WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.319 Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast. 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:07.040 We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:08.640 Thanks for tuning in. 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:26.079 Hey, I want to just uh take a moment and share what we're gonna be doing in this time and why. 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.280 Uh Romans 13, 7 says this. 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:33.439 It says, give to everyone what you owe them. 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:42.719 Uh interesting, the context is in um Paul's talking a lot about governance there, but so the next line is if you owe taxes, then taxes. 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:46.240 So I hope nobody's convicted, but if you are, okay. 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:50.079 Um not what this sermon is about, but for some of you. 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:53.439 If you just never know. 00:00:53.759 --> 00:00:54.799 You just never know. 00:00:55.039 --> 00:01:01.200 If revenue, then revenue, if respect, then respect, and if honor, honor. 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:09.920 Well, one of the things that's really important to us at Awakening is that we make sure and give honor where honor's due. 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:19.680 And Chris, one, first and foremost, so thankful for the season that we've gotten to enjoy the last four and a half years that you've been on staff here at Awakening. 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:22.799 Um, and all the things that Nash just listed. 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:26.560 We want to make sure to honor you well. 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:31.599 And let's be real, in our culture and age today, we don't honor well. 00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:34.319 And we don't honor others well. 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:43.280 Uh, it's been said that secure people celebrate others well, insecure people criticize others. 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:45.439 We want to be a secure church, right? 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.680 Yeah, and we want to celebrate really well your life. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:53.359 The other part of this is we want to send you well. 00:01:53.519 --> 00:02:03.040 And we're gonna, I'm gonna interview Chris over the course of this time and ask a bunch of questions uh as kind of like swan song-y type moment here. 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:09.680 But but Judy and our church years ago said, we're gonna be ascending church. 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:14.479 And that was at such a time in the life of our church, because Silicon Valley's hard. 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:16.000 People you love, i.e. 00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:21.360 the nice, eventually they move away because this is a Silicon Valley. 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:22.639 It just happens. 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:34.240 And and her vision of like, no, we get people for a time, we get to invest, we we get to be able to be a part of their life, and then we get to launch them and send them. 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:43.439 So yeah, we're not losing the knives, we're sending the knives to be a blessing to Portland, a light in such a dark place. 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:47.680 And so that's uh a big part of what we're doing here. 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:53.919 And so I'm just gonna spend the next few minutes asking you some questions and hearing your heart. 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:57.360 And so let's begin with the beginning, I guess. 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:04.800 Uh, not all the way back to maybe your birth, but the beginning of the process of what what led up to this transition? 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:06.479 What why Portland? 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:09.280 Um, how did you make this decision? 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:11.120 Um, yeah, what's going on? 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:13.680 Yeah, um, well, I was born in Portland. 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:14.479 There you go. 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:15.280 There's there's one. 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:18.719 I will start there and then skip a long ways. 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:23.360 Um, it was, yeah, some of you guys know a little bit of this story, so I'll I'll keep it brief. 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:33.840 But um about a year ago, right now, uh my wife and I and our son went back to Portland to visit for like 10 days and um see our family. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:37.919 Our family's up there, um, most of them um are there. 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:42.400 And just seeing our son Jude there and man, Portland in August. 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:45.840 It's like one of the months it doesn't rain, the only month it doesn't rain. 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:49.919 Um, so it's kind of a bad time to visit because it stirred our heartstrings a little bit. 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:51.360 Saw our son there. 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:56.000 Um, and I told Ryan when I came back, you know, he was like, Hey, how's the trip? 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:58.960 I'm like, honestly, I'm a little depressed. 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:02.879 Um, I just was sad coming back for one of the first times. 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:05.280 I actually always loved coming back. 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:09.120 Um, but I think, yeah, the pandemic, like we hadn't seen our family in a long time. 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:14.960 Our son was growing to that age where he know he knew, you know, his and could respond to his family a little bit more. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:28.240 So I came back a little depressed and I kind of brought it to Ryan and a few people just saying, like, yeah, I don't know, our hearts were longing for Portland and just kind of want to acknowledge that. 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:34.720 And I think for Allie and I, it started us thinking that maybe we would we would move back back then. 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:43.040 And we've always kind of envisioned our family like if and when the Lord brought children, that the children would be raised around their grandparents. 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:45.040 Um, but we weren't like in a rush. 00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:48.639 We were like, I don't know, maybe they're raised for, you know, until they're in fifth grade or something. 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:49.439 I don't know. 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:54.720 And last year it just seemed urgent and to go back. 00:04:54.800 --> 00:05:03.439 So I I told Ryan, and and Ryan's been, so you guys know, one of the, you've been the key, I think, just uh discernment voices in my life and in Ali and I's life. 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:09.839 Um, and we invited you in day one because we trust you and we know you trust us. 00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:19.839 And that's sadly sometimes kind of rare in churches or in businesses or in organizations, but it felt very natural to just come to you and get your wisdom on it. 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:26.160 And you know, Ryan shared something with me that I think might be helpful for some of you guys if you're making decisions and stuff. 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:31.519 Is I was spinning my wheels over like, well, what would it have, what would it look like and when would it be and all this stuff? 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:34.560 And Ryan was like, you just need to pray about where. 