1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,640 I'm Katie Hollensteiner, and these are three of my 4 kids. 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,560 Harvey is 7, Hyatt is 4, and Delicate is. 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:11,840 Two my name is Kristen and this is my daughter Kinley and she is 4 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,880 6 years old. I'm Mandolin and this is Leo and 5 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:17,920 he is 7 years old. I'm Jessica Ella Fritz and this 6 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,200 is Harlow Ella Fritz, and she just turned 7 years old. 7 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:25,920 I'm Jordan, and this is my son Hatton, and he is 3 years old. 8 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:27,760 How well do you think you know your mom? 9 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:37,720 I don't know when's. Your mom? 10 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:42,720 'S Birthday May 7th, 27th, July 8th, July 8th. 11 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:48,600 What's your mom's? Favorite animal Giraffes. 12 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,280 Baby giraffes? Wait, baby goats? 13 00:00:52,760 --> 00:01:08,960 How old is your mom? 2620. 6. 6560 is 17/19 with 14 00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:12,960 5027. Think she's in her 30s, with my 15 00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:22,000 dad 34. What's something that your mom 16 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,960 says a lot? Why hurry up? 17 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,560 Yeah, she says that to Kai because she moves so slow. 18 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:36,720 No, don't do that. Oh, it's not going to night. 19 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:39,040 Go to bed. No. 20 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:42,520 That's all. What's something that makes your 21 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,280 mom? Mad. 22 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:47,760 And she has to say something two times or three times. 23 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,760 Harvey makes mom mad and my brother doesn't listen. 24 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:54,640 Have you ever seen Mommy get mad before? 25 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,440 Yeah. What is your favorite thing 26 00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:59,640 about? Your mom. 27 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:03,600 Game of smuggle with her, playing toys with her. 28 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,560 That she's kind and funny, That she likes. 29 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:10,160 Taylor Swift makes meals. That I like slams. 30 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,520 What is Hudson's favorite animal? 31 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:15,760 No, not what's your favorite animal? 32 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:18,160 Chili. Yeah. 33 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:23,840 Oh, crossing family. It is so good to see you. 34 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:27,360 To those of you watching online, to those of you at all different 35 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:29,400 locations, and to those of you who are part of the Crossing 36 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,920 inside, I want to welcome you. And I want to issue a special 37 00:02:32,920 --> 00:02:35,600 welcome to all of the mothers. Happy Mother's Day. 38 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:37,360 Can we give them a big round of applause? 39 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:42,280 God bless you. We are so incredibly thankful 40 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:43,520 you wouldn't be here without you. 41 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,520 Now, I also want to take a moment because I know there are 42 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:50,320 some of you who are gathering up some of our locations, some of 43 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:52,920 you who are watching online, and those of you who are probably 44 00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:56,120 separated from family, who are watching on the Crossing inside. 45 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,480 And I know that a day like this comes with mixed emotions. 46 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,640 You want to celebrate your mom, but maybe you're having a hard 47 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:06,240 time becoming a mom. Or maybe you've had to navigate 48 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:09,560 miscarriages, or you've had to bury your kids, or you've had to 49 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,040 bury your mom recently. And I want you to know that as a 50 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,320 church, our hearts are with you today. 51 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:17,480 And in fact, I want to take just a quick second. 52 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,400 I want to spend a little bit of time in prayer over you. 53 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:22,480 So crossing family, can we just pray for just a second? 54 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:29,760 Heavenly Father, I know that you know the deepest pain that 55 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,040 anybody who can hear my voice right now is feeling. 56 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,200 And God, I know that you are in that pain with them, that 57 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,160 they're not alone. And God, I know that today is 58 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:40,240 going to be mixed. I have a lot of mixed emotions, 59 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,440 highs and lows. And there's prayers that haven't 60 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,040 been answered in the way that they wanted them to be answered. 61 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:48,160 And there's hurts that they never thought that they were 62 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:50,200 going to have to navigate. And God, I pray that you'd be 63 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,560 their comfort and you'd help us to encourage them and cheer them 64 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:55,840 on as they keep moving forward in life. 65 00:03:55,880 --> 00:04:00,440 In your name, I pray Amen. Today we are going to talk about 66 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:03,280 the heart of a mother. And while we're talking about 67 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:07,000 the heart of a mother, I know there might be some of you men 68 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:09,880 who will think, hey, this is a great message for my mom. 69 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:11,280 It's a great message for my wife. 70 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:12,720 It's a great message for my sister. 71 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:14,720 But I want you to know, I believe that this message will 72 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:18,320 have value for you. I think if you were to lean in, 73 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,480 you'll be surprised at how much you might be challenged, how 74 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:25,680 much hope you might find, and how much your love for God might 75 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:29,080 actually deepen. And in order to do this, I've 76 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,600 asked my wife, Jennifer, to help with the message today. 