Life's not Normal
Whatever that means?
Growing up, I wanted to coach football. I wanted to coach small-town football. I loved playing, preparing, the lights, the smells, and being on the field; I lived for it. But something happened one day: I followed a girl to church. It wasn’t a strange turn of events, but what happened next was—first, I gave my life to Christ.
If you are willing to surrender, things can happen that you are not prepared for. Two months later, God called me to be a minister. I still thought I was going to coach football and minister through that, but during my sophomore year of college, all of that changed. God revealed to me that He had indeed called me to be a full-time minister.
I think it was at that point that “normal” ceased to exist. The last thirty-plus years have taken this kid, from a town that didn’t even have a traffic light, to see the sights of the world. I went from a little cowtown to war zones, and from a church of 100 people to praying in front of 55,000. I have traveled from the paradise beaches of Hawaii to the brokenness in the sands of the Middle East. Along the way, I have seen both the best and the worst of humanity.
It is really one of those things you reflect on and realize is only “normal” for a few people. Yet, somehow, you just learn to take it all in stride. At times, I have been bankrupt mentally, emotionally, and spiritually through the process, but with a good support system and God’s gracious healing, life is doable.
What’s the point of this? Sometimes I just get caught up in my own thoughts, thinking there is nothing exceptional about what I do, and then someone says, “Wow, you have some amazing stories.”
Just know that you have lived an exceptional life.