Posted on August 6, 2023 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
We Help People Find God
By Brooke Hodnefield
We are not the kind of church that’s got its stuff together.
We are a jacked-up group of people.
Is that a polished and churchy statement? No. Is it honest, and does it encompass all that Heartland aspires to be as a people? YES. What I love most is that it speaks to God’s heart…for the least, the lost, the downtrodden, shameful, broken sinners that each of us is.
When Heartland was ‘visionizing’ (a nod to the 1986 video clip) back in the day, what was central then is central now. We seek to help people find God. The building, the songs, the kid’s programming, the coffee served…none matters if we aren’t in the business of pointing people back to the one who created it all.
Over 10 years ago, my family began our own Heartland journey. We had come from a church where my husband grew up, was baptized, and confirmed; we were married, our boys had been baptized, and I was a missions pastor. We had a deep history there. We found ourselves at Heartland dazed, grieving, jaded and disoriented. We wanted to sneak in and out of the blue seats and just ‘be’ for a while… left alone to heal. Heartland was the perfect place to allow us the room to breathe, could receive our heavy hearts and displaced selves with no strings attached. We didn’t have to show up and be anything other than who we were in that season and could simply allow God to sit in it with us.
Eventually, the optimism and hopefulness that echoes within the lime-green walls of Heartland began to draw us out. Through both the gift of time and people, we were no longer simply one of the unknown ‘blue seaters’ but felt the freedom to explore ways we might deepen our involvement and knowledge of our church home and its people. We were invited to engage not just to serve our church but to find God again and again.
Today sat an empty tank filled with water. By the end of the 11 am service, three new baptized believers walked away…all because their individual stories intersected with that of Heartlands, and there they found God in the midst. That’s our roots, and that’s all that matters…we help people find God.
Jesus is alive, and he’s told us to help people find God. When you read this verse, who comes to mind that helped you find God and learn to follow Jesus? How did they do it? How did they connect with you? Who has God placed in your life that he’s inviting you to share God with?
On the surface, this verse can sound a bit mysterious. It kind of is, since we aren’t living in the days Jesus walked the earth. But God is active and moving in our world, and in our lives. Consider your past week. As you picture it, where do you see signs that God was near? Struggling to name some? Grab a friend and share what you’re pondering and see if together you can make a list of God sightings or moments. God wants to be found!
Could this be the one we’ve been looking for? How does one look for God? How did you seek him out? What questions do you hear people asking today that show they are open to God?
"Sir, we would like to see Jesus." Such a clear declaration. What might happen if you and I tuned our ears to hear this question coming from those around us, in their own words. It might not be as clear and direct as that, but what might the words be? What does curiosity about faith look like today? Are we ready to step into those moments and conversations and be the friend who walks someone to Jesus?
From these verses, what is Jesus telling us about his reason for being here? What does he illustrate for us about our reason to be part of the story? Consider praying today for a clear picture of what Jesus is giving you as a focus or purpose.
Describe the moment you found faith in Jesus. What was your life like without faith? And what changed for you when you took that step toward following Jesus?
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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