1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,280 I don't know if you know this about me, if you are relatively new, if this is the first 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:12,240 time you've ever seen me in your entire life, then you probably don't know this about me. 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,520 But I also don't know if I've made it clear because I moved back here to the Quad Cities 4 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,080 nine years ago this summer. 5 00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:24,880 The church we launched in Sunday morning form over eight and a half years ago. 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:29,920 And at some point what happens is pastors lose track of the stories they've told or 7 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:35,040 the things that they've said. 8 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,400 But I think it's important that you know something about me. 9 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,800 I hate camping. 10 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,800 I'm not talking about RVs and cabins. 11 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:50,200 I mean if you want to go camping in a cabin on a lake and go fishing, I'm in. 12 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:51,200 Invite me. 13 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:52,560 I'm all about that. 14 00:00:52,560 --> 00:01:00,400 But I don't need electricity, but if we're setting up tents, I am probably out. 15 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,760 I just don't like it. 16 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,920 And now that I have bad mouth camping, let's get a show of hands how many people enjoy 17 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:07,400 tent camping. 18 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,040 Yeah, you are special. 19 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:11,740 We love you. 20 00:01:11,740 --> 00:01:13,360 We love you. 21 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:15,760 But it's not for me. 22 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,800 I don't like having to unfold my home for the night and solve a puzzle right before 23 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:21,440 I go to bed. 24 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:22,600 I don't know. 25 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:28,000 But my biggest issue is the part where you go to bed in an oven and you wake up in a 26 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,440 freezer, right? 27 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,320 And somehow you're sweating. 28 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:34,640 I don't understand it. 29 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,600 And I know that some of that depends on the time of year and the location, but most of 30 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:42,520 my tent camping experiences were in the summer in the Midwest. 31 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:47,640 And in the Midwest and in the summer, it's 95 degrees at night, it's 60 degrees in the 32 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,920 morning, and still somehow 95% humidity. 33 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:52,800 It doesn't make sense. 34 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:54,600 It is not comfortable. 35 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,720 Some of you love it, and that is fine. 36 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,200 I'm not saying that you're wrong to love camping. 37 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,560 I'm just saying that for me, it's the worst. 38 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:14,440 And so that's why this summer on sabbatical, I went camping exactly zero times. 39 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:23,040 Now, there are some feelings that are built in to camping because campers know it's not 40 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,800 permanent, right? 41 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:30,600 Even if you love it, you know that it will not last forever. 42 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:39,880 And I wonder if you feel that feeling like that about life, like that life is just one 43 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:49,080 long camping trip, that somehow it all feels temporary, like setting up a tent that's just 44 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:51,400 gonna be taken down again. 45 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:56,920 Like it's all transitory, like you're camping here tonight, but tomorrow you have another 46 00:02:56,920 --> 00:02:58,560 stop. 47 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:04,760 Maybe you feel like no matter how nice your home, no matter how permanent your property, 48 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:11,800 no matter how secure the job, maybe that uneasy feeling still creeps in like everything is 49 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,880 gonna change. 50 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:22,360 I get that feeling, like everything could just be different in an instance. 51 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:27,240 Because in my life, at least a couple of times, everything has been different in an instant. 52 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:35,680 And today I wanna talk about why we feel that way, and maybe why it isn't as bad as we think 53 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:36,680 it is. 54 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,200 So let's open up our Bibles, yeah? 55 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:44,360 Open up our Bibles to the book of John, chapter 14. 56 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:48,840 I'm also gonna read from 2 Corinthians, but let's all gather together in the book of John, 57 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:49,840 okay? 58 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:54,360 It goes Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, that is in what's called the New Testament. 59 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,840 So if you see Matthew, Mark, or Luke, you know that you're moving in the right direction. 60 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,880 If you don't have a Bible, there's Bibles out on the bookshelf next to the front door. 61 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:03,320 You can take one of those home with you. 62 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:09,080 Otherwise, you can download a digital version of a Bible on your phone, and that works perfectly 63 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:10,080 well too. 64 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:14,400 We're gonna be John, chapter 14, and if you don't mind, will you stand for the reading 65 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,680 of the scriptures as you are able or willing, embody, or spirit? 66 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:22,840 John 14, verses 1 through 3 says this. 67 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:26,360 Do not let your hearts be troubled. 