WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:04.000 I gotta say, I have loved the last five weeks here at his hands. 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:08.560 Justin has done an incredible job of talking about the essentials of life. 00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:21.920 And it's we live in a society that has so many pieces, moving pieces that are distracting, that oftentimes we miss the essentials that are gonna bring us significance and fulfillment and joy. 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:31.199 And in my life right now, I see his hands, this place, this gathering of believers, in case you haven't heard me here before, this is my therapy session, okay? 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:37.679 Getting to just be unplugged and real and honest and being candid and transparent right now. 00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:41.200 I'm in a bit of a transitional period of my life. 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:46.000 I'm in my early 50s and it just some unsettledness in my heart. 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:47.759 And I'm like, God, what is it? 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:48.799 What is it gonna be? 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:59.039 And and the last time I've been through the circumstances I'm going through right now, God had a major change in my life, and I'm like, okay, Lord, I kind of feel like maybe a mom when the contractions start. 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:01.679 I know something's coming, but I don't know what it's gonna look like. 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:04.480 And uh, and that's the way I feel right now. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:08.159 And on top of that, circumstantially, I am OCD. 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:17.519 I love order and I love things to be consistent, and nothing in my life is consistent right now, and that drives me crazy. 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:21.680 Out of my three kids, out of my four kids, three of them will be at a different school next year. 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:24.239 Two of them will be out of town, one out of state. 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:41.519 I will have a middle schooler, a high schooler, and two in college, and all the thrills that that that just entails, and my roof, my roof on my house needs to be replaced, and a car needs to be replaced, and I'm adding all this up and going, uh, and it's just it's one of those times where I'm like, Lord help. 00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:50.400 And what I need in that time is I don't need fluff, and I don't need gadgets and bells and whistles, I need the essentials. 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:54.959 And I'll give you one example of one of the changes that's happened, and I know this is sick, okay? 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:57.840 I know I am demented, but I enjoy doing laundry. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:01:59.280 That is one of my jams. 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:02.159 I just throw on a ball game and do laundry. 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:08.719 Something about taking things that are stinky and dirty and making them clean, and it just makes me feel better, and it's instant gratification. 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:14.960 And and it and I know this is sick, but for Father's Day, I got a new dryer, and I was really excited about it. 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:33.360 But I got to tell you the background to it because we went about, oh gosh, it's gotta be eight years ago to get a new washer because our washer had stopped working, we had it fixed once, stopped working, and I go in and I'm very basic, and the guy's like, well, this one does all this, and it's the new fangle, and it's the the front load, and this load, and it does this. 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:37.039 And I'm like, okay, I want to put clothes in it with some soap. 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:39.360 It goes and it's clean. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:40.800 That's all I need. 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:43.680 And and finally he realized that's what I'm gonna get. 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:46.960 So he's like, okay, all right, well, you need to go ahead and get the set. 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:51.520 Go ahead and get the dryer, because it's only a matter of time before the dryer goes out, too. 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:56.159 Now that's an assumptive sale, and I was just like, well, I just need the washer. 00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:59.120 Well, you know, the dryer is gonna go out, it's just a matter of time. 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:02.319 I'm like, well, it's only a matter of time before the new one goes out, too. 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:03.439 So should I buy two? 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:04.800 Because it's gonna go out too. 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:07.120 I mean, I'm just getting the washer. 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:11.280 Eight years later, the dryer finally died. 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:19.199 So I made a good decision, but I got my new dryer, and we go in, and my youngest son goes with me and my wife, and he's like, Dad, look at this one. 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:25.360 Look at this, and it's got all these lights and all these functions and got double drawers and all this different piece on the dryer. 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:27.680 And he's like, Dad, this is awesome. 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:30.719 And I said, Yes, it looks awesome. 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:32.000 I said, But you know what? 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:33.120 Do you see the name on there? 00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:34.240 And I'm not gonna tell you the name. 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:40.479 It starts with an S, which I believe this particular brand in Korean S that Satan is basically it. 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:48.000 Because we bought a new refrigerator and a new microwave and a new dishwasher. 