Dear friends,

Happy New Year and welcome to 2025! 

We’re not only heading into a new year. We’re also entering the second quarter of the 21st century and a volatile cultural moment. 

Amidst many joys, the signs of our times are troubling: we see rising violence and authoritarianism around the world, including here in the United States. According to PRRI’s “2023 American Values Survey,” more than one in three Americans (38%) believe that the country is so badly off track that they would support an authoritarian leader to try to fix it. More than one in three white Evangelicals (37%) agree, and almost half of Republicans (48%) agree. Almost one in four Americans (23%) believe violence may be necessary to save the country, and almost one in three white Evangelicals (31%) agree.

As Bob Dylan sang in 1963, “The times they are a-changin’.” 

At the start of this new year and quarter century, I want to introduce you to the ethics of Alexei Navalny (1976-2024)... Read More

Dear friends,

A very merry Christmas to you from snowy Chicagoland!

This Christmas season, I’m delighted to offer three gifts of encouragement, orientation, and beauty. 

If you’re looking for an encouraging but honest Christmas sermon, I preached last Sunday on “Ending to Begin.” This is one of the most personal sermons I’ve ever given. It tells several stories from my life in which the endings I feared in my journey opened into new beginnings of hope. As we meditate on the birth of Jesus, we discover that his story is also our story: we end to begin. I hope this message is encouraging to you.

Christmas has become such a polarizing topic in the culture war. We hear slogans like “Put Christ back into Christmas,” and yet I observe that even our Christian messaging often ends up missing Christ. Last night, I visited a local church which gave a Christmas tract to each of its guests. The tract claimed to tell the true story of Christmas, and yet it described Jesus as a “hero” and “warrior” – words the New Testament never uses to describe the Prince of Peace... Read More

Dear friends, 

How are you feeling after the American election? 

Some of my friends have expressed a sense of triumph, like God has answered their prayers and America is destined for unprecedented greatness. Other friends have expressed a sense of despair, like the worst has happened and things are falling apart. 

In this post-election polarization, I’d like to offer two responses. 

The first is a sermon I gave on the Sunday after the election. In this message, I invite the community to refocus our attention on Jesus’ core teaching and how Jesus’ earliest followers sought to practice this teaching in the Roman Empire. It’s a call back to the basics, starting with an increased awareness of our vulnerability and belovedness. My sermon begins at minute 31 in the recording.

The second is a webinar that I did with Peter Anderson at Peace Catalyst. This open-hearted conversation focuses on post-election peacemaking and how Jesus’ Beatitudes can serve as our guide into this vital practice... Read More

Dear friends,

Blessed Are the Others is now a full week old and already blessing others. I’ve been so encouraged by your feedback and reviews on Amazon. Here’s three:

“This book is Andrew’s superbloom.” Chase

“Andrew DeCort wrote a moving, powerful book that will change your mind & your life if you let it.” Ellen

“I am looking forward to finishing this book already! It’s a page turner so far!” Carole

Today I’m delighted to share an excerpt from Blessed Are the Other’s introduction. I call it “The Trailhead to the Way.”

I hope you enjoy the journey and consider buying the book, writing an honest review on Amazon and GoodReads, and sharing it with your networks.

Blessings!

Andrew

The Trailhead to the Way

For James Baldwin. Thank you for your honesty. 

“The great problem is how to be – in the best sense of that kaleidoscopic word – a human.” James Baldwin

In this trailhead to our journey, I want to map out some of the terrain we’ll travel together... Read More

Dear friends,

Blessed Are the Others is available NOW for purchase on Amazon!

I warmly invite you to join me and help this book bless more readers. All you need to do is:

1. Buy Blessed on Amazon.
2. Review it on Amazon and/or Goodreads.
3. Share the book with your personal networks and social media platforms using #BlessedAreTheOthers. Your post can be as simple as “I love this book!” or “This book will bless you!” Here’s a graphic to make sharing easy!

The next seven days are crucial! The more momentum we build now, the better chance Blessed Are The Others has of reaching a wider readership.

Here’s what some of our most prophetic faith leaders, singer-songwriters, and professors are saying about this book:

I’d be so thrilled if you’d join me in sharing this book and blessing others. 

Yours with joyful blessings!

Andrew

 .. Read More