Thriv’era | We Are Missional | “Off the Map”
Thriv’era…
challenges us to move with thoughtful purpose toward a deepened sense of identity—that we are spirited, creative, and connected people, called to be present, grateful, generous, and missional with our lives.
Together, we are exploring what it means to live into these rhythms in ways that help us bring some good to each moment, something better to each day, and our best to each other as we encounter the world together.
We are… Missional
As image-bearers of the Divine, we are missional people—mission woven into our very nature, aligning us with God’s healing work in the world. We thrive as missional people by joining movements that generate hope, unity, and wholeness for all people.
| WELCOME | SETTING THE INTENTION |
Pause for a quiet moment to settle in. Notice your breathing. No need to change it—just notice it.
Then reflect together:
- Where in your life right now do you sense a nudge, a pull, or an invitation?
- Where do you feel most alive these days?
- Where do you see need around you?
- What is one thing you care about enough to act on?
Centering | Missional Thriving |
Read this slowly:
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
—Frederick Buechner
Pause for a moment. Then reflect:
- What word or phrase stands out to you?
- What gives you energy, and what breaks your heart?
- Where might love be asking something of you right now?
Scripture Connection | Genesis 12:1–4
“I will bless you… so that you will be a blessing… So Abram went.”
Sit with this verse for a moment.
- What do you notice in this passage?
- What do you think it means that Abram’s call begins with “Go”?
- What does it stir in you to hear, “I will bless you… so that you will be a blessing”?
Story | Before Takeoff
Years ago, I bought a trumpet from a young widow.
Her husband had been a Navy pilot stationed at Whidbey Island. He was in his early thirties, married, raising children, and full of the hopes and plans that belong to a young life still unfolding. One night, he had taxied his aircraft into position for takeoff. Engines running. Checklist complete. Cleared by the tower.
But the plane never moved.
When help arrived, they found him lifeless in the cockpit. A heart attack had ended his life just moments before takeoff.
I have carried that story with me for years—not only because it was tragic, but because it raises a question that does not leave you alone:
How would we live if we knew our time was shorter than we thought?
That is part of the Missional rhythm.
Mission is not a title or a program. It is not mostly about being busy or impressive. It is about alignment. It is about turning your life outward with courage and clarity toward healing, hope, and wholeness.
The pilot’s story presses the question in a simple, urgent way:
What is the good I’m here to bring, while I still have breath?
And Scripture gives us three simple words:
So Abram went.
Missional living often begins there—not with the whole map, but with one faithful step..
Reflection
- What part of this story stands out to you?
- Have you ever had a moment that made life feel more urgent, precious, or clear?
- When have you sensed that life was asking something more of you?
- What helps you move from intention to action?
Missional Conversation
- When in your life have you felt most clear about why you were here? What was happening?
- What is something in the world, your community, or another person’s life that keeps getting your attention?
- Do you think of mission as something large and dramatic, or something lived in small faithful steps? Why?
- Tell about a time when you took a risk, left something familiar, or stepped into the unknown. What helped you move forward?
- What tends to get in the way of missional living for you—fear, uncertainty, fatigue, comfort, or feeling unqualified?
- Where do your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger seem to meet right now?
- What is one next faithful step you may be invited to take in this season?
A Missional Manifesto
As children of God, we are missional people.
We are not here by accident.
We are not here to consume our days and call it a life.
We are image-bearers—carriers of breath, mercy, and courage.
We refuse the illusion that comfort is the goal.
We refuse the lie that our only responsibility is ourselves.
We will live aligned.
We will move toward healing.
We will lean toward unity.
We will practice hope in ordinary places.
We will be a blessing.
Not someday. Not when we feel ready.
Today.
We will go—faithfully, humbly, imperfectly—
off the map,
into the places where love is needed most.
Brief Reflection
- Which line of the manifesto feels most true for you right now?
- Which line feels most challenging?
Refrain
As a child of God, I will take the next faithful step. I am blessed to be a blessing.
Speak the Refrain aloud together once or twice, slowly. Then ask:
- What word or phrase in this Refrain stands out to you?
- What might the next faithful step look like for you this week?
Prayer Intention
Gracious God, align our lives with your love. Gather what is scattered in us and turn us outward with open hands. Give us courage for the next faithful step—small, real, and offered in trust. Show us where healing is needed, where unity is fragile, and where blessing can move through us today. Meet us on the way. In the name of Christ, Amen.
Blessing
May you receive your breath as gift.
May you trust that you are held.
May you find courage for the next faithful step.
May you be brave enough to leave what keeps you small,
and gentle enough to bless what is fragile.
When fear tries to shrink your life,
may love expand it.
May your life move outward in hope, unity, and healing.
May you go faithfully, humbly, and with open hands.
And may there be more “I love you,”
more “I’m sorry,”
more “I’m listening,”
and more blessing
because you were here.