1 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,960 OK, crossing family, raise your hand if you remember buying a 2 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,440 cheeseburger from McDonald's for less than a dollar. 3 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:13,680 OK, praise God for you. All right, stay with me. 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,800 Now raise your hand if you remember buying a cheeseburger 5 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,520 from McDonald's for less than $0.50. 6 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,280 This is the 1980s crew. OK, God bless you. 7 00:00:25,240 --> 00:00:28,760 Anyone around when you could buy a cheeseburger for less than 8 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,440 1/4? Everybody remember that, OK? 9 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:33,560 God bless you. Thank you for coming to this 10 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:35,360 church and sticking it out. We know it's loud. 11 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,640 That's the 1970s crowd. All right. 12 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:46,360 Now, how many of you remember buying it for 19 cents? 13 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:52,480 God bless you guys. OK, that was the 1950 or 60s. 14 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,800 All right. Recently I was somewhere with my 15 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,080 family and I went to a vending machine and this is going to 16 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,880 make me sound old, but it took credit cards. 17 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:07,360 I was like you can finance stuff in a vending machine. 18 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:12,200 Now the coke was $3. Raise your hand if you remember 19 00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:15,760 going to a vending machine with two quarters and you can get 20 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:18,280 yourself a soda. God bless you guys. 21 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,720 How many of you remember when you could go and you could put 22 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:25,080 in 1/4? Yeah, that was the 1970s. 23 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,400 How many of you remember when you could buy it for a dime? 24 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,120 That's the 1960s. OK. 25 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:34,240 Help them raise their hand. They're old. 26 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:38,160 How many of you guys remember? How many of you remember buying 27 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:41,640 a Coke for a nickel? God bless you all. 28 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,760 Yeah, I love that. And sometimes you'll be like, 29 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,920 you'll hear people talk about, well, that was then and this is 30 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:49,880 now. Things change. 31 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:51,960 They're sure not what they used to be. 32 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,080 I want to welcome all of our different locations, those of 33 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:59,160 you watching online and inside. I also want to welcome those of 34 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:03,320 you who are here for the first time or the first time in a long 35 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:05,600 time. And to those of you who came to 36 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,840 our Christmas Eve services and you made a commitment to go on a 37 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,720 journey with us for one year. We are so glad you are here. 38 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:15,440 And there is something special in here for you that I if you'll 39 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:17,880 pay attention to the front of the message and at the end of 40 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,320 the message that I hope will be a blessing to you. 41 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,360 I think if you were to lean in, you just might hear something 42 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,200 today that you desperately need to hear and it could help you 43 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,440 take your next step of faith. To those of you who are 44 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:38,120 Christians, I'm bringing this sermon to you today as a gift to 45 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:44,320 show you that the things you read in the Bible can still 46 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:48,640 happen today, are still happening today, and they can 47 00:02:48,640 --> 00:02:52,640 happen through you. Sometimes when you are reading 48 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:56,120 through the Bible. We go, well, that was then and 49 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:00,240 this is now. Things aren't the way they used 50 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:05,160 to be, but I think if we look closely and if we do the things 51 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,440 that God's calling us to do, the things we read in the Bible, 52 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,040 well, they can happen and they can happen through you. 53 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,960 We're in a series called There Has to be a Place, real stories 54 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:20,720 of real people with real faith. Last week we heard a powerful 55 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:23,960 story from a real person who's living out their real faith, and 56 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:28,520 today will be no different. I titled my message, What would 57 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,280 you be willing to do? Turn to your neighbor and ask 58 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:35,360 him, what would you be willing to do? 59 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,280 Hopefully you guys paid attention last week and you guys 60 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,160 have bought yourself a Bible. And if you haven't, it's you can 61 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:45,600 still they sell them year round. Buy yourself a Bible and if you 62 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:47,240 want start bringing it with you to church. 63 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:49,480 And if you brought your Bible to church, you can turn to Mark 64 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:53,120 chapter 2. This is on the Mount Rushmore of 65 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,600 best Bible stories in all of Scripture. 66 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:59,240 Mark chapter 2, verses one through 12. 