77 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,840 Jennifer found Jesus at the crossing. 78 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:41,080 She has used her testimony and humility to inspire many, many 79 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:42,920 people. She's become the go to woman on 80 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,440 staff when people are navigating hardships. 81 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,880 She works full time. She's raised one daughter who 82 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,880 loves the Lord and she is in the process of raising 2 sasquatches 83 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:56,320 who require all kinds of grace and patience. 84 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:58,920 And on top of all of that, you know this is no small feat. 85 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:01,520 She puts up with me. So would you please welcome my 86 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:09,880 wife to the stage? Thanks. 87 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,680 Good morning. Let me say again, happy Mother's 88 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:17,680 Day to all the Mamas. It's so good to be here with you 89 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,000 this morning. Before we get started, I want to 90 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:27,120 introduce you to my beauty and my beasts in the middle. 91 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:31,240 There is Kennedy. She will be 25 tomorrow. 92 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:37,200 Yes, I was 10 when she was born. Pretty cool. 93 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,480 On the left is Zane, He'll be thirteen next month, and on the 94 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:47,360 right is my baby Maddox and he just turned 11/12/11. 95 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:49,640 We just stood his birth. He turned 12. 96 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:54,280 It was his 11th birthday. I was there when they took him 97 00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:55,520 out of my body, so I. Know. 98 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:55,880 All right. OK. 99 00:05:57,680 --> 00:05:58,920 All. Right. 100 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:02,440 Fair enough. It is my joy and my blessing to 101 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,600 be called their Mama. And today, as we talk about the 102 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,000 heart of a mother, I wonder, if we were to dissect the heart of 103 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,840 a mother, what would we find? I believe when the Bible says 104 00:06:12,840 --> 00:06:15,600 that we are created in the image of God, that that most certainly 105 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:20,440 includes our hearts. And one of the gifts of 106 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:24,600 motherhood for me has been a deeper understanding of God's 107 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:27,800 love. And Paul writes about this love 108 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:30,680 to the church in Ephesus, and he says these words. 109 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,520 I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you 110 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,280 with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ 111 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:39,560 may dwell in your hearts through faith. 112 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,600 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 113 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,240 may have power together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp 114 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:52,760 how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and 115 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:56,000 to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled 116 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,720 to the measure of all the fullness of God. 117 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:04,640 Obviously we can never fully understand the width and the 118 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:07,800 depth of God's love, but I do believe that being a mother, or 119 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,160 a parent in general, gives us some deeper insight. 120 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:15,640 This understanding has been a gift to me and some of my 121 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:20,120 darkest valleys in life. When the enemy tries to rob me 122 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:23,840 of what I know to be true about God, when he whispers lies in my 123 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:29,560 ear, like God doesn't really forgive that and God won't 124 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,680 forget what you've done. And God couldn't possibly love 125 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,360 you as much as he loves so and so. 126 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:40,640 And it's in those moments that I need only put them in the 127 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:43,520 context of my relationship with my own children. 128 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,880 For instance, I have an A deep, unconditional love for all three 129 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,600 of my children. I loved them before they ever 130 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,080 took a breath. I loved them before they could 131 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:58,120 ever express their own love to me, and there is nothing that 132 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:01,000 they could do that would make me stop loving them. 133 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:06,520 It is a constant, unshakable, unconditional love. 134 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,560 And in my dark moments, I remind myself that God's love is even 135 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:14,080 greater than that. He loved me before I took my 136 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,520 first breath and He loves me no matter what I do. 137 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,600 In addition to that love, I also have a desire to comfort and 138 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:29,040 protect my children When their hearts break, my heart breaks 139 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,400 and all I want to do is to take that pain away from them. 140 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,120 When we lived in Macomb, I worked at the the church there. 141 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:38,320 I worked in the front office and the office. 142 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:40,799 There is a a bit of a distance from the front door, but there's 143 00:08:40,799 --> 00:08:43,880 a glass wall so you can see through the lobby to the front 144 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,600 door. And one afternoon I'm working 145 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,320 there and I see my daughter walk through the front door. 146 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:51,840 She was probably 16 at the time. I see her walk through the front 147 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:54,840 door and instantly I can tell there's something wrong with 148 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:57,000 her. I don't know how I could just 149 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,040 tell there was something wrong. So I got up from my desk and I 150 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,280 walked out of the office and I moved to meet her in the lobby. 