Rooted

“Rooted In God’s Love” is more than a slogan, more than a motto. It’s who and what we desire to become. We know that God’s story in us as a congregation and as individuals is not yet fully written. As Jesus said, when asked what is the greatest commandment: “The greatest commandment: ‘Love the Lord your God.’ The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”(Matthew 22:36-40) We desire to become rooted in God’s love; loving God and loving others.
PLANTED…GROWING…ROOTED

Before a tree can become all that its Creator made it to be, it must first be planted into the soil. Likewise, in order to become all that God our Creator made us to be, our faith must start as a seed and be planted in the truths of God’s Word.

Once planted in healthy soil, a seed begins to sprout and set down somewhat weak roots and begins the process of growing towards becoming what it was intended to be and doing what it was intended to do. The process is the same for new Christians. It can be a bit awkward at first as you are still learning how to own your new faith. As you study God’s word, you begin to set down some roots and start seeing a noticeable change as you begin to allow Christ to transform you.

The growing process takes time and nurturing. As a tree remains in sunlight and receives rain it grows taller and stronger. Below ground, its roots become firmly set in the ground and it becomes an unshakable force. Above ground it produces beautiful foliage and fruit. It, because of its root system, is able to withstand storms, winds, and continue to provide shade to all who come near to it.

A rooted Christian, one who is actively loving God and loving others in all aspects of life, stands firm in their faith in the face of trials and storms of life. Those things still challenge us and are painful, but because we are firmly rooted in God’s love, we can endure. We can stand as a symbol of His strength and power. We become a living testimony to God. Below the surface, we are grounded in God’s word and continually study it both individually and in community. Above ground, outwardly, we live upright and holy lives so that no one might be able to slander the name of our Creator.

So often, churches (ourselves included) have been guilty of challenging people to grow on their own, but fail to give them the tools they need to accomplish this growth. We are no longer satisfied with the status quo. We seek to provide opportunities through our various programs that you can read about on this website; opportunities to worship as a congregation, to study together in community in the form of small groups, and to grow in our Wednesday night Deeper Life studies.

However, we want to take it a step further. We have created personal spiritual growth goals for our people. These have been written based on God’s word. These goals are based in what we consider to be 6 essential Expressions of Love: Study, Prayer, Stewardship, Discipleship, Community, and Service. We believe every individual, upon the point of entering this earth to their departure, is on a journey. We want to walk alongside you and help you on your journey as you take personal responsibility for your faith. We created these goals based on age groups. Below, you will find links to image files of these goals. We have printed these goals on convenient bookmarks. If you would like to receive one of these bookmarks, please contact the church.

Not sure which goals are for you? We based them on “general” age groupings, understanding that age groups and your place in your spiritual journey aren’t always equal. These are goals. Select the one you think is appropriate for your age and set this as your goal. (We aren’t about to tell you what the magic number is for jumping from adult to senior adult…that’s between you and the Lord.) These goals are intentionally stated with movement. We never “arrive” spirtually; not until we cross from this life to the next. If you need more specific ideas as you try to put these goals into action in your life, please contact the church. We are continually working on Supplemental Resources to assist your on your path to being "rooted in God's love."