1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,040 I want to say a big welcome and thank you to those of you who 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:06,080 are newer with us here at Real Life Church. 3 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:08,720 And we're so glad that you were here with us this morning that 4 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:10,200 you are spending your morning with us. 5 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,160 We truly have been praying for you and planning for you this 6 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,160 week. And we really, we don't want 7 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,320 anything from you. We're not going to ask anything 8 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,440 from you today except for this one thing and that's simply just 9 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,560 introduce yourself to us. We'd love to get to know you, to 10 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:26,560 welcome you here at Real Life Church. 11 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,680 And you can do that simply by grabbing that connection card 12 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,439 that is on your seat. You can file the information 13 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:34,760 there in that top section. Check first time here. 14 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,240 And you can just hold on to that during the gathering, let you 15 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,560 know what to do with that later. But truly, we are so glad that 16 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:42,360 you are here with us this morning. 17 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,120 And our mission here at Real Life Church is to see people far 18 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:50,480 from God discover their real life and purpose in Jesus. 19 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:53,280 That's right. That's why we do what we do, 20 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:55,600 man. Last week and we threw a welcome 21 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,880 party for some newer gifts and first time guests and we had 22 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:02,840 over 20 people come and get connected to that, which was so 23 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:04,200 awesome. There we go. 24 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,120 Yes, so good to see all those people and you can check it out 25 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,520 right there. Hey, that could be you next time 26 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:13,600 being connected. Just real people, real 27 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,040 connections, real friendships, people finding their place and 28 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:18,960 their home here at Real Life Church. 29 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:22,280 And it's truly because of moments like that that we have 30 00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:25,600 eight people serving on the Dream Team for the very first 31 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:27,920 time today. Let's give them a hand. 32 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,160 So awesome to see people get connected and find their home 33 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:35,400 here at Real Life Church. And hey, today is going to be a 34 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,080 great day in the house. Today is graduation Sunday. 35 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,400 We truly are a church that believes we put young people on 36 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,440 our shoulders. They're going to go further and 37 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,600 farther and faster than we did. And we are excited for them. 38 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,640 And you're going to hear stories of transformation, of life 39 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,880 change, stories where they're going to help shape their 40 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,840 calling, their courage to follow Jesus as they take their next 41 00:01:58,200 --> 00:01:59,280 steps. You're going to hear from the 42 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,880 graduate themselves this morning with some testimonies. 43 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,880 We're going to pray over them and just Commission them out as 44 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:07,720 they take their next steps. And so to help us do that today, 45 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,639 would you help me welcome our youth pastor to the stage, Logan 46 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:23,760 Hardy? Oh man, you guys hear me man, 47 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:25,120 give it up one more time for the band. 48 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:29,640 That was awesome worship, man. This is going to be such a good 49 00:02:29,640 --> 00:02:31,080 morning. I am so excited. 50 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:33,720 I'm a little bit too far over, man. 51 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:37,320 As you've heard, we are celebrating our real life youth 52 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:39,680 graduates today. We have three of them. 53 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,640 It is going to be a blast. And I will tell you, man, I am 54 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:47,440 so proud of each and every single one of these girls, man. 55 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:49,440 I have enjoyed having them in youth. 56 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:52,560 I'll talk about this in a bit, but if the kids team is in here, 57 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:54,560 I'm sure we've enjoyed having them come through the kids 58 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,880 ministry and it has been such a blessing to see how they have 59 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:00,760 grown in their Christ likeness and how they just are 60 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,160 forerunners of the youth group. I'll talk about this. 61 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:07,480 But they are the very best that we have to offer and today is a 62 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,880 big moment for them. Today signifies years of pushing 63 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:15,880 for exams that have been taken. Hopefully some late nights that 64 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,080 have been studied. Obviously we're going to hear 65 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,200 their stories. For some of them, this might not 66 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:22,960 be a reality for, but most people that graduate, this 67 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,960 includes late night studied. Maybe this is projects 68 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:27,640 submitted. Man, they're all going on to 69 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:30,360 further education. So this has been a grind for 70 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,920 them to position themselves academically, to take awesome 71 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,080 steps moving forward. But more importantly, more than 72 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,520 the academics, more than just the perseverance, it is 73 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,440 perseverance. But what we're really here to 74 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,520 honor is how they have pushed through, and they have made it 75 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:49,320 all the way through high school while remaining faithful to God. 76 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,320 If you know anything, yeah, give it up for that man. 77 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,080 If you know anything about school, that is no small feat. 78 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:01,840 It is not easy to get through school and remains faithful and 79 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:05,320 steadfast in your relationship with God in such a manner that 80 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,480 these girls have done. So today, let's honor them. 81 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:11,520 I'm going to call them up. I want you guys to show genuine 82 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,200 excitement for this mile marker and their lives. 83 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,240 When I bring them up, I want you to cheer super loud like Sean 84 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,200 always says that baptism is like the Chiefs just won the Super 85 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:21,120 Bowl, man. Be excited for them. 86 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:23,400 Show them your love. Show them that you're here to 87 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,360 support them. I'm going to call Brett up. 88 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:27,360 He's going to give him a book and a handshake. 89 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:31,480 And as I, as I call him up, give them a big round of applause and 90 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:36,640 give them a bunch of excitement. So starting us off, first up, we 91 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:39,240 have Aubrey Cubbley. If she wants to come to the 92 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:46,960 stage, yes man, Aubrey's. Aubrey's parents are Josh and 93 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,800 Carrie Cubbley. Yeah, let's give it up for them, 94 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:52,120 man. Aubrey is graduating from the 95 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,600 Summit Christian Academy. What Aubrey is going to miss 96 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,160 most about high school is that she is going to miss being able 97 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,320 to hang out with her friends, mess around in softball and go 98 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,480 on field trips. What she is going to miss the 99 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,240 least about high school, she says, quote UN quote, I will not 100 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:12,640 miss waking up early for school. Notice that she goes to Summit 101 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:14,240 Christian Academy. As I say this next thing. 