1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:04,520 Several years ago my boys were young. 2 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:08,400 The snow was falling and so we bundled up and went outside for 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,000 a walk. I led the way and they took full 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,720 advantage of the snow that I was packing down due to my weight. 5 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:22,320 When it comes to packing snow, God purpose built me for such a 6 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:24,000 task. I don't know how many of you 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,680 have ever been in this spot, but last Sunday after church, I went 8 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:30,040 to pick up some groceries for the family because it was cold. 9 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:31,240 I was like, I'll just take care of it. 10 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:32,840 And I accidentally bought a cake. 11 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:34,720 Has anybody else ever accidentally bought a cake? 12 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:37,240 That's what happened, kid. True story. 13 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:41,160 I was like, there's not enough Donuts out there. 14 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:46,600 And so I, like, I just was directed by the Holy Spirit to 15 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,600 my left and there was a buttercream cake there. 16 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:55,200 Yeah, you know. And then I was like, what do I 17 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:57,720 do? Because I want it? 18 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,720 And I was like, I can't just go home with a happy birthday cake. 19 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:04,800 So I asked them if they would personalize it. 20 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,480 So they did. And I personalized it. 21 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,920 It said best family ever. So I took home, I took home a 22 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,880 cake, said happy birthday, best family ever. 23 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:24,680 And then then two of us ate it and one of us did a majority of 24 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,480 the eating. Like I said, when it comes to 25 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:31,360 packing snow, I'm purpose built for such a task. 26 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,400 And as my boys and I were outside, every step that I took 27 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,160 made it easier for my kids to take their step. 28 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:45,680 If I stopped, they stopped. If I quit, it became harder for 29 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:50,040 them to continue. They needed me not just to take 30 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:54,160 a step, but to keep taking steps. 31 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:56,440 I want to welcome all of our different locations. 32 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:58,640 Those of you watching online and inside. 33 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:00,960 I am so glad that you are here today. 34 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,600 And I want to encourage you, if you're willing to, to lean all 35 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,440 the way in because this series has been building to these 36 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,640 precious moments that we're going to share today and I hope 37 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,000 will set the tone for us all as a church and as individuals in 38 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,760 2026. The series has been called There 39 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,240 has to be a place with the tagline, real stories of real 40 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:27,480 people with real faith. And through the stories of Craig 41 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,960 and Brandon and Lauren and Johnny, hopefully you saw this 42 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:34,560 tagline lived out. Every single one of them in 43 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,160 their own way, took a step of faith. 44 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:41,400 And because they took their step of faith, others have been able 45 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:45,720 to take a step. That is what it means to be a 46 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:50,920 follower of Jesus. Followers of Jesus are in 47 00:02:50,920 --> 00:02:55,360 motion. They are following Jesus. 48 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:58,520 Where do we get this idea from? Probably the best theologian 49 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,040 ever, Jesus. Matthew chapter 4, verses 19 50 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:03,640 through 20. Look what it says. 51 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,080 This is Jesus talking. Come follow me. 52 00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:11,480 We are to be in the business of following him. 53 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:13,520 And what are we going to do when we are following him? 54 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,880 And I will send you out to fish for people. 55 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,080 He's talking to fishermen, He's going. 56 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:24,800 That is your occupation. But your preoccupation is to be 57 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:28,480 finding people and helping them come into a right relationship 58 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:30,440 with me. And what did these guys do? 59 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:36,760 Well, at once they left their Nets and followed Him. 60 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:42,680 Following Jesus is not just about taking a step or taking 61 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:47,240 one step, but about continuing to take steps. 62 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,520 Baptism is a very important step. 63 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,720 It is a big step. It might be your first step, but 64 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:56,280 it is definitely not your last one. 65 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:01,880 Serving is a step, but it's not your last step. 66 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:04,760 Your baptism is not your diploma. 67 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,240 Serving is not your associate's degree. 68 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,560 Giving is not your certification. 69 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:14,480 Sharing your story is not a box that you check, but a life that 70 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:20,040 you and I are invited to live. We are to use our stories, your 71 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:26,120 story and my story to bear witness to the reality of the 72 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,520 existence of God and the power of the cross of Jesus Christ and 73 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:35,200 His empty grave. Jesus describes what his fathers 74 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:37,080 would do. We unpacked a little bit of this 75 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:38,960 last week. Acts chapter one, verse 8. 76 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:44,320 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes, and you 77 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,600 will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and 78 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,520 Samaria into the ends of the earth. 79 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:56,840 The expectation of Jesus is that those who follow him would be 80 00:04:56,840 --> 00:04:59,160 about the things that matter to God. 81 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,320 Well, what are the things that matter to God? 82 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:04,960 We're told in Scripture that God sent his Son Jesus to die on the 83 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,520 cross to save us from our sins. And the reason Jesus came. 84 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:11,640 Look what it says, Luke chapter 19, verse 10. 