When one takes a look at the landscape of early twenty-first century conservative Christianity, it appears that nearly every person belonging in that category is in a soul-draining struggle to be "doing" enough - enough to maintain their status as a legitimate, respectable member of their Christian society now, and enough to ensure that they leave behind a godly legacy for future generations. These are wonderful aspirations, but should we be letting our struggles in this regard rob us of the Christian joy and abundant life that we all so much desire? Perhaps we are taking too much of the load upon ourselves. Read about and reclaim the essence of vital Christianity - the strengthening and exhilarating truth that Christ, not just His Holy Spirit, but Christ Himself, lives in and through each of us Joel Backstrom has been serving the Lord bivocationally in various aspects of secondary education and/or pastoral ministry since 1975. He has served as a teacher, administrator, and cross country coach in both public and Christian secondary schools in North Dakota, Minnesota, and New Jersey. As an ordained Lutheran minister, he has served in parish ministry in Colorado, Minnesota, and Arizona, and also as both an Army National Guard chaplain and an institutional chaplain. He and his wife, Jane, have three adult sons and several grandchildren. After having followed the Lord's leading into many different vocational settings, they have at last settled in Buckeye, Arizona.
