1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:02,040 So what's going on? OK. 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:04,840 Great. Well, I feel like I should pay 3 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:06,280 passage on Michael for what he said. 4 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:12,480 I didn't realize all that. Anybody else want to hook me up? 5 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,720 OK, Good. Yeah. 6 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:18,680 So it's great to be with you all this morning. 7 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:23,080 Thank you. We have known them for a long 8 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:27,080 time. Actually, Natalie's parents 9 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,480 taught me in school, so Mr. Schuber was like my band teacher 10 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:35,000 and known them for a long time. So it's good to be with you all 11 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:37,120 this morning. I'm going to try to keep y'all 12 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:39,880 in under three hours, you know, because we used to preaching in 13 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,120 Africa where it doesn't stop, or Guatemala where it doesn't stop. 14 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:48,440 I'm just kidding. Y'all know that half of that is 15 00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:49,200 dancing. Yeah. 16 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:51,160 Yeah. Their service is going forever. 17 00:00:52,480 --> 00:01:02,160 So I'm just going to try to briefly share what have we been 18 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:08,760 doing for the last nine years because we left out a 19 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:12,480 cornerstone 9 years ago almost to the day. 20 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,960 We were trying to figure it out it it's very close to this time 21 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:19,480 and just packed up everything. But to back up a little bit on 22 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:26,280 that, that was in 2015. In 2014, after we had been on, 23 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:30,280 I'd been on staff for 12 years at that point, the Lord began to 24 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:34,360 deal with me. You need to tie things up here 25 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,080 and go. And so, you know, when you hear 26 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,440 something like that, you're like, how crazy is that, right? 27 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:45,360 I grew up in Matthews. We had built a home on family 28 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:49,400 land. Nice church working at they 29 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:51,880 there. You know, everything was like, 30 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,120 hey, this is great. And then the Lord's like, all 31 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:55,600 right, you're done. Go. 32 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,920 And you're like, what? And so when I first heard that, 33 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:02,440 Jessica and I, you know, started praying and we're like, how 34 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:05,040 crazy. That doesn't even make sense, 35 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,000 right? But thank God for great parents. 36 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,039 They, you know, they supported us. 37 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:13,560 Both sides supported us along the way. 38 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:16,760 And a lot of other people did as well. 39 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:21,440 And we began actually, Pastor Chris and I began praying a year 40 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:26,200 and a half prior to me actually leaving because he's like, you 41 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:28,880 need to know what you're going to be doing to some extent. 42 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:31,920 And we're going to make this, you know, I'll help you along 43 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:34,600 the way. So it before anyone even knew 44 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,200 anything, we were praying and I would meet with him. 45 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:39,040 He's like, you got anything? I'm like, no, I don't know what 46 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:40,880 I'm doing. I'm just supposed to go. 47 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:47,720 And so finally the Lord's like, OK, get up and go to a place 48 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,080 that I'm going to show you. And what does that sound like to 49 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:51,320 you? Does that sound like someone in 50 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:53,480 the Old Testament? Yeah. 51 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,800 And so I'm like, well, Lord, that's all great. 52 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:01,840 That's wonderful. But I have three children. 53 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:04,560 You know, one at that point was a teenager. 54 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,160 John just had hit that and, you know, too closely behind that. 55 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:10,240 And I'm like, how? I mean, like what? 56 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:15,880 And so I will never forget the words of my very wise daughter. 57 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,440 She came to me and she said, Daddy, don't you supposed to 58 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:21,440 have a job before you leave a job? 59 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,240 And I'm like, yes, dear, for you. 60 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,760 That is absolutely the case. And so a lot of things naturally 61 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,800 did not make sense. You know, people were like, I 62 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:34,720 have people that, you know, supporters like, yeah, we 63 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:38,040 believe, you know, you're supposed to go do this or do 64 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,280 this and someone like what, you know, trying to be nice, like 65 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,440 what are you doing leaving, all that type of thing. 66 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:50,280 But we knew we had to go. And So what we did was sold our 67 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:54,120 house at the last minute. The last minute, I'm telling 68 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:57,120 you, I can't even get into that. But like my last day at 69 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:01,320 Cornerstone on staff that afternoon, someone actually 70 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,360 called to to see our house. It had been on the market for 71 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,080 what, at that point a year? Yeah, a year or more. 72 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,600 And no one even was interested. And I'm just like, Lord, you do 73 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,279 understand that when I stop at Cornerstone, I still have a 74 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:17,760 mortgage unless this house sells. 75 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:20,440 And I was, I don't know how that's going to work. 76 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,240 So at the that afternoon she called me and she said, Hey, 77 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:26,120 there's some man that wants to see our house. 78 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,200 Long story short, he bought our house within a year. 79 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:34,280 He, he, we met with him because we were home at mom and dad's 80 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:37,960 for Christmas, went over there to talk to him and he sat us in 81 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:40,640 the living room. He's like, I have no idea why I 82 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:45,240 bought your house. He was in West Virginia or 83 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:50,280 somewhere and a lot of things had gone on in his life. 84 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:52,200 His wife had just passed away and stuff. 85 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:55,800 And anyway, and I'm Jessica was like, I know why you bought our 86 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,640 house because the Lord was taking care of us. 87 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:05,480 And anyway, so we began to just, we left and we ended up in 88 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,000 Georgia where Jessica's family is from. 89 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:11,200 And we wanted to kind of be near the Atlanta airport because 90 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,320 everything, every flight in the world goes to Atlanta. 91 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:16,640 So why not just start there, right? 92 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,080 So he thought that's a good place to to end up because we 93 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,000 really felt like the Lord was saying go back and do missions. 94 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:29,040 So Jessica and I met on the mission field in 1999 in 95 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:31,160 Honduras. We got married. 96 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:35,800 We lived in Honduras. John's first two years were in 97 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:38,200 Honduras. And so, you know, we're like, 98 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:40,320 OK, I guess we're going back there. 99 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:41,600 We didn't know what it looked like. 100 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:46,080 We did not go back there. We actually did a lot of 101 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:50,960 traveling between Guatemala with missionaries that we knew and 102 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:53,800 Africa. And if y'all are from me, you 103 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,920 probably remember him from Cornerstone, Pastor Andrew 104 00:05:57,960 --> 00:05:59,120 Lucasa. Yeah. 105 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:03,520 So he had asked us when we first met him back at Cornerstone. 106 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:05,520 He's like, y'all need to come to Africa. 107 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:07,680 They don't need you here. We need you in Africa. 108 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:08,960 And I'm like, yeah, right, whatever. 109 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:10,800 You know, that's not going to work. 110 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:17,720 But our first trip that we took when we left Cornerstone was in 111 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:24,960 2016 in January. So we left in the fall of 2015. 112 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:31,760 We sold timber off of land that we had in Matthews to get the 113 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:35,200 money to go to Africa on our first trip. 114 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:36,960 Because you know, if you don't believe in what you're doing, no 115 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:39,600 one else is, right? So I invested in myself. 