mission

“Raising World Changers in a Changing World” by Kristen Welch – Review

April 19, 2018 by Amy 1 Comment

Any parent you ask would tell you that they want their children to be happy, successful adults. But many of us forget (or never knew to begin with) that lasting personal joy is not necessarily found the way the world says it is–through reaching a certain socioeconomic status, having a certain job, buying a certain house, or having a certain amount in one’s bank account. In fact, says Kristen Welch, popular blogger and author of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, personal satisfaction comes not from grabbing onto things but from holding them with an open hand and, very often, giving them away.

In this inspiring book, Welch shows parents how to discover for themselves and instill in their kids the profound joy that comes from sharing what we have been given–our time, our talents, and even what’s in our wallets–with those who have less. Through powerful personal stories as well as stories from Scripture, Welch offers a tantalizing alternative to status quo parenting that has the power to impact not only our own families but the entire world. At the end of each chapter, one of the author’s kids offers their perspective on what it’s like to be raised as a world changer.

Most of us want our kids to be happy, and so we make them the center of family life. This just teaches them to believe that they are the center of the world as they grow.

But what if we do something different?

What if, instead of trying to give them happiness (translation: stuff and more stuff), we help them find joy?

Author Kristen Welch shares how being sacrificially generous has changed the way that she parents – and has shaped her children’s personalities. She asks tough questions in this book that are born out of her own world-changing experiences in Kenya, and because she’s an ‘ordinary mom’ like most of us, she shows how possible it is for each of us to change the lives of others.

And changing their lives will change our own.

I read this book just a chapter a day – not because I didn’t want to keep reading, but because Welch asks really hard questions, and I needed time to process them. They are questions about how you spend your money, your time, what your parenting style is, and what your purpose is in life. Those are doozies – but they’re big for a reason.

Those big issues can make big changes.

I finished Raising World Changers a few days ago, but Welch’s words are still swirling around in my head. My Big Helper has been so interested in hearing what I’ve been reading that she’s asked to read it next, and so I’ll be passing it around.

It’s that kind of book. You’ll read it and hit a mind-boggling state and want to talk it over with someone.

Big ideas spark big conversation.

I think the big ideas in Raising World Changers in a Changing World will spark big actions, too, because you won’t be able to hold your same course after reading it.

It’ll change your life.

And then you’ll go change someone else’s.

If you want to find more meaning, more joy, and more purpose in your life, read Raising World Changers in a Changing World. You’ll be so glad you did.

I received a free copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.

The Africa Study Bible Is Coming – Can You Help?

April 19, 2016 by Amy Leave a Comment

Did you know that most English Bibles are written from a western perspective? I didn’t realize that – but they are.

This means that Christians who don’t hail from the United States or Europe have a hard time relating to the Bible, even when they’re fluent in English. I’ve seen the book of Genesis in this new Bible, and while it’s the exact same, it’s completely different. The methods of explanation aren’t the same. The analogies and comparisons are different, but the meaning is the same. The book is written so that people from African can relate to it.

Scholars from around Africa have worked to create the Africa Study Bible, a translation from an African perspective. It’s done, and it’s coming, but help is needed to print the Bibles and get them in the hands of Africans.

From the official press release:

“Our goal is to have the first run of the ASB available in Africa by the end of 2016,” says Elliott [president of Oasis International and Project Director for the Africa Study Bible]. “We already know of more than 100 million people in denominations and movements in Africa whose leaders want to use the ASB for discipleship so there is a lot of anticipation throughout the continent.”

Designed to grow the faith of African church members, teach them to evangelize their communities, and apply

a biblical worldview to their society, the ASB uses the New Living Translation and includes 2,400 plus features

such as application notes, stories and proverbs, touchpoints that link Africa and the Bible, learn notes that

explain basic theology, and major theme articles that apply the Bible to key issues. Oasis plans to initially

release the ASB in English with French and Portuguese translations in development. Oasis is also developing

a full-featured app of the study Bible.

To support the effort, Oasis is partnering with Tyndale House Publishers to create the study Bible. Other

participants include Campus Crusade for Christ, International, Willow Creek and Willow Creek Global

Leadership Summit, IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students), Scripture Union, Africa

Leadership, TransWorld Radio, Moody Broadcasting, Center for Early African Christianity, PJA (Publications

pour la Jeunesse Africane), MMD Global, The Livingstone Corporation, InSight Books, Urban Ministries Inc.,

and the Association of Evangelicals in Africa, with additional participants being added on a regular basis.

“We have seen the hand of God in amazing ways throughout the development of this project,” says Elliott. “In the words of our supervising editor, Dr. John Jusu, the content of the ASB is bubbling up from the cultures of Africa. The biblical truth is percolating through our own cultures and stories to create a rich and textured tapestry that Africans can claim as their own.”

Why does all of this matter? It’s explained way better than I ever could here.

The Kickstarter campaign is here. You’ll find everything you need to help at any level available.

Prayers and monetary contributions are sorely needed, but there are other things you can do to help, too. Share this post. Share the links to the Kickstarter website and the YouTube video on your social media accounts.

