Sometimes we face things in life that are so difficult we wonder if we can get through it on our own. Personally I have faced these mountains many times in my life and ministry. But as I remember back, there was one situation that was one of the most difficult things I have had to face as a pastor. The condensed version is this: I was wrongly accused, found out about it but had to be quiet because of confidential reasons. I discovered that I was being lied to in order to have someone "encourage" a particular direction that person wanted to see the congregation go. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I found this out by reading an email intended for someone else. That same person forwarded an email I had sent to a number of people, leaving out the part that would have exonerated me. So, there I sat listening to many people come forward and complain to me about something I knew was wrong but couldn't speak up to defend myself.
Over the course of several weeks I listened to one person after another complain about something they had an incomplete picture of. I looked to see where I could find help and strength from others, and found no one to offer it. I'll always remember someone saying to me that "God won't allow you to handle anything more than what you can handle." Frankly, that wasn't helpful. And frankly, I found that to be an urban myth. Sometimes God does give us more than we can handle. But there is a purpose for that.
How does that work? Well, I want you to come to the church house, located at 1225 W. Grand Parkway S. in Katy this Sunday when the Church gathers, to hear the answer. In my situation, God had a lot he wanted to teach me. I was a slow learner, but I eventually learned so much about people, myself and God. Not only did I survive, but I ended up thriving. So much so that I am now happy that I had to go through one of the worst times of my ministry. I knew at the time I was "taking one for the team," and knew that Jesus would honor me if I would just remain faithful. I did. And so did He.
Join me this weekend as these difficult questions are addressed in the series "Urban Myths." If you are facing something similar to what I did, or if it's just something that seems to big to handle, then be here and listen to what God's word says. Oh, and bring a friend!
