To catalyze a moment that will transform community through community

I love a dream. And I long for a vision that is beyond the present moment. Have you ever been a part of something so far beyond you, so much bigger than you, that only God can take credit?

That's how I feel about Lifetogether, which has as its purpose to help churches transform their community through community.

In recent years, I've been attracted to Ephesians 3:20: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond whatever you ask or think. To Him be the glory and honor and power and praise forevermore."

I've often wondered, "Can that really be true? Maybe it was true for the early church, but probably not here, not now... A lot of other gifted strong leaders could pull it off, but could God do that with my hands and my feet?"

I often feel more like a reluctant warrior than someone who feels ready for the battlefield.

Yet for some reason, while growing up in a church of 60 and later planting a church of 200, God chose to plop me in a ministry world way beyond my abilities—Willow Creek Community Church and then, most recently, Saddleback Church, where I ended up providing leadership for small groups.

As a scrapper, in both churches, I tried almost every small group structure, system, and strategy that you can imagine. And I've got the bruises and scars to show for it. My ministry philosophy was to run as hard as I could until I hit a brick wall-then pick myself up and run toward blue sky. Of course, on the way to that blue sky, I inevitably hit another wall.

The net result is that in the midst of this "blue-sky-to-brick-wall" approach to small groups ministry, I learned a lesson here and there as God led me from brick wall to brick wall. Out of that came my heart for Lifetogether—and the principles that guide my thinking for building life-transforming community in your setting.

In Eph. 3:20, the results always come from God. And that's what I've seen most recently at Saddleback Church—where we connected more people in small groups than we had attending the weekend services! I didn't even ask for that. And God, through our failures and small dreams, allowed our team to put 130 percent of our weekend services in small groups!

I had in mind only a spiritual growth campaign—but God, in doing "exceedingly, abundantly beyond" what we asked, prompted people to ask their non-believing friends to join their small groups.

That's the vision for Lifetogether: to transform your community-no matter the location, no matter the size, no matter what Christian denomination your church affiliation—through community.

Where do you need to dream? Where do you need to listen? Jesus wasn't only a Shepherd or Healer or Teacher. He was also a dreamer…The Dreamer. Will you trust him to do exceedingly abundantly above whatever you ask or think?

May Jesus receive the honor and glory and power and praise.

Blessings,

Brett Eastman
Lifetogether