Why Christians Should Care About Human Trafficking (Part II)
By Audrey Masterson
It seems like a question with an obvious answer, but it’s not. The problem seems endless, and it’s easy to feel helpless really quickly. But trafficking doesn’t happen because people make poor decisions, live erotic and irresponsible lifestyles, or even by chance. No, human trafficking happens because we are broken, sinful people. It’s a byproduct of damaged relationships, divided families, and a lack of love; "it’s because of systemic barriers to education and employment, neglect and early childhood trauma, struggles with self-esteem and mental health” (paraphrased Relevant Magazine). Trafficking happens because people are broken.
We are all broken.
The traffickers are broken.
When you think of a pimp, what do you picture? An older African-American guy in a pinstriped suit with a top hat, gold teeth, and big chains around his neck—or maybe something similar? Yeah, I did too (and that could be the case), but typically they blend in a little more with the community around them. Today, pimps look like national and local criminal organizers, our neighbors, friends, family members, or romantic partners, agricultural operators, owners of small or medium-sized businesses, or of large factories, police officers, and government authorities. They could be of any ethnicity, any race, any gender, and any age. They are living and breathing and always scheming and preying on our youth. Yet, they are broken people too.
The buyers are broken.
Often referred to as “Johns” when referencing the sex industry, these are the people buying sex from prostitutes on the street and in brothels. Buyers are people financially supporting the porn industry by watching short films created by those trapped in the sex industry or attending strip clubs and massage parlors. Buyers are men and women of all races, ethnicities, and ages keeping individuals trapped in a life of slavery. And let’s not forget, buyers are those of us who consume and keep consuming products without researching fair-trade options. And buyers too are broken individuals.
The victims are broken.
These are the marginalized community groups and individuals found within our community being bought and sold in our backyards, our parking lots, in the motel down the street, and at truck stops, and these people are broken, and hurting.
We are broken.
We are the Christians unaware, shrinking back, remaining silent, and allowing this monstrosity to continue to occur in our neighborhoods; and we are those helping, learning, educating, and praying for those enslaved. That’s the “us,” and we are broken people in need of a Savior.
We are all broken. We are broken by addictions, unhealthy and abusive relationships, loss and and unresolved pasts—by mistakes, regrets, and by unanswered prayers. But there is beauty found in brokenness. Our brokenness leads us to a need that can only be fulfilled by a God that created us in His own image. And that’s a reason to care.
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”- Genesis 1:27
We are ALL created in the image of God, from the pimps to the buyers to thevictims to the helpers. Human trafficking is an assault on the dignity of human life and preys on the oppressed. If we believe that we have all been made in the likeness of God and deserve basic dignity then how could we stand by and allow brothers and sisters to be dehumanized, exploited, or marginalized? We care because, as Christians, we have been given an undeserved new life of freedom in Christ and the resources to help protect the vulnerable, prevent high-risk individuals from being exploited, and prosecute the criminals aiding the industry.
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” - Galatians 5:1
One of the most beautiful and valuable aspects of Christianity in my opinion is free will. Free will says that we have the choice to take up our cross and follow Jesus— or not to, and to live apart from Him. Ultimately God, who is Love, gives us the option to love; however, to call ourselves Christians, God holds us accountable to a command to love our neighbors as we would love ourselves.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” - John 13:34
And that’s another reason to care about the fight against human trafficking. Because loving others who are different than ourselves promotes unity, creates stronger relationships, gives hope, and survives oppression. Love helps rescue those trapped in "the life", rehabilitate victims from a life of trauma, and reintegrate survivors back into our community after being estranged for a period of time.
