When Mike Farris, the outgoing CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom – our nation’s premier Christian legal advocacy group – assumed his current role in 2017, he announced three major goals:

First, he said he wanted to grow the organization. Second, he stated plans to make sure ADF concentrated its efforts on defending and winning “generational”- type cases that would protect our fragile religious freedoms. And lastly, he made a commitment to help find and train his successor.

“I’ve learned when it’s time to pass the torch,” he shared. “Not when I’m ready to leave, but when the person I am mentoring is ready to lead.”

With Kristen Waggoner set to assume the ADF presidency on October 1st, all three of Farris’ goals have been met.

This steady, selfless, and humble approach has characterized the wide scope and span of Farris’ extraordinary career. Yet, while the gifted and highly decorated lawyer may have a reputation for his humility, it by no means has stifled or slowed his more than four decades of professional effectiveness.

While president, Ronald Reagan famously had on his desk in the Oval Office a sign that read, “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” Without Mike Farris, American families would likely not have the same level of freedom to educate their children at home.

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, one of the greatest fears that many have had is that the Russo-Ukrainian War will turn into a nuclear conflict.

As the war is set to begin its eighth month, Ukrainian military forces have retaken some key territory that was previously captured by the Russian military.

As a result of this setback, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a recent national address in which he called up 300,000 reservists in an immediate “partial mobilization” of the nation’s reserve forces – the first since World War II. In addition, the Russian president overtly threatened to use nuclear weapons if needed.

“Russia will use all the instruments at its disposal to counter a threat against its territorial integrity — this is not a bluff,” President Putin said in his address.

“I would like to remind them, Russia also has many types of weapons of destruction, the components of which in some cases are more modern than those of the countries of NATO,” Putin added.

He additionally accused the West of “nuclear blackmail,” and said, “those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them.”

Russia has 5,977 nuclear warheads while the militaries making up the NATO, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom have 5,428.

It is not news to anyone that young people need all the help they can get in building a robust and relevant Christian faith in the midst of today’s ever-changing and challenging culture. In fact, the folks at Pew Research Center recently announced that their new predictive models of future faith indicate great concern. They estimate that in 2020, 64% of Americans, including children, said they were Christians. But following current trends, they predict that majority could shrink to a minority within a few decades.

This means Christian young people must be built up in their understanding of and love for the Christian faith. In short, they must have a Christian worldview because proper thought drives proper practice and belief.

This need is why Summit ministries, a long and close ministry friend of Focus on the Family which celebrates their 60th anniversary this year, is launching a brand new six-episode video/discussion course featuring noted Christian thinkers like Kirk Cameron, Lee Strobel, Sean McDowell and Alisa Chambers.

Entitled, Now We Live, it is available free of charge to parents and church leaders at the Summit Ministries website.

Among the key questions the series explores is,

Worldview – Can we align our beliefs and actions? Reality – What does Christianity say about the world? Jesus – Who is he? Truth – Is Christianity credible? Identity – Who are we in Christ? Society – How should we live?