Mission Sent
Thanks so much for your time as you hear from Mission Sent in Florida. Our mission is to Serve Others, Share the Gospel of Jesus, and Live our Lives on Mission! Let's make the world better one Mission at a time.
Mission Sent
Rediscovering Family Connection in the Christmas Season
Ever found yourself torn between the joy of solitude and the call for companionship? Join us as we unravel this universal tension through personal stories and biblical insights. From the humorous tale of a solitude-loving ornament to the profound choice of Jesus entering the world within a family, we explore how these experiences highlight the intricate dance between being alone and the necessity for connection. As the Advent season unfolds, we discover the depths of family dynamics, their God-given purpose, and the strength that emerges from unity.
Together, we navigate the complexities of familial and marital roles, emphasizing mutual support as a cornerstone of strong relationships. With candid anecdotes about spouse support and familial bonds, we highlight how these relationships are vital in overcoming life's challenges. Drawing parallels to biblical narratives like Adam and Eve, we confront the devil's desire to disrupt family unity and showcase how standing together, anchored in faith, empowers us to face adversities head-on. The episode encourages embracing both biological and spiritual family connections, recognizing that true strength lies in our collective unity.
As we head into the holiday season, there's a call to reassess the role of electronics in our lives and prioritize meaningful moments with loved ones. We share poignant stories of fishing and family gatherings, reminding us of the fleeting nature of time and the eternal significance of nurturing our closest relationships. From the laughter shared over family quirks to the unwavering love that supports us, this episode serves as both a reminder and an invitation to cherish and invest in the relationships that shape us, grounding us in love and faith.
All right. Well, good morning again, and before I jump into the message, I have one real quick thing I want to say. That has nothing to do with the message. It's going to sound really weird to you guys in this room. However, I promise once I get done saying it, it'll make perfect sense to you.
Speaker 1:This is actually a message to some of the people that listen online. All right, whoever is listening to the sermons and they listen faithfully. And you are from Frankfurt in Germany. I don't know if it's a VPN you're using just to make it look like you're in Germany or if you actually live in Germany, but if you actually live there, before I jump in, I want to just say something that you haven't even asked. The answer is yes, we do do short-term mission trips, and if you are in Germany and want to host an American family, all you got to do is email me at info at missioncentorg and we can all make our way to Germany and do a short-term mission trip there.
Speaker 1:So now that that is done, as we jump into this, I'm going to be honest. I may go a little long today, all right, and I don't mean like ha, ha, ha ha, like I'm going to go long Like. What we are dealing with today is probably the most near and dear thing to my heart and I have so much to actually say about it that I'm only going to be able to scratch the surface and I'm going to try to talk as fast as I can to even just get through that. But today what we are looking at in our Advent series is this in our Advent series is this the king is coming to his family and we're going to anchor, yes, in all of Luke 2, but specifically in verse 16, which says this and they, being the shepherds, went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the mangers. The shepherds heard that there is a king coming. The shepherds were the first ones that the angels showed this to and they go with haste, very quickly, to go find this king. And who is the king? With His family? Now understand this God is literally taking the infinite, uncreated creator and stepping into his creation, and he could have done this any way he wanted to. In fact, when you look through the Old Testament, you guys are going to hear a really fancy seminary five dollar word, right.
Speaker 1:We see plenty of what are called christophanies throughout all of the old testament. Does anybody in here know what a christophany is? Not a mentioning of jesus, it is jesus appearing before the incarnation. So, for example, when we get all the way back in Genesis 14, we see Abraham meet with this unknown king of Melchizedek, who is of the highest order of priests. Now, mind you, this is before the order of priests is established by Moses. We see Abraham go meet with this and Abraham gives him a tithe, gives him 10% blessing, and if you really dig into the identity of Melchizedek, what you will see is this is a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus.
Speaker 1:Now, that being said, jesus could have shown up in his creation in any way he chose to. He has showed up throughout history in his creation, but yet when the king came, that first Christmas, when the king came, he chose to show up as a baby with a family, and we need to really understand the significance of that. So I'm going to pray and we'll jump in. Father, I ask and I pray that as I preach this morning, that, father, you are with me, that it is your spirit, your voice, speaking through me to your people, and I am just a tool and a vessel for you to use. Father, I pray this in Jesus' name, amen. So, as we get rolling into this one, this one should be easy.
