Nine years ago, Woody Money was out on the streets at midnight doing great things for God. He was on “some sort” of mission. He was preaching on the streets and conducting Bible studies. He was doing all he could to spread God’s word. But he was not listening. He didn’t hear God saying, no.

“That was the craziest period of my life,” said Money who is the missions’ minister at The Vine in Troy. “I was an all or nothing kind of person. If I was going to climb a mountain, it would be Mt. Everest.”

But God had not given Money the world’s highest mountain to climb. He was climbing that mountain on his own. For two and half years, Money was on a ministry overload.

“I was doing too much and God was telling me to say no to some things.” Money said. “I could not do it all. My desire was to do God’s work but without an intimate relationship with Him.”

As a workaholic for the Lord, Money almost lost his wife and his child.

“Jessica and I were always fighting because I was out on the streets doing some sort of ministry,” Money said. “It almost took us to a divorce. One night I asked God, ‘Why is my life falling apart when I’m doing all of this for you?’”

God answered Money’s question in a dream.

“God show me that I was too busy speaking that I didn’t listen to what He was saying to me,” Money said. “I did not have to do too much for God. I could have balance in my life. I realized that when He said for me to go, I would go. But, I would hear His heart when he was telling me this was not the way. God healed my heart and changed everything.”

Money has learned to follow the voice of God. He is working, not to get God’s love as he had the past, but rather working out of love. Through it all, he now has an intimate relationship with God.

“Intimacy with the Lord is the fulfillment of all things,” Money said. “One drop of His love and you just can’t get enough.”

Money is now sharing the story of his journey from a ministry overload to this realization that being with God is more important than working for Him.

He shares his story in a recently release book title “The Secret Place.”

In the first part of the book, Money shares stories of his experiences in the ministry. In the second part, he takes the reader on a journey to a deeper intimacy with God and includes a prayer model to help readers discover intimacy with God.

A book signing for Money’s “A Secret Place” will be from 5 until 7 p.m. Thursday at Village Coffee in Troy. The public is invited.