It never ceases to amaze me when I visit countries around the world and observe how they live out their every day lives as Christ followers. Several years ago Dan and I visited several churches as a part of a team looking for churches to partner with in ministry. One Sunday afternoon as we were driving around the city, our attention turned to a large group of people gathered by the beach. Dressed in their Sunday best, they were watching new Christ-followers get baptized in the beautiful tropical waters of the Bahamas! The beach was filled with the normal Sunday afternoon crowd who couldn’t help but hear the group cheering excitedly for each new believer as they came up out of the water. A pretty bold move to be so ‘public’ about your faith in Jesus! Am I that bold in going ‘public’ with my faith? Would people even be surprised to know I went to church? It seems easy to get caught up in everyday life and not have time to intentionally think about my lost friends and neighbors who are far from God. But how cool would it be if we were so passionate about reaching people far from God that we ‘went public’ in our work places, in our schools, in our homes! Looking ahead to 2011, I am asking God to help me be more INTENTIONAL than ever before. I am praying for a fire to be ignited in my heart, just like I feel when I am on a mission trip to another country. After all, we are all missionaries no matter where we live. I want to stand and cheer enthusiastically in the coming year as I watch people I have built relationships with follow Jesus!
