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B.L.E.S.S.

A NEW APPROACH TO PRAYER AND EVANGELISM.

An Introduction to B.L.E.S.S.

Bless is a new approach to prayer and evangelism. It's less about downloading information, and more about loving our neighbors well. These missional practices can help us get "unstuck" and find new ways to share the gospel story. BLESS is an intentional pathway for people of all ages to become like Jesus and join His mission. 

The journal available in our lobby (or downloadable below) is a resource for your BLESS journey with prompts for each practice. These prompts, along with stories told during our Sunday services, will help you see new opportunities to join the Spirit in blessing people in your life who do not know God. 

Download a pdf of the bless journal

Begin With Prayer

Ask God to show you two to three people in your life who do not know God, and pray for them each day.

Listen With Care

Pay attention to people’s dreams and pain. Listen for evidence of God’s work in their lives.

Eat Together

Share meals together.

Serve In Love

Be attentive to the opportunities God provides you to care for people and attend to their needs.

Share the Story

Once you build a relationship and earn trust, look for ways you can share the story of how Jesus is transforming your life and the world.

Additional Resources.

BLESS: 5 EVERYDAY WAYS TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AND CHANGE THE WORLD

Author: Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson

What If You Could Change the World without Changing Your Daily Routine?
When you’ve been transformed by God’s love, you can’t help but want others to experience the same grace and freedom. But how do you share it without scaring them away or offending them? For most Christians, “evangelism” is an intimidating word that suggests handing out tracts to strangers or doing other awkward things.
But what if there was a more organic, more 
authentic way to share your faith with your friends, neighbors, and coworkers?
Dave and Jon Ferguson have found five simple, straightforward practices that will allow any believer to do just that. And by consistently living them out, you can affect not just individual lives but your entire neighborhood and community—one person at a time.

CLICK HERE TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON

THE ART OF NEIGHBORING: BUILDING GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS RIGHT OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR

Author: Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon

Once upon a time, people knew their neighbors. They talked to them, had cookouts with them, and went to church with them. In our time of unprecedented mobility and increasing isolationism, it's hard to make lasting connections with those who live right outside our front door. We have hundreds of "friends" through online social networking, but we often don't even know the full name of the person who lives right next door.
This unique and inspiring book asks the question: What is the most loving thing I can do for the people who live on my street or in my apartment building? Through compelling true stories of lives impacted, the authors show readers how to create genuine friendships with the people who live in closest proximity to them. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter make this book perfect for small groups or individual study.

CLICK HERE TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON

I ONCE WAS LOST: WHAT POSTMODERN SKEPTICS TAUGHT US ABOUT THEIR PATH TO JESUS

Author: Don Everts & Doug Schaupp

How do people come to Jesus in today's postmodern culture? Not by a mechanical, linear process of cookie-cutter conversions. Nor by a nebulous spiritual wandering that never culminates in decision and commitment. Over the last decade, Don Everts and Doug Schaupp have listened to the stories of two thousand postmodern people who have come to follow Jesus. While their stories are diverse and varied, certain common themes emerge. Postmodern evangelism is a mysterious and organic process that nevertheless goes through discernible phases, as people cross thresholds from distrust to trust, from complacency to curiosity, and from meandering to seeking. Everts and Schaupp describe the factors that influence how people shift their perspectives and become open to the Gospel. They provide practical tools to help people enter the kingdom, as well as guidelines for how new believers can live out their Christian faith.

CLICK HERE TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON

EVERYDAY CHURCH: GOSPEL COMMUNITIES ON MISSION

Author: Tim Chester & Steve Timmis

How does the church reach the unchurched?

We live in an increasingly post-Christian culture. More and more we find ourselves on the margins as fewer and fewer people have any intention of ever attending church. What used to work doesn’t work anymore and we need to adapt.

Helping us to see the way forward, this book offers practical ideas and personal stories for engaging with Western society. Find out how to effectively reach people in the context of everyday life and take hold of the opportunity to develop missional communities focused on Jesus.

