The other side.
“Let's go to the other side
Yesterday, I was filled with joy as I returned to my church home in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Kim and I first came here in 1994 to begin a ministry that changed our lives. Every visit reminds me how far God has brought us. Those days were amazing, ministering in multiple nations that were filled with hardship and danger. Kim was an absolute hero as a mom/wife and as a minister. God used her to introduce so many orphans to Christ, and through it all, God connected us to Frederick and Lena in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Times were tough then, as they are now.
First time in Vinnytsia, Ukraine
But even on the way to church, we were reminded that Ukraine is living through a ferocious storm.
As we pulled out of the driveway, a drone alert sounded, and sirens echoed across the city. GPS interference often accompanies these threats. Yet people continued with their day because this has become part of everyday life in Ukraine.
As I entered the church this time, I was greeted with warm hugs and big smiles. This church feels like home. The worship lifted my heart and reminded me that darkness doesn’t have the final word.
It should never be considered normal. But for many Ukrainians, it is.
Today, in church, I taught from Mark 4, where Jesus and His disciples faced a violent storm.
Ukraine knows what that feels like.
Currently, apartments, hospitals, warehouses, trains, fuel facilities, gas stations, grocery stores, and electrical systems continue to be attacked. The city governments are looking toward winter and asking difficult questions: Will there be electricity? Will there be heat? Will water still reach the apartment buildings? These are real questions and difficult realities; it is like a 5-year hurricane Helene that will not let up. The waves keep coming, and at times it feels as though the boat is filling faster than anyone can empty it.
But before the storm began, Jesus promised, “Let us go over to the other side” (Mark 4:35).
The storm was real, but so was the promise of His word. The disciples obeyed, but then a violent storm came, and where was Jesus? “Asleep in the stern.” When we go through storms, it can certainly feel like that: when we look for Jesus, He is asleep. Over the last year of my life, I have been in the worst storm of my life, and where is Jesus? Asleep. In Ukraine, currently it feels like that.
As I taught, I shared three truths that can help us deal with life's storms.
First, we must learn the prayer of lament. The disciples woke Jesus and cried, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38). That was not a polished or religious prayer, but an honest one. A biblical lament is a prayer that brings our whole heart to God—our pain, fear, grief, and questions—while still maintaining faith and reaching toward Him. Jesus did not reject the disciples for waking Him or silence them for speaking honestly. He met them in their fear. I believe that the degree to which we lament during the hard times is the degree to which we can receive His comfort.
Second, we must replace fear with faith. After calming the storm, Jesus asked, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). Faith does not pretend the storm is small. Faith recognizes that Jesus is greater. The wind may still be loud, and the waves may still be high, but fear does not have to rule our hearts.
Third, we must ask, “Who is Jesus for me in this storm?” After the wind stopped and the sea became calm, the disciples asked, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41). Storms reveal what we truly believe about Jesus. Is He only the Lord of peaceful days, or is He Lord when the sirens sound, the lights go out, and the future is uncertain? In every storm, we must rediscover who He is—our Savior, our refuge, our peace, and our Lord.
Finally, we must embrace His promises. Jesus did not promise the disciples there would be no storm. He promised them a destination: the other side. For believers, this is not a guarantee that every circumstance will unfold exactly as we want. It is the assurance that Christ will not abandon us, His purposes will not fail, and suffering will not have the final word.
After the service, I spent time with some of the college students and young people who have become very dear to me. They came running to greet me—some with tears in their eyes—and we hugged, worshiped, and talked together. I listened as they shared the storms they are facing. War has marked their generation, but it does not have to define their future. God is joining our hearts, and I believe He is raising young Ukrainians who will carry hope to others.
In the middle of a storm, people look for a lighthouse.
This is why God placed the Hope Center on our hearts. This 10,000-square-foot building on our church property is being prepared to serve those who have lost homes, food, heat, water or security. It’s positioned to serve refugees and wounded soldiers, especially in the winter months.
Together, Harvest Equippers Ministries and the Church of the Risen Christ are preparing to help refugees, wounded soldiers, and families navigate these rough waters.
Ukraine is still in the storm. We will lament honestly, replace fear with faith, and hold on to Jesus’ promises.
Jesus said,
We are the light of the World; let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
The waves are real. Here, I feel them and see them every day. But Jesus is still in the boat with us, and He has not abandoned me—or any of us—on this journey to the other side. God, please bring shalom, and bring us safely to the “other side.”