missional living.

tonight i am talking at higher ground (our youth group at sunshine) about MISSIONAL LIVING. how do we represent Christ whether we are living in the Guatemalan jungle or in west Michigan?
here's the handout. let's make a difference in the world. let's represent Jesus in everyday life.

missional living = living simply and giving extravagantly

1. pray and fast for the 2 billion people who live on less than a dollar a day
2. as a small group, sponsor a child through Compassion International for $32/month – if there are eight people in your small group, it would cost each person $4 a month…almost the same price as one coffee from Starbucks (www.compassion.com)
3. encourage your family to adopt a kid :) (www.bethany.org) – or you can donate to the Warners’ adoption fund to bring Trey and Tessa home! (http://godlovesethiopia.blogspot.com)
4. give a random compliment to a stranger. it is the best way to start a conversation.
5. rather than buy a birthday present at the mall, buy something from the Bright Hope International online store which pays fair price for goods to artisans in other countries (www.brighthope.org)
6. start a garden (tomatoes, green beans, etc.) and give the food away
7. pray at the abortion clinic
8. at Christmas time, make and send an “Operation Christmas Child” shoebox to needy children (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/occ/) or send a care package to missionaries or other people to encourage them
9. as a small group, look in the church bulletin for addresses of sick or shut-in people and send them a card or bring them a meal.
10. read Red Letters by Tom Davis –a book about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa and about how to make a difference in your everyday life
11. walk around downtown and pay for the meters that are expired. leave a little note as you go.
12. bake cookies for someone simply to encourage.
13. leave an extra big tip and a personal note for your server at a restaurant.
14. save your spare change in a container to give away. consider putting aside a certain percentage of whatever your income is.
15. as a small group, watch the video Invisible Children to learn about what is currently happening with child soldiers in Uganda or look up their website to learn more (www.invisiblechildren.com)
16. pray in the shower, on your drive to school, etc. because “its about an imperfect, finite creature crying out for the aid of an infinite, powerful God who wants to restore this world.”
17. write a letter to a leader of a Christian organization simply to encourage him or her. (you can look up organizations like Pregnancy Resource Center, LIFE International, Bright Hope International, International Teams, Operation Mobilization, Youth With a Mission, Children’s HopeChest, etc.)
18. go to a local thrift store and drop $1 bills in random pockets of clothing being sold.
19. as a small group, have a prayer walk around your school or grand rapids.
20. go to a nursing home. visit the people, tell stories, read the Bible together, or play board games.
21. head down to Mel Trotter Ministries or DeGagé, helping in any way that they need (www.meltrotter.org and www.degageministries.org/)
22. buy only used clothing for a certain amount of time (a month? a year?)
23. buy a t-shirt that gives some of the proceeds to help people around the world with clean drinking water, mosquito nets, etc. (http://weareoverlooked.com)
24. become a pen-pal with someone in prison or in a different country or with a soldier (www.adoptaplatoon.org)
25. start a miniature food pantry in your house (every time you or your family members or small group members go to the store, but one extra canned good). after collecting a significant amount of cans, bring them to the church food pantry, a needy family, or a local organization.
26. donate your gently used shoes to people who may not have any or raise money to help this effort (www.soles4souls.org)
27. check out this cool idea called LifeStraw that brings clean drinking water to developing nations (http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw.htm)
28. with a friend or by yourself, offer to babysit for free for a family going through a difficult time or for a single mother.
29. become aware and learn more by looking up some of these websites…
Bright Hope International: www.brighthope.org
Compassion International: www.compassion.com
World Vision: www.worldvision.org
International Aid: www.internationalaid.org
Childrens’ Hope Chest: www.hopechest.org
Healing Waters International: www.healingwatersintl.org
International Justice Mission: www.ijm.org
ONE: www.one.org
The Micah Challenge: www.themicahchallenge.org
30. go on a missions trip
Operation Mobilization: http://www.om.org/short-term-opportunities/
Adventures in Missions: www.adventures.org
International Teams: http://www.iteams.org/go/
Youth with a Mission: www.ywam.org

"Speak up for the people who have no voice,

for the rights of all the down-and-outers.

Speak out for justice!

Stand up for the poor and destitute!"
Proverbs 31:8-9 (from the Message)

What I'm interested in seeing you do is:

sharing your food with the hungry,

inviting the homeless poor into your homes,

putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,

being available to your own families.Do this and the lights will turn on,

and your lives will turn around at once.Your righteousness will pave your way.

The God of glory will secure your passage.Then when you pray, God will answer.

You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'
Isaiah 58:7-9 (from the Message)