Digging Ditches P4 - Children

Pastor Zach Whitehead

Transcript

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Um, I would say, man, because it's it is the last little hoorah before school, so we know a lot of people are on vacation wrapping up that time. I'd say the most spiritual thing we do right now is wrap uh take this and do this over tacos, but um, you know, we're here, so I'll be quick tonight. Um So we've been talking um on Sundays, kind of what what what what exactly um something is and defining that not just biblically but really getting down to what it is theologically, but more importantly, um what is Jesus saying about it? And if we're looking through the the the the scripture through the lens of the Lamb, how do we define that? And so Sunday we talked uh we talked about children and we learned that children are not just simply gifts to enjoy, they're arrows to prepare. And so we we talked about we talked about in that uh reference, and that's coming from Psalms uh 127, that the child is the arrow, uh the parent or that spiritual parent is the archer archer, and then the home of the church is the bow. So tonight we're just gonna ask a different question, just off of that, once again to Tuesday night, so we'll talk the practicality of things. So, how do we actually shape those arrows? Okay, we mentioned it Sunday that that has to happen. So, in practicality, how do we shape those arrows? Because arrows don't accidentally become straight. There's something you have to work out, you have to you have to figure that out. And so the same with disciples. Um, you don't the disciples just don't happen. You have to be intentional about it. And so, again, going back to 2 Kings 3, where um you know all of the the idea for this is coming from. So when Elisha tells them to go prepare the ditches, that it's gonna rain, it hasn't rained, just remember, I'm not gonna read it tonight. Um, because we you guys could probably gain quote it by now, that God supplied the water, Israel dug the ditch, and so in the same way, parents can't produce salvation, disciple makers cannot produce conversion, only God changes hearts. But here's the difference in it is that we prepare the environments where that faith is continually cultivated. So here's the big idea for tonight is that children rarely become what we expect. Excuse me. We can try, we can do everything, but they use here's here the truth of the matter is that choose children usually become what they consistently experience. We can set all these big goals up, we can have all these ideals, and we can have everything, and we can orate it as much as we want to, we can have it written down, we can have other people know it, but children usually become what they consistently experience. And that's not that's true for biological children, so that's true for my children. They're gonna become what they consistently experience, but it's also equally true for spiritual children for for those who are who are coming in and um they're they they they're getting baptized in Jesus' name and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. They're born again of both water and spirit, and so they're uh as Paul calls them babes in Christ, it's the same for the it's the same for for our children, but it's also the same for those spiritual children. So here's things we have to think about. First, we have when digging that ditch, what does that look like? Is that we have to build rhythms and not occasional moments. Uh, if you have it, uh could you throw up Deuteronomy 6 and 4 for me? Again, this is this is what we call the Shema, and uh again, we can quote this in in and out, and usually it's just we talk about uh ver chapter uh chapter 6, verse 4 here the hero of Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. And again, you know, in in Pentecost uh and Pentecostal movements, we like to jump, shout, and run over that. Again, nothing wrong with that. This is this is again um notice how that this this this command starts with with that, and so clarifying that to our children is important. I I really do believe that because you're instilling that doctrine young, you're instilling that young so that when they go to school and other kids talk about the concept of the Trinity or other things out there that they're, but also follow what it says through uh the rest of the verses that the this entirety of the Shema is that you shall love the Lord your God with all your your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words I command to you uh today shall be on your heart, and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise, and you bind them on your hand, uh, as they'll be frontlets between your eyes, and you shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates. Notice God never says, Teach your children one really amazing lesson, and everything is good. Instead, he sets a rhythm and a pattern that when you sit, when you walk, when you lie down, when you rise up, formation happens through repetition. It's the same way athletes train, it's the same way we teach kids in school, uh repetition, repetition teaches things, and that's probably one of the most powerful teaching tools. And so if it works in all these other avenues in life, um when it's going to the gym, when it's up to our health, when it's too for weight loss, when it's for all these other things, then those then that principle still applies spiritually. It's not just events, again, not that events are bad inherently, events can fit in rhythm and patterns and to overall structures and overall ministries and overall things, but it's the everyday repetition. It's the small deposits that eventually that will over time um compound us something more. So here's things children can learn Jesus while driving to school. Have the conversation, little deposits at a time while while um while while you're at while