Our Purpose

There’s a story often told about Chinese bamboo that feels almost too good to be true—yet it’s grounded in how growth actually works. For the first five years, Chinese bamboo shows virtually no visible progress above the soil. You water it. You tend it. You wait. And nothing seems to happen. But beneath the surface, an extensive root system is forming—strong, interconnected, and capable of supporting rapid growth when the time comes. Then, in a…

“And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples.” —Acts 14:27–28 (ESV) There’s a quiet holiness in that final line. After the journeys. After the risks, the opposition, the miracles, the open doors. After the stories had been told and God had been glorified… They stayed. Luke…

There’s a quiet kind of wisdom tucked inside an old Cat Stevens lyric—“Take your time, think a lot. Think of everything you’ve got.For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.” There’s truth here that echoes a far older voice. Scripture reminds us that the rush of life, the urgency of our desires, the pressure to make something happen now can blind us to what God is actually doing. We live in an age of acceleration&mdash…

How curiosity, risk-taking, creativity, and even my failures were rewritten into a calling far bigger than myself. “God weaves every thread—strong and frayed—into a story He’s been writing since before we knew our own.” I’ve been reflecting on the strange, beautiful mix of gifts God embedded in me long before I understood who they were ultimately for. When I trace the thread back—through early days of self-taught programming at an MS…

When Jesus chose His twelve disciples, He didn’t pick twelve carbon copies. He called fishermen, tax collectors, political zealots, and quiet observers. Some were bold and impulsive (Peter), others relational and behind the scenes (Andrew). James and John were fiery “Sons of Thunder,” while John also became known for his deep love. Thomas was cautious, Philip was analytical, and Nathanael was a straight-talker. Matthew bridged social divides, Simon the…

Years ago, I watched a remarkable moment unfold at a ministry conference.The event had drawn thousands, and one young man gave a powerful testimony about how he’d come to Christ. He described the moment with emotion and detail, but never once mentioned the name of the person who led him to Jesus. Later, during a break, I overheard someone ask him, “Who was it that prayed with you?”He smiled and said, “Honestly, I don’t remember his name. He…

In a world that often separates the sacred from the secular, we are called to recognize that our work, no matter how ordinary it may seem, has eternal significance. Through the lives of five remarkable individuals, we discover profound lessons on how to glorify God in our everyday pursuits and embrace our role as "mere Christians" in a complex world. The Power of Presence and Unhurried Love Imagine a man so committed to being present with others that time seemed…

I was an officer in our High School Navy Junior ROTC chapter many moons ago. My goal? The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and the eventual rank of Admiral. One of my favorite drills was charting the course of our carrier group. I gathered nautical charts, a compass, a divider, and a parallel ruler, and headed out to sea - theoretically, but it felt real. Yet, the Core Principle informed me that a one-degree error in heading will result in being off…

“Before I formed you in the womb.” This phrase should fill you with a sense of destiny. It’s your spiritual birthright. God has ordained your days, ordered your footsteps, and prepared good works in advance. And he did it before you were even conceived. The irony of destiny is that it’s rarely discerned at the time. Sometimes it’s not even revealed until after we die. David may have reigned over a kingdom of millions, but his psalms have…