2025 In Review

What a whirlwind of a year. Derick and I are just about finished with twelve full months of planning, preaching, decorating, organizing, cleaning, building, buying, and caring for our church. It’s been so busy that the year has flown by. There have been ups and downs—things we got right, things we got wrong. It has been a year full of learning and growing.

We learned how to replace electrical outlets, mud and tape walls, install new ceiling lights, and even build fences. There is so much more to ministry than most people ever see—paying bills, keeping track of finances, purchasing supplies, scheduling, planning, and even scrubbing toilets when needed. Through every task, big or small, God has continued to teach us, strengthen us, and stretch us.

I still haven’t developed the “alligator skin,” as Brother Dave and Sister Tonna, our former pastors like to say. I get upset too easily by criticism and critiques. Letting things hit and roll off your back isn’t easy, and it’s certainly not for the faint of heart. When you are in charge and things go wrong, you’re the one people look to. It’s a lot of responsibility to bear on your shoulders. It reminds me of the song from Encanto, when Louisa feels the “pressure” … like a drip, drip, drip that just won’t stop.

I’ve spent many nights this year crying because things didn’t turn out the way I expected. I failed time and time again. Sometimes I felt like I was just one failure away from quitting and throwing in the towel. Yet in all of that, I’ve found a deep appreciation and love for my church and its people.

They jumped in to help—even when the things we planned were new or small, or when others couldn’t make it. Even in those tiny groups, they showed up with faithfulness, supporting our vision and our dreams. Their willingness to serve reminded me that God can do great things with a faithful few.

They remind me that I can’t do everything by myself. I am human. I am flawed. I am exhausted. I need them to come behind us and support us. If I try to cook every meal, teach every class, and repair every hole in the wall, I will be of no use to the ministry. I’ll end up doing things God didn’t ask me to do—and doing them with a bitter heart and a poor attitude.

It’s already happened. I caught myself getting angry with Derick the other day because he wasn’t as excited about a community project I had completely poured myself into. He seemed a little apathetic to the cause. I was prepping, planning, and purchasing everything, and I found myself praying that God would “make him realize he needed to be more helpful”… only to catch myself acting like Martha.

First, God didn’t tell me to do that “great thing” I thought was so important to our ministry. And even if He had, it wasn’t my job to drag others into being overwhelmed just because I let myself get there.

I had to repent. The project didn’t turn out the way I expected. I was disappointed and discouraged. I let it take the best of my time and energy, only for it to fall flat. That’s life. I prayed about it and had to give it back to God again.

I have also had to lean on Derick this year. I have complained, vented, cried, and dreamed with him. I’ve had to trust him to guide our ship. I’ve watched him grow in his walk with God so he can lead us—our family and our church. We don’t always feel like we know what we’re doing. We get a lot of imposter syndrome. We’re still just a couple of young newlywed kids… just a few years older now, with kids of our own. Sometimes I don’t feel like we have the authority to lead others.

But God has been so good to us this year—through the ups and the downs, the rights and the wrongs, the excitement and the discouragement. I’ve seen Him growing us, shaping us, and molding us. Being pruned isn’t always pleasant, but I’ve definitely felt some pruning this year.

I’ve realized that I am not perfect. I build up these ideal pictures in my head of how something will turn out, and it rarely matches my imagination. Life isn’t perfect. It’s struggle. It’s unfair. It’s work. Yet we have God on our side. No matter how things work out—or don’t—He has never failed us, and He won’t fail now. He is constantly refining us, using us for His glory and not our own. He humbles us. He loves us. He comforts us when life is hard.

My word for this year was expectancy. I fully expected to get everything right. Ha. I thought we would make big changes for the kingdom of God. I thought our church would double in size and that people would jump in, heart and soul, to serve. Nope. God doesn’t measure growth in His kingdom the way we do. The number of people in a church matters far less than the nearness of their relationship with Him.

Yes, fixing up the church building has been important—and a blessing. But fixing up our lives is more important. Facilities matter, but a church must be built on love, faithfulness, gratitude, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need a strong prayer life. We need to live in thankfulness. We need to be rooted in Scripture and have God’s love written on our hearts.

I am so thankful for this year—for the blessings we’ve experienced, the responsibilities we’ve grown into, and the new roles God has called us to serve in. I am thankful for the opportunities we had to plan, work, and serve our church family. I am thankful for the moments when I was at my worst, and they stepped in to help. I didn’t have to do everything on my own. That is what the church is for—to have a family surrounding, supporting, and serving together.

I don’t know my word for next year yet. I don’t think I’m stepping into it with the same “expectancy.” Maybe it’s patience, or peace, or perhaps rest. My plans will be a little less lofty. I will be expecting God to sustain us, to help us, and to lead us in the way we should go.