From the Desk of Pastor Stephen L Girsh, Sr.

“Holding the Hope and the Hesitation”

There are seasons in ministry when the ground feels steady beneath your feet… and then there are seasons like this one, where every step forward feels like a mixture of gratitude, anticipation, and a little bit of trembling.

Tonight, I’m sitting with all of it.

I’m grateful—deeply grateful—for the unexpected momentum we’re seeing. For the people watching, the hearts paying attention, the quiet ways God stirs long before we ever see the results. I’m grateful for the hands that help, the voices that encourage, and the small signs that remind me we’re not doing this alone.

I’m also full of anticipation. Something is happening here—something gentle, something hopeful. It’s the kind of movement you don’t manufacture. You just notice it, like a breeze shifting direction, and you wonder what it might carry next.

But I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t uncertainty mixed in. Growth brings questions. Attention brings responsibility. And sometimes I find myself wondering if I’m doing the right things, making the right choices, or leading in the way God intends. There’s a quiet apprehension that comes with stepping into something new, especially when you don’t yet know where the path leads.

Still… even in the wondering, there’s peace.

Because every time I pause long enough to breathe, I remember that God has never asked me to have it all figured out. Only to be faithful. Only to show up. Only to keep opening the door—literally and figuratively—and trust that whoever walks through is exactly who was meant to.

So tonight, I hold all of it: the gratitude, the anticipation, the uncertainty, the questions. And I offer it back to the One who sees the whole picture when I only see the next step.

If you’re reading this and feeling any of those same things in your own life, know this: you’re not alone. God works beautifully in the in‑between places.

And maybe—just maybe—we’re right where we’re supposed to be.

— Pastor Stephen