SO THAT Missions Podcast | FBC Boerne
So that...God's ways may be known on Earth.
"So That" is an FBC Boerne podcast focused on what God is doing around the world with missions and through FBC Missions partners.
SO THAT Missions Podcast | FBC Boerne
Episode 86: Nicole Parks The American Dream Keeps Losing to the Globe!
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Your life can look “successful” and still feel strangely small. Brittany sits down with Nicole Parks from Cafe 1040 to talk about why that happens, and what changes when we stop treating the Great Commission like a nice idea and start treating it like a clear calling.
Nicole explains how Cafe 1040 serves young adults through a highly intentional missions mentorship program: three months of pre-field mentoring, three months overseas with long-term missionaries (often in closed access contexts), and coaching afterward to help graduates take concrete next steps. We talk about why so many people feel called but never go, what it means to come back with your “yes on the table,” and how clarity and confidence can turn passion into long-term obedience.
We also get personal about the pull of the American dream, the impact of Perspectives, and why the Great Commission is a thread that runs from Genesis to Revelation. If you’re not 18 to 29, you’re not off the hook. Nicole shares practical ways “mature adults” and parents can join God’s global purposes right now through prayer, giving, welcoming internationals, mobilising others, and everyday discipleship tools like Joshua Project, a simple globe habit, and an oikos map.
If this conversation lights a fire, subscribe for more, share it with a friend who’s asking “what am I here for,” and leave a review so more people can find it.
Visit our website at www.fbcboerne.org for more stories, information, and service times.
Welcome And Mission Of The Show
SPEAKER_01Hey everyone, I am so excited. This is Brittany, and today in the studio we have Nicole Parks from Catholic Timber.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to FBC Missions So That Podcast. This is an encouraging place to hear how God is working in and around us. We know that he blesses his people so that they can bless the world around them. Join us as we discuss how to join God and all that he is doing. Why is God working in our life, church, and community? It's so that through us the world will know that he is new.
SPEAKER_01Okay,
Meet Nicole Parks Again
SPEAKER_01so yeah, this is Brittany, and I am so excited to be in the studio today with my sweet new friend for a year now, Nicole Parks. She is the vice president of mobilization and strategic relationships with Cafe 1040. So welcome. Thank you. Happy to be here. I am so glad you're here. You're back. I'm back. I'm back. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. I was so excited last year when I got to come and do three classes, lesson seven of perspectives. I had so much fun. Love getting.
SPEAKER_01That's what perspectives does, you know. Yeah. So you're back for perspectives. Um, speaking tonight, missed Tuesday night because of the weather coming in from Georgia.
SPEAKER_04Yes, a random, rare ice storm in Georgia. But we did it over Zoom and it was good. Not ideal, but it was still really fun. They seem like a really sweet class. I was really bummed not to be there in person, but made it here today.
SPEAKER_01I'm bummed for them that they did not get to hear you in person. And so glad you're here. Um, so listeners, you are in for a treat today. Um, if you have been following this podcast for very long, it's possible that you heard Nicole on episode 60. And if you didn't hear her on episode 60, I totally recommend going back because on that episode, Chad interviews her and she shares about just the missions she's been on and a little bit about her experience with just just being in the field, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it was kind of my story of how I got mobilized, how God um introduced me to the Great Commission and called me into what I'm doing now. So it was really fun to chat with Chad. And I I can remember at one point in the episode, I don't even know why it came up, but I mentioned something about my son breaking his femur.
SPEAKER_02Oh.
SPEAKER_04And Chad said, Oh, is he in a spike a cast? And I about fall fell out of my chair. I said, Of course he knew that. How do you know it? I said, I'm so sorry that you know what that is. So yeah, that was um that was fun, but we had a good conversation.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, so speaking of what you do now, um, would you like to share a little bit about Cafe 1040, awesome organization, which I'll I'll share my love um for that here soon. But let's hear about Cafe 1040 as we kick it off. Yeah, for sure.
