Pastor Blog. 7/24/25
“Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (Ephesians 4:25)
Dear my church family,
I am pastor Sophia. Have you ever had a moment where something you said—or didn’t say—got completely misunderstood?
Let me share a story with you. A young woman was out shopping when she got a text from her dad: “Your great-aunt just passed away. LOL.” She was stunned. Did he just laugh at that? She immediately called him and said, “Dad… why did you write LOL after telling me Aunt May passed away?” Her dad, confused, said, “Because it means ‘Lots of Love,’ right?” There was a long pause. “Dad… LOL means laugh out loud.” He gasped. “…I’ve been signing all my sympathy messages like that for years!”
Church, it’s funny—but it’s also a little heartbreaking, isn’t it? His heart was full of love, but his message was misunderstood. I wonder how often that happens in our own lives—when we assume, when we avoid, when we don’t speak clearly or honestly.
Sometimes silence feels safer. Sometimes we sugarcoat or sidestep the truth to “keep the peace.” But even small miscommunications can create big confusion… and over time, distance and hurt.
This Sunday, we’re going to talk about what happens when families stop communicating—when truth is buried and silence takes its place. We’ll look at a painful story from Scripture—Tamar, Amnon, and King David—and how unspoken pain tore a family apart.
But we’ll also look at a redemptive moment between Mary and Joseph—and how love and truth held them together when everything could have fallen apart.
God doesn’t run away from our messy stories. He sees. He hears. He steps into our silence—not with shame, but with grace and healing truth.
My prayer this week is that we will become people who don’t hide behind polite silence, but who speak the truth with love so that we will be honest with humility and we will love people with courage.

I can’t wait to walk through this message with you. May the Holy Spirit guide our words, heal our hearts, and restore trust in our families, friendships, and in this church. Amen.
P.S. If there’s someone you’ve been meaning to reconnect with—maybe this is the week to reach out. A conversation, guided by love, can do more than you think.

Sophia (Seung Hae) Yoo-Hess
Pastor of Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church
43987 Little River TWPK, Chantilly, Virginia
Office: (703) 327- 4461