Blog

Maggie Schade | “He established the Church. Not a building. Not a program. A people. A gathered, committed, imperfect community marked by presence.”

Lauren Bryan | “Photography is an invitation for me—an invitation to stop. To see. To open my eyes a little wider. It challenges me to notice all the little things I know God has orchestrated, to hear the conversations I know He’s working in, and to watch His people love selflessly.”

Jay Greer | “Imagine all the story arcs we will get to connect one day in heaven, where we see just how far the tiny mustard-seed-sized kingdom of God has grown into a massive tree.”

Gabe White | “If not now, when?” That question has stuck with me. It made me start wondering what else in my life I might be putting off. What other good things might I be delaying? Are there things that God has placed in front of me that I’ve been responding to with, “Maybe later,” instead of taking an obedient step forward?

Tara Sackrider | “If a single sparrow isn’t forgotten by God, then our decades of tearful prayers haven’t been forgotten by Him either. He is still listening and still moving.”

Theresa Barnes | “Maybe part of allowing Jesus to rearrange our lives is first allowing Him to rearrange the voices we listen to.”

KaLisa Pray | “But suffering at the hands of others or because of the brokenness of the world feels different than the reality of God Himself taking up pruning shears and making sharp cuts in our lives.”

Laya McAllister | “Ozark is home. The home where I have been able to see the Lord’s goodness and learn far more than I could have ever imagined.”

Jessica Scheuermann | “I am not a Christ-follower on my own. Or at least not a very good one. To follow Jesus is to be in community: a living, hugging, cookie-eating, laying-hands-and-praying community.”

Peter Buckland | “He is not interested in mere ‘self-improvement’; He wants to adorn our lives with His truth and grace, dressing our character in the same splendor He gave the forest.”

Cindy Cutler | “The simple act of feeding the starter reminded me of the sweetness of the first moments of the day spent in prayer, which can awaken our hearts, align our thoughts, and connect with Someone greater than ourselves.”

Jeanie Andrews | “Thirty-five years have passed since that time, and hundreds, if not thousands, of Thai, Chinese, Burmese, and a host of tribal groups have been led to find new life at the foot of the cross of Christ.”

Chip Songer | “My hope is that when the gathering officially begins, worship is already happening. Not because we’ve done anything impressive, but because our hearts have been centered and our minds oriented toward God.”

Allison Stump | “​I’m thankful that even in the middle of hard seasons, God reminds us who we are and who we are not.”

Dennis Hounshell | “Our stories are not finished, and Jesus is willing and able to help us face our past, lay down our burdens, and find our rest in Him.”

Nathan Storms | “I am coming to believe that when we are genuinely curious about the people around us, God is endlessly creative in the ways He uses those relationships for His glory (and our good).”

Emilee Mitchell | “To remove that which had taken up space on the shelves of their hearts and prepare for Christ to be placed in his proper place. Not in a manger, but on the throne of your heart and of mine.”

Tyler Bade | “Whatever it is that you are holding this Christmas season – burdens that feel impossibly heavy and inevitable, relationships you have given up on ever being healed, changes that you keep asking for with no fruit – don’t stop praying.”

Elijah Dally | “Christians should remember that the secret ingredient to loving and enjoying God is the same thing that made them confess Him as Lord and Savior to begin with – The Gospel. You never graduate from the Gospel, you simply sink deeper into it.”

Peyton Marple | “In a culture that is marked by too much hustle and hurry, where can you pause to remember the peace He offers? In the midst of a life filled with instant-gratification grabs, where can you remember the fullness of joy He brings?”