Beyond Sunday

How do we live the Kingdom Life in normal, everyday life? How do we leave traces of God Flavors and God Colors all around throughout our week?

Below are 13 steps. These are basically the guiding principles of our community. The things we care about. The things we strive to do.

1. Presence
We will live among our neighbors and participate in the natural activities of the city around us. We will engage in life with others not as a step to evangelism but as a follower of Christ who seeks to live as Jesus did.

2. Leave
We will intentionally give up what is comfy, cosy, easy and familiar and go somewhere else, do something different, give up time so we can connect with people. We will replace “christian” programs and personal activities with time spent building relationships with the people around us.

3. Love
We will know people by name. We will eat and drink with them. We will share stories, laughter and hurts. We will be good friends. We will love others unconditionally and without judgement simply because they exist.

4. Bless
We will bless at least one other member of our community every day. An email, a note, a call, a gift, encouragment. Simple is good.

5. Eat
We will eat with other members of our community and neighborhood at least a few times each week. Coming together over a meal is an amazing opportunity to share our resources, our time, our encouragement and our attention.

6. Listen
We will commit ourselves to listening to the promptings of God in our lives. This will take different forms for different people but we will commit to a weekly time of solitude where we can listen to the Spirit of God.

7. Learn
We read from the Gospels each week to learn more about Jesus. Of course, the entire bible is worthy of study, however by spending special attention on the life of Jesus we will learn from and be inspired by his dangerous stories.

8. Sent
We will see our daily lives as an expression of our “sent-ness” by God into this world. Just as Jesus was sent by the Father into this world, so we are sent to embody and incarnate the good news of Jesus in our city.

9. Spontaneous
Relationships are formed, important conversations begin and moments of ministry happen during the unplanned, spontaneous moments of life. We will seek out these “interruptions” and allow them to take priority over our personal plans and agenda.

10. Serve
We will serve our city in a tangible way at least 2 times per month. Our goal is to help others with no strings attached. This can be as simple as helping a neighbor move or volunteering at KARM to help serve the homeless. Whatever need moves your heart, that is where you should serve.

11. Party
Having fun, enjoying life, and celebrating people, food, wine, art, music, recreation and rest are key to a whole life and in seeing friends find God. We will be intentional about making “celebration” sacrament.

12. Inclusive
As we celebrate and share with other members of our community we will make it an opportunity to include our neighbors, friends, and co-workers. We will be deliberate about including others as we live in community together.

13. Fight
We will speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. We will promote, help, and fund the oppressed and overlooked and seek to expose, challenge and fight injustice where ever it lives in our city.