67 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:03,560 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the 68 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,920 people heard that He had come home. 69 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:12,640 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room 70 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:19,200 left, not even outside the door, and he preached the Word to 71 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,720 them. This is the vision of every 72 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:29,120 church and of every Christian, that whenever or wherever Jesus 73 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:34,120 is, the place would be full of people, and that the people who 74 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:39,040 are there would rather stand and hear the word of God then have 75 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:41,920 their favorite seat and nobody sitting next to him while they 76 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:45,000 hear the word of God. And what did Jesus do with this 77 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,880 crowd? Well, he preached the word to 78 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,280 them. Hear me, whether it is one word, 79 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:56,960 one verse, or 1 chapter, the focus should be of us aligning 80 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:01,480 ourselves to the truth and the power of the Word of God, which 81 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:03,480 is the Bible. Let's keep reading. 82 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:12,600 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four 83 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,600 of them. There was this group of people 84 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:20,960 who knew a paralyzed man and they wanted to bring him to 85 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,920 Jesus. And out of that group of people 86 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,560 that wanted to bring the man to Jesus, there were four of them 87 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:32,280 who carried the man. And what kind of friends were 88 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:34,040 these people? Well, let's keep reading. 89 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:35,680 They're the crazy kind of friends. 90 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:36,960 How many of you have a crazy friend? 91 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:41,040 OK, this is the right kind of crazy, not the wrong kind of 92 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,640 crazy. Since they could not get him to 93 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:50,360 Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof 94 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:56,120 above Jesus by digging through it, and then they lowered the 95 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:02,560 mat the man was lying on. They show up, there's no room to 96 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:04,920 get this guy to Jesus, and they don't go. 97 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,320 Well, we tried. They go, you know what we should 98 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:09,640 do? We should walk up the stairs on 99 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:12,680 the outside of the house and we should dig a hole in the roof. 100 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:16,960 Not their roof, not their house. They just said let's do this. 101 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,440 They're the figure it out kind of guys, kind of like them. 102 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:22,320 They make a hole and then they lower the man down. 103 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:25,680 Did they bring rope? How did they get the guy? 104 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:27,920 I mean, it's a fall. Was there somebody up there 105 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,560 who's just Uber practical and they're like, listen, we're 106 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:32,720 trying to get this guy to Jesus so he'll be healed. 107 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,040 He's already paralyzed if we drop him. 108 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:36,880 It's just more for Jesus to work with. 109 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:40,760 I, I don't know how this is happening, but this is unfolding 110 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,240 in real life, in real time. They're up there. 111 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:45,440 They're like, we got a hole now. What are we going to deal? 112 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,240 Just put him down there. Just get him close, OK? 113 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:54,280 Now this is where this story takes an incredibly weird turn. 114 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,040 It's like Jesus doesn't see the things that we see. 115 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:05,320 Then Jesus saw their faith, and he said to the paralyzed man, 116 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:10,240 Son, your sins are forgiven. One. 117 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,640 Jesus sees the faith, but whose faith is he seeing? 118 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,800 He's seeing the faith of the friends. 119 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:23,280 That's what catches his eye, not the faith of the man, not the 120 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:27,120 paralyzed status of the man. The first thing he notices is he 121 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:30,080 sees the faith of the friends. What was the faith that he saw? 122 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,840 That they believed that if they could get their friend to Jesus, 123 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,680 it would change his life. Jesus loves that kind of faith. 124 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,320 Second thing, what does Jesus deal with? 125 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,080 What's the first thing he addresses? 126 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,920 He addresses the biggest need of all. 127 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:53,560 Jesus looks at the paralyzed man and forgives him of his sins, 128 00:07:55,520 --> 00:08:00,240 and you'd be going Jesus, he's paralyzed. 129 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,760 That's why we brought him. And Jesus is going. 130 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:11,720 The biggest issue of all is your sin issue, and I just handled 131 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:14,360 it. You might be here today worried 132 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:18,680 about your marriage, but Jesus is most concerned about your 133 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:21,880 salvation. You might be here today and you 134 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:26,240 are concerned about your health, but Jesus is most concerned with 135 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:29,520 your eternity. There are all kinds of things 136 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:34,520 that we want from Jesus, but the biggest thing we need from Jesus 137 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,039 is to deal with our biggest need. 138 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:44,560 We need our sins forgiven so we can live forever in heaven with 139 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:46,520 Him. Verse 6. 