Thank you...

I want to take a moment to personally thank you as a church for your love, patience, and grace through this time, and thank you to those who have reached out to us in love and prayed for us. Through these weeks, certain themes are continually emerging from the scriptures, your encouragement, and even seemingly random events, making it impossible for me to deny that God is at work and doing deep work in my soul.

With the help of a wonderful Christian counselor and other leaders with similar experiences, I am learning about the reality of the effects of cumulative stress on the body. It is a grace of God that he created our bodies with the ability to override our willpower when stress reaches an unhealthy level. I did not get here overnight, and I won't recover overnight, but healing is certainly taking place. I need to own the fact that I walked in pride, believing I could maintain a level of responsibility that was not possible, and also the fact that I ignored not only the loving warnings of several people who care about me, but also the warning signals my body was giving me. I am hopeful about the future and learning a wiser path forward in ministry.

Please continue to pray for us. While the physical and mental struggles are greatly improving, they are still present. I hope to attend church in the near future and, Lord willing, begin to return to some pastoral ministry in the New Year.

Psalm 23:1-3

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

In Christ,

Brandon