Admitting failure is tough. It's painful and it creates embarrassment. Those two things alone make it worth avoiding. But when you find a way to say, "you know, I stunk, I dropped the ball, I didn't do a good job . . . I failed," those feelings of inadequacy, pain and embarrassment are washed away by the Grace of God. In my first run in ministry I did fail. It took me a few years, but I finally figured out why. Because I quit! That's it, that's the reason. Before the moment that I emotionally and mentally packed it in, I was just like any other minister who faced struggles. But I became different when I allowed Satan to use my struggles against me. I have committed to myself to be aware, and guard against these potential pitfalls.

There is a great book available for anyone working in ministry. Leadership From the Inside Out by Kevin Harney. It's a great read and provides insight into avoiding the pitfalls that all ministers face.

God Bless!

Back Home

Five years ago, I left the ministry. I was hurt. I was spiritually and emotionally bankrupt. I loved what I did, but I just didn't want to do it any longer.

About six months ago, I began to realize that the bad experiences I had were my fault. I was responsible for my own emotional and spiritual state. Not anyone else. And I finally found the courage to face up to my weaknesses (or you might say, the things Satan used to attack me), pray about them and give them over to my Father. It's really neat - the indescribable peace that overcomes you when you freely admit to yourself that you're not Superman (or really even a Super Christian), that God doesn't expect you to be, and then you allow HIM to work on you and in you. When I did this last fall, I slowly began to realize that God still had plans for me, and that those plans might come sooner than I had realized.

So as I sit here now, in the late-night quiet of my new office, I begin a new journey. God has brought me home to serve His family - to serve my family. I am back at work where I belong.