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Our hope reaches far beyond the confines of this fleeting age of sin and separation from God and looks toward the day when we will live in perfect, face-to-face relationship with our Creator.

Our family recently returned from a week in the Appalachian Mountains—climbing wooded trails and playing in rock-strewn rivers, soaking up summer sun and cooled by a lovely mountain breeze. I love the outdoors and look forward to such an expedition every summer, but I’m still routinely struck by its effects on us all. The natural world offers profound reminders of God’s sovereign reign, creative power, and intricate design. The psalmist praises God for this work: “You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills. . . . Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work” (Ps. 104:10, 12–13). Experiencing nature also reminds us we’re a people meant to be placed. One often neglected consequence of the global digital age is that we can be simultaneously anywhere and nowhere at once—we’re a people displaced. Yet, as Christians, we know our humanity is deeply connected to the earth for which we were made. By taking our families outdoors and exploring the natural habitat, we experience opportunities for “placing ourselves” by encountering the plants, animals, weather patterns, and land features of home—and it helps us know and enjoy the God who created it all. Why Place Matters Our humanity is deeply connected to the earth for which we were made. Craig Bartholomew writes that we’re in the midst of a “crisis of place” with devastating implications for the isolation of individuals and Christian care for cities and communities. The idea of place doesn’t merely connote land features and geographic coordinates, but it at least includes such things. We need to learn where we’re placed in order to care about it. Bartholomew reminds us, The Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote of a world alive with God amidst the rolling hills and valleys of Wales. In another poem he speaks of Christ as the one who “plays in ten thousand places.” The world is indeed charged with the grandeur of God but it is in our place, one of those ten thousand places, that we are called to find and join Christ at play. Finding and joining Christ at play in the natural world requires intentionality, whether for ourselves or as we serve our children, but we’ll find it well worth the effort. As George Washington Carver explained, “To those who have as yet not learned the secret of true happiness, which is the joy of coming into the closest relationship with the Maker and Preserver of all things: begin now to study the little things in your own door yard, going from the known to the nearest related unknown, for indeed each new truth brings one nearer to God.” Nature exploration begins when we exit our doorstep, and there are countless ways to engage our Creator and his world. Help Kids Find Their Place in Nature Some who are now adults have benefited from the example of grandparents or parents who led us into the great outdoors, pointing us Godward with every trail exploration, birdsong, or plant identification. But some don’t know where to begin—how to present the gift of the natural world to a generation increasingly captivated by screens full of artificial images. The good news is you don’t have to be a wilderness guru to engage nature with your children—you just need to get outside. Our family has appreciated several quality resources aimed at helping kids encounter nature. Though these books are written from a secular worldview, Christian parents can use many of their ideas and activities in the context of conversations about God as Creator. Books such as Nature Anatomy (and its accompanying journal, activity book, and sticker book), Outdoor Activity Lab, and Encyclopedia of Insects offer engaging information and activities for children, spanning multiple skill levels. Nature’s Art Box, Watercolor in Nature, and The Lost Words are helpful texts for kids who might be more motivated by art and language than fort-building and fire-making. Of course, a simple drawing pad and pencil or a large magnifying glass are catalyst enough for some young explorers. You don’t have to be a wilderness guru to engage nature with your children—you just need to get outside. We’ve particularly enjoyed the simple, creative approach of How to Play in the Woods by Robin Blankenship. This text advertises “activities, survival skills, and games for all ages”—and it’s true to its word; families with children of multiple ages are well served by its contents. I brought this resource along on a recent walk with my husband and one of our sons, hoping to “make string and rope from plant fibers” or engage in some “random rock-breaking to get a sharp-edged tool.” Using Blankenship’s instructions, we managed to twist some tall roadside grass into passable twine with relative success, but (perhaps unsurprisingly) it was rock-breaking that quickly captured my son’s attention. At Blankenship’s direction, we scanned the ground for rocks large enough to hurl down at other rock surfaces to create sharp tools. What most farmers in southwest Missouri loathe became our treasure as we discovered the rock that yielded the best result—chert, the same kind of rock native Americans used to create arrowheads and other sharp tools. This rock consistently broke into slivers with edges sharp enough to scrape the bark off a stick or clean an animal’s hide, a testimony to the God of order and design who created it. And with every new rock we turned over, broke, and examined, we grew a little more in relationship to our place: the hills of southwest Missouri, a veritable treasure trove of rocks. Placed by Our Creator Regardless of the resources you use, getting kids—and yourself—outside offers the gift of connection with the natural world and an opportunity to know the Creator who intentionally placed us in it. As Psalm 19 explains, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (v. 1). Nature is an untapped blessing for many Christians—and one our children desperately need in a digital world where we’re increasingly isolated and displaced. Get outside with them, and experience the joy of encountering the God whose “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Rom. 1:20).

