Greetings Faithful Readers (all twelve of you … you know who you are)!

When I wrote my last post more than six months ago, I wrote it with the hope that things were going to get better. Sadly, I’d be hard pressed to say that this is so when it comes to Ministry. The past six months have been among the most painful I have experienced in my life. I was confronted with my own failures and I’ve had to ask myself repeatedly,

A) do I genuinely have a call, and

B) do I really belong in ministry?

These are hard confessions to make. No one wants to admit that they have sunk years of their life, countless hours, and unimaginable amounts of their energy into something they might be mistaken about.

So here I find myself, easing back into church life after somewhat of a forced sabbatical, and still Making Tents. I am at the point where I am ready to surrender to the idea that making tents is my life, now and in the future.

I want to be encouraged, and in truth in aspects of life outside of ministry there is much for me to be encouraged about. I have the love of a wife who is far more than I usually feel I deserve, and things are going well at my job. Despite how difficult the last few months have been, I keep coming back to a Verse that my wife and I picked out separately (unaware we were picking the same verse) when the officiant of our wedding asked us each for a favorite verse.

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.  (Jeremiah 29:11)