116 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:42,200 We did. We took, and it was the exact 117 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:43,880 amount of money we needed the kids. 118 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,760 We took the kids, Jessica and I, sight unseen. 119 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:48,480 We knew past Andrew, but we had never been. 120 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:50,640 I've never been to Africa and I've been practically all over 121 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:54,720 the world, but never there. So we just like, OK, we're 122 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:56,880 taking the kids past. Andrew said come, we're just 123 00:06:56,880 --> 00:06:59,160 going to believe he's at the airport when we arrive. 124 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:03,800 And I mean, so the kids were eight. 125 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:09,920 What was your 8810 and 13 going to Africa long trip around the 126 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,920 other side of the world? And so that's how it began with 127 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:17,400 those like traveling. And so Pastor Andrew and I today 128 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,640 have a have an actual brother relationship. 129 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:26,360 It is the most amazing thing. We've gone through some major 130 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,000 medical issues with him, brought him to the state. 131 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:32,800 He's doing well. But that relationship just began 132 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:35,080 to grow. And we're actually going the end 133 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:39,080 of September again. We go every year, we do pastors 134 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:43,280 conferences. So the Lord, I'm trying to try 135 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:45,560 to put it in a nutshell, and I'm going to get the Scripture in a 136 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:52,320 minute, but when we left here in this area, the only thing I knew 137 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:56,440 was this. The Lord said, go and strengthen 138 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,560 and encourage the body of Christ internationally, nationally and 139 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,840 across denominational lines. That's the that's the sentence 140 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:09,080 he gave me. So everything we do revolves 141 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:11,680 around that. So if it's strengthening and 142 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,360 encouraging the body of Christ, whether it's here around the 143 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:17,280 world, wherever it is, that's what we're doing. 144 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:21,520 And and it looks like it looks differently in different areas 145 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:25,320 of the world. So in Africa, what we do, we do 146 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:28,720 the pastors conferences, we do everything through Pastor 147 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:32,120 Andrew, the pastors that he's over, that the that are under 148 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:35,520 him, that churches that he started, we help them, we raise 149 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,720 funds to build their churches. A new thing that we're doing is 150 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:41,960 we start small businesses for them so that they have an income 151 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:44,840 because these guys are out in the villages, they don't have an 152 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:47,280 income whatsoever. So we help them start a 153 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:51,480 business, turn it over to them, whether it's selling watermelons 154 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:55,160 or chickens that I mean, there's varied levels of what that looks 155 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:58,360 like, but that's strengthening and encouraging them because 156 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,480 we're keeping them in the ministry because I can't go 157 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:04,520 there and do what they're doing. These guys are out. 158 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:07,360 Some of them are Maasai. You all heard of the Maasai? 159 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,880 When you think of a safari or Africa, usually the poster you 160 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:15,400 see are the Maasai. He's got a rod, a wooden rod and 161 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,800 like this blanket different, you know, like a Plaid blanket 162 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,320 around them. That's the Maasai and those 163 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:25,760 dudes are fierce. Lions are scared of them. 164 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:27,720 They can kill a lion with the rod that they have. 165 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:31,480 They're amazing, these guys. Anyway, so some of that I can't 166 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:33,400 go out and live in a Masai village like they do. 167 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:37,040 They're drinking cow blood and mixed with with, I mean with the 168 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:40,000 cow milk and it's not even doable for me. 169 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:43,960 Like not even physically at all. I want to be dead. 170 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:48,320 But we can strengthen and encourage them because I know 171 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,320 that if I can strengthen and encourage the pastor, then I've 172 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:54,000 affected their whole congregation. 173 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:58,960 And so that's very important because the amount of ministers 174 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,960 that leave the ministry monthly is ridiculous. 175 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:07,280 So I feel like really our part in the body of Christ around the 176 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:10,440 world is just strengthening them so that you stay the ministry. 177 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:12,880 And we did that with missionary couple that had been in 178 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,440 Guatemala for 30 years. They built a hospital. 179 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,080 I mean, they were very, very well known and they were like, 180 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:22,320 talk to Jessica and I, they're like, we're done. 181 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,000 We can't, we can't do it anymore. 182 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:27,760 The hospital's going under. Just take it over and come move 183 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:29,320 here. And that was in our transition. 184 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,320 And so we were praying like, Lord, do we go to Guatemala? 185 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:37,080 I mean, we're both, well, she's more fluent than I way more 186 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,720 fluent than I am in Spanish. But we like, you know, we know 187 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:41,680 Spanish. So maybe that's that's where 188 00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:45,920 we'll like land. But the Lord's like, no, you 189 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:50,240 cannot do what these have done for 30 years and the repute you 190 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:54,480 strengthen him and her, keep them on the mission field and 191 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:57,800 you'll be more, more in my will than anything. 192 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:02,360 And so that's what we did. And to this day, the their board 193 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:06,240 hired me to under contract to turn the hospital around in one 194 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:08,000 year. Can you imagine in one year. 195 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:11,320 And so by the grace of God, I did. 196 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:14,200 And they're the hospitals flourishing. 197 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:16,360 We have groups coming in from Samaritan's first. 198 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,560 They're going at it stronger than ever. 199 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:25,040 And so see, the, the, the big thing of that is, you know, if 200 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:28,760 you're not looking to create a name, God will, God will blow 201 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,800 your socks off. And so for me, I, I'll support 202 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:34,920 somebody, I'll get in there and strengthen them. 203 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,080 I don't have to be the head guy. That's what I did at 204 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,320 Cornerstone. I, I don't, I don't necessarily 205 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:44,280 even want to be the head guy, but I'll take a vision and carry 206 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:47,160 it out for you. So, but now I'm, I'm doing that 207 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:49,840 with our ministry. And so it's, it's been 208 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:54,680 interesting. But The thing is this, there is 209 00:11:55,520 --> 00:12:00,200 a gentleman Blackowy and he has a book written several books, 210 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:04,960 but one thing that he is strong on saying is this, find out what 211 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:10,920 God is doing and join him. I'm going to say it again, find 212 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:13,640 out what God is doing and join him. 213 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,360 And I, I mean, I've been in ministry full time ministry 30 214 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:23,160 years. So I have seen so many ministers 215 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,280 create a ministry and ask God to bless it. 216 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:28,600 And a lot of times that's the way we think. 217 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:31,800 Lord, I'm going to do this and I just pray your blessing over it. 218 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:38,680 But how different is it to find out what God is doing and then 219 00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:41,440 you join him in that? It's a, it's a big difference, 220 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,720 you know, because a lot of times we will run into issues when we 221 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:50,440 do things on our own, right. But when you find out what God's 222 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:52,920 doing, so God's wanting to minister in this area, God's 223 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,680 wanting to do this, then jump in the middle of that and say, 224 00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:59,040 Lord, what's my part in that? Instead of saying this is my 225 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,720 part, you bless it. You're asking them, what is my 226 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,360 part? And then you'll be blessed in 227 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:06,400 doing it. Y'all know what I'm talking 228 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:08,400 about? You'll you'll be blessed in 229 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:12,720 doing it. So we had to find out what God 230 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:16,880 was doing and what part he wanted us to play, which was a 231 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:18,880 totally different role than what we were doing. 232 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:24,120 So I'm going to tell you it was not easy. 233 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,840 It's not easy. I'm telling you where I am now, 234 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:32,200 but there's a long story behind how we got to where we are now. 235 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:34,240 I mean, we look actually sane right now. 236 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:36,920 There were a lot of times that I didn't feel sane at all. 237 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:41,880 I felt like I had completely destroyed my kids, my family. 238 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:45,000 What in the world I would literally, we were living with 239 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:49,040 her parents upstairs. What? 240 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:51,440 How was I at that time? I don't even know. 241 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:55,640 Late 40s, fifty 5 now. So I mean, we're living with her 242 00:13:55,640 --> 00:14:01,800 parents, with the kids upstairs. I would be in the closet crying 243 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:06,520 my eyes out. God, what in the world did I do? 244 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:11,680 I mean, it was chaos to me, seemingly chaos. 245 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:15,120 What did I do? I have left everything, leaving 246 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:18,720 the house I built. I sold it and I'm where living 247 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,080 in my in laws upstairs. Are you kidding me? 248 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:26,080 I have great in laws. But I'm telling you, you know, I 249 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:27,880 mean, it does come to an end at some point. 250 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:33,520 So I'm like, Oh my goodness. I mean, just days of actual 251 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:38,720 torment with the devil's like you have actually ruined your 252 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:41,440 life, your kids life and your wife's life. 253 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,720 You just you dropped everything. You're you're a mess. 254 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:48,120 And finally I'd get myself back together. 255 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:52,280 Thankfully, I have a great wife. And so when I was down like 256 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,040 that, she was up. She's like, get yourself 257 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:56,840 together. We're going to pray. 258 00:14:56,840 --> 00:14:59,720 And in times that she was down, I'm like, oh, we've got faith. 259 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:03,000 We're going to do this. I mean, you know, thankfully I 260 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,400 don't think that there were any times that we were both like at 261 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:08,960 the bottom at the same time. I'm sure they were about, I 262 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,280 don't remember them. I have actually erased them and 263 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:16,160 they're gone. But that it is hard. 264 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:20,640 I'm not when you're going to follow, when you're going to get 265 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:23,520 in and follow what God is doing and get in there. 266 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,840 The devil's going to challenge that at every single step. 267 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,120 Mentally, you're nuts. What did you do? 268 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:33,600 You gave up this. You did this. 269 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:37,800 What, what, what you know? And then we began to see like 270 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,920 relationships that we had, things that we had done in the 271 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:44,480 past come full circle. Because that missionary I'm 272 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:51,640 talking about in Guatemala that we connected with, get this, the 273 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:57,080 first ever mission trip that I went on was to Guatemala while I 274 00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:59,640 was at Raymond between the years on spring break. 275 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:05,520 When I was telling that story to him, when we met him, he's like, 276 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:08,800 you came to the ministry I was working for. 277 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,600 I was the guy driving the bus. And I'm like, you've got to be 278 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,720 kidding me. God will bring things full 279 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:17,720 circle. And so then we had that 280 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:20,840 relationship and I was able to to, you know, work with them, 281 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,760 strengthen them. But that was the first ever 282 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:28,920 mission trip that I took in my life years ago. 283 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:32,000 And we began to see God just bring things full circle. 284 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,920 This person you met, this one that you met, you know, 285 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:39,440 relationships are important. When you meet someone you you 286 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:41,480 need to ask God, why am I meeting this person? 287 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:43,920 What am I supposed to speak into their life? 288 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:45,520 What are they supposed to speak into my life? 289 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:49,920 Why do I know them? What what are we supposed to do 290 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:55,320 together for your Kingdom. So God began began to just to do 291 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:59,880 tie things together like that. Although we would there's a park 292 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:02,560 near our house. Now we do have a house. 293 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,319 We're not still living with their with their parents. 294 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:10,480 Congratulations. God began to do amazing things. 295 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,160 We were homeschooling, That's why we were able to take the 296 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:16,800 kids with us when we did, you know, trips, trying to start a 297 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:19,000 ministry. If you've ever done that, you 298 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,920 know, my to do a ministry, it takes finances, right? 299 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,680 The last time I went to the airlines, they're not like, oh, 300 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:27,480 you're doing a mission trip, it's free for you. 301 00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:29,880 No, that it doesn't work that way. 302 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:34,040 So building, building the finances, building the ministry, 303 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:37,680 doing all that. And then John comes that he's 304 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:41,480 going into his sophomore year. He comes to, to Jessica and he 305 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:44,000 says, I want to go to real school. 306 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:47,360 I don't have any friends. And Jessica's like, you know, 307 00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:49,360 because her whole life was the homeschooling thing. 308 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:51,360 And, you know, so then we're like, oh, great. 309 00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:52,160 You know, what are we going to do? 310 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:56,680 He wants to go to school. We live in Gwinnett County in 311 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:58,600 Georgia, which is north of Atlanta. 312 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:03,080 It's the largest county, a million people in Georgia. 313 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:10,120 It, it, it is just, it's huge, extremely diverse, extremely 314 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:16,000 wealthy, just a diverse amount of people there, right? 315 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,080 So he's, and so we're praying about, Oh my goodness, our kids 316 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:20,520 want to go to school. What do we do? 317 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:24,200 These schools are like huge our kids. 318 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,400 I mean, it would be a culture shock to send them to these 319 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:31,040 schools. So we pray and God showed us a 320 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:34,640 private school 5 minutes from the house. 321 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:38,080 Well, you know, private schools, it costs to go to private 322 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:39,760 schools. All right? 323 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,000 And three, we were putting 3 into the school. 324 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:47,840 I'm just giving you glimpses of our life, you know? 325 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:49,680 So we're like, oh great, how is that going to work? 326 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:52,400 I don't even have a job, you know, What's that going to look 327 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:53,400 like? We met with it. 328 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:55,560 We met by faith with the headmaster. 329 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:57,720 Just like we're just going to go see the school. 330 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:00,120 OK, great. So we're sitting in his office, 331 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:04,080 you know, just like, And I'm thinking, you have no idea that 332 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:09,640 I don't have any money. Let's keep it that way as long 333 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:12,160 as we can. And so he's like, yeah, well, 334 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:14,560 you know, we can sign your kids up and get everything. 335 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:18,640 I'm like, yeah, you have no idea that I don't have the money to 336 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:22,920 send my kids here. But he looked at us and finally, 337 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:26,080 you know, we told him what we were doing and, you know, 338 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:27,360 starting a ministry and all that stuff. 