In homes and neighborhoods all over KC, people are learning to breathe in and breathe out BLESS.

The BLESS Learning Community is a six-month journey that helps each member of the cohort integrate the breathing in and breathing out rhythms of BLESS into their life, becoming everyday missionaries where they live, work and play. We're currently in our third generation of groups, with new groups currently forming. 

The groups meet every other week for six months. Content is accessed through an online portal called Trained Up.

• The first week of each month gives the overarching theme for the month and the following weeks have a practical application that helps people assimilate that information into everyday life.
• The first month deals with important paradigm shifts.
• The following five months are deep dives into the individual letters of the acronym.

This was written by one of the members who has walked through and led a BLESS LC:

For our family, the BLESS rhythms have become a focus of daily living. It has enabled us to concentrate on the purpose behind every neighborly engagement while also strengthening our own personal relationships with Christ. Through the act of studying the tactical methods Jesus himself lived out while on Earth, one begins to view the world through a different lens. We have noticed that a willingness to simply listen has led to multiple conversations we otherwise would not have had. By confidently knowing that Christ is already at work in the lives of those around us and “tuning in” to that work, my wife and I have deepened relationships, exposed opportunities to serve, and elevated questions on faith for many families around us. The church is a called missional force, meant to love and serve those around us. We jumped on board, adopting habits of bringing people into our homes, taking concern for the needs of OUR community, and seeking God’s guidance to join his locally optimized strategy for engagement.

There are not many ideas I like coaching people in more than BLESS.

BLESS is not a canned presentation. However, it is a strategy to introduce people to Jesus. It is not a manipulative strategy that puts your family, neighbors, co-workers or mates as projects to get across a finish line. It actually focuses squarely on "me" and my relationship with the fullness of the God-head first. The BLESS rhythms help me ask God where he's at work and how I can join Him. They teach me to maintain the posture of a listener primarily and a speaker secondarily. They help me become radically and biblically hospitable by making a place at my table the way Jesus made a place at His table for me. They teach me to serve with intentionality. No more random acts of kindness, now they intentional and driven by my posture as a listener. I discover the most meaningful places of service by listening to what my neighbor or neighborhood is telling me would be meaningful. I don't even have to make it up. I respond to what they and Holy Spirit have communicated. And eventually, I don't have to share a gospel presentation, rather I'm asked why I live so differently and why our family has oriented our life this way. In truth, all along the way, I've been gospeling my neighbors. When I get to sharing the story, I get to show how all along the way we’ve been sharing the good news of the kingdom by living like Jesus lived. And I've earned the right and the trust to speak it over them. We have received each other really. 

That's been God's strategy from the beginning. He told Abraham I'm going to bless you to be a blessing, and I'm going to bless all nations through you. That never changed. Jesus fulfilled it completely. And the church extends it. It's not a canned presentation. It's not even that clever honestly. It's not extrabiblical and man-made. It's not contrived. It's in the text. We're just helping people today flesh out what we deeply believe is found throughout the entire Book. You’re BLESSed. BLESS others. You don’t have to ask Jesus to send you to be a missionary. You’ve already been sent…right where you live, work and play.

There is an information meeting on Sunday, June 18, 12:15p in the East Venue for all those ready to start changing the neighborhood.