Over the past few months, we’ve been working on updating Hope’s Employee Handbook. I know it’s important—necessary, even—but I’ll be honest: I don’t love handbooks. They’re not exactly thrilling reads, and they’re full of rules.
Now, rules aren’t all bad. They give us structure, boundaries, and a sense of control. They tell us what’s right and wrong, what’s in and out, who belongs and who doesn’t. But rules, by themselves, don’t create love. They don’t make people faithful. More often than not, they push people away.
You’ve seen it before—a kid growing up in a strict home, finally tasting freedom and running wild. A friend who walked away from faith because church felt like nothing more than a list of do’s and don’ts. Even our own hearts have felt the tug: the moment a rule feels restrictive, we instinctively want to push against it.
Paul wrote, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Rules alone can never produce life. They may curb behavior for a while, but they don’t transform the heart.
If rules push people away, love draws them close. Jesus didn’t win hearts by enforcing regulations—He won them by meeting people where they were, offering mercy, and calling them into something greater. He didn’t ignore sin, but He dealt with it in a way that led to intimacy rather than rebellion.
Think about Zacchaeus, the tax collector. The religious rules made it clear he was a sinner, an outcast. But Jesus? He invited Himself over for dinner. Love came close. And what happened? Zacchaeus didn’t just obey a rule—he was transformed. He gave back what he had stolen. He changed because love changed him.
Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). That order matters. Love comes first, and obedience follows. When we experience the depth of His love, faithfulness stops feeling like an obligation. It becomes a response.
We have a choice in how we interact with people. Do we lead with rules or with love? Do we create an environment where people feel the pressure to conform—or one where they feel safe to be transformed?
This doesn’t mean we ignore truth. But it does mean we follow Jesus’ lead: moving toward people instead of away, inviting them in rather than shutting them out, and trusting that love does what rules never could—it changes hearts.
So yes, at some point we’ll wrap up the handbook updates, and when we do, there will be some important guidelines we’ll all need to follow as employees. But even then—especially then—we’ll keep leading with love.
peace,
Nick
Now, rules aren’t all bad. They give us structure, boundaries, and a sense of control. They tell us what’s right and wrong, what’s in and out, who belongs and who doesn’t. But rules, by themselves, don’t create love. They don’t make people faithful. More often than not, they push people away.
You’ve seen it before—a kid growing up in a strict home, finally tasting freedom and running wild. A friend who walked away from faith because church felt like nothing more than a list of do’s and don’ts. Even our own hearts have felt the tug: the moment a rule feels restrictive, we instinctively want to push against it.
Paul wrote, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Rules alone can never produce life. They may curb behavior for a while, but they don’t transform the heart.
If rules push people away, love draws them close. Jesus didn’t win hearts by enforcing regulations—He won them by meeting people where they were, offering mercy, and calling them into something greater. He didn’t ignore sin, but He dealt with it in a way that led to intimacy rather than rebellion.
Think about Zacchaeus, the tax collector. The religious rules made it clear he was a sinner, an outcast. But Jesus? He invited Himself over for dinner. Love came close. And what happened? Zacchaeus didn’t just obey a rule—he was transformed. He gave back what he had stolen. He changed because love changed him.
Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). That order matters. Love comes first, and obedience follows. When we experience the depth of His love, faithfulness stops feeling like an obligation. It becomes a response.
We have a choice in how we interact with people. Do we lead with rules or with love? Do we create an environment where people feel the pressure to conform—or one where they feel safe to be transformed?
This doesn’t mean we ignore truth. But it does mean we follow Jesus’ lead: moving toward people instead of away, inviting them in rather than shutting them out, and trusting that love does what rules never could—it changes hearts.
So yes, at some point we’ll wrap up the handbook updates, and when we do, there will be some important guidelines we’ll all need to follow as employees. But even then—especially then—we’ll keep leading with love.
peace,
Nick