Go Beyond

At Kingsland, we value the joy of going beyond — cultivating a spirit of generosity and service that benefits the Kingdom rather than our own agendas. In the context of church life, we acknowledge that every member has been uniquely gifted to serve the Body, and we value opportunities to discover and use those gifts to serve others. We call this “selfless influence” (service) — one of our core values. We further believe that the scope of this high calling begins in our homes and extends to the ends of the earth.

This week we are living out our core value of selfless influence in El Salvador where a team of Kingsland men are drilling our 15th water well in Central America in partnership with Living Water International. We understand the world water crisis and are committed to drilling two water wells per year in places where people do not have access to a reliable source of clean water. And, this act of kindness always opens doors for us to share with folks about the Living Water — the kind that quenches a much deeper thirst. You can follow the adventures of our team at our Go Beyond Water blog.

Later this week, another Kingsland team will head for Africa where we will take the good news about Jesus to unreached tribes that live deep in the bush. This will not be an easy trip, and that’s ok. Our team understands that the kingdom of God never advances at our convenience, but instead only at our inconvenience. We also understand that living out our core value of selfless influence requires that we always be willing to be inconvenienced.

Today, however, we lived out our core value of selfless influence just a few miles down the road from Kingsland in the community of Brookshire. Our missions ministry has a strategic partnership with the Manna House — a residential home for men recovering from addiction. This morning, our Senior Pastor and forty of our staff members engaged in a variety of hands-on projects at the Manna House campus. We got really dirty, we sweated, we laughed, we engaged with residents of Manna House, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch together.

Selfless influence is a core value that requires movement toward those in need. Whether we move in the direction of others through our prayers or our presence, we must move in their direction in order to live out this core value. The Good Samaritan exercised selfless influence by moving toward a man in desperate need and made a difference in that man’s life. We must do no less. I am grateful to serve with men and women on our staff who live out our core value of selfless influence and who lead by example.