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<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\n![\"Curling\"](\"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Curling.jpg\")
<\/h2>\nBy Shane Bennett<\/p>\n
Check me if I\u2019m wrong on this, but I believe only one sport involves something being thrown, shot, hit, or swatted, after which the players extensively manipulate the course of the object. None but noble curling<\/a>.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve seen it, right? One person slides a giant rock down the ice while two more people crazily sweep a path before it? Of course it\u2019s far more subtle, sophisticated, and, if you\u2019re into curling, more beautiful than that. In fact, curling is known as \u201cchess on ice.\u201d<\/p>\n So how about curling as also a great metaphor for mission mobilization?<\/p>\n For the sake of brevity, I\u2019ll overlook some of the most obvious possible parallels… that missionaries\u2019 heads can be as hard as rocks! That many popular missions destinations are so crowded we have to knock others out to stay there?! That Canada has won more curling championships than any other country. (O Canada!)<\/p>\n No, here\u2019s what I\u2019m thinking: A curling team or \u201crink\u201d consists of four members. The one calling the shots and coordinating the effort is called the \u201cskip.\u201d Let\u2019s say we\u2019re actually praying the way Jesus told us<\/a> to pray in Luke 10:2, asking \u201cthe Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest,\u201d and our<\/em> Skip, the Lord, actually says yes and does so.<\/p>\n The stretch of ice between the launch and the bull\u2019s eye is long, slippery, and fraught with obstacles. Mobilizers are like sweepers, receiving instruction from the Skip and sweeping faster and slower, lightly and vigorously, all to end of helping the stone arrive at its most strategic point.<\/p>\n Last month\u2019s Practical Mobilization column talked about how to find potential missionaries in your midst<\/a>. This month, let\u2019s think about the influence God may have us use to help them as they go. How do we sweep?<\/p>\n I assume you know people who overdo it. We\u2014I mean they\u2014assume they \u201cknow God\u2019s will\u201d for someone else or speak and act as if the thing they are doing is pretty much the only thing God is into these days.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note: The Skip calls the shots! It\u2019s the Skip\u2019s job to see the whole ice. The sweepers implement the strategy of the Skip, not the other way around.<\/p>\n Here are four ways in which we \u201csweep\u201d laborers into strategic points in the harvest.<\/p>\n Most valuable things are hard to do. Preparing for career-level, cross-cultural service carries many normal challenges, plus the oddness of pursuing your career in a hugely different place with a new language and without tons of models. These days there is growing stigma on people who assume others should also believe things they believe. And if you raise support to do this? Yikes.<\/p>\n Sweep. \u201cKeep at it.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m with you.\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re going to kill this.\u201d Sweepity, sweep, sweep.<\/p>\n A wise mission mobilizer knows when to go all yellow light on a candidate. This is hard for me, but you see a few people or a cute couple spin out and hit the wall and you may think, \u201cLet\u2019s don\u2019t be cavalier about this.\u201d<\/p>\n It may be time to offer more prayer, advice, and help in spiritual development. Perhaps basic discipling. This early investment pays out in long-term effectiveness.<\/p>\n A good sweeper helps the rock follow the right path to the right destination. Again, under the guidance of the Skip, we help people consider where they might go and with whom.<\/p>\n If, like me, you\u2019ve grown up in a western culture that specializes in individualism (\u201cI think, therefore I am\u201d and \u201cWhat\u2019s God\u2019s will for my life?\u201d), it might be particularly important to consider the \u201cgo with\u201d parts of the equation. Whom do you go with in terms of spouse, church, team, and agency?<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know every missions agency. There are a gazillion of them. And I\u2019m a little biased toward my org, Frontiers<\/a>, and Missions Catalyst\u2019s publisher, Pioneers<\/u><\/a>. But I like to imagine that I can objectively help people think about where they might fit. With a list of options longer than you find at the Cheesecake Factory<\/a>, it\u2019s nice to have a friend who\u2019s familiar with the menu.<\/p>\n We can also help find training and mission experience for people as they respond to God\u2019s launching. Take someone to their first Perspectives class<\/a> if they haven\u2019t been before. Help them think about a training internship like Launch Global<\/a> or TOAG<\/a>. Advocate for appropriate scouting and vision trips to potential locations.<\/p>\n Feeling adventurous? If the Skip instructs you to do so, you could buy their house or take care of their student loans! Maybe buying them a copy of The God Ask<\/a> (or lending them your copy) is more your speed. Introduce them to people who might share their vision and significantly fund them. And always, pray and encourage perseverance.<\/p>\n Jesus said to ask the Father to send out laborers. I assume he did so knowing God would say yes. So, fellow sweepers, let\u2019s grab our brooms afresh, listening carefully to the Skip\u2019s commands and get some rocks on the button.<\/p>\n \u00bb Share your thoughts on this article on our website or Facebook page. Got this from a friend? Browse the archives and subscribe!<\/a><\/p>\n Curling image: Medyr\/Fotolibre<\/a>. Creative Commons License.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sweeping Someone\u2019s Path to the Nations By Shane Bennett Check me if I\u2019m wrong on this, but I believe only one sport involves something being thrown, shot, hit, or swatted, after which the players extensively manipulate the course of the object. None but noble curling. You\u2019ve seen it, right? One person slides a giant rock … Continue reading Mobilization & the Noble Sport of Curling<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-practical-mobilization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7518"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7523,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7518\/revisions\/7523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. We encourage prospective long-term workers to persevere.<\/h3>\n
2. On the other hand, sometimes they need to slow down.<\/h3>\n
3. A good mobilizer helps prospective workers wrestle with strategic decisions.<\/h3>\n
4. And finally, smooth the ice of support raising.<\/h3>\n
Conclusion<\/h3>\n