There is no secret to it: authentic community is not always easy, but it sure is worth it.
When Hope started just over a year ago, it was our sincere desire to see authentic community become the norm. Raw, candid, honest community, the type that takes courage and intentionality. But it’s not easy to nurture. It takes people who love Jesus more than they love themselves, and people who are willing to be all in.
It also takes covenant. That’s the key to it all. It’s a group of people covenanting together – holding each other accountable, encouraging each other, and hanging in the trenches together. There’s just something different about a community in covenant.
Read MoreI often make up spontaneous songs about my daughter. I just can’t help it. It’s probably a daily occurrence. My love for that precious little girl is often inadequately expressed in anything other than spontaneous singing. I express my delight in my little girl with lyric and melody. It’s my natural instinct.
Read MoreHeal. Isn't that a great word?
It brings to mind the thought of wholeness and health. Prior to healing, there is sickness or pain or brokenness of some kind. It's very easy for us to recognize when we are physically sick and in need of healing. I wonder if we could learn to develop the same awareness when our marriage is in need of healing.
Sometimes it's obvious to us that something isn't right and in need of healing. For me, I lived almost the first decade of my marriage unaware that there was hurt piling up in my wife's heart that wasn't getting healed. We got really good at ignoring it.
Read MoreOne thing about conversations with young kids is that you never know how they will go. They are generally guaranteed to be interesting, and likely amusing. I've found this particularly to be the case regarding prayer, at least with our son, Timothy.
Timothy has no clue of what seems reasonable or not, so he just asks God for anything. Healing? Check. Radical provision? Check. Raising from the dead? Yep. Miracles of any form? You got it. There’s no limit to what Timothy will pray for.
Read MoreEvery time I was about to head to A&M, the car packed full, just about to put it in reverse - my Dad would stop me. He’d have me pop the hood, check the oil and fluids in the car and then he’d come to my window, give me a kiss and hand me a $20 bill for emergencies. (We had no cell phones back then!). My dad did everything he could to let me know I was cared for.
Read MoreI’ve lived in Zambia for a little over 9 months now. It’s hard to believe I’ve lived here that long, yet at the same time I feel as though I’ve been apart of this world for many many years. Part of that may be due to how many times I’ve come here before actually moving to Zambia, but I think it’s also due to how much love this place and these people. When your heart finds a place it loves, it sinks deep and attaches strongly.
Read More