On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of All Saints’ Church and the start of the Protestant Reformation began. Through the reform of the church that had been overrun with false practices and doctrines from the Catholic Church, we have been rewarded here in the 21st century with a vast array of beautiful and rich consequences from the doctrines of grace to even the hymns we sing. There are great reasons to honor the work that these men of God did before us. In light of the massive service that was done through the likes of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Wycliffe, and others, we are going to be “singing the gospel” this month through some very powerful hymns that speak highly of our Saviour Jesus Christ for who He truly is, as well as honor our heritage.

Hymns are a powerful tool in reminding us of the gospel of Christ. We have chosen several hymns this month that we hope encourage you and your family and friends to worship Jesus in a richer and more profound way. Our hope here at Redeemer through our worship ministry is to place your feet on solid ground and deeply engrain your life in the gospel. We even hope to do that through every word we sing on Sunday mornings.

We will be singing the following hymns: “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, “Come Thou Fount”, “Be Thou My Vision”, “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name”, and “It is Well With My Soul”.

1. Love Jesus. Let His love and acceptance for all of His followers saturate you. Sensing this affirmation and being captivated by His excellence goes a long ways towards losing the taste for all sorts of other rival gods including the god of sexuality. This is the most critical thing you can do and it will help you with many, many other dark areas of your life.
2. Fight isolation like crazy. If uncommitted sexual relationships betray the commitment and faithfulness of Jesus to His people, what do you think sexual sin done in private communicates? Pretty much, I don't need anyone else to satisfy my desires! Well, this is a dead end. This sort of sexual experience ends up pretty empty and unsatisfying and fighting through it once we realize it is a dead end is very difficult. To work through struggles with porn, fantasy, steamy romance novels/movies, and masturbation, you are going to need some help. I am begging you to invite a person or two from your Redeemer group into your life. In short, sexual experiences in isolation are killers and fighting sexual sin in isolation is an almost sure path to continued failure (but you already knew that).
3. Digital Accountability. If you have either been seriously tempted to view online porn in the past 12 months or if you've fallen to the temptation, then I don't think you can make a good case against this. The best BY FAR that I've found is a program called Covenant Eyes. Go to http://www.covenanteyes.com and spend a few bucks a month. It will send your history to a couple of friends. Combine this with #2 above. In addition to talking about sexual issues with our friends that go beyond porn/thought life, this is an easy way of keeping this issue in front of each other. On a personal note, this has been exceedingly helpful and has taken this issue completely off the radar for me even as a temptation.
4. Get help for serious sexual trauma. Some of you have serious hurt here. Maybe you've had some experiences in the past that you have done or you've been victimized sexually. You may not feel like you have the depth of relationship with people to open this up yet. Or maybe you do, but people like the ability to help you work through it. Let me recommend two options. At Redeemer, we are piloting a "Recovery" ministry that we are starting this week. We are using The Village Church's curriculum and we will roll it out publicly in January. If you want some preliminary details, contact James and Janna Smith at jamessmith79@gmail.com. This will be open to many issues (depression, suicidal tendencies, loss of life, divorce, eating disorders, relational problems, coping with serious illness/disease, and just about anything else you can imagine). The goal is to apply the gospel to these areas of brokenness. Another option is seeking a professional counselor. This is a good option in many cases. Regardless of what is best for you, we like to see our people moving toward wholeness in Jesus in community and opening yourself up to others around you as you feel more comfortable.

1. It is going to be A LOT of fun. We have rented out cabins and camp sites at Rock Creek Camp which is right on PK Lake. We are going to have time to do a lot of swimming, boating, jet skiing, hiking, fishing, and relaxing at the lake.
   
   
2. This could be your last chance to hit the lake before winter hits. Summer is over people and cold weather is on its way. Come and get it while you can!
   
   
3. It is really cheap. No where will you find a weekend lake trip this cheap. If you want a cabin spot then it will cost you $30, and if you are a camper and bring a tent you can have a campsite for the weekend for only $10. Oh yeah, and that price includes all of your food for the weekend too. Great deal right?
   
   
4. You will make new friends. If you are new to Redeemer this trip is your chance to get to know people in our university ministry. And if you've been around Redeemer a while here is your chance to go beyond just knowing someone's name. Besides, there is no better way to bond with people than watching them bust it on the lake as they fall off a tube or wakeboard!
   
