The Journey - Winter 2020

Journey The

Winter 2020

FREE

Inspirational Stories by People You Know

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THANK YOU

VIETNAM VETERAN GEORGE YOUNCE was dying from complications of Agent Orange exposure during his service in Vietnam. He dreamed of visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, but was unable to make the trip due to his rapidly declining health and COVID-19 travel restrictions. Caldwell Hospice’s Ultimate Virtual Journey made possible his journey to the National Mall where he toured the Vietnam Memorial with virtual reality technology.

GEORGE YOUNCE 6/13/1947—8/8/2020 “George enjoyed the virtual

The Ultimate Virtual Journey is one of many enhanced services provided by Caldwell Hospice without reimbursement to improve quality of life for their patients and families, and is possible because of community support. The Ultimate Virtual Journey is made possible by a grant from the Adult Services Coalition of Watauga County.

Learn more about veteran George Younce and the

journey to the Vietnam Memorial so much,” said wife Carolyn. “One of his last wishes was to take his combat boots and leave them at the memorial. Our family will complete this final part of the journey on his behalf.”

Ultimate Virtual Journey at www.caldwellhospice.org.

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CHOOSING HOPE

How Molly Jones Conquers Anxiety Through Christ And Service

By Camryn Whaley

WONDERFULLY MADE

ASU Professor Martin Root’s Life-long Fascination with the Complexity of God’s Creation

By Zachary Hoffman

A THEOLOGY FOR SUFFERING

How Cancer Cured Mark Heisey

By Mark Heisey with Ben Cox

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GOD WILL PROVIDE!

Our Journey of Adoption and God’s Abundant Provision

By Brooke Wolfe

KNOW GOD, KNOW YOURSELF, FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU FIT

Jerome Daley, Author of Gravitas: The Monastic Rhythms of Healthy Leadership

By Jerome Daley

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This magazine is intended to present people’s stories about their personal relationships with God from their point of view. We endeavor to have a diversity of perspectives from people who identify themselves as followers of Christ. People who share their testimonies with us have experienced God’s love in real ways, and our encouragement for you, is that you also can experience His love wherever your journey takes you.

Cover Photo: To love and to cherish: In their life before cancer, Mark Heisey and wife Eulita Heisey share an embrace on their farm located near Boone, where they grow their own food, raise a variety of animals, and use wind and solar generated energy.

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Journey The

Ben Cox Editor Camryn Whaley Zachary Hoffman | | Contributing Writers Ben Cox Brooke Wolfe Camryn Whaley | Jerome Daley Mark Heisey | Martin Root | Molly Petrey Jones | Zachary Hoffman Contributing Photographers We Are The Hoffmans Social Media & Marketing Director Danielle Carter Distribution Manager Connie Cox | Accounts Manager Heather Cotten Owner & Publisher

| Art & Design Director

© 2020 High Country 365

Online flip-through version and other inspirational content available at: JOURNEYNC.COM 828.263.0095 | info@journeync.com 324 HWY 105 Ext. Suite 14 • Boone, NC 28607

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

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FROM THE

Caption God’s light shines: Author Mark Heisey pictured with Journey publisher Ben Cox. Mark’s book, How Cancer Cured Me, is about his own journey with suffering and how God used it as a tool for growth in his life.

By Ben Cox

In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, ”You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Through these words, Jesus, who is the light and hope for the whole world, informed His new followers that He was enlightening them so that they could enlighten others. In other words, Jesus Christ expects and even commands that His followers be lights in a dark world.

He blesses us so that we would be blessings to those whom we encounter.

That’s what this magazine and our website are all about. Amanda Opelt, one of our writers, mentioned in a recent blog post how “The Journey can serve as a repository of...wisdom...”

I feel so blessed to be a part of publishing

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this magazine, because of the wisdom I have gained by reading current and past stories and blogs that we now have online. The feedback I get from our readers validates the fact that many others are also gaining wisdom, strength, and courage from these stories and teachings we have gathered.

The testimonies you are about to read here are particularly inspiring. These people have responded to God’s strong love as demonstrated through His Creation and the sending of His only Son Jesus.

Jesus took the wrath that all of us prideful, self-centered humans deserved. In doing so He removes all sin barriers that hinder us from

experiencing His Love, in deep and continually transformative ways.

With that being said, let me entice you with some appetizers, if you will, from our writer ’s own words.

From Jerome Daley: “The telling of our

s t o r i e s … . serves a number of purposes crucial to our humanity.

It reinforces our fundamental connection as Children of God, for we hear echoes of our own journeys within them; it leads us to awe of the Great Mystery in which all things do indeed work together for good, even the most painful; and it provokes us to consider what we may learn from the learnings of our fellow travelers.”

From Marty Root: “We all have agendas,

and so even as Christians it’s important to be able to step back from our own biases and prejudices. Step back far enough to be able to interact with them. Otherwise we are just creating more bias.”

From Molly Jones: “Everyone struggles.

It’s normal and can be a great opportunity to drop walls and allow the Lord to meet us in our struggle. God has softened my heart towards those who are marginalized and overlooked in our society by giving me a small glimpse into how He sees them.”

From Mark Heisey: “Of course, we all

have some challenges. Today our cheeks may be dry but tomorrow they can be wet with tears. As a pastor, I vicariously experienced a lot of grief—and said a lot of encouraging words—but it is different when it is you that is suffering. Personal experience improves the integrity of our words, doesn’t it? Do we really understand? Do we really know what we’re talking about? Does our biography match our theology? Can we practice what we preach and preach anything we practice? Is it true?”

In conclusion, John 1:9 describes Jesus as “The true light that gives light to everyone.” It is my prayer that the stories you read in our Winter edition of The Journey, will bring His light to your path in your life journey, and that you find the joy of knowing in your heart that you’ve found the narrow path that leads to abundant, eternal life!

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate.

For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

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A friendly face: Molly Jones, Executive Director of The Hope Center, stands proudly outside the office on Howard Street.

Molly took on the Director position in 2018 and has dedicated herself to making sure Hope is a compassionate, supportive, and safe space.

By Camryn Whaley

M

olly Jones has always had the desire to help people. By the age of six, she was already volunteering alongside her mother at a pregnancy resource center in Boone. Little did she know that years later she would become Executive Director of that very same pregnancy center, playing a vital part in supporting young women as they encounter life-changing decisions.

Molly Jones (formerly Petrey), a Boone native, has spent her entire life here.

Like many of us who reside in the High Country, her grandparents laid down roots in town long ago. Ruth and Earl Petrey, like their granddaughter, made incredible contributions to the community over their lifetimes and were equally well known and respected as pillars of Boone United Methodist Church.

Earl was a lifelong teacher and advocate for the Watauga County School system, where he held the roles of teacher, principal, and school board member. Ruth was a well-known volunteer who dedicated herself to causes such as the Angel Tree program and Prison Fellowship, and even founded the very first Child Development Center in Boone for families dealing with socio-economic struggles. It’s clear that Molly has followed in their footsteps into a life of community service motivated by the Lord.

The Hope Center is a faith-based non-profit organization located in downtown Boone and offers young women and men a range of support services related to unexpected pregnancies and motherhood. Staffed by a team of hard-working, passionate women, Hope is exceptionally important to the community of

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

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Boone and beyond. Molly has been volunteering for and donating to Hope for nearly her entire life and feels a special connection to their purpose and approach.

“I was always interested and passionate about helping people, and had a special place in my heart for women with pregnancies they didn’t anticipate,” Molly said.

In 2014, then-Executive Director Brian Lowe presented an unexpected opportunity to Molly—a part-time office manager position at Hope, an organization she had admired and wanted to work with permanently for years. She gladly accepted.

“

Seeing the vulnerability and humanity of these women firsthand changed Molly’s way of thinking about providing pregnancy support.

“I’ve learned to view people as, well, people,” she said. “Unique image bearers who all carry a story.”

With the help of current Director Molly Jones, previous Director Brian Lowe, and an amazing team of hard-working women, Hope has developed many invaluable programs designed to offer young women in the community judgmentfree services motivated by compassion, knowledge, and most of all, support.

I’VE LEARNED TO VIEW PEOPLE AS, WELL, PEOPLE, UNIQUE IMAGE BEARERS WHO ALL CARRY A STORY.

In her time at Hope, Molly has not only learned how to operate the center on an administrative level, but also how to provide the compassion that is so essential to helping pregnant women, especially to those who have no other support system in place.

It was during one of her first appointments with a client when Molly came to realize that the women who walked through the doors at Hope were much more than statistics.

“She was a real person with real thoughts, feelings, fears, and hardships—just like me and other people I knew,” Molly said.

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“

Excelling in her administrative role, Molly took on more responsibilities and became an essential part of Hope’s operations. Her passion for helping people and her many years of experience made her the top candidate for the open position of Executive Director, which she accepted in 2018.

All of Hope’s services are completely free and confidential, and include medical procedures such as pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and STI testing.

But Hope’s support doesn’t end when a patient’s appointment ends—they offer many supplementary services to assist women during and after pregnancy as well.

For instance, Hope offers the “Yes, She Can!” Student Mom Scholarship, which provides invaluable financial support for college students who are pregnant or mothers, a vital component to completing their education. Since the scholarship’s 2013 inception, over $100,000 has been awarded to student mothers, made entirely possible by contributions from the community.

Another program that Hope offers is Journey Through Motherhood Mentoring, a mentorship program where women who have been through similar experiences can help to guide pregnant women and new mothers in building a support system and teach them comprehensive information about pregnancy and motherhood.

A beacon of Hope: Located in the heart of downtown Boone, The Hope Center offers critical services that support young women who are going through unexpected pregnancies. Among these are medical services, mentorship programs, and even scholarships to help mothers finish their education.

Words of comfort: A painting displayed in the Client Room; a space meant for families.

At Hope, a professional, caring staff and a healing environment surround clients who are dealing with difficult situations.

One of Hope’s most touching programs is Showers of Hope, a program in which local churches and organizations arrange to throw baby showers for women going through unintended pregnancies.

These showers can be a priceless, uplifting experience for pregnant women, especially for those who are not supported by their families and friends. Hope works tirelessly to make sure these women know that they are never truly alone.

Though Molly’s hard work has been a blessing both to her and her community, and she has been a beacon of support for many, that doesn’t mean her experience has been without personal challenges of her own.

“I recall my first panic attack being when I was 18,” Molly said. “I have never been able to pinpoint an exact cause, but they continued throughout my twenties and into my early thirties.”

Debilitating anxiety and panic attacks have plagued Molly for years, at times becoming so bad that she recollects brushing her teeth felt like a huge accomplishment. Even basic actions

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

like walking and talking became completely impossible for her during a panic attack.

“Thankfully, these attacks would only last five minutes or less and I normally always had someone around to help talk me out of that state,” Molly said.

At first, Molly was hesitant to share her struggles with anxiety with her fellow churchgoers, afraid they would think her crazy or even shun her from the community. But she decided to let herself be vulnerable and was met with a rally of support and kindness, and even connected with other people who had experienced similar things.

“By opening up, I found that my church community was more than willing to help, talk me through it, and offer encouragement,” Molly said.

Though anxiety can be treated, it can still be a lifelong struggle for many people. Molly admits that she still has bad days, especially in such an uncertain and rapidly changing time. However, she has found several ways to manage her anxiety

and find peace through God and her church community.

EVERYONE “ STRUGGLES.

IT’S NORMAL AND CAN BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DROP WALLS AND ALLOW THE LORD TO MEET US IN OUR STRUGGLES.

Molly has come to realize that her anxiety does not control her—in fact, her struggles with her mental health have made her value vulnerability and compassion more than ever. These values clearly translate to her role at Hope, where staff emphasize a combination of medical, emotional, and practical resources to support their patients, and even offer in-house options for professional counseling.

“Everyone struggles. It’s normal and can be a great opportunity to drop down walls and allow the Lord to meet us in our struggle,” Molly said.

Love, acceptance, and compassion lie at the core of what Hope is about, and Molly Jones is living

“[God] has softened my heart towards those that are marginalized and overlooked in our society by giving me a small glimpse into how he sees them,” Molly said.

Above all, what The Hope Center has to offer women and men in times of uncertainty is summed up right in the organization’s name— hope. Even in times of turmoil and doubt, the Lord has a plan for your life and your purpose no matter who you are, no matter what you’re struggling with.

