Practices
Embrace ministry focuses on 4 crucial practices, not because they’re the only important ones but because they’re so often misunderstood or neglected in our spiritual journeys.
Attuning to
God’s voice
When God speaks, things change. Worlds are made. Storms are stilled. Mountains are moved.
When God speaks, we change. Hearts are opened. Souls are saved. Minds are renewed.
There is no transformation apart from God speaking through His Word and Spirit. This is true no matter where we are on our spiritual journey. Therefore, there is no greater calling than learning to tune in to the God who is always tuned in to us.
In this first crucial practice, we grow in recognition, attentiveness, and responsiveness to God’s still, small voice.
Living in
wholeness
Shalom is one of the most beautiful and transcendent words of the Hebrew Scriptures. It means so much more than merely the absence of conflict. This rich word of blessing speaks of God’s desire for wholeness, fullness, and harmony in all of our relationships.
Evil in all its forms assaults this blessing, attempting to sow fragmentation, brokenness, and enmity into our relationships with God, others, and ourselves. We begin doubting God’s heart toward us is truly and completely good. We pull away from authentic relationship with others for fear of being rejected. We curse our own bodies, hearts, and minds rather than recognizing the real enemy among us.
In this second crucial practice, we grow in a biblical understanding of our new hearts in Christ and how to live in shalom with God, others, and ourselves.
Engaging our
stories
The people of God have a story. The Bible is filled with their stories, even though they’re often marked by sin, suffering, and faithlessness. These stories reveal God’s grand and marvelous plan of redemption working all things for His glory and their good.
Each of us have a story. While our individual history may not be recorded in a book, it is written within us. Our story has profoundly shaped our desires, fears, instincts, motivations, and worldview – far more than we recognize or care to acknowledge.
In this third crucial practice, we grow in engaging our story and learning to trust God’s transforming grace to turn the darkest pain into the brightest light.
Doing life with
spiritual friends
We were created and redeemed for community. Father, Son, and Spirit include us in the unfathomable blessing of sharing their life of love. United with Christ in one body, we are brought into intimate fellowship with God and one another.
This truth is an intolerable threat to the enemy. He therefore will stop at nothing to deceive us into choosing the “safety” of isolation over the “risk” of intimacy.
In this fourth crucial practice, we grow in moving toward a few close friends and choosing authenticity and vulnerability as a pathway to experiencing the radical kindness of God.