85 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:14,920 We've unpacked this one before. The Son of Man, that's Jesus 86 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:21,400 came to seek and save the lost. There is a special priority that 87 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,520 God places on helping people who don't know him to be found in 88 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:30,360 him. And to those who claim to be 89 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:38,240 Jesus followers who stop taking steps, who stop doing the things 90 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,840 that he calls them to do, they take a step and they think 91 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:45,480 they're done. Jesus issues this warning. 92 00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:54,160 Luke 1427 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me 93 00:05:55,160 --> 00:06:04,320 cannot be my disciple. So how do you and I keep taking 94 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,040 steps of faith? Super simple. 95 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:12,320 You keep being obedient to the things that God reveals to you. 96 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,440 That is why I spent a little bit of time at the very beginning of 97 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,680 this series talking to you about having an anchoring time. 98 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,400 An anchoring time allows you to grow spiritually. 99 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,240 And if you want to grow spiritually, you don't just need 100 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:30,440 a weekly routine, you need a daily discipline. 101 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:33,960 So when we were on anchoring time, it keeps you. 102 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,080 I call it anchoring because it keeps you from being blown away 103 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:39,400 by the winds of culture and circumstance. 104 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:44,440 An anchoring time allows you to build your life and your day on 105 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:49,920 a firm foundation. An anchoring time creates space 106 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:53,000 for you to grow in your relationship with Jesus. 107 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,000 When you have an anchoring time, it makes room for you to hear 108 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:02,840 His voice, see what your next step of obedience is, and 109 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:05,680 invites you to join Him in His mission. 110 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:10,280 And it sharpens you so that way you'll be useful for the things 111 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,440 that he assigned you to do. And when we were talking about 112 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,560 it, I said, you need a time. So you know, you got to pick, 113 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:18,040 hey, when am I going to prioritize? 114 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:20,520 It's not going to be the only time I connect with God today, 115 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:23,040 but this is when I'm definitely going to connect with him. 116 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,720 You need a place. Where are you going to do this? 117 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:29,960 I got word that some of you, you cleared out a spot in your 118 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,160 house. You made a place in a closet, 119 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,600 you cleared off a desk, whatever you got to do, you just need a 120 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:36,240 place. Listen, if you got no place, 121 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,360 wherever you are for a little bit is your new place. 122 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,600 If you're going, hey, the only place I got is in my truck 123 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:45,200 before work. Great, you got your place. 124 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:47,120 You just need a place where you're going to go. 125 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,520 And hey, you know what, I'm going to make this time about me 126 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:50,720 and my relationship with the Lord. 127 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,440 And then you need a Bible. And hopefully you guys have 128 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:55,160 grabbed a hold of those links. And I think those links are 129 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:56,760 still available in the app if you want them. 130 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,160 And then you need a plan. What am I going to do in this 131 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,440 time at this place? Well, there is one more thing 132 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:07,440 that you need to incorporate into your anchoring time, and it 133 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:14,760 is a time of prayer. The Bible assumes that the 134 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:19,160 followers of Jesus would pray to God and hear me. 135 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:20,760 I want you to hear me, hear me, hear me, hear me. 136 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:24,040 I know that there's a lot of baggage when it comes to prayer. 137 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,320 There's a lot of things that are a little confusing and hard to 138 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:29,560 understand and even hard to work through. 139 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:32,000 I know that there's some of you who are going, hey, I mean, if 140 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,960 God is omnipotent and he knows everything and he's all powerful 141 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,480 and he can do all these things, why do I have to talk to him? 142 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,080 If the Bible already says that He knows what I'm going to ask 143 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:41,760 before I even ask him, Why do I do this? 144 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,000 Well, I can just tell you, I get all of that. 145 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:50,120 I also just know that Jesus prioritized prayer and he 146 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:54,640 expects that his followers would communicate with him in prayer. 147 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:58,160 Over 300 times prayer is mentioned in the Bible. 148 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:03,040 There are 25 recorded prayers of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, 149 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,440 and John Paul. When he writes a majority of the 150 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:10,440 New Testament over 40 different times he talks to people either 151 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:12,920 mentioning prayer requests or offering up prayers. 152 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:16,880 When he sends his letters to the churches, Edwin Harvey has this 153 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:20,840 to say about prayer. A day without prayer is a day 154 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,360 without blessing. But here's the part I really 155 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:27,720 want to key in. A life without prayer is a life 156 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:32,800 without power. And so some of you you might be 157 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,880 wondering what a time of prayer could look like. 158 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:41,560 And I know the Bible warns about hypocrites who stand on street 159 00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:44,240 corners or in front of a bunch of people in churches to be seen 160 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:48,160 by others and instead tells us to go into a private room, into 161 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:50,120 a secret place. And your father who sees what is 162 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,880 done in secret will reward you. But this is about doing in 163 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:57,080 public what you don't do in private. 