Lets Be Real

What follows is a transcript of Pastor Gina’s message from our Sunday morning gathering. We share these messages on our blog for those who appreciate the opportunity to read the sermon again—whether for deeper reflection, personal study, or a quieter moment of prayer and introspection. As you read, we invite you to linger with the words, notice what resonates, and remain open to how God may be speaking to you through them.

By Pastor Gina Johnson

So, as I go into today's message, I want to talk about something that we all should be able to admit to, but we won't necessarily be able to admit to it. And it's, we don't have it all figured out. And 2026, as it's right around the corner, how many of you all have 2026 figured out? How many of you all know what's going on next? You know, we can function and we can go through the day-to-day motions that make it look like we are pretty sure of ourselves.

Even if we are those who practice worrying and fretting on a daily basis, like, ah, that's just Gina. That's part of how she does it. You know, so it's one of those things where like, you know, for those individuals who move through their life, whether they are those who are constantly smiling, those who are constantly fretting, they show up in that routine day in and day out.

You all show up day in and day out. And a lot of times we don't even recognize that we're just going through the same emotions, as well as physical motions, thoughts, and routines that we did the day before. Like, that's not true.

I went to the store yesterday. I'm not going to the store today. But you know what I mean.

We're kind of moving through that fog of, ah, this is who we are. This is our stage of life. You know, I'm not too sure what's going on, but I have my routine memorized.

So the moments I worry are the moments I worry. And the moments I celebrate are the moments I celebrate. And I go to work here, and I go to school there, and I visit with my girls at exercise class here, or the guys at morning coffee there.

But the thing is, having routine memorized and being able to put on a good front is not the same as having clarity. It's not the same in having confidence in who you are. You may be confident that, you know, rents or mortgages due on the first, and I get paid on these days, my doctor appointments are these days, this is my family, et cetera, et cetera.

But it doesn't mean you're confident in who you are and the great promises that have not only been given to you, but they've been fulfilled for you. You know, I was thinking about that phrase, it is finished, that Jesus says on the cross. And when he says it is finished, that's not just for him.

That's not just him saying, hey father, it is finished, it's all good now. That is him declaring for all of us, no matter what faith you want to label yourself with, this is for humanity, it is finished. Everything that you could possibly need, this ties directly to what Virginia was saying, every provision you could possibly need, anything that you would need within your life is there.

It may not look like what you expect it to look like, it may not go the way you thought it was going to go, but it is there. And so as one year is coming to a close and another year is quickly approaching, you all know sometimes there's these questions that get a little bit louder. It's like we think we're winding down and turning, and now we're in this vacation time, we're in this season of resting and catching up, we can take down the Christmas stuff and pack it away and feel that rest, but do you ever have those questions start to get louder and louder in those funny moments, you know like when you're driving your car, or like for me sometimes it's in the shower or when I'm doing dishes, but the worst one is when I'm laying in bed at night and those questions come up.

And you're like, well what questions are you talking about? Well don't worry, they're not dramatic, but they're ones that I'm sure we all have asked. It's like, am I okay financially? How am I going to get everything taken care of by the end of the year and step confidently into the next year? How are we even going to make it through the next year? Am I going to have to continue to work two jobs next year? Am I going to have to continue to rob from this bill to pay that bill? Am I going to have to continue to worry about my prescriptions and things that are coming up, you know? What if my health doesn't improve? What if that little thing I've been feeling turns out to be a little more than that? You know, we don't usually bring those questions into church. We don't bring them even into our closest circles, or not actually what we talk about, or if we do, we talk about them very lightly, sometimes with laughter, sometimes with a hint of nervousness, but then we move past it quickly because we're all very good at saying those two words, I'm fine.

I'll get through this. You know, it's going to be okay. You know, I'm praying God's going to take care of it, but again, being able to say these things versus being able to really live and stand in them, that's a big difference.

There's a difference between pretending in your faith and actually living in your faith, and the way that your faith is going to grow is not through pretending. It's through honesty. See, I don't ever think that God gets impressed when we hide our concerns, when we're able to go through a day, and even though we feel like we're on the verge of some other emotion, we put on that smile.

Like, yeah, it's, you know, one thing that I don't like to do is I don't want to put the weight of my worries on other people, and I don't want to create stories and situations that aren't really going on and pull people out of their present moment to come and commiserate with me. You know, that's what one of my mentors taught me early on, is like, hey, if someone's having a bad time, like, stand your ground, listen, be compassionate, and be there, but don't get into commiseration. It's like, hey, show me your tragic story, I'll show you mine, and then you're just going back and forth, and it's like you're hoping a third person's going to show up, like, what are you guys doing? You know, and it's one of those things.

