If the avenue of prayer keeps us anchored in an intimate relationship with God, then perhaps when we find our communication with God becoming less frequent, less prioritized, less transparent, less vital, we can safely assume we are drifting. When we find that we are moving away from dependence on God to self-reliance and…
You Know You’ve Drifted When… You Stop Gathering and You Start Isolating
There is a difference between solitude and isolation. One is connected and one isn’t. Solitude replenishes, isolation diminishes. ~ Henry Cloud * The Community of the Church Everything I grew up thinking about church changed for me when I was twenty-two. A friend I met while volunteering at a local community youth center for at-risk…
The Winning Side
This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. — 1 John 4:9 God uses every single trial, every detour, every obstacle in our journey for our benefit, for our good. That’s because what the Enemy means for evil,…
Champions Find God’s Strength in Their Own Weakness
It would be so much more comfortable if God would keep us in our “strength zone,” wouldn’t it? But God keeps thrusting us into our “weakness zone” because it is only in our weakness that He is made strong. [Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect…
Divine Delays
Divine Delays Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. — Romans 5:3-4 For the past several years, I have flown several times a week, most of the year. And I would love to say every flight is an easy trip.…
Go Find Some Darkness
Every day, there are situations in our normal routines that require us to be the light of Christ in the midst of utter darkness. Every day, there are people crossing our paths who need to hear a word of hope, feel a touch of compassion, see the possibility of a different future. We need not…
The Pain of Disappointment
We all land in heartbreaking places at some point in life, feeling sad, alone, and perhaps drained of our courage to hope again. The reasons can be a miscarriage, like I had, or something else entirely, like when: your children grow up, move away, and never call the company to which you’ve devoted your years…
When the Unexpected Exceeds What You Imagined
Who Am I? More than a decade ago, when Nick and I first began researching the possibility of establishing an anti-trafficking organization, we were given a terminal prognosis: impossible. The feasibility study from the consultants we’d hired used that word ten times in their report. Ten times. And opening an office in Thessaloniki? It was…
Expect the Unexpected
Introduction Kirk and Ashleigh were in their late twenties and already knew the heartbreak of bad news. After three years of tests, procedures, and tears, they sat with the doctor as he explained that they would not be able to conceive. They had reached the end of their medical options. They would have to adjust…
When the Unexpected Betrays
Forgiving Freely Loss is the uninvited door that extends us an unexpected invitation to unimaginable possibilities. — Craig D. Jonesborough I once had a dear friend whom I loved wholeheartedly and with whom I shared so many fun times. We had endless heart-to-heart talks about God, ministry, life, family, fashion, movies, books, food, and of…