I stepped in it and it didn't smell good!

Then the physical pain started. The synovial fluid in my left knee hardened and somehow pushed my kneecap out of line. I had to have surgery to correct it. I went to the best surgeon in the city. He had operated on NFL players and ballerinas. The surgery went well, or at least I thought it did. Within a few months I began having sharp, stabbing pain at the surgery site. The first surgery was orthopaedic. Now the doctor made a large incision to remove neuromas. After that surgery the pain remained and even got worse. My doctor actually told me that I couldn't be having pain, but he went in again to try to find the problem. He couldn't. A month later I was told that it was nerve pain. So they laid me on the table, stuck a long needle in my knee and told me to let them know when they hit a nerve. I had no problem letting them know when they hit it!

Then they did a cryofreeze of the nerve. The pain remained, worsened and spread. That was in 1995. Today the pain hits me in the knee and my right arm, feet, fingers,and other places. I never know when it will strike. But it does several times a day and especially at night, often bringing tears to my eyes. It is a part of my daily life. A neurologist finally gave me a name for it: RSD, or Regional Sympathetic Pain Syndrome. Today it is often called CRPS, Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome. I call it HELL. I never know when the pain will come. I only know that it will...everyday. Nothing can relieve the pain. Narcotics take the edge off, but that is all. And I don't want to be on narcotics all of my life, but until something better comes along, I'm stuck. There is no cure.

My last 2 years at the Murray Hill were difficult. One of the deacons molested one of the teenagers in the church. The incident took place at his place of business. However, the church was sued, mainly because we had a large insurance policy. I spent my last 2 years dealing with the lawsuit on a daily basis. It was very draining physically, emotionally and spiritually. I remained as pastor until I saw the church through the lawsuit. When it was finally settled, I was burned out and ready to leave. I had done all I could do for the church.

While I was there, we renovated the church plant, purchased properties, and restructured the budget. I gave the church everything I had. I had nothing left in the tank.

I was contacted by 2 churches who were seeking pastors. One was my former employer Mountain Brook Baptist. They wanted to create a new position to bring me back. The position was "Minister". I was to work with JM the Sr. Minister, sharing all duties. The other church was also in Birmingham. Both pulpit committees showed up on the same Sunday. I decided to return to Mountain Brook, although, looking back, I probably should have chosen the other church. One of my problems is that I don't like stepping into unknowns. I knew MBBC. I didn't know much about the other church, although if they were anything like the pulpit committee, they would have been a wonderful church to serve. What decided it for me was when I called a friend and fellow minister who told me that MBBC needed me. But I should have been more cautious because I knew how JM was. He made promises to me that he never intended to keep. Even in the calling process I caught him in several lies. But I really felt that was where God was leading me. I heard the statement once that "Faith is taking a step even when you aren't sure what you were stepping in." From my previous experience with JM I should have realized what I was "stepping in."  I stepped in it and it didn't smell good. My Life would never be the same. Eventually my world would come tumbling down around me.