00:03:48.080 --> 00:03:56.639 And to make it all match, we got this particular brand, and I'm not gonna tell you what it is, but I said, you know, you know that that dishwasher there in our kitchen? 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:59.280 Yeah, I said, you know how cool it looks with all the buttons and everything? 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:01.199 I said, you know the only thing it doesn't do? 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:02.400 Wash dishes. 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:04.639 That's the only thing it doesn't do. 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:07.840 Because you can punch it and it doesn't matter how you do it. 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:13.360 It either runs continuously, stuck on one cycle and never changes, or you gotta manually open it. 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:14.960 It's it's a pain in the tail. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:16.000 It's just not worth it. 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:17.839 I just wash it with one of the little rags. 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:20.399 I wash all the dishes because it doesn't work. 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:23.279 See, what I need is just the essentials. 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:33.839 And we go in, I done my research online, and I found my brand, the one that lasted eight years longer than anything else, and I found it, and I found the basic one, and we go in and I'm going to get it. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.600 And it's white and it is generic, and it's got two buttons. 00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:39.920 You turn it and start. 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:44.480 And it goes around and gets warm and clothes dry. 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:46.160 That's what I want. 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:48.720 And I got that in those essentials. 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:52.319 Those essentials, that's simple, don't get distracted. 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:57.839 Our world is so distracted that we miss the essentials that we've been going over the last five weeks. 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:00.000 And I want to show this morning some symmetry. 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:08.560 Some symmetry of Ephesians 2, where Justin's been, and one of my favorite, favorite chapters in the Old Testament, Psalm 23. 00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:14.879 And these simple verses that show how those essentials are throughout Scripture. 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:18.079 It's part of what God longs for us to experience. 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:23.680 And in Psalm 23, I'll go ahead and read the first one and show you how they connect together. 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:26.399 It says, The Lord is my shepherd. 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:28.879 I have all that I need. 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:35.199 He lets me rest in green meadows, and he leads me beside peaceful streams. 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:37.279 I'm completely full. 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:40.480 That's the essential, one of the essentials that Justin talked about. 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:45.920 That being completely full, I love the very first part of that, and it really is the essential. 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:49.279 If I'm gonna be completely full, I have to make a decision. 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:52.800 And it's in the first part of that the Lord is my shepherd. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:56.639 I have to decide who is going to be God. 00:05:57.120 --> 00:05:58.639 Me or God. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:02.480 I have to decide who's gonna decide what is best and right. 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:08.720 The creator who created me says, I love you, I've got a plan for you, and I've prepared it ahead of time. 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:11.920 Or am I going to be the shepherd? 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:14.079 I'm not a sheep, I'm the shepherd. 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:14.800 I'm there. 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:25.360 I want to read a quick verse, and one of the greatest clarifiers of this is in the book of 1 John, where it says simply this, because the the core is I have to decide who's gonna decide what. 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:27.600 And one of the greatest areas is the area of sin. 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:34.879 Am I going to decide, I'm going to decide what is sin and what is not, or am I going to let God determine what it is? 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:45.360 And and there's this common thought, and we've all thought it at some point, but the Bible's very clear it says, all have sinned. 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:52.959 Now I either agree with that and agree that God says that and what's sin, or I say, no, I'm going to decide what's right and wrong. 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:56.639 And here's what he says in 1 John chapter 1, verse 8. 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:05.600 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:15.120 In verse 10, it says, if we claim that we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word has no place in our lives. 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:21.519 So if I'm going to be the one who defines what sin is and what that is, then I'm on my own. 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:27.279 Or I can choose God's economy and say, You're the shepherd and you're my shepherd. 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:31.199 And in verse 9, it gives in the middle of those two, it gives this beautiful verse. 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:34.639 If we agree, in other words, we confess our sin. 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:36.240 You know what, God? 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:37.839 I did that. 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:41.439 And I have messed up, and I'm doing that. 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:50.800 He says, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:53.279 I have that fundamental choice. 