I think God, God knows everything that we are possibly caring about, and I think, I'm going to go with, I know, I know God knows every detail, right? Every hair on our head, and for those of you who don't have a lot of hair, every skin follicle, I mean, yeah, hair follicle, I mean, he knows, you know, and he's waiting to see if we're going to allow ourselves, if we're going to be willing to express these concerns, if we're going to be willing to seek after the answers that are already there, or if we're just going to say, yeah, you know, I can do it, I got this, I'll wait till it's really bad before I lean on God, because I got this, I've, nah, this is nothing, I've been through this before, you know, God doesn't expect us to pretend anything, and the other thing God doesn't expect is he doesn't expect you to negotiate, you know, it's not one of those things where you hit this challenging part, say, God, if you can just make 2026 a great year for me financially, I will tithe 12%, you know, it doesn't work that way. God, if you could just guarantee those next three doctor visits are not going to have any weird or bad news, then I will get a gym membership, and I'll start going to gym. God, I won't say any more bad words or think negatively about anyone if you would just do this, this, and this.

I don't know what kind of dial-up God service that people think is going on, but that's not how it works. God doesn't want us to negotiate, he doesn't want us to bargain for peace and clarity, he doesn't want us to prove something to him or show up a certain way, and then he's going to provide the answers, as long as we do our part. No, God is willing to provide us with peace and clarity at every turn simply because we trust him, simply because we put our faith in him, and simply because we know time is not a thing, but divine timing is everything, and it's in everything.

I could look out here and say, gosh, there's only so many of you, and I could say, Kendrick, what's the live stream? Say, gosh, there's only so many of them, but whoever's hearing this right now, God's prepared a message within it for you. It's his divine timing, not mine. It's the words behind my words.

It's not Chena, it's what the Spirit has come to say to you. So today isn't going to be about sorting everything out and making sure we have it perfect. It's not going to be about the things that we are great at pretending or great at hiding away until we're alone.

It's going to be about being real enough to allow God to speak to us in the places that we are actually living in, not just the version of us that we put out in front, but the real one. You know, because Scripture, it doesn't meet us after we weather the storm. It doesn't show up like, oh, thank goodness.

I'll let me go read the Bible and see what I could have learned. It's not like that. Scripture is right there.

It's in front of us. It's in the middle, and it's so divinely put together to help us with every single circumstance, and it's absolutely beautiful. So today, we are going to talk about some of the concerns that maybe nobody in here are carrying, so that's great.

Good thing this is recorded. Somebody else will benefit from it, but we're going to talk about those concerns that are about money, about health, about the purpose we have, and about that heavy weight that comes when we look back the wrong way. That's called regret, and that tends to sneak up and show up too, and so I'm going to ask you all to join me in a word of prayer.

Gracious and loving God, as we go into your word, I pray that your voice will be heard, that the message prepared by the Holy Spirit will be received by each and every one of us. God, if we need to hear it like a loud bell, or if we need to hear it like a silent whisper, let this be the time that I am moved aside in just a conduit of the words that you have for us. It's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen. So first, I want to talk about money, a subject talked about all throughout the Bible, you know, and for many people, despite what we may think, unless we actually walk in their shoes, no matter what level of financial success that they are at, money actually isn't always about greed, you know. In fact, it's more about stability.

It's more about whether or not, you know, are the numbers going to work? You know, all these unexpected obligations and financial dues, am I going to be able to stretch this far enough? You know, as I've been saving, as I've been planning, am I going to be able to have the bare necessities? Am I going to be able to do little extra special things for those I love? And I think if most of you are like me, and then for me, you know, how often do we get in that pattern, especially moms, especially moms, you know, it's like, can I take care of those I love, and then for me? And, you know, it's one of those things where, like, when those questions start to pop up, they like to visit you sometimes at like 2 a.m., you know, and it's like, man, I like a nice warm blanket, you know, I like sometimes a drink of water at 2 a.m., but a visit from the, oh my gosh, did I remember to pay this? Do I have enough to pay that? You know, gosh, you know, everything keeps going up in cost. Am I going to be able to handle this? And so, you know, the greed factor, the, oh my gosh, I have too much, how can I get more? That's not usually what it's about. And another thing is, even those who are very, very well prepared, you know, I talked about my in-laws earlier, and they are just wonderful fiscal, financially responsible people, and even they have their unsettled moments, because costs are going up, and mom needs certain health care, and certain prescriptions, and so it doesn't matter how well you have saved, and how well and responsible you have lived.