164 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:01,720 You see, corporate prayer and communal prayer are expected in 165 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:05,960 the life of a believer. Furthermore, when Jesus and his 166 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:10,640 disciples were together in Luke Chapter 11, when it says when 167 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:15,280 Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples raised his hand 168 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:21,520 and said, Lord teach us to pray just as John, that's John the 169 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:27,800 Baptist, taught his disciples. This informs us of at least two 170 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,160 things. Teaching to pray in public is 171 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:35,560 OK, and two, Jesus modeled it for them. 172 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,440 How do we know this? Because if you have ever recited 173 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:43,400 the Lord's Prayer, it's because they said teach us to pray. 174 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,960 And what did Jesus do? He prayed in front of them. 175 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:50,040 And so today what I want to do is I want to give hopefully what 176 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:53,360 will be received as a gift. I want to show you just a slice 177 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:57,920 of my morning prayer time. And I want to say this, the, the 178 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:02,320 target that I have on the wall are those of you who are very 179 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:05,880 new to faith and you're trying to live the life that God has 180 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,160 called you to, the life that you want to live. 181 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:11,480 And yet you're not really sure how to maybe put all the pieces 182 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:13,440 together. And what I'm going to show you, 183 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,800 hear me, is a way, not the way. But if you're going, I don't 184 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,120 have any kind of clue and direction and your prayer time 185 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:24,120 is mostly frustration. I'm wanting to kind of give you 186 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:27,840 or guide you into a way for you to connect with God in prayer 187 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:29,600 that will become meaningful over time. 188 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:31,920 And so like I've told you guys, I have a desk. 189 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,040 I have a desk at home and I have a desk and the church office, 190 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:36,880 it's not this desk, but I have two desks. 191 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,840 They're exactly the same. And I got my nerd Bibles over 192 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:43,360 here like I told you about. And then I have a can't stop, 193 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:45,320 won't stop mug because can't stop won't stop. 194 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:49,880 And then I have a this is my journal from 2025. 195 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:51,760 Some of you guys have heard me talk about this is just my 196 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:54,200 prayer journal and don't zoom in too tight. 197 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:59,880 But the most important thing in my OK Part 1 is getting a thing 198 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:01,840 to write stuff down in. And I'll tell you why you want 199 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:06,440 to write stuff down is because you start writing all the areas 200 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,920 where you want God to move in your life and your prayer life 201 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,680 will grow because you'll start going, I want him here and I 202 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:15,600 want him here. I want him here. 203 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:17,480 You'll start to go. There's not a place in my life I 204 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,720 don't want him to be. And then this has been the 205 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:21,960 single biggest faith builder in my life. 206 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:25,640 I don't know how much these cost because I buy bougie ones, but 207 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:29,600 it's a highlighter. And I'll tell you why it 208 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:31,560 matters. It's because sometimes when 209 00:12:31,560 --> 00:12:33,720 you're praying, if you don't have a record of what's 210 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:39,240 happened, you start to think that your prayers are bouncing 211 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:45,200 off the ceiling. You start to feel like it's not 212 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,920 working. And what a highlighter does is 213 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,840 it shows you all the areas where God came through. 214 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,800 And so when you get to a part of your prayer list that isn't 215 00:12:55,800 --> 00:13:00,360 highlighted, but it's surrounded by other prayers that are 216 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:04,360 highlighted, it builds faith for you to keep praying in the areas 217 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:06,160 where you haven't seen God come through yet. 218 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:11,040 Does that make sense? OK, now, and some of you guys 219 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:12,960 are going to ask and I'm not going to have time to respond to 220 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:14,760 e-mail. So the team, if you go to the 221 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,800 app, if you're going, hey, I want my own journal and I want 222 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:19,480 my own highlighter and cup and all. 223 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,120 You know, you can get all that stuff in the at the app down at 224 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:25,400 the the merch link and you can get it. 225 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:29,080 But listen, you can go to you can go to Dollar General and get 226 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:32,680 whatever they sell there. I'm sure they have one. 227 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:35,440 You can get a post it note you can write on a Kleenex if you 228 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:37,240 got, you know, whatever you need. 229 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:43,840 But here's here's what I do. I get in my so this is my 26th 230 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,680 journal. And on the back I have sections. 231 00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:51,040 So I have a section for church. I have a section for staff. 232 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:55,560 I have a section for healings. I have a section for let's just 233 00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:58,120 personal. I have a section for salvations. 234 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:00,040 And then I have a general, which is where like, I don't know 235 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,840 where to put these. And what I do is in the morning, 236 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:07,200 I just, I go to my time, I go to my place and I pray over these 237 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:12,360 things and I have a soundtrack and I'm going to, you're going 238 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:14,600 to hear my soundtrack. We're not going to do the whole 239 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:15,960 thing, but we're just going to do a slice. 