14 Jul Power of Gospel-centered Friendships

Hello Mosaic family,

We have exciting news to share with you that you have helped make possible! As you know, our pastors and leaders often recommend books that can deepen our faith, increase our understanding of God, and grow our faithfulness to God and one another. Well, today, we have the privilege of recommending a brand new book our Lead Pastor, Morgan Stephens, has written with his wife, Carrie, that we believe can do the same.

In this book, Pastor Morgan and Carrie have recorded what we see as a wonderful testament to the strength and unity of our Mosaic family. Their words reflect not only their journey but our collective one. They put on display the power of Gospel-centered friendships within our beautiful, divinely-assembled church community.

We, therefore, see this book as a time-honored guide that will inspire and instruct the Mosaic family for generations to come. We are so excited to see how God will use their labor of love, and our collective journey, to change the world.

The title of their book is Friendship Can Save the World. It includes an in-depth Bible teaching from the book of Ruth about the power of diverse friendships to accomplish God’s will in the world, as well as many stories from Mosaic over the years about how God has miraculously moved on our behalf and testimonials from some Mosaic members about how friendships with people unlike them have impacted their lives.

In Friendship Can Save the World, Pastor Morgan and Carrie share the challenges and joys of pursuing God’s dream for his people to cling to one another on the long road home as we declare, “your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16, NIV). We hope that the stories from Ruth and Mosaic will inspire others to be as courageous and generous as you have been in your friendships. And just as you’ve played a part in making this book possible, you can help Friendship Can Save the World reach as many people as possible. Here’s how:

1. Preorder the book! Every preorder for a book on Amazon is like voting for that book in the publishing world. Preorders signal booksellers to stock the book and tell Amazon to recommend the book to people, which means more books will be printed and sold. You can preorder Friendship Can Save the World here.
2. Join Morgan and Carrie’s launch team. As a member of this group, you will receive access to an early digital copy of Friendship Can Save the World and extra content before the book releases. There is also a rumor that there will be an exclusive launch party, and Carrie will make her famous guacamole for you, so fill out this form if that sounds fun! They need at least 100 people to help in this way, so please consider clicking that link and finding out more right now.
3. Write a review of the book when it releases in September. Amazon and Goodreads reviews are a big piece of helping a book to succeed in the marketplace.
4. Tell people about Friendship Can Save the World. Do you have friends, neighbors, or coworkers whose lives could be impacted by the story of all God has done at Mosaic? This book is an easy way to share God’s love with people and create a foundation to deepen your friendships.

Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz loved one another despite how their many differences made their friendships seem impossibly risky, and that choice to love made them integral parts of God’s plan to send his Son to rescue the world from sin and death. As you read Friendship Can Save the World, we pray that you will see how your commitment to love and befriend whoever God brings to your life makes the world a brighter, more hopeful place.

With great love and friendship,

John Loyd & Gaylen Washington
Mosaic Church Elders