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Every age brings its challenges for Christianity. Among them is the fact that living by faith means that we put the ultimate matters of life and existence into the hands of someone that we cannot see. In a world filled with sensory experiences faith in God is a challenge. This is nothing new of course. In the First Century, the Apostle Peter reminded his church that,

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8–9)

It is not that a lack of sight that makes Christianity seem untenable it just makes it different than most experiences today. Instead of having joy based upon an empirical basis we have joy through our communion with the invisible God through the portal of faith.

In recent years I have noticed a trait, particularly among men, where faith is impeded. I am talking about the cultural fixation upon fantasy. Many man today are wrapped up in a world of fantasy and also find it increasingly difficult to live by faith upon the God who is invisible.

In each of the examples below men are giving themselves to something they can see but is not real. However, with Christianity we give ourselves to something that we cannot see but is actually real. (In the following examples, I want to make clear that I believe the first is sinful but the others are not inherently so.)

Pornography

Over the last 2 dozen years pornography use has exploded. Some may call it an epidemic. Young men are being raised on it and the addiction continues through the college years and into their thirties and forties. As a pastor I don’t often go a week without hearing about somebody’s struggle in this area. Let’s think about what is happening here. Pornography attempts to enjoy the blessings of sex without the relationship of marriage. However, this is not the whole story. There is also the fact the medium for consuming it is not real, it is a bunch of images. Everything about it is a fantasy; the women, the experiences, and whatever the pleasures that come from it. It is all a fantasy. Many men are wrapped up in this sexual fantasy and it is therefore little wonder that they are distracted from a faith what is real yet unseen.

Fantasy Sports

Technological advances have made fantasy sports more accessible. For those who are unfamiliar fantasy sports are a type of online game where participants put together virtual teams of real players in a professional sport. Their teams compete against each other based upon the statistical performance of their respective players on their rosters. Each participant runs their team like an owner or general manager. In these leagues participants will track the stats over the year and award a winner at the end. Obviously playing fantasy sports is not a sin and I am not making this point. However, it is part of the overall cultural preoccupation with a fantasy world. And it is this that attends to my larger point that this fixation upon the visible but unreal tends toward making faith in the invisible but real more difficult.

Video Games

As with fantasy sports, video games are not inherently bad. However, they are a distraction from reality. Nearly 50% of Americans play at least 3 hours of games per week. It is interesting that the average age of a game player is a 35 year-old man. I understand that for many games are fun; they are something of a hobby. I also know for many the hobby can become a bit obsessive and dominating. Many people, particularly men, are caught up in playing video games for hours and hours a day. I have counseled far too many men who were spending their best hours of the day conquering worlds while their real families and real souls were being neglected.

Living in a Fantasy World

When you put these three together there is a common theme of living in a fantasy world. Pastors and church leaders attempt to encourage men to serve in the church, study God’s word, evangelize their neighbors, and step up and lead in the church. However, often times, upon pressing upon the heart, we find that men are reluctant and stagnant in their Christianity because they are thriving in a fantasy world.

Is there any wonder why there is such a decline in biblical masculinity in the church?

It is a shame that many men are far too busy conquering fake lands, looking at fake women, and winning fake championships to follow Christ’s path of self-denying, cross-bearing, service.

Pastors are attempting to preach and teach God’s Word to people who are living in this world with their minds and hearts in a fictional place must be diligent. They must labor to present Christ in his surpassing glory. The Bible that condemns also convicts and converts us. We go from belittling God’s glory to broadcasting it. Christ goes from a fictional hero to a living Savior!

Perhaps you are one who is consumed by a fantasy world. If these things are crowding out or impeding your faith it is time to evaluate and make some adjustments. Perhaps there are sinful indulgences (or in the case of pornography, sinful practices) that are preventing you from growing in Christ. As is always the case the first step is prayer, confession, and repentance. Then work toward accountability and service in the local church. I can assure you that seeing the real gospel work in real people’s lives will bring a lasting joy to your soul that is incomparable by any standard. Christ is far too precious to take a back seat to anything. If we believe this then we ought to live like it.

TheGospelCoalition. The Modern Man and His Fantasy World. Erik Raymond. May 2, 2016.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erik-raymond/the-modern-man-and-his-fantasy-world/

Working in ministry I find that more often than not we overcomplicate the things that God and the Bible have laid out for us as simple. Every day my CRU team is sent questions from all over the world. No matter how deep, twisted, or emotional each question is, it always starts with one simple answer: Jesus. When we are doing ministry in our own day to day lives it can be hard to get outside of ourselves to reach others because we have complicated what we think we need to be to share the gospel.

A few years ago, I felt a calling to declutter my character. After two years of working on it I can tell you it’s still a choice every day to live by that. What does decluttering our character mean? It means knowing the simple ways God describes you and calls you and choosing those as your priority. If someone were to describe you, they would use those characteristics. Colossians 3:12-14 has a few of the key characteristics I think can be helpful to start with. 

Patience: Patience is a lost art and something our society actually strives to move away from. Everything is faster, everything is more “efficient”. Romans 12:9-13 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Patience is wrapped here in two beautiful ways to make it happen.  Hope allows us to rest in his joy and prayer draws us to lean on him in the waiting. Instead of rushing through everything and trying to figure it out all on our own, we get to grow in our relationship with God, sitting in the hallway with him as we wait for the door to open. Being a patient person makes us slow to anger and clears space in our hearts and mind to notice and love those around us well. 

Humility: 1 Peter 5:5-7 This is not one that comes easy but until recently reading this passage I did not understand the depth of it. God favors the humble and he opposes the proud. What are the practices of a humble person? If we were to declutter our character and live as humble people how would that look? 

1. We would be people who pray, humbling ourselves before Him knowing there is nothing we can do without Him. 
2. Humble people celebrate others - creating space for the success of others. They don’t play the game of comparison. 
3. Humble people are teachable. They are willing to learn and ask questions, never afraid to admit they might not know something. 
4. Humble people are grateful. They find contentment with what God has given them. And practice a thankful heart.

Love: John 13:34-35 reads, “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  Because you are so deeply loved by the creator of the world you get to love others deeply. This love touches others and changes lives because it stands out like a light in the dark spaces around us. 

When we have Jesus, we get to have character defined by Him. A reflection of his character. We are a people who are patient in circumstances and with those around us. We are a people who are humble, who pray and celebrate others living with thankful hearts, always teachable, and we live with love poured out from our father so we can live like Him. We can do ministry better when we declutter and allow room for Jesus and share the simple but powerful message of the gospel. 

Recently my CRU team received a message from someone named Ahmed. He initially found us while doing an internet search about the very basics of Christianity. We were able to start the conversation by directing him to a resource on our website titled, "What is Christianity?" After he read it, he then asked about the Trinity. The team was able to explain the core concept, that there is one God who exists as three distinct persons. He asked, “Why is a Christian country at peace and a Muslim country in war?” That is a heavy, complex question, and to be honest, one we don't pretend to have the full answer for. The team acknowledged that we live in a broken world where conflict exists everywhere, regardless of country or professed faith. We moved past the political analysis to talk about God's promise of hope and shared an article highlighting God’s plan and promise in Revelation 21:4, where God promises to wipe away every tear. It was a chance to share the ultimate truth: that Jesus died and was resurrected again to save us and usher in an eternal peace that the current world can't offer.

These basics of Christianity changed Ahmed’s life. Can they change yours?

I don’t live in a field fertile for evangelism. My earthly home is Door County, the beautiful Wisconsin peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan. Our year-round population is mostly white, wealthy, and elderly (all negative predictors for evangelism).

Yet the white bobbing heads remind me of fields white unto harvest. I’m helping to plant a home church with the Evangelical Free Church. Half our congregation is made up of people we met at pickleball.