102 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,400 She will not miss listening to boring tangents about nothing 103 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:24,280 she and she will not miss the people in the hallways that 104 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:28,160 don't know how to walk. Her plans after high school are 105 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,560 that she plans on attending UMKC, to major in biology with 106 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,800 an emphasis in pre Med to hopefully either study radiology 107 00:05:34,840 --> 00:05:37,360 or sonography. And if she could do anything for 108 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:41,320 God and not fail, she wants to attend more mission trips and do 109 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,280 more community service. If there's anybody special that 110 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:46,680 she would like to thank, she would like to thank both of her 111 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:50,840 parents for helping raise her in a Christian environment and 112 00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:53,920 encouraging her to go to church. She would also like to thank 113 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:58,160 Tori Jones and Christy Hardy for helping her grow in her walk in 114 00:05:58,160 --> 00:05:59,520 leadership. Give it up one more time for 115 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:08,300 Aubrey. Next up, Grace Fairly, go ahead 116 00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:16,600 and come to the stage. Grace's parents are Scott and 117 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,520 Katrina Fairly. She is graduating from Ray Peck 118 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,240 High School. What Grace is going to miss most 119 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:25,520 about high school is her friends. 120 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,400 What she's going to miss the least about high school is theme 121 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:32,760 waking up early. Her plans after high school are 122 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:36,760 to attend college and major in early childhood education. 123 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:40,360 Her goal is to become a kindergarten teacher or a truly 124 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,960 early childhood educator where she can help young children 125 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:47,600 learn, grow, and build a strong foundation for their future. 126 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:50,560 If she could do anything for God and not fail, it would be to 127 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:52,440 make a difference in other people's lives. 128 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:55,080 And somebody special that she would like to thank are both of 129 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:56,680 her parents. Give it up one more time for 130 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:03,280 Grace Fairly and our last graduate. 131 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:05,560 Welcome up to the stage, Lily Hough. 132 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,000 Lily's parents are Janelle and Jeff Hough. 133 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,880 She is graduating from Belton High School. 134 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,840 What Lily is going to miss most about high school is she will 135 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:22,760 miss her friends in wrestling or she will miss the least about 136 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:24,320 high school. Again, quote UN quote. 137 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,240 I will not miss homework is Lily is not going to miss homework. 138 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,840 Her plans after high school, she plans on attending Missouri 139 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:35,080 State University to get a degree in radiology. 140 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:37,480 I think that's going to take some more homework so you're not 141 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:40,920 done with that. And she eventually wants to 142 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,640 become a sonographer. She could do anything for God 143 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:46,520 and not fail. She would like to become a 144 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,400 teacher or a mother. And somebody special that she 145 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,720 would like to thank is she would like to thank again Tori Jones 146 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:55,320 and Logan Hardy. Man, give it up one last time 147 00:07:55,320 --> 00:08:02,280 for all of our graduates. Man, this is awesome. 148 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:04,840 Like I said, these are the best that real life youth has to 149 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:06,880 offer. And I feel like some honoring is 150 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:10,040 in order. So if you're in here and you are 151 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:12,600 a parent of these graduates, please stand up. 152 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:15,840 Parents. I know there's two here. 153 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:18,760 We got Scott and Katrina. Give it up for them. 154 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,680 All the way in the back. We have Carry ON soundboard. 155 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:29,800 Josh is blending in with his hat, blocking the lights. 156 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:31,600 I don't see Janelle, but Janelle's somewhere. 157 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:33,760 All right, Give it up for all the parents. 158 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:35,360 Yeah. All right, parents. 159 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,880 You can take a seat, mate. If you are a grandparent and you 160 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,600 are in here, please stand up. Any grandparents in here? 161 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:44,360 Oh, we do. We'll give it up to the 162 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,560 grandparents. Man, I don't know, make 163 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:50,800 grandparents make such a large imprint on the lives. 164 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:54,880 I know in my story, my great grandma had such a big, she had 165 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:56,640 such a big imprint on my walk with God. 166 00:08:56,640 --> 00:08:58,600 So man, grandparents are amazing. 167 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,600 If you were in here and you serve on the youth team, would 168 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,760 you stand up? Oh, we have Tori up here in the 169 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,080 front. That's Hannah. 170 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:11,520 We have Hannah over there. We have Brett in the back. 171 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:14,800 Yeah, man, thank you guys so much for serving week in and 172 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:16,240 week out. You heard Tori was mentioned 173 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:19,400 twice for people that made the biggest impact on these 174 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:21,880 graduates. So I appreciate all of our youth 175 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:25,680 team and this church long enough to that. 176 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:28,480 If you are on the kids team, would you stand up? 177 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:30,640 If you are on the kids team, you had an impact on them. 178 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,200 We got my brother Coleman back there. 179 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:36,320 He sat back down. He didn't really feel it. 180 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:39,680 They're all on the kids team. So give it up the graduates 181 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:43,600 again. Oh man, this is awesome. 182 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:45,680 I'm I'm having such a good time so far. 183 00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:47,720 But you guys have heard a lot from me. 184 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:50,400 I'm going to give you guys the opportunity to hear from the 185 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:54,720 graduates themselves. So welcome up Lily Huff to give 186 00:09:54,720 --> 00:10:05,900 her testimony. Hi, OK I'm just going to read 187 00:10:05,900 --> 00:10:08,640 off of this. I said I was born into a 188 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:11,000 Christian family and we went to church weekly for several 189 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:13,240 several years. After a while we felt 190 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,040 disconnected from the church and decided to search for a new one. 191 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:18,600 I then started attending real life church within the first 192 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:20,920 year of launch. For several years I was just 193 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:22,760 going to church to see friends, but I didn't take it very 194 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:24,480 seriously. Once I started youth group, I 195 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:25,920 felt more connected to the sermons. 196 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:28,920 But camp is where I really started to notice a change. 197 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:31,360 I started feeling more motivated to spread the gospel and invite 198 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:33,440 people to church. Though it is a constant battle, 199 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:35,520 I know God is always working through me and for me, and 200 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:37,920 you've had a large impact on my walk with God. 201 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:39,800 Hashtag real life youth is great. 202 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:48,360 Man, that's awesome. I love that God is working 203 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:53,160 through me and for me. Man, Lily has been such a joy to 204 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,600 have in youth. She's always active, whether or 205 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,920 not this is productivity or not. She is always active at real 206 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:02,200 life youth and she has been such a blessing. 207 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:03,640 So man, give it up one more time for Lily. 208 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:07,120 And as you give it up, welcome Grace to give her testimony. 209 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:16,160 Hello, so I'm grateful enough to have been raised in church my 210 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:19,280 whole life as well. I was fully, I fully gave my 211 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:23,440 life to Christ when I was around 8 at church camp a few years ago 212 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:26,440 when I moved here, I was looking for a church that I could feel 213 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,080 welcome and have that like come as you are feeling. 214 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:33,400 And as soon as I came to real life, I, I felt immediate 215 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:36,560 connection with the girls and the leaders. 