Everything You Have Ever Prayed For is Just on the Other Side Of Doubt

Understanding the Adult Faith Journey

WHY ADULTS TURN TOWARD GOD This reflection explores the adult faith journey—what drives it, how it differs from childhood faith, and what honest belief looks like when it arrives late and worn. It traces the PRESSURE OF MEANING, the collapse of self-sufficiency, moral exhaustion, and the quiet discovery that total autonomy isn't freedom. The aim is not to romanticize struggle, but to offer DIGNITY, LANGUAGE, and GROUNDED HOPE for those whose faith didn't arrive in certainty but in reckoning—after life took a few good swings. It invites readers to see that faith beginning in weakness is not failure, but the pattern of the kingdom. The journey is the point.
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The Whys of Faith: Understanding the Adult Faith Journey (Photo: Somewhere in Southwestern Colorado near Mesa Verde)

What Is A Beleaguered Believer?

WHAT IS A BELEAGUERED BELIEVER? This reflection gives language and dignity to believers who still love JESUS CHRIST but feel worn down, pushed out, or silenced by the ways Christianity has been packaged, marketed, and weaponized. It explores what it means to be BESIEGED IN FAITH without having abandoned it, tracing the pressures of church machinery, culture wars, shame, and disillusionment. The aim is not to attack the church, but to offer CLARITY, COMPASSION, and HONEST NAMES for those who stepped back from the noise to see if they could hear Him again. It invites readers beyond labels and accusations to recognize that stepping away from harmful structures is not the same as walking away from Christ.

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What is a Beleaguered Believer?

What Is Evangelical Christianity?

WHAT IS EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY? This reflection offers an honest look at EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY beyond stereotypes, outrage cycles, and partisan spin. It traces the movement’s history, core convictions, and better impulses, while also naming its compromises with power, nationalism, and celebrity culture. The goal is not attack or defense, but CLARITY, CONTEXT, and NUANCE for readers who have been shaped by evangelical spaces, puzzled by them, or wounded within them. It invites you to look past bias and preconceptions and ask what this movement has been, where it has gone astray, and what might still be worth reclaiming in the way of JESUS CHRIST.

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What Is Evangelical Christianity?

What Is Progressive Christianity

WHAT IS PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY? This reflection offers an honest look at PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY beyond culture-war caricatures, vague spiritual branding, and easy slogans. It traces the movement’s roots in reform and renewal, unpacks its core impulses—FAITH AS A JOURNEY, RADICAL INCLUSION, RESPONSIBLE SCRIPTURE READING, and INTEGRATION OF FAITH AND REASON—and names both its gifts and blind spots. The aim is not to market a label, but to offer CLARITY, CONTEXT, and NUANCE for those who still love JESUS CHRIST, long for justice and mercy, and are searching for a way of following Him that is living, humble, and kind.

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What Is Progressive Christianity?

Why So Many Bibles

The Bible is probably the most complicated book in human history, although it's message is clear and simple: JESUS. It's very nature brings about QUESTIONS, DEBATE and MISUNDERSTANING. Why so many translations? Which one is right? Where did it come from? Who wrote it? Should it be taken literally as the Word of God? Or metaphorically? In this essay I attempt to answer some of those questions in a clear, easy-to-understand form. CHECK IT OUT » Why So Many Translations

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One Word, Many Translations: Why the Bible Reads Differently

Faith Over Factions

Scripture-Centered Reflections for Following Jesus in an Unsteady World

For believers who need to hear His voice above the noise—whether you have a church home or not.

You might be serving faithfully but feeling unseen.
You might be sitting in the pew but keeping your questions silent.
You might be out on the edges, still holding onto Christ.

This is for all of us who are beleaguered but still believe.

Reflections For The Beleaguered Believer

Simple insights. Real-world questions. Anchored in timeless truth.

No fluff, no formulas—just real biblical insight into what it means to live with purpose and clarity in a complicated world. These reflections explore the scriptures and unpack how they speak to everyday challenges like oppression, fear, pressure, loneliness, or uncertainty.  Each reflection includes actionable steps to apply these principles.

Connect With Us On Social Media

Faith over Factions and The Beleaguered Believer is for Christians who still love Jesus but no longer recognize His voice in the noise of modern religion. Each post offers honest, Scripture-centered reflections for those walking the narrow road between conviction and compassion. If you’ve felt exiled from the church yet can’t let go of Christ, you’ll find refuge here. Subscribe or follow us daily insight, hope, and steady faith for unsteady times.

Thriving In The Mystery

Life with God is never meant to be dull or weighed down by fear of the unknown. Even when the path ahead is hazy, His light still breaks through, leading us step by step into unexpected joy. Thriving in the Mystery is a weekly breath of hope—a reminder that uncertainty is not a setback but sacred ground where wonder grows. Each short reflection is meant to lift your heart, brighten your spirit, and remind you that God’s goodness is alive and shining even when tomorrow feels unclear.

Hope When You Feel Worn Down

Hope When You Feel Worn Down

When faith feels faint and life feels heavy, you’re not broken—you’re tired. God isn’t asking you to fix everything; He’s asking you to stay near. This reflection offers five steady ways to find hope again: honesty, rest, connection, small prayers, a...
Freedom from the Weight of Answers

Freedom from the Weight of Answers

We weren’t meant to carry every answer. When life feels heavy with uncertainty, we can rest—not because we’ve solved the mystery, but because God already holds it. This gentle reflection invites you to release the pressure to figure everything out an...

Mile Markers In Genesis: Openeing The Road

The journey begins here. Mile by mile, story by story, Genesis reveals the foundations of faith, struggle, promise, and purpose. These reflections help us trace God's movement through ancient lives—and our own. Each mile marker is a pause to notice what matters, and to keep walking forward in trust.

Genesis 20–21-Laughter and the Long Delay
Mile Marker 8

Genesis 20–21: Laughter and the Long Delay

In Genesis 20–21, promises delayed finally arrive. Isaac is born. Joy erupts. But not without complication. Abraham’s fears resurface. Hagar and Ishmael are cast out. God protects both Sarah and Hagar, both Isaac and Ishmael. This Mile Marker explore...

Portraits In Christian Resistance

Faith that refused to bow. Voices that still speak.

In every generation, some choose Christ over compromise—even at great cost.
Portraits in Christian Resistance is a living gallery of believers who stood against empire, injustice, and distortion—not with swords, but with courage, conviction, and costly obedience.

Because resistance isn’t a moment. It’s a posture of faith.
And now—it’s our turn.

Step inside. Listen. Remember. Rise.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Faithful Unto Death

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Faithful Unto Death

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life and death stand as a piercing example of Christian resistance. In a time when the German church bowed to tyranny, Bonhoeffer chose costly discipleship over cultural compromise. His theology, centered on the cross and the su...

Fellow Workers In The Harvest

Ministries We Endorse
“So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
-Matthew 9:38

Watch "The Chosen"

The Chosen is a groundbreaking series that portrays the life of Jesus with emotional depth and cultural realism. While creatively dramatized, it remains deeply rooted in the biblical narrative, drawing from Scripture to bring the Gospels to life in a way that’s both accessible and reverent.

Site Notes

All Site Photography Originals from John's wanders unless noted.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

We completely recommend E-Sword, a Free Study Bible available for most mobile and desktop platforms.

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