Loving Jesus means you’re part of something huge, alive, and growing: a global community of people insane enough to dedicate their lives to the world-altering belief that Jesus came, died for them, and is coming back. I’m discovering new family members here in North Carolina; God’s thoughtfulness in bringing these people in my life is delighting me, and challenging me. What would it look like if I boldly trusted in his love for me every minute of every day? But I’m getting ahead of myself.
So I went to a young professionals networking event at an ad agency in downtown Greensboro, which has its own rooftop event space and fully stocked bar. (I should ask my dad if this is an ad thing — his office in New York had a special bar with Guinness on tap.) Free craft beer is my love language. Seriously. Anyway, there I was on top of the roof, talking to someone who had kindly made eye contact with me. We had ten minutes of really cheerful conversation, then we talked about New York City. I mentioned that I had attended Redeemer for the past year. My new friend gasped, leaned in conspiratorially, and asked with a light in her eyes:
“Do you love Jesus?”
What a perfect question. I couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, yes I do. It’s kind of my thing.”
She beamed. “I do too.”
I’m not really sure how it happened, but a few minutes later I was in her friend’s car on the way with some people from a women’s nonprofit club and was able to sit in on a private meeting at the Community Foundation. The meeting was actually the private unveiling of the prototype of a public art piece by an artist I admire. How insane is that?
I thanked my new friend for being so hospitable and welcoming after she had introduced me to other members of the club as her special guest.
Her response? “Well, we’re sisters!”
Yes. Yes, we are.
I swear Jesus just does these things to delight me.
I want more of the boldness to say yes to going to secret meetings and scary networking things. I want to meet more sisters and brothers. I want to get more people into this insane family, the family where, no matter who you are or where you are, you can meet someone and have everything important in common with them.
Do you have any stories like this one — leaning in and asking, “do you love Jesus?” and saying, “me too?” I want to hear about it. xo
Jo Rutter 
YES!!! This is amazing! Praise Jesus. I had a similar thing happen to me and it was like a slap in the face from Jesus reminding me that I can have fellowship ANYWHERE. I worked at Sears over the summer as a cashier, and I had been working with this lady named Angela who was training me. She was so sweet and different from other people I had worked with before, and I just had a feeling that she knew Jesus too! She asked me what my major was and I told her “Biblical Studies” and she told me that she trained to go into ministry a long time ago but never finished the program, and she wanted to finish it. I can’t even remember what was said after that except that we both were just smiling and almost crying and so happy to know that we both had this, the most important thing, Jesus! 🙂 Sometimes I can only see God in the grand things, but He even orchestrates the small things in life to bless me beautifully.
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Katie, thanks for sharing your story! Totally on point. God meets us where we need him most. There’s a reason we’re one big family!
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i have stories. Call me.
love,
Kate
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i will.
love,
joanna
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