140 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:51,440 Now some teachers of the law were sitting down thinking to 141 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:55,200 themselves, why does this fellow talk like that? 142 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,120 They're referring to Jesus. He's blaspheming. 143 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:03,000 Who can forgive sins but God alone? 144 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:07,120 They're right. There's only one person who can 145 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:09,760 forgive sins. That's God. 146 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:15,880 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this is what they 147 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:23,160 were thinking in their hearts. Jesus knows the thoughts of all 148 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:26,400 the people that were there in the crowd and hear me. 149 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,240 He knows all of the thoughts of this crowd. 150 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:34,040 He knows what's going through your mind as well. 151 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:40,360 He knows when you're fearful, anxious, doubting, struggling. 152 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,320 He knows when you're lying and when you're lusting. 153 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,560 He knows when you're seeking. He knows when you're trusting. 154 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,360 He knows when you're hoping. He knows when you're believing. 155 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:56,120 He knows. The question that they were 156 00:09:56,120 --> 00:10:01,960 wrestling through was who does Jesus think he is? 157 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:07,560 Only God can forgive sins. Even back then the pressing 158 00:10:07,560 --> 00:10:12,840 issue of their day was how do we deal with the sin problem in our 159 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:18,320 life? Verse 8 And he said to them, why 160 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:24,080 are you thinking these things? This is where Jesus shows off, 161 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:28,720 which is easier to say to this paralyzed man, your sins are 162 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:35,120 forgiven, or to say get up, take your mat and walk. 163 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:39,880 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on 164 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:44,320 earth to forgive sins. So he said to the man, I tell 165 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:48,920 you, get up, take your mat and go home. 166 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:56,400 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of all 167 00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:00,040 of them. All this amazed everyone and 168 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:05,840 they praised God saying we have never seen anything like this. 169 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:10,640 Jesus answers their question in a way that only Jesus can do. 170 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:13,680 He heals the man. He says, hey, in case you're 171 00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:16,520 wondering what kind of power I have when I say your sins are 172 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:21,600 forgiven, which is easier for me to say your sins are forgiven or 173 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:23,320 get up and walk? So, but so that you know that 174 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:27,720 I'm as awesome as I say that I am, get up and walk now. 175 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:32,400 I know what you are thinking. Stuff like that happens back 176 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:38,640 then, but this is now. But what if, what if the things 177 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:42,680 you read in the Bible can still happen today, are still 178 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:46,120 happening today? And what if they can happen 179 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:48,800 through you? Would you guys please welcome 180 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,160 Brandon and Lauren Ochsner to the stage with me? 181 00:11:54,680 --> 00:11:57,000 You guys are going to be great, OK? 182 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,440 And this is my proof text that I really am ginormous. 183 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:02,320 OK? This You guys are like, yeah, he 184 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,560 is huge. I ate an elephant for breakfast. 185 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:10,480 OK, So last year God kind of intertwined our stories in a 186 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:13,200 really cool way. And they reached out to me about 187 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:16,680 something that God was doing in their life because Lauren had a 188 00:12:16,680 --> 00:12:19,560 friend named Michelle and she was trying to get Michelle to 189 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:22,520 find a intimate, personal relationship with Jesus. 190 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:24,640 And that whole process was amazing. 191 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,200 So kind of walk us through what all happened. 192 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,400 I had been praying for Michelle for a long time and I would 193 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:34,760 often pray for her at the steps. But even though I was praying 194 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:38,680 for her, I wasn't doing the best job at reaching out and inviting 195 00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:41,720 her to church. So I began taking small steps, 196 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:43,480 trying to reach her where she was at. 197 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:47,240 I wanted to build a personal relationship with her, to let 198 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:49,000 her know that I deeply cared for her. 199 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:53,040 I knew she believed in God, but she didn't yet have that 200 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:55,320 intimate personal relationship with Him. 201 00:12:56,440 --> 00:13:00,880 Eventually she came with us to a Christmas Eve service, and after 202 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:04,080 that I again invited her to the Super Bowl sermon series with 203 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:06,320 the horse. And again, she would decline. 204 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:08,840 Brandon, you kind of saw this unfolding. 205 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:10,400 What was your take on the situation? 