339 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:32,480 And he said, if you believe your kids are supposed to be here, we 340 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:36,280 will make it happen. And so he did. 341 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:38,960 He did. Jessica actually started 342 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,000 teaching there, which helps as well. 343 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:45,400 But I mean, we paid hardly nothing. 344 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:48,800 We had to pay, but we paid hardly nothing for them to go to 345 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:50,760 that school. John graduated from it. 346 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:54,680 They shut the high school down because there wasn't enough kids 347 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:56,440 there to finish up the high school. 348 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:58,240 So we're like, OK, here we are again. 349 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:00,320 What are we going to do with Josiah and Shea? 350 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:03,360 She was going into good grade at that time. 351 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:06,600 Sophomore JoJo was going in 8th grade. 352 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:08,520 Like where are we going to send them? 353 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:12,240 There's another Christian School, a lot bigger, a lot more 354 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:14,720 expensive. And we're like, that's really 355 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:17,520 our only option because we're not sending them to the public 356 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:20,160 schools there particularly and so. 357 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:27,560 Amazing. They were needing a teacher, but 358 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:32,240 they were needing a specific teacher, one who could teach 359 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:40,320 biology and could teach Spanish. What are the chances of meeting 360 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:43,120 a teacher that's biology and Spanish? 361 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:47,520 Well, Jessica's a nurse, so she's got her degree in biology 362 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:54,200 and Spanish and so she was hired there, which gives you a 50% 363 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,320 discount right there on your kids going and thanks for going 364 00:20:57,320 --> 00:20:59,080 back. You know, so God just, he was 365 00:20:59,120 --> 00:21:03,800 always when there was a need, he would always like step right in 366 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,560 and say here, this is what you need to be doing. 367 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:09,800 So when you find help, what God's doing and you get in it, 368 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:11,960 then the provision is always there. 369 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:19,640 So there's story upon story upon story of how God just did things 370 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:24,680 for us that I feel like we must be so special, you know, do you 371 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:26,840 feel that way? Like when God does something for 372 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:28,560 you, you're like, does he do this for other people? 373 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,320 I'm scared he can say anything because I feel bad sometimes, 374 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:36,800 but he's done just amazing thing for us, even the house that we 375 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:41,480 live in, the house that we own, the the different things that 376 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:45,160 that he's done for us. So I want you to turn to Matthew 377 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:50,120 chapter 14 and take you on this walk of faith. 378 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:54,120 So I've shared all those things. You're you're looking at me now, 379 00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:57,440 OK. And you're like, the dude's got 380 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:00,080 on clothes. That's a good thing, right? 381 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:03,160 At some point, I felt like I didn't even have money to, you 382 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,720 know, I just had to work, wear whatever we had leftover from 383 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:08,880 what we were wearing, right. So you you see us now. 384 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:12,280 I know you're like, hey, get it together. 385 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:16,520 You see us now. But I'm I want to take you like 386 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,960 what it took to get where we are now, OK? 387 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:26,040 And the one word is faith is is faith. 388 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:30,880 Find out what God is doing and join him. 389 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:39,360 OK, So here in this in Matthew chapter 14, the first few verses 390 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:42,920 of chapter 14 is when John the Baptist was beheaded. 391 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,040 OK, that's Jesus. That was his cousin. 392 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,920 So Jesus hears that and what does he do? 393 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,400 He wants to go off to a quiet, secluded place, right? 394 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:56,800 So he goes, hey, disciples, we're going off to this secluded 395 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:58,920 place. I mean, you know, you find out a 396 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:02,720 family member has been beheaded. I'm sure it's going to affect 397 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:05,120 you at some point, but you're just, I need to pull back for a 398 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:06,920 minute. But what happened? 399 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:10,480 The multitude followed him. Why were they following him? 400 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:12,320 Because he was always doing miracles, right? 401 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:14,800 Always feeding people, always doing miracles. 402 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:17,720 Why would you follow him, right? So they're following him to this 403 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:22,400 place he's been, you know, just pouring out to people, pouring 404 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:26,120 out to people, giving to people. He finds his news out, he tries 405 00:23:26,120 --> 00:23:28,680 to go be alone. Everyone follows him. 406 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:36,240 And now we're going to pick up where that is, verse 13. 407 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:38,400 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat 408 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,960 privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds 409 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:44,440 followed him on foot to the from the towns. 410 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:48,480 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he kept he had 411 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:50,600 compassion on them and he healed their sick. 412 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,840 Compassion will always cause you to move. 413 00:23:57,560 --> 00:23:58,720 All right. Do you want to know if you have 414 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:02,760 compassion or you move to do something for people? 415 00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:06,720 Jesus had compassion so it it moved him regardless of all the 416 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,400 other things going on, it moved him to heal them. 417 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,200 That's what compassion is, All right. 418 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:16,360 He's not feeling bad. He wasn't feeling bad for them. 419 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:20,200 He had compassion which moved him to do that. 420 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:24,440 But listen to this part as evening approach to the cycles 421 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:28,600 came to him and said this is a remote place and it's already 422 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:32,000 getting late. So they're in a remote place, a 423 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:33,560 barren place. Remote. 424 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:38,040 I've been there a lot of remote places, OK, And some of them it 425 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,720 was late. But I'm setting the stage for 426 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:43,600 you. Remote and late. 427 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:48,320 Remote meaning there's nothing around late, meaning it's too 428 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:50,680 late to do anything at that point to even go get something 429 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:54,680 right. So he says this is a remote 430 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,440 place and it's already getting late, Send the crowds away so 431 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,400 they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food. 432 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:04,360 So the disciples are saying, Jesus, do you see the situation 433 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:06,800 right here? This is what it looks like. 434 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,360 In case you're not aware of what's going on. 435 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:14,640 The place that we're in is remote, meaning there's not a 436 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,160 little store around the corner where they can go get something 437 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:19,400 to eat. OK. 438 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:23,080 And it's late on top of that, so it's going to be hard for them 439 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:26,600 to even get back to a village. So send them away so they can 440 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:30,040 eat. That was their plan. 441 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:34,640 Remember what I said earlier? Find out what God is doing and 442 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:39,240 join Him in it. Don't create your own story and 443 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:44,080 expect Him to get in on it. All right, so the disciples were 444 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:48,720 creating their own story and wanting Him to get in on it. 445 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:51,720 It's remote, it's late, send them away. 446 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:53,280 We got to take care of them. Send them away. 447 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,800 And Jesus is like, don't you like Jesus? 448 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:02,160 I mean, just when you think you got it figured out, Jesus 449 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:05,080 replied, replied, they don't need to go away. 450 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:12,200 What's the next thing he says you give them something to eat. 451 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:19,080 What the disciples just said, it's remote, it's late, we don't 452 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:20,640 have any food, there's no resources. 