“

“Counseling with a licensed, professional Christian counselor has been instrumental in helping me weed out root issues and learn healthy coping mechanisms for days when I’m more anxious,” Molly said.

“I think there is a lot of stigma surrounding visiting a therapist, but it has been one of the ways God has helped me.”

proof of that message. Her empathy and kindness have helped to shape Hope into the organization it is today.

“Life is full of disappointments and times when you have no idea what is going on or what is being accomplished,” Molly said. “He has taught me that it’s in those times that He is working ALL things for my good and His glory. All I’m called to do is to patiently and obediently trust Him.” If you or someone you know is pregnant and struggling, or you’re interested in making a donation, please visit www.choosehope.org for more information.

"I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the people at Hope. Everyone has been so supportive and helpful. The continued help and support really helps me see that there is a village of people behind me to help me be the best mother that I can be." -Hope Client

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By Zachary Hoffman

W

h e n given t h e opportunity to a speak about his a faith, Appalachian State University (ASU) professor Dr. Martin Root asks his audience, “When you look at the world around you and see how wonderfully it’s made, does that cause your worship of God to be less or to be more?”

“That’s what science does for me,” says Martin. “It increases my worship of God. Other people, with a more skeptical view of science, might say well the more science you know the less you might want to worship God. But [for me] the more we know about science, the more we know about the world around us, the more we are amazed, the more we should be worshiping God.” In questions of these supposedly “opposing” perspectives, science and religion, Martin recalls the homey example of a boiling tea kettle given by John Polkinghorne, a theoretical physicist turned Anglican priest.

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In his adaptation of this teapot problem, Martin says, “The physicist comes in the kitchen and finds a tea kettle boiling and he makes a very physical explanation of how the vapor pressure of the water has reached a certain point because of the temperature and thus we have a boiling phenomenon. The chemist comes in and talks about water molecules and surface tension and a very chemical explanation of what’s going on. The homeowner comes in and says, ‘Oh! Would you care for a cup of tea?’”

Science provides us with answers for how systems work (how the water boils), but why they work is outside of its purview. “Why” asks questions of meaning and purpose. But both perspectives are necessary to more fully understand the rich depth of God’s creation around us.

Martin says, “Science is a very good tool for explaining material things but it can’t really explain why I love my wife. It really can’t explain why Picasso was a great artist. It really can’t explain why stars are beautiful. It really can’t explain if God exists… It’s just not the right tool.”

For Martin this world-view of faith and science working in harmony was forged by a few pivotal moments during his college years.

In the Lab: Professor Martin Root conducts research on apple phytochemicals, the potentially healthy chemicals in apples, with the assistance of ASU undergraduate, Leslie McCullen. Martin taught nutrition in the College of Health Sciences at ASU for 12 years before retiring just this year.

He always had an interest in science, and thanks to two wonderful teachers in school, knew he was headed off to college with a career in biochemistry ahead of him.

camp in the Adirondack Mountains of New York on August 28, 1969.

“It was fascinating…” said Martin. “Hidden in each of us were these cells—and DNA held those secrets of life and controlled everything in the body. All those secret interactions that we don’t normally see from the outside were controlling all of us on the inside.

The complexity, the beauty of it all was amazing and still is. I still get excited by it!”

Martin said, “I think if anything, I saw Christianity and all that religious stuff as being very confining and not really having real answers.”

Martin was a thoughtful young man, reading books such as “Walden Pond” and the “Bhagavad Gita” the summer after his senior year in high school. He had just been accepted at Cornell University. He was looking to see what the wider world had to offer and finding out it was a broad, amazing, and wonderful place to explore.

So, when challenged to consider the Christian faith at that camp, he unquestioningly turned his life over to the Lord, excited to explore the new world that had been opened to him through faith in the powerful working of God.

Even though he had grown up in the church, it was faith in God that took him by surprise at a church

It was something he hadn’t really thought through.

Instead, what he found at camp were people who were amazingly loving and very much engaged in the world and in the problems of the world.

“I think the thing that I was relieved to find at the time was that it didn’t compromise my intellectual life; it really challenged and broadened my intellectual life,” said Martin. “I didn’t feel narrowed or confined by my new faith and was excited by that.”

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It was only a few weeks later and Martin was off to college. He had the usual experiences that students do. The first few weeks were quite lonely. He remembers going entire days without opening his mouth even once to speak to another soul.

Meeting of the parents 1972: Martin’s father and Connie’s mother meet each other at a prewedding picnic in Upstate New York. From right to left, Connie, Martin, Martin’s father, and Connie’s mother.

But of course, gradually he began making friends. As a very excited and growing Christian, he got involved in several Christian groups on campus like Cru and others; he even regularly attended a Catholic charismatic group.

“I was so eagerly Christian” said Martin. “I got involved in a whole bunch of groups to the point that my grades suffered.”

Martin said, “I actually failed… I think I actually failed biology—hmm, yeah! I’m a biochemistry major and I failed biology my first year... Rather embarrassing!”

Race forward 50 years, this experience has given him a lot of sympathy for his students at ASU who have rather poor GPAs. And he often shares with his classes how poorly he did in college as a case in point that they can graduate with a 2.4 GPA as he did and still have a reasonable career.

But despite these academic struggles, Martin found his defining intellectual challenges at Cornell in two similar experiences that instead of challenging his new faith solidified his understanding that religion and science could be friends ,not foes.

Prom 1969: A young Martin Root attended Shaker High School in Albany, NY.

During a breakout section of a larger world history class, 8 a.m. on a Monday with 20 fellow students, the Teacher’s Assistant (TA) was sick and Martin ended up sitting right next to this very popular world history professor.

Exploring their new home: Martin and Connie moved to Chapel Hill, NC in 1996 for Martin to begin work at a new startup company, BioSignia.

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The professor looked down and saw Martin’s Bible on top of his other books. The professor picked the Bible up, held it in front of the class and the first thing he said was, “I’ve read this book nine times and it’s the best reason to be an atheist.”

“Christian college students who go into the sciences think oh my goodness, is this my choice between being a faithful Christian and an atheistic scientist?

And my point would be no, that’s a false choice.

You don’t have to choose between those two,” said Martin.

I THOUGHT “ WAIT, WAIT, WAIT...

IT’S GOD! GOD MADE IT ALL!

