Honest to God

I Need to See

by Sharon Chapman

What a Friend!

2 Corinthians 12:9

In 2017, I had the privilege of leading a team of women on a mission trip in Spain to provide soul care for around 40 missionary women who were serving in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. It was an amazing opportunity!

While there, we each met with women who were struggling, grieving, questioning, and longing. They were convinced of their calling to serve Jesus, but life was hard and often didn’t make sense, which led many of these women to ponder their relationship with God.

One woman had struggled with her identity, knowing in her head that she was a beloved daughter of God, but feeling in her heart that she was simply “too much.” This sense of self had led her to some destructive behaviors.

One day, as we walked along the shores near Malaga, she poured her heart out. She could know and appreciate God as her Father. She saw Him as a disciplinarian and also as a loving Father who wanted what was best for her. But she could not see him as her Abba, her Daddy. He simply did not have enough space for her in his lap. She was too much.

Then there was Jesus… He was a friend to many, but not to her. She saw herself as needy, desperate, damaged, and basically annoying. There was no way that Jesus could find space for her.

As we walked, we talked about God’s character, specifically His love. We talked about what her head knew to be true versus what her heart would not embrace. Over and over again, she said, “I’m just too much.”

After a few minutes of silence, God brought to mind 2 Corinthians 12:9: “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

At these words, she stopped abruptly and said, “If Jesus is enough for me, then maybe I can’t be too much for Him. He sounds like the perfect friend.” Slowly, a big smile came over her face, then she sat down on the sand and began to cry, not out of sadness, but from a place of relief.

For the first time, she was able to say with confidence, “I’m not too much, and I am enough, because Jesus is my Friend.”

Can you say with confidence today that Jesus is your friend?

Lynette Fuson
Care & Counseling Director

by Lynette Fuson

Who Then Is This?

Mark 4:41

Most of us have experienced storms we cannot escape. Some rage outside us, while others rise from within. We often think peace is simply the absence of conflict or the removal of danger. Yet Jesus reveals something altogether different.

Some of the disciples were seasoned fishermen. They understood the power of wind and waves better than most. They knew that nature is not sentimental. A storm on the Sea of Galilee could overturn a boat in moments. Fear was not irrational—it was entirely appropriate from a human perspective.

I remember being caught inside a powerful wave set at Waimea Bay. In those moments, the force of the ocean leaves little room for pride. You discover immediately how small you are. The sea does not negotiate. The wind does not ask permission. We are reminded that creation possesses a power far beyond our own ability to master.

It is striking, then, that the wind and the waves recognize a voice that human hearts so often resist.

At a single command — “Peace! Be still!” — creation responds without hesitation. The sea does not deliberate. The wind does not argue. Everything in nature gladly yields to the authority of its Creator.

The deeper question in this passage is not merely whether Jesus can calm storms. It is the question spoken by the disciples themselves: “Who then is this?” Until we answer that question, we’ll continue searching for peace in changing circumstances rather than in the unchanging presence of Christ.

Peace is not simply an emotional feeling, though it often quiets our emotions. Nor is it merely a disciplined state of mind, though it transforms our thinking. Biblical peace is the settled confidence that comes from living under the care and authority of the One whom all creation obeys. It is the soul resting in reality—the reality that Christ is Lord over every force that appears beyond our control.

The storms of life will continue to come. Relationships will strain. Bodies will weaken. Plans will fail. Yet the invitation of Jesus is not first to escape the storm but to remain with Him in the boat. As we learn to trust His presence, His peace becomes more than a momentary comfort; it becomes the atmosphere in which we live our lives.

The One who speaks to the sea also speaks to the anxious heart. His command still carries the same authority today.

Jaisen Fuson
Emmanuel Faith Elder

by Jaisen Fuson

The Grandeur of Jesus

I have always felt closest to God when I am alone in the beauty of nature. My most intimate moments with Him have happened when I have been surrounded by His creation.

I remember running around Convict Lake near Mammoth, overwhelmed by the pure serenity of the moment. As I stopped, I became aware of God’s presence. I looked up, and the sky opened, and rays of sunlight shone through the clouds. In that moment, I felt wrapped in God’s warmth, peace, and love. It was clear to me that God’s authority, love, and goodness are reflected in all of his creations. And every storm, bloom, fallen leaf, and ray of sunlight points us to Him. Colossians 1:15-20 highlights Christ’s supremacy; He is not simply part of creation but the Creator of it all. Paul writes, “All things have been created through Him and for Him.” He continues to say that as Creator, Jesus sustains and cares for creation. Through His death, He reconciles all things to Himself.

James Bryan Smith, in The Magnificent Story, shares this truth. He writes that the Bible is a story centered on Jesus Christ. He plays the starring role. He begins as the Creator of all, continues by showing His eternal love through His constant presence, and will ultimately restore all things through His death. The Creator became part of His own story to rescue and renew what He made. Creation’s seasonal and continuous rhythms point to this greater story of Christ. The growth of spring, the abundance of summer, the transformation of fall, and the hardship of winter remind us that He is our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. He holds all things together, as Paul writes in Colossians.

The beauty around us points to what God has done and continues to do. Jesus’ sacrifice reconciled humanity to God, restoring our relationship with creation, and began the renewal of all things. While we stand in awe of nature, we should reflect on the truth of Jesus’ story, as it is reflected throughout the Bible, throughout creation, throughout history.

Step outside and witness the grandeur of nature. The grandeur of Jesus. Let every raging fire, cleansing raindrop, powerful wave and wind, and shooting star point back to Him. The One who created it all is the One who holds everything together, and He invites us to know Him, trust Him, and stand in awe of Him.

Claire Williams
Welcome & Executive Coordinator

by Claire Williams

The Woman at the Well

John 4:1-26

The woman this passage focuses on came to draw water during the hottest part of the day, possibly to avoid the condescending looks from the other women. I find the contrast between her and Jesus’ actions to be very interesting. She feared man’s judgment, so she came to the well alone. Had Jesus feared man’s judgment, He never would have spoken to her. Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans, and she was not just a Samaritan, but a woman with a bad reputation. When He asked her for a drink, she was surprised. He needed a drink from the well, but she needed much more. Her soul was dry.

When Jesus told her to go and get her husband, He knew her situation. When she said, “I don’t have a husband,” His reply demonstrated that this was no ordinary man she was speaking with. For He knew she’d been married five times, and the man she was currently living with wasn’t her husband. Bingo! Jesus went straight to the heart of her pain.

She tried to divert the conversation to religion, but Jesus would have none of it. She didn’t need more religion. She needed to worship the one who would finally free her from sin and its debilitating shame. She had been living under a heavy burden for years. Her pursuit of love only led her into sin. On top of that was the judgment of man. What a load! Jesus came along and freed her from it all. He defied man’s judgment so He could reach her heart. Her faith freed her from everyone’s opinion but His.

This encounter with Jesus gave her so much courage that her reputation in town no longer mattered. He mattered! She was free! John 10:10 says that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came to give us abundant life. He wants this for us. He doesn’t want us looking for love in all the wrong places, and yet He doesn’t want to stifle our hearts’ desires. He wants to be the one we go to.

He knew the Samaritan woman’s greatest need was forgiveness, acceptance, and unconditional love. He knew He would ultimately go to the cross to make this possible. She walked away free. When we look back at what He did, we can receive the same freedom. I’m so grateful for His covering over me, His acceptance, and my freedom from condemnation. This is the living water He gives. It is a fresh, bubbling spring within. It is eternal life.

Judy Linscheid
Writing Team

by Judy Linscheid

My Soul Pants for You

Psalm 42:1-2

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2)

Back in 2019, I went on a vision trip to Cuba. Having grown up in San Diego, I figured that I would handle the July heat just fine. I had no idea how wrong I was. On our second day in the village, the temperature reached upwards of 100º with humidity up to 95%. I wasn’t at all prepared for that weather. I remember being incredibly dizzy and lightheaded while walking through the village, enough so that I had to stop halfway. I had become extremely dehydrated without even realizing it. Because I had thought that I could handle it, I wasn’t serious about drinking enough water and staying properly hydrated.

I think this happens to us more than we might realize. We feel like we can handle the seasons of life we’re in, so we become really casual in our pursuit of God.

The imagery in Psalm 42, with the deer, is so helpful because it communicates how desperately we need God. Just as the deer knows that it cannot survive long without going back to the stream, we too cannot survive without the Lord. If our expectation is to be refreshed by the presence of God, we have to stay connected to the source. Just as the deer returns to the stream, we must continually return to God. Our longing to return to the stream is affirmed by how good the water is. When we experience the sweetness of life with God and His provision, our desire to continue to experience that intimacy only grows stronger.

Our souls long to be connected to the source of life. May we taste and see the Lord’s goodness and continue to return to the stream.

Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead

by Kassie Lowe