Pickleball
Pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in America, is being played on converted tennis courts, in prison yards, on cruise ships, and at churches that are quickly setting up nets on their grounds to meet their neighbors.

Though it caught on first with the elderly, pickleball has spread to the young, with the fastest growth among those age 24 and younger. It’s inexpensive, easy to learn, and extremely social because there’s time on the sidelines for conversations while waiting for the next open court.

I’m thankful I became one of the avalanching number of players. Not only is it a fun way to get exercise, but it kicked me out of my Christian bubble and helped me join God in his adventure of bringing people to himself.

Invite Conversations
My friend Twila invited me to pickleball, and we’re alert together to those God seems to be wooing to himself. We pray for them, eager to connect with them if the door opens. As the years have passed, we’ve learned a lot about being winsome messengers, whether on the court or off.

Conversations are low-key, and we’ve become good listeners, trying to hear what might be keeping our friends from Christ. We don’t preach, but neither do we hide who we are. If someone asks, “What’s new with you, Dee?” I’ll say something that might pique her curiosity, perhaps mentioning my recent visit to a prison or how my visiting daughter commented on how our relationship is so much better than it was once. I hope she’ll ask, “What happened?”

If she does, I can tell her how God is changing hearts in prison—or changing my own heart since he revealed my nasty habit of making passive-aggressive comments. If I’m met with silence, I let the ball drop—but more often than not, she’ll volley back with a question.

Go Slow
Still, many are many wary of “evangelicals.” When one man found out Twila was married to a pastor, he told her, “I’d like to be friends with you, but the Christians I know are really pushy about their faith.”

Twila assured him that any faith conversations would only be at his initiative. From then on, they talked about their shared interests of gardening and music. One day, Twila slipped, telling him in her excitement about an answer to prayer. She stopped midsentence to apologize. But now the man wanted to hear, and he said, “No, no—I want to hear, for this is who you are.”

Their friendship grew deeper. We invited him and his wife over for meals and then to a series our church was doing with the ministry of Alpha. Both put their trust in Christ and began coming to church.

More Fruit
Marty was a friend I made at pickleball, and in time, she shared with me the heartache of her older brother’s murder when he was in college. It had devastated her mother and changed Marty’s childhood. We began getting together outside of pickleball to talk about why a good God might allow such a tragedy.

One day at pickleball, I felt led to invite Marty to a study on the Beatitudes. Marty was hesitant. “How much homework is there?”

“Not that much!” I was so eager for her to say yes.

Then Twila leaned forward with the truth: “Marty, you’ll get out as much as you put into it.” That challenge made Marty want to come.

The Beatitudes begin with the importance of facing our sin and admitting our need for forgiveness. “Blessed are those who mourn” means “Blessed are those who mourn their sin.”

Marty didn’t like it. She told me, “The problem is, Dee, I’m not a sinner.”

I’m so thankful the Lord silenced me, for normally I’d have had much to say. Instead, I prayed the Lord would somehow show her the truth.

Marty was so troubled by the sin discussion that she decided to skip that week’s Bible study and bike through our beautiful peninsula. A half hour into the study, Marty burst in, her face flushed with excitement. She said, “I was riding my bike and God showed me I’m a sinner. But he also loves me, and that’s why he died!”

A hush came over the living room. There’s nothing in this world as exciting as seeing God give new life.

It might sound silly to say that God is using pickleball to bring people to himself. But we’ve seen tempers tamed, marriages repaired, and souls saved among our pickleball friends. In an increasingly online and isolated world, having a physical place to connect over an interest, with time enough to have meaningful conversations, has been remarkably fruitful.

You could do the same thing in a group that gathers to run, hike, or discuss books at the library. Praise be to the Lord, who can use us anywhere.

