by Alexei Laushkin Several years ago I was at a church retreat and each of us were asked to plot our spiritual lives on a graph from left to right and than to go around and share that graph with the group. Without fall most of these lifelong Christians drew a graph that had high … More How do you grow as a Christian?
By Alexei Laushkin It has been a complex season to view the events unfolding in Iraq and Iran. An event the President instigated and then backed away from led the American people to the brink of another war. Although the leadership of the President might reflect the majority view of the American people which is … More What Conflict with Iran Might Teach Us About Being Instruments of God’s Peace
If we have lived the Christian life for any length of time, you can recall times where we have felt God beckoning. Pushing you to get more serious with your Christian faith, your walk with Christ, even specific circumstances that you might have been in. Each of us have different experiences of these moments. Where … More Jesus Help Me Please: Getting Right as a Christian
by Alexei Laushkin In the present-day Western Church there are two dynamics that often hinder and slow a fully integrated Christian life: excessive individualism and the role of economic secularism. Excessive Individualism Individualism the sense of self and privacy and identity is not in and of itself a bad thing. There is a scriptural basis … More What Hinders a Fully Integrated Christian Life
by Alexei Laushkin So how do we end up creating space in our life for God, for our faith to flourish, for our inner man to grow? How do we grow in daily confidence in order to trust an all gracious and all merciful Lord? Does such space just happen because we desire it? How … More Creating Space in Your Life for God
This emptiness which was formed in him as a result of falling away from God, kindles in him an incessant craving that nothing can satisfy. This craving is vague but constant (St. Theophan the Recluse). That times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed … More Inward Alienation
by Alexei Laushkin One of my favorite hymns is ‘Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus.‘ Surprisingly simple and to the point. A fairly simple refrain too: ‘O for grace to trust Him more,’ and ‘Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him.’ Trust, love, grace. Dwelling and being. Simple, straightforward, almost childlike. Not like a meaty … More Just from Sin and Self to Cease
by Alexei Laushkin There’s something very simple in these powerful lines from “Just A Closer Walk with Thee.” Consider: I am weak but thou art strong Singing from such a simple place. I am weak without you Lord, help me walk closer, help me draw near, help me be more confident in my walk with you. … More Just A Closer Walk With Thee
by Alexei Laushkin The Exodus is a pivotal moment for the people of God. They are rescued from Egypt, where their lives were filled with slavery, toil, and oppression and they make it to the desert on the way to the promised land. And what do they encounter? They encounter their hearts which are filled with self-slavery, … More Living in Exodus
by Alexei Laushkin Mercy is about patience. The patience of God really more than our own. Consider God’s standards of mercy. He patiently waits. Consider these words from 2 Peter 3:8-9: But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are … More On Mercy
The Missional Life 