Re-Centering

Staying Human in Contested Times

My last post here was October 15. In the weeks that followed, I was still very much “on,” wrapping up responsibilities and tending to commitments before entering a planned season of abandonment. From the outside, that may have looked like a long silence. From the inside, it was the completion of a transition into a deeper practice of re-centering.

In mid-November, just before leaving the country, I returned to the place of my first church plant. Longtime friends, Joe and Lisa Racek, surprised me with a birthday gathering where former students traveled from across Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and other states to be together. It was a deeply meaningful moment of reconnection and gratitude, a reminder that faithfulness bears fruit over time and that relationships formed in the way of Jesus endure far beyond a single season. Alongside that reunion, I was also completing a full slate of speaking engagements and conferences and preparing to teach a four-year doctoral cohort at Fuller Theological Seminary, which begins today. Together, these commitments formed a season of faithful engagement and transition before stepping more fully into abandonment.

I did not step away because I had nothing to say. I stepped away because I wanted to remain faithful to the way of life that makes truthful speech possible.

For years now, I have lived by a simple rhythm that helps me resist urgency, reactivity, and burnout, especially in contested times like these.

• Diverting daily, taking intentional time each day to center

• Withdrawing weekly, setting aside one full day for Sabbath

• Maintaining monthly, a mini retreat for reflection and recalibration

• Abandoning annually, leaving everything behind, often leaving the country, to recenter more deeply

This rhythm is a practice of staying human in contested times.

Being refreshed, recharged, and renewed

Physically, getting refreshed means proper rest, a healthy diet, and an active life. The Psalmist reminds us in Psalm 127:2 that God gives rest to those he loves, even in their sleep. Living in a culture that values production above all else, we need a deep theology of rest. When we are exhausted, loving others becomes harder. Small issues become big problems. We grow more defensive and more critical.

Sabbath is not merely a day off. Eugene Peterson described it as “uncluttered time and space to distance ourselves from the frenzy of our own activities so we can see what God has been and is doing.” Sabbath is about praying and playing, quitting our illusion of indispensability, and remembering that the world continues without our constant effort.

Emotionally, I am recharged through solitude, recreation, and laughter. Recreation is not rest. It is re-creation. For me, surfing does this uniquely. It is difficult to obsess over worries when you are facing a wave that demands your full attention. Solitude has also become increasingly important to me, even as an extravert. Silence and solitude together have become centering practices rather than luxuries. Laughter, especially with life-giving friends, restores joy and perspective.

Spiritually, renewal is daily work. Scripture tells us that though our bodies grow weary, our inner life can be renewed day by day. Prayer, Scripture, theological reading, communal discernment, and time in creation all help me abide in Christ. Without that abiding, nothing of lasting goodness flows through us.

Annual Abandonment and Holy Remembrance

This year, my annual abandonment took me to Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Nepal. India and Nepal were new countries for me. In these places, I encountered extraordinary hospitality, often from those with very little. Again and again, I was reminded that the poor are often rich in faith.

During this season, one song kept returning to me: Holy Forever. In particular, these lines stayed with me:

Your Name is the highest, Your Name is the greatest
Your Name stands above them all
All thrones and dominions, all powers and positions
Your Name stands above them all.

In a world filled with thrones, dominions, powers, and positions that clamor for allegiance, this song helped re-anchor me. God is still on the throne. Not as a distant ruler, but as the Holy One whose reign does not depend on coercion or control.

I encourage you to take time to listen and worship God in spirit and in truth. Re-centering often begins not with analysis, but with adoration.

Glimpses from the journey

Below are a few images from India and Nepal, two new countries for me, shared as small windows into my past season of abandonment, hospitality, and reorientation.

Creation reminding me of scale, silence, and the God who stands above every power and dominion

At sunrise, a long line of pilgrims bearing witness to hunger for the holy that transcends culture and creed

Still water, open space, and unhurried movement, a gift of rest and re-creation

Crowds gathering in reverence, a reminder of our shared humanity and the many ways people seek meaning

Beauty rising from the fog, fragile and fleeting, held alongside the quiet generosity and faith I encountered.

Each image carries a quiet testimony. God is present. Faith is alive. The kingdom often shows up where we least expect it.

A word of return and what lies ahead

I am back now, grateful for your patience and presence. As I re-enter a sustainable writing rhythm, it may take a week or two to fully find my groove again. The work will continue, but I am resisting the temptation to rush it.

What I encountered on this journey has deepened my conviction about Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is not poetic abstraction. It is lived reality. The hospitality of the poor, their generosity, and their trust in God have a way of revealing where true richness lies.

More on that in my next post.

Looking Ahead

While this is the planned way forward, I recognize the need to remain attentive to both current events and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I want to hold this plan with open hands, allowing for flexibility, course corrections, and even interruptions, while still seeking to carry the series forward with faithfulness and care.

In the coming posts, I hope to continue reflecting on prophetic discipleship through the lens of the Beatitudes, especially as they form us to resist empire and embody the way of Jesus.

• Poor in Spirit, Rich in Courage
  Discipleship begins with humility. To be poor in spirit is to reject the false security of empire and learn courage through trust and dependence on God.

• Mourning What the World Won’t Admit
  Grief is an act of truth-telling. Lament cleanses our eyes to see suffering clearly, deepens our hunger for justice, and prepares us to act in mercy and righteousness.

• Meekness that Refuses to Bow
  Meekness is strength under God’s authority, not Caesar’s. It forms disciples who can confront injustice with patience and restraint, sustaining a long-term prophetic witness.

These reflections are not abstract ideals. They are practices meant to shape how we live, love, and resist in contested times.

A prayer

Holy God,
You who stand above every throne and dominion,
re-center our loves and reorder our desires.

Free us from the tyranny of hurry,
the illusion of control,
and the fear of having too little.

Teach us the way of Jesus,
to receive the kingdom as the poor do,
with open hands, humble hearts, and deep trust.
Amen.

We loosen our grip on control.
We discover the faithfulness that has been holding us.
The kingdom comes quietly.