Continuing on with the theme from 2 weeks ago–“Passion for the Call”–I want to discuss the mindset of a Christian in our culture living out their calling. Ministry isn’t just for pastors! Jesus calls us to minister to people wherever He places us. wherever our place or calling has led us to, we should be actively trying to create the type of culture there that is redeeming the world to Christ. No matter where we are, we are called to create culture not just be consumers of culture.
As Christians, we are often times known by non-Christians only for what we are against instead of what we are for. I think this is a reflection of Christians criticizing what we see in culture and then withdrawing from that culture instead of creating a God-honoring culture. We can’t be content to just criticize and withdrawal–we must be restorers! Have we not already seen what happens to our culture when Christians stop being restorers and begin to isolate ourselves?
Andy Croutch, author of “Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling” asks this question to get us thinking about Kingdom-building where we are, “We need to look at our callings and evaluate them by asking, ‘Is what I am doing helping people to become flourishing human beings?'” That is what Christ wants us to do with the callings He gives us…contribute to helping people flourish and see Christ in their lives.
An example of someone I witnessed living this principle out came at an unlikely place. Laura and I were traveling to Florida over Spring Break and we stopped at a Taco Bell somewhere in Georgia. The young lady–who was probably either in high school or college (I can’t really tell anymore at my age)–who took our order right away surprised Laura and I by greeting us with a big smile and said something to us–I don’t remember what–probably because I wasn’t expecting the person on the other side of the counter to actually care about who we were. The force of her personality was such that everyone she helped kind of stood up a little straighter and you could almost see all of us actually FLOURISHING as humans while we were interacting with her. Then, when there was a lull at the register, she came out to the dining area and asked if there was anything she could get for us and offered to throw away any trash we had. She did this with a big smile on her face and took care of everyone in the dining area! Her attitude literally transformed the mindsets of everyone in the restaurant. This was Taco Bell–not a 4-star restaurant! Doesn’t she know that you don’t treat others that way at Taco Bell?
See, we can be creators of culture in big ways and small ways. God has placed us where He has placed us because that is where He wants us to help others “become flourishing human beings”!
Let’s choose this week to restore our culture!!
More to come,
Jeremy
Awaken Ministries 
I understand the intended point, but I would anticipate receiving the same friendly smile and service at Taco Bell and so I guess it wouldn’t surprise me as much. Mark Russell and I went to the Taco Bell in Pekin during our high school days. A kid we considered a “burnout” was working and we were the only customers. Our group had had run-ins with their group as can only happen in high school. No one else was there and he could have been a jerk to us – I think he was the manager on duty. Instead, he gave us the same service he would anyone else and it changed our image of him. Though you probably have no idea what the address was of that Taco Bell, you probably should have made a point to contact her manager and single her out for her good performance. Have a safe trip!