How to Cultivate Community

“It is not good for man to be alone.” Genesis 2:18

Pretty much from the beginning, God establishes that humanity is not designed to be alone. He created Eve as a partner to Adam, a helper in caring for God’s creation. But Eve was also there to create community with Adam. It wasn’t good for him to be alone. So why do we think we’re made that way?

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, we saw what the world would look like in isolation. Forced to quarantine, it was easy for people to feel stir-crazy, cut off, and search for other ways to connect. Why? Because we were made for community. The National Institutes Of Health (NIH) reported that severe loneliness rose to 21% during COVID-19 compared to 6% prior. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that social isolation and loneliness can increase a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, suicidality, self-harm, dementia, and earlier death. These examples show that science reinforces what we already know: God created us to live in community.

As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus’ example, and He lived in community. The twelve disciples weren’t just traveling with Jesus to hear Him teach, they were learning from Him just by being together. Mark 3:14 tells us this with, “He appointed twelve of them. They were to accompany him…” The bonds these men built with each other were likely what made their ministry so strong after Jesus’ ascension. They were able to rely on one another and hold each other accountable to the task Jesus gave them. 

This is why we need community as Christians. It’s not just for support, it provides accountability for the times when we struggle. When life is difficult, or doubt creeps in, your community is there to encourage you and help you to course-correct when you need it.

So we know community is important. But how do we build it?

1.  Be intentional.

While time spent with others is important, the quality of the time is more so. Put away the phone, listen for more than how to respond, and be present. Invite people over, linger after church, follow up on prayer requests — small steps build deep roots. Hebrews 10:24–25 encourages us to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together… but encouraging one another.” Community doesn’t happen by accident; it grows when we make space for it.

2.  Be vulnerable.

Real community isn’t built on surface-level connections. It’s built when we take the risk to be known — struggles, questions, and all. Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” But people can’t carry what we hide. Vulnerability allows others to step in with encouragement, prayer, and practical help. It also gives others permission to do the same.

3.  Be consistent.

Community grows with time, trust, and showing up. That doesn’t always mean doing big things — sometimes it’s just being faithfully present. Whether it’s a small group, Sunday service, or coffee with a friend, regular connection builds familiarity and safety. Like Acts 2:46 describes, the early church met together “daily with one accord… breaking bread from house to house.” That kind of rhythm created a deep and lasting unity.

4.  Be welcoming.

Cultivating community doesn’t stop with the people we already know. It includes making room for others who are new, hurting, or lonely. Romans 12:13 tells us to “practice hospitality.” In a world that often feels cold and closed off, warm and open hearts stand out. Be the person who invites others in — into your conversations, into your life, and into your circle.

At the end of the day, community is not just a Christian idea — it’s how we thrive as people. It’s a Kingdom necessity. It’s how we reflect the heart of a relational God. And in a culture that is increasingly isolated, we have the opportunity to be different by simply doing life together.

So let’s build the kind of community that lifts people up, points them to Jesus, and reminds them they are never truly alone.

Who Do You Worship?

By Elena Ardis, First Year MHLS Student – Worship Track

Did you know that you could be worshipping something other than God?

You might be thinking that sounds silly. We have worship in church on Sundays, where we sing praises to the Lord. Who else would we be worshipping? But it’s true—a lot of believers are actually deep in idolatry without realizing it.

In order to properly assess how that is possible, we need to ask: Why should we think about worship in the first place? What is worship, really? Why does it matter?

Worship and religion are connected, because they both focus on serving God. If you consider yourself to be a Christian, it is important to evaluate your views on worship.

Here is a look at the definitions of worship and religion:

WORSHIP: (noun) The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. (verb) Show reverence and adoration for a deity; honor with religious rites.

RELIGION: (noun) A pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.

RELIGIOUSLY: (adverb) With consistent and conscientious regularity.

MISDIRECTED WORSHIP

We may not make this connection in our conscious, but we can turn anything we choose into a religion. Think about it. Is there anything in your life that you are giving all of your attention to? What do you feel conviction for?

Matthew 6:22-23 NIV reads:

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

As humans, we can easily be swept up in escapism and temporary pleasures that satisfy our flesh, but not our spirit. It is dangerously easy to let ourselves worship our phones, our possessions, or our habits. However, these things will only fill us up with darkness. There is only one thing that will fill us up with pure light: God.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24 NIV

Although Jesus is speaking about the love of money in this verse, it  also applies to any other worldly thing that we might have love for. If we are fully committed to God, our hearts will not crave the things of this world as strongly anymore, being drawn to holiness and purity instead. This is why we should only worship Him and ascribe importance to things that glorify Him.

If you have ever been stuck in a cycle of sin, you know that it is frustrating beyond belief. You can find yourself questioning if there is any escape, or if there is any possible way that God could forgive you or save you from it. But one thing that we don’t often realize is that our sin issues are tied to idolatry. You feel poisoned and dirty, but you’ve been on social media for 8 hours while your Bible has been collecting dust. You fall back into comforting sin habits because you have no motivation or self-respect, but you haven’t stopped to thank God or pray in weeks.

Take a look at this passage in Romans:

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” Romans 1:21-25 NIV

Because these people did not acknowledge or turn to God, they fell deeper and deeper into degrading sin, and God gave them over to their desires. The things that they worshipped filled them up to the brim with darkness, and they made no space for light.

 

GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR WORSHIP

Read through these two passages:

“In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!” Revelation 5:12-13 NIV

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV

Because He loves us, God sent Jesus as the perfect living sacrifice for all of our sin, to redeem us for all of eternity and be the bridge connecting humanity to God. Without Him, we would all be doomed to suffer forever. He is infinitely more worthy than any other thing we could possibly imagine! The more time you spend reflecting on what He has truly done for us, the more gratitude and joy will spark within you and begin to fill you up, empowering you to boldly worship Him with awe and reverence!

REDIRECTING OUR WORSHIP

So, are you stuck in your sin and ready to redirect your worship? The best first step you can take is to invite the Holy Spirit in to examine your heart.

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV reads:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

God is gracious, so if we ask Him to, He will point out the things in our life that we must remove. All it takes is intentional prayer time with Him and the patience to listen.

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” Romans 2:7-8 NIV

On top of listening to God’s voice, we must also turn away from things that encourage sin and replace them with holy habits.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV

Just like how we read that the eye is the lamp of the body, replacing worldly things with holy ones will flood your body with light—creating a welcoming atmosphere for God to dwell in.

Here are some practical examples of habits that you can change:

  • Instead of spending all day scrolling & consuming anything your algorithm feeds you, try:
    • Deleting your socials for a time to focus in on prayer and reading your Bible every day
    • Setting a time limit on your socials so they don’t take up more of your attention than God does
    • Resetting your suggested content to build a healthier for you page
  • Instead of constantly worrying about how other people perceive you, try:
    • Committing to a Bible reading plan that uses Scripture to teach you more about your identity & value in Christ
    • Being intentional with who you spend time with—mature believers in your life can speak life and encouragement into you as a person
    • Asking God about any self-deprecating habits you may need to stop and cutting them off
  • Instead of impulsively doing whatever your flesh desires, try:
    • Engaging in a physical activity that takes all of your effort (e.g. working out, dancing)
    • Practicing being still before God in contemplative prayer when you feel tempted
    • Finding an accountability partner to confide in and spend time with

Lastly, remember to have grace for yourself as you learn and grow. It is impossible to get everything right in one try, and it takes time to cultivate a healthy lifestyle that gives glory to God. Rest assured that you can lean on His strength, wisdom, and presence to guide you through as you redirect your worship towards Him!

How to Win as a Father

First off—thank you. Thank you for showing up, for doing your best, and for carrying more weight than most people will ever see. Fatherhood is no small assignment. It’s not just a role you play—it’s a legacy you’re writing.

On this Father’s Day, I want to speak straight to your heart—not just to the provider for the family, but to the warrior, the worshipper, and the Kingdom man inside of you. The world may measure your success by how much you make, but heaven measures it by your impact—what you give of your heart, your presence, your leadership, your love. The things that last generations.

You’re not just here to bring home the bacon (although hey, we’ve got that covered on the grill Sunday). You were made to bring heaven into your home. Your family needs more than your wallet—they need your wisdom, your worship, and your willingness to walk closely with God.

As one of the foremost experts on restoring fatherhood wrote: “The greatest battle a man will ever fight is the one to reclaim his identity and purpose as a son of God.”

So let me remind you how you win as a father:

We win by walking in our true identity as Sons of God.

Romans 8:15 declares “You have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”

You’re not striving to become a man of God—you already are a son of God. And out of that sonship flows everything else. When you know who you are, your kids will know who they are. Just as you would be appalled by your children trying to approach you as slaves, so too do slaves of fear have no way to connect with a Father’s heart. We must leave the old behind and be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Embrace the sonship that gives us access to a perfect Father that leads and models fatherhood perfectly in everything He does.

In the book, The Uprising, author Kris Vallotton shares “The absence of identity leads to the abuse of authority. Know who you are before you try to lead others.” When our children grow up with just RULES from a workaholic father that barely has time to invest in parenting them well, it goes off the rails so easy. But when our children are led into all truth and the paths of righteousness by a Son of God who invests in them because we LOVE them and are FOR them…that’s a whole other thing.

Your family doesn’t need a perfect dad. They need a dad who knows he’s loved and leads from that place.

We win by living courageously in the face of culture.

One of father’s greatest roles is to model and teach their family in how to overcome fear, not just avoid it.

Joshua 1:9 says it best, “Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

We live in a time when masculinity is under pressure, and biblical fatherhood is misunderstood or minimized. But you don’t have to conform. You’re called to confront culture—not with anger, but with truth and love. Your courage becomes a covering. Your faithfulness becomes a framework for your children to build their lives upon. Where so many rely on external rules and moral codes and political frameworks, the Lord builds strength and resiliency into our very DNA as His Sons.

A quote that has impacted me greatly in this mindset is “You don’t reproduce what you teach. You reproduce who you are.” It’s hard to be courageous in ideologies and political views in the face of so much intolerance these days, but it’s amazing how resilient we can be when we walk in the truth of who God created us to be, when we stand firm on the foundation of our God. The one who goes before us and prepares a way for us, the one who makes a way where there seems like there is none, the one who is SO FOR US – who can be against us?

We win by fighting for the spiritual health of our family.

Nehemiah 4:14 – “Fight for your families, your sons and your daughters…”

We aren’t designed and called to fight WITH our families, we are called to fight FOR our families. Our fight is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers and principalities. You are the spiritual gatekeeper of your home. That doesn’t mean being controlling—it means being present, prayerful, and protective. It means providing coverage for your wife and children. Fight for your family in the Spirit. Declare the promises of God over them. Break off generational curses. Speak life when the world speaks confusion. Generational curses can last for a few generations, but when we partner with the Lord to turn them into generational blessings they can last for 1,000 generations!

You’re not just raising sons—you’re raising priests and kings. When we speak life over our children, it’s not just “you’re beautiful” or “your great at sports”. We have the opportunity to speak the blessings of the Lord into their lives, calling them up into the divine purpose that the Lord has for them.

We win by leading with love, not just rules.

1 Corinthians 13:1 – “If I have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

Have you ever felt like when you talk to your children, you’re just making noise and nobody is paying attention? Rules without relationship breeds rebellion and indifference. Your kids may forget your lectures—but they’ll remember your laughter, your hugs, your quiet presence when they needed you most. I’ve talked to a number of fathers with grown children that don’t come to them for anything anymore, only now realizing that when their children were young and came to them with what seemed important got brushed off as unimportant to their busy fathers. What are the opportunities for you to love your children that you can take advantage of now, that will invest in the future of your family? What are things that your father instilled over the course of years in you that you have simplified into a rule for your children to follow without ever understanding why?

You don’t have to be perfect. Just be present. Just be real. Invest love into your family.

We win by dreaming generationally.

Proverbs 13:22 – “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…”

You’re not just raising kids—you’re building a Kingdom legacy. Financial provision is important—but far more powerful is the spiritual inheritance you leave. Speak identity over your children. Speak purpose. Call out the gold in them. Build a home where faith is normal, forgiveness is frequent, and love is never in question.

What would it look like for us to model “it stops with us”? How can we train our children to walk with the Lord in the family business of restoration? When transformation and refreshing are the standard not the miraculous. When the legacy you leave is building up and empowering those around you to experience the Lord and step into the fullness of their calling, and giftings, and purpose. What a legacy! What is your legacy?

“Legacy is not what you leave to your children—it’s what you leave in them.” – Uprising

Dad, your worth isn’t found in your performance—it’s found in your presence. Your family doesn’t need a superhero—they need a man who knows who he is in Christ. Someone who is fully loved, and can fully love.

