tructure matters because it defines reality.

The shape of a house determines how people can use and move within it. Likewise, everyone lives in a blend of enduring reality, temporary reality, and unreality, each defined by the voices and structures we care about most. God wants us to see things clearly so we can truly move upward and forward with Him. Meanwhile, Satan and our corrupted human nature constantly try to pull us into distorted unrealities, making good things seem bad, bad things seem good, big things seem small, and small things seem big. One thing is certain: if our structures (our perceptions of reality) are poor, everything else is limited or breakable.

Our beliefs about what is real shapes our dreams, personal development, relationships, actions, and lifestyle.

So how do we know what is real? How do we know what is most important, and what endures? These questions have led me to several core principles that outline God's unchanging reality. And these principles undergird our Disciple's Compass.

1. God is real, He's our Father, and He is both infinitely great and good.
2. God's Son, Jesus, is the center of all reality--all time, space, and matter.
3. The Kingdom of Heaven is what God says and does, and it defines true lasting progress.
4. Jesus is King, inseparable from His Kingdom—His nature fills His activity.
5. Only in Jesus can a person reconcile and build right relationships with God and other people. 
6. Only in Jesus can a person recognize and be formed into their true self. 
7. Only in Jesus can a person see and do truly good and meaningful work in the world. 
8. Jesus brought His Kingdom to earth, He is overcoming all evil with good, and through His Spirit, He has invited His people to join Him in this great work to redeem the whole earth.

These principles form the solid ground we stand on. They define reality and don't change. Together, they are the launchpad of a purposeful life. So we dream, pray, and build our lives from here!