Speaker 1:We are in that time of year where we are going to, whether we want to or not, spend an awful lot of time with our family. Some of us and we've had those conversations some of us don't like that. Some of us, we have that relationship with our family where, like you know, we're CEO family right Christmas and Easter only, like and that's the only time we're really going to see some of these people and some of us it's hard Like some of us have had those conversations're really going to see some of these people and some of us it's hard Like some of us have had those conversations where it's like I have to just sit there and bite my tongue the whole time because nothing I'm going to say is going to be productive in this conversation in any way, shape or form. But yet God instituted family and it's one of the oldest institutions we see throughout Scripture. In fact, the first not good we see is what man, being alone, like God, makes all of creation and after everything he goes, it is good until he makes man.
Speaker 1:Then it says that God saw man and man was alone and it is not good for man to be alone. Why? Why isn't it good that man was alone? Because I don't know about you, but after dealing with, you know 52 kids all day when I go home. You know what I don't want to hear Yelling and screaming and fighting and all of the things that I have heard all day when I go home. Here's what I like to do. I like to go into my room by myself and just listen to my fan go. So I have time to decompress, I have time to go okay. All of that craziness from today, I'm just going to go ahead and leave it today and I'm going to switch into okay. Now I am at home, so I don't understand the whole. I saw a man. He was alone and it was not good, because I'll tell you right now, I love being alone.
Speaker 1:The kids found it very funny because they bought me an ornament for my birthday, which is nowhere near Christmas, and it just says this. It's very simple, it's a little like plaque kind of looking thing and it says I want to be where the people aren't Like. That's me. I love being out in the woods by myself. I love being on the boat with just like. This is why I have a little boat, because I can't take a lot of people. Because I'll tell you right now my niece, she has gone out fishing with me one time and when we ask her why she doesn't go more, it's because she goes.
Speaker 1:You guys don't even talk on the boat. Like Kayla hates riding in the car with me, like if we take two cars anywhere, kayla goes, I'm gonna ride with mommy. And when I asked her why, I was like Kelly, you know this hurts my feelings, you never want to ride in the car with me and she goes. But, daddy, you don't say anything, there's no gossip, there's no talking, there's no. You just ride in silence Listening to Christmas music and I go. Yeah, that's right. Because I don't understand that whole. It's not good for man to be alone. I go alone.
Speaker 1:Time is an amazing time, but what we really need to understand is this that the devil has been trying to destroy the family since the family was created, like all the way back with Adam and Eve. So you understand God makes Adam, makes him, forms him out of the dirt, breathes his ruah, his life into him goes. It's not good for you to be alone. Go back to sleep for a little bit. I'm going to pull your rib and I'm going to make a helper fit for you from your side so that you two can walk through this life side by side together, because you're not going to be able to do it by yourself.
Speaker 1:Adam wakes back up. He sees Eve and if you read through Genesis 2, you know what he does next, dude, he sings her a love song. He's like, at last, something that's like me, flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood. And then it says that what God has brought together, let no man separate. Because God went. Look, I've given you something. I've given you the greatest thing that I can give you.
Speaker 1:So if you were a husband in here, understand this. God made your wife on purpose, because you can't do it by yourself. Because he went. You need a helpmate to walk through this. Wives. If you were in here, understand that word helpmate. You're supposed to be a help and that doesn't mean, oh, I'm just going to convict him on everything he does. That's wrong. He doesn't need your help with that, because he gave us the Holy Spirit to do that.
Speaker 1:But since God did that and brought Adam and Eve together, the devil has been trying to break it up since. Why? Because everyone in here, you may be strong in your own right, and I'm sure some of you are extremely strong-headed. I'm sure some of you are extremely emotionally dependent, or emotionally independent, not dependent. I'm sure some of you are like I got this. But understand this no one in here can do it by themselves. And when you are alone, when it is just you, when you are the one making the decisions, guess what the devil will devour you every single time. Guess what the devil will devour you every single time. The devil will sit there and just devour everything about you. Why? Because God gave us a family. For strength. God gave us a family.
Speaker 1:If you read into man and I just really drew a blink on this one Ephesians 5, right before we get into the armor of God, says that wives do what for husbands. Man, debbie knew that one real quick, didn't she? What was it, deb, submit to your husbands Husbands? Love your wife as Christ loved the church. In 1 Corinthians 7, paul would explain to us that this that the wife is purified through the husband and that the husband is purified through the wife. Why? Because that's where our strength is. Because I can tell you right now if I have had a crappy day. Do you know, the only person in the world I want to talk to? Debbie. I don't want to hear anyone else want to talk to Debbie. I don't want to hear anyone else what they have to say I don't want to hear anything else about. Oh well, let me give you advice, because I will look at you and go. I don't want to hear what you have to say. I want to hear what my wife has to say, because that's why God has given us family. That is why God has given me a wife. That is why God has gone. Hey, you know what. You are going to be stronger together.
