The Line in the Sand - Suffering

Let's worship. Come on. (upbeat music) See you with me. ♪ I was buried beneath my shame ♪ ♪ You could carry that kind of way ♪ ♪ It was not it to ♪ ♪ Till I made you ♪ ♪ I was breathing but not alive ♪ ♪ All my fears I tried ♪ ♪ Too high ♪ ♪ It was not it to ♪ ♪ Till I made you ♪ ♪ You called my name ♪ ♪ And I ran out of air again ♪ ♪ Out of the darkness ♪ ♪ Into your glorious day ♪ ♪ You called my name ♪ ♪ And I ran out of air again ♪ ♪ Out of the darkness ♪ ♪ Into your glorious day ♪ ♪ I'm the mercy I say ♪ ♪ My soul ♪ ♪ Now your freedom is all that I know ♪ ♪ The old man knew ♪ ♪ Singing loud ♪ ♪ Jesus, when I made you ♪ ♪ You called my name ♪ ♪ And I ran out of that rain ♪ ♪ Out of the darkness ♪ ♪ Into your glorious day ♪

♪ You called my name ♪ ♪ And I ran out of air again ♪ ♪ Out of the darkness ♪ ♪ Into your glorious day ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ I need a rescue ♪ ♪ My sin was heavy ♪ ♪ My chains break out the weight of your glory ♪ ♪ I needed shelter ♪ ♪ I was an orphan ♪ ♪ Now you called me a citizen ♪ ♪ When I was broken ♪ ♪ You were my healing ♪ ♪ Now your love is the end ♪ ♪ And I'm breathing ♪ ♪ I want the music ♪ ♪ My eyes are open ♪ ♪ 'Cause when you called my name ♪ ♪ You told me ♪ ♪ I ran out of that rain ♪ ♪ Out of the darkness ♪ ♪ Into your glorious day ♪ ♪ You called my name ♪ ♪ And I ran out of air again ♪ ♪ Out of the darkness ♪ ♪ Into your glorious day ♪ ♪ Oh, no, please, no ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) ♪ Oh, no, please, no ♪

♪ Oh, no, please, no ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) ♪ Who thought I'd find you at the lowest place ♪ ♪ Who thought you'd feel me in the crowd ♪ ♪ You'd make good on my mistakes ♪ ♪ Ain't nothing like I thought you were you better ♪ ♪ What a God would ♪ ♪ Oh, what a God would I ♪ ♪ Oh, what a God would I ♪ ♪ Oh, what do you are, but a God would I ♪ ♪ I thought you'd show up for perfection ♪ ♪ 'Cause why can't I love God but for the lives ♪ ♪ They say it's over for a sinner ♪ ♪ What do you say, no one's not, no one's not ♪ ♪ You say, no one's not, no one's not ♪ ♪ What a God, what a God ♪ ♪ What a God, what a God ♪ ♪ What a God, what a God ♪ ♪ What a God, what a God ♪ ♪ What a God, what a God ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ You're worthy God, you're so worthy God ♪ ♪ Take your time, just take your time ♪ ♪ If the highest place I reach is at your feet ♪ ♪ And I've done it all ♪ ♪ If the best thing that I see is your glory ♪ ♪ And I've seen it all ♪ ♪ Your love has changed my life forever satisfied ♪ ♪ You are my enemy ♪

♪ If the highest place I reach is at your feet ♪ ♪ Then I've done it all ♪ ♪ If the best thing that I've seen is your glory ♪ ♪ Then I've seen it all ♪ ♪ Your love has changed my life forever satisfied ♪ ♪ You are my enemy ♪ ♪ If it weren't, if it weren't ♪ ♪ Is the only thing you speak that I've earned it all ♪ ♪ If I build your heart and never see your head ♪ ♪ I've loved it all ♪ ♪ No treasure of this life ♪ ♪ Do it as your satisfied God ♪ ♪ You are my enemy ♪ ♪ Oh God, you are my enemy ♪ ♪ You are my end, what a God, what a God ♪ ♪ What a God, what a God ♪ ♪ What a God, what a God ♪ ♪ What a God, what a God ♪ ♪ What a God, what a God ♪ ♪ Take the highest place I reach ♪ ♪ I see that you'll feed it ♪ ♪ And I've done it all ♪ ♪ If the best thing that I've seen ♪ ♪ Is your glory ♪ ♪ Then I've seen it all ♪ ♪ Your love has changed my life ♪ ♪ Forever satisfied God ♪ ♪ You are my end, me ♪ ♪ If a woman is the only thing you spend ♪ ♪ Then I've run it all ♪