   
5. You will hear the vision and heart of Redeemer University Ministry. While we are there we will be taking the time to talk through our vision to be a "gospel-centered, missional, family". We will define each one of these as it relates to our university ministry.
   
   
6. We tend to hear God speak when we get away from our busy lives. This can be a great get away for you to recharge your batteries before the semester gets crazy with tests, work, and the other commitments that makes your our life's crazy. Take the weekend to get away and let God speak into your life.
   
   
7. You won't have to watch the Tech v. Houston football game by yourself. There is nothing better than watching a Red Raider football game with a room of 30 plus rowdy Tech fans. Saturday night we will be having a Red Raider football watch party on the lake. There is no better way to watch a Tech game...well except for at the Jones of course.
   
   
8. There is nothing going on in Lubbock that weekend. Seriously....admit it....you could use a weekend out of Lubbock.
   
   
9. Over half of Redeemer's staff will be there. All the cool kids are doing it, even the Redeemer staff. Pastor Dusty and other staffers are coming out because they want to get to know college students. Be there and get to know them!
   
   
10. We believe God wants to use this weekend to move greatly in our lives. We have been praying for a few months that God would do great things during this retreat. We believe He will. Don't miss it!

1. Go to a Redeemer group. It's not the only way, but man it's the one of the best. Learning to grow as a gospel community doesn't come naturally to just about anyone I know and this gives a great platform for learning to love and gospel one another.
   
   
2. Talk about the sermon over lunch. What was God stirring in you? What needs to change? What did you see about God that made you love Him more?
   
   
3. Have a meal with someone that you don't know very well from Redeemer. Learn their story and tell yours and have a good time together.
   
   
4. Go to the Tech game/tailgating together this Saturday. Even better, do some missional tailgating where your Redeemer family and missional friendships intersect.
   
   
5. Call, text, or twitter (if twitter doesn't whip you!) a quick encouragement to someone if it crosses your mind. If you see God at work in someone or appreciate something about them, let them know. It's amazing, even in our marriages, how slow we can be to articulate things we love about each other. Don't ever confront via text/email, but I think people like encouragement from nearly every medium!
   
   
6. Pray and apply the Bible with your spouse and kids and wage the ground war in "family worship." Our children can see if Jesus really is the most important thing to us and some of the best instruction you will do is on the fly while life is happening and they can watch you repent and receive grace. If you don't have a spouse or kids, make this happen with your closest friends and/or roommates.
   
   
7. Follow up with something that a Christian friend told you recently. Ask them about how that thing is going and how you can pray for them or celebrate God's grace in its resolution.

1. Read good books. Notice that I said good books. There is plenty of pretty silly stuff with the label "Christian" on it. Not every Christian author or book is equal, so do your research and read some stuff that will do good for you in your fight for joy. Read "Vintage Jesus" and "Vintage Church" by Mark Driscoll. Read "Desiring God" and "Let the Nations Be Glad" by John Piper. Read "Cross Centered Life" and "Humility" by C.J. Mahaney. Read the "Life and Diary of David Brainerd" edited by Jonathan Edwards. Read "To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson" by Courtney Anderson. Those aren't the only good books out there, but they are really good and will wage some air war on your heart.
   
   
2. Listen to good podcasts. Two things here. First, Notice I said good podcasts. Not every Christian preacher/communicator is equal. Listen to Driscoll or Matt Chandler or Piper. Listen and read "The Resurgence" podcasts and blogs. There are lots of good ones, but if you don't know who to check out, those are good ones to start. Second, these things don't replace in-person gatherings of the church. Books, blogs, and podcasts are "air war" means of grace that can be used by modern Christians, but nothing supplements being in the same place with people you have committed your life towards. At Redeemer, membership says, "I am with you in pursuit of Jesus and to make Him known. I may not get to speak to you this morning or share any of my thoughts/reflections on a song, sermon, Scripture reading, or prayer, but I am with you on this." Podcasts supplement that, but can never replace that. Being at a friend's church can supplement that, but can never replace that.