Speaker 1:Anybody in here watch animal attacks Okay, so I'm just the only sadistic one that likes to watch this. Okay, there's a whole herd of like gazelle, okay, and they're out there in the African plains somewhere just jumping around doing gazelle things, and then all of a sudden, like the camera pans over and there's this like pride of lionesses and they're just kind of like prowling through the grass and in your mind you're sitting here going. I know what's about to happen and I can't wait to watch it. And then all of a sudden, you see this one gazelle off by itself and it's just kind of lost and just like kind of looking around. And then you see the herd is like moving in one direction and this gazelle was like, no, this is really good grass, I'm going to stay here and eat. And then the lions like all of a sudden like key in on that right and they're like, ooh, look at that one over there. It left the herd, which one's going to get attacked and killed in a very violent way, that one that left, like a lion, can take down a water buffalo. This is an animal that's like I don't know six times its size, but you know what it can't do? Get the calf that's in the middle of the herd, see, and all of us like we can look at it and go. Man, I just like watching animals attack things because I think it's amazing, because God made some really cool animals.
Speaker 1:But on the other hand, do you understand the biblical truths that we can understand from that? Because all of us want to sit here and go. I can be out there by myself. I got this, I'm strong, I'm fast. Nothing can bring me down. You will be the one that gets devoured every single time and then when the lion devours you, because the Bible says the devil is what, like a prowling lion only seeking to kill, steal and destroy. That is his goal in life and you make it very easy for him when you go. Hey, I got this and I'm going to stand over here by myself and I'm just going to let my family do what they got to do, because every time you are by yourself, you are weak and you are vulnerable and all it takes is the devil whispering in your ear.
Speaker 1:Poor Gabby, we got home Friday night, we had a little situation we had to deal with and like she just breaks down in tears because I went. Gabby, I don't care and I said it a little more colorful than that about your feelings, because your feelings will lie to you every single time and because you believe that lie, you will change who you are. And there was a point in this conversation where I guess I was getting a little more heated than what I thought I was and Debbie reaches over and she's like Josh, you got to calm down and we got done with the conversation and Gabby left and everything like when she left, I feel like we made a lot of progress with and I went, deb, what you don't understand is I can't calm down with that because if I ease up on that, I'm going to give the devil opportunity to sit here and attack my child. And here's the thing you can attack me all day long. Leave my kids alone. Look at what we've just been through as a nation when it comes to our children.
Speaker 1:And none of us men thought it would be proper to stand up and go hey look, stop attacking the vulnerable, stop attacking the ones that can't attack you. You want to fight someone? Come fight me. But you know what? We didn't want to do that because we didn't want to get canceled and I go. That is why God gave us family so that we can do those kind of things, so that you can be strong when the person next to you is weak. That's why and God went.
Speaker 1:I designed it this way on purpose. I could have came into my creation in any which way. I chose to, but this is how I wanted to come into my creation, and the devil knows that if he can break up the family, he can separate and devour the individuals. Think about it. I will tell you right now any restaurant we went out to eat. Last night we're in Cracker Barrel and the conversation of what if someone came in with a gun came up and I went look, I'll tell you right now. Here's what's going to happen. You two, I'm going to throw you behind me. There was this little wall. I'm going to hit here and then I'm going to cut the pie and then I'm going to be able to neutralize the threat. Once the threat is neutralized, then we'll just finish eating and then, when the cops get here, we'll explain what happened. And then, when the cops get here, we'll explain what happened, because if you think you're going to harm especially my children and my protection, understand I'll fight that until I don't have a breath to fight it with, because they're that valuable.
Speaker 1:Understand when we covered Romans 8, that's what God was saying when he went. Who could even bring a charge against you? You're mine. Understand that that verse is following when it says if we are heirs and we are co-heirs with Jesus and God went, and when I make you mine, what do you have to worry about? Because at that point you're mine and nothing will ever separate you from my love. Do you understand, like when we covered that and I tried to stress this so much that when we're sitting here going, there's nothing that could separate us from that. I'll tell you right now.
Speaker 1:Kayla has done some boneheaded things in her lifetime. Like Kayla went hey, jt cannot listen, hold my beer. Like that is Kayla's mentality. I'm going to one-up my brother in everything, including getting in trouble, and she didn't really say hold my beer. That's just a saying, guys, like Kayla has done some idiotic things and you know what? I never looked at Kayla and went hey, we're done, you want to run? Go run, baby. Figure it out. Like I've never given her a stick and a little like knapsack thing.
Speaker 1:And you guys remember the hobos back in the day just gonna train, jump and head out west. Right, we've never done that. Why? Because I went you're a child, you don't know better. Your brain won't even fully form until you're in your 20s. For some of us it's a little bit later, right, like some of us were hitting our 40s and we were like, oh, okay, now I get it.
Speaker 1:But no matter what she has ever done, there are three questions we've always ended with Kayla. What are those questions? Do I love you any less? Do I like you any less? Are you any less my child, because you know what, if God can look at his children and go regardless of how stupid you can be, nothing will separate you from my love. Then my children need to know that, regardless of how stupid you can be as your father, nothing will ever separate you from my love, ever. That's why they need to learn the song You're a Good, good Father. It's not just a church song, kayla See, and God gave us that for a reason Because we can't do this by ourselves. For a reason Because we can't do this by ourselves.
Speaker 1:And let me tell you, god is deadly serious about your family and about your role in your family. In fact, if you want to really get into the nitty gritty JT, put up 1 Timothy In 1 Timothy 5.8, listen to what it says. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for the members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. You don't take care of your family. Understand here's what God is telling you. You are worse than an unbeliever. Not you're as bad as someone who has completely rejected Christ. You are worse than them. You know why you're worse than them, because you know better. See. Understand the weight of what that means. As a family, you don't take care of the people in your household, you have denied the faith and you are worse than an unbeliever. You don't think God's serious about this, absolutely. He's sitting here going, hey, this is how I created it to run. This is the example I gave you when I stepped into creation on that Christmas. This is how I chose to come, because it is that important. And if you can't take care of that, you are worse than someone who rejects me. And yet we do this all the time, do we not? Some of us?
Speaker 1:Again, like I said in the beginning, we're sitting here going, hey, we're at that time of the year where I'm going to have to be around people, where I'm going to have to be around people I don't see eye to eye with because they vote different than me, because they live in a different zip code than me, because they're crazy and they believe in these weird theological things. Like one time I'm not, I'm not playing like someone texted me and they were like hey, have you ever, like, told someone the doctrines of grace? And then they were just foaming at the mouth and I was like what? No, it's never happened. And then, the more I thought about it. I went wait, debbie did that to me, like when I was first understanding the doctrines of grace, and I was like I don't know, deb, what do you think about this? And she's like, and it was like, okay, my bad, you did it all because you're that amazing baby, my bad, and I go, that's what we build to.
Speaker 1:And God is sitting here going, but if you don't take care of them, you've denied me. You don't lay down everything you are for them. You've denied me. I gave you the family for a reason and the devil has been attacking it since the beginning. Why? Because he knows, if I can break this up, that I can seek and kill and devour really easy. Because you're a dad, you ain't going to be fighting for them. Because you're a mom, you're not going to be nurturing them. Understand some of us and I'm kind of jumping ahead, so I'm going to come back to this in just a second but some of us you gave your kids up very quickly because a screen can raise them easier than you can. And, like I said, I'm going to come back to that in just a second, because right now I'm going to switch into what are some attacks that the family, that the devil uses to attack the family.
Speaker 1:Attack number one selfishness. Some of this, like I'm going to tell you right now, is going to be specifically to parents. Take from it what you can. You're sitting here and you're going. Well, I ain't got kids Cool, you still have a family, do you not? Like, you came from somewhere, did you not? You did not just magically appear. One day. Some of you are going to be like well, I don't have a wife, I don't have a husband Cool, you still have a family. So it still applies to you the same way. Bless you. But, number one, stop being selfish.
Speaker 1:If you made the choice to procreate, here's what you also chose to do. You no longer have your time. There is no such thing as I need me time. You don't get me time. You chose to have children, so what you chose to do is go. Let me give you my time. And I'm going to tell you right now if you're not making time for your kids, understand the world is. If you're not making time to sit down and talk to your kids, the world will. And I'm going to tell you right now TikTok is a terrible parent.
Speaker 1:I'm going to tell you right now, your child struggles comparing themselves to every single other person in this world, the same way that you struggle with comparing yourself to every other single person in this world. And the more time you allow them to just sit on social media because you need time to just unwind you are allowing them to compare themselves to every other person in this world. And here's what is happening. They don't realize that these filters and these JT what'd you tell me the other day? These people pay to look the way they do. Like I'm sitting there just talking to JT and Gabby and and and she's struggling with some stuff and JT goes Gabby, you don't understand this. These people pay to look the way they do. You wonder why we have gender or a body dysmorphia? Because, just like when we were younger and you used to look at all those magazines and go, oh, that's what beauty is not realizing that those people sat there and starved themselves. Look at all those magazines and go, oh, that's what beauty is Not realizing that those people sat there and starved themselves, not realizing that those people would throw up because they ate a peanut and they couldn't have that in their body and we bought the lie that the advertising agencies sold that. This is what beauty is.
Speaker 1:These companies are spending literally billions and billions and billions of dollars to trap your children in all of this and we just step back and go here, have it, because I need some time to just sit and be. Stop being selfish, your time isn't for you. J Jesus didn't sit here and come to earth and then go hey, you know what guys? I just need to be. And if you're going to use the argument, well, he went to a desolate place. Why did he go to a desolate place? To pray? Why Because prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie and he needed to be with the Father. Why? Because that's his family. So that excuse isn't going to hold water either. We have got to stop being selfish with our time. You are ignoring your family. You might as well just take your kids to the altar of Molech and sacrifice them there. And if you're a child in here, stop being selfish with your time, because I'm going to tell you, as someone who has lost one of their parents, when they're gone, they're gone. So our pre I almost said our pregame video we'll call it that, because I don't actually know what to call it but the slides that come up.
Speaker 1:My dad fished his entire life, never once caught a snook, like it was the joke, like our entire life. And then, as I started getting to a point in my fishing career where I could, like, specifically, go out and target snook, I would send my dad these pictures, like, specifically, go out and target snook. I would send my dad these pictures. And after a couple of months of just getting picture and picture and picture of these fish that he can't catch, he finally broke down and went hey, you know what? Let's plan a trip, let's go out. Obviously, you know what you're doing, so let me go out with you. And in my mind, okay, as a 38-year-old male, I went I'm finally going to be able to prove to my dad that I'm a man. Okay, because if you're a man in here, that's what you struggle with, right, every single one of us.
Speaker 1:And I went cool, I'm going to put my dad on this boat. I'm going to catch the first one so he can see it. I'm going to let him like touch it, like when I was little and he would catch a fish and he was like, oh, you want to pet it. Like I'm going to let him pet it, then I'm going to throw it back in the water. And then I'm going to go here, dad, cast right here, because that's where they are. And then, and I'm going to be able to go, look, look what I did for you. You sacrificed your whole life for me, and now look what I get to repay you with this one thing that you couldn't do. Sadly, we couldn't go when we first planned, because a hurricane wound up coming through and the next week he died.
Speaker 1:And so I was out with JT and we catch this, not just snook, but this freaking monster of a snook, and I'm sitting there holding it and JT, and we catch this, not just snook, but this freaking monster of a snook, and I'm sitting there holding it, and JT takes a picture. And the first thought in my mind was this I can't wait to send this to dad. And I went oh, can't send it to him. He'll never be able to see it like that. And when I get to that side of heaven, like when I'm on the new earth with him, do you really think I'm going to be like oh, dad, hold on, check out this fish I caught? No, because King Jesus is right there. Like, what do I care about the snook. Now Be like, look at his glory, forget mine.
Speaker 1:But I say all of that because if you were a child in here, understand this. Your parents have a limited amount of days too. Every single one of us in here has an expiration date, and some of them are going to be before others and we need to understand that. Stop being selfish with your time. Stop just locking yourself in your room. Stop just going. You know what? I would rather go play guerrilla tag than sit there and talk to my parents, because when they're gone, you don't get that opportunity. And I promise you if you were a child in here, no one loves you like your parents love you. And I get. Some of us come from bad homes and we didn't see it like that. But I can promise you this no one loves you the way your parents love you. I can definitely guarantee that your teachers don't Nope. Your parents love you. Your teachers can't stand you sometimes oh, as a teacher, it's 100% true and I go. I want to sit here and I want you to understand.
Speaker 1:The first thing is we have to stop being selfish. You were given a family, not for you. You were given a family so that you had someone to serve If you chose to have kids. Your time is no longer yours. It belongs to your spouse, it belongs to your kids. It belongs to those people who need you each and every hour of the day. Does anybody in here know what? The national average time that people watch Netflix is Three hours a day. You mean to tell me that we can sit down and fire up the PlayStation or turn on whatever and sit and watch three hours of TV? But we can't take 30 minutes and just go. Hey, how's your heart? We can't just take 25 minutes and go hey, look, we have this devotional, let's work through it. Let's turn our eyes to Jesus. We can't just go. Hey, you know what? As a family, here's what we're going to do. We're going to go out and we're going to serve. Today we're going to go cut our like.
