Rebekah Cornelius | Train – Develop – Care Tugging on one little thread can unravel the whole sweater—a visual that describes my relationship with grief and loss. Loss has unraveled my expectations, joy, longing, desire, rootedness, and sense of being known. I’m left stunned. How did grief and loss become
Judy Gomoll | SHAW and Encore Act one Our Happy Marriage Dies In 2001, death and betrayal arrived to our family, leaving a slew of bleeding wounds behind. After decades of love and kingdom adventures together, my husband George’s eyes deadened. We’ll call it a midlife crisis—his discovery of pornography,
Osaze Murray | Train – Develop – Care Sometimes, in the middle of my favorite show, a commercial comes on louder than the show I tuned in on, and I find myself diving for the mute button on the remote. It’s off putting and intrusive. I didn’t ask for the
Cassie Thornburg | World Missions I sat in another waiting room, wondering if the doctors would be able to figure out what was going on. During the last three months of constant health issues, I’d been unable to digest much food, and my core problem was still undiagnosed. I was
Jane Menning City Director | Minneapolis and St. Paul A few years ago, Adam Johnson, our ISM leader in Minneapolis, invited our staff team to pray like many churches around the world do—in one voice, or what the Koreans call tongsung kido. We were all praying for the same international
Lyndi Markus Editor-in-Chief for UpFront Dear younger me, You’re newish to praying— a little green, a little naive, but so expectant— and I can still feel You put so much pressure on yourself to do it right. You pray for protection— you thank God for good days. You ask God to
Peggy Reynoso Train – Develop – Care I had a love-hate relationship with prayer. For most of my life, God spoke to me sporadically, usually in times of great need or longing. He also spoke to me regularly through His written Word. And then there were the nudges of the
David Erickson World Missions Spending the past twenty-two years in a pioneering Muslim context has grown my prayer life. Reading the Word? Now, that’s easy and enjoyable. But praying? That’s always been more difficult. Because I am a practical person, here are several practical takeaways from the past two decades.
By Jin Rood, World Missions – As my husband, Mark, and I were completing our final year overseas, discerning where God was leading us next, I felt drawn toward a ministry of care. A mentor suggested I explore spiritual direction, and I was immediately intrigued. This form of caregiving focuses on deepening an individual’s relationship with God. Richard Foster explains, “Spiritual direction involves a process through which one person helps another person understand what God is doing and saying.”
By Glenn Balsis, TDC – Often I gauge my highway travel by mile markers to help me understand where I am as I drive. For my spiritual journey, I’ve realized that I need a spiritual director to help me assess those mile markers in my walk with God. Coaching, mentoring, and discipling all have valued places within my life with God, but spiritual direction has offered a unique encounter with God.