The PCA has a quarterly magazine called By Faith. It's very well written and I always enjoy reading it. In the most recent edition, there was an interview with author Gary Haugen about his newly released book, Just Courage. Mr. Haugen was a former Director for the United Nations Genocide Investigations in Rwanda.

As a husband and dad who likes to minimize risk to protect my family, this was a very interesting topic to me.

Q. Why is risk-free living opposed to God's will for believers?

A. I think that many Western Christians believe that if they somehow insulate themselves and their families from the dangers they perceive in the world, they will find security and peace that will bring a deep and real experience of God. But this is not what we find in Scripture. We find that God is calling us to follow Him into the hard things, the scary things, and the dark corners of this world in order to bring His goodness, His truth and His light. And we find that in order to be brave enough to walk with God on this journey, we must choose not to be safe.

Q. How would you encourage believers to live a life of courage?

A. First, do less, and reflect and pray more. At 11:00 a.m., we gather together to pray - every day, in every International Justice Mission office in 12 countries. Over time, we have found that in the struggle for justice, there isn't much meaningful work that is actually going to get doing unless we spend at least an hour every day "doing nothing" - nothing but seeking the God of justice.

Second, search the promises of Scripture and take a risk. As you wrestle with a decision, ask yourself, "Am I being safe, or am I being brave?" And trust Jesus to take care of you so well that it is actually safe to be brave as you follow Him. Take a risk and live as if the promises of Scripture were true -- because they are.

Third, embark on a lifelong journey of spiritual formation and renovation. We do not become brave by sheer willpower. No, the courage God longs to give us comes through doing things that require it, and through reformation of the heart. God does not call us to try to be brave - He calls us to train for it.