240 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:18,560 But let me give you some context so you guys don't get weirded 241 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:20,680 out. One of the songs that you're 242 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:24,880 going to hear is a song from I'm, I'm assuming Africa. 243 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:28,840 And the reason why I started listening to music that I can 244 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:31,080 understand that you won't be able to understand is the Bible 245 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:32,960 says that we get to heaven. There will be people from every 246 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:35,440 nation, tribe and language and tongue. 247 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:38,680 And I'm going, I want to start getting used to what it's going 248 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:41,280 to be like in heaven. And I don't know what they're 249 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:42,520 saying, but I know who they're worshipping. 250 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:44,760 And so that's part of it. And then there's going to be a 251 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,120 second song. And I got to tell you this in 252 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:48,360 advance. I know this sounds, it's like a 253 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:50,760 weird setup, but I don't want you to freak out and think that 254 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:52,640 like, the tech guys did something wrong. 255 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,080 And now we're listening to Clayton's, you know, Romance 256 00:14:56,080 --> 00:15:01,160 playlist, OK. Because the second song is like 257 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:05,320 the best R&B I've ever heard in my life. 258 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:10,880 But it's called Spill House. And what they do is they do the 259 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:13,440 Psalms, but they do it with like art. 260 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:15,680 It is it just hits so hard. I fell in love with it. 261 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:18,760 So you I don't want you going. Whoa, where's Jennifer at? 262 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:22,480 OK, I just want you to know this is this is I'm giving you the a 263 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:24,280 real slice. Now. 264 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:29,280 I've, this is the most anxious I've ever been at our church. 265 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:33,280 So let me kind of give some of you some permission slips for 266 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:38,440 some of you in here, order something online like you don't 267 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,640 have to go on the journey, OK? It might if it's too weird for 268 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:42,760 you. That was not my goal. 269 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:45,480 If you want to pray with me, you can pray with me. 270 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:47,680 If you want to just watch, you can watch. 271 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:53,720 But my target is there. Some of you who you've never had 272 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:57,080 a spiritual father, you were not raised in a spiritual 273 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,720 environment, you do not have a spiritual track record or 274 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:06,240 legacy, but you want one. And I just want to show you how 275 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:10,520 a simple thing can lead to massive impact and change in 276 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:14,480 your life. So if you would, I would like to 277 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:20,480 pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you so 278 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:23,760 much for this church. I thank you for the people that 279 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:25,800 you bring in here every single week. 280 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:29,280 And God, I'm so thankful for the work that you're doing. 281 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,320 God, I'm thankful for how you've been so good to me. 282 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:38,880 It will take all of heaven for me to understand how many times 283 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:45,000 you rescued me, looked out for me, made a way for me, and got 284 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:46,720 so far this year. The thing that you keep 285 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:50,840 impressing on me is how faithful you've been to me. 286 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:57,560 I've given you every excuse you could ever want to give up on me 287 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:02,400 and walk away from me. You've endured my sin. 288 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:08,000 You've endured my doubt, my unbelief, my selfishness, my 289 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:12,800 anger, and my pride. Thank you. 290 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:16,880 Thank you for even making a way for me to have this time of 291 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,760 prayer with you today. Can I ask that right now you 292 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,680 would be with the churches in this region got specifically the 293 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,839 pastors who aren't a part of the crossing? 294 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:30,480 God, I don't know what they're feeling today. 295 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:33,200 I don't know if they feel encouraged or discouraged. 296 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:35,960 I don't know if they're hurt, if they're sad, if they're 297 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:37,840 frustrated, if they're beat down. 298 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:41,120 But God, I pray that today while they're preaching their sermon, 299 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:44,080 that they would feel your presence, God, that somebody 300 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:47,080 would come up and put their hand on their shoulder and give them 301 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,640 the encouraging word that they need to hear to keep showing up 302 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:54,440 and trusting you. God, impress upon their spirit 303 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:56,960 that they are not responsible for the fruit, but they are just 304 00:17:56,960 --> 00:17:59,920 responsible to be faithful to the work that you've called them 305 00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:02,520 to do. God, I ask that you'd be with 306 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:04,960 all the people in our church who have recently been baptized. 307 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:09,080 God, it blows me away how many people keep saying yes to you. 308 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:12,640 We got to help them to realize that their journey is not over, 309 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:15,560 it's just starting. And God, when Satan comes after 310 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:18,960 them, help them to realize that he has no power over them, that 311 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:21,800 because of who they are in you, they can overcome. 312 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,360 And for all the people in this region that are contemplating 313 00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:29,040 starting their relationship with you, God, I pray that you would 314 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,840 watch over my words and my actions and the words and 315 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:35,400 actions of the people who call the crossing home and help us to 316 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:39,080 love them and encourage them as they get ready to take the step 317 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:40,360 that's going to change everything. 318 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,720 God, I pray to you at the Super Bowl weekend and all the people 319 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:46,200 that are going to be walking in these doors. 320 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,720 And God, there are some tough questions that we know we're 321 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:51,960 going to get the answers to those when we get to heaven, but 322 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:55,800 we want some answers right now. And so, God, I pray that you 323 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:58,840 would be with all of the services and all the volunteers 324 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:02,080 and all the invites and all the people who show up, and God, 325 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:04,760 that you would bolster our faith and help us to chase after you 326 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,720 more fully. God, I ask that you would be 327 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,680 with all of our elders and the directional team and the campus 328 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:15,560 pastors and the staff. God, my prayer for them is 329 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:18,280 consistent. Watch over their marriages and 330 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:21,760 watch over their parenting. And God, would you watch over 331 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:25,120 their relationship with you? They're at their identity would 332 00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:28,200 be found solely in the fact that they are a child of God, not 333 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:30,640 that they are on staff or married to somebody who's on 334 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:33,400 staff. And God, that we would seek you 335 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:35,360 personally, not just professionally. 336 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:38,640 That we would crave your presence in every area of our 337 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:42,320 life. Keep us united and focused on 338 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:45,600 you and God, through the power of your Holy Spirit. 339 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:49,600 Would you make us effective? God, that fruit would come from 340 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:51,920 the things that we do for you and for your Kingdom. 341 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:57,800 God, there's some people that are in my life and in my sphere 342 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,440 that are just struggling right now with all kinds of health 343 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,760 challenges. And I want to thank you for the 344 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,480 fact that chapter got a clean bill of health on his tests. 345 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:09,400 And God, I know that he would have been faithful to you even 346 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:16,320 if it had come back negative. But God, thank you for that not 347 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:19,280 being a burden that he or my faint or my family or his family 348 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,040 had to carry. To God, there's other people 349 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,800 that haven't got that news yet. So God, I want to lift up N&R 350 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:30,960 and their daughter WK and M and their son O and their daughter 351 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,720 P. Got to ask that you be with JJ. 352 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:36,720 She's battling dementia and cancer. 353 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:39,680 And got to ask that you be with SH. 354 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:45,360 She's, she's in it right now. God, this one's probably been 355 00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:49,800 the heaviest. You know this, I just love how 356 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:54,440 every time I'm around her you can't help but smile and laugh 357 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,600 because everything she does is contagious and got. 358 00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:02,080 My biggest prayer is that her joy wouldn't leave her in the 359 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:04,160 midst of the diagnosis or the treatment. 360 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,520 God specifically, I'm asking that you would help her husband 361 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:13,760 serve her and love her and care for her in ways he didn't even 362 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:15,560 think possible. That it would only be through 363 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:18,960 the power of your Holy Spirit. Make him attune to her needs 364 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:20,760 before she even knows she needs them. 365 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:23,800 And God, I ask that you would protect their daughters 366 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:27,560 specifically, that they'd be able to see their mom walking 367 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:31,560 with joy and trust. God, we know that you're either 368 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:34,600 going to heal it in heaven, heal it immediately, or heal it 369 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:37,480 through the practice of medicine and everything that the doctors 370 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:40,600 have learned in the years of medical school and in practice. 371 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:44,640 And God, I'm coming to you asking that you would heal her 372 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,960 here on earth and that this would just be another person 373 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:50,960 crying about how good and how faithful and how powerful you 374 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,880 still are. God, I want to pray over my 375 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:56,120 family. God, thank you for putting 376 00:21:56,120 --> 00:22:00,080 Jennifer in my life. Thank you for all the ways that 377 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:02,840 you made her completely different from me. 378 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,400 Thank you for saving her and bringing her into your home and 379 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,800 your family. Can I ask you to be with Zayn 380 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:14,320 and Maddox and Genera? Help them to grow up to love you 381 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:18,000 with all their heart, mind, soul and strength and embrace the 382 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,120 Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. 383 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:22,600 Help them to be leaders of others and followers of you and 384 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:26,480 God. I pray that when they start 385 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:30,920 looking for a spouse that they will find one who loves you 386 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:34,600 first and foremost and they find somebody who will love them. 387 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:38,920 Well. God, I want to pray right now 388 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:41,000 for some people to find a relationship with you. 389 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:50,080 God, Rs and KJM and AD and MF God, I want them to find what I 390 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,720 found in you. So God, would you use my words 391 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:55,840 in my life to make a difference in theirs? 