Ready for the weekend? We have two different endeavors for you. The first part will be difficult to track, but it may be one of your most eye-opening experiences so far. This weekend, pay attention to the people around you. This doesn’t mean being nosy or staring. It means being aware of signals that someone might be having a rough day, is excited about something, needs a word of encouragement, etc. It can be easy to plunge through our own days with our own agendas, unintentionally missing the needs of others around us. Try to see people. Notice them. And…

Today’s task involves remembering someone who has left your city for a designated amount of time and doing something nice for them. You have two options for today. The first option is to think of someone you know personally from your community who is serving in the military. If you don’t know anyone in the military, think of a local family who has a friend or relative serving in the military. Tell them you’re interested in writing a note of encouragement to that person and ask for an address where you can contact him or her. Your second option is…

Today’s task has two parts. First, spend time praying for your country’s leaders. Whether or not you believe those in your country’s government are the best people for the job, they are the people whom God has chosen to lead your country right now, and they need His help. If you aren’t sure who most of those leaders are, look them up and pray individually for at least those at the top. For Americans, here is a good place to start. Also, pray for your entire government collectively. For the second part of the task, we’d like you to take…

Today we’re challenging you to learn a bit about your community and what it has to offer. Below are some suggestions for starting points. Don’t feel obligated to look up everything, but choose a few to focus on. If your city council has a website, check it out. Learn about the members of your city council and any important updates from your city government. Find out when city council meetings are and where they meet. Read your local newspaper and/or watch your local news channel. Find out about issues that concern those within your community. What are your city’s demographics?…

Today’s primary goal is to help you grow in healthy, active church involvement. So: 1) If you are not yet plugged into a church, choose a church to attend over the upcoming weekend, and plan to go. 2) If you are already a member of a church or attend one church consistently, choose one other church event in the near future (Bible study, serving event, church picnic, etc.) to attend. If you brought home a bulletin or calendar from the previous weekend, it may come in handy! Otherwise, call your church or visit their website, and find out what is…

Think of a friend or family member who could use some encouragement, and make a plan to spend time with that person this weekend. What you do together is your choice; perhaps you’ll take a walk, get lunch or coffee, shoot hoops — you know your friend best. Just ensure you have the time and atmosphere that allows for a good conversation. It can be hard to “just be” with people sometimes.  I always want to fill the quiet with words, talking about the mundane, asking questions to which I already know the answer, anything to fill the silence.  At the…

Forgive one person you are holding a grudge against. Maybe the person apologized to you already, and you refused to forgive them. Maybe you verbally forgave them but really haven’t let the situation go. Maybe you still have a bad attitude about something someone did to you or said about you. After some prayer, approach him or her in person or over the phone and forgive them. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive…

Think of two people from among your friends and siblings. It doesn’t matter if you know them well or if you have just met, but they should be people in whom you are willing to invest intentionally. Give each of them a call today and ask them two questions: 1) How can I pray for you? and 2) How can I be a better friend to you? These are pretty open ended questions, and in every case seem to come from way out in left field.  That, in itself, is very telling.  It shows me that I need to do…

Today’s task is to write a letter or card of appreciation to one of your parents (or parental figures). Tell them how much they mean to you. Be specific. Don’t just thank them for always being there and providing for you. Thank them for helping you through a specific situation or for a certain piece of advice they gave you and the results of following that advice. Thank them for the support they gave you while you made a difficult decision. Thank them for teaching you right and wrong and tell them how that has been valuable in your life…

To warm up, we’d like you to start thinking about friendship. Please read one of the following Boundless articles today (whichever one applies to you): “Men and Friendship” — “Friendship Among Women” Do you agree or disagree with what the author says? How does it connect to your own experiences with friendship? Did you run across any new insights? Write some of these things in your Facebook Note. Growing up, I had a handful of close friends.  We saw each other frequently, though not necessarily at school (one of my best and oldest friends realized the other day that, in…