What is a Mission-Minded Family?

In a mission-minded family, there’s a God-infused energy. There’s a focus on God’s worldwide purpose, and there’s a passion for the lost. There’s a spiritual depth and hunger that reaches beyond the maintenance mode of cultural Christianity.

A mission-minded family emphasizes leadership, calling, and destiny. There’s a prevailing attitude of self-sacrifice and an emphasis on total submission to God’s will. And there’s an unmistakable and contagious joy.

A mission-minded family . . .

• loves to make God smile!

• learns to be diligent, because there’s work to be done and many needs in this world

• brings a stack of well-worn Bibles to church!

• enjoys presents at Christmastime, but never forgets all the poor little children in Cambodia who have nothing.

• is focused on eternity.

• knows how to look up Afghanistan, Bolivia, Singapore, and Tibet, and imagines more than what they see on a map.

• eats rice!

• learns how to share the “gospel colors” and is excited about the miniature EvangeCube that can hook to a kid’s backpack.

• dreams of traveling around the world and makes sure each person has an updated passport–just in case!

• thinks about the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day–and all the people wearing green who don’t have a clue that Patrick was a missionary.

• lives in SUB-mission!

• shakes missionaries’ hands after church and invites their family over for dinner.

• knows that when the Lord guides, He also provides.

• keeps the lawn mowed, as a good Christian witness to the neighbors.

• is strategically aimed for God’s purpose.

• anticipates the excitement of the teenage years and looks forward to youth group mission trips.

• keeps active and healthy in order to be physically able to do whatever God requires.

• gives generously–even when it hurts!

• enjoys carryon luggage with wheels, final boarding calls, and airline peanuts.

• thinks beyond the box of what’s merely expected and hope to do something big (or something little) for God.

• lives for Jesus!

This article by Ann Dunagan, is an excerpt from her newest book, The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny (Authentic Media, 2008). It is also a featured article on The Christian Post’s “Better Parenting – Better Families” Blog.

Praying Together as a Mission-Minded Family

We all know, at least in our heads, that prayer is important. Yet how many of us honestly believe that our prayers, and the simple prayers of our far-from-perfect family, can really make a difference? If we could comprehend, deep down in our spirits, the true power of prayer, we would all pray more-and the difference would radically impact our lives and the lives of everyone around us.

James 5:16 tells us, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” We want our prayers to be effective, but what does it mean to stand “righteous” before God

As a family, we’re very aware of our differences and our faults. We’ve all sinned, and we need to acknowledge that no one of earth can stand blameless before our perfect, holy, and awesome God. No matter how good we try to be, our own works are nothing but filthy rags in His sight (see Isaiah 64:6). To pray effectively as a family, we need to grasp the importance of the “fear of the Lord.” We don’t need to be “afraid” of God in a fearful sense of the word, but we need to realize how powerful and mighty He is.

Four Mission-Minded Family Prayer Projects

• Take a Prayer-Walk: As you walk around your neighborhood, take time to quietly praying for each neighbor, and seek God for ideas on how your family can be a light for Jesus.
• Make a Poster: Have your children make a “Ten Most Wanted” list or poster. Have them think of ten people who need Jesus. These can be relatives, neighbors, famous people, or the man who works at the convenience store. Use this list or poster to remind you to pray for these people to come to know the Lord.
• Use a Map: Put a small world map on your refrigerator, and use this area to display newsletters from missionaries you support, along with current international news updates. Pray regularly as a family, perhaps around the dinner table, for specific world needs and for people you know who need the Lord.
• Teach Your Kids about Prayer with Filthy Rags: The next time you come across an extremely dirty rag in your house, use it an opportunity to share an important lesson with your kids. We may think our own self-efforts help us earn “Brownie points” with God. But, to Him, our human works are as worthless as stinky rags. If we try to earn favor with God-instead of trusting in Jesus-it’s like collecting yucky rags. The more they pile up, the more they stink and mildew.

In prayer, each of us must come to God in an attitude of total surrender and humility, keeping our hearts clean and open before Him. Through the cleansing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, every mom and dad, and boy and girl, can pray as a “righteous man” before God. Because of Christ’s forgiveness and righteousness, even your family can come before God with boldness and authority to effectively intercede on behalf of others.

This article by Ann Dunagan, is an excerpt from her newest book, The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny (Authentic Media, 2008). It is also a featured article on The Christian Post’s “Better Parenting – Better Families” blog.

Chapter 1 – The Mission-Minded Family

Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny

(Here’s a sample chapter for you to enjoy from Ann’s book, The Mission-Minded Family)

If you enjoyed the chapter (or if you’ve read the book), let me know what you think. And how can we encourage others to be more mission-minded?

Blessings to you and your family!
Ann

Mission Giving: “Can’t you do just a little bit more?”

As Christian families, we need God’s perspective on finances, and a vision for how our resources can help to expand His kingdom – especially in tough times.

In our family’s living room, a small handcrafted treasure chest displays simple coins from around the world. Most of the pieces are dull and worn, while some a new and shiny. Our children often enjoy fingering the various francs from France, pulas from Botswana, and euros from Europe, to mention just a few. My favorite is an intricate gold-and-silver-colored piece from Italy, although, as with most of these coins, I have no idea of its worth. Some of the coins are no longer in circulation; some of the countries they’re from no longer exist. All are simply extra pocket change left over from years of past mission trips, each saved as little souvenirs and little reminders that money is only a temporary “little thing.” Each coin is (or was) valuable only because some government somewhere determined it would have value.

But money is also a “big thing” – and we can’t underestimate the importance of training our children to have a godly perspective toward money and financial stewardship.

Our money represents our life; our time, our talents, our education and experiences, and our priorities. In fact, if we really want to find out what is important to us, we can simply look back through our checkbooks and credit card statements over the past few months. Our true priorities are right there in black and white (or red!); and the numbers don’t lie.

It’s really very simple. If we have a heart for the Lord and for the lost, we will give our resources to glorify Him and to help spread His Gospel message; and if our children are raised with this perspective, it will affect their bottom-line attitude toward the purpose of money. Both parents and children need to acknowledge regularly that everything we have ultimately belongs to God: our life is God’s, our home (or bedroom) is God’s, our car (or bicycle, or special toy) is God’s, our money is God’s.

We’re all simply stewards of God’s “stuff.”

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, J.G. Morrison urged Nazarenes to increase missionary support, as he earnestly pleaded:
“Can’t you do just a little bit more?”

When times are tough, our families need to “sow in famine” (like Isaac in Genesis 26:12) and “lay up treasures in heaven” (like Jesus commanded in Matthew 6:20). Physical needs worldwide are greater than ever; orphan children desperately need help; sacrificing missionaries need continual support and prayers; and billions of people need to hear the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

During today’s economic downturn, let’s do more for the needs of world missions. Let’s be faithful stewards of the many resources God has given us, and let’s encourage our children to participate.

As mission-minded families, let’s do just a little bit more.

This article by Ann Dunagan, is an excerpt from her newest book, The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny (Authentic Media). It is also published on The Christian Post’s “Better Parenting – Better Families” blog.

Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny

Often, parents and teachers ask their children, “What do YOU want to be when you grow up?” Even within the church, this present generation is fixated on obtaining fame, wealth, and pleasure. But shouldn’t we be encouraging our children’s willingness to surrender to God’s plans for their futures?

In The Mission-Minded Family, Ann Dunagan presents a plan to transform the “Me Generation” into passionate warriors consumed with God’s glory.

The Mission-Minded Family

(Authentic, 2008) – By Ann Dunagan

Download a FREE SAMPLE!

BUY NOW (including discounts for BOXES of 12 or CASES of 48!!!)