10. Meet anyway - Many of our groups have expressed interest in not having breaks at all. So we encourage them to continue to meet, although in an unofficial capacity. This is a great way to continue to build community and a great time to include some not so involved people into the group.
9. Practice some Solitude - We definitely put emphasis on community, but we don't want to neglect the individual spiritual disciplines either. These breaks offer a great time to take a small personal retreat. I understand the difficulties with families, but even if it is just for one hour; take a step back and commune with God for a while.
8. Invite others to go deeper with you - Another community building option would be to invite someone from your Redeemer Group or just anyone from Redeemer so you can get to know them better. This will pay off when your Redeemer Groups begin again.
7. Focus on mission - This is also a great time to stop making excuses about not calling those particular people in your life that you most want to see and savor Jesus Christ. Focus on building relationships and sharing the Gospel with those immediately around you. Practice some hospitality by inviting them over for dinner or perhaps just a low-key hang out time.
6. Re-focus your family - Take some extra time to care for the little church meeting in your own home. Re-focus everyone on the Gospel, sharing the Gospel, and living out the Gospel in everyday life. This doesn't exempt our singles and students either. More than likely you have a roommate or two - that is your household.
5. Care for your leaders - Take some extra time to care for your leaders. They have sacrificed a lot of man hours to try to lead out the mission, facilitate group time, and build the community.
4. Care for your Host Homes - This could be a much over-looked ministry with our Redeemer Groups. Remember that those who open up their homes for everyone put in a lot of time and effort to make their homes presentable and comfortable for your group. Make sure they feel appreciated.
3. Get to know someone for the first time - With Redeemer's continual growth there will undoubtedly be some folks whom you have not met yet. Check out the directory and call them up or find them on Sunday morning so you can meet someone new.
2. Re-focus your walk - With the pace of life like it is now for most of us things will fall through the cracks and get left behind. With your extra time, re-commit to the basic spiritual disciplines of study, meditation, prayer, and fasting. Commit to do this with others or do it alone.
1. Consider the city - We want to be a blessing to Lubbock. Hypothetically, we'd want Lubbock to suffer if Redeemer were removed from the city. Consider how you can re-approach your ministry to the poor and least of these.

People at Redeemer do lots of different things. We’ve got trendy Nick the restaurant manager. We have Justin the food server. We’ve got Blake and Julie who buy homes going into foreclosure and offer the seller services to get back on their feet. We’ve got Jenny the harpist that has the potential to be world class. On top of that we have attorneys, business owners, professional photographers/artists, physicians, medical students, stay at home moms, lots of college students, insurance guys, a few in sales, people in agricultural business, a college math teacher (ouch), school teachers, counselors, speech therapists/audiologists, computer oriented guys, bankers, nurses, political aides, real estate agents and investors, financial planners, and lots of other stuff.

So what? I was just struck by the different kinds of things that people do here at Redeemer with their time. This doesn’t even touch on other special interests, where we live and eat, or volunteering in charitable organizations. Imagine what would happen if we didn’t view our daily responsibilities as a tack on the “real ministry” that we might be involved in on Sundays or at Redeemer groups. Imagine if we saw ourselves the way God sees us: as His ministers at work, in our neighborhood and in our down time.

Contrast this with how churches tend to conceptualize their mission. Often, people see the vast number of uninvolved, dechurched/unchurched people in their city and know they need to do something. Their solution is to put together events and programs that generate interest in the community and get people to come to those events. Once at the events, then you either try to transition them into the worship services or use the opportunity to preach the gospel. Let me say that there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, Redeemer sometimes (although infrequently) does events that offer something for Lubbock, and we do try to get to know people that show up and sometimes do talk about Jesus at these events. Again, it’s not a bad thing and it can be a very good thing. What’s my point? We must recognize that a small number of people wake up and think, “You know what? I really need to get back into the church and hear what these people have to say.” The reality is that even people that are looking to re-engage their spiritual lives are less likely right now to come to us for answers. Certainly some are, but not all or even most. Therefore, churches need more than one golf club in their bag. At Redeemer, we want you to think primarily about where you live, work, and spend your time and to be intentional about incarnating the gospel in that setting and if we do an event to supplement that, great. If not, great.

I realize that’s not a new thought for someone that has been around Redeemer for any length of time. But as with most things in the Christian life, novelty is not the goal. Let this be a reminder and a reboot if we need it. God sent Jesus to reconcile humanity to Himself and to incarnate grace to a broken world (which includes us!). He is a missionary God that is still seeking and saving the lost and healing the broken. We have the great blessing of imaging this part of God’s character in our restaurants, in our transactions of home purchases, and in our harp playing. Let’s incarnate grace.

