A TFB Lament Based on Psalm 130

by Jeff B

Out of the depths, O Lord, we cry to You.  

Our hearts are heavy, our strength is thin,  

and the brokenness around us feels louder than our hope.  

Hear the voices of Your people at TFB—  

those who whisper prayers through tears,  

those who wait in silence,  

those who feel forgotten,  

and those who don’t know what to pray anymore.

Lord, if You kept a record of our sins, who could stand  

We confess that we have wandered,  

trusted our own wisdom,  

and tried to carry burdens You never asked us to bear.  

Yet with You there is forgiveness—  

mercy that humbles us,  

grace that lifts us,  

love that refuses to let us go.  

Teach us to fear You with awe-filled hearts  

and to rest in Your compassion and love.

We wait for You, Lord—more than watchmen wait for the morning.  

We wait for Your healing in our relationships,  

Your peace in our city,  

Your renewal in our church,  

Your presence in our weariness.  

We wait because You are faithful,  

because Your Word is true,  

because Your promises have never failed Your people.

O God of steadfast love, redeem us again.  

Redeem our fears with Your nearness,  

our failures with Your forgiveness,  

our sorrow with Your joy,  

our waiting with Your unfailing hope.  

Gather us as one family—  

young and old, strong and weak—  

and let TFB be a people who trust You in the dark  

until Your light breaks through.

For with You, Lord, there is unfailing love,  

and with You is full redemption.  

We place our hope in You alone.  

Amen.

Abiding Toward Hospitality

Key Passages: Leviticus 19:33-34; Matthew 10; John 15; Romans 12:9-13; 1 Peter 4:7-11

Key Idea: Abiding in Christ should fill us with mercy and grace that overflow into acts of hospitality and kindness toward others. Yet many of us struggle to do so because we distract ourselves with other good things. How can we help one another spend time with Jesus so we can see others deeply, minister well, and form deep connections with our brothers and sisters in Christ? 

Everything starts with abiding in Christ, but what does that mean? The other day, I (Laura) was listening to a podcast, and they illustrated abiding using our relationship with our cell phones. Even if we’re not looking at them, we are thinking about them. We reach out and touch them. We look to them for answers. We look at them when we’re bored. 

Do we ever think about Jesus this way? I know that I rarely do. It is no wonder, then, that giving away kindness and welcome to others through acts of hospitality can be challenging: we are not filling ourselves with Jesus. We know from John 15 that the only way to bear fruit for God is to abide in Christ like the branches abide in the vine. We know that abiding in him provides us with resources that overflow into a life of service for others. We know that his love for us gives us everything we need to love others. So why are we better at abiding with our cell phones than we are with our Lord?

Take a look at your spaces and your schedule. What is the centerpiece of your living space? Is the seating arranged so that people can see each other? How about the front porch or front patio? Can you sit out there and greet the people who walk by? Do you smile or give a nod to the people in line at the DMV? When you see people you don’t know, do you greet them and introduce yourself? When you’re at dinner with friends, where is your cell phone? Are you giving someone a good word during the Sunday morning greeting time? We put up so many barriers to connection, and our culture doesn’t help. It’s too easy to hang out watching a movie rather than inviting someone over for a meal. It’s too easy to convince ourselves that we don’t have time rather than make space in our calendar to hang out with our sisters and brothers in Christ. If we are to help one another abide in Christ, we need to spend time with one another.

Every Christian has been called and empowered for ministry. Every Christian can generously share the overflow of Christ’s grace and mercy through hospitality. Now, when we hear the word “hospitality,” we may first think of a desk at a hotel or the person who arranges fun events at school or work. But that’s not it. Hospitality is an attitude of kindness and welcome that overflows into the spaces we live in and the moments of our days. 