Speaker 1:I will tell you every trash day, our neighbor's a firefighter, so it's like kind of 50-50 if he's there on trash day. But I can guarantee you this every single trash day. I'm going to go, jt, go get the trash to the road and make sure you get Mr George's while you're at it. His grass gets a little bit high. I have no problem going. Hey, jt, go, cut our yard and then make sure Mr George's yard gets cut too. And thank God, for the most part, jt has no problem going. Okay, it's longer. I get to sit there and listen to music. Plus, I can find sticks in his yard that I can play with, because since he's been little, that's his distraction and I go. But we have to stop being selfish with our time. Number two and it kind of follows along with this man. I jumped through a lot of those. Number two is this Understand this Electronics are ruining your family. I'll be the first one to stand up in here and tell you this.
Speaker 1:My biggest mistake, my biggest regret in life, was going. Oh, my kid needs a phone. I hate that all of my stories involve fishing, but they do so. Last year or so I was heading out on the boat. Me and JT were going out to do a little fishing trip. I forgot to charge my phone the night before, so I was like, oh crap, my battery's dead. I don't have a charger in my car. I was like whatever, I'll just leave my phone here. Debbie came to me and went if you don't have a phone, you're not going out fishing, To which I promptly reminded her I am not your child and, yes, I will will go out fishing because for the majority of my life we didn't have these fancy doodads.
Speaker 1:And if you broke down out on the boat, guess what you had to do? Figure out how to get back to the dock, and I'll tell you right now. There have been times where I've literally swam through the water with a rope around my shoulder, times where I've literally swam through the water with a rope around my shoulder because that was the only way we could get back to the dock. There was one time where our steering cable froze. I couldn't break it loose, which means I couldn't turn my engine. Thank God, it was just like pointed straight, and what we had to do is I had to like coordinate with my buddies on the boat that if we need to make a right hand turn, everyone to lean to the right, like on a skateboard, so the boat would kind of gently go to the right. If you had to make a left hand turn, you had to lean to the left. So it was like you know, I felt like I was in um, what is it where they're like row, row, like. That's what I felt because I'm like left not right, because you just had to kind of figure it out.
Speaker 1:But we bought that lie that our kids needed a phone. And it's a lie. Now, granted, I get we live in a different time, right, because when our cars broke down, what did? We have to go find A pay phone and none of us ever had change on us. But we learned how to use 1-800-COLLECT very quickly, right, and when it said leave your name you know, call from you were like, okay, here's the phone number 407-321-2616. So that way they could call the pay phone back, so you get free calls. But see, you had to learn how to figure it out. You know what kids do not know how to do now. Know what kids do not know how to do now. Figure it out. Now it's. Oh, just ask Google, just Google it. What's Google say? Can AI think for me? Can I just write the paper using chat GPT, because it'll do a better job than me? So now we have an entire generation of human beings that have no idea how to figure it out.
Speaker 1:Like, what I want to do for fun is I want to do a field trip where we just go out to the woods and you just drop them off and then we just see what happens. Some of them will be all right. I'm not going to lie. The vast majority of you anyone in here ever read Lord of the Flies? That's how it's going to look. They'll be in the woods for like 30 minutes and next thing you know they're like creating tribes and going. Let me find a little piece of wood that looks like a phone I go.
Speaker 1:There used to be a time where we went outside and we played with our friends Uh-oh Camping. Like there used to be a time in history understand this where humans were just self-sufficient, like you could grow your own food, you could raise your own food, like you could live without the government in any way, shape or form. In fact, if you go back, what 150 years? Like people actually like fought the government because no, you're not going to come put a train track through my yard. This is my property.
Speaker 1:And look at us now. We are not far away from Wally and I go. Why? Because we've become slaves to our electronics and electronics are ruining our family. Because here's what we did. All right, everyone go do it by yourself now. You guys want to have fun when you get home today, especially if you have an iPhone, because it's super easy to do it on iPhone Check everyone's batteries and just go let's see who has the most screen time. Jt won't even play the game with me anymore, because we did it one time and it was something crazy like he was averaging like eight or nine hours a day and I was like, yep, you know what else Alphal has? It's called screen time, where you as a parent can literally control how long your kid can do whatever they want to do on their electronics. It shouldn't be more than half an hour a day. I'll tell you that right now. Think about it, anyone else in here.
