It’s crazy that this year’s all church retreat was only a few days ago… (but it already seems like it was ages ago!) For those of us that went, we got to experience His love, His refreshment through community, breaking down of walls and lies in our heart, and the power of truth and vulnerability. We got to learn the way of Jesus, and how He was affirmed and led by His Father. Up. We saw how Jesus was sustained by God’s Word, and was firm in His identity in the wilderness. In. We saw how Jesus moved in power because of who God made Him to be. Out.

After this weekend, we’ve already entered back into the hustle and bustle of life with work, school and everything else charging at us at full speed. As more and more things get put on our plates, how can we continue following the way of Jesus? Our prayer, as CORE, is that we focus simply on ONE thing that will permeate into ALL aspects of our lives: Seeking God’s heart.

These past few months, we’ve spent walking through and reviewing how we as a church body, as a community, and as a family should treat each other through the “One Another” series. Each encouragement was not difficult in its concept, but in its practice, can take a lifetime to grow in.

As we continue to walk together, and not alone, it will be a struggle as we strive and strain to love one another. There is only one way to spark and sustain that love though. It’s only through God Himself. We need His truth, His encouragement and His refreshment to sustain us. Along with that, we need Him to wash away the lies we so often believe, in order that we can live in our true identity as His children.

To that end, how we want to move towards that, is to simply seek His heart. Whether it be in the green pastures of our lives or the darkest caves, may we learn to seek His heart. Whether we’ve defeated giants or are struggling to survive, may we learn to seek His heart. Whether we’re defamed or well respected, may we learn to seek His heart. Whether we feel alone or in community, may we learn to seek His heart. Whether we’re in obedience or in flat out rebellion, may we learn to seek His heart.

We’ll be spending the next few months examining the life of David and what it means to pursue God’s heart. David is by no means a perfect man. More than David’s victories, he is remembered as the “man after God’s own heart.” In any season, despite success or failure, in blessing or in trial, in victory or in sin, David continually turns and returns to the Lord. Our desire is that we would be such people. May we be men and women after God’s heart.

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.

Psalm 27:4, a psalm of David