FAC is a busy place … Volunteers and staff alike put time and energy into a lot of initiatives. Yet with all the varied ways we engage, it’s all about one thing: We want to be about building lives, making an impact, extending Christ to our world. This weekend, we get to celebrate with people getting baptized … Why is that something to celebrate?

We’ve all got a story … We live it every day. Ever thought about your story not bing just your story? Because we’re all wired to need connection — to find common ground. To know and be known. How can the story you’re living — the story God is writing in and through your life — become a point of connection over the fence?

Busy … Overwhelmed … Walking through deep challenge … Just plain lonely. We all have people in our lives who are carrying more than seems fair. Rarely can we take all the weight off someone’s shoulders. But even a little relief, a little support can make a difference. What small way can we show care over the fence today?

Family dinner … Coffee at meetings … Food and beverages are so much more than sustenance … They can fuel so much more than just our physical bodies. Everybody in our lives eats … How can this most common of common ground become part of the fabric of the relationships we build over the fence?

The fences in our lives — literal or figurative — can make it easy to keep relationships at a safe, surface level … We say hello, we even ask the ubiquitous “How’s it going?” … but keep walking — and never really get below the surface of the acquaintance. But what if we slowed down as we asked? What if we really wanted to know the answer?

It’s a pretty rare back yard that doesn’t have a fence of some kind. Fences define our space, contain and protect our families, our stuff — and provide some privacy. But what if our fences could change from blocking connection to facilitating it? What would it look like if our backyard fence were the starting point of experiencing God in our lives? How would we even begin?

Ambition is a good thing … It’s good to be motivated to achieve, to challenge yourself, even to get ahead. And there’s plenty of reward to be found if we’re willing to pursue it — there’s always more to pursue. What drives your ambition? What are you striving for?

Little white lies … Truth is relative … Go along to get along … It’s not that our culture condones outright dishonesty — but there’s a certain amount of latitude in just how it’s OK to spin the truth. What does it mean to live a truthful life?

From toddlerhood, most of us have a pretty strong sense of “Mine!” — a pretty strong propensity to collect, to protect, to hold onto the stuff of life. It’s just about responsibility, about providing for our needs and the needs of our family, right? That’s why we have the resources we have … right?

Our culture is saturated with provocative images, words, innuendo … Sexuality, in one form or another, is just part of the sensory fabric of our lives. How can we manage the information that comes our way in a respectful way that’s healthy for us — and for those we do life with? **PARENT ADVISORY: this service contains mature content.**