206 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:15,600 Yeah, so I knew my wife had been pursuing Michelle for some time 207 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,040 through talks, through texts, through subtle interactions with 208 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,720 her. And I could just see that Lauren 209 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:26,880 passionately cared about Michelle and she was just always 210 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,920 thinking about her and Michelle's. 211 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:34,400 One of Michelle's biggest turn offs was other Christ followers 212 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:37,480 claiming to be a Christ follower, but their lives did 213 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:39,720 not reflect it. There was nothing that you would 214 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:43,480 see that was any sort of obedience or any sort of fruit 215 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:47,000 of the Spirit and you could just see that it was very off putting 216 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,320 to Michelle and she expressed it. 217 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:53,240 OK, So what happened next? I decided to try and reach out 218 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:57,480 again that Thursday morning before service just to see if 219 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:00,920 she had changed her mind and she still said no. 220 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:04,160 But this time she followed it with a challenge. 221 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:09,960 She said if I run a half marathon with her in May, she 222 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:13,600 will come to church with us once a month for the rest of the 223 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,360 year. And without hesitation, I said, 224 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:19,200 of course Brandon and I would love to do it. 225 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:25,840 OK, I love the passion of this because Grace makes really bad 226 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:30,120 deals because you're going to run an entire marathon in 227 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:33,880 exchange for her to come to church once a month for a year. 228 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,680 What was your take on this? Well, I love the fact that 229 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:39,800 Lauren said we and and I'm thinking to myself, what what 230 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:41,560 does she mean? We Michelle didn't say, hey, if 231 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:45,280 your husband and I run this, you know, so so I was thinking in my 232 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,160 mind, would she have a mouse in her pocket? 233 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:55,920 But you know, and I jokingly say that, but I mean, I, I, I didn't 234 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,960 even hesitate, honestly, I knew I was going to do whatever I 235 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:03,960 needed to do to support my wife, to support this mission, because 236 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,280 I knew that Michelle had questions and Michelle was 237 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:09,600 wrestling with this. And if we could just be that 238 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:14,520 light, that would be great. So I just, we went out to a 239 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:17,040 store here in town. We bought some running shoes and 240 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:20,760 we started training. OK, well, what was the first 241 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,640 thing that you noticed? So I quickly realized running is 242 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:28,560 hard. It's I mean, I don't want to 243 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:30,560 insult anyone here, but I did not enjoy it. 244 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:34,840 It was painful and and my wife essentially hadn't worked out 245 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:38,440 since her and I got married and the nine years ago. 246 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,400 So so you. Guys weren't runners. 247 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:43,920 These weren't people you just met and like, hey, we're a part 248 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:46,880 of a run club and if you but you guys were a 0 runner kind of 249 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:51,440 like me, like I don't I run to the store, but that's that's in 250 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:52,600 the car. OK. 251 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:57,040 So I started training and it was hard. 252 00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:59,720 It was hard both mentally and physically. 253 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:02,640 But while I was training physically, God was doing 254 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:05,040 something spiritually in all of us. 255 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:08,200 I continued reaching out to her everyday. 256 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,160 I kept sharing scripture with her and I could slowly see her 257 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:16,800 eager to learn more. I remember finally being able to 258 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:21,120 run my first 3 miles on February 27th because I'll be honest, I 259 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:24,960 never thought I would get there. Then on April 4th, she invited 260 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,880 me to run with her on the trail and we ended up running 7 1/2 261 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,200 miles together. And during that run, God opened 262 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:35,520 a door. We talked deeply about faith, 263 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,680 about God, and about questions that she had been wrestling 264 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:41,680 with. But then something that we were 265 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:44,320 not expecting, it happened. Walk us through that. 266 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,000 So Brandon and I took our boys to Florida to see my 267 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:50,840 grandparents over their spring break and of course we continued 268 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:53,720 training because it was in April and we knew the race was around 269 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:56,960 the corner. I end up injuring my ankle on a 270 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:58,600 treadmill while I was down there. 271 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:02,320 I tried to push through and keep training because I'm stubborn, 272 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:07,359 but turns out I ended up fracturing my fibula and I was 273 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:12,640 put in a boot for four weeks and I couldn't run the race. 274 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:19,520 I remember feeling defeated, but I kept praying and God kept 275 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:23,440 showing up. It was heartbreaking. 