How a sermon, a blog, and a webinar sparked an unexpected calling.
When Closed Gates Open New Doors
Losing my job was unexpected. If someone had claimed it would start a new calling, I would have advised them to check their temperature. 🤓
But here we are, ten months later, and I can’t deny it:
Pain became a teacher.
Writing became therapy.
And purpose quietly found me in the wilderness.
The story of how a sermon became a blog…
A blog became a conversation…
A conversation became a webinar…
And a webinar became a doorway into something new.
On this blog, I share the numbers. The moments and the lessons. So you can see how small, steady choices add up.
1. September: When Job’s Story Grabbed My Heart
It all began on September 14. I preached at GPT Church, Hebron City. The sermon was titled ‘God Is Still Good: Trusting Through the Trials.’ Drawing from Job 1. Catch a snippet here.
Preparing the sermon forced me to name the loss and speak truth into it. Writing the sermon became writing my story.
From pulpit to post.
A week later, I turned the message into a blog. The piece helped me process the theology of suffering and the practicalities of surviving a season without steady income.
It was the first public step in turning private pain into shared learning.
It was raw. Honest. Hopeful. And I thought that was it.
Then October came.
2. October: Nine Months In — And Life Still Tightened
On October 21, I published a personal reflection. It was titled: 🌾 Nine Months In: On Curve Balls, Closed Gates & Carrying On.
The post struck a chord. It was practical and real.
Within days, it exploded to 600+ readers
People resonated with vulnerability.
The uncertainty. The ordinary moments of walking my wife to the matatu stage, while praying for the next open door.
Then came another sermon.
3. Still Standing — Job 2 and the Deepening of Pain
I preached again at GPT Hebron City on October 19:🔥 Still Standing: When Pain Deepens, But God Remains. Based on Job 2. Here’s a clip.
I published a blog on the sermon reflection, on October 28. It reached 200+ readers. The two sermons, Job 1 and Job 2, became bookends for a season of honest faith.
Something else began happening.
Readers started messaging me privately, with one sincere question:
“Joseph, how are you surviving without an active income?”
That single question became a spark. A foray into managing finances, staying sane and remaining useful. Those conversations seeded the idea of a webinar.
Not a pity party. But, a practical, faith-rooted conversation about surviving lean seasons.
4. November: The Webinar I Didn’t Plan For, But Needed
On November 7, I co-hosted a webinar with my friend Dr. Francis Kahihu (based in Canada): Still Standing: Surviving and Thriving in Lean Seasons
We expected 20 people.
But God… 84 signed up. 64 attended.
Four agenda items guided the conversation and gave people tangible next steps:
- Shock & Shift: What happens when the job ends and identity is challenged.
- Money Matters: Practical financial literacy and coaching to cushion crisis.
- Staying Sane & Useful: How faith, family and writing sustains focus in uncertainty.
- Rebuilding Purpose: From surviving to rediscovering gifts in storytelling, training, and human connection.
After the webinar, 50+ people purchased the replay.
This turned the event into a modest, but meaningful income stream. Listen to the webinar promo video here.
5. November: Monetizing My Writing, One Book at a Time
I began to diversify income by writing paid and affiliate-friendly book reviews. Two reviews that resonated were:
- 📘 Ashes of My Soul — a memoir that turns heartbreak into hallelujah
- 🏁 Planning for Lifestyle in Retirement – a practical guide reframing retirement as a new marathon
These reviews added credibility, traffic and small revenue that matter in the season. Slow, small, sacred.
6. November: The Door to Corporate Speaking — Fusion Estates
A week after the webinar, a friend who bought the replay invited me to speak at Fusion Estates.
I delivered Still Standing: Thriving Through Career Cycles & Life Transitions at their staff lunch and learn session.
📍 Upper Hill, Nairobi
👥 40+ staff (Directors, Operations, Finance, Sales)
I adapted the tone.
Less vulnerability. More professional insight. Shifted the message from job loss to career cycles. The room leaned in. Something clicked.
A powerful reminder that vulnerability and practical faith translate across contexts.
Another unexpected door.
7. December: Onward to the National Construction Authority (NCA)
The momentum continued. I’ve now been invited to speak at the: NCA Management Staff Retreat in Naivasha, on December 10, 2025.
This invitation is a clear sign that the work of sharing honest stories and practical tools is opening doors.
What began as unemployment despair has turned into a calling into:
Storytelling | Training | Encouragement.
Helping people find perspective in uncertainty.
8. When Closed Gates Become New Paths
Numbers don’t lie. They tell a story: 141 job applications, 35 regrets, 6% interview rate. The slow realization that the job search alone would not be the only path forward.
Instead of waiting for a job, I began to deploy my gifts.
Preaching, writing, teaching and speaking.
Small revenue streams: webinar replays, book reviews, paid talks, began to add up.
The pivot is not a rejection of employment. It is a strategic expansion of how I create value.
Here is my honest confession:
I didn’t plan any of this.
Not the sermons.
Not the blogs.
Not the webinar.
Not the corporate talks.
Not the budding entrepreneurship.
But God did.
But doors keep opening.
One story at a time. One blog at a time.
One brave step at a time.
What I Learned
- Tell the story. Writing the sermon and the blogs made the season useful to others.
- Teach what you’re learning. The webinar and talks were practical extensions of what I was living.
- Monetize with integrity. Replays and reviews were honest, helpful and aligned with my voice.
- Small wins compound. 50+ replay sales, one lunch-and-learn session, and a 2nd speaking invitation. Each step mattered.
- Faith fuels action. Trusting God did not remove the work. It steadied it.
Closing Reflection
This season taught me that being still does not mean being idle. It means listening, learning and then moving with intention.
If you are in a season of waiting, remember, take small faithful steps. A sermon, a blog, a webinar, or a review can provide guidance.
They can become the scaffolding for a new life of purpose. These resources may offer provision.
💬 What about you?
Has a closed gate in your life ever led to an unexpected path? Share your story. It may encourage someone today.
#StillStanding #PurposeInPause #GrowthCommunities #SurvivingLeanSeasons #FaithInTransitions #ResilienceStories #HopeInHardTimes #CareerCycles #KenyaSpeaks #RebuildingPurpose
Joseph Ngaara is inspired by people’s life experiences. Do you have an intriguing life story and need to share your triumph or tragedy? Email: j.mungai@hotmail.co.uk
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This is very inspiring Joseph, indeed God opens doors no one will shut, may He perpetually make this your portion in Jesus name.