It’s not about comfort. It’s about conviction.

Integrity

Some values only sound good when life is comfortable. Integrity is different. It proves itself when it costs you something. It’s the one value that holds its weight whether the bank account is full or empty, whether you’re riding a wave of success or sorting through failure. Strip everything else away and integrity is still the currency that matters.

I’m honored to say I know Michael Thoenes of Brainy Pixel Animation Studios. Not just professionally, but personally. I saw something in him and in that team that reminded me what leadership with character actually looks like.

There was a season not long ago when I made a decision that didn’t make sense to a lot of people. I chose to walk away from not one, but two organizations led by Christians that had begun to elevate power over character and influence over integrity. That’s a hard sentence to write, but it’s the truth. And sometimes the truth forces you to choose between staying comfortable and staying aligned with what you know is right.

Walking away from those moments felt like stepping off a cliff. The kind of cliff where your brain keeps asking, Are you out of your mind? I remember saying it out loud. I said it first to Myra. “I must be crazy for wanting to walk away from one of the biggest moments in our lifetime.” It was one of those honest, quiet conversations where you know the decision is already made, even if the future is unclear.

After that conversation, I lifted a simple prayer to our Father. Nothing dramatic. Just honest. “I trust you.” Not the outcome. Not the plan. Just Him.

In that season, Michael and the Brainy Pixel team showed up in a way I’ll never forget. They prayed with me. They encouraged me. They invested in me as I took one small step of faith at a time, trusting that God was doing something even when I couldn’t fully see it yet. When people stand with you in those moments—when you don’t have anything to offer them except honesty—that’s when you learn who truly leads with integrity.

I’ve come to believe that integrity is one of the rarest leadership traits left. It’s easy to talk about faith when things are working. It’s much harder to make decisions that cost you position, influence, or opportunity. But in the long run, integrity will serve you better than any title ever will.

Looking back now, I don’t see those decisions as losses. I see them as alignment. A moment where God quietly asked, “Do you trust me more than the opportunity in front of you?” And the only answer that made sense was yes.

He is good. Always has been. Always will be.