276 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,960 I could just see how upset Lauren was, but honestly, what 277 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,160 was going through my mind was next man up and and and Lauren 278 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:32,920 put this we in here. So, so I was just going to do 279 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:37,000 what I felt like I needed to do, and I was just hoping that if 280 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:40,520 Michelle knew that Lauren really gave it her all and that she saw 281 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:43,000 me, that it would just be enough. 282 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,480 Well then another set back happened, am I right? 283 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:52,040 Yeah, so it was about a 12 week training session. 284 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:56,880 In the last four weeks I had some serious pain in my calf and 285 00:17:57,360 --> 00:17:59,240 it was very painful when I would run. 286 00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:01,320 So I just want to make sure I get this. 287 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:04,280 So you get the invite to run a half marathon. 288 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,640 You have 12 weeks to train. Neither one of you guys are 289 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:09,600 runners. You're out because you know you 290 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:12,960 and then you. I don't know how to say that, 291 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:14,120 but yeah. OK. 292 00:18:14,120 --> 00:18:17,360 So I apologize for any shame. OK. 293 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:22,160 But then, then you've got, you're 8 weeks in, you 294 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,680 experience a calf strain. And so for the last four weeks 295 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,720 of the training, you're, you're not doing any training. 296 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:30,280 Yeah. So essentially the last four 297 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:34,280 weeks I just rehabbed it. I I didn't know running and just 298 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:36,560 kind of did what I could to make it feel better. 299 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:38,200 All right, well, tell us the rest of the story. 300 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:42,800 So race day came on May 10th and I went and I cheered Brandon and 301 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:46,640 Michelle on and of course God showed up and gave Brandon the 302 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,120 strength to run and endure the 13.1 miles. 303 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:54,680 They both finished the race and on in May 18th, 8 days later, 304 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:56,240 Michelle walked into church with us. 305 00:18:56,280 --> 00:19:02,440 Come on. But so she walks in eight days 306 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:03,600 later. But that's not the rest of the 307 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:04,720 story. What happened next? 308 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:08,600 So the deal was that she would come once, once a week for the 309 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,640 rest of the year and. Once a month for the rest of. 310 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:14,720 The year, yes, sorry, yes. And she came every single week 311 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,800 and she just kept coming and coming and she just fell in love 312 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:21,880 with the Corinthians series. And you could just really see 313 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:24,160 that God was just starting to move inside of her. 314 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:28,240 Then on September 11th, I got a text that I will never forget. 315 00:19:28,360 --> 00:19:30,640 She said she was ready to get baptized. 316 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:33,480 And so that night, I stood in the water with her as she 317 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:37,080 publicly declared Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. 318 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:44,600 Come on. OK, so seeing that picture, what 319 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,120 are you thinking? It was worth it. 320 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:53,720 All of those miles, all of the time, all the hours spent, it 321 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:57,040 was worth it because I know in my heart that that's the best 322 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:59,480 decision that she'll ever make for the rest of her life. 323 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,960 I am just in awe. I'm in awe of God and His 324 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:06,560 faithfulness. He deserves the glory. 325 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,880 It's not about Brandon or I. It's not about the race. 326 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:15,080 It's about a life being saved for eternity and just. 327 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:18,800 We should never give up on someone because God never gives 328 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:19,920 up on. Them come on, would you guys 329 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:21,240 give them a big round of applause? 330 00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:31,520 I titled my message What would you be willing to do so that 331 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:38,360 your friend could find Jesus? On November 11th, 2024, Lauren 332 00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:41,560 shared a piece of scripture with her from John chapter 20. 333 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,640 She invited her to church. Michelle, she said no. 334 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:50,600 December 11th, 2024 Lauren asked her to come to the Christmas Eve 335 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:54,680 services here at our church on the 23rd at 6:00 PM and she came 336 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:56,680 into our doors for the very first time. 337 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:02,840 January 30th, 2025 Lauren invited her to church following 338 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:07,200 or for the Thursday of Super Bowl weekend and she said no. 339 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:11,640 On February 6th she invited her again to check out the Horse 340 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:16,600 Super Bowl Weekend Experience and Michelle said no. 341 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:21,680 But then she followed up with a text that said if you will run 342 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,600 the half marathon with me, I will come to church once a month 343 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:31,320 for a year. February 6th, 2025 Lauren and 344 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:36,240 Brandon commit to running the half marathon in 12 weeks on May 345 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:40,840 10th. February 13th, 2025 Lauren got a 346 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:44,840 chance to share Luke chapter 19 verses one through 10 for the 347 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,000 Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. 