WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:12.960 Last week when Justin spoke about exponential happiness, the reason I actually called him in the car was because it really spoke to me, because we are made in such a way that happiness is something that's actually God has made us to be happy. 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:15.119 He didn't make us just to exist. 00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:16.559 He actually made us to be happy. 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:19.440 And there's and there's ways that that's actually proven out. 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:22.879 He he worked on it from a mathematical standpoint last week. 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.600 I'm going to look at it a little bit differently if I can this morning. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:31.760 As he mentioned, I'm in the business world like many of you, and I work for IBM, and I'm in a sales organization. 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:35.359 And so if I could, by show of hands, how many of you in the room are in sales? 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:38.320 You'd raise your hand to proudly say you're in sales, okay? 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:40.000 Everyone else is looking at you, right? 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:40.560 Sales. 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:44.640 How many of you are in a relationship, married, dating? 00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:46.320 How many of you have kids? 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:47.920 How many of you have parents? 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:50.079 You're all in sales, okay? 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:59.439 Every one of us, I mean, every one of us is in this sales mode where we're sales is really just about moving people, moving people from one thing to another. 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:01.520 Teachers, God bless you, teachers. 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:06.000 You know, you're about moving children from one idea or one thought to another, you're bringing them up. 00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:15.120 Sales is an interesting thing, and I spend a lot of time studying sales and studying the way people interact with one another and the way they do things, the decisions that they make. 00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:20.959 And there's a guy, Jeffrey Gittermer, he wrote a book, he writes many books, but one of them is a little red book of selling. 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:28.079 But in one of the things I heard him say once, he said, you know, we make decisions with our heart and then we justify them with our mind. 00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:33.599 Um his extension to that is if you pull on the heart, the wallet will pop out. 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:36.319 How many of you have small children? 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:37.359 Small children? 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:39.920 How many deals do they close? 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:40.799 Okay? 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:42.640 They close them all, right? 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:47.200 Because they know exactly how to pull on that heart string and the wallet just tends to pop out all the time. 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:50.239 This is something that we as children understand. 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:54.079 We understand that we have wiring, that we have things going on in our heads. 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:58.079 And even though that context talks about the heart and the brain, it's happening in our mind. 00:01:58.319 --> 00:02:02.879 Things are happening in our head that cause us to react to things and to do certain things. 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:05.599 Um, in fact, it's amazing the way we're made. 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:10.240 It says in uh Psalm 139, I thank you, High God, your breathtaking. 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:13.680 Body and soul, I'm marvelously made. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:15.360 I worship and adoration. 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:16.719 What a creation. 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:28.560 If we I mean, I'm amazed at how we're made up and how God has uniquely provided us with what we need in order to fulfill his will, which is to love him and love others. 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:37.520 Now there's a gentleman, Simon Sinek, and I don't know if any of you are aware of him, but he speaks a lot about business and he talks about relationships and leadership and those types of things. 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:42.240 And he has a YouTube video and a talk where he says, he talks about how why leaders eat last. 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:49.919 And any of you who've seen that or will see that, you'll notice that a lot of what I'm going to be speaking of today came from that because I was impressed by some of the things he said. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:58.560 Now, he was saying it on behalf of business people and of workers, and God just impressed upon me that we as Christians and what our what what he's done for us. 00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:03.039 And so um, again, if if if you see that, you'll you'll see that there's some benefit here. 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:06.800 Now, he speaks of what actually happens in our heads. 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:18.960 Now, I don't know if we have neuroscientists in the room, if and I'm and I apologize ahead of time if we do, because I'm gonna take a topic of chemicals and some of the brain chemicals that we have and and speak to them at a very high level. 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:21.439 Um I hope I'm accurate in what I'm about to say. 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:24.879 It takes a lot from what he said and some of the readings that I've done. 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:30.960 But he speaks to us about these chemical processes that happen in our brain when certain things happen. 