Pause to Reflect
December 2025
As this year draws to a close, you are invited into a sacred practice that society rarely encourages: reflection. Honest, grace-filled, God-centered reflection. David models this when he prays, “Search me, O God, and know my heart… See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24). Reflection is not self-condemnation. It is invitation. It is the doorway into deeper awareness, deeper freedom, and deeper intimacy with God.
Too often we rush from one year to the next without taking time to ask the questions that help us grow. But transformation does not happen automatically. It happens when we pause long enough for God to show us what was true, what was beautiful, what was hard, and what still needs healing.
Before 2025 slips away, here are a few questions to guide your reflection. Take them slowly. Pray through them. Let your heart answer honestly.
- Where did I experience God’s goodness this year? Think about the small moments as well as the big ones. Where did God surprise you, comfort you, strengthen you, or speak to you?
- Where was I stretched or refined? Growth often comes disguised as frustration, conflict, or challenge. What situations required courage, truth-telling, boundaries, humility, or forgiveness?
- Where did I hide, avoid, or disengage? There’s no shame here. We all have moments where our shadow shows up. Recognizing these patterns is what allows them to change.
- What relationships were strengthened? Which ones need care? Reflection helps us steward the people God has entrusted to us.
- What did God teach me about myself? What did He teach me about Himself? Pay attention to the themes. Often God is shaping us in ways we only notice in hindsight.
As you reflect, resist the temptation to judge yourself. God’s heart is not condemnation—His heart is formation. He wants you to see your life through His eyes: truthfully, compassionately, and with hope for what is still being redeemed.
And remember: growth is not linear. You may have taken steps backward this year. You may have had victories followed by setbacks. You may wonder if you’re any farther along than you were in January. But transformation is often like the growth rings in a tree—quiet, slow, deep, and sometimes invisible to the naked eye.
Let your reflection be an act of worship. Invite God into the remembering. Sit with what was good. Name what was hard. Honor what was lost. Celebrate what was gained. And bring it all into the light of Jesus.
As you look back on 2025, may Christ meet you in every memory—with truth, grace, and the gentle invitation to keep becoming who He created you to be.
Greg Huston’s Legacy of Leadership
In 2026, The Crucible Project celebrates its 20th year of ministry—two decades of Christ-followers encountering truth, grace, and transformation. As we mark this milestone, it is fitting to pause and honor the vision, courage, and leadership of our founder, Greg Huston, who laid the foundation for all that’s to come.
Greg launched this work in 2002, initially inspired by his own journey: after years of pastoral ministry and deep personal searching, he realized there was something more needed for Christians—a place to engage their hearts, souls and identities in honest community. From those earliest retreats in Chicagoland, the ministry grew—with Greg leading through to 2015 and more than 1,700 men impacted under his 13-year direct leadership. His story is not just one of starting something—it is one of replicating a model and empowering others.
“Greg Huston’s leadership is rare. His selfless vision to take this powerful soul work to Christ-followers everywhere required letting go of his ego by replicating his leadership. The leadership replication process he envisioned is in full force today allowing this work to expand to the ends of the earth.” — Roy Wooten
What does that mean in practice? Greg didn’t simply lead the ministry with a “single-point” approach. He developed a pattern of community, calling, equipping, and releasing leaders. He moved his private practice, Dare to Soar, into a public nonprofit, The Crucible Project. In early 2026, he moved from a one man’s program to a movement carried by a board of directors and countless volunteers. By committing to this replication of leadership, the ministry could grow beyond a single location—and it did.
Today, as the ministry has expanded from coast to coast, across the U.S. and into Australia, Mexico, Kenya and Rwanda, we are seeing the fruit of Greg’s legacy. Local leaders are stepping up, retreat communities are flourishing, and men and women are encountering a depth of truth and transformation previously unavailable in the faith community. More than ever, we recognize that legacy is not simply what one person builds—it’s what many carry forward.
As we enter year 20, our gratitude for Greg’s leadership is deeply anchored in the fact that his vision continues to move forward. This celebration is not just about past accomplishments—it’s about the momentum, the trajectory, and the generations of men and women who will walk free because his selfless replication created capacity for the work to expand globally.
His leadership legacy invites all of us into two embraceable postures: gratitude and participation. We are grateful for what’s been built. And we are invited into participation—to serve, to lead, to replicate. The question is not only “What has been done?” but “What will we do next?”
Greg laid the groundwork. The baton is now in our hands. The path is clear: expand this powerful soul work, equip Redwoods into leadership, and watch the work spread. As we honor Greg’s legacy, let’s commit to carrying it forward into the next 20 years—together.
By the way, Greg and Toni still support the ministry he launched and are enjoying their retirement in the Greater Atlanta area.
Crucible Elder Retreat Invitation
As you approach retirement or perhaps already are retired - what's next for you? Golf, pickle ball, hanging out with family and enjoying rest from work?
Are you open to a challenge?
The "second half" of life is a lot different from the first half of life - or it should be. The first half we work our butts off - building our families, our careers, our image and ego. The second half is not about building, but letting go. From the solid foundation of what we've built, from the soul work we've done, in the second half we look out to see how we can begin to give away what we've worked to build.
Maybe we give away resources, but maybe it's time, our presence, wisdom, compassion, and love. We begin to let go of dualistic, black and white thinking, and ask "why" questions to connect, to understand, and to empathize. We pass on wisdom, not advice. We bless instead of pushing or challenging. We engage for redemptive purposes, not to fix or correct.
If this kind of path resonates with you, I invite you to consider attending Crucible's Elder Retreat. It's about living well, purposefully, and intentionally in our remaining years as a man. In a way, it's like the second level "Mission Weekend" for old dudes.
The accommodations are geared to be relaxing - not challenging. The weekend is NOT an ordeal. We go to bed at a reasonable time and enjoy good food at every meal. It's only open to men who are at this stage of life and typically over 60.
October 2-6 in Algoma, Wisconsin
To learn more, go here: Elders
On behalf of the US Elder Retreat Leaders,
Scott Larson, Chris Cleghorn, and Bill Snyder