“A life of comfort is a win for the enemy,” says author Shauna Pilgreen. “When you’re comfortable, you’re usually leaning on your own strength, which means you’re leaning less on God’s strength.”

Shauna and her husband have learned to rely on God in uncomfortable circumstances, and they’re actively passing that faith on to their children.

God led the Pilgreens from their cozy suburban life in Missouri to plant a church in San Francisco, where their lives are anything but comfortable. On their way to school, for example, their children must avoid garbage and discarded drug needles on the streets and sidewalks.

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Love Where You Live

It’s easy to feel stuck where we are. Many of us aren’t where we thought we’d be or doing what we thought we’d do. Sometimes we may wonder if God know what He’s doing. Shauna Pilgreen assures you that God does have a plan and a purpose for you – right where you are. In fact, He sent you there.

Stay on the Same Team

One of my wedding vows to my wife, Christi, was that I would fight for her – not with her. She played off of our love for sports, vowing, "You are my teammate." We did pretty well with those vows for the first few year. And then we had kids.

Please don't think I'm blaming our children for our childish behaviors. We just hadn't had a challenge as big as our 8-pound son. His tactics were effective: Douse them in ear-splitting screams by day. Deprive them of sleep by night.

This was the first time Christi and I felt like we were on opposing teams.

The Goldfinch (R)

A boy named Theo Decker has his world totally upended when a terrorist's bomb explodes in the halls of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. In that moment, Theo loses his mother – the only solid anchor in his life – and is saddled with grief and guilt.