Towards a more missional lifestyle

I talked with my friends last night about how we might make this idea of "being" the church a present reality instead of a vague dream. Turns out, its a more complicated discussion than we thought. But we came up with six practices (resolutions, if you will) that when practiced weekly might move us in the right direction. These are simple things that, when done in the right spirit, reflect the reality of "church" as Jesus envisioned it.

Resolved: to share at least one meal with someone outside our immediate family and (whenever possible) outside our immediate household.

Resolved: to bless two people each week. "Bless" in this sense simply means a word, a gesture or an act of service done intentionally for the simple purpose of encouraging another.

Resolved: to spend one extended time of solitude for the express purpose of listening to the Holy Spirit.

Resolved: to spend one extended time devoted to learning more about Jesus and His Way.

Resolved: to pray with my spouse for our marriage, the health of our family, the needs of our household and the mission of our church.

Resolved: to share our experience on this journey with a small group of like-minded people; either face-to-face or via phone or email.

I owe Michael Frost credit for this idea, which he called "missional practices." And I would encourage any of you reading this to consider making a similar commitment within your community be it a small group, or a larger church.

By the way, you won't need permission from your pastor to do these things!

Trust me.