348 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:54,080 February 27th, 2025 Lauren runs her first 3 miles in her life 349 00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:58,000 and she says it was the hardest thing I've had to do. 350 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:05,000 My body was struggling. March 20th, 2025 she registers 351 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,960 herself and Brandon for the Bridge of the Gap Half Marathon. 352 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:14,120 April 4th, 2025 she ran 7 1/2 miles for the first time on the 353 00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:17,440 trail with Michelle and was able to have a deep conversation 354 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:24,120 about religion and about God. April 17th, 2025 she ran 3 miles 355 00:22:24,120 --> 00:22:28,680 on a treadmill in Florida and ended up fracturing her ankle or 356 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:34,360 fracturing her fibula. May 10th, 2025 Michelle and 357 00:22:34,360 --> 00:22:39,120 Brandon run the half marathon and bring our Lauren cheers them 358 00:22:39,120 --> 00:22:45,400 on from the sidelines. May 18th she comes to church at 359 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:49,400 the 9:00 AM service and continues to come almost every 360 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:56,520 single week in person. September 11th, 2025 she gets 361 00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:02,480 baptized. 10 months. Ten months. 362 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:04,640 I don't know what happened there. 363 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:11,360 I I this is what happened. I went like this and then I 364 00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:14,480 went, what is that 9 times table rule where if you move one, what 365 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:17,000 it? And that's I so sorry. 366 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:23,920 It's who I am. OK, Ten months, 10 months of 367 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:33,400 talking, inviting, praying, mile after mile of running, night 368 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:40,200 after night of soreness and fatigue, and one moment that 369 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:44,800 changed eternity. And just like that, this region 370 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,560 becomes a little more the hardest place on planet earth to 371 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,400 get the help from. And just like that, the things 372 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:57,840 you read in the Bible can happen, are still happening, and 373 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:01,840 they can happen through you. Let me show you remember verse 374 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:07,560 3IN Mark chapter 2, some men came, bringing him a paralyzed 375 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:14,960 man, carried by four of them. Make no mistake, in this story, 376 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:18,880 Brandon and Lauren are the friends who tear a hole in the 377 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:20,840 ceiling to get their friend to Jesus. 378 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:24,840 They're the ones who grab the mat and say let's go. 379 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:27,000 But they were not the only friends. 380 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:36,080 Verse 3 says some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, 381 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:43,600 carried by four of them. You and I, we were the some men, 382 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,520 we were a part of this story, whether you realized it or not. 383 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:51,200 Some of you, you were the friends who were praying. 384 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:54,040 Others of you were the friends who were greeting her at the 385 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:56,600 door, welcoming her at the new here booth. 386 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:59,440 There were friends who were giving to fund a mission to make 387 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:03,000 sure that people can make it to Jesus and be forgiven of their 388 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:06,960 sins. And just like that, the things 389 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:12,000 you read in the Bible are still happening today, and they can 390 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:16,920 happen through you. The question is, will you let 391 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:18,400 it? We're moving to a time of 392 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:25,120 decision. It's one of our favorite times 393 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:27,960 is this very moment we're about to enter into right now because 394 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:31,520 it's an opportunity for every single person in this room and 395 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,720 online right now to respond in some way because every single 396 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:37,440 week there is a challenge when scripture. 397 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:39,440 Is read, there is. Something we need to. 398 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:42,080 Do to. Obey and to share with those 399 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,000 around us. And so I just need to talk. 1st 400 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,160 to the 1st group of people to. Those who have never started an 401 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,680 intimate person relationship with Jesus, you have never 402 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:53,080 surrendered your life to Him. You are not yet in a right 403 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,000 relationship with Him. I need you to. 404 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,040 Picture this as you think about the story we just read and. 405 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:00,160 You thought about the friends who climbed up they. 406 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:02,840 Tore a a hole. Through the roof and they they. 407 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:04,760 Lowered. Their friend down in front of. 408 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,000 Jesus for those. Who don't have relationship with 409 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:10,360 Jesus. Listen, the roof is open, you 410 00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:12,120 have been lowered down and you are in the. 411 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:15,720 Presence of Jesus, He's. In this room right now and He is 412 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:17,320 ready to redeem you. He. 413 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:20,840 Is ready to say. Your sins are forgiven. 414 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:23,680 And I don't know what brought you in this space. 