Awakening Church

There is a deep truth imbedded into the very fabric of our beings. We have been created for more. You know it, you feel it. You have been created for more than getting through your to do lists, getting a promotion, or even going to church. You have been created to be in relationship with God: a conversational, personal, intimate, sweet relationship. And when we are not deeply connected to Him we lack the peace, wisdom and joy He has made us for. We have been created for a dialogue with Mystery.

This week, Rolan reminds us that our identity is not found in what we do, but in what God has done for us through the loving sacrifice of His son, Jesus.

If we want to foster relational health in our lives, we must learn when to say yes and when to say no. Where do we draw the line? And how do we avoid feeling guilty about setting boundaries?

Jesus tells us that if there is a conflict, go have a conversation with the person we are in conflict with. But why should we go, when should we go, and how should we go?

When we encounter Jesus, we are not only saved, but changed. God's extravagant generosity changes us into extravagantly generous people. When we say the church exists for the world, we mean we exist to show God's extravagant love to the world.

We are all created for intentional relationships, because we have a relational God and we are created in His image. Relationships are hard and messy, but they are crucial to the life God designed. Jesus is our model and the Holy Spirt is our helper.

How do we experience meaning in life? We would answer: through meaningful ministry as part of a community of faith. If you want to engage in a life truly filled with meaning, do as Jesus did for you. Serve. Remember, you have a God who served you.

We long for real transformation, but how do we get in alignment with who God made us to be? This is the realm of spiritual formation, an ongoing alignment where, through life-giving practices, we begin to desire what God desires, respond how God responds, go where God goes.

Part of the profile of a disciple is a Contagious Faith. We grow in faith when we remember that God delights in using ordinary people to do extraordinary things. And we grow in faith when we take risky steps of faith. So let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

A new year reminds us of our universal longing to be made new. We intuitively understand that misplaced priorities lead to misspent lives, but we don't know how to experience real change. We'll start by asking: what can we not afford to let fall?