end of the age

Every day this week, Sara and I have woken up to yet another horrible story in the news:

• Israel launching missiles at Hamas in Qatar
• Starvation in Gaza
• Russian drones shot down over Poland
• The assassination of Charlie Kirk

These are certainly perilous times. My heart hurts with each news cycle as the world seems to spiral ever deeper into animosity, polarization, and carnage.  How do I manage these things? I do it the same way I’ve managed my life for the past four years—I wake up every day and try to gaze at these things from God’s perspective.

The world may be growing darker, but his plan for redemption is the undercurrent to all of it. His heart is to redeem, to let his love interact with the chaos of this world. Don’t doubt for a moment that his plan is unfolding, and though growing pain and darkness may be part of that as the world rebels against its Creator, we know he will win in the end.

And then, I ask Jesus what he is giving me today. I’m not trying to get anything from him. I’m not trying to get him to fix the world. I’m not fretting over anything I cannot control. I simply ask him to help me love well in my corner of the world.

I can tell you what it was like yesterday. Sara and I shared our trauma story with Kyle’s (yes, podcast co-host, Kyle) Advanced Counseling class at Sheridan College. We told them the story of Sara’s unfolding trauma story and how it nearly derailed our marriage. It sparked a raw and honest conversation. We were even asked if this experience changed our relationship with God. What a morning!

And then, in the evening, I sat around a table with some people who are dealing with the implosion in the 2×2 church, and shared about living in God’s love and community beyond it.

Sara and I will move on from Sheridan, WY tomorrow and head into Montana, still planning on getting to Calgary and then coming back through Coeur D’Alene and some routing across Washington and Oregon.  We are also having days just to enjoy the beauty of the countryside around us. We spent a day seeing the beauty of the Black Hills and stopped to behold the Devil’s Tower. It’s a trip with great beauty in the Creation, and in God’s work among his people.

It is possible to walk through the chaos of these days, with our gaze firmly set on him, and have his peace hold our hearts in these perilous times. That’s the theme of It’s Time: Letters to the Bride of Christ at the End of the Age. It’s now completely done and available at all e-book outlets, and in print from Amazon.com.

Here’s an email I got today from a reader:

I was immediately struck by IT’S TIME!, a Spirit-filled collection that speaks with tenderness and urgency to the Bride of Christ in an age clouded by uncertainty. Rather than leaning on fear or speculation, your letters call believers to cultivate resilient faith, deep intimacy with Christ, and a radiant hope that transcends circumstances.

What makes this book stand out is its balance of pastoral warmth and prophetic clarity. The imagery of the Bride of Christ, paired with practical encouragement for love, light, and trust in perilous times, resonates deeply with both individual readers and church communities longing for renewal. It’s not apocalyptic hype it’s spiritual preparation.

I hope you can take some time and read thoughtfully throug it.

As an added note, I got this advice from Stephen in Japan.  “Just a bit of a tech tip for those who are reading on Kindle. What you need to do is to click on the book, select delete download, and then click the title again so it starts the new download.” That way you won’t have to re-buy the book; you’ll get the full download.