An Unexpected Invitation “Hey, are you free if I stop by this afternoon? I’d love to talk something over with you…” I saw the text pop up from a friend in the middle of a morning that was less-than-amazing. I had been up a good part of the night with my baby, so I was […]

the cycle of seclusion It’s been a long day. You are exhausted as you pull into your garage and close the door behind you, grateful for a neighborhood that values seclusion as much as you do. Life regularly looks like closed doors and quiet evenings. On Sunday your pastor might mention hospitality. You cringe a […]

god-centered community God designed you for community (1 Peter 2:4–5; Eph. 2:19–22). He made you with a desire to connect with other people who can grow with you, cry with you, sharpen you, encourage you, and laugh with you. No matter your stage or season, all of us long to find people we can simply […]

“I think we’re just … better as friends.” I suddenly felt like I might throw up. Sitting cross-legged in my closet so my parents couldn’t hear my conversation on the phone, I felt time stop—or transition into slow motion, at least. “For sure,” I said on the other end of the line. Click. That was […]

Fellowship is so much more than potluck dinners and ice cream socials. It’s more than hanging out with people before small group and shaking hands in the hallways at church. And while fellowship includes friendship, fun, and usually food, it’s so much more than all of those things. Fellowship is bonding over a shared “something”—a […]