Posts tagged community
Days of Hope: Recalling God's Faithfulness in the Playgroup Years

Motherhood is humbling. There’s so much to learn and mess up along the way. Nowhere else do I have as much self-doubt as I do in motherhood. Moms need to be reminded that they are doing good work and doing it well. Moms need other moms. And God in his wisdom understands that.

Moms are busy. While we are busy loving others, we can also lose hope for ourselves. This is what community is for. When you have lost the ability to hope all things, you need friends to remind you that God still sees you, still loves you, and is still for you.

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Entwined Together: Receiving the Gift of Community {GUEST POST}

While studying the life of David and the three trees referenced in Psalm 52 and 92, I was struck by the role community played in David’s life. From the band of mighty men who travelled with him during his years of exile, to the military leaders who advised him, to the prophet Nathan who held him accountable and wasn’t afraid to have the tough conversations, to his friendship with King Saul’s son, Jonathan, community helped shaped David into the king he became. His gifts were maximised and his weaknesses strengthened because of the presence of other men in his life. And community can bring this same beauty to our own lives if we will allow it to.

We all need friends like Jonathan and David in our lives—friends who remind us of who God is, who cause us to look upwards and not be overcome by our circumstances, friends who call forth what God has spoken over our lives and strengthen us to keep contending. But as much as we need them, we must also be them.

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DEVOTIONAL: Growing with Your Band of Brothers

There are no rules to this growing-in-community thing. It can look different in each friendship circle. Jesus set the example with his disciples. He called them his “brothers” (Matthew 12:49, NIV). They met for prayer, for meals, and for ministry. ⁠

My girlfriends are my band of brothers. We meet for coffee, laughter, and prayer. Together, our faith grows. ⁠

Who is in your band of brothers?⁠

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What if We Viewed Refugees as "Guests?" {Guest Post}

Part of my day job is assisting our Mission Pastor with local outreach events. The next outreach on the calendar is Thanksgiving Dinner with our partners at the Arab-American Church in Sacramento. My family participated in that meal a few years ago and I wrote a story about it. Today, Leslie Verner published my story as part of her series on refugees. Leslie recently wrote a book on hospitality: Invited: The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness. As someone who lived overseas for years, Leslie’s perspective on welcoming the stranger is unique and valuable. I’m honored she published me story today.

My first experience with refugees was when I was very young, although I didn’t learn the word, “refugee,” until many years later. I was taught to call them, “Guests.” 

 My second experience with refugees came three decades later.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

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Community Provides Hope

I don’t like to feel alone. That’s probably my Enneagram 6-ness talking, but since God placed the 6 within me, I’m going with the idea that God doesn’t want me to feel alone either. Even though I know people get IEP’s all the time, I feel alone in this. God knows I feel alone. I told him so, admitting my inadequacies and my worries. I prayed it all out with no idea of what I needed, just grateful that God was present with me in the nebulousness of my new path.

And then, this happened.

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