you're at dinner, your conversation's at dinner. It doesn't have to be the entirety of the dinner. You can laugh, you can cut up, you can play, but you can ask where they're at. You can ask what's going on in the world. And again, this applies to our children, but this also applies to those that are new in Christ. Um, listening to conflict, okay? Listening to conflict is probably one of those things because we should handle as Christians, as believers, as born-again believers, if we're truly filled with the Spirit, should handle conflict differently. And then also in response to that conflict, they should see forgiveness happen organically. Um, they should see that it's it comes without stipulation, it it comes without anything, any kind of leverage, any kind of account held, and that forgiveness is really modeled after Christ. Um, they can see it while you're serving together. Um there there should be opportunities where families serve together. Um, they may not always be able to serve together in everything that they're doing, but there should be opportunities families serving together because the kids, kids can see their parents doing it. Um those that are new in Christ can watch somebody serving and the joy that's in serving and what God not just does through us but does in us, watching us worship. Again, this one's personal to me because I remember as a kid it wasn't just my parents that I watched worship. I watched, I remember, I remember, um, and I talked a little bit about them Sunday, um, growing up, there there were there were a couple guys that were older in the uh youth group, and I wasn't even youth age yet, and they would sit on the front row um at at Baton Roosevelt where I was I I grew up, and I just remember they would worship, and it didn't matter what the song was, um, and I mean that was like early 2000s, like the all the you know, all the Israel Houghton stuff, Lord You're good, and everything, and and they would they would worship their hearts out no matter what was playing, no matter what was happening, no matter what the set looked like, and I wanted to do that, and so I joined in and they taught me how to worship. Um children, children learn Jesus while watching us repent. Um, we can tell them all day long till we're blue in the face. We can quote Acts 2.38 all that we want to. We can teach them about repentance, but until they hear us and they watch us repent. Um, and same thing with loving people. Our kids are gonna catch that when we when they see that. But again, when I say kids, either our children or new believers, a lot of that stuff we can teach in discipleship classes and we can put in practicality, and it sounds good and it is it's appealing, but when you see that stuff in practice in action, the greatest classroom is just ordinary life. The greatest classroom that our kids, that new new babes in Christ will experience is just simply ordinary life. Um and so when your kids are around, be intentional about the moments. You don't have to sit there and be like, hey, I'm gonna go help a homeless person today just so you see that. You probably ruined the moment in it. But if your child sees you respond to the spirit and they ask, let them ask, why, hey, why did you, why did you buy that person lunch? Why did you buy them a jacket? Um, why did you do this? And you you just when you explained to him, I felt God impress on me to do so. You don't have to go in some deep theological spill. You don't have to be a Bible scholar to do it, because what they're you're teaching them is I can be sensitive to the spirit too. And so remember that faith is more often absorbed than assigned. Well, you can speak over your kids and you should prophesy over kids, which do that. But remember, in the small moments, we can we we can we can just we we we can deposit those things in there. And so if that digs the ditch out, let's talk about cleaning uh the ditch and what's in there. So we've got to remove some mixed messages. And this is this is where this is where everything lands. More is caught than taught. And that doesn't just apply to children. I think that just across the board, more is caught than taught. But children believe what they repeatedly observe, and it's not repeatedly what they hear. Um I I I can tell you as a teacher, I I can I can repeat stuff till I'm blue in the face. And um my my what I teach is very visual in nature, right? Media arts is very visual in nature, and I could I could say it and and um repeat it multiple times across the room, and it happens, you know, it happens naturally with so many kids in a classroom. But when you when you sit down and usually usually the model that I try to I try to teach through is uh I'm gonna do it first, then you're gonna do it with me, and then I'm gonna watch you do it, and I'm gonna let you fly. And and and Jesus did a lot of that too with with the disciples. Again, it's what they repeatedly observe. So so think of, if you think about it in this context, if dad teaches prayer and he talks about prayer, but the kids never pray, but but the kids never actually hear him pray, the children learn that prayer isn't important. If mom teaches forgiveness, but they hear they hear the bitterness in her voice when it comes to that subject, children learn that forgiveness is optional. If leaders teach discipleship, but they ne but people but those but those spiritual babes never see them invest in people, then spiritual children learn that church attendance is not transformation. We have to be intentional with what we're doing. Um in 1 Corinthians 11 and 1, again, Paul writing here uh to the church at Corinth, and it's funny how he writes many times, it's because he calls them, he calls them children, he calls them uh sons, he calls them daughters. And look, look what he says. He says, Be imitators of me as I am of Christ. Paul wasn't saying, hey, just listen to me. There's sometimes we're in those letters, if you if you read those, those those Pauline epistles where he says, hey, listen up. But really what he's saying is, watch me as I follow Christ. And that's what Christian means, right? It was it was slander in those early days because they were calling those people little Christs. But really what's saying is watch me because I'm just gonna reflect the source. And if you reflect me and reflect my behaviors and my actions and my my attitude, you're gonna reflect him. And that's that should be our our our mindset is that hey, if you want to serve and serve, you feel like God's called you to do this, that you're gonna do this, just follow me. I'm not gonna get it all right, but follow me. And I'm because because here's my heart. I'm following him. Um and so then some things to think about are what habits are are your children catching without you realizing? And again, as parents, grandparents, um, you know, what what are your your children or your grandchildren catching, but also what are those spiritual babes that are around you catching at the same time? What habits, what habits are they catching without you realizing it? And again, sometimes there's such things we have to take to prayer. God, would you examine and would you see um what am I reproducing? And so if we dig the ditch out and we are gonna we've clean it, now when we want to expand it, we have to multiply what's given. Uh you have 2 Timothy 1 and 5. So I'm again, he's writing to so he's writing to Timothy here, who he calls a son. Um I and again remember, Paul doesn't Paul, Paul, as far as we know in a historical record, Paul never got married and he didn't have any children. And he calls Timothy a son. And so that that tells you how how seriously he takes the the concept of not just like church, oh man, we're just a big family here at church. Like he took it seriously. We're all part of the family of Christ, and he he he fathered him in as much that Timothy became a pastor. Uh so he says this he says, I'm reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that uh dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and then your mother Eunice, and now I'm sure dwells in you. So notice what happened, that faith traveled from Lois' generation to Eunice's generation to Timothy. Faith multiplies through generations. And then if you if we if we go down to 2 Timothy 3, 14 through 15, um Timothy, it says that Timothy knew the scriptures from childhood, but as for you, continue what you learned and have firmly believed, knowing it from who you learned it, and how from childhood you've been acquainted with sacred writings which are able to make you wise for the salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Timothy knew the scriptures from childhood. Paul didn't didn't praise information, he praised the formation that happened over the time with Timothy. And you know who's responsible for that? That was Eunice at home speaking over Timothy. That was Eunice at home talking scripture, being intentional with it. And because why where did she learn that? She learned that from her mother, Lois. And so it's something that that that shapes the the the course of a home and the things that we do in a home. And so, again, every parent, physical parents, grandparents, but also again, the you know, as spiritual parents, we should be asking, who am I raising? And then every discipleship uh maker should be asking, who am I developing? Not just simply who's attending and who's becoming. Because we have to get out of the mindset, no, like get me, don't get me wrong, numbers matter, they really do. They really do, because it it'll it'll it'll point it'll point out problems and point out issues, but we have to we have to be intentional, okay. That number means somebody's soul, that number means somebody's potential, that number means that. So who am I raising and who am I developing? And so instead of ending with parenting tips, I'd rather just talk about some practices. Um children spell love, and again, spiritual babes as well, they spell love T-I-M-E. That's one currency that we all have. That's one thing we all have the same level on. We all have 24 hours of the day. I know sometimes like it actually takes uh you know finances um to help out with certain things, and it takes finances definitely to raise kids, and sometimes there's um, you know, we we want to be able to uh help somebody who's growing spiritually, but again, the biggest thing that you can see, your children can see, but also those people who are new in Christ is when you when you're intentional about that time. Not just that you chose to go get coffee with them, but if you're there with them, you're there with them. Does it make sense? You're present. That they didn't you're not like constantly checking your phone or you're you know your following around them, you're engaged in where they're at. When they speak and they're asking questions about the word of God or they're they're asking out questions about their situation in life and um where they feel like God's leading them, they want to know that you're locked in. And for those moments and all those things, uh that time can mean so much because time time is truly the currency of eternity. And so where we sow our time and where we who we invest our time in matters. And again, going back to that reference with Timothy, the time that Lois invested into Eunice compounded and when she invested into Timothy. Why? Because Timothy's reach went beyond the home. Timothy became a pastor of uh of that church. And so the same thing with spiritual children. Uh people grow where someone remains present. And again, practicing worship. So we practice presence, we got to practice worship. Let let let your children hear you pray, even if you don't think you pray well. Um, let them see you repent, even if it's really hard to do. Let them hear you worship, even if you feel like you can't carry a tune in a bucket. Don't only take them to church, but show them what the church produces within you. That we don't want Sundays and Tuesday nights or any of the other events we do to just be, oh well, I finished that check mark. I did that box. I I went to church this week or I went X amount of times a year, you know, I covered the big holidays, you know, whatever, whatever that may be. We've got to let our kids see that there's truly transformation in our hearts. And that's the same again with spiritual children. They're they're coming in from the outside looking for what's real, looking for what's true, looking for hope. And if they come in and they say, well, it looks good, but they find out in a couple weeks that it just looks good and that's it. There's no substance to it, they'll go right back out the doors and go search for it somewhere else. And God forbid that happened. So as we practice presence and we practice worship, we also have to practice blessing. Speak identity into people, speak identity into your children, speak identity in those that are new in Christ. Tell them I see God working in you. Uh, I believe God has a purpose in your life. I I tell them, tell them something. And again, it may not have come to full fruition yet, but you can speak vision. Again, that's what like there's a difference in working in the gifts of the prophetic and prophesying. Because if you have the gift of the Spirit, you can prophesy. All prophecy is is speaking vision. I'm pretty sure God's not gonna have a problem with you speaking purpose over somebody's life. I'm I'm I'm sure God's not gonna have a problem with you speaking vision of them being an active part of the kingdom and calling out great things in them. Why? Because that that was what the gift was given for. So if you begin to speak that in our life, you begin to sow that. Remember what it says in Prov back all the way back in Proverbs that the power of life and death is in the tug. So when you begin to speak that, I see God working in you, you're calling, you're speaking to something greater than them. They may not believe God's work in them because they may not believe they're good enough. They may be struggling with something deep down inside, but simply you saying, I see God working you, I'm see, I'm seeing God work in you. You gotta remember oftentimes when when people are in the middle of the grind and they're in the middle of uh transition and they're in the middle of like putting that time in to change, they're like this at the picture. God has this great thing, but all they see is when you get closer, just the pixels, you don't have that perspective in their life. You can see a little bit more of it starting to change. And when you begin to speak that to them, you encourage their spirits. And um, when you when you begin to speak that again, I could I could go over it, not just people like my parents in my life speaking greater over me, but I got men and women in my life who and now that I see it like in this side of clarity, you know, hindsight's 2020, right? They spoke they spoke some pretty big things over me when I was an absolute turd. Um like but they were speaking to something greater in me. They wanted me to they wanted me to challenge me, they wanted me to believe in myself. Again, I my my my pastor when I was when I was working at the church at home, I really didn't believe that that I was called to be a pastor, that I that that was in my future or any of that. Again, I was totally fine being a creative pastor and a student pastor, and you know, when I got old enough, I would probably transition to doing something else. I don't know what it was, but he he spoke that into me. And like I actually believed him when he said it. And it and it changed it changed the course of my thinking. And so what if you did that for somebody? What if you called that out to somebody? And so when we we we practice presence, we practice worship, we practice blessing, then practice service, serve together. Take your kids when you go visit someone who's who's who um who's who's just got out of the hospital. I know, I know it's hard to take kids to the hospital, so I mean obviously practice wisdom, but if they're coming home and they're recovering and you're bringing a meal over there, bring your kids with you. You know, obviously don't stay long, be practical with it, but you know, show them, show them what practicing the love of Christ looks like. When you pray for people, invite your kids to pray with you. Invite your kids to lay hands on them and pray the prayer of faith. Um, because you'd actually be surprised when your kids will pray and how God responds to it. Um, when you invite others into your home, again, there's times where we have to be careful with the the content of the conversation, and obviously God's gonna lead you in that, but but your if your kids are seeing that you're inviting people who are new to church and who are new to Christ in your home, and that you're not only hanging around just the same people, is that they see is that I can reach people who aren't like me. I'm meant to reach the lost, I'm meant to reach the broken, I'm meant to do this. And so children shouldn't just simply hear about ministry, they have they they they have to participate in ministry and then practice repentance. One of the greatest gifts a parents can give is apologizing. Children don't need perfect parents, but they need parents who can model repentance. They need to know what it looks like for for a husband to tell his wife he's sorry and and vice versa. Um they need a they need to they need to see a dad or even a spiritual father. Sometimes when you get you get angry and you go to get hotheaded and you actually haven't done anything quite yet, you haven't crossed that line of a blow in your top, it's that you apologize anyway. Sometimes kids need to see that you can lead with an apology, you can lead with repentance, and it changes the situation. And the same again, it applies both to parents and spiritual parents. And so, parents um and grandparents here tonight, what are your children catching from your life that you've you've never intentionally caught? What's what what's something different that you're intentionally doing right now that you didn't get when you were younger? And then to everybody, who are your spiritual children? I know it's a lot to have think about the concept of having spiritual children on top of having children, but uh when we're a part of the part when we're a part of the church, we're part of the bride of the Christ. Uh he's uh you know, he is our heavenly father, and he uses the church to mother the to mother the body. And so who are your spiritual children? Who are you connecting to? Not that. Their soul is your full responsibility. But who is God asking you to make small deposits into? And if no one comes to mind, why not? Why not? Are you afraid? Are you afraid that you're going to mess somebody up? Are you afraid that you're not good enough? Because if that if if that's the question, that's the case, then that's something that you got to lock yourself in a room with God and say, God, I've got to deal with this because I understand if I'm filled with the sp if if I'm if I'm filled with the Spirit, and then my call and my mandate is to go and to make disciples of the world. And so, leaders, if someone followed you for a month, would they learn what true Christianity was, or would they just merely learn what church attendance is? And so here's here's something that we can practically leave with today is that choose one rhythm. Choose one rhythm that you want to work on in your home, whether that's that consistent prayer, or that consistent or genuine or genuine repentance, or worship together as a family, or serving together as a family, or or or bless speaking that act, like practicing practical, speaking that blessing, or practicing presence, being intentional about your time. Ask God whatever whatever that is, whatever that whatever that one thing is and and and begin to work on that. Um oftentimes when you talk about these these kind of things and whether it's uh you know leadership principle or what, is that a barrel, the barrel's max capacity, you know, a barrel made the old school way, you know, you've got your slats of wood, and then you've got the rings. Well, a barrel can only hold as much as that lowest slat. And so you could be great at prayer, you can be great at you know, presence, and you could be great at these other things, but if you fall short, if you fall short in um if you fall short in repentance, that's the capacity you are as a leader and as a disciple maker. And so be honest with yourself and ask God to be honest with you. What's one thing that that one slat that you can work on? Choose one rhythm. Don't try to tackle them all at once because then you're gonna get discouraged. Um, one rhythm because rhythms shape people. And when you find a good rhythm in it, after you've fallen on your face a couple times and you don't get it right, move on to another one. So imagine try because imagine trying to teach a kid how to swim. You can explain to them every moment, you can explain how how to move, you can explain the difference, and you know, you've got you the rotation of uh uh of your arms and that you've got to kick your feet at the same time. Um, you can draw diagrams, you can show them YouTube videos, you can lecture for hours, but eventually the kid has to get in the water, right? They have to get in the water, and the Christian life is the same. At some point, we can go through all the programs, we can go through all the teachings, we can go through all this stuff, but at some point they've got to get in the game. At some point, they've got to put their hands to the field. At some point, they have to try it for themselves because children don't primarily learn by hearing Christianity explain, they learn they learn it by living among Christians who actually practice it. And so this is why we're digging those ditches. We're not trying to raise children who know Bible stories. We're trying to raise children who recognize the voice of the shepherd. I want my kids to know the Bible. And I I love I love that they they do love the Bible. Um, like Dave, that movie David has been our oh my gosh, it has been on repeat in my house. Like even Hazel is is singing the song. Like her trying to say shalom is the cutest thing in the world. Um, because she'll point a TV and she'll start saying, Shalom, shalom. And so we figured out what she's getting at. But like I don't want my kids to just do it. I want them to ask questions. And so it's it's kind of turned into Zane's asking the questions. Well, why did why did David do this or why did Jonathan do that? And if you you leave a space, whether it's your children and again, spiritual children, if you leave space for questions, if you leave space for whys, if you leave space for those things, they're gonna ask as you go along. We want our we because we I want my kids at the end of the day to know that ultimately dad is just doing his best job to follow God's voice. I want them to choose, I want them to learn to hear God's voice as well. And so we want, we want to do that. We want that for for for new babies in Christ too, because we can't always be in their homes. We can't always be in their marriages, we can't always be in their situations. Just like our kids at home, we're raising them that one day um they're gonna go out and they're not gonna be a menace to society, Maverick. We want that, we want, we want to see our spirit, we want to see spiritual children go out and become disciples makers because that's what this thing is. And so we want to teach them to hear the voice of the shepherd. We're not just trying to produce church members. And again, we want them to be members here. We want them to be a part of the church, but we want to form disciples. There's a big difference. Jesus never, ever, ever called us. Um, he didn't say, you know, go go forth all nations, making church members of them all. He said disciples. Sometimes disciples stay, and then also sometimes the disciples send. And so I believe that as as we as we change that mindset and we change that mentality, that there's gonna be people come in and that they're gonna be disciple makers here. And also we're gonna we're gonna have people that we invest into, and they're gonna turn around and they're gonna go out and they're gonna become missionaries, and they're gonna go out and start churches, and they're gonna do that. Why? Because it it matters that we create disciples, and disciples are only formed by what they're not not not just why they're taught, but what they consistently see live before them. And this thing about this as we as we continue through this the next couple weeks is that digging ditches aren't pretty. These rhythms, these habits, these patterns aren't pretty. It's not fun to have the to ask God to put the mirror up to you and say, okay, God, examine me, examine my heart, examine my patterns in ways. Why? Because what's that mean? God's recalibrating behavior. And if he's recalibrating behavior, he's recalibrating thought processes. And so the the ditches that we dig, they're dug in the ordinary. The ditches that we dig are done are dug in the ordinary. So the patterns and the rhythms that change our lives are the ones that are done in the ordinary. I think oftentimes we look for those supernatural moments, and I think we should, don't get me wrong, but the ordinary moments, because we are living in the natural, happen way more than just those divine supernatural moments. But I believe if we follow God in the ordinary and we develop those rhythms and we develop those patterns, that supernatural things will happen because of them. Supernatural things will happen because our kids are going to go to their schools, and if they've seen this modeled at home and they believe in prayer at home, somebody gets hurt at school, and they're first one to help them and then help them up and then pray with them. What happens if God does a miracle in in the school because of that? It all started from something small at home. And the same thing again, it goes to the spiritual children, you know, in the workplace. That if if if all of a sudden the the people that have worked with this person who has come to church and been born again of the water and the spirit has their life radically transformed and changed, what are you doing different? And they can and and and they can just have a moment to tell them about Jesus. And again, oftentimes with communities, what you'll find is that it's really what happens, it's it's just a few key few key people in the community that you win who are just like super, everybody knows them, and they just become super dynamic soul winners. Because a lot of times those people who are naturally charismatic and draw people in anyway, God put that gift in them in the first place. They're just not using it for the right thing. But when you win those people, what happens is naturally they don't shut their mouth about Jesus and they end up filling your church up anyway. And so look, look for those moments. Look for the ordinary moments, look for the moments that are right around you and ask God to redeem those, and whether it's with your kids, your grandkids, or those that God has has uh has set in your mind, in your heart that you're supposed to just spiritually uh mother and father them, and then watch what happens. And sometimes you'll see the fruit of it, sometimes you won't. I don't know if Lewis, I don't know if Lois got to see um the I don't uh Timothy serving as a pastor. I mean, I imagine as a grandma, if she did, she was super excited, but if she didn't and she was in heaven, I bet she was cheering them on. And so I wonder too if if the saints that are looking down that have poured into our lives who are not here with us today are that that they're cheering us on from heaven. And so whatever, again, time is the currency of eternity. We all have the same amount of time. You can pour that time into someone, or you can pour it into something. I don't know about you, I want to pour it into someone, and I want to see lives change. So let's pray, Jesus. Thank you for what you're doing in our hearts, what you're doing in our church. And I I I really do believe that you're preparing this house because you have you you you you intend to fill it. And God, I know what's gonna, I I truly believe is that as as that as our hearts and our minds change, as that you shift shift that focus towards you and what you truly presented and what you're asking us to do, is not just to build a church of numbers, but build a church of disciples and disciple makers, is that that that we'll see something that we never thought that we can we we could do. And it'll be beyond our imagination, it'll be on anything that we we planned out by ourselves. It will truly be supernatural, but we're gonna have to live it out in the natural first. And so help us that when we when we wake up tomorrow morning that that we we we adopt, we adopt we adopt one of those patterns, and we try to do, we we we live that out in our home, we live that out in our workplace, and that people see the the fruit of the spirit in our lives, uh, not just by by show of of words, but but truly by action and what they're doing. And so help us to do that each and every day. In your name we pray, Jesus. Amen. And that's all I got for tonight. Love you guys, be safe on the way home.