​Nearly time to start packing my bags!  We leave for Guatemala in less than 48 hours. In five days, our goal is to build two new homes for impoverish families. It will be a new, unique experience in a new and foreign land (for me) to serve others; and undoubtedly gain a greater appreciation for the many blessings we have here in our country.  I look forward to sharing this experience with my son, and 10 others from our congregation. 

Please keep us in your prayers!
 
However, one needs not travel far to do this sort of “mission” work.  At my previous church, we had a sign at the exit of the parking lot that read: You Are NOW Entering the Mission Field. Catchy, isn’t it?  It is meant to catch you on your way out of church, not your way in. A less-than-subtle reminder. The idea is simple but easy to forget: the mission field isn't a place you fly to. It's the parking lot. It’s the home you pass. It’s the diner you eat at afterwards. It’s the grocery store. It's your kitchen table. It's the cubicle next to yours…
 
I’m sure you get the point. Our mission field is much closer than we often think.  They are in the present places we already find ourselves spending most of our time—where we live, work, and play. 
 
We tend to picture missionaries with passports and prayer cards, serving in places far from home. And Scripture certainly sends people that way— the Apostle Paul crossed seas, walked mountain roads, endured shipwreck to carry the Gospel to strangers. That call is real and honorable. But it isn't the only call, and for most of us, it isn't our call.  This is worth sitting with, because it can be tempting (and perhaps a bit too comfortable and convenient) to treat "real" ministry or “mission” work as something that happens elsewhere or by other people—on a mission trip, in a foreign country, among people who look and speak differently than we do.  That kind of service matters. But it can also become a way of quietly excusing ourselves from the mission field we're standing in. Every. Single. Day. 
 
Every Christian, by virtue of our baptism and relationship with Jesus, is a missionary. No matter where we live. No matter what our professional vocation. No matter how polished or equipped we think we are.   We are all called to actively and intentionally winsome for the sake of the Gospel—sharing the love and salvation found in Jesus. This quote (source unknown) comes to mind, “We are not called to save the world; we are called to be faithful in the place God has put us."  The coworker who never mentions God but is clearly carrying something heavy. The young adult child who is still trying to figure out what they believe in a world of mixed messages. The neighbor who's lived beside you for years and whom you've never really talked to. The relative who stopped going to church and never says why.

​The list goes on…
 
You don't need a passport for that mission field. You need simply to be present.  Be attentive. Be patient. Pray for a bold willingness to show up in small, ordinary ways like a meal, a phone call, an honest conversation, a listening ear. Jesus did not just wait for people to come to Him.  He met them where they were at.  Jesus did not meet people exclusively in temples and synagogues. He met them at wells, on roadsides, in fishing boats, at dinner tables. The mission field has always been wherever people already are; and you’re in it!
 
"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." (Mother Teresa)
“The mission of the Church is not to occupy space, but to occupy the neighborhood." (unknown)

During the last month of our recent discernment and call process, several pastors encouraged me by reminding me of the importance of my different vocations. Or to put it another way, understanding rightly the order of my callings from God. 

All are important; but not necessarily equal. 
 
Wise colleagues reminded me that my first calling is that of husband, and then a father, and then (thirdly) a pastor. I needed to hear that. This order is important, but it is often ignored.  This is true for all of us.  It does not only apply to pastors trying to discern where to serve. We overlook, neglect, or take for granted the needs of those most intimately aligned to us.

Time for a self-inventory and probably course correction. 

We each have our own, unique professional vocations, whatever they may be. God has carefully crafted each of us with special talents and abilities, crafting us to serve the world around us in a variety of capacities. Different jobs. All are important and, when done to the glory of God (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31), all are God-pleasing. But before any title or task the world assigns us, we have a prior calling: the people God has placed under our care. After our relationship with Him, nothing outranks our duty to spouse, children, and grandchildren. 
 
This order is easy to affirm, yet also easy to neglect. Not intentionally of course. We are quickly enticed by professional ventures, leisurely activities, and other good things.  Ambition, urgency, and the applause of accomplishment can quietly reorder/pollute our priorities. But faithfulness isn't measured by how well we perform in public roles, especially if we've abandoned our first ones at home. 

Our Lutheran tradition is big on this. The home is holy ground.  Family needs are important. Serving your household is paramount. Yes, we all have God-given tasks or jobs in which we serve the world; but the most sacred and holy callings we have are in the relationships we have with those around us. After all, for me specifically, anyone can be the pastor at this church or any other. But no other person has been given the privilege and responsibility of being a husband to my wife and a father to my children.  This is true for every one of us.
 
Today, consider your own order. Whatever your calling (occupation), ask: are those closest to you receiving the "first" of your time and care—or merely the leftovers?

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"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." (Ephesians 5:25)
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“But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” (1 Timothy 5:8 NLT)

​When was the last time you had a tough decision to make? What college to attend. Seeking a new job. Starting a family. Moving cross country.  In life, we frequently stand between two things, trying to discern the will of God, wishing for a divinely detailed roadmap. Deciphering between the path on the left or the path on the right. What door do we close and what door do we go through?  In gut-wrenching moments like these, it is natural to wonder, "Which one is God's will for me?" 
 
We want God to tip His hand—a dramatic sign, a peace that feels obvious, some unmistakable answer that one door is "His will" and the other isn't. We pray for a Jonah-like moment—an undeniable sign from God that swallows us whole and spits us up just where we are to be.  But God rarely works that way. Abraham is a powerful Old Testament example of trusting God when the future is unclear. In Genesis 12:1-4, God told Abraham: "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you."  God did not hand Abraham a full map. He didn’t give details. He did not explain every hardship, delay, or blessing ahead. Abraham simply received God’s promise and stepped forward in faith. Discernment, for him, looked like faithful obedience, not certainty in advance.
 
Proverbs 16:9 says, "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." We plan, but God establishes. That's not permission to be careless—wisdom, counsel, and prayer matter.  But it does free us from the paralysis of needing a perfect answer before we can move. Pray for wisdom (James 1:5), seek counsel from trusted Christians (Prov. 15:22), honestly weigh the responsibilities and opportunities before you, and then move forward in faith rather than fear.  After all, the Lord already reveals His deepest will for you: that you belong to Him through faith in Jesus (John 6:40), that you grow in holiness (1 Thess. 4:3), give thanks in every circumstance (1 Thess. 5:16-18), and love God and your neighbor (Mt. 22:37-39). Specific details of your future may remain hidden, but God's promises never are.
 
From simple decisions to major ones, research suggests that that an average person will make over 30,000 choices each day. Yikes!  Whatever lies ahead for your future, trust the One who establishes your steps. Discernment is less about decoding a hidden script, and more about walking close enough to God to know that even our unknown-to-us decisions are held in His omnipotent hands. The will of God is less a puzzle to solve and more a relationship to walk in.  No matter the tension you are in or the decision you face, do not fret.  The Lord who saves you is also the Lord who goes with you. Whichever path you take, His grace is sufficient, and His faithfulness will not fail.
 
“Yielding to God's will can be hard. And sometimes, it really hurts. But it always brings peace.” (J.M. Perkins)
“The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.” (Billy Graham)
“I will not try to run my own life or the lives of others; that is God's business.” (Eugene Peterson)