Study, Pray, and Rest with Deanna Mason

So if you live in America, you know we have an ongoing gun violence problem.

From mass shootings to gang violence, there is an obviously layered and complicated gun issue, mental health issue, legislation issue, and disagreement issue amongst our citizens on how to handle it all.

Also, in 2020, America experienced a reminder of sorts of our sorted history around race and systemic issues still perpetuating oppression, injustice, and inequity today.

One of the patterns I’ve noticed, and I’m sure you have too, is that we have some sort of significant incident (like a school shooting), a public outcry of sadness, frustration, anger, and fear. And then things kinda get quiet again after a few days have passed and the news cycle has moved on.

Until it happens again and the cycle repeats.

Christians come together and pray for our nation and the individuals involved. Some will pray for our leaders and governing officials. But, one of the phrases I’ve heard amid these tragedies, from Christians and non-Christians, has been this: “It’s going to take more than prayer!”

I understand this statement. It represents how Needle Movers began - in the midst of my frustration and anger around injustice and inequity in America highlighted in 2020, I took action. It was time for me to try to move the needle somehow.

But, hear me - my actions are vain if they are not rooted in prayer. Fixing inequity is beyond me... beyond my education level... beyond my abilities and skills... beyond my intelligence. Even beyond my life margin and capacity to work.

I think this is true for most people. How does a regular person, just living an everyday life trying to raise kids and make ends meet, contribute to moving the needle towards addressing the issues that cause national outcries of lament?

I believe it’s beyond you too  - you don’t have what we need. I don’t care who you are.

But, we all have access to the One who does have answers and instructions for our responses towards unrighteousness, injustice, and inequity.

And that access begins with prayer.

So, returning to the original question, “Does it take more than prayer?” 

In this episode of my series, Spiritual Discipline to Cultivate Equity, that’s what I hope to answer.

RESOURCES MENTIONED & STAYING CONNECTED

Enroll in the Effective Prayer Bible Study in the Study, Pray, and Rest Community.

My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;
if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures—

Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; (Proverbs 2:1 - 3, 9)

As Christ followers, whether we like it or not, we've been called into an identity of righteousness, justice, and equity. But, we cannot define what is righteous, just, and equitable by using the wisdom offered to us by mere men.

We've all been baptized into the knowledge of our culture, societal norms, and our family of origin - we're experts in behaving in the ways of this world.

But can we say the same thing about the ways of the Kingdom of God?

The number one command God gave to the Israelites before they entered into the promised land was to not forget his words (Joshua 1:8). He knew that once they left the wilderness and no longer needed to depend on his supernatural provision and care the same way, they would be in danger of forgetting his instructions on how to govern their lives. And forget they surely did - because that's what humans do... forget.

Adam and Eve did it.

The Israelites did it.

Post-Resurrection Christians did it (and we still do it).

The thing is, when we forget, our culture is really good at teaching us the ways that seem right, and the lines become very blurred in regard to what true good and evil even are.

And when you're doing the hard work of creating more righteous, just, and equitable lives for humanity, the last thing you want is for these lines to be unclear.

So what are we to do to fix this?

Insert the heart correction offered through spiritual disciplines.

In this introductory episode of my series, "Spiritual Disciplines for Cultivating Equity," I'll explore the reasons why I believe our continued cultivation of spiritual discipline is directly tied to the successful work of social equity, and I'll share the five practices that Needle Movers for Social Equity will focus on for nurturing the discipline of God's word in our hearts.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Leah Hatefi, wife to Aaron and mother of Evelie and Noah, is a vocational missionary with Youth With a Mission (YWAM).

YWAM equips young adults to go into all nations and make disciples of all peoples groups. After leading many teams to other countries, sharing the Gospel, and serving with various long-term mercy-ministry projects, Leah felt Jesus asking her to return to the US and answer the call to serve within the local church.

After returning, she was invited to help establish a YWAM School of Biblical Studies in Atlanta. Leah became part of the leadership team to launch that school in 2022.

Her prayer is that their students discover the truth of God’s word and deepen their understanding through the love of the Holy Spirit while they study, then take what they learn into the world so that others may know God through their life example.

In this final episode of the For God So Loved the World Podcast Series, I chat with Leah about being a vocational missionary and how raising young children has influenced how she (very gracefully in my opinion) integrates motherhood into her work.

SUPPORT LEAH HATEFI

Brittany Woods is a brand new mother and a vocational missionary with SIM (Sudan Interior Mission) USA. She and her husband Alex (who is Campus Director at Howard University for Campus Outreach) are planning to move to Lusaka, Zambia to join the Campus Outreach team there in just a few short weeks. In Lusaka, Brittany will use her experience mobilizing missionaries in order to help Zambian Christians explore how God may be inviting them into missions and equip them in sharing the Gospel cross-culturally.

In this third episode of the For God So Loved the World Series, Brittany and I will chat about:

Her story of how she became a missionary

Some of Brittany's concerns about working vocationally as a missionary while being a mother

Her thoughts on why there's so few people of color in the mission field

And she'll share a couple of amazing stories from her work in missions around the world.

Support Brittany and her fundraising goal for her long-term missions assignment at the link below:

Not everyone is called to serve in ministry in another country for years.

Not everyone is called to short-term mission trips outside of their country.

Some people are not in seasons where world ministry travel is reasonably within reach.

But, believers all have a universal call to share the good news of Jesus to the nations.

If you're not the one to actually go, then how can you participate in the work of missions?

I believe the answer to this is unique to each and every individual, but it basically boils down to this: Some are called to go, and some are called to send those that do.

Send through prayer.

Send through time and support.

But mostly, send through giving finances.

In Episode 2 of my series For God So Loved the World, Emily Manginelli, Founder of the School of the New Testament, Director of the School of Biblical Studies - Atlanta Campus, Co-Lead Pastor of The Square Church, and my sweet dear friend shares her heart on the shared called of missions. This message changed my life, and I pray it changes yours as well and takes you even further into the heart of God for the nations of the world.

SUPPORT FOR UGANDA

Learn how I'm raising support for this trip at the link below:

How did I seemingly "all of a sudden" become a short-term missionary mom on her way to the country of Uganda?

Well, it's both straight-line simple as well as twists-and-turns simple - but it's all incredibly put together by God.

And my friend Jill Savage has quite a lot to do with it.

In this first episode in my series "For God So Loved the World", I've invited Jill to share her story of how she and her husband Mark were invited by an organization called Promise International to come and host a marriage conference for pastors in Jinja, Uganda, and how I'm now being taken along for the ride to hold Bible teaching sessions with a few hundred outcast moms of special needs children.

You're gonna love this story - it's only a story that God can do.

CONNECT WITH JILL & MARK SAVAGE

Welcome to the Study, Pray, & Rest Podcast, where we're dedicated to healing broken hearts with Biblical literacy and refreshing ministry and business leaders with Sabbath rest. This podcast is hosted by Deanna Mason, Founder of Needle Movers for Social Equity (501c3).

In this episode, you'll: