Have you ever had something in your life feel like it was so close, yet so far away? Was there a time or season where you knew something you desired existed, but for some reason you could not grasp it? You may have even known people who had possessed or achieved what you desired, and yet, you could not manage to figure out how they did it. If you are at all like me, this has happened to you on multiple occasions. For many years, I grew increasingly frustrated searching for joy and peace in my own life. I would interact with others, observe friends and go through life seeing people who seemed to have achieved what I was truly missing. In my twenties and early thirties, I found myself falling into cycles of anxiety and even insomnia. I tried everything I could think of to figure out how to overcome it, but nothing seemed to work.
At times, I felt like I wasn’t good enough to function in my life as a pastor. “What would people think? I’m supposed to have it all figured out. Don’t you know that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and you are supposed to have peace? What is wrong with you?” These thoughts, and others, often permeated through my mind in seasons of struggle. I was raised in a Christian home by incredible parents. I was taught to read, to pursue knowledge, and to go to the Word of God for answers. So, after years of trying to figure this out on my own, I did exactly that. I began to study. I started talking to a select group of people who I knew cared for me and had my best interest in mind. I opened up about the challenges I sometimes faced. I felt an urgency not only to help myself overcome, but to help others.
Anxiety and depression can be crippling. They cause all sorts of problems mentally, emotionally, physically, and even spiritually when not faced and addressed. I have found that one of the biggest obstacles in overcoming these challenges is that they are liars. Yes, anxiety and depression are liars. They will tell you that you are the only one that feels like this. Anxiety will exaggerate circumstances into the worst possible scenario where there is little to no truth left in your mind, but it feels real in the moment. Depression will convince you that it controls you and you are bound to its power. Let me tell you, you are not alone, and you are not helpless in this fight. You can overcome. You do not have to succumb to fear and panic. You can have peace.
I am so excited to begin to introduce to you in the coming days and weeks a series of blogs, podcasts and videos that lead to the release of a book I wrote called The Missing Peace. The result of my years of study on this topic was a series of teachings I shared at the church I pastor with my family in El Paso, Texas called Abundant Church. These teachings, along with many others, have helped thousands of people find the peace that was missing for far too long. As the world shut down in 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic, I suddenly felt the rush of anxiety coming back into my life. It challenged me to go back to the steps I had learned and taught years before. As many of us read, anxiety, depression and suicide skyrocketed during the pandemic, and remain at all time highs even now. I then decided to write this book. I invite you to go on this journey with me, to listen to the podcasts, to get the book, and to invite friends and family along with you. I know it will help you and many others. The Missing Peace is a combination of Godly wisdom with practical application that can empower any person into a life of joy, rest and peace. God bless you!
Based on the book, the podcast brings The Missing Peace to life through real and raw conversations with the author. Season one walks individuals through the steps they need to take to re-interject what’s missing in their lives; everyone’s transformation journey begins with a choice.