The Brutal 'Burbs: how the suburban lifestyle undermines our mission

A surge of new books have hit store shelves about the challenges facing followers of Christ who live in the suburbs. Many voices are beginning to say that the lifestyle of the affluent suburbanite, while heralded for 50 years as the fulfillment of the American dream, may actually be detrimental to the Christian life and mission. In this post David Fitch, a pastor and professor in suburban Chicago, and a regular contributor to Out of Ur, addresses the difficulty of practicing the biblical discipline of hospitality in the isolation of the 'burbs.

My church is very much in the suburbs. Specifically, the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Strangely as these suburbs have become more diverse (conspicuously more Hispanic, Asian, as well as other ethnicities) they have become more starkly spatialized. Each family unit is isolated in its own house with fenced in yard and automatically-opening garage that can be driven into permitting all contact with the outside world to be avoided.

David Matzko McCarthy in his wonderful book, Sex and Love in the Home, describes the myth of this suburbia:

The dream of the suburbs is a self-sufficient home, inhabited by affable kin and grace with plenty of yard to provide a buffer between neighbors. The aim of suburban life is to choose a home and neighborhood where we can be happy, where people work hard and respect the ways of others, and where families get along on their own and come together for recreation and leisure?.The great pleasure of home ownership is freedom and autonomy.

            Not that long ago, before I had two kids, a wife, a house and grown up church that I worked for; I found myself with time do these things they call hobbies. There was plenty of different outdoor pursuits that I dabbled in, but by far my favorite was mountain biking. I loved going out to new trails and spending an entire afternoon going up and down hills till either my body or my bike would quit on me. It was usually 50/50 which of the two of those would come first. Not that I was in great shape, it was more that my bike wasn’t exactly top of the line. Often times something would break miles away from the car and then you would have to figure out some way to rig your chain or your gears or whatever to work in a way just to get you back. You would be surprised at how many different quick fixes that are available to make the uninformed hiker think that you are hitting your stride riding your bike when in reality you are just limping back to your car.

            Operating a church is not much different from that. As Redeemer pushes forward things are going very well. It seems that in most all that we do, the good news of Jesus Christ is at the center of it and most people seem to be able to articulate why we do what we do. A heart is growing among Redeemerites for church planting and missions as interested parties in both groups are growing in size and interest. Beyond that- a love for one another is very noticable. If we didn’t push people out of the building on the Sundays, I would imagine some would stay fellowshiping with each other well past 3 o’clock. On cursory glance, it looks like for a young church we are really riding our bike.

            However, I must admit that there seems something that is a bit off with our cadence. That is whether or not we are really caring about the lost that are around us here in Lubbock. Without a question, we are witnessing pockets of people who are determined to be the salt and light that Jesus asks of us to be. This is most evident in some of the care being given to various international students. As well as minstry that is happening by people engaging their neighbors. Yet nearly across the board when I look at these bright spots of people living missonaly it is being done disproportionately by college students and singles. Our families, which are one of the fastest growing segments of our church, are really struggling when it comes to missional living.

            I have recently read some discouraging things about young families. In “Getting Things Done” by  David Allen, he lists professionals with kids under the age of ten at home as the segment that are under the highest levels of stress and the group that struggles most to get things done. Second in Patrick Lai’s book “Tentmaking” he states that families with young children make some of the least effective missionaries. These two books are saying that a huge segement of our church is likely to be more stressed and less effective than any other demographic. This is where the lazy complacent side of me says lets just hold on and be happy with our success’. I refuse to accept this. I refuse to accept that when Christ commanded us to make disciples Matthew 28:17 and to be his witness in Acts 1:8 that it was actually a qualified statement depending on stage of life. Is it harder for the young families? No question, for a ton of different reasons, it is really difficult. However, young families are quickly becoming the core of this church and patterns we set now will shape who Redeemer is 20 years from now.

            Now, a person without kids, or even someone who has grown kids and doesn’t remember the craziness of having little ones around might read this article with a resounding “Amen!” and think it’s about time, but a mom or dad that just put the kids to bed and is just sitting down for a minute of quite, will read this and their heart will sink. When, in the day is there time to add more stuff?  My plea is not that you add more, but that you be more intentional with your time. I ask that you don’t give up sharing the gospel. Our culture will say that our kids are our minstry. Consider minstering to your kids by showing them your love for Christ by sharing Him with those that do not know him. Some simple ways to do this would be to talk to other parents at the park, invite a non-believing neighbor to a playgroup, make a playdate with some neighbors, eat dinner with a colleuge and their family. Use the things you do everyday as tools to share and include people into your families life and share Christ’s love with them. Let’s not just tell our kids to share the gospel, but by God’s grace, let us live it out before them.