151 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:08,160 And as I got closer to her, I had this deepening sense of pain 152 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:10,800 and I could see it on her face. And by the time she reached me, 153 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:13,760 there were tears rolling down her cheeks and I just put my 154 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:15,920 arms around her and I just held her there. 155 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:22,440 She had just experienced her first break up, and even though 156 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,640 I had warned her that this pain would come, I said you stay away 157 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:30,600 from boys because they'll break your heart, because boys are 158 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:34,560 dumb until they're about 40. How old are you? 159 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:38,000 41. Till they're about 45, they're 160 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:41,120 done. Well played. 161 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,160 Even though I had warned her and she didn't listen, I find her 162 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,360 here with a broken heart and still mine is full of compassion 163 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,880 for her. I just wanted to take her pain 164 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:58,840 away. Anytime you are navigating one 165 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:02,880 of these challenges, one of these pains, God is there to 166 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,480 comfort you. Psalm says this in Psalm 119. 167 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:08,600 May your unfailing love be my comfort. 168 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:13,160 You and I can find comfort in the unfailing love of God. 169 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:16,760 Jesus actually follows this up in his most famous sermon. 170 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:19,440 You'll find it on the Sermon the Mount Matthew, chapter 5. 171 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:23,480 Jesus says this Blessed are those who mourn, for they will 172 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:27,280 be comforted. And then Paul follows it up and 173 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,400 gives us even more insight when he says this in Second 174 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:34,480 Corinthians. Praise be to the God and Father 175 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:38,880 of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God 176 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:42,040 of all. You say the next word, the God 177 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:44,160 of all comfort. What does he do? 178 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:49,840 Who comforts us in all our troubles? 179 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:54,440 Why? So that we can comfort those 180 00:10:54,560 --> 00:10:59,640 with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 181 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,960 He gives us comfort and then we're able to use the comfort 182 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,640 that we have received from God to be a comfort to others who 183 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:11,760 are navigating pain. I have a desire to fulfil my 184 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:15,720 kids needs as well as the desires of their hearts. 185 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:19,400 I also have a desire to withhold for their own good. 186 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,080 Providing for their basic needs and giving them the things that 187 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:28,560 they want brings me joy. But there are also times that I 188 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:31,640 have to withhold what what it is that they desire, because what 189 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:34,240 that is is not what is best for them. 190 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,920 And I'm reminded in those moments that God does the same 191 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:41,040 with me. God provides what I need, and 192 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,200 then some. I may not have everything that I 193 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:47,440 want, but He ensures that I have everything that I need. 194 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:52,680 And when he withholds, I can trust that he's doing so because 195 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:56,160 it's for my own good, just like any good parent would. 196 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:02,440 Take Clayton, for instance. Clayton probably wanted to find 197 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,680 a sweet, submissive wife at Bible college. 198 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:13,840 Yeah, you know, a wife who is needy and attentive. 199 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:18,240 Who's encouraging? Oh sweet. 200 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:26,680 But God withheld because God knew that what Clayton needed 201 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:31,040 was a short, crazy brunette. So he got me. 202 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:35,960 God knew that what Clayton needed was a wife who was 203 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:39,360 independent and self-sufficient enough to navigate the demands 204 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:42,400 of ministry. A wife that he could look at at 205 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:46,720 9:00 on a Tuesday night and say I'm going to fly to Kansas in 206 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:50,520 the morning and I don't know how long I'll be there, but there's 207 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:52,680 a marriage in trouble and I want to help save it. 208 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:57,440 Or a wife that he could leave the day that she arrives home 209 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:02,880 from her third C-section with a newborn and a two year old and a 210 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,720 teenager and go to Florida for a week to do ministry. 211 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:08,920 Wasn't one of my best moments. I know this. 212 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:14,720 So he can say whatever he wants about me from this stage because 213 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:19,200 he knows that my particular brand of crazy is exactly what 214 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:23,480 he needs. True story, true story, true 215 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:28,280 story. I think if you would look inside 216 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:30,640 of the heart of a mother, you'd also find that in the heart of a 217 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:34,200 mother is a trainer. Think about all the things you 218 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:38,840 learned from your mom. More than likely, she's the one 219 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:42,880 who taught you how to tie your shoes, trim your nails, put on 220 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:45,600 clothes that match, how to get the stains out of the clothes 221 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,360 that you messed up, how to sort your clothes, wash your clothes. 222 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:50,840 You learned how to cook and how to bake. 223 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:54,200 You learned how to read. Sitting on your mother's lap. 224 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:57,120 She was the one who did the flash cards with you as you went 225 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,360 through the different sounds of the alphabet. 226 00:13:59,920 --> 00:14:04,080 Well, dads and who are awesome, typically do a great job of 227 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:07,720 teaching sports and how to do stuff outside of the home. 228 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:12,440 The mom is responsible for your finer skills, your softer 229 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:17,640 skills, and long after you are done playing sports, you will be 230 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:23,720 living a productive, civilized life, mainly in part to the 231 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:29,240 training that you received from your mom moms. 232 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:37,640 Your boys are learning from you what to look for in a wife moms. 233 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:45,080 Your girls are learning from you how to be a wife moms. 234 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,040 You are training a future spouse. 235 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:52,280 You are training a future husband. 236 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:57,960 You are training a future wife and what kind of gift do you 237 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,960 want to give your future in laws? 238 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:03,880 What kind of daughter do you want to present to them? 239 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:06,240 Ready. What kind of son-in-law or son 240 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:08,240 or husband do you want to present to them? 241 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:12,200 When the people of God were coming out of Egypt after God 242 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:16,800 had rescued them and they're moving through the desert, God 243 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:21,280 gave Moses the 10 commandments. You guys all know these, and 244 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:29,680 this is recorded in Deuteronomy chapter 5, just 4 verses later. 245 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:34,200 In Deuteronomy chapter 6, do you know what words we find recorded 246 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:36,640 in scripture? God speaking to them. 247 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:41,080 And this is what he says. Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, 248 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:44,200 the Lord is 1. Love the Lord your God with all 249 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:47,400 of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your strength. 250 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,240 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your 251 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:55,160 hearts. Impress them on your children. 252 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,840 Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the 253 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:01,960 road, when you lie down and when you get up. 254 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:05,680 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your 255 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:07,560 foreheads. Write them on the door frames of 256 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:13,000 your houses and on your gates. Now, what he's not saying is you 257 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:16,120 need to all go home and start painting your door frames and 258 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:18,360 you don't need to take little boxes and time around your hands 259 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:20,680 or around your head. We'd all look weird and it's not 260 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:23,280 necessary. What he's trying to do is he's 261 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:27,960 trying to help you realize the importance of training your kids 262 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,880 in the ways of God. One of the things that Jennifer 263 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:34,720 and I do is I've always made it a priority that I'm going to 264 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:39,040 take my kids to school so that I can pray with them out loud over 265 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:40,800 them. And you guys have heard, many of 266 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:42,360 you have heard the prayer that I pray for my kids. 267 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:44,440 It's the same prayer all the time. 268 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:46,920 Heavenly Father, I just asked that you'd help my boys grow up 269 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:49,080 to love you with all of their heart, mind, soul and strength. 270 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:51,280 Sound familiar? And that they'd embrace the 271 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:53,360 Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. 272 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:56,440 That they'd be leaders of others and followers of you, and that 273 00:16:56,440 --> 00:17:00,720 you will help them to find a spouse who will love them and 274 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:06,520 love you as well. Studies show that the spiritual 275 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:14,000 direction of the home comes from the father, but the spiritual 276 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:18,800 intimacy in the home comes from the mother. 277 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:23,520 Gentlemen, you are the largest determining factor in whether or 278 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:26,960 not your kids will come to Christ. 