Having passed safely between the lions, Christian comes to a place of rest, refreshment, and fellowship prepared especially for pilgrims: the Palace Beautiful.

Having recovered his scroll and pressed on up the hill, Christian now meets another test, not of strength this time, but of courage.

Soon Christian’s road leads him to a place that every believer eventually faces: a path that grows steep, hard, and costly—the Hill Difficulty.

Not long after leaving the sleepers behind, Christian discovers that danger on the road doesn’t always look lazy or careless. Sometimes it looks very religious.

Coming away from the cross, forgiven and changed, you might expect Christian’s path to be lined only with encouragement. Instead, he soon meets a quiet but sobering warning in the form of three men who have simply stopped caring about the journey at all.

First post of the new year… only a few weeks late. 😬

So far 2026 has been going well, or at least I don’t have anything worth complaining about. I’m sure I could find something if I really tried, but for now I’ll spare us both and just catch things up a bit.

All of Christian’s journey so far, with its burden, fears, and struggles, has been leading him to one central place: the Cross.

Having passed through the gate, Christian is now brought to a place where his eyes and heart will be further trained for the road ahead, the House of the Interpreter.

After all the distractions, detours, and discouragements, Christian finally comes to the place he has been longing for since leaving the City of Destruction, the Wicket Gate.

There are days when I feel convicted and couldn’t tell you exactly why.

Nothing dramatic has happened. I haven’t crashed and burned in some obvious way. There’s no single conversation I can point to and say, “That’s where it went wrong.” And yet there’s this quiet weight in my heart; like the Lord has gently put His hand on something and said, “This isn’t right,” and I’m squinting at my own life trying to see what He sees, and not quite managing it.