Rebuilding from Scratch

“Life is loss… and building again.” – Anonymous

I watched a movie recently, probably while Deanna was away visiting her mother in PA and I was a lonely bachelor with nothing to do for five days, and this line literally jumped off the screen at me. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the movie (I’ll blame that on advancing age). However, the point remains that the character who said it struck a chord with me because my life, perhaps like yours, has involved a series of losses… followed by periods of rebuilding.

Perhaps the biggest loss I’ve experienced to date was when I said goodbye to the ministry that God had used me to give birth to back in 1987. For 24 years, I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into The Saints Prison Ministry and God blessed those efforts as the organization grew from a single softball team that ministered in a handful of prisons in South Jersey to a national outreach with multiple teams in multiple sports headquartered in Moorestown, New Jersey but with satellite offices in Charlotte, NC; Richmond, VA; Atlanta, GA, and Colorado Springs, CO.

And then, just like that, it seemed as if my life’s work was over. Burned out from two congressional campaigns, some personal tragedies like the loss of my best friend and two spiritual mentors to cancer, and some personal struggles, I was forced to step away and regroup. Actually, more like reinvent myself, because my identity had been so wrapped up in my ministry that I had lost track of who I was or what I had become.

Gradually, in a new town 1,100 miles away, I began to lay the foundation for a new ministry, Risk Takers for Christ. It hasn’t been easy, but it has stretched my faith and deepened my dependence on God. The process has also given me an even deeper appreciation for my beautiful bride of 40 years, whose support has never wavered despite the constant demands of full-time missionary service.

Today, I have scores of new friends, a wonderful and growing family that includes six precious grandkids, and a ministry that allows me to exercise my spiritual gifts to their fullest. God has indeed rebuilt and restored what I had previously lost, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

My friend, if you are going through a similar time of loss or despair, please know that your pain is not permanent. God specializes in redeeming and restoring lost causes and lost people… and you could be next.

“And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.” I Peter 5:10

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President