In an interview with the New Yorker, the actor Adam Driver describes how he was drawn to the toughness of the Marines:
“They kind of got me with their whole ‘We don’t give you signing bonuses. We’re the hardest branch of the armed forces. You’re not going to get all this cushy shit that the Navy or the Army gives you. It’s going to be hard.’”
The interviewer notes, “His decision to enlist was so abrupt that a military recruiter asked if he was running from the law.”
Many of the religious groups growing the fastest tend to ask more of their adherents, not less.
A watered-down version of Christianity isn’t faithful to the one who said to take up our cross and follow him. It’s also not attractive.
A holy adventure can capture our imagination and push us to pray, serve, and build community.
We might think that the easier we make something, the more likely we are to do it. Sometimes that's true, but in making things convenient, we might lose what is gripping.
Boldness challenges us. It's also what inspires.