When we have been disappointed, it is not easy to let ourselves risk again. So often, our past experiences dictate our willingness to hope for something different in the New Year. Being “realistic” leaves God out of the picture. It puts the God of the impossible on the shelf, the God who loves you and is able to do what you can not do. Take a risk and hope again.
“What are you waiting for?” The phrase conjures up negative thoughts. In my mind’s eye, I see angry, hurried people, pushing, and prodding. Hurry up! Get a move on! Delays can be miserable. Waiting isn’t all bad though. There is both joy and pain in …
Imagine with me. Party invitations were handed out in the room. You waited breathless and anticipating. Your card must be at the bottom of the pile they clasped in capable hands. Until the final card was distributed, there was still a glimmer of hope. Would you be invited to the special meal? Would you receive a Christmas invitation?
Seeing all the cards were gone, disappointment shot through your heart, like a thermometer’s mercury rising rapidly. I guess I wasn’t on the list, you thought, feeling sad at heart.
You may wonder where you’ll spend the holiday. At home alone? With friends? Invitations represent acceptance, love, and are an expression of friendship. They’re a symbol of inclusion in a special circle of people and can mean a lot. Christmas is a season of many joyous invitations.
Perhaps you miss celebrating with family and friends back home. Or maybe someone you loved passed away this year and it will be your first holiday without them there. Christmas can carry a multitude of bittersweet emotions.
Christmas also offers us some wonderful invitations from Father God. Will we stretch out our hand (and heart) to receive what He offers us?
A Happy, But Different, Christmas
One of our happiest Christmases on the mission field was in India. We’d been pioneering a small, but growing, ministry in the slums. Through a series of miracles, a group of believers had formed and been meeting regularly to learn from God’s Word.
Christmas is not a culturally Indian holiday. Our city had only a few signs of Christmas cheer during the weeks leading up to December 25th. No Christmas music in the stores, nor decorations and lights in the streets. What brought great joy, though, was sharing the stories of Christmas in that small fellowship as we sat on mud floors covered with simple mats.
We told of how the shepherds saw the angels appear, then went to find the babe in a manger. Watching the eyes of those we shared these stories with for the first time…it was as beautiful as any sparkling tree’s lights!
The miracle of Christ’s virgin birth somehow seemed amazingly clear.
3 Special Invitations Christmas Brings
An invitation to gaze in wonder.
This Christmas, ask God to renew your sense of child-like wonder. As adults, we can grow dull to the joys of the holiday. Even the mystery of Christ’s supernatural virgin birth can lose its miraculous glow. We’ve heard the story so often, preached it, read it. Ask God to renew your sense of awe at the reality of the stories surrounding His incredible birth.
One of the things that help me maintain a sense of awe is sharing this story with those who’ve never heard it before. Is there someone in your area? Perhaps an immigrant family, or someone from another religious background, that you could make a special effort to share it with this year?
Don’t rush through the rituals and ceremonies of Christmas. Let your mind slow down and your soul take in the joy of the season. Christmas is a time when even in the little things, you can find a rich balm for your soul.
It’s been a hard couple of years. What is one thing you could do that would bring with it a sense of joy and symbolize for you the peace God brought to this earth when He arrived?
An invitation to share with others.
Missionary life can be stressful, especially when it comes to finances. There have been times when the financial demands of the Christmas season made me wish the holiday would hurry up and be over. How will I buy new clothes for my kids this year? Gifts for our staff?
Avoid the pressure of materialism. Determine to be a giver during this season. What could you make to share with someone in need? A meal? Or could you can serve them in some way, clean up their garden or help them with other chores?
It’s amazing when we put together the little we have, how God multiplies it. Train new believers and those in the churches you’ve started to give what they have. Don’t raise outside money to feed them a feast. Instead, invite them to bring what they can. Sharing with others is part of God’s invitation to us at Christmas time.
An invitation to join His feast.
“At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’”
Luke 14:17
As mentioned in the scripture above, Jesus often told parables about feasts. The Kingdom of God was likened to a feast the Father was hosting. When the well-to-do and religious didn’t show interest in His feast, He told His servants to go and bring in the lame, blind, and those without a “right” to be there.
He is still calling us, His servants, to go out and bring them in. The poor, the broken, those with little hope. Don’t wait for your invitation to a party this Christmas. You’ve already been invited to serve at it! Go bring others in! The Master waits to welcome them through you.
What will you do to accept our Lord’s invitations this year?
