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Written by James Bryan Smith, a contemporary author and professor. This is an excerpt from his book “The Good and Beautiful Community.”

The good and beautiful community is not made of merely comfortable Christians, but Christlike men and women growing in their life with God and each other. In order to become that kind of community we need a new narrative, a biblical narrative, to reshape our behavior. Here is the true narrative regarding the rights and responsibility of the community: The community exists to shape and guide my soul. The community has a right to expect certain behavior from me, and can provide the encouragement and accountability I need. From the beginning the ecclesia of Jesus has practiced soul-shaping through many means: corporate worship, the breaking of bread, the teaching of the apostles, corporate fasting, and holding each other accountable to live godly lives. Transformation into Christlikeness has been the aim and responsibility of the church from its beginning.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. [Hebrews 10:24-25]

Written by Karl Faase, a contemporary Australian social commentator.  This is an excerpt from his book “Jesus the Game Changer.”

Jesus’ teaching and attitude in the area of care became the template for the actions of the community life of Christians in the Early Church. Keep in mind at that time there were no other options; no government help and no other community services. If your family abandoned you, life was precarious. Begging was the only other option. Christian care for the most needy was noticed and their repute spread into the wider community.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. [Matthew 5:16]

Written by Dale Kuehne, a contemporary professor and author.

Tocqueville looked at America and said “What is going to keep us from pursuing our own individual self-interests? He believed that people, no question, were self-interested, but for democracy to work, we had to get outside of ourselves, we had to get to know our neighbors, and we had to work together with our neighbors to make a good community. And Tocqueville said that Christianity was the faith that got us out of ourselves.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. [Philippians 2:3-4]

Written by John Ortberg, a contemporary speaker, author, and pastor.

An untroubled heart isn’t something we have to fight for on our own. Jesus promised us help—a forever friend, the Holy Spirit. He’s also called the advocate, the comforter, the encourager. The Holy Spirit isn’t someone to condemn you or pile on guilt, but someone to help you as you go through life. Someone who is with you forever. And today, we’re invited to walk through life with that helper—the spirit of truth, who is always working to give you peace…You don’t have to generate peace, just simply receive it. Let the spirit of truth steady your heart, speak into your thoughts, and walk with you today. 

If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. [John 14:15-17]

Written by the Lead Like Jesus team, an organization founded by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges that promotes a transformational leadership model based on following Jesus.

A common temptation is to focus on the areas of our lives where we can achieve personal success and win approval from others. Leading from self-motivation, self-interest, or self-gratification are expressions of fear and pride. In the process, we lose sight of God as our audience, Jesus as our role model, and the transforming power of His Spirit. What motivates your leadership choices? A desire to succeed, a need for human applause, or a desire for God’s approval?

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ [1 Thessalonians 1:3]

Written by Brian Morykon, a contemporary writer.

God has no interest in joining the world’s shouting contest to get our attention. God waits with a whisper. A whisper is intimate, a cupped hand against a trusted ear. It only works when the distance between speaker and listener collapses into contact. Maybe that’s why a whisper is God’s preferred tone of voice: because God wants us close. Perhaps “hearing the whisper of God” sounds abstract, vaporous, mystical. I suppose in some way it is. But I bet you’ve experienced it, some moment where you’ve sat in quiet and nothing has happened but something has shifted. Maybe you don’t even notice the shift until later, when your soul feels sturdier than usual under similar circumstances.  Or perhaps you’ve sensed in silence a thought that rings with the authority of truth—weighty and light and clear: the whisper of God. Hearing the Quiet Voice requires a time of quiet to hear it. The ability for silence and solitude depends largely on the season of life. Parents of young kids might have five minutes. Retirees might have five days. I trust that if you make the time appropriate to your season to sit with God in silence, to lean the ear of your heart close to God’s lips, that amidst all the noise of competing thoughts, whether you realize it in the moment or not, God’s whisper will restore your soul. 

And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power? [Job 26:14]

Written by Pope Francis (1936-2025), from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

The walls of hospitals have heard more honest prayers than churches…They have witnessed far more sincere kisses than those in airports…It is in hospitals that you see a homophobe being saved by a gay doctor. A privileged doctor saving the life of a beggar…In intensive care, you see a Jew taking care of a racist…A police officer and a prisoner in the same room receiving the same care…A wealthy patient waiting for a liver transplant, ready to receive the organ from a poor donor…It is in these moments, when the hospital touches the wounds of people, that different worlds intersect according to a divine design. And in this communion of destinies, we realize that alone, we are nothing. The absolute truth of people, most of the time, only reveals itself in moments of pain or in the real threat of an irreversible loss. A hospital is a place where human beings remove their masks and show themselves as they truly are, in their purest essence. This life will pass quickly, so do not waste it fighting with people. Do not criticize your body too much. Do not complain excessively. Do not lose sleep over bills. Make sure to hug your loved ones. Do not worry too much about keeping the house spotless. Material goods must be earned by each person—do not dedicate yourself to accumulating an inheritance. You are waiting for too much: Christmas, Friday, next year, when you have money, when love arrives, when everything is perfect… Listen, perfection does not exist. A human being cannot attain it because we are simply not made to be fulfilled here. Here, we are given an opportunity to learn. So, make the most of this trial of life—and do it now. Respect yourself, respect others. Walk your own path, and let go of the path others have chosen for you. Respect: do not comment, do not judge, do not interfere. Love more, forgive more, embrace more, live more intensely! And leave the rest in the hands of the Creator.

For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. [1 John 3:11]

Written by Dallas Willard (1935-2013), an American philosopher, speaker  and writer on spiritual formation.

My prayer for you is that you would have a rich life of joy and power, abundant in supernatural results, with a constant, clear vision of never-ending life in God’s world before you, and of the everlasting significance of your work day by day. A radiant life and death. Amen.

Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. [Isaiah 60:5]

Written by Tim Bias, a contemporary pastor.

You don’t have to travel to a faraway place to encounter Jesus. He is already walking beside you—in your ordinary, everyday life. In Luke 24, two followers on the road to Emmaus were so focused on their sorrow that they didn’t recognize Jesus right next to them. It wasn’t until they invited him in and broke bread together that their eyes were opened. The same is true for you. Jesus is alive and moving in your world today. He may come disguised in the stranger who needs compassion, the friend who offers encouragement, or the small, holy moments that fill your heart with hope. The question is: Are you expecting to see him? Keep your heart open. Invite him into your everyday moments. The risen Christ is closer than you think—often right where you least expect him.

 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. [Luke 24:15-16]

Written by Brandon Gilliam, a contemporary writer.

Urgency is currency. The busier you are the more valuable you seem. From push notifications to packed calendars, many people move through their day at a pace that leaves little room for reflection, rest, or renewal. Yet, busyness has never been able to satisfy a soul. Life doesn’t get more meaningful the busier we become. Often, the busiest people wake up one day with one simple questions, “what is this all for?” and tragically they don’t have an answer. Because the answers to life’s most important questions don’t come from rushing, but they can be found when we start to slow down and walk at God’s pace. Jesus wasn’t in a rush. Even when surrounded by needs and expectations, he modeled a rhythm of work, rest, and retreat. His example offers an alternative to the restless striving that leaves so many of us feeling burned out, questioning, and unsatisfied. In the noise of modern life, slowing down is more than a luxury, it’s a spiritual practice. Finding Peace in All Circumstance

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30]