At the New Room Conference this year, Jon Thompson shared a powerful challenge: instead of only asking God for a YES, ask Him for His NO. A holy NO can protect, redirect, and launch us into God’s better story. I believe it—because I lived it.

On November 18, 2023, after months of prayer, preparation, and trusting the Lord through denominational conflict, our church received a firm and final NO. And do you know what we did?

We worshipped!

Because God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. That is His nature.

As this delegate drove home from that painful and dishonoring special called conference, our families gathered to worship the Lord who had given them clear marching orders. Though slander swirled, mics were cut off, and long-trusted relationships were lost, God had been preparing them. The grief had done its work. They were ready to follow His leading. Read more about that here.

The very next morning—November 19—at the end of what should’ve been a normal Sunday school hour, parents quietly picked up their children and walked across the street to begin a brand-new congregation inside a funeral home. They carried nothing but faith, courage, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. No idols were taken and they started from a sacred scratch.

And the miracles began.

They gathered for the first business meeting on that Monday evening – November 20 – voted on a name, consecrated a leadership team, and called to offer me a position as the first hire. New families arrived weekly—no signage, no screens, no fancy systems—just hungry hearts. Panera became our office, Wesleyan discipleship became our shared language, and Jesus remained our uber-focus. Within weeks, God provided a permanent place to gather, grow, and serve.

The funeral home became a birthplace.

We rented folding chairs, sang with joy, and let the Holy Spirit lead every next step. Children wore holes in their pants playing on the floor, supplies traveled by wagon, and worship didn’t require perfection—just presence. Read about that here.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. That is His nature.

Holy Communion was served outside resembling a grape slushie as we bundled for the below-freezing Georgia winter. We prayed, we sang, we gathered empty suitcases for local CASA children (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for the first local mission, we used battery-operated tapers for Christmas Eve, hung out in a barn with a ewe and a pig to retell the Luke 2 account with children at our first Holy Communion & Campfire Christmas, and finished with carols accompanied by guitar and a high schooler’s trumpet. It was 43 degrees and pouring down rain. There was work to do. We weren’t building a church—God was building a people.

On February 29, we closed on property and three buildings less than a mile away. It wasn’t smooth—there were threats, criticism, vandalism, and seasons of real physical and spiritual resistance—but God kept providing supernatural solutions. We learned, we made space for the Lord to work out His best for all, we prayed James 1:19 often, and we kept doing as much good as possible with what was in our hands.

By the end of year one, we had access to the entire property, children and youth spaces were almost completely renovated, missions expanded locally and globally, and our community discovered new ways to worship, serve, and grow together.

This week, on November 20th, we celebrate our second birthday! Looking back the first year, we dedicated ourselves to getting our legs under us with legal papers and potluck table life often. The second year, we dedicated ourselves to designing a discipleship pathway and experimenting with environments, community partnerships, and living into the COMMUNITY part of our name. This coming year we’ll dedicate ourselves to editing well and solidifying processes and systems to beat the devil and make Heaven crowded.

And through it all, one truth remains:

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. That is His nature.

Last Sunday, we honored the leadership team who walked through the fire with faith, unity, humility, and holy courage. I’ve never known more smart, wise, humble servants of Jesus with such integrity. I would walk over hot coals for these people and I get emotional thinking of all the Lord accomplished through their faithfulness. Each one has talked me off the ledge more times than I care to admit. The crowns they will throw at our Savior’s feet when they see Him face to face will be so heavy and so many.

As our pastor reminded us last Sunday evening, we are a global, global, global, global, very Global Methodist Church—called to share Jesus with neighbors, nations, and the next generation through Spirit-led worship, discipleship, mission, and Wesleyan community.

Because this is our hope and our assignment: “Always be prepared to give an answer… for the hope you have.” —1 Peter 3:15

And we have hope.

Oh, do we ever.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. That is His nature.

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.” Hebrews 10:35-36

Last week, I shared about God’s beautiful design for friendship. He created us to live in community—mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and yes, even chemically! When we choose friends who love and pursue Jesus, their faith helps lift ours even lessening decision fatigue. Psychologists might call it mind-melding; Scripture calls it discipleship and fellowship.

Let me introduce you to a few girlfriends-in-the-Lord we all need:

An Esther is a brave intercessor—someone who prays boldly and reminds you of your God-given calling. Linda L. was mine. She stood only 5’4” but carried a 10-foot personality. After I left a church staff wounded and exhausted, she pulled me back toward God’s calling with a firm phone call and a chicken quesadilla. She spoke truth, poured healing over me, and would not let me quit loving littles to Jesus. She is with Jesus now, but she will always be an Esther. I am in ministry today because of her pushing me to get myself together and whole, trusting the One who called me to provide a place to live out His calling on me. I am forever grateful.

A Ruth is faithful, not flaky. She stands beside you through loss and reminds you that you are never alone. Kate M. is mine. She saw something in me I couldn’t yet see in myself when I moved to Georgia. She let me start a Sunday school class for 4th–6th grade girls, and that small “yes” led to my calling as a professional Christian educator. She is a Ruth.