Oddly enough, a couple years later Martin had a very similar experience in a breakout section for one of his larger classes - this time in biochemistry. Again the TA was sick and the professor, whom he greatly admired, had mesmerized the class with her knowledge and understanding of the sciences.

It got to be the end of class and she said, “Well, that’s all students… It’s all fascinating material isn’t it?

Isn’t evolution fascinating?”

Martin said, “And I thought wait, wait, wait... It’s God! God made it all.”

Science seeks to understand the “how” - the mechanisms that exist within a system, through observation and hypotheses. But the “how” does not change the “who”. The fact that God did it does not change.

“And I realized again the conflict I had between my Christian faith and this non-Christian view.” Martin said, “Interestingly, I didn’t take it as a conflict and I still don’t.”

In these experiences Martin’s worldview was formed.

He did not see this professor as his enemy, she the atheist and he the Christian. Instead he answered for

“

“Of course, I was horrified because I had been a Christian three months,” said Martin. “I realized what an antagonistic environment I was in. I hadn’t quite realized it so much. But that really obviously shaped my thinking.”

himself this same question of choice that he can now help his own students navigate.

Yes, there are hard questions, but Christians have always faced hard questions.

Free will is a hard choice, a hard thing that Christians have dealt with for a long time. The problem of evil in the world, that’s a very difficult philosophical question, but that’s been on the Christian’s plate for a long time. And now evolution and creation is a touchy issue for Christians because it seems to conflict with Genesis.

“But -” Martin said, “We’ve dealt with hard questions before so let’s just deal with it. Let’s just put it on our plate and work on it. It’s not a reason to give up on Christianity.”

We all have agendas, and so even as Christians it’s important to be able to step back from our own biases and prejudices. Step back far enough to be able to see and hear what other people are saying, to be able to clearly and articulately interact with them.

Otherwise we are just creating more bias.

In fact, there’s a very famous quote, going all the way back to St. Augustine from the 4th Century, which says; “Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens, and the other elements of the world… and this knowledge he holds to as

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

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being certain from reason and experience. Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for a [non-Christian] to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn... to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil... If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well… how are they going to believe… in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think [them] full of falsehoods on facts which they themselves have learn from experience and the light of reason?”

Many accomplished scientists of this century and the past have been strong Christians. Their faith in God and in God’s order of the universe gave them confidence to study the world around them. Their study of the world around them increased, not decreased, their sense of wonder and worship of the creator.

Psalm 8:3-4 says, “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”

Now, at the age of 68, Martin Root has retired from his 12 year tenure of teaching nutrition in the College of Health Sciences at ASU. “Every single time I stand in front of a class,” says Martin. “I think, my God what a privilege this is. I have 20 to 30 students looking at me and I think, what do I have to offer them, can I meet their expectations? Wow! I can’t believe that God lets me do these things. It’s been such fun, such a privilege, such an honor to be able to do this.”

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Journeying together: Martin Root and his wife Connie celebrate Martin’s retirement. They hold a retirement gift presented to Martin by the chair of his department at ASU.

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Y

our husband has Double-hit, non-Hodgkin’s Large Diffused B-cell, stage IV-B Lymphoma.

This is a super-aggressive cancer and it shows up in about 70 percent of his bone marrow, and it doubles about every 24 hours.” Translated, “Your husband is a very sick man!” The prognosis was no better news than the diagnosis: “He may not live through the first chemotherapy treatment of five days.”

I cried. Normally I’m a person filled with enthusiasm, pedal-to-the-metal, AAA personality who loves life. I admire people who have the patience to enjoy a game of golf or who can slow down enough to anticipate a day of fishing—two things I’ve never been inclined to do. But apart from overwork and too many projects, I was living a cancer-preventing lifestyle.

Have you ever wondered what you’d prefer— to die suddenly or have time to think about it?

I was an organic gardener and teacher, exercising daily outdoors, happily married and socially connected with many friends. I was also a lean vegetarian (mostly) for fifty years who hardly ever ate food with white flour or refined sugar, never used tobacco or alcohol, never even tasted coffee, etc. It was incongruent. Cancer?

Dying? I was like a fast-sinking ship with nothing to throw overboard.

My wife, Eulita, asked if there was anything the doctors could say that would give us hope. “We will do our best” was the answer she got.

Bravely, she voiced what became our theme: “Thank you. Do your best, and God will do the rest.”

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

In sickness and in health: Mark Heisey and wife Eulita Heisey share his hospital bed. Mark was unexpectedly diagnosed with an incredibly aggressive cancer in 2019.

Everyone who knew me was bewildered. “Of all people, how did Mark get cancer?” It was probably environmentally caused. But from what? Did it matter? Wasn’t there anything on which we could direct our anger? Whatever the cause, it was still natural to ask, “Why me?”

After that initial cry, once composed enough to speak, I said to Eulita, “We will never ask, ‘Why?’ We will only give thanks.” I said this, not because I was so strong in faith, but because I was afraid. I was afraid we’d get stuck on “Why?” and we had enough trouble already.

Besides, how could we determine if the answer was correct? And there’s hardly any answer that w o u l d be adequate. I said it because obviously

there was nothing else that provided any hope—not science, not medicine, not unbelief.

So we held “unswervingly to the hope we profess[ed],” trying to believe that “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

The words you just read come from the book the Lord led me to write called How Cancer Cured Me. The major objective I had in writing this book about how God has granted me a miracle in my personal battle against cancer is to help people see that there can be a benefit to suffering. I believe that God’s word gives us clear instruction about how our faith in Him and our relationship with Him can enable us to face any adversity or trauma that may come our way. God’s grace is sufficient. It’s my prayer that my testimony here in The Journey and in my book will help folks develop a theology for suffering.

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Taking it one step at a time: Mark, joined by Eulita, gets some exercise during his hospital stay by walking the halls during his treatment.

Healthy living has always been important to the two of them, now more than ever.

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Suffering interrupts the daily flow and makes more distinct the voice of God. It can help a person to live out their faith so they don’t outlive their faith—to renew a determination to live a life more concerned about one’s outcome than one’s income. That’s one thing I tuned into because of what I suffered, but here’s four more.

And last, I stopped wanting a relationship with God on my terms, my criteria, and my expectations. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out” (Romans 11:33)!

First, God used my suffering to deliver me from making a quick judgment about people by their body shape, skin color, age, appearance, profession, accent, clothing, adornment… whatever.

