before cindy and i had even exchanged one word, her story had impacted me. i’ve been good friends, close friends, practically best friends, with a handful of people in ministry who had fallen to sexual sin. it has always broken my heart how, for the most part, the churches and ministries these people had invested into kick people to the curb with a trite “jesus loves you and so do we,” leaving the broken families alone to put together the pieces of their lives.

it just isn’t right.

when i was interviewing at life, they asked if i had questions, and one of the biggest ones was, “have you ever had a ‘moral failure’ on your staff and if so, where are those people today?”

i was told the story of a pastor who confessed to several affairs, and how he was removed from his position on staff, but over the last several years, because of his repentant heart and humble spirit, has been restored and now serves as a leader on their staff.

the church family surrounded him, walked through his consequences with him, and was there to help his family heal.

the way it should be.

cindy is someone i am really looking forward to getting to know better (over diet dr. peppers at sonic). :) she is opening up her life to the public and sharing her story this week on her blog. since we are in the midst of our last week at work, and moving in a few days, i am going to be posting her story here, but closing the comments so you can interact with her on her blog.

here goes:

our story - chapter 1

The day was Tuesday. February 19, 2002, to be exact. Although my husband, Chris, had completed six weeks as the new worship pastor at our church in Edmond, Oklahoma, we’d only spent three nights in our new home. Unexpectedly, he walked through the front door at 9 somethin’ in the morning. Attempting to inch my way through a plethora of boxes, I looked up and saw the face of the man I’d loved for nearly 10 years. And the man who was soon to break my heart. Chris walked toward me and asked if we could “talk.” The look on his face said enough. Something was wrong.

After getting Noah settled watching a Blue’s Clues video, Chris motioned for me to sit on the newly purchased sofa that had arrived just 24 hours before as we were beginning our new life in a new town. My heart began to palpitate as the next several minutes consisted of him confessing to numerous affairs with numerous women from numerous places. I heard the cracking of my heart as he spoke and felt the devastation setting in almost immediately. As if that information was not enough to handle, he also informed me that one of the women was pregnant and he was pretty sure the baby was his child.

You have got to be kidding me. He was not.

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