Author: Wes White

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Turn One Trip of a Lifetime Into Two: 10 Ways to Save Money on International Travel

Traveling internationally isn’t as daunting as it seems—and it can even be cheaper than a cross‑country flight in the United States. You’ll often find round‑trip fares to Europe or Latin America for less than an East Coast–to–West Coast ticket. Once you arrive, hotels and meals can also cost far less than California rates.

Yet international trips can quickly become expensive: airfare, tours, hotels, taxis—you can watch your budget evaporate. Some travelers shrug and think, “It’s a once‑in‑a‑lifetime trip, so why worry?” And halfway through, you may decide the splurge is worth it. But with a bit of planning and strategy, you can stretch one epic journey into two—or even three.

Here’s ten strategies for making this happen.

1. Account for the “first‑time” cost of learning.
No amount of foresight eliminates surprises. Every new destination comes with a learning curve—and extra expenses you won’t repeat.


For example, on my first trip to northern Norway, I booked a rental car at Narvik—only to discover at the counter that “Narvik” was actually 45 minutes away from the airport. After paying roughly $40 per person for bus transfers, I still paid an additional $100 fee to return the car at the airport location and avoid the time and hassle of more bus transfers.

By contrast, on my third trip to Spain—after mastering the country’s transport system—we breezed through Barcelona, Sevilla, Córdoba, Madrid, and Valencia in under a week. No mishaps, just smooth travel made possible by hard‑won experience.

2. Be flexible about your departure airport.
A two‑hour drive to a major hub can slash hundreds off your ticket.

When my wife, two children, and a friend booked flights to Egypt from Knoxville, fares exceeded $1,000 each—over $5,000 total, plus lengthy layovers. Instead, we carpooled four hours to Atlanta, where round‑trip tickets were around $600! Parking for two weeks was $150 total—just $30 per person—and gas added another $30 each. We saved over $400 per person simply by choosing a different departure city.

3. Be flexible about your destination airport. Continue reading “Turn One Trip of a Lifetime Into Two: 10 Ways to Save Money on International Travel”

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How Do We Pursue Peace?

Peace should be a high priority for all believers. We should do all we can to ensure that the church is a harmonious and pleasant place to worship. Each Christian should be peaceable. But what does it mean to be peaceable?

Wilhelmus à Brakel, in his Reformed classic The Christian’s Reasonable Service, offers this definition of peaceableness:

Peaceableness is a believer’s quiet and contented disposition of soul, inclining him toward, and causing him to strive for, the maintaining of a relationship with his neighbor characterized by sweet unity—doing so in the way of truth and godliness. (4:91)

Continue reading “How Do We Pursue Peace?”

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How to Find Real Community at Church

Church can be disappointing. It can also hurt us. You can find deep friendships in the church—but sometimes they elude you. So how can you find real community at church?

The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer believed that rich and rewarding community was possible in the church. He experienced it. He also saw it go wrong. He offered powerful wisdom in his book Life Together—wisdom that helps us discover real community and avoid the traps that keep us from it.

It’s a Gift
Bonhoeffer wrote Life Together based on his time leading an underground seminary training pastors from 1937–1938. Eventually, the Nazi government shut it down. He learned through suffering that Christian community is not something to assume or demand. There might have been no church. As he put it, “[i]t is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians” (17).

He came to see the church as pure gift: “It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren” (20).

It’s About Healing
Every believer sins. Every believer must pray, “Forgive us our debts . . .”

But sin thrives in the dark. Bonhoeffer writes, “Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed it poisons the whole being of a person” (112). Bring it to the light! “He who is alone with his sin is utterly alone” (110). But your brother “breaks the circle of self-deception” (116). Continue reading “How to Find Real Community at Church”

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5 Guidelines for Engaging in Controversy in the Church

Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and he said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9). Yet peacemaking does not always produce peace. As the Apostle Paul put it, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18). Both Jesus and Paul knew by experience: peace is not always possible.

Controversy is inevitable. In a fallen world—even among the redeemed—disagreements will arise. Some will be public. Some will be painful. All will be difficult.

What makes controversy dangerous is not just its presence but its power.

First, controversy often spirals. As Proverbs 17:14 warns, “Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” We’ve all seen small disagreements explode into chaos. Just as a single assassination ignited the horrors of World War I, so a careless word or action can trigger a prolonged and destructive conflict.

Second, controversy consumes. Once inside it, the temptation is to chase resolution endlessly. We keep thinking the next email, argument, or revelation will end it. But it rarely does. It drags on and on. Paul warns of those with “an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions” (1 Tim. 6:4). I’ve lived that. It took over more and more of my time, my energy, and my soul (see my article explaining this here).

So, how do we engage necessary controversy without being devoured by it? Here are five ways.

1. Don’t Turn Mountains into Molehills—or Molehills into Mountains
Francis Turretin, a master of theological controversy, wisely noted: “All truths are not of the same weight.” Some truths are essential to salvation and godliness. Others are important but not fundamental. Some guard church order. Others are matters of prudence and preference. Wisdom demands that we discern the difference (Sean Lucas called it “theological triage.” Read his post here).

John Holmes Agnew saw this clearly. He lamented how disagreements are often “magnified into mountains that separate us from each other,” while the weightier matters we agree upon “are almost buried in oblivion,” unable to unify us in “the sweetest harmony of love” (“Motives and Means to Peace in the Churches”). He was right. We must guard against exaggeration and distortion. Continue reading “5 Guidelines for Engaging in Controversy in the Church”

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How to Live a Life of Communion with God

Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Eternal life is not merely living forever. It’s a quality of life—a life lived in fellowship with the triune God. It’s an entrance into the love shared by the Father and the Son from all eternity.

This life is a gift. Whoever believes in Jesus receives the gift of knowing God—of enjoying fellowship with the Father and the Son by the Spirit.

The challenge is that we are not naturally fit to enjoy this relationship. We are not the kind of people who easily enter into an experience of the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the good news is that if we have received this gift, God is already at work making us into the kind of people who can. He is shaping us to enjoy communion with Him—and with all those who share in that life (the church).

Our calling is to lean into this work. We are not passive. As Peter wrote, “Make every effort to add to your faith . . . virtue” (2 Peter 1:5). That virtue—those excellent qualities—are what make communion with God possible and enjoyable.

How do we grow in this? The heart of it is simple: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you” (John 15:4). Stay connected to Jesus. There’s more to do, but this is the center.

How does that connection work itself out in daily life? That’s what we’ll explore below.

You Need Time
All relationships take time. Aristotle once said that friendship requires eating a pound of salt together. Not all at once, of course—but slowly, over many meals. Time together builds friendship.

So it is with God. Communion with Him takes time. This is why we set apart time for fellowship with God—especially through His Word and prayer.

But how we spend that time matters. Continue reading “How to Live a Life of Communion with God”

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