In this Ministry Mantra episode of Bad Pastors, Bob Hyatt speaks directly to leaders navigating anxious, unsettled times. When the pressure is high and the noise is loud, it’s easy to forget a simple but grounding truth: whatever is happening now will not keep happening forever.

This episode reminds pastors and ministry leaders that seasons change—both the good ones and the hard ones. Our calling isn’t to ignore difficulty or minimize pain, but to help people see what God may be forming in them through it. Hope doesn’t deny reality; it anchors us in God’s presence within it.

Whether you’re tempted to panic in hard times or grow complacent in good ones, this mantra offers perspective, steadiness, and reassurance: God remains our refuge and strength, no matter what chaos swirls around us.

What do you get when a Florida pastor starts quoting Luke 6:38 like it’s a financial prospectus?
You get one of the biggest religious Ponzi schemes in American history.

This week, we’re diving into the unbelievable story of Gerald Payne — the founder of Greater Ministries International, who promised believers their money would “double for the Kingdom”... and somehow forgot to mention it was being used to pay off earlier believers.

It’s a story of greed in a choir robe, Scripture turned into sales pitch, and what happens when a pastor decides to tithe to himself.

This is The Preposterous Parable of Pastor Ponzi — a cautionary tale about what happens when ministry starts serving the minister.

When a pastor has a secret life, it’s almost always a disaster. Almost. In this episode of Bad Pastors, we tell the true and wildly unexpected story of Fray Tormenta—a Catholic priest who secretly lived a double life for more than twenty years. By day, he celebrated Mass. By night...? Well, you'll have to listen and find out!

But be prepared- you won't believe where this one goes!