Pastors spend their days holding other people together. They sit with grieving families, answer late-night calls, mediate conflict, and carry the private struggles of a congregation that rarely sees the cost. Angie S. Mabe, a licensed mental health counselor and author, has spent much of her career paying attention to what that weight does to the people who are supposed to be the strong ones.
Her new novel, Wake Up Warrior, grew out of that concern. Mabe works at the intersection of psychology, trauma recovery, and faith, and she has watched spiritual leaders wrestle with exhaustion they do not always feel free to name. In the fiction book, she urges the Church to look honestly at that reality rather than assume its leaders are immune to it.
The Hidden Stress Pastors Carry
Ministry rarely comes with clear boundaries. A pastor is expected to be available, patient, and spiritually steady, often while managing personal loss or fatigue of their own. Mabe points out that this constant emotional output can accumulate quietly. The person everyone leans on may have no one to lean on in return.
Much of her counseling work centers on trauma, and she draws a connection between the wounds people carry and the toll of sustained caregiving. Left unaddressed, that strain can show up as burnout, isolation, or a sense of spiritual dryness. Mabe argues that acknowledging these pressures is not a sign of weak faith. It is a step toward staying healthy enough to keep serving.
Where Psychology and Faith Meet
Mabe brings more than two decades of clinical experience to her writing, along with a personal history that shapes how she approaches healing. In Wake Up Warrior, she frames inner healing as something that engages both the mind and the spirit. Rather than treating psychology and faith as competing explanations, she treats them as complementary tools for understanding what people are going through.
That perspective matters for readers in ministry. A pastor facing chronic stress may interpret it purely as a spiritual failing, when part of the answer lies in ordinary human limits and the value of support. Mabe encourages leaders to take both seriously. In her account, spiritual warfare is a real category of experience, and she pairs that view with the practical work of counseling and rest.
A Call to Wake Up the Church
The title captures the heart of Mabe’s message. She wants congregations to wake up to what their leaders quietly endure and to build cultures where asking for help is normal rather than shameful. Her work suggests that a healthier Church starts with healthier shepherds, and that caring for a pastor’s mental and spiritual life is part of the community’s responsibility, not an afterthought.
For readers who want to explore these ideas further, Wake Up Warrior is available through the book’s page on Amazon. More about Mabe’s counseling practice can be found through Abba’s Heart Counseling Center.
About Angie S. Mabe
Angie S. Mabe is a licensed mental health counselor and author dedicated to helping individuals work through psychological trauma and spiritual growth. Drawing on both her lived experiences and her professional expertise, her mission is to wake up the Church to the realities of spiritual warfare and to offer a path toward inner healing.
Connect with Mabe on Facebook: @wakeupwarrior
Disclaimer: The views and beliefs described in this article are those of Angie S. Mabe. This article is for general informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Anyone experiencing distress is encouraged to reach out to a licensed provider.
