Shelley recently spoke for a Women’s Ministry retreat held at Tenaya Lodge, near Yosemite National Park. I was en route to the main conference room to listen to one of her keynote presentations when a radiant woman rushed up to me.
“Oh, J. D., it is so good to see you! You probably don’t remember me, but I got teamed up with you and Shelley to perform an anointing service at a Soquel Camp Meeting in California, back around 2010.” She added joyfully, “I have to tell you—I’ve been eager to tell you for all these years—that experience with you and Shelley changed my life!”
Surprised and eager, I encouraged her, “Tell me everything!”
And so, with tears in her eyes and passion in her voice, Susan* began to tell a story that reached back fifteen years to a camp meeting weekend we barely remembered—but one she would never forget.
It was the second weekend of the Central California Camp Meeting. The air was thick with both heat and expectation. As part of their annual tradition, an anointing service was held for those seeking healing—physical, emotional, spiritual. Camp leadership arranged for teams of two or three to pray and anoint attendees, one by one, in humble submission to the Spirit.
Susan’s usual prayer partner wasn’t available that day, and so the leaders had asked Shelley and me—visitors that year—to join her team. When she heard the news, Susan’s heart sank. I’m not qualified, she thought. They’re professional prayer warriors. I’m not in their league. Doubt rushed in like a flood.
“I started arguing with God,” she admitted. “Yes… No… I can’t do this… I’ll look like a fool!”
But in that whirlwind of fear and self-doubt, she heard something unexpected. A whisper—gentle, yet firm—speaking right to the core of her insecurity: You’ll be My fool.
That changed everything. Humbled and trembling, Susan approached us and said, “I’m so sorry … please don’t let me get in the way of this anointing.
“Then, J. D., you smiled at me, saying ‘God arranged this team, so let’s get started.’ And we did! One after another, people came with burdens that were too heavy to carry alone. Marriages in crisis. Bodies broken with pain. Questions with no answers. And together, we listened. One of us would share a scripture verse. Another would pray. The third would affirm. And like an orchestra with no rehearsal, we played in perfect harmony.
“I settled into the rhythm quickly, my fear transformed by faith. The Holy Spirit was undeniably present. It was like we were painting a masterpiece—each stroke from a different hand, yet guided by One Artist. We anointed each person with oil, but it was Christ who brought healing. Not just to them—but to me, too.
“That Sabbath day at Soquel, fifteen teams were scattered across the room—but it felt like Heaven was leaning in. It was sacred. Holy. Powerful. God was in the room. And when I left that place, I wasn’t the same. Something shifted in me that day. My fear was washed away, and I realized it was all about God. I stepped into my calling that day.
“J. D., when I was 16 years old I suffered an accident that wounded not just my body—but my confidence. For decades, I battled the voice of inadequacy that said, I can’t do this … I’m not good enough … I don’t belong.
“But that day in Soquel? Well, everything changed. I saw God use ordinary people. Willing people. I realized I don’t have to depend on myself … I can depend on Him. From that moment on I stopped saying ‘I can’t’ and started saying ‘With Jesus, I can.’
“I began walking in confidence—not my own, but His confidence! I’ve stepped in to lead Sabbath School class at the last minute, I share Bible promises to encourage people at church, and I’ve become deeply involved in Pathfinders, eventually teaching in their Honors division. Oh, I love the Pathfinder Bible Experience,” she beamed. “It’s amazing to watching kids dig into Scripture with passion, searching for historic details. I couldn’t have done any of this without what God did for me that Sabbath.”
But she didn’t stop there. Even after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, Susan leaned into ministry with more creativity than ever before. Her hands might be shaky, but her faith is unshakable. She has recently created color-coded tabs for large print Bibles, to simplify studying the Word for those who struggle to find their way. Susan calls it her “Tab Ministry.” Already, she has helped two people fall in love with the Bible. And she’s waiting for more supplies that are on their way to make more tab sets.
“I can’t stop now,” she said. “He’s given me something worth sharing.”
Looking back, that hot summer Sabbath in Soquel wasn’t just about the people who were anointed—it was about those who served. God took three willing hearts—one feeling completely unworthy—and made them vessels of grace.
Looking forward, we see the ripple effect. From that one sacred encounter, lives were changed.
Confidence was reborn. Ministry was ignited. God proved again what He has always promised: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
You may feel like Susan, today—overwhelmed, underqualified, and afraid to step forward—still haunted by a past that whispers, You can’t.
But hear Jesus’ voice today: You’ll be My fool. Step in. I’ll do the rest.
And when you do, you’ll discover what Susan did that day—you don’t have to depend on yourself. You can depend on Him.
*A pseudonym
