Godly Gals ~ Real Women, Real Life, Real Faith, Ann Dunagan, Seeking God’s Kingdom, not Selfishness!
Seeking God’s Kingdom, not Selfishness!By Ann Dunagan
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 The Mission-Minded Family: Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny (Biblica), parents are encouraged to combat the influence of the “Me Generation” with tools to revolutionize their families into ones dedicated to fulfilling God’s will and potential, instead of their own. In the first chapter, international minister and author David Shibley is quoted, 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?”
The vision of The Mission-Minded Family 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. 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. The book 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. 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.
What an incredible gift it has been to connect with Ann. Sweet sisters, in the short time that I’ve known Ann she has blessed me, encouraged me and has been living out what she’s passionate about. Right this very minute her and her husband Jon are in Uganda for a few weeks doing some missions work and training.
As God has been creating in me a heart for missions, He continues to surround me with beautiful women of God who are already fully surrendered to making a difference in their lives through missions.
I don’t know where you are on that journey…whether just getting started or a seasoned veteran, I do know this…we are just beginning to see what He has in store.
Thank you so much Ann for sharing a little piece of your heart here in Mel’s World. I look forward to your new adventures with your daughter (Daring Daughters) and can’t wait to see what God does with this new friendship.
Girls, I know this is not our typical “Godly Gals” type post, but this is Real Women, Real Life, Real Faith in action. Each of us has our own race to run and I’d love to hear what God’s been showing you in your own life.
If you’d like to send something in or find out more about the Godly Gals series, then send me an email to melsworldministry {at} gmail {dot} com. I look forward to hearing from you!
Come back in the next day or two for some exciting information about getting involved in missions right from the comfort of your home!
