As Is - Billy Minshall

“Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.”-Jeremiah 23:24

My spiritual journey has been non-linear to say the least. I was raised in the Nazarene church, was agnostic for about a decade, became Catholic at age 28, then succumbed to the throes of addiction. I then discovered a Higher Power in recovery amidst returning to Catholicism. In my role as Family Ministries Director at City Church I have circled back, working amongst my protestant friends, albeit in a church that is absolutely nothing like the one of my youth.

God has been present and working in every part of my spiritual journey, even in those agnostic years where I certainly experienced Grace and Mercy without recognizing it. God is in the conservative church of my childhood, the radically welcoming community of City Church, in my Catholic faith and certainly in my sobriety.

I was at the beginning of my sober journey on March 13, 2013. This was the day that Pope Francis was elected. His death has impacted me profoundly, in a way that I would never have imagined. So as I grieve, I seek to make meaning. How do all of my spiritual experiences add up? What do I believe, really? Who is God to me?

In recovery we sometimes say, “God is everything or God is nothing.” I think that makes the most sense. Because God is in every part of my journey, regardless of denomination, affiliation or experience. God is with all of us, all the time, whoever and wherever we are, as is. God just is. That’s what matters.