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:34.479 And some of these things, again, this is God ordained stuff. 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:38.159 So the first chemical I want to take a look at is dopamine. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:40.800 Oh, excuse me, endorphins. 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:41.919 Endorphins. 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:44.080 This is the this is the one that masks pain. 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:49.599 How many of you, some of you, I'm gonna Don't you hate it when seekers keep asking you to raise their hand? 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:50.560 I apologize. 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:52.479 Some of us are runners, I'm not. 00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:56.240 I my running is like I run to the store and I run here and I run there, but that's all the running. 00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:57.759 I I run to go get something to eat. 00:03:57.840 --> 00:03:59.120 You know, that's what I run for. 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:01.520 Um you can tell, right? 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:19.120 So some of you are probably runners, and you may run long distances and marathons and so forth, and and we all know that there's a certain point in which you get to a point to where your muscles are just drained and you need a little something extra, and endorphins actually kick in to mask over the pain that your body's actually feeling, allowing you to finish the race or to finish the course. 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:21.680 It's interesting because it's called the runner's high, right? 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:23.519 It kind of gives you this uplifting feeling. 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:31.199 Now, later on, those endorphins will wear off and you'll start to feel the pain of your run and maybe even some damage that you may have done by pushing yourself so hard. 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:36.879 But endorphins is one of those chemicals that allows you to overcome things, to overcome things just because of pain. 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:39.120 And God's given us that for a reason. 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:41.920 Another chemical that he's given us is dopamine. 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:50.079 Now, dopamine is for just getting things done, for doing extraordinary things, or doing things that are maybe ordinary, but just getting them done. 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:56.560 Um there are there are many people who live by lists, doing things on lists. 00:04:56.720 --> 00:05:06.560 Um whether you know this or not, if you create a list of things to do, then as you do them and check them off, you get a little dopamine rush. 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:10.480 Okay, you may or may not be aware of it, but you actually get a little feeling of accomplishment. 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:17.120 In fact, putting things down on a list actually gives you part a little bit of a high because you're intending to do them, and then later on you check them off. 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:20.959 Now, there are three types of people, I might believe there are three types of people in the world. 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:23.680 There's those of the who really love lists. 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:27.360 There's those people who got some list people. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:31.360 Thank God you're here, because otherwise we won't get anything done. 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:35.199 Because there's a second type of people, and that's the people who hate lists. 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:37.680 You know, don't confine me to a list. 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:41.839 And then there's a I can't remember the third type. 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:44.000 I think it's those who can't remember lists. 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:47.759 Um I I think I've fallen in that category, okay? 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:53.680 But it's it's actually dopamine, God's given us that so that we can prepare and plan ahead of time. 00:05:53.839 --> 00:06:00.240 In fact, it's said that, you know, not now so much, but if you were hungry, you could walk across the street, you go down to polo loco, you grab something to eat, right? 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:01.040 It's real easy. 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:03.839 But several hundred years ago, you would have had to plan ahead. 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:05.600 You'd have had to basically create a list. 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:09.040 We need to plant this, we need to harvest this, we need, and then we'll get to eat. 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:10.480 So dopamine helps us get done. 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:13.279 So those who are list takers, thank you very much for being there. 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:18.079 My wife happens to be a list person, especially when it comes to groceries. 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:20.319 All right, she'll send me to the store. 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:22.800 She knows our neighborhood publics, like the back of her hand. 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:26.000 They remodeled it recently and it turned us into a whole mess. 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:34.160 But but she knows publics really well, so so much so she'll take a list and give it to me, and it'll be an order of how I walk through the store. 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:36.399 With coupons laid out. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:37.120 Right? 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:40.240 It's marvelous, okay? 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:41.759 And I love that about her. 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:43.120 I love the fact that we have this list. 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:49.759 And so when we go grocery shopping, because I'm not one to just wander around, we go to grocery shopping, she goes with a plan and a purpose, and she has this list. 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:55.920 Well, she had a list one time, it was a handwritten list that she had uh accumulated over the course of a couple of days, and we kept writing things on it. 00:06:56.079 --> 00:07:00.240 And so we're going through the store, and she has this list, and then she's putting things in, she's checking things off. 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:06.879 And and I was observing her because I knew this material that you know she was getting a little dopamine hit every time she put things in the basket. 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:08.879 And it makes her happier, right? 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:10.480 So that's and that's all good. 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:13.360 So she's going down this aisle and there's a condiment section, right? 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:15.279 And she looks up and she sees mayonnaise. 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:19.360 Now we need mayonnaise, but she didn't have it on her list. 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:20.560 So what did she do? 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:24.079 She reached up and grabbed the mayonnaise and put it in her basket and list people. 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:24.959 What did she do? 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:27.920 She wrote it down on a list and checked it off, right? 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:33.360 I watched her to see if she'd do it, and she did it. 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:36.079 And I called her on it, and she said, Look, this is just the way I work. 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:40.639 And I'm thinking, thank God you work this way, because otherwise, I mean, I come back with four things that don't match. 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:42.480 She comes back with what we need to live. 00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:45.759 So I appreciate the list takers and I appreciate people like that. 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:53.680 The thing about dopamine and endorphins is they're both chemicals that you can do on your own. 00:07:53.920 --> 00:08:03.759 You can go out and have a run, you can go out and accomplish something, you can go out and do these things and just get that high, and it doesn't require you actually to be involved with anyone else. 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:05.360 It's kind of a solitary thing. 00:08:05.519 --> 00:08:10.079 And the problem with these types of chemicals is when they wear off, you feel lacking. 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:12.000 You feel like you need to go do it again. 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:22.079 And when they wear off, you still, there's a feeling of I'm still missing something because they don't give you what God wants you to have, which is interaction with others and relationships and other things. 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.920 And these two chemicals by themselves can be very addictive. 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:27.360 Okay? 00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:32.559 I work with people who are very list driven, and all they're concerned about is getting the list done. 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:45.840 And when sometimes when I when I encounter these types of people, and I'm not accusing anyone in the room of being that type of person, but when I encounter sometimes these people, they will be so focused on getting something done that they don't mind the people around them. 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:47.679 They don't look at what the impact's gonna be. 00:08:47.759 --> 00:08:51.279 They don't have their heads up because they're so involved with just checking things off. 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:56.480 And then when they check things off, they just move on to the next thing, not thinking of would you did what I do really matter? 00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:58.639 Because I just got to get the next thing done. 00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:02.639 This addictive quality of those two chemicals can actually be harmful. 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:16.799 And it's actually shown that things like real addictions that we think of on a normal basis, and tree, please, I'm not someone who deals with addictions or deals with people with addictions, but gambling and alcoholism and drug use and all those things, there's a bit of dopamine that's involved in that because you just want to get that next thing. 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:20.159 That's why we call it the runner's high when we talk about the dopamine and endorphins. 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:21.840 It gives you a bit of a high. 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:23.840 So be careful, these are two chemicals. 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:30.559 Now, God, in his mercy and as a creator, would not have just put those two chemicals in our brain and said, have at it. 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:31.039 Okay? 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:35.759 In fact, if you think about a lot of religions, a lot of religions are based on these things. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:37.360 Are you masking the pain? 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:39.679 You may be feeling pain, but just mask over it. 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:41.600 And are you actually getting things done? 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:44.399 It's a checklist, yes or no, do or don't. 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:47.360 And that's unfortunate because God, that's not what God wants us to do. 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:49.200 God wants us to focus on other things. 00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:52.080 There's other chemicals for us to be engaged with. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:54.879 Serotonin is one of those chemicals. 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:56.399 These are the good chemicals. 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:59.200 These are the things that make us human. 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:06.399 Serotonin is one of those things that, again, it requires other people because the act of serotonin is the act of service. 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:17.120 It's the thing that floods through the fireman that runs into the burning building or the fire the uh police officer or law enforcement person who runs toward the gunfire while the rest of us are running away. 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:20.480 It's this idea of self-sacrifice. 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:27.200 And when I think of serotonin, the image that comes in mind is the image of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:29.759 I think of how self-serving that was. 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:35.200 How much it took for him to actually do that, to actually give up his life for us. 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:44.240 And it's something we we think of, that's that's something I do, but it really takes this serotonin, it really takes this chemical, this leadership chemical that's in us to actually make this happen. 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:54.799 John 15, the very best way of love, put your life on the line for your friends. 00:10:56.639 --> 00:11:00.240 If you'll forgive me for a minute, I'm gonna take a little tangent for dads. 00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:04.159 Okay, this is for dads and fathers in the audience. 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:19.039 What I'm about to tell you, you can leave this place, or you can even now on your phone, go look up this article on this, and you will find a number of articles and a number of findings and a number of books and talks and so forth that's contrary to what I'm about to tell you. 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:25.360 But when Christ was here, he called his disciples together and he said this. 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:27.679 He sat them down and summoned the twelve. 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:31.679 So you want to be first place, then take last place, be servant of all. 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:33.360 And he was talking to men. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:46.480 I have the Lord's kind of laid on me a concern about what I'm hearing people profess and dads profess primarily as me time. 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:48.799 I need some me time. 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:52.799 Now I know our women just got back from a retreat sacred. 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:58.720 And at that retreat, I'm sure they talked about how you need to get away at times to have some time alone with the Lord. 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:00.240 Men, I'm all for that. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:01.759 You need to have that time with the Lord. 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:06.159 You need to have that time in which you can actually think and dwell on what the Lord has for you. 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:16.080 But if you have children, especially small children, especially little ones that are looking up to you, do that before they wake up in the morning, do that after they go to bed at night. 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:20.399 If that child is available to you, it's them time. 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:21.759 It's them time, okay? 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:24.799 It's time for you to be on point, to be on service. 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:44.639 Um, I was conc I just we just had a family uh vacation in Savannah, and I was with my father, and he reminded just being with him reminded me, and I was thinking of this, I can never remember that man ever coming to me as a kid and saying, I know Lewis, we could spend some time together, but right now I've got to go off and have some me time. 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:46.480 Right? 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:50.000 Now he worked two jobs, and he was gone a lot when he was working. 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:52.960 But even as a kid, I looked at that and I knew that was sacrifice. 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:55.200 And when we were together, sometimes there was work to do. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:57.679 There was leaves to rake or grass to cut or whatever. 00:12:57.840 --> 00:12:59.200 That was us time. 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:02.720 I mean, and I look back and I wouldn't trade a minute of that. 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:15.759 But guys, I want you to think about self-sacrifice because by the way, those little ones right now, they're gonna grow up, they're gonna find friends of their own, interests of their own, they're gonna go off and get married, then you can have all the me time you want. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:17.840 All right, but for now, get on point. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:23.039 You guys need to be leaders, and you need to be in your homes helping your kids, and they're supporting your wife. 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:25.840 Now, I'm sorry for that tangent, I'll get back to something else. 00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:31.200 Those are all those are all women clapping, okay? 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:46.240 There's another chemical, and this is the chemical that I want us to focus on, because this is the chemical that I think God put in us specifically so that He expects us to be self-sacrificing. 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:50.480 He expects us to have that serotonin in our system and be leaders and self-sacrificing. 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:52.639 But some of us may say, well, that's not my character. 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:57.600 My character is not one of being up front, my character is not one of getting out in front of people and leading. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:00.799 Every one of us has the opportunity to express this chemical. 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:02.080 This is oxytocin. 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:08.879 Oxytocin is the chemical that's in our brain that allows us to have intimate relationships, allows us to build relationships with one another. 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:14.000 It's trust, it's that one that builds just a connection with people, okay? 