About

neal5

Hi. Thanks for stopping by!

My name’s Neal Eckert. I’m that one-armed guy. At the age of four I lost my left hand in a lawn mower accident (don’t recommend it!). I recently wrote about how I lost my hand and escaped a cult here. The site name is informal for a reason. I want you to feel comfortable here, like you belong.

Why I’m Writing This Blog

I’m frustrated with what I see in the American church and myself. I have been for years. I know that there are millions of people out there who feel the same way. Perhaps you’re one of them.

I’m not writing these posts in hopes to impress you or to show you that I’m super spiritual. Boy, would my wife laugh at me if that were the case! She knows the truth.

I’m writing to pick through the rubble. To come up with conclusions together that we’re satisfied with. I’d love to share that journey with you. If you’re frustrated like me, we can work through those struggles together.

I’m convinced that we’ll find answers. Although God seems silent, maybe all this time, we’re the ones who’ve been silent. God wants something better for us. I’m trusting that He’ll provide adequate answers. How does that sound?

A Weighty Matter

About seven years ago, I looked at a picture my wife snapped of me. It wasn’t pretty. I hardly recognized myself. I was 230 pounds and looked like I needed a bra more than my wife did! That was almost the tipping point for me to change but not quite. Want to know what the final straw was?

Eventually, I only fit into one shirt that I owned. It was burgundy. I wore that shirt all the time and made up my mind that I wasn’t going to buy anything bigger. Everyone in town probably thought, “there goes that poor guy with the burgundy shirt again.” That didn’t matter to me because I’d finally had enough.

Over the course of the next year, I worked hard to get down to a healthy weight. It wasn’t easy but boy was it better than the alternative. Finally, it hurt enough that doing something about my problem was easier than staying where I was at.

Being Fed Up Is The First Step

Are you fed up enough to change your spiritual condition for the better? If so, good. If not, what will it take?

For me, it’s been a slow burn. My life finally hurts too badly to stay the way that I am anymore. I don’t want to spend another year there. I don’t want to keep drifting or die a walking contradiction. It’s not enough to simply appear like a respectable citizen. That’s so tired. It’s time for change.

Can you relate? If so, are you in? Good!

Here’s to our new adventure together!

Your friend,

Neal

A Little Bit More

I grew up in Pennsylvania and now live in Michigan with my wonderful wife and seven special children. My background is in social services and church ministry. I’m now a freelance writer, blogger and speaker. Our family loves finding new and old outdoor activities to do together.

I’ve done quite a bit of outdoor writing so you may see an occasional article or video with that theme.

I’d love to hear about what you think in the comments. Often, I find that comments are more helpful than the original article that spawned the discussion.  If you subscribe, you’ll get a notification whenever something new is posted as well.