Way to Live

Sat, 14 May 2022 03:54:56 GMT

"I want to find a way to live that keeps me involved in what God is doing in me and in the world around me. Do you know a way to live that is like that?"

Eighteen teens and 18 adults tackle that question in Way to Live: Christian Practices for Teens. Their different points of view and personal stories make living a Christian life real.

"This book invites you into a community of people who don't just go with the flow," say the editors. "This community's image of 'the good life' is not about having lots of stuff or being more successful than other people. Instead, it's about getting involved in the loving, challenging life of God."

Find out how Alexx dealt with all his stuff, how Marie expressed her creativity with a paint roller, what Jack learned about play. These are just a few of the Christian practices this team of writers explores.

Some ancient Christian practices turn up as ways to deepen awareness of God's presence in our lives today. Discover how to use your imagination when reading the Bible—á la Saint Ignatius—and practice tuning in to God like Brother Lawrence of the 17th century.

This fun, graphics-filled book will start teens on the spiritual journey of a lifetime!

A FREE LEADER'S GUIDE filled with engaging, doable things to encourage teen Christian practices is HERE. (Size: 542 KB. Download times will vary.)

Mission Trips That Matter

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:42:06 GMT

You've packed your duffel bag, cut back and repacked, gotten your passport in order, winced your way through the vaccinations, researched the culture and learned critical phrases in the native language.

Perhaps you've been so busy preparing to do mission that you've overlooked preparing to be mission. Sometimes, it's only after you return from a journey that you realize just how much you received compared to what you gave.

Mission trips and alternative spring breaks are on the rise. Millions of youth and adults are taking time to help people in need across the state and across the globe. In a world torn by misunderstanding and inequalities, making sure missions are mutually beneficial and just instead of patronizing is an urgent concern.

Learn to transcend personal experience and connect your itinerary with the gospel — even before you leave home.

"Seeing the larger story helps mission team members connect their travel experience to their ongoing life of faith," writes Richter. "Instead of viewing their lives as a series of random, disconnected episodes, Christians are challenged to view their activities in relation to God's activity. Guiding folks into this way of thinking about life is at the heart of leading mission trips that matter."

Discover how to personify Christ's love, becoming servant-guests, as you help others through projects in unfamiliar places. During such pilgrimages, you'll experience and foster community as well as learn, firsthand, about the world beyond your homebase. Mission Trips That Matter will inspire and guide groups to reflect on your life together before, during and after your travels. It will also encourage you to model "Here-as-well-as-there" Christian practices.

Richter provides aids to support the process of embodying Christ's love, including:

spiritual practices
stories
biblical passages
activity and reflection suggestions for the journey

Don C. Richter

Way to Live

Mission Trips That Matter