A Deborah is a wise, courageous leader with a prophetic voice; she rallies the troops. She speaks truth and calls you higher—even when you’re uncertain. Robin G. is mine. We met because of eclipse glasses—yes, really! In exchange she said yes to serving in children’s ministry and together we’ve started things, ended things, and started things again. She leads with boldness, and we share life through a Wesleyan Band. She is a Deborah.

A Mary believes in God’s plan for your life—even when it makes no sense. She lives her faith out loud with a heart full of YES. Judy S. is mine. Through ancient holy habits and courageous surrender, she walks through every door God opens. I get to learn from her, laugh with her, pray for her, share tables with her, be led by her, and cheer her on. She is a Mary.

An Elizabeth celebrates you without competing. She encourages, listens deeply, and shares a rich history with the Lord—so you don’t have to explain every detail. Melinda M. is mine. Long before “prayer partners” were part of our faith formation system, Melinda asked me to be hers. Every Monday morning, we meet for coffee and almost two hours of prayer and share. We share the same season of life. Melinda champions women, serves faithfully, and encourages with skill.

Rebecca M. is mine, too. We also share the same season of life and her ministry is alongside her husband. They are attached at the heart and hip. I have watched her raise boys to men, love grand girls to the Lord, and she loves through food, story, and table life. She’s funny, she is walking hospitality, and loves tea. Melinda and Rebecca are Elizabeths.

An Anna radiates joy and has a ministry of presence from an overflow of years of worshipping the One and Only who has sustained her in all of life. She loves her local church, serves through faithful presence and prayer, and lifts others so they can shine. Age doesn’t slow her—she keeps saying yes to God. Janet W. is mine. She writes notes of blessing, prays boldly, serves at a food pantry, ministers in prison through Kairos, invites women to Emmaus, and makes everyone fell special in her presence. She is darling with a side of precious! Mr. Bob says she’s the most interesting person we know. She is an Anna.

These are the kinds of friends every believer needs—and the kind of friend each of us can be as the Lord sanctifies us on this side of Glory.

So… where do you land? Which friend do you long to become? If you don’t have these women in your life yet, I can tell you where you’ll find them. At your local church.

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:25-26

We hear a lot about decision-making, but did you know the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions every day? Some are tiny—like which shoes to wear. Others are life-shaping—like where to live or work. But there’s one crucial decision we hardly notice: Who do I spend my time with?

As I prepared for a women’s ministry retreat at a nearby local church, I read Karen Riddell’s Friendship Matters and Melanie Shankle’s Nobody’s Cuter Than You. Shankle reminds us that childhood friendships were mostly about location, location, location. Whoever lived nearest became our people!

But research is showing that, as adults, friendship is one of the most important choices we will ever make.
Neuroscientist Dr. Moran Cerf at Northwestern University explains why: The people we spend time with actually shape how we think, feel, and even how healthy and joyful we are. Over time, our brain waves begin to sync with theirs—our minds literally wire together and fire together. Isn’t that amazing?
That’s God’s good design.

God’s good design includes a hormone called oxytocin which is the neurochemical that bonds mamas to babies and wives to their hubbies. It is this hormone that is released in our minds and throughout our bodies when we laugh, hug, make eye contact, or talk with friends. It literally causes a rush of positive emotions. 

Riddell goes on to write, “Oxytocin has a fantastic superpower: its release triggers the flow of other feel-good neurochemicals, creating a chain reaction for contentment.” God’s good design is that oxytocin’s effect is amplified by estrogen.

Men, on the other hand, have far more testosterone, which actually blocks oxytocin—so friendship feels different for them.

As women age, forming new friendships can become harder, but our need for connection doesn’t disappear and it’s still God’s good design that women discover deep connections with one another. And Scripture affirms this over and over: we were created for connection.

One of my favorite reminders comes from my friend Kate’s and my visit to Magdala in Israel in 2017—the hometown of Mary Magdalene. Excavations there revealed gathering spaces near the Sea of Galilee. Beside the excavation, there has been built a beautiful building with art with an atrium of eight pillars.
Seven pillars are carved with the names of women in the Gospels who followed and supported Jesus—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Mary and Martha, Salome, and others. The eighth pillar is blank meant to honor all the women—including us—whose faith leads them to follow Jesus.

Many of these women stayed near Jesus even when all seemed lost. In Mark 16, they spent the Sabbath in sorrow, but on the third day they did what women do—they kept going. They went together to buy spices to honor Jesus. I wrote Steel Magnolias in my Bible right there! They showed up for Jesus—and for each other.

So—back to our friendships.

If our minds naturally sync with the people around us, then it makes sense to choose companions who help us grow toward Christ. When we walk closely with friends who love Jesus, we’re encouraged to love Him more deeply, too. But if we link ourselves with voices pulling us away from godly values and confusing cultural causes, we will drift without realizing it.

So let’s ask:

• Who am I walking with?
• Do my closest friends share my values?
• Do they encourage me toward Jesus?
• Do they help me live into God’s goodness?

God designed our minds and hearts to reflect the people we journey with. Psychologists call it mind-melding. Scripture calls it discipleship and fellowship.

And here’s the good news: Walking with Christ-centered, wise friends actually makes life lighter.
Their faithfulness helps lift us up, strengthens us, and eases our decision fatigue.

Healthy friendships help us grow in health and holiness. That is God’s good design—and it is a beautiful gift.

“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices (they went shopping together!) so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.” Mark 16:1