We’re Mike & Jen Costanzo. Welcome to Our World.
This website is an archive of the blogs and writings of two very ordinary Christians. We’re not famous or important, and that’s ok. But if what we’ve written can be of help or encouragement to anyone, then the time and investment we’ve put into this site will have been worth it.
Why I’m Leaving The Republican Party
For most of my adult life, I’ve been a Republican. And not just a Republican in name only (as some of my readers will surely regard me), but a faithful, registered devotee of the GOP. Not only did I vote for Republican Presidential candidates in every major election...
Is Christmas Fair?
Every year, everyone asks my kids if they’ve been good this year. Why? Because, as the legend goes, if they’ve been good then they’ll get presents. Not only that, but the presents-to-goodness ratio is directly proportionate, so the more goodness, the more presents...
Our Journey With Naomi Grace
In 2015, Jen gave birth to a baby girl with Trisomy 18. She was with us for 44 days. This is her story—and ours.
A Sad Diagnosis for Our Precious Naomi Grace
Our beloved friends and family, After meeting with the doctor today, we have some sad news to share: our precious Naomi has a serious genetic condition called Trisomy 18. Most infants with this condition never make it to live birth, and of those that do, 90% do not...
Good News on Naomi’s One Week Birthday
Good news today: Naomi has been fairly stable this weekend, so today she finally had a feeding tube surgically inserted into her tummy (since she can't swallow anything). Sometimes even a simple surgery like this can be a problem with premature babies, but by God's...
A Hard But Good Day
Everyone, Thanks so much for your prayers! Today we met with Naomi's medical team to discuss big-picture questions related to her care. To be honest, it was really hard to once again come face-to-face with the reality of her diagnosis, since the likelihood of her...
Reflections/Devotionals
When I Leave, I Want To Go Out Like Elijah
Death. Nobody really likes to talk about it. And for good reason; it's a raw, gritty topic that throbs with the pain of past losses, the fear of future losses, and the threat of the ultimate loss---ourselves. Even for Christians, who believe that death is the start of...
Three Criminals: Hope from Galatians 5
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.1 In the version of the Bible I read, the New Testament talks a lot about the “flesh”---that is, my sinful nature, the part of me that is hell-bent and always wanting to do the...
The τέλος of all things
One of the things about my seminary experience that changed me for good was the opportunity to take introductory Greek and Hebrew classes. While I am no scholar and unfit to accurately translate anything not written by the apostle John on my own, I have nonetheless...
Our Time In Japan
Update from Japan Relief Efforts 3/25/2011
As of this writing, I have been in Japan three days, and already I have seen God move powerfully, first in my own heart as well as in others'. God is so good! Tuesday When we arrived on Tuesday evening, people at Honda Chapel were busy, busy busy! Some of them were...
Why I Am Still Going
These have been some crazy days...initially I was hoping to blog every day before the trip, but that got blown out of the water because God's plans have been so much bigger than ours! The team I'm with is now officially 8 people, and in only 6 days God has raised up...
Urgent Prayer Needed for Fukushima Daiichi Reactor Crisis
Urgent Prayer Needed for Fukushima Daiichi Reactor Crisis Our dear family & friends, According to recent news updates , although the Japanese government's evacuation zone around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant is still officially 12 miles (20km), the...