This Father’s Day, don’t simply measure success by how perfect your parenting is—measure it by how present, purposeful, and passionate you are in pursuing your God-given identity as a father. You’re not just raising kids—you’re raising kingdom leaders. Stand strong in what God has designed you to do. Not because you’ve done it all right, but because you’re choosing to follow His example, show up, fight well, and speak life over your family and your circumstances.

We honor and believe in YOU!

2016 In Missions

Mount Hope, there is a lot to be proud of! As we celebrate you during Mission’s Launch, we want to share with you all of the amazing things that you were a part of in 2016. Here’s what we, together, accomplished:

  • We have made financial investments into over 300 missionaries and ministries in over 100 countries. 
  • Mount Hopers went on two mission trips to Guatemala to minister to orphans.
  • We feed the homeless in Lansing every week. 
  • Sent a team and funds to Cambodia to build a women’s ministry center for mothers with small children suffering from alcohol and drug addictions.
  • Partnering with the Furnace Prayer Ministry to run a multi-use outreach facility on the edge of MSU’s campus.
  • Provided 1,000 Arabic Bibles and 2,500 Arabic New Testaments in the Middle East.
  • Provide monthly support to St. Vincent’s Children’s Home as well as funded renovations to the facility.
  • Added 17 missionaries and ministries to our monthly support. This includes missionaries in countries like Senegal, Egypt, Iraq, Laos, India, Syria, Thailand, Central and Eastern Europe, Estonia and Zambia. In Michigan, includes reaching Muslims in Dearborn, campus ministry at UofM, and a Christian ministry providing food to the needy in Lansing.
  • Sent a team of students to Detroit for outreach ministry with Courage Church.
  • Supported church planting initiatives in the Middle East including Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Oman, Tunisia, and Morocco. 
  • Provide monthly support to the House of Promise ministry focused on rescuing and healing girls trapped in human trafficking in Michigan. 
  • Minister to children through schools in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the Gaza Strip.
  • Working with the State of Michigan to find ways to place every foster child in a Christ-centered home.
  • Pastor Kevin and Pastor Joe ministered at a crusade in Cuba with one of our missionaries.
  • Provide monthly support to biblically qualified widows at Mount Hope.
  • Our very own Amanda Miller ministers to the deaf in Mexico.
  • Partner with Soundsgood Ministries as they reach students through music and God’s word.
  • Provided relief efforts and the Gospel message to Syrian refugees. 
  • We are the primary supporter of New Directions ministry providing over 40 services a month in jails, prisons and nursing homes.
  • Provided evangelism materials in Europe as they see a sea of immigrants passing through their country.
  • Provided monthly support to campus outreaches at MSU, U of M, Eastern Michigan University, and Western Michigan University.
  • Helped plant a church in Japan that was impacted by the hurricane and earthquake in 2011. 
  • Helping drug addicts recover through Teen Challenge centers in Lansing, Muskegon and Saginaw.
  • Supported church planting efforts in Albania.
  • Helping to reach Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan. 
  • Feeding a community of orphans in the Philippines.
  • Partner with the Pregnancy Services of Greater Lansing giving pregnant teens options other than abortion. 
  • Providing medical care with a gospel message in Haiti.
  • Reaching disadvantaged children in Detroit and Pontiac through the Power Company Ministry.
  • Caring for orphans in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Europe.
  • Reaching the Jewish people of our country through Rock of Israel Ministries.
  • Planting underground churches in Asia.
  • Partner with Dave Roever Ministries as he reaches out to wounded veterans. 
  • Helped with repairs and expansion of a ministry center in Lithuania that helps women get free of alcohol and drug addiction.
  • Provided three tons of food to the Lansing Rescue Mission during Bless the City.
  • Helped provide Bible School curriculum in Africa.
  • Provided funds for relief efforts related to the flooding in Louisiana, earthquake in Ecuador, and flooding in Texas.
  • Provided funds for renovations to a refugee house in Africa. 
  • Supplied safe drinking water to residents of Flint, Michigan. 
  • Donated the funds needed to build a church the Muslim area of Benin.
  • Provided funds to a Lansing-based ministry to purchase a vehicle.
  • Provided a generator in Gabon to allow for evangelism crusades.
  • Started a ministry outreach to international students at Michigan State University.
  • Provided Kindles containing ministry resources and tools to Bible School students in Egypt.

Thank you, Mount Hope, for your prayers and contribution in Missions—helping to make an impacted both globally and locally.

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