A Lot of Words

I was on my daily walk this week, mentally downloading all the conversations I'd had from Sunday to Thursday — my work week. It still amazes me the places ministry takes me: through conversations, events, environments, and even geography.

Kristin and I just got back from a week of celebrating the Grace Family Church Family Ministries — the Pastors, Leadership, Staff, Volunteers, Counselors, and of course the Youth who attended camp. They crushed it!  I talked with people who call GFC home and others who are close relationships built over years. I sat in organizational meetings about vision, growth, alignment, structure, and relationship.

Somewhere on that walk, I realized I was trying to download a lot of words.

Some of them were pure fun. People excited about God and all He was doing in the moment. Clash Camp continues to be one of the highlights of my year — so many people taking a step toward God and expressing it in raw, authentic worship. Hearing about new grandbabies, graduations, and life change people can't wait to talk about. New insight into how teams work best based on their God-given wiring. Again and again, I found myself thinking: it is a privilege to be part of the forward momentum that comes with being present in life's celebrations.

And then there were the words that weren't fun at all. Someone unpacking real pain from an event or moment in their life. Emotions and confusion that don't line up with where a person — or a situation — wants to go. Hard conversations about someone's choices, or about what has to change for them to move to a better place. Think back on a week of your own conversations, and you'll recognize the challenge: taking the gold and throwing out the straw.

Here's the challenge in both cases. Whether it's a mountain top or a valley, I need to slow down to hear the story — the details, the emotions, the body language. That's not natural for me. I'm wired as a driver. I love to move, take new ground, and receive information in bullet points, not paragraphs. In the past, long conversations felt like a drain.

And then God steps in.

I know He's created me to be an "Empowering Shepherd." The result is that I genuinely find joy in watching others take their next step — closer to God, or forward in their own growth. To do that well, I have to slow down, listen, and take in everything I need before I offer input. That takes time, space, and the willingness to let people share in the way that works for them — which usually means a lot of words. And here's the part only God could do: I'm actually enjoying the growth. I love hearing people unpack their story and what makes them who they are. I feel it with them — in the celebration and in the gut punch. And as we move through it together, the Holy Spirit gives me insight and next steps that make their journey better. It's rewarding to watch God sharpen this new tool in my spiritual toolbelt.

It looks like a contradiction. I can operate as a driver and make sharp, strategic decisions that take ground. Or I can slow down and empower through presence and Spirit-led insight. God is using both — and humbling me through both. So I keep surrendering both back to Him. I don't want to run either one in my own strength. I want Him to lead and develop both gifts, in His timing, His will, His purpose.

Your walk is full of downloaded conversations too — mountain tops and valleys, bullet points and long stories you'd rather rush past. God isn't asking you to become someone you're not; He's asking what you'll surrender of who you already are. Stop rushing past the moments that don't fit your wiring. Ask God which gift He wants to develop in you next. Trade your own direction for His unlimited character. Slow down long enough to actually hear the story in front of you. Put your faith in what God is building — not in what you can drive on your own.