What does it mean to follow Jesus, not just on Sundays, but in the quiet places of the heart, the rhythms of your home, and the callings of your daily life? How does a believer grow deep roots in Christ, bear fruit for His kingdom, and flourish in community? These are the questions that gave birth to Tree Spirituality.
This series of articles flows out of my heart for you as your pastor. In a world of shallow roots, competing identities, and spiritual confusion, I long for you to be rooted in the love of the Father, secure in your union with Christ, and led by the power of the Spirit. Discipleship isn’t a performance to impress God or a checklist to prove ourselves. It is life with God, nourished by His grace, growing slowly and steadily in Christ.
At Christ Presbyterian Church, we’ve been rediscovering who we are together. Our Identity Framework reminds us that we are:
- Adopted into God’s Covenant Family
- Depending on God Alone
- Worshipping the Triune God
- Living with a Redemptive Perspective
- Making Disciples for His Kingdom
Tree Spirituality is an invitation to live out these truths deeply and practically. Each chapter unfolds a step on the path of gospel-shaped discipleship, starting with our identity in Christ and moving into every area of life: service, community, mission, spiritual practices, and hope. It’s not a program. It’s a way of abiding in Jesus, the True Vine, so that our lives bear the fruit of His love.
Psalm 1 says the blessed person is “like a tree planted by streams of water.” That is my prayer for you. Whether you are new to the faith or have walked with Christ for decades, this book is meant to help you grow, rooted in Christ, shaped by grace, and thriving in the soil of God’s presence and the church’s life together.
May the Spirit use these posts to draw you nearer to Christ, and may our church become a grove of gospel oaks, planted, nourished, and bearing fruit for the glory of God and the good of our neighbors.