Speaker 1:When you were a child, your parents went and get outside and then when you went, oh crap, I forgot something. You turned around to open the door and it wouldn't open. Or you went, oh, I'm thirsty, and you're like knocking on the door and you're like I'm thirsty and your mom's yelling what Drink out of the hose. But yet we think our children are not resilient enough to be able to live out there for a couple of hours. I go, think about it. Man, we are ruining our children with this, literally. Some of us have children.
Speaker 1:I will tell you right now that are literally addicted to their electronic. It has a physical thing with them. It is a legit addiction. Not, oh, they really want it. I will tell you, as a teacher, I've taken a phone away from a kid before and literally saw the kid go into a full-on panic attack. That is an addiction. That's what drug addicts do. And I go and we're cool with that because they leave us alone and I get me time. See how the selfishness thing started. First I go. Tom Reiki has a great book. It's called 12 Ways your Phone is Changing you. Tom Reiki has a great book. It's called 12 Ways your Phone is Changing you. Understand, if your children have electronics. It is literally remapping the neurotic pathways in their brain. Understand, if you have an electronic, it's literally remapping the way your brain works. Like, think about that. Guys Like you are literally changing the biology of your body with your electronic and we're literally seeing the world through a screen One of my favorite parts in Parks and Rec.
Speaker 1:And if you don't watch the show, you should. It's funny. I'm not saying it's appropriate, so don't like. You know what. Let me re-send that, you should. You choose to do what you do, okay?
Speaker 1:Anyway, there's a character named Ron Swanson. He's kind of this outdoorsman. He's selling a cabin out in the woods. They bring in like pine-scented candles when they're staging the house to try to sell this cabin and they're like, oh, this way it'll smell like, you know, pine. And he looks over and he's like why wouldn't you just open the door? And they're like because outside is disgusting and it's like but it's where the smell comes from, right, like you have this amazing pine smell. See, some of us, that's what we're trying to do with our life. We're just trying to cover it up with this fake candle.
Speaker 1:When God goes hey look, I gave you all of this to enjoy, like the shirt I'm wearing right now, this whole mission sent outdoors thing. That's the entire point of it. And every time someone goes, hey, can you take me out fishing? Do you know what I tell them? When do you want to go? And you know how many times they give me a date Never. And I go.
Speaker 1:I'm literally sitting here going hey, hey, I have spent thousands of my own dollars to make sure that you could go out and catch fish. That make sure you can take your kids out and go catch fish. You don't have to spend anything. You just gotta well, I take that back you gotta spend 1750 to make sure you have a fishing license if you're 16 years or older. That's it Because I go. I believe in that that much Because do you know that the APA, now the American Psychological Association, has just come out with this revolutionary new thing that said, if you spend at least 30 minutes outside every day, you're actually less depressed, less hyper, less anxious and have better overall mental health.
Speaker 1:I love it when science catches up to what God has already told us. God went hey, I created all of this for you. Enjoy it. Put the electronics down, turn the TV off Some of us for Christmas, you know what you should do? That gift that you just got your kid go ahead and take it back. Use that money and plan a camping trip. Go. You know what we don't need something else that plugs in. You know what we need? We need to take our family, we need to go out where the people aren't, and we just need to spend some time with each other. Staring into a fire.
Speaker 1:You could, but see, we got to at some point turn the screens off so that we can actually spend time with each other. Like, think about it, anybody in here ever talk to a kid and they can't look you in the face? Why they can't even have a conversation, they can't shake your hand, they can't do any of the things that we should be able to do as human beings. Why? Because, from the time they were little, you went here just play with this, just play with this, just play with this. And now Gemini, whatever is raising your child. So, number one, stop being selfish. Number two, put the screens away. And lastly, actually I don't even have time to go through all of that, so I'm going to start with this. I'm going to sum up everything we've done right.
Speaker 1:Family is instituted by God because it is not good for man to be alone. If anyone neglects their family, they are worse than an unbeliever and our families are under attack from all sides. So what do we do about that? First, we do this. We understand this that when King Jesus came, he came to a family, and he came to a real family. If we look at Mark 3, 21, it says this and when his family heard that he was back, they went out to seize him, for they were saying he is out of his mind.
