Gather the Bay Is Still Sitting With Me

Last weekend, I drove up to Novato for Gather the Bay 2026.

For two days, young adults from across the Bay Area gathered to worship Jesus, hear from pastors and leaders, and be reminded that we’re part of something bigger than our individual churches.

I came home tired, encouraged, spiritually refreshed, slightly socially drained, and with pages of notes stuffed into my notebook.

Most conference notes eventually get forgotten.

These ones haven’t.

A few ideas from the weekend have been following me around ever since, showing up while I’m driving to church, going on my daily walks, or lying awake at night.

1. I Think I’ve Been Thinking About Prayer Too Small

Core Scriptures: Luke 11:1-13 | Hebrews 7:25 | Isaiah 56:7

“Prayer is giving agreement, invitation, and partnership to what God desires to accomplish on earth.”

This was probably the first message that made me put my pen down and just sit there for a minute.

I’ve always thought of prayer as a conversation with God. You know, thanking Him for what He’s doing, bringing Him my requests, and asking for help with whatever is weighing on me.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

But this message challenged me to think bigger.

I realized that most of my prayers revolve around things God already knows. My worries. My questions. My requests.

What if prayer is more than that?

What if prayer isn’t just about bringing my needs before God, but about discovering what He wants? What if it’s less about convincing God to move and more about learning how to move with Him?

The idea that Jesus wants us to pray with Him rather than simply to Him has been sitting with me all week.

Prayer suddenly feels a lot more intentional.

A lot more active.

And, now, a lot more exciting.

Needless to say, my prayer life might need a little recalibration.

2. The Bay Doesn’t Need Cooler Christians

Core Scriptures: 2 Corinthians our 4:5-18 | Isaiah 64:8 | Hebrews 2:10

As someone who has spent my entire life in the Bay Area (growing up in Oakland and now living in San Jose), this one hit close to home.

“If our lives look like the world around us, then what are we pointing people to?”

The Bay Area has shaped me in countless ways. It’s diverse, innovative, creative, and full of people from every background imaginable.

But it’s also a place where faith can sometimes feel private. Maybe even inconvenient.

I think many Christians wrestle with how to faithfully live out their beliefs without isolating themselves from the world around them. Sometimes we stay quiet because we don’t want to offend anyone. Sometimes we water things down because we want to be relatable.

But one of the speakers said something that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about:

“The Bay doesn’t need cooler Christians. It needs Holy ones.”

That challenged me.

Not because holiness means separating ourselves from the world, but because true transformation should be visible within it.

The image of us being fragile jars carrying the light of Christ was especially encouraging.

Because, truth be told, fragile is something I understand.

The core of Christianity isn’t that we’re impressive enough to shine on our own. It’s that Jesus shines through regular, imperfect people.

People like me.

And people like you.

3. Deliverance Is Also Into Something

Core Scriptures: Joshua 3:5-17 | Colossians 1:13-14

“Deliverance is not just from something. It’s also into something new.”

This message made me realize I’ve spent a lot of time celebrating what God has brought me out of, but not nearly as much time thinking about what He’s bringing me into.

For a long time, survival was the goal.

Getting through childhood wounds.

Getting through depression.

Getting through anxiety.

Getting through miscarriages and grief.

Sometimes simply making it to the next day was a miracle in and of itself.

And God was faithful through all of it.

But what happens after survival?

What happens when God starts inviting us into something new?

As I sat with that question, one answer kept coming to mind: motherhood.

This is literally the next season I’m stepping into.

And the more I think about it, the more I realize that motherhood isn’t separate from purpose or ministry. It is purpose and ministry.

It’s a sacred calling to nurture, steward, teach, and disciple another human being. The next generation.

It’s love, patience, sacrifice, and faithfulness lived out in ordinary moments.

The thought of that feels both overwhelming and beautiful.

And I’m welcoming it with open arms.

4. Calling Is an Orientation, Not a Destination

Core Scriptures: Proverbs 3:5-6 | Isaiah 30:21 | Hebrews 11:8

As someone who loves having a plan, this one felt both comforting and mildly offensive.

I’ve always thought of calling as a destination.

A finish line.

Something you eventually figure out and arrive at.

The problem is that I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if I’m somehow missing it.

Am I in the right job?

Serving in the right places?

Making the right decisions?

Following the right path?

But this message reframed calling in a way that brought a lot of relief.

Calling isn’t a destination.

It’s an orientation.

It’s the ongoing posture of turning toward God and saying yes to Him over and over again.

Maybe calling isn’t found in some distant future version of my life.

Maybe it’s found in how I show up today.

How I love my husband.

How I serve my church and community.

How I care for my future child.

How I treat people at work.

How I follow Jesus in my everyday life.

That perspective feels much lighter to carry.

What I’m Taking With Me

There were dozens of messages, conversations, worship moments, and scribbled notes throughout the weekend.

These just happen to be the ones that followed me home.

And, let me be real for a second, some of these ideas still feel unfinished in my mind.

But maybe that’s the point.

Maybe some things are meant to be carried for a while.

Gather the Bay is over, but I have a feeling God isn’t finished talking to me about any of this yet.