Living in Israel, I'm reminded of biblical stories all the time. You look on a map and realize the winery you're going to is in the same place the Israelites and Philistines fought over 3,000 years ago. And more than just geography, it's a huge cultural distinction as well. There's this beautiful idea here, "Mishpocha" - which means family. You see the theme of "family" every day, from talking with the falafel guy to the mechanic. People care. They offer help freely. And yet, it's the Middle East, conflict is everywhere. This morning, I read 1 Sam. 24, where David spares Saul's life. It was so striking to me how familial they were with one another while contemplating how or if they should kill the other one. Saul had been seeking David's life for a few years, and emerging from the caves of Ein Gedi, David calls out to Saul "See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand!" and Saul responds, "Is that your voice, David my son?" Saul was hunting David, and yet they're still family. Not technically, but culturally. They knew it and the argument could be made that the idea of "mishpocha" saved both their lives. Creating a sense of family in our churches, communities, and neighborhoods is a challenge. Most of the reason the feeling of "family" exists here in Israel is because of shared adversity. There's a story at play. And the story has stakes involved. I don't think this sense of family can be reproduced outside of adversity, but I do think it can be applied to various forms of shared difficulty. What do members in your context each struggle with? What has the enemy intended for evil that could be redeemed in your community? Curious if this sparks any ideas, would love to hear your thoughts.

Like what you had to say on leadership. We are currently starting leadership meetings with our church staff and dept. heads.

Regardless of your role in your church, what is something from this weekend that you want to celebrate? Let's share it in the chat! I'll go first... As someone who was attending this weekend without any leadership role or responsibility, I witnessed a pastor, post-service, conversing with someone making a faith-decision to follow Jesus. This individual also made the decision to get baptized right then and there... this conversation was not in front of a crowd, but on the outskirts... and it was beautiful.

I’m curious which one aspect of leading your community has been challenging for you lately? Where do you feel like your leadership is now compared to where things could be?

Any of the following legs can get fuzzy, complex, or difficult, nevertheless, all three are equally important. What are your thoughts?