One word summarizes the zeitgeist of our cultural moment: "war."

There are real gun-and-bomb wars like in Palestine and the Ukraine, and there are political wars, crime wars, business wars, culture wars, and even silly TikTok wars. Everywhere I look someone is trying to kill, enslave, de-platform, cancel, or at least discredit someone else. We humans are hell-bent on scorching the earth. 

This is not news. War has been the spirit of all ages since the Fall, and, no doubt, will continue to be so until Christ returns. In a very real sense, we are all refugees. We have all been cast out from our home. We are all wandering in a strange land, pursued by evil forces, and searching for signposts to point us toward a new home—a safe home. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a place of welcome at those signposts? A place of rest? Perhaps an inn of some kind?

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Now it’s true that Signpost Inn Ministries is not a literal inn. Our name has always been more of a metaphor. And while that may make explaining what we do a tad difficult, it keeps our eyes on our purpose: offering weary spiritual refugees companionship on their unique faith journey home with Jesus.  

Through meaningful relationships and grace-filled resources, we provide rest. We help people regain their bearings and restore their vision. We help people let go of their fear and encourage their faith in God. 

At every crossroad in life, we keep a fire lit in the hearth to warm cold hands. We bake fresh bread to fill hungry stomachs. We keep a seat open at the table to welcome lonely hearts. And while these are metaphors for compassionate acceptance, edifying instruction, and deep spiritual friendship, more often than not, they are also literal. 

It’s real, embodied people who get tired, lonely, and hungry, after all. And Jesus loves our bodies as much as our souls. So we gather around real fires at our retreats, or in our homes. We bake real bread or make overflowing charcuterie boards for people to share. We scoot around to make more room in the circle at our gatherings. And we take significant and unhurried time to sit with each individual in spiritual direction. 

So, in a way, Signpost Inn is a place. It’s just not one place. It’s every place where we can hold time or space for a fellow spiritual refugee. It’s everywhere we can say, in word or action or both, “You are wanted, you are welcome, you are loved!”  

Brandon Booth
President Signpost Inn Ministries