so you can

Lead with clarity, strength and abundance.

Find Life

God breathed the breath of Life into our souls. This means our soul is designed to be fueled by him.

But we all fill it with the Created Order. The Created Order God gave us as a good gift. Yet, he never intended it to fuel our soul.

So we search. We want something to flood our lives to make a difference.

And Jesus is the only One who can make that difference.

What does it mean when he floods your life?

Lead with Clarity

Everyone has a God-given reason for living.

You have a Purpose.

And so many feel…

Shapeless
Empty
Dark

But God wants to…

Shape you with Identity
Fill you with his Vision
Light your way with Mission

He then deepens your Purpose with…

Relationships
Rest

Then fuels your Purpose by giving you Life from Hearing & Following him.

Do you have the clarity that you want in life?

Lead with Strength

Not lead with power, but strength.

Power takes.
Strength gives.

Power pushes down.
Strength lifts up.

When you lead with your strength, you are able to give more of yourself.

And as you give more of yourself, you build trust with others.

Those you lead.
The communities your organization or church is in.

Do you know what strengths God has created you with?

Lead with Abundance

Jesus gives you more than necessary as you Hear & Follow him.

So that you can give more than necessary to those around you.

As you lean into your God-given reason for living, God will give you more than what’s necessary. He will make you come alive.

And you will have the feeling that you will never run out of energy. Because God is fueling you with this energy. All from the inside out.

As you lead with abundance, you build loyalty in those who are around you.

In My Life

This is what God is doing inside of me right now.

I started writing something. Actually, I was answering the question, “If revival happened, what would need to happen after it?”

People would need to know that God created them.

So I started writing. As I wrote, I saw something start to form. Something that is unique. Something that answers “How do I discover my Purpose?” and “How do I live out my Purpose?”

Many say, “A purpose changes how you live.” Or “All you need to do is find your Purpose.”

But how?

This is what I’m working on. I believe it will help people live alive. Live alive in their home, work and leadership.

And you’ll come alive because you’ll be Hearing & Following God through the journey to discover your Purpose.

Impossible Prayer

Find something that resonates with you. Either a “Oh I feel this hard,” or “I really need this.”

Then pray, God, how do you want me to step away from what robs me of Life and into what gives me Life?

I want to pray for your impossible. Let me know how to pray for you by filling out this form. All prayers will be confidential.

Impossible Prayer

Interested in more?

Subscribe below for free for content that will help you lead with clarity, strength and abundance.

Or if you want to know more about The Purpose Course, cohorts, coaching and intensives, click this button to fill out the form (no spam, I’ll email you when I have more information).

Interest Form

Leadership can be dark and lonely — no matter what the level.

• 70-80% of pastors want a close friend, but don’t have one

• 55% of executive leaders face mental health struggles, but feel like they have to keep a strong persona.

• 100% of parents wonder if they’re doing it right!

As leaders, it’s easy to hid the darkness behind a facade.
And when we hide behind a facade, the thief robs us.

Robs us of the life God wants us to have.

But Jesus promises something different:

He will turn the light back on.

So how do you flip the switch?

Proof: Who Can You Trust?

Leaders struggle to trust.

So we default to:

Metrics
Systems
What’s always worked

And slowly, it becomes harder to fully trust Jesus.

In John 10, Jesus gives a clear contrast:

The Thief sacrifices you for his gain
The Shepherd sacrifices himself for your gain

Jesus doesn’t just ask for your trust…
He proves he is worthy of your trust.

He gave all of who he is…
So you can trust him with all of who you are

Leadership Audit:
What problem are you facing — in your life, work or leadership — where you haven’t fully trusted Jesus?

Abundance: More Than Enough

Leaders follow other leaders
When they have more than enough to give

He gave his whole life…
so you can receive a Life that is more than enough.

When you trust him fully:

You stop leading from what you have
And start leading from Jesus’ abundance

More than enough leaders produce loyalty in those who follow them.
And when you see Jesus as more than enough, you’ll be loyal with your whole life.

Leadership Audit:
In the same problem from above — how do you need Jesus to give you more than enough?

