All Resources
News from a Far Country: Notes from an American Conversion
I. The Madman and the Arsonists: A Parable Let’s say that you have lived your whole life in a small town well-known for arson cases. Let’s say your parents lived and raised you here, as did their parents, back and back to time immemorial, so that you really don’t know...
How Can I Break a Shame Narrative?
In this episode, the team discusses the definition of a shame narrative and walks through ways to break them by talking through some of their own current shame narratives...
What is Shame and Why is it Stealing My Joy?
In this episode, the team welcomes their Sound Engineer, Austin Sego to the microphone to discuss shame and its corrosive effect on joy. Join the LDI Crew for an honest...
What Do We Do With Toxic Relationships?
In this episode, the team discusses relationships and why they are worth having. While truly toxic relationships do exist, we now live in a culture quick to label...
The Importance of Friendships: Why Can’t We Be Friends?
Logically and biblically, we might know the call of friendship and community that the Bible has for us. We know all the metaphors for the Church. We have seen the realities that the Church IS a body. It has different functions and designs, but all working together as...
What is Joy?
What is joy? In a sentence, joy is self-forgetful delight based on Reality. In this video, we unpack this definition and see how joy is ultimately not earned but given to us in Jesus.
Creating & Maintaining Community in Small Groups
Creating a comfortable and welcoming environment for a small group is vital to the success of the group in general. The reasoning is pretty simple - people return to environments where they feel welcome and accepted. People also feel freer to be themselves in a...
Common Misconceptions About Friendship & How Jesus Shows Us a Better Way
This is an article addressing what I've learned from 25 years of friendship...or, put differently, it breaks down common misconceptions concerning the nature of deep friendships. Misconception #1: It is someone else's responsibility to come and be my friend. We might...
Is it Okay to Sleep Together if We Really Love Each Other?
Is it okay to sleep together if we really love each other? To answer, there are several considerations. Do you have a relationship with Christ? If not, then I would encourage you to first respond to Christ. His life, death, and resurrection demand a response, either...
Breaking Shame Narratives
Shame. It’s a heavy word. One, when spoken out loud you can feel that “shame-like” feeling wash over you. It’s a feeling many have experienced and wish they hadn’t. Shame is a feeling that we, as God’s image bearers, weren’t meant to experience. Yet, because of the...
Tell Me About Spiritual Disciplines (Part 2)
This is the second of two articles about Spiritual Disciplines. If you haven’t had the chance to read the first article, you can read it HERE. Each discipline is written by a different author, all attendees of Hope. What is Worship? According to Merriam-Webster,...
Tell Me About Spiritual Disciplines (Part 1)
Below you’ll read of a handful of Spiritual Disciplines. First, before you take a read through that list, I’d first encourage you to listen to this Off Road teaching by Naty Severson where she explains the importance and value of practicing Spiritual Disciplines as a...