"And above all these [virtues] put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” - Colossians 3: 14
Not only do I believe that love withstands persecution, I believe that love [for the least of these]builds bridges and connects the community. In a war-torn world, I believe Christians need a cause to rally around— a cause to fight against because “your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil works by creating a wedge and hammering inch by inch until the people of God are torn, divided, and completely separated form one another. He doesn’t want us to live in community; he wants us in isolation— alone, defeated, manipulated, worn-out, and depressed— unable to reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ because of the shame we feel. It’s the only way he works and he’s actively seeking victims for his lowly dwelling place— people like you and me to become traffickers, buyers, and the exploited. Human trafficking isn’t new; human trafficking doesn’t just occur in 3rd-world countries; human trafficking isn’t onlysex trafficking; human trafficking doesn’t represent one culture, one race, or one gender; human trafficking doesn’t just show up during major sporting events; and human trafficking isn’t easy to identify and prosecute— but human trafficking is real, and it is happening all around us.
"For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." - Romans 12:4-5
Why Christians Should Care About Human Trafficking (Part I)
This is a multi-part series that will cover human trafficking.
By Audrey Masterson
A few years ago I traveled to Baltimore on a trip that would ultimately change the way I view the world. I became aware of the reality of human trafficking, also referred to as, "modern day slavery" in the land of the free. How ironic. Most people who know me today know that I put a lot of time into exposing the injustice of human trafficking in an effort to be a part of a generation that helps end it, but I haven’t always known the truth behind the lies that are accepted within the American culture. Before I went to the east coast, I wrestled with the idea of being a "Christian without a specific passion;” and while this conviction is a deeply personal one, it led me to pray for a broken heart for something specific. My heart fell into pieces as I listened to Stephanie's* story and learned the startling facts of human trafficking. Since that trip to Baltimore, I have done countless hours of research, petitioned, and tried educating the people in my life of what I’ve learned. Furthermore, I pray that each person reading will be stirred in their affection for Jesus Christ and see the hope of restoration made available through Him, but before I share why I think it is important that professing Christians pay attention to this cause, I want to clarify some misconceptions of what human trafficking is and isn’t.
So what is human trafficking?
Homeland Security defines Human Trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will.
• Sex trafficking has been found in a wide variety of venues within the sex industry including residential brothels, escort services, fake massage businesses, strip clubs, and street prostitution.
• Labor trafficking has been found in diverse labor settings including domestic work, small businesses, large farms, and factories.
• Force: to make a way through or into by physical strength; break open by force
- Fraud: wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain
• Coercion: the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats
Ultimately, human trafficking is a human rights issue— rights that are believed to belong justifiably to every person regardless of their race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, birth or other status (United Nations Declaration of Human Rights). Although we may at first turn to movies like Taken to represent our understanding of human trafficking, it can (and most often) looks different in America. It looks different in Central Indiana.
And if this is a human rights issue, who does it affect?
Broadly, all of us. Even before you knew the legal definition, yes, it has already affected you. Human trafficking enslaves people from varying backgrounds to produce the food we eat, manufacture the clothes we wear, and perform so we can be amused in our homes and out on the weekends. It affects where we shop, how we travel, and how we entertain ourselves. WE (you and I) are affected because products are being sold to us in mass amounts because we consistently want bigger, badder, and better. And we keep these people trapped in lives of slavery because of our own selfish desires. “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:15). In 2016, there were 824 labor trafficking cases identified through the Human Trafficking Hotline where about 50% were female/male, 65% were foreign nationals, and 80% were adults; however, this is much different than sex trafficking in America. According to the Indiana State Report on HT, 83% of the victims identified in the United States were American citizens; approximately 1 million children are being bought and sold via the sex trade; and a majority of those targeted online and otherwise are females between the age of 12-18. This $150 billion industry traffics nearly 17,000 men, women, and children across the boarder each year, but we also have nearly 300,000 American youths attending our schools, playing on the streets in our neighborhoods, performing in the show-choir, working at the convenient store, and taking care of their younger siblings at risk right now, according to the FBI.
While ALL humans are affected by human trafficking, those who are more vulnerable to exploitation are women and children, marginalized communities, immigrants, members of the LGBT community, victims of former assault, individuals with a low socio- economic background, kids in foster care, homeless and run-away teens, refugees and natural disaster victims, and those in unstable home environments.
