You were created for relationship with God. Through daily prayer and listening to His voice, you can experience the love and guidance He has for you.
It's such an absolute honor to be here. I'm trying to not cry, and I'm not really a crier. Does anybody care if I kick my shoes off? Is that weird? Sorry.
Never wear fancy shoes in Zambia. I'm usually barefoot. It's it is truly just such an honor to be here, and we were in worship. And I was thinking about how, like, 7 years ago, I didn't even know the Lord. Maybe 8 years ago now.
I didn't know the Lord. I only knew the Lord for a few years when I met Gabe and Mariah, and I was a nobody in the kingdom. You know, we think of ourselves oftentimes as like, I don't know anything. Like, I didn't go to school. I didn't go to theology school or bible school or whatever the case may be.
I haven't served in the church for long enough. Like, I don't have anything to give. And it's just such a lie from the enemy process. I remember I was in a really, like, I wouldn't even say a hard time in my life, but I had been fighting for so many years to get to med school. And in the midst of it, I was in the army, and I was, like, being transferred, and my credits weren't transferring as I was having to shift colleges.
And 7 years into a bachelor's degree, I still didn't have 1, and I was full time that whole time. And was having to repeat my chem series from the very beginning for the third time. And I just remember in that place of, like, man, I'm so fresh wanna help people. I've wanted to be a doctor since I was 3 years old. Like, all I wanna do is help.
Why does it feel like the world is against me? And in that place, I found out I was gonna have to do it again for the fourth time. And I remember I was playing club rugby at the time at this school, and this was post And the coach was Christian, and there was a bunch of Christians on the team, and they tried to get people to go with him. And I was like, okay. Well, I always believed that there was a god, but I've just never been to church.
Like, I don't know what that's like, but these people seem like amazing people, and they seem like they have purpose in life. Like, they under to whatever they do. And maybe I'll just go and check it out. Maybe I'll get some direction. And nothing crazy happened in that service, but I remember the pastor preaching about how, like, he knows how many hairs are on your head.
He knits you together in your mother's womb. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. And I remember walking out of that service and saying, like, real the way that you that they say you are, then surely you know all the things that I've been through in my life trying to get to med school to help people. Like, I'm not asking for something crazy or bad. I just wanna help people.
Like, what do I do? Like, is this what I'm supposed to do or not? And if it is, then I just need to keep going, like, I'm fine. I'll I'll bust this brick wall down and keep going. Like, I can do that.
But if it's not, like, I don't wanna keep wasting my time if this isn't what I'm supposed to do with my life. So can you give me a sign, and can I ask for another thing while I'm at it? Like, can it can it be black and white? Something I can't rationalize with my 5 senses that I would do that if I could. And, like, a week later you're gonna laugh.
A week later, I'm sitting in my med micro class, which I had to repeat again for the second time. I was a tutor for the class. I got an a the first time. Exam score came back, it was a 32% f.
And I was like,
that doesn't make any sense. The kids I tutored got better grades than I did. Like, there's no logical, rational, mathematical, analytical reason as to why I got this low of a grade on this test. This doesn't even make sense. And then I remembered that I had asked the Lord for a sign.
And I was like, did I have to get an f ticket? It's fine. And I remember, like, it just took a matter of, like, seconds for me to, like, realize that. And I packed my bags, and I walked out of that class, and I never went back. And and I and I was so convinced in about that decision after spending 7 years of my own money.
My family didn't have the money to help me put me to put me through school, like working and doing all the things to support myself, just running myself ragged into the ground trying to make this dream of mine come true. And in the moment, the Lord changed it all, and he gave me a new purpose, and he gave me a new vision. I mean, I keep keep going, but it's basically, like, I ended up at a church in Bakersfield, California and just kept going. And I was like, okay. Well, if this isn't the plan for my life, I'm only gonna find my plan and my purpose by going to him, and surely he's at church.
So And I ended up in Mexico 2 months later just I had the weekend off work. It was $80 to get a visa, had my passport already, and went on a mission trip for 2 days. And and in on that trip, they were building houses. And I just remember having the like, I just wanna share with these people. Like, I see how they're living under tarps and tires and in garbage as shelters, and I just wanna love on them.
Like, the amount of love that the Lord has for them, and they don't even know it. And they think that they have no value because of the state of the the place that they're living you. And I remember having these, like, really big feelings and emotions that I had no words to put to it. Like, I just remember, like, feeling this, like, desperation to want to love on them and encourage them, and and I didn't know what to do, and I remember in that moment turning to the Lord and just being like, what do I say? What do And that was the the trip that, like, I think I, like, for the first time understood truly the heart of God.