68 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:30,400 You believe in God, believe in me as well. 69 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:32,600 My Father's house has many rooms. 70 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:37,000 If that were not so, would I have told you that I'm going there to prepare a place for 71 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:38,000 you? 72 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:42,440 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into my presence 73 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:46,840 so that you may also be where I am. 74 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:48,400 Second Corinthians 5, 1 through 3. 75 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:53,640 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, 76 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,920 an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 77 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:04,120 Meanwhile, we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling. 78 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:08,240 Because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 79 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:11,040 Let us pray. 80 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:17,200 God of every tribe, every tongue, every color, every nation, we thank you for the scriptures 81 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:23,000 that have existed, persisted throughout millennia. 82 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:24,000 Give us wisdom. 83 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:28,120 Give us wisdom to understand them. 84 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:30,560 Whatever you have for us to learn today, I pray that it would stick. 85 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:34,880 I pray that it would become a part of the framework of our faith, that our faith would 86 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:40,400 become stronger, that we would become more like your son Jesus Christ. 87 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:41,400 Amen. 88 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:42,400 Thanks to all. 89 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:44,160 You can have a seat. 90 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,000 First thing is this. 91 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:47,560 And this is obvious. 92 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:51,080 Tents are meant to be burned. 93 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:52,080 I'm just playing. 94 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:53,080 I'm joking. 95 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:56,120 Tents are meant to be landfilled. 96 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:57,400 I'm sorry. 97 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,120 Tents are meant to be left on the shelf in the store. 98 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,360 Tents are meant to be temporary. 99 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:05,760 Tents are meant to be temporary. 100 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:13,520 Have you ever seen one of those giant tents that look like a spaceship? 101 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:18,800 There's one over in Iowa, over by where West Music used to be. 102 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,560 They use a lot of these for sports complexes now. 103 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:24,640 I'm not talking about the open air ones. 104 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:29,960 I'm talking about the ones with heating and air conditioning and offices and bathrooms, 105 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:30,960 everything. 106 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:34,840 It's like a regular building on the inside, but on the outside, it looks like a giant 107 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:36,680 Hershey's Kiss. 108 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:42,160 I remember when these started popping up, they were actually intentionally advertised 109 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:43,280 to a lot of churches. 110 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:45,000 They were advertised towards the church. 111 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:49,520 They had just enough money for a temporary building, maybe not enough for a new one. 112 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:54,600 They were growing enough that, oh, hey, do this while you save up enough money to do 113 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:55,600 this other thing. 114 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:59,960 The trouble is that it's easy for them to end up being treated like a permanent solution. 115 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:05,880 See, instead of tearing down the tent when you finally have enough funds for something 116 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:13,040 permanent, along the way, those funds get used to patch the rips and tears in the tent 117 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:20,760 to fix the HVAC four or five times, to update the lighting in the carpet, something temporary 118 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:25,680 ends up getting the permanent treatment. 119 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:29,600 I'm obviously not just talking about tents anymore. 120 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:35,480 Jesus made a point to teach his disciples that all of this is temporary. 121 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:38,520 All of this. 122 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:45,920 He taught them not to store up treasures for themselves here on earth, to not worry about 123 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,840 what they would eat or drink or where they would live. 124 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:56,920 He taught them to seek first the kingdom that this life, this skin, everything we have is 125 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,320 just a tent that is temporary. 126 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:07,400 Now, it doesn't mean that we don't take care of it, right? 127 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,920 See, the opposite, because we have no idea how many days we get. 128 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:15,280 So we need this tent to be healthy. 129 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:21,880 We should care about our world, but we cannot forget, we cannot be disabused of the spiritual 130 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:27,080 truth that there is a king and a kingdom that is more permanent than the clothes and the 131 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:31,420 body that we wear today. 132 00:08:31,420 --> 00:08:37,420 There is an eternity that we are not only moving toward, but living for, awaiting the 133 00:08:37,420 --> 00:08:41,440 day when we will see the Father's house in its fullness. 134 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:44,680 These tents are temporary. 