1650 Hooper Road, Forest VA

Today was a special Sunday.

The second Sunday of 2026, and my daughter and I were blessed to step into Waymaker Church, marking the 143rd church on this humbling journey.

I walked in already carrying the weight of a season that feels heavier than words, one that has cracked my heart open while forcing my eyes to truly see.

If you are reading this, I ask you gently and sincerely: please pray for me.

Waymaker Church says it plainly and boldly, People are the point.
And from the moment we arrived, that truth wasn’t just stated, it was lived.

This is a large church, yet remarkably intentional.

What stood out immediately was not the size, but the servant hearts. People greeting. People ushering. People welcoming. People serving, not hurried, not distracted, but present.

I recognized a co-worker. I saw friends who call this church home. It felt like watching the body of Christ functioning the way it was meant to, each part doing its work with humility and purpose.

When my daughter and I entered the sanctuary, the lights were dim.

Before finding our seats, we were drawn to the prayer room. The walls were filled with thousands of handwritten prayers on cards, layered over time, each one a heart filled word of need, hope, desperation, trust. We added ours.

My daughter wrote her prayer.

Mine was simple.
“Lord, you know.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Because sometimes words fail, but God never does.

I am entering one of the heaviest seasons of my life.

A season that has undone me in ways I didn’t expect.

A season that has required me to lay things down I never imagined I would have to release.

And yet, even in the ache, I know God is at work.

I had the unexpected gift of sitting beside a woman who works in mental health, and worshiping alongside her felt like another quiet reminder that God places people exactly where they need to be.

We sang together. We stood together. We breathed together.

That mattered more than she will ever know.

I learned that Waymaker’s theme for the year is “Transformation.” And today’s sermon leaned fully into that truth.

Pastor Jon didn’t sugarcoat it. He didn’t soften it. He didn’t try to make it pretty.

He reminded us that transformation is not optional and it is not self-produced.
And Lord knows… I’ve learned that the hard way.

Five years from now, we should not be the same people we are today.

Spiritually. Emotionally. Relationally.

Faith should be doing something in us, not just something we claim.

Three statements Pastor Jon shared have stayed with me, and I will be carrying them long after today…

We compare ourselves to others.
We justify our choices.
We defend our worth.

And if I’m honest, those three tendencies have shaped so much of my own story.

Comparison whispers lies about what we lack.
Justification excuses what God is trying to heal.
Defending our worth reveals how much we’ve forgotten where our worth comes from.

Jesus is worthy.
And in Him, we are made worthy.

We live in a world that actively trains us to live without God, to rely on self, to numb pain, to redefine truth, to distract ourselves into spiritual exhaustion.

And transformation requires us to resist that training. To slow down. To repent, not just once, but continually. To let grace do its deep, uncomfortable, holy work.

Pastor Jon reminded us that we are saved by grace, not by our own efforts. And yet grace doesn’t leave us unchanged, it reshapes us.

That question is living in me now,
If grace is truly at work in my life, what should look different?

Am I becoming softer where I once hardened?
Am I surrendering where I once controlled?
Am I trusting where I once feared?

Transformation is costly. And it’s ongoing.

And then, because God always knows when we need levity, Pastor Jon shared a hilarious and loving moment about his wife’s two favorite drinks and her very specific preferences for ice water. If you ever get the chance, ask him about it. You’ll laugh, and you’ll feel the warmth of a church that knows how to be real while still being reverent.

As we left today, Ms. sweet Maria stopped me and my daughter and I pray she knows how much I needed her hugs and her kind words. I pray the Lord blesses Maria the way she blessed us with her love.

This season is breaking me open.
But I believe God is making something new.

I am grateful for Waymaker Church, for their courage, their clarity, their hospitality, and their commitment to becoming who God has called them to be.

And I can’t wait to see where the Holy Spirit leads next week.

Because if this journey has taught me anything, it’s this,
God is not finished yet.