We live in a fast-paced and distracted world. Often we're distracted from the ways God has designed us to live and distracted from the daily priorities He wants us to pursue. As a follower of Jesus for almost forty years and…
The bi-line of this blog states that this post was written by me, David Achata. Really it's a collective piece my wife, Amy, and I wrote together. I'm amending the bio for this post to read officially, "Written by David and Amy Achata."…
Community is essential to our spiritual formation. “At the core of our being is this truth, we are designed for and defined by our relationships. We were born with a relentless longing to participate in the lives of others.…
How was a family like ours supposed to live out the practice of discipleship? The instruction in Matthew 28:19 seemed impossible for us. Roughly six years ago, a miserable “stomach flu” turned into cause for celebration; I was pregnant…
Here at Saturate we don't just create new resources, but we collect the best resources from across the Church. We hope all the resources we cultivate and curate serve to equip everyday people, leaders, and pastors to be disciples of…
(Part two in the Everyday Sabbath Rest series from David Achata.) The Holy Spirit grows people so they can work from a rested place. We’re prone to unbelief. Doubting God is in charge and that He’ll care for the needs of…
Have you ever tried to learn a new language? You know how hard and frustrating it can be translating every single word when you first start. But after awhile, something happens. Suddenly, you start not only to speak, but…
Recently we had a chance to sit down with Jackie Hill Perry when she was in town for the PIA tour. (AMAZING—if you haven't seen it yet, do!) We jumped at the chance to connect with Jackie because she said…
What do you do when you get together with friends? You start with a story. What do you do when you return from vacation? Do you pull out the agenda from the cruise and walk them through a list of…
Missional Rhythms in Urban Contexts? Here’s What We Do
Answers from Saturate’s Online Community - get answers like these and more by signing up for Saturate's free Online Community. How do you approach the dynamics and difficulties of living within these missional rhythms in urban contexts? Recently, I wrote…
Part 5 in the 6 Questions We Answer Again and Again series. How does a culture like this care for members' hearts? A church organized around missional communities—a vision of church that focuses on getting people wrapped into the…
Yes, we can pretend to have it all together while sitting in a pew on Sunday or while impressing one another with our knowledge of Scripture. But mission exposes our inadequacies and need for grace. If you are in a small Bible…
What if? What if the worst-case scenario happens? The single mom steals some silverware, the foster child hits you with a toy, the homeless person steals your wallet? What then? We live in a risky world. The American church seems…
(You can read the next part in the How Do We Do It series here.) How does your community move from sitting quietly and neatly in a comfortable living room to engaging the people of your city with the…
As your Facebook feed fills your heart with a zeal that borders anger, you will likely wonder: What can I do? The refugee crisis cannot be ignored. It’s found in every newspaper in every corner of the world. Politicians win…
There is and always has been an individual and communal aspect to mission. Mission is done in community. A community shares the load of the mission of making disciples. It takes a group to demonstrate Jesus to others. A…
What God has done to us, He wants to do through us. We have the Spirit of God in us so that we might be empowered, just as Jesus was. We are His missionaries, filled and anointed by His…
Warning—if you haven't seen or if you plan on seeing Moana, there are spoiler alerts aplenty in this post! In part one of this series, I explained the why and how-to process of using the stories in movies to teach kids…
Change happens through relationship; the come-as-you-are, warts-and-all, Christ-like-love kind of relationship. One of humanity’s greatest needs is to know and be known, to be in deep relationships. God is a very relational God, and as image-bearers of Him we…
Filled with the excitement of making a covenant, they meet with their pastor who is also “coaching” them through this process. Their first question is, “What do we do now?” Imagine a newly launched missional community lead by a…
Where are the dry places that need life? Habakkuk 2:14 tells us a day is coming when the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord will fill the earth like the water covers the sea. Recently I woke early…
(Enjoy the fourth and final part in our series called Celebrating Advent.) We anxiously wait for the powerful moment of hope’s arrival. Our most revered and treasured tradition is our Christmas Eve feast. This family tradition pre-dates our marriage,…
(Enjoy part three in a new series called Celebrating Advent. You can read part four here.) We are servants to the Son who was born King. I ran my first 5K on Thanksgiving with my whole family: three kids and…
(Enjoy part two in a new series called Celebrating Advent. You can read part three here.) “Why did God have to come, anyway?” Christmas is a magical time for kids as they see the glow of lights, trees in the…
(Enjoy this first blog in a new series called celebrating Advent. Read post two here.) How will you prepare room in your heart for God this Christmas season? Christmas Tree Hunting In the early days of Advent we drive out…
Focusing too early on what I think they should do can actually rob them of the creative thinking and self-discovery they actually need. One of my life’s great passions is seeing others unleashed for the mission of God. I find…
(Part seven in the Recovering Missional Moxie series from Alan Hirsch. Read part eight here.) Much real life, relationships, and spiritual meaning can be added by simplifying our lives to engage more fully in life. Throughout many years of being involved in…
We are all (regardless of nationality) prone to wander and seek our own security, approval, comfort, and control until we find our faith and trust in Jesus. Twelve years ago, I moved away from Europe, and yet it remains my…
Prayerful Planning for the Extrovert (and Introvert)
In the world of missional communities and church-planting, there’s a real misconception that to be effective you’ve got to be blowing the doors off your house every week. I wasn’t born a planner, but out of necessity I’ve gotten…
Start with this; What do you love, like, enjoy? Go do it, and redeem the time by inviting others into what you love to do. Just as Paul made his walk through the Shrines and Altars of Athens, we…
How could I have known all that was to come? It is no secret to my friends that Halloween is my least favorite holiday. I grumble and complain about having to scrounge up outfits, the evil feel of it…
Cultural celebrations are not man-made institutions. Like much of God’s creation, holidays can be—and have been—distorted for all sorts of less-than-holy purposes. But what if “Santa” really isn’t an anagram for “Satan”? What if we can we redeem this…
(Part one a new series from Alan Hirsch. Read part two here.) The way we think of ourselves and conceive our most basic purposes in this world make a massive difference in the way we behave. I really do believe…
Have questions about student ministry, serving the marginalized and protecting our kids, and logistics ... get your answers here. Last week's blog post about how to care for, disciple, and include kids during small group or missional community meetings…
We need people who have access to our lives, ask us hard questions, probe our motivations, and remind us of the freedom we’ve been given in Jesus. In a post I wrote a few years ago, I discussed how the…
I live unbound to the ideas of who I think I should be; instead I choose to be who God created me to be. “Let your light shine before others so that they see your good deeds and glorify…
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