We live. We love. We doubt. We believe. We suffer. The ride can be confusing, even frightening. And sometimes, we run. While it may be true that no two journeys of faith are alike, Pastor David Hayes hits on essential, common conflicts within each of us, between ourselves, our families and God. Pastor Hayes has never been afraid to let his heart speak, whether from the pulpit, at his blog site, or alongside a friend in pain, which I have been. The Runaway Pastor is a fictional vessel for this gifted communicator to surface a message of truth that resides deep within our hearts and resonates with those of us who wish to somehow find and know grace. —Jeff Stoffer, author, screenwriter, editor, American Legion Magazine The truth was he had sold-out. It was the coward’s way. But it was, at least, a way out. His head was spinning as he boarded the red line, just down the street from the hospital. He was headed toward the city center. Trent needed to get lost and he had a plan. Besides, the way he saw it—he was already lost. Long lost. Trent Atkinson and his wife Natalie played the role of the perfect couple, yet their long drift away from friendship and intimacy had left them cold toward one another. Trent’s passion for authentic faith, loving people and changing the world had been shoved to the side by his real job: to be a CEO and manager of church business. It’s what all the church leadership books taught him and it was all there in black and white on the job description handed to him. So Trent plots his escape. His plan is so thorough and careful that neither the members of Baylor’s Bend Community Church nor his wife has any idea it is coming—or where he’s gone.