Practical Life

Unqualified Jesus

When I visited Honduras in 2017, I had an M.Div. degree, years of ministry experience, and a position with a global nonp...

Collateral Damage

After lunch, the owner of the cafe warned us, "You must download this app that tells you about the potholes." I thought...

Sewage Smells

Every conversation at a national ministry conference in Washington, D.C. felt like it followed an unwritten script. "Hi,...

Overlooked

The job posting for a senior pastor required "transformational leadership," "top-notch" Bible teaching, and meeting "sta...

Jesus' Guts

In a training video for pastors, the megachurch leader Josh Howerton advises them to set aside time to answer the questi...

Nowhere Else To Go

I showed up at the building to collect my items and say goodbye, but a security guard met me outside the front door with...

Unpaid Labor

In 2012, Steven Furtick's book *Greater* debuted at an impressive #4 on the *New York Times* Advice Best Sellers List. B...

You're Not a Christian

Who am I to question someone’s faith? It’s the kind of accusation that abusive leaders use to destabilize and control. E...

Do You Want To Look At Jesus?

When I arrived for a weekend retreat with thirty up-and-coming leaders, the jockeying for position started immediately....

I Just Couldn't See It

"For five months I've perceived you as being arrogant to me. So I've been praying for you every day and trying to start...

The Gift of Arrest

I showed up for RZIM's beloved Christmas party. We played fun games, received our Christmas bonuses, and heard that we w...

Siberia

"Would you do anything God wanted you to do?" I hesitated. "I think so." Then I added, "But what if he asked me to...

Follow Me

After I finished my D.Min. at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, I had to reckon with what my Major Project had conclu...

The Invisible Jesus

When a large foundation announced they planned to spend a billion dollars on advertisements about Jesus, I felt conflict...

I Quit

As the volunteer leaders gathered, a pastor exhorted us: "Remember, this event is not just about serving the community....

Don't Miss What God Is Doing

When I was dating, I thought God would deliver for me the way he had for my friends. I just needed to pray, ask her out,...

Making A Profit

My wife and I once made a small gift to a cause we cared about. It's been a few years, and we're still getting automated...

The Long Walk Home

When I lived in Boston, I spent a year living in Dorchester, in a neighborhood where it wasn't safe to be outside after...

Rags

At the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, I walked up to a lunch counter and put on headphones. Imme...

Where Are You Looking?

"Why were your headquarters so nice?" asked my friend. I was puzzled. "What do you mean?" I thought to myself. "The mini...

The World He Loved

We love John 3:16 because it feels safe. It's an inspirational thought printed on bumper stickers and In-N-Out cups. But...

Not A Bumper Sticker

I was talking with a friend who told me he keeps praying, "God, what do you want me to do with my life?" He said, "I'm s...

An Unforgettable Dinner

"I gave my car to the church." I didn't know what to make of it. She was a college student burdened by student loans. Sh...

The End of the VIP Room

One of the perks of working at RZIM was access to the Green Room. When we hosted packed events at our headquarters, it f...

Mothers and Fathers

"Oh God, send us spiritual mothers and fathers, we beg you!" My eyes widened and my heart pounded. I'd never heard anyon...

When the Room Makes Truth Unthinkable

I was on a global Skype call with RZIM's senior leaders and Ravi Zacharias himself—the famous apologist whose ministry w...

Gold Pavement

"Sometimes, a kid can't pay for lunch, so they get a cheese sandwich. And then...they get nothing at all. You can see th...

And

In the fall of 2003, I was sitting in a chair outside Emory's dining hall by myself. But suddenly, I felt surrounded by...

Weekend Reflection

Look!

When I was in middle school, another student loved to torment me with cruel nicknames. The one that hurt the most? "Tubb...

The Last Fishing Trip

In February 1941, during the German bombing of London in World War II, James Welch of the British Broadcasting Corporati...

When Outsiders Get It First

"I just called everyone on my phone and told them about Jesus." I was stunned. I didn't even know she was a Christian...

Convenient Amnesia

A best-selling apologist called me to talk about Ravi. He agreed that Ravi was a liar, a bully, and a predator. Then he...

The Dismissed Prophet

When I was trying to figure out what was happening with RZIM, this guy kept emailing me. He called himself the "Banjo At...

Mary

I was driving down a forgettable road in South Hamilton, MA. My creaky Ford Explorer screeched to a halt at a four-way s...

Standing Together

I had just posted on social media, "It's time to stop doing standing ovations at churches." People applauded my public s...

The Exhaustion of Self-Creation

When Facebook first arrived at my college, I remember the rush to set up a profile so everyone could know who I was, wha...

Despised

A church consulting group produced a report on how to engineer church growth. They recommend using data analytics to und...

Imitating Christ Together

At the summer conference, the food was passable, and the bunk beds were hard. But whether the staff were stacking chairs...

The Saints

As the House of Lords fiercely debated whether or not it was appropriate to investigate British slavery in the Caribbean...