And 2 weeks later, I signed up for a mission trip to Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania and Africa to point 9% Muslim island. And as I was getting interviewed to be able to attend that trip, they gave me the opportunity to go to AMT, which is a 3 month program that, Overland Missions offers. And I said no, and then the Holy Spirit convicted me a few months later. And so within a very short peer like, quitting school, going to church, I think it was maybe, like, 7 months. I was, like, in a 3 month long missions training course.
And while I was there, the Lord just wrecked me, and it was amazing. It was amazing. But here I am 7 years later, and I never thought that this be standing, but it is truly such an honor and a privilege to get to be here with you guys today. And so part of my sharing that testimony is just that I just wanna ask you to, like, not think of yourself as less than what you were In the eyes of the Lord, you can do more things than you could ever, ever, ever imagine if you just be still for a moment and surrender things to the Lord, desires of your hearts and things that you're aspiring to achieve, things that you're that you want that are maybe not bad things, but things of this world because those things can sometimes cloud our judgment, and they can make us be **busy for the sake of being busy** and not necessarily busy with a purpose. That has been something that has been really, really big and heavy last year of it's really easy in the life we live.
I live in a village. I wake up to people in my house every day rolling out of bed. It's, like, 6 in the morning, and I'm like, oh, hey, Graham. Let me get a shitengue on. Hold on.
Like, a shitengue is, like, the fabric wraps that we
have to wear. But I'll literal line
of 6 or 7 people out my front door. And it's usually like, what do we do for the day? Or there's a funeral or this happened or we need more chicken feed for the chickens or we need Mille O Meal to feed the workers for lunch or they there's so many things that we can be easily distracted by. Long time, I think I let those distractions I was convinced that those distractions were me, like, sacrificing for the Lord. Sorry.
For those of you that don't know, I just flew in from Zambia last night, and it was a wild trip. Hydrated a little bit. My mouth is so dry. Anyways, but there it's so easy to get distracted, by the things of this world that, like I said, aren't bad things. Sorry.
I'm repeating myself, but we're gonna go with it. They aren't necessarily bad things, but, like, keep us busy and can deter mind from the things that the Lord has for us. So for instance, like I'm just gonna use some of the first examples that come to my mind. I'm not trying to pick on, like, any 1 thing. Okay?
But, like, it's great to have, like, your kids in sports or dance or ballet or band or whatever, all the things. But I come to America and I see all these families, like, running themselves into the ground, trying to, like, give their kids a life that they never had and, like, make sure that they're not missing out on things. They're missing each other, and they're missing what the Lord has because they're rushing waking up in the morning. They're grumpy because they were up late because they didn't have time during the day to do the things that they needed to do. They're not even getting time in the morning with each other, and one's taking a group of kids this way and another is going to this side of town, and then they get off.
They rush to work Starbucks line and they're they're they're late and they're always rushing from 1 thing to another and then they have to leave to rush to get the kids and they're stuck in school traffic and then they gotta go get practice stuff or whatever and it's just this busyness that we think has purpose, but it doesn't always have I'm not saying
it's you shouldn't do it. That's not what
I'm saying. I'm just saying we get caught up in the busyness of life that we sometimes forget to slow down and focus on the important things because what our kids need to see is that we're making time for him. That's right. And they're not gonna learn that if we don't show it to them. And desiring and chasing, like, fulfillment and joy in our lives is not gonna come from adding more things to our plates.
It's gonna come from sitting in him and knowing him. And so I say that all that to say, like, take time with the Lord. Let your kids see you praying. Let your when you get hard news that that someone has cancer in your family or someone died in a car accident or your I don't know. Your car blew up or whatever.
And instead of having the the, like, gosh, like, why is this happening? Like, just take a moment and pause and be grateful for what you do have. Because I promise it's a whole lot more than what you don't or what you lost. And we have to remember that in times we gotta slow down, and you have to train yourself to do it. And the first few times that it happens, it's gonna be hard and uncomfortable or difficult because you're not used to it.
But then you get used of, like, alright, Lord. We don't have power because the tower just went down. And we don't have a backup power because the generator broke 2 weeks ago. And there's no way to keep the food cold, so we're probably gonna lose the food that we just got for the month. But that's okay.