Because really, it’s amazingly easy for us to help.

I was wishing with a friend tonight for a journaling Bible, but ….

I already have 2 study Bibles, a comic book Bible, a Mom’s Bible, a Daily Chronological Bible, a Read-the-Bible-Through-in-a-Year Bible …. all in my language. With stories I know. With words I understand.

People in Africa have access to … A Bible with stories they can’t understand. Full of words they don’t know. With examples that are confusing.

The Africa Study Bible is needed. Thousands of people want one. Will you help them?

Changing the World, One Candy Cane at a Time

December 20, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

When we’re young we think we can change the world. We plan to join the Peace Corps, stop world hunger, end poverty, and write the Great American Novel. We think that we have all the answers needed to exact change on our hurting world.

Maybe we don’t. But maybe we do.

Every year our family spends a day out and about together just before Christmas. This began as a way for us to serve in some sort of missional capacity, while also having some quality time together. This tradition has become very meaningful for us – but it isn’t always easy to plan.

We live in a super small town, and some opportunities are rare. We want to serve a meal at a shelter at some point, but that’s permanently scheduled here. Usually I come across an opportunity while scouring the local news sites, but nothing popped out this year. We always look for people who might be able to use a Blessing Bag, but we wanted to do more than that.

So … we bought a few boxes of candy canes and printed out “The Legend of the Candy Cane” on small tags. We cut and taped the two together and filled a bag with candy telling about Jesus, and then we headed out.

Our first stop was to a small, liberal-minded town with a fun new park. We hiked and had boat races in the river before heading to a locally-owned restaurant for lunch. The kids handed out candy canes liberally and watched the wait staff beam with delight with each candy.

When we left that town, we headed to nearby Chapel Hill, where we stopped in at the Carolina Inn to see the Gingerbread House competition. As we left, the kids handed out candy to each of the valets and doormen – and one was so excited that he asked the kids to wait for a minute while he ran – literally – into this fancy hotel. After a few minutes, he returned with cookies from the Inn’s snack shop. Bubbling over with a warm chocolate cookie in hand, both kids wanted to know why this young man – perhaps a teenager or a student at UNC – would be so moved that he would run to purchase snacks for them.

This gave us all the opportunity to talk about people in service positions – those people whose work is invaluable but often goes unnoticed. People like bus drivers, janitors, cashiers, etc. They do important work, but how often do we take the time to thank them for it? We discussed the importance of serving others, as Jesus said to do, and the importance of recognizing others doing so.

Later we ended up at Bass Pro Shop. The kids love to visit the Winter Wonderland display – and this reindeer needed his photo taken! Before leaving, each kid passed out candy canes to several of the cashiers and customer service representatives. All of them immediately asked for the child’s name and reached out to shake his/her hand. This might not seem like a big deal, and it’s not much of one for my gregarious Big Helper, but for my quieter Little Man, this is huge.

See, to give any of these people a candy cane, we first had to approach them – out of the blue, with no prompting, and usually no interaction first. The kids walked up to each person and offered the candy with a simple “Merry Christmas,” and it was always well received – but it was a ‘cold call,’ so to speak. My Little Man was really scared to do this at first, but he gained confidence throughout the day, and by our last stop, he was eager to pass them out.

And the staff at Chick Fil-A was happy to receive them – so much that when the kids tried to trade in their toys for ice cream, it was up-sized to a much larger portion than the one usually given to the kids. And the woman who was cleaning the lobby while we ate? She talked up a storm from the time she accepted her candy cane until we walked out the door. She smiled and chattered and cleaned, no longer the Invisible Woman.

Will our simple candy canes end world hunger or kick off the beginning of world peace? No, but they did prompt a lot of smiles. They caused people to pay forward these simple acts of kindness. They made my kids search for people in need of a bit of kindness, and the excitement they received in return gave them the confidence to try again – and will make it easier to perform a random act of kindness later. Since each tag told the symbolic story of the candy cane, which is all about the salvation offered by Jesus, dozens of people read this message, because the very first thing that each person did was to read the tag.

Candy canes may not cause any cease fires, but they could change someone’s outlook, and thus, his life. Passing out this candy certainly made a difference to our family – and who knows how it might affect our kids as they grow, or the candy recipients in the future?

How do you teach your kids to give?

Midweek Missions: Blessing Bags for the Homeless

November 12, 2014 by Amy 1 Comment

We’ve all seen them. People on street corners and busy intersections, holding up signs asking for food or work – or maybe both. People who look a little bit lost and confused.

People who need some help.

Our kids first noticed them several years ago. They wanted to help, but we weren’t sure how to do that – and then we stumbled across this idea (I’d share where it came from, but I have no idea anymore – it was a long time ago!)

Now we make blessing bags several times each year to keep in our car. We hand them out whenever we see someone who might need some help, and they’ve always been well received.

This time we made them at church and invited people at large to come and help. We turned on some music and had a missions party!

