Pray, Go, Give Blog

Sustainable ...to keep up or keep going, as an action or process. To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage.

For those who desire to know God and do the "will of God" it is critical that we discover ways to do that which are sustainable. I have learned over the years that guilt, fear and obligation are not sustainable processes when it comes to knowing God or doing the will of God. I have found 3 key things that are doable, repeatable, and give vitality that I think you will find helpful. 

First:   Know the Bible

To the degree you spend time reading, studying, meditating, and praying through the scriptures you will "understand what is right and just and fair - every good path". Proverbs 2:1-9

Second:   Know Yourself

We are in a process of discovering who we are as God is in the process of working in us. Scripture tells us "it is God who works in you to will and act according to his good purpose." Phillippians 2:13

As we learn about what God has placed in us (spiritual gifts and passions) as well as understand how we are developing (background, personality, interests) we come to a better understanding of how to make good decisions. God created us and likes us. We are in a lifelong process that God initiated and continues to develop.

Third: Know God

We have not been called to a religious obligation but to an organic relationship. Jesus speaks of himself as "The Vine" and us as "branches".  John 15:5

Our God experience has to be alive, real, and connected to be sustainable. Guilt, fear and obligation are not healthy or sustainable responses to a meaningful relationship. Prayer is simply a process or action that describes talking to God. In order to grow a relationship you have to keep talking. Talking keeps us connected.

Simplicity:  As simple as these 3 things are they represent the meaningful processes that give vitality and encourage me in my attempts to know and obey God. What do you find helpful?

As the director of Alternative Missions I am often asked "How do you decide where to start a new mission project?" This is a great question and one that we have dealt with many times. The answers that work for us have an individual and corporate application. I think these principles can be applied to your life as you work through what God is directing you to do. The world is full of needs and opportunities to serve. How do you decide what or where God wants you to be involved?

We start by knowing ourself. Our organization has certain values, goals, directives, strengths, and culture that we need to be aware of. We have come to learn that knowing ourself is critical to making good decisions. While it can be a challenge to decide which need or opportunity to commit time, effort and resources to there are some basic principles that have been helpful to us.

Some things to consider when deciding where to get involved...

What has God been putting in your heart? In various ways and over time has a need been reinforced as something you should consider meeting? Is something or somewhere growing in your heart? What keeps coming up in prayer or through other spiritual disciplines?  For something to be sustainable you have to have a passion for it. It has to be something you truly want to do. God works in us first to want and then to do His will. This is really important…see Philippians 2:13. 

You have to give God the chance to speak to you so prayer and other spiritual disciplines are important. “God shares with the person who cares.” Put yourself in a position to hear.

Visiting the location or seeing the need first hand "on-site" has been really important for me. I am a person who benefits from spending time in a situation to confirm a direction. A little money and time spent investigating something can save enormous amounts of time and money down the road. Visit a location, spend time with people, and prayerfully listen to what is being said.  God can speak to you as you investigate.

Because it takes a network of people and resources to be successful, include others who can help you evaluate what you are considering. Share what you are considering with others and ask them to pray with you. If possible bring them with you to check it out. God will confirm direction through others. For us, God works in so many ways through relationships.

If you think you should move forward then ask God for some miracles. One way to separate “good” ideas from “God” ideas is through the miraculous. Miracles are not limited to but can include others who want to join you, key people on location who can help make things happen, provision of finances or other resources needed, and confirming words of encouragement along the way. You don’t want to spend the resource of time, money and lives on “good” ideas. When the going gets tough, which it always does, you need to have the assurance that you are involved in a “God” idea. You will need ongoing miracles to succeed so make sure you have the assurance that you are in a place where God wants you. God will confirm direction through the miraculous.

With your heart’s passion confirmed, a team behind and with you, and the miraculous provision of God empowering you, you are ready to go.
What helps you determine what God wants you to do?

The anxiety level is pretty high these days over the state of the economy and political change.  Thankfully we are not dealing with economic and political conflicts at the scale of many countries around the world. Here many people are losing  their jobs and asset wealth but not their lives. The way people view their future and anticipate their financial state is in the process of major adjustment.  On the political front there are politicians that are taking advantage of the crisis to introduce new social order via the "Shock Doctrine".  Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said the economic crisis facing the country is "an opportunity for us". "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste."  The one two punch of economic and systemic political change in the U.S. has some hopeful, others confused, and some afraid.  I would love to hear about how you are processing all this. Here are my latest musings...

