And the Miracles That Reveal What They Actually Mean

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In 2009, our family walked through a turning point.

After 10 years in a pastoral role, we were asked to leave due to theological differences. At that time, a group of people, whom we had pastored and led into a deeper life with God, invited us to start something new with them.

I felt torn.

Part of me didn’t want to leave our home, our community, the life we had built, and this was an invitation to at least remain in our same community.
But another part of me felt an invitation—something deeper than structure, deeper than religion. I just didn’t yet have language for it.

In that place of tension, I had a dream.

A king was coming to town looking for a bride. I went home to my parents, and they prepared me to meet him. The day he arrived, the streets were filled with people, like a parade. Everyone was watching, waving, calling out as he passed.

And then—when he came near me—I stepped out of the crowd and directly into his path.

I caught his gaze, cupped his face in my hands, and kissed him on the mouth.

He looked at me intently.

Then a woman stepped forward from the crowd and said,
“Now it is time to prepare your gown. You can either travel around and gather six or seven different materials to make your gown… or you can buy one already prepared for $19.99.”

Then she disappeared.

And I woke up.

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At the time, I interpreted that dream through the only lens I knew—ministry.

I thought we would be building a ministry.
I thought I would be proving my love.

Ultimately, we stepped into something new. Although we had people to pastor and life would be familiar, in our hearts, we chose the “adventure”, the unknown—to gather the materials, to build something meaningful, to prepare something beautiful for Him…or so we thought.

This was our Water Walker journey, which you can read about in my book Water Walkers, and check out the pictorial post of our Life on the Road here.

Now, looking back, I can see something I couldn’t see then.

What I was actually gathering…
was not external materials.

It was revelation.

Not about what to build for Him—
but about who He is.

Seventeen years later, I can see that the journey has been less about creating something for God…
and more about being brought into something with Him.

Not performance.
Not proving.
But union.

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The “I Am” Statements Are Invitations, Not Information

There is something deeply intentional about the way the Gospel of John is written.

John captures the encounters Jesus has with people and the declarations Jesus makes about Himself in them.

The miracles Jesus performs are called “signs”— not the destination.
They are revelations pointing to something deeper.

Each “I Am” statement is not just a metaphor.
It is an invitation to see who Jesus is… and how He meets us in the places we feel the most human.

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1. I Am the Bread of Life

John 6:35

Before Jesus says this, He feeds 5,000 people with a few loaves and fish.

The crowd is amazed.
They want more.

But Jesus shifts the conversation:

“I am the bread of life.”

He is gently revealing something deeper:

Not just “I can provide for you.”
But…
“I am what your soul is actually hungry for.”

We often live trying to fill ourselves with outcomes, provision, or relief.
But this moment reminds us:

👉 The deepest hunger in us is not for what God can give…
It is for God Himself..”

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2. I Am the Light of the World

John 8:12 and John 9

Just before this statement, Jesus has an encounter with a woman caught in adultery. He calls on those listening to follow Him, so they no longer have to walk in darkness.

Between this statement and chapter 9, Jesus does what light does…confronts the darkness.

Chapter 9 opens with a miracle, a sign. A man born blind receives sight.

But the miracle isn’t just about sight.

Because the man begins to see…
And the religious leaders—who think they see clearly—remain blind.

This is the tension:

👉 You can have physical sight and still miss truth.
👉 And you can be in darkness and still be led into light.

Jesus is not offering more information.
He is offering revelation.

Not just clarity for your situation—
But clarity of who He is in it.

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3. I Am the Door (Gate)

4. I Am the Good Shepherd

John 10

These two are connected.

There isn’t one single miracle tied to them—but they flow directly out of the healing of the blind man.

Jesus begins describing Himself in contrast to false shepherds:

• The Door → the place of safe entry
• The Shepherd → the one who leads, knows, and protects

This is deeply relational.

👉 You are not meant to force your way into life.
👉 You are meant to be led into it.

The Shepherd doesn’t drive the sheep.
He calls them—and they learn His voice.

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5. I Am the Resurrection and the Life

John 11:25

Then comes one of the most powerful moments in the book of John:

Lazarus dies.

Jesus waits.
He enters into grief.
He stands at the tomb.

And then He says:

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

Not “I will bring resurrection.”
But…
“I am resurrection.”

And then He calls Lazarus out.

This reveals something we often struggle to believe:

👉 Nothing is too far gone when Life Himself is present.

Even the places that feel delayed… buried… or finished.

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6. I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

John 14:6

This moment happens in the quiet moments when Jesus is alone with His disciples.

No crowd.
No miracle.
Just honest questions.

Thomas asks, “How do we know the way?”

And Jesus responds:

“I am the way.”

Not a map.
Not a method.
Not steps to follow.

👉 A person.

This changes everything:

You are not trying to figure life out.
You are walking with Someone who already knows the way.

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7. I Am the True Vine

John 15:1

Here, Jesus shifts from direction… to connection.

“I am the vine; you are the branches.”

This is not about effort.
It is about abiding.

Branches don’t strain to produce fruit.
They stay connected—and fruit grows naturally.

👉 The life you long for is not built through striving.
It is grown through remaining.

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The Thread Running Through It All

When you step back, a pattern emerges.

Each “I Am” meets a core human need:

• Feeling empty → Bread
• Feeling lost in darkness → Light
• Feeling unprotected or alone → Shepherd
• Facing death or loss → Resurrection
• Feeling unsure → Way
• Feeling disconnected → Vine

And this is the quiet, steady truth underneath it all:

👉 Jesus is not offering answers separate from Himself.
👉 He is saying, “I am the answer.”

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Coming Back to the Dream

For years, I thought I was gathering materials to make my own wedding gown from the different materials we collected on our journey. I thought it was my job to prepare something for Him.

Something meaningful.
Something worthy.
Something that would express my love.

But now I see…

The invitation was never about what I would make.

It was about Who I would come to know.

Each season…
Each layer…
Each place of hunger, confusion, loss, or longing…

was another thread in the gown.

Not something I constructed through effort—
but something formed through encounter.

Through learning:

• He is my Bread
• He is my Light
• He is my Door
• He is my Shepherd
• He is my Life
• He is my Way
• He is my Vine

And slowly, over time, the striving begins to fall away.

The need to prove.
The need to build.
The need to get it right.

And what remains is something much simpler… and much deeper:

👉 Knowing Him.

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A Gentle Reflection

Where do you feel it today?

• Empty
• Confused
• Alone
• Grieving
• Uncertain
• Disconnected

Instead of trying to fix it…
simply acknowledge it in His presence.

You might pray something as simple as:

“I need You to be this for me… right here.”

Not as a performance.
Not as a formula.
Just as an honest turning.

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An Abiding Practice

Take one “I Am” this week.

Sit with it slowly.

Read the passage.
Notice what it stirs.
Let it meet you where you actually are—not where you think you should be.

Then carry one simple line with you:

• “You are my bread today.”
• “You are my light here.”
• “You are leading me.”
• “You are life in this place.”
• “You are the way I’m walking.”
• “I am held in You.”

No pressure to produce anything.

Just… remain.

Not to master it—
but to meet Him in it.

Let it move from something you understand…
to Someone you experience.

And let that be enough.

Hungry For More?

In everything you do -eat, play, and love- may it always be Seasoned with Joy!

Footnote: 1. Text generated with the aid of ChatGPT, March 29, 2026, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat.