Dear CLDI Family and Friends,
I first heard the phrase “you can’t be stagnant on a moving train” in college, and it’s echoed in my mind ever since. At the time, I didn’t fully understand it—but over the years, it’s become a lens through which I’ve viewed seasons of frustration, exhaustion, and spiritual inertia.
Life is always moving. Culture is shifting. Time is pressing forward. And whether we realize it or not, we are being shaped by the direction of the train we’re on. The phrase reminds me that what feels like standing still isn’t really stillness at all—it’s movement in whatever direction the train is heading. There’s no true neutrality. If you’re not actively walking against the drift, you’re being carried by it.
This image also brings to mind those moments in life when we feel like we’re not making progress—when we’re straining just to hold our ground. In times like that, it can feel like we’re failing or stuck. But in reality, we might be exerting enormous effort just to avoid being swept away.
Sometimes faithfulness looks like forward motion. But other times, it looks like digging in, staying rooted, and refusing to move with the current. And that’s not nothing. That’s resistance. That’s formation. That’s preparation for the moment when the current slows and the opportunity to advance returns.
Currently reading & listening.
In Finding Calcutta, Mary Poplin, a university professor and former secular feminist, recounts her transformative journey from skepticism to faith through an immersive experience working with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. Initially curious about the spiritual motivation behind Mother Teresa’s radical service to the poor, Poplin volunteers at the organization and is deeply moved by the selfless, Christ-centered lives of the sisters. The experience challenges her academic worldview and compels her to integrate her newfound Christian faith into all aspects of life—including her vocation in higher education. The book is both a memoir and a reflection on how faith can inspire purpose, especially in professional and intellectual pursuits.
CLDI Monthly Snapshot
- Our Youth Works team has begun planning for summer! We are looking forward to this season, with Hope Ranch, Camp, and time outside, it’s a great time with students.
- KMC has no vacancies. All our units are rented at this time. We just wrapped up a very short unit turnover, and we were able to move a Hannah House gal into one of our last spots.
- The True Grit Run is happening Sunday, May 4th! This is an opportunity for our CLDI staff and interns to run 10 miles up and down the Beartooth Pass as a culmination of all their efforts working out throughout the year.
Scripture to Meditate On
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:58
Blessings,
Kaleb Perdew
