Rooted in Faithfulness, By: Jenn Clauser

Have you ever been in a season where the ground beneath you felt uncertain where the next step, the next anything wasn't guaranteed? If so, you're not alone. At our August meetup, Jenn Clauser shared about navigating transition, trusting God in the unknown, and learning to keep account of His faithfulness along the way.

When the Ground Shifts

Jenn's story begins in 2019, when job uncertainties lingered and future was murky.

"We never would have raised our hand and said, yes, please let us go through a season of uncertainty where you're not going to tell us where our next step is going to come from — and let a worldwide pandemic hit during that time, too, just to spice things up," Jenn said with a laugh. "We never would have said that."

But that's exactly what happened.

A Promise Made: Joshua 1

During that unsettled time, a pastor friend pointed Jenn to two passages in Joshua. In Joshua 1, the Israelites are preparing to cross the Jordan River — stepping into the unknown, not yet knowing that God would part the waters before them. The word they received? Be strong and very courageous. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

It was a promise. Not a roadmap — a promise.

Jenn took that word and began journaling. She documented scriptures that resonated, words she felt were meant for her family, and physical things she watched unfold. The in-between chapters weren't easy. Under the pressure of uncertainty, unhealthy communication patterns and numbing habits were brought to the surface and needed to be navigated which led to counseling and refining. 

"Joshua 1 says tp be strong and courageous and then we fast-forward to Joshua 4 and we say to count your blessings — I'm not reading chapters 2 and 3 today- but I can share that our personal "chapters 2 and 3" were a little rough," she admitted.

A Promise Kept: Joshua 4

But God was faithful. A job transition happened and tucked inside that new role was a gift no one saw coming: after five years at that company, employees receive a full month of paid sabbatical.

In Joshua 4, after the Israelites had finished crossing the Jordan, God told Joshua to choose twelve men — one from each tribe — and have them carry twelve stones from the middle of the river to mark the place where they stood. The stones were a memorial, an answered prayer set in rock. When your children ask you, "What do these stones mean?" tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.

The instruction was clear: don't just experience God's faithfulness — record it. Stack the stones. Tell the story.

Walking Where Paul Walked

It's been five years since the transition, and Jenn's family got to take that sabbatical. They spent two weeks in Greece — starting in Athens, visiting Corinth, and island-hopping through some of the bluest water you've ever seen.

But the trip wasn't just a vacation. It was a reset.

In Athens, they stood on Mars Hill, where the Apostle Paul preached in Acts 17. Then they traveled to Corinth, walking the same path the Apostle Paul once walked on foot.

Jenn shared: "Before my sabbatical, when I'm reading the Bible, sometimes I'm reading it like an instruction manual. I didn't really notice I had fallen into that until I was removed from my environment." Standing where Paul stood, the Bible stopped feeling like a rulebook and started feeling like a conversation.

Their tour guide painted a picture of Paul as relational — meeting people right where they were, acknowledging what the Greek people were doing right before connecting the dots to Jesus. He stepped into the marketplace. He was in the trade ports. He was with the athletes. He noticed. He connected.

And then, when Paul was discouraged in Corinth, God spoke to him (Read Acts 18): Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking. Do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one is going to attack you and harm you, because I have many people in this city.

A promise was made.

When the people turned on Paul and dragged him before the governor Gallio, the governor dismissed the case entirely. He refused to judge it, and Paul walked free.

A promise was kept.

Today, a church stands at that very site in Corinth, with a mural depicting the whole story — Paul unwelcomed on the left, Jesus appearing in a dream in the center, and Paul continuing to preach on the right. The stones are stacked. The story is remembered.

The Pattern We Keep Finding

• Joshua 1: A promise was made — be strong and courageous.
• Joshua 4: The promise was kept and remembered — stack the stones.
• Acts 18: A promise was made — do not be afraid, I am with you.
• The governor's dismissal: The promise was kept.
• A church with a mural: The promise remembered.

And then five years of her own family's story: uncertainty, faithfulness, a gift they never could have planned, and a sabbatical that brought them face to face with the some of very places where God's promises were made and kept, and recorded in scripture.

Your Turn: Stack Your Stones

Jenn left us with a challenge — and it's one we're passing along to you:

During times of transition, have you felt God's presence? Have you heard specific promises — a scripture, a word, a deep sense of knowing — or have you simply felt Him near?

How do you keep account of those promises? A journal? A conversation with a friend? A note in your phone? And when God showed up differently than you expected, did you notice?

How will you continue to track His faithfulness going forward? And — maybe most importantly — how will you share those stories with the next generation? With your kids, your coworkers, the students you mentor, the women you lead?

As Jenn put it: "We can be faithful to Him, by seeing how He's faithful to us. That's an easy task, right? Be loved."

It really is just like Jesus to make the invitation that simple.

She Leads Church exists to equip, empower, and encourage women in ministry and leadership. Our monthly meetups are on the first Wednesday of each month and we host a Fall and Spring Conference. Visit sheleadschurch.com for details.