Hello friends! Wherever you find yourself today, know that you are being prayed for and that you are so loved!
This is our squad’s (S Squad’s) seventh month of the Race, and many of the Racers on S Squad are currently participating in something called ATL. ATL stands for “Ask The Lord,” which is an opportunity to enter the presence of the Lord and ask Him what He wants you to do with the day/time that He’s given you. For Racers, months that are devoted to ATL are a time to abandon expectations, schedule restraints, and typical definitions of Christian ministry and sit down to ask God where to go, how to get there, and who to love along the way… And then go! In the past, God has led Racers to work with refugees in Greece, to hand out sandwiches in Macedonia, to give out paintings and prayer on the streets of Nepal, and to have conversations with strangers on boats in Thailand.
ATL allows you to step back and watch God break out of the boxes into which we are so quick to put Him. ATL gives God the space to bring us into what He’s doing instead of us trying to bring God into what we’re doing. ATL is a time for God to change your definitions of “ministry” and “church” and “love” and to use your willingness to bring the Kingdom to earth. ATL is awesome. And we want you to join us!
On July 24th-26th, we would like to invite you to join us for three days of ATL Around The World. Here’s what you need to know:
Who: You! Your kids, your parents, your coworkers, your Bible study, your soccer team… you get the idea. Grab a friend or family member and do this together. Invite anyone and everyone in to do this along with you!
What: Asking The Lord to lead you into what He wants you to do with your day, your morning, your evening, with your money, your lunch, your coat, etc… And then going and doing what God tells you to do.
If you aren’t familiar with sitting down and listening to the voice of the Lord, know that you are not alone. Even though we’re in the midst of an ATL month, actually hearing from the Lord is still a struggle for us, too! A year ago, we looked at people like who talked about hearing from God (even at places like Training Camp) like they were totally crazy.
While there is no “formula” for ATL, here are some tips if you’re still wondering what this whole thing looks like practically:
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Grab a pen, a notebook, and a cup of coffee. Get to a quiet place where you can concentrate on the Lord. Play some soft worship music, if that helps you. Do whatever you need to do to get your heart to a place where you can focus on talking to God.
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Thank God for who He is. Praise Him for the ways that He has provided throughout your life. Journal your prayers or draw, if that’s how you connect with the Lord.
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Ask God to take away your thoughts, ideas, and expectations of what you think your day should look like. Ask God to fill that space with His will, His thoughts, and His plans for your day. Know that this may very well include your normal, everyday routine such as work, going to the grocery store, talking to your friends, etc.
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Ask the Lord (this is the ATL part!) how He wants you to serve Him that day. Ask where to go and what to do. Don’t be afraid to ask God for specifics. Ask God for a place, a word, a person, or a color.
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Sit with God. He doesn’t always answer in the ways we think He’ll answer or in the time frame we think He’ll answer in. This is just one of the ways ATL allows God to break out of the boxes in which we place Him. If you feel like He’s saying something to you, write it down. This may be an experience you want to look back on later.
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Continue to sit with God for however long you feel Him telling you. Remember, there’s no formula to ATL. If you don’t feel like you hear anything, continue to praise God for His provision, love, supremacy, goodness, and constant communication with His children!
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As you go throughout the rest of your hour/day/days/etc., pay attention to where God calls you and what you feel like He’s telling you to do. Take confidence that God wants to work in and through you. Enter joyfully into whatever you feel Him calling you to do.
When: Monday, July 24 through Wednesday, July 26. If you want to do ATL all three days, do it! If you want to do ATL for one hour, do it! And whenever you do it, know that S Squad is on the other side of the world doing it right alongside of you!
Where: Wherever you are: Florida, Colorado, Kenya, Albania, at the office, on the street outside of your apartment, at the park. Ask God to lead you, and know that you are exactly where He wants you.
Why: Because we, as Christ-followers, are commanded to take the love and the glory of God to our schools, our neighborhoods, our countries, and our world. We are instructed to go to every tribe and every nation. So why not take three days and intentionally do it all over the world!
It doesn’t take you traveling across the world to do ATL. You can practice this every day, regardless of where you are. This month of ATL is practice for us for when we finish the Race, because this is what we’re going to be doing when we get home. The ways in which ATL promotes listening to God, serving God by serving His people, and surrendering plans in order for God to do His will through us are things for all of us to keep growing in and practicing long after these three days are over.
Get Connected: Throughout your time of ATL, we want you to take pictures, go live on Facebook, snapchat video, and whatever else the cool kids are doing these days. Use the hashtag #ATLATW17 (Ask the Lord | Around the World | 2017) anytime you post.
The Best Part: We want to share your ATL stories with the world! If you have an ATL story or picture that you want us to share, send your name, state/country, and story or picture with a description to [email protected](please let us know if you want to remain anonymous). We will use that e-mail address and the World Race blog platform to share your incredible ATL stories! We want to share these stories to encourage others and praise God for the ways that He works. Additionally, sharing these stories gives us as Racers and you as supporters, friends, family, etc. a way to connect and join together from all around the world.
We are so excited see the ways in which the love of God is spread around the world. Thank you for joining us in being God’s witnesses “to all the ends of the earth!” We couldn’t be more excited to see what God does in these three days!
Please contact us through this blog or [email protected] if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!
Love and Blessings,
S Squad 2017
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