Episode 082:

Jesus, Love, Conflict and Tacos

…or is it Thacos?

 August 27, 2019

Following Jesus Every Day

What do joy, hope, monotony, conflict, hospitality, and community have to do with following Jesus?

Everything.

In Episode 082 Sara talks with four 26-30-year-olds living in Louisville, Kentucky. William Summay, Erin Sigmund, Haley Hodge, Nolan Hodge and Joseph Reece are seeking to follow Jesus every day. (Yes, that’s five people. Joseph wasn’t with us for this conversation. We’ll catch you next time, Joseph!) They’re several months into living in an intentional community. But for over four years, they’ve been creating space that is filled with grace, conflict, and tacos.

As a leader, listen to this episode to hear how relationships and authenticty, not programs, are central to being the church. You’ll be confronted with the love of Jesus expressed in everything from conversation to tacos and friendship to marriage.

Grace, Conflict, and Tacos

Wait, what?

Yes, you read that correctly. Listen as Haley shares how a welcoming, loving space opened the door to conversations that not only challenged her beliefs – but changed them. The transformation from atheist to Jesus follower came because of friendship, conversation, and love – with tacos as a side dish.

Erin reflects on questioning how to make friends as an adult. Nolan explores how different church traditions and theologies are the spark to unity. William points us to an a-ha moment about what it means to intentionally build relationships and live in community. And, much, much more.

Intentionality

William, Erin, Haley, Nolan (and Joseph, who wasn’t able to join this episode) are living with intention, grace, and hospitality. They also have their fair share of conflict. It’s not something they avoid. Instead, they embrace conflict and stumble through it with love.

You’ll hear why they decided to move into one house together and what’s happening because they did. You’ll also hear about tacos. Tacos that are “the worst tacos on the planet” or “the best tacos” – it just depends on the week. But really, it’s not about the tacos. It’s about creating a space for more than 50 people, every week, to encounter the love of God.

You Need to Listen

If you’ve ever asked, “How do we get young people to stay connected to the church?” (…and we know most of you have.) This episode is for you.

Or maybe you’ve said, “What are we going to do about the divisiveness going on around us?” This episode is for you.

Or maybe you’ve uttered the words, “I need to find some friends my age.” Yes, you guessed it, this episode is for you.

Confession

I laughed, I cried, I celebrated and I gave God thanks for the faith of these young adults. If you’re worried about the church, or our future, William, Erin, Haley, and Nolan will give you hope and a refresher on the life and love of Jesus.

I’m still giving God thanks for the time we spent together via Zoom – and our conversation happened last week.

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Mentioned in the Episode

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