279 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:32,640 You are the primary person in setting the spiritual direction 280 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:35,800 of your home. But moms, when it comes to 281 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:40,160 asking questions of faith, what it looks like to live it out, 282 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:43,880 you are the one who your kids will turn to. 283 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:47,680 They are going to get the intimacy of their intimate, 284 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:51,800 personal relationship with Jesus Christ from you. 285 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:56,640 At the beginning of this year, I felt a burden to make a deeper 286 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:01,800 spiritual investment in my boys. Every day I am sending them into 287 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:06,920 a broken, Dark World, and I wanted them to be prepared for 288 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:10,320 what they would face. I wanted to instill in them a 289 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:13,240 love for God's Word, and I wanted to instill in them a 290 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:17,400 discipline of spending intentional time with him every 291 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:21,080 day. So I converted one of our 292 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:24,880 closets into a Bible study room. You want to see it? 293 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:30,080 Me too. First of all, shame on Clayton 294 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:32,280 for not straightening the rug before he took this picture for 295 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:37,320 me. So I apologize ladies, it's 296 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:42,680 usually not that messy. So we've got we've got comfy 297 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,800 seating, our Bibles, and our books and baskets on the left 298 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:48,800 there you can see we've got a little chalkboard where you can 299 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:52,480 write encouraging things, hopefully, but they are boys. 300 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:57,040 So on the other wall, there's a sign that lists all the books of 301 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:58,880 the Bible. There it is. 302 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,960 And then we have our living on a prayer wall. 303 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:06,640 If you're from the 80s, you know, which is supposed to have 304 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:10,240 sticky notes all around it with our prayers, but, well, that's 305 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:14,320 how well we're doing right now. OK, so I made a commitment to my 306 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,960 boys that 30 day or 30 minutes every day before school, we 307 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,800 would spend time praying and reading God's word together. 308 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:27,880 And some weeks we go 5 for five, some weeks it's 3 for five, and 309 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,960 some weeks we miss the mark altogether. 310 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:35,120 And I'm telling you that because spiritual investments are so 311 00:19:35,120 --> 00:19:37,200 important, we need to be intentional about it. 312 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:41,320 But we do not need to get discouraged if we don't always 313 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:43,760 hit the mark. I want you to remember that 314 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:47,480 every investment you make produces growth. 315 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:52,400 Every investment counts. If you put money in a bank 316 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:54,840 account each week, that account will grow. 317 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:58,920 It doesn't matter if it's $100. If it's $50, it's $5. 318 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:02,480 It grows because every investment that you make 319 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,840 produces growth. So make intentional investments 320 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:09,240 in your kids. Make investments when interest 321 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,400 rates are high. And by that I mean when they 322 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:15,840 come to you and say they've had a bad day, they're struggling 323 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:19,960 with something, they're hurting. Take that as an opportunity to 324 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,240 teach them to give their burdens to God and trust His plan for 325 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:26,280 their life. And when they come to you to 326 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:30,160 celebrate their successes or to share something good that has 327 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:34,560 happened in their life, take that time to teach them to 328 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:38,840 praise God and be thankful for His provision and His 329 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:43,240 faithfulness. Proverbs chapter 22 says this. 330 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:47,840 Start children off the way they should go and when they are old 331 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:53,800 they will not turn from it. So, ladies and fellas, what do 332 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:58,640 you want your kids to become? How do you want your kids to 333 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,440 behave? How do you want your kids to 334 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:04,080 grow in the relationship with Jesus Christ? 335 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:09,920 Our intentions must be accompanied with actions. 336 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:12,960 All of us have good intentions when it comes to being a parent. 337 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:19,360 All of us But the people who win move beyond intention into 338 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:23,200 action. This is the scary part. 339 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:27,680 We are already training our kids. 340 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:33,920 The issue is, are we training them in the way they should go? 341 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:39,160 So we must prioritize the training of our children to love 342 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:41,400 the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength. 343 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:44,320 If you get this one right, it's going to take care of all the 344 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:45,760 others. How do we know this? 345 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:48,040 Because it's a bankable promise from God. 346 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:52,360 Jesus says put my Kingdom first and all the other things will be 347 00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:54,200 added to you. And let me just tell you what 348 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,880 some of the added to you things are For Jennifer and I. 349 00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,760 We not only do we want our kids to love the Lord their God with 350 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,000 all their heart, mind, soul and strength, we also want them. 351 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:05,680 We are training them to be a devoted and loving spouse. 352 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:09,280 We are training them to be a loving and devoted parent. 353 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:13,000 We are trying to train them to be dependable and selfless 354 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,360 friends. We are training them to be 355 00:22:15,360 --> 00:22:18,920 honorable, kind, hard working and generous. 356 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:21,000 None of those things come naturally. 