Here at Redeemer, we strive to be a gospel-centered.missional.family. How does this play out on Sundays, in particular, with connections? Some of you may be asking what connections is or why on earth you would want to help out. Let me encourage you to keep reading and come check it out one Sunday.

Over the past couple of weeks I have walked into many of my clients offices and was consistently greeted by a receptionist who helpful in answering questions and made me feel welcome. Even places I was stepping into for the first time I felt at ease just because a door had been opened, a kind word was spoken in the foyer, even the surface level “how are you today?” question that is typical in our Western Culture. I was blown away just this week when walking into a business I had never been in before. The front door was opened for me, a bottle of water was handed to me, and the receptionist made small talk and offered up as much information as I could possibly hope for from a complete stranger. Finally, the man in charge, whom I was meeting with walked in and shook my hand and patted me on the back and walked me to our meeting area. I went on to finish my meeting then took the 20 minute drive back to the office to reflect on the meeting. 

Then it hit me; THIS is how Redeemer should feel when new people walk into the doors for the first time. They should walk into a possibly strange place for them and feel comfortable. They shouldn’t worry about their socioeconomic standing, the clothes on their back, or the baggage they may be carrying. If we are truly living missional as a body here at Redeemer, we need to help make people have a desire to fellowship as a community each and every week and feel apart. Connections needs to be the first layer in breaking down walls or objections to the gospel within Redeemer each Sunday. I immediately had to repent after this realization. I had to repent of simply going through the motions of helping make sure I’m helping working along with Scott Layher to make connections happen each week. I had to repent because I realized there was more missional living in this secular business than was flowing out from me personally each Sunday through Connections. 

Connections is more than a group of people who pass out bulletins, pass out the offering and help with communion (THOUGH THESE ARE ALL HAVE VITAL IMPORTANCE EACH WEEK). Connections is about Connecting. Connections is about pointing both new visitors and Redeemer veterans (can we say that after only a year and a half?) towards gospel community. It’s about building relationships that go beyond the surface level questions to truly caring for each other. It is about ensuring that each person that walks through the doors of Redeemer feels comfortable to worship our Lord without wondering “do I fit in here”. Let me reiterate, it’s one way of helping point people to Christ. 

Connections needs help (Yes, this is a shameless plea for help). How can you get involved? We need people each week to be at church a few minutes early to open doors for people and simply say good morning. We need people to help pass out bulletins, help with offering and communion. We need people to simply be early and walk around and talk with people, invite them to their communities, invite them to lunch after church and really help form community. We need help going beyond the surface level I had to repent of this past week so Redeemer truly is a Gospel-centered.Missional.Family. 

If you are interested in helping Redeemer truly be a gospel-centered.missional.family, please email me, Jef Conn at jefconn@gmail.com or feel free to call 806.787.4779 or message me on facebook for more information.

What is Christian endurance? This is a question that I posed to a group of guys that I meet with weekly. I got some really great responses from these guys, but one of the responses really stood out to me and has been in my mind all week. My friend answered brilliantly after thinking a few days saying, “Christian endurance is the focused pursuit of obedience to Jesus in all things in this life, even when it costs you comfort, pleasure, or pain on earth, because you know that the glory you will receive in heaven is worth it”.

Wow! what a great answer right? It’s worth saying again. Christian endurance is the focused pursuit of obedience to Jesus in all things in this life, even when it costs you comfort, pleasure, or pain on earth, because you know that the glory you will receive in heaven is worth it. What a beautiful truth, not only has Jesus saved our souls, but he has bought for us through his perfect life, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the grave an eternity in heaven weighted in great glory and honor. The apostle Paul says it this way in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing”.

I believe that the reason we fail to endure so many times in our walks with Jesus is because we do not truly believe that what we have awaiting in heaven is better than what we pursue today. Our lives are often times focused around our earthly world rather than our heavenly homes.