♪ You'll never see your hand ♪ ♪ I still have it all ♪ ♪ No chance your love is mine ♪ ♪ Could ever satisfy God ♪ ♪ You are my end, me ♪ ♪ God, You are my end, me ♪ ♪ Oh God, You are my end ♪ ♪ The highest place I reach ♪ ♪ Is at your feet ♪ ♪ And I've done it all ♪ ♪ If the best thing that I've seen ♪ ♪ Is your glory ♪ ♪ Then I've seen it all ♪ ♪ Your love has changed my life ♪ One word, if one word is the only thing you speak Then I've heard it all If I feel your heart and never see your end I still have it all No treasure of this life could ever satisfy God You are my end Sing it out, sir You are my everything You are my everything You are, you are everything You are, you are my everything You are, yes you are, yes you are You are my everything You are, you are my everything You are, you are my end I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go I wanna go, you are my everything You are my everything You are, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna

go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) Hi, my name is Dan, and I'm so glad you're here. At Pantano, we believe change people or connected people. Community is essential because we're not meant to do life alone. When we connect with God and with others, we grow, find encouragement, and experience transformation. Whether you're looking to meet people, grow in your faith, or figure out what's next in your journey with Jesus, we want to help you get connected. If you're joining us on campus, stop by next steps after service. We'd love to meet you, answer any questions, and help you find your place here at Pantano. If you're joining us online, make sure to fill out a connect card through our next steps page. It's a great way to let us know that you're here, get connected, and stay up to date with everything happening at Pantano. One of our core values is radical generosity, reshapes our world. As a kingdom-first church, we share our resources and our lives selflessly so people can experience the love of Jesus in real, tangible ways. If you feel led to give, you can drop your gift

in a giving box, give online through our website, or text give to 46356. Thank you for being a church that puts our values into action. We are grateful for each one of you. We are so excited to be partnering with Convoy of Hope. So far, over 1,000 people have participated to feed the world or to simply do the next kind thing for those around them. That is simply amazing. This week, we're asking you to do one more thing. Simply text Hope to 46356 to donate your one day's wage. Next week, we'll celebrate the results of your radical generosity and pray for the people whose lives are being impacted daily through Convoy of Hope. People from all around the world. People just like Bari. These dreams began many years ago. I saw an infinite number of women dressing up. They look gorgeous with high self-esteem. I would say to myself, one day I'm going to do their hair. When I spoke about my dreams, people would say, "Do you think you're going to have a future cutting hair?" A lot of people put you down, just because you dream. And even more when you are a single mom. When I found out that I was going to be a mom, I was thinking I could no longer do this. I hit bottom. I felt alone. I felt hopeless. I didn't have the slightest idea of how I was going

to support a baby. I even stopped looking for God. I thought my whole life was completely destroyed. When the baby was born, I heard about Gada. My mom said in my information and she said, "You have to do it for your son." The day they accepted me at Gada, I came back to life. I started dreaming again. I had hope again. Gada is love. Gada is light. Gada is support for many. Gada saves lives. I felt an adrenaline rush because I was fulfilling my dreams. (dramatic music) Not only did we learn to work with hair. [MUSIC PLAYING] I learn to love myself, have self-worth, take care of myself and feel pretty every day. Without God, we are nothing. And you have to love and value yourself and see yourself as God sees you. God voice saved my life and those of many women. If this program didn't exist, many of us would have our dreams ruined. The woman that came in here was left behind. The depression that I felt was nothing but a memory. The woman that came out came out full of happiness, full of love. I know that everything I learned

helped me to get the job of my dreams. I started my small business at my house. I feel a lot of peace and a lot of satisfaction. Knowing that with my hands I am doing my best to give my son a good future. When I look in the mirror, I see a radiant, brave warrior woman. I dream of a bigger business to be able to provide support to many women who need it so that they see, that they are worthy, that they are precious gems. God has saved my life and tomorrow, everything I learned, I can give it to someone else and he can save their life too. If you want to hear more stories of impact or learn more about Convoy of Hope, head over to Next Steps. Thank you for living out our core values, embracing our new partnership with Convoy of Hope and doing the next kind thing to love people to Jesus, wherever they may be. Make sure you're following We Are Pantano on social media. That's where we keep you in the loop on what's happening around Pantano and all the fun behind the scenes moments. Thanks again for joining us. We can't wait to see how God moves in our time together. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Pantano Family, how are you guys doing today? You all right? Good, good, good to see all of you.

I want to give a special shout out to all of you who are online. I know we have people in Benson, Gospel Rescue Mission, español, give it up. Across the globe, literally wherever you're worshiping from, we're so glad you're here. And if you're new to our church, maybe this is your first time being here or logging in, man, we're so glad he chose to be here today. God's got something for you, he does. No matter where you live, no matter where you're from, no matter where your faith background is, maybe you have no faith background at all. Every single one of us have something in common. Humanity, human beings have this one thing in common. We all know what it feels like to hurt. In some way or another, every single one of us has experienced suffering. And over the last few weeks, we've been in this series called "Line in the Sand," looking at some of the reasons that people will draw a line in the sand and say, because of this one issue, I just can't buy into this God thing. And they reject Christianity. Suffering is one of those deep lines that people draw in the sand and say, because of suffering, because of the pain in this world, I just can't buy into this. Now, out of all the reasons people will draw a line, this is unique because it's so personal. Every single one of us are tangibly affected by suffering and pain in our lives,

especially when there's no good reason which leaves us with this unanswered question that has been asked and posed throughout history. You all know it. We've all asked it. The question is, why? Now sometimes it's really easy to answer why because we're actually the ones who caused the suffering. You're like, yep, there it is right there. When I was a kid, I struggled with sleepwalking. Actually, I say I struggled. I didn't struggle at all 'cause I was asleep, but everybody else around me struggled with my sleepwalking. I did crazy, crazy things. Like one time I was literally up on my brother's bed and I was bouncing on top of his head. And he was sound asleep, by the way, never woke up. My parents found me and pulled me off. Another time I was, I thought I was going to the bathroom in a toilet and I wasn't. I was using the dirty clothes hamper and some of you, any sleepwalkers in here, like maybe you, it is a kid. Okay, all right, unite, unite, let's go. We should have our own group. The summer after my first year at college, a ministry school, I moved back home and it was the last time I lived in my parents house. And I had this summer job at Kohler, which is a factory that made tanks, toilets,

faucets, all kinds of stuff. It was a terrible job, by the way. But I was working in this job and it reminded me, like I gotta get back to school 'cause this is hard. But part of my job was stacking these big boxes. The big tanks on the back of toilets. I was stacking boxes. And this one night I had this vivid, vivid dream and it was so real. I was stacking the boxes really high and then they all started falling. And they started falling and hitting me right in the head. Like every single box that fell was like smack. Right in the head and I'm just thinking like, there's no way this isn't real. This is too real. I'm feeling this pain right now and I wake up and I'm standing on top of my bed and I shoved my head in the ceiling fan. And it was an old school ceiling fan, which means it was like, I don't know, they plucked it off of like a jet engine or something 'cause like from the 1960s, it was so fast. And my head hit the glass globe and broke it and I was bleeding down the side of my head. And every time a box would fall in my dream, the ceiling fan was just whack, whack, whack, hitting me in the head. And I remember coming to, and the first thing I see, I open my eyes and I just realized I see my dad

standing in my doorway in his whitey tighties with a baseball bat because all he heard was glass breaking and a bunch of thump, thump, thump and then he's coming and ready to do some business, right? He looks at me, eyes wide, I look at him, eyes wide and he asked me the thing that he asked me every time he found me sleepwalking. What are you doing? And I was like, I don't know, I'm asleep. I remember just feeling every time, but especially that time, such like a little bit of embarrassment, of course, right? But then also just anger like, why did I do this? Why did I do this again? I think every single one of us have made choices in our life where we've caused some suffering, some pain, maybe just to us, maybe to the people around us. We've all sinned, right? And made choices that brought pain, but what about the times where you had no choice? Where a tragedy struck in your life and you were just simply caught up in the middle of that, that's when we come back to this age old question of why. Sometimes when we ask that question, why is this happening? It actually compounds and kind of leads to other questions like, if God is good, why does the world hurt? So much. If God is powerful, why doesn't He stop suffering? These aren't just theological questions, these are real, they're personal questions. If you've ever sat in a hospital

besides somebody who was fading, if you've ever gone to a grave side of a person who was ripped from this planet way too soon, or maybe you sat with your phone or your TV and you saw this tragedy unfolding across the globe and you just think, God, why don't you stop this? Why don't you heal them? These are real questions because our pain is real. There's something I want us to hold on to today though, it's this, pain is real, but it is never wasted. Now, I want to be really careful. I don't want to give you just some shallow, easy answer to a deeply painful question. Why is there suffering? There actually is a simple answer and it's this, we live in a fallen, a broken world and that's true. Anybody, you've realized that, right? suffering. So it's actually good for us to understand why. To do that, we have to actually go all the way back to the beginning. The first book of the Bible is called Genesis, where we see God is actually creating all things. He's molding and shaping the earth. He breathes life into humanity, and he gives human beings this incredibly powerful thing called choice. He gave us as humans the ability to choose to live and love him or to reject him. Love actually requires a choice. We have that same choice today. Here's the thing. If God forced us to love him, it wouldn't really be love, because love that isn't free isn't love at all. So freedom is this today in 2026. Freedom is that we can choose God or we can reject him. And when humanity rejected God, sin entered the story. And here's the thing about sin if you've ever known. Anywhere sin is present, suffering usually follows. That's why we live in a broken world. That's the terrible part of today. That's the bad news, but here's some really good news, something you need to know. God didn't abandon us in this broken world. He didn't. Amen? He answered it, and he's present with us. He sees what you're going through. That's why pain is real,

but it is never wasted. So God sees, but that doesn't mean that he causes everything to happen. It means that even though God doesn't cause the pain, he can work through it. He can use what was meant to break you and to do damage and harm to you to create something deeper in you. So today, I want us to look at that. What can God do in us through our suffering? And it starts with our questions. Every single one of us, by the way, is asked a question of wife. Every single one of us. So maybe it starts with a shift of our question. Instead of God, why did you allow this? Something powerful happens when we say, "God, what do you want to do in this?" Now, one of the most quoted verses in the Bible about this topic of suffering is Romans 8. And Paul is writing this letter to the believers, to people like you, who are Christians in the area of Rome. Now, because they chose to follow Jesus, they were actually receiving suffering. They experienced all kinds of persecution, some even death, just because they wanted to follow Jesus. So Paul's audience that he's writing to, they're very acquainted with suffering. Here's what he says. And verse 28. And we know that in all things, somebody say all things, God works for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose. So in all things, God works for the good. Notice what Paul's not saying here? He's not saying that everything that happens is good. He's not up on the hilltop, singing the lego song. Everything is awesome. It's not, right? Everything is not awesome, I could tell you. And we know that, because we know that cancer is not good. We know that abuse is not good. Betrayal and death. These are tough things. But Paul says that God works in all things for good. There's a massive difference here. That's what God does best, by the way. He shows up when all we can see is the bad in a situation and he works for our good. But here's the thing. Here's what Paul's talking about when he says good. Because when I think of good, and I just read that one verse by itself, I think good probably means, all right, God's going to save me from this struggle. God's going to remove this issue or this pain, right? He's going to make everything easy or comfortable. That's not the good that he's talking about. You read on verse 29, here's what he's talking about. "For those God for knew," he also predestined, here it is right here, "to be conformed to the image of his son." That he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. There it is. The good that God wants to bring is that we become more like Jesus. Church, you need to hear this. Guests, you need to hear this. God cares about what happens to you. He cares deeply about what you're going to do.

