{"id":23,"date":"2021-02-16T15:59:05","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T15:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elackley.com\/?page_id=23"},"modified":"2026-04-05T13:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T18:06:31","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/elackley.com\/?page_id=23","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Eric Ackley<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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I am a missions activist and a discipleship practitioner \u2014 and after more than 50 years of ministry, I've come to believe those two things are really one thing.<\/p>\n

You cannot separate growing in Christ from reaching the world for Christ. Discipleship without mission loses its purpose. Mission without discipleship loses its foundation. The Journey brings them together.<\/p>\n

My Story<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was born into a military family, so traveling is in my blood \u2014 I started first grade in Japan. That early experience of crossing cultures planted something in me that never left.<\/p>\n

For over 50 years I have worked in Christian discipleship and drug rehabilitation ministry, walking alongside people in some of the hardest seasons of their lives. I have sat across from new believers taking their first shaky steps of faith, and alongside seasoned Christians who had lost their sense of purpose and calling.<\/p>\n

What I have learned from all of those years is simple:<\/p>\n

The Christian life is a journey. We never stop growing, never stop learning \u2014 not until we cross the Jordan into the promised land.<\/em><\/p>\n

I have also been on several short-term mission trips, visited numerous countries, explored local cultures, and spent time with missionaries on the front lines of God's work around the world.<\/p>\n

Why This Website<\/strong><\/p>\n

I started The Journey Letter because I want to pass on what God has taught me \u2014 about Christian growth, spiritual formation, discipleship, and missions \u2014 to two kinds of people:<\/p>\n

New believers<\/strong> who are just finding their footing in Christ and need practical, honest guidance for the road ahead.<\/p>\n

Seasoned Christians<\/strong> who sense there must be something more to the Christian life than Sunday morning attendance \u2014 who are ready for a bigger cause, a deeper calling, a place in God's Kingdom that only they can fill.<\/p>\n

If that's you \u2014 you're in the right place.<\/p>\n

What I Believe<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every believer has a place in God's Kingdom building business. You don't have to go to a faraway country to be part of God's mission. You can start on your knees in prayer. You can welcome and support missionaries. You can disciple someone younger in the faith. I believe the second half of the Christian life can be the most fruitful. I believe most believers are living far below their Kingdom potential \u2014 not from lack of desire, but lack of direction. That's what this site is for.<\/p>\n

The road is long. But you don't walk it alone.<\/p>\nWelcome to The Journey.<\/strong>\n\n

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Want to stay connected? Sign up for The Journey Letter \u2014 a monthly letter for pilgrims on the road.<\/p><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eric Ackley I am a missions activist and a discipleship practitioner \u2014 and after more than 50 years of ministry, I’ve come to believe those two things are really one thing. You cannot separate growing in Christ from reaching the world for Christ. Discipleship without mission loses its purpose. Mission without discipleship loses its foundation. The Journey brings them together. My Story I was born into a military family, so traveling is in my blood \u2014 I started first grade in Japan. That early experience of crossing cultures planted something in me that never left. For over 50 years I have worked in Christian discipleship and drug rehabilitation ministry, walking alongside people in some of the hardest seasons of their lives. I have sat across from new believers taking their first shaky steps of faith, and alongside seasoned Christians who had lost their sense of purpose and calling. What I have learned from all of those years is simple: The Christian life is a journey. We never stop growing, never stop learning \u2014 not until we cross the Jordan into the promised land. I have also been on several short-term mission trips, visited numerous countries, explored local cultures, and spent time with missionaries on the front lines of God’s work around the world. Why This Website I started The Journey Letter because I want to pass on what God has taught me \u2014 about Christian growth, spiritual formation, discipleship, and missions \u2014 to two kinds of people: New believers who are just finding their footing in Christ and need practical, honest guidance for the road ahead. Seasoned Christians who sense there must be something more to the Christian life than Sunday morning attendance \u2014 who are ready for a bigger cause, a deeper calling, a place in God’s Kingdom that only they can fill. If that’s you \u2014 you’re in the right place. What I Believe Every believer has a place in God’s Kingdom building business. You don’t have to go to a faraway country to be part of God’s mission. You can start on your knees in prayer. You can welcome and support missionaries. You can disciple someone younger in the faith. I believe the second half of the Christian life can be the most fruitful. I believe most believers are living far below their Kingdom potential \u2014 not from lack of desire, but lack of direction. That’s what this site is for. The road is long. But you don’t walk it alone. Welcome to The Journey. Want to stay connected? Sign up for The Journey Letter \u2014 a monthly letter for pilgrims on the road.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-23","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elackley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elackley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elackley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elackley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elackley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/elackley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1528,"href":"https:\/\/elackley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions\/1528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elackley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}