135 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:48,900 Secondly, tents are transitory. 136 00:08:48,900 --> 00:08:51,760 Tents are meant for the trip, not the destination. 137 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,760 Now, y'all snapped for Chris. 138 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:59,460 We got to work on the amens, brother. 139 00:08:59,460 --> 00:09:04,600 Because I said, the tents are meant for the trip, not the destination. 140 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,600 That's what I'm talking about. 141 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,920 Now, here's your moment of biblical context, all right? 142 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:16,480 Let's put our biblical theologian scholar hat on, right? 143 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:21,160 When you read about tents in the New Testament, it's wise to be reminded and think of the 144 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:25,040 tents in the First Testament. 145 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,320 Jesus was a Jew. 146 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:29,400 The writer of 2 Corinthians was a Jew. 147 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:34,460 In the back of their minds, if not in the front, they're thinking of all the time their 148 00:09:34,460 --> 00:09:38,000 people had spent living in tents. 149 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:42,680 All the time their people spent living in the wilderness, 40 years, waiting for the 150 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:43,680 promised land. 151 00:09:43,680 --> 00:09:44,680 In houses? 152 00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:45,680 No. 153 00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:47,840 In tents. 154 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:52,320 Even the tabernacle where they would go and worship, where they would give their sacrifices, 155 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:54,240 was it a building made of brick and stone? 156 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:55,240 No. 157 00:09:55,240 --> 00:10:03,200 It was a tent that they put up and took down every time they moved. 158 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:10,480 Hundreds and hundreds of years later, they were still talking about how this life that 159 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:17,960 they were living at that moment was still just a temporary tent on its way to something 160 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:18,960 else. 161 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:27,680 Listen, if you have ever felt like everything around you is saying, this is home, this is 162 00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:35,040 great, this is the best I've ever had it, so why am I not happy? 163 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:41,040 All of this is so great, but you still feel like the ground is shifting under your feet, 164 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:46,040 like the other shoe is going to drop, like you might need to get ready to move or get 165 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:49,520 going. 166 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:52,720 You're not broken. 167 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:56,200 You're human. 168 00:10:56,200 --> 00:11:03,320 That feeling, and I hope that this frees somebody in this room today because that feeling is 169 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,380 built in. 170 00:11:06,380 --> 00:11:11,320 Something inside of us knows that even when everything is calm, when everything seems 171 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:16,000 perfect, when everything is going well, that everything is still moving all around us and 172 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:26,920 we groan for something more, we long for something perfect because that is where we are headed. 173 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:32,120 Part of us just cannot wait to be there. 174 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:39,560 I'm not talking about some kind of evangelical escapism. 175 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:43,160 We shouldn't be so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good. 176 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:45,720 If you've ever heard that one. 177 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:51,220 What I'm saying is this, just take a second and look around this room. 178 00:11:51,220 --> 00:11:53,400 Look at the other people in this room. 179 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:57,560 Just take a second, turn your head. 180 00:11:57,560 --> 00:12:00,360 This church is called the house, right? 181 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:04,960 But the church isn't the building, is it? 182 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:07,480 It's the people. 183 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:14,000 And the church, it's supposed to be our best attempt at being here on earth what Jesus 184 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,400 is drawing us toward in heaven. 185 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:26,960 Listen, this is important for you to hear people in spiritual leadership say, no matter 186 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:34,800 how good this can ever be, it will only be a fraction of what's to come. 187 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:41,960 In our hearts, your heart will still long for more. 188 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:48,920 This is why some people don't know how to stay at one church very long. 189 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,840 Listen, I'm not judging. 190 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:56,200 I'm giving you the ability to have grace for when this happens for someone in your life 191 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:57,200 or even yourself. 192 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:02,640 Because what happens is they had a moment or a season at their church that felt like 193 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:05,280 heaven. 194 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:06,280 You heard it. 195 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:08,840 Someone told you, man, this is the best church I've ever been to. 196 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:11,720 Whether it's the church you're in right now or a church you were at another time. 197 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:12,720 Maybe you even felt like that. 198 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:14,960 Man, this is the best church I've ever been to. 199 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:20,440 You had, they had this feeling or a season like this is heaven. 200 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:25,240 And when after a while, their heart still groaned for something more. 201 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:29,720 When they realized that their church wasn't as like heaven as they hoped, they thought, 202 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:32,800 well, maybe I can find heaven at another church. 