What happens in you as a Christ follower can have a great impact on your world, by the way. When you allow God to move and do things that are out of your control, right? In the midst of suffering. That's why our whole mission statement is loving people to Jesus and launching passionate difference makers. Because when we give our life to him and say, God, you can have it all. The good, the bad, the ugly. Then he can do something amazing and actually impact your world. That's why we're encouraging all of us to say, hey, give a day's wage, right? To people you don't even know and you probably will never meet but there's suffering happening on the other side of the globe where people have no food and we get a chance to actually be a part of bringing hope to them. That's what really lasts in this life. What happens to you is temporary. Think about that. What happens to you is temporary. It can feel like it's forever, but it's not. What happens in you though? That's eternal. That's why pain is real but it is never wasted. So you and I, we have a choice. Say it with me, I have a choice, come on. We have a choice.

Do we let the pain own us and trap us or do we allow God to shape us in the midst of it? Recently I read this devotional and man this paragraph stuck with me. It says the best humans have been broken but they didn't stay there. They've been humbled, they've been tested, they've been stretched and brought to places that they never thought dead face but God does not waste a broken season, amen? Sometimes he uses it to rebuild your own faith, your discipline and your purpose. A broken human in God's hands is not finished but being made stronger. That's the choice you and I have. Do we allow the suffering to own us or man? Do we say God, do something good from this? Here's the thing, there's 100% rate, right? Human beings we will suffer, every single one of us. We don't have a choice in that. What we do get to choose is how we walk through it and who we are on the other side of our suffering. Here's the thing I actually believe though. I don't think we hate pain. You're like, yeah, right. I actually don't think we hate pain. I think we hate pain without a purpose. Like when you're a kid, you get growing pains and you're like, oh man, my legs are cramping and my arms and some well-meaning adult says yeah

but it means you're growing and you're like, I don't care, I'm just cramping in my legs, you know? But there's purpose in that pain. Some of you go to the gym and you choose to do leg day. Some of you like leg day and you should really be checked out because that's not right. You can't even sit on the toilet. Like, but the thing is there's purpose even with the pain of leg day, there's purpose. We get to choose. Like there's something good coming from this suffering. Training hurts but you're preparing difficulty can hurt but God can use it to form and strengthen you. Here's a biblical hot take, okay? This is not an easy one. We see throughout the Bible though, we actually have to learn to embrace suffering. Here's what I think about when I just, when I say those words myself, embrace suffering. This is what I think about. (audience laughing) That's not what I'm talking about, by the way. It's not what the Bible's talking about. By the way, if you're not from Arizona, these are called Swaro, and they're not fluffy, they're not nice. Don't even smile at 'em, don't look at 'em. They're dangerous, they're painful. She didn't do that. She didn't do that.

Don't look at 'em, they're dangerous, they're painful. She didn't probably hug that cactus, I guarantee you. That's not what I'm talking about. Don't go looking for pain. Trust me, the world, our human experience, it's gonna bring suffering to your life. And I know this is like a downer, right? But it's truth. It's truth because every single one of us experience suffering. Here's what I'm not telling you, by the way. If you are in an abusive relationship, if you're in something, an environment, or a situation that is continually bringing pain to you, God did not call you to stay in that if you have a choice to get out of it. You need to hear that today. Somebody needs that. because God may be trying to make you stronger. He also gave us the power of choice to do what's right. So that's for somebody. Get out of a relationship if you have to, right? Get help, set some boundaries, talk to someone. Make that choice. But here's the thing, when hardship comes to our life, Scripture tells us that God can use it to form something strong in us. Romans chapter five, a little earlier in verse three, it says, we can rejoice too. When we run into problems and trials for we know that they develop endurance, and endurance develops strength of character,

and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. Notice this progression. First of all, yeah, suffering. Like something happens in your life, something bad, and it's hard, and you have to walk through that. And if you allow God to help you, he actually starts to work. And through that, he begins to form endurance. And once endurance actually takes shape in us, it actually starts to create our character and strengthen us, and we become a new person so that the next time trials come, we're actually stronger in the moment because the very beginning, we shifted our attention to God, and when strength of character happens, it develops something in us that every human being needs to survive, and that's hope. But it all starts with the moment we're in the pain. Do we choose to let God do something good, or do we just try to walk it through ourself? There are things that we learn in suffering that we will never learn when things are going our way. And that's a hard part of life. That's why pain is real, but it is never wasted when God's involved. Now, at this point, you may be like, "Chris, I get it. "We all suffer. "We're human beings, and we all have a choice "to let God do something from it, right?" But eventually, most of us, we come back

to this bigger question of if God can stop suffering, why doesn't he? Why doesn't he stand us that thing and just snap his fingers, right? He's gone. Why doesn't he end brokenness in our world? We're actually not the first people to be asking that question. In fact, even in the Bible, the New Testament, they were asking the same question because they had this promise that God was gonna come back, that Jesus was gonna show up one day, and he was gonna end suffering. He was gonna make things brand new. So here's the problem, people begin to ask why is God taking so long? Second Peter, chapter three, verse eight, answers this question. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with who? You, me. Not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. God isn't slow. God is patient. We ask why hasn't God done something about this situation? And scripture reminds us that God sees people who haven't turned to him yet, who haven't received the gift of salvation yet.

And I know that this answer doesn't answer every question about our suffering, right? Our personal suffering, but it tells us something about the character of God, about God's heart, that he's not indifferent to suffering. He's pursuing people. And ultimately, God isn't just interested in fixing a broken world. He's interested in redeeming broken people, amen? The people he's interested in redeeming is us. Go back to the verse that says who God is being patient with, it's us. It's easy for us to think about the problem out there, right? The problem across the glow of that group of people. That country, that person who's causing pain or issues, that's who God needs to work in. But scripture tells us it's real, it's personal, it's us. It's the brokenness in us that God is being patient with. Our Christian story is not that God looked at our messed up world and said, you messed it up. You broke it, you fix it. Amen, that he did not do that, right? But he entered our broken world and he came. And that's why the cross of Christ is so powerful. If you'd been standing at the cross when Jesus was hanging on that Friday, you would have thought God lost. That suffering had won that day. [BLANK_AUDIO] But Sunday was still coming, right? It wasn't over. It wasn't done. The cross wasn't the

end of the story. That grave wasn't the end of the story. God can redeem what looks irredeemable. And if God can take the greatest act of human evil and turn it and redeem it, just imagine what He can do with your life. I'm going to share one more story with you today. This is our friend Becca. She's one of our worship leaders. And man, she has a powerful testimony of suffering in her life, deep, difficult suffering that God has brought her through. Why don't you watch this? I don't think that anyone at 27 is expecting to hear you have cancer. At first I felt like God's voice was completely silent. I couldn't find him. I just felt like he wasn't there. I felt abandoned. I was the product of a teenage pregnancy in the Bible Belt of Texas. Growing up, my dad went on a lot of deployments and every time he came back, I feel like a little piece of him was different. And so some of my earliest memories were of domestic violence being in my home. Then when I was 13, that escalated to sexual abuse of me by my father. And that was something that I didn't ever speak about to anyone because it felt so big and scary. And I didn't even fully comprehend it. I started to internalize a lot of that and think was there something I could have done differently? Should I be saying something? Did I provoke this? Is it my fault? And in that also a lot of questioning where's God through it? It made the concept of God being the good and loving father that we're told he is very confusing because I felt abandoned when I finally brought it to my mom and talked to my family about it. I was expecting a sigh of relief feeling or like, "Oh my gosh, I can finally let this go." And instead, it felt worse. It led to me feeling like this is so overwhelming that it would be so much easier if I didn't have to wake up every day. And I think it would be better for everybody involved if I just wasn't here. In 2021, I moved forward with a legal process of actually prosecuting my dad for the abuse. I showed up to the courthouse in Tucson and sat and waited for my case to be called and had people look me in the face and say I was a liar. And most importantly faced him. I felt such a mix of emotions and a deep well of like an emptiness that he's both my father and the person that hurt me at the same time. During that season of my life, I really relied on my friends and people that had become second family to me and a lot of that was here at Pantano just having them be in my corner that meant the world to me as well. So I found out that I had something on my pancreas in October of 2025 and got it confirmed in November that it was actually cancer. I had surgery the first week of January and was in the hospital for two weeks. Around that same time, I had gotten sick and had more scans that said you have

something on your thyroid as well. And we don't know what that is, but we need to take care of this pancreas thing first before we can ever move on to figure out what that is. So ended up getting a biopsy done and found out that it was thyroid cancer in March and underwent surgery for that in May of 2026. Suffering and walking through difficult seasons is something that I've become so used to. It feels kind of like a normal for me. And so walking through the journey of having cancer, I had more peace and more of a cornerstone in my faith to rely on that I'm going to get through this storm. I don't know what it'll look like, but I know that God will use it for his will and for his good. I technically got declared cancer free twice. The first time, I still had a lot of this unknown component of is it cancer, is it not? I don't know. But the second time when it was like, you're officially official, you're done. I felt a lot more joy knowing that I made it through it and survived and overcame the things that I overcame. Who's Rebecca today? She is a lot stronger of a person, a lot more deeply rooted in her faith and more clear on her journey than the person that I was before. I have inherited a stepdad who is so much more of a dad to me than mine ever was and three new siblings with that. And we all are so incredibly close. I also am super involved here at Pantano. I am the student worship leader, so I get to sing with students every single week and connect with them and watch them walk through their life as students pursuing Jesus. And that motivates me. I feel really honored that I get to be a part of that. Faith doesn't feel natural, but it does feel like

there's nothing else that I can use, no other word that I can use to explain how I've been able to walk through everything that I have. (audience applauds) - I'm so proud of Becca. Our team has been able to just walk alongside her and see God take what was meant for evil, what was meant for destruction. And because she chose to let God use it, she has a life today that is full. And even though she had to ask questions along the way why God, she didn't get stuck in that. That's why pain is real, hers was real, but it wasn't wasted. Some of you are in the middle of a difficult season right now. You're carrying something that nobody else knows about. You've not let a single soul in on the suffering that you're walking through. We call those silent suffers because you just, you don't wanna inconvenience her. Maybe it's not as much or as bad compared to somebody else's suffering. And you're just carrying this thing by yourself. Some of you, you just got so tired of processing and talking with people, you're like, I'm just done, I just, I can't do it again. Maybe you prayed and you saw it and you've questioned and you're still stuck with that question of why. I don't wanna give you a cliche answer today.

And to be honest, if you do choose to say God out, I don't know what you have, but I need you today. It's not easy and it takes some time. We actually have a resource for you that you can download. It's on our next steps page. It's just some questions to help you process this. Take your next steps. You can download that if you want. I don't wanna tell you though, that everything is gonna work out exactly the way you want. I don't know that, but I can tell you this. Your pain is real. Your pain is real, but God has not abandoned you. Your disappointment that your feeling is real, but God is with you in the struggle. Your grief that you're in this cycle of is real, but God has a plan for good for you right in the midst of it. Our promise as Christians is not just that we will survive this broken world. If that's all there was, by the way, this wouldn't be a very good ROI would it. There's something deeper. We have a promise that God one day will make all things new. In Revelation chapter 21, they get a glimpse of this and it says this, and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look, God's dwelling place is now among the people, "and he will dwell with them, "and they will be his people, "and God himself will be with them

