Encouragement

Sunday's message was about encouragement, and the kind of community we are praying for at The Foundry.

I've known a few people that really have the gift of encouragement, and one thing is for sure. People LOVE to be around them. They just build you up, and its great to spend time with them, because you are going to walk away feeling pretty good! They aren't fake about it, and after some time being encouraged, you realize that they were speaking on God's behalf about you. Its really cool.

One thing I noticed a few years back was that these same people are also ones that can correct you. And you take it. If other people tried to say the same things, you'd scoff, and get upset, and possibly walk away from the relationship. But not with these guys. I really believe its because you know that they love you. And since they spend so much time encouraging you, you don't feel like they are always just negative. You can see a little more clearly. And so you take the correction. Its good stuff. And the kind of community I'm dreaming of.

My vision for The Foundry is that people can come as they are, and be loved. And be real. No more hiding behind this perfect, but incredibly false life. Since we aren't shooting each other first, hopefully people will feel more free to open up about who they really are, and the things they struggle with. Because that's when you start to find freedom and healing. No more hiding. But I think its going to start with encouragement. So that's what we did. We broke up into small groups, and prayed for specific ways to encourage each other. And then we spoke up about it. And you could see how it affected people. It was beautiful.