As we begin the New Year, many people are rethinking their personal goals for the year. Some are making resolutions to start seeking after God.
This morning, I received an email from someone in the Middle East asking what I believe and what kind of spiritual journey I’ve been on.
So today, let me share some of that with you. In this hour-long audio message (divided up in 10 minute segments on YouTube), I explain the spiritual journey I was on growing up in Upstate New York.
- My spiritual journey — part 1 – how becoming the author of The Last Jihad triggered people asking me a critical question
- Part 2 – how my grandparents escaped from Russia, my father’s Jewish upbringing, my mother’s Gentile heritage, and how they met
- Part 3 – my mother’s spiritual journey
- Part 4 – my father’s spiritual journey, and then how I came to faith
- Part 5 – how I learned I was Jewish, and then my crisis of faith in high school
- Part 6 – the conclusion of my story.
I hope you’ll find this helpful, perhaps even encouraging.
In the meantime, may I ask: Where are you on your spiritual journey?
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For those who already are followers of Jesus, here’s a resource that may be helpful this year: The Invested Life: Making Disciples of All Nations One Person At A Time – the book I wrote with my spiritual mentor, Dr. T.E. Koshy – is now available as a paperback (from Tyndale House) and as audio book (from Brilliance Audio).
In the book, we make that case that every Christian needs to be able to answer two simple questions:
1) Who is investing in you?
2) In whom are you investing?
In the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, our Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to go and “make disciples of all nations,” beginning with our own. Sadly, the American Church is experiencing an epic failure of discipleship. Most older believers are not spiritually investing in the lives of younger believers. We are failing to model and transmit Biblical truth and Christ-like character and a passion for evangelism and discipleship to the next generations. Thus the American Church is weak and failing and in desperate need of revival. Thus our nation is increasingly at risk not simply of decline but outright collapse, as I write about in Implosion.
In many ways, The Invested Life is a corollary or a companion to Implosion. Put it another way, Implosion describes the sickness. The Invested Life describes the cure.
I’m very grateful to Tyndale for publishing this book, and for Brilliance for producing and distributing the audio version, and I hope you’ll find either or both them helpful — reading it as the New Year begins, or listening to it when your driving in your car, while working out, with your family, with a group of friends, or by yourself. May the Lord Jesus bless you as you consider the ideas in this book and choose to embark on an invested life of your own, making disciples from different countries one person at a time.
You can find it your favorite local bookstore, or online.