Christianity Today once reported that at a major missions conference, 8,000 people signed commitment cards indicating a desire to serve in overseas missions. But when the organizers reported the follow-up three years later, they found 1,000 had actually gone. As I read the statistic, I thought about how I had tried to be a good neighbor in an impoverished part of Boston. But the cost was too high, and I moved out less than a year later.

I grew up with the idea that I needed to believe in Jesus to go to heaven. Even in seminary, three semesters of systematic theology were required for graduation. But discipleship groups? Those were optional. It's easier to learn about Jesus than to know him.

"If you want to be a real man, you need to have money in your pocket." My friend's dad gave him pot to sell at William L. Sayre Junior High School in West Philadelphia. In 1968, this could have sent him to jail. So, it didn't feel natural for him to see God as a trustworthy Father.

I visualized myself as being toxic, like a radioactive substance hidden in a glass test tube. Who would want to be associated with an unemployed whistleblower?

I showed up for RZIM's beloved Christmas party. We played fun games, received our Christmas bonuses, and heard that we were family. But then came the Bible teaching, and we were asked to pledge ourselves to be like Ravi Zacharias. I understood the devotion to him, but this was the final breaking point before I resigned.