Author Archives: Ben Foley

Complex Trauma

I believe we are more complex than we realize and less self-aware than we know. We must recognize that we live in complex times, face complex global realities, and are complex people. Further, whether experiencing trauma first-hand or simply second-hand via the news or other people, there are many traumatic things happening on a global scale 24/7.

Seven Humanitarian Crises

I’ve written quite a bit recently about the war in Ukraine still unfolding and the response of the mission organization I lead (ServeNow) in relief efforts. This blog post highlights seven current humanitarian crises in other countries ServeNow is also actively responding to with your partnership. I could surface more than these seven, but I want to draw some attention to these as examples beyond Ukraine. We have a responsibility to show God’s heart and love by serving the poor, the vulnerable, and those most in need.

The Problem of Evil

As we approach the Easter season, my thoughts are directed towards the problem of evil in a new way. The issue of evil is humanity’s age-old problem, and even the greatest saints in Scripture and throughout history have wrestled over it. The dilemma is this: If God is God, then he is all-loving, all-wise, and all-powerful. How then do those three realities reconcile with the reality of evil? What do we do with the horrors we see unfolding in Ukraine, for example, this year?

Faith Amid War

If the current war in Ukraine has caused many to rediscover anything, it is specific prayers in the Bible that we used to ignore or that would cause embarrassment. The two I quoted above from Psalms fall into that category. They are pleas for God to essentially step in and beat up the enemies of Israel in some graphic ways. How can these be justified as “Christian” prayers?

Born Again and Awake

Those who have yet to receive Christ need to be reborn into the kingdom and family of God. But for those already born-again, we sometimes need to be re-awakened or possibly even resurrected, spiritually speaking. I am not talking about our future resurrection when Christ returns, but here and now while still alive. We easily can forget our true identity, purpose, and calling in Christ and slip back into our old way of life.

Remember the Poor

The reminder and command regarding the poor serves to check these two extremes. On the one hand, we should not be so naïve as to think we can end world poverty. On the other hand, we should not be so discouraged that we grow weary and callous. Instead, we need a posture of constant pro-active generosity towards the poor who are always among us. We need to be “open-handed,” which requires an “open heart” of compassion.

Think Big & Small

An either/or mentality is never truer than in our present polarized, politically charged culture. Everything seems to be put in terms of either being for or against with no room for nuance or complexity. Tribal loyalty carries more weight and importance than anything else. Unfortunately, this cultural and political mentality impacts our reading and understanding of Scripture, especially the mission that Jesus has called us to.

Idols and Culture

We all like to think our culture is “the norm.” And we all tend to judge and see things differently from an outside perspective. But each culture ironically similarly looks at other cultures and finds something hard to understand. My point is it is harder to see our cultural blindness and grip of idols in our hearts and lives. However, traveling outside our environments can open our eyes not only to other cultural dynamics but also our blind spots. We all are influenced by any number of things that we treat as cultural norms, and the real question is whether they hold up to the biblical ethic and way of life for a Christ-follower.

Injustice Rolls On

I don’t usually have time to do much sightseeing on mission trips, but because of a late-night flight departure, I could make a visit to a slave trade route in Benin that I wanted to experience for myself. It was my first time seeing with my own eyes and imagining just some of the horrors of what slaves endured. I want to document some of what I learned and felt.

Seasons: Chapter 3 Excerpt

According to God’s Word, focusing on the “good ole days” is not wise. Having the unique ability to remember primarily the things we miss about the past while forgetting its difficulties, is part of the human condition. We glamorize decades past and complain about the present. But the past was not as great as we might recall it to be in our selective minds and hearts. And the present will one day be remembered as the “good ole days” that we will long for again, despite how crazy that seems in the present.

Human Nature: Book Teaser!

If we study the Bible and compare it to the daily paper, we’ll see the seductive power of temptation remains as potent today as ever. Just one generation after Adam and Eve chose rebellion, we witness a jealous Cain murdering his brother Abel. Not long afterward, jealousy leads Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery. Today, we see the same forces of jealousy, envy, and murder at work worldwide. It may be different people but the problems are the same.

Book Teaser: Depression

“There is a reason Ecclesiastes is in the Bible. Even Christians-committed or well known—battle with depression. Some great saints of Scripture and history have this trait in common. Think of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. After
experiencing the emotional high of a mountaintop revival, the prophet comes down exhausted, depressed, and wishing for his life to end. Think of David writing some of the psalms, questioning why he is so disturbed and wondering why he feels so depressed. Think of Jeremiah writing another neglected book—Lamentations—which is a lament for Jerusalem’s ruin because of the people’s sin.”

9/11: 20th Year Reflections

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic 9/11 events. Many have already shared tributes, posts, presidential speeches, and memories. There are undoubtedly many emotions. There are lessons to remember and learn. For others, there is also a sense of realizing how more deeply divided we have become since 9/11 over twenty years ago. Every issue now causes a level of controversy that destroys relationships and divides families. There are new domestic and international threats. A global pandemic continues to cause death, disrupt economies, and divide people. There is much that could be reflected on.

Early Testimony of New Book!

“Even within the first two chapters of reading this book, my mindset is changing about how I can see and relate to my pain, sadness, situational depression due to medical issues, stress, the events of the world, etc. Maybe it is here – in the hard part of life – that I will see what Hope really actually is. And maybe diving deeper into my struggle and being willing to wrestle with this hardship will give me the most compassionate, empathetic, and loving relationships with those around me.” -Everything is Meaningless early reader.

Book Announcement!