Now, I have no doubts that there are people in our midst who are very good at hospitality, but there are some of us who are pretty poor at it. We need to spend time with one another, practicing hospitality and pausing our busyness to spend time with Jesus and one another. We can help one another point our lives toward Christ, getting ever closer to that point when we reach for him when we’re bored, turn to him when we have questions, and think about him when our minds wander. Let us help one another see others deeply, minister well, and form deep connections with our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Who writes Academy? Laura has an MDiv in Christian Education, a ThM in Systematic Theology, and a PhD in Educational Studies. She also serves TFB as a guitarist (primarily) and singer in TFB's worship band.  Jeff has a Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies and is currently working on an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. He also serves as kitchen lead for TFB's Family Dinner and as TFB’s bookkeeper.

Serving as Family

By Jeff Barnhart with Laura Springer

Key Passages: Luke 10:25-37; John 15:5; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 4:13; Zechariah 7:9–10; Micah 6:8; Isaiah 1:17

Key Idea: God commands his children to serve those he has placed along the way on our journey.


God’s children are commanded to serve the people he has placed on our journey. This includes our spiritual siblings and our neighbors. He has equipped every one of his children for good works, which he set forth before the foundations of the world. Our responsibility is to discern the good works he has given and implement them to the best of our abilities for his glory. The good news is that these good works are based on the drives, passions, skills, and knowledge he has instilled in us and confirmed by the spiritual siblings on our path. The beauty of the family of God is that there is diversity across 8believers’ individual journeys, drives, passions, skills, and knowledge. This is the way God uses to advance his kingdom.

We need to remember that as we serve, we need to abide in Him by praying and chewing on the truths of Scripture. Only by being connected to him will our service for his kingdom be fruitful, for when we are doing service apart from him, we can do nothing. Messiness in service occurs when we lose sight of Jesus and start focusing on ourselves. We dishonor him when we are focused on our needs and desires and disregard the needs of our neighbor. Loving God first is the only way we are capable of loving others. Dying to self and putting into practice the sacrificial love that Christ gave to us is vital.

We first serve our spiritual siblings. We do this by participating in and doing the “one anothers” of Scripture. Unshockingly, loving one another is the most used one. According to Jesus and Scripture, believers are lying to themself when they say they love God while hating their sibling. All the “one anothers” of Scripture focus on the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of our siblings with the end intent of sharpening and maturing their and our lives and wills, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to that of Jesus—the one who loved God and others perfectly.

We always serve our neighbors. Jesus tied the love of God and the love of neighbor to each other. In Luke, we see who the neighbors are: they are not only our siblings but also all our neighbors, especially the sick, the poor, and those marginalized by society. We are not only called to proclaim the Good News to them but also to take care of their physical and emotional needs on this side of eternity. Luke mentions this throughout his Gospel as well as in the parable of the Good Samaritan when the one who showed mercy was the neighborly one—echoing and expanding on the Old Testament prophets of Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah. Putting the needs of others before ourselves will become increasingly easy as we ingrain our Father's proven care in the depths of our souls, knowing he cares for us just as he has taken care of the birds of the air and the grass of the fields.

So how do we do this? Learn how to abide in the presence of God and see through his heart while serving. Brother Lawrence learned this while peeling potatoes in the kitchen. Find a phrase or a short prayer (breath prayer) that helps you focus on God. Throughout Church history, Christians have used the phrase “Lord have mercy,” but a phrase can be tailored to the uniqueness of your passions and desires. I (Jeff) found mine to be, “My child, sit at the table.” Finally, making time for both siblings and neighbors is vital. We must be present with each other, putting aside distractions and being attentive to each other's needs.

Who writes Academy? Jeff has a Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies and is currently working on an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. He also serves as kitchen lead for TFB's Family Dinner and as TFB’s bookkeeper. Laura has an MDiv in Christian Education, a ThM in Systematic Theology, and a PhD in Educational Studies. She also serves TFB as a guitarist (primarily) and singer in TFB's worship band.

