Hope you guys are having a happy October and enjoying this Central FL fall weather. My son, who digs weather stuff big time, is oddly enough looking forward to the approaching tropical storm coming our way. The cold front may keep it south of us. We will see! Gonna bring some rain, which I guess we need, cause I have to put down some Scott's Bonus S this week, and rain is a good follow-up to that chemical-enhancement of our lawn.

But I digress. Cause only people who aren't trying to walk closely talk only about the weather. That's more for small-talk, porch conversations in which "I am fine" tends to be the only profound declaration. And that's not us as a church family, right?

NO WAY!!! Because we are trying to be worshippers, get equipped, live sent, grow together, and point neighbors and nations to Christ. And that insists upon deep love for one another and enduring commitment to the mission together, right? I thought you would agree :-)

So over the next few Mondays, I will be sending out a note to you trying to handle some of the "FAQs" that we have been conversing about since challenging one another with our "four next steps" as a church family together.

Once again, those are:

:: take the initiative to connect with 3 to 5 families within the Westpoint family to be family with, committing to passionately pray for one another and to deeply love each other through thick and thin.[you may already be walking closely with several families. that's great! if you are but you are not walking with a "sent" purpose, would you be willing to be more purposeful and intentional in your friendships?]

:: study the Scriptures together as a group of families for more than just greater Biblical knowledge, but rather in order to simply ask the question, "If this is true, how must we individually and together surrender to the Holy Spirit that adjustments might be made in our lives based upon the teachings of this Scripture?"

:: encourage each other and hold each other accountable to engage the lost in the pathways of our lives, praying for the lost together, being patient in the long-term of the friendship and journey, and proactively loving them first and caring for them in specific ways, welcoming them into relationship with us like they are family, too.

:: then, let's come together as a "BIG Family" frequently to celebrate what God is doing and to learn from each other as we gather on Sundays, as we connect during "together" events, and as several SENT Groups connect for meals and celebrations and to serve together.

First FAQ:
How will I have time for this?

The answer, I would suggest, comes in two parts. An encouraging part and a challenging part.

The first part of the answer is the encouraging part and is actually another question (don't you like it when people do that?). The question - who are you already doing life with that's a part of the Westpoint family? Most of the people who have told me they worry about having time for this already do life together with a few folks from our church family. Who is that? How are you doing life together? What is the purpose of doing life together? Scripturally it is to love each other through thick and thin (John 12:34-35) and to push each other onto love and service and mission (Hebrews 10:18-25). The answer, then, is not to do MORE but rather to do what you already do with MORE INTENTIONALITY.

The second part of the answer is the more challenging part of the answer. It, too, is a question (don't hate me :-)

>> Who are you short-changing both within our church family and within our community by not making time for this? <<

Yeah. Short-changing. If we really need each other, if we are the body of Christ, if we are sent as the One sent to us to love neighbors and nations, if we are to make disciples, if we are to love one another through thick and thin, if we are to obey the Scriptures TOGETHER rather than just learn them INDIVIDUALLY, then we would be short-changing each other as well as neighbors and nations if we don't make time for this. Right?

A little further with the challenge. And this one is FOR THE DADS OUT THERE - How are you short-changing your kids by not making time for this? What has wrecked me as a father is this one thought - is it rational for me to expect my kids when they go off to college to live a life surrendered to walk with Jesus and with other followers of Jesus loving neighbors and nations and making disciples IF they experience nothing more than a "sinners prayer" and "church attendance" and a tailored-to-engage-them youth program while growing up in my home? It's not. It's irrational to expect otherwise. And so I must make some adjustments.

You can ask the folks we walk with in our SENT Group. They will not describe Jen and me as the model SENT Group or the picture of the exemplary living out of these "four next steps." But I hope they would describe us as LEARNERS TRYING to grow together with them in Jesus and His ways and in love for one another and in making disciples among neighbors and nations. And we want to go deeper with them. Deeper in relationship and deeper on mission.

We aren't asking you to add a bunch of stuff here or even to immerse yourself in church activity and then do this on the side. We are suggesting, as we have been for over seven years just this time with more clarity, that this become your "church activity." With Jesus and with others for the sake of others.

May we make time. And may we even realize that there is no time to waste. May we love each other deeply and live on mission with Jesus together. We need each other. And we along with neighbors and nations need the near, real, life-changing, resurrection-power, love of Jesus, too.

I love you all. Grateful to be learning and living His ways together.
-jason