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:42.160 Like, don't get to what, don't get to how, don't get to when, if that all happens, just pray where. 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:45.279 Like, where would the Lord have you staying in Silicon Valley? 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:46.399 Um, or not. 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:53.600 And my wife is a um, she's a pediatric anesthesiologist, so she is way smarter than me. 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:57.680 Like, I have documents to prove that, okay? 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:11.279 Um, and her career is a really massive, a massive blessing in our family because um it gives us little windows and like seasons to pray more intently. 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:14.000 We're always dependent on the Lord, right? 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:18.800 But sometimes the Lord brings about seasons in our life to remind us of our dependency on him. 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:21.199 And my wife's career has done that. 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:23.040 It's like four years of medical school. 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:26.639 I remember we were a year married when we were deciding if she would go to medical school. 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:29.680 This is 12 years ago, 11 years ago. 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:33.120 Um, we were deciding if does she become a doctor and all this? 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:34.639 Well, we were praying desperately then. 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:40.079 And then after four years of medical school, she did a five-year residency that we prayed a ton about of where to go. 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:41.759 That brought us to the Bay Area. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:47.439 Well, uh, when the residency was over, we prayed a lot, and the Lord was like, stay. 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:49.360 That kept her for another year. 00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:56.480 And last August, she was kind of starting her final fellowship year, and we just started praying again, and we were longing for Portland. 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:00.639 And we just took Ryan's advice of like, let's just pray about where. 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:03.839 God, would you have us stay in the Silicon Valley? 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:06.480 Go to Portland, just give us the where first. 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:13.439 And it was like three months into those prayers, and I'm telling you, we prayed almost every day, I think, together. 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:33.920 And like um in about three months, Allie got a text message, and I always say, like, out of nowhere, but it was knowing it was in the context of the prayer, I think this text came from the Lord, uh, not actually, but from someone at OHSU, the training hospital where Allie was um, she did her medical training at. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:37.600 And um, they just were like, hey, we were in a meeting, like, your name came up. 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:46.160 I'm sure you're super happy in the Bay Area, but like just thinking about the future of the hospital, like, would you ever consider, you know, coming back and joining the faculty? 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:55.920 And um, we just felt like that was something we had to respond to uh because of how we have been praying and discerning with our community. 00:07:56.160 --> 00:08:02.000 And it was after that, um late last year, that really a ton of green lights came. 00:08:02.079 --> 00:08:14.879 And Ryan and the leadership council, and some of you guys were involved in helping us discern that um in a real healthy way, and just seeing green light after green light for this job for my wife, that it would bring us near family. 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:18.240 And we had and still have some unknowns. 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:22.639 Um, I don't have a job, I don't know what ministry is gonna look like up there. 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:24.160 Well, today you still have a job. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:28.399 Yeah, sorry, but I'm working right now, yeah, but not in the near future. 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:30.480 Punching the time card right now. 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:35.759 Um but um yeah, in the future, in the near future, won't have a job moving forward up in Oregon. 00:08:35.919 --> 00:08:37.440 Just still some unknowns. 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:48.879 We felt like there was enough knowns to say yes, and so it was like back in February, January, things got real, and we we told some of you guys and said, hey, this is where we're we're going and what we're doing. 00:08:49.039 --> 00:09:03.840 So yeah, no, and I just think would you tell people maybe a little bit about you had those moments, but I feel like this is such like a teaching opportunity in how to make big decisions. 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:17.519 And especially like COVID time, everybody, not everybody, but many people were making big decisions and it felt like knee-jerk or reactionary decisions, or I just don't like this, I want to get out of. 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:18.000 Yep. 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:23.279 And and kind of running from something instead of being called to something. 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:27.360 So, how what were some of those you you uh teased those out just recently? 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:28.159 Totally. 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:32.399 Yeah, I think like a lot of us, um, I think Ryan's right. 00:09:32.480 --> 00:09:37.039 It's like we a mentor said this to Allie and me early on. 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:42.879 She said, Um, this mentor of ours, she said, life is not an emergency. 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:47.679 Sometimes it is, but it rarely is an emergency. 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:59.120 What she meant by that is like the decision-making anxiety we put on ourselves that we have to figure out everything right now is unhealthy and unbiblical. 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:05.039 You know, it was a really good word to Allie and me because we were like, we felt urgency. 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:09.200 And I think one of the keys to our decision was slowness. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:15.039 Again, I'm talking about last year in August, we started to sense maybe that this would happen. 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:19.120 Probably six months of discernment and prayer before we decided. 00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:23.360 Now another six months has been just kind of like figuring out what that would look like. 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:26.080 But I think a couple things really helped us out. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:28.000 The first thing was scripture. 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:32.480 My wife is really good at like taking the Bible. 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:40.320 She'll take like one verse and just really claim that verse and ruminate on it and pray that verse a lot. 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:42.399 And she'll often tell me kind of what she was praying about. 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:52.240 And the verse that we had during this season of decision making was Psalm 43:3, which says, Send out your light and your truth and let them lead me. 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:55.840 Let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. 00:10:56.159 --> 00:10:59.919 This psalm was prayed in our house hundreds of times. 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:02.879 Um, times, you know, we pray as a family at night. 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:07.279 Sometimes it's beautiful, sometimes it's hilarious because Jude's like almost three, and we're like, let's pray. 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:08.480 And he's like, garbage truck. 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:12.879 And we're like, thank you for your contribution, young man. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:15.039 Um, pray for my son. 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:22.159 Um, but like, you know, we would just pray when we didn't know what to pray, we prayed that verse. 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:25.600 God, send out your light and your truth and let them lead us. 00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:28.720 Lead us to your holy hill, like lead us to your presence. 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:29.759 That's really what we want. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:36.240 We want to be in your presence so that when we make this decision, we feel like it's saturated in the reality of your Holy Spirit. 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:38.639 And that verse helped us so much. 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:53.279 I think some of us, some of you guys, if you're in a decision-making season, like go to scripture and go to the Lord and say, Lord, give me a word, give me something I can count on to say back to you. 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:54.799 And that's what we had. 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:59.679 We had that verse to just like there are many nights I didn't know what to pray, many mornings I didn't know what to pray. 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:00.639 I prayed that verse. 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:03.759 Said, Lord, send out your light and truth, let them lead us. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:06.720 Lead us to your holy hill, lead us to your dwelling place. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:10.240 Like, and I believe the Lord answered that over time. 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:17.919 The the second thing was uh Proverbs 24, 6 says, In an in the abundance of counselors, there is victory. 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:20.080 And I felt like we had an abundance of counselors. 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:24.559 Ryan, you were, like I said, primary in this whole season of just you were biased. 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:28.080 You wanted us to stay, you laid your cards down on the table. 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:34.399 Um, but man, your ability to zero in on ways to pray helped us tremendously. 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:39.519 And we just couldn't have made the decision with confidence without your support and help. 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:42.240 And even your bias, you know, we we take that in. 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:43.039 It was great. 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:50.720 But man, I would say if you're making a decision in isolation, be prepared to regret that decision. 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:53.039 Amen. 00:12:53.440 --> 00:13:00.879 Like if you're and I would say, even I would say, as couples, if you're married, it's actually can be a little dangerous sometimes. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:03.919 You the two of you can spin your wheels about one decision. 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:05.200 You become your own echo chamber. 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:06.960 And you become your own echo chamber. 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:10.240 You've got to have other people that are speaking in. 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:13.279 And I would say I'd go a little bit further to say authority. 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:19.440 I know it's a weird word, we don't like it a lot, but who has spiritual authority in your life? 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:20.559 Pastors, right? 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:25.600 I told you, like Ryan is my, like, we work together, but he's also my pastor. 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:27.600 He's my boss, the leadership council. 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:30.240 Like, I talked with people on the leadership council about this. 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:38.000 I was putting myself under wise people, mentors in my life who have known me for 20 years, like getting their getting their insights. 00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:38.720 What do you think? 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:39.600 What should we do? 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:40.960 How should we pray? 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:46.000 Um, in the abundance of counselors, there's victory, authority, and just community. 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:52.000 Some friends here and people that are peers of mine, um, that that have just helped me so much through that decision making. 00:13:52.240 --> 00:14:06.960 I think if you're in that season where you're making those decisions, like find scripture, claim that for your life, like ask the Lord for it, submit yourself to some wise people, and then also just kind of like a safe community. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:09.440 You know, it was kind of hard as a pastor here. 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:13.039 I couldn't tell all of you about what was going on, but you know what? 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:17.919 Awakening has a I I am spoiled with people I could talk to about this. 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:22.159 And I I was able to for months just kind of sort through some of this with some of you guys. 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:22.720 So yeah. 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:36.240 That's so good and so helpful because we all have different seasons, major decisions in our lives to go back to God's word, go back to community, authority, and discerners in our lives, taking time through that. 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:37.120 So thank you. 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:45.919 Uh, you said you don't know what you're stepping into next, but you do have a little bit of clarity of kind of what you need in this next season. 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:48.639 So, what is that gonna look like for you? 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:53.759 Yeah, we um recently, just in the last couple months, we've been praying a lot about ministry. 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:58.639 And I said, you know, I don't have a church job up in Portland or anything like that. 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:04.159 But um, we felt pretty convinced that um I was gonna take a sabbatical. 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:14.399 Um, now that it was kind of around this idea of like, I want to take time away from like a church job for maybe six months or something and take a sabbatical. 00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:17.600 I also was about to take a sabbatical here. 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:21.519 And uh every five years, this is a really cool part of your church, you may not know. 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:25.919 Every five years, pastors, full-time pastors, um get a three-month sabbatical. 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:29.360 And I was coming up to that five years, and then I decided to leave. 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:31.919 Um, so I was like, maybe I should take it anyways. 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:43.759 And right at the time I was praying about that, actually, Ryan and the leadership council very generously offered to kind of push us off well, and even though I'm ending staff to continue to pay us, and that was so kind. 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:45.759 And we wanted to give you your sabbatical. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:46.159 Yeah. 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:48.799 So six months was like, yeah, well, maybe not. 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:50.080 Yeah, not six months, yeah. 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:51.200 Yeah. 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:57.679 Um, and so we are in a privileged position as a couple where we don't need me to work. 00:15:57.759 --> 00:16:00.720 And we were praying about that reality, and it was kind of coming at the same time. 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:03.360 Ryan was praying about kind of how to bless us. 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:05.440 It was cool to see those two things overlap. 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:08.320 So here's what we know, what I'm gonna be up to. 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:18.159 I I am gonna take a break from church staff, but it's gonna allow me to dive into some of my academic work and uh some of the scholarship that I'm doing right now, which is exciting to me. 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:20.080 I haven't been able to give my full attention to it. 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:21.039 I'm also a writer. 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:25.440 For those who don't know, you're currently in your doctoral program at Duke. 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:26.960 Yeah, yeah, Duke, yeah. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:28.080 So I'm gonna be able to do that. 00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:31.120 Family of underachievers, the Nye family. 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:34.240 Yeah, um, we have problems. 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:36.159 Um, we're in therapy. 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:38.639 Um we are actually. 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:43.840 Um but um so yeah, okay, so I want to focus on that. 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:47.679 Um, I'm I'm also a writer, so like I just released this new book. 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:50.159 We actually have some copies for you, which is exciting. 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:54.240 Um, if you've already bought it, please, please don't get another copy. 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:56.879 We have limited copies, but we're giving it as a gift. 00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:58.879 Um, the church is generous to just give it away. 00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:00.159 None of the money comes back to me. 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:02.080 And Chris was generous to his heart. 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:05.359 Yeah, I want to give it to those that don't have it yet. 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:07.359 Um, so we've got some books out there. 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:07.599 Yeah. 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:12.000 Yeah, I'll I'll I just want to plug him real quick because he would never do it. 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:22.960 Um if you would be willing to go and uh like and review it on Amazon for authors, that's a big deal uh and makes a big impact. 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:24.880 And so enjoy the book. 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:25.680 It's a great book. 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:26.240 I love it. 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:31.359 Um, Chris is an excellent thinker, thought leader, and writer and communicator. 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:34.799 And so his writing's highly engaging and thought-provoking. 00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:38.880 So uh read it, but then uh go like and review. 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:40.559 Um you're kind, thank you. 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:42.079 Uh commercial commercial ended. 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:43.279 Commercial ended, yeah. 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:45.200 It'll so this next season will allow me. 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:51.680 I'm gonna do a little writing and studying and finish the the a little bit of the season of the work at Duke. 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:56.640 Um, so that'll allow me to focus on that as I say kind of no to a church job. 00:17:56.720 --> 00:18:01.759 But please pray for us because I'm not I'm not done at all in the local church. 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:15.519 I I see actually, like Ryan and I were talking even before, like past a year ago, I explained to Ryan a lot about my desire to be a lead pastor, to lead a church, to learn from Ryan on kind of where he's at and how he's learned as a lead pastor. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:22.960 And so we see the next season as something close to that, which gives us another reason to take a break before we jump into that. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:26.559 My wife's starting a new role, my son will be in a new school, be in a new house. 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:30.160 It's like, let's just not throw a new church on top of that. 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:38.000 Um, but please pray for us because we see the future as a place where we're leading a church and kind of discerning what the Lord would have for us in that space. 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:44.319 Yeah, we see this um uh from our standpoint, and I I know it's a bit this way for Chris too. 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:47.680 This is like the essence of bittersweet. 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:53.839 Um and one of the ways we talk about it around here is we always ask the question, what's best? 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:55.599 It's such a clarifying question. 00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:56.640 What is absolutely best? 00:18:56.720 --> 00:19:00.000 Because when we answer that really well for the nice, what's best? 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:05.759 I can I can have my bias, like we want you here, but at the end of the day, we want what's best for the nice. 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:21.839 And we recognize that somehow, in answering that, what's best for the nice is actually what's best for awakening to, even though it's sad and hard and there is grieving, uh, it will be what's best for us uh in this season. 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:32.880 And so we we have this kind of just bittersweet of like, oh my gosh, we we hate to say goodbye to someone we love, a family we love, and your impact. 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:34.720 I also get excited. 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:49.519 I think about Jude being around his grandparents and your mom, and like, you know, just like what you're heading to and the ministry, because we have had those conversations of lead pastor and God has built you that way. 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:53.039 I get excited to see that come into fruition. 00:19:53.440 --> 00:20:03.759 And I really believe you need to be around your family to be in a supportive role, especially with the intensity of Ali's job to be able to do that well. 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:05.920 And so I go, like, that's best. 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:10.880 And so we can celebrate that and and grieve at the same time. 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:23.519 Um, would you just take a moment last four and a half years, just kind of share maybe some things you've learned over that you've had over the last four and a half years? 00:20:23.920 --> 00:20:26.880 Yeah, I I want to share with you guys a few things. 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:38.079 Um and I was telling Ryan, I was like, I could share like leadership lessons, but I really want to share some things you guys have taught me to encourage you. 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:57.759 And for those of you that are new to awakening or you've just been here for six months or a year even, I want you to even have a forecast of the ways in which this community will bless you if you join it, if you come alongside the people in this church. 00:20:57.920 --> 00:20:59.680 These are the things, the few things I've learned. 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:01.680 The first is generosity. 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:05.119 This is an extremely generous church. 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:14.559 I mean, as evidenced in just the way I'm being sent off, is there's so many waves of generosity, not just from staff, leadership council, but some of you individually. 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:15.599 It's amazing. 00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:28.319 Um, and I remember getting here uh four four and a half years ago, Ryan, you were about to go on your sabbatical, and that was my first thing of like, wow, the lead pastor is like taking a sabbatical after five years. 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:28.880 That's awesome. 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:32.720 Like they're allowed him to do that, they're actually commanding you to do that. 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:38.640 Um, it was really cool that the church would be organized in a way to bless you and be generous to you. 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:44.400 And right after Ryan's sabbatical, we launched Above and Beyond, which was our first capital campaign. 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:45.680 How many of you were here for that? 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:46.480 Do you remember? 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:46.880 Yeah. 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:48.079 That was our first. 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:52.880 Like, I remember it felt like we're big kids now, we're doing a capital campaign. 00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:59.759 And just watching, like, Ryan, your faith, your leadership through that time, you kind of you were, I know you didn't. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:03.680 Didn't weren't like, you know, there was times you were trembling before that. 00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:07.599 But I think you had an inner confidence that the Lord would build generosity into the church. 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:11.920 Second Corinthians 9 7 says the Lord loves a cheerful giver. 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:17.519 And this church met that capital campaign above and beyond$1.5 million. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:20.160 And we were smaller then and we were younger. 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:22.240 And like, dude, our staff was different. 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:24.000 We didn't have the office building yet. 00:22:24.160 --> 00:22:34.640 Like, there's so many lessons from that time of stepping out in faith and asking the Lord to generate a kind of like selflessness in our body that we hadn't seen before. 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:39.680 And to see how that has then contributed to like just our giving going up. 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:40.160 I don't know. 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:41.599 Giving's a weird thing to talk about. 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:52.160 And I was thinking about a few things I could share that I can share on my way out, like in a way that, you know, if I like if I was on staff here, it's a little hard to talk about money sometimes as pastors. 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:53.119 We always navigate it. 00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:55.440 We always love talking about money because Jesus talked about money a lot. 00:22:55.519 --> 00:23:00.640 But it's kind of difficult sometimes because we're pastors and you know, we get our paychecks from the church and stuff. 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:04.480 But as I'm leaving, I can speak freely to say this. 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:15.279 Jesus Christ said, Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:16.640 He said that. 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:18.240 Pastors didn't say that. 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:21.279 We just repeated that because that's what we do. 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:24.640 We repeat what Jesus has said and implore you to do it. 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:35.039 And what I saw, what I've seen over the last four and a half years is that awakenings, treasure is in the mission that God has for us here. 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:38.640 Therefore, your heart is in the mission. 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:42.799 And I've been personally challenged by it, to be honest. 00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:44.960 I've been very challenged by your generosity. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:53.759 I've been convicted by it to be a good steward and a good leader here, to honor your sacrifices and gifts. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:57.440 And I've also been spurred on to be a more generous person myself. 00:23:57.599 --> 00:24:09.519 And so that's a huge lesson I've learned from our people and from our staff and our leadership council man, the way that different people have um stepped up and us as a community has grown in that way. 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:12.400 The second thing is in friendship. 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:15.839 I've really learned a lot about friendship from you. 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:24.160 It's kind of hard being a pastor because you exist in like a pastor to congregant relationship a lot of times. 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:25.599 Like you're on stage, you're preaching. 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:29.680 Like people, when you come up to their friend group, they're like, oh, let's stop cussing or whatever. 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:32.799 Like there's just like weird social dynamics, okay? 00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:35.759 That has not really been the case at Awakening. 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:38.960 Um people cuss around you all the time sometimes. 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:41.519 You should hear what some people say. 00:24:41.680 --> 00:24:42.000 No. 00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:48.960 Um no, just like the care with which you've given me and my family. 00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:52.880 I mean, my wife, it's really sometimes kind of hard to be a pastor's wife. 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:56.000 Um, you guys have been friends to us. 00:24:56.480 --> 00:25:02.079 And um I don't get emotional a lot, but this is where I get as close as possible, man. 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:19.440 You guys have gifted us with the gift of friendship of like you have opened your lives to us, you've opened your homes to us, you have had no judgment mentalism, your expectations have been like tempered, you know, you're not like expecting the world of us as pastors. 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:28.720 And I gotta tell you, I have learned a ton as a pastor of like how to engage in relationships where some of you guys have been able to say, dude, Chris, you're kind of talking like a pastor right now. 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:30.000 Just talk to me like a dude, you know? 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:36.640 It's like that helps me, like, helps me become a better leader who can navigate those friendships. 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:39.599 Uh, 1 Thessalonians 2, 8, it says this. 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:52.640 So being affectionately desirous of you, this is Paul writing to a little church in Thessalonica, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves. 00:25:52.799 --> 00:25:56.160 I love that line, because you have become very dear to us. 00:25:56.319 --> 00:26:01.519 I feel like you guys, you have not just shared the gospel with my family, you've shared your very selves. 00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:06.960 Some translations say your own lives, like not just the gospel, but your life. 00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:09.359 And that's what really matters, you know? 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:14.000 Um, friendship, relationships, loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. 00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:16.240 You guys have really taught me that you've shared yourselves. 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:19.839 So as you go, continue to be that community. 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:24.720 And those of you that are joining, that's those are some things that really um have taught me. 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:27.200 The last thing, real fast, is just leadership. 00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:30.880 I have learned a ton about leadership, particularly from you, Ryan. 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:44.240 I want to honor you, like your ability to lead, your way to lead me, even as a staff member, and your ability to navigate how to lead me as an employee, and as you are my pastor. 00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:49.519 And your ability to navigate that duality has been so instructive for me. 00:26:49.759 --> 00:27:01.519 The decision making, the leadership council that I've witnessed and been able to be even involved in some ways of the decision making of the church, I've learned a ton about the leadership, about leadership in the kingdom of God through the leaders here. 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:08.400 You guys have incredible leaders, and you have an incredible lead pastor and pastoral team and leadership council. 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:12.319 And unfortunately, we can't take that for granted anywhere. 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:19.200 We can't just show up to a church and expect that the leaders are gonna be humble and wise and careful like they are here. 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:24.400 And so I've learned so much about that, and that's a whole other sermon, but yeah. 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:25.839 Wow, thank you, man. 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:28.000 Yeah, so grateful for you. 00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:32.319 Um, would you just give us a word? 00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:42.480 Yeah, maybe a word of encouragement, something that as you just want to admonish or encourage us as a church. 00:27:42.799 --> 00:27:44.319 Yeah, definitely. 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:47.440 I have this passage from Nehemiah on my heart for you guys. 00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:50.640 I was sharing with with Ryan a little bit about this. 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:52.720 Um, Nehemiah chapter eight. 00:27:52.880 --> 00:27:55.680 It might have been on my mind because I was reflecting a lot, thinking about above and beyond. 00:27:55.759 --> 00:28:02.240 Ryan preached through Nehemiah, through Above and Beyond, through that financial capital campaign thing we did back four years ago. 00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:05.920 And that's a book that is about the people of God. 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:11.279 They are they go in exile from sin they've done, they they no longer live in their city. 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:18.960 And they're welcomed back through a miraculous political effort from Cyrus that they um come back to the city of Jerusalem. 00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:20.160 And it's in ruins. 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:27.119 So the book of Nehemiah is about like rebuilding the city that they all lived in at one point and kind of reclaiming it. 00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:36.319 And right as the construction project is finishing, uh, the people gather and they kind of have this commemoration of the new city that's gonna be built there. 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:43.039 And they bring in the priests and the spiritual leadership, and there's a person named Ezra who shows up at that time. 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:52.240 He is a character from that we know about from before, but he pops up in chapter eight, and it has this really cool description of the community that I want to give this to you to think on. 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:53.680 Nehemiah 8, 5. 00:28:53.759 --> 00:28:55.680 It says, Ezra opened the book. 00:28:55.920 --> 00:29:01.119 This would be like the first, probably it's just the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. 00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:05.519 He opened the book, and the people could see him because he was standing above them. 00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:08.000 And as he opened it, the people stood up. 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:09.839 Ezra praised the Lord. 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:14.640 Uh, Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people lifted their hands and responded. 00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:16.000 Amen, amen. 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:20.000 Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:22.240 This is they he hasn't even preached yet. 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:29.759 You know, they've just opened the Bible, opened the law, and uh they're starting to worship because they just know good things are coming, you know? 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:36.319 And it says in verse 7, the Levites, which are like that's the spiritual leadership of the community, the priests. 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:38.559 There would have been about 12 of them. 00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:53.680 They instructed, look at this, instructed the people in the law while the people were standing there, and they read from the book of the law of God, look at this, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. 00:29:53.839 --> 00:29:55.920 I love, even back then they didn't know what the Bible meant. 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:58.640 They were like, we need help, we need interpretation. 00:29:59.519 --> 00:30:02.160 Giving you this verse for several reasons. 00:30:02.559 --> 00:30:10.160 The first is to admonish you to stay connected to your church. 00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:11.359 And here's why. 00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:16.160 Back then, these people needed shepherds. 00:30:16.640 --> 00:30:19.920 And we're called pastors for a reason. 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:34.960 It that word, the etymology of that word, is linked to the action of shepherding, which is like corralling sheep, you know, getting sheep and protecting them and feeding them and making sure they're headed in the right direction and that they're with their fellow sheep. 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:38.559 Our jobs as pastors is to shepherd. 00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:46.960 And one of the things I love about this verse, and something again, I was thinking and praying through, what can I say that could uniquely be a value add to you? 00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:49.440 That's harder for me to say when I'm a staff pastor. 00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:54.880 And here's one thing it's harder for me when I'm a staff pastor to say, you need pastors. 00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:59.279 Because it's like, I am one, so I'm in some ways saying, you need me. 00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:02.240 So as I'm on my way out, let me say that. 00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:06.960 You and I need pastors. 00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:08.720 We need shepherds. 00:31:09.279 --> 00:31:10.240 I need shepherds. 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:12.640 I have needed Ryan through these last four years. 00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:24.960 I've needed people like Joel Dombrow in my life, who's been a mentor of mine for 20 years, to shepherd me, to direct me, to protect me, to teach me, like these guys were doing in this verse. 00:31:25.119 --> 00:31:31.920 Like, show the meaning of the text because not all of us can spend eight hours looking at a particular passage. 00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:41.440 You need someone who's guiding you and shepherding you because here's what I've learned you won't find that anywhere else in culture. 00:31:42.640 --> 00:31:47.359 There is no other place other than, I'm not just saying awakening, just a good local church. 00:31:47.519 --> 00:31:53.920 There is no other place where you will be directed and protected in the Word of God. 00:31:54.160 --> 00:31:55.440 There's just no other place. 00:31:55.680 --> 00:32:02.880 You will not find it on the internet, or you'll find it to the ability that your algorithm can do it, which is pretty limited, right? 00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:04.720 And often untrustworthy. 00:32:04.880 --> 00:32:06.559 You won't find it at work. 00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:10.960 You won't even find it at some level in your family all the time. 00:32:11.200 --> 00:32:13.599 You won't find it in all your friendships. 00:32:13.839 --> 00:32:19.839 The church is the place that God has given you and me to sit under and be directed. 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:21.119 We all need shepherds. 00:32:21.519 --> 00:32:29.039 We all need people to help us know what the Bible says, how to obey it, how to walk faithfully in this complicated world. 00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:34.079 And I've become increasingly convinced of the importance of pastors. 00:32:34.400 --> 00:32:41.119 And it's just a unique season where I'm maybe able to say it where you could hear it in a way that doesn't sound self-serving because it's not self-serving. 00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:42.480 I truly need it myself. 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:44.240 I couldn't have made this decision without Ryan. 00:32:44.319 --> 00:32:46.640 I couldn't have made this decision without pastors in my life. 00:32:46.880 --> 00:32:53.119 And for all of us as believers, a word of admonishment for you is to sit under great shepherds. 00:32:53.359 --> 00:32:55.039 You have amazing shepherds here. 00:32:55.279 --> 00:32:59.279 You've got Ryan, you've got Nassim, Christina, Robbie, Ashley. 00:32:59.359 --> 00:33:04.400 I mean, you have such a community of brilliant and caring shepherds. 00:33:05.200 --> 00:33:08.720 Sit under their leadership and follow them. 00:33:08.880 --> 00:33:11.119 I mean, it's just the simplest I could say it. 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:14.559 But back then, the people in Nehemiah's day needed that. 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:16.720 Who are we to say that we don't need that, right? 00:33:16.960 --> 00:33:18.079 We need good shepherds. 00:33:18.480 --> 00:33:28.880 Second thing is in 2nd or 1 Thessalonians 4.18, Paul says to encourage one another with these words. 00:33:29.119 --> 00:33:32.240 And then he goes on to talk about Jesus coming back. 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:36.480 And I was thinking about where we are culturally right now. 00:33:36.799 --> 00:33:38.799 There is so much despair. 00:33:40.640 --> 00:33:55.599 And there's also so much cynicism, because cynicism is kind of rewarded by the internet's snarkiness, and it's gets you the most attention online, and it even gets you the most attention I've learned just socially to just be a little critical. 00:33:55.839 --> 00:33:57.200 You know what cynicism is? 00:33:57.519 --> 00:34:01.440 It's the inclination towards questioning the best in somebody else. 00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:07.039 It's like the inclination towards being suspect of someone's motives. 00:34:07.839 --> 00:34:24.000 And this section in uh 1 Thessalonians, Paul says this God has not destined us for wrath, but rather to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live in him. 00:34:24.239 --> 00:34:30.800 And then he says again, therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:40.480 I want to just admonish us as a church, and this is for me because I've seen the temptation in my own life, to just go towards cynicism. 00:34:40.559 --> 00:34:47.119 And I want to obey this passage and reject cynicism and embrace encouragement. 00:34:47.920 --> 00:34:53.119 You know, um, who are you regularly encouraging? 00:34:53.920 --> 00:34:55.519 Who are you regularly? 00:34:55.840 --> 00:34:59.039 I'm not talking about you said one nice thing to them six weeks ago. 00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:01.840 I'm talking about you've almost targeted that person. 00:35:01.920 --> 00:35:04.559 And you're like, they seem to be going through a tough time. 00:35:04.800 --> 00:35:07.840 And I'm gonna just regularly deposit encouragement. 00:35:07.920 --> 00:35:10.079 That comes from the word of God, right? 00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:13.920 I love that Paul's talking about Jesus coming back, which sounds kind of scary. 00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:15.920 He's like talking about the end of the world, you know? 00:35:16.079 --> 00:35:18.639 And he's like, encourage people in that. 00:35:18.960 --> 00:35:24.480 Encourage people that the world is not heading in a spiraling direction towards chaos and destruction. 00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:31.280 It's actually heading towards somewhere in the plans and purposes of God where he will return and reign and redeem all things. 00:35:31.599 --> 00:35:38.400 Christians are emphatically not people who lack in hope. 00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:40.320 We are people who are filled with it. 00:35:40.480 --> 00:35:42.639 We have so many reasons to be hopeful. 00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:44.159 We were talking last service. 00:35:44.239 --> 00:35:48.559 I was reminded of this book, because I'm like sadly cleaning out my office. 00:35:48.800 --> 00:35:51.360 This um, I'm like packing my books up. 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:55.039 I found this book I loved so many years ago by Reinhold Niebuber. 00:35:55.119 --> 00:36:00.079 He was a theologian in the 1950s, and actually Martin Luther King was highly influenced by his theology. 00:36:00.239 --> 00:36:07.199 Don't agree with him on everything, but man, he's got this diary that was so cool that I read many years ago. 00:36:07.360 --> 00:36:12.880 And the title of it is Leaves from a the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic. 00:36:13.280 --> 00:36:24.960 And his whole thing, he's an academic, he's a theologian, and his whole story is like, he's like, my natural inclination is to be cynical, just to think things aren't gonna work out, to be pessimistic. 00:36:25.119 --> 00:36:34.480 Um, and he's learning through his early years of ministry that actually that is not the countenance of a Christian. 00:36:34.880 --> 00:36:37.760 And I love that he says a tamed cynic. 00:36:37.840 --> 00:36:40.079 Like, how are you taming your cynicism? 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:41.280 You know how to feed it? 00:36:41.440 --> 00:36:46.320 Get on your phone and read stuff and tweet and post on Instagram and retweet things. 00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:47.920 That's how you're gonna feed your cynicism. 00:36:48.159 --> 00:36:52.480 But to tame it will be to think about the ways in which God is working in your life. 00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:57.039 Um, I just want to encourage us as a church to be people of deep encouragement. 00:36:57.119 --> 00:37:03.119 I want to ask you that question like who are you regularly encouraging and how are you taming your cynicism? 00:37:03.599 --> 00:37:06.079 Because the world, you guys, is full of cynics. 00:37:06.239 --> 00:37:08.639 It won't be attracted to a church full of cynics, right? 00:37:08.719 --> 00:37:20.320 It won't be like attracted to us if we're just always thinking, yeah, oh, this is going wrong, this political thing, this social thing, this thing in my work, this thing in culture, if we're constantly going that direction. 00:37:20.960 --> 00:37:24.159 Nobody will come to the church and think we have something to offer, right? 00:37:24.719 --> 00:37:26.800 We have the hope of the gospel. 00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:32.000 We have Jesus Christ who has come and will come again and set things right. 00:37:32.159 --> 00:37:38.000 And for our countenance to be any different would be to miss the great invitation of the gospel. 00:37:38.159 --> 00:37:41.039 So I invite us now as a church, like, man, let's go that direction. 00:37:41.119 --> 00:37:45.039 Let's be a church full of encouragement, taming our inner cynic. 00:37:45.199 --> 00:37:45.519 Yeah. 00:37:46.079 --> 00:37:47.039 Such a good word. 00:37:47.199 --> 00:37:47.760 Thank you. 00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:57.119 I even, especially in my own heart over COVID, the inner critic and cynic grew and so needed to just have encouragement as first response. 00:37:57.199 --> 00:37:59.519 So it becomes this automatic response. 00:37:59.760 --> 00:38:00.079 Yeah. 00:38:00.559 --> 00:38:05.199 Um as we close our time, how can we pray for you? 00:38:05.599 --> 00:38:08.559 Yeah, I really do covet your guys' prayers. 00:38:08.800 --> 00:38:11.199 Kind of three couple things that I think about. 00:38:11.280 --> 00:38:15.440 The one is um like we are grieving right now. 00:38:15.760 --> 00:38:25.199 And um, so you know, I I I guess I I should have mentioned at the top that decision to leave, it was it was hard, man. 00:38:25.280 --> 00:38:26.480 It was hard fought. 00:38:26.719 --> 00:38:35.199 Um we made a list literally of the things we would miss by leaving here and leaving awakening and leaving the Bay Area, all this stuff, man. 00:38:35.280 --> 00:38:36.079 It was so hard. 00:38:36.239 --> 00:38:40.400 So I think in even this weekend, knowing this was coming, Allie and I are grieving. 00:38:40.480 --> 00:38:48.159 And I would love your prayers that we would be shepherded by the Lord and that we would experience his tenderness in our grief. 00:38:48.639 --> 00:38:51.039 Um, we're really sad to leave. 00:38:51.199 --> 00:38:53.360 Uh, we're there's true losses. 00:38:53.519 --> 00:38:55.679 There's true losses by leaving. 00:38:55.840 --> 00:39:01.039 We're relationships will change, things will not be the same, and that's a true loss. 00:39:01.280 --> 00:39:07.599 And so please pray that the Lord would show us his tenderness and his compassion as we grieve this next month. 00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:13.920 I think the second thing is just like protection over us as a family, physically, spiritually, emotionally. 00:39:14.079 --> 00:39:14.800 We're moving. 00:39:14.960 --> 00:39:18.800 My wife's starting a new job, son's gonna be in a new school. 00:39:18.960 --> 00:39:23.119 We're um closing on a house in a week from tomorrow, which is exciting. 00:39:23.280 --> 00:39:27.199 So, like, we've got a house in Oregon that we're really excited about in the city. 00:39:27.440 --> 00:39:33.519 And so um we sense the Lord providing a ton, but we want protection and provision in there. 00:39:33.679 --> 00:39:37.840 Um, that the Lord would provide all the things kind of leading up to the move and everything. 00:39:38.079 --> 00:39:46.079 The last thing is um, I told First Service, man, would you pray that the Lord would give us vision for the city of Portland? 00:39:46.320 --> 00:39:48.719 We don't know, again, exactly what we're gonna do. 00:39:48.880 --> 00:39:50.719 We know we're gonna be in ministry. 00:39:50.960 --> 00:39:58.079 We know the spiritual landscape of Portland is in need of healthy churches and healthy pastors and families. 00:39:58.320 --> 00:40:00.159 Allie and I want to jump in. 00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:04.239 We don't want to go in though and like think we have anything like new to offer. 00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:10.159 We want to be like, what is God doing and how can we join in with what's God, what God is doing in the city. 00:40:10.480 --> 00:40:18.400 So I guess the prayer would be, Lord, give us vision of what we could see in Portland and how we could jump in and what God's already doing. 00:40:18.480 --> 00:40:20.079 Because God's already doing so much. 00:40:20.239 --> 00:40:24.559 We just want to jump in and be a part of it in the way that um he wants us to. 00:40:24.719 --> 00:40:25.920 So please pray for that. 00:40:26.079 --> 00:40:28.480 Um, I feel like there was one other thing I was gonna say on that. 00:40:28.639 --> 00:40:30.400 Oh, this verse has been guiding us. 00:40:30.559 --> 00:40:32.079 I wanted to give you guys this as we go. 00:40:32.320 --> 00:40:33.519 Please pray this over us. 00:40:33.679 --> 00:40:35.519 We had Psalm 43 kind of earlier. 00:40:35.679 --> 00:40:38.880 Right now, Psalm 37 has been really operating in our family. 00:40:39.199 --> 00:40:42.079 Trust in the Lord and do good. 00:40:42.719 --> 00:40:46.480 Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 00:40:46.800 --> 00:40:48.719 That is what we desire. 00:40:48.960 --> 00:41:00.480 So would you pray with us that we would dwell in the land, in the city of Portland, and befriend faithfulness, and then that we would delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of our heart. 00:41:00.639 --> 00:41:08.400 Kind of our plan and what we would love your prayers for is that we would dwell in the land, befriend faithfulness, and delight in the Lord. 00:41:08.639 --> 00:41:12.960 Then he'll give us the desires, he'll give us the vision, he'll give us kind of the way forward. 00:41:13.119 --> 00:41:17.360 But if you could pray that psalm with us as a family, it would mean a ton. 00:41:17.679 --> 00:41:18.320 Absolutely. 00:41:18.480 --> 00:41:19.760 We'd love to pray for you. 00:41:19.840 --> 00:41:32.400 And something said last service, and we'll say it again, is um the thing that I get excited about is we're not losing you. 00:41:32.800 --> 00:41:34.320 We're sending you. 00:41:34.719 --> 00:41:45.119 And we've watched Portland and people we know and uh that are no longer in pastoral positions and churches that were once thriving, that are struggling. 00:41:45.280 --> 00:41:52.800 Um, it desperately needs great pastors, great leaders in great churches. 00:41:53.119 --> 00:41:58.000 And the thing that I am so grateful for is you're a great leader. 00:41:58.159 --> 00:42:01.519 You're a great pastor, uh great teacher. 00:42:01.760 --> 00:42:09.599 And uh, you know, we've talked a lot over the years of wanting to lead a church and God's placing that desire on your heart. 00:42:09.679 --> 00:42:14.320 And I just I get excited because you're going to be a great lead pastor. 00:42:14.480 --> 00:42:20.000 Uh, God's gifted you, He's given you such incredible uh mind and heart. 00:42:20.639 --> 00:42:24.159 And the marrying of those two is such a beautiful thing. 00:42:24.400 --> 00:42:36.400 And so we want to bless you and send you uh to be a light and to build his kingdom uh and his church uh in the Portland area. 00:42:36.559 --> 00:42:48.719 So would you mind standing with us as we pray and just reach out your hand if you feel comfortable doing that as I pray over Chris? 00:42:49.920 --> 00:43:02.639 Heavenly Father, we thank you for the Knife family, we thank you for what a blessing uh they are to our community, what a joy and a delight uh that we get these seasons. 00:43:03.280 --> 00:43:04.960 We're just grateful for that. 00:43:05.280 --> 00:43:12.320 Grateful that we get seasons in our our lives to be with um just incredible people. 00:43:12.480 --> 00:43:15.679 And God, we thank you that you are sending them. 00:43:16.559 --> 00:43:24.719 You're sending them to a place that needs great pastors, great Christians, great churches, and you have equipped them. 00:43:26.320 --> 00:43:30.719 And God, you've put family there to empower them. 00:43:31.599 --> 00:43:34.000 And so, God, we bless their family. 00:43:34.320 --> 00:43:51.599 God, we bless Allie and her workplace, that she would be a light uh and you would use this as just a time of flourishing after years and years and years of hard work and uh tirelessly uh training to be a season of flourishing for her. 00:43:51.920 --> 00:43:56.320 God, we bless Jude as he gets to grow up and be close to his grandparents. 00:43:56.480 --> 00:44:00.079 What a joy! And have cousins and just bless him. 00:44:00.320 --> 00:44:05.119 God, may he come to know you at a young age and walk with you all the days of his life. 00:44:05.280 --> 00:44:23.760 God, we bless their family with protection in this season, that you would guard their hearts and their minds and uh just homes and all the decision that they're doing and moving, that you would just go ahead of it, guard them from just any quick responses or tired responses that could come out of this, God. 00:44:24.000 --> 00:44:40.639 God, we bless Chris in this moment, a season to um pause to catch your vision, catch your heart, exactly what you're doing and where you're working and what you're calling him to. 00:44:40.719 --> 00:44:57.840 Would you give him deep and profound vision and show him exactly the next step and how you long to use his life and continue to use his life to advance your kingdom in Jesus' name and all God's people send. 00:44:58.159 --> 00:44:58.800 Amen. 00:44:58.960 --> 00:44:59.440 Amen. 00:44:59.679 --> 00:45:00.719 Thanks, guys. 00:45:01.760 --> 00:45:04.079 We hope you are blessed by this message. 00:45:04.239 --> 00:45:08.639 Please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded. 00:45:08.800 --> 00:45:10.960 And hey, we'd love to connect with you. 00:45:11.119 --> 00:45:17.039 Take a next step by filling out our virtual connection card at awakeningchurch.com slash card.