What Cafe 1040 Actually Does
SPEAKER_04So Cafe 1040 has been around for about 25 years now. Our founder was a part of what was at that time called One Day Conference and is now known as Passion Conference, so pretty big, well-known conference. And he was actually taking perspectives at the same time as he was helping with that one day conference. Wow. So here he is getting his world rocked by perspectives, as it does. And then as he was looking out that one day in June at all of these young adults passionate for the Lord, he thought this is this is it, this is the answer, this is the generation that's gonna start to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. So he started to kind of follow up with some of them. They were so passionate about going. But after about a year, he realized that not very many of them actually went long term among the unreached. And so he started doing some research to find out why is that, and most of them lacked clarity and lacked confidence to go long term. So he decided, okay, let's create a new type of ministry, not a sending agency, not a training agency, but one that helps young adults gain clarity and confidence in their calling. So we do that primarily through a three-month overseas missions mentorship program. And we have uh long-term missionaries in closed access countries. We send young adults over there for three months, and the whole time they're being mentored. So we give them three months of pre-field mentoring, helping them get ready to go. On the ground, they're paired with a long-term missionary. And then for three months after, they're getting next step grad coaching. So that's what Cafe 1040 does. We work primarily with uh young adults ages 18 to 29-ish. Currently we have bases in Europe, Southeast Asia, and North Africa, opening up new ones hopefully soon, expanding and all of that. But yeah, it's a really great program. Our students love the program, the content, and it's really unique. A lot of people will ask us if it's an internship because a lot of sending agencies have internships. But an internship with a missions organization is kind of like I mean, it's kind of it is what it is. It's an internship. You go and you watch them do what they do, and maybe you make the coffee or something, you know. Uh, that's not what our program is. When our young adults get on the field, our long-term missionaries completely shift their focus to those young adults, and it is a programmed mentorship training the whole time. That is incredible. So, yeah, I started uh 11 years ago as a mobilizer, which is one that goes out and just talks to people about helping them find their role in the Great Commission. I did that for a year. Then I led our stateside mentor team for three years, which is something that I know you're excited to be involved with. Then I had a child, I had my third child at the end of 2019. And so I actually resigned from my role, but I loved the ministry so much that I couldn't just walk away. So I joined the board of directors in January of 2020. Did that for five years while um while I was raising kids and went to seminary, got my master's in missiology in that time. And then it was December of 24 that I came back on staff as the vice president of mobilization and strategic partnership.
SPEAKER_01So that is awesome. And landed in Bernie in, I think it would have been April. Was it April of 2024? I think so.
SPEAKER_04So I met Chad at the Perspectives 50 year celebration in Chicago. I think it was in 2024. Okay. And he had asked me about coming. And so then he reached out and said, Hey, can you teach lesson six, seven, eight, or ten? And I said, Chad, I don't do any of those lessons. Those are not my lessons. Those are not my lessons. And he said, Well, we have three classes.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04And I was like, all right, well, three classes is is worth me learning the lesson. So I um learned I developed lesson seven specifically for this. And I honestly didn't think I was ever going to do seven again. I thought it was just gonna be for the San Antonio Bernie classes, and then I loved it. I remember you saying that last year. It was so fun. So um I had told Chad, I said, all right, I will do lesson seven. Yeah. But next year, will you, if I do a good job, will you invite me back to do one of my lessons? And he said, absolutely. So he was good on his word. He reached out and said, Hey, can you do lesson two? And I said, Hey, actually, can I do lesson seven again? 11. It seems like I already have someone for seven. I said, Okay, then I'll do two. Fair I love doing two.
