I had the privilege of growing up the third youngest of four kids in a Christian home in Durham, North Carolina. At the time, my childhood seemed as if it could have been captured in a painting by Norman Rockwell. It wasn’t until years later that I realized just how poor we had been. Nevertheless, after graduating from High School, thanks to a mom and dad that embodied incredible sacrifice, I had the opportunity to be the first one in my family to attend college. To be honest, my lifelong dream was to become a cowboy (stop laughing); college was never a part of the plan. But once the reality of riding off into the sunset on a horse named Paint vanished, I decided to pursue a degree in physical education with the new goal of spending my life coaching football, but God had a different plan.

By the age of 24, with no training whatsoever, through a series of events that no one could ever plan or predict, I found myself pastoring a small church in Southern California. While pastoring, I attended seminary on the fly. After fourteen years of serving in California, I relocated back to North Carolina along with three other families where I started Hope Community Church. Over the next few years the church grew into one of the largest churches in America.

Up until this point, I had lived a blessed life, but then the wheels fell off. After an affair ended my ministry of 27 years at Hope, my life spiraled downward into a black abyss. I experienced every desperate emotion that you would expect someone to experience if they ever found themselves in my situation. Depression. Rejection. Confusion. Shame. Humiliation. Regret. Sorrow. Hopelessness. From my perspective, there was no way things could ever end well. I even began to make plans as to how it would take place...but God.

After much counseling and thanks to a handful of friends that never gave up on me, to deal with my incredible despair and desperate loneliness, I began to journal. Those efforts eventually became a book, Death by Church, Life through Christ. In the book I share the journey of healing that God took me on and the lessons that are applicable to every person who has ever failed miserably or has known someone who has. It reminds us all there is hope for the hopeless.

God has been incredibly faithful. Over the past couple of years, I have experienced the grace of God like never before in my life. I now spend my time writing and teaching about God’s faithfulness to those who have lost hope whenever and wherever God provides the opportunity along with my incredible wife, Shannon, whom God is also using for His glory on this new adventure together.