Dear Pursuing Faith Family,

When I was a pastor in Portland, I had on a shelf in my office a sealed jar that contained water I scooped out from a nearby stream. It was there for years. Surprisingly, the water was clear, but at the bottom lied a foreboding half- inch layer of sediment comprised of twigs, little stones, sand, dirt, and— if I were foolish enough to drink it— probably dysentery too. You would think after sitting for so long that maybe the sludge would consolidate or harden, but no. At even the slightest movement, the jar erupted into a swampy soup of debris.

Clarity, it seems, is a fragile thing.

I kept the jar because it was a vivid reminder of our souls’ palpable need for vision. We all long for a cloudless, lucid perspective of life: to know our purpose, our lives’ why, our reason for being. As Dostoevsky uttered, “The secret of man’s being is not only to live but to have something to live for.”

One of the things we continue to observe at Pursuing Faith is how many people today are struggling with their life’s ‘why.’ In fact, according to a recent poll, 75% of Americans say they don’t know their life’s purpose. What’s particularly tragic about this is the profound connection between a lack of purpose and a lack of faith. We’ve found that when someone is struggling with doubt and deconstruction, there is all-too-often a simultaneous struggle with loss of purpose and identity.

Our vision at Pursuing Faith is to help people discover their purpose in Christ by equipping them with tools and resources that empower their relationship with Christ to grow. As N.T. Wright, a Professor at the University of Oxford, wrote:

“The goal you are meant to be aiming at once you have come to faith, the goal which is within reach even in the present life, anticipating the final life to come — is the life of fully formed, fully flourishing Christian character.”

Over the days ahead, I’ll be giving numerous talks on this very topic. In fact, on February 17-18, Pursuing Faith is partnering with George Fox University to host a special 2-day event. Bringing together music, philosophy, science, and art, we will explore the idea of purpose and how Christianity answers our deepest questions about faith, doubt and life. If you would like to attend, you can sign up here:

Resonate 2023 - George Fox University

In addition to Resonate, I’ll also be speaking in the following cities:

  • Jan 18 - Rocky Mountain Calvary, Colorado Springs CO

  • Jan 22, Feb 5, 12 - Warehouse, Sacramento CA

  • Feb 16 - George Fox University, Newberg OR

  • Feb 19 - Reedwood Forum, Portland OR

We so appreciate your prayers for these events, and we can’t wait to see what God does in the weeks ahead! If you live close by, we’d love to see you!

Love,

Dominic Done and the Pursuing Faith Team

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