CLICK HERE TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON

QUESTIONING EVANGELISM: ENGAGING PEOPLE'S HEARTS THE WAY JESUS DID

Author: Randy Newman

You don't need to memorize evangelical formulas or answers. You just have to be willing to ask.
There was something different about the way Jesus communicated with the lost: He didn't force answers upon people, He asked questions. So why don't we?
Following Christ's lead, Randy Newman has been using a questioning style of evangelism for decades. In this provocative book, he provides practical insights to help Christians engage others in meaningful spiritual conversations. He challenges us to examine how we think about people, their questions, and our crucial message.

CLICK HERE TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON

THE 9 ARTS OF SPIRITUAL CONVERSATIONS: WALKING ALONGSIDE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE DIFFERENTLY

Author: Mary Schaller & John Crilly

Love God, love people. Could evangelism really be that simple?
Often, it doesn’t seem so. It can feel scary, awkward, and uncomfortable as we try to navigate loaded questions and different perspectives. Even the most faithful of believers sometimes get stumped. But can you imagine if we, as Christians, simply spent time with people who are far from God and provided a safe place to talk about spiritual matters? If we listened to them and discovered what was really important to them? After all . . . it’s what Jesus did. And it’s what 
you can do too.
Drawing straight from the life and ministry of Jesus, 
The 9 Arts of Spiritual Conversations offers simple practices to help you build relationships with people who believe differently. Anyone who has read and appreciated Becoming a Contagious Christian or Just Walk across the Room won’t want to miss this book on creating a safe space to have natural, loving, and spiritual conversations with others.

CLICK HERE TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON

(IM)POSSIBLE: DISCOVER THE JOY OF A PRAYER, CARE, SHARE LIFE

Author: Lon Allison

Does the thought of sharing your faith with others paralyze you with fear? 
(im)POSSIBLE: Discover the Joy of a Prayer, Care, Share Life will inspire and persuade you to engage in a life of personal witness for Jesus Christ. Offering years of personal experience, author and teacher Lon Allison’s “prayer, care, share” method of evangelism clarifies and simplifies the witnessing life. Embrace new attitudes and you will begin the journey of a lifetime. Once you begin to pray regularly for unbelievers and your life of witness, your compassion rises. Once your compassion rises, you gain power over the fear factor that paralyzes many from sharing their faith with others. Now's the time to dare―what are you waiting for? You were made for this!

CLICK HERE TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON

ORGANIC OUTREACH FOR ORDINARY PEOPLE: SHARING GOOD NEWS NATURALLY

Author: Kevin Harney

Fulfill One of Your Deepest Longings Every follower of Jesus has a sincere desire to share God’s love with others. We want to tell friends and family about who Jesus is, what he means to us, and all he has done for them. Deep in our hearts, we have a burning passion to pass on the good news we have received. But, where do we start? We want to share our faith, but we don’t want it to feel awkward, uncomfortable, or unnatural … for them or for us! Organic Outreach for Ordinary People will help you shape a personal approach to passing on the good news of Jesus in natural ways. This is not a system or a program. It’s a collection of biblical practices that you can incorporate into your life starting today. You can begin right where God has placed you. You can share the love and message of Jesus in a way that fits exactly how God has wired you. In this practical and easy-to-read book, Kevin Harney offers the tools needed to reach out with God’s love in organic ways. In these pages, you will discover that sharing the good news of Jesus can be as natural as talking about your favorite sports team or telling a friend about a wonderful new restaurant. On the golf course, over coffee, while taking a walk—anywhere and everywhere—become a bearer of grace. Share the amazing love of God. Tell the life-changing story of Jesus. Discover ordinary ways to communicate God’s love and the message of salvation—naturally.

CLICK HERE TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON

A MEAL WITH JESUS: DISCOVERING GRACE, COMMUNITY, AND MISSION AROUND THE TABLE

Author: Tim Chester

The meals of Jesus represent something bigger. They represent a new world, a new kingdom, and a new outlook.

Tim Chester brings to light God’s purposes in the seemingly ordinary act of sharing a meal―how this everyday experience is really an opportunity for grace, community, and mission. Chester challenges contemporary understandings of hospitality as he urges us to evaluate why and who we invite to our table. Learn how you can foster grace and bless others through the rich fare being served in A Meal with Jesus.

CLICK HERE TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON