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Why You Should Lead a Mission Trip at Home

Posted in Short-term Missions by Jeff Goins on 3/10/2010

You should lead a mission trip in your own hometown. I'm serious.

I've been doing that this week, and it's rocking my world. Here's why you should consider being a missionary to your own city:

1) It helps you get connected with local ministries you otherwise wouldn't take the time to notice or get involved in. For instance, last night, I was introduced to People Loving Nashville, a group of random friends who all decided that they wanted to feed some people on the street once a week and have been doing just that for a year. Click here to continue reading...

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People Loving Nashville: This Week's Mission Trip

Posted in Missions Stories by Jeff Goins on 3/9/2010

I'm leading a mission trip this week in my own town of Nashville. To be honest, it's a bit stressful. I'm having to manage my own life in addition facilitating this group of 19 college students and chaperones. But it's good. Great, in fact. As my body wears down, I have to keep reminding myself of that.

The goal, of course, as it is on any AIM trip, is simple: teach people to hear the voice of the Lord and respond in obedience. But we're doing that in the context of reaching out the homeless and urban poor... and we're learning a thing or two about how God sees people.

As this group reaches out to the "less fortunate", they're learning that these are just ordinary people, broken and beautiful just like them, each with their own unique story. One student actually said, "'Less-fortunate'? What does that even mean? I'm learning that these are just people."

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The Wrecked Manifesto

Posted in Wrecked by Jeff Goins on 3/6/2010

We started Wrecked three years ago.

With all of the stories, articles, and discussions that this website has elicited, I still felt like we had something more to say. So, I wrote a manifesto. I hope that it provokes new discussions, ideas, and questions. Here's an excerpt: "Something is missing. Something important. Something necessary to making a difference in the world. And most are afraid to find out what it is..."

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Short Term Missions as Pilgrimage

Posted in Short-term Missions by Jeff Goins on 3/4/2010

Mike Todd left a comment on Carl Medearis' blog post about writing Tea with Hezbollah with Ted Dekker, responding to the following passage:

The great tradition of taking a pilgrimage to learn and love a new people, has all but been lost in the Western world. All cultures and all religions have had this as an integral part of their lives. Ted and I were pilgrims.

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Christian Pilgrimage: Homesick at Home

Posted in Pilgrimage by Jeff Goins on 3/2/2010

My friend Marc Schifano just posted the following blog, after returning from a 10-day trip to Swaziland:

I have been wondering why I feel homesick, and I'm home...

I am homesick. Homesick for the kingdom that Jesus spoke of. Homesick for the taste in my mouth that lingered there for ten days and still lingers there now.

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Great Art Points to Something Else

Posted in Inspiration by Jeff Goins on 3/1/2010

The people who built the Statue of Liberty gave the world a gift. Everyone who comes to New York benefits from it, as do those who see the memorable icon in a movie or on a key chain. There are few symbols in this world that are quite as powerful as that green lady. When people look at her, they don't see oxidized copper and a museum. They see freedom. They see new beginnings.

I'll bet that the Hebrews felt a similar sense of significance when they saw the temple in Jerusalem rebuilt after the exile. The rest of the city was still in shambles, but rebuilding the temple was a priority. Because the temple was more than just a place of worship and sacrifice; it was an icon of solidarity. It was hope. Click here to continue reading...

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You Have a Gift to Give to the World

Posted in Vocation and Calling by Jeff Goins on 2/28/2010

Giving a gift to the world should be our most important mission in life. Call it what you like -- leaving a legacy, making an impact -- but we were put on this earth to do something. Something meaningful. Something that lasts.

Most of us appreciate the gifts that famous dead people have given to the world. But we fail to see the opportunity for gifts in our everyday life.

While the Mona Lisa was a gift to the world, so is your local library, or that bizarre sculpture in your town square. So is that pizza joint on the corner that refuses to franchise its business, knowing full well that they'd have to compromise personal attention. So is the sermon or message you heard this morning in church. Click here to continue reading...

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Helping Other People Achieve Their Dreams

Posted in Inspiration by Jeff Goins on 2/25/2010

My wife recently launched her dream of starting a photography business. She had been talking about it for over a year, and when Christmas came, it was time to finally buy the camera she was wanting. She was scared and excited all at once, but things have really come together the past couple of months. When we launched the website a few days ago, she and I both realized this was for real.

Everyone has a dream -- at least one. A passion. A calling. A desire.

So often we talk about realizing our dreams. This seems to be part of the core of what it means to be an American -- to descend from hardworking immigrants who busted their humps so that you and I could have more opportunities to make a life for ourselves.

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How Many Geniuses Do You Know?

Posted in Inspiration by Jeff Goins on 2/24/2010

I know a few geniuses.

Krista Hines is a genius at graphic design. She can come up with astounding creative with as little direction as a couple of vague sentences.

Kim Daniels is a genius at editing video and has more than once pulled out an amazing final product when given very limited resources and a tight deadline.

Of course, there are other ways of being a genius that are just as valid. Click here to continue reading...

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What's Happening in Haiti is Spiritual

Posted in Haiti by Jeff Goins on 2/23/2010

I haven't posted much about Haiti lately, but it still is a big part of my daily life with all the plans AIM has to be down there for the next six months (and longer).

The youth ministry team we sent down there to capture stories returned last week with incredible stories. Stories about displaced people, surprising faith in those who lost everything, and becoming the answers to their prayers.

Friends keep asking me about Haiti. And I keep telling them the same answer: Haiti is experiencing revival. We need to move beyond the mindset of "those poor Haitians..." and recognize what is happening here. Haiti is being reborn. Click here to continue reading...

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