{"id":4905,"date":"2011-01-13T00:25:28","date_gmt":"2011-01-13T06:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dirtygirlsministries.com\/blog\/?p=4905"},"modified":"2011-01-13T00:29:21","modified_gmt":"2011-01-13T06:29:21","slug":"from-the-desk-of-crystal-renaud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/?p=4905","title":{"rendered":"From the Desk of Crystal Renaud"},"content":{"rendered":"

How’s that for an official heading? Funny, in that I actually don’t have a desk at home. <\/em><\/p>\n

But anyways . . . <\/em><\/p>\n

I wrote a post earlier this week as part of RefineUs.org’s<\/a><\/strong> series on life transitions to announce something pretty big happening in my life and how it will affect the future of Dirty Girls Ministries. In case you missed the tweets, status updates, etc. referring to this announcement, I wanted to share it here as well. Thank you for the support you’ve shown me and this ministry, whether you’ve been following us for 3 years, 3 months or 3 minutes. <\/em><\/p>\n

I’m really quite excited (and I’ll be honest: a bit nervous) for what’s ahead. . . <\/em><\/p>\n

Blessings,
\nCrystal Renaud
\nFounder & Executive Director of Dirty Girls Ministries <\/em><\/p>\n

– –<\/p>\n

How do I put into words something that doesn\u2019t make sense on paper?<\/strong><\/p>\n

On January 3, 2011 I submitted my resignation from a job I\u2019ve loved and have had for almost seven years . . . in order to pursue my own ministry as full-time Director of\u00a0Dirty Girls Ministries.<\/p>\n

While the decision to resign from my job this month catapults me into a huge life transition, I know that I have been \u201cin transition\u201d for quite some time as God has been preparing me for this new ministry.<\/p>\n

When I started my job I had just turned 19 and was less than 6 months sober from an 8-year-long addiction to pornography. No one (except one person) even knew I had struggled in that capacity and I planned to keep it that way.<\/p>\n

But a few years later, following the news of my former pastor & mentor\u2019s infidelities, my eyes were opened to the sexual brokenness of those you\u2019d never suspect. And I began to come to terms with my past as a sex addict and God\u2019s desire to restore those lost years of my life.
\nNo more hiding.<\/p>\n

I would soon begin leading recovery groups for women with pornography and sexual addiction at my church. Just as a volunteer in our counseling department.<\/p>\n

But over the last three years, God has given me glimpses into what it could be to do this ministry full-time. He did so by providing opportunities to shine and thrive in the role of ministry director.<\/p>\n

These experiences led me to\u00a0write a book<\/a> (releasing in April) and establish Dirty Girls Ministries an official not-for-profit-ministry<\/a> last Fall.<\/p>\n

Not something I thought I\u2019d ever do.<\/p>\n

And yet with each opportunity, the more restless with my 9-5 life I became. And the more my heart fell deeper in the love with the new life of ministry God was ushering me into.<\/p>\n

By day I was well-liked church communications girl. But on nights and weekends I was counselor, author, speaker . . . and utterly exhausted.<\/p>\n

I knew resigning was an inevitable part of my near future. I knew this new ministry was my God-given passion and I could no longer be married to it and my day job.<\/p>\n

And yet I cowered in fear and battled my pride for nearly a year.<\/p>\n

About whether I was really hearing God right,<\/p>\n

About what it would be like to quit my job and still go to church there after so long,<\/p>\n

About how I\u2019d be perceived for asking for donations not just for the ministry, but also in order for me to live day to day,<\/p>\n

About where I\u2019d go if I did quit but this whole ministry just fail right out of the gate.<\/p>\n

ETC.<\/p>\n

How was I supposed to just walk away with nothing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The last time I resigned from a job, I didn\u2019t care about it at all. My resignation letter was a post-it note with the word \u201cadios\u201d on it letting my boss know I was going on a mission trip to Mexico and I would be leaving the job.<\/p>\n

But I was 18 and I was wreckless.<\/p>\n

Now that I am a 26-year-old single woman\u2014to walk away from a steady salary, retirement, life insurance, medical insurance (and a job I am really, really good at) to pursue a ministry with no real guarantees for success\u2014doesn\u2019t make sense.<\/p>\n

In fact, it can appear just as wreckless.<\/p>\n

Not to mention I don\u2019t even have my own car right now.<\/em><\/p>\n

But what does make sense is placing my trust in a sovereign God that since meeting Him 10 years ago. . . hasn\u2019t let me down once.<\/p>\n

3 weeks from today, for the first time in seven years, I will awake not as an employee of my church, but on day one of total dependence on God and others.<\/p>\n

And while I am nervous about the unknown, I know He is there waiting for me to join Him.<\/p>\n

It is scary. It is wonderful.<\/p>\n

It is wonderfully scary.<\/p>\n

– –<\/p>\n

Please consider taking the opportunity now to give back to DGM with a tax-deductible donation. Click here<\/a><\/strong> for more info. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How’s that for an official heading? Funny, in that I actually don’t have a desk at home. But anyways . . . I wrote a post earlier this week as part of RefineUs.org’s series on life transitions to announce something pretty big happening in my life and how it will affect the future of Dirty… Continue reading From the Desk of Crystal Renaud<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[198,183,191],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-198","category-crystal-renaud","category-donate","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4905"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4907,"href":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4905\/revisions\/4907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sherecovery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}