Every pastor encounters challenges—gaps between God’s design and his own ministry reality. Our programs and discipleship efforts produce less fruit than we want (ministry gaps). Our people struggle to love and care for one another as they ought (community gaps). We struggle to find and equip the people necessary to do the work of the ministry (leadership gaps). I believe these gaps—these differences between how God created us to live and how we actually live—are discipleship issues that ultimately result from different gaps in our faith. I’ve known many men in ministry who struggled with these issues. Consider a pastor whom I’ll call Brendon. Brendon often reflects on his call as a pastor. He wrestles with why preaching the gospel and winning the lost feel so life-giving while shepherding his flock through life’s hardships and heartaches is so draining. Brendon spends hours strategizing and casting vision for his church’s ministry programs, discussing pastoral issues with fellow elders, and raising up leaders to deal with the relentless ministry demands. Sometimes, the challenges seem endless and insurmountable. If the challenges churches face arise from the faith gaps found within its people and its pastors (like Brendon and us), then the state of our souls affects our ministries. So what are the faith gaps—the personal discipleship gaps—affecting you and your congregation? Here are four possibilities. 1. Story Gap Our stories include the events, relationships, and experiences that shape us from birth to death. But when we only look at our circumstances, we can fail to see how our individual stories are embedded in God’s bigger story. As a result, we struggle to live in accordance with God’s design and to love others as he commands. Every pastor encounters challenges—gaps between God’s design and his own ministry reality. No detail or dimension of our lives—past, present, or future—surprises God (Ps. 139:16). Knowing all the ways evil would affect us, he devised a plan to counteract the fall’s effects when he chose to save us before creation (Eph. 1:4). When the Father sent his Son from heaven, he did so not only to bring us back into a right relationship with him but so that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, would restore our broken and sinful souls. We see this in the life of Brendon. He loves teaching the Bible’s grand metanarrative, but he’d never considered how God’s story intersected with his own story of loneliness and shame. He hadn’t reflected on how his parents’ divorce or being bullied at school fueled his sense of being alone and different, and he hadn’t connected this relational pain to the fall. As a result, Brendon seldom explores the stories of those he shepherds but mainly focuses on their presenting problems. He assumes only professional counselors are equipped to handle story-work. But as Brendon reflects on God’s creation story, the Spirit reminds him he was made for love and communion with God and others. He realizes how the brokenness caused by evil and experienced by everyone leads to the common struggle of shame. As Brendon understands that Jesus came to restore his soul (Ps. 23:3), God’s comfort and love begin to erode the shame he has struggled with for years. He feels relief as he embraces God’s promise never to leave him. Because knowing God’s story has affected Brendon’s story in personal and relevant ways, his preaching begins to change. He now shows the congregation how Jesus makes a difference for the lonely and ashamed. He’s determined to train his elders and small group leaders in how a person’s story affects how he or she lives and loves as well as in how Jesus closes the story gap. 2. Heart Gap Life’s difficulties can distract us from God and, even worse, lead us to doubt his love. We can struggle with discontentment as we seek to satisfy our souls’ cravings for love through relationships or achievements. The feeling we’re unloved can tempt us to escape reality by pursuing pleasure—or even pain. Knowing our hearts, Jesus made us so his love compels and empowers us to live for him, not ourselves (2 Cor. 5:14–15). Out of love, Jesus rescued us through his cross-work, and now he gives us new hearts to love him and others. He pours his love into our hearts through his Spirit (Ezek. 36:26–27; Rom. 5:5). His love restores us, and he commands us to abide in his love through a life of trust and obedience so his joy becomes our joy (John 15:9–11). Jesus closes our heart gap when we experience his love. Brendon, for instance, felt spiritually dry. He felt unworthy and like a failure, even during his quiet times with the Lord. In his numbness, Brendon began to doubt God’s love for him. Drawing near to God seemed futile. A mentor encouraged Brendon to offer his brokenness to God in ways that reflected the lament psalms. He held out his broken reality before God as he read Scripture. He noticed how God’s truths spoke directly to his struggles and stirred his heart, freeing him to experience Jesus’s presence, comfort, and love. Knowing that church members battle spiritual numbness as well, Brendon began to equip his leaders to be aware of the doubts, discouragement, shame, and fears in their hearts; to bring these before God in prayer before opening the Scriptures; and to look at how Jesus speaks directly to these struggles through his promises and commands. He encouraged the leaders to let the truths discovered in each passage stir their affections and to listen for God’s invitation to live differently. 