TheGospelCoalition. How I Learned to Share My Faith on the Pickleball Court. Dee Brestin. March 7, 2024.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/share-faith-court/

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued a presidential proclamation designating the third Sunday of January as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. This has become a day when churches and pro-life organizations across America come together to reflect on the value of every human life, from conception to natural death. 

After the elections of 2024, this day brings a new level of importance. Missouri, the state where I live, recently passed Amendment 3, an initiative guaranteeing “the right to reproductive freedom.” It was a devastating blow that shifted Missouri from being one of the most pro-life states in the country to one of the least. 

A Personal Heartbreak and a Profound Truth

The sanctity of life isn’t just a theological or political issue for me—it’s deeply personal. My wife and I were still in our first year of marriage when she shared the exciting news that we were expecting our first child. I still remember the excitement that filled our hearts and home as we prepared for this new chapter of life.

At our first doctor’s visit, everything looked great, and we eagerly scheduled the follow-up appointment, where we would hear our baby’s heartbeat for the first time. We even brought a brand-new VHS tape to record the ultrasound and capture the moment forever. But that day didn’t unfold as we had hoped.

When the ultrasound technician began, something felt off. The joy and anticipation turned to silence. I’ll never forget the look on the doctor’s face as he gently explained that there was no heartbeat. Our precious baby—whom we later learned was a girl—was gone. The news crushed us, and our hearts felt a pain we had never known before.

That moment solidified my belief in the sanctity of human life. It wasn’t theoretical. I knew our daughter wasn’t just a “potential” life—she was a real person, fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Even though her life was brief, it mattered. She mattered. And her absence left a void we still feel today.

God, the Creator and Sustainer of Life

As a Christian, I firmly believe that God is the author of life. Scripture makes this clear:

Psalm 139:13-14 says, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Jeremiah 1:5 tells us, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.”

These verses remind us that every human life begins at conception, is known by God, and is created with a unique purpose. Life is sacred because it comes from Him and is not ours to take or devalue.

The Darkness of Abortion

Since 1973, when the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade, over 63 million lives have been lost to abortion in the United States. Let that sink in. That’s not just a number. It’s an incredible loss of lives, each one uniquely created in the image of God.

According to NPR, in 2023 alone, there were over 1,000,000 abortions. Yes, that is over one million. This number equals 2,739 per day, 114 per hour, or one every 31 seconds. These aren’t just statistics. They represent sons and daughters who never had the chance to take their first breath.

Abortion thrives in silence and darkness. It’s hidden in language like “choice” and “freedom,” but it’s anything but these. The truth is that abortion doesn’t just destroy the life of the unborn—it leaves deep scars on mothers, fathers, and families. As believers, we are called to shine the light of truth and love into this darkness.

What Can We Do

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is more than a day of reflection; it’s a call to action. Here are some practical ways we can stand for life:

1. Pray for an end to abortion. Ask God to move in the hearts of lawmakers, doctors, mothers, and fathers to protect and value life.
2. Support local pro-life ministries. Volunteer at or donate to pregnancy resource centers and other organizations that serve women and families in crisis.
3. Be a voice for the voiceless. Advocate for policies and legislation that protect the unborn and promote a culture of life.
4. Offer grace and healing. For those who have experienced abortion, extend the hope and forgiveness found in Jesus Christ.

A Nation at a Crossroads

With the passage of Amendment 3, Missouri is now at a crossroads. Our state and our nation must decide whether to choose a culture that values and protects life or one that continues to devalue and destroy it. These decisions will shape the future for generations to come.

I hope in knowing that God is still sovereign and working, even in our brokenness. As Christians, we are called to be light in the darkness and stand for truth, even when it is difficult. We may not change the world overnight, but we can make a difference one life, one conversation, and one act of love at a time.

A Final Prayer

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday reminds us that every human life is precious and sacred because it is made in God’s image. From the unborn child to the elderly, from the disabled to the marginalized, every life has value and purpose.

