Go and Make Disciples

MARIAH CUNNINGHAM | GUEST This past summer, I piloted a children’s curriculum that focused on missions. The final lessons focused on “going.” I have had a focus on missions most of my life through serving on churches’ missions committees, studying missions as an undergrad, and working for MTW. I am all about the “going,” but while I was teaching this curriculum, I saw the “going” in a new light. There are three Scriptures that were used in the curriculum that resonated with me about Kingdom expansion and simplified my understanding of the “going.” Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you.” In this passage the Lord is telling Abram to GO! Not only does He tell Abram to go, but He also tells him to leave his country, his people, his family, and all that he knows behind. This is where questioning and doubt start to come in. I am a planner and like to be organized, so this type of thinking really gets me worked up, but the last part of this Scripture is the best. It says, “I will show you.” I love this so much because it is such a powerful encouragement displaying that God is faithful, He is with us, and He will show us. We may not always see the path nor is the path always easy, but He will show us the way to go and be with us in that journey. Jonah 1:1-2 “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ’Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’” This is another passage where God says GO! After God directs Jonah on the where, He tells him the what, “Call out against it.” God was direct with Jonah by telling him the where and the what, but it was the why that Jonah struggled with. Although he grumbled, complained, and made the journey very difficult on himself, Jonah still went and, in the end, God was glorified. I know in my own life, my attitude reflects more of Jonah than of Christ. I complain when things do not go according to my plan. I grumble when people don’t show up at the last minute and sometimes, I even ask, “what is the point?” Even through my poor, pitiful attitude God can be glorified and the more I grasp onto that concept, the more joy I will find in the journey. Matthew 28:19-20 “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.”...

Go and Make Disciples2023-10-21T15:25:19+00:00

God is Near: Certain Comfort for Moms

LISA UPDIKE|GUEST I walked into Walmart thinking about purchasing a watermelon and salad greens to create a nice, fresh summer meal. I pushed my sunglasses up on my head and proceeded through the route I always take: through the seasonal and sale stuff (just in case there is something good) and then past the candles, women’s clothes, and straight to the produce. Walking my route, I was taken aback. Where the sunscreen had been showcased just last week stood huge displays of glue sticks, pencils, markers, and crayons. Excuse me, Mr. Manager; don’t you know I haven’t even gone on my summer vacation? It is certainly not time to think about school yet! Still, no matter how frustrated I might get with the early arrival of school supplies in my store’s aisles, the new school year is just around the corner, and mothers everywhere are preparing their hearts for the new school year—homeschoolers, Christian schoolers, and public schoolers alike. A Fear We All Have Felt In my role as the Director of Children’s Ministries at my church, I’m privy to the thoughts of many mothers. As moms think about “back to school,” one emotion keeps bubbling to the surface over and over. I hear it in their voices, in the questions they ask, and the conversations they have. It’s not a pretty emotion. It’s one that can sometimes paralyze us.  Fear. We’ve all felt it. Moms are afraid of the task of raising children in today’s culture. When kids are home with us all summer and activities are more family based, that fear slips into the recesses for a bit. But the thought of sending our kids out again to interact with others at school, sports, even our homeschool co-ops, means exposure where we might not have control over what comes in...

God is Near: Certain Comfort for Moms2023-08-15T13:17:08+00:00
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