SPEAKER_01That is so cool. Yeah, so tonight we get to go and I get to hear lesson two. Um, and before we jump into my my new role with Cafe 1040 and how my life has totally changed, like I'm so grateful, Nicole, for you, like forever. And we'll get to that. But I want to go back just a little bit um and unpack a few things you said about Cafe 1040. So, number
Why Young Adults Need Clarity
SPEAKER_01one, let's just like, I mean, 18 to 29 year olds. We know that 18 to 29 year olds are already in a place of saying, what am I supposed to do with my life? And to be honest, here in my late 40s, um, I've been doing that also, you know. And I I just I am so excited at the the idea of someone finding their role in God's kingdom all for the Great Commission earlier in life. Yes. And he I think what you said about Chuck is so profound that so often they want to go, but they weren't going. And even with our efforts, um, we're having good success. Do you want to speak to the success that Cafe 1040 typically has with graduates, like the Sid, how many are usually going? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04But right now, 70% of our grads come back with their yes on the table. Sweet. And we know that it is amazing. And uh th those numbers have been pretty consistent over the last couple decades, you know, setting aside COVID years. But what we've seen is that they say yes, but then it still takes many years. Right. And one of the reasons why we feel called the young adults, I I think this is kind of what you were getting at. It's not because old folks like us in our 40s or beyond, yeah. I mean middle-aged. Is that no, that's where it's mature, mature adults. Mature adults. Let's go with that. Yes. So it's not that we can't go or won't go. Right. But when you're in that 18 to 29 year, you know, season of life, you are more mobile than any other season. No mortgage. No mortgage. Often you're not married, often you don't have kids, and so you are able to be free to go do stuff like that. Whereas you start to have, you know, these adult commitments, yeah, and it's just harder to go. It is. And so we don't think that um retirees are not mobilizable. They absolutely are. Right. That's just not what we're called to. We're called to those young adults to try to catch them early. Yeah. Which uh most missionaries that are on the field long term have actually said that they felt called to go overseas as missionaries by the age of 14.
SPEAKER_01Wow.
SPEAKER_04So the the ones that actually go typically do feel called pretty early on. And then a lot of times they just don't have that clarity and that confidence. So we want to help them figure out how to take those next steps. It's like I tell people a lot, if you want to be a doctor, you can go to your guidance counselor at school and figure out the path, right? Right. But if you want to be a missionary, the path just isn't that clear. Right. And it's different based on who you ask and you don't know where and when and how and for how long. And so we try to just help make that path a little bit clearer.
SPEAKER_01Well, and like even for me, until I took perspectives last year, I mean, if just being totally honest here, the Great Commission to me was just a really cool verse, unfortunately. Yeah. Um, and I think for a lot of people it is a really cool verse. And when I went, I mean it it smacked me right between the eyes last year. It was like, no, no, that was Jesus' last words, number one. And number two, it was a mandate. So we're all supposed to go and make disciples of all nations. And it's like, okay.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And and I think, like, I love that you hit on, you know, just helping young adults mobilize Cafe 1040, mentor them because trying to figure out what to do. I remember being in college, I changed my major so many times trying to, you know, quote unquote get it right, and ended up graduating right on time with 168 hours. Like I could have had a master's and a bachelor's degree. That is how confused I was at that time in my life. And so I just I love, I love the mission, I love what you do, I love what it's just so cool.
The American Dream Versus Purpose
SPEAKER_01And one of the things I was curious about was like the American dream. Because last year, in the middle of Perspectives class, they were always giving away books and I won the book Radical.
SPEAKER_04Oh girl.
SPEAKER_01By David Platt. Yeah. And I mean, major plug for that book, but the American dream is another thing that can take someone out. I mean, there's nothing wrong with what we what we have going on here, but it but it can completely you want to speak to that?
SPEAKER_04Oh my gosh, I could go in so many different directions right now. Um yeah, I had actually, I used to write a blog, I don't keep it up anymore, but I wrote a I wrote an entry called The American Dream Is a Lie. And it's just it's it's chasing that proverbial rabbit, you know, it's always striving for more and more and more. And that that does keep people from discovering their purpose so often. Okay, our purpose, right? We all have the same purpose. We all have the same purpose is to glorify God, to use our lives to glorify God and to help advance his name throughout the nations. And so for those of you listening that maybe haven't taken perspectives yet, I would definitely recommend it. It's a 15-week discipleship course that's focused on the biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic aspects of God's global purposes. And it's not about recruiting everybody to be frontier missionaries, it's about helping people to find their role in the Great Commission. And one of the things that you mentioned, you said, you know, before taking perspectives, you thought that it was one verse in Matthew. Yeah. Once you take perspectives, you realize it's the whole Bible. Yeah. It starts in Genesis 1 28. I have like Holy Spirit, but I'm sorry, it goes all the way through Revelation. And one of the things that I love to teach on, like, if you look at the thread in scripture of the Abrahamic covenant, the Abrahamic covenant is the Great Commission. But in Galatians 3.8, Paul calls the Abrahamic covenant the gospel. It's so good. And so that, you know, it's not just one verse in Matthew. There is a Great Commission statement in all four of the gospels and the book of Acts.
