What could it look like to make disciples on this very mundane Thursday, with dishes to wash, reports to file, and people asking what’s for dinner again?

My responses to the Executive Committee’s report have ranged from disappointment and despair to disgust and anger. I am filled with hurt for the HUNDREDS of KNOWN victims of sexual abuse who have been ignored, pushed to the side, bullied, and maligned.

"So, to be worthy of God, I must make disciples, do all the works Jesus does, suffer as he suffered, and live righteously, and keep all of his commandments. If I do all these things, will I be saved?"

My friend agreed with my summary and said, “Yep!”

I lovingly said his name and asked, "How long have you been perfectly doing all these things, and how can I perfectly do all these things?

It wasn’t until the day before my biopsy, as I read those words of Jesus, that I realized the truth. I had been praying and preaching to myself, but I wasn’t really trusting God to hear and answer my prayers, to be who He says He is, or to do the things He has promised.

I grew up in the church, so I have always been familiar with a lot of the stories in the Bible, especially the iconic or recognizable ones of the Old Testament. For a long time, I struggled to see how these stories could relate to my life in more than a general “good lesson” of faith or patience. It wasn’t until later in life that I began to see how these stories were glimpses and allusions to the greater story the Bible is telling, the Gospel.

One church responded and told us their situation, Northridge Baptist Church. From that point it has been a beautiful experience of watching God save and restore His church. Many prayers were answered. Among them was finding a Worship Director to help lead on Sunday mornings.

The story of the woman at the well in John 4 is familiar to us, and we can pull lessons about grace, our posture toward the marginalized, and our own need for the gospel through Christ’s “living water” metaphor. All valuable lessons to learn, and of which to be regularly reminded, but that isn’t where John ends this story.

…when the parents of one of our young ladies were standing in our home saying these words to us, my wife and I didn’t know how to respond. “Thank you for looking after our daughter.”

Jesus is the answer. We must behold Christ as supreme if we are going to overcome our addictions. As we behold Him in the first place, we are being transformed. As we behold Him and have the mind of Christ, He will help us see how to serve Him and serve others, taking the focus off of our self-comfort and self-pleasure.

“What surprised us was how welcoming everyone was our first Sunday. We then visited an MC for the first time and people were calling, texting, and inviting us to things. It felt like family.”

Even when you know the right answers in your head, your heart can’t quite believe the truth you’ve been taught. I’m convinced that one of the most beautiful aspects of our faith is that we get to remind each other of important truths we know but may have temporarily forgotten.

We cannot abandon truth in the name of grace and we cannot abandon grace in the name of truth. One leads to the self righteousness of the Pharisees while the other leads to a license which ultimately denies our great God and Savior.