"and be their God. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes." There will be no more death, no more mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new." And then he's finished with this. You can make the choice today to follow Jesus, to erase the line in the sand that you've drawn and say, God, I don't know what the next step looks like, but I need you. If you make that choice, maybe for the first time, or again, you make that choice, that's where your story's headed, the hope of eternity. No more death, no more mourning, no more crying. Jesus will make your life new. So if you're in the middle of suffering right now, this isn't the end. Your suffering doesn't have to get to find a word Jesus does. And maybe today, I would just encourage you with this last one thing, shift your prayer, shift your question, instead of God, take this away. God use this for good. Use this pain, use this disappointment, use this season, use what I don't understand, use what I never would have chosen for myself. Because God can take the mess and the brokenness and he can redeem it if he can do it for the cross.

Imagine what he can do with your story. Your pain is real, but it does not have to be wasted. So today, I want to just have one more moment together. And if you feel comfortable, you can stand, we're going to sing a song in a minute, but I just want to invite you to experience this today because I know a lot of us, a lot of us are in the midst of suffering. And if that's you today, I don't want you to move on from this moment until you actually experience what God has for you. I'm going to invite you right where you are and right there online, just to have a moment to pray. And then we're going to sing a song about the plans that God has for us. But first, let me encourage you with this. It starts with the choice that we talked about earlier. Are you going to keep carrying this? Are you going to keep drawing lines in the sand? Or are you going to invite God to do something that only he can do in the midst of this pain? Let's pray. God, thank you, thank you, thank you, for people like Becca, for a powerful story, Lord God, that shines your goodness and your power, Lord God. When all we do is just make the choice to say, I can't do this, God. And I don't want to do it without you. Would we all make that choice today? God, would you show up in this moment right here,

right now, and take what was meant for evil and redeem it, in your name we pray, Amen. (congregation applauding) (gentle music) ♪ And Lord is my shepherd ♪ ♪ And he is everything I need ♪ ♪ So I will not worry ♪ ♪ I will not fear the enemy ♪ ♪ He said that he loves me ♪ ♪ He says he is with me ♪ ♪ And though I walk through the valley ♪ ♪ The shadow and death and still I know ♪ ♪ He has good plans ♪ ♪ He has good plans ♪ ♪ For me ♪ ♪ So I will take heart in deserts and gardens ♪ ♪ He has good plans ♪ ♪ He has good plans ♪ ♪ For me ♪ ♪ If I know my father ♪ ♪ I know my father has good plans ♪ ♪ For a weapon formed against his prosperity ♪ ♪ Lord is my savior ♪ ♪ So I should I doubt my victory ♪ ♪ Why would I question ♪ ♪ The rod and the staff that comforts me ♪ ♪ He quiets the waters ♪ ♪ He quiets the storm inside ♪ They're walking with them when I blink He has good plans

He has good plans for them So I will take heart and dance and take thoughtless He has good plans He has good plans for them You follow my father, I know my father has He has good plans He has good plans for them So I will take heart and dance and take thoughtless He has good plans He has good plans for them If I know my father, I know my father has good plans Search our God has good plans for us, amen He'll send me to your friends, heart, we'll send me to your friends He'll show me your goodness and mercy will follow I know my father, I know my father, he will not find me He'll show me your goodness and mercy will follow I know my father, I know my father, he will not find me He'll show me your goodness and mercy will follow I know my father, I know my father, he will not find me He'll show me your goodness and mercy will follow I know my father, he will not find me He'll show me your goodness and mercy will follow I know my father, he will not find me He has good plans for them If I know my father, I know my father has good plans Good friends, good friends If I know my father, I know my father has good plans Good friends, good friends If I know my father, I know my father has good plans

Good friends, good friends Did you feel God in this place today church? We are so glad that you are here It's your first time at Pantano We want to welcome you, we'd love to connect with you We have a next steps room across the courtyard here at our Houghton campus For you to get plugged in and check out some of the amazing things happening here If you need prayer for any reason, we have a prayer room across the courtyard We'd love to talk to you there as well, and if you're online, we have chat rooms for prayer That we'd love to connect with you in Thank you so much for worshiping with us today, we love you, have a great week [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] (upbeat music) (upbeat music)