I Thought This Was the Cost of Ministry....
By Pastor Traci Childress
I grew up in the church. I spent the first 10 years of my life at a Baptist church. Then the family followed God’s leading to a Pentecostal ministry, and then finally we established a non-denominational charismatic church, where I would serve for 28 years in ministry. I knew at the age of 8 that I was called to be a minister, and every leader I had admired spoke of the sacrifices required to answer the call. Well, call me Peter because I jumped at every opportunity to step out on the water of ministry. I spoke my first message at age 13 and by age 23 I was an ordained minister and worship leader. I was also a wife and mother of the first of three daughters.
Now, this is where it really gets interesting because obedience to God was the message on repeat. I was well on my way to proving that for God I live and for God I die, because after all, the family that makes the most sacrifices stays together, right? Well, at least at that time, I just wanted to be sold out for Jesus. It would be 20 years before I discovered that the words “obedience” and “sacrifice” had become manipulation and control.
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