"Missions."  For me, the very word brings up images of a man in Africa wearing a pith helmet and surrounded by bare-skinned natives.  I grew up thinking that "missions" is a program that exists in the church budget to support people I don't know in places where I would never travel.

I am grateful to God that He opened my eyes and gave me a greater understanding of what it means to practice "missions."  It's not something we support, it's something we do.  It's a lifestyle that we live and a mindset that guides us in making decisions about our time, resources and life purpose.  It's about being the kind of people that God wants us to be, whereever and wheneven we live.

It is our goal at Grace Church to give people a vision for missions - to help them develop a global mission mindset.  The first step in this journey is simply thinking beyond ourselves to recognize that there is a world around us.  It begins with our neighbor next door; the family down the street; across town and into the inner city.  It continues around the country and around the world, as we become increasingly more aware of what we can do to make a difference in the world in which we live.

As we begin the New Year I want to encourage you to consider your own definition of missions.  Is it Biblical, or does it just fit the kind of lifestyle you want to live?  The challenge for all of us here at Grace will be to be mission minded people, beginning in our own neighborhood and community and reaching around the world.  We are going to be presenting some unique opportunities to be more involved in practicing the kind of mission mindset I believe God is calling us to.  The question is; are we ready and willing?

In His service,

Pastor Joel