We learned about gratitude and humility - that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean... and we were taught to value everyone's contribution and treat everyone with respect.

He has joy in our friendship and in our partnering together in the work of the kingdom with Him.

No amount of money or ideas can replace the value of being physically present, giving time and attention to people or projects.

Sometimes what hurts more than your enemies hating you is your friends and family remaining silent in a time of need.

Many faith communities have become little more than gatherings of isolated individuals, while the number of online communities continues to grow.

JESUS CREATED A HIGHLY SUPPORTIVE BUT HIGHLY CHALLENGING CULTURE.

As John Piper puts it, "For people who are passing through the dark night of the soul, turnaround will come because God brings unwavering lovers of Christ into their lives who do not give up on them."24

So while many churches say, "We do discipleship in our small groups," the fact of the matter is that their small groups are missing one of the main ingredients of a discipling culture: Challenge.

For many churches, as they seek to create comfortable environments in the form of worship services or small groups, have lost their ability to challenge people in meaningful ways. Challenge may be given from the pulpit or stage on Sunday mornings, but challenge is always given best in the context of personal relationships. We

We are a society of disconnected people longing for connections.

Huddles work because they expose people to the learning of a group rather than only one-on-one mentoring. What a member gets to see is not only how the leader is discipling them, but also how the leader is discipling other people as well. Because each person is different, different skills and practices are needed to disciple various personality types.

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.