Following
Recently, my youngest son lost one of his last baby teeth at school. On the drive home, we started talking about what happens to all those teeth the tooth fairy collects. Let me just say, the variety of suggestions on that ride ranged from, “The tooth fairy uses them in her own mouth, like a shark tooth situation,” to “Santa moonlights as the tooth fairy to help pay the bills in the off-season.”
Of course, you’re asking, But wouldn’t that cost Santa money instead of making money?
Well, naturally, he then profits by selling the teeth on the black market.
I have never laughed so hard at such a ridiculous conversation.
In that moment, I realized: our kids are becoming like us, and even adopting our humor.
They’re taking on our ways as they grow into adulthood.
Our mission here at The Chapel is to help people be formed in the ways of Jesus by following him and leading others in the direction of abiding in Jesus, being changed by him, and embodying his ways, for the glory of God and the good of others.
In other words, the journey of faith is a journey of formation, of becoming more like Jesus, of taking on his ways as we grow in spiritual maturity.
In Jesus’ time, learning didn’t happen by sitting in a classroom for hours, retaining data, and regurgitating it for a test. Learning was about becoming like your teacher. You gained essential wisdom from sages to guide life and faith, you took on their ways, and you lived them out. This is how rabbis trained their disciples, so why does it sometimes seem like we’ve abandoned that idea?
To follow Jesus, like his disciples did then and as we are called to do now, is to walk alongside him, listening and learning, observing what he did and living it out. It’s hearing and doing. It’s becoming obedient to his way and actually doing what Jesus did.
When we become students of Jesus, we become like Jesus. Over the years, I’ve taken on new ways and let others fall away. I’ve adopted new practices, rhythms, and disciplines to be more like him, and I’ve let go of plenty of things I used to value. He is our Rabbi, and following him must change us to be more like him.
Dallas Willard once wrote:
“Being a disciple, or apprentice, of Jesus is a quite definite and obvious kind of thing. To make a mystery of it is to misunderstand it. There is no good reason why people should ever be in doubt as to whether they themselves are his students or not. And the evidence will always be quite clear as to whether any other individual is his student…”
My kids are like Sarah and me because they spend time with us. They shadow us. They learn from us.
The question is, are we becoming like Jesus?
Eugene Peterson once said:
“The Jesus way wedded to the Jesus truth brings about the Jesus life.”
He went on to say,
“Jesus as the truth gets far more attention than Jesus as the way. Jesus as the way is the most frequently evaded metaphor among Christians.”
But living out the ways of Jesus, being “little Christs” (which is literally what the word Christianmeans), is exactly what those first disciples did and exactly what he calls all his followers to do.
Will it make a difference? Well, Jesus got killed for living this way… and so did most of his disciples. But remember: this no-name, houseless carpenter-rabbi and his band of misfits ended up transforming the world, because his followers did what he did.
John Mark Comer puts it this way:
“If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you need to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.”
For me, that means adopting the things Jesus did. In 2,000 years of church tradition, people have followed Jesus by living out rhythms and disciplines he practiced; keeping the Sabbath, praying, fasting, practicing silence and solitude, living generously, serving others, studying Scripture, investing in community, and bearing witness to him.
These practices aren’t busywork. They’re what it means for Jesus to be our Rabbi and for us to become like him. Living these ways out is what it means to follow him.
Over the next several weeks, we’ll continue journeying through 1 John and reflecting on what it means to be formed, to follow, to abide, to be changed, and to embody. After that, we’ll explore some spiritual practices we believe are vital to growing in Christlikeness. Then, we’ll introduce a new spiritual practice we think is important for our community—along with some great resources to help you grow in it.
This past Sunday, over 40 students came forward to be prayed for and blessed as they began the new school year. About a dozen middle and high school students served as greeters, ushers, and more. It was beautiful.
At the end of the service, one of my sons shared the same benediction I say every week. He knows it because he’s been in countless services where I’ve spoken those words.
Earlier that morning, before we left for church, I was working out in the garage when he came up and asked,
“Dad, what are you wearing today for church?”
“I don’t know, probably something black.”
“Do you have anything blue, like a button-up?”
“Yeah… why?”
“Because I want to dress like you. I want to look like you when I give the benediction.”
Heart: officially melted.
He wanted to look like me, to talk like me, to do what I do.
That’s what I want with Jesus.
To look like him.
To talk like him.
To do what he did.
I hope you will join us as we continue to be formed by Jesus as we follow after him.
Read below to know all that is going on!
Formed Bible Reading Plan
We are journey through 1 John and other scriptures to continue to see what it means to be formed in the ways of Jesus. We have physical bookmarks that give you a daily reading, Monday-Friday. We also have a podcast released every Monday that teaches through each chapter of 1 John. If you don’t have a physical copy of the bookmark, check out the digital version here.
You can find the podcasts on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you stream.
Upcoming Fall Dates
–Trip to Egypt/Jordan Informational Meeting. Sunday, August 17th after worship we will circle up and give some info about our trip to Egypt. If you are already signed up, this isn’t necessary for you. It is intended for people who want to go or want to know more, but haven’t committed yet. We’ll meet about 11:30-noon. A quick 30 minutes or so. If you want to sign up, you can do that here,
Egypt Trip with optional Jordan Extension
March 10–20, 2026 (Jordan Extension: March 21–24)
Click here for more info and to register
When registering:
Host ID: 60537
Host Name: Andrew Beard
-New Communities Launch. Sunday, September 7th, we will launch new Chapel Communities. If you would like to connect with other people in a similar season of life, join us that Sunday following the 10:00am Service. This is a non-committal informational meeting. If you are happy in your community this meeting is not for you. Please let us know if you plan to attend by clicking this link.
-Fall Bible Studies Kickoff. Wednesday, September 10th, we will start our fall Bible Studies journeying through the book of Hebrews. Men meet at 8am and Women meet at 9:30am. The studies are open to all people of all ages. We hope you will join us.
-Baptism and Bonfire. Sunday, September 28th we are going to have Baptism and Bonfire. If you are interested in or have been thinking about being baptized, please click the link for more information and to attend a meeting on Sunday, September 21st right after our 10:00am service.
-Mission and Outreach Sunday. Sunday, October 19th, join us after church for an opportunity to connect with others and to see how we can meet the needs of our church outreach partners. We’ll have many of our partners in attendance so it is a great time to visit with people who call The Chapel home and find out how you can be a part of proclaiming the Kingdom with both our words and actions.
-Christmas Night of Worship. Sunday, December 7th, join us for a Night of Worship mixed with hymns and carols to continue to fix our eyes on Advent and the arrival of our Savior. We’ll have more details as the date gets closer, but we look forward to this special evening as a part of your Christmas season.
Worship Online
As always, if you are busy, hosting family, out of town, under the weather, or the crowds or heat are too much, we get it. Worship with us online on our website or on our Facebook or listen to the sermon podcasts on Spotify, Apple or wherever you stream.
I hope you will join us this Sunday for worship at 10am as we continue to follow after Jesus.
Blessings,
Andrew