And it's hard, like, sure, it's a lot of money. It's a lot of finances. Sorry. That was an example for us. We can choose to be frustrated about the loss of the food and the loss of the finance.
In the midst of it, you cannot let the things spoil by by sharing it with you. And then the Lord brings the provision to increase and replace the things that you need to keep going. But, like, what are the things that are happening in our lives that can sometime cause us to respond as if we don't know the Lord? That keeps our our focus and our attention that he asks us to be. Because it's not about how our life is going, but it's about how or, like, how do I wanna phrase it?
It's not about how good it's going. It's about how good Christ is in you. And in any situation, you have the ability to to speak situation, to break to speak life into the situation, to believe for better, to hope for better, to hope for more, and to not be distracted by what how the lord or how the world says that you should respond. Because the world excuse my French, kinda sucks. The tear you down and bring you down, and it's gonna the like, convince you to aspire for these things while it's pulling you away from what the Lord has.
And then at the end of the day, you might think that you made it in the world's eyes, but on the other side, if you didn't bring Christ with you every step of the way, you're gonna have this burden in your I'm "missing something". So how do we, like, walk out our life of not missing, feeling like we're missing something? Because the thing that you're gonna feel like you're missing is Christ. That is the only thing that's gonna fill that void. Anyways, I think I got off on a little bit of a tangent.
I'm really good at that. We're used to it. Good tangent. We're used to it. I *love* it.
Unapologetically, tangents. *Love* language. I guess you can say Brad's always like, alright. Get "get on with it". My husband.
Okay. So now I have to gather my thought for a second and figure out where. Awkward silence. It's fine. In Zambia to visit, and then we'll just have moments of, like, silence because they just are a culture that takes time to think for a long time before they respond.
So they're thinking through a lot of different things and Americans get so uncomfortable. They're like 1 time we were leading a literally sat there for like 34 minutes waiting for them to respond. And then they did and it was phenomenal. But 34 minutes. Could you imagine?
Okay. So maybe I'll pause really quick and this discipleship school that we've been doing in the leadership conference just to give a little a little shout out and update. The from the video, the end, it was showing the the leadership conference that we do every year. And we started off in the beginning. It was just my husband and I 3 and a half years before we got any other teammates.
And we started around this little campfire with, like, 4 people, 5 people. Every morning, 5 people. And I remember there was mornings where we were like, man, is this what we came to to Zambia for? For, like, 5 people. And it was like, alright.
Even if it was just 5 people, I'd still come. Even if it was just 4 people, I'd still come. Because I know that there that we're planting seeds, and there's gonna be fruit. And we just kept in that place and stayed in that place, and it was, like, every single day out for, like, hours a day. And you're like, how do I keep coming up with messages?
And somehow, they would always come up with a question that would just keep the conversation going, and they would come back every day, every day, every day. And the 5 the 5 people turned into 10 people, turned into 15, turned into 30, turned into 50. And before we left at the end of the had about a 100 people come in every morning, and it was incredible. And from those 100 people, we have, like, 34 that have been, like, really solid, sold out, like, amazing, incredible men and women of God that have become leaders in the ministry. And team, we have spent years discipling these 34 people.
And we get new ones, like, trickle in, you know, every once in a while. But for the most part, we stayed solid with these 34 people. And then from there, we've done things together in a certain, like, area around the property around But then we've launched these 34 people out into these other villages where we've said, okay. What you saw us do with you is what you're gonna do with more people. So they go out.
They evangelize. They do bible studies. They do house to house ministry. They preach at things, and they they make connections and relationships with people. And then they they identify the ones that are, like, really serious, the ones that are coming back every week.
They're not missing. They're asking how they can help, how they can be a part of it, and they're taking those people on as their disciples. And so 3 years in, we have about 200 disciples, like leaders in the ministry. So it's not just people that are getting ministered to that are just attending the bible study, but it's the ones that are, like, leading the bible studies. We have about 200 of those leaders, and I'm super excited to see where we go next year.
But I say all that to say it's big on our hearts and something that we really focus on and as as a min as a ministry is, like, *disciples that make *disciples that make disciples**. Because it's never meant to end with us. Right? Like, God doesn't he doesn't pour his love out on us hold it because it's meant for something. So you understanding and getting a revelation of of the love of Christ isn't just for you, though it is amazing that we have that, that you have that revelation, but take it and share it with somebody else.
Or so meant to multiply. Right? Like, plant a seed in the ground and it grows a plant and you get many seeds. Right? It's the same thing with our walk in faith.
So just because I'm standing up here or your speakers or your pastors are standing up here doesn't mean that it's a 100% on them to reach your city. It's on you. Because the Lord has given you something. He is planting something in your hearts, and you have something to share with the world around you whether you realize it or not. And so as a church, the church, we have to realize that we all have a part to play, and we all have seeds that the Lord has given us to plant into other people's lives.
But then as you're doing it, it should be this replication process. When you're ministering to somebody, it's, hey. If you feel like the Lord has changed your life, share it with somebody else because you never know what story you're gonna share that's gonna affect the people around you.
Yeah. And so we have been on that with the guys,
and it's been super incredible and amazing to see. But it all ties back to that, like, you are important. You're valuable in the kingdom of God. And it's not about what you do, but it's about who you are. Right?
Like, you're you can do all the right things.
You can do all all the teams.
You can, you know, preach a good message. You could do all the things. But if you're not doing it with the right heart of humility, not because you wanna be recognized, but because you wanna serve. That makes sense? What is there a time?
11:30. 11:30 ish. Okay. Great. Okay.
I was like, you said 40 minutes, but I didn't know from what time. Okay. So then another thing that we're gonna I'm I just have, like, bullet points of completely different topics today. This is
where we're going. K? That
I've been, going through is and I've heard this come up so many times today. Y'all are on a on a being obedient kick. Yeah. Yeah? Amen.
So I was all tying back to that, like, being busy sick of being busy versus the being busy with the purpose, like, brought me to this this story in the bible of Samuel. Let me flip to it really quick. So it's 1 Samuel-15, and it's the whole chapter, basically. It's talking about how the Lord rejected Saul as king. And in the and in the chapter, basically, king Saul was appointed, was anointed as king, and he had Samuel anoint him.
And then he Samuel the Lord gave Samuel very specific instructions for king Saul. So he was meant to go and destroy them because they were against the Israelites. And he was given very specific instructions. Like, you are to basically decimate the whole kingdom. Like, the king, the women, the children, the animals, there should be nothing remaining, and it was very specific instructions that the Lord gave.
And then he went there, and he waged war, and he did 98% of what the lord asked him to do, but he didn't do it exactly. He he kept king Egag alive. He didn't kill him, and he kept from all of the different herds that they had. And his his reasoning at the end of it was like, well but the men wanted, the soldiers wanted. Like, they wanted to keep the best to give as a "burnt offering" to the the animals.
And so when let's see. I'm trying to remember this story. So the Lord woke up Samuel and told him, like, king Saul has disobeyed me. Like, he didn't do what I asked him to do. And Samuel was, like, fuming with rage, and he, like, gets up and he, like, rushes over to far away it was.
I'm assuming it was kinda far, but, like, rushed to to King Saul and was like, what did you do? And King Saul was like, I have done I have done what the Lord asked me to do. And he was, like, prideful about it. Right? And so, Samuel was like, no.
Like, you didn't instructions that the Lord gave you. And he's like, yes. I did. I destroyed everything except for king Agag and except for the best. And he's like, yeah.
Except except except. Like and in the end, Samuel is like, is
it better? Oh, let me read the scripture. Phrase
as a whole. It's, verse 22. Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings *sacrifices as much as in obeying* the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of the rams. And so in this story, you can see that king Saul, he he feared what man thought of him.
Like, he feared what his men would do because they looked at it as a waste to kill and slaughter the animals to burn the animal animals. They wanted to keep them for themselves. And instead of, like, standing up for, like, no. This is what the Lord said to He bent to the the will of man around him and gave into it. And because of it, he was denied by the Lord.
In the scripture, it says that the Lord denied him and that he was removed from as king. And so from this scripture, I just think of, like, how are we given specific instructions from the Lord, but then we, like, hold back a small percentage. You know? And we think of, like, oh, it's fine. Like, in school, it's fine.
I didn't get a 100%, but I got 94%. That's still really good. Works that way with instructions from the Lord, with obedience to the Lord. It's not like a, oh, I did 94%. I'm doing really good.
You know? Together? Amen. K. And
so just in
our lives of, like, okay. What is it that the Lord is asking you to do? Because if the Lord is asking you to, like I'm trying to think of an example that, like, computes to your life. Like, wake up early every If the Lord says, it's hard. I'm exhausted.
It's hard to wake up in the morning. Of course, we're all exhausted. I know you guys all work hard. You got crazy things going on in your life. But if he says, wake up and read the word of God before the craziness starts, are you gonna listen?
Because if listen, you might miss something big. And if we weren't missing the opportunities that the Lord is presenting to us, then how much more would our lives be flourishing with Christ day in and day out if we make time for him? If he's saying, I want you to give to the local church. I want you to bless this family or the neighbor down the street. You know that they, like, lost their job.
Maybe their kid has leukemia, and they're struggling to make ends meet. And maybe you're blessed with finances, and the Lord is asking you to give radically to them. Are you gonna do it? What is the story? Is it Sapphira?
Ananias and Sapphira. I can never remember their names. Well, when they were taking offerings, right, they weren't even required to, like, bring,
I don't think if I remember this
but they gave, but they didn't give in fullness. They held back a portion of what they had to give. And because of it, the Lord, like, struck them down. And, obviously, I don't think that he's gonna strike you down today. That's not what I'm saying.
But what I'm saying is, like, we have the opportunity every with opportunities to give of the fullness of what *Christ* has given to us to give, to steward. Right? Because at the end of the day, it's all the Lord's finances. And at the end of the day, my life is his, and your life is his. And so we're not giving of ours.
We're actually giving of what is his, and we're just giving it back. Right. I'm just growing your ability to sit in silence so my water breaks. What did I just say? **Partial obedience is disobedience**.
Just see if you're listening. Partial obedience is disobedience. That's good. I like that. Should go with that.
Partial obedience is disobedience. Yeah. Partial obedience is disobedience. And so just wanna encourage you guys today of, like, how do we how do we walk with so much faith in our lives that we're not phased when the *Lord* do something. That we just have confidence above confidence, above confidence in him that we're willing to do whatever it is that he asks of us and lay down whatever it is that he asks of us at times even if it seems counterproductive.
Because at the end of
the day, I he's
asking you to lay down or to walk into is gonna benefit you and the people around you. And how beautiful would it be if we were all willing to grow and better ourselves for the sake of those around us? So maybe it's not enough to convince you to lay down that obedience because of you and your desires. But but what about the people around you? Here's 1.
How about what if the Lord is asking you to, like, lay down an anger issue or a lust issue? And you're like fine. It only affects me. Like, I don't need it that bad. I'm just gonna I'm just gonna keep going with with it.
Like, I'm fine. It's fine. And you, like, try to justify, like, why you shouldn't do whatever it is that he he's asking you to do. But what about but what about when you get angry at your kid and you lash out and Is it not worth it to be in obedience for the betterment of the people around you, for the sake of your kids, for the sake of your spouse? So, like, as a as a church body, we have to be willing to, like, come and be transformed into who he was created us
to be. My husband often says, and I Now
I have to figure out how exactly he said it. But, like, he'll say something along the lines of, people come to church to receive, but we should be coming to church to be transformed. And so in that transformation, it's not about just receiving, but it's
about giving. And so are we coming willing to
let the Lord transform us into something so that we can x y z? And it's not just so that we can get to have, but it's so that we can become who we were created to be with a purpose and a vision. And we have the ability to grow ourselves in the Lord, but it comes obedient to the things that the Lord has asked us to do. And there's so many different things that can go into being obedient. Like, obviously, it's just there's, like, being the discipline discipline in your in your life.
Sorry. My words, man. In our life, like the small things of being willing to make time to sit with the Lord, not just to read, not just to worship on Sundays, but to sit with the Lord and to hear his voice. And it's hard when you can't get when you're clouded by all the thing in your life, it's hard to sometimes hear, but it's in discipline and obedience of creating the space and time that we make space for that to happen. And you have to be diligent and disciplined in order to have that be a thing.
But then also, if you're like, If you're offended or you struggle to, like, honor and respect the people around you, those are also things that are
gonna keep us from being able to be obedient. Because
in those places, you're not able to see the other people. You're seeing your need and your feeling and your thought, and sometimes our our heart can cloud or or I'll say our our mind. Our mind can cloud the situation. And so, man, I don't know. I just there's something about, like, having the ability to honor 1 another and love in in in every situation and being able to respect the people around you.
We talk a lot with our with our team of, like, there has to be this, like, certain level, honor, and respect, and the love that we have as a baseline for every person around us, and we can't dip beyond that line. Like, on our worst of worst days, that line can't be crossed. And so 1 of the things in our lives that we can do to discipline this, like, baseline, like, Lord, I will not I will not go beyond this line, and I'm gonna work my hardest to increase where that line is in obedience to you and in love. And so I remember I'll share 1 more story. Think I When I was in the army, I remember I learned oh, he's asleep.
Trip, it's for you. You told me to share my story today. I wasn't asleep. You that don't know, it's Trip's birthday today. Everybody say happy birthday.
Happy Okay. So this is my story. We were at dinner last night, and I said 1 of the the greatest life lessons I ever learned. I learned at 19 years old when I was just out of basic training. And I was, like, the distinguished honor graduate from basic training, and I would so I graduated top of my class.
And then I went into AIT, and I was immediately, like, put in a leadership position and was top of my class again, like, from an early place, like, in the I don't wanna, yeah, I don't wanna say that it was, like, a little bit of pride in that, but there was. And I didn't know the Lord yet. And I remember there was this time when the CEO came in. We weren't allowed to have snacks, like, outside of the schoolhouse. They came into the schoolhouse.
They called a meeting. We were all room having snacks and lunch or whatnot. And they called us into the hall for a meeting, still in the schoolhouse, but strip searched our bags to see if anybody had any food. But kinda like felt like a little bit of a setup in the moment, and I was like, we were in the what? What?
But they bags, and I had, like, an apple or something in my backpack. And I wasn't gonna hide it. Like, I'm not gonna do that. Of course, I was wrong. I'm not supposed to have food in my bags leaving the schoolhouse.
Did I know we were about to leave the schoolhouse and that you were canceling school the rest of the day? No. But and so I'm having all remember, the CEO came to me, like, a week later, which because I lost my leadership position and was no longer able to lead my unit at the time. And so I remember being like, okay. I I can't argue because I did something wrong.
Like, I wasn't supposed to have food in my bag, and that's okay. So I wasn't just didn't necessarily agree with how it happened. But in the moment, the CEO or that week was really difficult. They picked the worst kid in the class to be the leader of the group. Like, the kid whose name tag is on backwards and, like, his shoes aren't his boots aren't tied, and he just, like, can't couldn't show up.
He was so lost. He didn't know where to go and when to be there. And I remember that was the most frustrating thing to me of, like, I understand that I broke a rule and that there needed to be a consequence, but why did it have to be that guy leading us? Like, why is that make more sense than I, like, gave to this team? Like and my CEO pulled me aside 1 day, and she was like, do you know why I did that?
And I said, no. I don't understand why. Why Smith of all people? And she was like, I wanted to see how you were gonna respond because you will never be
a good be a good follower.
That's right. And I remember that so stuck with me, and she was like, you have a choice to make. Like, you you might not get to choose who your leader is gonna be, but you do get to choose how you follow whoever is put above you. And you have the power because you're a not by title, but by personality. I can see it in you, she said.
And she said, you have the choice right now to decide. Are you gonna be somebody that's gonna rally a team of people to follow wholeheartedly and serve and pull the person that's leading you up higher. You're choose to be the person that picks and points out flaws and tears the leader above you down in order to lift yourself up. And I had never I didn't even have, like, a conscious thought, any of those conscious thoughts, but when she said it, it made so much sense to me. And I remember I hold on to that story so deeply and dearly in my heart now even to this day, even in leadership.
And we talked with our team a lot about it at different times of, like, you don't always get to choose who's above you. And it's not even necessarily about who's above you,
but who's around you and with.
But you get to choose how you're gonna respond, and you get to choose how you're gonna follow, and you're gonna get to choose how you lift up the people around you. And so when you see people in church that are struggling or maybe they don't have it together or maybe they said a bad word because they're having a bad day, you can choose how to and you can choose how to be a church together and how to be a family together. So you can choose to tear that person down for their shortcomings, or you can choose to rally around them and lift them up higher and say, like, hey. You made a mistake, but that's okay. I still love you.
*Christ still loves* you. We are here for for you. Anything you let us know, we got you. We're gonna do this together, and together, we're gonna overcome. And together, we're gonna get somewhere.
Together, we're gonna change this town, this nation, this whatever. Are you gonna choose to be a church that does that? Are you gonna choose to be a church that picks and points out flaws and tears people Amen? Amen. Chip, was that an okay story?
Alright. Thumbs up. Thank you guys for having me. I appreciate it. Love you guys.