You know, sometimes home repairs pop up, and is it the right time? I mean, is that like on the calendar? Is there a sticker that says home repair day, and we all hope that something goes wrong that day? I think we hope it doesn't, you know, and it's interesting, because you watch your savings, and you wonder, can it stretch that far? Will I be able to do something to raise it back up to where it needs to be? Well, you know, Jesus, he understood, and he understands the anxiousness that we can create around money, and the funny thing is, just like fear gives birth to everything that brings us into sin and separation, money sometimes can do the same thing, and even though we recognize it's not money that's evil, it's the way that we don't know how to hold it as a transactional resource that's been given to us as a blessing and a provision, it's not what defines us, but when we let it, that's when the worries come up, that's when the 2 a.m. visits show up, and what did Jesus tell us? He said in Matthew 6, therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life? This isn't a scripture verse of dismissal, this isn't Jesus saying, hey you don't have to plan, you ain't got to worry about a thing, everything you need, just snap your fingers, blink your eyes, and there it is, this is Jesus saying, do not give fear the steering wheel, do not let your amount of money determine who you are, whether you are worthy or not, do not let your occupation, do not let your savings, do not let your retirement decide for you whether or not you're going to make it into the next chapter.

We're standing in the next chapter now, and tomorrow morning we wake up into another opportunity to start another amazing chapter of our life. You know, when you think about how money stress actually works, it's like I said, it shows up in those random moments. You could be at the grocery store and then see that total, like ah, sometimes it shows up as probably someone's giving the offering thought.

It might show up sometimes when you're done doing your bills and you're like, oh I made it, or you're like, huh, I'm doing pretty good. You know, it's one of those things that scripture never says don't worry about money, it doesn't say money doesn't matter, it says money shouldn't master us. It says that you're not failing because life is expensive and things feel tight.

It's when you forget that God is the provision, and God will never lack in giving us the provisions we need. It's when we recognize that provision will show up in the exact divine moment that it's meant to be there, and sometimes it will be in the form of money. Other ways it'll be in other acts of charity, and what is charity? Love.

And so you don't have to worry about money. Sometimes the provision is not going to show up as abundance, it's going to show up as what? Give us this day, our daily bread. And as long as that daily bread is coming each and every day, you will have enough for the day, enough for the moment, the strength and the grace will meet you right there.

So sometimes faith is going to look very practical, but there's a lot of times, 10 times the amount that looks practical or it looks spiritual, and that's what I want you all to recognize when it comes to money moving into this new year. Next is health. How many of you have ever had thoughts like this? Is that normal? How long has that been there? How long should I wait before I get that checked out? Wait a second, how old am I? Is this supposed to be happening now? You know, it's amazing.

It's amazing the thoughts that go through our head. And you know, my favorite one is, what if this turns into something bigger? How do I tell people about this? Yeah, because who wants to? Who wants to do that? It's easy to say, hey, can you pray for my dad? He's going through this. Hey, could you pray for so-and-so? They're going through this.

But it's not as fun when you have to say, so, you know, I noticed this and this and this, and should I go to the doctor? Because then you got to be vulnerable and you got to be transparent, invite people into your health concerns. Well, the thing is, a lot of times something dramatic isn't even happening. But once that thought pops up, once that question pops up, boy, it sends us going.

You know, and it's like, how many times though have we heard the story that someone goes to a doctor's appointment for something routine, and it turns out there was a little something more than just routine. And instead of saying, well, thank God, if we wouldn't have gone to that appointment, we would have never caught it. We then turn it into, oh, great.

What about when they go to do this? They're going to find this and this. And what if they find that it means this and this? It's like, whoa, hey, slow down for just a minute. And remember, it's about faith.

You know, I grew up, and I mean this in the healthiest ways, with a mom that was a little bit of a hypochondriac. You know, my mom, something would, she'd feel a little something, and next thing you know, she was crying, she was praying, she was running around taking 10 different medications, all kinds of things. And I remember it got to the point where I was like, you know, I don't know if my mom is actually physically ill, or if my mom has overthought these things so much, has done the woe is me so much that she is causing her body dis-ease, that in her dis-ease of emotion, she is bringing disease into her body.

And not a day in my life would I ever sit here and be like, ha ha, that's how it is. And at the same time, I look at my mom, and I think, gosh, how much of this could have been prevented? I have no idea. And I'm not saying any of this to shame my mom.

What I'm just trying to say is it's amazing how ridiculous we can get, how overly worried we can get, how detrimental to our own well-being we can get when we take our health concerns and we just dwell and stir in them. I have a friend who I consider to be very different than my mom, and he's not dramatic or reactive. However, he is the kind of person that if he notices something in his body, his mind would start to spin, and he would just take it all sorts of directions, not out loud, not emotionally, just internally, because this individual is very grounded.

But it's funny, because he would allow himself, even if it's just for brief moments, to follow those thoughts and sensations into the road of, what if, what if? And then you throw that other one on where he doesn't have health insurance. So it's like, oh my gosh, what could this all mean? But I want to tell you, in watching him move and grow and develop and come into an understanding, he came to the truest realization. And it changed the way that he speaks and even spends time thinking about those health things, because it's this, none of that was helping.

Running down rabbit trails of what if was not helping. It wasn't protecting him. It wasn't adding a day to his life.

It wasn't healing anything. It was just pulling him out of the life that he is actually living in. It was taking him out of the presence.

You know, if you do get a diagnosis, and now you're just spending time counting your days, you're not living your days. If you do see a loved one of yours who is in a particular state or condition, you don't know how much longer you're gonna have, well then enjoy it, live it, soak it up. And don't commiserate with them.

Compassionate with them. Love on them. Because health concerns can arrive rather quietly, and sometimes your body has its own opinions and its own limits that it didn't used to have, and you're not sure how to make sense of what is going on.

You know, and I'm not just talking to people who ignore their health. There are people who are the most unsettled when it comes to their health, and they're the ones that are staying active. They're the ones that are taking care of themselves on a regular basis.

But again, the scripture has what we need. And in third John 1-2, it says, Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you, and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. What a great connection, the body and the soul together.

God is not asking us to choose between faith and caring for ourselves. He's actually saying, hey, I'm interested in wholeness. So yes, trust in the word of God.

Put your faith in there that no matter what comes at you, it'll be a classroom. It'll be a learning. It'll be something that you can grow out of, because God will work everything together for the good of those who love him, even illness, even death.

And so it's one of those things that you can allow health anxiety to steal away your peace. It'll steal your future. It will not allow you to live the life that you're already standing in.

And if you allow those what ifs to come in, if you allow those what ifs to take the wheel and drive you around, well, what ifs don't come from certainty. What ifs come when you trust something outside of you more than you trust the one that lives within you. And caring for your health is not about fear.

If anything, it's about stewardship, right? We steward our finances. We steward our belongings. We take good care of our children that we have, of our family members.

Well, this is our temple. And I was actually listening to an audio this morning that said, yeah, if you're not using the temple for the kingdom of God, if you're not using the temple to grow the kingdom, to honor God, to glorify God, then don't be surprised if the temple gets destroyed because it was given to you as a gift. And so steward it with that strong faith and say, it is well with my soul and with my body, regardless of what it may look like.

And last but not least, the end of the year always tends to invite us to pause and to take stock of our lives. It's time to do some inventory. And it's very natural to reflect and to look back.

I mean, when I first got up here, I was reflecting on my daughter with you all. So it's natural to sit and look back and say, okay, what's going on there? And the great thing is, is there's so much to consider, especially when it comes to, you know, how did I live my life? Did I fulfill my purpose? Did I accomplish the things I wanted to? You know, and when we're not in a rush and we're not surrounded by noise and even other people, but we're in the quiet spaces, we can really ask those questions. Hey, Gina, how are you feeling about the last 12 months? You know, did you get all those wow moments you were trying to create an experience? Did you navigate through all those moments that you were not trying to create an experience? Did you check your boxes? Did you give out enough love and service? And it's interesting because as you're going through those questions, they can start to sound harsh and they can start to sound confusing and they can start to sound very much of places of doubt and fear.

Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing right now? Did I take a wrong turn somewhere? Is this what that whole karma thing is about? I mean, we can come up with questions to really question, did we do it correctly or not? And when those questions linger, they bring along a friend and sometimes those harsh questions bring their friend called regret. It follows very quietly and then we go through that, oh, I wish I would have done it this way. Oh, if only I would have done that.

Man, I'm never going to get the opportunity to do that. See, I didn't do it right. And we go with the I wish and I wish and I should have and we think that determines who we are and we think it determines our capability in the year ahead, in the month ahead, in the moment ahead.

