Today’s Sky-Level Question:

What if the setbacks in your life aren’t roadblocks, but God pumping the brakes so you don’t drive off a cliff?

This one is raw. I woke up ready to sprint, ready to launch, ready to finally hit “go” on everything I’ve been building for the past year and a half. And then, within 24 hours:

• My Substack got accidentally deleted.
• My wife and I forgot it was our anniversary.
• My cabin filled up with six kids and a mountain of chaos (again).

And in that chaos, I broke. I said out loud: “I can’t do this anymore.”

But here’s the truth: I don’t think God is stopping me. I think He’s slowing me down. He’s pumping the brakes because He loves me enough to make sure I don’t build CRUMB on sand.

In the middle of the mess, God showed me something clear: my priorities have been out of order. For too long, I’ve been putting mission and work above house, above order, above the little things.

So here’s the Forever Priority Code I’m committing to live by — no exceptions:

1. Seek God
2. Love wife
3. Lead kids
4. Reset house
5. Steward body
6. Advance mission (one domino)
7. Check money
8. Steward calendar & communication
9. Sharpen with brothers
10. Give + serve
11. Learn truth
12. Scan heart
13. Enjoy joy
14. Review + reset

Emergency, mercy, or Spirit-redirect — those are the only reasons this order flexes. Otherwise, it’s fixed.

• Without this order, my ADHD gets worse.
• Without this order, my wife and kids pay the price for my ambition.
• Without this order, I scramble, burn out, and end up confessing, “I can’t do this anymore.”

With this order? Peace. Stability. Presence. And the foundation CRUMB actually needs.

So yes, I’m frustrated. Yes, it feels humiliating to pause again. But better to pump the brakes now than crash later.

This week, I’m practicing the Code. Locking it in. Resetting my house before my work. Putting my wife before my mission. Living the buckets before I try to multiply the mission.

And when CRUMB does launch — God willing — it will be from a place of order, not chaos.

🎧 Listen in as I talk through all of this in real-time: the setback, the breaking point, and the unexpected grace in God pumping the brakes.

📄 If you want to see the Forever Code laid out (and download it for yourself), you'll be able to grab the free starter pack I put together once I get the Substack rocking. September 1st is the new goal.

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 52

Title: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

Description:

It’s August 25th at 7:13 a.m., and I’m standing on the side deck of the Global Mercy, overlooking Freetown, Sierra Leone. Yesterday felt monumental—I launched my Substack with my first article, celebrated with Krystal, spent the day with my kids at the pool, and even relaxed with a show at night. But this morning, something felt off. When I opened my laptop, I discovered that my entire Substack—my “official launch”—was deleted. Turns out I accidentally erased it while cleaning up an old account on my phone.

So here I am again, back at square one, sharing a Crumb Confessional because that’s what this is about—real life, raw obedience, setbacks, and starting over. I sang Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” to Krystal in the shower, laughed it off, and remembered: this is life. Setbacks, restarts, and spiritual warfare that tries to keep me down. But I’m committed to coming back stronger, to keep telling people about Jesus, and to let this be part of the story.

I talk about:

• Launching my Substack article and celebrating with Krystal.
• Spending the day at Country Lodge with my family.
• Accidentally deleting my entire Substack account.
• Processing frustration, laughter, and perspective.
• Singing “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger” to Krystal.
• Recognizing spiritual warfare in setbacks.
• Committing to rebuild and move forward stronger.

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Morning on the deck of the Global Mercy, overlooking Freetown.

04:15 – The excitement of launching my Substack and sharing it with Krystal.

09:10 – Realization that the whole Substack was deleted by mistake.

14:00 – Singing Kelly Clarkson in the shower as comic relief.

18:45 – Seeing the setback as part of spiritual warfare, but choosing resilience.

🧠 Core Takeaway:

Setbacks happen—sometimes by our own mistakes—but they don’t define the story. What matters is how we respond, and whether we let it make us stronger in Christ.

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #52 — Try to keep me down, devil, you’re not going to succeed.

Sorry, was busy. ;)

-Zman

https://linktr.ee/crumbhq