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:15.360 Oxytocin. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:32.480 Um, if if you were to watch someone drop some groceries on the ground, you were walking around the street and someone dropped some groceries on the on the ground and they fell out of their bags and you stepped and helped them put the groceries back in their bag, the act of you doing that actually gives you a little hit of oxytocin. 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:33.840 It gives you a little rush. 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:38.559 You feel good about it, you feel better about yourself, you feel just feel better because of having done that. 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:42.799 Last week Justin talked about exponential happiness. 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:46.799 Whether you know it or not, the person whom you helped, they have that same feeling. 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:49.600 They get that same feeling being helped. 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:58.320 And the the part of this that grows is anyone who observes that act of kindness gets that same hit, that same rush. 00:14:59.279 --> 00:15:05.840 That's why when we're on our phones and we see something on Facebook, we see a video of someone doing something extraordinary and kind, it actually makes us feel good. 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:07.039 And what's the first thing we do? 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:07.759 We share it. 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:09.360 We want other people to feel that. 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:13.279 We are creatures who are made to live with oxytocin. 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:17.759 Oxytocin is one of those things that is beneficial for several reasons. 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:23.120 One of the things about oxytocin, God doesn't create anything that doesn't have a balance to it. 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:25.919 Everything is a balance, He never goes one way or the other. 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:31.279 And yes, we have these things like endorphins and dopamine that's that's addictive and so forth. 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:32.159 Guess what? 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:35.519 Oxytocin fights addiction. 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:37.120 Okay? 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:45.840 If you happen to have a problem with addiction, think about how you can serve others and how you can boost your own oxytocin levels and how that might help you. 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:51.200 Oxytocin helps inhibit things like your, I mean, it helps bring up build up things like your immunity system. 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:54.559 It helps make you immune to things, it builds up creativity. 00:15:54.799 --> 00:16:01.600 Imagine if the people around you, if you were to serve them and do things for them and they were getting this oxytocin, imagine what they could do. 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:02.799 Imagine what you could do. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:14.080 Okay, oxytocin is an incredible, incredible chemical that God has put in our brains and put in our bodies and given us as believers the opportunity to leverage and to use. 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:23.919 In early April, I was off at a conference in New York City, and I flew back that evening. 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:32.399 And um, when I got home, my wife and I, we were in in the house, and she reminded me that Thursday's trash day, and that the trash cans needed to go out to the street. 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:38.879 So I ran outside, it was a light rain to grab the trash cans, and as I rounded my back steps, I slipped. 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:43.279 And when I slipped and fell, something happened to my left knee. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:47.360 Um I could not, it was one of those I've fallen and can't get up moments, okay? 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:50.399 I was just laying there with the mud on me and I couldn't get up. 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:54.080 And I wasn't sure what had happened, but it was it would hurt. 00:16:54.320 --> 00:17:02.399 But and then I tried to get up and I couldn't get up, and so I thought, well, if I hit the car hard enough, the alarm will sound because I didn't have my phone with me, I couldn't call her. 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:04.480 And then I realized I'll just drag myself up. 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:07.680 So I drug myself up some back steps to the door, rang the doorbell. 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:10.240 She comes to me, it's like, what's wrong? 00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:15.119 Uh my her parents, my in-laws, um, father, mother, he comes and helps. 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:20.480 They bit me up in a chair, clean the mud off, and realized there's something wrong with your knee, something wrong with your leg. 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:21.680 Let's take you to the emergency room. 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:24.799 So they get me to the car, go to the emergency room at Kennestone. 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:33.519 At Kennestone Hospital, they did some tests, and then they they discovered that I had a quadricept tendon rupture. 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:47.119 Now, I didn't know what that was, but basically what that is is you have a quadricep muscle, this thigh muscle here, and it's connected to your kneecap and to the lower part of your leg in such a way that there's a big tendon there, so allowing you to lift your leg and move your leg around and so forth. 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:50.480 That tendon had been torn completely, it was gone. 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:53.039 Uh so my leg was just doing this, right? 00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:55.279 Not a good thing. 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:56.000 All right. 