“Suck it up!” My basketball coach used to tell me that when I was acting tired during our practice drills. “No pain, no gain!” In many ways, we are taught to ignore pain and push through it. I’m not saying there isn’t a place for …
Every year I ask the Lord a question. “What one thing do you want me to do this year?” I like to get my priorities crystal clear. When I know what God has said to do, I have my marching orders. I know my one …
Have you ever lost your temper? Gotten upset with fellow team members? Differences in personality, culture, and spiritual gifting can drive us apart. Or, these differences can make us strong and effective as a missionary team.
My husband and I are extreme opposites in many areas.
Sometimes he drives me crazy! Yeah, I know. I make him want to pull his hair out sometimes too. Over time though, we have learned to appreciate one another’s differences. That doesn’t mean it isn’t ever difficult!
We are so different! Sometimes that is hard. We have learned though, that it is important to make space for one another’s gifts and desires to be expressed. That makes our lives, ministry, and marriage much happier.
He is a slow, steady, and thorough processor. I am a fast, rapid decision-maker. Most of the time I am far down the road in my thinking by the time he catches up. From his perspective, I miss important details that matter when I only see the big picture.
It can feel like a real challenge some days to journey together in life and ministry. Yet together, we are a strong team, especially when we can appreciate and honor one another. As we celebrate our differences we move forward with joy.
Though this example is from marriage, it is the same in our teams. After all, if you are married, you are a missionary team first with your spouse, right?
Do They Strengthen Or Divide Your Missionary Team
Though our differences are a challenge, they can become a significant strength if we keep the right attitudes. If not, they will weaken and divide us. Over the next weeks, I will write about key areas where we commonly experience differences in our missionary teams.
I will share some of my personal experiences in these realms and give tips you can apply to your team as well. As a bonus, if you are married, you will find these articles useful for your marriage too.
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 1 Cor. 12:7 NLT
The Purpose Of the Gifts
I love this verse. It comes just before the list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. The purpose of spiritual gifts is so we can help one another! God made us different for a reason. He gave us our uniqueness so that together we would represent and serve Him well.
Are you tempted to think that different = bad? Or maybe in your mind you know different is good, but your feelings don’t line up. Different can feel really bad indeed! It certainly isn’t comfortable.
3 Areas Of Difference
In working with teams for the past twenty plus years, there are three primary areas I’ve seen teams struggle.
1) Personality and Temperament.
This has to do with who you are. Many different tools can help you understand more about yourself. They can also bring insights into who your fellow team members are. I will mention them in another resource.
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? A fast or slow processor?
Do you prefer things to stay the same or do you love change and variety?
These have to do with personality and temperament. They affect our team dynamics in very significant ways.
2) Culture and Worldview.
Some teams are made up of people from different cultures. At times those differences are extreme! Other times the variance is less radical.
On almost any team culture and worldview differences come into play as we work together. Understanding one another’s cultural background is necessary. Then, we can celebrate and benefit from differences. That is so much better than becoming angry and divided.
How important is community? Individual freedom of choice?
What do respect and honor look like in your culture?
These ways of thinking about life have a big impact on how we function as a team.
3) Spiritual Gifts and Ministry Passions.
The five-fold ministry gifts are a good starting point when talking about spiritual gifts. Those gifts are; apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. We should consider the other lists of spiritual gifts in light of our team as well. Check out my conversation on the Dare to Multiply podcast with Neil Cole about this. He calls it APEST.
Teachers can clash with evangelists. Why bring all these people to Christ if they never learn the Word of God and get rooted deeply in their faith? So the teachers say.
Pastors often feel apostles are too brash.
Evangelists think pastors waste too much time nurturing the flock when people are dying without the gospel.
Prophets tend to offend almost everyone at some point! Sorry, prophetic friends.
Yet each of these gifts is important to have represented in our teams. We need to make space for them to function and be welcomed if we want a strong team. Watch for more on this in future articles.
Start With Prayer And Appreciation
Let me return to my first question. Do you ever struggle with anger toward those on your team who are different from you?
Some people get angry and show it. Others simmer internally. Almost all of us find it a challenge to work with those who are not the same as we are.
It helps to remember that God, who knows what is best for His Kingdom’s advance, designed us this way. He made us different so we could help each other build His Church and take His purposes forward. We need each other.
Take a moment to thank God for the differences in your team or marriage. Pray a prayer and thank God specifically for the person you struggle most with.
Thank God for that perspective or personality trait that is so different from yours. Then if you want to go the extra mile, this week, let them know you are grateful for who they are.
Which of these three areas do you find most challenging in your team? Differences in personality, culture, or ministry passion?
