Episode description

When Dad started in ministry in 1975, he and Mom could not foresee how helping people in crisis would become a normal part of their everyday lives. Almost from the get-go, they had to get used to almost daily calls for help. As long as they worked with small congregations, they found that they could handle it. But by the mid-1990s, Dad was ministering to the Steele Avenue Church of Christ in Ashland, Ohio. The congregation was growing so much that the elders decided to build a whole new campus to meet the need for space. As the congregation grew, so did the responsibility that Dad took on himself to be there for people who needed help. And the more Dad helped people in crisis, the more people in crisis seemed to find Dad. Even though he refused to admit it at the time, the strain was beginning to break Dad. Things finally got out of control when Dad got so entangled with one member of the church that it put Dad, our family, and the entire congregation in grave danger.

If you would like to ask Dad or Mom a specific question on a future episode, please email it to bt@btirwin.com.

Learn about and order Dad's book, 'We Are God's Masterpiece: Discovering How God Has Designed You For His Purpose,' here.

To keep up with news about Dad's cancer treatments, visit his Caringbridge page here.