"The least of these.” - Matthew 25:40
Those are the words that keep circling back around in my head when I think about those vulnerable to exploitation-- those individuals who are mostly directly affected by the world’s second largest criminal industry (behind the drug trade). This fast growing criminal division is a heart issue to its core— and it’s multi-faceted. There are the traffickers. There are the buyers. There are those being sold. And there’s us. Us— individuals IN that group of marginalized people and those OUT side of it as well.
Sabbath: Stories of Discipline
By Samantha Wittgen
We have heard of Sabbath – we know that it has something to do with rest, and maybe that it is reserved for an entire, specific day. We usually can recall where it comes from – a command in the Old Testament to follow God’s lead in resting from work. We might even have tried to practice Sabbath before. However, we usually miss the best part of the Sabbath, what it’s for.
I would venture that each person reading this has at some point been victim to the lies of practicing Sabbath: I’m not good at being still and I have too much to do. I say victim because I think that word describes who we become & how we feel – enslaved, fearful, confused, frustrated – because we aren’t practicing Sabbath perfectly. When these feelings surface, the Sabbath loses its truth & allure as a holy gift and becomes a menacing lord over our lives.
In the Old Testament in Exodus, the Sabbath was given as a mandate – a law – to the people of Israel for them to celebrate who God is & what He had done for them. God asked them to rest in remembrance of His work to bring them out of slavery; resting on the Sabbath was and is an active display of obedience & trust in our God who always provides!
Jesus says the Sabbath is a gift for us – to meet our needs – and that we are not slaves of the Sabbath. In fact, Jesus reminds us that He is the Lord of all things, which includes the Sabbath (Mark 2:27-28). One of the greatest truths to remember regarding the Sabbath is that when our identity is in Jesus Christ, it does not have the power to convict or rename us – we are not lazy, we are not selfish, we are beloved.
We don’t have to look farther than God, His Word, and each other to understand the things of God, and so I’ve asked for your input for this post: what is Sabbath, why is it hard, and how do you practice Sabbath?
WHAT IS SABBATH?
“God kindly showed me that Sabbath time is a gift. A gift to cease striving.”
“It's a mentality of: everything else can wait. Most importantly, I've discovered Sabbath isn't just resting, but re-centering yourself on the creator God who refreshes… A rest with God.”
“We can go without Sabbath, but it's like doing an overnighter: you drudge through life drained and tired.”
“It's a time to physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually relax and remember that God's actually good at being God. Sabbath doesn't require me to do anything.”
"In order for your soul to be healthy, you must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life."
WHY IS RESTING HARD?
“Sabbath is not something I'm doing perfectly, but I have been much more intentional in practicing it lately. After an overload of stress and physical injury last year I experienced panic attacks for the first time in my life. I thought I was dying.”
“I don't think I intentionally exclude rest from my life, rather, I think you get stuck in a thought process of "I NEED to get ______ done". So it's more to do with priorities than rest.”
“For me, the hardest thing about Sabbath is it goes against everything I know and against everything society values - both in Christian circles and not. We're expected to produce and achieve. Hurry is all around us: we must meet deadlines, we must build our resumes, we must achieve. That's why Sabbath feels so foreign to us - because we don't know not-doing and not-achieving.”
WHAT DOES YOUR SABBATH LOOK LIKE?
“This is not to say I don't suffer the anxiety – I just had a mild attack yesterday – but I'm definitely am taking a different approach in listening to my body and God more.”
“Some of my favorite Sabbath moments have been when I'm not doing anything "sacred" - like times when I'm enjoying a bike ride or crafting or lounging with my cats. It has been in these types of moments, that my mind has been blown at just how thick I've sensed God's nearness compared to the times I had the accomplishment mindset in my Sabbath… I do think there's beauty in simply resting and delighting in the Lord and creation!”
“My first example is when I married my wife, Maryann. Before we married we agreed to take the first year as a rest. We did things together, went places together. We spent our time with each other. Did not engage in stuff outside of us. We kind of separated ourselves for that first year. It strengthened our marriage for 28 years.”