Training to See and Help Like Jesus

By Laura Springer

Key Passage: 1 John 3:16-18

Key Idea: Training together to see and help like Jesus involves shared responsibility, nurturing connections, and mercy-soaked perspectives, combining our full range of skills and knowledge to love one another and our neighbors well.

In today's world, where reliance on machines for assistance grows, it's crucial to cultivate a community of Jesus-followers who prioritize genuine friendship and practical love. Our world needs love infused with mercy and kindness, capable of flexible responses that adapt to diverse situations. While machines can offer substantial help, they lack a human touch. A world looking to machines for help and gathering over digital devices needs a community of servants trained by Jesus to love face-to-face. 

Let us train together to serve others by seeing them as Christ does. See others by building meaningful relationships within nurturing partnerships and friendships with fellow believers. Care for each other as siblings and friends. Care for our neighbors through mercy-soaked eyes that recognize each person as an image bearer of God and interpret everything through his grace and compassion. 

Let us train together to serve others by helping those we see. Embrace the shared responsibilities he has given. Take up the duty to serve with the skills and knowledge he has provided. Hold fellow believers and the church community accountable for how God has equipped us to serve those around us. Learn the basics and the advanced things in your skills to train for adaptable service that can address diverse needs using our congregation's varied skills and knowledge. Design activities that engage all the siblings in Christ-centered ministry. Embrace life together as siblings in God's family, commanded to love and share Jesus with fellow believers and our neighbors. 

When people in the neighborhoods near Carson Street and Manuel Avenue see our church buildings, we want their immediate thought to be, "The people who worship there genuinely love Jesus, each other, and our community." Let's train together to be that family of believers, demonstrating love through kind actions and mutual support. In today's tech-dominated world, let's prioritize face-to-face and soul-to-soul relationships, for just as Jesus came as a human to save humanity, so we ought to come alongside others as fellow humans and walk with them in their journeys.

Who writes Academy? Laura has an MDiv in Christian Education, a ThM in Systematic Theology, and a PhD in Educational Studies. She also serves TFB as a guitarist (primarily) and singer in TFB's worship band. Jeff has a Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies and is currently working on an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. He also serves as kitchen lead for TFB's Family Dinner and as TFB’s bookkeeper. 

Training for Worship and Service

By Laura Springer with Jeff Barnhart

Key Passages: Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 12:9-13

Key Idea: Training to worship and serve God in a way that honors him and respects others equips us to live like the one family of God that we already are, spread God's love by serving one another and our neighbors, and keep adapting to show his love more clearly through our diversity of giftings in the context of our unity.

Over the past fifteen years, the proportion of US adults describing themselves as “atheists, agnostics, or ...nothing in particular” (the Nones)  has doubled. While the growth of the Nones may have slowed, the culture in which we minister as Christians has changed dramatically. How can we love deeply and proclaim winsomely in this context? How can we put our skills and knowledge to work in serving others and proclaiming God’s kingdom well in ways that our neighbors understand? 

Training to worship and serve God equips us to live like the family of God that we already are. We are brothers and sisters, the children of our Father; learning to love each other well and without favoritism is essential. As we live like God's family, serving with our whole hearts, sharing our words, actions, and love, and knowing that Jesus is always with us, we display Christ's love and grace before one another and our neighbors. We live as his followers, serving and proclaiming with courage. By doing this, we share Jesus' grace and mercy, remembering that he is among us, helping us serve others even in tough times, and putting his honor first.

Training to worship and serve God equips us to spread his love by serving each other and our neighbors. Jesus commanded us to love one another and our neighbors, so we put love for God and each other at the heart of our church life and work together to spread that love to our neighbors.  We learn together what excellence looks like and work toward it to form us as a family of worshiping servants who prioritize Christ's mission to make disciples and help each other grow as disciple-priests. Love helps us focus on Christ's mission. It helps us learn to see each other and our neighbors through Jesus' eyes, be present with others as he is, and boldly live and share his message respectfully.

