I challenge myself to cultivate a personal and daily devotional life. No one will care about this more than me. I take personal ownership for my spiritual development. I am a self-feeder. Each service is sacred. I fight against familiarity. I will participate and value each moment of worship and teaching each service. My first love is not how we do church; my first love is Jesus. Therefore, we can do church a lot of different ways and it does not affect my worship. I fight to keep recognizing and remembering the way the persecuted church lives out their faith all over the world. In ministry, it's easy to beomce a full-time Christian and a part-time follower of Christ. I will build intentional moments where I can sit in a service without having to make one happen.

Psalm 92:12-15 "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will growth like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming 'The Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.'" Passionate people are problem solvers. I take initiative to create solutions instead of criticizing problems. Your problem is my problem. Regardless of my role, a piece of trash on the ground is my responsibility. I gather others around the mission. I'm less concerned with how we're doing it than why we're doing it and where we're doing it. I recognize the unique thing God is doing here. I refuse to focus on what is far away and miss out on the miracle that is right in front of me. Not every Sunday can be an ice cream sundae. I need a balanced spiritual diet that gives me what I need, even if it's not what I want. I can't be planted in two places. My greatest fruit comes from my deepest roots. I cultivate my calling in the soil of commitment. I connect here. I serve here. I invest here.

Emotions may be in the car, but they don't have to be in the driver's seat. They are helpful internal signals that can be superseded by joy. My joy isn't based on circumstances. My joy is based on who God is and what He's done for me in Christ. Therefore, I will have an attitude of gratitude. I rejoice because I know God is working all things together for my good. I know God's working even when I can't see it happening. The joy of the Lord produces strength. It renews passion for my purpose. Things grow best when fertilized. I will focus on the growth, not the stink.

Every person has gifts and gaps. I will speak to the gift and help them close the gap. I value every person as someone made in God's image. I show them the ultimate respect and kindness, especially when it is most difficult. I will glorify God and honor poeple while striving for excellence. I will constantly ask myself, "Is this my best?" I recognize that my level of preparation and timliness does affect other people. I continually build habits that help the team win. Excellence is never at the expense of patience and kindness.

...from showing we care, from resolving our conflict, from solving our problem, from multiplying our ministry, from being the church, from helping people take their next step, from creating clarity, and from building relationships. Our goal in care, conflict resolution and spiritual development is to take a relational approach.

I will intentionally schedule time to build consistent connections with people who are far from God. Every part of my life is a mission field (ex. social media, my job, my hobbies, my family gatherings). Our services will always consider the outsider. I'm not trying to win an argument; I'm trying to win a person. People don't care how much I know until they know how much I care. Prayer is the foundation for any multiplying move of God. I will pray consistently for people far from God. I will patiently build trust opening their heart to the truth. I don't value people based on their values; I value them as someone Jesus was willing to die for.