There are moments in ministry when the work does not increase—it changes.
This is one of those moments.
Recently, we learned that Bob Cash has been diagnosed with ALS. Those three letters carry weight far beyond their size. They bring grief, uncertainty, and a future that must now be approached more slowly and more gently than before.
In moments like this, it is tempting to rush into action—to organize, to explain, to plan, to speak confidently about what God is doing. But Scripture and wisdom both tell us that some seasons call not for more activity, but for deeper faithfulness.
This is one of those seasons.
Honoring God by Resisting Easy Answers
ALS is not a lesson to be decoded or a symbol to be leveraged. It is a real, painful disease that brings real loss. Faithfulness does not require us to explain it away or to wrap it in spiritual language that makes us more comfortable.
The Bible gives us permission to lament.
Jesus Himself wept at the tomb of His friend.
To honor God now is to tell the truth: this is hard, and it is grievous—and God is still present.
Honoring Bob by Preserving Dignity
Bob is not his diagnosis. He is still a pastor, a leader, a friend, and a man made in the image of God.
One of the quiet temptations in moments like this is to begin treating someone as if they are already gone—speaking for them, organizing around them, or redefining their role without their voice. That is not love. It is fear disguised as efficiency.
Honoring Bob means allowing him to remain himself for as long as he is able, and allowing transitions to happen with consent, clarity, and grace—not urgency.
The Ministry of Presence
There is a kind of ministry that does not preach sermons or lead meetings. It sits. It listens. It shows up without fixing.
This is not passive ministry. It is costly ministry.
Presence requires patience.
Silence requires courage.
Walking at another person’s pace requires humility.
In this season, presence will matter more than productivity.
Guarding the Church from False Urgency
Churches often struggle with suffering. We want to move quickly to hope language, legacy language, or celebration language. We want to resolve the tension before it has done its holy work.
But Christian hope is not denial. It is trust in God within grief, not around it.
To love well now means giving space for sorrow, prayer, and honest emotion—without spectacle, without pressure, and without pretending that pain must be rushed past.
A Word About Strength
Strength in the kingdom of God does not always look like endurance without rest. Sometimes it looks like restraint, shared responsibility, and knowing when not to speak.
Even Jesus withdrew.
Even Jesus rested.
Even Jesus asked others to watch and pray with Him.
None of us are meant to carry this alone.
Walking Forward Together
We do not yet know what the road ahead will look like. We do know this: God is faithful, Bob is deeply loved, and this season calls us to walk more slowly, more prayerfully, and more honestly than before.
Our calling now is simple, though not easy:
To be present.
To be gentle.
To tell the truth.
To trust God without forcing meaning.
That is not lesser faith.
That is mature faith.
John Hargrove Seeking Truth and Reality 