357 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:25,320 None of those things are easy. All of them is ground, hard 358 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:29,000 fought ground you have to take. And sometimes you win and 359 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,360 sometimes you lose. I think the golden Nugget in 360 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:34,600 what Jennifer was saying previously is every investment 361 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:37,640 counts. I would rather have a parent who 362 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:41,960 has the intention of making $100 deposit every single day and 363 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:46,040 ends up making A5 a $5.00 deposit every other week. 364 00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:48,800 Then a parent who says that they're going to make $1000 365 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,360 deposit and never makes a deposit at all. 366 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:55,760 When you fail, Satan will try to convince you lie to you that 367 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,400 well, you should have never started in the 1st place, or 368 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:00,800 that didn't count, or that didn't matter. 369 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:04,240 What you are doing is you are building a spiritual legacy, a 370 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:08,240 spiritual bank account that they can withdraw on in times in the 371 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:11,320 valley. So make deposits as often as 372 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:13,360 possible. Sometimes you can make a big 373 00:23:13,360 --> 00:23:16,560 deposit, sometimes you can make a small deposit, but every 374 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,960 deposit you make is training them in righteousness. 375 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,600 Just this past week, I took my son Maddox on a well. 376 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:30,080 I went on a field trip with him to the Lincoln Museum and 4th 377 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:34,840 graders at a museum is about as fruitful as raking snow. 378 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:39,160 But we had a good time. We went to the gift shop there 379 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:40,760 and he says, mom, I want to get a Bible. 380 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:44,560 And I was thinking, you have a Bible, but OK, so we go and we 381 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:46,640 look and they didn't have Bibles. 382 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:49,680 So we have a President Lincoln devotional. 383 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:54,880 That's what we got. And later that evening, we're 384 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:59,120 driving home from baseball. And he says, Mom, there's a kid 385 00:23:59,120 --> 00:24:04,520 in my school that really needs a Bible, and that's why I wanted 386 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:07,840 to buy one today because I want to give it to him. 387 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:12,960 And I thought, oh, he's making his own investments. 388 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,080 He's going to save his little friends at school. 389 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:21,080 So see, every investment you make produces growth, and they 390 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:24,800 will reproduce that investment into the people around them. 391 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:29,680 Now I want to share with you one of the greatest lessons that 392 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:32,040 motherhood has taught me about God. 393 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:37,640 When we lived in Macomb, every year we would go to the Heritage 394 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:43,360 Days parade in June, and that parade winds around the town 395 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:46,000 square. And so people pack both sides of 396 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:47,360 the square. We're all from small towns. 397 00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:49,080 You know how we do when the parade comes? 398 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:51,840 Tons of people on both sides of the street. 399 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:56,200 And so I took Maddox, who was a baby, and Zane, who was about 400 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:59,120 two at that time. I went with my sister-in-law and 401 00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:02,760 her baby and my mom. We all go up to the square, we 402 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,520 find a nice little spot on the corner and we sit down to watch 403 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:09,040 the parade. The parade goes by and we're 404 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:11,120 watching. And after a while, I look over 405 00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:15,040 to see how Zane is doing and Zane's not there. 406 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:18,520 And immediately I scream, Where's Zane? 407 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:23,440 And all of a sudden my heart starts racing and these thoughts 408 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:26,520 start flooding my mind. I leave Maddox with my family 409 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:29,320 and I start walking in the direction of the parade because 410 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:32,640 I'm thinking maybe he saw someone he knew and he decided 411 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,640 to follow along with them. So I'm moving in that direction. 412 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:39,200 I'm yelling out his name, I'm searching faces in the sea of 413 00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:42,880 people, and all of a sudden I get this terrible thought. 414 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:48,280 What if he went the other way? What if I'm actually getting 415 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:52,960 farther from him? And so I stop right there in the 416 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:57,520 middle of St. and I I don't care that I'm standing in the path of 417 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:01,240 a moving parade. I don't care that I look 418 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:04,960 absolutely insane. I have one objective in this 419 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:07,920 moment and all my options are flooding through my mind. 420 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,360 I'm looking in both directions and I spot at the end of the 421 00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:15,400 street a news van. And I'm like, they they probably 422 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,840 have, you know, APA system or something. 423 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:21,760 And I'm thinking, I hate public speaking. 424 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:23,920 I hate speaking in front of people. 425 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:26,760 But I'm going to hijack that news van and I'm going to shut 426 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:29,920 this parade down. I will shut this entire city 427 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:36,440 down until my son is found all these thoughts racing. 