One of the “lowly” techs who bathed me was a single mother working on her third master ’s degree!

When I learned this I was embarrassed—not regarding modesty but of my skimpy thoughts. Now, I attempt more than ever to view people as special for what and who they are. Instead of trying to see through people, to see people through—to treasure, rather than measure them.

We are all products of nature and nurture, aren’t we—of genetics and culture and life experience? And we are all religious, whether we admit it or not. I was born in Hershey, PA, with considerable influence from the Plain People culture. My grandparents came to an understanding of the beauty of the Gospel, and the blessings of healthy living practices and Sabbath rest, and eventually changed from the Mennonite tradition to become Seventh-day Adventists, which is also quite conservative in lifestyle. I eventually made the same choice.

Second, you know how one’s reach exceeds one’s grasp? Regardless of accomplishments, on a daily basis I was living with discontent, trying to extend my reach—stretching: “If I only had a little more time, talent, energy, or money.” Now I’m happy for what I can grasp.

“Godliness, with contentment, is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).

Even though my folks provided a nurturing environment, and I wanted to be a “good person,” I also thought God partially accepted me based on behavior. And I accepted Him somewhat on the same basis: if He answered prayers according to my desire, I thought more of Him, and adversely, less of Him. It was more like a business arrangement.

Third, I’m recovering from shallow living.

It’s better to put a $5 tree in a $20 hole than a $20 tree in a $5 hole. Fruitfulness depends on root-full-ness. We need to be connected to and invested in people and community to survive well the stresses and storms of life.

Most religions—and most religious people— seem to work from a variation of the premise, “What must I do to convince God to value me enough—to like me enough—to let me into Heaven/afterlife?” Having grown up in a religious culture that took pride in our

SUFFERING “ INTERRUPTS

THE DAILY FLOW AND MAKES MORE DISTINCT THE VOICE OF GOD. IT CAN HELP A PERSON TO LIVE OUT THEIR FAITH SO THEY DON’T OUTLIVE THEIR FAITH—

“

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

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adherence to a Saturday Sabbath instead of the Sunday traditions that many other Christian denominations embrace, my sense of security for salvation also depended on obedience and behavior rather than a relationship with Christ.

This is the truth I encountered during my freshman year in college.

One night, with the dorm room door open, from across the hallway I heard a fellow student explain the Gospel to another student. The wonderfully good news is that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself!”

The law condemns sinners—Jesus Christ only condemns sin. It takes a while for this concept to modify one’s worldview, and religious practice. I decided to actually believe God, and not just believe in God.

dating that same young lady, Eulita, if she would be willing to marry a minister instead of a physician. She answered, “If you are the minister.” We’ve celebrated 44 years together.

The Lord used her to save my youthful life, and once again in this health crisis.

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Thus came another struggle. How could I justify dating someone when I was working my way through college and planning on being a physician? How could I risk not dating such a marvelous young lady and losing so much?

How could I chance giving up my faith when it was her faith that also attracted me?

As my faith matured, I came to understand God’s calling of me to pastoral ministry, and it was confirmed when I asked after a few years

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

“

After that came a few youthful struggles and terrible disappointments in God—prayers about important things that didn’t seem to be effective—I became angry with God and decided to go to school abroad, to be away from all who knew me and “re-invent” who I was.

But there I met this beautiful Christian girl my age.

Of course, we all have some challenges. Today our cheeks may be dry but tomorrow they can be wet with tears. As a pastor, I vicariously experienced a lot of grief—and said a lot of encouraging words— but it is different when it is you that is suffering.

Personal experience improves the integrity of our words, doesn’t it?

Do we really understand?

Do we really know what we’re talking about? Does our biography match our theology? Can we practice what we preach and preach anything we practice? Is it true?

Someone recently asked me, “How long did it take you to prepare that sermon?” I responded, “About 60 years.” We are a composite, aren’t we?

But looking back, there were some significant factors that made a world of difference.

First is friends and family support. Here is a return of one’s investment. It’s easy to have faith when it’s easy to have faith… when you don’t seem to need much of it. Having praying friends who can speak words of hope and assist with deeds of kindness sure means a lot.

Secondly, a good theology provides an explanation to make sense of a crisis. This is a time to nestle—not wrestle—with God. What we think about God determines what we think of God, which determines what we do with God.

Home again, home again: Mark and son Josiah, pictured on their family farm after Mark’s return home from the hospital.

In regards to my calling to be a pastor in the body of Christ, let me hasten to say it is not based on natural talent. God gives spiritual gifts, but usually to meet a task. Folks would not have picked me out of a line-up for “most likely to succeed” as a pastor. But I read that, “God’s strength is made perfect in weakness,” so I figured, “What a wonderful opportunity for God to work and reveal His glory.”

Secondly, there is a compelling sense to share such news with a world in need. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” No prosecuting attorney from hell will have a case against you in the Judgment. Why? Because Jesus took all our sin so God can relate to us as if we had never sinned! Our debt is greater than the national debt, but it has been paid!

And this God promises to take care of His children as a loving Father. For those who are broke, broken, or broken-hearted, here is good news! We are neither accidental nor incidental.

He wants you to be able to sing like the birds even if you don’t know where your next meal is coming from.

“Calling” seems to be a compelling sense to share such Good News… to inform people that the Lord is just as concerned about the state of the living as He is about the state of the dead… to be confident that when we are in His will we are in His care! That’s the kind of solid Biblical truth that can provide a foundation for us when the winds and rains of adversity come.

As I already said, sometimes personal experience improves the integrity of our words.

And it was another personal experience I had while pastoring a church in Tryon, NC where suffering changed the trajectory of my life in ways that the Lord has used for my good and His glory. I was diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and had to take a leave of absence from pastoring to regain my health.

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God’s grace: Mark and his niece pose with a gift she gave him, a decorative sign bearing scripture from 2 Corinthians 12:9, a verse that encouraged Mark to become a pastor.

and support pastors and other “compassion fatigued” caregivers through difficult times.

When I felt strong enough to resume pastoral ministry, we received an invitation to pastor two small churches in Banner Elk and Valle Crucis. This enabled us to move to the High Country and experience the great joy and exhilaration of planting a new church in Boone in the late 1990s. We’re incredibly grateful to have been used of the Lord to bring people to saving faith in Jesus Christ and then watch as the Holy Spirit and the impartation of Biblical truth transform their lives.

I no longer pastor the church in Boone, but I attend there where I experienced the support I needed when cancer almost killed me. Their prayers and support in our time of suffering was one of the key ingredients in helping us through.

Pastoring used to be seen as swimming in a fishbowl, but now—to serve well—it’s like being in a blender with the switch on high.

And pastors are a unique bunch, and unique in handling crises. After all, they have this pressure of needing to know the answers, be strong, have faith… sorta more than human.

And their personal issues are closely tied to their employment, so revealing a need and getting help is complicated. From personal struggles and to help others, while pastoring the three churches, my wife and I started the Barnabas Center Ministry, designed to understand

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And though in our faith community a pastor ’s salary is somewhat low, with good management—and especially if the spouse also has income—they can live comfortably.

But I found myself talking about faith and wondering if we actually lived by faith. So I left pastoral employment and a regular dependable salary, and decided to start a repair business… to live more by faith. This not only provided opportunity to mingle with all types of people with all types of needs, but it also gave us a chance to hire young men who needed to learn practical skills and how to operate their own business, as well as to provide employment for disadvantaged fellows who were adjusting to normal life outside of jail or prison.

In my office at home, I have three dominant items, put there intentionally to remind me of these three things: One is a crown of thorns. It’s a reminder of how much I’m worth, the cost of my redemption—Divine love. Secondly is a picture of my wife (that’s always a good idea!) reminding me of human love. And lastly, have you ever been in someone’s office, looking at all the certificates and diplomas that were framed and hanging on the wall? I have a few of those, but just don’t know where they are. But I thought it might be good to have something to hang up, so I fixed one up myself: “Status Cymbal”. It serves as a continual reminder, that unless my life is a channel of God’s love, I am but a sounding gong or a tinkling cymbal. I may be a country-living, home-schooling, exercising, vegan, self-supporting minister of the Gospel… but if I don’t have love, I am nothing. And if you don’t have love, you are nothing.

Mark Heisey’s book, How Cancer Cured Me, is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and locally at Cornerstone Bookstore.

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Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display Itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); It is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.

Love (God’s Love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fade-less under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fade out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

1 Corinthians 13:13 and so faith, hope, love abide... of these three; but the greatest of these is love.* *Agape - Unconditional Love Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1987 The Lockerman Foundation. Used by permission of Zondervan.

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READ. PRAY. SHARE. “...I don’t know about you but I feel like this whole thing isn’t supposed to be happening. It’s unbelievable. Life for so many of us has been severely interrupted. We’ve lost a lot. We’ve lost jobs. Many of us have lost economic security. Seniors in high school are missing out on some of those important senior events. People have canceled weddings. People whose loved ones have died are unable to have funerals. We’ve lost church services and connections with friends... ...I think when our plans are interrupted, when we come face to face with our finiteness, there’s an invitation to wisdom in all of that. Psalms 90:12 says “teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

I think when we do come face to face with our own mortality, we are able to step into a deeper level of wisdom. As we go through that process, as we absorb that truth, I think the ability to re-imagine your life and reinvent your future after the catastrophe has happened is a skill for resilience. That creative process builds wisdom in us as we learn to live life open-handedly, and develop the keen kingdom vision to see what God may be doing when all of our plans are disrupted...”

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Find More Inspirational Stories and Encouraging Blog Posts From People You Know in Your Community

www.JourneyNC.com

Eagerly awaiting: The Wolfe family with big smiles. Their youngest holds a doll which was handmade by a close friend, a gift for the child or children they adopt.

the Gospel. As he closed his message that night, a strong tug came to my heart, and I, along with thousands, made my way to the field to receive Jesus as my personal savior and to begin a new life.

Terry made his decision to receive Jesus for himself on October 6, 2005.

He knew there was something missing and that believing alone wasn’t enough. In the quiet of an apartment he invited Jesus into his heart.

In 2014, after a series of challenging circumstances, both Terry and I began to seek the LORD on a deeper level.

We really began to walk with Him, realizing there is an endless, daily supply of the Holy Spirit, and God so desires for us to pursue Him each and every day.

By Brooke Wolfe

M

y husband Terry and I both grew up in Christian homes and we went to church most Sundays. We both grew up believing in God and knowing the story of Jesus. I guess we called ourselves Christians.

For me, it became very real one night on the football field at Kidd Brewer Stadium. On September 17, 2000, Franklin Graham wrapped up the Festival 2000, a Christcentered gathering inviting people to hear the message of

We have always talked about adopting.

After having two amazing boys, we were still open to the possibility, but never saw the opportunity or how adoption might fit into our lives.

If there’s anything we’ve learned over our years of following the LORD, it’s that His plan doesn’t fit into your life, your life is part of His plan. With that, we would like to share our adoption story with you.

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

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It begins in February of 2019.

yeah, black children. And God says, ‘Yes’.”

I was invited to a Christian worship gathering in Florida along with a few of my dear friends. We traveled down with high expectations of what the LORD might have in store for us. The gathering was centered around one objective: to send Christians into their calling all over the world. My prayer was to encounter God in a new way and hear His heart and call for our family.

I have had people speak over me before and share what they felt like they heard the LORD say, but this took me totally by surprise.

I thanked her, but inside my reaction was “What?” My first thought was that maybe God was calling us to go to Africa and minister. This has never really been a place we felt led to go, but I was open to whatever His call would be.

“

IN THAT MOMENT, THROUGH THE UNCONTROLLABLE TEARS I WAS CRYING, I KNEW GOD WAS CALLING US TO ADOPT.

After standing on a football field most of the day enjoying amazing worship, we listened as a speaker took the stage. I cannot remember what the message was, but shortly after he spoke my life would be forever changed. As he closed his message, he asked that we grab someone close and pray together. I turned and seeing no one I knew joined hands with a beautiful black woman and we prayed. After the prayer she left and as I turned to get ready for more worship, I saw her come back through the crowd.

She said, “While we were praying, I saw you with black children…

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“

If you have ever asked God to reveal His call for you, then you know our own expectations fall immeasurably short of what He wants to do and what He has planned. His call for our life blindsided me completely.

After a few more songs, I made my way back to the stands and another speaker took the stage.

He began to share his family’s story of how he and his wife along with their two boys had adopted two girls. As he shared, I felt a feeling I have never experienced before, and one that I can’t possibly explain here. All I know is that it was the presence of God, and in that moment through the uncontrollable tears I was crying, I knew God was calling us to adopt.

I thought about the experience all the way home and prayed, knowing that if this was God’s call, my whole family would be on board. As soon as I arrived home I shared with my husband and we committed to pray about it. It wasn’t long after that we mentioned it to our boys and they both shouted with utter excitement, “YES!!!” This was our first confirmation. Everyone wanted to adopt!

Over the next few months, we researched both local and international adoptions. I still felt called to Africa for some reason, but we knew there were children in need everywhere.

Nothing really went until November.

anywhere

Our youngest son hopped in the car one day after school and blurted out, “I really want a little brother or sister!” I asked him where that came from and he just shrugged and said he didn’t know. The next day, we received an email from one of the agencies we had looked into. They were highlighting adoptions from Burundi, Africa.

Up until now, all the countries we had looked at in Africa seemed drastically out of reach—they had been way more than we could afford, and we didn’t meet a lot of the requirements. As we looked over the program, we were able to check off all the boxes! Could this be it? We prayed again, asking the LORD for confirmation.

The very next day we received another email from a different agency, but for the same program!

Burundi! I began to cry, feeling the same thing I had felt that day back in February. I shared with Terry and we both agreed this could be what we had been waiting for.

We filled out a pre-app and waited for a call. The only part we were missing was the money for the adoption itself. If you have ever looked into adoption, you know how incredibly expensive it can be! But we knew that if God was calling us to adopt, He would make a way.

Terry’s life verse is Exodus 14:14 (NLT): “The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

When you take a leap of faith, you find out just how faithful God is to His word. “In God We Trust” is on every piece of US currency, and a reminder that He is our provider. Every time anyone in our family finds a coin, we put it into a special jar that we can look at and remember that He provides!

The next week, we received a financial gift. As we began to pray about what it could be for, I realized it was the amount needed for the home study, the next step in the adoption process. I shared with Terry and we felt like it was our green-light to move forward.

However, the next step was a huge payment due when we signed the contract with the agency. The gift was not enough.

One morning, we prayed that God would

show us where the money would come from, and He led us right to a Journey magazine featuring an article on the Kimbro family, their adoptions, and Chosen Ministry, located right here in Boone. We connected with them, shared our story, and Chosen gave an enormous gift that provided 75% of our needed fees!

God is so faithfully walking us through each step of the process and providing all we need. At the time, we had a Honda Accord that was very nice, but would not fit our growing family. We had shared our needs with a friend who owns a car lot. One morning, I was driving into town and felt led to ask God for the new car. A couple of hours later, our friend called and told us he had found a car, and we were test driving it by the end of the day! We didn’t have the money for the car, but again, we knew if God provided the car, He would provide a way. We prayed once again, and by the end of the week, we had enough to buy the car!

God has provided and continues to provide all we need. A few months ago, we wrote a check for the last of the money we had set aside for the adoption fees. We prayed again, knowing that He would provide for the next step. That very evening, we received a text from a Chosen Ministry leader asking how we were and if we needed more money. We shared with them where we were in the process and they provided the rest of the funding for the adoption fees.

Now, we are 100% funded! We are so humbly thankful and have received many gifts from

Abundant blessings: A bigger family car was one of the many financial blessings that the Wolfes have received that have been crucial to their adoption process.

Every child matters: Terry and Brooke Wolfe play with their sons, Jackson and Titus. The boys are just as excited as their parents for an addition to the family.

many people and organizations. We are in awe of everything God has done and is continuing to do!

In registering for the adoption our oldest son said, “If there are siblings, we have to get them all!” Of course, we all agreed and have registered for a sibling group if possible. We know that there will be more expenses as we plan to travel and possibly receive a referral for more than one child, and we also know that God will continue to provide more than enough.

If you have ever adopted, you will understand that this isn’t adding someone else’s child to your family. The child is just as much yours as if you had given birth to them, they are simply being delivered in another way. We know we have children somewhere in Africa, and we can’t wait to meet them for the first time!

As we wait for our little ones it feels so long.

It has been almost a year since we entered the program, and we pray we will be “matched” soon. We know there are so many little ones out there who need a family that will give them the love our Father gives us every day. We also know that God has specifically chosen these children for our family.

Every child matters! The concept of adoption is at the very heart of the gospel. For those of us who have come to know Jesus as our LORD and

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Savior, adoption is a part of our own story. We are adopted into His family and are given the same inheritance as Christ. We are so thankful that God has chosen us for this calling. We are also thankful to share that both of our boys decided to follow Jesus for themselves this year, and we were blessed to baptize one of them as well.

As we look to the challenges ahead, we are confident to have many more stories of His miracles that make the way possible. New challenges seem to arise every day, but we know that He is making a way and His timing is so perfect!

If you are considering adoption and don’t know where to begin, pray. Ask Him and open your heart and mind to endless possibilities. I promise it might take you by surprise, and I also promise He will provide all you need and more!

If you think you can’t afford it, remember—you might not, but He can!

As we close, we pray that anyone who might be reading this who has ever thought of adopting would begin to ask God about it. We pray that if you are in any way considering opening your life to one of His children, you would allow that fire to be lit again, and trust the Creator of the Universe to lead you in the calling He has for you. The only way we can really live is when we are living out the purpose He made us for.

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Spiritual nourishment: Jerome Daley in the Colorado wilderness, where he spent a year-long sabbatical from pastoring. He describes the experience as healing and restorative in a variety of ways for him and his family.

By Jerome Daley

I

was thirteen. Eighth grade. I can’t remember a time, from my very earliest memories, when God wasn’t gently at the center of my life… but it felt harder now. Some of my friends were making choices that I knew would take them away from God, not toward Him. Not exactly hard-core evil, but a fork in the road had appeared for this young soul. I hesitated, unsure. What would that other road hold? How could I continue the road I was on without knowing where other ones would lead?

Early that summer I had a sleepover with a couple of my middle school buddies, and we lived it up, thirteen-year-old style. I tried my first swallow of whiskey – and thought I was drinking gasoline! But still very cool, of course. By the wee hours of morning, my soul was reeling in a cloud of cigarette smoke and vertigo from hours of late-night TV. Were we having fun yet?