SPEAKER_01I didn't know that either.
SPEAKER_04Most people don't, but it's a whole thread throughout the whole Bible. Don't get me on my soapbox now because I'll start preaching. We'll have part four of this series. Exactly. But yeah, that's what perspectives, the class really helps people, just it opens their eyes. I remember when I first took it, um I teach a lot of lesson one. And I, to be honest, I didn't really want to take it when I first was required to for my job. And I just didn't know anything about it. But I was um in my 30s, I had two young kids, I was support raising for a new job. And then they said, by the way, you have to take this 15-week course. Oh must be three hours a week. Uh and the not including the reading. Oh, not including the reading. And the closest one to me was an hour away.
SPEAKER_02Oh.
SPEAKER_04So I was not looking forward to it. But I got there week one, and my mind was completely blown. I called my husband on the whole drive, the whole hour drive home, and I just regurgitated the whole lesson. I tell people all the time that the first time I taught lesson, we wanted to get our husbands together. They'd probably be like, and then she said, and then she said. You're you're nicer than I am. My husband likes to tell the story of how uh the next year he just got an email one day that said, Welcome to perspectives. Oh my goodness. I just signed him up. Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_01Well, my husband is coming to hear you speak tonight. Okay, all right. I'm gonna walk up and tell him of the little how lucky he is that I didn't do that, because he'd probably expect that.
SPEAKER_04But um, you mentioned the book Radical. So it was mentioned in our class the first time I took perspectives, which was 2015. Some one of the instructors mentioned that. And I said, This sounds great. I I'm gonna see if my husband will read it with me. So we read that book together. Oh, and because of that, we sold our house. Like literally, we downsized our house. Even more right now. We downsized our house. Um, in order to free up more of our finances for the Great Commission, we also built a separate missionary house on our property that we use for ministry. Come on. And let's go. So yeah, radical. It'll make your house.
SPEAKER_01That's so cool. Well, so when I won that book last year, it was like right before. Um so my oldest is like she's played volleyball for several years, and and volleyball's a beast. Oh, yeah. Club volleyball specifically. And I just happened to win that book before that trip, and I listened to the whole book to and from an out-of-state trip with my daughter. And it was like, what in the world are we doing? Oh my gosh. Yeah. And she is not playing club volleyball anymore. Not not because I said anything. I think it's just really, um, I think, I mean, that we could do a whole other podcast on that, but but I mean, really just this idea of just pausing and looking at our life and saying, What what is this all about?
Brittany’s Yes And Calling Story
SPEAKER_04Yes, what matters.
SPEAKER_01What matters? And so my life verse that I like came up with or the Lord put in front of me highlighted for me years ago is Acts 2024. Okay. So Paul's traveling everywhere and he's going back to Jerusalem, knowing it's probably going to be dangerous. And he speaks these words. He says, But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work of telling others the good news about the wonderful grace of God.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_01And I grabbed hold of that verse. I mean, I don't even know. I mean, it it might have been 15 years ago, 10 years ago, and I would always scratch my head because like I had memorized that verse, I could kind of reje regurgitate it, you know. Um, but I didn't understand how it applied to my life. So now you can see why this is so significant. And I I just I I always loved that verse, but I just didn't get it. So rewind to last year, I signed up for perspectives. And why did you sign up for it? That's a great question. So I signed up for it because I was in the midst of writing a book and I really wanted to be accurate. And I went to Donnie Anthony, who is a was the missions pastor here at Mission City Church. Um, who we had gone to that church for a while and then landed at FBC last year. We moved back here. We've had it. I'll have to tell you the whole story sometime, but we were here, we moved, we can moved back. And I went to Donnie and was telling him about my book, and he's helped me with it. And I just really want to be at like accurate. Like, I I think I want to go back to um seminary. And he's like, Brittany, like you do not have time to go to seminary. Yeah, you have at the time, it was like a 15-year-old, a nine-year-old, and a seven-year-old. Like, seriously, you need to take perspectives. Yeah, and you know, if Donnie says jump, I'm like, how high and where and when, let's go. He took me on my first mission trip, he's believed in me, he's seen me. And um, so I just love that man dearly. And so, really, he's he suggested it. Then we land here and I meet Chad, and he's talking about perspectives. I'm like, okay, there's something to this whole perspectives thing, and so that is why I took perspectives. I love it. But the crazy thing is the Lord had already been humbling us. Um, we had had a very successful business and it started just kind of downturning, but then I had also started losing my passion. I, you know, still loved what I was doing, but the passion was fading. And so, so y'all, I show up to perspectives on week two, which is what Nicole is here to teach tonight.
