Close

How to Know God

Do you ever wonder what Christians believe? Who Jesus is, what he did and why it matters? Get answers to these questions and more.

Spiritual Growth

Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth.

Life & Relationships

Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God.

Bible Studies

Find resources for personal or group Bible study.

Share the Gospel

Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus.

Help Others Grow

Help others in their faith journey through discipleship and mentoring.

Leadership Training

Develop your leadership skills and learn how to launch a ministry wherever you are.

Video

Browse videos designed to help you grow spiritually, share your faith, and lead others well.

Language Resources

View our top Cru resources in more than 20 languages.

Quizzes & Assessments

Have some fun taking various quizzes and assessments to learn about yourself and others.

Campus

Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others.

City

Reflecting Jesus together for the good of the city.

Inner City

Partnering with urban churches to meet physical and spiritual needs.

Athletes

Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation.

Families

Equipping families with practical approaches to parenting and marriage.

High School

Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school.

Military

Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide.

Locate Cru Near You

Explore Cru's global presence and discover how you can get involved in communities worldwide.

Events

Whether you're interested in conferences or local gatherings, there's an opportunity for you. Explore upcoming events and find your place to serve and grow.

Mission Trips

Explore domestic and global mission trips with Cru—serve, grow, and make an eternal impact. Opportunities for students, families, and professionals.

Internships

Explore Cru's internship opportunities—serve globally or locally, develop your skills, and make an eternal impact. Apply today!

Careers

Explore full- and part-time ministry careers with Cru—use your skills to impact eternity. Apply today!

Volunteer

Explore volunteer opportunities with Cru and use your skills to impact lives for eternity.

International

Explore global mission opportunities with Cru—serve, grow, and make an eternal impact.

What We Do

How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus.

Donor Relations

Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Cru’s annual report and more.

Our Leadership

Learn about Cru's global leadership team.

Cru Partnerships

When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen.

Storylines

Showing God in action in and through His people.

Press

Access Cru's latest news releases, media contacts, and background information on our global ministries and leadership.

0

Safe in the Middle East

When I first told friends we were going to Jordan for vacation, the general response was, “Um, why? Have you read the news?” Read: Isn’t that…dangerous?

And so it was in Jordan, maybe dangerously, in a hotel by the Dead Sea, that we first got the text messages.

Are you okay?

Hey, are your family and friends alright?

Just checking if your family is safe.

What? I responded. We’re on vacation. They are with me. We’re safe. What happened?

I woke up my brother and we prayed and watched the news, staring as the same video played over and over again of two bombs going off just blocks from our parent’s house in Boston. There’s Boylston street. There’s the church tower. There’s the convention center, and the library I used to study in, and the T station my brother walks in and out twice a day. There’s the Apple store. There’s blood.

I checked Facebook, and all of my friends seemed unhurt. But none were ok.

In the morning, we got in the van of our Jordanian driver and he told us how his family had gathered around the TV to watch the news. “My wife is sad, but you know what? I’m angry. Why do people do this? We need peace. All of us need peace.”

The next day we arrived in the Wadi Rum desert, and Muhammad, our Bedouin driver, asked where we were from. “Oh my god, Boston,” he muttered when we told him. “Oh my god. Why are there such evil people? How could this happen?”

In Petra, a fellow tourist from New York asked if our family was okay.

The ticket counter attendant told us he was so sorry about our city, but our flight was landing. For a while we weren’t sure if the airport would open, or if we could even reach our house because of the massive city-wide lockdown.

In what I believe to be a rare American experience, I was safe in the Middle East while my home city got bombed. Bombed, with what is considered a weapon of mass destruction.

But really, and I need to remember this, in the most gentle, most heavenly and loving way possible, we are not safe. We live among shelled-out, devastated people everyday. Whether that’s obvious is a matter of discretion.

It’s possible that I wasn’t entirely safe in the Middle East. But after the bombings, I think we can all agree that I wouldn’t have been safe in Boston either.

What’s true is that there is no safe place. We can build forts and levees and distance ourselves from people, but there’s no such location entirely, perfectly, bombproof or for that matter, hurt-proof.

Our only safety is God. It’s a relationship that is utterly assured.

I cannot promise you that it is comfortable with God here on this earth, or that I always get the things that I want for my family and friends now that I have Jesus in my life. People still hurt each other, and I know that my Christian friends in Boston are still reeling with the effects of the bombings and subsequent events.

But I can tell you that life with Christ, and recognizing that He is the only eternal security we have, is the safest that I’ve ever been. Safety isn’t in a place; it’s in the person of Jesus Christ.

Find out more about being confident in your relationship with Christ.

Since 1951, Cru has helped individuals who grapple with integrating faith into daily life by offering practical steps and community support. As a result, countless people in over 190 countries have been empowered to move from passive belief to active faith.