Archive Blog (before 2019)

2 Ways Christmas Mobilizes Missional Living ALL YEAR LONG

What’s one of your favorite Christmas memories?  Please comment below.  Every year as a child we were at Grandma and Grandpa’s house full of cousins, aunts and uncles and fun times.  There were no white Christmases, only blue, just because Grandma always played the Elvis Christmas vinyl record on the stereo that was larger than the largest clothes chest you’ve ever seen.  Every year Grandma inevitably  runs out of film for the Polaroid camera (I’m ancient or my Grandma was a hipster).   She stands next to Grandpa and yells “Will you go to the store and get some film?” Grandpa, hard of hearing, always responds with “What did you say?”  Grandma repeats louder.  Grandpa leaves and inevitably, would ALWAYS miss the excitement of bells thumping against the porch followed by a “HO HO HO” and Santa Claus, HIMSELF came to OUR Christmas Eve!  I noticed always wore shoes JUST like my Grandpa!  The excitement faded out and I always would find myself looking at the manger scene to the side of the excitement. This scene imparts two breakthroughs in my life and my daily missional living:

  1. God mobilized His missional living be becoming among us. In fact, on earth, as Jesus, He received a name that describes his missional living to you: “Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, And they will call him, Emmanuel.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1:23‬ ‭CEB‬‬). Emmanuel means “God with us.”  What love! God went through extreme measure to be with you.  He expresses His love for people He calls out by proclaiming “I am with you”.  God expressed  this to Abraham and Isaiah when He called them into their personal ministry.  Jesus expressed this to you as His disciples the day He commissioned you in your missional living: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB). This is why we are passionate in Mobilize Ministries to intentionally meet or “be with” people we know in in everyday life replicating the life of Jesus: “The twelve were with Him,” (Luke 8:1)
  2. God mobilized His missional living becoming a baby, the utmost form of vulnerability and weakness.  He was enthroned in Heaven with all praise directed toward Him and incomprehensible power that made heaven, earth and YOU at His fingertips.  Existence does not get any more comfortable than this.  Yet, God mobilized His missional living by subjecting Himself to be what humans view as the weakest, a baby. Wrapped in the weakness of my Cerebral Palsy and old orthopedic metal legged braces, this scene gave me comfort.  God became weak to start His journey to the cross, where yet He’d become weak and vulnerable again: “For He was indeed crucified in weakness”. (2 Corinthians 13:4).
    [tweetable author=”@toddlollar”] God mobilized His missional living to you by becoming weak and vulnerable.  Your weakness and vulnerability through your missional living touches people in your life with the love of Jesus. [/tweetable]
Experience newness is what God has already given you.  You have your life.  Deep, huh?  You have people in your life. [tweetable author=”@toddlollar”]CHRISTmas your missional living every day of the year by being among family and friends intentionally even if it means becoming vulnerable and weak replicating God’s ministry toward you and me.[/tweetable] Please continue the conversation below about specific ways you can Christmas your missional living everyday of the year.

Donate Now

(tax deductible)

YOU’re NEW monthly pledge or year end gift can help Mobilize Ministries expand to Hollywood and start a short-term missions fund!

3 Fresh Perspectives on Turning Weakness into Missional Power

We are celebrating our strategic partnership with YouVersion! After featuring my teaching as the “Guided Scripture of the Day,” they have invited me to write a new 5-day devotional: 5 Keys to Experiencing God in Trauma. If you follow “Mobilize Ministries” on the YouVersion app now, you’ll be alerted the moment it’s released! Join 21,000 others following us today. Plus, my new book, Mobilize Your Missional Life, releases September 1—monthly partners receive the first signed copies!

We’ve already welcomed 3 new givers toward our 2026 goal of 26 partners and 26 events—only 23 to go! Whether you give $5 or $200 a month, you’ll receive an autographed copy of Weak Is The New Strong ASAP, followed by the new book this Fall. To book an event for your church or small group, visit our booking page or email me at todd@mobilizeministries.com.

Our global reach is fueled by the counter-cultural truth that God’s power is most visible when we are at our limit; here are three keys to living a missional life powered by weakness:

1. Embracing Your “Holy Inadequacy”

For years, I believed the lie that I needed to be “enough” before I could be sent. But the Gospel tells a different story. Jesus reminds us in John 15:5 that “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” When we finally accept that we are inadequate in our own strength, we stop striving and start abiding. This “holy inadequacy” isn’t a disability; it’s a doorway that allows the fruit of the Spirit to flow through our lives without our ego getting in the way.

2. The Credibility of Your Scars

People aren’t looking for a perfect person; they are looking for a powerful Savior. Your trauma, your setbacks, and your scars are actually your most credible missional tools because they prove that God’s grace is sufficient in the real world. We know that “my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9), which means your scars aren’t just for healing—they are for helping. When you are honest about your brokenness, you give others permission to bring their own weakness to the feet of Jesus.

3. The Power of Resting in the Battle

We often think missional living is about our hustle, but it’s actually about God’s victory. When we face trauma or overwhelming “valleys,” our instinct is to fight for control. However, the Lord gave us a different strategy in Exodus 14:14 when He declared, “The LORD will fight for you while you only need to keep silent and remain calm.” A missional life is fueled by the strength to stay still and trust that the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows, is already working on our behalf. Your rest is a testament to His reliability.

Don’t let the weight of your limitations hold you back this week. Open the Word, let it fuel your soul, and remember that you are most powerful when you are fully dependent on Him.

What is one area of “weakness” in your life today that you can surrender to God as a platform for His power?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below and share this post with a friend who needs to know that “weak” is the new strong! We are praying specifically for the Holy Spirit to lead you to become a monthly giver to Mobilize Ministries. Whether it is $5 a month or $200 a month, when you join our team of monthly partners, you will receive a signed copy of my first book, Weak Is The New Strong, in the mail ASAP, and you will be the very first to receive an autographed copy of my upcoming book, Mobilize Your Missional Life, upon its release on September 1!