ManUp Moment - Jay Cookingham

Real leadership isn't about control—it's about commitment. It's about surrender. It’s about serving. It’s about leading others because you first learned how to follow Christ in faith, in suffering, and in hope.

Positions, titles, even ministries can come and go. But one identity never changes—you are a son of the living God. When the world crashes in, and titles are stripped away, what remains is your sonship. God isn’t after your work; He’s after your heart. He’s not trying to get more from you—He’s trying to give more to you.

The world defines desperation as hopelessness. But in God's kingdom, desperation is a deep, relentless need for His presence. Psalm 42:1 says, “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for You, O God.”

In this life… we will have pain, but how we respond to it shapes everything. In John 16:33, Jesus promises we will face tribulation but urges us to take heart—He has overcome the world!

Romans 15:13 reminds us that hope is something God fills us with by the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s not manufactured through effort; it’s received through faith. When life crashes in with pain, disappointment, and hardship, hope is our anchor.