Simplicity: What Do You Do?

Leaders simplify the complex.

Jesus does the same.

His job description for you is simple:

Hear & Follow Me

As you follow him:

He leads you
He fills you
He changes you

Jesus influences you to be more like him.

When you life is filled with more than enough…

People notice.

Not because you’re trying harder…
But because something is different about you.

And because something is different,
you have influence in others.

Leadership Audit:
In the area where you need more than enough — what step is Jesus leading you to take?

Rendered Useful

We all want to be useful.

But when the thief robs you
he doesn’t just take from you…

He uses you,
then leaves you empty.
You feel dark.

And rendered useless.

But God does the opposite.

He doesn’t use you
He fills you.
He turns the light on.

God created you on Purpose, for a Purpose.

Not to run on empty.
Not to prove yourself.
Not to keep up appearances.

But to:

Find Life in Jesus first, before anything else
So you can lead like no one else.

Because the only way to lead differently…

Is to give your life to the One
Who fills you with his Infinite Life.

Hear Jesus Through His Word

What did God say to you about living an Infinite Life through John 10?

Pray for the Impossible

What problem you need solved stood out to you? Pray…

God, show me how your Infinite Life will lead me to solve this problem.

Share your impossible prayer through this form.

Engage Community

Who can you find to share your problem with this week?

Follow Jesus Anywhere

What is the step God is leading you to take to solve your problem?

Episode 1 Leadership Audit

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Last Saturday, there was 1 of you here.

Now there are 19.

That might not seem like much—but to me, it means something is starting.

Tomorrow at 6pm, I’ll be releasing the first Finding Life podcast episode:

Don’t Win at Work and Lose Your Life

It’s about something I think we all feel—but don’t always see clearly:

You can succeed in everything…
and still lose what matters most.

Jesus talks about a thief who doesn’t break in—he slips in quietly and steals your Life over time.

This episode is about how to recognize that—and how to take your life back.

I’m really grateful you’re here at the beginning.

Be ready tomorrow at 6.

— Shane

P.S. If you know someone who’s winning on the outside but struggling on the inside, send this to them. That’s how this grows—one person at a time.

Life is not found in doing more.
It is found in Hearing & Following Jesus.

When you begin to:

• Hear Him through His Word

• Walk with Him in Prayer

• Grow with others in Community

You don’t just improve your life—
you find Life.

What Finding Life Is About

Finding Life exists to help people:

• Find Life in Jesus

• Discover their God-given Purpose

• Pray for God to do the impossible

• Lead in a way that flourishes others

• Be part of churches that stream people to God

• See the next generation lead the church into new frontiers

How You Find Life

God gave you 3 Tools
so you can find Life in Jesus…

His Word

Hear Jesus through Scripture
Seek the Scripture to Hear from Jesus

Prayer

Walk with Jesus daily
Draw near to God to live out his Kingdom Purpose

Community

Follow Jesus together
Grow alongside others who challenge and encourage you

Why I Care About This Work

For more than 25 years, I’ve led in the church…

As an intern
As a youth pastor
As a church planter
As a volunteer

I’ve seen what happens when people succeed externally…
but feel lost internally.

I’ve seen what happens when people go through the motions…
but don’t know why they do what they do.

And I’ve seen what happens when people begin
to truly hear and follow Jesus.

Everything changes.

My Purpose is simple:
to help people find Life in Jesus.

Start the Journey

If you want to grow in Hearing & Following Jesus —
this is a place to begin

I will encourage and challenge you to grow by…

• Hearing Jesus through his Word

• Praying for God to lead you

• Engaging with his Community

• Following him wherever he leads

Starting Sunday, April 5, the newsletter and podcast will start. Sign up below to receive the weekly newsletter and podcast.

You’ll also be the first to hear about the release of the Purpose Course.

Know your purpose.

When John the Baptist came, people said he had a demon because of his seriousness and eccentric ways.

When Jesus came, people said he was a drunkard and a friend of sinners because he went to all kinds of sinners’ parties.

