Faith in the Ruins
From Existential Exhaustion to Finding a Way Home
Sometimes, faith feels abundant, our lives elegant, and our vision toward the future clear. Other times, faith is simply the resolve to make it through the day with some self-respect intact. Faith for living is not only for the mountain peaks of spiritual insight but for the long, shadowed valleys of banality.
“It was not the prospect of the Last Day which depressed him but rather the prospect of living through an ordinary Wednesday morning.” — Walker Percy, The Last Gentleman
Walker Percy captured this tension: the weight of eternity does not always press down in cataclysmic crises; more often, it settles into the quiet ordinariness of a Wednesday morning. If Percy’s Catholic existentialism is not your cup o’ tea, perhaps John Prine’s folk wisdom speaks to the same ache of the human soul:
“Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery Make me a poster of an old rodeo Just give me one thing that I can hold on to To believe in this living is just a hard way to go.”
— John Prine, “Angel from Montgomery” (1971)
Why This Series?
The ache of ordinary life—the sense that something is missing, that we are made for more but cannot grasp it—is what keeps therapists’ schedules full, fills sanctuary pews, and has kept me busy in pastoral ministry. I spent years preaching in suburbia, where the existential questions sound different but strike just as deeply as in rural towns or city high-rises. Can we afford not to join the country club? Who is that weird-looking Neanderthal boy waiting for my daughter outside the middle school? Will I be okay after my CT scan results?
This is where theology becomes biography. As Victor Hugo’s Jean Valjean recognized God’s grace most clearly in the presence of law’s condemnation, so we often recognize divine mercy only when confronted with our brokenness. But unlike Hugo’s Inspector Javert, who drowns in the unbearable weight of his legalism, our Accuser does not dissolve into the Seine. The enemy of our souls prowls, waiting for the weak moment, the blind spot, the perfectly timed temptation.
These are the ruins in which we live—where the world, the flesh, and the devil conspire to undo us. But this is also where Christ meets us. Ministry happens here, where the miraculous interrupts the mundane. As Paul reminds us:
“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him’” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV).
Living as a Christian means holding two realities in tension: the struggles of today and the promises of eternity. We are called to navigate our little dinghies through the treacherous shoals of the mundane and the malevolent, keeping our eyes fixed on the hope beyond the horizon, the place where the sky meets the sea.
A Journey Toward Home
This series is not just a meditation on our struggles but an expedition toward home. The concerns of believers today are not abstract; they are made clear by the books they buy, the prayers they whisper, and the burdens they carry. Hebrews 11 reminds us:
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland… But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13–16).
Frederick Buechner captures the longing well (The Clown in the Belfry):
“Faith is homesickness. Faith is a lump in the throat. Faith is less a position than a movement toward, less a sure thing than a hunch. Faith is waiting.”1
In this series, I aim to provide biblically faithful, pastorally sensitive reflections on the most pressing struggles Christians face today. We will diagnose the wounds of the soul—not with Dr. Tom More’s “lapsometer” (Percy’s fictional instrument that measures moral lapses) but with the wisdom of Scripture and the gospel’s power to heal the pathologies of the human soul.
A Book Released Chapter by Chapter
So much of publishing has changed. I want to use this forum to reflect some ifctgese changes by using Substack. Thus, our humble series is more than a collection of essays; it is to be a book released in real-time, chapter by chapter. I am hoping to get your insights as well. Each essay will conclude with questions for reflection. The posts will be opened for comments and your thoughts and responses will help shape the final edition, Each installment exists as both a deeper consideration of the larger matter and, we pray, stands alone as its own concern. I want each installment to:
• Address a frequently cited struggle Christians face today.
• Provide biblical exposition to diagnose and respond to these challenges.
• Include discussion questions for individual reflection or small group study.
• Offer suggested readings from classical Western art and literature to deepen exploration of the resistant human condition.
• Present biblical-redemptive solutions for finding hope in the ruins.
After the series, subscribers will receive a free digital copy of the compiled book before the publisher takes it to market. At that time, the series will be removed from Substack in preparation for its final publication.
Here’s the proposed line-up.
The Essays
Over the coming year, I hope to publish ten essays, each addressing a pressing question voiced by believers today. Each will blend biblical exegesis, pastoral insights, and reflections on the human condition.
1. How Do I Forgive and Heal from the Wounds of the Past?
Exploring the power of grace, mercy, and forgiveness through the lens of the cross.
2. How Can I Overcome Feelings of Rejection and Embrace True Acceptance in Christ?
How theology shapes our identity—unchanging biblical truths that transform our relationship with God, ourselves, and others.
3. How Do I Trust in God’s Presence When the Future Feels So Uncertain?
Faithful reflections on the promises of God in times of doubt and anxiety.
4. How Can I Deepen My Spiritual Connection to God in Daily Life?
Practical steps to cultivate intimacy with Christ amid the distractions of modern life.
5. How Do I Manage Anxiety and Find Peace in a World of Chaos?
A biblical framework for calming the heart and mind amid turmoil.
6. How Can I Slow Down and Rediscover the Rest God Desires for Me?
Restoring rhythms of Sabbath rest to experience God’s peace.
7. How Do I Build Trust When Skepticism and Fear Dominate My Relationships?
Biblical wisdom for rebuilding trust in God and others in a fractured world.
8. How Do I Stay Encouraged During Seasons of Difficulty and Doubt?
Finding enduring hope in God’s promises, even in life’s darkest valleys.
9. How Can I Prioritize Prayer When Life Feels Overwhelming?
Developing a meaningful and sustaining prayer life amid busyness.
10. How Do I Navigate the Emotional Challenges of Modern Life with Faith?
Applying Scripture to understand and steward emotions in a fallen world.
The Goal
Lord willing, I plan to release one essay per month throughout 2025, offering biblical responses that meet believers where they are—on “an ordinary Wednesday morning” or amid life’s larger challenges. Each piece will be a pastoral guide to help navigate life’s ruins while pointing to the ultimate home we find in Christ.
“Faith is homesickness. Faith is a lump in the throat. Faith is less a position than a movement toward, less a sure thing than a hunch. Faith is waiting.”— Frederick Buechner
I trust you will join us in this study Faith in the Ruins. Together, we will confront the struggles of life with biblically grounded guidance, seeking to live faithfully in the present while holding fast to the hope of eternity.
Subscribe now to follow this series and secure your free copy of the book at its conclusion.
Frederick Buechner. The Clown in the Belfry: Writings on Faith and Fiction. United Kingdom: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992, 12.