Something deep inside of me cried out, “This is not who I am, not what I was made for. Dad, please come take me home!” The thought of actually calling home crossed my mind. No, can’t do that; definitely uncool. So I gutted it out until the next morning when Dad did come to pick me up in our old Ford sedan, roughly the size of a third-world country. By that time, the inner crisis had passed in its intensity, and I was feeling a bit numb as we drove out through the neighborhood.

“How was your time with the guys?” I’m sure Dad asked.

“Fine,” I’m sure I replied.

Then he said something I’ll never forget. “You know, a strange thing happened to me last night,” Dad said casually. “I woke up in the middle of the night, and it was almost like I could hear you calling me.”

I was stunned. I was transfixed. How could this be?

How could he know? Between sobs, I managed to get out my story. Dad listened compassionately. I don’t remember anything he actually said, but I will always remember the night that God called my name. It may have been my dad that God woke up, but it was me that He was calling. And I heard Him loud and clear. The peace and contentment that flooded my soul that day were like nothing I had ever known. He cares about me! A really big God must really like me a lot to go to all the trouble of waking up my dad because I was hurting!

Later that same summer I was hanging out on my bed, playing my guitar and talking to God, when I had a strong impression that He was talking back.

The way I remember it, vague on verbiage but strong on feeling, is that God said something to me along these lines: Son, I want you to help others know me, know themselves, and figure out where they fit in the world.

As a pastor’s kid, the only word I had for that was “pastor,” so I promptly walked into the kitchen and told my mom that God told me I was going to be a pastor. Saying “God said” was not a habit for me, not then and not now, but the impression was strong and so I owned it. Eleven years later I did become a pastor, and since that time I have found many ways to help people know God, know themselves, and figure out where they fit in the world.

Of course, helping other people with those things presupposes that I have already figured them out for myself. I haven’t. But I can say with all sincerity that the pursuit of those three things has dominated my journey through this world…and informs my ongoing mission to help others make sense of their journeys as well.

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

The course my life has taken since I was thirteen is one I could never have plotted. As many have expressed, life generally makes more sense when we look backwards; the view forwards is usually somewhat shrouded. And as life tends to do, it coasts along somewhat predictably, only to hit an intersection where it takes a hard right…or a hard left. Pivot points that irrevocably change the trajectory of our course.

partner in this venture we call life, our growth together—spiritually and developmentally— matching step for step through times both terribly painful and joyously delightful. And, as every couple knows, little in life has the potential to either illuminate or darken the knowing of God, knowing of self, and finding of fit…like a marriage partner. By the mercies of God and sheer perseverance, ours has been mostly illumination.

Strengthened by faith: (Top) Jerome and wife Kellie Daley share a sweet moment. The two met on the first day of seminary school and promptly married seven months later.

Family tree: (Bottom) Jerome and Kellie surrounded by their family, from left to right: son-in-law Jeromy Lindemulder, daughter Ashley Daley Lindemulder, grandson Briar Lindemulder, son Thorpe Daley and fiancé Cailyn Fuller in front, Jerome and Kellie in back, and daughter Abigail Daley.

Marriage, of course, is always one of those pivot points. I met Kellie the first day on campus at seminary and, master of discipline that I am, waited seven whole months before watching her walk dreamily down the aisle toward me in my mom’s classic silk wedding gown and saying words that would indeed help us “have and hold” one another through better and worse, richer and poorer, in sickness and in health. Kellie has been a true equal

The next major pivot point came ten years later when a variety of forces converged to lead us out of pastoral ministry in Chapel Hill, NC and into a year’s sabbatical in Colorado Springs, CO. Truth is, my time as a pastor—doing deeply meaningful work with absolutely fantastic people—was also a time of progressive diminishment as a husband and father, matched by increasing shallowness in my spiritual life. You probably wouldn’t expect that of professional ministry, but it’s a common story.

Our year as a young family in the shadow of Pike’s Peak was healing and restorative on many fronts. It also awakened two passions that have marked our journey since.

The first is writing. Through a continuing education course that year, I uncovered a latent passion for words that has led me to publish ten books over the last twenty years. The second is an equally fervent passion for the contemplative practices of our Christian heritage, most of which were lost in the “bathwater” of the Protestant Reformation purge so many years ago, only to be seeping back up through the ground of our current generation like an artesian well to salve the thirst of many. Ancient monastic practices like lectio divina, centering prayer, the daily examen, the prayer labyrinth—these and others like them began to ease their way into our eager awareness and personal rhythm over the years that followed. These particular ways of knowing God, knowing ourselves, and finding our fit in the world have been a game-changer.

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

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A prolific publisher: Jerome sits at his desk in Greensboro. After his initial sabbatical, Jerome discovered a passion and a talent for writing, and has gone on to write and publish ten books over the past twenty years.

The last pivot I’ll describe, following four years of full-time writing, was my entry into the field of professional coaching fifteen years ago now. Both my experience as a writer and a coach have offered unexpected new ways to know God, know myself, and find my fit…and help others do the same. Funny how the dust jackets of life can change while the story remains the same, or better, continues to be written.

LIFE GENERALLY MAKES MORE SENSE WHEN WE LOOK BACKWARDS.

The telling of our stories, of which this is a cursory but genuine attempt, serves a number of purposes crucial to our humanity. It reinforces our fundamental connection as children of God, for we hear echoes of our own journeys within them; it leads us to awe of the Great Mystery in which all things do indeed work together for good, even the most painful; and it provokes us to consider what we may learn from the learnings of our fellow travelers. I hope that

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2020

Jerome Daley is an executive coach, retreat leader, and conflict consultant who is passionate about helping leaders thrive...and build thriving organizational cultures. With over 20 years and 10 books in people development, he strengthens leaders in the journey toward true identity and vocational calling. Jerome is author of the recent book release, Gravitas: The Monastic Rhythms of Healthy Leadership. Making his home in the mountains of North Carolina, he and his wife Kellie are parents of three grown children. His great delights are taking spiritual retreats, backpacking in the mountains, and playing with his grandson. More about Jerome at www.Thrive9Solutions.com.

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something in the fits and starts of our drama spurs you to show up fully in your own life…and that it might have something to do with knowing God, knowing yourself, and finding where you fit in the world.

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