But what we did or didn't do back there, yes, it's affected us, it's impacted us, and it's definitely caused the water to flow a certain way going forward, but it does not determine what comes next. Our past does not determine what comes next. It could have got us to here, but now we're here.

And we don't have to regret that. You know, man, there are some things that I said and did last year that I really wish I shouldn't, but if I didn't, I wouldn't have learned from them. And for the places where those conversations or where those actions experience reconciliation, those relationships are now even stronger.

And for the ones where they're not even stronger, great, that gives Gina a chance to show up as a hundred percent as a child of God in this next year. That gives me the opportunity to connect to the Holy Spirit and show up in people's lives as the better version of me, as the present version of me, as the version of me that loves each and every one of you and isn't going to repeat that. Now, do I have other mistakes coming this year? I hope not, but we all probably do.

And instead of looking at them like, oh man, what mistakes am I going to make? Don't worry about it. Sit here with me right now and say, hey, you see that? What's that? Oh, it's tomorrow. I'm excited about tomorrow.

Are you ready to lock arms with me and step in tomorrow with me? Because there's no pressure here. You know, we, we may not know completely what our purpose is. And at the same time, we know exactly what our purpose is.

Love. Love. You know, anyone who's like, I don't know my purpose in life.

Just start with love. You know, everywhere you go, everyone you meet, everything you do, if you are doing your utmost to be a demonstration of love, whether it's holding the door for the person who's 10 feet behind you at the grocery store, whether it's accepting that apology that, you know, they gave you. I almost said a swear word.

Sorry, my dad. Half butt. Half butt.

You know, sometimes people give you a half butt apology and, you know, it's like, you know, sometimes love is accepting that apology and, and, and not accepting it. And still, every time you look at them holding in your mind what they did, but accepting and saying, you know, I see the you that's standing here with me right now. And I'm excited to be with that you as I move into the next year.

You know, scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes three, you all know it. I like to give the credit to the birds more than I do the Bible, but it's for everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. That is meant to give you perspective as many times as we've heard it.

You know, growth will unfold. Clarity will come over time and most understanding is going to arrive after the experience, not before it. And even some of that understanding will come in the middle of experience if you don't let the experience eat you up in it.

If you can actually come up to that 30,000 foot view and be like, oh, I see you, Gina, and you look rather goofy going through all that. But I trust you'll keep your eyes on the vertical and you'll keep going forward. You know, what makes regret heavy for us at times is, is that we really just allow it to whisper to us and to tell us the door is closed.

Your chance to grow has expired. And the truth is that's not, that's not how it is. In the book of Lamentations in chapter three, it says, because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed.

Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed. His mercies are new every morning. And that doesn't mean that yesterday doesn't matter.

It means that yesterday is not going to determine where we're going next. Mercy isn't going to erase responsibility, but it's going to restore us to the movement of who we are as ambassadors of Christ, as representation of God's love being born in each and every one of us. God is not waiting for you to undo something from the past to move forward.

Because he tells us in Philippians, it says, the one who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. Will carry it on to completion. Who's going to do it? The one who began a good work in you.

And that's all it takes is you recognizing that he begun that good work, you receive that good work, and together that good work is going to come into completion. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and you is going to bring it to completion. So as we come to our close today, I wasn't here to bring up a bunch of questions and fears that you may want to keep quiet just to kind of ruffle your feathers.

I was here to remind you that yeah, we all have those. And I even have some that you probably will never have in your life, and you have some that I'll never have in my life. But the thing is, they are not who we are.

We don't have to enter the next year fearless, and we don't have to have all the answers, and we don't even have to have it all together. But we do. We do need to walk in that next year with honesty, with courage, and with faith.

Going back to that last verse there, the one who began a good work in you will carry it to completion. So as this is the last Sunday of 2025 that we will come together, hey, let's be real, let's be love, and let's rock this stepping into 2026 as the powerhouse of the children of God that we are. Please pray with me.

God, we are so grateful for all that you have given us as we look back, not just in 2025, but throughout the many years that we've all been blessed to live and participate in and experience love and loss, experience joy and sorrow, experience truth and the great search for truth. And so God, as we are embarking into another beautiful chapter, even in this next moment, we are so grateful that you are with us. We're so grateful that you've gone before us, you stand within us, and you are there behind us.

And God, we are excited to bring you our very best, to bring you the Christ that we are, the Christ light that lives within us as we step boldly into this next chapter. It's in the most powerful, the most beautiful, the most divine name of Christ Jesus that we pray. Amen.