Another Note from John Fletcher

There's a difference between not knowing what to do and not wanting to do what you know you need to do.

If you've had to detour, that doesn't mean you've failed.

We do not pray so God will restore the church’s former power. We pray that God can form a church that bears fresh fruit.

Humility changes what tastes good to us.

In a world constantly selling people something, we can point beyond ourselves

Your inattentiveness to the Lord doesn’t make God absent.

If we're not careful, people become resources instead of, well, people.

Our faithfulness doesn't know beforehand which tree will bear the most fruit.

I choose to stay with the Bible because I don't think it was given to make me comfortable.

Churches can get pretty good at looking alive.

Loving the truth means I want what is true even when it challenges what I believe.

The command to seek God is surrounded by the command to remember God.

The world hasn't stopped being wonderful just because we've stopped wondering.

We can have the right convictions and still make the wrong decisions.

If we're not careful, we let all our right religious things make our faith into a formula for getting the life we want.

The cross offers us a strange victory. Jesus wins by giving himself away.

You don’t have to let yesterday’s pain, loss, or disappointment dictate what God can do tomorrow.

God isn't running for office. God is God.

If Jesus welcomes people by grace, we should be careful not to add weight to their shoulders.

Christian unity begins there beneath the same grace.

Faithfulness means bringing the song back into tune until our words, our choices, and our loyalties point unmistakably toward the Lamb.

Following Jesus doesn’t mean you’ll never find yourself in rough water.

Comfortable things can keep you from being faithful to God's calling.

What do we owe one another because we belong to one another?

But part of growing in faith is allowing God to deepen the one you're already living.

A danger of your religion is that it can convince you you've figured God out.

The more Jesus gives away, the more there seems to be.

We keep showing up so God can keep changing the way we see.

Prayer needs to be both the foundation beneath our life together and the scaffolding around whatever God is building among us.

Settling for anything other than God is the danger of life.

God's work can happen as ordinary people carry one another.

Control can make us feel like we're carrying the weight of the world.

We need people who know more than whether we showed up on Sunday.

Heavenly wisdom doesn't choose between conviction and compassion.

God’s transforming work within us can sometimes surprise others. Even ourselves!

Whether we realize it or not, we're all leaving footprints.

God gives people new names and new futures.

The God who transforms enemies into family is the same God who restores relationships and heals what feels like it could never be mended.

God's care didn't begin the day you noticed it. It began long before you were aware of it.

There is a difference between working for God and being present with God.

Our idols may not be carved from wood or stone, but they still make oversized promises.

Discipleship's invitation has never been to solve God. It has always been to know God.

Prayer is bringing our real lives into God's presence.

Holiness is a blessing in itself that God gives to us.

Growing up in Christ means fewer battles over ourselves and greater passion for what builds others up.

As we walk faithfully, God continues to reveal the path.

Do you know what Jesus has done to you?

I don't need to pretend to have all the answers when I trust the One who does.

Grace gives us the courage to speak honestly, the humility to ask for forgiveness, and the compassion to give it to others.

Because Christ walked out of the tomb, hopelessness is no longer the only option.