They knew their purpose and kept going despite what others said about them.

All of our generic purpose is to be the least in the Kingdom.

Then our purposes get more specific from there.

I struggle with purpose. Therefore, I can be swayed by others and FOMO.

The discipline of purpose is daily walking in the direction of God’s purpose for you. How can you today be the least in the Kingdom inside your life?

Maybe you’re serious.

Maybe you’re an Enneagram 7 and if it ain’t fun, it ain’t worth doing.

Use how God made you to serve others and be the least.

Daily consistency in this direction will feel painstakingly slow. You’ll feel like giving up. You’ll feel like you’re going in the wrong direction.

And yet, consistency over time becomes an overnight success…that’s not so overnight.

This is the children that wisdom produces.

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Those who knew they were far from God got it.

Those who thought they were close to God missed it.

Let Luke 7:30 haunt you.

These religious leaders rejected the purpose of God for themselves.

But the tax collectors understood the purpose of God for themselves.

The purpose of God?

To be the least.

The religious leaders didn’t want to be the least. They saw themselves as the greatest. They, in their not so humble opinion, were the greatest spiritual people and everyone should be like them.

Church leader, be more like the tax collectors.

Those who realize their purpose isn’t to be the greatest, but to be the least.

Lead the church to be the least as well.

And you’ll find a lot more of those far from God stream to you to find God.

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How do you lead from the least position?

In Jesus’ eyes, John the Baptist was the greatest ever born to a woman.

And yet, we have a chance to be seen by Jesus as the same.

How?

Lead from the least position.

The more upfront you are, the harder this is.

The more ambition you have, the harder this is.

The more you want a national stage, the harder this is.

Pick up the trash.

Spend a little more time with someone who can’t give you anything back.

Mentor the new person on staff.

I don’t like being the least. I like the spotlight. I want influence.

All for God’s Kingdom advancement, of course.

So I set a reminder to be in front of me every day, “Who does God want me to serve?”

Most days, it becomes an overlooked question. But it’s still there as a reminder I’m here to serve others. Not be served. Not to have the spotlight.

So, again,

How do you lead from the least position?

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To John the Baptist, Jesus answered his question through a Biblical riddle. And told him to not be offended by Jesus.

To the crowds, Jesus affirmed the faith, mission and ministry John had in preparing the people for the coming of God’s Son.

Anyone else ever confused by Jesus’ actions?

When you pray, you feel like you get riddles?

When you pray, you feel like you’re just told to not be offended?

And also when you pray, you feel like you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing?

If your faith is never challenged, your faith will never grow.

If God gave you the whole path, there will be no need for a moment by moment Hear & Follow relationship with Jesus.

If God spoke clearly, you wouldn’t need to listen closely.

Jesus told a crowd of people John is the greatest person born among women.

And yet still challenged John to grow in faith while in prison.

This doesn’t remove your challenge. But maybe there is some comfort in knowing Jesus challenged John.

And he will challenge you.

Will you let the challenges in your parenting and leadership lead you to a deeper Hear & Follow relationship with Jesus?

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Jesus healed the Roman Centurion’s son.

Jesus brought the widow’s son back from the dead.

But Jesus didn’t save John the Baptist from jail.

Which caused John to question. “Are you the one we’re waiting for or should we keep waiting?”

When Jesus fielded the question from his disciples, Jesus quoted scripture saying, “What you were waiting for is here.”

Yet Jesus left the part of the verse out that said he would rescue people from jail. Saying, “I’m what you’re waiting for, but this will not end with your earthly rescue.”

Yikes.

Jesus heals some. Not others.

Jesus rescues some. Not others.

Why?

Other than, “God’s ultimate purpose,” I have no good answer.

But Jesus tells us the well off are not scandalized by him.

Through all of the ups and downs in life, Jesus gives us the Life in our soul to go through every single mountain top and valley.

Throw away your religion…It’s easy to be offended by Jesus. We see someone receive and we don’t and we get offended.

But Life isn’t found in getting our way. Life is found in seeing others get what we want to get and still trust Jesus will give us Life inside every circumstance we face.

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Two different types of people Jesus wasn’t supposed to help.

A Roman Centurion.

A grieving widow mother.

She wasn’t asking for a miracle.

He was the enemy.

He was expectant.

She was devastated.

And yet he saw them and served them. He went…he came up.

How do you lead the people of your church to look for..

Those they’re not supposed to look for?

Those who are expectant for God to work, but don’t know how he works?

Those who are so devastated with life circumstances, they can’t even look up enough to think God will work?

Then how do you lead others to go with and come up to?

How do you lead the people of your church to serve those they’re not supposed to serve?

How do you lead your family to serve those they’re not supposed to serve?

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Sometimes Jesus is moved by faith.

Sometimes Jesus is moved by compassion.

The grieving mother and widow had no faith. Or at least no faith that we see in the story. And she certainly wasn’t looking for a miracle.

I mean, come on, who goes to a funeral expecting the person to sit straight up?

The Roman Centurion asked Jesus for a miracle. And yet, didn’t feel worthy to have Jesus come into his house for the miracle.

And Jesus marveled at this foreigner’s faith.

Sometimes we wake up expectant.

Sometimes we wake up devastated.

Faith is seeing things the way only God can see them and then acting on it.

The grieving widow mother couldn’t see past the casket her son was in. And who could blame her?

Jesus didn’t.

If you wake up and find yourself devastated over life’s circumstances, Jesus’ bowels are moved for you.

This is compassion.

If you wake up and find yourself expectant, so much so you believe Jesus can do anything, Jesus admires you.

This is marveling.

We think Jesus’ marveling is better than his compassion.

Neither is better. Both are necessary for different times in life.

Jesus’ compassion in your devastating circumstance will lead you to see life how God sees again.

Jesus’ marveling in your expectation will keep you looking for the things only God can see.

What situation do you find yourself in?

Devastation? Let Jesus have compassion on you.

Expectation? Lean into what you see from God.

And let Jesus do what he needs to bring Life to you in every situation.

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Luke’s version of Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” is a condensed version. Both of these are a great sermon series.

Call the series “A Well Off Life.”

Sermons:

1. The Well Off Live Different

2. The Well Off Love their Enemies

3. The Well Off Don’t Judge

4. The Well Off Build Different

The goal of the series is to show what a Well Off life looks like. Jesus gives a Life in our soul that produces a completely different life.

A life which is oddly beautiful compared to the life our world thinks is well off. Or even religion says is well off.

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The end of Jesus teaching leads us to throw away the facade.

Two trees look good.

One produces fruit.

Two houses look strong.

One withstands the storm.

Preach so the people in your church will remove facades. Looking good does not make one well off in the Kingdom.

Hearing & Following Jesus does.

• Hearing & Following produces fruit we cannot produce on our own.

Often we hear, “God blessed and did more than we can imagine,” when it comes to external measurements.

But fruit is not external.

Fruit is the beatitudes.

Fruit is the internal transformation which happens because Jesus gives Life inside your soul.

Fruit is recognizing your spiritual poverty and God’s desire for you to inherit his Kingdom.

Fruit is hungering for Jesus and being satisfied in him.

Fruit is finding joy in suffering because God is your acceptance.

Eventually the quality of our fruit will be discovered.

• Hearing & Following produces strength we cannot produce on our own.

The storms will come. Those who build their foundation deep into the Cornerstone of Christ will be able to withstand the storms.

A facade looks good, but cannot withstand the storms. The fake TV houses look good on a sitcom, but could never withstand the elements.

A life built on religion and rules and performance is a facade. It will never survive the storms of life.

Instead, do a foundation reconstruction. Rebuild your life on Hearing & Following Jesus first before anything else. Nothing else will build our foundation so that our house will survive the storms of life.

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Today’s storms build the foundation you need for tomorrow.

Mark Batterson on Carey Nieuwhof’s podcast talked about building a foundation deeper than they needed to for the building they were going to build for right now.

Why did they go to the extra expense and trouble?

They wanted the building to be ready for future generations to build on top of what is currently there.

