I’ve recently realized that there needed to be a shift in how I serve and DO for God. As a super busy person who juggles multiple things, I’ve realized all my DO-ing isn’t the way. I needed a new way. I share about this in my latest sermon preached on 9 November 2025 called “Waiting with God: A sermon from life and the Psalms” from several lines in different Psalms (Psalm 27:14; 62:5; 130:5; 33:20) May it encourage you!

I preached this sermon as the main scheduled preacher this semester for the Young Adult Ministries (YAM) English speaking college ministry of The Lord’s Church in Waco (TLCW). This semester, I’m scheduled to preach twice a month. Come and worship with us if you are local! The Lord’s Church Waco is located in Waco, Texas, about a 40 minute drive from my home in Temple.

Scroll down below to watch a recording of the sermon, the poem I shared, a list of practices I’m currently using that help me to “wait with God”, and the prayer I shared at the close of my sermon. Scroll down even further to watch my ‘After Sermon Preaching Tips‘ video where I’m keeping up my routine of sharing a few thoughts after I preach (right before I walk back into my home from my car!).

I am always hopeful that these offerings would bless and encourage you in your own journey with God and in your ministry of service to others. Feel free to reach out to me or leave a comment below, anytime. Blessings and peace!

“Fire” poem by Judy Brown

How I ‘wait with God’ resources

Depending on the season of life I have been in, I have ‘waited with’ God in different ways. Here are the ways that I’m doing it now- in this season of busyness and transistions.

• I heard about this online gathering when I realized I needed something different to wake up to than my then current practice of immediately scrolling my inbox to catch-up on the lastest news. I wanted to start my day differently. Now I attend this time because I believe this is just a part of my work to do as a person who wants to follow God more intimately, I must sit with God and spend more time with God. 20 minutes out of 1,440 minutes in a day is not enough, but it’s a good start. And, I tend to stick with things when I do it in community.
  • 6:30amCDT “Simple Presence” daily Zoom call online with others (mostly from Shalem Institute but anyone is invited to participate in silence) to start my day (someone pre-selected reads something brief that is sacred, meaningful, and/or contemplative. Then we all spend 20 minutes of ‘sacred silence’ together. Then that person brings us out of it by sharing a line or two from that reading or offering a blessing for the day. No one (except the person presenting) speaks until that time is over, but we are there together listening to the Divine and present with one another.) Find the Zoom link here. I also have it listed here.
• Pray As You Go app (or online). Less than 14 minute daily audio led worship, Scripture reading, and questions to consider with God as you listen to the Scripture being read again. Check it out here.
• I’ve created an online group where anyone can come and participate and practice sharing/receiving from our time of being in community with God through the reading of Scripture. I call it “Scripture Lectio.” It’s not your traditional “Bible study” because we include times of silence where we are listening for the Holy Spirit to teach us. It’s not fully Lectio Divina because we also value listening and sharing with one another about the text from our different perspectives. The time is on Sunday’s (every Sunday) from 8-9pmCDT (time adjusted due to daylight savings).
  • Join in with us or feel free to reach out if you have more questions. My hope was to offer an opportunity for anyone interested in connecting with God and one another weekly. All the details about Scripture Lectio online with Sejana Sunday’s 8-9pmCDT are here.
• My backyard has been a place I’ve often ‘waited with God.’ I enjoy watching the clouds go by, the grass wave in the breeze (when I let the yard go un-mowed), or the tree branches swaying. I enjoy watching the squirrels’ tail move in halts and starts. I watch and listen to the birds flying by. And when our cat is out, I enjoy seeing her carefully exploring everything with curiosity. I just sit out there for a few minutes with nothing particular on my mind that I’m trying to figure out, no books, no phone, no music. Just me and God together in this world. I just look, and feel, and be.
• Walking in nature is also something I do. Lately, I’ve just been walking around my neighborhood in the quiet of the night. But I do enjoy driving to a park and walking out there so I’m more surrounded by trees and rocks and my favorite, some kind of body of water. I always appreciate when I spot a creature on my way.
• Spiritual Direction (monthly) with a spiritual director is a regular part of my practice since back in 2021 when I started going through the spiritual direction training. I find this time different than counseling or therapy in that spiritual directors (being called a ‘director’ is a traditional title) are not ‘directing you’ – instead they are WITH you, listening with you, and looking with you for the Holy Presence who IS (directing) you. And there are different styles of Spiritual Direction offered so try different ones. More explaination and list of guides are here.
• What are your practices? I’d love to hear. Please comment below!

Prayer offered 

May we be people who have courage enough to wait on you. Help us to get back to You, oh God. That YOU would be where we would place our hope and our trust. Help us to get the foundation right – of working, serving, responding, and being – from our time with You, Our Lord and our Strength. Our very present help in our times and others’ times of need. Empower us to come first to you, and to wait in you, before doing anything else. Amen.

Sermon Scriptures Psalm 27:14; 62:5; 130:5; 33:20 NIV(NIV)

Wait for the Lord;

    be strong and take heart

    and wait for the Lord.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

    my hope comes from him.

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

    and in his word I put my hope.

We wait in hope for the Lord;

    he is our help and our shield.

Preaching Tips Background Video

In this video share, I give a brief summary of my sermon preached on 9 November 2025, talking a little bit about my hopes in sharing the need for a shift in the way I was DO-ing things for God. It was one simple point – I know this is MY WORK to do at this season of my life is to practice Waiting for the Lord. I also talk about how one simple question with another leader grew and affected his team. I share about my view of leadership and some thoughts I’m pondering in my different opportunities. Finally I ask others to look to this blog for ideas on how I’ve been practicing “waiting on God” lately (see above). Please share what has been working for you in the comments below!

I’d love to hear what resonates with you, in your particular roles of ministry (or however you’ve come to find this particular video)!

You can watch my After Preaching Tips video playlist here.

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You can find the rest of my Sermons here! https://sejanashines.com/preaching and my Sermons playlist here.

Here’s a new link with all kinds of ways to connect with me! https://lnk.bio/sejanashines.

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