Speaker 1:Jesus shows back up in his hometown telling everyone he's God and his family's, like you know what we need to baker act him, because you can't run around telling people that you're God, which is crazy to me. Because did Mary know, right? Everyone loves that Christmas carol, right? Mary? Did you know? Did she know? Yes, you know how she knew. A angel showed up and told her because Mary should have been able to remember, oh, I got pregnant before I did anything to get pregnant, like so I mean, mary should have had an idea. Hey, look, guys, he is different, he is special. And if you can sit here and go, hey look, my child was born without a man, absolutely go, he is a snowflake. Or she is a snowflake Because at that point she is, and or he is Because you have done what no one else has ever done before besides marry and I go. But yet they went out to seize him. Why? Because they thought Jesus was crazy.
Speaker 1:And we need to understand this that there is no such thing as a perfect family. It ain't Like. That's why we can make so many jokes about it, because everyone in here understands there's no such thing as a perfect family and I know everyone's in here is like, yeah, and there's always, you know, a black sheep in every family. Some of us, you may be the black sheep and you think it's someone else. Right, because your family group thread was like oh, we were jumping on so-and-so this time. So we all got messes and we all have issues, but we all still need to understand that we're still stronger by ourselves or with our family than by ourselves. So the first thing we need to do to combat all of this is realize that we are part of a family and when one part hurts, the entire family hurts.
Speaker 1:Think about it like this have you ever got out of bed in the middle of the night and stubbed your toe? Now understand this. Could you chop your toe off and still live a good life? Yeah, because you really don't need all your toes. I'm sure they help with balance and walking and things like that, but yet, stub your little pinky toe. Most of us can't even move. Did you all know that, like most people can't move their pinky toe, you stub your pinky toe in the middle of the night and your whole body shuts down. And what that means is is just like your toe is part of the night and your whole body shuts down, and what that means is is just like your toe is part of your body and will shut the whole body down. If someone in your family is hurting, it will shut the whole family down and it could be the most insignificant member, like a child, because they do nothing but take what do you generate into the household. But yet when they're hurting, does the whole family not hurt Absolutely? And this is why we have to understand that if you have one person in your family hurting, the rest of the family needs to do what Call them and come around them. The rest of the family and lastly, the other part we need to realize is this is your immediate family is not your only family.
Speaker 1:In John chapter one it says this but to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become what Children of God who were not, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. That means that every one of you in here, if you have put your faith in Jesus, it means this that you are my family, jesus. It means this that you are my family. When we first planted, I said this if we're just going to be church friends, this ain't going to work. If the only thing we got in common is that we come to the same church, this ain't going to work. If that's all we can fall back on, let's just go ahead and stop now, because I don't even want to go down that route, because if you can't have a real conversation with me, this ain't going to work.
Speaker 1:Because the Bible would say this that you are my brother or you are my sister if you are in Christ. Which means, if I would do for my brother or I would do for my sister, I should do for you. And I'll tell you right now no one will ever tick you off the way. Your family will ever. No one will ever be more mean. No one will ever lie to you. No one will ever fight with you the way your family will, for a couple of reasons.
Speaker 1:One they have that familiarity with you. They know what buttons to push right If you have brothers and sisters. They know exactly what to say to get you mad. They know all your insecurities and they know where to hurt you. But on the same hand, there's absolutely nothing I would not do for any of my brothers or sisters. If they called right now, I'd be like, yeah, man, I got to finish up some stuff, but I'll be right there now. I'd be like, yeah, man, I got to finish up some stuff, but I'll be right there. Why? Because it's my family.
Speaker 1:And if I can do it for them and not do it for you, then I've missed what the Bible is saying, because God is sitting here going, hey, you're all my children, which means that you're all my brothers and sisters, which means that I should love you the same exact way I love me. Because the king came to a family, because family is our support network, it is our strength and it is our way to fight back. So, as we close, ask yourself the king came to a family. Am I loving mine? Am I there the way I should be, or am I too selfish to be there? Am I allowing things like electronics to silently break up my own family? Am I loving my family or am I worse than an unbeliever?
Speaker 1:And I'm going to tell you right now whatever it is, this Advent season, make time for your family, be there for your household and the family of God. Father, we thank you so much that you and your infinite wisdom have chose to love us, have chose to give us a family. And I ask and I pray, father, that if there is any one of us in here that is struggling with that, that, father, they just be reinvigorated to understand the importance of our family. I ask God that, even though I know there is so much more that could be said with this that, father, you just allow just this short, whatever message I could have came with to be more than supernatural. That you heal and restore our families. That, father, our families are strengthened, that our bonds are deepened, father, I pray that, as we move through this, that, god, we take the time this Advent season to return to our families. Father, I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. You're kidding. Why wouldn't you have done it?