What We Believe
It is important to understand the worldview behind the things you and your family take in. Everything you consume shapes you, whether you realize it or not: your social media feeds, the books you read, the shows you watch, and even the conversations you have.
That conviction is what led me to start Gathered Today. We had tried other conversation cards, and while most of the questions were good, I wasn't comfortable with the underlying worldview behind some of them. I often found myself needing to tie in a biblical principle or redirect the conversation. I wanted cards that were grounded in Scripture from the start, so I worked closely with a pastor at my church to write and review them.
My hope and prayer is that your family would be strongly rooted in the Word of God, so that you and your kids would come to know him and love him more deeply.
For a little grounding on where we're coming from: I'd consider myself a Reformed Baptist, and I've personally benefited from many faithful teachers, including John Piper, Joel Beeke, Tim Keller, and Jerry Bridges. Below are a few of the foundational convictions, the guardrails, behind everything we make.
– Jared
God
There is one God, who has always existed as three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He made everything out of nothing and sovereignly rules over all of it. He is just. He is holy. He is good. He is love.
Genesis 1:1 · Psalm 115:3 · Matthew 28:19
The Bible
God has spoken. The Bible is his Word, written by many human authors over many centuries, yet breathed out by God himself, true and trustworthy in all that it teaches. These 66 books make up the complete canon of Scripture, recognized by the early church and affirmed by the Reformers in confessions like the 1689 London Baptist Confession. God's Word is ultimate; it is the final authority for what we believe and how we live, and it speaks to every area of life, which is why every card leads back to it.
2 Timothy 3:16 · 2 Peter 1:21 · Psalm 19:7
The Gospel
We have all sinned and fallen short of God's holy standard, and there is nothing we can do to fix it on our own. But in his kindness, God sent his Son, Jesus, to live the life we couldn't live, to die the death we deserved, and to rise again, defeating sin and death. Salvation is a free gift, received by grace through faith, never earned by our works.
Romans 3:23 · 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 · Ephesians 2:8–9
The Church
We aren't meant to follow God alone. There is one global church made up of all true believers everywhere, in every place and every age (what the creeds call the "holy catholic," or universal, church). God calls each of us to belong to and serve within a local body of believers. We grow best together, not on our own.
Acts 2:42 · Hebrews 10:25 · Ephesians 1:22–23
Family
Parents are the first and primary disciple-makers in a child's life. God calls us to raise, disciple, and instruct our children in him, not only on Sundays but in the ordinary moments around the table. Faith is meant to be handed down, naturally and intentionally, every day, from one generation to the next. That conviction is the whole reason these cards exist.
Deuteronomy 6:6–7 · Ephesians 6:4 · 2 Timothy 3:14–15
A word to every family
My prayer is simple: that your home would become a place where God's Word is opened, honest conversations happen, faith is strengthened, and your kids grow up knowing and loving God.