Peace in the Spinout

Last week may have been one of the best weeks of my life. I celebrated my birthday not just for a day, but for a whole week. I went to the movies and found unexpected encouragement in Highest 2 Lowest with Denzel Washington. I ate whatever I wanted. I found myself in conversation about the potential next phase of the United Methodist Church. I connected with people professionally, personally, and spiritually. It was a week filled with joy, hope, and reminders of purpose.

And then Saturday at 12pm happened.

A car ran a red light and hit me. In an instant, my week of celebration was interrupted by chaos. My body ached, my rear tire bent out of shape, and my car spun with violent force. By the grace of God, no one else was hurt. But when my car finally stopped, I realized I had been gripping the wheel so tightly that a witness later said my eyes had been closed until I came back to myself.

In that moment, I had a decision to make. I was a Black man in need of care and compassion, while feeling deep anger at a driver who denied the truth of what had happened. I was shaken, frustrated, and just ready to get it over with. But after 48 hours of reflection and prayer, I made my choice: I will walk differently.

The man who hit me bragged that his car was built like a tank. But I walked away—because God has built me like a terminator. Not in the sense of being unbreakable, but in the sense of being unstoppable. The stress of this year has been relentless, yet I remain uncrushed. The challenges have stacked one after another, yet I am still standing. Why? Because my time is not up. My mission is not complete.

When you carry Kingdom purpose, nothing in this world can stop you.

I thought about Jesus on the boat with the disciples:

Mark 4:35–41 (ESV)
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”
36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

We often focus on Jesus’ power over the winds and waves, but maybe He understood something deeper—that storms increase as you stay faithful to your assignment. The storm wasn’t proof of God’s absence, but of His presence. It wasn’t evidence of failure, but confirmation of mission.

The disruptions. The disconnections. The dismissals. The unexpected collisions. These are not signs of defeat. They are reminders that you are pressing into something hell cannot control.

If you had told me at the start of 2025 the challenges I would face, I would have said no. But here I am. Still here. Still standing.

And maybe my story can encourage you today:

The enemy will throw everything he can.
But storms can’t sink what God has purposed to sail.
Take a deep breath. Sit still.
Your very presence shakes the plans of evil.
Your voice carries liberation for the voiceless.

Like the Terminator, walk through the fire and chaos. Stand tall. Remind the world and remind yourself: you’re not going anywhere.

Closing Prayer

Lord, I thank You for life, for breath, and for the strength to stand when the storms rage. Thank You for holding me in Your hand when everything around me feels out of control. Teach me to rest like Jesus did in the boat, confident that no wave or wind can cancel Your purpose for my life. When I am tempted to give up, remind me that my mission is not complete and my time is not up. Strengthen my heart to walk tall, to speak boldly, and to live faithfully. And may my life be a testimony that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. In Jesus’ name, Amen.