216 00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:41,960 I felt like I could have people sharpen me and impact my walk in 217 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,320 a positive way. And I could definitely say that 218 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:47,760 if it wasn't for them, then I wouldn't be where I am in my 219 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:59,400 walk right now. OK man, this is so awesome. 220 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:01,200 Grace has been awesome in the youth group. 221 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,840 She is one of our most steady and consistent people. 222 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,040 She's very consistent coming out to youth group. 223 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:08,560 She's always willing to engage in the messages and she always 224 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:11,440 brings her a game during live groups. 225 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:15,040 Before I invite Aubrey up here to pray and lead us out of the 226 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:18,120 celebration, I have a little bit of a charge for our graduates. 227 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:21,520 It's going to be on the screen. But First Timothy, First Timothy 228 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:27,480 612 says to fight the good fight of the faith, take hold of the 229 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:30,880 eternal life to which you were called, which you made your good 230 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:33,760 confession in the presence of many witnesses. 231 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,880 There are three big things that stand out to me that Paul writes 232 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:39,920 for us to fight the good fight of our faith. 233 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,400 To me, this means that we were to anticipate resistance. 234 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:46,600 Like I said, it's no small feat getting through high school, 235 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,520 being faithful to God. But the the resistance does not 236 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:51,960 stop there. It might be even more ramped up 237 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:55,160 as these girls get ready to enter the adult world to go off 238 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:57,520 to college. Man, you're going to have people 239 00:12:57,520 --> 00:12:59,640 in, it sounds like you're all going for higher education. 240 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:02,280 There is going to be people that are going to ridicule your 241 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:04,640 beliefs, whether it's classmates, whether it's 242 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:06,920 professors, whether it's just random people you meet in your 243 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:08,280 daily lives. There are going to be people 244 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:12,080 that just make fun of you for what we hold to as our faith. 245 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:16,480 There's going to be peers that test your restraint and as you 246 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:20,400 step out and as you get ready to be a little bit more on your 247 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,920 own, it's going to be less of a support group that is going to 248 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:24,640 hold you accountable. You're going to hold yourselves 249 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,000 accountable as you're going to have peers that are going to 250 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,360 test what you really believe and test what your convictions are 251 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:32,240 to live out a Christ like life. And man. 252 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:34,160 This is one of the most unfortunate things about getting 253 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:36,680 older is you realize that your quote UN quote friends are going 254 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:38,480 to be the first people that are going to drag you down. 255 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:41,000 They're going to be the first people that are going to make it 256 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,200 harder for you to follow your faith. 257 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:46,960 But as Paul writes for us to fight the good fight, he gives 258 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:48,600 us some advice on how to do that. 259 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,720 He says to keep our eyes on the prize and to take hold of 260 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:54,880 eternal life. We started this year going 261 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:57,560 through a message series called Heaven, and learning about 262 00:13:57,560 --> 00:14:01,400 heaven is all the motivation we need to fight that good fight 263 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:03,480 and to encounter that resistance. 264 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,880 It is so much easier to fight for your convictions, to fight 265 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,320 for your Christ likeness, to stand against peers that drag 266 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:11,960 you down when you know the reward that is waiting for you 267 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:14,880 in heaven. It's easier to fight with that 268 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:17,560 prize in mind. And what I don't want you to 269 00:14:17,560 --> 00:14:20,400 forget is Paul writes that you made your confession in the 270 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,360 presence of many, that when you started your faith, you started 271 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:27,280 with the support of your church, you started with all these 272 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:29,560 people rallying around you when you decided to start a 273 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:31,840 relationship with God. And as you've grown in your 274 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:33,640 faith, you've still had that support. 275 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,720 You've come to youth group, you've been here at church every 276 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:38,920 Sunday morning, you've been going to life groups, you've 277 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:40,680 been doing all the various ministries that we have, and 278 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:42,040 you've had the support for your faith. 279 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:46,080 But as you go out and as you guys scatter about the world, I 280 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:48,000 want to give you the encouragement that that support 281 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:50,640 is never going to leave. If missions take you somewhere, 282 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:52,520 you always have a home in real life youth. 283 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:54,720 If you find yourself in Springfield, you will always 284 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,160 have a home in real life youth. Maybe you're just up the road at 285 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:00,600 UMKC or at MCC. Wherever you are, you will 286 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:04,200 always have the support of this church to rally behind you and 287 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:06,680 give you everything you need to support you in your Christ like 288 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:08,360 this and in your sanctification. Amen. 289 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:12,800 Church. Yeah, so man, that's my push for 290 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:14,320 you. Fight for your fight. 291 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:17,160 Anticipate resistance. Fight for your faith. 292 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:20,840 Anticipate resistance and let the church support you. 293 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:24,400 Man, this has been a blast. I appreciate you guys for being 294 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:26,640 so energetic and celebrating them. 295 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:30,280 And I'm going to invite Aubrey to pray us out of this 296 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:33,400 celebration. Slip gang. 297 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,000 OK, let's pray. All right, Dear Only Father, 298 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,280 thank you so much for this amazing group of people. 299 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:41,480 And thank you for everybody here just being so encouraging and 300 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:45,280 working on us into the future. I pray that hopefully, wherever 301 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:47,960 you take us, that we will still pursue our faith in you. 302 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,200 And I thank you so much for all the amazing opportunities you've 303 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:52,760 given us at this church. Amen. 304 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:58,160 To guys, books are tickle. Yeah, give it up one last time 305 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:05,600 real loud for our graduates. This has been a blast. 306 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:08,480 I've enjoyed celebrating you guys so much and that is the 307 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:11,520 heart of today. It is celebration. 308 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:17,000 It is happiness, it is exuberant joy because we've seen God's 309 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,320 working hand in each and every single one of their lives. 310 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:22,840 So let's celebrate that today. We're going to continue the 311 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:26,520 celebration and I'm going to tell you guys about real life 312 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:29,200 youth, man. I told you Aubrey, Lilly and 313 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:32,160 Grace are the forerunners of our group up here, man. 314 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:34,440 They have been leaders in the youth group. 315 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:36,840 They are always willing whenever I'm preaching. 316 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:39,040 This is such a fight. If you know students, whenever 317 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,600 I'm preaching, they are always willing to engage with the 318 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:43,640 message. If I ask somebody to read a 319 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:45,760 verse, they will always be willing to read it. 320 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,440 If I ask a question, they'll always shout out their thoughts. 