One of the deepest longings of humanity is that of reconciled, authentic community. Yet, everywhere one turns deep-seated chasms separate people across national, racial, political, and various other divides. Can anything bridge the gaps and heal the wounds caused by these divides? Gazing upon our world provides little hope.

Yet, hope does exist in abundance, just not in the world around us. Instead, it lies in one who entered our world—Jesus. He alone has provided  hope in our broken, corrupt world. Scripture says that Jesus made peace by the blood of his cross. Through his work and the free gift he offers us, we can have reconciled community with God through faith in Jesus. This reconciliation, this salvation, also brings us into reconciled community with others who have faith in Him. When Jesus saves us, he doesn’t leave us as individual Christians, but he makes us part of a community: the church.

Though full of broken people in constant need of grace and forgiveness, the church is the one community with true hope of lasting reconciliation, peace, joy, and love across all cultural, racial, and political bounds. Jesus and his Gospel are the one hope we have for true community.

And it’s that community—the church—that I have grown to love deeply even in light of her warts and scars. This community is the people Jesus loved to the point of death millennia ago. And it’s this community that I am seeking to love in the same way. Following Christ’s example, I long to love and strengthen the church for the fame of Jesus. This blog is devoted to that purpose, and I’ll accomplish that in three ways:

1. Scripture Reflections – Providing meditations and direction for small group discussion
2. Equipping Resources – Providing a wide variety of helps for living this Christian life
3. Church Revitalization – Providing research, insights, and reflections upon an ever-growing passion of mine and an ongoing, yet oft neglected need in churches everywhere

*The first two will primarily be oriented toward my congregation, but I hope they will be a benefit to all who read.