I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.
Philippians 4:13

As a new leader in ministry outside the local church, I was challenged, stretched, and often terrified. When a group of Pentecostal leaders from around the United States invited me to speak to them, I was both honored and nervous. To ease my jitters, I went in the night before I was due to speak, just to get to know the people and to worship with them. To understand the humor here, I come from a mainline Presbyterian background and had not yet been exposed to other styles of worship.

The music was wonderful. As the evening progressed, I was beginning to understand that this was a very different worship experience from any I had ever had. I was overwhelmed! I could not even focus on my own prayers because of the energy and the noise of this large group gathered in prayer. I fled to my room, and the first thing I did was to send my ministry team an e-mail asking for direction and prayer. I must admit, ...