428 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:37,720 I don't know which direction to go. 429 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:40,240 I don't know what to do. I'm still searching in the sea 430 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,280 of people and I see people that I know and they're like, hey, 431 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:46,480 how you doing? And I just want to scream, Would 432 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:50,600 you stop what you're doing and help me find my baby? 433 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:54,760 There is nothing more important than bringing him home. 434 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:01,480 I will be wandering these streets pushing a baby stroller 435 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:06,280 for as long as it takes because I refuse to go home to his 436 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:10,960 father and say I didn't do everything I could to find your 437 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:15,040 son. And it is with the same urgency 438 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:19,080 and the same intensity that God implores us to stop what we're 439 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:22,920 doing and find his lost children. 440 00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:27,320 There is nothing more important than bringing them home. 441 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:35,920 And I think, I think that we can read the Great Commission to go 442 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:39,560 and make disciples of all nations as a Father's desperate 443 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:44,600 plea for help to rescue the ones that have wandered away. 444 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:49,760 And if you have ever lost your child, even for a moment, in a 445 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:54,160 store, in a park, wherever, you know exactly the feelings that 446 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:59,880 I'm describing, therefore you know the urgency of Our Calling. 447 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:03,320 Now. What ended up happening was that 448 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:07,040 Zane saw a piece of parade candy on the street. 449 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:12,480 And even at 2A, Hensel knows you don't let parade candy go to 450 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:16,160 waste, right? So he takes a few steps to get 451 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:18,840 that, and then he sees another piece of candy, and then 452 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:22,160 another, and another until he's around the corner where we can't 453 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:26,760 see them see him, he can't hear us, and he can't find his way 454 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:30,280 back. Now, praise God, there was a man 455 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:33,720 there that realized that my son was lost, and he took him by the 456 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:36,720 hand and he walked him back around to where my family was 457 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,880 sitting. But doesn't that sound kind of 458 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:43,800 like the same way that God's children find themselves lost? 459 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:49,240 One small temptation leads to another and then to another, 460 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,400 until they're so far away that they can't hear his voice 461 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:56,400 calling to them. They can't find their way back 462 00:28:56,960 --> 00:29:02,200 to him. And I don't know about you, but 463 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:05,840 I don't want to go to heaven and stand before God and say I 464 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:11,000 didn't do everything I could to find your lost children. 465 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:14,280 I was busy. I was tired. 466 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:16,520 I I was scared. I didn't know what to say. 467 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:17,960 I didn't want people to dislike me. 468 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:20,120 I could have done more, but I didn't. 469 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:23,640 I don't want that to be my story. 470 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:26,200 I don't want that to be your story. 471 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:29,640 You see, when Jesus came to this earth, he had a mission and it's 472 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:33,040 spelled out in Luke chapter 19 where it says for the Son of Man 473 00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:38,280 came to seek and save the lost. And when we come out of the 474 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:41,640 water of that baptistry, we become part of that mission. 475 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:48,200 We have one job and it surpasses all other responsibilities that 476 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:50,920 we have. And our job is to take the lost 477 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:54,640 by the hand and lead them back to a father whose heart is 478 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:58,320 breaking to be reunited with them. 479 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,600 And I hope you will join me in that mission. 480 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:03,800 We're moving to a time of decision. 481 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:17,040 There's an old preacher story of a man who was caught in a flood 482 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:20,120 and he went to the roof of his house and he started crying out 483 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:24,080 to God, God save me. And a guy in a rowboat came by 484 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,960 and said, hey man, hop in the boat and I'll get you to safe. 485 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:29,600 He's like, don't worry man, I've been praying to God, he's going 486 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:31,080 to save me. So the guy in the rowboat went 487 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:34,040 by and guy kept praying for God to save him. 488 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:36,600 A little bit later a guy came by in a motorboat and he says, hey, 489 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:38,160 hop in the boat and I'll take you to safety. 490 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:40,200 The guy goes, man, I've been praying to God, he loves me. 491 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:43,200 He's going to take care of me. So the guy in the motorboat 492 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:47,440 keeps going on by a little bit later Coast Guard comes by with 493 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,040 a helicopter and they're they're screaming at him, hey man, we're 494 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:51,800 going to, they lower a rope and he's like, don't worry, I've 495 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,440 been praying God's going to save me. 496 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:58,080 Well, a little while later the waters rise and the guy drowns 497 00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:00,400 and he finds himself in front of God in heaven. 498 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:02,160 He goes, hey, I was praying to you. 499 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:04,680 You said you love me, Why didn't you save me? 500 00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:08,040 He goes, I tried. I sent a guy in a rowboat. 501 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:10,320 I sent a guy in a motorboat. I sent a guy in a helicopter. 