203 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:40,760 But that groan, that longing will never be completely fulfilled in any church until we 204 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:44,120 see Jesus again, face to face. 205 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:45,720 It just won't. 206 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:50,280 It doesn't give churches permission to not try. 207 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:59,160 It just gives us position to understand why. 208 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:02,120 Because this life is temporary. 209 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:04,320 Because this life is transitory. 210 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,720 It is on its way somewhere else. 211 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:10,880 And because lastly, this life is just a taste. 212 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:13,400 It's just a taste. 213 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:18,760 Not the kind of taste that leaves us hungry or starving like, oh my God, why won't you 214 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:19,760 feed me? 215 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:26,120 It's the kind of taste that makes us look forward to the next meal. 216 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:32,400 Okay, so we already established who loves camping. 217 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:36,640 Do we have any donut lovers in the house today? 218 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,960 Can we get a what what for some donuts? 219 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:40,960 Yeah, right. 220 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:48,480 That was the whitest thing I've done in a week. 221 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:52,600 Donuts are kind of like a kryptonite for me. 222 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:54,320 Like I'm serious. 223 00:14:54,320 --> 00:15:00,440 Like we, my boy Wally turned 11 this week and he wanted me and Cindy to take him to 224 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:02,200 Dunkin Donuts, just the three of us. 225 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:03,200 And so he did. 226 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:09,320 I did not have a donut and I felt so proud of myself because donuts legit are kryptonite 227 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:10,320 for me. 228 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:13,800 Like if I'm going in the right direction with my health, all you have to do is like say, 229 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:15,520 hey, you want to meet for some donuts? 230 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:18,160 And I would probably like, I'd give everything. 231 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:25,480 But here's the thing, no matter how good a donut is or how much I love a good donut for 232 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,320 years, cake donuts just did not do it for me. 233 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:30,240 Anybody know what I'm talking about? 234 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:33,680 Man, a cake donut is, I don't know. 235 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,120 The best cake donuts are as follows. 236 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:43,440 Glazed blueberry and that's it. 237 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:47,760 That's, I mean, and then you dip it in some coffee, it makes it even better. 238 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:54,600 At least that's how I felt until the donut experiment. 239 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:57,880 Now saying Greg, I'm intrigued. 240 00:15:57,880 --> 00:15:59,760 Tell me about this donut experiment. 241 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:00,760 I like experiments. 242 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:07,480 Well, I'm glad you asked. 243 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:14,680 Three summers ago, we were gifted a week long stay at a home in Anna Maria Island in Florida. 244 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:19,280 So we all piled into a car and we drove down there and one day it was like, all right, 245 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:20,280 well, what do we want to do for breakfast? 246 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:23,400 It was like, all right, we'll go get some donuts, you know? 247 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:27,000 And so we all piled in the car and we go and we get some donuts. 248 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,640 We get there and the first thing that you find out is that they give you this sheet 249 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:39,720 and you have to fill out like some weird mathematical equation Excel sheet about what kind of donuts 250 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:46,360 that you want because you get to decide like the glaze, the toppings, you can have multiple, 251 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:52,320 every conceivable combination and then they have like little special ones and for every 252 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:56,440 one you have to like do it over and then you go like, oh, I've got three of these, but 253 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:58,360 you have to fill it out and there's another line. 254 00:16:58,360 --> 00:16:59,360 I want two of these. 255 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:00,360 You have to have filled it out. 256 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:06,240 For every kind of donut, and so I'm already like, this is going to be trash because they're 257 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:10,200 cake donuts, as soon as you get there, you realize they're cake donuts and now they want 258 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:15,880 me to do an assignment before I can have a donut and you're standing in line, but you 259 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:18,680 start to get this idea like, wow, there's a lot of people here. 260 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:20,440 Is it just because it's Anna Maria Island? 261 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:22,240 Is it just because it's the summer? 262 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,920 Is it just because it's the only donut place within driving distance or is it because they're 263 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:26,920 actually good? 264 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:31,200 And then you get the donuts and you realize that what has happened is that they literally 265 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:35,360 made your donuts from scratch. 266 00:17:35,360 --> 00:17:37,240 I'm not talking about the toppings. 267 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:47,520 I'm talking about the actual donut was made for you right before they gave it to you. 268 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:51,000 So it's warm. 269 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:56,340 It's like just heavenly. 