Christianity is fundamentally an outward-facing faith. Based on Jesus' last command on this Earth, I say that we should make disciples of all nations. [Matthew 28:18-20] The beauty of that command is that it is very direct and vague. It tells us what to do. It does not tell us how to do it. This has given the church, at large, the freedom to adapt its local context while simultaneously holding on to the essentials.

Because of our context here in the States, most people's journey toward Jesus begins when they meet a Christian who is an active part of a local church. That Christian invites them to come to Sunday worship. They experience Jesus and His people; we hope this becomes the jumping-off point for their spiritual journey with Jesus.

So, for those of us who have friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers we love who don’t yet follow Jesus, we want to create a church environment that those we love will want to return.

The American culture is working tirelessly to make your life more siloed, isolated, and disconnected from community so that you will depend on it for your purpose and satisfaction.

In this host culture we all live in, there is no greater problem that we face than a siloed, isolated existence. From the rise in depression, the rise in suicide, political polarization, and addiction, to the extreme beliefs that people hold with conviction no matter how it conflicts with reality… I could keep going — it is all amplified by the extreme level of isolation and disconnected lives our culture wants us to live.

Here is what I find fascinating; I don’t have to spend any time convincing you about this. Nearly everyone hearing this would go yeah. The truth is we all pretty much resent the way this life is but feel powerless to do anything about it. Short of buying a plot of land in South Dakota and starting a commune with a group of friends, getting out of this way of life feels impossible. So, for most people, the answer is just apathy.

I need you to know that what you feel here is not wrong. This way of life that our host culture wants us to live is the opposite of God’s design for us. The Bible, and specifically Jesus, believes that every person should be part of a unified community where they can love and be loved.

You will never be a perfect mother, and you will never be everything your child needs, but you can be faithful to the task of raising your children in the way they should go, loving them in the way that they are, and trusting Jesus with the rest.

So today, I invite you to consider three things I learned from my mother and watch in my wife, which I hope bring new joy to your motherhood journey.

It goes without saying that I am not pedestooling them as the paragon of motherhood, but they are the two moms I know best!