Your Story ISN'T OVER // Relationships (part 5) // Pastor Lee Martin

🙌🏻 "The only obstacle between you and life—the capital L life—is surrender." — Pastor Lee Martin In this powerful message from Collective Church, Pastor Lee Martin shares his deeply personal testimony of failure, wilderness, and ultimate redemption. Through his story of "shipwrecking" his life and ministry, he highlights how God specializes in taking dead things and making them alive again. Pastor Lee frames his journey around three pivotal statements that many find themselves asking in seasons of crisis: "How did I get here?" Lee describes the slow drift of small compromises that led to a double life and the near destruction of his marriage and ministry. He reminds us that even when life doesn't work out as hoped, our story is not over. "God, I can’t fix this." After losing his position and moving into a "wilderness" season for years, Lee realized that life’s hardest problems—shattered trust and broken families—cannot be solved by human effort or "looking within." "If you don’t rescue me, I am finished." On a mountain summit in Colorado, Lee reached a point of total surrender. He shares the defining question God posed to him: If things never get fixed, but you have Me, is that enough? This surrender became the turning point from death to "Capital L" Life. The sermon concludes with the hopeful reality that God is a God of resurrection. Lee’s marriage was not just restored but made new, and his ministry was reborn into a mission to help other men find spiritual breakthroughs. ------------------------------------------------------- 📖 Scripture References John 10 : 10 – https://www.bible.com/bible/111/JHN.10.10.NIV Acts 1 : 8 – https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ACT.1.8.NIV Luke 24 – https://www.bible.com/bible/111/LUK.24.NIV Mark 5 : 25 - 34 – https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MRK.5.25-34.NIV Matthew 16 : 25 – https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.16.25.NIV ------------------------------------------------------- 00:00 – Introduction: Pastor Drew introduces Pastor Lee Martin. 05:00 – The Thesis: John 10:10—Understanding "Capital L" Life vs. the Thief. 07:06 – Point 1: "How did I get here?": Dealing with the reality of disappointment. 10:02 – The Backstory: Pastor Lee shares his journey of success and subsequent failure in Omaha. 19:09 – The Reality of Disappointment: Lessons from the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24). 25:30 – Point 2: "God, I can't fix this.": Realizing life’s hardest problems can't be solved alone. 26:35 – The Wilderness: Seven years in the "desert" and the struggle to move forward. 31:50 – Point 3: "If you don’t rescue me, I’m finished.": The breakthrough on the mountain. 35:20 – The Question of Surrender: "If you only have Me, is it enough?" 39:50 – Resurrection: How God restored his family and ministry. ------------------------------------------------------- For any information, how to connect, and/or prayer requests: https://form.church/youcollectiveomaha We'd love to hear from you! Connect with us on: - Website: https://www.collectiveomaha.com - Facebook: https://facebook.com/collectiveomaha - Instagram: @collectiveomaha - Email: [email protected] - Youtube: https://youtube.com/collectiveomaha - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4M9KbSOFHBViC4UTzsOvIK?si=fdb9dd2cf24c46f0 - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/collective-church-omaha/id1792027778