392 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:59,480 But God, would you not just surround them with my words and 393 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:02,880 my voice and my testimony, but God, would you put people in 394 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:07,800 their path every single day who care for them, who will pray for 395 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:12,640 them, who will invite them, be an example to them. 396 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:18,200 God, that the walls would start to come down, but they would get 397 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,360 tired of the lies of the enemy. And they would start seeking for 398 00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:24,280 your truth and realize that there's something more out there 399 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:27,200 that they've realized that that something is you. 400 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:31,960 God, I thank you so much for what you did in SVT this year. 401 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:38,360 Pray for her all our last year and this year she decided to get 402 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:40,040 baptized. And God, I'm asking that you do 403 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:44,480 the same thing in these names that one of these days they'd be 404 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,880 a part of the baptism video. They'd be part a part of the 405 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:52,080 testimony of this church and your faithfulness in your name. 406 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:58,040 I pray, Amen. What happens when you start 407 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:03,960 praying is your eyes and your ears start moving. 408 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:08,160 You see things differently, you hear things differently and it 409 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:10,160 is not hard. It is not scripted. 410 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:12,880 It just requires the discipline to go. 411 00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:18,680 I want you, I want you. I want you in my parenting, I 412 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,840 want you in my marriage. I want you in my workplace. 413 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:25,280 I want you in my phone calls because you get to a point where 414 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:29,880 you don't want more of you. You want more of him. 415 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:35,640 And I knew all of those things for years, but it was until I 416 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:40,880 started writing them down and I started highlighting that God 417 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:43,960 started to bring about a significant shift in my life. 418 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:48,840 This is not the way to pray, but it is a way for you to have a 419 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,240 meaningful encounter with God. And what will happen is your 420 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:56,880 time with Him will increase and your joy to spend that time with 421 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:59,680 Him will increase. If you're thinking that 422 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:02,840 tomorrow, this is not my testimony that I did this day 423 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:04,640 one and I couldn't wait for day 2. 424 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:08,920 I did it because he told me to do it and I wanted to be a 425 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:13,000 follower of Jesus. But over time, things shift. 426 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:17,640 I got a letter in December from a girl in our church named 427 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,200 Riley. This is what she said. 428 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:23,480 Words cannot even begin to describe how incredibly grateful 429 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:26,200 I am. I'd like to share my story with 430 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:30,200 you. On September 15th, 20231 of my 431 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,120 grandmother's passed away from a heart attack. 432 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,240 That day it felt like the world stopped spinning. 433 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:38,040 A few weeks later, I lost my other grandmother. 434 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,640 Unfortunately, due to the scheduling, I was only able to 435 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:45,880 attend one of the services and that absolutely broke me. 436 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:50,560 I tried to move on with my life. It was like trying to run a 437 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:54,480 marathon with a leg that was shattered into thousands of 438 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,760 pieces. It was painful and extremely 439 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:01,800 difficult. I decided to ignore my feelings 440 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:07,600 and shut everyone out of my life and spiralled into depression. 441 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:10,640 There were multiple nights that I would lie in bed and think 442 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:13,440 about how if I died in my sleep then I wouldn't care because at 443 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:17,120 least I would be with them. That was the only sliver of 444 00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:21,840 faith that was left in me. I didn't believe that God 445 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:25,200 existed because if he did, then he wouldn't have let my 446 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:30,240 grandparents die. I have the mindset that if God 447 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:33,800 were real that I wouldn't have been experiencing so much pain 448 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,760 and suffering. We're going to answer both of 449 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:39,120 those questions next week on Super Bowl weekend. 450 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:44,320 This depression and mindset stayed with me for what felt 451 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:50,240 like an eternity. That was until an old friend of 452 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,360 mine asked me if I wanted to go to church. 453 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:59,480 She took a step, I was scared to go back again but I was just as 454 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:03,480 scared to say no. February 4th 2024 I woke up with 455 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,280 an immense amount of anxiety. I had already told my old friend 456 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:09,440 that I would go to church with her, but I was terrified. 457 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:13,000 Anxiety was taking over my body, I felt like throwing up. 458 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:20,040 I just wanted to stay home. However I was scared of bailing 459 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:23,640 on her. So I got up and drove to church. 460 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:28,320 Her friend step led to her taking her step. 461 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:31,320 As I was listening to the sermon about anger. 462 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,160 Everything was going in one ear and out the other. 463 00:27:34,360 --> 00:27:36,520 So if you've ever had that experience at our church, you're 464 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:40,760 not alone. I decided to give church one 465 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:45,760 last shot and that was it. The next sermon was the Super 466 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:49,200 Bowl Sunday sermon about going pro in what matters the most 467 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:55,320 that day. All the pieces aligned and 468 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:58,280 everything clicked. Listen to this line. 469 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:04,560 Jesus was the missing piece to my story. 