WEBVTT 00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:04.160 Thanks for listening to the His Hands Church podcast. 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:12.800 If you're using the His Hands Church mobile app, please turn off the auto lock on your phone's general settings so that you can listen to the message uninterrupted. 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:16.239 And thank you for being part of what God is doing at His Hands. 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:21.519 I'm loving the bluegrass uh worship. 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:27.679 Even though worship's always uh great, one of the highlights of my week. 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:37.520 Um and we got one great song we're gonna sing to end the morning that uh will be the perfect uh uh uh song to to leave on, I guess. 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:40.399 We're Susan, are you coming over? 00:00:41.439 --> 00:00:45.759 The um lost my train of thought because of my beautiful bride. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:50.159 But uh um I know, welcome. 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:52.000 It's nice having everyone back. 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:58.479 You know, we had some of us traveling on spring break and just to all be back together uh is uh is great. 00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:01.200 We got a lot of uh stuff coming up. 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:07.120 Um we talked about briefly uh last Sunday, uh, but on May 5th is Baptism Sunday. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:12.480 It's such a uh great day and uh memorable for so many of us. 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:20.400 Uh we do baptisms a couple times each year, uh every now and then uh a different time, but generally speaking, in May and November. 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:24.079 And so more than 50 of us have gotten baptized every single time. 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:27.280 And it's just an exciting uh day. 00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:34.000 The Holy Spirit moves, there's just so much uh joy, and you know, it's just baptism is a very cool thing. 00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:39.359 It's something Jesus did that we get to do the exact same uh thing, really the exact same way. 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:40.959 And it's a statement. 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:44.000 You know, it's uh it's not a ritual, it's just a statement. 00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:48.879 I'm all in, you know, Jesus, you and I, we're gonna spend um our lives together. 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:51.519 You know, we cheer and and uh it's just a blast. 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:59.840 You can ask someone else, someone uh a believer that's meaningful in your life, if you you'd like them to baptize you, uh that's always uh great. 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:05.040 Or I or Susan or Justin or anyone uh would be thrilled uh as well. 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:11.280 If you want to know more about baptism uh at the info desk, first of all, you could sign up if you know you want to be baptized. 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:16.400 If you just want to know more, there's a uh message CD called uh All In. 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:21.759 Those are free, and you can just grab one and listen to it and just learn more about baptism. 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:25.360 The next Sunday is uh Mother's Day. 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:29.199 I'm distracting him. 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:31.280 She she always distracts me. 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:37.680 But just uh anyway, so Mother's Day is the next uh what does that mean? 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:39.120 Next Sunday. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:46.639 And uh and so that'll be great because we have just so many great moms here, and not just you know, uh physical moms. 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:54.240 We we've got great moms, I guess you'd call spiritual moms, who have just uh taken so many of us under their wings and and loved us and and helped us. 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:56.800 So we'll get to celebrate that, but then Tommy Newberry will be back. 00:02:56.879 --> 00:03:01.360 We're doing 40 days to a joy-filled life, and that'll be uh just toward the end. 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:13.439 We'll have like three or four days left, and so Tommy's gonna speak and and not just kind of wrap things up, but really give us a track uh to have just meaningful joy as a mark of our life for the rest of our lives. 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:21.120 And so that'll be uh May 12th, May 19th is the very next Sunday is blessed the bikes, and that's always a blast. 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:45.840 We've got a great motorcycle group, and we've got a lot a lot of us that ride and friends that ride, and so um on that day we'll ride in and we'll just have a regular Sunday, and then afterwards we'll have food and we'll have music and uh we'll have a bit of a bike show, and uh, but mostly we'll get to pray and just bless, really pray for the safety and blessings of everyone that rides, but also just blessings for everyone that's there. 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:48.080 And so that's uh May 19th. 00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:50.159 Wanted to mention giving real quick. 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:55.280 Um, you know, we don't pass a plate if uh if you're new here, there's giving stations in the back. 00:03:55.439 --> 00:04:00.719 We can give uh online uh the the app, the his hands app. 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:08.560 There's over 500 of us using the His Hands app now, and it's just really a great way to communicate prayer requests and and uh what's going on and all that. 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:10.719 But there's a giving part on that too. 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:21.920 Um but we decided, you know, as a group, we're doing something kind of special this year, and and that's there's three ministries in the area that we're taking 15% of our collective giving and sharing it uh with them. 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:30.800 It's Papa's Pantry, which is a uh a ministry that feeds the hungry, but then also does job training, and so they uh can become self-sufficient. 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:38.959 There's the Hope Center, uh and that's uh works with moms and their babies and uh that are in crisis uh pregnancy situations. 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:47.600 And then the Cherokee Center for Family Violence, which just does a great work for women and their kids who are in abusive situations. 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:56.639 So from our giving uh from March, we were able to send each of them a check for just under$4,000 um for this month. 00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:11.040 And it means so much uh to them, just just encouraging that we'd want to be involved, but also we're gonna make a a real difference uh with our giving too. 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.759 So thank you very much for your generosity. 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:17.920 And now a special announcement from Susan. 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:19.360 It's always scared, okay. 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:22.240 She's moving in, she's setting up shot, Greg go, I'm moving the stand. 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:23.279 It's a little scary. 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:24.160 It's a little scary. 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:25.360 Don't take up all my time. 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:25.920 Look at the time. 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:26.639 1038. 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:27.360 Okay, we are good. 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:28.560 I have two minutes. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:30.000 I think I can talk really fast. 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:31.600 So I just wanted to share something. 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:37.040 So so who here has ever walked through the front doors and gotten a hug? 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:40.639 How about a giant big smile? 00:05:41.839 --> 00:05:48.160 How about a now this is important, a sincere and authentic, I guess you would say. 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:50.399 Um, I am so happy to see you. 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:51.680 I am so glad you were here. 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:53.199 Okay, how does that feel? 00:05:55.360 --> 00:06:00.079 Okay, so that is like I really think they should be called something else, but they're the welcome team. 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:02.639 That's way too generic for what they do because they really aren't. 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:06.000 So okay, Joanna, she leads that welcome team, so she's already helping. 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:09.680 Um I should I think they should be called the Love Squad. 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:16.319 Okay, but that name is already taken by the awesome loving people that take meals to people when they're sick. 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:18.000 So, okay, they got to keep the name. 00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:24.319 But actually, I'm looking around at these people that come every week, because you know, this is a volunteer church, we all know that. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:32.480 And um, and I'm looking around at, you know, there's Chuck back there at people seating people, people running the tech stuff. 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:33.839 There's even people missing out. 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:36.160 They're in the back running the lyrics in the videos. 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:41.120 There are awesome loving people watching our kids back there in his kids in nursery. 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:42.720 There's people over there praying for people. 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:46.079 I mean, everybody that helps out here could be the love squad, really. 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:47.680 I mean, so so anyway. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:50.480 Okay, so I want to share a couple verses. 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:51.839 Oh, he moved it back down. 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:55.040 All right, he's got better eyesight than I do. 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:57.040 I'm like, whoa, whoa, I can't see them. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:03.600 Okay, so um, and these are a couple, actually, both of our favorite verses, and it's in Ephesians 5. 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:06.560 And here's what they say: watch what God does, and then you do it. 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:09.519 Like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:13.120 Mostly what God does is love you. 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:15.759 Not a big list of rules and regulations. 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:17.920 Mostly what God does is love you. 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:21.360 Keep company with him and learn a life of love. 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:23.920 Observe how Christ loved us. 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:28.480 His love was not cautious but extravagant. 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:35.680 He didn't love in order to get something from us, but to give everything of himself to us. 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:36.800 Love like that. 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:50.720 So the reason I'm even up here talking right now is because Joanna, who loves on and supports the welcome team love squad, we would like to invite any extravagant lovers in here to come be part of that. 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:55.519 But I know anybody who's usually an extravagant lover, they're kind of party animal types, you know what I'm saying? 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:58.720 And the attention span just is not there, okay? 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:03.439 Okay, so we have a meeting at 11:30 in classroom two. 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:04.639 Wait a minute. 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:07.120 A little party, excuse me. 