Fill in the Blank

Did You Watch It?

I was in my office, on the home stretch of a full week — meetings, conversations, decisions. I was packing up to head to an offsite when my son passed my door, did a quick 180, and walked back in.

"Did you watch this week's Loom?" he asked.

Loom is the video he sends out weekly with leadership instructions for how the weekend services will run. I'd been so buried in my own responsibilities I hadn't watched it yet.

"Pull it up," he said.

I got it on my computer and he blew it up full screen. There'd been a special moment in worship that weekend. On the center screen, in huge letters: "Jesus gave me victory over ________." Off to the side stood a vibe board with the same words.

"Now watch this," he said.

"Grateful For You" started playing. Pastor Daryl walked up to the screen, wrote a word in the blank, and stepped aside. A couple more staff walked out and did the same. I was watching the visuals, the timing, the music. I even made a noise when someone filled in a word — like I was watching a cool production element.

I thought they were just demonstrating how it worked.

Then my son said something like, "That employee had been set free from that." And it hit me — this wasn't a preview of a cool moment. This was raw, vulnerable testimony from our own staff.

I'd been watching it wrong the whole time.

Then Casey walked up. He filled in his word. And I lost it.

I know these people. I've worked next to them, laughed with them, cried with them. By the end of the video I just sat there — stunned, humbled, grateful for the mercy of God. I care about these people. That night, I watched it three more times, marveling every time at what God had done in each of their lives.

I've been in church since preschool. I gave my life to Christ in seventh grade. I've pastored for thirty-six years. When people sit across from me, I tell them, "There's nothing you can say that will surprise me. I feel like I've heard it all."

With thirty-six years of stories behind me, I've seen a lot of moments in church.

But hear this:

God working in someone's life — watching them walk in victory — still moves me. It never gets old. This is why we do what we do in ministry. We work hard to build an environment where people can take one step toward Jesus. God takes a person from a prison cell to a place of freedom. He gives hope. He gives life. He gives relationship.

So — what's your word?

Jesus gave me victory over ______.

It's time to step up.