With shaky hands, Justin walked up to the stage. 

The opportunity was months in the making. The Denver City Team had begun frequenting this poetry bar early in the year, building relationships with those they met.

 Steiger International’s Crisis Response Team has been working tirelessly around the clock to support not only our own City Teams in Ukraine, but thousands who have been affected by the horrific conflict in their country.

As the tragic conflict in Ukraine continues to unfold, Steiger is working hard to more effectively coordinate rescue and relief efforts, establish sustainable rhythms for our people, and make viable plans for a situation that will have countless long-term consequences.

Thanks to preparation ahead of time, our Steiger Ukraine teams were ready to act quickly once the invasion began and we are so grateful that none have been injured.

I’ve been in full-time ministry for over a decade, and have experienced some incredible things. I have seen people kneeling in the main square of Reykjavík, Iceland; praying to receive Jesus in Beirut, Lebanon; and responding to the Gospel in cities from Moscow to Madrid to Warsaw.

In 1991 I went on tour in Mongolia with No Longer Music. We were the first western rock band to tour Mongolia, so all of our concerts were packed out. Sheika was only 16 at the time and hid behind a curtain on the stage at one of our concerts because he didn’t have a ticket to get in.

It's critical to remember that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

Seeing the ocean for the first time is an extraordinary experience, but if you see it every day, sadly, the sense of awe diminishes. Soon, you will barely notice it at all. This applies to almost any aspect of the human experience. Repeated exposure to anything, whether oceans, mountains, or ice cream, leads to familiarity, which over time dulls our appreciation for it.

When I was a teenager, my mom pulled out a school report from when I was six years old and held it up next to the one she had just received the day before. They both said the exact same thing, “Ben is a good kid, he just never stops talking!”

If we want to change the hearts and minds of people outside the church, we need to find common ground. We spend so much time focusing on our disagreements that we miss a huge opportunity.

Everyone has an opinion on politics, religion, racism, justice, the environment, etc. Yet, how often do we have meaningful conversations about these topics with people who disagree with us?

In our increasingly complex world, it's natural to want simple explanations. Easy answers and obvious villains make the world safer to navigate.

There is a hunger for deep and meaningful conversations today. If you ask good questions, you'd be amazed how many people open up. But asking questions is only half the battle.

Followers of Jesus should be fluent in the motives, fears, and dreams of those around them. Like we talked about in the last post, we achieve this by being great listeners.

If we are humble, we can discuss anything with anyone. It doesn't matter how hostile the person or divisive the topic. Humility leads us to listen more than speak. It gives us a genuine interest in other people and a teachable spirit. Most importantly, it frees us from the burden of needing to know everything. The truth is, no one has all the answers, not even Christians.

Growing up, I was frequently told, "Never win the argument, but lose the friend." For someone as argumentative and competitive as myself, this was good advice. Unfortunately, I didn't always follow it.

The world is increasingly divided over a growing number of contentious “hot topics.” As followers of Jesus, we have the truth – but we’ve lost our voice. People aren’t interested in what we have to say, and we are often to blame.

As I stood under the huge bridge over the Vistula River in Warsaw, waiting for the ambulance to take the poor girl passed out on the floor, I watched the lost young guys and girls partying on, as if nothing had happened.

When it comes to sharing the Gospel, give me the angry atheist or the new-age hippie. But someone who just doesn't care? This is the most challenging conversation of all.