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Why memorials matter to whole-life discipleship and help us focus within the public square.

A view of the Washington Memorial from the National Christmas Tree.

[First Things] In Memorium: President Jimmy Carter (1924 - 2024)

On Sunday, James Earl Carter, Jr., the 39th president of the United States, passed away at his home in Plains, GA, surrounded by family.

We offer our heartfelt prayers, sympathies, and thanks to the family of our former President. We pray they are comforted in the knowledge that he is in the presence of His Father in heaven. Before, during, and after his time in the White House, President Carter was a devoted servant and leader in and for the public square, motivated largely by his sincere faith in God. Throughout his life, he embraced a posture of faithful presence in encouraging the good, restoring the broken, creating what was needed, and opposing evil.

We will have more to say in the coming days.

[The Devo] New Year's Reflections and Projections

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever. 

Joshua 4:1-7

Monuments invite reflection upon the past

Here, on the banks of the Jordan River, the people of God are instructed to erect a monument, a spectacular event, for the sole purpose of soliciting conversations with their children. 

The question would come, "What do those stones mean to you?” 

The answer might start with a retelling of the story of the miraculous crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land in which the LORD parted the waters for them. It is inconceivable to conclude that would be the entirety of the story told. 

Eventually, the story would start where all stories start - “In the beginning.”

From there would come the story of God creating all things out of nothing, of God placing mankind in the Garden and dwelling with them in perfect harmony. From there, we recount mankind’s breach of their relationship with God through a sinful desire to be like God. From there, the story would tell of their eviction from the Garden with the promise of a coming redemption. After that, a seemingly endless litany of short stories that tell of unimaginable pain, suffering, and sin held together by the steadfast love and faithfulness of God. 

Eventually, the story would come to explain how the sale of Abraham’s beloved son, Joseph, into slavery in Egypt would lead to the creation of a safe dwelling for the people of God in the midst of a famine. Yet somehow, this safe haven would give way to a long period of slavery and oppression that would last for 400 years. Then, suddenly, Moses would face down Pharaoh on behalf of the LORD with a spectacular series of Biblical plagues leading to the freedom of God’s people (along with most of Egypt’s gold), the parting of the Red Sea, the drowning of Pharaoh’s army upon its reclosure, the people being fed by manna from the sky, water from rocks, receiving the Law of God, promising to obey the Law of God, breaking the Law of God, building the Tabernacle (re-establishing the dwelling of God with man), disobeying more, wandering for 40 years, and then, finally, coming to rest in the Promised Land. 

Washington, D.C., is also filled with monuments representing important moments of the American story. The Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial provide a lasting voice for those who pointed us in the direction of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Arlington National Cemetery, numerous war memorials, and national battlefields are a powerful visual testimony to the high cost of liberty and justice for all. 

While there are no monuments for Faithful Presence (nor should there be), our website and Substack serve as a testimony to what God is doing through this ministry that equips servants and leaders to flourish in and for the public square. Since 2021, we have led over 40 people through whole-life discipleship cohorts, distributed written and audio content to thousands, addressed churches and denominational gatherings across the country, and received recognition or endorsement from The Gospel Coalition (TGC), the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), and the Consortium of Christian Study Centers (CCSC). All of these markers testify to the steadfast love and faithfulness of God and the participation of our many partners. 

Memorials invite projections for the future

As we look forward, our prayer for Faithful Presence is that God’s hand of blessing will result in our continued flourishing through the coming years. We hope to increase our capacity to provide high-quality content on whole-life discipleship for those engaged in the public square, including published studies, add additional staff to meet the pastoral needs of those in Washington, and launch our first pastor’s cohort and national conference.

As a country, our memorials invite us to look into 2025 and beyond with hope for continued flourishing. With a new administration and new Congress coming soon, we desire to see the good encouraged, the broken restored, the missing created, and evil opposed. What can our servants and leaders do to see that thriving families and businesses continue on that path? What progress can be made in restoring our crumbling infrastructure? How will we shepherd our use of AI as it moves into more areas of our lives? How can America take a leading role in ending human trafficking and diminishing the devastating growth of addiction? 

One danger we face as we project forward is losing sight of our present condition as fallen, fragile, and finite human beings. All of our best efforts can only result in proximate acheivement of our pursuit of true happiness and flourishing. We will continue to undermine ourselves through our ongoing battle with the desires of the flesh, 

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

Galatians 5:17–21

We know this is true because, despite the 12-stone memorial erected as they entered the Promised Land, the people of God continued to struggle to fully live out their calling as participants in God’s mission. After pledging to do all that God had commanded, what followed was an agonizing and sin-marked conquest of the Promised Land, a short-lived unified kingdom under David whose sin was as spectacular as his love for God, and the eventual division of the kingdom after the death of Solomon. After generations of sin and prophetic calls for repentance, the Northern Kingdom would be crushed, the re-dwelling of God would end as his presence departed the Temple, and the Southern Kingdom would be sent into 70 years of exile. After the release, the resulting exiles would achieve only a proximate restoration of the city and the Temple and then live under various occupations for 400 years. 

