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- Pastor Ben
- Sep 30
For years my default map of faith ran like this: believe → behave → belong. Get the ideas right, get your act together, and then you’re in. Over time—through scripture, pastoring, and a lot of table-time with neighbors—I shifted to belong → believe: make room at the table first and let faith grow in the soil of relationship.
Lately, one more turn has become clear for me and, I think, for our church: belonging is both the road and the destination. We don’t just start with belonging; we travel by belonging. We practice it, fail at it, return to it, and discover that the end of the journey is the same as the means: being held in Love together.
Why belonging?
Theologically, belonging is not a soft on-ramp—it’s the heart of the gospel. From Eden’s “Where are you?” to Jesus’ “Come and eat,” God keeps moving toward people before they move toward God. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus forms community before he quizzes anyone on doctrine: he calls fishermen, eats with tax collectors, welcomes sinners, and tells stories where the party starts before people are “ready.” (Think of the Great Banquet in Luke 14 or Zacchaeus in Luke 19.)
Belonging is how grace feels when it lands in a room. It’s what justification sounds like at a dinner table.
Radical hospitality at Riverfront
This is why radical hospitality is one of our core practices at Riverfront Family Church. We don’t throw the word “radical” in for flair. We mean hospitality that goes to the root—radix—of the gospel: God makes room for us in Christ, so we make room for one another.
Hospitality here is not an event, a coffee station, or a friendly vibe. It’s a discipleship practice:
We set a longer table and expect to be surprised by who sits down.
We refuse to make agreement the price of admission.
We protect belonging with clear boundaries for safety and dignity, not to gatekeep but to keep the gates open for the most vulnerable.
We assume that the Spirit is already at work in every person who walks through our doors—and that we will meet Christ in them.
Loved first, always
Brennan Manning helped me put words to this. He wrote, “God loves you unconditionally—just as you are, not as you should be.” And again, “Define yourself as one radically beloved by God.” Those lines refuse the bargain we keep trying to strike with God. If love can be earned, it can be lost. If love is gift, then it’s secure.
So belonging isn’t a perk for the pious—it’s the evidence of grace. We belong because God’s love got to us first, and nothing we do—good or bad—alters God’s posture toward us. As Manning insisted, grace means we are already, truly, deeply held.
Not a transaction
Robert Farrar Capon pressed the same point from another angle: the gospel is not a transaction. One of his sharpest lines says, “Grace cannot prevail… until our lifelong certainty that someone is keeping score is brought to nothing.” If salvation is a deal, then the anxious math never ends and belonging is always provisional. But if salvation is a party thrown for the unworthy, then belonging is the whole point—and the whole method—of the Christian life.
Belief inside belonging
Someone always asks, “But doesn’t belief matter?” Absolutely. We preach Jesus crucified and risen; we confess the historic faith; we teach the Scriptures. The shift is sequencing and tone. Belief grows best inside a community that already treats you like family. Trust precedes understanding. Love opens the ears.
When Jesus reads Isaiah in Nazareth (Luke 4), he declares good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind. That wasn’t a doctrinal exam; it was a welcome announcement. Belief—real, deep belief—takes root in that environment.
Practices that make this real
Tables > stages. We prioritize shared meals, circles, and conversations over one-way performance. Transformation is relational.
Names > numbers. We track stories of care and connection more than attendance or “decisions.”
Access > agreement. You don’t need to think like us to serve alongside us, sing with us, or sit in leadership development spaces; we journey together and tell the truth as we go.
Confession & repair. Belonging is not pretending. We confess harm, seek repair, and keep learning how to hold one another well.
Open posture to the city. Our belonging spills outward—into hospitality, peacemaking, and healing—so that neighbors experience the welcome of God through us.
The road and the destination
“Belong before you believe” was a good start. But more and more I see that belonging is the Christian life: we practice it on Sunday and carry it into Monday; we receive it from God and extend it to our neighbors; we stumble and try again. And the promised future? It looks like a feast where everyone has a seat, where tears are wiped away, and where Love has the last word.
Or, to borrow Capon’s image, the scorecards are shredded and the music is loud. And Manning would remind us why: because we are loved—already, always, forever.
So come as you are. Pull up a chair. Bring a friend. Ask your questions. Offer your gifts. Let’s keep walking this road of belonging together—until, by grace, we discover we’ve arrived at the destination of belonging, too.
“Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7)
- Pastor Ben
- Sep 8
Learning from the Way of Jesus
A new series at Riverfront Family Church — starting in October
What does it look like to follow Jesus in a season of rising fear, polarization, and Christian nationalism? This October, Riverfront Family Church is launching Resist. Learning from the Way of Jesus—a journey through Luke–Acts that invites us to practice courageous, nonviolent love in public.
Why “Resist”?
In Scripture, resistance isn’t rage; it’s faithful love that refuses to dehumanize. Jesus announces good news to the poor, release for captives, sight for the blind, and a year of Jubilee (Luke 4). The first Christians turn the world “upside down” with mercy, truth, and table fellowship (Acts). We’ll ask: What does that look like here and now?
What to expect (Sundays in October)
Clear, hope-filled teaching from Luke–Acts (9th-grade reading level; accessible to friends of all faiths or none).
Real stories of resistance—Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer and Bayard Rustin, Dolores Huerta and César Chávez, Bryan Stevenson and more.
Practice the Way each week—simple actions you can try at home, at work, and in the neighborhood.
Home Gatherings, Small Groups & Book Clubs
Alongside Sundays, there will be material for use within our Home Gatherings, for small groups, and for book clubs.
The heartbeat: Hospitality · Peace · Healing
Hospitality: Belonging at the table—stories, meals, and welcome across difference.
Peace: Nonviolent action, truth-telling, and public good news.
Healing: Prayer, healthy boundaries, and care that restores.
A taste of the series
Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1): Singing hope before the evidence.
Nazareth Manifesto (Luke 4): Good news that touches budgets, laws, and lives.
Good Samaritan (Luke 10): Neighbor love that crosses lines.
Mars Hill (Acts 17): Reasoning with calm courage in a noisy world.
Ephesus (Acts 19): When good news “upsets” unjust economics—without dehumanizing anyone.
Who is this for?
Skeptics, seekers, long-time believers, the curious and the cautious. If you’ve been hurt by church, if you’re longing for a faith that heals and does good, or if you want practical ways to love your neighbors in hard times—this is for you.
How to jump in
Join us Sunday, October 5th (series launches).
Start a Group or Book Club email ben@riverfront.church
Invite a friend who’s looking for hope with a backbone.
Series tagline: Resist is not against people; it’s against the powers that harm people—and it looks like Jesus.
Questions or want to RSVP? Reply to this post and we’ll get you the details for dates, group options, and the weekly “Practice the Way” guide.
- Pastor Ben
- Sep 8
Four Arenas of Healing (and How We Practice)
1) Physical Healing
We pray boldly for bodies. Sometimes God heals instantly (we’ve seen it). Sometimes through surgery, meds, rehab, and time. Sometimes not yet. Jesus heals Jairus’s daughter. He also gets tired and sleeps in boats. Both truths belong in church.
Practices:
Ask for prayer after service; we’ll anoint with oil and pray the prayer of faith (Jas. 5).
See your doctor. Take your meds. Ask God to bless your care team.
Offer your body as a living sacrifice—rest, move, hydrate, eat real food (Rom. 12:1).
2) Emotional Healing
“God heals the brokenhearted” (Ps. 147:3). Emotional healing takes time, safety, and truth.
Practices:
Name it. Journal what hurts. Invite a trusted friend to hear it without fixing.
Reframe it. Use a simple CBT move: “What’s the thought? What’s the evidence? What’s a truer thought I can practice?” Pair it with prayer: “Jesus, what do you say?”
Normalize help. Therapy is not a faith failure. It’s wisdom.
3) Relational Healing
Sometimes reconciliation looks like hugs and a shared meal. Sometimes it looks like a wise boundary and a calm heart. Healing here may mean we stop bleeding from old cuts and carry scars that don’t rule us.
Practices:
Truth + Grace. Speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).
Boundaries. Jesus walked away from crowds and said “no” at times. You can too.
Repair when possible; release when necessary. “As far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Rom. 12:18).
4) Spiritual Healing
We’re integrated creatures. Shame, fear, and lies about God warp us. Spiritual healing is coming home to a God who calls you “Beloved.”
Practices:
Daily Examen (5 minutes). Where did I sense God? Where did I feel broken? What do I want to hand to God?
Breath Prayer. Inhale: “Jesus, Son of David…” Exhale: “…have mercy on me.”
Scripture as medicine. Try Mark 5 this week. Sit in the story. Imagine Jesus turning to you.
