When God Sends A Messenger

“David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.” 1 Samuel 25:32-35

Yesterday, God sent me a messenger right when I was at my breaking point. The bills were piling up, revenue was down, and I was drowning in frustration about what God truly wanted for this Christian bookstore and ministry.

For over a year, I’ve wrestled with a single question: Is this a bookstore, or is it a ministry?

When I was ready to quit and find someone that I could give this place to who would know what to do with it, a sudden storm hit outside. The sky turned pitch black, and the winds were so strong that my sidewalk sign blew face-down. I hauled it inside and prayed for the storm to stop. God stilled the weather, but the real storm was raging inside of me.

Since giving my life to Christ on June 25th, 2023, I’ve walked through deep valleys—losing loved ones family members, and close friends. Grieving these losses while carrying a heavy heart for their salvation has been painful. Yet in the middle of that heartbreak, God called me to open Illuminate The Truth.

Coming from an entrepreneurial background, I naturally defaulted to what I knew: business and retail. But God wasn't blessing the traditional business model. The silence in the store was often deafening, and deep down, I knew I was running in the wrong direction. The store became a refining fire, exposing hidden self-reliance, envy, and pride in my heart. I realized I was focusing on financial security rather than having God’s heart for His people.

Yesterday, as I stared at the financial reports, fear and frustration boiled over. That’s when the storm hit outside, and right on cue, a dear sister in Christ walked through the door with a warm smile. We sat down and prayed. Then, she spoke the exact words my soul needed to hear:

“If you are busy with the retail, you will not have time for what God really has for you.”

She confirmed what God had spoken to me earlier through a word of knowledge: "Do more of what your Father wants you to do, not what you want to do."

God reminded me that He is my provider and that even though I knew what He was really calling me to do didn't have a traditional business model, He was going to make a way. So I bowed down, surrendered my plans and decided to follow Him.

Illuminate The Truth is shifting its focus to ministry events, small group rentals, workshops, and a podcast—the very things God put in my heart that bring genuine joy.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” — Matthew 19:26

I am stepping forward with God's plan and even though I don't know how it is all going to come together I have peace because I know this is what He is asking of me and His plans are way better and bigger than anything that I could create or imagine.

The really interesting part of this story is that my friend was not planning on stopping into the store that day because she had to get back to Grand Forks. When the storm hit her husband told her that she should stay in Fargo awhile until the weather calmed down.

So God sent a storm so that my friend had time to come in and see me. Thankfully God didn’t send me into the gut of a whale like Jonah.

As David said "if you had not come to meet me". Thank you to my friend and sister in Christ for coming in and speaking a message that i desperately needed to hear.

With love,

Chris