"Not so among you"
By Evan Johnson
And when the ten heard [Jesus rebuke James and John], they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rules of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
"It shall not be so among you." Jesus and his disciples had seen how the kings and governors and emperors of the world had empowered themselves with greatness. They built grandiose palaces for themselves. They had vast parades to showcase their power. Their wealth and popularity were celebrated by decree. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, wanted to sit at the right hand of Jesus when he established his kingdom. They weren’t alone in this thought process. It was commonly believed that the prophesied Messiah would establish an earthly kingdom like David did. The Jews were promised a land of their own, and Roman occupation stood in direct violation of this promise. They were longing for that promise to be fulfilled. Could this carpenter be that king that they had longed for?
In fact, Jesus did come to establish a kingdom on Earth, but it is one that transcends borders and nations across the globe. Abraham Kuyper is quoted as saying, “there is not one inch under all of creation of which Jesus Christ does not cry, ‘mine!’”
And it is his. Just not in the way that James and John had assumed, and the disciples were furious. What right had these two fishermen to assume that they could be governors in this new world order? Yet Jesus quickly puts this idea to rest. We are not rulers. We are servants. More importantly, we are servants to one another.
Last summer, I suffered the ever-present problem of my lease running up before I could find a place to live. I needed a place to stay. I had mentioned it to a friend of mine, Ted. He said he would check with his wife, but that he couldn’t imagine it being a problem. Sure enough, Claire gave us the green light. I stayed with them for two weeks.
During those two weeks, I had a seizure while driving down Meridian and hit the railing of a bridge. When I got to the hospital, I called my pastor in a haze. He managed to understand that I was in the hospital and stayed with me until they released me. He dropped me off at Ted and Claire’s (I think—I still barely remember that night).
I had no car. Ted and Claire drove me anywhere I needed to go. I despise needing people. It messes with my pride. I consider myself less of a human. I hate needing people, but part of serving others is being okay with others serving you—setting aside your pride and letting others help you when you need it.
Everyone who showed me generosity and grace during that time in my life helped me through a very up-and-down time. I felt useless. I felt alone. I felt frustrated. Without Ted and Claire and the other people around me who are too many to name, I’m confident I would have thrown trust out of the window.
But the funny thing about being shown human kindness and generosity is it makes you want to show it to others.
Let's Get Coffee
By Micha Kandal
I grew up going to church. All through middle school I did the occasional retreat and weekday hang outs. But I was in no way invested in a community, and I didn't have anyone investing in me. (Mom & dad don't count) I just accepted this as what it was. I was meant to be independent and a "loner."
I wasn't upset about this, and it didn't keep me up at night. I could just tell there was something missing.
So fast forward a few years, and I'm moving to Indy. Freshman year dorm room. The only person I knew was my new roommate. We came from the same home town, and that was about it.
Naturally, it was 1,000 degrees outside on move-in day. I was tired and exhausted and ready for my parents to leave so I could settle in and cry and breathe and do whatever else a freshman in college does in a new city.
That’s when I heard the laugh, followed by really excited small talk. This random girl with a bright smile and sunshiny hair was talking to my mom and brother about Evansville and how she is also from this same place. My mom decided that she fully trusts this complete stranger and tells the stranger (Samantha Wittgen) to "take care of me" while I live in her absence.
Sam and I exchange numbers, and as I get to know her, we become pals. She invites me into her community and to all of the young life events. During this whole process, that feeling of something missing that I mentioned before is starting to feel different. Jesus was doing some cool things. At the time, I thought I was just following around this new human, but looking back, Jesus was inviting me into new friendships that would change my life, to a community that would change my life.
As I went into my sophomore year of college, I continued developing these awesome relationships over hundreds of cups of coffee and felt God answering prayers. He was answering my deep desires of wanting to be known and loved and encouraged by others around me.
When I started coming to New Circle Church, my view of community completely shifted. I thought I knew what it was and what I wanted, but once I walked through the doors of the Oaks Academy, I knew I was home. All of the feelings and settling-for-being-a-loner, all were completely erased and replaced with that beautiful feeling of being wanted and known, accepted and invited in.
Learning how to be a good friend and a part of my community has been challenging for sure. There are days when I put my phone on do not disturb and decide to not invest for a minute. There are also the super Jesus infused days, when I get the opportunity to hear more about people's lives, and to pray over them or alongside them.
