This Is Who We Are

Have you ever realized that the closer you get to something, the more complex it seems?

I love a good cup of coffee, and I can really appreciate a nice piece of latte art. From afar, it may look like a heart, or a feather, but as you examine it closer and get within inches of it, you begin to see every detail of the foam art and discover how intricate the work is.

Some of you may think: “Just make some folgers and get on with the devotional.” Yeah, I get it, latte art isn’t for everyone. But let’s talk about real art then. Have you ever stood close enough to a painting to see the actual brush strokes that make up the image? Or maybe zoomed in so far on a photo so you can see the pixels that make up the image?

The closer you get to something, the more complexities you’re able to perceive.

You see, following Jesus is simple from afar, but when we get down in the weeds, every story, moment, decision, and interaction matters.

So how do we do our best to keep it simple, and try our best to live this life of following Jesus well? We Go First.

Go First is a 60 day crash course where we lay out a framework for leadership and discipleship that keeps things simple. We at The Church at RB believe that God has called all of us to lead something, and we are meant to do that with a passion, not passivity. We believe that following Jesus and leading well starts with our Emotional Health, Relational Connection, Spiritual Depth, Sexual Wholeness, and Purposeful Vocation. These five simple pillars are what make up our discipleship and leadership framework at the church.

At a glance, it may seem simple, and that’s the point! It’s a beautiful, simple roadmap to living fully alive and by design. But we also know, that while it seems simple from afar, when we zoom in to these five areas of our lives, the complexities show up and the work God has called us to do on ourselves begins.

Have you ever wondered why your relationships feel shallow? Do you ever find yourself asking why your thoughts and mind seem out of sorts? Do you feel purposeless in your job? Do you ask yourself why your relationship with Jesus isn’t as fruitful and rich as you hoped it would be? Do you feel broken sexually and find yourself wondering how to have intimacy?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then you’re in a prime place to experience the transformation that comes when you choose to stop being passive, and start Going First in your life.

For the month of September, our devotional team will be writing some reflections on the five pillars of our Go First initiative.

I know that we all deal with unique challenges that don’t come with a “one size fits all” solution… So… we have set up a system where you can read the material, set up a meeting with a coach here on staff at the church, and then get plugged into ministry and begin serving alongside other Go First leaders that have abandoned passivity, and are grabbing hold of life with passion together.

Go First was never meant to be something we do alone. It was designed to be done together, and we are here to support you in your journey of leadership, and your journey toward the life God designed for you.

DJ Brennan