Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I have tremendous hope that our new SOGF Bible study is going to change many lives, while also pulling us closer together as a church community.

I think we can all agree that life is mostly good. Most days, we have everything we need and more. Most days, more people are kind to us than are rude to us. Most days, we find opportunities to take pleasure in what we enjoy: the outdoors, entertainment, time with loved ones. Most nights, we go to bed and know that the people we love are still alive, and we wake up the next morning to have them still there with us.

I started going to church because my mom made me, but by the time I was in 9th grade, I went to church every time the doors were open because I wanted to—and for all the wrong reasons. For me, church was a social outlet, not something I considered part of my spiritual journey. It was clear that most of the youth group, including a particularly cute boy, were what would be considered “the good kids.” I watched them, and I adapted my words and actions so that I sounded and looked like them, but nothing in my heart changed.