415 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:26,280 I don't know what brought you into this room at this very 416 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:27,880 moment. I don't know if there was a 417 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:31,080 friend who carried you on a mat in this room figuratively. 418 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,040 I don't know if someone invited you and you just said, hey, I'm 419 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:36,840 going to keep going to. Church, but you're here. 420 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,560 And you've heard the good news. Of Jesus, you've heard the. 421 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,440 Gospel. And now the decision is in front 422 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:47,640 of you, this moment, this time. This space. 423 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,720 And the question is, will you step into this new life with 424 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,680 him? But I also know because we're 425 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:56,680 human and our flesh gets in the way. 426 00:26:57,160 --> 00:26:58,720 There's a lot of. Questions going through your 427 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,720 head, most likely. But let's go back to the story. 428 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:03,440 The Bible says that when Jesus saw. 429 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:07,040 Their faith he forgave. The man's sins, right? 430 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:11,240 And he healed them. I need you to catch this because 431 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:12,880 I think this is where we get. Tripped up. 432 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:17,600 Jesus did not wait for that man to clean himself up. 433 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:21,640 To feel like he was worthy, to feel like he was put together. 434 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:23,600 He didn't wait till he figured it all out. 435 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:26,640 Or he even said the most. Perfect words, he. 436 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:29,520 Simply responded in faith and he says. 437 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:33,720 Grace, you are saved your. Sins are forgiven and grace 438 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,000 changed everything in that moment. 439 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,320 And you hear this week in and week out. 440 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:41,680 Or maybe if you're new here, you're going to hear this week 441 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:44,240 in and week. Out the heartbeat of this church 442 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:46,600 is for everybody here to leave with. 443 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:50,480 Hope, and that hope is not found in anything or anybody. 444 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:54,560 Else besides Jesus. That's my story and that's so 445 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:58,560 many stories in this room that he changes everything about us 446 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:00,400 when you allow. Jesus to take. 447 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,960 Over your life and you trust him, He gives you a new purpose, 448 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:05,520 doesn't he? For those. 449 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:06,960 Of you who have relationship with Jesus, you're like. 450 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,480 Yeah, He gives me new purpose. He he gives me hope. 451 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:13,040 He gives me a future. And he can change that for you, 452 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:15,640 for those of you who've never walked into that relationship 453 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:17,640 yet. And so no matter what you're 454 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:22,440 carrying, no matter what your past says about you, no matter 455 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:25,320 how stuck you feel, no matter how long you've been wrestling 456 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:28,760 with this decision. Jesus is, he sees. 457 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:33,360 You and he's looking you in the eyes and he's saying I love you 458 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:36,200 and you are my son and you are my daughter. 459 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:38,920 All you have to. Do is just accept this free 460 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:41,000 gift? And he's inviting you in that 461 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,560 relationship with him. And so if that's you right now. 462 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:47,520 One of the best. Decisions you could possibly 463 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:53,520 make in this moment is to simply pick up your mat and walk come 464 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:55,240 forward. Give your life to. 465 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:57,840 Jesus surrender. Your life to Jesus. 466 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:01,840 Allow him to wash your sins away and start walking into this 467 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:03,960 newness of life, this relationship with him. 468 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:05,960 And if you have questions, I get it. 469 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:08,760 There's probably things still wrestling on your head. 470 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:11,320 There's going to be somebody right by the baptistry in this 471 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:14,120 room that would love to help answer those questions or or 472 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:15,640 maybe. Pray for you or help. 473 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:19,000 You take whatever next step you need to take in this moment. 474 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:22,720 And for those of you in this room and those of you online 475 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:25,120 right now here, here's our here's our turn. 476 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:28,520 What would you be? Willing to do to reach your 477 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:32,160 friend, your family member. Because this story isn't just. 478 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:34,440 About the man whose sins were forgiven, although. 479 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:36,640 There is incredible. Power in that. 480 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,480 It's about the friends. Who are holding the corner of 481 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:43,520 that mat and we are called. Today to also be. 482 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:45,240 Mat carriers in this. Region. 483 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:46,920 Think about that. For a second, if we're going to 484 00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:49,680 make this region the hardest place on planet Earth to get the 485 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:52,480 hell from, we have to be willing to pick up a corner. 486 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:55,440 To take our friends. And and go at what length? 487 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:57,720 At what? What things are going to stop us 488 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:59,120 from bringing our friends to? Jesus. 489 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:00,760 Because those friends carried them up. 490 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:02,760 They dug a hole through the roof. 491 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:05,080 They, they, they. Lowered him down and they. 492 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:08,320 Refused to let obstacles. Get in the way and the story 493 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:13,040 with Brandon and Lauren is the same they they were met with 494 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:16,520 obstacles and the question is is. 495 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:18,920 Will you push through those obstacles today? 496 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:21,080 Will you keep? Going Will you keep trusting the 497 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:22,920 Lord? What would you be do? 498 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:25,560 Willing to do to reach your friends and your family? 499 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:27,680 Who would you be willing to carry? 500 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,200 How far? How many miles would you run? 501 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:34,200 What would you sacrifice? What inconvenience would. 502 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:36,760 You just go through. Just to make sure they have the 503 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:39,000 opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus. 504 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:43,120 What comfort would you give up so that someone else can 505 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:47,160 encounter Jesus? Every step we take. 506 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:51,480 Help someone take a step. Towards Jesus. 507 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:54,480 Think about. That every step of. 508 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:57,720 Obedience that we take help someone. 509 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:00,120 Take their first. Step maybe? 510 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,760 Towards Jesus so. Every single invitation matters. 511 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:07,800 Every prayer that you. Pray and you lay down before the 512 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:11,240 Lord matters and is. Heard by God. 513 00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:13,480 And every. Act of faith filled. 514 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:19,120 Obedience matters, so in this moment, would you be willing to 515 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,880 maybe take one step outside your comfort zone? 516 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,960 Maybe you brought somebody with you today or you got someone 517 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:27,560 that you are just. You love so dearly and you care. 518 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,320 For but you never had the opportunity to just pray over 519 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:32,680 them, pray words of encouragement over them. 520 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:34,600 Would you just bring them to the steps today? 521 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:37,480 Or maybe you don't have someone like that with you right now, 522 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:41,040 but you have a a name in your head and, and in your mind and 523 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:43,360 in your heart, and you just come up and you get down on your 524 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:46,040 knees and you just storm the gates of heaven and you say 525 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:47,120 Lord. Would you? 526 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:49,640 Just give me the words. Would you give me the direction? 527 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:52,880 Would you give me the boldness? Would you give me a challenge so 528 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:55,280 I can reach more? People for you, Jesus, that's 529 00:31:57,040 --> 00:31:58,520 what we want. To do so, I'm going to encourage 530 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:01,800 you right now. Would you stand to your feet in 531 00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:04,040 this moment of. Decision, we are all. 532 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:07,720 Faced with something and I'm just asking that we step into 533 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:08,240 it. Let's pray. 534 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:11,560 Heavenly Father, right now, God, I'm praying. 535 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:14,920 For this moment, I'm praying. For your Holy Spirit to be. 536 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,480 Present in this room, I'm praying for your Holy Spirit to 537 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:22,200 put something in our mind or put a name in our heart and God. 538 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:26,600 That you would just reveal to us what we are to do, what we are 539 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,680 to say. How we can invite, How we can 540 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:31,560 bring our friends and our family? 541 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,080 To you Jesus. How we can share your good news? 542 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:37,840 What scripture comes to our mind and our heart that we can send a 543 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:40,760 text or or or call them and just say the? 544 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:43,040 Lord has put. You on my mind and my heart, 545 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:45,160 Lord, there are so many incredible things that you can 546 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:46,760 do. And so, God, I pray that. 547 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:50,080 We use this space. And this time to come up and, 548 00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:52,360 and just to get down on our knees and to spend a little bit 549 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:54,880 of time with you. And Lord, I pray. 550 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:58,360 I pray for that. Person who walked into this 551 00:32:58,360 --> 00:33:03,200 room, who had friends, who lifted them on the roof and 552 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:05,120 lowered them down in front of you, Jesus. 553 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:08,680 And now, now is the moment you want to say your sins are 554 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:10,920 forgiven. Pick up your mat and walk. 555 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:13,040 Lord, thank you for those moments. 556 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:16,960 You're still doing it today. You're still doing it right now. 557 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:20,320 And so, God, we give this all to you in Jesus name, Amen.