00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:58.560 Now here's the reality of what the enemy would want us to think. 00:07:58.879 --> 00:07:59.680 You know what? 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:00.959 That's natural. 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:04.480 You naturally feel that way, look that way, feel that way, do that way, whatever. 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:05.600 Well, I can tell you this. 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:09.279 I've naturally sinned on more than one occasion. 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:10.639 It comes natural. 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:13.279 I didn't have to try, it just came natural. 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:16.560 And I believe that we're born with that choice, and God gave it to us. 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:19.519 Now we can see in this illustration a shepherd. 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:22.560 Lord, you're the shepherd of the sheep going, well, I'm not gonna follow you anymore. 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:23.360 You know what? 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:24.720 I'm not a sheep. 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:25.759 I'm not a sheep. 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:27.360 I don't identify as sheep. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:28.800 I am a bear. 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:30.879 I'm a bear, I'm not a sheep. 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:37.039 And that little sheep goes off and finds a doctor that says, We're gonna inject you with bear hormones so you can be a bear. 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:38.960 It does not change the sheep. 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:42.799 It may be a weird-looking sheep at that point, but it's still a sheep. 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:44.480 Now, see, here's the tragedy. 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:45.840 That sheep goes, you know what? 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:47.279 You guys are all a bunch of freaks. 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:48.639 You're following that guy. 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:50.000 I am a bear. 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:57.440 I'm gonna do my own thing, I'm gonna go my own way, and I am a bear, and that sheep has deceived itself. 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:03.360 And as Jesus says in John 10, the enemy comes to steal and rob and destroy. 00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:08.080 When that sheep decides to go on his own, you know who's really excited about that? 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:09.360 A wolf. 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:12.720 And that sheep is now destroyed. 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:15.120 And it's deceiving ourselves. 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:18.559 But if we embrace and say, okay, God, you did create me. 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:22.000 You are my shepherd, look at what he gives. 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:29.360 He says he lit, he literally lets me rest in green meadows, and he leads me beside peaceful streams. 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:31.039 In other words, he's providing. 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:33.279 I can find complete fullness. 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:36.080 I become who I was meant to be. 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:39.919 And he reveals that to me if I will embrace that essential. 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:42.399 Another essential is in verse 3. 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:44.799 He renews my strength. 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:50.639 He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:52.159 He guides me. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:57.279 In other words, and the essential that Justin gave us was that he gives me spiritual eyes. 00:09:57.519 --> 00:10:00.799 I see the way he longs me to see. 00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:08.080 When I seek him and I follow him, then I start to see my world with his eyes. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:10.159 I can come to him with my reality. 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:12.480 Here's my problems, but here's the deal. 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:14.720 I've got to come with to him with that. 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:18.240 Seek his word, seek him, realize he's with me in this. 00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:24.480 One of the best examples I can give you, and this is one of my favorites, I met a gentleman, professional golfer years ago. 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:26.960 He made it a little bit on the PGA tour. 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:29.200 He played in Europe and Asia and all over the world. 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:30.000 He won the U.S. 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:31.679 Public Links, played in the Masters. 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:32.639 He's a great guy. 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:35.440 I'll call him Ralph, because that was his name. 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:39.919 And Ralph, Ralph is one of the funniest people I've ever met. 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:42.879 And on his ascent in golf, now let me ask you this real quick. 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:45.039 I got to get a feel for how many details I need to share. 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:47.919 How many of you have played or know golf? 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:49.600 Okay, just average or above. 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:50.000 Okay. 00:10:50.159 --> 00:10:52.639 For those of you who don't, you're going to get the illustration anyway. 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:56.399 But Ralph was playing in the mini tour, trying to get his tour card. 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:59.360 He's playing in a tournament and he was winning. 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:08.799 Jack Nicholas, okay, for those of you don't know golf, Jack Nicholas is probably one of the, if not the most successful golfer of all time. 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:09.360 Okay? 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:22.879 His son was playing in the mini tour, and the rumor was that if he made the cut that weekend, then Jack Nicholas, the famous great golfer, was going to come and caddy for his son. 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:25.039 And he made the cut. 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:29.120 And he and Ralph were one and two in the tournament, which means they were going to play together. 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:34.639 He said, Ken, I walked up to the T on Saturday, and there's Jack Nicholas. 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:36.960 He says, I was in awe. 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:41.600 And he's carrying his son's bag, and he's like, This is unbelievable. 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:43.919 He said, I couldn't concentrate the first holes. 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:48.799 All I could think about was Jack Nicholas is here and he's watching me play golf. 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:56.960 And he says that now, if you watch, even for a moment, when they get on the green where they're using the putters, they'll mark their ball and take their ball up. 00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:58.799 They're allowed to clean it once they get on the green. 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:12.320 And he said, I was sitting there lining my putt up, holding my ball, when I thought my caddy walked behind me and he took my ball, and then I glanced over, and Jack Nicholas had taken his ball and was cleaning his ball. 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:15.360 And he said, I could not concentrate on the putt. 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:19.919 I'm thinking, the greatest golfer ever is cleaning my golf ball right now. 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:23.120 And I asked him if he really did this together, and I really did. 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:24.720 He said he walked back and gave it to me. 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:26.480 And he as he got about three steps away. 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:27.759 He said, Hey, Jack. 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:29.919 And Jack Nicholas turned and goes, Yeah, Ralph. 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:33.279 He goes, You missed the spot and tossed him the ball back. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:36.480 I said, You did that to Jack Nicholas. 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:37.840 He goes, I know, right? 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:42.159 And he said, We finished the round and I will never forget it. 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:43.759 He says, but I'm headed to my car. 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:47.440 He said, Now, Ken, afterwards, we'll go to the range and play and work on something. 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:52.000 But then we go to our car, we eat, or you know, there's not a lot of media, there's no people there. 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:53.759 And he says, I hear my name. 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:54.639 I thought my name. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:58.159 He says, from the other side of the parking like, hey Ralph, Ralph. 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:00.720 He's like, Who's I don't know anybody in this town? 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:06.159 He says, I turn around, and there's Jack Nicholas jogging towards me. 00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:09.679 Ralph, hey, Ralph, have you got a minute? 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:13.600 And he was like, No, I really got to get to Burger King. 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:17.360 I gotta make him before I'm like, Yeah, I got a minute. 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:19.519 And he says, Jack Nicholas came home. 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:22.399 He says, Ralph, you played an incredible round today. 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:26.159 He says, I watched your swing, and there's a couple parts of your game. 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:29.039 I noticed a couple pieces that I might be able to help with. 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:30.960 Can I share those with you? 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:33.120 Yeah. 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:37.360 And he said, Jack Nicholas sat there and told me a couple things. 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:39.039 He says, What do you think I did with that? 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:42.799 Man, the next day that's all I could think about was that's what I need to do. 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:53.519 And then he turned a corner and he says, Ken, isn't it amazing that the God of the universe, the creator of everything, wants to meet with us every day? 00:13:53.840 --> 00:13:56.799 And how many times do we go, you know what, Lord, I'm really busy. 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:00.559 I got a full day, maybe I'll catch you later a little bit. 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:08.720 When all he wants us to do is to get incredibly real and show us the right path on where we are. 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:12.480 And how many of us take the time to go, Lord, here's my day? 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:16.240 I got too much, I can't get it all done, I'm overwhelmed. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:17.759 Lord, help. 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:22.559 And if we do that, God starts giving us peace and perspective and power. 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:24.480 That's what he longs to do. 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:35.440 It's the essential of spiritual eyes to see the way he sees it with the priorities that is planned for us, but we have to choose to accept that essential. 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:48.240 In verse 4 is probably my favorite of all of these, and he says, even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close by me, beside me. 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:52.960 Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:59.600 Not only is God there, he is intimately there to help and protect. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:02.399 I looked up the rod and the staff part. 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:07.279 The rod was a a wooden hard piece of hard wood. 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:13.440 And that was for him to literally, if a predator came, a wolf or something, they got real accurate with throwing that. 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:15.840 They'd just knock them silly and they'd run away. 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:18.799 The staff is that long rod with the hook on it. 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:22.720 So the sheep started getting off, they go, hey, and they'd tap them on it with it. 00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:26.960 But if they got really off, they'd throw the hook around them and they'd drag them back with it. 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:29.360 It's God's protection and his guidance. 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:30.559 He longs to do that. 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:48.480 But the word that makes the best impact on my life that I long for the most is that when we acknowledge God's presence, his mighty power, that essential of his mighty power with us, that's where it all changes. 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:55.360 And I love the first part of that where he says, even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. 00:15:55.919 --> 00:16:09.039 And I just want to share with those of you who are like me that when I'm overwhelmed and I start feeling that fear of I don't have enough, I'm not gonna make it, I'm not, I can't, I don't, I won't. 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:12.960 At that point, I don't know if I've heard this acronym here. 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:16.960 I don't know if Justin shared it, but the have you ever heard of the acronym of fear? 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:18.399 If you have, great. 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:19.759 If you haven't, write it down. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:23.759 Fear, false evidence appearing real. 00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:30.720 And when we get in God's presence, that light disperses that false evidence. 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:34.320 Yes, it's real, but it is not powerful. 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:37.519 Yes, it may be overwhelming, but I am bigger than that. 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:41.679 I've heard the phrase, don't tell God about your problems, tell your problems about God. 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:44.320 Because when he shows up, it's over. 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:49.840 And when we embrace that, we have this power, that with, there's something powerful about with. 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:51.600 There's two parts to this. 00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:56.879 I got to just share this really cool experience I had with one of my sons. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:00.320 He's at a camp this summer for 10 weeks. 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:03.360 He's he's at a sports Christian camp. 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:07.759 He's doing soccer and outdoor rec and mountain, just having a blast. 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:09.039 And he is in his element. 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:14.079 He's like, God, I've never, he said, Dad, I've never grown closer to God than I'm doing this summer. 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:17.440 The beginning of the summer was 10 weeks, and my wife was fretting about it. 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:20.319 And he says, you know, they make you take a week off in the middle. 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:25.759 And I said, Cody, is there any way you can ask them to take off the 4th of July week? 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:29.839 That's our big family reunion with my wife's family, and everybody's there. 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:32.079 And he said, I'll ask, and he called back. 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:33.440 This has been four months ago. 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:36.079 He's like, Dad, I didn't have to ask. 00:17:36.160 --> 00:17:38.240 That's the week they they make me take off. 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:39.440 I'm like, dude, that's incredible. 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:40.720 I got a great idea. 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:42.160 Don't tell mom. 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:43.920 Don't tell mom. 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:50.640 Dude, can you imagine you just showing up at the beach with all the family there? 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:52.960 And it worked so great. 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:56.000 Because she started fretting about three months ago. 00:17:56.079 --> 00:17:57.279 She was like, oh my goodness. 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:02.400 She goes, Do you realize this will be the first year that we can't get a family picture? 00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:06.319 She goes, Our boys are getting older, and this is just what's ahead. 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:08.880 And then, I mean, every couple weeks she'd bring it up again. 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:11.599 About three weeks ago, she was like, I'm just sad. 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:12.559 I'm like, what's wrong? 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:15.359 She goes, Well, just Cody's not gonna be at the beach. 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:18.319 And I'm like, I don't want to talk about it, it's gonna make me cry. 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:20.559 And she was just like, I know, me too. 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:22.559 And we just set her up. 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:25.920 It could not have worked out more perfectly. 00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:28.640 We get there and we're there on Friday. 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:31.920 He's flying in Saturday, and I just I was so excited. 