After arriving, we were greeted by volunteers who would serve us that week—and they really did. They asked if I had a special cereal I liked. They tried not to laugh when I told them it was Count Chocula. Because it’s not available every­where, I told them not to worry about it. Nevertheless, they went to a new grocery store every day in search of the cereal. After multiple attempts, I was feeling guilty and settled for Lucky Charms; but I loved their effort. They were very atten­tive to Jade, as well.

We knew this was going to be a special week, but the blessings were more than we could have imagined. Each day we spent some time as a group discussing how we needed to make space in our lives and slow down. The encouragement went further by offering us lots of space to do just that. That’s likely the reason the session lasts eight days; you just can’t rush some learning moments. Every other day we met with the SonScape ministry leaders to discuss our lives more intimately (and confidentially). This pro­vided us with one-on-one encouragement and instruction. Jade and I quickly real­ized that while we may not have come into this week sensing any issues in our marriage or ministry, the rhythms of our lives could easily spin us into a crisis. We laid down our pride and acknowledged our fragility.

We spent a lot of time lying in a ham­mock, talking deeply about our marriage, our lives and the boundaries we should create to preserve ourselves from the constant challenges of ministry.

Sadly, the week had to end. Jade and I both cried as we placed our bags in the car. It had been a good week, but it would be more than a year later before we would come to realize the true impact of our time at SonScape.

Surviving a Crisis

The aftermath of Sept. 11 caught up to WisdomWorks, and we ended the fiscal year half-a-million dollars in the hole.

We didn’t see it coming. We were not prepared. We had to lay off not only employees, but dear friends who had journeyed with us for many years in min­istry. The pain was agonizing. I don’t know about your financial standing, but I didn’t have an extra half-million to bail us out. And at that time, few people did. The nation was taking a financial hit. What was God doing?

Some godly businessmen counseled me that it would probably be three years before we could recover. Three years! The agony of owing so much money already felt unbearable—and it had only been a matter of weeks! How could I sur­vive for three years, or possibly more?

I felt like Job, with people giving advice me on every side. “Go bankrupt,” someone said. “Sell your house,” another advised. “Are you sure you are qualified to do this? …” “Obviously God didn’t want you to do this or He would provide. …”

In addition to the financial pressures, our ministry team faced morale issues. Our working environment now seemed unstable. We were dealing with the pain of losing team members who had meant a lot to us. Many, while professing to be confident in God’s provision, were seeking their own solutions. It seemed things could never get better.