24 studies
71 studies
We prayed and prayed for his healing. He was young, healthy, married with children, and actively serving the Lord as a c...
Grief & LossWhen I visited Honduras in 2017, I had an M.Div. degree, years of ministry experience, and a position with a global nonp...
FaithSitting at Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square, I had to lead another Bible study. But I'd already studied the Bible with five...
GraceIn the spring of 2009, a student I discipled, whom I'll call Rob, went on a missions trip to Honduras. Unfortunately, on...
Following JesusI was standing in the foyer of a massive megachurch, watching everyone else do what I couldn't figure out how to do. Eve...
Loneliness"The bigger the issue, the smaller you write. Remember that. You don't write about the horrors of war. No. You write abo...
WorshipI told myself I'd stop reading about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and get back to work, but that was at least an hour...
Anxiety & WorryA few years ago, I was questioning again whether I still believed in God. To give God a fair chance, I decided to study...
Doubt & QuestionsI gave up sleeping and grabbed my iPhone. 2:47 a.m. The morning couldn't come soon enough, even if I was dreading going...
Anxiety & WorryWhen one of my friends died, his wife prayed for three days that God would raise him from the dead. She reasoned that Je...
CourageI showed up at the building to collect my items and say goodbye, but a security guard met me outside the front door with...
Courage"How do you know my name?" my professor asked. As a young philosopher, I wanted an impressive answer. What is the eviden...
Doubt & Questions"I appreciate what you're doing, but I can't get involved. I hope you understand." I did understand. Our family had t...
LoveI went to the morning prayer meeting because I was running on empty. The grind of planning our annual summer conference...
ContentmentWho am I to question someone’s faith? It’s the kind of accusation that abusive leaders use to destabilize and control. E...
DiscipleshipWhen I arrived for a weekend retreat with thirty up-and-coming leaders, the jockeying for position started immediately....
FaithAs I scrolled through social media, a government agency posted a video of soldiers in combat gear while Psalm 18:37 scro...
WorshipAs I walked through Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham, I looked up and saw The Foot Soldier. Ronald McDowell's statue show...
Following Jesus"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...
FaithBefore he said a word, his tousled hair and bemused smile identified him as a skeptical Harvard student. "So, what's thi...
Doubt & QuestionsFor ten years after college, I worked as a campus minister. So, my income depended on the sacrificial giving of others....
Anxiety & WorryWhen a large foundation announced they planned to spend a billion dollars on advertisements about Jesus, I felt conflict...
Following JesusWhen 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,...
FaithBefore I turned 30, I broke out with shingles. My body was telling me something my pride couldn't admit: I was doing too...
RestMy Mom said the rocks would be amazing. I believed her, but sitting in the car for hours made me wish I was back home. S...
God's Presence"Thank you Heavenly Father...to allow us to send a message to all the tyrants, the communists, and the globalists that t...
Following JesusI once got incredibly angry at one of my roommates because he wrote a blog with what I considered bad theology. I felt I...
GraceThe hardest part of trusting God isn't the first step. It's the long walk after, before we know the outcome. For inst...
Courage"Why were your headquarters so nice?" asked my friend. I was puzzled. "What do you mean?" I thought to myself. "The mini...
Faith"How's your week been?" I asked him. He started talking about the stress of his studies. It was safe terrain, and I knew...
ShameWe love John 3:16 because it feels safe. It's an inspirational thought printed on bumper stickers and In-N-Out cups. But...
FaithWe were sitting at Flour in Boston because I couldn't resist their croissants. As I caught up with an old friend, I a...
WorshipI 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...
Following JesusMy friends kept inviting me to hang out with them and Sam. They were patient and kind with him, whether he was depressed...
LoveI spent years arguing about whether God chose me or I chose God. Scholars on both sides warned me that the other positio...
Bible ReadingIn seminary, I took a preaching class that required us to give mini-sermons in front of our peers. I agonized over every...
Humility"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...
Generosity & GivingOne of the perks of working at RZIM was access to the Green Room. When we hosted packed events at our headquarters, it f...
