He Chose Them Anyway
When God Uses Imperfect People For Extraordinary Purposes
by
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I have often wondered why God chooses the people He chooses. The Bible is filled with men and women who, if we had known their entire story beforehand, might never have made our list. Some were impatient. Others were angry. A few ran from God. Some just plainly quit. Others failed so publicly that their worst moments are still being discussed thousands of years later. Yet God knew every chapter before He ever called their name. And He chose them anyway. Please let me be the first to say I am not an authority on every subject this book addresses. I am simply a preacher. A preacher who has wrestled with many of the same questions, fears, failures, and frustrations that countless servants of God have faced through the years. There have been moments when I felt inadequate for the task before me. There have been times when I questioned my abilities, my decisions, and even my calling. If you have ever found yourself there, let me encourage you with this truth: we are in good company. The Bible is not a record of perfect people. It is the story of a perfect God choosing imperfect people. When we think of Abraham, we remember the father of faith. When we think of Joseph, we remember the ruler who saved his family and the world from famine. Moses was the great deliverer. Elijah called fire from heaven. David killed Goliath. Peter preached at Pentecost. Paul carried the gospel across the known world. But those are not their whole stories. Abraham grew impatient. Joseph endured years of injustice. Moses lost his temper. Elijah became discouraged. Jeremiah wanted to quit. Jonah ran from God. James and John battled pride. David watched his family unravel. John Mark walked away. Peter contradicted himself time and again. Paul lived with a thorn that God chose not to remove. Yet God saw past the imperfections. He chose them anyway. That is the heartbeat of this book. These chapters are not intended to magnify the failures of God’s servants but the faithfulness of their God. The purpose is not to excuse sin, minimize consequences, or suggest that our choices do not matter. They do. Many of the people in these pages carried scars from decisions they wished they could change. Yet their failures were never greater than the grace of the God who called them. Like the Apostle Paul, I readily confess, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect…” (Philippians 3:12). I have not conquered every struggle discussed in these pages. In many ways, I am still learning the very lessons I hope to share. I write not as a man who has arrived, but as a fellow traveler who has discovered that God’s grace has never failed him. Ministry has a way of producing tunnel vision. Life does too. There are seasons when the walls seem to close in, discouragement overshadows hope, and every step feels heavier than the last. You begin to wonder if anyone else has ever walked where you are walking. You question whether you are the only one who feels weary, disappointed, inadequate, or uncertain about what comes next. But if you have ever traveled through a tunnel, you know there is only one way out. Keep moving forward. Stopping leaves you in the darkness. Turning around only retraces ground you have already covered. The only way through is to keep taking one step after another until you see the light again. That is my prayer for this book. Whether you are a pastor, evangelist, missionary, Sunday school teacher, church member, husband, wife, parent, teenager, or simply a believer seeking to follow Christ and make sense of it all, I hope these pages remind you that God has never been limited to using perfect people. He has always worked through ordinary people who learn to trust an extraordinary God. As we journey through these lives, we will discover that many of their greatest battles were not fought on mountaintops or battlefields but within their own hearts. Their stories feel familiar because their struggles are remarkably similar to ours. They battled impatience, injustice, anger, discouragement, the temptation to quit, rebellion, pride, family heartache, failure, inconsistency, and weakness. Perhaps you are fighting one of those battles today. If so, remember this: the struggle is not the end of your story. God is still writing. The enemy does not get to write the ending. Neither does your failure, your weakness, your disappointment, or your worst moment. The same God who remained faithful to Abraham, worked through Joseph’s injustice, continued using Moses, met Elijah in his discouragement, gave Jeremiah strength to continue, pursued Jonah, restored John Mark, reached for Peter, and gave Paul sufficient grace is still at work today. He is the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). He still brings beauty from ashes, strength from weakness, and testimonies of grace from chapters we once wished had never been written. So, before you turn the page, remember the title of this book. It is not merely their story. It is ours too. It is the story of what happens when God continues to work through imperfect people. He Chose Them Anyway. Now let’s find out why.
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About the Book
Failure does not disqualify a person from being used by God. In fact, the Bible is not a record of perfect people. Instead, it is the story of a perfect God choosing imperfect people. Through the lives of Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David, Peter, Paul, and other familiar Bible characters, Pastor Brenton Carr reveals that some of God’s greatest servants were imperfect people with painful pasts, personal weaknesses, and unforgettable mistakes. Each chapter combines biblical truth, relatable illustrations, and practical encouragement to show how God works through impatience, discouragement, rebellion, anger, disappointment, and failure. Believers will discover that God does not wait for flawless people, but instead calls, restores, and uses those who are willing to trust Him. For anyone who has ever felt too broken, too flawed, or too far gone, Carr offers an uplifting message of grace and hope that our mistakes do not have to become the final chapter of our story. He Chose Them Anyway shows how God worked through the failures, weaknesses, and struggles of biblical figures—and how He still works through imperfect people today.
About the Author
Brent Carr’s story began in the small town of Cowpens, South Carolina, far from the places he would one day travel and the opportunities the Lord would eventually place before him. He was raised by hardworking Christian parents who taught him about faithfulness not only by what they said, but by how they lived. His father and mother faithfully served the Lord through their local church while working full-time jobs—sometimes taking on a second job simply to provide for their family. Long before Brent ever stood behind a pulpit, he learned from them that serving God is often found in the ordinary, unseen faithfulness of everyday life. At eighteen years old, Brent surrendered his life to preach the gospel. But like many of the people whose stories fill the pages of He Chose Them Anyway, the road from calling to usefulness was not always straight or predictable. As a young man, Brent was given the unusual opportunity to appear in the motion picture The Patriot, working as both a soldier and a farmer during the production. Although acting was not a path he had seriously considered, the experience opened a door he might have pursued. But another calling had already begun to shape his life. In the end, he chose ministry—not knowing where that decision would lead but believing that following God’s will mattered more than pursuing his own plans. Along the way, God used difficult circumstances and unexpected turns to bring the right people into Brent’s life at the right time. Among them was a man, Steve Hurte, who would eventually become his pastor, mentor, and father-in-law. Through relationships like these, Brent discovered that some of God’s greatest gifts are the people He places along our path—people who see something in us, invest in us, correct us, encourage us, and help prepare us for what God has ahead. Since 2012, Brent has served as a full-time evangelist, preaching across the United States and encouraging churches and believers through the ministry of the Word. He also serves as president of Carolina Bible College, where he has the privilege of investing in another generation of men and women preparing to serve Christ. In March 2026, Brent was invited to serve as Guest Chaplain for the United States House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., where he opened a session of Congress in prayer. For someone whose journey began in a small South Carolina town, standing in the nation’s Capital was a humbling reminder that we rarely know where a simple yes to God may eventually lead. Brent is the author of Faces of Grace, Rising Above, and The Authorized Version. Yet beyond the titles, travels, and opportunities, the message closest to his heart is the one found throughout this book: God has never been limited to perfect people. He works through ordinary lives, imperfect vessels, unexpected circumstances, and people who simply make themselves available to Him. Perhaps that is why He Chose Them Anyway is more than a collection of Bible stories to Brent. Its message reflects something he has seen in his own life. God does not need an impressive beginning to write an extraordinary story. Brent and his wife, Katie, serve the Lord together and are the parents of two daughters, Caroline and Cambree. Whether preaching from a pulpit, teaching in a classroom, writing, or simply being a husband and father, Brent’s desire remains the same: to point people to the grace of God and remind them that their failures, weaknesses, and imperfect stories do not place them beyond His ability to use them. After all, He chose them anyway. And He still does.