values

Our monthly leadership podcast is up, and we've begun a new discussion on values. You can listen and subscribe HERE.

NativityMissions' vision is making church matter by influencing our world for Christ. Our mission is to mobilize our community to love others and make disciples with our strategic partners. And our values, well, our values didn't really have a voice up until now. I always thought of values as secondary, even unimportant. But as we grow, as more get involved, and as we work to raise up new leaders, our values are where the vision hits the pavement.

This most recent episode, and the next couple as well, focuses on our behavioral values: traits we believe are essential for a NativityMissions leader to exhibit. Give it a listen and, as always, let us know what you think.

fasting

Today, we're fasting for our partners in Nigeria. Over the past year or so there has been a significant increase in violence at the hands of Boko Haram, a radical, anti-government, anti-Christian group. Nativity, as a church community, fasted last summer for ten days, and we've since decided to keep up the practice, fasting on the first Thursday of each month. Aside from of course seeking God's peace for Nigeria and praying for our partners, it helps us connect with our brothers and sisters in Christ at Faith Alive and Anawim who are fasting at the same time as well.

first podcast episode

The first edition of our new NativityMissions podcast is now available! We'll post each new episode here on the blog (you can listen on the media player below), on Church of the Nativity's website (here), and you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes (here).

In this first [trial] episode we'll look back to Nativity involvement in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. Nativity sent over a dozen Missions teams to the Gulf Coast to do disaster relief and it was that work that laid the foundation for so much of what we're still doing, whether we knew it or not...

Join the conversation and leave a comment with your thoughts below.

salt and light

A few weeks back at one of our Missions meetings we looked at the very familiar scripture in the Sermon on the Mount called the Similes of Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13-16).

You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp stand, where it gives light to all the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.

failure

MLB.com

It has been so awesome to watch the Orioles postseason run this past week. I've been able to go to both ALDS games at Camden Yards, which were both absolutely amazing. (Talk about an irresistible environment!) Sunday night's energy at the ballpark was tremendous, especially all the build up during the rain delay -- the place was ready to erupt. But with an 'epic fail' ninth inning, the yards fell silent by the end of the night.