00:17:56.319 --> 00:18:07.519 So they they gave me a brace, a leg brace, and gave me crutches, and the guy at the emergency room, this was late at night, gave me, said, said, go home, um, call your orthopedic surgeon, it's repairable. 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:13.759 Um, they'll schedule a surgery for you probably within the next couple of weeks, you know, whatever you can schedule in, and just go off and do that. 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:19.839 Now, I get into the car, and in my head, you know, I'm one of the I'm one of these guys that problem solvers. 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:21.519 I've got things to do, I'm busy. 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:27.200 And so I'm thinking, well, next week I actually have to be back in New York to do an event, and um I can do this. 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:30.240 I mean, I have crutches, I have a brace, I've seen people go through the airport. 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:31.599 People travel like this all the time. 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:32.480 I can do this. 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:36.400 My wife driving is thinking a little less of my ability to do it, right? 00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:38.559 She's a little not so sure. 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:41.759 But we get home, she rushes up to the door to unlock the door. 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:44.480 It's a side side entrance with a couple of steps. 00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:50.640 I'm going up the steps with my crutches, and crutch slips, I'm on my good leg, but it collapses. 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:52.319 Ah, right. 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:54.880 And I crumble just down in a heap. 00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:57.359 I tear up the the handrail. 00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:00.720 I'm laying there, she's going, he's fallen again. 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:03.680 You know, and I hear my father-in-law coming up, you know, what happened? 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:04.640 And he, well, he's down again. 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:05.359 They look out now. 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:08.960 Here I am in this laying on this on these steps. 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:25.279 But I'm laying there, looking up, and it's still raining, and the floodlight's on, so it's dark, but I see raindrops coming down and hitting me on the face, and I I verbally spoke out loud and said, Okay, God, you have my attention. 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:26.160 All right. 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:29.599 This it was one of those moments where it's like, I am done. 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:32.240 There's I can't do anything, I can't move. 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:34.480 I there's no way for me to get out of this. 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:36.319 And it's gonna be you, Lord. 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:42.079 So, anyway, we pulled myself up on those steps or up on the porch, and I scooted myself around. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:45.200 I should tell you, my bedroom, second floor. 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:54.160 Get to the steps, you know, butt up each each step, you know, get to the floor, scoot across the carpet, get to the bed. 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:59.200 My elderly father-in-law and my wife do the best to get my torso as far as they can up on the bed. 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:00.319 I climb into bed and lay down. 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:02.880 I should mention too, I'm under pain medicine. 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:07.200 So I could be wrong in some of these details, but that's the best I can remember. 00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:14.400 So I get in the bed and I don't know if I've hurt my knee or what, I don't know what's going on, but I just lay there and had have a decent night's sleep. 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:18.160 The next morning I wake up and I'm gonna test this guy out, right? 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:25.119 So my braces on, crutches on, sit on the side of the bed, my wife's standing there watching to see how I do. 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:29.359 I came off the bed and it was like Pinocchio with the strings cut. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:31.200 It was just on the floor again. 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:33.519 He's fallen again, you know. 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:37.839 Because downstairs they just hear this big clump, and I'm laying there on the floor face down. 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:46.640 And and at that point, I just say, you know, okay, let's let's just call an ambulance, let's get this thing over with and get some firefighters in here, whatever you need. 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:53.839 But I but again, solving in my head, I'm thinking, I got up the stairs, I can get down the stairs so they don't have to take me so far, so I go back and scooch down the stairs. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:59.759 I'm sitting at the bottom of the stairs when the firefighters in the ambulance arrive, and they they take me down the last couple steps out to the hospital. 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:06.319 So you can imagine the surprise of the emergency room workers when I show up yet six hours later and they're going left, right leg, what right leg? 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:06.720 What is it? 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:07.519 I thought it was left leg. 00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:08.559 No, it's the right leg. 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:13.759 They do the they do the inspection, quadricept tendon rupture, right leg. 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:14.240 Okay? 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:21.200 It's called now, it's called a bilateral quadricept tendon rupture, um, which I'm proud to say um happens very, very rarely. 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:27.519 It usually happens at the same time from people doing things like jumping out of buildings or parachutes not opening or X games kind of thing. 