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Hi there. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to be real with you here for a few minutes and share some things that I think are really important.

When I started this blog back in 2012 there wasn’t a lot of thought behind it. I just wanted to start one that was focused on my walk with Jesus. Over time however it shifted into something more. For a while I was covering a lot of songs and their meaning to me, but eventually I found myself being led by the Lord to write about issues facing Christians today and to answer your questions. 

The Prodigal Son

While it’s been a long time since I posted regularly to this blog it’s not been time wasted. As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts I went through a very difficult season. God removed a calling that my wife and I had been pursuing for a decade. We were in the midst of a years-long international adoption and all that comes with that, and while that was happening we were experiencing a lot of hurt and betrayal from a church that we had been faithful members of for years. During that season I cracked, and in my weakness I found myself living in a state of rebellion for a period of time until Jesus helped me to see how foolish I was being and brought me back into submission to His authority. To be clear, I didn’t walk away from God or deconstruct my faith or anything crazy like that… I just found myself looking for comfort in some really unhealthy ways that I regret. 

Why do I share this with you? Well, there are a few reasons I suppose.

1. I feel strongly in the importance of being honest with you. If you’re going to take the time to read my posts and articles, and if you find value in them, then I want to be real with you. I don’t ever want to present myself as something I’m not. I don’t want my readers to think that I’ve got it all together. Too many Christian leaders do that and it’s neither biblical nor spiritually healthy for them or the people they lead/teach/shepherd.
2. I want others to see me for who I am; a flawed and fallen man whose only hope for being good or honorable is God’s grace.
3. I want everyone to understand that we all fail. We all mess up, but that isn’t the end of the story. His love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). If we repent and confess our sins He will forgive and sanctify us (1 John 1:9). 

Wanders & Exiles

In addition to all that I’ve already said, I want to return to the mission of this publication. The tag line of Ancient Abandon, for years now, has been Answering the Post-Christian World. What does that even mean? Does it mean answering people’s questions? Yes. Does it mean addressing social, cultural, and political issues that arise? Also yes, but it’s more than that.

The purpose, the mission, the goal, or whatever you want to call it is to equip and prepare the Church for the world we live in today. That means I don’t just hold to partisan views on hot button issues, it means we take those issues and apply the truth of Scripture to them. It means we take the arguments of the Left and the Right in every arena of life and approach it from a truly biblical way. It means that we work hard to stay rooted in God’s truth rather than being carried along by the ebbing of our emotions or the whims of the culture. It means we engage the culture war as wanderers and exiles (1 Peter 2:11) with our allegiance to Jesus and not to our race, gender, identity, politics, or interest.

Over the years I’ve enjoyed writing on a variety of topics, but in the last few weeks I’ve felt an urgency in my spirit to pour into my children — and subsequently into you all — sound doctrine and understanding of who God is and who we are in relation to Him. I’ve felt an urgency to speak on many different issues we are facing today as it becomes more and more of a mine field out there for a faithful Christian. 

I am praying for God to work through me to convey his message. Pray for me to stay focused, and to be obedient even when sharing things that might be upsetting or challenging. I will also be praying for God’s grace and soft hearts in all who stumble upon this little blog. So I’ll close with this: Be safe and stand firm in who God is making you to be. Thanks again for being here. 

Much love,

Dan.