470 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:09,840 I started showing up to church every weekend and praying more 471 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:12,680 often, but I was still convinced that I was too far gone. 472 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,760 Week after week I felt like I was being called out and it was 473 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:18,960 like God was sending emails to the church every week about my 474 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:20,840 life. We've all been there. 475 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:26,040 Slowly, my heart began to soften and I started to have a 476 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:29,800 relationship with Jesus again. This time, my relationship 477 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:32,280 wasn't filled with dread and resentment as it had been in the 478 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:34,560 past. It filled me with a happiness 479 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:36,560 that I had never experienced before. 480 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:43,280 My favorite line? I got my smile back and I was 481 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:46,960 filled with hope. I started to see church as a 482 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:50,320 privilege instead of a chore. Every week at church, I sit in 483 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:52,840 the same section and listen to the sermons. 484 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,800 Sometimes I'm filled with hope and joy for what is to come. 485 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:58,600 Other weeks I feel ashamed because I realized of how much 486 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:01,440 I've screwed up. However, every time, without a 487 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:05,640 doubt, I hear that we are not too far gone from God and that 488 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:08,920 He still loves us. Every week I'm filled with the 489 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,160 hope that Jesus will guide me through my darkest valleys and 490 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:15,720 my highest mountains. No matter what my day looks 491 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:18,040 like. He's right by my side and if it 492 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:22,280 weren't for that, I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I am 493 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:25,960 today. I got baptized on March 2nd, 494 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:31,480 2025. That was her step and I have 495 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:35,800 baptized 2 of my best friends. Their steps. 496 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:39,800 If you were to ask me at the beginning of 2023 where I 497 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:43,520 thought I'd be in 2026, I probably wouldn't have had any 498 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,800 idea. But if you ask me now where I 499 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:50,720 think I'll be in 2026, I can tell you with full confidence 500 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:54,480 that I'll be at church on Sunday, Collective on Tuesday, 501 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:58,280 DBS on Wednesday, and Kids ministry on Thursday. 502 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,960 No matter how chaotic life gets, I still try my absolute best to 503 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:06,360 make it to each of those commitments, along with reading 504 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,560 my Bible and praying daily. Again, From the bottom of my 505 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:11,200 heart, I'd like to say thank you. 506 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:16,320 Words cannot truly begin to express how ungrateful, how 507 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:19,400 incredibly grateful I am for everything that this church has 508 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:23,240 done and for everyone in it. Crossing family. 509 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:27,960 Hear me. I want to see this happen again 510 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:32,600 and again and again and again and again. 511 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:38,920 Hear me, we are not trying to grow a large church, we are just 512 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:42,480 trying to make sure that there is room for the next person to 513 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:47,480 find what we have found in an intimate personal relationship 514 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:51,240 with Jesus Christ. We have an audacious, God sized 515 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:56,320 goal to make this region the hardest place on planet earth to 516 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:59,000 get to hell from. And I need you to know. 517 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:03,720 I know that sounds crazy and idealistic and completely 518 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:09,880 unrealistic, but I don't care. I want to see it happen. 519 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:16,880 It's my unreachable star, and I hope it will become yours as 520 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:20,760 well. It reminds me of the story of 521 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:26,040 Don Quixote, published in two parts in 16 O 5 and 1615. 522 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:30,280 Considered the first modern novel, it was Harry Potter 523 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,560 before Harry Potter was Harry Potter. 524 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:37,280 It follows Alonso, an aging Spanish gentleman who becomes so 525 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:41,800 absorbed in tales of chivalry that he reinvents himself as Don 526 00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:46,120 Quixote de la Mancha, a wandering knight determined to 527 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:50,000 revive knighthood, defend the helpless, and uphold honor. 528 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:54,200 Eventually, the story was transformed into a musical 529 00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:56,720 masterpiece called Man of La Mancha. 530 00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:02,440 It opened on Broadway in 1965 and became an immediate success, 531 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:07,120 running for 2328 consecutive performances. 532 00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:13,200 At its emotional core is the song The Impossible Dream. 533 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:16,760 How good is this song? Very good. 534 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:21,640 So good, in fact, that hundreds of artists have covered it 535 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:25,320 spanning decades. Sinatra sang it. 536 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:28,640 So did Elvis. So did Andy Williams. 537 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:31,920 So did Luther Vandross. Neil Diamond, Jennifer Hudson. 538 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:37,680 I could list 100 more. The lyrics To dream the 539 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:42,600 impossible dream. To fight the unbeatable foe. 540 00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:51,560 To bear with unbearable sorrow. To run where the brave dare not 541 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,840 go. To right the unrightable wrong. 542 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:58,720 To love pure and chaste from afar. 543 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:02,320 To try when your arms are too weary. 544 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:09,880 To reach the unreachable star. This is my quest. 545 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:15,120 To follow that star, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far. 546 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:20,120 To fight for the right without question or pause. 547 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:35,560 To be willing to March into hell for a heavenly cause. 