321 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:52,040 If people are getting too loud, they'll either correct them or 322 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:56,080 they'll correct themselves. If it's them, I never usually 323 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:59,520 have to correct them. They are very much young women 324 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:03,240 that have been intimately shaped by God and they are the best at 325 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,720 the moment. I would say real life youth has 326 00:17:05,839 --> 00:17:07,200 to offer. They are the cream of the crop 327 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,119 and they are setting such an example for our young students 328 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:12,920 to follow in their path. They're the best we have to 329 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:15,960 author offer. So what I want to do as we get 330 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:19,079 ready to get into the message of this morning and as we wrap up 331 00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:22,599 the morning, I want to do a few things in regards to real life 332 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:25,440 youth. I want to cast light and I want 333 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,640 to cast vision on to what real life youth is and what we are 334 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:30,600 doing. I want to tell you about what we 335 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:34,440 value and in the morning I want to tell you about where we are 336 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:37,040 going. The heartbeat of real life youth 337 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,680 is the heartbeat of this church. What's our church's mission? 338 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:42,560 Guys, tell help me out. Tell me to see people far from 339 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:46,280 God discover real life and purpose in Jesus. 340 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,240 I mean, I don't know if you guys know that, but that is the Great 341 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:50,840 Commission put into our own language. 342 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,400 The Great Commission is found in Matthew 2819 through 20. 343 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:56,000 And this is the heartbeat of what we value at real life 344 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:57,960 youth. Therefore what? 345 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,880 Go, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the 346 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:06,040 name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and 347 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:09,120 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely 348 00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:12,040 I am with you always to the very end of the age. 349 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,240 The Great Commission has two very important pieces is to go 350 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:20,080 out and evangelize the lost, to tell people about the hope that 351 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:24,000 we've been given, but then also to bring them in and help equip 352 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,000 them in the faith. We're to find the lost and to 353 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,520 equip the Saints. So for us, this comes down to 4 354 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,840 pillars of language for what we value as a youth group. 355 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:38,640 The first of these 4 pillars is that we are welcoming. 356 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:42,000 We do our very best and I think we do a very good job of not 357 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,160 being judge mental for those that come out to the youth 358 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:47,880 group, man, we view our ministry as a hospital and you don't have 359 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:51,560 to be healthy to come get the treatment of the gospel, to come 360 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:54,160 get the medicine of Christ. We don't judge. 361 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,200 We don't care if you're perfect. The leaders of real life youth, 362 00:18:57,320 --> 00:18:59,840 of real life youth group, we are not perfect. 363 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:02,680 The fellow students of the group, they are not perfect. 364 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:04,840 You don't have to be perfect to show up to our ministry. 365 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:08,160 We don't care how you dress. When Brett's son used to come to 366 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:10,520 the youth group, he came in a full suit very often. 367 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,400 But we also have people that show up in jeans and flip flops. 368 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,280 We have a whole spectrum of people and they show up in 369 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,120 different ways and we meet them where they're at. 370 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,400 We don't care if you have a past, there is no there is not a 371 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:25,240 plane, there is no baggage limit on what you can bring to real 372 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:27,360 life youth. Come with what you got. 373 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:30,320 We'll show you what we have and we'll all find help together 374 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:31,800 underneath the umbrella of Christ. 375 00:19:32,120 --> 00:19:35,160 We don't need you to show up anything other than as you are. 376 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:38,480 We just want to meet your students where they are and as 377 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:41,440 they are now. We get this heart from Romans 378 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,600 15-7. Romans 15 says and says accept 379 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,920 one another. Then just as who accepted us? 380 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,080 Christ, man. As you read the New Testament, 381 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,680 as you read the writings of Paul and somebody else that I'm 382 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:56,520 blinking on their name right now, there are so many things 383 00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:01,040 that we were called to do that is an emulation of Christ. 384 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:04,840 James man. Paul writes for us to be 385 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,480 generous because Christ was generous to us. 386 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:11,080 He writes for us to be humble because Christ was humble to us. 387 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:15,000 And he also writes for us to be welcoming, because Christ was 388 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:18,120 welcoming to us. I think back to the story of the 389 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:19,840 woman at the well. Do you guys know that story 390 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:22,800 where Jesus found the woman at the well and he confronted her 391 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:25,920 about this adulterous circumstance that she was living 392 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:27,840 in? But did he condemn her? 393 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:32,760 No, He met her where she was at and he gave her the medicine of 394 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:34,640 the gospel. And what did she do with that? 395 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,240 She went out and she told every person that she knew. 396 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:40,440 That is our heartbeat for the youth group. 397 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:44,360 Man. We want to accept students as 398 00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:47,640 they are because that's what Christ did for us, so that when 399 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,280 they come to the youth group and when they come to be equipped 400 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:52,880 and they learn about the gospel and they foster a relationship 401 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:56,320 with Jesus, they can take that out and tell their friends at 402 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:58,040 school. Man, I don't know if you guys 403 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:00,600 have noticed, but the church is growing and the youth group has 404 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:03,880 been feeling that we have had so many new students come and join 405 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:06,720 us over the last few weeks, the last couple months really. 406 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:12,560 And it is our heart to see them given a safe, a fun, and a 407 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:17,360 reverent home to learn about, foster a relationship with, and 408 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:21,720 find rest in Jesus so that they can take that and they can take 409 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,080 it out to their world. So we want to be welcoming. 410 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,200 And our second thing that we want to do is we strive to be 411 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:30,760 life giving. But how many of you guys know 412 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:33,400 that being a Christian is hard? Many guys know that being a 413 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,200 Christian is hard. And we talked about this. 414 00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:39,040 It is a lot harder, arguably, when you're a teenager, when 415 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:41,600 you're a student. Man, being a teenage Christian 416 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:45,160 can sometimes feel overwhelming. Between social media, it does 417 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:48,240 not take very many scrolls down TikTok and Instagram and YouTube 418 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,440 to know that this world is not a world interested in becoming 419 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,440 more like Christ that deforms our teenagers. 420 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:57,400 Or what about school? What about teachers? 421 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:00,480 What about fellow students that have ridicule beliefs? 422 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:03,160 Or what about friends? What about friends that are 423 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,680 unequally yoked with our with our students? 