In just 15 years, I’ve seen the rise and fall of countless Christian trends. The Long Renewal asks the question: How can I follow Jesus in a way that gives my life to the things that endure?

We love because Jesus first loved us.

1 John 4:19 reminds us that anything we do in faith or love can only be a response to the One who loved us first. Because of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and Kingdom reign, we are set free to pursue lives of obedience and renewal.

The Word invites us not only to read it, but to live in it.

Deuteronomy 6 paints a vision of a life lived immersed in Scripture. God’s Word is to be on our hearts, impressed upon our children, on our lips at home and on the move. As we lie down to sleep and when we rise. By singing psalms and other Scripture, the Word weaves its way into the fabric of our lives.

Prayer offers much more than most have yet discovered.

Read through all of Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2. It’s much more than a running list of her thoughts and needs. It’s a soaring tribute to the God who fills the womb with life and leaves the tomb empty. As we begin to carry more of the Word in our hearts and minds, powerful prayer in the Spirit flows out of us more effortlessly.

The Bible extends a forgotten invitation to work with our hands.

1 Thessalonians 4 is well known for its captivating anticipation of the Lord’s return. Too often overlooked is its reminder to humble ourselves and to work with our hands. In a world where the illusions conjured up by technology have left us anxious and isolated, this Word invites us back to reality,

and into a life of God-given renewal.

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