“I Saw You” Mini Series | DeNight Owl Speaks
Spoken truths for quiet nights.
In this continuation of I Saw You, I take you behind the pulpit and into the heart of my sermon, I Saw You. I share the writing process, the spiritual wrestling, the emotional weight of telling my story again, and the unexpected way God moved after the message was preached. This is the reflection, the aftermath, and the deeper revelation of the fig tree moment that shaped it all.
In this episode of DeNight Owl Speaks, I reflect on presence after proclamation. Through quiet thoughts, personal storytelling, and faith-centered reflection, this episode explores vulnerability, obedience, and the space where God speaks most clearly — not before we respond, but after we do.
This episode is for anyone carrying a message beyond its moment of delivery.
Series: “I Saw You” Mini Series
Until next time — these are spoken truths for quiet night.
Opening Reflection:
Some messages don’t end when the sermon does. They linger in the heart, in the throat, in the places where God speaks softly after obedience. This episode is the story of that moment; what God revealed after I sat down, what finally broke open, and what became undeniably clear.
Key Moments & Time Stamps
✔️ 00:00 — Welcome Back
✔️ 00:26 — Why Episode 1 Matters First
✔️ 00:51 — Behind the Pulpit: The Writing Process
✔️ 02:03 — Wrestling With Testimony
✔️ 03:52 — Realizing the Story Is Not “Finished”
✔️ 04:03 — The Testimony God Kept Pushing Me Toward
✔️ 05:20 — The Calling That Formed in the Coma
✔️ 06:02 — Writing From Depth, Not Aesthetics
✔️ 07:07 — The Fig Tree Activity
✔️ 08:32 — The “Victorious” Word Moment
✔️ 10:02 — Adding the Difficult Conversation With God
✔️ 11:06 — Final Preparation Before Preaching
✔️ 12:30 — The Service: Peace, Presence, and Tears
✔️ 15:20 — Breaking Open While Telling Your Story
✔️ 16:18 — The Shift Into Public Calling
✔️ 17:35 — The Impact on the Congregation
✔️ 18:07 — What God Taught Me
✔️ 19:13 — Your Call to Reflect
✔️ 20:03 — Outro: Stay Seen, Stay Known, Stay Victorious
Full Transcript
00:00 — Welcome Back
Welcome back, DeNight Owl family, to another episode of DeNight Owl Speaks. This is Episode 2 of the I Saw You mini-series — a deeper, more reflective look at what happened after the sermon was preached. I open the episode by inviting listeners into the heart of this story: the moment, the message, and the movement of God that unfolded in its aftermath.
00:26 — Why Episode 1 Matters First
Before diving into this reflection, I encourage listeners to revisit Episode 1 — My Fig Tree Moment. That episode contains the full spoken-word testimony I shared during my sermon at Hyde Park SDA. Episode 1 provides essential context: the story that shaped me, the moment God revealed Himself to me, and the emotional and spiritual foundation that this episode builds upon.
00:51 — Behind the Pulpit: The Writing Process
I take listeners behind the scenes into the writing process. Preparing for this sermon wasn’t linear or simple. The Chosen series helped me reflect deeply on how people meet Jesus in the private, unseen places of their hearts. It made me think of my relationships, my friendships, the quiet prayers that shaped them, and the spiritual journey that brought me and my fiancé together. I knew the message needed to be Spirit-led, but I didn’t yet know how the structure, stories, or testimonies would come together.
02:03 — Wrestling With Testimony
The hardest part was returning to a testimony I’ve told — but never fully. People know pieces: the accident, the coma, the memory loss, the grief. But very few know the deeper emotional layers: finding out the truth years later, discovering details I was never conscious for, and processing trauma over time. I wondered whether revisiting this story would be too heavy for others, or if it would connect at all. So I wrestled with it for months.
03:52 — Realizing the Story Is Not “Finished”
I hesitated because my story is still unfolding. Even the part about how God brought my fiancé into my life felt incomplete — it’s still being written. I questioned whether a testimony without a “finished ending” was meaningful enough to share from the pulpit.
04:03 — The Testimony God Kept Pushing Me Toward
But God kept nudging me toward the story I kept avoiding. And then it hit me:
this wasn’t just a testimony — it was my story.
The story that shaped everything: the way I think, love, pray, write, lead, trust, and show up in ministry. This wasn’t a moment in time — it was the moment that birthed my calling.