I know we were made to be with people. We were created with the capacity to love them well. I'm so thankful for all of the people I have come to know, and those who invest in me, and I in them. To feel known, respected, and encouraged is the closest thing to the kingdom I think I'll see and feel before the real thing. So until then, I'm going to keep walking with all the beautiful humans God has placed in my life. I’m going to keep listening for the loud laughs and excited small talk because this is how my sweet Savior lets me know I’m not alone.
God's Love Revealed Through Family
By Amy Rager
Isn’t it intriguing- the ways God chooses to make himself and his love known to us?
-With names like ‘I AM.’
-Through passing by and allowing an onlooker—who must hide in the cleft of a rock—to see his back.
-By incarnating into the form of a counter-cultural story-teller with parables even his closest companions couldn’t comprehend.
There’s no doubt about it. Mystery and imagery are integral parts of God’s plan for revealing His love to the world. This can be incredibly frustrating for those of us who would prefer a bulleted guide instead of a life-long process of seeking Him in His enigmatic Word. Yet, in spite of our logical objections, discovering the nature of God’s love and the content of His character can be a fulfilling experience of unveiling layer after layer of God’s beauty tucked into this often ugly world. God’s hidden himself everywhere. Seeking and finding can be one of our highest pleasures.
The Bible offers a very practical place to start. References to the family unit are everywhere. God is called our ‘Father.’ Jesus is the ‘Son of God.’ We are ‘fellow heirs’ with Christ. Jesus called His followers ‘brothers and sisters.’ When the Biblical authors sought to conjure up love in our minds they most often used familial references. So, it doesn’t seem like a stretch to believe that much could be uncovered about the love of God by studying and participating in family.
Now, no family is perfect. Often we end up learning just as much about God by the ache in our hearts when family fails us. The hurt we feel shows us that whatever it is we have experienced is not the intended design of family and does not represent the way God loves us. Even the broken aspects of family can point us to our Father.
With that being said, here are a few things we can know about God and His love for us by studying the way he ordered families:
1. As families are intimate, so God loves us intimately. Something about sharing a living space with someone creates an environment for true relationship. Morning breath, stomach viruses, emotional ups and downs, they’re all experienced together. Our parents, spouses, siblings, etc. know our flaws, witness our darkest habits, see our most embarrassing moments and still love us. Likewise, God wants that kind of intimacy with us. Jesus said, ‘In my Father’s house there are many room.’ I love that. God wants to room with us. He wants to know us and love us that completely.
2. As familial relationships evolve, so does our relationship with God. Small children see their parents as unknowable, an enigma. How can they enjoy broccoli?! Why do they prefer the news to cartoons?! With time and maturity, not only does a child begin to understand their parents more, but soon they begin to trust their parents for wisdom and guidance. We will never fully understand another human being, much less our infinite God, but overtime we become more familiar with His ways and gradually learn to trust and lean on Him.
3. Just as families benefit from structure and order, so does our relationship with God. Unfortunately, abuse (even from the church) of the concept of submission has created a very negative reaction to the word. In contrast to the oppressive images we conjure up, by watching God-honoring families we can see that order in relationships is a loving thing. Children who don’t trust their parent’s wisdom and rebel against their parameters suffer under their own direction. Parents who don’t discipline their children let them walk into snares. Husbands and wives who deny each other’s strengths and weaknesses limit their families’ ability to function in the healthiest way. Likewise, God’s rules, discipline, and order for our relationship with Him serve to create an environment for flourishing. When we deny His leadership and rebel against His rules, not only is our relationship with Him strained but we also heap up trouble for ourselves.
The list goes on and on. God, Our Father, loves us so. Much more than even the best earthly father ever could. He protects and provides for us. He creates an environment that promotes growth. His rules are for our benefit. And He wants us to know and experience His love.
Look for hints of His love in your family. Be a model of God’s love to your family. Train your eyes to see the fingerprints God’s intentionally left all over this world he’s created. Embrace the mystery and fall more in love with your God.
Luke, I Am Your Father!
By Tendai Kawadza
If this is the worst entry you’ve read so far, thank Evan Johnson! He tasked me with a blog entry and gave very little guidance, I’ll take a stab at it though.
As a husband and father some of my happiest moments are not when we go on an outing or vacation - they are the spontaneous moments at home when somehow both my kids end up in my lap and we’re face to face laughing. It’s tough to come to terms with the fact that these kind of moments won’t last forever. It has been quite a transition over the last few years, moving from being a son and a brother to taking on the additional role of a husband and, for the last almost four years, father.
The bible gives us many references for the nature of our relationship to God - King, Father, Lord, etc - so the way I look at it is we have a father who happens to be a king and also created the universe. God has called us his children (Gal. 3:26). His desire is to have a familial relationship with us, Christian or not (Gal. 4:4-7). One of the reasons it’s so important to understand God in the father context is a father’s care. Their kids drive them to be better. They want their kids to do well, even exceed them. Many people who have scars from their earthly father have a tough time with this concept. If this is you, take some time and ask him to deepen your relationship so you not only see him as Lord but also as father. The world’s message about God is that he’s some kind of puppet master, man-behind-the-curtain character who just wants people to obey him and abide by his rules.
However, when we start seeing ourselves as his children we move further away from that worldly mindset. We see a father who wants what’s best for us: "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give the holy spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13. We also see a father who’ll do anything for us (John 3:16). So maybe you've had daddy drama, join the club - find encouragement, you have a heavenly father who delights in you (Zeph. 3:17), a father who’ll never leave you nor forsake you (Joshua 1:5).
God's Love in Marriage
By Barry Rager
Amy and I got married on May 14, 2005. She was 21. I was 23. At that age, you feel like you have a pretty good understanding of life. To prepare for marriage, we read all of the books we were supposed to read, went through all of the premarital counseling, and discussed all of the questions we had with some of our older friends. We were prepared, right?
Nearly twelve years later I can say for a fact that we had no idea what was going on. Today, we are both very different people from what we were in 2005. We think differently on many issues, our theology has been challenged and refined, and when you throw four kids into the mix, things are always crazy.
And as I am sure you have stereotypically heard, there are good times and there are bad times. The same is true for us. The good times have been great and impactful. While I would not say that all the hard times have been great I know that they have been just as impactful- possibly even more so- than the good.
God’s love is what has led Amy and I to still be devoted to one another and crazy about each other after twelve years. Amy is not the same lady I married, she is so much more now! I know her more and she knows me more, we have grown together. The binding force for all of this is not some secret that we possess or me knowing that I could not do any better (which is true of course) but the love of God.
Through our faith in Christ, God put his love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). This love has been on display in a multitude of ways in our marriage. But one of the ways I have seen it on display the most is not a way I would have anticipated in 2005, it has been through hard conversations.
Now you may be thinking, how in the world are hard conversations and God’s love related?
What God desires for us is better than what we desire for ourselves. As Christians, when we come to God in the brokenness of our sin and ask him to save us by faith he does! But he does not leave us as we are. God shapes us and molds us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29-30). While the outcome is always good, sometimes the means by which God uses the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus can be hard. God loves us enough that he does not pass over the hard conversations. God has used my marriage to Amy to shape and mold me more than I ever could have imagined.
It is an act of love to have hard conversations with your spouse. I cannot even number the times God has used Amy to show me sin, sometimes hidden from my view, in my life. Was it easy for her to have those conversations with me? No, but she loves me. Her love moved her to action because she desired better for me. In the moment none of these conversations were enjoyable. Looking back though, I am so glad Amy had the love to speak the truth to me.
Is it easy to have hard conversations? No. Both of us in our marriage have had hard conversations with the other with the wrong attitude and approach. That usually ends bad. But when we come to dialogue by speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) the situation usually ends in one of us or both of us looking more like Jesus.
Amy and I both look more like Jesus today than we did twelve years ago because God’s love has been the foundation for all of this. I look forward to seeing what he will do - through the good and the bad - in and through our lives and how he will bind our hearts together more and more.