Many people who use Global Trellis have been Christians for years and possibly on the field for a couple of decades. So, perhaps on topics like forgiveness and God’s love, you might shift to autopilot and think, “Been there, done that.”

Please . . . Resist the urge to scroll.

Take a moment and think through the last time you had to explain forgiveness. How did it go? I have no doubt that you believe in God’s forgiveness and have experienced it. But when was the last time you got a tune-up or refresher on some of the foundations of our faith?

This spring Global Trellis is going to sprinkle in “basic training” allowing for each of us to return to and shore up the foundations of our faith. Why? Because when something has become so familiar, you might not notice the holes in your understanding or the slight drifts you’ve experienced. We’ll start with a three part workshop series on forgiveness.

January—Forgiveness 101: Foundations
February—Forgiveness 102: Where to start
March—Forgiveness 103: Forgiving others

Here’s a bit more about Forgiveness 101

Explaining what forgiveness is seems a given for all cross-cultural workers. But it’s not. Whether you have been a Christian for all of your life or only for a few years, too many cross-cultural workers have ideas of forgiveness that are not completely rooted in what God says about it.

Do any of these sound familiar?

—You’ve heard you should forgive and forget.

—Growing up you were told, “Tell your brother you’re sorry.” Or “Tell your sister you forgive her.”

—You want to share with supporters about your work, and they want to know if you see elephants every day.

—Your teammate threw a glass at you, and your organization said that since it didn’t hit you, you need to forgive your teammate.

If you answered yes to any of them, this workshop is for you!

You know that Christ died for your sins . . . but are you living like you believe that? As you help people grow in their faith, can you adequately teach them about forgiveness? In this workshop Shonna Ingram will lay the foundations for this three-part series by addressing:

—Why we need to talk about forgiveness. (Hint: We will look at why forgiveness is complicated and the role culture plays.)

—What is Biblical forgiveness?

—The 3 levels of forgiveness. (Do you know the difference between exoneration, forbearance, and release?)

You may have been a Christian for decades and understand forgiveness, but sometimes it’s good to return to the basics. This workshop does just that. Watch it alone, use it in team time, or share with those you are discipling.

Welcome to Basic Training Spring 2022! We’re excited that no matter how long you’ve been Christians or on the field, God still has more for you to learn about foundational topics.

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash