At one point as Jesus is being asked questions, some of which are an attempt to catch Him in some false teaching. In the midst of that, He is asked to share what He believes is the greatest of the commandments.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

It seems funny to me now, but for a long time I struggled with trying simplify what I believe about the church, the work we do and how we should get that done. After all, the vast majority of churches are filled with programs, plans & visions and the successful ones must be doing something right. On more than one occasion, I have picked up mission statements from those success story churches & attempted to mold us into that image. And I suppose that is the problem. I can never be what someone else has become. I must be what God has made me to be & what God has designed this church to be. That is when I began to read Jesus words in this passage again and again.

For the first time, I think I got it. In these couple of verses Jesus shares His vision & what was to become my own. Here it is . . .

Love God - Love People - Be Real

One of the things I have become more & more convinced of these last few years is the need to hold very simple beliefs. I am not saying that this isn't a huge challenge put into practice but for the sake of my limited mental abilities, I needed to boil the whole thing down to something I could remember & easily tell others. That's where this vision came from. 

So for the sake of those who may be discovering us for the first time or someone who's a part of us but not sure what we really believe, over the next couple of days & weeks, I am going to share the vision.  The following devotions are designed to help you understand what this means & let it become a part of your life.  May God open your heart to His vision, His purpose & His passion. To get started, please go to part 1.

Oh, by the way, if at any time you have questions about this or any other Biblical point, please give me a call at the church or write to me via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  All my best to you on your journey in Christ.