The church grew, and I gained a reputation for preaching, and people came, and it was a wonderful community. But we had a building that seated 82 people, and with a congregation then approaching 400 we were up to four services on Sunday, and everyone was tired.

Church can be extremely boring. It can be very meaningful, it can be character forming, but can be have very little fizz in it.

God does some of God's best work with people who are seriously lost.

Once I gave up the hunt for villains, I had little recourse but to take responsibility for my choices.... Needless to say, this is far less satisfying that nailing villains. It also turned out to be more healing in the end.

Kindness is not a bad religion, no matter what name you use for God.

I found myself in a maze where I'd taken the wrong turn. In my wish to do well for that congregation I wasn't doing particularly well for myself or my friends or my family, and I even found that the work for God was taking me away from God.

There was no time anymore to be quiet or still or pray. So, in many ways, that's what led to my downward spin.