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:31.519 You know, not from slipping and falling, getting trash cans and slipping off of crutches. 00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:37.440 And the fact that it happened hours from one another and not at the same time was almost medical journalist worthy. 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:40.400 But they're telling me you're the most unlucky guy in the world. 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:42.559 Gosh. 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:48.160 What they didn't know was because of that, because I'm useless at this point, they immediately admitted me in the hospital. 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:50.720 I had surgery the following day, and now I'm on my way to recovery. 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:51.839 Okay, so that's great. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:22:01.759 The other thing that I think back now and think of God's provision is I think I hurt the first one, I hurt this one on the first fall, but if I had not re-entered, Injured it immediately, they would have fixed this one. 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:04.960 I would have been in therapy doing all that, and then this one would have hurt, and then I'd gone through recovery. 00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:08.319 So I went through recovery of both twice at the same time, which was beautiful. 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:11.759 I'm now able to walk, stairs are still an issue, and there's some other things. 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:26.000 But when they return me home, lights blazing, firefighters, and everything, they take this gurney and this big blanket that looks like a burrito and wrap me in it and drag me around through my house and into the bed and get me up in the bed, and I lay in my bed and I'm kind of here. 00:22:26.160 --> 00:22:29.519 And then I realize I'm here for five to six weeks. 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:32.160 I've got braces on my legs, I can't move them. 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:34.720 The best I can do is I have a walker to get around in. 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:37.119 There's things that have to be done. 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:45.359 I should note that in the time that this happened, my wife and I were in the middle of a home construction project. 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:49.200 I'm one of those do-it-yourselfers. 00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:49.839 Okay? 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:52.000 That's our downstairs area. 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:54.079 That's our back door, by the way. 00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:57.920 Um, my dad was one that, you know, if you want to do something, just get to it. 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:00.160 So I do constru I do anything. 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:01.839 So I'm at this point. 00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:06.640 Um, there's no tile on the floor, there's saws and stuff all through the house in the bottom stairs. 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:15.119 Um, there's a door, and I've got sheetrock off, I've got plumbing that I've done, I've done some electrical work, but there's still a lot of work that has to be done. 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:20.480 And here I am laying up in the bed thinking, I can't bend my legs for five weeks. 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:25.440 It's gonna be 12 weeks before I'm actually walking around without aid, and then it's gonna be a while after that. 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:28.079 I can't, I mean, I still have problems kneeling down and getting up. 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:29.599 I have to kind of plan things ahead of time. 00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:32.559 If I'm gonna kneel down, there better be a chair nearby or something to get up. 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:35.440 Those of you who are young, you don't have to worry about this. 00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:38.799 But when you get older, you begin looking ahead and saying, what curb do I have to deal with? 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:39.279 You know? 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:40.880 That's where I'm at right now. 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:43.839 And I'm thinking to myself, I've got this, and this is in April. 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:47.839 This is before you know family starts coming over for summer, and we start having kids. 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:52.559 It's like this, and by the way, ladies, do you want this to be the room you want to entertain in? 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:53.279 Right? 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:57.920 And so I begin thinking with my wife and praying, Lord, we I don't know. 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:02.559 I don't know a carpenter, I don't know a plumber, I don't know an electric, I have no idea what these things cost. 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:05.920 I never use them, so what's going to happen? 00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:08.720 I'm at a loss. 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:12.319 Is Juan Reyes in the room? 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:14.079 Does Juan happen to be here? 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:15.279 He may not be here. 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:25.359 Justin came to me and said, Lewis, knowing the predicament, he said, Lewis, I've mentioned you to Juan Reyes, and Juan has a construction team. 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:29.200 And Juan's sending his team over and they're going to take care of it. 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:30.640 Okay? 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:34.000 All right, give Juan applause, please. 00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:46.720 As someone who's used to taking care of things, to be laying there knowing I can't do anything, and having God provide Juan and his team to come over, and they did just a marvelous job. 00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:48.000 That's what it you look like? 