Reflecting Our Core Reflecting Our Core NarrativesNarratives

Loving Jesus is the Core of Loving Jesus is the Core of Who we AreWho we Are

But when the Pharisees heard that he had But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered silenced the Sadducees, they gathered

together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which him a question to test him. “Teacher, which

is the great commandment in the Law?” is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the And he said to him, “You shall love the

Lord your God with all your heart and with Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a the great and first commandment. And a

second is like it: You shall love your second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two neighbor as yourself. On these two

commandments depend all the Law and the commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”Prophets.”

““Heart is used in Scripture as the most Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic comprehensive term for the authentic

person. It is the part of our being where we person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as “the place of conscious and described as “the place of conscious and

decisive spiritual activity,” “the decisive spiritual activity,” “the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; comprehensive term for a person as a whole;

his feelings, desires, passions, thought, his feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will,” and “the center of a understanding and will,” and “the center of a

person. The place to which God turns.”person. The place to which God turns.”

Joseph Stowell- ‘Fan the Flames’Joseph Stowell- ‘Fan the Flames’

““I am the vine; you are the I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart bears much fruit, for apart

from me you can do nothing.”from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5John 15:5