In 8 weeks, I will come to the end of something I have been doing for 38 years.
I will leave the company I have worked at for nearly two-thirds of my life and start a nonprofit that builds off the current STEPS ministry, which includes this blog article you are reading.
How do I feel about that? Good question.
How Do I Feel?
Frankly, I’m sort of scared about it.
Having been with one company that long is a good hint that becoming an entrepreneur is a big change. Plus, financial security is somewhat of an idol for me, and this leap of faith takes away much of our safety along with the corporate salary I am leaving behind.
And, lately, some things have gone wrong in our family that make this transition even more daunting. Which makes me wonder, “Is there someone who doesn’t want me to do this?”
At times, that can all seem somewhat frightening.
But I’m also excited. The STEPS ministry will involve me doing things I like that give me satisfaction and serve other people. That’s a pretty cool future to look forward to for the next 25 years.
And I feel blessed. As far as I can tell (and I’ve thought and prayed about it a lot!), this is what God is calling me to do. Which means it is what I ought to do, out of obedience.
I am blessed because it is also what I want to do.
The STEPS Ministry
It’s a tragic fact that people we all know, some we are close to, will suffer from addiction at some point during their lives. Unless they do something about it first, and unless they get help.
There is hope, people can recover, and addiction and relapse can be prevented! The STEPS ministry is dedicated to helping address that challenge. We will enable people to improve their lives emotionally, personally, and spiritually and deal with the brokenness that we all feel at times.
Our Vision is for all people to find hope, healing, and help and avoid the tragedy of addiction.
Our Mission is to communicate effectively and work with other organizations to help people intentionally take steps to develop resilience, achieve wholeness, and prevent addiction.
We will accomplish our Mission by:
- Creating content that is relevant and easy-to-understand for training, speaking, coaching, and small groups to help people develop their awareness of the danger and their own issues.
- Utilizing digital marketing with the website, blog, email, and social media to create understanding so those suffering can take steps toward resilience, wholeness, and safety.
- Delivering education to businesses, parents (through churches), and recovery organizations to help people move toward grace—away from shame—and reach out for help.
I mentioned our Vision and Mission before, but I would give a slightly different answer if you asked me, “Steve, what does the STEPS ministry do? Exactly what business are you in?”
The answer: Our business is saving and improving people’s lives.
Question: Is there something in your life you are scared to do, but feel called to anyway?
Action: Please stay tuned for updates of the journey to building the new STEPS ministry.