I am spending a lot of time thinking about what Jesus said to Pilate...“My Kingdom is not from here (this world) it has no such origin or source.”  While recognizing that I am a citizen of the U.S.A.  I am reminded that I should have a greater allegiance to the "Kingdom of God" than I do to the country, culture, and systems that I have been born into. If Jesus Kingdom has no origin or source in this world how caught up in this world system should I be?  I want to be a responsible citizen and yet I want to make eternal efforts my focus. I want my hope and passion to be spent making a real difference. Jesus declaration that His Kingdom is not "from here" has serious implications if we consider ourselves part of that Kingdom. So; I find myself going between stressing out and trusting God and His word. I want to live more and more in His Kingdom peace and less in this worlds anxiety. My processing is leading me towards more of an emphasis on Jesus Kingdom and holding with a "loose hand" the things of this world.

How are you processing the economic and political changes in the U.S.A.? What do you put your hope, emotions and passion in? How does that affect your anxiety level regarding current issues?

Longevity in Missions is directly related to your success at building a team.

I have been in missions now for 25+ years and looking back I would not trade my life with anyone I know.  We have been "led" to many places, pioneered several ministries, moved more times than I can remember, and raised 4 children along the way.  The years have been filled with adventure and challenge.  From day one my goal (and necessity) was to bring as many people along with me as I could. Family, friends and people I have met along the way have been key to all that has been accomplished. I am blessed with having been involved with thousands of people and I have found that all success has been related to a team effort. One of my favorite proverbs has become...

 "If you want to go fast go alone ... if you want to go far go together".

I often find myself talking with people that are missionary hopefuls. Consistently one of the major concerns of these potential missionaries is support raising. Like many mission organizations Alternative Missions does not pay our staff salaries. We are all required to raise support and so we rely on the contributions of those who believe in what we do and join us in our mission efforts through prayer, going, and giving to accomplish the tasks we are involved in. So; mission team building is critical. It has been my experience that those missionaries who do a good job of building a team last the longest in missions and seem to accomplish the most.

Keys to building a solid missionary team:

• Make team building a priority. Pray for a team. Ask God for people to join you. I have met people in places and ways that are quite unusual.
• Keep your team informed. Personal Visits / Phone / Email / Social Networks / Website - there is no excuse today for not keeping in touch with folks. 
• Share opportunities for people to be involved.  Ask for specific things and give clear steps of action.
• Tell people the truth. Good & Bad / Beautiful & Ugly / Struggles & Glory - and let them do the same with you.
• Have people join you (on site) Whenever possible. Give them a chance to experience your life. They will go home with a new sense of the role they play on the team.

When I think back to all that has been accomplished I realize the joy of having done it with so many. Our sacrifices and victories mean so much when I am aware of what we all did to make them happen. I love working with so many wonderful people and I believe that is what God intended...that we do things together and enjoy the miracles and manage the disappointments together. Truly; as we come together and funtion as a team, we do "go far".

Additional Reading:

• Communication Tools for Buiding Your Team

Pray/Go/Give is a winning formula for making a difference and enriching our lives.

It is amazing how fast life can go bye and we are left looking back and wondering how we could have done life better. Let me offer a way of thinking about how to spend your life that will be helpful, productive and meaningful.

Pray - Prayer is the place were God shares His heart, His plan, and the inspiration needed to take action. Make a habit of spending time asking God what you can do to make a difference with your time, talents, and resources.  As we pray we are compelled to GO.

Go - Go means a change of location. I am talking locally and internationally. Crossing cultures and changing geographic locations enables us to learn things that we could never learn in our own world. If you want to know the joy of  life go out and give yourself away to others. As we share ourselves we gain from what we experience. As we go we are compelled to GIVE.

Give - Sharing from our "treasure" helps us gain new wealth that personal possessions can't match. To direct our resources in such a way as to make a difference in this world is a powerful expression of what we say we believe. As we give we are compelled to PRAY and the cycle repeats itself.

Join with us / Links for involvement:

• Build a Home for a needy family
• Facilitate a Movement that Expresses itself through the Arts
• Plant a Church in Cofradia, Oaxaca, Roatan and Puerto Viejo
• Facilitate a Youth Ministry and Skate Park
• Feed the Poor / Care for a Refugee
• Donate Finances

I was recently looking through a file of "snail mail" newsletters that I began sending family and friends in 1982 when I first stepped into the "missionary life" with my wife Linnea and at the time two children. My intent from the beginning was to make our "calling" to missions a shared experience with those who wanted to go along. It has been a long and winding road filled with surprises, accomplishments and our share of "learning experiences". I truly feel as if I have gone down this road with a community of friends. As I launch this new blog I am reminded of the hassle and cost of snail mail in the past and the complications of internet use in foreign coutries as new technologies were developing. The social networks, websites and email we use today have made life so much easier. My hope is that through this blog I will be able to be transparent, vulnerable, helpful, and communicate clear steps of action for involvement so that more folks than ever can be mobilized into missions. Please join me.

Additional Reading:

• Communication Tools for Buiding Your Team