548 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:41,480 And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest, that my 549 00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:44,720 heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to rest. 550 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:48,560 And this world will be better for this. 551 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:55,440 That one man, scorned and covered with scars, still strove 552 00:33:56,200 --> 00:34:02,000 with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable Star 553 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:05,320 Crossing family. I have good news. 554 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:10,719 We don't have an unbeatable foe and our fight is not hopeless 555 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:14,880 because we have been empowered by the same spirit that raised 556 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:19,880 Christ from the dead. I wrote this sermon series like 557 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:22,800 I do all sermon series with a soundtrack. 558 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,840 We sang the song last week. We're going to sing it again in 559 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,280 a few moments. I got deep into black gospel 560 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:35,360 music and the song that played was the two songs that you heard 561 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:39,239 during my prayer life, and it's the song called Believe for It. 562 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:43,920 Our region right now is saying that this mountain can't be 563 00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:46,920 moved. Our region believes that these 564 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:54,199 chains will never break. But they don't know you like we 565 00:34:54,199 --> 00:34:57,520 do. There's power in your name. 566 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,480 Our region has heard that there's no way through. 567 00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:08,440 Our region has heard that the tide will never change. 568 00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:11,720 But they haven't seen what you can do. 569 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:16,400 There's so much power in your name, so much power in your 570 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,480 name. Verse 3 We know that hope is 571 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:23,080 never lost, for there is still an empty grave. 572 00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:26,720 We believe no matter what, there is power in your name. 573 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:30,360 So much power in your name, the bridge. 574 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:33,880 You are the way when there seems to be no way, we trust in you. 575 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,680 You have the final say. You are the way when there seems 576 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:41,000 to be no way, we trust in you. You have the final say. 577 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:47,120 And then the chorus is nothing but a beautiful prayer of people 578 00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:54,600 begging God to move the immovable, to break the 579 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:57,480 unbreakable God. We believe. 580 00:35:57,880 --> 00:36:01,920 We believe for it from the impossible. 581 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:06,600 I don't know where you're sitting today, and I don't know 582 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:09,760 what you're sitting in, but I know that there's some of you 583 00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:12,200 right now. You are in the impossible. 584 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:15,280 Marriage isn't where you thought it would be. 585 00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:17,120 Life isn't where you thought it would be. 586 00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:19,360 Family's not what it's supposed to be. 587 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:23,880 Your faith isn't where you hoped it would be. 588 00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:28,480 The diagnosis isn't what you thought it would be. 589 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:37,520 From the impossible, we'll see a miracle. 590 00:36:39,240 --> 00:36:42,720 We believe for it. We believe for it. 591 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:49,480 This year I am believing and praying for a move of God in 592 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:55,040 your life, in the life of your family, and in the lives of the 593 00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:58,720 lost of this region. Will you join me? 594 00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:00,840 We're moving to a time of decision. 595 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:09,760 To those of you who don't know Jesus, there is no better time 596 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:15,440 than today than to get your life right with Jesus and hear me in 597 00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:19,760 a way that only God can work. The step you take today could 598 00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:23,680 not just change your life, but the life of your loved ones. 599 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:28,320 Over and over again our waters have testified when we hear 600 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:32,040 someone start to share their story saying I got baptized and 601 00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:35,760 I found Jesus just a few months ago and now I'm here with my mom 602 00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:38,800 and my dad and my aunt and my uncle. 603 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:43,600 You have no idea what God can do through you and in you once you 604 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:47,320 belong to Him, and the start of your spiritual journey will help 605 00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:50,960 somebody else start theirs. And so in just a few moments, 606 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:53,600 when the people around you stand and pray and people begin to 607 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:58,400 sing, encourage, would you walk right over there and say today's 608 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:00,840 the day? This is the time. 609 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:04,840 To the rest of you in this room and to those of you watching the 610 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:07,480 line who already have a relationship with Jesus Christ, 611 00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:09,080 I'm going to make this super simple. 612 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:13,480 What step do you need to take? Because somebody else's step 613 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:15,880 gets easier after you take yours. 614 00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:20,160 And would you join me and asking God to give you a can't stop, 615 00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:23,840 won't stop attitude of pursuing him and the lost in our region 616 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:25,320 this year. Would you stand with me? 617 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:30,640 Heavenly Father, we're asking you to do it. 618 00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:36,720 We're coming to you asking you to make it so that you would 619 00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:41,800 write our hearts in your direction, that you would allow 620 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:45,720 everything that is not of you or for you to fall off of us so 621 00:38:45,720 --> 00:38:51,320 that way we can just chase after you got in a supernatural way. 622 00:38:51,320 --> 00:38:54,720 We're asking that you would give us eyes to see the things that 623 00:38:54,720 --> 00:38:57,480 you're calling us to do and give us the courage to be obedient to 624 00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:01,200 it and God, that through our obedience, other people could 625 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:03,440 come to faith. In your name I pray. 626 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:04,560 Amen.