Training to worship and serve God equips us to keep adapting to show his love more clearly through our diversity of giftings in the context of our unity. We are a diverse group of God's children, and our service should reflect his love through this diversity. We understand ourselves as family, our location as a community of neighbors, and our skills and knowledge as equipment God has given for his work. We learn to serve right now, right here, with what we have. We learn to see and be present with one another and our neighbors. We train to worship always and serve actively because Jesus has sent us on his mission here. We focus on serving in ways that fit our community, knowing that Jesus has placed us here to make a difference. We aim to reflect his glory through our diverse gifts and perspectives, centered on Jesus and dedicated to honoring his name.

Let us train so we can love one another deeply and share our faith winsomely. When things are tough, remember that the church is our forever family, and invite others to join us. When things get too theoretical, find practical ways to worship and serve better. When life gets complicated, remember that love for God and each other is our heart. When pulled in too many directions, refocus on being a church family that loves. When the new and shiny distract us, put our energy into the things that help us serve. When you think too little of yourself, remember that every believer is equipped to serve. Everything else flows from love--a God worshiping and others serving love that declares Jesus to our neighbors and the Nones in their midst.

Information on the Nones from: Has the rise of religious ‘nones’ come to an end in the U.S.?

Who writes Academy? Laura has an MDiv in Christian Education, a ThM in Systematic Theology, and a PhD in Educational Studies. She also serves TFB as a guitarist (primarily) and singer in TFB's worship band. Jeff has a Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies and is currently working on an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. He also serves as kitchen lead for TFB's Family Dinner and as TFB’s bookkeeper. 

Training Toward Practical Love

By Laura Springer with Jeff Barnhart

Key Passages: Psalm 19:1-6; Proverbs 1:1-7; Romans 1:18-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Key Idea: Training toward practical love by learning from Scripture and Creation fine-tunes what we enjoy and already know how to do so we can share with one another and our neighbors, developing a culture of service in which members are honest about their own needs and generous in their care for others.


Studying the Bible is good; more than that, studying the Bible is necessary. It is also insufficient. Our actions and words must live out in practical love. If our training is from the Bible alone, we will struggle to apply Scripture well. The Bible is God's self-revelation in human language. It points us to the Messiah, God with us, and calls all who trust him to live boldly as they follow and worship with holy fear. Creation is God's self-revelation in the products and processes of nature. It reflects his rule and care by refracting his glory in its many colors and pointing all with eyes to see to his power and deity. Everything humans make and know outside the Bible is part of creation. So, baking cupcakes, helping someone with algebra, changing an oil filter, building cabinets, or organizing a work team are all opportunities to serve God.

Learning from Scripture and Creation trains us to take what we enjoy and already know how to do and equips us to share with others. It aligns our service with Jesus and his ways, whether we are gathered together or dispersed into daily life. Learning theology alongside lessons from nature and regular life sharpens our skills and knowledge. We learn to serve regular people in regular and extraordinary ways. We work together to develop a culture that loves first, focuses on God's glory, and lives as this particular family of faith that shows love in our work together. We help our brothers and sisters uncover their skills and knowledge and ponder how these gifts might mature the church toward Christlikeness and share grace and love with others.

Learning from Scripture and Creation fine-tunes spiritual gifts and ministry assignments for greater skill and broader service. Fine-tuning our abilities and knowledge prepares us to serve at a moment's notice. It helps us see that every skill and all knowledge can channel God's goodness through us to others. We begin to serve the people around us rather than simply performing duties. We prepare ourselves for practical love and service on Sunday and in daily life.

Learning from Scripture and Creation prepares a culture of service for action. Preparing a culture of service maintains programs and systems that move members toward God’s mission. It creates a safe place where we can be honest about our needs and generous with our care.  It encourages us to work toward excellence as an offering of worship. It requires ministry and administrative structures that fit needs and equip members to serve. It emphasizes simplicity and impact.