05:20 — The Calling That Formed in the Coma
Under that metaphorical fig tree — unconscious in a hospital bed — God saw me.
He saw me before I even knew what happened to me.
He saw me through the trauma, the loss of my mom, the years of healing, and the identity that formed through it all. My calling was born in the aftermath of that accident, even though I didn’t understand it yet.
06:02 — Writing From Depth, Not Aesthetics
Every sermon I write takes time, because I don’t speak from a place of mere inspiration. I speak from lived experience. I wanted I Saw You to be more than a teaching — it had to be something I lived. It needed to carry the depth God had walked me through.
07:07 — The Fig Tree Activity
I wanted the congregation to experience the message, not just hear it. With some structural guidance — including insights from ChatGPT — I turned the sermon into an interactive experience. A physical fig tree, reflection cards, printed graphics, and participatory elements helped people connect personally with their own “fig tree moments.”
08:32 — The “Victorious” Word Moment
I incorporated an activity based on an elders’ retreat where others wrote a word describing each person. My word was “Victorious.” I didn’t choose it — God used someone else to speak it over me. That moment stayed with me for years. In the sermon, I wanted people to experience something similar: a reminder of how God sees them, even when they struggle to see themselves.
10:02 — Adding the Difficult Conversation With God
I shared a moment I once wrote down like a conversation — the night I cried out to God with anger and heartbreak.
Why did I survive?
Why did I have to care for my sister?
Why did You take Mommy?
Why me?
These were real questions that shaped my healing. Including them in the sermon felt vulnerable but necessary.
11:06 — Final Preparation Before Preaching
As the sermon day approached, I made a conscious decision: not to overthink, not to stress, and not to micromanage the message. I set up my fig tree, packed the reflection cards, and trusted the work God had already done. I didn’t rehearse obsessively — I wanted to stay in the Spirit, not in my head. Sabbath morning, I worshipped, listened, and let God lead.
12:30 — The Service: Peace, Presence, and Tears
Stepping up to preach felt peaceful and natural. The interactive format helped ease my nerves. I laughed with the congregation, guided them through reflection, and presented the fig tree.
But once I began sharing my testimony, everything shifted.
The emotions I thought I had mastered broke open.
The atmosphere thickened with holy weight.
People wrote, cried, whispered prayers.
Volunteers shared testimonies they didn’t realize they needed to voice.
When I reached the part about being left to raise my sister after losing my mom, I couldn’t hold back the tears. My friend stood beside me. My fiancé waited quietly in case I needed him. The Spirit moved deeply.
15:20 — Breaking Open While Telling Your Story
Usually, I can share my story calmly.
But that day?
I broke.
Even after the pastor prayed and the appeal song ended, the tears kept coming. My heart was caught between release and revelation — processing everything God had stirred.
16:18 — The Shift Into Public Calling
This day marked a shift in my calling.
For years I shared my story privately, in small circles or quiet reflections.
But this was different.
This was public.
Visible.
Unfiltered.
It was the moment God made it clear:
There is no turning back.
Your calling is no longer private — it’s active, seen, and unfolding.
17:35 — The Impact on the Congregation
People came with tears, hugs, and heartfelt words.
Some hadn’t cried in months.
Some finally found language for their own pain.
Some thanked me for speaking a truth they needed to hear.
Visitors from another church even asked me to pray for them — a humbling moment that made me see the seriousness of the role God was forming in me.
The testimony I almost withheld became the one God used the most.
18:07 — What God Taught Me
Here’s what God revealed:
He doesn’t need originality — just obedience.
Your story doesn’t lose power because you’ve told it before.
What feels repetitive to you may be revelation to someone else.
The anointing wasn’t in my notes — it was in my tears.
When I let go of control, God took full control.
19:13 — Your Call to Reflect
Have you had a victory moment?
A season?
A dark night?
A hidden place where only God saw you?
If so — don’t keep it buried.
Speak it.
Write it.
Share it.
Not for applause.
Not for validation.
But for freedom.
Your testimony reminds the enemy that you survived what was meant to silence you.
20:03 — Outro: Stay Seen, Stay Known, Stay Victorious
Thank you for sharing this holy, reflective space with me.
This is DeNight Owl Speaks, and this has been Episode 2: Reflections After Preaching.
Until next time —
stay seen, stay known, and stay victorious.
Episode Links
Listen to Episode 1 — My Fig Tree Moment
Subscribe to DeNight Owl on Substack
