A group of people was sitting in the waiting area of a popular restaurant. They were hungry, eager for a table, and silently stealing glances at each other. Then in came yet another family with a small child. As the man went to register his name, the child standing in...

On Friday as I walked into my wife’s office to say hi, smiling and eager to interrupt her work with a flirtatious moment or two, she swiveled around toward me in her chair and said, “Have you heard about what happened in Connecticut?” There was shock and hurt in her...

There’s a white door. There’s a ‘5’ on it. Two ARISE students, Victor Carreiro and Lindsay White, stand beside the apartment door and knock. There’s a post beside Victor that he leans upon, his hand plays with a chip in the wood. Lindsay can be seen taking a few glances...

Here's the Light Bearers 2012 Yearend Report. We are proud of this report, not in a carnal way, but because of the work and ministry it represents. The report is filled with frontline reports and theological insights that are sure to inspire you as they have us. Read. Enjoy. And pray....

Emily Bronte, in her poem Fall, Leaves, Fall, writes: Every leaf speaks bliss to meFluttering from the autumn tree.  Here in Oregon, as I write this, autumn has come and (nearly) gone. Leaves are aground wherever one looks––golden yellow, ochre red, and a million hues besides. Each one tells a...

No one is answering. Andy Hausted and Karla Martinez stand before a door refusing to open up. As Andy looks around, he notices two people in the backyard sitting on couches in a sort of outside porch area. The current ARISE Cornerstone track is making itself known for their energy...

At the core of the Old Testament is what theologians call the biblical covenant. In other words, it’s a relationship, fellowship time, or… chill-time, or hanging out. It’s in the foundation of every sanctuary offering, every patriarch’s command, and every prophetic utterance. In turn, the core of the New Testament...

I ascended the dark stairway at my childhood home to retrieve a toy I knew was in the upstairs closet for one of my children. As the creak of the steps sounded beneath my weight, memories from my childhood came rushing back. I reached the summit of the staircase and...

As many of you know, we have a group of ARISE graduates that are part of a yearlong internship program. They are actively engaged in frontline ministry. They are serving in local churches, giving Bible studies in the community, conducting training for the laity, organizing small groups, visiting backsliders, integrating...

[ABOVE: Photo of a fractal riverbed. Fractals are naturally occurring, self-similar patterns that are very complex and incalculably detailed. While they may appear to be random and chaotic at their initial formation, they exhibit an array of beautiful complexity when fully developed.] In the fourteenth chapter of the Book of...

Wow, I was so blessed by David's “world” that I’d like to expand the vision to the church. In my world, the church would be a place in which Jesus is the one Truth that gives meaning and heart and healing significance to all other truths. In my world, church...

In my world, there would be no sexual slave trade, because there would be no customers. In my world, there would be no promising politicians, because people would be too informed and intelligent to believe them. In my world, there would be no illegal drug use or trafficking, because people...