Let’s make sure our discipleship activities train believers at the intersection of Scripture and regular life so we can better live as God’s children every day. Let’s be the sort of Christians who see a need, figure out how we can help, and train to do so more effectively. Let’s help each other recognize our God-given skills and knowledge, remembering that Jesus showed us what practical love looks like: it touches souls and meets real needs in tangible ways.


Who writes Academy? Laura has an MDiv in Christian Education, a ThM in Systematic Theology, and a PhD in Educational Studies. She also serves TFB as a guitarist (primarily) and singer in TFB's worship band. Jeff has a Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies and is currently working on an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. He also serves as kitchen lead for TFB's Family Dinner and as TFB’s bookkeeper.

Training Together to Serve Well

By Laura Springer with Jeff Barnhart

Key Passages: Ephesians 4:7-16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Key Idea: Service training that equips the church toward maturity in Christ, God-honoring culture, and service excellence develops capacities to serve well, forms a culture of truth and love, and teaches believers to value Jesus, siblings, and others.

We are surrounded by many needs and supplied with much knowledge and skill, yet fitting all this together can be tough. Sometimes, we group needs into categories to the neglect of specifics. Other times, we put ministry in the church-stuff box and forget about regular life. Both situations can hinder effective service. This is where practical training comes in. Figuring out how the truth of Scripture puts on shoes and heads out to serve helps the church to live love like Jesus. Serving and learning alongside one another strengthens family connections that honor God by prioritizing truth and love. Training while we serve others exposes gaps and highlights strengths, and working on both moves us toward service excellence.

Train as a community to become increasingly Christlike. As Paul teaches in Ephesians 4, Christians who are equipped for ministry work together to mature the church toward unity and Christlikeness. Unity binds us to Christ and one another. It forms us as one family of brothers and sisters who actively love one another. Unity lives out the fact of oneness in Christ through life together in harmonious, mutual understanding. Even more, Christlikeness sinks us deep in God’s truth, strengthening us against the deceptions of false spirituality and developing in us the capacity and desire to act upon God’s truth in love with boldness. 

Train as a community to develop a culture of truth and love. When truth and love are at the heart of our community, we naturally proclaim Jesus through love-based actions and tend our hearts to the needs of others. Our life together remains centered on Jesus, and we design our events, practices, and structures to glorify him. He becomes the measure of our quality and the goal of our work. We confirm him as our one Head and most significant influence. We commit ourselves to being honest about our weaknesses and failures, giving Jesus all the glory while never downplaying our participation in his work. We become a people grounded in God’s Word and living it out in acts of love toward others. 

Train as a community to develop the abilities we already have. We need not search for particular skills. We must not wait for our hearts to be moved to serve. We must serve. Let us train while we serve with the abilities we have, becoming ever more committed to excellent service that loves others through actions and words. Let us make the needs of others more important than how we prefer to use our knowledge and skills. Let us train to speak, live, and hear the truth more clearly and deeply. Let us train to be open about hard things without blurting them out in harmful ways. Let us train to help, share, and work alongside others for their good and God’s glory. Let us train so that our thoughts, actions, and affections align with God as we work from love.  

The eternal value of Jesus, our Christian siblings, and others requires the best from us, so let us train to learn what is best and how to carry it out. Serving with our best puts people before tasks. It develops capacities and fits those capacities to the needs of others because we love people as we love God. Giving our best grounds our service in truth from both scripture and creation and fits that service to the practical needs in the everyday lives of regular people. So, let us continue to know God and others more deeply, understand contexts and cultures more broadly, and train as servants steadfastly on this side of heaven.

Who writes Academy? Laura has an MDiv in Christian Education, a ThM in Systematic Theology, and a PhD in Educational Studies. She also serves TFB as a guitarist (primarily) and singer in TFB's worship band. Jeff has a Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies and is currently working on an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. He also serves as kitchen lead for TFB's Family Dinner and as TFB’s bookkeeper.