Trip Lee Steps Away from Pastoral Ministry Due to Illness: ‘Faith Always Leads to Healing’
By Movieguide® Staff
Christian rapper and minister William Lee Barefield III, better known by his stage name Trip Lee, said he had to step away from preaching due to illness.
In a recent interview, the 33-year-old recording artist revealed that he had battled chronic fatigue syndrome for 12 years and is now stepping away from pastoring.
“When I think of calling, I think of desire, gifting, and opportunity, basically. I had the desire to want to do it. When I would preach and serve and help people, I see the Lord using this and the Lord opened doors for me to do it,” Lee explained.
“I think [my] calling has been affected by my own health and things that seemed good and that I feel called to, they don’t work out the way I expect because I have an illness that is the hardest part of every part of my life and things don’t always work out the way that I think they supposed to or I felt they would, but nevertheless, I’m just trying to be faithful in the season,” he added.
Lee served at Cornerstone Church West End in Atlanta for four years, and in 2019 became the young adult pastor at Concord Church in Dallas, Texas. Lee authored “The Good Life” and “Rise: Get Up and Live in God’s Great Story during his pastoral ministry.”
Lee is best known publicly for his music and released two albums, Rise and The Waiting Room, in 2014.
“For many years, it was me trying to pastor in this season,” he said. “I’m actually not pastoring anymore. I’ve actually stepped away in the past few months because of my health. It’s made it hard, It doesn’t seem like the most faithful way for me to serve the Church in the season. … But yeah, trying to be faithful looks different in different seasons.”
Lee also spoke at the Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference, where he taught out of Matthew 8:1-13, where Jesus heals the leper.
“To read passages like these, if I’m honest, can be difficult for a sick person,” he said. “Because it just seems so easy. It seems like ‘just believe and you’re healed.’… It seems like faith just takes care of it. So what can happen — and I know I’m not the only one who has an illness or who has friends and family who have illnesses — the question can be, ‘Why isn’t God willing to heal me?’ It can be confusing, especially when you have false teaching that’ll say, ‘Look, if you’re sick, it’s a lack of faith. Faith always leads to healing.'”
Despite his circumstances, Lee said that he trusts that God has a purpose for his life.
“If we want to present our brokenness to Jesus … the question is never about God’s ability,” Lee said. “It’s a question of whether or not it’s in His will. That’s how we should bring our brokenness to a Savior as amazing as ours — with an open hand, saying, ‘I know you can. I’m asking if You will.'”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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