We get what we invest in. The time we spend comes back, with interest.

If you practice five minutes of new, difficult banjo music every day, you’ll become a better banjo player. If you spend a little bit more time each day whining or feeling ashamed, that behavior will become part of you. The words you type, the people you hang with, the media you consume…

The difference between who you are now and who you were five years ago is largely due to how you’ve spent your time along the way.

The habits we groove become who we are, one minute at a time. A small thing, repeated, is not a small thing.

[And the same thing is true for brands, organizations and movements.]

If you look at your congregation and scratch your head, asking “How did we get here?” There is an answer. The answer is found in how you have spent your time back there. It’s pretty predictable, really.

It’s predictable, really. Jesus said that we reap what we sow. But it’s not just the big things, it’s the myriad little things over time.

What habits are you grooving as a congregation? How did you spend your time over the last five years to get you to the point you are today? What new grooves do you need to create today to get where you want to be five years from now?

If you’re curious about creating missional grooves, check out this approach from Michael Frost.