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Basic Tools 3C: – Your Daily Missions at a Glance

There is a lot of life represented in the worksheets.  Here’s a chart that condenses your answers into a word or phrase that captures the main ideas of each part.  When you’re done, you’ll have an overview of your life and the missions you see ahead.  Remember that missions do change over time.  What you believe you are called to do today may change.  Old missions end and new ones begin.

To fill out the chart, go back through each of the eight questions starting with the home mission field and fill out the home section of the chart from top to bottom with just a key word or phrase in each space.  Once that’s done, move on to the work mission field and follow the same process.  Proceed through the other mission fields until the chart is complete.  As you fill out the chart, overlook the highlighted areas.  You will use them in the road map which follows in Basic Tools 3D.

To make this clearer, we have partially filled out a sample chart using the home and work examples from the Hints section of Basic Tools 3A.  As you look at it, you can see that the entries have been shortened to reflect just the essential thoughts.  Use this kind of shorthand as you fill in your own chart.

Your daily missions at a glance: —two sample columns

HOME (mother)

WORK (postal worker)

1. What has God been doing in this mission field? What message am I getting?

  • my family life is fractured
  • speak up about the unfair workload

2. As I think about God’s message, what is my goal or mission for this mission field

  • spend more time together and enjoy it
  • see all workers are treated with respect and dignity

3. What am I doing right now to make this vision or goal a reality?

  • we eat together and talk about the day
  • know my coworkers better and find common ground

4. What do I still need to do?

  • turn off all distractions so we can focus on one another
  • say something positive when the boss is unfair

5. What will I do to make my vision a reality?

  • have a family night on Tuesday for three weeks
  • speak up the next time we are treated unfairly

6. Whom do I need to work with me to achieve this change?

  • my husband: “you may want more family time as much as I do”
  • two coworkers: “together we’ll make a difference”

7. How will I talk about being part of God’s mission with my teammate/s?

  • “church has led me to want a closer family”
  • “I believe we’re made to work in harmony”

8. How will I encourage my teammate/s to find help in church life as we work for this change?

  • “come a few Sundays– helps me– might help you”
  • “we’re making progress–we must be getting help from somewhere”

 

Now, go ahead and fill out your missions-at-a-glance chart on the next page.

 

Activity 3: Your daily missions at a glance    

HOME

 

WORK

 

LOCAL COMMUNITY

 

WIDER WORLD

 

LEISURE

 

CHURCH

Healthy Spirituality

 

 

CHURCH

Church Life and Outreach

1. What has God been doing in this mission field? What message am I getting?

 

2. As I think about God’s message, what is my vision or goal for this mission field?

 

3. What am I doing right now to make this vision or goal a reality?

 

4. What do I still need to do?

 

5. What will I do to make my vision or goal a reality?

 

6. Whom do I need to work with me to achieve this change?

 

7. How will I talk about being part of God’s mission with my teammate/s?

 

8. How will I encourage my teammate to turn to the church for help and support?

 
Now that you have completed your mission-at-a-glance chart, think about the breadth of God’s mission and your share in it.  You are, truly, a missionary with whom Jesus shares his power to act in what you do and say.  The teachings and the actions of Jesus make it very clear that we are to follow him in all the “places” of our daily lives.  And he gives us the power to do so.

Here’s something to keep in mind; to be realistic, during a given day, you may well be active in only two or three of your mission fields.  The rest are still there, and you never know when you will find yourself called to action in a mission field you had not expected to work on that day.  When that happens, having looked in depth at all of your mission fields prepares you for more faithful action when the unexpected occurs.

In working with this process over several years, we have found that people tend to prioritize their missions.  And you, too, will likely give some of your missions higher priority than others.  The next activity will help you to do that prioritizing.