A mental mission trip

Several years ago our family spent a month in Belarus. There we befriended a couple who went to church but didn't know Jesus. Over several meals we enjoyed each other's company and conversation. Then came their questions—and we were able to share glimpses of the beauty of Jesus and his kingdom. We later learned this couple traded everything they had (including their wedding bands, which were later returned) to enroll in a discipleship training school.

For the most part, missionary life is normal life in an unfamiliar culture. Imagine yourself going to a foreign land. There you study the culture, compare and contrast it with God's kingdom, embrace what you can, make friends, and live life with people. You pray and you watch for opportunities to share. This makes you a missionary.

Now come back home. How can you do these same things here?

Trust the gauges

Today we will celebrate the life of a man in our church. His death seemed so sudden and untimely. Those of us who knew him well are disoriented—trying to imagine days ahead without him.

It's like a pilot flying in darkness and dense fog. Which way is up? In pain and confusion we could easily lose our bearings and crash. But though we can't see past our windshield, we can see our gauges. Right now they're more than just indicators; they're the way to the Way—the way to life and safety.

Fitbits for our walk

Yesterday three women with identical Fitbits were having a lighthearted conversation about what these devices have done for them and to them. Their laughter was over comments like this: "If my Fitbit battery needs to be charged, I make sure I stay on the couch so I don't miss any steps!"

Fitbits were developed to promote health—to help people pay attention to areas of neglect: too few steps, too slow of a pace, too much sitting. We can only laugh at our new belief that an unrecorded step is a bad step.

Discipleship tools serve a similar purpose—bring attention to areas of neglect in order to promote health. Ignoring aspects of our walk leads to a spiritual flabbiness. But as with our physical walk, a discipleship step that isn't noticed, recorded, analyzed, and reported, is still a step. It contributes to growth and strength.

Keep moving.