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:09.279 It's not a meeting, it's a little party. 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:11.439 It's coffee cake and conversation. 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.959 It's even decorated, and there's music, coffee house music. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:18.879 So it's 20 minutes starting at 11:30. 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:27.360 And if you have if you want to come to that to check out what's going on with the welcome team and meet Joanna, meet me, I mean 20 minutes. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:27.920 That's it. 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:31.120 And and what we're looking for, I'll let I always call it the self-filter. 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:32.399 Here's what we're looking for. 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:35.279 We are all uniquely gifted. 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:37.440 We are all uniquely made by God. 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:40.080 We don't all have to do everything, okay? 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:56.639 But if you happen to be an extravagant lover type person, super warm, super loving, and you could commit to two Sundays a month from 9:30 to 10:15 doing extravagant love out there, then come to that meeting. 00:08:56.720 --> 00:09:06.159 And I encourage everybody who's already a part of the welcome team, because we are gonna make a small yet powerful team with 20 people to create that. 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:07.679 And and I'm super excited. 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:09.279 So who's who's excited? 00:09:09.519 --> 00:09:10.000 Yay! 00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:10.559 Okay. 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:12.480 So uh thank you in advance. 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:14.000 Did I did I miss anything? 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:16.399 That was fast. 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:17.279 I'm impressed. 00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:18.080 No, I'm just kidding. 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:20.240 Okay, you start. 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:22.080 Wait, wait a gold. 00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:29.840 Usually when Susan and I speak together, I get like five minutes at the very end. 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:33.519 So this is uh this is a big day for me. 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:36.879 Um so I want to want to pray. 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:51.039 You know, one of the cool things that uh really amazing thing that God does is is uh when we're together, the Holy Spirit uh teaches us and thankfully often translates what I may say uh to something meaningful. 00:09:51.200 --> 00:10:01.919 But but there's so many mornings I know that we leave and we're like, wow, that verse was just for me, or or that you know, something from the message, that was just for me, or I needed that this this morning. 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:04.240 So that's one thing that that we pray. 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:09.360 Um as we as we finish, uh I'm gonna read uh several verses. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:16.799 I'm gonna ask the Holy Spirit to give each of us one of them that we'll know that you know what, this is the the verse for me um this week. 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:18.240 And so we'll just ask for that. 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:19.919 Father, just praise you. 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:20.480 Thank you. 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:29.440 Thank you for being such a great um daddy, you know, for wanting us to call you Abba Father, Daddy Father, and for adopting us as your very own children. 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:37.840 And Holy Spirit, we do thank you for being our teacher and counselor and ask that you just give each of us something special from you uh today. 00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:44.799 And Jesus, we praise you for being our Savior and our brother and our friend and our Lord. 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:47.360 And uh this is our prayer in your name. 00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:48.240 Amen. 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:55.759 So if you've been gone or this is your first time here, we've been, well, Tommy Newberry wrote a book. 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:58.000 It's it's called uh the 4-8 principle. 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:08.639 And uh it's a book about Philippians 4-8 and just how to really apply that uh piece of God's word to um our lives. 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:26.799 And it says this summing it up, summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious, the best, not the worst, the beautiful, not the ugly, things to praise, not things to curse. 00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:31.519 Put into practice what you learned from me and what you heard and saw and realized. 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:37.840 Do that, and God who makes everything work together will work you into his most excellent harmonies. 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:45.440 And so Tommy uh followed that book up with a book called 40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life. 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:59.120 And um and it's just a way to a little bit each day kind of instill uh right thinking, I guess, and um as uh an outcome, joy into our lives. 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:04.879 And so he was here on April 7th, which uh which was really nice and kind of kicked kicked everything off. 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:10.639 And um, and then back last week talking about some of the the principles. 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:21.840 And we have uh books, we had um about 800, we've had 920 something books have been bought, and I'm sure there'll be more this morning. 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:24.559 So there'll be about a thousand of us doing this uh together. 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:32.320 To me, it's exciting and it helps keep me on track a little bit uh every morning, but it's just been wonderful um for me. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:41.440 And so those books we got at cost from the publisher, they're ten dollars, and so if you don't have one and want one, you can get one uh in the lobby as we leave. 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:48.960 If you can't afford one, just let them know and and uh and just uh take one because we want everybody um to be able to do it together. 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:55.840 And so we started on April 8th, some others started uh last Monday, and I'm sure there'll be some that start uh this Monday. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:56.799 That doesn't really matter. 00:12:56.879 --> 00:13:02.159 The point is that we've been able to do the um the 40 days. 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:08.960 And you know, the Jesus promises us an abundant life. 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:11.519 Uh He promises to give us rest. 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:17.759 Jesus uh it says was anointed with more joy than uh than anyone ever. 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:21.679 And as we follow him, uh that joy can be ours as well. 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:26.399 And it starts with with really connecting uh with God through Jesus. 00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:28.480 He came, Jesus came for a lot of reasons. 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:31.679 Um He came to show us what God's really like. 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:39.279 You know, for everyone that had thought that God's mean and angry and and ready to pounce, Jesus showed us exactly what God's like. 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:44.159 In fact, it says that he's the exact uh representation of our Father. 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:47.519 He showed us, he came and he showed us what love really looks like. 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:53.039 Um what it means to give yourself and to serve and to love. 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:57.279 Um and he also came so we could be reconnected with our Father. 00:13:57.440 --> 00:13:58.799 And it is such a simple thing. 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:03.840 Religion makes things so difficult, um, and God makes things so simple. 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:09.519 And so it's simply in our own words, in our own way, you know, saying, Jesus, I need you. 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:15.679 Jesus, I want you to be part of my life, Jesus, I want to follow you, whatever, whatever it is. 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:29.039 And one of the greatest truths in each of our lives individually is that we're all created in the image of God, which is really a profound thing and hard to totally understand. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:31.759 But part of that is that like God, we have a spirit. 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:39.200 And so when we put our faith in Jesus, our spirit comes alive and connects with God's spirit, and then he starts changing us. 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:41.679 You know, we can't change and then come to God. 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:47.279 It's God that starts uh changing us from the inside out. 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:56.879 And in that process, so much of that change, every now and then he'll zap us, which is uh cool and a lot easier and exciting when that happens. 00:14:57.120 --> 00:15:03.679 Um, but most of that change is uh changing the way we think. 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:14.799 In Romans 12, it says, Don't copy the behavior and the customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:20.960 Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:24.159 And so we're all in a process of uh change. 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:34.799 That's why none of us can have any pretense of having it all together, because we are in a lifelong process of God transforming us from the inside out. 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:44.480 And the thing about thinking, and we're talking about um, you know, thinking good and loving and pure and positive types of thought. 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:47.519 Uh that's easier for some of us than it is for others. 00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:51.519 You know, it's kind of how God does things. 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:53.200 It's like metabolism. 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:59.759 You know, some people can eat cake all day and you know, and and not gain a pound. 00:15:59.919 --> 00:16:03.600 Uh some of us look at a piece of cake and we gain three pounds. 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:06.480 And and so this is gonna be more of a struggle. 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:10.159 There's gonna be more resistance for some of us, and some of us it comes easier. 00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:18.799 Um, but it it's a process of learning to have really the mind of Christ to change uh the way that that we think. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:30.879 And so this past Thursday, Tommy and I got together and we kind of planned out the next four weeks, and we're gonna talk about really three principles, one each week. 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:36.720 And this this morning, uh it's a pretty simple um principle. 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:43.039 And you can kind of see the principle uh in the company Amazon. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:45.679 Does anybody use Amazon.com? 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:59.360 The prime members all raise their hand, but um it uh you know there's been different things that have just really changed um America in a way. 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:04.000 You know, uh Henry Ford and and uh and cars did. 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:18.160 Uh one of the biggest changes in the last century was uh when a man named Carrier invented the air conditioning air conditioner because it moved shifted a whole population down to the south where people can have lived comfortably before. 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:26.160 And then there's Microsoft and and Apple, and and Amazon has changed the face of retail um dramatically. 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:29.279 And other companies had done what Amazon did. 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:38.960 You probably remember like uh, I mean it could be a catalog, like Sears Catalog, or or it was uh Land's Ann or LL Bean where you could order um things online. 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:48.400 But but the big thing that Amazon did is they made it easy to re return an exchange. 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:50.480 Because it used to be such a hassle. 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:53.440 If you bought something, then it was the wrong color or the wrong size. 00:17:53.599 --> 00:17:55.200 I mean, it was a big deal. 00:17:55.359 --> 00:17:58.319 You had to figure out how to return it, you had to go somewhere to mail it. 00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:07.920 Um, but they put labels in, and all you had to do was slap, put it back in the box, slap on the label, they'd pick it up the next day, and it wouldn't cost you anything. 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:15.359 And that simple change really kind of re transformed the retail environment of America. 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:18.000 And God created us in his own image. 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:31.680 You know, he's got a lot more for each of us than than he does uh for a company like Amazon, but we can learn from them if we can just get good at making returns and exchanges. 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:41.920 In day 19 of uh 40 days to a joyful life, uh the topic is uh just exchange it, the joy of an easy return policy. 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:48.960 So we can get good at returning and exchanging, especially our thoughts. 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:52.240 You know, our first opportunity is to catch a negative thought. 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:54.000 And it's like, okay, that's negative. 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:55.759 I don't want to think that anymore. 00:18:55.920 --> 00:19:05.119 Um but the real opportunity, the big opportunity is to actually exchange that thought uh with the truth. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:16.160 Tommy calls this the law of exchange and says that we cannot effectively eliminate negative thoughts until we learn to exchange them with positive thoughts. 00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:21.039 And so last Monday morning, I'm getting up uh it it's pretty early. 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:25.039 I've got to leave uh before six to go to the airport. 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:26.160 I'm getting ready. 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:49.759 And the week before last week we had a big week at work, and it was really a pretty long week, and we had customers in all day Saturday, and then Sunday was a um was a busy day, and so now it's Monday morning, and I need to fly to Phoenix and get there for a meeting that starts at noon, and it's gonna go to 10 o'clock Phoenix time, which is one o'clock um our time. 00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:55.119 And so I got a cup of coffee and I'm like, man, this is really gonna be a long day. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:05.359 And but then because Tommy had focused on it the day before, I recognized that as kind of an eight-four thought, you know, the opposite of a four-eight thought. 00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:05.920 It was negative. 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:08.079 I thought, you know, that's kind of a negative thought. 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:17.599 And so I just tried to think of what kind of day it it it could be, you know, and all of a sudden I was thankful uh for the business opportunity that that I was flying out there for. 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:21.440 I was thankful that I was going to Phoenix, not Newark, you know. 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:32.640 And I was thankful that uh that I was flying out there with someone, uh one a business partner that I really enjoy being with. 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:38.559 You know, and and in those 30 seconds, my whole day changed. 00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:45.279 You know, the traffic was better than it would have seemed, the security line was shorter than it would have seemed. 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:50.720 And at the end of the day, I went to bed and I said, you know, that was a that was a pretty good day. 00:20:50.960 --> 00:21:03.359 And it happened because I just didn't catch a negative thought, you know, because I'm more aware, I was able to uh return that negative thought and exchange it um with a positive thought. 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:06.640 And that's true for all of us, you know, it's actually just true in life. 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:32.640 The greatest example I think is uh sports, and I probably notice it more because I like sports so much, but uh you know, in the NFL, if a field goal kicker misses the first field goal of the day, you just know there's a good chance they're gonna miss another one and it and it's not because they haven't kicked 10,000 field goals, it's because now they've got a negative thought in their head. 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:42.079 And they start thinking, you know, I don't want to pull this one, or I don't want to push this one, or I can't afford to miss another one, and then they do two or three um in a row, and it happens all the time. 00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:45.519 And the greatest kickers are the ones that have that thought, you know. 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:55.279 I hope I don't miss this one, immediately recognizes and exchanges that thought with, you know, I know I can make this fo goal, I've made 10,000 of them. 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.359 And uh and and that's the difference. 00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:59.759 The last week when Adam uh scared. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.079 Scott, one of the masters. 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:07.119 He had two super hard putts in a short period of time. 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:11.440 He seems like a really nice guy, so it was good to see him win. 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:17.440 But he had a putt on 18 that is almost never made. 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:22.319 It's been made a couple times, but a very difficult putt that he made. 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:27.359 And then in the second playoff hole to win, he made a putt that broke like a foot. 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:28.720 It was very difficult. 00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:33.839 And so he became the master's champion, which is one of the greatest accomplishments in all of sports. 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:40.640 And six months ago, Adam Scott was leading the British Open by three strokes with four holes to play. 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:47.599 And all he needed to do was par one of the holes to tie, or par two of the holes to win outright. 00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:54.559 And instead, he bogeied our all four holes, and Ernie Ells uh won instead. 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:58.480 And on those four holes, he had two very makeable putts. 00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:02.319 Um one was only three feet, and he missed them both, and he lost. 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:07.440 And so after he wins the Masters, you know, that type of thing shatters a lot of people in sports. 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:12.319 They don't can't recover from it because it's just so disappointing and so devastating. 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:23.599 Um they asked him about his putts to win the masters, and he said I only had um one thought, and that was just I was gonna show everyone how much I want to win this. 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:28.319 And so his thought wasn't really uh I I don't want to miss, or it wasn't I really want to make it. 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:38.559 But he on both putts, he said, the only thing, only thought in my head was I'm just gonna show everybody how much um I want to uh to win this. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:46.640 And uh, and you know, with that thought, he did what he needed to do and um and made the putt. 00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:50.000 And it's no different, I mean that's just sports. 00:23:50.319 --> 00:24:02.559 It's it's no different in um in life that if we can have strong minds and if we can uh have great thoughts, we can reach the potential. 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:10.559 I mean, not alone, but that's a key component in living the lives that uh God created us to live. 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:19.680 And so we're gonna talk about three uh types of thoughts just really quickly, and thoughts that we can return and thoughts that we can um exchange. 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:25.759 You know, negative thoughts about others uh is is a big one. 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:30.720 You know, in my marriage, I can think uh, you know, Susan's grumpy one day. 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:34.160 I can think, man, she Susan's really hard to get along with. 00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:46.960 Um and you know, if I embrace that thought, and that's my thought for 365 days in a row, how well are we gonna get along? 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:58.400 I mean, not but but but say if uh Susan was grumpy one day, and I thought, boy, she's really hard to get along with. 00:24:59.279 --> 00:25:11.119 But then I caught that and decided to return in exchange that thought um with something like, you know, she's God's daughter. 00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:13.039 You know, I love her. 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:15.359 There must be something troubling her. 00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:19.119 You know, maybe, maybe I can figure out a way to help. 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:28.480 Now, if I did that for 365 days in a row, you know, it's obvious that we would have a more loving, more life-giving uh relationship. 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:44.319 And and one of the antidotes for bad thoughts about others, negative thoughts, harmful thoughts, eight-four type of thoughts, one of the andotes is one is the characteristic that Jesus displayed the most often. 00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:46.400 And that's simply compassion. 00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:51.440 You know, it all the time with Jesus, you know, he had compassion. 00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:55.839 He was filled with compassion as he helped other people. 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:59.279 And so we can apply that and we can have compassion on others. 00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:08.720 You know, probably the the stereotypical example is when someone cuts us off in traffic, and it's stereotypical for good reason because it makes us mad. 00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:11.680 And um, and I'm not sure exactly what that is. 00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:17.759 I guess it's kind of disrespectful if we've got our family in the car, they've kind of put maybe them at risk a little bit. 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:26.640 And um and so it just makes us, you know, we might be thinking, oh, what a jerk, or you know, again, eight four type of thoughts. 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:30.400 Um but if we could apply a little compassion, because we really don't know the situation. 00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:32.960 You know, it might be that they're rushing to a hospital. 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:39.759 It might be that that someone was told that if they were ever late again, they were going to lose their job and they really had, you know, have that job. 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:46.720 But we just take us out of our situation and just apply some compassion um to whatever is going on. 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:54.799 And that's certainly most true in our homes with our kids, you know, at uh work, having compassion for people, even if they act poorly. 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:57.200 And so then our thoughts don't have to be negative. 00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:03.359 You know, they can be loving, that we can we can pray, we can hope the best, we can um see the best. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:17.440 You know, thoughts express negative thoughts about people can turn into negative talking about people, you know, because a lot of times our thoughts turn into um conversations. 00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:24.319 And it's probably the best example of how joy and our thinking are combined. 00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:31.839 Because when we have a negative conversation about someone, I mean, don't you just like feel worse and worse and worse? 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:42.799 You know, and even if it's true or it's in some sort of guise or honest honesty about trying to help someone, after a while you're like, hey, you know what, let's just talk about something else. 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:50.799 Because it literally drains the joy out of us when we have critical conversations about other people. 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:54.720 And it's not enough to just recognize it. 00:27:55.279 --> 00:28:02.319 Uh to really um have joy, we have to return in exchange. 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:04.720 You know that quickly the flip side's also true. 00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:17.680 I mean, if we have a positive conversation about someone, if we say, hey, did you know uh Jim and Bob and Ron went over and repaired Sally's house because she couldn't afford to have it done, we're gonna immediately feel more joy. 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:19.839 You know, but but the opposite's true. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:30.559 And so in a conversation that's not positive, and especially if it's about someone else, the the only way to return an exchange is to defend. 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:33.279 It's just to defend the person. 00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:44.160 You know, maybe someone says, um, you know, because typically if we don't like those type of conversations, and I definitely don't, you know, we might just ignore it and hope it stops or let people know we're not really interested. 00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:47.920 But the return and exchange policy would be to defend. 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:49.759 And so do you know so-and-so did whatever? 00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:55.359 And it's like, yeah, you know, I have uh, man, I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. 00:28:55.519 --> 00:29:08.480 Or, you know, when you live as long as I have, uh, you know, there's still you know a lot more information to every story, you know, or um, you know, they're really a great person. 00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:13.359 I hope God turns that to something really good in their life. 00:29:13.599 --> 00:29:19.440 And so that's the way we can uh return an exchange during conversations, is step up and defend. 00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:30.079 And uh when we do that three or four times, at least that same person's not going to be uh uh robbing our joy by sharing those um those thoughts with us. 00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:41.279 But the one I really wanted to talk about this morning, and it's probably the most important um thoughts, is uh the thoughts we have about ourselves. 00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:46.160 You know, speaking the truth to ourselves about ourselves. 00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:51.440 Solomon said in Proverbs that as we think in our hearts, so are we. 00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:57.920 And the way we think about ourselves often is what we become. 00:29:58.160 --> 00:30:02.319 You know, and so if we can get a hold of those thoughts, so here's the truth about you and me. 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:04.240 It's in 1 John 3. 00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:07.680 See how very much our Father loves us. 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:13.039 For he calls us his children, and that is what we are. 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:15.839 That's the truth about us. 00:30:16.559 --> 00:30:18.079 Look how much God loves us. 00:30:18.240 --> 00:30:19.279 Look how much God loves you. 00:30:19.359 --> 00:30:21.759 He's not given up on you, he's not mad at you. 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:31.359 He loves you so much so that he calls us his children, because that is what we are. 00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:34.079 But sometimes that's not how we talk to ourselves. 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:42.720 You know, in fact, I would say if we have 50,000 thoughts a day, we we could catch ourselves telling ourselves a lot of lies. 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:46.799 Um I'll give you an example, and it's kind of a sad example, it's about me. 00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:53.359 Um but uh so we've been his hands, we've been together now for a little bit over seven years. 00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:59.519 And before we started his hands, I had spoken at church sometimes, you know, for different things, but not very much. 00:30:59.920 --> 00:31:06.400 And I'm God created me a little uh introverted, so I've kind of had to try and work through that. 00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:14.960 And so on Sunday mornings, after I shared uh whatever I shared, I would beat myself up so bad. 00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:18.559 Because every week I forget one of my main points. 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:30.960 And um or I might go on a rant, especially at especially at the first, the first couple of years, I'd go on some rant and not express either the right thing or express it the right um way. 00:31:31.359 --> 00:31:35.279 And so every Sunday afternoon it was the same thing. 00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:37.200 It was like, you're an idiot. 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:39.440 Why can't you I mean, what's wrong with you? 00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:40.720 Why can't you remember what you're gonna say? 00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:42.559 You forgot your main point. 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:44.240 You probably ruined everybody's lives. 00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:47.920 No one's gonna be back next Sunday. 00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:54.559 And I mean, it was depressing for me, but torture for Susan. 00:31:54.799 --> 00:31:58.000 I mean, you can imagine how horrible that would be. 00:31:58.160 --> 00:32:09.759 And uh, but literally for for I mean she probably knows exactly, but the for three or four years it was like that every every Sunday afternoon. 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:17.359 And um, and so finally she couldn't stand it anymore and said, hey, you gotta just stop telling yourself lies and start telling yourself the truth. 00:32:17.440 --> 00:32:20.480 Because I would catch those thoughts and say, oh, that's not true or whatever. 00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:23.759 But what I didn't do is I didn't return an exchange. 00:32:24.160 --> 00:32:26.079 I just tried to stop the thought. 00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:39.759 And so I remember specifically going to Kroger after after church and and getting something for lunch, and I had forgot one of the really important things I wanted to share, and I'm like, you are such an idiot. 00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:43.039 And and I said, No, that's not true. 00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:44.640 I'm not an idiot. 00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:46.319 I am God's son. 00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:48.559 You know, he's proud of me. 00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:50.799 All I can do is is share my best. 00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:54.720 The Holy Spirit's gonna translate it and make it work out anyway. 00:32:55.759 --> 00:33:00.160 And and it took a while because I had gotten in the habit of having those kind of thoughts. 00:33:00.319 --> 00:33:04.000 But again, it wouldn't have been enough to just try and stop them. 00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:08.640 I had to return them and exchange them with what the truth is. 00:33:08.799 --> 00:33:10.880 And I'll say now, I mean, rarely. 00:33:11.039 --> 00:33:14.160 I mean, I gotta do something really stupid to beat myself up now. 00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:17.839 Um, and I look forward to Sunday afternoons, but imagine that. 00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:30.319 It like there's only seven days a week, and and and imagine ruining half of one of those days yourself just by how we think, just by how I thought. 00:33:30.480 --> 00:33:41.119 And what a great learning, stretching opportunity it was for me to kind of take those thoughts captive first, but then exchange them with um with God's truth. 00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:53.440 And um, it's just so true, I know, in all of our lives, you know, because we think so many thoughts, and some of them are I'm fat, some of them are I'm ugly, some of them are, you know, we're gonna always be broke. 00:33:53.759 --> 00:34:00.480 You know, we just can't get along, our marriage is ruined, our kids are in trouble, I hate my job. 00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:04.960 You know, it's not enough to just uh try and stop those thoughts. 00:34:05.119 --> 00:34:12.719 We've got to return and exchange those thoughts if we want to have a life with joy. 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:21.760 Because, like Tommy talks about, it is literally impossible to have a negative thought and joy at the same time. 00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:27.679 And so the more we can exchange those thoughts, you know, the more joy we're gonna have. 00:34:27.840 --> 00:34:39.039 And the cool thing, you know, like Amazon doing the return and exchange thing, you know, what's cool is that we can not only just return and exchange, but we get to trade up. 00:34:39.280 --> 00:34:43.599 So imagine if I bought a 32-inch color TV from Amazon. 00:34:43.760 --> 00:34:46.960 Um I looked last night, the cheapest one's$169. 00:34:47.840 --> 00:34:57.519 And so let's say I ordered that, it shows up a few days later, I get it out of uh the box, and I just don't like it. 00:34:57.760 --> 00:35:02.800 You know, the color's not that good, and and uh it's a little bigger than I thought it was gonna be. 00:35:03.039 --> 00:35:05.440 And so I send it back. 00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:15.119 And so they exchange it with an 80-inch high-def 3D ready flat screen TV. 00:35:15.840 --> 00:35:19.039 I mean, that would be a pretty sweet deal. 00:35:20.880 --> 00:35:26.880 But there's a special kind of exchange that we can make that works the same way. 00:35:28.480 --> 00:35:29.840 It's a big trade-up. 00:35:30.320 --> 00:35:39.440 And it's when we replace our own bad, negative, self-defeating thoughts with God's truth. 00:35:43.519 --> 00:35:51.519 In Hebrews 4 12, it says God means what he says. 00:35:52.159 --> 00:35:53.840 What he says goes. 00:35:54.159 --> 00:36:03.039 His powerful word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. 00:36:03.360 --> 00:36:06.719 Nothing and no one is impervious to God's word. 00:36:07.039 --> 00:36:10.000 We can't get away from it no matter what. 00:36:10.400 --> 00:36:20.079 It is the best opportunity of all for us to make an exchange, replace a negative, poor, self-defeating thought with uh God's word. 00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:26.239 And so here's what I want to do is I'm gonna read ten verses from the Bible. 00:36:26.400 --> 00:36:28.000 All of them are a trade-up. 00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:35.679 It would be a trade-up from a lie or a negative thought that we would have about ourselves or about our situation. 00:36:35.920 --> 00:36:58.960 You know, whether it's we're worried, whether it's we're troubled, whether we got too much going on, um, negative thoughts about our spouse or our marriage or our children or our job or our future, any of those things we can trade up to a powerful thought, a word from God. 00:36:59.119 --> 00:37:05.039 And so this is what I'd love for you to do is uh if you have a piece of paper and pencil, take that out. 00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:06.880 If not, maybe your phone. 00:37:07.119 --> 00:37:15.599 And um, and I'm gonna read each of these verses and just ask the Holy Spirit to see which one might be for you. 00:37:15.760 --> 00:37:34.639 And so this week, just for one week, and you don't need to write down the verse, just you know, if it's uh Psalms 46.1, just write PS 46.1, and then you know, when you get home or whatever, you can Google it or Bible Gateway or and uh and then you'll have it, and you can have it in the in the translation you like the best. 00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:43.119 But just for one week, if we can make that our verse, whatever it is, whichever one God shows us. 00:37:43.280 --> 00:37:48.400