453 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:22,760 Send them away. Jesus is like don't need to go 454 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:23,760 away. Give them something to eat. 455 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,960 I'm sure the disciples constantly, but Jesus were like, 456 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:31,080 what? They're looking at each other 457 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:36,520 going did he? Is he having like a grief attack 458 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,640 because his cousin was beheaded? Is he even in the does he even 459 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:43,440 know what's going on? We just told him remote late, 460 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:45,920 send them away to eat. And then he looked at us and 461 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:47,760 said, no, they don't need to go away. 462 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:52,320 You feed them. Think about that. 463 00:26:56,160 --> 00:27:00,680 I'm in a good I'm in a good place here at Cornerstone and 464 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:06,320 Matthews at my my wife, my kids, that I've got it all. 465 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:12,040 This is great. Get up and go, what are you 466 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:13,000 kidding me? What? 467 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:15,320 Like where? What do you want me to do? 468 00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:19,720 Well, I'll show you as you go. I'll show you not like all in a 469 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:21,840 year. It's going to be over time, but 470 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:23,040 you're going to have to trust me. 471 00:27:23,120 --> 00:27:25,240 This is what I'm doing. Get in on it. 472 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:27,800 And I was like, well, this is what I'm doing. 473 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:31,200 You get in on it. And he's like, no, that's not 474 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:33,920 going to happen. So the disciples are right here. 475 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:39,040 They're saying what and it so we have here only 5 loaves of bread 476 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:42,440 and two fish. They answered and it's you know, 477 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:44,320 I can see a little sarcasm in that. 478 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:50,200 You know, the disciples like look, we've told you it's late 479 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:52,680 and remote. Now you looked at us and you 480 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:54,520 said they don't need to go away and give them something to eat. 481 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:56,960 So the little sarcasm goes then. OK, great. 482 00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,960 Here these here, here's these little loaves of fish. 483 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:05,080 Jesus, you see that I told you we didn't have enough to give 484 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:09,800 them. When whatever God is doing and 485 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:14,000 you find out what he's doing, there's always provision in 486 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,080 that. And I keep pointing like this 487 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:17,920 because I'm just, I'm very visual. 488 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:20,720 So like this is the river. This is what God is doing. 489 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:23,000 So in my mind, and that's why I'm pointing like that. 490 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,880 OK, so when I point over here, that's what that's what I'm 491 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:26,560 doing. It's the river. 492 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:33,920 Get in on what God's doing. So we only have 5 loaves and two 493 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:35,960 fish. So what does Jesus say? 494 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:39,200 He didn't be like what? I was wrong. 495 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:40,320 I was. That's right. 496 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:42,840 You had it figured out. You were right. 497 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:44,960 It is remote and late. And you. 498 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,560 Yeah. I'm sorry I told you to feed 499 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:50,920 them, but I was wrong. Did Jesus say that? 500 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:56,240 No. He says bring them here to me. 501 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:01,360 Sorry. Bet they're like, hey Tom, let's 502 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:03,680 go bring those fish and the loaves over there to him. 503 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:08,880 I mean, we, I mean like what? OK, so they bring them to him. 504 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:14,760 He said and he said, and he directed the the people to sit 505 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:18,960 down on the grass, taking the five loaves and the two fish and 506 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,240 looking up to heaven. He gave thanks and broke the 507 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:24,720 broke the loaves. What's one of the first things 508 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:31,160 Jesus does? He takes what they have and 509 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:39,280 blesses it before the Father. No matter how insignificant you 510 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:43,080 feel like something is in your life that you have to offer, 511 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:47,680 it's not insignificant when you give it to Jesus and let Him 512 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:49,680 bless it. See, that's the whole 513 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:51,360 difference. He's got a blessed to begin 514 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:54,000 with, yeah. If he doesn't, it'll remain 515 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:59,960 small and useless. But when you give it to Him and 516 00:29:59,960 --> 00:30:02,560 let him bless it, things begin to change. 517 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:07,040 Things begin to change. So he blesses it, tells him to 518 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:11,000 sit down, blesses it. Then he gave to the disciples, 519 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:12,560 and the disciples gave to the people. 520 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,920 Now I've preached this in Africa before this, then this. 521 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:19,000 Well, as I'm preaching it, I get this revelation. 522 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:26,960 OK, five loaves, 2 fish. Jesus blesses it, turns to the 523 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:31,000 disciples. He gives them five loaves and 524 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,640 two fish. There's not all of a sudden 525 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:38,880 baskets full of fish and loaves. You see what I'm saying? 526 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:41,080 Put yourself in this story. Put put yourself in there. 527 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:44,080 It's not like boom, there's a mound on him and he's like, hey 528 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,160 guys, go get him. How easy would that be, right? 529 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:53,800 But he gives the five loaves and two fish blessed to them and he 530 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:55,080 says, now give it to them to eat. 531 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:02,000 I don't know about you, but if that were me in that situation, 532 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,080 I would still be like, Peter, you do it, dude. 533 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:08,960 I'm going to stand back over here. 534 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:12,680 You and Thomas get up in there and start giving them, giving 535 00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:16,320 them out because after those five loaves are gone, are gone, 536 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:19,240 if there's going to be a riot, because they're going to, 537 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:21,720 they're going to know at that point there is no more in that. 538 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:25,040 I don't care if he. I mean, look, this is you got 539 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:30,520 the basket, right? You see what's in the basket and 540 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:31,920 now you're going to feed all these people. 541 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:39,760 So they had to by faith, keep trusting Jesus what he said they 542 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:43,480 had to keep doing it. So now it's not like at that 543 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:46,120 point after he blessed it that all of a sudden it's all great. 544 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:52,280 So it's not like when we left here this area and started going 545 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:54,320 and the first thing that we began to do, like it was all 546 00:31:54,320 --> 00:32:00,480 like booth there it is. It's a daily trusting the Lord 547 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:05,120 and what he's doing and you're getting in on it daily. 548 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:09,560 We still haven't arrived. We still have we we're still 549 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:11,360 having to believe God for major stuff. 550 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:15,120 But The thing is, the more you believe God, the more you want 551 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:18,600 to believe God because there's only only he can do it. 552 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:24,040 We look at our lives and we say without God doing what he's done 553 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:28,440 and going to do, there is no humanly possible. 554 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:31,200 I just stood on just sorry Chris actually went to the side. 555 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:37,160 There is no humanly possible way that that can be done. 556 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:40,360 Y'all don't regret sitting on the front? 557 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:44,160 I guess. Let me swallow. 558 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:49,400 There we go. All right, so, so they're 559 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:53,160 looking at it going, OK, now we have to hand these five loaves 560 00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:55,240 and two fish out to all these people. 561 00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:56,440 What? What's that going to look like? 562 00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:59,240 But here's where the miracle began to take place. 563 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:05,120 As they began to join him and what he was doing, that's when 564 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:07,360 they saw the miracle. Think about it. 565 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:12,920 First line of people sticking their hand in the basket, just 566 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:16,040 the basket they have, they're handing them out, right? 