What Others Are Saying:

GIVE YOUR FAMILY A DANGEROUS DESTINY! “I loved this book! In a time in our country where the tendency is to keep our money and time and children very safe, this book encourages – even pushes – us to get out in the world and make a real difference with the resources we’ve been given. Ann Dunagan is no arm-chair missionary…the pages of the book are filled with actual experiences that she and her husband and kids have done for many years. It totally inspired me to take some big risks and help my kids learn to love the world beyond our doorstep.” - Bo Stern – Bend, Oregon

EDUCATIONAL . . . AND THE COOLEST BOOK! – “The Mission Minded Family” by Ann Dunagan is the coolest book! It has everything: hymns, stories of missions, mini biographies of missionaries, skits, a calendar of international holidays and suggestions for how to pray on those days, tools for teaching mission-mindedness, and even practical tips for missionary travel. This is an educational and informative book whether you’re planning to be a foreign missionary, a local missionary, or just learn about the field.” – Stacey, Las Vegas, NV

ABSOLUTELY INSPIRING! - “In our busy lives, very seldom, do we stop to ask God if we’re truly fulfilling His purposes in our lives. “The Mission Minded Family” opens that line of communication between you and God to have a discussion about His will for your life…Don’t be surprised if you hear God speaking to you in greater ways than you ever imagined. If you are a church leader, I can’t imagine a better resource to promote to your congregation and a better gift to give to your missionary families. Ann Dunagan walks you through her and her husband’s lives as a missionaries and sprinkles it with wisdom coming from her young children who have experienced the power of God in and through their lives. The book is not only a resource that provides you with countless “how-to’s,” but it is filled with the Dunagan family’s missionary experiences that will inspire you and draw you nearer to God.”- CHERI HILL

---

Seeking First the Kingdom in a Self-Absorbed Culture

A Press Release – by The B & B Media Group

Often, parents and teachers ask their children, “What do YOU want to be when you grow up?” In a world that is increasingly self-seeking, self-centered, and self-absorbed, the answers are consistently more egocentric–”a movie star,” “a rock star,” “a dance star.”

Even within the church, this present generation is fixated on obtaining fame, wealth, and pleasure. But shouldn’t we be encouraging our children’s willingness to surrender to God’s plans for their futures? Shouldn’t our question instead be, “Oh, I wonder what awesome plans God has for your life! When you grow up, will you do whatever GOD wants you to do?”

In her new book, The Mission-Minded Family: Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny (Authentic, July 2008), author, teacher, and missionary, Ann Dunagan shows parents how to combat the influence of the “Me Generation” by giving readers the tools to revolutionize their families into ones dedicated to fulfilling God’s will and potential, instead of their own. In the first chapter of her book, Dunagan quotes David Shibley as he clearly addresses the current crisis within the church.

“We whine, ‘I just want to know my purpose; I’ve got to reach my destiny.” We race all over the country to attend ‘destiny conferences,’ and we devour tapes and books on ‘reaching your full potential . . . ‘ Even cloaking our self-centeredness in Christian garb and jargon cannot cover the nakedness of this cult of self that has infested much of the church . . . How can we ever hope to discover our purpose in the earth with little or no interest in His purpose?”

Dunagan, who also wrote The Mission-Minded Child, brings the same perspective to what it means to be a mission-minded family. Her goal is to equip today’s godly parents to train our next generation to make a powerful impact for Jesus Christ by directing their focus outward. “Every day, approximately 150,000 people die; the majority of these people are not saved, and far too many have never even heard God’s Good News of salvation,” says Dunagan. “How can we sit back and hear the Gospel again and again, while many are still waiting to hear it for the first time? [adapted from a mission quote by Oswald J. Smith]. Today’s Christian families desperately need to remember that our purpose in this world involves so much more than what we can attain for ourselves. We’re here to reach the lost.”

The Mission-Minded Family includes suggested activities for families to participate in missions together, as well as resources to help families develop the desire to become more missions-focused. Dunagan discusses the need for families to balance and prioritize their everyday lives and delves into what a family’s finances would look like if they were focused on missions. Families who read and practice principles from this book will receive a rekindled closeness as they participate in ministry together.

“In a mission-minded family, there’s a God-infused energy,” Dunagan explains. “There’s a focus on God’s worldwide purpose and a passion for the lost.” There’s a spiritual depth and hunger that reaches beyond the maintenance mode of cultural Christianity.”

