I’ve been reading a fantastic book, which was referenced in the National Gathering, titled Tempered Resilience by Tod Bolsinger. The book lays out that leaders in the face of rapid change need to develop the strength and flexibility of tempered steel. We can’t afford either a “failure of nerve” where we don’t push into needed change or a “failure of heart” where we burn out and become cynical and withdrawn. The key to avoiding either of these failures, according to Bolsinger, is knowing our identity as God’s beloved children who were loved before and apart from any performance.

And all that kicks me to our current sermon series: “Who am I? Baptized into a new identity.” You see, baptism reveals to us that we belong to God, that we have been washed of our sin, that we have died to sin and been born again as God’s adopted children who are filled with his Spirit. It is to the extent that we grasp this reality that we develop the tempered resilience we need to live out the Great Commission in our own context. I’m praying the current sermon series is helping all of us do just that—and I recommend the book to you as well.