3. Care Gap When we face sin and pain, we want comfort, peace, change, and answers. But what we want, or think we need, may not align with what God has promised us. We’re tempted to control our relationships and circumstances in a quest for relief. We may even seek help from anyone and everyone we think can help us find answers. Our search for the care we want can rob us of the care God offers freely and fully. When we only look at our circumstances, we can fail to see how our individual stories are embedded in God’s bigger story. Jesus was sent to heal the brokenhearted, to set the prisoners free, to comfort all who mourn, and to bring beauty from ashes (Isa. 61:1–4; cf. Luke 4:16–21). Our Good Shepherd restores souls traumatized by evil (Ps. 23:3; John 10:11). The Light of the World pierces our darkness as the stars pierce the night sky (John 8:12; Gen. 1:14–18). The Prince of Peace settles our souls as he calmed the stormy sea (Isa. 9:6; Luke 8:22–25). The God of all comfort soothes our hearts like salve on a wound (2 Cor. 1:3–4). Jesus covers our shame and casts out fears with his perfect and infinite love (Isa. 61:10; 1 John 4:18). He intercedes for us, and he shares his joy with those who seek refuge in him (Rom. 8:34; John 15:11). Through our union with Christ, he offers the care we need as we abide in his presence, promises, and power. In his weariness, Brendon sought relief from the relentless pressures of life and ministry by dreaming of another church with fewer problems, by restructuring the elders to cover the pastoral demands so he could escape to his study, and even by thinking about leaving ministry for a less taxing vocation. As Brendon clung to the promises and assurances in God’s Word, Jesus began to close the gaps in his story and heart. He became convinced that Jesus offered the care he needed as he took more comfort in what God said was true and stopped fantasizing about better circumstances. 4. Love Gap If God’s story of love doesn’t reframe our broken story, if our souls aren’t restored as we experience Christ’s love, and if our hurting hearts aren’t soothed by our Good Shepherd’s comfort and care, we’ll doubt God’s presence, goodness, and love. We’ll be consumed with our own troubles and we won’t love God and others wholeheartedly. When we don’t love as God created us to love, we experience disorder and anxiety. We also lack confidence in the ways Jesus makes a difference in our life struggles. As a result, our ministry efforts can depend more on programming and information than on Christ. Small groups may promote good fellowship, but without dependence on Christ through his Word and Spirit, they’ll lack life-giving hope and healing. Instead of helping leaders experience Christ’s love amid life’s difficulties, which is at the heart of shepherding, leadership development will focus on equipping with mere principles and competencies. In short, the love gap leads to unfruitful ministry, ineffective community, and deficient leadership. As leaders, we must first experience how Jesus closes the gaps in our own faith and discipleship before we develop ministry philosophies and programs (2 Cor. 1:3–4). But as Jesus closes the gaps in our lives, we’ll grow confident and see how abiding in Christ’s love fuels life and forms ministry. While away on vacation, Brendon experienced God’s love in fresh and restorative ways through his time abiding in God’s Word. He sensed a growing passion to focus his preaching and pastoring on abiding in Christ. As Brendon reimagined life with Jesus, he began to reimagine ministry. Even though ministry was still challenging, he experienced more freedom and joy as he joined Jesus in shepherding God’s people (Ps. 18:19; 23:3). To his surprise, Brendon breathed easier as he envisioned the next season of ministry.

Clark Fobes highlights the importance of understanding diversity and cultural context when reaching Gen Z with the gospel, noting how social media has influenced a shift from guilt-innocence to honor-shame paradigms. He encourages churches to equip parents and youth pastors to navigate these changes and to provide a sense of belonging rooted in the gospel. After Fobes’s message, a panel discusses prioritizing family ministry, integrating intergenerational discipleship, supporting a variety of family structures and leveraging existing church resources.

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