“Maybe the greatest miracle isn’t just what Jesus does in the crowd, but what He does in the hearts of those willing to stay late, pick up scraps, and still see the glory in the mess.”
-Andrew Glass
Volunteer and Acres and Acres Community Home Host
“When Jesus fed the 5,000, we hear about the bread and fish, the full bellies, and the leftover baskets. But nothing is said about the aftermath—the muddy footprints, the broken fences, the trampled field. No mention of permits, food safety, or the cleanup crew. Still—somebody cleaned it up.
And honestly, that’s where I find myself. Because in many ways, I find it easy to be critical. I’d be the one saying, “Lord, we don’t have the permits. Peter isn’t ServSafe certified yet. We need a waste management plan and crowd control.” And none of that is wrong—those things matter. Logistics protect people. Good planning makes ministry sustainable.
But logistics were never meant to lead. They’re meant to serve the mission, not stifle it.
Think about it: 5,000 men, plus women and children—maybe 10,000 people. That’s not just a crowd. That’s a mass gathering. Feeding them meant managing:
• Food transportation and distribution without spoilage.
• Seating them in organized groups.
• Handling sanitation and restroom needs in the middle of nowhere.
• Protecting them from the sun, injury, and exhaustion.
• Ministering to hearts while also maintaining peace and safety.
• And cleaning up a wrecked field when it was all over.
That’s an event planner’s nightmare.
But Scripture gives us none of those details. Not because they didn’t happen—but maybe because they weren’t the point. Maybe the miracle wasn’t just the multiplication of food—but that no one missed it fussing about the mess.
Sure, the field was probably a disaster. But what is a field? What are these temporary things we cling to—our plans, our processes, our sense of control—compared to the eternal work that happens when Jesus moves?
It reminds me of Mary and Martha. Martha was doing good, necessary work—but she let it steal her peace. Mary chose presence. She sat down at Jesus’ feet. And when Martha asked Jesus to correct her, He gently reminded her: “Only one thing is necessary.”
That lands deep in my heart. Because I want things to be excellent. I want systems that work. But sometimes I’m so busy making it all function that I forget to sit and receive the miracle.
Maybe I’m called to be part of both—the planning and the presence. Maybe the greatest miracle isn’t just what Jesus does in the crowd, but what He does in the hearts of those willing to stay late, pick up scraps, and still see the glory in the mess.” – Andrew Glass, Volunteer and Acres and Acres Community Home Host
Community members Mia Moses and Cross Power wed on Mother’s Day, and their festivities were a “full on” community affair.
We literally LIVED what Andrew so eloquently describes above.
Sometimes the real miracles are what no one sees. Friends driving to Mississippi for supplies, 5 flower rescues from 5 different events which kept volunteers up past 1am Friday and Saturday nights, to losing and finding the only copy of the wedding binder.
Ladies who did not know the bride jumped in to make bouquets on Saturday morning, along with her friends and family, and bouquets were given to every lady who came to the wedding as a party favor.
No one knew the countless prayers for good weather and the many who watched the radar all week and saw in real time how God moved all the rain right before the ceremony. Others prayed in food to prepare for the wedding banquet, how one of our former interns prepared the feast with her friends as her first catering gig, or how others practiced all the food recipes beforehand to land a perfect “before the wedding” brunch and hibachi night.
Three Grace Klein Community vans hauled wedding necessities, along with 10 other vehicles, while another friend picked up and returned borrowed tables. Friends set up and cleaned up, soaked beach towels to clean the chairs, swept floors, moved tables, became florists and wedding planners, and rescued all the leftovers.
Friends held umbrellas over the heads of guests as they arrived early, gave up their seats, ran a bucket for sparklers to the end of the driveway, put out two unexpected fires, returned borrowed items, and made sure guests felt seen and appreciated.
No one really knew how to host a wedding, but several dozen did as an act of worship to Jesus and a demonstration of laying down their lives for their friends.
Love looks like blisters on toes, lost sleep, frying spring rolls in the drizzle, hauling gifts, making a smoothie, and taking a nap in cars to be on standby. Love ignores a stomachache, being cold, getting soaked, a prick from a rose, or a sharp word. Love covers everything with more Jesus, boba tea, a Magic eraser, hype music, meaningful speeches, and cookies.
Everything is worth the behind-the-scenes to appreciate the beauty of friendship, Jesus family, and the covenant of marriage.
The miracle is what Jesus did in the hearts of those willing to stay late, handle the cleanup, pack up the leftovers, and see the beautiful glory of Jesus in the “hidden” mess.
If you asked any of the secret givers, would they do it all again… the answer would be YES!
We bet the thousands on the hill lived the rest of their lives hoping for one more day like the day they shared in the field seeing Jesus do what only He could.
To think – in the 21st century, we get to see the miracles every day, if we have the courage to jump in, say yes, and not be afraid of the mess.
“In the 21st century, we get to see the miracles every day, if we have the courage to jump in, say yes, and not be afraid of the mess.”
-Jenny Waltman
