The BIG Story by Sylvia Schmidt

The BIG Story By Sylvia Schmidt, Ministry Assistant

In the two weeks the Big Story Missional Community has existed, Nelson and I have experienced God’s faithfulness and are humbled at the love walking into our door.

Months before we started, we began by making small, daily choices to hear and obey the Father in those hard yet significant decisions. Over time, it added up to a new lifestyle. We are still learning, of course, but we believe that starting where Jesus did—within a spiritual family—is where we learn and grow in this competency and way of life. What we’ve seen is that community on this side of heaven isn't primarily about us, it's about God's glory being displayed to the world. Jesus clearly explains that the purpose of Christian unity and community is so that the world would know God the Father sent Jesus to this earth in John 17:21-24.

On any given Monday afternoon before Missional Community, we began to think, “We’re so tired. Why do this?” And then the evil foe sends challenges—a fire to put out at work, Houston traffic, a tire that blows out, wondering if there will be enough food. But we remind ourselves that Jesus is the victor and God is glorious, so we don’t have to fear, worry or fret about anything.

Now our journey together as an extended family is to figure out how to live a missional life the way Jesus did within an extended family, and that is bringing new life to all of us. Our prayer is that each of us learns to live on mission as His children through prayer, daily reminding ourselves of the Gospel, orienting our hearts towards mission, being a friend of sinners and pursuing those who don’t know Him. As we watch God show up in each other’s lives on a weekly basis, our faith grows, and we would not want to be outside of this reality now that we know the fullness of life that exists within this kind of family!

May God give us each the grace to follow the fullness of all He intended for our life together and receive the joy of following Jesus and participating in the mission to which He has called us!