GraceI watched my friend Nabeel Qureshi captivate a room for an hour, telling story after story. Afterwards, I saw the line o...
Contentment"You're lying. I don't trust you." My co-worker's accusation felt worse than getting punched in the face. I knew I wa...
CourageI have the degrees listed on my LinkedIn profile—the M.Div., the D.Min. I've led ministries at Ivy League universities a...
Doubt & QuestionsI remember staring at my phone, willing myself to pick it up, but my arm felt like lead. I needed to raise support to ke...
FaithI was twenty-four, running through a park near Waynoka Avenue in Memphis. Mile two, maybe three. The cold air burned my...
CommunitySitting in the library at the University of Aberdeen, I argued with an atheist for seven hours. By the end of the day, I...
CommunityI was on a global Skype call with RZIM's senior leaders and Ravi Zacharias himself—the famous apologist whose ministry w...
CourageA fresh paper planner smells like anxiety. It's the feeling that if you can just organize the boxes right, you can final...
Anxiety & WorryI spent the morning talking to a skeptic. A friend and I answered question after question and presented layer upon layer...
Doubt & QuestionsAt Thanksgiving, we gathered in the kitchen, joined hands, bowed our heads, and prayed. But I wondered, "What's the poin...
Prayer"This is the first time I've been able to sing a worship song since my pastor abused me." I didn't know what to say....
HealingWhen I was in middle school, another student loved to torment me with cruel nicknames. The one that hurt the most? "Tubb...
FaithWe were expecting a fabulous meal at the ski lodge's steakhouse. High ceilings, mahogany leather chairs, elegantly dress...
ContentmentAfter I got married, I realized that I was not nearly as spiritually mature as I had believed. One night, I paced around...
CommunityIn seminary, I spent fifteen minutes a day memorizing Scripture. It seemed like the kind of thing a future pastor should...
Following Jesus"I just called everyone on my phone and told them about Jesus." I was stunned. I didn't even know she was a Christian...
Sharing FaithAfter resigning from a ministry job as a whistleblower, I suddenly realized I was unemployed. We anticipated that our in...
Anxiety & WorryAt the Sunday evening service, as we sang another chorus of "How Deep the Father's Love for Us," I started to recoil ins...
LoveAt one of the lowest points in my life, I'd been hurting for so long that I didn't know if the pain would ever go away....
HopelessnessYou've repeatedly asked God the same question, hoping for a different answer. You've journaled about it, asked three fri...
Assurance of SalvationA best-selling apologist called me to talk about Ravi. He agreed that Ravi was a liar, a bully, and a predator. Then he...
CourageMy wife and I kept arguing about where to send our kids to school. Eventually, I built a massive spreadsheet with eight...
Calling & VocationAfter I came to faith, my family and friends often asked me difficult questions. The big discussions in my teenage years...
ApologeticsWhen I was fifteen, my grandfather asked if he could talk with me for a moment. I could tell from the tone of his voice...
CourageI watched the worship band slowly develop the intensity of the opening song. With each repetition, they layered in drums...
The Holy SpiritWhen Facebook first arrived at my college, I remember the rush to set up a profile so everyone could know who I was, wha...
GraceIf any organization should have represented God well, it was Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. I worked there....
Doubt & QuestionsWhen I graduated from Rhodes College, all of my friends were getting traditional jobs that came with salaries, benefits,...
Following JesusMy friend looked me in the eye and asked, "So, do you think I'm going to hell?" My stomach tightened. I didn't want t...
Doubt & QuestionsMy friend and I met up in Bellingrath Chapel at Rhodes College, where we'd agreed to pray together for an hour. The sile...
PrayerI was at Crunch, on the second rep of my bicep curls, and without warning, I nearly dropped the weights. "I just want to...
ForgivenessThe discolored, funky-smelling jerseys made middle school P.E. bad enough. But the worst part was when teams were picked...
CourageMy cross-country teammate leaned back in his chair and said, "I'll believe in God if he reveals himself to me." We we...
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