Do our lives matter? What is the point of life when it is fleeting, temporary, and finite? Where can we find meaning, significance, and purpose? In the follow-up to Hope Rising: Finding Hope in a Turbulent World, author Ben Foley takes an honest look at the despair and cynicism that characterize and plague our generation. From depression to the reality of injustice to the emptiness of pleasure, wealth, fame, education, and achievement, Everything is Meaningless wrestles with life’s philosophical and practical concerns.

You have an Advocate

When I travel I try to look for things God is teaching me. I just returned from a trip to Kenya and Tanzania for ServeNow. The lesson that stood out to me on this trip was a new appreciation of having an advocate on your side. For this article’s purpose, let me share what happened in the US and then Tanzania related to the COVID testing process necessary for travel.

Improved Lives: Decreased Hope

From Hans Rosling, Mark Manson, to Fareed Zakaria, multiple authors have written that contrary to popular belief, the world has gotten better, not worse, in modern times. The standard of living has improved worldwide. Access to education, healthcare, and technology has increased. Wars and violence are at the lowest globally from a historical perspective.

And yet, it seems as the world gets better, people’s hope is decreasing. This seeming contradiction is an interesting dynamic I write about in Chapter 3 of my book Hope Rising: Finding Hope in a Turbulent World. It was probably the most interesting chapter to write and wrestle with why this is the case.

Biblical Hope

The kind of hope the Bible speaks of is confident and sure. Hope is rooted in God’s character and nature, despite our feelings or situations. It’s a hope anchored in not just God’s promises but in his very person. It’s a hope that is eternal in nature and provides confidence found not in ourselves or in our circumstances. It’s a hope rooted in Jesus…

True Freedom = Serving

This weekend, American’s will be celebrating the 4th of July, which proclaims our independence and freedom. But often, I believe we miss what true freedom is and means according to Scripture. Regardless of how independent we may be externally, everyone is still a slave to something or someone. We are born slaves to sin according to Scripture with a propensity towards selfishness. Our sinfulness and selfishness are why we need a Savior; to set us free from our sin and deliver us from our selfishness. True freedom is not divorced from responsibility or found in indulging ourselves; it’s found instead in living for Christ and serving others.

Death & Eternity

We are awaiting the transition from the earthly and imperfect; to the eternal and perfect. The paradox of the Christian life is that though we die, death does not have the final word. Just as the weakness of the cross gave way to the power of the resurrection, we have the same hope in Jesus. And that is why despite our earthly struggles, we do not lose hope in our eternal future.

Depression: A Gift and a Curse

For as long as I can remember, I have battled with cycles of depression to varying degrees. I recently just came through two of the worst and longest-lasting episodes in quite a while. Two of the lowest points in my life during these cycles were the day my first book, a book on Hope, was published and my master’s degree graduation day. What should have been two of the most joyful days of my life were instead two of the most depressing days of life.

Creative Faith

Have you ever thought of faith being creative? Or how about the need for faith to be demonstrated in a creative way? I think many times we get stuck in the same routines and traditions that we fail to think outside the box and find new ways of doing things. Or maybe we see certain needs but think we are powerless to do anything about it and we give up rather than get creative.

Pentecost: Unity Amid Differences

Pentecost means there is a way to be brought together around the person of Jesus, the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, and the love of our Father in heaven. It means we can worship and fellowship with those different than us. You cannot choose your family. And neither can you choose your brothers and sisters in Christ. When was the last time you worshiped with those who viewed life differently than you, spoke a different language, have a different culture and life experiences, or even a different political view?

Update From Nigeria

Greetings from Nigeria, the country with the largest population in Africa! I just wrapped up my first international trip in a YEAR due to COVID. It was so good to get back out there on behalf of ServeNow, the mission organization I lead. Being ServeNow has always heavily emphasized serving in, with, and through national leaders and churches, we have been able to carry on our work without skipping too much of a beat over this last year. In fact, we served far more people in the previous year over COVID than even the year before COVID! It may have looked different, but the impact is still just as incredible, if not more so than years past.

Hope Rising: My New Book

I believe if there is one universal need right now in these turbulent times, it is true hope. The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:13 boiled down the Christian life to the three most essential and irreplaceable basics: faith, hope, and love. But where do we find that hope? Or, how can our hope be renewed? My book tackles those questions and more through real life stories from around the world via the international mission organization I lead called ServeNow, and stories from those I know here in the US.

An Age of Cultism & Extremism

The only word or phrasing that I think comes close to what pastors and leaders will have to deal with is the reality of an age of cultism. In my opinion, I think a case can be made that cultic like behavior is manifesting and growing more and more. At the least, which I have written about in past articles, we see identity politics influencing more and more people on both the right and left. In this article, I will briefly share some of those cult-like characteristics. However, I want to focus more on some possible solutions going forward. My fear is that violence and division will only increase, not decrease, unless a different kind of radical change happens in our hearts, lives, and worldviews. Really, at the root of it all is that of idolatry. Our hope is being misplaced. The level of fear and anxiety is disproportionate to reality, driven by much misinformation and misguided in its focus.

The Problem of Critical Race Theory

Over the last couple of years, I have mostly been vocal about the dangers and idolatry of much of the evangelical conservative church wedding themselves to politics and its damage to our witness. I have also been vocal about our call as believers to serve the most vulnerable, whether refugees, immigrants, the disadvantaged, persecuted, or the oppressed. I have preached that racism has no place in our hearts, lives, families, or churches, even when it has cost me relationships and support. However, there is another philosophy on the other side making a lot of inroads among a portion of the church and believers in the US.

As a Child, Like a Child.

The good news of Christmas, the Good News of the Gospel, is that Christ has come for all, and all can come to him by faith in hope and find rest for their weary souls. This is the very promise of Christ himself. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”