I am part of a church where community is important and needed. Community is where life happens, love is shown and grace is given.  But how do you find your community?  How do you keep your community when life is so busy?

Recently, as most of you know, I have been a part of a wonderful community that was created by Jen Hatmaker.  Jen is the author of best selling book, 7 as well as many other amazing books. We were brought together for the sole purpose of launching her new book, For The Love, but it became much more than that. We became a community of women (and 4 men) that came together and do life together. How did this happen? We had this author that wrote this book that was inspired by the one who loves the best, Jesus.  We had a example to go by and Jen made it so easy to follow.  “Be kind, be you, love Jesus.”

Everyone needs community. Men were not not meant to be alone.  That is why God created Eve for Adam, to have someone to share life with. If you are like me, even the tiniest bit, you understand how easy it is to be alone. Why is that? My thought is because that is what the enemy wants. The enemy wants us to be alone so he makes it very easy to do so.  Being alone creates a space for lies to seep in. We have to go against the grain and fight for what God intended, fight for community.  When you surround yourself with your community it create a wall of truth around you, like a hedge. You community is there to inspire you, speak into you, stand by you in the hard times and cheer with you during the good.  But many of us get into funk and say things like, “I have no one to hang out with” or feel left out when we hear of events that we were not invited to participate in.  We end up sitting at home feeling sorry for ourselves.  Trust me…I am an expert of feeling sorry for myself!

Jen states it so boldly, “Instead of waiting for community, provide it, and you will end up with it anyway.”  What does this look like?  I means opening your home, making a call and reaching out. It means providing a space for someone to come, share a cup of coffee and their heart.  “If you build it, they will come.”(not from the book but it goes well doesn’t it?) I took a hold of this advice and held tight to it while reading her new book. I so easily get caught up in my day to day and I forget to reach out. Before I know it I find myself in a deep dark hole alone and unsure how to get out. It takes community to create a staircase that will lead you out of that hole. You provide the community, they will provide the love.

“Let’s lay down our junk, our wonky junk that messes up relationships and community and togetherness. We won’t let our own crazy stop us from affirming each other and banging the drum for our sisters.”  Let’s band together and be there for one another! Let’s create a safe place to come with no judgement and only love. The kind of love Jesus has for everyone.
Want to know more? Jen talks about it all in her new book, For the Love.  These are a few things you can expect from this book:

-Break free of guilt and shame by dismantling the unattainable Pinterest life.

-Learn to engage our culture’s controversial issues with a grace-first approach.

-Be liberated to love and release the burden of always being right.

-Identify the tools you already have to develop real-life, all-in, know-my-junk-but-love-me-anyway friendships.

-Escape our impossible standards for parenting and marriage by accepting the standard of “mostly good.”

-Laugh your butt off.

Want a FREE copy? Today is the release day of this amazing book and to celebrate I am giving one away!!  Follow these simple steps for a chance to win your very own hard copy of For The Love.

1.  Follow Hope Matters (to the right—>)AND sign up for Jen’s email list! CLICK HERE!! EF’s (email friends) are seriously the best thing ever.

2. Comment below and tell me the best way you feel love through community? (Ex:  coffee with a friend)

3. Share post via Facebook OR Tag two friends via Instagram 

That’s it!! Good luck!! Giveaway ends Friday August 21st at Noon (central time)

This blog post is part of of blog tour to help launch Jen’s book, For The Love. The blog tour will take place August 18th through September 30, 2015.  To check out the other blogs click HERE!