SPEAKER_04And and do you remember what the key word is?
SPEAKER_01I don't remember what the key word is. Passion. Is it passion? Yeah. Wow. So uh Steve Hawthorne was here and he shared, and I'm gonna share this tonight when I give my brief little testimony, but he shared the verse from Luke 24, 32. After the men were on the road to Emmaus, Jesus appears to them, but they weren't able to see him, and they're telling him about him, and until they sit down and break bread together, did their eyes open and they're able to see him. And then he leaves. And they say, They said to each other, Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the scriptures to us? And Steve Hawthorne showed shared that last year on week two. I'd never seen that verse before. And he told us, I hope your hearts burn for what you learn. And boy, did my heart start burning on week two. So no pressure tonight. No, I may just steal that from him. Yeah, go, go. I mean, that verse, I was like, why have I never seen that? Yeah, but in God's beautiful timing and his generosity, he will show us things right when we're ready. We have those kairos moments that just awaken us to so much. So that happened on week two. On week three, I started praying that the Lord would allow me to be a bigger part in his kingdom. And whatever he put in front of me, my answer was yes. That was on week three. Wow. Yeah. And so on week seven, you showed up. Do you remember when I walked up to you?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I sure do.
SPEAKER_01So, listeners, Nicole came and we don't look a lot alike. She has really beautiful dark hair, I have blonde hair. And that being said, we are so much alike. Yes. She started talking and she talked about like being a little stubborn. Yes, same. She talked about lead with that one. I know. Well, but it I mean, but it speaks to our stories. And then three kids, and she had written some books, which I want to make sure you share about your books. And I had just written a book and I'm writing another book, and I just am like, I love her. I'm a crush on you next time. Sisters from another mister, yeah. And so I went up to her at the end of the class and I'm just crying, and I'm like, thank you. Like, I don't even know what to say, just thank you. And she's so great, just generously full full, and I'm just so full of gratitude. She said, Well, we should keep in touch. I'm like, I would love that. So when I went to get her card, um, right beside her card was a card that said we're high rinked. And I'm like, I'm gonna just take one of those because I had already started having that weird thing going on with my current work situation. And little did I know, a few weeks later I got on a Zoom, heard a student speaking who had gone through the program, and I'm like, I want to be a part of this. And I applied. Amazing. Yeah. So I am now in my process of getting started with Cafe 1040 to be the state side mentor team lead. So cool.
SPEAKER_04Which is so because you thanks for paving the way. I know. But when you first applied, you weren't sure like what to do. And then I guess it was a while before I heard that that was the role. And I was like, Brittany, that was my role too. That's so cool. So yeah.
SPEAKER_01I did well, and I mean, like, I I I really had no idea. Like when I started looking at the jobs, I'm like, I just want to be a part of it. I don't really care. I just want to be a part of this. I just think it's amazing, you know. And anyway, so really that I mean, it we're living out the history of that right now. So thank you. Oh, thank you for your heart for God's glory among the nations and the mobilizing work that you're doing now and the mentoring work you did before.
SPEAKER_04And it is my honor and pleasure. And I can't remember if I started lesson seven by sharing my story, but I did. Okay. Because I my story started the same way when you said when you said lesson three, and you said, God, I'm saying yes to whatever you're calling me to. That was how my story started too.