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:49.519 That's what it looks like now. 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:50.079 Okay. 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:53.599 Highly recommend Juan for any work. 00:24:55.839 --> 00:25:04.240 But I can't tell you the oxytocin rush that I got and just the comfort that I felt by someone extending themselves and saying, Look, I'm gonna take care of this for you. 00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:05.440 I'm gonna do this for you. 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:14.240 And I will tell you, every time I pass that doorway when I come down the stairs, I think of Juan, and it gives me a little rush. 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:26.319 There are things, and little things, that's a big thing, but there are little things that you can do as a believer, as someone who works alongside someone else, someone who interacts with someone else at your school or at daycare or whatever. 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:36.799 There's things that you can do that will just be impactful and meaningful to people, and it'll give them that, it'll give them that little oxytocin push, that little bit of health and happiness. 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:41.359 The interesting thing about oxytocin is that it builds up over time. 00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:46.000 You can't just do the one big sacrificial thing once a year and call it done. 00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:46.559 Okay? 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:48.960 You need to keep doing it over and over again. 00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:52.000 This church is an oxytocin-rich church. 00:25:52.160 --> 00:25:56.480 One of the things about oxytocin is touch, shaking hands, hugging people. 00:25:56.720 --> 00:26:01.279 I can tell you, especially if you're new here, I don't know what happened from the time you left the car. 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:09.359 But for me, when you leave the car, by the time you get in here, you have been hugged, smiled at, hand shook, who knows what has happened. 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:13.359 And if you haven't experienced that, it's probably because you came in looking unhuggable. 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:14.160 All right? 00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:19.359 So my encouragement to you is if you want to get in on this, come in the door and grab somebody and hug them, okay? 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:21.039 It won't matter, people will love it. 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:27.279 But we are we touch people, we we hug on people, we embrace people, we come alongside people. 00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:28.480 That's what we do. 00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:30.799 Okay, that's that's what we do here at this church. 00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:32.640 That's what you should do as a believer. 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:41.759 So as we look at this week, as we look at what we're going to do, and turning this back somewhat to business, in business, there is a term called the ROI. 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:49.440 If I'm going to invest time or energy or resources in something, I'm going to be concerned about the ROI. 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:52.799 The ROI for business is the return on my investment. 00:26:53.039 --> 00:26:54.079 How soon am I going to get it? 00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:58.160 If I put$1,000 towards something, when am I going to get that$1,000 back from benefits? 00:26:58.240 --> 00:26:59.440 And I want to get it back soon. 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:00.640 The ROI. 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:04.079 I want us as a church to think of ROI differently. 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:07.920 I want us to remember oxytocin's impact. 00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:13.920 I want you to remember what impact that you have on people just by showing acts of kindness. 00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:20.400 And that act of kindness brings happiness not just to you, but to the people to whom you serve, as well as to the people around you. 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:23.200 I'm a man in your neighborhood. 00:27:23.359 --> 00:27:25.119 I'm driving off away from my home. 00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:27.279 Maybe I'm going off for some me time. 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:33.839 And I see you, young man, in your yard with your kids playing and being kind to them. 00:27:34.079 --> 00:27:36.640 Whether you know that or not, I'm going to feel that. 00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:37.759 I'm going to see that. 00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:39.200 And I'm going to want more of that. 00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:44.720 And even though I go and I do my dopamine thing, I get things done, I get my endorsement, I come back and I don't feel fulfilled. 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:45.039 Why? 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:47.279 Because I didn't do that relationship thing. 00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:55.039 Challenge one another, build relationships, build trust, build this connection with people in a way that God intended us to do. 00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:59.359 And don't just focus on getting things done or just masking pain. 00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:06.000 Focus on being a leader, focus on helping others in a way that it matters, that actually is actually meaningful. 00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:06.480 Okay? 00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:08.799 So let's pray. 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:12.400 Father, I want to thank you so much for this church. 00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:15.759 And when I say this church, I'm not talking about the building, I'm talking about the believers. 00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:17.279 I'm looking at faces, Lord. 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:19.039