Friday's Words of Wisdom for 11/6/26

“You don’t have to go to the ends of the earth to find a mission. The mission is right next door. The question is what your calendar and checkbook say about your answer.” - Mark Goodman

We romanticize missions. We picture distant lands, foreign languages, and dramatic stories of sacrifice. But while waiting to go far, we often walk past the needs that are right in front of us. The lonely neighbor. The struggling single mom down the street. The coworker who hasn’t smiled in weeks. The stranger who just needs someone to see them.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” - Matt 25:35

Jesus didn’t describe a mission trip. He described a Tuesday. Ordinary moments, ordinary people, extraordinary obedience. The mission field is not somewhere you go. It is somewhere you already are.

So here is the honest question: what do your calendar and checkbook actually say about what you value? Not what you intend or believe in theory. What do the numbers and your time actually show in giving to those in need?

Here’s your challenge: Identify a person or a cause who is hungry, hurting, or feeling like a stranger. If you have more money than time, give financially to those doing the work. If you have more time than money, give that. If you can do both, do both. The mission field is closer than you think. It always has been.