502 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:14,560 What more do you want from me? And I think many of us, we don't 503 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,560 realize the acts that are happening all the way around us 504 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:22,160 that God is using to save us, to draw us into an intimate, 505 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:26,760 personal relationship with him. God is always working to draw 506 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:31,440 people unto himself, and that includes you. 507 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:35,200 In fact, you might be listening to this message right now 508 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:39,360 because God sent somebody at work or sent somebody in your 509 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:45,400 family to invite you to church. He sent Jennifer's message about 510 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,840 a father wanting to be reunited with his children, so that way 511 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:52,920 you could hear it. God is doing all of this so that 512 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:56,960 you can take hold of the salvation that he is offering 513 00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:59,000 you. And if you're here today and 514 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:01,680 you've never started an intimate, personal relationship 515 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:06,040 with Jesus Christ, I want you to know that you can start it 516 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,760 today. If you have questions about what 517 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:12,440 that is or what that looks like, I want to encourage you to ask 518 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:15,560 him if you're going. I've got some stuff I need to 519 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:18,240 sort out. Allow us to go on the journey of 520 00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:22,720 sorting that out with you. And in just a few moments, the 521 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:25,280 people around you, some of them are going to stand and sing and 522 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:27,760 some of them are going to get down on their knees and pray. 523 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:31,120 And what I want to encourage you to do is to take a walk. 524 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:35,160 It's a little bit of a scary walk for some of you, depending 525 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:36,200 on where you're sitting in the room. 526 00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:39,200 It's kind of a far walk, but I'm going to encourage you to walk 527 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:43,280 right over there underneath that screen next to the Baptistery, 528 00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:47,520 and I want you to ask the questions that you need answered 529 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:51,000 to talk about the things that are holding you back from 530 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,560 beginning the relationship with Jesus Christ. 531 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,920 That changes absolutely everything. 532 00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:01,000 What makes it scary is that it's a little unknown. 533 00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:03,200 You don't know what it's going to look like. 534 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:06,440 You don't know what it's going to, what your experience is 535 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:08,840 going to be. But I'm going to tell you on 536 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:11,640 behalf of all the people that have ever made that walk here at 537 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:13,960 this church, what they would tell you is it's the greatest 538 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:16,480 walk they ever made. And their biggest regret is they 539 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:19,800 didn't do it sooner. Not to the rest of you in the 540 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:22,320 room. You already have a relationship 541 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:23,720 with Jesus. What I want to encourage you to 542 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:30,120 do is to spend some real time on your knees praying, whether you 543 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,160 come up here to the steps and prayer, or whether you go over 544 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:34,880 to the baptistery and put your hand in the water or whether you 545 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:37,160 get down on your knees at the seat where you're at. 546 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:41,280 And what I want you to do is I want you to pray over your mom. 547 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:44,920 Pray over the mother of your children, whether you're married 548 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:49,480 to her or not. Pray over your kids that they 549 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,160 come into a relationship with Jesus Christ and that they would 550 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:55,440 be spared some of the hurt and heartache that you had to 551 00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:58,400 navigate. Pray for the single moms in our 552 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:00,240 communities. Pray for those who've buried 553 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:03,080 their moms that you are close to and you know the hardship that 554 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:07,160 they're facing. And pray that God would use you 555 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,600 to accomplish his great mission. Would you stand with me, 556 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:20,440 Heavenly Father? I'm asking you to move in this 557 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:24,520 moment. Regardless of where people are 558 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,800 at on their spiritual journey, whether they are just here today 559 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:30,360 to make their mom happy or they've been following you for 560 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:32,239 as long as they can remember God. 561 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,760 I want each and every single person who can hear my voice to 562 00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:40,800 take a step in your direction, to take a step out of their 563 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:45,199 comfort zone and move more into a relationship that is dependent 564 00:34:45,199 --> 00:34:49,280 on you, guided by you, sustained by you. 565 00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:55,520 Got to pray as we get down on our knees and we pray to you 566 00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:58,960 about the things going on in our life and the people we care 567 00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:00,960 about and the people we want to love and lead. 568 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:05,040 Well, God, that you'd meet us in that prayer, that you'd give us 569 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:08,000 clarity about what it is that we're supposed to do, and then 570 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:10,240 give us the courage to see it through. 571 00:35:10,240 --> 00:35:12,440 And your name, I pray. Amen.