The Incarnation would bring only 30 years of renewed “God with us,” along with the many manifestations of restoration evidenced in his miracles. Even that proclamation of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness would end with Jesus's death on the cross—not for his sins but ours. Interestingly, it is that memorial that has taken center stage for Christians. 

It is the Cross, planted in the ground over 2000 years ago, that invites us to look back at the story of God’s grand narrative of redemption so that we can look forward with hope. 

In Creation, God placed something within us that leads us to believe the best is yet to come. That is true. But not because of what American exceptionalism can achieve. Instead, it is because the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is returning and will declare, 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Rev.  21:1–5

All of this should inform our answer when someone asks,

‘What does the cross mean to you?”

Application Questions

What hopes do you have for the coming administration? How do you see yourself participating in efforts to encourage the good, restore the broken, create what’s missing, and oppose evil?

How does considering the ability of God’s people to flourish within the parameters set by God inform how you think about the public square? 

How does seeing the Cross as a memorial encourage your participation as a servant or leader in the public square? 

[Faithful Prayer] 

  • Cabinet Agency: For the servants and leaders at The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which serves as the government agency that leads international development and humanitarian assistance efforts to partner countries.

  • Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: Staff of the International Finance Corporation (IFC),  the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in developing countries. By encouraging growth, IFC (part of the World Bank) advances economic development, creates jobs, and improves the lives of people.

  • Weekly delegation: The Congressional delegation of Nebraska, home to the largest concentration of Sudanese immigrants (over 3000 in Omaha).

  • News: Those at USAID who are overseeing the distribution and management of $200 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Sudan in response to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.  With this additional assistance, through USAID and the State Department, the United States will continue to provide urgently needed agriculture support, food assistance, water, sanitation, and hygiene support, nutrition, and health and protection services for the most vulnerable Sudanese, including internally displaced people and refugees.

  • Personal requests: For several people battling the flu. For three individuals enjoying some time off before starting new positions. For an individual exhausted from back-to-back meetings over the past two weeks. For someone starting clinical counseling. For someone looking for a new church home. For someone worried about a child dealing with friend-group drama.

[The Page, The Pod & The Stack]

[What’s Happening?]

  • Washington is still on break, but there are still plenty of ways to have fun on New Year’s Eve.

  • Kick off 2025 with a burst of fun and excitement at Noon Yards Eve (10 am-1 pm), the ultimate family-friendly celebration! Packed with activities for kids of all ages, this day promises endless entertainment and joyful memories. Hop on for train rides, conquer the inflatable slide and bounce houses, get creative with glitter tattoos, and test your skills at carnival games. 

  • Celebrate New Year’s Eve at First Night Alexandria! Festivities begin at 2:00 PM with engaging performances for children and a day party for all ages. At 6:00 PM, enjoy a spectacular family-friendly fireworks display over the waterfront before diving into an evening of live music, comedy, and more on 12 stages scattered throughout the charming streets of Old Town inside museums, churches, retail spaces, and other unique venues.

  • The legendary Black Cat New Year's Eve Swing Ball (8:30 pm doors) is always the best night out of the year. One of DC's longest-running Big Band nights is back again to keep you dancing into 2025. Peaches O’Dell is a big band leader with a silver baton and a heart of gold, offering high-energy swing music, luscious Latin, vintage Hollywood, dreamy standards, and Art Deco-era novelty tunes you will hear nowhere else.

[Two Thumbs Up] ”Healing What’s Within: Coming Home to Yourself--and to God--When You're Wounded, Weary, and Wandering,” Chuck DeGroat (2024)

Once again, Chuck DeGroat has provided us with a truly accessible and helpful resource on the emotional facet of whole-life discipleship.

deGroat uses the skill of an experienced clinician, the compassion of a pastor, and the honesty of a fellow human in applying the three questions God asked the couple who rebelled against His gracious conditions for life in His presence;

Where are you?
Who told you?
Did you eat?

Through a deep exploration of these questions, Healing What’s Within guides the reader through an open and honest examination of their own hearts and applies not only sound counseling practices but also the hope of the gospel. What makes the book a must-read is that it is also a must-do. At the conclusion of each chapter, DeGroat has an extended series of carefully crafted workbook-style questions for self-assessment, self-work, and self-care.

[Last Things] 2024 is coming to a close!

As we mentioned above, we exist because of God's steadfast love and faithfulness and the generous support of our team of partners. Through their prayers and financial gifts, they are co-laborers in equipping servants and leaders to flourish in and for the public square. you can join our team by clicking the button below.

Faithful Presence exists to provide whole-life discipleship in the whole of life for the whole of the public square. Join us as we seek renewal in politics and the public square by becoming a Supporting Partner.

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