WEBVTT 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:02.720 Father, thanks for being such a great God. 00:00:02.959 --> 00:00:04.080 Thank you for loving us. 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:05.679 Thank you for loving each of us. 00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:09.679 Thank you that you have never given up on us. 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:13.359 That you've adopted us as your very own children. 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:15.199 So we praise you and thank you for that. 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:17.280 Holy Spirit, please teach us this morning. 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:18.320 You know where we're all at. 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:22.640 You know what each one of us is facing, the different things that we're going through. 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:26.000 And so please just speak right to each of us directly. 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:29.839 And uh let us walk away with something from you. 00:00:30.079 --> 00:00:31.920 So we praise you and we trust you for that. 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:33.119 In Jesus' name. 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:34.000 Amen. 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:37.280 Well, this morning we have a new God story. 00:00:37.439 --> 00:00:43.280 Um, if you're new, a God story is just what God is doing in uh in someone here's life. 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:45.679 You know, we're all we are all God stories. 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:51.359 You know, God is working in all of our lives, transforming us, uh um, changing us. 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:57.679 And it's so encouraging, I think, when we can learn from what God's doing uh with each other. 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:05.680 Every story that that we've seen, every God story that we've uh we've seen together is uh completely different. 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:13.120 Uh a marriage just broken and destroyed that God completely rebuilt in uh in a wonderful way. 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:24.480 Um a young man orphaned when his father um killed his mom and then himself, and how God rebuilt his life and gave him a great home and and and a great family. 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:29.040 Addictions overcome and turned into a life of helping others. 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:36.719 A young woman sexually abused by her dad, but how God's completely restored and healed her. 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:44.719 A man so mad at God when his uh brother died, but how he now has just a great and close relationship with God. 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:52.480 Some stories less dramatic, you know, just just finding joy in life, uh connecting uh with God. 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.120 But there's one thing that all these stories have in common. 00:01:55.359 --> 00:01:58.159 In fact, I think you could say that all great stories. 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:06.719 All great stories have this one thing in common adversity. 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:09.599 Something to overcome. 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:12.800 Tough times, something to get past. 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:15.599 It's one of those kind of counterintuitive things about life. 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:22.400 You know, God uses tough times and adversity to create greatness. 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:24.960 It's what he does. 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:29.840 It takes tough times and then out of them creates greatness. 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:32.319 He molds us into his image. 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:36.159 Now it's not like any of us are out looking for tough times. 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:38.800 Boy, tough times, you know, God uses those. 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:40.639 I just want more tough times, you know. 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:49.599 In fact, singing the song um um the uh Lead Me to the Cross. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:51.599 Okay, that's a great song. 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:53.759 And and it is true. 00:02:55.039 --> 00:03:00.240 But it's hard for me to sing that with the same enthusiasm that I do other songs. 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:03.680 You know, lead me to a cross, lay lay myself down. 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:10.479 You know, it's it's uh the tough times, it's the the adversity. 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:19.360 But we don't have to look for things for uh for tough times, because uh in this life, tough times will find us. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:21.759 They will find us. 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:27.039 And in John 16, Jesus says, I've told you all this so that you may have peace in me. 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:32.800 Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:38.400 But take heart, because I have overcome the world. 00:03:39.919 --> 00:03:44.719 You know, the tough times, the hard things, um they're confusing. 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:51.439 You know, I've been through my share of hard times like everybody, and and um it's confusing. 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:52.479 You know, why? 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:55.199 I mean, is is is God not there? 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:56.879 Does he does he not care? 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:00.479 Is there something about me? 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:03.680 Has he given up on uh on me? 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:04.560 What's wrong with me? 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:05.599 Am I unlovable? 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:06.719 Do I not have enough faith? 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:11.360 You know, Peter experienced his share of troubles. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:21.920 And he says in uh 1 Peter 4, he says, friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. 00:04:22.720 --> 00:04:28.560 Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. 00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:34.000 This is a spiritual refining process with glory just around the corner. 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:40.639 You know, he is gonna make, God is gonna make many things right now. 00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:47.600 But he's not gonna make everything right until heaven. 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:51.439 Then we'll be just as God originally planned. 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:56.639 His creation, all of earth will be as God originally intended. 00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:00.319 But until then, it's gonna be a mixed bag. 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:04.639 We're gonna have good times and we're gonna have tough times. 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:15.360 Jesus' brother James says that our perspective can change to the point that we actually consider a tough time as a gift. 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:20.560 It says in James 1, consider it a sheer gift, friends. 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:31.439 When tests and challenges come at you from all sides, you know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:36.319 So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:43.120 He says, so don't try to get out of anything prematurely. 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:50.879 Let it do its work so you become mature and well developed, not deficient in any way. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:06:00.319 Well, is that possible for us to look at tough times and adversity and struggles and those types of things? 00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:09.680 As a gift as a blessing from God? 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:11.759 It is. 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:13.839 It is. 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:18.639 I know it's possible to view adversity as a gift. 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:25.759 I know it's possible to embrace what God is doing inside of us. 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:31.279 I know it's possible to wake up every day and just be thankful for all the blessings we do have. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:39.600 I know it's possible to wake up every day and just be thankful for the relationship with God that we do have. 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:46.079 And the reason I know that's possible is because I know uh Dan Bailey. 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:51.279 And if you don't know Dan, I'd like to introduce you to him right now. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:07:16.639 Um when I was seven years old, uh, second grade, was when I first noticed that if I was seated in the back of the classroom, I was unable to see what was going on in the front of the classroom, the teacher drawing on the chalkboard. 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:25.199 First I was diagnosed as having uh being far sighted, and um, then they said, no, it must be nearsighted, and well, we're really not sure. 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:34.480 And then later, my little sister, who's four years younger than I, uh, started uh showing signs of visual impairment. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:44.800 And so it was the summer of 75 that mom and dad took both of us to the quote-unquote specialists in Boston for three days of testing. 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:56.560 And boy, oh boy, they did uh uh brain scans and eye uh X-rays and anything and everything you could think of. 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:02.800 And uh we were diagnosed at that time with juvenile macular degeneration. 00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:14.000 And what that simply means is that the center of your retina is the macula, and the macula has degenerated to the point where there was no site any longer. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:28.959 And then to fast forward to now, um about 18 months ago, I guess this was the summer of 08, um, it was becoming evident that I was no longer self-sufficient. 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:33.360 Uh, I was becoming somewhat dangerous, I guess. 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:38.399 And it was time to decide: am I a cane guy or a dog guy? 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:41.519 And as you can see, I'm a dog guy. 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:46.799 Uh Phelps is truly a godsend. 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:52.000 Uh, next to Jesus and my wife, he is my best friend. 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:57.840 Um Phelps is a yellow lab and uh he's 65 pounds. 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:02.000 He just turned three years old uh last week. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:13.440 And he and I graduated from the Guide Dogs for the Blind uh school in Portland, Oregon, April 18th. 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:18.480 So we just graduated, just celebrated our one-year anniversary. 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:26.720 And uh in one year, he and I have uh been to 28 states. 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:30.799 Phelps is uh quite a traveling dog. 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:43.919 You know, I felt like with my wife and my children, uh, I'm the guy, you know, basic stereotypical chauvinistic uh thought process. 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:45.279 I'm the guy. 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:48.240 I should be the driver of the family car. 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:53.519 I'm the one who should take care of my wife and kids. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:10:12.399 Um, you know, even down to uh from from providing financially to providing for care of the house, uh handyman kind of uh fix it qualities, to uh protection. 00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:19.039 You know, what if an intruder came into the house and and and I can't see to protect my family? 00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:25.919 So I guess you know some of that is valid and and uh uh certainly understandable. 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:41.600 So I had certain expectations of uh what I hoped to gain from my relationship with God uh in regards to receiving my sight, in regards to being healed. 00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:48.000 And boy, I can't tell you the number of people who felt led. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:51.200 Are we boring you, Phelps? 00:10:52.799 --> 00:11:00.639 Who felt led to uh lay hands on me, all the sweaty palms I've had on my forehead, on my eyes. 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:02.799 Uh and God bless these people. 00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:27.840 Uh, you know, they they felt like they were uh fulfilling their the Great Commission, you know, and that's an interesting part of the process too, is is dealing with my own perception of God when I wasn't healed and continued not to be healed. 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:30.559 Okay, uh, is that God's fault? 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:32.240 Is that my fault? 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:34.080 Am I doing something wrong? 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:48.159 Maybe if I, you know, obviously I don't have enough faith to be healed, you know, and of course that's that's the typical uh default is that I'm the fall guy. 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:51.919 I'm the one who's who's visually impaired. 00:11:52.240 --> 00:12:03.519 I always got a kick out of the verse that talked about uh Jesus and his disciples coming across a man who had been blind his whole life, and the disciples said, Whose fault is this? 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:08.639 Who sinned, his parents uh or uh this man? 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:11.600 That he was born blind. 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:15.679 Um, hello, he was born blind. 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:17.360 So how did he sin? 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:18.080 Okay. 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:23.200 Anyway, um, and of course the answer is true. 00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:30.480 It's uh not that anybody sinned, it has nothing to do with uh sin in that case. 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:42.480 It has to do with uh glorifying God the Father and having an opportunity to show his love. 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:51.840 Uh Angela and the the kids and I sat under a ministry uh where they preached that uh you cannot please God without faith. 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:59.759 I mean, that's biblical, and uh that it is God's will every time, all the time, to heal. 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:15.440 And that brings me to my point, I guess, which is that that is so uh immature, I think. 00:13:15.679 --> 00:14:09.120 Um sure, if you want to just talk about that in a fundamental uh manner, but if you go a little deeper and you allow yourself to consider that God actually has higher ways and higher thoughts and a bigger picture, and that possibly because of the challenges, the struggles, the adversities that a person has to deal with, and I mean on a day-to-day basis, a moment-by-moment basis, we all, of course, want to be zapped by God and get the quick fix. 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:49.120 But when Father loves us to the point where he's willing to work with us through the situation and allow us to develop, I mean, uh, you know, the where the Bible says uh perseverance for those of us who do have to persevere, and of course, we all have to persevere in one way or another, Jesus Himself said, in this world, in this life, you will have trouble. 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:57.039 And even if, even if it was God's will for me to be healed, great. 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:00.559 But what about the rest of my life? 00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:07.200 And all the other difficulties and all the other trials and temptations and adversities. 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:23.679 If dealing with my visual impairment has helped me, given me sort of a leg up, if you will, on uh dealing with adversity and realizing that it's not my fault. 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:28.080 It's not because of some tremendous sin. 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:32.000 It's not because of the sins of my youth. 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:46.320 Uh I truly believe that adversity is the catalyst that God uses to connect with us. 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:50.159 I am so blessed. 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:53.200 I'm so blessed. 00:15:54.000 --> 00:16:03.840 I have a wonderful wife, a good, godly, brave woman who's been married to me for 26 years. 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:12.879 Um we have uh six children and uh a wonderful home. 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:14.480 I've got a great job. 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:22.320 I'm so thankful for being gainfully employed, uh, especially in the economy uh that we're in. 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:30.480 And so it's kind of funny because I travel so much that, and of course, Phelps is a rock star everywhere we go. 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:41.919 Everybody says, you know, wants to say hello to him or pet him, and of course ask about him what's his name, and uh, how old is he, and how long have we been together. 00:16:42.240 --> 00:17:25.839 And uh that, of course, opens up the opportunity to talk uh with that person about Phelps, and then of course the easy segue is into who I am in my life and um how blessed I am, uh, my wife Angela and our children, and and just what God has done in our lives in regards to adopting uh our precious daughter Aspen from China in June of 06, and our our uh full of life and energy daughter uh Avalon from Vietnam uh last April, and now we have the privilege of adopting uh Anya from China and will probably receive travel approval this October. 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:44.720 I mean it just tickles me because these people seeing me, I I I imagine the folks in the airport as they walk, as they watch me walk down the hallway, you know, being led by Phelps, and I'm I'm trying to find the right gate and find my chair and get settled in. 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:50.160 And I imagine I can I can hear them thinking, oh, the poor blind guy. 00:17:53.200 --> 00:18:11.279 And yet, if they could trade places with me, if they knew what my life was like and the blessings I experience on a daily basis, I guarantee you they would give up their sight. 00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:30.000 And and I know the way that sounds, I'm not saying that because of my sight loss, because of my visual impairment, I am who I am or where I am, it's only because of God and his grace. 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:53.359 It's because of God's love and the path that he has laid out for me, and that if I just wake up in the morning and say, Father, I want to listen and I want to obey, lead me. 00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:06.000 And if I had to lose my sight to get to this place of dependence on Him, then thank God for it. 00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:20.160 Thanks, Dan. 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:39.599 You know, I asked uh Dan if he was especially excited about you know, looking forward to heaven, because he'd be able to to see everything there. 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:45.599 And he kind of laughed and he said, you know, I can't believe I'm saying this. 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:48.160 But no. 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:54.799 I don't especially look forward to heaven even more because I'll be able to see there. 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:58.079 He says, My life is so great now. 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:04.240 Without sight, I can't imagine how that's gonna make it any better in heaven. 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:09.440 You know, Dan is living what James said. 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:19.039 Consider it a sheer gift of friends when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:28.559 You know, God does kill us often when we pray. 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:35.119 Dan himself was healed from a different but very life-threatening situation. 00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:39.920 But God's ways are above our ways. 00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:42.880 He knows better than we know. 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:46.079 It reminds me of Paul, the Apostle Paul. 00:20:46.319 --> 00:21:02.880 You know, Paul was shaved saved from shipwrecks, um, from a king trying to to kill him, he was lowered out, you know, in a basket, he was saved from uh a deadly uh uh poisonous snake bite. 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:13.759 And yet when he asked God to heal him from a physical handicap, this is what he wrote in 2 Corinthians. 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:19.440 He said, at first I didn't think of it as a gift and begged God to remove it. 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:22.160 Three times I did that. 00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:25.599 And then he told me, My grace is enough. 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:27.519 It's all you need. 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:31.759 My strength comes into its own in your weakness. 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:37.119 Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:43.279 I quit focusing on the handicapped and began appreciating the gift. 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:47.200 It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:52.000 Now I take limitations in stride and with good cheer. 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:59.680 These limitations that cut me down to a size, down to size, abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:02.000 I just let Christ take over. 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:07.759 And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:13.359 Sometimes our circumstances don't change. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:17.680 The only thing that can change is our perspective. 00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:24.160 How we see, how we look at life, and how we look at our relationship with God. 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:27.759 You know, focusing, like Dan, on how we are blessed. 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:31.759 This is not all that there is. 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:33.599 You know, there's so much more. 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:39.039 This life, we can't help it because we're we're uh you know part physical creations. 00:22:39.119 --> 00:22:45.599 We're this kind of strange part physical, part spiritual creation. 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:51.920 So the physical things we want to hold on to, and we can't help but focus and feel like this life is what it's all about. 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:54.000 But this life is not what it's all about. 00:22:54.240 --> 00:23:13.920 This life is growing and learning and mostly training so we'll be better prepared for the life to come, so we can truly be effective and purposeful and enjoy the eternal life to come. 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:19.200 It's then that everything gets fixed. 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:21.599 It's then that everything is made right. 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:29.519 In Revelation 21 it says, I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, Look, God's home is now among his people. 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:32.960 He will live with them, and they will be his people. 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:43.599 God himself will be with them, he will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:47.039 All these things are gone forever. 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:52.079 You know, if the worship team wants to come up, we're gonna finish in a second. 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:59.839 You know, hopefully you're not struggling now, you know, going through a tough time. 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:02.480 But I know that many of us are. 00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:11.920 You know, I guess I just want you to know that that you'll make it. 00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:15.440 No matter what God does, you will you will make it. 00:24:15.599 --> 00:24:17.359 That he loves you. 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:18.799 He does love you. 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:22.960 He has not given up on you, he has not checked out on you. 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:33.440 That he might remove your hardship, or sometimes he will use that hardship for your good. 00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:37.279 And so you'll be able to look back someday, as ridiculous as it seems now. 00:24:38.319 --> 00:24:43.119 You'll be able to look back someday and say, thank you, God. 00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:46.480 Thank you that I had to go through that. 00:24:46.640 --> 00:24:52.319 Look at how you've used that to change me from the inside out. 00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:56.480 He will get you through it. 00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:58.640 He will get you through it. 00:24:59.279 --> 00:25:10.640 You know, getting into a relationship with God is as easy as just turning to his son, saying, you know, I'm gonna depend on you, I'm gonna trust in you, I'm gonna believe in you. 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:14.480 And then he kind of takes over from there. 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:20.319 He makes our spirits come alive inside, he starts transforming us from the inside out. 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:23.440 He shows us the way, the way to live. 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:29.279 He brings good friends into our lives to help us through tough times. 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:30.640 He doesn't promise. 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:34.960 He does not promise to keep us from tough times. 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:45.119 His promise is to carry us through tough times and then make them all turn out for our good. 00:25:45.599 --> 00:25:46.559 So let's stop there. 00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:51.119 If you we'll stand, we'll get ready for one less song. 00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:54.720 Worship what a great God we have. 00:25:54.880 --> 00:25:56.160 What an adventure. 00:25:56.559 --> 00:26:01.599 What an adventure it is to live a life with our loving Father. 00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:12.480 Let's pray. 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:16.720 Fathers, praise you for being such a great God. 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:21.279 Thank you for Dan and how you've used his life. 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:28.480 Thank you for his uh willingness to share his story and uh encourage all of us. 00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:31.039 Please help us, Father, each one of us. 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:31.920 Help us through. 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:36.160 Help us through the tough times. 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:39.680 Our first prayer is like Dan's, it's like Paul's. 00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:44.720 Our first prayer is to remove the tough time, the hard thing. 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:48.319 But if not, God, we thank you for it. 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:50.079 Don't let it go to waste. 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:51.839 Use it to change us. 00:26:52.319 --> 00:27:00.960 Change us to be more like you, to be full of joy, to be full of peace, to really see all the great blessings that we have in life. 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:06.960 We thank you for life itself, but especially for relationship with you. 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:10.000 And we do trust you in Jesus' name. 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:10.960 Amen.