SPEAKER_01I feel like, I mean, I've I feel like I could say I remember that, but I don't know that I exactly remember that. I just remember that everything you said. I'm like, oh my did did someone like hand her my story? And she was like, I'm just gonna share the things that are the same as her story, because like, whoa. So I wouldn't, yeah, I wouldn't doubt it if that really hit me. Oh my god. Yeah. It's amazing. It is so amazing. It is so amazing. So
Nicole’s Books And Bible Reading
SPEAKER_01um, gosh, we've gone to the Great Commission or Cafe Gen Forty, The Great Commission, uh, The American Dream, my story, how you've impacted me. So I would love for you, before we move on, and I forget, I would love for you to just give a little bit about the books you've written. Um, because the one on Israel, I mean, like I haven't dove into them yet. They're still on my shelf, which is mainly because I've just been, I mean, I finished perspectives and then I've just been devouring all kinds of things.
SPEAKER_04But they're there.
SPEAKER_01And I nearly even started the one on Israel, but then the Lord highlighted, I'm like just studying Isaiah 55 this year.
SPEAKER_04Gosh, I love Isaiah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So yeah, share about share about some of your other accomplishments.
SPEAKER_04The first um the first book is called For God So Loved. And it was birthed out of when I took perspectives, I was at a huge mega church at the time. And I realized most of the people in my community will not take this class. It's too long, it's too much of a commitment. And I live in the Bible belt belt down in Georgia, and a lot of the community that I'm in, they kind of want to be spoon-fed, yeah. You know, the Bible. And and that's just how they've been taught. I'm not saying anything negative about it, but I just thought um everybody needs to take this. Yeah. But I know a lot of people who won't. So how do I get the message into those um into their hearts? And so I wrote a Bible study, and it is a seven-part series on God's heart for the world. It's like the briefest introduction to perspectives. And I would tell people, do not ever let this replace perspectives. Right. And this should be your first step towards it. But if you can't do it this year, but if you can't do it, it's called For God So Loved by Nicole Parks. It's available on Amazon. This and so that one was published in 2017. The second one is called Chosen. Okay. And it was published at the end of 24. Okay. And it is a biblical look at the um the missional calling that was on the nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament and what that has to do with the church and with the modern nation state of Israel today. And so um, what I always say, disclaimer, this is not a political book whatsoever, even though this issue of you know, modern day Israel and what's going on, it has become politicized. This book has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with the scriptural history, why Israel was chosen, what they were chosen for, and what that has to do with the church.
SPEAKER_01I love that because I've always I've always been curious about that, you know, and then being a Gentile, like how that all fits in. And so I'm I'm that I mean it is like I don't know if you do this, but like I keep a stack of book books that I'm want to or like on my next up list, and it's like right there. Yep, yep. I have a tendency. But the Lord truly like highlighted for me, like this year, I don't know, I suspect you might have a tendency to do this, but being an achiever, I like to know exactly what's gonna happen, which is probably what got me, you know, off on this rabbit trail for many years in my life before really stepping into ministry. But I just like to know, and so I thought this year I was gonna like do like the Bible in a year. You know, I always like want to pick this big crazy task. But when when we were on our trip with the company with Cafe 1040, we studied one scripture all week, and I'm like, what a novel idea. And so I've just slowed it way down.
SPEAKER_04I love that. Yeah, I l I like to kind of go back and forth. Like I can remember when I was in seminary, one of the professors said, you know, the epistles are letters. Yeah. When was the last time you read a letter, just one or two paragraphs at a time? Yeah. And so he really challenged us to read through an entire epistle in one setting. And that's just not really taught very often.
SPEAKER_02No.
SPEAKER_04And so I go back and forth. Like there are times where I'll sit down and I'll just read straight through, you know, Romans or one of the epistles, and then there are other times while where I'll take it in smaller chunks. And I mean, there are some times where, like Isaiah, I'll get in there, I'll get stuck on one passage.
SPEAKER_01I've been stuck on the word thirsty for like two weeks.
SPEAKER_04I do the same thing. I get stuck on a word. Yeah. And it just goes to show how alive and active the word of God really is.
