Craig Rees

I’ve loved this girl since Berlin, 1992. Thirty-three years later, the call hasn’t changed. Before Central, before Water’s Edge, before all the plans and visions, there was Wibke—and there was love.

Valentine’s Day gets wrapped in cards and roses, but the truest love has always had sacrifice in the background: choosing, yielding, forgiving, staying, serving. The kind of love that costs something because it’s covenant, not convenience. Wibke is all that and more.

In so many ways, she’s the first garden God trusted me to tend—the first place He taught me that faithfulness grows slowly, quietly, and beautifully. Thirty plus years later, I’ve watched her kindness outlast time and deepen through every season. Still grateful she said yes.

We often pray for favor. We want influence in the halls of power. But the Bible warns us: ‘People are tested by their praise’ (Prov. 27:21). 
In the 4th Century, when the Roman Empire stopped persecuting the church and started promoting it, Christians faced a new problem. Discipleship became diluted. The line between the church and the state got blurry. 
When we gain a seat at the table, we risk losing our prophetic voice because we become beholden to those in power. Real favor isn’t just winning elections or cultural battles; it’s cultivating a character that can carry weight without crushing our integrity. In Saints Without Scrutiny, I look at how we can handle influence without losing our soul. I hope you read it.