Hearing & Following Jesus builds our foundation deeper into the cornerstone that is Jesus. When we hunger and thirst for him, we will want to do life the way he does life because he is where we receive Life inside our soul.

And as the foundation is built deeper into who he is, the stronger we can stand through the storms life brings our way.

Churches and families who do not have their foundation deep in Jesus will crumble and retreat when the storms come.

Churches and families who have their foundation deep into Jesus will experience storms. They’ll feel the wind and the rain and the waves. They’ll wonder when the storm will end.

However, they will not retreat. They will stay strong in the face of the storm.

Why?

Because Jesus. Jesus gives the Life our soul needs to get through every storm. Because others need the Life giving fruit only Jesus can give. Because Jesus has put something on their heart, mind, soul and strength they cannot shake off.

And they know the storm today will deepen their Hear & Follow faith for tomorrow. They know Jesus is building something for tomorrow that only the storm of today can prepare them for.

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I have friends who speak of the hurt churches and Christians caused in their past.

And they speak of the love and grace showed to her by those not following Jesus.

Church attendance is not fruit.
Reading the Bible is not fruit.
Praying is not fruit.

Fruit is the beatitudes.
Fruit is peace and patience and love.
Fruit is being more like Jesus.

There is a religion of Christianity. This is not Hearing & Following Jesus. The religion of Christianity is thinking you are good with God because you go to church, pray, read the Bible, tithe, follow the rules.

But treat people however you want to treat them.

Parents and leaders, don’t settle for the religion of Christianity.

Hunger and thirst for Jesus. Hear & Follow him in a way that oozes his image out of you.

The Bible
Prayer
Community

Are the 3 Tools God gives us to be able to Hear & Follow Jesus. In your hunger for Jesus, you will use these Tools because God gave them.

But they are not the evidence of your fruit.

You have people looking to you to see what a Hear & Follow life looks like. Pretending to be like Jesus is not the goal. The goal is to let Jesus grow you into his image so you can grow others to be like Jesus.

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Lead your church to not be hypocrites.

The biggest reason those far from God remain far from God is because of what Jesus speaks about in his sermon. The sermon about what a life looks like when someone Hears & Follows him.

Now, people far from God think we’re judging when we say people sin. There’s nothing you can do about that.

However, if you preach only about how horrible people are and never about grace, forgiveness and hope, that’s not the Gospel.

That is judgement.

When church leaders point fingers outside the church about how bad people are, and the community knows how bad the people inside the church are…

That’s judgement.

There are people who want to know what to do about the uncertainty deep down inside that they cannot put their finger on.

They want to know about what is destroying them.

But they want to know the remedy.

They want to see what a life looks like fully surrendered to Jesus. At first they won’t understand it, but they want to see it. Their soul longs for it.

Preach so your church repents from religion. Repents from pointing fingers outside the church while turning a blind eye inside the church.

And lives a life that is oddly beautiful to those who long for in their life.

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Families are to make each individual better.

There are two cliffs on each side:

1. The cliff of permissiveness

2. The cliff of legalism

Neither are the way of Jesus.

Parents, your role isn’t to let them figure it out for themselves…nor is it to pluck every speck out of your child’s eye.

While ignoring the log in your own.

First, do you have a habit of your own repentance?

Repentance towards God.
Repentance towards others.

If your students never see you apologize to others (especially them), they’ll never think you have a practice of removing the log from your own eye.

If your students never see you praying and repenting to God, they’ll never think you rely on God for your forgiveness and salvation.

Your students don’t need a perfect parent, they need a parent desperate for Jesus to remove sin and transform.

And yet your student doesn’t need a permissive parent.

I read a study about the public’s feelings about sex among teens.

One graph stood out. Among 45-54 year old evangelicals, the percentage of those who thought sex among 14 to 16 years olds was always wrong was the lowest of any age group.

At the time students need a strong vision for God’s design, the parents abdicated their role as spiritual leader.

“Do not judge” does not mean to turn your back.

