Life Ministry

 

The primary heartbeat of DeepStream remains the same whether a missionary in Guatemala, or a missionary in your place of business, your neighborhood, or elsewhere. 

 

Our lives are our ministry.  

 

We believe this is true of all Christians, wherever God has called you to live and breathe. We do not consider being missionaries in a third world country any more radical, sacrificial, or devoted of a Christian life than being a missionary in the american workplace, schools, neighborhoods, or churches. 

 

deepStream guatemala holds on to the same philosophy that initially began DeepStream Ministries...  that life is ministry.  Ministry is not to be separated from "other areas" of our time.  We are God's, to be used by Him however and whenever He chooses.  In fact, most of the time we can be better used in a casual, everyday atmosphere than in a traditional religious atmosphere.  But if we are accustomed to the "on/off" approach to ministry, we will miss these opportunities because we're not wearing our "ministry hats."

 

While our efforts in Guatemala are more specific than we are used to (specific ministries and projects), we pray that we never lose focus of the life ministry concept.  God is using us to love and serve the poor in unique ways, which provides a temptation to call these things our "ministry" and consider the rest "our own time."  Maybe we as Christians wouldn't say it that way, but often times it's exactly what we do.

 

What does this concept of life ministry mean to the Christian banker, plumber, lawyer, or retiree? In my opinion, it means we're all missionaries.  Called to live radically, love unconditionally, and sacrifice irrationally.  We've all been given the same instructions from our jewish-carpenter boss.  For a foreign missionary, the language may be different, the tasks may be unique, and the sun may go down/come up at a different time, but the goal is the same:

Love God, love people, and give ourselves away.