I can’t stand your religious meetings.
I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religious projects,
your pretentious slogans and goals.
I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes,
your public relations and image making.
I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
I want justice – oceans of it.
I want fairness – rivers of it.
That’s what I want. That’s all I want.
~ Amos 5:21-24, The Message

It was no ordinary concert. It wasn’t even an ordinary night of worship.

It was a call to action.

Last week, my husband (D) and I had the great pleasure of attending the Atlanta leg of the Free to Live tour, sponsored by Children’s HopeChest. My husband is a huge fan of Desperation Band, so we jumped at the opportunity when we discovered they were going to be in town. I expected a powerful worship experience, but it was like no other. It was one of those experiences that is hard to capture with words. In that two-hour experience, God changed us.

I left that place with a deep desire to make a difference. To change the world.

Now anyone that knows me is probably thinking:

Crystal, that’s nothing new. You’ve always wanted to make a difference and change the world.

It’s true. I have dreamed to change the world for as long as I can remember. I was the kid who had pictures of Martin Luther King, Jr and Ghandi on my wall. Mother Teresa was my number one inspiration. I’ve always had a heart for justice.

So maybe it’s no surprise that as we drove home from the concert I couldn’t shake the feeling that God was calling me to do something crazy. The conversation when we got home went something like this:

CR: Can’t we give it all away and move to Haiti? Or Guatamala. Or maybe the Dominican Republic.

DR: What’s it??

CR: Everything. Our stuff. Our cars. I don’t need these clothes! I don’t need my books!

DR: What about our jobs? What are we going to do there?

CR: I don’t know. Teach or something. Help orphans. Make a difference. Change the world! Come on, please? I want to do something crazy! Can’t we be crazy for God?

DR: Sure we can – but there are lots of ways to do crazy things right here in Atlanta.

D and I make a good pair … he is my voice of reason. As usual, he helped me realize that we would be lost – and probably not very effective – if we gave up everything and moved with no plan in mind. But he also helped me understand that we can make a difference where we are. There are orphans that need homes. Trafficked women who need a message of hope. Abused children who need someone to share life with them.

So we aren’t quitting our jobs to move away. But we are getting serious about sharing the love and freedom of Christ with those who need it most.

That’s what the Free to Live tour was all about. The gospel is not just about my freedom. It’s about the freedom of others. If my worship doesn’t move me to action, it’s not worship!

Each one of us has a part to play in helping to build the Kingdom of God here and now. We each have a kingdom mission. For me …

I am love.

What about you? Listen to how God is speaking to you …

What is your kingdom mission?

You can find more info about the Free to Live tour here.