SPEAKER_01Oh, it it really is. Well, Nicole, it has been so awesome to, I mean, just seeing you walk across the parking lot while I go, I was like, yay, she's here. And I'm so grateful for you. And
How Anyone Can Join Missions
SPEAKER_01as we start to wrap it up, um, and we really think about like, okay, well, you know, someone listening to this podcast, I'm not 25, but I'm really impacted or inspired by what Nicole has shared because gosh, have I have I been even considering the Great Commission and what my life could look like? And we've said that, like when you get to be our mature adult age, yeah, how do I take part? And so what encouragement would you have for someone, you know, who isn't a young adult being mobilized by an amazing company like Cafe 1040? What would you tell them?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I would say the first thing I always tell people is make sure that you are pursuing the understanding and knowledge of the biblical basis for missions. So that can be done through, you know, books that I've written, but there's so many other great resources out there. Radical is a good one. Um, his second book, Something Needs to Change, had me in tears. It was so good. I haven't read that one. Um, but there's a ton of a ton of great resources out there. John Piper wrote um a bunch of books that are great. Taking a Perspectives course. Uh, you can follow Cafe 1040 on Instagram. We also have a podcast and we do some biblical basis teaching on there. It's so good. Uh, we do actually I did an episode, I don't know, maybe two years ago on the Biblical Basis for Missions on Cafe 1040's podcast. So people can go look that up. You can follow me on Instagram, Nicole Parks Rights, and I try to share some of that, although I'm not really great at social media. But um, but yeah, I would say the first thing is pursue an understanding and and a knowledge of what the scriptures actually say, and then just lean into the Lord. And I always encourage people the same way you did, the same way I did, if you can get to a point where you say yes first, yeah, without having any idea what you're saying yes to, I promise you God will reveal it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04So much clearer. Because I think a lot of people ask the Lord, what is your calling? What is your will? But they really just want to take it and like weigh it up against their own considerations. Yeah. But obviously, God knows the heart. And when we give him our true, pure, full yes, yeah, I I think he reveals his will for our lives.
SPEAKER_01And he so graciously gives us the courage if we continue staying in that place of abiding and just taking the next step, the next step. He gives us the courage to just keep going. Yep, keep going forward. Absolutely. Another thing that happened out of perspectives last year was I ended up in Malawi, Africa.
SPEAKER_04Wow.
SPEAKER_01I'll tell you that story later, but it it it terrified me. But it was very clear. Yep. And so I had already said yes. Yeah. Yeah, I've been on a few trips that terrified me.
SPEAKER_04They were they were the best ones, I think.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Oh, oh, yeah, I know you've told me a few places you've been. I'm like, oh, that is so cool. Um, okay, and then you have you have younger children. I
Parenting For Global Discipleship
SPEAKER_01have younger children. In fact, our kids are similar ages.
SPEAKER_03Yep.
SPEAKER_01And there could be a parent listening to this right now going, oh my goodness, like, wouldn't that be cool if my kid would just consider what Cafe 1040 has to offer? Like, I don't want my kid to be run over, you know, by the American dream. I'd love for them to gain the clarity and confidence. But let's be real. Like, I know when I talk to my kids sometimes about Jesus because I don't always act like Jesus, they don't always want to hear what I have to say. So I would even imagine in your household sometimes, like, oh yeah. So what did like how do you handle that as a parent? And what encouragement would you give to other parents as their hearts start to burn?