Reflecting on this day, I remember this simple prayer: “Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours.” May we honor the Creator by honoring His creation. May we never lose sight of the sacredness of human life. Let’s stand for life, one heart and one life at a time.

BaptistBibleTribune. The Sanctity of Human Life: A Personal and Eternal Perspective. January 24, 2025. Randy Harp.

https://www.tribune.org/the-sanctity-of-human-life-a-personal-and-eternal-perspective/

Read the first part of the article here. 

To Rebel for Your Soul

I also want you rebel for your soul. Reading isn’t just a rebellion for the sake of your mind; it’s rebellion for the good of your heart. Reading is war in service of worship.

Does that sound over the top? Maybe a bit far-fetched? Not when we bring the Bible into the picture.

Christians get called, rightly, “people of the Book.” God’s people meditate on God’s Word. And meditation goes deeper than reading. It means to sit, to ponder, to consider, to contemplate. The Bible calls for our gaze, not a glance.

The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind. How do we learn to love this God? Well, when Moses first delivered this command, he followed it up with instructions on how to make God’s Word the centerpiece of everyday life. The ancient Israelites were to repeat the words of the Word throughout the day, teaching them to their children, discussing them at home and on the road.

One of the biggest obstacles to this kind of Word-soaked life is the distraction of a digital age. We’ve lost the ability to experience the power of great poetry, or feel the weightiness of wonderful music, or stand and stare at a masterpiece of art. It’s often said, most works of art yield their secrets slowly. The same is true for God’s Word. The Bible makes demands of us. It calls for thought, for patience, and for devotion. The path to truly internalizing and digesting Scripture is rugged, intentionally so, for this is how the Spirit does his work in our lives.

But what about all the Christians in the past who couldn’t read? Were they unfaithful? No. Literacy doesn’t equal holiness. Some of the ghastliest atrocities our world has ever seen were committed by the well-read, while many a saint never learned to read or write. Reading may not be essential, but God’s Word is. Illiterate peasants cherished God’s Word by listening to it and committing it to memory.

Just imagine our forefathers and mothers of the faith in centuries past, with only a handful of books and maybe a tattered Bible passing into their possession over a lifetime. What would they say if they saw the thousands of Bible editions and tools and commentaries we have at our disposal? How does it make sense that even with all our resources, we don’t know the Scriptures as well as they did?

Meditation on God’s Word, contemplation of his wonders—this is basic Christian practice. To read and understand God’s Word is to mount an insurgency against the shallowness of an ever-scrolling word and to be rooted, like the tree that describes the righteous in Psalm 1—planted and fruit-bearing through delight in God’s law and meditation day and night. Reading can help you see, truly see, the glory of God. And the glory of God lights the way for you to truly see others.

Consider Jesus’s haunting question to Simon the Pharisee after a woman entered the house and washed Jesus’s feet with her tears: “Do you see this woman?” (Luke 7:44). Not “see” in the sense of acquiring knowledge, but see with the eyes of attention, to see with spiritual intuition. It’s the kind of sight that demands paying attention while stirring in oneself the compassion that destroys any attitude of superiority and changes the one looking.

What receives our attention? What is it we see? What are we missing? The Bible would have us be more attentive to where we give our attention.

To follow Jesus means to pay attention to him, to be like Mary of Bethany, who reclined at his feet and hung on his every word. Theologian John Webster writes,

In our world today, many voices seek our attention. Influencers everywhere hawk their wares. How tragic if we develop the capacity to attune to everything but the Word of the Lord. The most radical, countercultural practice we can cultivate today is an intensity in reading and listening to the Scriptures—a steadfast attention that refuses to allow anything to wrest our focus from the Bible. To listen until it hurts, as Jacob wrestled with God, refusing to let go until he was blessed.

Reading is the best way to rebel in a world that can glance at everything and gaze at nothing.

For God’s sake, and for your own, read.

TheGospelCoalition. Reading as Rebellion. September 11, 2025. Trevin Wax.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/reading-rebellion/