One of the reality checks that really can mess with your head when you get into a missions situation is time management. Many times you don't have an office to go to with a team/staff around you. That means that your day looks a bit different.

You may be standing in line to pay the light bill at 10:00, meeting a local pastor for lunch at 12:00, working on a bible study/sermon/teaching guide at 2:00, and picking up the kids from school at 4:00.

Where did that day go?????

Well, when that reality check hits you, be ready with a plan. Do some thinking ahead on your schedule. Make sure that your time matches up with your goals and objectives. Also, make sure you have an accountability partner that is holding you to the goals you have set.

With so much to do for the Kingdom, lets not let this reality check overwhelm us.

Listen to the Missional Hands Podcast. 

We live in a wacky world. Half the time we are promoting diversity and the other half we are talking about a global youth culture. We tolerate everything but in the next breath we expect same-ness.

It is probably something that we need to live with in dynamic tension. We are called to love every person for who they are and at the same time we realize that in a global media-saturated world we are becoming more and more alike.

So what does this mean for our missional hands????

It means that you will hit a wall of sameness. During your initial experiences you will see a lot of things in common. Then the wall comes and you realize that different cultures really do think differently.

This isn't bad. You need to be studying the culture you are in and understanding how it is similar to your own and how it is different. This is a key part of good missions - cross-cultural awareness.

So as you come up to that wall, embrace the sameness and the differences and enjoy this new experience!

Listen to this week's podcast here.