567 00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:19,840 That's three. There you go, 4 loaves. 568 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:23,360 We're already done with the fish, you know, five. 569 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:27,000 And Can you imagine was going through their mind like when I 570 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:31,080 have to stick my hand back in this basket to hand out more 571 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:36,320 that's not in there. But obviously they did stick 572 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:38,480 their hand back in there. And what do you think? 573 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:40,880 What do you think was going through their mind when they 574 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:45,400 stuck their hand back in there and there was more and that 575 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:49,520 every time they did that, it was always something in there. 576 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:53,000 I mean, think about that. Sometimes we, we just lay this 577 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:56,240 stuff off like they're just stories or that's the Bible. 578 00:33:56,560 --> 00:34:00,600 These people were living it. They're they're sticking their 579 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,840 hand in this basket and every time they're sticking their hand 580 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:08,080 in, there's something to give and they're going around, right. 581 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:14,040 5000 people got fed and they took up have any baskets. 12 582 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:19,800 they had take home take out, taking on doggy bags, all that 583 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:21,440 stuff. I mean they had more than 584 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:24,520 enough. That's the Lord. 585 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:28,199 He's more than enough. When you when you find out what 586 00:34:28,199 --> 00:34:32,040 he's doing, get in on it, you'll be blessed. 587 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:34,800 You get blessed and other people get blessed. 588 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:42,960 Here's the thing, if we don't obey God, it you have to look 589 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:45,639 beyond yourself. It doesn't just affect you. 590 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:49,120 It affects a ton of other people. 591 00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:54,360 I've been there, been like, Lord, I don't want to do that. 592 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:59,880 I I don't, I don't. I mean, I'm already like Finn on 593 00:34:59,880 --> 00:35:04,320 believing for stuff and he's like, I need you to do this and 594 00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:08,160 you're like that there. I don't think I can do that. 595 00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:13,640 You know, you're, but you're putting your faith back out 596 00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:20,480 there again and you're watching him perform a miracle all the 597 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:22,880 time. What's that? 598 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:28,440 Step by step, step by step. And so that's what they're doing 599 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:31,400 step by step. A lot of times we want to see 600 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:37,640 like the end over here, but that that requires no faith. 601 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:43,120 But every step does require faith when you're following God 602 00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:47,480 every step, because there's going to be things that you're 603 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:52,040 asked to do or even the world that you live in that you're 604 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:55,760 going to be around, that you're going to, your reasoning can 605 00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:58,040 kick in and be like, that's not possible. 606 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:03,960 There's just, there's no way because ABCD, there's no way 607 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:07,280 that this can happen. Well, with God, he's the God of 608 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:09,640 the impossible. So do you think he's looking at 609 00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:12,520 what can't be done? No, he's like, he's looking at 610 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:16,400 what needs to be done and he's like, who's going to, who is 611 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:20,040 going to believe me and get in on what I'm doing? 612 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:29,600 So let's see, they all ate. Yeah. 5000. 613 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:32,360 And then, you know, Jesus goes and walks on the water. 614 00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:37,320 Just a small thing there, like, hey, hey, guys, if it is, if 615 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:39,840 that wasn't enough, I'm going to walk on the water to you. 616 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:46,920 But I want you to see that this morning, and I'm not sharing 617 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:50,320 these stories about us to be like, oh, look what they did 618 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:54,960 because there's nothing we did. I'm telling you, it's absolutely 619 00:36:54,960 --> 00:37:02,680 nothing that Jessica and I did on our own at all, at all. 620 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:06,560 Do you hear me at all? We walked. 621 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:08,480 We have this park that's near our house. 622 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:12,880 That was our marriage counseling place. 623 00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:15,480 That was our ministry counseling place. 624 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:22,000 We would walk at this park and just vent, cry, yell. 625 00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:25,000 I mean, be like, Lord, what are you this? 626 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:27,440 I mean, what? Just what? 627 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:30,160 And he's like, take the next step. 628 00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:35,280 Just take the next step. I'll shut get up and go to a 629 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:39,960 place that I'll show you and you know, in the beginning and still 630 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:46,600 still at these times, it's like, Lord, just give me a break, Give 631 00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:49,400 me a week. Just tell me like what's this 632 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:51,120 week? Don't tell me to take a step. 633 00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:55,440 Let me jump like really far can see how I can see. 634 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:58,120 You know, that's where that's what it's going to be like. 635 00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:01,320 He's like that's that's not faith. 636 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:09,400 Either we trust him or we don't. And I, you know, I always, I'm 637 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:13,480 very real with the Lord. So I'm like, Lord, what, why did 638 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:17,040 you like, why we're, why are we having to believe? 639 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:22,000 It's to me seemingly so hard, like, why were these things like 640 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:27,320 so far out there? And then I realized what we do 641 00:38:27,520 --> 00:38:31,840 in Africa and all these other places, our faith had to be 642 00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:36,920 built on the on seeing God move for those people as well. 643 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:41,320 You see what I'm saying? So we're like, look, guys, when 644 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:44,360 we go and share this testimony to the pastors in Africa, it's 645 00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:48,840 like it blows their mind because they're like, what you sold from 646 00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:52,200 your home village, You, you, you left your home village. 647 00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:59,080 You did what? Because their view of Americans 648 00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:04,800 is everybody's rich and happy. I mean, seriously, that that's 649 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:06,720 what it is. Like you have plenty of money. 650 00:39:06,720 --> 00:39:08,720 You don't have any worries. You don't have any concerns. 651 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:12,280 You don't. And comparatively speaking to 652 00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:17,240 them, we don't. But it's all relative, right? 653 00:39:18,720 --> 00:39:23,600 So when I share that story with them, they're, they're like, I 654 00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:27,240 don't even, I came in, why did you, what did you do? 655 00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:30,440 Why did you do that? And so it encourages them that 656 00:39:30,440 --> 00:39:33,720 no matter what they're facing and what God's asking them to 657 00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:40,040 do, they can do it by faith, by faith, because it it it boils 658 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:44,400 down to do we trust him or don't we trust him? 659 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:48,240 Think about it. That's what faith is. 660 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:52,160 Faith is either do you trust him or don't you trust him? 661 00:39:52,160 --> 00:39:56,120 It's very simple for me. So when God says do this, this 662 00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:58,880 is what I'm doing, get in on this, then I have the 663 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:04,600 opportunity to say, great, yeah, I'm going to do that and watch 664 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:08,880 God move. Or sit back in my comfy place 665 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:13,000 and be like, no, I choose not to get in on what you're doing. 666 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:17,920 And it's amazing. I'm telling you, it's absolutely 667 00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:25,680 amazing when you do that, that God does exceedingly, abundantly 668 00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:29,680 above which you could ever think or imagine. 