I started to see the many-faceted dimensions of the gospel in a more dazzling way. I was realizing in a fresh way the now-power of the gospel--that the gospel doesn't simply rescue us from the past and rescue us for the future. It also rescues us in the present from being enslaved to things like fear, insecurity, anger, self-reliance, bitterness, entitlement, and insignificance.

God can and will do whatever it takes to conform us to His will and His ways. In my case He used (and continues to use), friends to help me be present in the moment. Has someone in your life helped you to stop, look, and listen?

Another edition of the Young Influencers List is here. Stay in the know on who are the young, up-and-coming influencers around the world who are making a difference.

Being a pastor put me amid people with needs: marital needs, family needs, identity needs. I was doing good work, work that gave me satisfaction, work that was recognized and praised by others as good work. I didn't know at the time how close I was to abandoning my haphazardly intended but finally achieved pastoral vocation.

Astronomer Jennifer Wiseman will share the latest astronomical images and discoveries and have a conversation with Louie Giglio about how galaxies, stars, and planets form, what they can teach us about God, and how good science strengthens our faith.

We all wrestle with the tension between work and family. Regardless of which side of the equation you're on, you know what it's like to deal with the endless cycle of guilt, anger, jealousy, and rejection. Left unattended, these seething emotions have the potential to erode the foundations of even the strongest marriages.

Missional communities will vary across contexts, but they must be rooted in gospel; identity first, then methods and theory. What we've found is that if Christians love the gospel, they'll be willing to do incredible things for the sake of making Jesus known to those around them.

Although the story about human suffering is true-there still remains an incredible amount of very real pain and suffering in this world-it's incomplete. Simply looking at the marketing material of many relief and development organizations, you would begin to think that we have taken steps backward. But that's not reality.