There is a universal human need to understand our identity and find belonging and sacred purpose in the most daily moments of our lives. When we know our identity as the beloved of God, our lives take on practices that are urgently needed in our divisive culture today, starting with compassion, hospitality, and discourse, and joining a movement to boldly proclaim Abba's love. Sacred purpose involves everything we do on holy ground, which is where God walks with us, before us, and alongside us--in time and place. As we enter the fray, we find ways to live as people of justice, grace, and conviction, seeking the kingdom of God as our priority as we address those issues that are so charged and divisive today: race, inclusion/exclusion, individualism, and trauma. Within the image of an ecosystem, we understand that--Scripture (the living word) points us to Jesus (the incarnate word), who calls us to sacred purpose (a living relationship of following Jesus), at our own altars in the world, for all of our lives.

Keith R. Anderson is president emeritus of the Seattle School of Theology & Psychology and a faculty associate for spirituality and vocation, VantagePoint3. He is the author of numerous books, including Reading Your Life's Story: An Invitation to Spiritual Mentoring, and co-author of Spiritual Mentoring and A Spirituality of Listening. He was a professor and dean of campus ministry at the University of Sioux Falls, Bethel University (MN), and Northwestern College (IA). He and his wife Wendy have three children and seven grandchildren and live in rural Whidbey Island, WA.