahead and take that next step. Just invite that person that God has already put on your heart for the last few weeks... you know the person you see every day of the year (except for holidays)!!!
If fear stops you, cover it with courage. If panic overtakes you, let the Holy Spirit give you His peace. If confusion floods your mind, let the Comforter guide you. If you are in the way of what the Lord is trying to do, then get out of the way. Let Him step in to use you so that you can begin to find fulfillment in the journey of planting eternal seeds.
Keeping it real. Share your thoughts here and let us know how your adventure of FIVE is going. We'd love to hear from you. :)
My husband and six-year-old daughter feel most challenged by the task at hand. Inviting five people to church seems the most daunting to them. They're just not as comfortable starting up a "random" God-conversation with one of their friends. A little bit down the spectrum sits our seven-year-old son, who excitedly wrote out his list a few weeks ago but who kind of freaked out down the road. Then there's our four-year-old daughter and myself, who take on Matt's challenge as a fun adventure.
So what does that mean for you? You probably identify where you fit on that spectrum right away. Maybe you've already invited like one hundred friends to church and you're running out of the cute little note-cards. That would be more like me. But perhaps, you're more like my son who got super excited initially... but then lost his steam when push came to shove.
My little guy was so pumped about inviting his Muslim buddy and their family. But when I asked him recently if he'd actually invited him, he said, "No." And the conversation pretty much ended right there. He still wants his friend to come to one of our Easter services, but he's trying to figure out how the actual conversation will play out.
Maybe you're more like our middle daughter who feels shy just praying at the dinner table. Perhaps you guys can just pray for the rest of us as we put ourselves out on the line. But even she got excited about inviting her best friend, Haley, (who already attends another awesome church) to Easter service. So, what excuse can my husband have? His own daughter, who hides under a shell, figured out who she wanted to invite. Shouldn't he be able to think of his closest friend from work as well?
Our youngest daughter is even more outgoing than I am. She's more talkative than the Press and has probably already invited her entire preschool. With a few simple reminders about Matt's challenge, she'd just start going door to door if that was an option. Matching her enthusiasm, I have already thought of and invited way more than five people to our church for Easter. And I continue to pray and ask God, "Who else, Lord?" I tell Him that I will invite whomever He leads me to. It's simply not that hard of a task!!!
But since we're wired with a plethora of different personalities, it's important to accept your own skill set where it's at. That said, it doesn't mean that shy people get off the hook completely. Instead, it could mean that you should reach out to two people that God has laid upon your heart, instead of FIVE. I mean I know Matt said FIVE, but we'll catch your slack if you simply can't reach that goal on your own. I'm planning to text blast an invitation to most of my local contacts by tomorrow, so you can borrow a few of mine if necessary, okay?
The most important part of this challenge no matter how old you are or regardless of your personality type is that you TRUST the Lord to step up to the plate. Remember all those cool verses about the Holy Spirit? Like how He'll intercede on your behalf and how He'll give you the words to say? So, as you pray over these next few days, believe that God is going to lead you to the right people. If it's not His will, it won't play out anyways.
The thing we all have to remember is that we'll go before the King one day and He's going to hold us accountable for what we have done and also for what we have not done. When I frequently check the updates on one of my favorite blogs about a ministry in Uganda, I'm always humbled and weeping. Missionary Katie has adopted thirteen girls by herself as a single woman in her twenties. Sure she misses Starbucks and fun movies, but God's call on her life is way BIGGER!!!
Recently, she set up a triage center for those living in the slums near her village. She and her thirteen daughters did their best to bind up the physically oozing, dripping, and bleeding patients (many who were HIV infected). They dealt with their deep physical wounds, fed them, and offered the water of life for their souls with a simple invitation to meet JESUS.
I challenged my husband this morning with Missionary Katie's recent post and asked, "Can't we at least tell people about Jesus?" My observation for most Americans is that no matter how hard we have it, physically, financially, or emotionally... we still have it exponentially easier than two thirds or more of the world. At least we get clean drinking water. At least we get access to a warm bed, to three meals a day, and to safe transportation.
I'm not doing one hundredth of the amount of outreach that Missionary Katie is doing for her small Ugandan village. So can't I at least tell someone about Jesus for a few minutes over a coffee? Or can't we just invite them to our church so Matt can tell them? Go ahead and take that next step. Just invite that person that God has already put on your heart for the last few weeks... you know the person you see every day of the year (except for holidays)!!!
If fear stops you, cover it with courage. If panic overtakes you, let the Holy Spirit give you His peace. If confusion floods your mind, let the Comforter guide you. If you are in the way of what the Lord is trying to do, then get out of the way. Let Him step in to use you so that you can begin to find fulfillment in the journey of planting eternal seeds.
Keeping it real. Share your thoughts here and let us know how your adventure of FIVE is going. We'd love to hear from you. :)
Labels: church post, evangelism