SPEAKER_04You know, yes, for sure. So I think that um in the same way that discipleship should not be like, okay, let's sit down around. Wait, let me say I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but like discipleship, the only way to disciple your children is not family devotional around the breakfast table. Like there's a million ways to do it. And we, my husband and I truly believe that discipleship is should be happening all day, every day.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Every conversation we have. And um, one of the things that we say all the time that annoys our kids is if they're not speaking very kindly to each other, we always say we use our words to build each other up and you know, quoting Kripra like that. And so, in the same way that that's how proper discipleship works, yeah, that's how understanding the Great Commission should work as well. We should constantly be talking about it. And so I think minimally having conversations with your children, um, you know, sometimes we live in these little Christian bubbles with people that look and act and sound just like us. And so exposing our kids to different cultures, different nationalities, different people groups, yes, uh, traveling with them if you can. But if you can't, it's okay. There's still so much you can do. One of my favorite things to do with the kids, we have a globe that is I think it's like a VTech toy globe that comes with a little stylus pen. And if you click on the country, it'll tell you random facts about it. And so whenever any country comes up in conversation, I'll tell the kids, go get the globe, let's find it. And we also will incorporate different cuisines constantly. Wow. And when we do that, I'll make sure to say, hey guys, this is Thai food. Do you know what where that's from? Oh, it's from Thailand. Let's go get the globe and let's find Thailand. Wow. We'll find it on there, and then we'll look up the Joshua Project. So the Joshua Project is a research initiative that's seeking to highlight the people groups of the world that have the least followers of Jesus. And so you can go and see how unreached a place is, or if the kids come home from school and they, oh, we learned about, you know, Japan. Yeah. Really, let's go find it on the map. Let's look it up on Joshua Project. And sometimes they're really surprised at how reached a location is, and sometimes they're surprised to find out, you know, like Japan is the largest, one of the largest unreached people groups in the world. So just having those conversations over and over again. That's really cool. We have we have lots of globes in our house.
SPEAKER_01There's gonna be a lot of people going on Amazon now.
SPEAKER_04I know. I should set up one of those affiliate links or something. I don't know.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Oh, I love it. Okay, and we are out of time, but I just truly thank you so much for I know you just literally just got into town, and I'm like, hey, let's go record a podcast, and then you're gonna speak here in a few hours. So thank you. Of course. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. Anything you would want to say as we wrap it up?
SPEAKER_04Anything else? Um, I would just encourage all of the listeners, you you do have a role to play. Yeah. Whether you know that, whether you want to know that, you have a role to play in the Great Commission. Doesn't mean you ever have to even own a passport. Yeah, you have a role to play.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely.
Five Habits And Final Resources
SPEAKER_01That is all of our purpose. Um, I know I used to think my purpose was my vo vocation, and it's just not. Now there's opportunity at our vocation to make disciples. Um, and that is one thing. Um, in Perspectives class last year I learned about the Oikos map. Am I saying that correctly? And that is a map where you just really think of the people in your circles and do you just are curious, like, do they know Jesus? And I mean, that is something any of us can do. I mean, I go to the grocery store and I just I just want to know if the cashier, you know, like I just find myself just wanting to make sure everyone knows, and I have to be careful sometimes because I can be really bold. But he will give you opportunities. Absolutely. And we talk about there are five habits of a global Christian, and that is to if I mess it up, make sure to help me here. Um, but the five habits. Um, so just think about this as as you hear me say these words like how could how could this apply to me? So number one is obviously going. Um, but again, not everyone. I will say FBC has a family mission trip. Um and so our family's actually going this year. I cannot wait. Um, you can pray. You can pray for unreached people groups, you can give. Um, you can help people go on trips, you can give to organizations, you can definitely give to your church, but you can give. Um, you can also welcome like internationals, um people that are not from where you're from, and then obviously mobilize. We love mobilizing. So you can encourage others to go too. So you don't always have to go, but you definitely can play a part. Absolutely. Okay, well, thank you again. And listeners, if you're just like so excited to hear all of this, Nicole has some great things out there. She has two publications. Tell us the names again.
SPEAKER_04For God So Loved and Chosen by Nicole Parks, both on Amazon.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. And you can follow her on Instagram, Nicole Parks Rights like W-R-I-T-E S. Excellent. And then you can certainly check out Cafe1040.com. And if you have a kiddo that is interested in Cafe 1040, you can even reach out to the church and they can connect you with me, and I would be happy to have conversations.
Where To Connect And Next Steps
SPEAKER_01So thank you so much for listening. You can also check out Nicole on the previous episode number 60. And I just hope that this finds you having a very blessed day. If you need anything else or have questions about any of this, please reach out to us here at the church. Thanks so much.
SPEAKER_00We are so thankful that you joined our podcast today. We would love to hear any feedback you may have for us.