Ever talk to yourself? Every once in a while, I accidentally find myself exclaiming something out loud. I suddenly notice what I meant to say silently in my mind has slipped out my lips. “Come on Anderson, do it right!” is one. Or I utter …
Though I was born in Nigeria, my passport says I am an American. I love my country. But I have never felt like a “real” American. Preparing for a trip back to the USA, someone asked me, “Are you going home next week?” That is …
Disruption releases innovation. We discover untried ways of serving God, of accomplishing His purposes. Do you maximize or resist the opportunities disruption or crisis brings?
Often, instead of embracing new things, we get stuck. We experience a nostalgic longing for the way things used to be.
It’s Not Easy, But It’s Necessary
Change is hard. Adapting to new situations requires a tremendous amount of energy. We grow weary, tired of the intense demand of constant change. This is particularly true as we age. Younger people tend to have a greater ability to adapt. They are more likely to see change as an adventure, as something interesting, rather than a burden.
Technology is a prime example. Youth seem to easily pick up and intuitively understand new applications and the ways technology works. The older we are the more difficult. How many grandparents hand their grandkids their phones and ask them to help? Change is not so easy and intuitive for those of us who are older.
Yet, we want our movements and ministries to grow. This will not happen unless we choose to lean-in to new pioneering and innovation. Problems in the world like the COVID-19 pandemic, political upheavals, and even natural disasters, are opportunities. Without the pressure of a crisis, we may never have considered doing things in new ways.
Easily Annoyed By Changes
It could be a simple change, like needing to find my groceries in an unfamiliar store. Or it might be having to learn a new social media app. I confess I am often easily annoyed by change. “Why do they keep moving things around?” I grumble in frustration.
Recent years have brought many uninvited changes in our lives.
– Social distancing (was this even a word before the pandemic?)
– Restrictions on travel
– Many online meetings and even social events in Zoom or Teams
– Working from home much more
– New wars and conflicts causing disruption
– Technology updates that leave you feeling lost
The list goes on. Your changes may not be in the list above, but you’ve surely faced some. As we go through these challenges, it is easy to experience “adjustment fatigue.”
When you struggle with having to yet again adjust, how can you respond?
Decide to Welcome and Embrace These as an Opportunity to Grow
Make an intentional decision to welcome change. Ask God for grace to stop looking back at the past. Ask for His help to look to the future. As we do this, our Father releases creativity. We gain perspective. With God’s help, we can not only welcome new ideas, new people, and new ways of working, but we can actively celebrate and encourage them.
Innovation and Learning at Seventy
My parents have always been a tremendous example to me. They are now eighty-eight and eighty-seven. Healthy and mentally strong, they continue to live on their own, loving, and serving the community around them.
When my father was seventy, he decided to learn how to create websites. It was new technology, and far more difficult for him than for us who were younger. That didn’t stop him. He committed to embracing the new.
I saw my parents do this with their church as well. While others complained about the loud music of a younger generation, they tried hard to learn the new songs. They made a choice to embrace, welcome, and learn new things. I hope I can be like that when I’m in my eighties!
The challenges of missions today demand creative solutions.
Cynthia Anderson
Millions of unreached people remain without gospel access
Numerous borders are closed and travel restrictions have grown
Global economic challenges make fundraising difficult
Security issues are more complicated than before
A new generation is growing up with a quite different worldview than the previous
The advances in AI technology and things like Chat GPT are impacting many jobs
The level of difficulty can feel overwhelming. Maybe we should “wait it out” and hope that things will get back to normal. No!!!
Could it be that God wants instead to force us out of our ministry “ruts”? That He would train us to think and work in completely new ways?
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”
Mark 2:22 NIV.
Innovation and pioneering are not optionalin our rapidly changing world.
What Is Innovation and Pioneering?
An innovation is a “new method, idea, or product” (Oxford Languages.) It is similar to the word inventor or invention. We experiment with something new.
The printing press was a new innovation that led to the printing of the Bible. This new way of giving people access to the Word of God brought great transformation and shaped church history.
When Loren Cunningham started taking youth on short-term mission trips, it was a new innovation in missions. Previously, all missionaries went long-term.
What new innovation might God give you to further His Kingdom in our time?
Pioneering has to do with starting new work in a new location. We think of pioneers as those who are willing to step out into the unknown, to take risks to establish something. Without actively pioneering into new locations, people groups, and spheres of society, we will not finish the task Jesus gave us.
It’s time for a new generation of courageous pioneers and mission innovators to rise! Without new innovation, we will stagnate. God has new solutions that will require us to be willing to change.
How do you encourage and inspire pioneering efforts or new innovation in your ministry?
This past weekend I went away for a quarterly retreat. This spiritual practice I’ve done for years keeps me grounded and abiding in Jesus. On this recent retreat, I read Rich Villodas’ new book The Narrow Path: How the Subversive Way of Jesus Satisfies Our …