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:33.440 Actually, he flew in on Sunday. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:37.519 We got there Saturday, her family shows up, everybody's there except for Cody. 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:42.720 And I remember telling her, hey, you know what, we're gonna go see if we found this new smoothie place or something. 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:45.119 And and it's an hour to Pensacola and back. 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:45.839 So we drive there. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:50.559 My oldest son and my nephew went with me to kind of cover it, and sure enough, we pick him up on the way back. 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:53.599 We stopped and got the pizzas for everybody for dinner that night. 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:56.400 And I told Cody, I said, I want you to wait right outside the door. 00:18:56.559 --> 00:19:00.559 When you see me hear me say Coke Zero, I want you to walk in. 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:04.640 And so me and Graham and Palmer, my nephew, walk in. 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:06.559 We got the pizzas, everybody there, everybody's hugging. 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:09.599 Man, it's so great to see everybody, and oh, it's so good to see you. 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:12.319 And and somebody even said it, they said, Oh, it's just a bummer. 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:13.200 Cody's not here. 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:18.160 And my wife, I saw it in the corner of my eye, just exhale. 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:19.599 And I said, You know what? 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:21.279 We get in our big circle to pray. 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:22.640 I said, Oh my goodness. 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:25.440 I said, Heather, I my wife loves Coke Zero. 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:29.039 I said, Hey, um, I got you Coke Zero, but I forgot it in the car. 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:32.319 I'll go get it in a minute, but uh, I got you Coke Zero. 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:34.240 And she goes, Oh, let's just pray. 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:38.319 And the door opens, and Cody walks in, he's like, I got Coke Zero. 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:42.000 And I wish you could see the look on her face. 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:45.920 She just went, Coke. 00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:53.279 And to see him just open his arms and see her just bury her head in his chest. 00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:56.720 It was just there's something about being with. 00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:03.519 There's just something about that, and that is the intimacy that God wants us to have with him daily. 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:05.039 Get with me. 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:06.319 I'm here. 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:10.000 Embrace it, be with me in this. 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:14.319 And that with, I was out in Colorado. 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:19.200 He had a couple days off, and I extended my stay so I could be with him. 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:23.200 And the day before we got together, I just, Lord, what can what can I do? 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:24.880 I want to make this special. 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:28.799 And I've got this time with my son, and I believe this is the way God works. 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:38.160 When we come to him with our hopes and fears and excitement, he just gives us ideas, and sure enough, I thought, you know what, he's transitioning into manhood. 00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:40.160 He's going away to college next year. 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:42.640 And you know what, Lord, I what can I do? 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:45.119 And this thing, it came to my heart, my mind. 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:47.039 We both love to play disc golf. 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:52.880 And so I got on the internet and they've got multiple disc golf courses all over Denver, and I'm like, we're gonna play disc golf. 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:56.160 And I said, Lord, but I want to give him something. 00:20:56.319 --> 00:20:59.920 I want to do something memorable, and this is one of the most memorable ever. 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:03.440 It will literally go down epically in my heart and mind. 00:21:03.599 --> 00:21:08.640 God laid on my heart, Ken, I've got a little book that I keep and I write verses as they become meaningful. 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:11.039 He said, This is what came on my heart. 00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:16.000 Ken, what were the verses that you go back to over and over and over in your life? 00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:20.720 Which ones have fundamentally changed the trajectory of your life? 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:23.759 And you ought to just write those down and give them to them. 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:31.599 And I got a little booklet from one of the stores, I mean, just a few pages, and I started writing down a few verses and I kept going. 00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:36.640 I spent almost the entire day before we got together just writing down verses. 00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:39.599 Ended up writing down over 77 verses. 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:41.839 And in the back, I wrote some psalms. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:43.519 I'm like, this is amazing. 00:21:43.599 --> 00:21:47.279 So I pick him up, we go to a Rockies game, we go to dinner, he's telling me about everything. 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:50.000 He's like, Dad, what do we go do for our day tomorrow? 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:52.160 I said, Dude, I got a great idea. 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:53.680 I love disc golf. 00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:56.640 I looked, there's like 10 courses around here. 00:21:56.880 --> 00:21:59.599 I thought we would try to play a hundred holes. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.720 Of disc golf in one day. 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:04.640 And he's like, I'm in. 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:06.240 And I'm like, right on. 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:09.039 We eat breakfast and we're headed to the first course. 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:12.559 I said, Cody, I had an idea while we're playing. 00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:27.279 I said, in my life, I know I've told you stories about my life and those forks in the road, but I started to write down and think about what were the verses, what were the truths that I've come back to so many times, I've just memorized them. 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:30.400 And I decided I would write those down. 00:22:30.559 --> 00:22:34.720 And I thought I'd put them in a book, and this is a book of those verses. 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:44.000 And I thought maybe every two or three holes we'd read a verse and I'd tell you the story and the situations and the failures and the frustrations and the changes and the decisions. 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:46.400 He's like, that would be awesome. 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:50.720 We spent 11 hours playing 104 holes of disc golf. 00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:55.119 My right arm fell off my body twice, and I had to put it back on. 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:03.680 And we read verses and we told stories and we talked and we shared, and it will go down as one of the best days of my life. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:10.240 It is because of a prompting of God to walk with Him and say, God, will you give me your eyes? 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:13.359 Will you show me where you have been full in my life? 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:16.319 And will you let me experience your power? 00:23:16.640 --> 00:23:18.880 And I'm experiencing that. 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:25.119 In verse 5, it says this you prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:28.079 You honor me by anointing my head with oil. 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:31.200 My cup overflows with blessing. 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:35.920 God gives us this confidence. 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:37.839 He gives confidence. 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:40.000 The world will tell us that we're crazy. 00:23:40.160 --> 00:23:43.279 The world will tell us all manner of insanity. 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:50.400 And I don't know if you've noticed, but our world is becoming insane and belligerent and arrogant and aggressive. 00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:53.920 And God says, you choose my side. 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:57.680 I'm going to prepare a feast for you in the presence of your enemies. 00:23:57.920 --> 00:24:03.279 And I'm going to let your cup overflow with significance and fulfillment and abundance and joy. 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:04.720 And I'm going to do that. 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:08.319 The transition I can best describe is a physical way. 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:10.960 How many of you have been to the beach in the last 12 months? 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:11.839 Raise your hand. 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:12.480 All right. 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:15.920 You know what my favorite feeling at the beach is? 00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:19.279 And you let me know if you agree with this. 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:21.759 Three days we spent the whole day at the beach. 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:22.720 It's very hot. 00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:23.759 It's very humid. 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:25.839 We go out, we're in the sand. 00:24:26.079 --> 00:24:37.759 I put on the sunscreen and we're sweating and it gets in my eyes, and it's then we go swim in the surf and it's it's salt all over you, then sweat, then salt, then sweat, then gunk, then sand. 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:40.160 And by the end of the day, we've had a good time. 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:43.359 But does anybody else just feel gross at that point? 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:55.920 My favorite feeling in the world is to take that grossness and go in and take a shower and clean clothes and air conditioning. 00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:00.559 I've never felt more clean. 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:05.359 I've been as clean, but that contrast is just how amazingly clean it is. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:12.000 And in God's economy, this confidence of hope, it takes my transition. 00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:14.319 It takes my overwhelming. 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:18.079 It takes all of those components and circumstances. 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:21.680 And it just lets me know I got this. 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:28.480 I am completely confident in God's presence that this is gonna work out. 00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:37.759 He's gonna work everything for my good, even my failure, even my frustration and shortfall, because I love him and I keep coming back to him. 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:43.920 And when we do that, we realize how magnificent he is. 00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:55.759 Instead of trying to redefine sin and justify and rationalize and change to be God, we just bask in the God who says, I will take your sin. 00:25:56.240 --> 00:26:09.599 And when you agree with me that it is sin, and you just confess it, as he says in Psalm 103, 12, I will cast it as far as the east is from the west, and you'll never see it again. 00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:15.200 And you can live in my righteousness, and let me build you up in who I created you to be. 00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:19.440