669 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:35,800 So we've seen him do stuff for us and all these people we 670 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:40,400 minister to that. I'm just like, I, I, I couldn't 671 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:43,880 even imagine that. And guys like, I can imagine 672 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:47,880 more than that, more than that. So I'm going to go back to 673 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:53,080 something I was saying earlier. Our obedience to get in on what 674 00:40:53,080 --> 00:40:55,640 God's doing does not just affect us. 675 00:40:55,760 --> 00:41:00,360 It affects all the people that you'll ever minister to or speak 676 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:05,040 to. So if I would have chosen not to 677 00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:12,480 follow God, then I know of hundreds of pastors that we've 678 00:41:12,480 --> 00:41:17,640 ministered to in Africa that we're fixing to walk away from 679 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:22,280 the ministry that would have never heard those words of, of 680 00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:24,600 encouragement. Because when we go, we go to 681 00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:28,000 remote places where where no white man wants to go. 682 00:41:28,280 --> 00:41:30,680 All right, all the white men want to go to the big cities, 683 00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:34,040 have a lot of the big pictures taken, filled stadiums and that, 684 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:37,600 but you have village pastors that are giving up every day 685 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:40,240 that are struggling that nobody wants to go to. 686 00:41:40,240 --> 00:41:45,120 And so we go to them. We had one one that we did. 687 00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:48,000 It was way up there, way remote, no electricity, nothing. 688 00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:51,200 You know, they're bringing it in and we're getting ready to start 689 00:41:51,200 --> 00:41:54,880 the conference and here come all these Masai women. 690 00:41:55,040 --> 00:42:00,560 I mean, they were decked out in like the like the church attire 691 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:03,240 stuff. And they came and I turned past 692 00:42:03,240 --> 00:42:06,360 Andrew and I'm like, what? And he's like, you're in a Masai 693 00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:09,040 area. And so the Masai women would 694 00:42:09,040 --> 00:42:13,360 come and stay till about two in the afternoon and then they 695 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:16,320 would leave to go back to the men were bringing the cows in 696 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:19,120 from the the fields. And then they were responsible 697 00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:23,400 for them then. And I think about those Messiah 698 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:28,840 people that would have never been encouraged because no one 699 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:32,200 would have gone see them. We've been in churches and the, 700 00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:36,600 the, the, the pastors are like, there has never been a white man 701 00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:42,040 in this area, you know, And so not that that has a big bearing 702 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:47,800 on things, but I'm letting you know there are people that are 703 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:53,520 going to be affected either in a positive way or a negative way 704 00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:55,840 because of your obedience to what Jesus says. 705 00:42:55,840 --> 00:43:03,160 Do think about that. We have to think beyond 706 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:09,400 ourselves to those that you will minister to, you're like, well, 707 00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:12,880 I'm not the pastor. I don't yet every day you have 708 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:14,680 the opportunity to minister to people. 709 00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:16,400 You are a minister. That's right. 710 00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:19,680 If you're a believer, you're a minister, you're a minister of 711 00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:22,920 reconciliation, You're bringing people to Christ all the time. 712 00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:25,920 You have the ability to speak words of comfort and 713 00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:28,360 encouragement or words of damnation to people. 714 00:43:28,760 --> 00:43:32,600 You're always ministering to somebody or you have the 715 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:35,080 capability to. So you're either going to be a 716 00:43:35,080 --> 00:43:37,960 positive or a negative with that. 717 00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:42,880 So I really think about those times and I thought about them, 718 00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:46,360 you know, when I'm in the closet in her mom and dad's house, 719 00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:51,400 living upstairs, ready to give up and say that that is it. 720 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:56,360 Lord, you have driven me to my last nerve. 721 00:43:56,960 --> 00:44:02,040 I'm going to get a secular job and just settle in and be like 722 00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:07,200 everybody else and be able to pay for groceries and all that 723 00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:10,120 other stuff and send my kids where they want to go. 724 00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:15,120 And but you know, I'm saying that because I just wanted to 725 00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:16,440 vent. But on the inside, I'm like, 726 00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:19,320 there's no way. It's like when he, when he spoke 727 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:22,760 to the disciples and these, you know, all these people around 728 00:44:22,760 --> 00:44:24,760 him were leaving and he turned to the disciples that you want 729 00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:28,280 to go to. Then what did one of them say? 730 00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:32,320 Where would we go? You have the words of life. 731 00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:35,600 So that always came back to me. You know, I wanted to be like, 732 00:44:35,640 --> 00:44:37,200 Lord, no, I'm not going to do this. 733 00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:38,440 I'm going to do what I want to do. 734 00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:40,920 And I'm like, but where else would I go? 735 00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:46,320 It's like Pastor Joe Michael was saying, Jesus, is this the only 736 00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:48,160 thing stopping you from going off the Cliff? 737 00:44:48,400 --> 00:44:50,480 If you don't do that, let him stop you. 738 00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:54,720 You're going off the Cliff. So I'm like, what? 739 00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:57,520 What else would I do? Like, who else am I going to 740 00:44:57,520 --> 00:44:59,800 trust? Who else am I going to rely on 741 00:44:59,800 --> 00:45:02,440 if I don't rely on him? But I'm going to get myself 742 00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:05,160 together, wipe my tears, get out of the closet and go do 743 00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:09,520 something, you know? But think about that. 744 00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:13,720 Your your obedience or disobedience does not just 745 00:45:13,720 --> 00:45:18,480 affect you. It doesn't just affect you. 746 00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:24,160 You're giving. I do a lot of offering messages. 747 00:45:24,920 --> 00:45:29,720 You're giving does not stop at the basket. 748 00:45:29,720 --> 00:45:34,280 It goes beyond you when you see that, when you see your giving 749 00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:38,800 changing people that walk through this door, allowing this 750 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:42,520 place to be here but around the world, then you're like, my 751 00:45:42,520 --> 00:45:46,640 giving is not just, you know, there it is. 752 00:45:47,920 --> 00:45:51,200 You see an eternal weight to your giving. 753 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:54,080 You see lives being changed because of your giving. 754 00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:58,320 We have to get out of the mentality that it's all about us 755 00:45:58,760 --> 00:46:00,600 because that America, that's what it is. 756 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:03,520 I mean, you know, everything revolves around you. 757 00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:06,440 You're not happy. You know, the the new parenting 758 00:46:06,440 --> 00:46:09,080 styles and all this. Oh, sweetie, what do you want? 759 00:46:09,200 --> 00:46:11,080 What do you prefer? No. 760 00:46:11,240 --> 00:46:12,320 Get up in that chair. Sit down. 761 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:19,000 You know, you know everything sways toward what makes you feel 762 00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:20,640 comfortable. Are you not comfortable? 763 00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:22,720 We'll make you comfortable. You're hungry. 764 00:46:22,720 --> 00:46:24,200 We'll make sure you get what you want to eat. 765 00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:26,000 You. You don't like that car, Get 766 00:46:26,000 --> 00:46:28,280 another car. Get something comfortable. 767 00:46:28,280 --> 00:46:34,960 Get make yourself comfortable. It's all about us and we don't 768 00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:39,320 want that to creep into the church when it's not about you, 769 00:46:40,360 --> 00:46:44,720 it's not about me. It's finding out what God is 770 00:46:44,720 --> 00:46:49,960 doing and getting in the middle of it so that other people have 771 00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:52,360 an opportunity to come to the faith. 772 00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:55,840 Other people have the opportunity to see God move in 773 00:46:55,840 --> 00:47:00,400 someone's life and they can trust God when you when we see 774 00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:04,040 that way, it changes everything. So I just want to encourage you 775 00:47:04,040 --> 00:47:07,480 all with that this morning there's there's a you would be 776 00:47:07,480 --> 00:47:12,040 here hours if I told you every everything that God has done. 777 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:19,120 John, our oldest, just graduated from Berry College in Rome, GA 778 00:47:20,880 --> 00:47:28,480 $56,000 a year to go there. He has no debt. 779 00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:34,440 We have no debt. He's graduated that only the 780 00:47:34,440 --> 00:47:38,400 Lord, I'm telling you, only the Lord can do that. 781 00:47:39,520 --> 00:47:45,600 And so find out what he's doing, find out what God is doing, find 782 00:47:45,640 --> 00:47:48,800 out what he's what he's doing in your area where you are and get 783 00:47:48,800 --> 00:47:52,680 right in the middle of it and you'll see a, a huge change. 784 00:47:53,600 --> 00:47:58,720 Is it, is it easy? No, let me just go ahead and 785 00:47:58,720 --> 00:48:03,800 dispel that for you. No, following God is not easy. 786 00:48:04,120 --> 00:48:08,080 It's not always comfortable. It's not always, oh, goosebumps, 787 00:48:08,080 --> 00:48:11,920 and I feel so good. But the rewards of it, there are 788 00:48:11,920 --> 00:48:16,440 great times of that when you see what your obedience has done for 789 00:48:16,440 --> 00:48:23,040 other people. But faith is one of the hardest. 790 00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:28,800 I mean, I want to be careful how I say that faith is really easy 791 00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:33,320 because it comes down to just a rely, a trust in the Lord, trust 792 00:48:33,320 --> 00:48:35,440 in his character, a trust in who he is. 793 00:48:35,920 --> 00:48:38,920 But I'm the hard part comes on our side. 794 00:48:40,160 --> 00:48:42,640 You hear me? On our side when we let 795 00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:49,800 situations and circumstances around us cover the faithfulness 796 00:48:49,800 --> 00:48:53,560 of God. And so just like the disciples, 797 00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:58,960 are we saying Jesus, wait a minute, this can't be done 798 00:48:58,960 --> 00:49:03,560 because it's a remote place and not only is it remote, it's late 799 00:49:03,720 --> 00:49:05,320 like the hours late, it's too late. 800 00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:08,600 Nothing can happen here. Are we looking at are we letting 801 00:49:08,600 --> 00:49:14,200 that cloud what God is doing and wanting us to do instead of just 802 00:49:14,200 --> 00:49:16,000 trusting him? That's what I'm talking about, 803 00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:18,640 being faith hard. There you am I being clear on 804 00:49:18,640 --> 00:49:23,360 that. When we let this get in the way 805 00:49:23,360 --> 00:49:27,520 of this, that's when it can be hard and there's a lot of times 806 00:49:27,520 --> 00:49:29,280 you got to you, you have to shake yourself. 