Known
Introducing the Known Movement: A Journey of Faith and Purpose
It was about 2 years ago when I remember having a conversation with a woman I knew or at least at the time I thought I knew in our church. I was speaking to her to try and understand why the person she was becoming on social media was so inconsistent with the person I had come to know. As we spoke I slowly started to realize that the person I was speaking to was unknown to me. Her social media version of herself was actually a more accurate representation of who she really was.
I was baffled at the time and to be honest really heart broken. I loved the version of her that I thought I knew so much that it took a long time to come to terms with the change. This unfortunately was the beginning of many such interactions. People who I thought I knew and yet were actually unknown to me.
In today's fast-paced divided world, it's easy to feel lost and disconnected from the things that truly matter. But what if we could find our way back to what truly matters and experience a life filled with purpose, significance and fulfillment? That's exactly what the Known Community is all about.
Right after my awkward, heartbreaking interaction I felt God whispering to me a word. One word that carried with it so much power. Known. I am a guy that loves creating stuff so I immediately wrote the word in my logo making app and made it my screen shot. I thought, okay I get it Lord, you want me to write a book called Known. God had other ideas though and I just kept this as my screen saver pondering what Jesus wanted me to do with it. Finally after 24 months of looking at this word the seed sprouted from beneath the surface of my heart. Not wanting to be mysterious for mysteries sake but I have felt God asking me to unpack more of what he truly wants this to be over the course of the next year. For now it is a blog and an online community. I am prayerfully proceeding asking God to reveal each step as I grow and as he brings the right people my way.
Founded on four pillars, this community is designed to help individuals discover the life-changing power of being KNOWN by God, making Jesus KNOWN to others, being KNOWN by others, and being KNOWN for doing good works. Each of these pillars is rooted in scripture, providing a solid foundation for personal growth and spiritual development.
Being KNOWN by God is the cornerstone of the Known Movement. When we understand that we are known and loved by God, we are able to experience peace, joy, and fulfillment in our lives. I love that in Psalm 139 David is frappy (frustrated and happy) about the fact that God knows him and his every move. There is nothing I hope for more than to unpack this truth over and over again.
By making Jesus KNOWN, we can share this message of hope with others, helping them to find the same sense of purpose and significance. It is like everyone who is finding chatGPT at the moment. All they want to do is tell people of this tool that is helping them send better emails and increase productivity. What more the very source of our salvation? Once we find this treasure we want everyone to know about it.
Being KNOWN by others is about forming meaningful relationships and connecting with others in a deep and genuine way. When we are known by others, we are able to genuinely experience the love and support of a community, which is essential for growth and personal development. This is the very thing I wrestled with in the heartbreaking conversation I mentioned at the beginning of this post. I long for a place I am known, where I can express my differences in opinion, theology, raising kids and all the other gazzilion things life throws at us in safety and love. I feel like we’ve started building our relationships like streaming service free trials. We are ready to cancel before there is a cost to them. As we engage more, my hope is to create cancel free environments. Places where we can once again learn to have deep, honest, vulnerable conversations and still leave with love.
Finally, being KNOWN for doing good works means living a life that is centered on serving others. I just keep thinking about the christian leaders I know and what they are known for. Way too few are known for doing good works. Too few are known for loving the least and the desperate. Too many are known for their knowledge, their ability to build large gatherings and their charisma yet our savior Jesus was known for healing the sick, feeding the hungry and hanging out with the rejected. I want to link arms with brothers and sisters that want to live in a way that screams out follow me as I follow Christ. My mentor used to say this at during his church services. “Where did Jesus lead your feet this week?” I don’t know what this looks like for you but maybe it could be through volunteer work, mentorship, or simply spreading kindness and compassion wherever we go. When we live a life focused on doing good people see and feel the love of God. we leave a lasting legacy and bring light to the world.
So let’s wrap this up. The Known Movement offers a powerful path towards personal growth, spiritual development, and a life filled with purpose and significance. By embracing the four pillars of being KNOWN by God, making Jesus KNOWN, being KNOWN by others, and being KNOWN for doing good works, we can experience the transformational power of a life lived with faith and purpose. As it says in Psalm 139:1, "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me." When we understand that we are known by God, everything else falls into place.