Here in the northern hemisphere, it’s summertime. I’m typing this after 8pm, and it’s still light enough to read. I don’t know about you, but for many of us, summer brings a shift in the basic schedule as well as in the heart: It’s an opportunity to try something new, go somewhere cool, kick back for a few minutes, and think about stuff.
Summer offers us some special ministry opportunities. Here’s a quick list of summer mobilization “to do’s” with a few “to don’ts” thrown in for fun.
Do: Watch some World Cup matches.
If you’re reading Practical Mob when it launches, the FIFA World Cup starts tomorrow. If you’re getting to it later, the tournament is already underway. If you’re game, shoot me a note and tell me why I should root for someone other than Egypt and Senegal!
Bonus points: Watch a match with representatives of one of the six Muslim nations who are competing. Boss level: Show up with halal snacks.
Don’t: Go on endlessly with your friends about how you watch the World Cup and like football, what the whole rest of the world calls it, not soccer.
Do: Keep praying.
Summer doesn’t mean the need for prayer takes a pause. If you haven’t yet, set a daily alarm for 10:02am. When it goes off, wake up and pray like Jesus said to in Luke 10:2… Ask the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into his harvest.
Don’t: Forget to also pray for the laborers you know. Sometimes they feel like lambs among wolves (Luke 10:3).
Do: Enjoy time with your family.
Eat a good meal and watch a sunset. If you’re an overachiever, make it a sunrise. This kind of advice is straight up from Ecclesiastes, so you’ve got solid biblical backing.
Don’t: Forget that much work remains and needs to happen during the summer, like promotion for that upcoming Perspectives class. If someone’s going to take a class that starts in August, they may need a kind person like you to invite them in July. If your church has a fall missions conference, book the speaker now before someone else snatches her up.
Do: Discuss issues of global importance.
You may find that as you hang out with your friends and family around the campfire, something happens after the sun and some beers have gone down: People open up and talk about real stuff. Look for the conversational openings. This might be a great chance to dream and speak deeply of the purposes of God and his plan for your lives and maybe even the nations. Unless you’re Baptist, in which case you might skip the beers.
Don’t: Try to do this during a game of Watch Ya’ Mouth or, if you live in the Midwest, anywhere near a Euchre tournament (where table talk is discouraged). Also, don’t pout because I teased you in the last paragraph if you’re a Baptist. I know you all are taking some hits lately, but you’re still leading the way at many of the global frontiers of the gospel. I’d be honored to drink sweet tea around a campfire with you.
Do: Learn some language.
Of course it’s better to learn from native speakers. But it’s less embarrassing to learn from an app. Drops is my current favorite. I’m getting a few minutes of Italian each day. Ever so slowly it’s adding up. I challenge you to beat my best streak, 29 days.
Don’t: Be obnoxious with your little bit of language, por favor (or as I might put it, per favore).
Do: Venture into another culture.
Check out a local cultural festival or visit a mosque. Again, if you’re reading this soon after publication, you might be able to join in some end-of-Ramadan festivities. The fast wraps up on June 14th.
Don’t: Just do this on your own. You have friends who want summer fun. Take them along.
Do: Take a newcomer on a field trip.
Take some international students or newly arrived refugees out into the wild. Depending on where the newcomers have come from, you might have the honor of taking them on their first canoe trip or giving them their first opportunity to venture into nature or a major league ball park.
Do: Look for some local speaking opportunities.
If this is in your wheelhouse, now may be your chance. Pastors go to the lake sometimes. Offer to fill in and then knock it out of the park. If kids are more your gig, be a Sunday school sub or pitch in for VBS.
Do: Stretch your mind as well as your body.
Read some things that are fun, helpful, and maybe a bit outside your standard fare. You could take a thoughtful stroll through the challenging and profound pages of Ecclesiastes. I’d love to have you check out my weekly email, Muslim Connect, which helps us make sense of the Muslim world. I’d also like you invite you to join me in reading John Eldredge’s recent book, All Things New.
If summer allows you to dip into fiction, let me recommend the profound and gut-wrenching journey of All the Light We Cannot See.
Do: Take some time to listen.
Listen to someone who came back from a summer mission trip. Maybe they didn’t go where you would have gone or do what seems to be the most valuable work, but they may have had a profound or challenging experience. Hug them, ask good questions, and nudge them to consider how this summer fits in to all the summers ahead that God will give them.
Finally, one more don’t:
Don’t forget that God loves and delights in you. I’m so grateful we get to share in this calling, this adventure of joining with Jesus in seeing his abundant life extended to all peoples.
Have a great summer (or winter, for our South African, Aussie, Kiwi, and other Southern hemisphere colleagues).