How to Get Less Comfortable

As our children sit in “big church” with us, I often forget to talk to them about how we are all, as a family, going to apply what we learned. But last week, I was challenged to do just that for our church’s blog. 

Pastor Willson’s sermon was about praying for the nations. It was a good exercise with my kids, to take the sermon and decide what was going to change in our home based on what we heard. We don’t want to look into the mirror of God’s word and then walk away unchanged.

You can read the blog, Less Talking, More Praying, here:

Less Talking/More Praying

But what about this week?

We are still in the middle of Reach|12, our Missions Month at College Park Church. Our Global Missions Pastor Nate Irwin gave a soul-searching message about the heart of God for the nations. His question to us: Do we have a heart for the lost around the world? He explained that as we grow closer to God, our fire will be lit for what Jesus is passionate about.

In the sermon, Nate explain that as the Israelites moved into the Promised Land, they grew comfortable and settled in, and they no longer wanted to send their men out to war to conquer the rest of the land God had for them. Caleb, however, looked at a mountain of giants — a strong hold — and decided to take on the mountain for God.

Are we too comfortable?

Between this sermon and reading through Ecclesiastes lately, I want to take time to pause and step back and reconsider our priorities. Why are we doing what we are doing? Why are we learning what we are learning? Why are we in the activities that occupy our time?

It’s a good question. Ecclesiastes says our lives are like a shadow, a breath. We can take nothing with us. Earthly pleasures never satisfy.

So practically, what are our family’s application points, beyond the call to prayer we heard last week?

We aren’t hopping on a plane for India next week.

But we can take steps now to begin serving others. I don’t know what this is going to look like, but I do want to see how we can get involved in the heart of God right here.

1. For ideas, I’m going to actually read a book that’s been sitting on my shelf, Becoming a World Changing Family by Donna Thomas for ideas. (I’ll share what I find out!)
2. We may attend a JIM (Journey In Missions) night at our church which meets monthly. I’d like my kids to see what people who want to GO are talking about.
3. Ideas?

If you aren’t a College Parker, listen to Pastor Nate’s sermon, and then come back here and share your ideas for spreading the hope of the Gospel to the nations as a family. How can we get involved – right now? Because doing nothing – well, it doesn’t even seem like an option.