Packed with motivating missions stories, hymns, and quotes, The Mission-Minded Family is a quick resource tool with examples of missionary family heroes, ministry ideas, exciting prayer projects, and even practical tips for international travel. Filled with passionate inspiration, The Mission-Minded Family will be picked up again and again, read aloud, and used as a reference for years to come.

You can also find The Mission-Minded Family at e316.com, ChristianBook.com, YWAM’s WorldChristian.com, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, CBN’s Parable.com, and STL – Authentic Books

A Mission-Minded Family Legacy

Today, the Christian Post is featuring a fascinating article about the generational legacy of a wonderful mission-minded family hero.

Hudson Taylor, the legendary missionary to China, is an outstanding example of how to effectively balance a passion for ministry and for family. Hudson Taylor was known as a man of consistent prayer and daily devotion to God’s word. Along with his world-impacting ministry, he was consistent at home and believed in the spiritual training and discipleship of his own children.

And what a difference this balance made, not only during his own lifetime, but even today, three complete generations later. Hudson Taylor died in 1905, yet over 100 years later, his godly legacy is still making Christian news headlines. What a beautiful mission-minded family example!

Take a look at this: Great-Grandson of Legendary Missionary to China Dies.

Balancing Missions & Family

How can we balance our passion for missions with our hearts for our homes? Do we have to choose between “raising our kids” and “reaching the lost”—or is it possible to do both?

As parents, we’re called to raise our kids; and as Christians, we’re called to reach the lost. We really can’t fulfill one of these callings, if we choose to neglect the other.

As I was writing The Mission-Minded Family, I felt especially led to evaluate the homes and family-lives of well-known missionaries. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to realize that many missionary heroes with families were not heroes of the family. Some of the most prominent names in mission history had horrible problems at home; while other leaders (such as William and Catherine Booth of the Salvation Army or Hudson and Maria Taylor) found a powerful ministry-family balance.

As I began to delve deeper into these examples, I searched for clues and common-denominators for those godly world-changing leaders who had God-glorifying homes. And I believe I found the key. It’s PRAYER. The men and women of God who focused primarily on seeking the Lord and their personal devotion to Him (rather than focusing on a merely a successful ministry) seemed to find God’s divine balance for each day. As a result, not only did their ministries glorify God, but their families did as well.

Author and international minister Dr. David Shibley says, “The normal Christian life is anything but balanced, as popularly defined . . . The normal Christian life is high risk and high joy. The normal Christian life releases the temporal to embrace the eternal . . . God is not calling us to win the world and, in the process, lose our families. But I have known those who so enshrined family life and were so protective of “quality time” that the children never saw the kind of consuming love that made their parents’ faith attractive to them. Some have lost their children, not because they weren’t at their soccer games or didn’t take family vacations, but because they never transmitted a loyalty to Jesus that went deep enough to interrupt personal preferences.”

I want my family to have that kind of consuming love, with high risk and high joy. I want to live out my faith in a way that is not only attractive, but also compelling and irresistible! I want to be moved by the passions of God’s heart—and for my kids to take these godly passions to a deeper level. I want to hand off the baton to my descendants, and have them run faster and farther than I ever did.

Let’s raise our kids; let’s reach the lost; and let’s challenge the next generation to live for God with even greater boldness, wisdom, and effectiveness. Through Christ, all things are possible.

FREE Guide: Have a MISSION-MINDED 2010

Do you want to set aside time to seek God’s will for 2010? Do you want your life and your family to become more effective for God’s Kingdom . . . and for ETERNITY?

FREE New Year’s Evaluation Guide

Take 7

Take 7 Days to Seek God’s Will for 2010

Click here to download our FREE “7″ Guide

An Evaluation & Prayer Guide to planning a MISSION-MINDED New Year

Especially designed for Christian Woman and Families

Also, here’s a good One-Year Bible Reading Plan from www.Bible-reading.com

NOW!!! – ALSO AVAILABLE:

2010 MISSION-MINDED GUIDE for Youth & Young Adults

Great for Homeschooling Families with Teenagers, College Adults,
Christian Jr. & Sr. High Schools, or Church Youth Groups

Click here for FREE “7″ Guide for YOUTH

Click here for more details about Ann’s book, The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny, including a link for a FREE Sample (and info about how you can get a copy)!!!

