It was the first night of a Renovaré Institute retreat. Ted Harro found himself in a room full of strangers, many of them jet lagged from long flights. Carolyn Arends sang a song, then opened the floor for sharing. Ted writes:

I did a quick headcount: fifty participants plus ten staff. This. Could. Get. Long. 

Feeling uncomfortable, I stared at my shoes, wondering what was going to happen next. But one by one my new classmates stood up and began to share. Some waded in slowly. Others immediately dove in deep, sharing about heartaches or confusion or anxieties or second thoughts about even being there. Their vulnerability was disarming.

Five hours later, I had learned something important. On the surface, our group had little in common. We were men and women, grandparents and young college graduates, pastors and laypeople, all with differing cultural and Christian backgrounds.

But we did have one thing in common: hunger. Every person showed and spoke of a longing — for more depth, more life, more connection with others, more clarity. And we all had the hunch that this hunger could only be met by Jesus and his friends. 

Now, a little more than three years later, Ted finds himself in the surprising position of being the incoming president of Renovaré. (To hear how that happened, listen to Ted’s interview on the Renovaré Podcast.)

As I get to know Ted, I’m encouraged. I told my daughter the other day: ​“My new boss is quite a bit different from my current boss.” She knew how much I’ve enjoyed working under Chris Hall and said, ​“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s not like that,” I replied. ​“Different leaders are needed for different seasons, and I think Ted is the right person for this season.”

One area where Chris and Ted are alike, and what ties together you and I and every person reading this newsletter, is the same thing Ted found at his first Institute retreat: a holy hunger to know Jesus and to have a heart that looks like his.