Ethan Morales was doing everything right. As a bivocational pastor and a small-business owner, his days were packed with noble responsibilities. On paper, it was a life of purpose and meaning; in reality, the ground beneath his feet had begun to tremble. Physically, his energy drained faster than he could replenish, and his spiritual connection had slipped into autopilot.
The breaking point didn’t come from a business failure or a moral lapse. It came at the dinner table when his wife looked at him and said with gentle, piercing honesty, “You’re here, Ethan, but you’re not really with us”. Ethan had stopped growing because he was too busy teaching others to grow. He was around the gospel, but he wasn’t being transformed by it. He needed more than a new strategy; he needed to exchange the pressure of performance for the presence of grace.
The Shift from Performance to Discipleship in Motion
Recognizing that we cannot manufacture our own transformation is the first step toward true movement. We often think of coaching as a corporate tool reserved for the boardroom, but in the Kingdom of God, spiritual coaching is simply discipleship in motion. It is the intentional act of walking with others to help them move from confusion to clarity and from stagnation to surrender.
In my new book, Momentum: Gospel Clarity for Life, Healing, and Leadership, I introduce the C4 Coaching Model. This framework isn’t a checklist to complete; it is a relational rhythm formed by growing in postures that invite the Spirit’s work. It challenges you to look beneath the surface of your “hustle” to see if your roots are actually drinking from living water.
The Challenge to Stop the Climb and Start Abiding
True momentum is not about how fast you run or how much you accomplish. It is a gift you receive when you align your heart, home, and leadership with the story of Jesus. This alignment reorients us toward obedience rather than over-functioning.
I wrote this book for the builders—the pastors, parents, individuals, and entrepreneurs who love Jesus deeply yet feel stuck. I want to challenge you to trade your exhaustion for purpose. If you are leading from a place of pressure rather than presence, you aren’t leading; you’re performing. It is time to stop trying to manufacture movement and start abiding in the One who gives it.
A Reflective Question for the Soul:
If you stopped the hustle right now and sat in the silence, would you say your current pace of life is being driven by the presence of God or by the pressure to perform?
The Challenge: Trade Your Exhaustion for Purpose
You weren’t made to stay stuck. You were made to grow and move in a way that is steady, sure, and free. But let’s be honest: spiritual growth is never the product of sheer willpower or relentless hustle. It emerges when we finally stop bailing out our sinking ships with a thimble and learn to participate in the quiet, steady work of God’s Spirit.
If you find yourself identifying with Ethan—carrying noble responsibilities while the ground beneath you trembles—then I want to invite you into a sacred rhythm for life and leadership.
My challenge to you is simple: Stop the climb. Pick up a copy of Momentum: Gospel Clarity for Life, Healing, and Leadership and begin the journey of reframing the distorted narratives of performance, shame, and fear. Use this book not as a checklist, but as a relational framework to help you move from confusion to clarity and from stagnation to surrender.
It’s time to stop performing for God and start walking with Him. Let’s stop trying to manufacture momentum and start abiding in the One who gives it.
C4 