It means you lead towards a vision of Jesus that says he alone gives Life inside our soul. It means you lead out in repentance so that you don’t have any logs coming out of your eye. It means you give grace to your students because they will never be perfect. It means you don’t ignore the battles they face day-in, day-out.

It means you don’t try to clean up every speck.

It means you lead them to Jesus who died so every speck is removed by him.

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Cancel culture does not belong in the church.

To whatever measure you want to give to others, the same measure will be used on you.

If you want to cancel people who are not like you, then that same measure will be used on you.

If you want to graciously forgive, then that same measure will be used on you.

Let’s sort something out first about judging.

To “not judge” is not to not ever say someone else is wrong (is that enough nots?).

Judging and condemning is cancelling someone. Saying they are beyond saving and redeeming.

And it is doing so all the while you hide secret sins.

Students rarely walk away from parents and a church which is grace-filled.

They often walk away from judgmental, condemning cultures.

And they rarely walk away from a judgmental, condemning church culture into a grace-filled church culture. At least immediately.

Lead yourself to repentance. This is getting the log out of your eye. Repentance allows God to pour his Life into you.

Secret sin clogs the arteries of our soul. Repentance is the by-pass surgery of the soul.

And Hear & Follow Jesus into graciousness. Graciousness and forgiveness that believes God can and will save, heal and redeem anyone.

This is how you will see the Kingdom advance in you and through you.

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As a general stereotype, the church is associated with fighting, battling, rising up and taking the land.

Shoot, we’ve even branded it “culture wars” in the past.

Stop it.

Be different.

Be Jesus

Remember, our battle is not against flesh and blood. Our battle is against the kingdom of darkness, death, destruction.

People are tormented by the sin that is waging inside of them. They don’t even know where the tormenting is coming from.

Why do we torment them too?

Preach to lead your church to find the third way in conflict.

• Love your enemy.

Lead your people to get a picture in their mind of who they view as the biggest enemy of the church.

And lead them to get a picture in their mind of what it would look like to go out of their way to love them.

• Be oddly beautiful.

Nearly everyone will go out of their way for someone who they know will do the same for them. This isn’t odd.

It’s odd for people to go out of their way for someone who won’t go out of their way back to them.

It’s odder for people to go out of their way for someone who is flat out their enemy.

And yet it’s oddly beautiful because mercy is in such short supply.

• There is a third way.

Jesus’ examples are not being a doormat for being a doormat’s sake. It’s not fighting. It’s not flighting.

It’s a third way.

The response is to stand strong, look them in the eye, let them do what they want and go above and beyond what they want to do.

Lead them to see practical examples today.

Doing all of what a hard boss says…and then more.
Giving to everyone who asks (this requires intention budget living).
Going out of your way to serve someone who you see as an enemy to the church.

Our students need to see a different way from their entire congregation.

Not the way of fighting against people, cultures, nations.

The way of laying down our lives, being merciful to those around us, for the sake of finding Life in Jesus and advancing his Kingdom.

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It’s easy to parent towards fighting back in conflict.

It’s easy to parent towards fleeing in conflict.

It’s hard to parent towards standing strong, looking the other in the eye and letting them do what they want.

Comfort is the #1 value in parenting. Make our students as comfortable as possible.

Conflict is not comfortable. Thus, squash it or avoid it at all costs.

To love those who do not love us is uncomfortable.

And yet, this is an oddly beautiful life.

Think of the coming of age movie in which shows the hero going out of their way to respect a bully instead of fighting or fleeing.

Jesus’ way is the way that brings Life. Life to our own soul and Life to others’ souls.

When you lead your students to love your enemies, you lead them to be well off in God’s Kingdom.

You lead them to be well off in the world, because very little will phase them.

You lead them to be well off because they become willing to do anything and go anywhere for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

When conflict comes, help your student find the third way. Not the way of fight or flight.

This third way requires a greater trust in God. A trust God will give us the reputation he needs us to have. A trust being liked to those around us doesn’t matter as much as loving those around us. A trust that his Kingdom values and actions will give us Life.

And you get to pass on a trust in what you can’t see is greater than a trust in what you can see.

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