This answer to my question has resonated with me all week. Every moment this week that I felt the temptation to sin I thought about this idea of Christian endurance. If I am centered around this earthly life I will be quick to be selfish with my resources, never look to serve my fiancé, and have no reason or motivation to share the gospel with those who do not believe. But if my heart is fixed on the truth that this life is a preparation for the next one in heaven, I will be rooted in Jesus and ready to endure, fight sin, and live on mission, or as Paul puts it, “be poured out like a drink offering” for God’s glory. Embracing this type of paradigm shift will cause us to obey Jesus in radical ways.

It seems almost every month we are sending new missionaries out from Redeemer to the nations. This week as we commissioned Nick Langford I couldn’t help but think about the endurance he and so many others model as they walk away from comforts and pleasures in this life for the sake of the Gospel in some of the most least reached places on this planet. They are doing this because they believe obedience to Jesus in this life is worth it even when it costs them because heaven is home.

And what about the group of college guys that I know that meets together weekly to battle against the dark areas of sin in their lives. Why do they do this? Not because it is easy, but because they want to fight to endure and grow in sanctification even if it costs them great shame and pain. These guys know that heaven is their home and they are pursuing it.

Thank God that this broken world is not our home, so let’s not live like it is. We have great hope in the gospel! Evaluate today, how well do you endure? Are you fighting the good fight and taking hold of eternal life which you have been called (1 Timothy 6:11-12)? Evaluate today, around which world is your life centered, heaven or earth?

Until recently whenever I’ve heard the word Gospel it has always been referring to the fact and implications of the person and work of Jesus Christ for all who believe.  The good news of Jesus has always been used as a noun expressing a reality.  Gospel as a verb never really entered my mind; although what it means to Gospel one another has been a topic of great discussion and debate at Redeemer.  We are always talking about how we are to ‘live out the Gospel’ or ‘stir one another to good deeds’ or rebuke and correct one another in love.  This is especially talked about in the context of our missional communities.

To Gospel one another is to basically speak the Gospel into one another’s personal lives and corporately as a community.  Although this has been the subject of countless discussions the reality of Gospeling one another has escaped many of our communities.  But how could a subject seemingly so easy to implement be so difficult to achieve?  How could something that we discuss and debate so frequently be missing from the lives of our members?  I don’t intend for these questions to state that there is no community going on at Redeemer or for it to suggest that there have been no significant stories of us truly caring for one another in meaningful ways that have incarnated Jesus.  At our most recent members meeting people were given time to tell stories of how they have seen community at work at Redeemer and it was super encouraging to hear how we have been the body of Christ to each other. 

What I do intend to suggest is that although we’ve had some significant examples of community, in my opinion, gospeling one another has not become a dominating characteristic of our communities.  I fear that there are many who hear the great things that community has to offer, yet when they experience it they are extremely disappointed because the promise of community and the reality of our community can differ so greatly.  People will feel alone because their conversations rarely move past topics such as school, work, tech sports, or the latest made for TV mini-series.  Few and far between are the discussions about sharing the Gospel with co-workers, confession of significant sin, rebuking and correcting one another when needed, and telling each other that they need not strive for approval because Christ purchased their approval on the cross.

Would you join with me in repenting from being lazy and fearful of Gospeling one another.  Repent from the pride of thinking that your relationship with God is mostly tied up in your own personal time with Him to the neglect of communing with God in community.  Repent from allowing your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to walk in sin because you didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.  Repent from making your life so busy or making your ‘down time’ such a priority that you have failed to live up to the biblical responsibilities that you have to one another in Christ.  I repent from this and more.  I pray that God would make me, and all of us, mature enough to truly pursue community.

No doubt you have found your own story in one of the above calls to repentance or at the very least you can think of your own blockades to community of which you need to repent.  But let me Gospel you in this: that Christ has purchased you, despite your failures, and reconciled you to God through His death.  He has brought you into a family that loves and cares for you, although many times imperfectly, and has brought you into this family for your good and for the good of the family.  And He even extends His grace and mercy now as you see your failures and deficiencies at Gospeling one another.  Your good is wrapped up in the lives of your family members.  Christ is sufficient and has given you a family that He will use to sanctify you.

My charge is that Gospeling one another would become a part of our identity.  That it would not be considered strange to ask each other the tough questions and expect honest answers.  Try it over the next month and taste and see that the Lord is good in providing us each other.  I look forward to the future stories of God’s grace in our lives because of our commitment to each other.