On Mission in a Moving World

missiographic - On The MoveIf you have ever moved, you know the disruption it causes to your life. Now imagine millions on the move sometimes in less than ideal circumstances. Some are simply moving to start a new life, but others are under much more extreme pressures. With a background of war, trafficking, job loss and countless other disruptors, people are finding themselves in many new places. What are you doing to meet them as they move?

Personal Reflection
A great place to start on the issues that surround the global movement of people is to identify with them. Think about a time when you have been new to a place. What feelings were dominant? What opportunities and challenges did you face? Then consider the people of Israel traveling through the desert, Jesus as a young boy in Egypt and Paul sitting under house arrest in Rome. What must they have been going through? As your empathy brings you face to face with real people in these situations, ask God how you should respond in love.

Engaging the Church
Do you know which communities of immigrants are within 20 miles of your church? It is easy to end up on Spiritual journeys of “sameness”. We can neglect those who are very close by but different than we are. Start by looking online to find out which immigrant communities are nearby. Then identify some of the ministries in town who are serving those communities. Also, find out if some of the countries where you are supporting mission work globally have communities of immigrants you can also be reaching out to. Find ways to include these communities within your community of faith. How can you show them God’s love as you invite them into your midst?

One Day Conference on How Churches are Responding to Immigrants, Refugees and International Students…Join Me!

Last Call…
I want to invite you to a great opportunity coming to Whittier with the premier North American mission network (http://MissioNexus.org). I’m planning to go to this special one day event:

Screen Shot 2014-05-06 at 12.26.07 PM
How are Churches Responding to Immigrants, Refugees & International Students?
June 12 [ 8am – 3:30pm ]
Whittier Area Community Church • 8100 Colima Rd., Whittier, CA 90605
Schedule, Speakers and Free Article online at
http://www.missionexus.org/tour/
Group Advantage for 2 or More
First Registration @ $69 (When you register with our group 3rd Individual or more: $35)
Please let me know ASAP if you going, so I can book us as a group and get your registration for $35 (almost a 50% savings!)
Press on,
Mike

God’s Characteristics from the Bible

HisCharacteristicsWhat is God like? God’s characteristics are described for us throughout the Bible. It is important for us to understand as much as we can about what the Bible says about God. Read each passage below and write out what you find out about God from the Bible verses.

To make it easy for you, each one listed is hyper-linked to Bible Gateway*:

GodCharacteristicsTable

(a picture of the chart contained in the study From Genesis to Jesus)

*Linked to the New Living Translation

Note: This list is an excerpt from Lesson 1 of a full beginners study on the Bible called From Genesis to Jesus.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but a simple and comprehensive list of key characteristics of God for someone new to the Bible and the faith of Christians.

%d bloggers like this: