“Who will help me plant my seeds?” asked the Little Red Hen. “Not I,” said the dog. “Not I,” said the cat. “Not I,” said the duck. “Then, I will plant them myself,” said the Little Red Hen, and…
One of the most powerful practices for the Church today is examining His purposeful, unhurried rhythms, and how He lived counter to the culture of this fast-paced world. Studying the ways of Jesus’ life on earth has led me…
Jesus walked the earth as a man with flesh and bones. Take a moment to try to sense how real He is. Try to feel it. Picture His dark curly hair, His deep olive complexion, His eyes full of…
Ever since my children were little, we have kept the tradition of making an Easter Mountain during Holy Week, an idea I took from Noel Piper’s Treasuring Christ in Our Traditions. We make a large lump of salt dough,…
There is always hope in darkness, because there was Hope lying in a grave for three days—He who now is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Can you imagine what it must have been like…
Holy Week is almost here and we have the opportunity to remember in our missional communities that what Jesus accomplished for us two thousand years ago matters in our lives today. The gospel isn’t just the good news that…
Last year when the Angel Soft and Lysol—along with staple foods like Ramen and Chef Boyardee—disappeared from our grocery shelves, I was strangely filled with a bit of anticipation. I thought it could be the wilderness that would teach…
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the…
Written by Kevin Platt and Chris Gonzalez If you have ever led a missional community or a congregation of missional communities, you have fielded some form of at least a few, if not all, of these questions: Who is God?…
In three of the gospel accounts, Jesus, prior to beginning His ministry, was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. For 40 days He went without food and the comforts of life, yet He…
I am often reminded by one of my friends that the ultimate prize for Christians is simply that we get Jesus. This is the ultimate aim and reward of Lent. The season of Lent is upon us. My first encounter…
What is Lent? Lent is a forty-day-long journey through daily and sometimes hourly reminders of the gospel because our stomachs are hungry or our hearts are longing for something we seemingly can’t live without. Lent and the celebration of Easter…
A few years ago a lady who had lost her first husband to brain cancer came to me before she married her second husband concerned for her daughters. She was worried that they would doubt her love for them…
Pastoral ministry can be a hazardous occupation. Many get into this work with a noble and godly calling: to bring glory to Jesus by shepherding and equipping his flock to make disciples who make disciples. However, too many of…
(Post ten in an eleven-part series from Alan Hirsch. Read part eleven here.) The kingdom works covertly to undermine the way things are now and to initiate God’s rule in its place. Contrary to a narrow fundamentalist understanding of…
(Post eight in an eleven-part series from Alan Hirsch. Read part seven here.) We live as if there is an insurmountable distance between the “sacred” and the “secular.” One of the important dimensions of incarnational mission is to break…
We have lost the art of thoughtful dialogue. Left to ourselves, we seem to avoid controversy or handle it poorly. It's impolite to discuss religion or politics. These are issues held with the head and the heart. Beliefs become convictions,…
As a leader, I find my heart constantly running after new gods; the things in which I pursue greater satisfaction, greater security, and greater significance. Only Jesus can save me from such rampant idolatry. However, I must be intentional…
This post is the fifth post in a series based on a conversation with Rich Plass on the Saturate Podcast. You can listen to the episode here. Jared Pickney: Rich, we know you've done a lot of work on…
This post is the fourth post in a series based on a conversation with Rich Plass on the Saturate Podcast. You can listen to the episode here. Brad Watson: I think what you’ve described is some of the beauty…
This post is the third post in a series based on a conversation with Rich Plass on the Saturate Podcast. You can listen to the episode here. Jared Pickney: That's helpful. Would you say that one of the…
This post is the second post in a series based on a conversation with Rich Plass on the Saturate Podcast. You can listen to the episode here. Adam Breckenridge: Rich, I've heard you say that we are permeable souls.…
This post is the first in a series based on a conversation with Rich Plass on the Saturate Podcast. You can listen to the episode here. Brad Watson: Jared Pickney, Adam Breckenridge, and myself were able to talk with…
We have two apple trees in our backyard. All spring our family watches as first leaves, then buds, then flowers grow on the branches. Then, we finally see apples appear— first small and green, but eventually plump and red.…
It was not a question I ever expected; it was not a question I ever thought I’d have to answer. A half-week into the COVID-19 lockdown, I ended an email to a pastor with the phrase, “Let me know…
When I moved to Los Angeles, I never thought I would have over two months of parenting that looked so much like Swiss Family Robinson and Little House on the Prairie. But, here we are. We’re working at home, eating…
There’s a time to create content and build a resource. And then there’s a time to stop, wait, feel, listen, and pray. As a team at Saturate, we’ve felt the need to go slow and not rush. We believe we…
My wife took our three young kids to her parents’ house this week to add some variety to the suddenly three-week spring break produced by coronavirus-related school closures. The kids are enjoying the longer break and playing with cousins, while…
As Americans, we love innovation, planning, and strategy. We want to strip ourselves free of old traditions and boring practices that tie people down. Freedom is being able to work outside of the box. The missional community movement is the…
This blog post is an excerpt from a chapter of our newest resource, an Everyday Discipleship Study on the book of Jonah. Available now, you can download the first chapter for free! In our fifth year of marriage, God…
This blog post is an excerpt from the introduction of our newest resource, an Everyday Discipleship Study on the book of Jonah. This study launches Monday, Jan 6th but you can download the first chapter for free now! Jonah…
Do you want to have a life marked by a pursuit of holiness, a life of light and the presence of God the Father? Gather together with the church, pursuing intentional community and fellowship with other believers. The pursuit…
I’m given the incredible privilege of talking with disciples across the globe about what Jesus is doing in their neighborhoods, churches, and cities. The power of the gospel transcends strategies, brands, and egos! I’m always amazed how a conversation…
Are You Busy? Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “busy” as “engaged in action” and for many church leaders and disciple-makers, there is a pride that comes from being engaged in the work of the kingdom for God’s glory. This isn’t a…
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit…
What are missional communities supposed to do? They exist, primarily, to grow in love for God. Missional communities are groups of people learning to follow Jesus. Meaning, people are being renewed by the gospel through abiding in Christ. They…
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