424 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:08,120 Not that that's a bad thing, like we want those friends to 425 00:22:08,120 --> 00:22:10,440 come to the ministry, but those are the kind of friends that if 426 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:13,240 we're not careful, can deform our faith if we give them too 427 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:16,280 much influence over us. Or maybe for some of our 428 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:17,800 students, that's our own family members. 429 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,920 Man, there's so many influences that can deform our teenagers. 430 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:25,360 So we want to be life giving. We love to see our students 431 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:30,240 given a stress free environment to learn about, to engage with, 432 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:33,440 and to fall deeply in love with God. 433 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:35,800 One way we do this is through discipleship. 434 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,120 We have a book that we go through in our discipleship 435 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:41,040 making relationships. It is by Andy Stanley. 436 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:42,280 It's called the Seven Checkpoints. 437 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:44,640 It's really cool. It walks through seven key 438 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:48,440 things for our students to be given a faith that can stand 439 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:50,720 through the test of these afflictions. 440 00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:55,000 Checkpoint #1 we we talk about having an authentic faith and 441 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,040 then we talk about establishing spiritual disciplines, giving 442 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,360 moral boundaries in our relationships, making meaningful 443 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:04,240 friendships, making wise choices, submitting to the 444 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:07,600 ultimate authority of God over our given authorities on earth, 445 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,680 and putting others first. So we meet with our students 446 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:12,280 that want to go through this relationship. 447 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,960 We meet weekly over each checkpoint there are 7 days and 448 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:17,960 there are 7 scriptures attached to it. 449 00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:21,240 So we get into the word, we feed into your students when they go 450 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:24,320 through this because like I said, we want to be life giving. 451 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:26,040 We have a couple people that have already finished. 452 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:29,760 Julian and Aubrey who graduated have already finished a disciple 453 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:32,640 making relationship and they enjoyed it, right guys? 454 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:36,320 Did you enjoy it? Yes, man, they got Bibles for 455 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:38,400 going through it. I know Julian specifically. 456 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:42,000 He, I took Julian through it. He was a rock star with going 457 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:43,800 through this. And right now we have still some 458 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:45,040 other people that are going through it. 459 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:48,280 Kate and Ashton in Brooklyn are all being LED through it by 460 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:51,840 Mandy Spratt, superhero Mandy, who has such a heart for her 461 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:55,320 girls and for discipleship. Luciana and Julie, man, Julie 462 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:56,960 has had so many things on her plate. 463 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,000 She finds herself being taken out of Missouri so often, but 464 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,160 when she is here, she feeds into Luciana to the best of her 465 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:06,280 ability. And then right now, me and 466 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:08,840 Saban, Lily's little brother, we're going through a 467 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:12,000 relationship right now. So we started to be life giving 468 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:14,520 and we love to see our group students grow because of our 469 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:18,560 third thing, which is that we value relationships. 470 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:23,240 We want our students to be poured into by our leaders, man, 471 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:25,120 Our leaders kind of brag on our leaders for a minute. 472 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,320 Our leaders have a radical heart for your students. 473 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:32,320 Our leaders have a radical passion for going above and 474 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:36,640 beyond to care for, to pour into, and to challenge your 475 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:37,800 students. We have some awesome 476 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,280 relationships forming right now at Real Life Youth as we speak. 477 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:44,280 Brett, who is up here giving our girls handshakes and handing him 478 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:47,520 out books. He and Brady have an awesome 479 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:50,320 relationship. Man, Brady looks up to Brett so 480 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:51,800 much. Brady is like me. 481 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:55,760 He loves sports and particularly basketball is Brady's thing. 482 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:59,200 And as much as it pains me to say it, I'm a Mizzou fan through 483 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:01,920 and through. But Kansas does have the Mecca 484 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,360 of basketball. So Brady was brought out by 485 00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:08,640 Brett to go to a women's basketball game all the way out 486 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:10,360 in Lawrence. They took a day trip together. 487 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:13,120 Man, Brett has brought Brady, Brady out to basketball games. 488 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:16,040 He took them golfing and he takes them out to dinner every 489 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:18,800 once in a while. Brett is doing such an amazing 490 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:21,200 job fostering that relationship with Brady. 491 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:25,360 Man, how many times what I heard Brett say something? 492 00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:28,840 How many times do you hear Tori's name up here? 493 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:31,560 Man, Tori has been super intentional with these 494 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:34,160 graduating girls. They are super close knit. 495 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:38,320 They have a text group together. She has, she LED Aubrey through 496 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:41,560 the disciple making process. They always have a ton of fun in 497 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:43,800 life groups, as you guys have heard, probably too much fun 498 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:45,600 sometimes, but they always bring it back. 499 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:47,360 They always bring it back to the Bible. 500 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:49,320 Man. You heard about her already, but 501 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,120 Mandy? Mandy has a heart for our girls. 502 00:25:52,360 --> 00:25:57,600 Mandy feeds into and has a radical heart for discipling our 503 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,600 younger girl. She has awesome dynamic man. 504 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:04,920 Her birthday was last Wednesday. Do you know how awesome of a 505 00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:07,640 relationship you have to have to have a 16 year old girl buy you 506 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:09,360 a birthday present and bring it to youth? 507 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:12,480 That says everything about Mandy. 508 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,280 One of her girls got her a Starbucks cup and a Starbucks 509 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:17,560 gift card for her birthday last Wednesday. 510 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:19,760 And that says everything about that relationship that they have 511 00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:21,840 fostered. And I've been having a ton of 512 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:23,640 fun getting connected with Saban. 513 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:26,880 Saban in his own words. I'll, I'll, I'll change up the 514 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:29,440 phrasing a little bit, but Saban wants to intellectually 515 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:32,000 reconcile his faith. We've talked about it with the 516 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:34,120 Bible, but it extends to Christianity. 517 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:38,600 We have faith, but we don't have a blind faith and Satan does not 518 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:40,840 want a blind faith. And that is the kind of faith 519 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:43,320 that is going to last. I'm so grateful for that. 520 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:48,560 So finally, everything that we do is for God's glory. 521 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:53,040 All the students, the graduates that have come up here, that is 522 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:54,760 not to credit of real life youth. 523 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:58,360 That's not the credit of Logan or Tori or Mandy or any other 524 00:26:58,360 --> 00:27:00,880 leader. That all goes back to God that 525 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:04,280 empowered their relationship. Romans 15-7 says that we are 526 00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:09,400 welcoming in order to bring praise to God. 527 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:13,280 Man, everything that we do, our ultimate and our ultimate goal 528 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:17,160 is for the glory of God. Man, we love our ministry and we 529 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,360 serve it to the best of our ability, but we cannot win glory 530 00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:22,840 for ourselves. We get win glory for the 531 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:27,320 Heavenly Father that has enabled us and enabled our students to 532 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:30,240 know and to love Him and a real life youth. 533 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:34,120 We live this out. We love your students and we 534 00:27:34,120 --> 00:27:37,520 work for the glory of God because we have seen the glory 535 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:39,320 of God. I'm going to tell you guys about 536 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:41,680 a girl that has been coming out to real life youth for a few 537 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:44,720 years now, I think. But Brooklyn, and she's up here, 538 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:49,720 Brooklyn has been, I don't think you're supposed to rank wins 539 00:27:50,120 --> 00:27:52,080 that you've seen in a ministry, but I think Brooklyn has 540 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:54,880 probably been my favorite win that we've seen in real life 541 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:57,640 youth, man. Brooklyn has been in these few 542 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,000 years that she's come out, she has been very steady. 543 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:02,880 She comes in week after week. She is very level headed. 544 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:05,880 She never causes any problems. She's been faithful to the group 545 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:07,760 in her time. There's been times that she's 546 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,440 shadowed the worship team. There's been times that like 547 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:14,600 right now, she's meeting with Mandy, like the girls over here. 548 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:17,840 She's always engaged with messages through and through, 549 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:21,560 off top and down, left to right. She is a rock star in real life 550 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:24,720 youth. In January to start January, we 551 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,080 celebrated the new year. We went out to main events. 552 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:28,400 We had a ton of fun. We had a blast. 553 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:31,440 We came back, we had ice cream or cupcakes or something to that 554 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:33,640 effect. And we also had a message before 555 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:37,040 we got ready for the ball drop. It was a quick message. 556 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:38,720 I was anticipating some new students. 557 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:40,960 So I had a really strong evangelistic push. 558 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:43,480 And as I went through this message and as I went through 559 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:46,960 this invitation, what Brooklyn told us after the fact is that 560 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:50,400 as she was listening to the gospel again, she realized she 561 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:52,400 could not say for certain whether or not she had a 562 00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:55,360 relationship with Jesus. So as we were going through the 563 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:57,440 message, as we were going through the invitation, 564 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:01,040 Brooklyn, the rock star that had been through real life youth for 565 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:03,960 a couple years at that point, faithful week in and week out 566 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:08,080 fully and finally gave her life to Christ and made a decision to 567 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:11,320 follow Jesus. And that invitation, Yeah, you 568 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:16,640 can give it up for that. Then on that night, during that 569 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:20,200 invitation to start the year, Brooklyn started a relationship 570 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:23,600 with God. And I can speak for myself, but 571 00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:26,160 I also imagine I'm speaking for every leader that is in here at 572 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:28,720 Real Life Youth and in the kids department and any other 573 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:31,760 ministry we have. That is all the fuel we will 574 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:34,600 ever need to keep going and keep serving in the ministry. 575 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,080 But that's not for us, that's for God. 576 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:41,280 It's thank you God for Brooklyn. It's thank you God for these 577 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:43,640 graduating girls. It's thank you God for Julian. 578 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:45,240 Thank you God for these serving leaders. 579 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:49,320 It's all to God's glory. That is why real life youth 580 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:52,000 exists. So we talked about where we are. 581 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,320 We talked about what we value. But I want to tell you guys 582 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:58,640 about where we're going. We are extremely proud of how 583 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:02,680 God has used real life youth, but let me tell you about what I 584 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:06,400 see God doing in even bigger work through our ministry. 585 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:11,160 I see a youth group that has top to bottom all the students 586 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:13,160 bringing the gospel into their schools. 587 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:15,240 Julian is a shining example of this. 588 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:17,920 I give him connection cards and bring invitations. 589 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:20,120 We call them. He goes through stacks upon 590 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:23,280 stacks week in and week out. He's passing them out at his 591 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:24,920 work. He's passing them out at school. 592 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,520 He's telling everybody he can about the good news that has 593 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:30,040 been given to him. I see every single one of our 594 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:32,040 students being like Julian in that way. 595 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:36,520 I see, I see a youth group that has tools and even more 596 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:40,240 opportunities with at their fingertips to grow and knowing 597 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:43,320 God deeper man. Maybe this looks like a Bible 598 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:44,920 study that we start outside of the group. 599 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:47,280 Maybe this looks like classes that we host. 600 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:49,480 Maybe it looks like just outside of the group entirely and it's 601 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,640 the students forming their own cohorts and going through Bible 602 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:56,200 studies together. I see a youth group that is 603 00:30:56,400 --> 00:31:00,960 radically Invitational, evangelistic, and lives out 604 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,320 every single day. The mission of real life youth 605 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:07,360 in order for students that are far from God to discover their 606 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:11,120 real life purpose in Jesus living out Matthew 28 every 607 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:15,680 single day. Man, I am so glad that we have 608 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:19,760 the ministry that we have. I am so proud of all the girls 609 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,960 that are graduating and I thank you guys so much for giving me 610 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:24,920 the opportunity to talk about our ministry. 611 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:28,000 If you guys all would go ahead, bow your heads and close your 612 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:32,120 eyes. Man, this has been such a day. 613 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:35,280 I cannot help but imagine there are some people in here that 614 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:37,360 have just been inspired by the morning. 615 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:40,680 Maybe you've seen all the work that God is doing through the 616 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,920 ministries of real Life youth. Maybe you're being inspired to 617 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:47,680 get plugged in with how the church is moving and this could 618 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:49,640 look like a different thing. This could look like a few 619 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:51,240 different ways for all of you guys. 620 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:54,680 Maybe this looks like serving. Maybe you're feeling called to 621 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:56,400 serve in a ministry like the youth group. 622 00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:59,480 Or maybe you're feeling called to serve in the kids team or in 623 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,560 the hospitality team set up, tear down whatever it is. 624 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:06,360 Maybe you're just feeling called to serve on real life at real 625 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,800 life church may get connected to a leader after this if this is 626 00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:13,240 you or maybe it's generosity that needs to be changed after 627 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,360 hearing this. How many you guys know that this 628 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:19,200 story that you heard this morning, all these stories that 629 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,480 you heard would not have happened without the faithful 630 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:25,600 giving of all of you guys? Man, maybe it's prayer that you 631 00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:27,800 need to give. Maybe you just need to pray for 632 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:29,960 our students. Maybe you need to pray for us 633 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:34,640 leaders so that we disciple the students biblically and well and 634 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:38,880 with passion and with reverence. Or, man, maybe you're up here 635 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:42,280 and don't miss this. One of the biggest takeaways you 636 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:46,280 should have tonight or this morning is that the parents of 637 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:49,000 these graduates are worthy of emulation. 638 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:52,520 Maybe you see what Josh and Kerry have done, or what Janelle 639 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:55,480 has done, or what Scott and Katrina have done and you feel a 640 00:32:55,480 --> 00:33:00,000 call to disciple your kids. Even better, maybe it's getting 641 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,320 the Bible, reading the Bible with your kids regularly. 642 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:04,840 Maybe it's making sure your kids come to church regularly, 643 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,160 getting them plugged into youth group, getting them plugged in 644 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:09,440 to the kids ministry. That whatever it is, maybe 645 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:12,080 you're feeling a push to get more plugged into the church. 646 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:14,880 So if any of these things spoke to you after this morning, would 647 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:16,640 you raise your hand if you're feeling spoke? 648 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:20,040 Maybe I need to be serving, or maybe I need to be discipleling 649 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:23,920 my kids better, or maybe I just need to be praying for the youth 650 00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:24,800 group. And if that's you, would you 651 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:26,560 raise your hand? I see your hand. 652 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:28,440 I see your hand, and that's you. Pray this prayer after me. 653 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:32,000 Hey, God, you're good. I pray for boldness in plugging 654 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,320 into my church. My church is moving and taking 655 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:37,000 ground for Christ, and I want to be a part of that. 656 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:40,000 I pray. I pray for wisdom and serving. 657 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:41,920 I pray for wisdom and leading my kids. 658 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:46,800 I pray that I will be faithful in praying on behalf of all the 659 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:48,560 students. And keep your head bowed. 660 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:51,240 Keep your eyes closed because maybe there's a second group in 661 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:54,640 here today, and maybe you're in here today and you don't know 662 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:56,640 Jesus. Maybe you're relating to one of 663 00:33:56,640 --> 00:33:59,480 our stories in that way, and you're just hearing the stories 664 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:03,160 of how the ministry of real life has been working and how God is 665 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:06,080 working and there's just a story that has touched you. 666 00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:09,120 Maybe, maybe one of these stories are making you want to 667 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:12,040 start a relationship with God. But if that's you, can I tell 668 00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:16,239 you that God created this world good and unstained, but our sins 669 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:19,000 and rebellion against God separate us from perfect 670 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:21,480 communion with Him. And these sins, they can't be 671 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:24,400 paid by good deeds. They can't be paid by anything 672 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:28,840 that we do, but they have been paid by Jesus on the cross and 673 00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:31,920 to secure eternal life with God, to secure what we have been 674 00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:35,120 created for, The only thing that you need to do is confess with 675 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:38,360 your mouth and believe in your heart that Christ is Lord and 676 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:41,000 you will be given the eternal life that starts now and lasts 677 00:34:41,159 --> 00:34:42,880 forever. So if you're in here and just 678 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:44,920 something is stirring in you after listening to these 679 00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:46,639 stories, would you raise your hand? 680 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,639 If you're in here and you want to start a relationship with 681 00:34:49,639 --> 00:34:53,679 God, would you raise your hand? Man, if that's you, you're in 682 00:34:53,679 --> 00:34:55,360 here. Just pray this prayer after me. 683 00:34:55,520 --> 00:35:00,720 Thank God you are so good. I'm a Sinner in need of a Savior 684 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:04,680 and I accept and I recognize that Jesus died on the cross for 685 00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:08,080 my sin. I thank you for your Son and I 686 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:10,960 will live out every single one of my days in complete 687 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:13,880 dedication to you. Hey man, give it up for anybody 688 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:20,320 that made that decision. Thank you guys so much for 689 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:22,200 coming out to supporting our graduate. 690 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:25,360 I appreciate your guys's energy in celebrating them and I 691 00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:28,800 appreciate you guys letting me tell you about real life youth. 692 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:39,280 Thank you guys so much. Logan is a ball of fire. 693 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:42,320 Amen man, we're blessed by Logan. 694 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:48,920 You met for Logan, you know, it's so interesting when you 695 00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:51,240 when you leave these, you know, you have honor or glory, 696 00:35:51,240 --> 00:35:54,840 everybody and Logan, you know, nobody says, hey, you're great 697 00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:58,440 and he's fantastic. Just a passionate man for God. 698 00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:00,760 And it's been amazing to watch the transformation, the youth 699 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,920 group, and it's hard for people and I'll encourage you guys. 700 00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:07,040 The goal really is to reach the youngest duration possible when 701 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:10,160 it comes to following Jesus. And I was thinking about why is 702 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:13,000 that so significant? It's because we have an enemy 703 00:36:13,240 --> 00:36:15,680 that his goal is to reach the youngest generation possible. 704 00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:19,360 And so much of A youth and teens and young people, there are so 705 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:22,360 many distractions and there's so many things in the way and 706 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:27,160 there's so many counterfeits and there's so much delusion and 707 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:29,480 deception. It is so important to have a 708 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:34,120 life giving like kids program, but also youth Group A Ben and 709 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:37,040 not about you, but I'm a product of a youth ministry. 710 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,400 I I came to Christ because there was passionate men and women 711 00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:43,720 that love Jesus that would give up all the things that could be 712 00:36:43,720 --> 00:36:47,800 doing in their 20s and 30s and 40s to show up to invest in 713 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:50,520 young people, Amen. And we have an amazing team and 714 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:53,000 amazing people love Jesus. And I just want to encourage 715 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:53,760 you. The youth group has been 716 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:56,240 growing. There's been amazing things 717 00:36:56,240 --> 00:36:57,800 happening, people coming to Christ. 718 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,040 They've been packing out all the seats in the building, 719 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,000 apparently buy more chairs, Amen. 720 00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:04,120 It's a thing. It's a great problem to have. 721 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,400 But with that, we need life giving people to serve our young 722 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:09,680 people, Amen. And there there's somebody took 723 00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:11,800 a chance on me and I, I started thinking, where would these 724 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:15,960 young people be if it wasn't for a life giving youth group or men 725 00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:17,240 and women that will not pour into them. 726 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:19,960 And I don't know about my wife's going to share her story a 727 00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:25,040 little bit, but we, we both came to Christ because a friend in 728 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:27,680 high school invited us to a youth group that changed our 729 00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:30,160 life. And it's a mission field and a 730 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:32,320 right mission field, but it's, it's dangerous to that age, 731 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:34,320 right? Because there's so many hooks 732 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:35,960 and so many lures that Satan puts out. 733 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:39,480 And it's so important to shine a light as bright as possible in 734 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:41,760 the next generation because ultimately a lot of people give 735 00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:44,360 up their 20s to follow Satan. I was going to encourage you 736 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:45,560 guys. We have an amazing group out 737 00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:46,720 there that serves every Wednesday. 738 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,160 I'm very blessed by them. I trust them. 739 00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:52,120 They love our teens, they love Jesus. 740 00:37:52,280 --> 00:37:53,960 They're doing a fantastic job. Amen. 741 00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:57,480 I mean, you keep pushing into the light and I think about our 742 00:37:57,480 --> 00:37:58,560 church. It's important that we're 743 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:02,360 passionate about a harvest. They'll take bold steps to see 744 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:04,040 the next generation to reach for Christ. 745 00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:07,360 And I was thinking about our held some 8 project we're 746 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:09,400 stepping into and I started dreaming. 747 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:11,480 I was out of the parking lot last night and I was like, you 748 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:13,960 know, maybe do this here and do this here and blah, blah, blah. 749 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:16,800 But start thinking maybe so amazing to pack this place out 750 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:18,440 for young people for Jesus, Amen. 751 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:21,320 Would be pretty crazy. Instead of going to a movie and 752 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:23,680 just, you know, being entertained, showing up and 753 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:26,280 hearing the gospel, let the light of Christ change your life 754 00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:29,320 to about Brooklyn coming to Christ and you don't know where 755 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:31,800 God's going to go with that. Like my journey would not be 756 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:33,640 here if it wasn't for other people. 757 00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:34,800 I've stood on their shoulders, Amen. 758 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:37,000 And that's what we get to play a part of the story. 759 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,200 So I would encourage you guys when you give here and when you 760 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:41,880 serve here, this is all fruit to your account, Amen. 761 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:45,440 It takes a whole team. It takes a lot of energy, a lot 762 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:47,360 of effort. It takes revenue. 763 00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:50,080 We're still praying for a way to camp, Amen. 764 00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:54,280 We don't have a bus right now. Like it just takes a lot to 765 00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:55,160 reach. The young people I know 766 00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:57,080 mentioned camp. Some of you are like, man, this 767 00:38:57,080 --> 00:38:59,280 is the place that God changed my life was at camp. 768 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:01,000 Some of you guys talked about the next generation. 769 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:02,880 You felt welcomed. I thought that was pretty cool. 770 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:04,680 Logan talked about being welcoming and you mentioned 771 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:08,240 being welcomed ever being out there talking to you about how 772 00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:10,240 you felt. So just, it's so important 773 00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:13,000 people show up to church that they know they're loved, Amen. 774 00:39:13,720 --> 00:39:16,120 Of any place in the world that you could walk into, whatever 775 00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:18,400 situation you come out of, most people think the building's 776 00:39:18,400 --> 00:39:20,520 gonna catch on fire and burn down, Amen. 777 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:23,680 I was every every week, somebody tells me it hasn't crashed yet, 778 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:25,520 it hasn't come on fire. It's like it's not going to 779 00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:27,720 catch on fire, Amen. You might catch on fire for 780 00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:30,280 Jesus, but the building's gonna burn down because God's been 781 00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:32,480 calling you here. So man, it's exciting. 782 00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:34,240 I would encourage you guys, be faithful in your generosity, 783 00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:36,680 faithful in your giving. It's a fun season. 784 00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:39,320 I'm not going to say it's without a stress, Amen. 785 00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:42,960 But man out last night I kept waking up over and over and over 786 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:46,640 again so excited what God is going to do in this next season 787 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:48,480 of our church. I mean every every like every 788 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:50,600 hour kept waking up start think about that building going man, 789 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:52,880 what could God do in this space and how we're going to do this 790 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:54,520 and just so exciting. Amen. 791 00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:56,480 So encourage you guys to play part of the story. 792 00:39:56,480 --> 00:39:59,640 You guys know how we give here. You can give the buckets will 793 00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:00,680 come up. So you guys can come up right 794 00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:03,240 now and we'll pass buckets, but we give it online. 795 00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:04,880 And more than that, just be praying. 796 00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:07,520 How, how Lord, how can you use me to make a difference here? 797 00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:10,600 It's God multiplies the money, but it's really after your 798 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:12,240 heart. And there's so much work to be 799 00:40:12,240 --> 00:40:14,440 done for the Kingdom. There's so many lost souls and 800 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:18,120 there's other teams that we need to find and reach for Jesus. 801 00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:19,920 And so Lord, we thank you so much for what you're doing. 802 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:22,280 Thanks for Logan, thanks for the team, thanks for your heart to 803 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:26,280 die for us, God to love us. Pray that we can just express 804 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:28,880 that we can serve others. God is behind the scenes of so 805 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:31,920 many faithful ways. God, we just make your name and 806 00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:34,680 your noun and your glory go out to lost and dying world and 807 00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:37,080 praise in Jesus name. The church said Amen. 808 00:40:37,080 --> 00:40:39,280 I'm gonna buy my wife dying up to the stage coming up here. 809 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:44,960 Babe, leave us out here today. All right, last thing, this is 810 00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:50,400 your reminder 7 days in advance that next Sunday is Mother's 811 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:53,000 Day. And like we love to do it real 812 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:54,120 life. We're going to pull out all the 813 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:57,560 stops, bouquet bars, so many things to make our ladies feel 814 00:40:57,560 --> 00:41:01,040 super special next week. So you're not going to want to 815 00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:02,440 miss it. I know we've said before, but 816 00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:07,080 this is one of those Sundays where maybe God's put someone on 817 00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:10,240 your heart that's far from him but close to you. 818 00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:13,080 And this might be an opportunity to say, you know what? 819 00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:16,200 That neighbor I've been praying for, that Co worker who's been 820 00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:19,320 telling me about the tough time they're going through, this is 821 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:21,720 the moment to invite them out. And Sean, sure, just a little 822 00:41:21,720 --> 00:41:23,280 bit. But my story is that way. 823 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:26,320 One time when I was a high schooler, someone took a chance 824 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:30,200 on me and invited me out to church, and I got to hear about 825 00:41:30,200 --> 00:41:32,320 the love and the goodness of God. 826 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:35,880 And God is so good in the way that he works that we think that 827 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:38,480 this big, beautiful production is what draws people in. 828 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:42,520 But it's the faithfulness of a person reaching another person. 829 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:46,600 And he multiplies that in such a beautiful way to see his Kingdom 830 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:50,000 spread all across the world. And so it's easy to think, man, 831 00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:51,760 they're up on stage, they have a microphone. 832 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:55,080 But he's called every single one of us to be that person to the 833 00:41:55,080 --> 00:41:57,960 people that are in our circle, people in your circle that 834 00:41:57,960 --> 00:41:59,600 Pastor Sean is never going to see. 835 00:41:59,640 --> 00:42:01,680 He's never going to meet, he's never going to reach. 836 00:42:01,680 --> 00:42:04,120 But God has called you to invite them. 837 00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:06,880 And so next Sunday is going to be super special. 838 00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:09,600 I do hope that you'll come out and I hope you'll bring somebody 839 00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:11,720 to sit with you. It's going to be at 9:00 and 840 00:42:11,720 --> 00:42:13,760 10:45, just like our normal times. 841 00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:15,560 And so we can't wait to see you then. 842 00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:18,720 And if you need prayer for anything today, we're going to 843 00:42:18,720 --> 00:42:21,800 have somebody up here who can pray for you and pray with you 844 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:23,680 and connect you with a pastor if needed. 845 00:42:24,040 --> 00:42:27,440 And right before you go, it's very important that you know, if 846 00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:31,880 you haven't had breakfast yet, please go and grab a graduation 847 00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:33,440 cupcake. We've got them out there to 848 00:42:33,440 --> 00:42:35,840 celebrate our graduates, but really to celebrate with all of 849 00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:37,520 you. So grab a cupcake. 850 00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:41,280 And as you go, remember that whoever finds Jesus discovers 851 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:43,080 real life and purpose.