807 00:49:31,160 --> 00:49:35,760 So we have this saying, it's not my saying, it's actually Mark 808 00:49:35,760 --> 00:49:40,160 Hankins saying you need 4 crazy friends and we're in Africa 809 00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:44,160 after Andrew and Esther. We're four crazy friends in 810 00:49:44,160 --> 00:49:49,000 Africa because the things that we are up against, you need 4 811 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:53,800 crazy friends, meaning the four people that lowered the 812 00:49:53,800 --> 00:49:57,200 paralytic down, tore the roof off, lowered them down in front 813 00:49:57,200 --> 00:49:58,800 of Jesus. That's the type of people you 814 00:49:58,800 --> 00:50:01,800 want to be around. They're like, whatever it takes, 815 00:50:02,040 --> 00:50:05,320 I'm going to get you to Jesus. If I have to tear the roof off, 816 00:50:05,400 --> 00:50:08,040 we're going to do that. You know, we're going to get 817 00:50:08,280 --> 00:50:12,520 that's that's who you need to surround yourself with so that 818 00:50:12,520 --> 00:50:15,840 when those situations come like, oh, you're really going to 819 00:50:15,840 --> 00:50:19,400 believe God for that. That person will tell you 820 00:50:19,520 --> 00:50:22,440 absolutely believe him for that if he said it. 821 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:26,320 And that's what he's doing absolutely without fail, 822 00:50:26,360 --> 00:50:30,640 absolutely because he's not going to fail you just do it. 823 00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:37,600 So be encouraged this morning. I'm strengthening and 824 00:50:37,600 --> 00:50:39,360 encouraging you. Be encouraged in your faith. 825 00:50:39,360 --> 00:50:43,960 Be strengthened in your faith. Nothing is impossible to him who 826 00:50:44,080 --> 00:50:47,800 believes God said God of the impossible. 827 00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:51,600 When you believe him for the impossible, it becomes possible. 828 00:50:53,840 --> 00:50:55,880 All right, find out what he's doing. 829 00:50:56,280 --> 00:50:57,640 Find out what he's doing. How do you do that? 830 00:50:57,640 --> 00:51:02,800 By prayer, by coming together. Find out what he's doing and get 831 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:06,240 in there and do it with him. So I'm going to pray with you 832 00:51:06,240 --> 00:51:07,800 all if you stand to your feet this morning. 833 00:51:12,040 --> 00:51:13,920 Thank you for being patient with me. 834 00:51:13,920 --> 00:51:16,920 I that was like a shotgun message, right? 835 00:51:17,120 --> 00:51:20,160 When you have so much built pent up in you and built up, it's 836 00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:22,000 like, Hey, I want to share this. I want to share this Lord saying 837 00:51:22,000 --> 00:51:24,520 just, you know, keep it kind of right here. 838 00:51:25,160 --> 00:51:27,640 I have a hard time doing that. Like I said, in Africa, we can 839 00:51:27,640 --> 00:51:31,480 preach for we hold conferences for days so we can get it all 840 00:51:31,480 --> 00:51:36,320 out. So thank you for being patient. 841 00:51:36,920 --> 00:51:40,040 My, my biggest thing this morning for you is this. 842 00:51:41,800 --> 00:51:45,760 Don't fear to trust Him. Don't fear to trust Him. 843 00:51:46,040 --> 00:51:49,560 Find out what He's doing and join Him in that. 844 00:51:50,200 --> 00:51:57,840 When you join Him in what he's doing, you will see miracles, 845 00:51:58,320 --> 00:52:04,320 you'll see provision, you'll see God do things that you know 846 00:52:04,480 --> 00:52:07,120 there is no way humanly possible that you could have done. 847 00:52:07,320 --> 00:52:11,200 That's a great way to live. You know, I don't want to live 848 00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:16,600 to my standard or my ability because it's limited, but when I 849 00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:20,280 live to his standard and his ability, my mind is blown away 850 00:52:20,280 --> 00:52:24,000 like every day, every other day. So I'm like, wow, hey, wow, 851 00:52:24,080 --> 00:52:28,520 there's no way. I mean, this guy just boom, 852 00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:29,360 there. He did it. 853 00:52:30,560 --> 00:52:32,440 So I encourage you with that this morning, I'm going to pray 854 00:52:32,440 --> 00:52:37,120 with you. If you just close your eyes and 855 00:52:37,120 --> 00:52:39,280 you know, if you're going to receive something from the, from 856 00:52:39,280 --> 00:52:44,520 somebody, it takes your hands being held out to receive it, 857 00:52:44,520 --> 00:52:46,920 right. So hold your hands out this 858 00:52:46,920 --> 00:52:50,840 morning because I want you to receive from the Lord this 859 00:52:50,840 --> 00:52:52,880 morning. It has nothing to do with me at 860 00:52:52,880 --> 00:52:57,080 all other than just giving the words of encouragement. 861 00:52:58,200 --> 00:53:02,280 But he's your, he's your source, God's your source. 862 00:53:03,600 --> 00:53:06,320 So I pray this morning, Father God, that you see every 863 00:53:06,320 --> 00:53:12,160 individual that's in here. You know each person exactly 864 00:53:12,160 --> 00:53:14,640 where they are in their walk with you. 865 00:53:15,440 --> 00:53:18,680 You know what season they're in. You know what their needs are. 866 00:53:18,680 --> 00:53:21,440 You know what their highs are, what their valleys are. 867 00:53:21,440 --> 00:53:25,960 You see each of us individually. Lord, what I'm asking is this, 868 00:53:27,720 --> 00:53:34,960 that by Your Spirit You would show them as they asked You the 869 00:53:34,960 --> 00:53:39,800 things that You were doing around them, and that they would 870 00:53:39,800 --> 00:53:44,000 be obedient to step into those things that You're doing. 871 00:53:46,200 --> 00:53:49,960 Step in to the flow of the things that You are doing. 872 00:53:51,240 --> 00:53:55,720 So Father, as their hands are held out this morning and open 873 00:53:55,720 --> 00:54:02,280 to You, I ask You to pour into them everything that they need, 874 00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:07,240 because You are always speaking to us. 875 00:54:07,240 --> 00:54:13,360 You are always moving, You are always doing something always. 876 00:54:14,120 --> 00:54:19,720 But it is up to us to join You in that and to receive from You. 877 00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:24,080 So I pray that every person in here this morning be a good 878 00:54:24,080 --> 00:54:29,840 receiver, that they receive all that You have for them and all 879 00:54:29,840 --> 00:54:32,880 that You're doing in and around them. 880 00:54:34,720 --> 00:54:36,480 I ask you to bless them mightily. 881 00:54:37,280 --> 00:54:39,880 Bless what you're doing here at Salt Church. 882 00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:46,600 Lord bless Pastor John, Michael and Natalie and their family as 883 00:54:46,600 --> 00:54:51,560 they too have stepped out to do what you have called them to do. 884 00:54:53,240 --> 00:54:58,600 I pray that you continue to lead and guide them, Lord, that they 885 00:54:58,600 --> 00:55:03,120 would see your hand move in their lives in a mighty way that 886 00:55:03,120 --> 00:55:06,720 they've already seen, but that they continue to see even more. 887 00:55:07,120 --> 00:55:11,640 Thank you for their obedience and their love for you, their 888 00:55:11,640 --> 00:55:17,720 love for this congregation. And Lord, we just, we love you 889 00:55:17,720 --> 00:55:21,120 this morning. Thank you for ministering to our 890 00:55:21,120 --> 00:55:28,080 hearts, for your encouragement. We just can't say enough Father 891 00:55:28,080 --> 00:55:32,400 how much how much we love you and trust you. 892 00:55:33,800 --> 00:55:38,520 We give you all the honor and all the glory in Jesus name 893 00:55:39,400 --> 00:55:41,440 Amen. Amen. 894 00:55:42,080 --> 00:55:48,560 Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for for y'all 895 00:55:48,560 --> 00:55:51,080 allowing us to speak into your lives. 896 00:55:51,280 --> 00:55:53,560 I didn't even introduce my wife and kids because y'all know 897 00:55:53,560 --> 00:55:56,480 them, right? Yeah, but some do. 898 00:55:56,720 --> 00:55:58,520 But this is my lovely wife, Jessica. 899 00:55:58,720 --> 00:56:02,600 We've been married for 23 years, going on 24. 900 00:56:02,960 --> 00:56:05,720 We actually, here's another thing, we actually work with 901 00:56:05,720 --> 00:56:07,120 marriages that wind shaped marriage. 902 00:56:07,120 --> 00:56:08,760 Y'all ever heard of wind shape Chick-fil-A? 903 00:56:09,200 --> 00:56:11,840 True it, Kathy. Wind shape marriages. 904 00:56:11,840 --> 00:56:13,920 Yeah, we're up there one week out of the month. 905 00:56:13,960 --> 00:56:19,120 We we work up there with them. That's John Rich and John 22. 906 00:56:19,760 --> 00:56:26,720 Done with college, got a job. Woo Hoo, then our Shay right 907 00:56:26,720 --> 00:56:32,160 there going into her sophomore year in college and JoJo, the 908 00:56:32,160 --> 00:56:35,520 short one going into his senior year in high school. 909 00:56:36,760 --> 00:56:39,880 We're almost like I cannot believe it. 910 00:56:40,240 --> 00:56:43,680 Like I'm not going to say done, you're never done. 911 00:56:43,680 --> 00:56:46,320 But I mean like everybody's kind of like out the house. 912 00:56:48,200 --> 00:56:51,960 New season, great season. So thank you. 913 00:56:51,960 --> 00:56:52,760 Thank. You. 914 00:56:54,720 --> 00:56:56,960 It's kind of hard to disconnect, but thank you all again We. 915 00:56:57,720 --> 00:57:03,440 Love. You. 916 00:57:03,440 --> 00:57:05,720 Thank you. Good. 917 00:57:05,840 --> 00:57:09,320 All right. Can't have my red bottle. 918 00:57:09,480 --> 00:57:12,320 Take it. I'm going to bless you and we're 919 00:57:12,320 --> 00:57:15,920 going to dismiss. Father, we thank you so much for 920 00:57:15,920 --> 00:57:19,080 your anointing, just as the Word was ministered and as the 921 00:57:19,080 --> 00:57:20,520 encouragement came to the Saints. 922 00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:25,120 But would you just continue to help that word marinate in US 923 00:57:25,440 --> 00:57:29,600 and may we meditate on it, God, may our, may our faith be 924 00:57:29,600 --> 00:57:32,800 inspired and encouraged that we would continue to look around, 925 00:57:33,160 --> 00:57:34,320 open the eyes of our hearts sword. 926 00:57:34,320 --> 00:57:37,320 So we would see the river that's flowing in each of our lives. 927 00:57:37,320 --> 00:57:39,800 The stream over here, the river over there, the ocean over 928 00:57:39,800 --> 00:57:43,120 there, wherever the move of the Spirit is, however your wind is 929 00:57:43,120 --> 00:57:46,400 blowing, God help us to see it and then give ourselves over to 930 00:57:46,400 --> 00:57:48,560 it. It's such a relief too, that we 931 00:57:48,560 --> 00:57:51,120 don't have to make it happen. We don't have to create a river. 932 00:57:51,120 --> 00:57:54,160 There's already one in motion. You're already at work in our 933 00:57:54,160 --> 00:57:55,600 lives. You're already providing 934 00:57:55,600 --> 00:57:59,040 opportunities and ministry. So just help us to see it. 935 00:57:59,560 --> 00:58:03,360 And then give us a boldness, put a fire in us from from the 936 00:58:03,360 --> 00:58:08,000 Spirit of God that causes us to act in wisdom and boldness so 937 00:58:08,000 --> 00:58:11,080 that you get glory, that your name is glorified, that people 938 00:58:11,080 --> 00:58:14,560 are blessed and that the Kingdom comes and your will is done. 939 00:58:15,240 --> 00:58:18,960 We thank you in Jesus name and now the Lord bless you and keep 940 00:58:18,960 --> 00:58:21,520 you. The Lord make his face Shinedown 941 00:58:21,520 --> 00:58:25,280 upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance 942 00:58:25,280 --> 00:58:29,720 upon you and give you great peace in Jesus name, Amen.