📖 Why I Built Bare Altar

This is a place for the unhidden.

There was a time I thought God would show up if I just did enough.

So I did what I thought I was supposed to do. I prayed long. I fasted weekly. I read chapters of Proverbs and Acts like they were keys to the kingdom. I knocked doors. I skipped sleep. I stayed busy. And when it didn’t work—when God didn’t “show up” like I’d been taught He would—I assumed I had failed.

So I tried harder. And when that didn’t work either, I burned out. Not just emotionally. Spiritually. At the time, I wouldn’t have said it that way. I just felt tired, confused, and honestly—angry.

What Broke

Eventually the whole thing collapsed. My performance-based version of faith didn’t hold. Not because I didn’t care. I cared too much. That’s what broke me.

But underneath all the frustration, I started to see something:
I was following a system, not a Savior.

I had built an altar out of effort—and expected God to come down like fire.
But what I needed was to come to His altar. Bare. Honest. Unhidden.

Why This Blog Exists

Bare Altar is where I bring what’s real. Not what looks good.
It’s not a platform. It’s not a performance. It’s not a church growth strategy.

It’s a place to wrestle with Scripture, wrestle with the past, and let God search me—not just correct me.

“The word of God is quick, and powerful… a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
(Hebrews 4:12)

I used to quote that verse like it was aimed at others.
Now I know—I was the one in view the whole time.

I wasn’t just broken. I was exposed.
And the only thing that changed me wasn’t a better method—it was surrender.

What You’ll Find Here

I write about:

• Scripture—without the filters and performance I used to bring

• Spiritual burnout and rebuilding

• What I’ve learned from collapse—and what I’m still learning

Sometimes I’ll reflect on Job. Or Paul. Or Moses. Or Jesus. Other times I’ll share what broke me. What I misunderstood. And what God is still showing me.

I’m not here to convince anyone. I’m just telling the truth as I’ve lived it.

If You’re Still Here…

You might be someone who’s felt it too:
The burnout. The pressure. The guilt that somehow, even when you’re doing everything right—it still feels like something’s off.

If that’s you, I hope this place helps you feel seen. Not because I have answers, but because I’ve sat in the fire too.

And I’ve learned something in that fire:
You don’t bring offerings to impress God.
You bring them to be changed.