Reasons to Be Happy & Startling Invitations
Reasons to Be Happy & Startling InvitationsBy Shane Bennett
What a world we live in. What a time we inhabit. I feel sad for fiction writers: They’re going to struggle to come up with fantastic story lines in the future! Even so, I hope your passion for the Great Commission and your conviction in God’s coming kingdom have grown stronger and even burn brighter through these crazy days.
In this edition of Practical Mobilization, I want to give you two things to be happy about, two invitations, and one cheeky gift. (You can jump to the bottom for the gift, but I hope you won’t!) Just a warning, this edition gets a bit political. Not to take sides, but we don’t want to let opportunities pass without consideration, either.
1. The Holidays Are Coming
Neither election, pandemic, nor squirrelly school schedule can alter the calendar facts: November 26 (American Thanksgiving this year) and December 25 will happen.
Now what happens on those and other special days may not look like it normally does. I’m praying for you as I write this that God will meet you where you are this Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have no idea the stress, trauma, relief, or joy you may be feeling. God’s grace, peace, and hope to you. May you abound with thanks and resonate with hope in this holiday season.
What is pretty sure is this: Isolating in their homes in your neighborhood or passing six feet away from you as you move through life are people who are holding on by a thread.
Our neighbor on one side passed away from COVID this past week. The pain and fear our neighbor on the other side felt as he added this death to the list of others he’s recently faced was plain and palpable. Whatever foundation he’s built for his life is currently taking blows like he’s never experienced before. He doesn’t know if that foundation will prove to be sand or stone.
He’s not alone.
As I think about what our church will do for Advent and Christmas this year, I wonder how many windows of how many souls are cracked open a bit this year? How many in my community who’ve stood firm against the advances of well-meaning Christians and Jesus himself might be ready to hear someone say, “Come to my church. You might like it.”
Of course, COVID continues to confound the best-laid plans. But let’s not despair. The God who made the platypus is the one who grants us creativity. The one who conceived the survive-anything cockroach will see the Church through these present days.
2. More Refuge for Refugees
It seems likely that a Biden White House means more refugees. Heaven forbid this doesn’t mean more refugees created but instead more people who are already refugees finding new life in places like the US.
Mr. Biden has written that he will “set the annual global refugee admissions cap to 125,000 and seek to raise it over time commensurate with our responsibility, our values, and the unprecedented global need.” Whether he can or will keep that promise remains to be seen, of course.
Believing that more refugees allowed to come to the US is biblical, moral, and good for the country, I’m happy about this possibility.
This is not a sweeping endorsement of Mr. Biden, nor a wholesale dismissal of President Trump. It is a glimmer of hope for a 100 thousand people. I think of the Syrian widow sitting with her two little kids in a soon-to-be freezing tent on the fringes of a refugee camp in eastern Turkey. Maybe God is answering her prayers.
Combining an anticipated increase of refugees and decrease of COVID, I’m on the hunt for a handful of youth groups who’d like to engage refugees in the US next summer. Do you lead one? Know of one? Let’s talk.
If celebrating anything about a Biden administration feels ill-advised or maybe stupid to you, please read a few more of my thoughts on the refugee situation here.
Also check out the invitation in the next paragraph!
Invitation #1: Offer Life to a Child
If you’re mourning these days, if you’re crushed as it looks like the pro-life effort will be set back, I hear you. You voted, prayed, and maybe advocated, but now you fear more babies will be aborted.
Can I offer this invitation? Adopt a child who’s waiting for a family. If that’s impossible, consider foster care. There are over 400 thousand kids in the US foster system alone. I can imagine situations in which that can’t work either. What about giving some money to people who are trying to adopt. My niece is bringing over a precious girl from China. My friends Nick and Amber are adopting in the US and likely raising their child among the unreached.
And pray for hope and help for poor women, the only demographic among whom abortion has not diminished in recent years.
Invitation #2: Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
I imagine many of our readers, both in and out of the US, look at the pandemic and the election and say, “You’re not gonna stop my global outreach efforts!” I love the spirit, innovation, and plain hard work that rises up in many of you as adversity increases. Good on you. May the rest of us see and heed your example. Methods may need to change. Timetables may need adjusting. But may God’s work go forward.
If these days have refined your focus and you’re ready for new challenges, here you go: Experts believe there are around 500 Muslim people groups among whom no one is on the ground, speaking local languages, working in a way they hope will result in multiplying disciples.
I’m more and more convinced that God is asking me to do two things in response to this: One, work to see 20 of those groups engaged myself. That is, find people or churches or groups who will receive grace from God to go and be the first on the ground. Two, find 24 others who will do that with me. No matter the amount of prayer, texting, cajoling, or bribing it takes. (Well, maybe not bribing!) I want to see those groups engaged. Sound like you? Let’s talk.
Subversive Mobilization: The Promised Cheeky Gift
In any election, there are some constituents who declare, “If that other guy gets elected, I’m leaving the country.” I don’t know if anyone ever actually does this, but Redfin says 16% of survey respondents last month said they’d consider it. That’s up from 9% in 2016.
The mobilizer in me can’t help but go, “Hey! A new recruiting pool!” If you’re like me (though I don’t wish that on you), here you go: A ready-to-customize brochure for post-election emigres/mission candidates! You can thank me later.