From Tending Sheep to Shepherding Souls
Salvation, he came to see, is not the story of human beings climbing upward by their own strength. It is the story of one who is willing to descend for the lost.
Salvation, he came to see, is not the story of human beings climbing upward by their own strength. It is the story of one who is willing to descend for the lost.
All of a sudden, what started as a random set of strangers in a country I knew nearly nothing about outside of my middle school world history class, became God’s children whom he loved and the most important people in my life.
My experience of the election and grace of the Triune God—the providential care of the Heavenly Father, the guarding of the Holy Spirit, and the guidance of the Holy Son—is truly a testament to what John Newton described as Amazing Grace in his hymn: “grace appeared the hour I first believed.”
I gradually came to understand the deeper meaning of the Lord’s words over the years: those who trust in him are able, through him, to stand upright.
His life is remembered not only in the seminaries he helped build or the roles he held, but in the people he shaped, the faith he carried through hardship, and the conviction, tested across decades, that God’s work is not sustained by wealth, but by grace.
The cross did not remove the reality of pain—it reframed it.
I've always thought myself to be as capable as an eagle, but this verse taught me that even the strength of eagles comes from the Lord.
As it enters this next season, my hope is that more readers will find their own place within this shared journey—whether through prayer, presence, or practical support—so that these heart connections can continue to form, deepen, and bear fruit for the generations to come.
Does a person really need faith? And if so, what exactly is faith?
There is no cross, no pulpit, and no choir. Three chairs surround a small tea table, a phone plays hymns, and a well-worn Bible rests nearby—the humble beginnings of a church.
It is hard to imagine that this pastor—now fluent in Scripture and prayer—had once devoted years to Daoist medicine and Buddhist practice, even preparing to become a monk
Reason revealed my limits; grace taught me to bow down.