We collected donations of small toiletry items, like soaps, shampoos, deodorants, toothpaste, dental floss, chapstick, etc, as well as socks, washcloths, and non-perishable snacks, like granola bars, snack crackers, etc. Then we organized each item in piles on a long row of tables.

We put zip-top bags at the head of the table, and each one of us grabbed a bag and then walked – or danced – the length of the table, putting one item from each pile in the bag.

We took our bag over to the next table, where we laid out small sheets of colorful paper and markers. We drew pictures and wrote encouraging notes and tucked one into each bag. The bags moved on to a third table, while we went back to the beginning and started all over.

When we had used all of the supplies and filled as many bags as we could, we stopped for a cupcake break. What’s a party without cupcakes?

All told, the kids made about 55 bags in under an hour. They’re now residing in our vehicles, ready to find homes with people who need them.

What’s one thing you can do to help someone in need this winter?

Six Ways to Turn Scripture into Art

October 1, 2014 by Amy 2 Comments

I’ve always loved those pictures that you see in the Christian bookstores – and that are now all over Facebook and Pinterest. You know the ones – the beautiful scenery or poignant babies with scripture added beautifully into it. I admired them and wished I knew how to do that.

Then a few months ago a friend started using different handwriting styles to write scripture into her journal, and she posted pictures on Facebook. I can do that, I thought, and so I began writing scripture in bigger letters and different kinds of letters in my journal.

I’ve always gotten pictures in my head while reading, and one day a certain picture wouldn’t leave – so I sketched it out and then grabbed some paper and drew it. Ever since, I’ve played around with drawing or painting scripture – and my kids, as well as the kids in an art class I help to teach, are doing the same.

We’ve found that it’s a great way to think more deeply and specifically about what a verse means. About what’s happening in it, and about what God might be telling us through the words. It also helps me to remember the words – because as much as I want to memorize lots of scripture, memorizing is really hard for me, and making the words colorful helps.

So while I’m definitely no artist, and these usually just stay hidden away in a sketch book, I want to share with you six ways to turn scripture into art. These are all easy, colorful, and fun ways to make connecting with scripture even more fun.

Remember the kids’ stories that have pictures inserted into the story instead of words? This would be a great way for a beginning reader to learn scripture. It could even be a family project.

I don’t like to waste paint, so one day I dry-brushed the last little bit of paint left over from another project onto a clean sheet of paper. When the paint dried, I wrote a scripture verse on top using different handwriting styles. Designing, layout, and centering are skills that I don’t have, but it was fun to play around with, and My Big Helper is now starting to do this, too.

This scripture really jumped out at me when I first read it. The imagery is awesome and just begged to be turned into something visual – so I drew each major element of the verse and then wrote the words pertinent to each picture inside it. Then I colored the whole thing with water-color pencils and painted over it later.

I saw something like this on Pinterest and had to try it for myself. This requires absolutely no drawing skills whatsoever, but it was fun to plan out the colors and to block it all out! Simply write out the verse you are focusing on any way you’d like. Choose a few colors, perhaps ones that are meaningful for the words, and use the lines of each letter as an image to color. I chose to color ‘Lord’ in purple since that’s a royal color and to make ‘good,’ future,’ and ‘hope’ yellow because they are positive words. The rest I filled in with blue and green at will, and I gave it an indigo background, which really makes those bright words stand out.

I love this verse. The three parts of it stood out to me visually, so I broke it down into those three pieces, each one with a single word and a single symbol. It’s simple and bright, but it helps me remember the three things that stand out to me about this verse.

This is another that someone of any age could do. Write out the verse, and then extend some of the lines out to the end of the paper, creating big blocks of space. I chose to write in cursive so I’d have a few smaller spaces blocked out automatically, and then I added teardrops because it fit the words. Then I colored each block, being careful not to put any one color next to itself.

Do you ever combine scripture and art? I’d love to hear about it!

Field Work Friday – Christmas Is A-Comin’

July 18, 2014 by Amy

Christmas is a-comin’
And the goose is gettin’ fat!
Please to put a penny in an old man’s hat.
If you haven’t got a penny then a ha’penny would do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!

We used to play the ‘Bonanza’ Christmas album that features that song over and over at Christmastime when I was a kid. I don’t hear it often anymore, but it does hint around at the real spirit of Christmas.

Last week for playgroup we tried to focus on the real reason for the season. We met at a local church, where the pastor read the children a story by Ruth Graham that talked about the very first Christmas.

After that, he assigned each child a part in the Christmas story, and they dressed up using simple costumes that the church had on hand. (I think it would be really fun to make some costumes like this sometime ….) The pastor then read the Christmas story from the book of Luke and directed each ‘actor’ when his part was read. The angel was very excited about his wings!

After that, it was time to break loose for a bit. Everyone brought craft supplies, and the kids made cards for our next field trip, when we’ll visit with the residents at an assisted living center. Some were especially excited about fancy scissors, while others were more interested in decorating shapes and gluing them onto their cards..

Soon we’ll visit the center and sing to the residents and pass out the cards we’ve made. What better way for little ones to spread some Christmas cheer than with crayons and song?