Black Friday, Money, & Missions

In the United States, the day after Thanksgiving is sometimes referred to as “Black Friday.” It’s often the CRAZIEST and busiest shopping day of the year. For many, it’s the beginning of busy Christmas preparations, and annual traditions of giving . . . and often needless overspending. It’s a good day to realign our priorities and our pocketbooks to line-up with God’s purposes, and to remember what’s really important. How we spend our money is a direct reflection of where our heart is focused.

How your family views money and possessions is intrinsically connected with how you view God’s priorities in life. As Christians, we should have the perspective that everything belongs to God: all of our time, all of our talents, all of our life decisions, and yes, all of our money.

I believe it’s important to teach our children about God’s principle of tithing (giving 10 percent of our income to Him), but even more importantly, we need to instill in our family that 100 percent of everything in our lives belongs to God. This principle is much easier caught—by our example—than taught by our words.

Even if your family never lives in a foreign country, you’re still called to be fulltime mission-minded followers, and to participate in expanding God’s kingdom—both locally, and throughout the world.

As Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary to China, often said, “The Great Commission is not an option to consider, but a command to obey.”

There are many ways your family could raise extra money to support international mission projects. Here is a list of activities commonly used by children’s churches, youth groups, and short-term mission teams. The time will come, however, when these efforts won’t be enough.

A true mission-minded family just needs to earn and save money, step out in faith and trust, and manage (or “steward”) those resources according to what’s important . . . for eternity.

Ten Ways to Raise Money for Missions

• Have your children decorate a special container, perhaps with a photo, and begin saving coins for a specific mission project.
• Make a “thermometer” to chart a specific family mission goal, and put it on your refrigerator.
• Have a yard sale with all proceeds going for a specific mission project.
• Have each family member offer to do work for relatives or friends (such as housecleaning, laundry, child care, or yard work) in exchange for people donating toward a special mission project.
• Collect newspapers for recycling.
• Recycle aluminum (and go around neighborhoods to get even more).
• Organize a car wash; rather than charging a set amount, receive donations.
• Make and sell something, like a craft project or a baked item.
• Receive mission donations fo r after-church lattes and espressos.
• Have a “multiply your talents” project. Give each family member a certain amount of money with the mission-minded purpose of using this money, along with his or her talents, abilities, and creativity, for a specified length of time (perhaps two weeks, or one month) to raise money for a specific mission project. A child could use the money to buy gas for a lawn mower, to buy lemonade to sell on the corner, or to buy ingredients for a neighborhood bake sale. At the end of the designated time have each family member return the original money, along with the surplus he or she raised, and give it toward the mission project.
• Remember, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” A great way to “earn money” for missions is simply to SAVE MONEY for MISSIONS. Instead of window-shopping through the malls, or overspending on too many Christmas gifts, stay away from the stores and be on-the-lookout for international mission needs and local benevolence projects.

Motivating for Missions at FamilyLife

THE MISSION-MINDED FAMILY on FamilyLifeToday:
Ann Dunagan with Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine – Click on each link for the broadcast and full transcript of each interview

DAY #1 of 3 on FamilyLifeToday – “Living a Life of Surrender”
DAY #2 of 3 on FamilyLifeToday – “Leading Your Family in the Great Commission”
DAY #3 of 3 on FamilyLifeToday – “Preparing for Missions”

More about Ann’s Mission-Minded books featured on the broadcast:
The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny
The Mission-Minded Child – Raising a New Generation to Fulfill God’s Purpose

Ann traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas to record six radio programs at the ministry studios of Family Life (three programs for Family Life Today with Bob Lepine and Dennis Rainey and three programs for the women’s ministry of Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss, which will broadcast at a later date). The shows focused on the importance of God’s Great Commission and being a “Mission-Minded Family.” It was an amazing experience! Thank you for your prayers (and thank you, Jesus!!!).

<

Next Page »