On Mission Family

Today we had the privilege of being with the wonderful people of Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Shepherd, Texas for our first official deputation appointment.

Pastor Larry Allbritton and his sweet wife Vickie were incredibly kind and gracious to our family. We were honored to share about what God is calling us to in Manchester and thankful for the opportunity to preach this morning as well.

After the service, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and sweet fellowship in their home. One of the greatest blessings of this journey already has been seeing the kindness, hospitality, and encouragement of God’s people.

We left today grateful, encouraged, well-fed, and reminded again that we are not walking this road alone.

Thank you, Good Shepherd Baptist Church, for loving our family so well and taking such great care of us. We enjoyed our time with you thoroughly.

❤️

5 ways to start partnering with families in discipleship:
1. Practice Inclusiveness.
2. Build relationships.
3. Listen.
4. Encourage spiritual habits.
5. Equip families.

Dive deeper into each of these tips here: https://influencemagazine.com/en/Practice/Partnering-With-Parents

As we look forward to the New Year, we can choose to shift our focus from self, control, and false hope to the one true hope we have in Jesus!

Here are three key things to believe and consider about why we find hope in God’s greatness...

1. The coming of Jesus reminds us of the hope we can live with and the hope that has already been fulfilled by God himself.

What are you hoping for in your life in the year ahead? What are you hoping for in your career, family, relationships, marriage? Right now, are you trusting in self and hoping for more? Or are placing your hope in the completed work of Christ?

Let me remind you, Jesus’ name means ‘the Lord of salvation’. He came that we might have freedom and peace. He is also called Emmanuel, which means, ‘God with us’. He is not distant and aloof; he is a God that is with us, right now, and he is for us. That gives us great hope!

2. God is great so we don’t have to be in control, and that gives us great hope!

All of our worry, stress, and relational strife comes from not believing that God is great, so we try to take control of circumstances, people, and things.

Yet we intrinsically know that we are NOT God, and that tears away our hope. We’ve put our hope in self and we consistently find it lacking. But we now have a true and lasting hope because God is great, and he proved it beyond a shadow of doubt when he sent us Jesus to take our places on a cross and exchange his perfect righteousness for our lack and sinfulness.

3. As you look toward the new year, take an inventory of the things that you’re still believing that you have to be in control of in your life and the lives of others.

Are you still thinking you have to be in control of your provision, your health and wellness? Your time? Are you trying to control others’ behaviors, and it’s not working out so well?

What is it that you think God still needs your help managing? Ask the Spirit of Jesus to replace your false sense of control with faith and hope in his great sovereignty, love, and care.

-Everyday Disciple