As a faith practice, listening involves training ourselves to recognize Gods voice (John 10:1-6) in the midst of all the other voices calling for our attention. It involves learning to be fully present in the moment, setting aside distractions that keep us from attending to and responding to Gods presence around us.
Justice and mercy are the tangible expressions of loving our neighbors as God has loved us. They are the ways that we live like Jesus here and now, affirming the goodness of Gods image in others and anticipating the overflowing shalom peace and flourishing that characterizes Gods coming kingdom.
The practice of engaging Scripture immerses us in the true story of God's faithful love so that we become more like Jesus as we grow in recognizing God, ourselves, and the world around us.
Hospitality is the act of making space for guests, visitors, or strangers, and extending to them the privileges of family; biblical hospitality focuses on how we will live as God's people in relationship with people who are different from us.
Generosity is freely sharing with others the many gifts God has given us. A spirit of generosity arises from gratitude. As we imitate Gods own generous nature, our generosity overflows to bless the people around us.
Gratitude is our response of thankfulness for God's goodness, love, provision, and grace. It is the undercurrent of all other faith practices—the well out of which they flow.
Sabbath, God's gift to us, is a time set apart to rest from work, worship God, tend to our soul, and bless others.
holy habits that help us love God and our neighbor, listen to the Holy Spirit, and become more like Jesus
Sometimes it may seem like the goal of Christian life is to escape from all that is evil and unhappy in this world; but the apostle Paul frames the “escape room” of this world a little differently in his letter to the Philippians.
By rewinding all the way back to the beginning of John’s gospel, we discover that John himself rewinds us all the way back to the beginning of Genesis; what is it that John wants us to see by turning his gospel all the way back to the beginning?