270 00:17:56,340 --> 00:18:00,180 And then because you're the one that went through the trouble of deciding what you wanted 271 00:18:00,180 --> 00:18:07,440 on it, there's this added satisfaction of not only is this the best cake donut I've 272 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:13,360 ever had, but because I chose everything that goes on it, this is the best donut I've ever 273 00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:20,460 had. 274 00:18:20,460 --> 00:18:25,600 And so last summer we were deciding what should we do. 275 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:31,800 We had a little money from taxes and stuff like that, let's do vacation again, ensure 276 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:34,440 the beaches and the weather and all that stuff was great. 277 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:38,640 But really we went back to Florida for the donut experiment. 278 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:39,640 Really. 279 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:42,600 I mean, if we're being completely honest. 280 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:47,440 And when we came back, especially that first time, I was low key looking for someone that 281 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:50,520 wanted to franchise it around here. 282 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:53,200 I was like, man, think about it. 283 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,040 You don't need a kitchen. 284 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:58,080 You don't need a ton of friars. 285 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:04,640 You don't have shelves filled with donuts because you're making it all on the spot. 286 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:11,040 If you were trying to get in to the donut business, this seems like the easiest donut 287 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:13,000 business to get in. 288 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:17,840 Actually, we have some space open on the other side of the building. 289 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:23,520 Jeff is still looking for someone to lease that. 290 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:29,760 Of course, deep down, I know and I knew that even if we had a donut experiment here that 291 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:34,400 it wouldn't be the same, would it? 292 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:39,560 Because it is in Florida, because there isn't a beach right over there, because the weather's 293 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:47,640 different, because it's not the original, maybe. 294 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:53,920 And I think that that, circling back around this idea that things are temporary and transitory, 295 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:55,520 that this is just a taste. 296 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:57,640 I actually think that that's kind of what church is like. 297 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:03,080 Church is just a franchise of heaven. 298 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:09,880 And it's thousands of miles away from the original in a completely different climate, 299 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:15,320 in a completely different state. 300 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:22,680 And just like a franchise, few franchises are ever as good as the original, right? 301 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:27,640 I've been to more than one Starbucks in Seattle. 302 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:33,600 And I'm not kidding when I say I've never had a Starbucks as good anywhere else than 303 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:35,260 in Seattle. 304 00:20:35,260 --> 00:20:40,000 There is something about the original. 305 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:41,200 Here's the reality about church. 306 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:52,600 There is no perfect church outside of heaven, because they're all just tents on their way 307 00:20:52,600 --> 00:21:01,400 to eternity, full of people that are imperfect, just longing for more. 308 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:03,880 Let me say this. 309 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:14,160 Since I've been away for three months, when God is moving in a church, when God is working 310 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:19,280 in a church, when the people in that church are participating with the work that God is 311 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:23,960 doing, you get a taste of heaven just a little more often. 312 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:31,560 I want to tell you that my personal belief is that God has done something here in this 313 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:34,420 church. 314 00:21:34,420 --> 00:21:36,760 Because this summer I visited six other churches. 315 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:40,200 It was part of the thing that I wanted to do in sabbatical was to go support some other 316 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:41,200 pastors. 317 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:45,400 Some of the pastoral friends I have, I visited six other churches and I was blessed. 318 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:46,400 They sang beautifully. 319 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:55,400 The sermons were on point, but they only made me long for this community more, to worship 320 00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:01,680 with you, to share the scriptures with you, to face my challenges with you. 321 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:11,840 There's this one moment in particular when I longed for this community so much. 322 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:18,000 One month ago yesterday, I was coaching a baseball game when my son Wallace was up to 323 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:24,880 bat and he got hit in the face by a fastball. 324 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:25,880 Don't worry, he's okay. 325 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:31,800 I was waiting for the... Oh, sorry buddy, they weren't that concerned about you. 326 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:36,880 I know, I'm playing. 327 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:43,000 Anyhow, I'll go back in my notes. 328 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,000 Don't worry, he's okay. 329 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:46,840 Here's the thing, it was scary. 330 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:48,720 It was really scary. 331 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:50,600 He was scared. 332 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:55,080 We spent four hours in the hospital making sure that he was okay. 333 00:22:55,080 --> 00:23:02,200 While I was sitting in the hospital with Wallace and with Cindy, the strongest feeling that 334 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:10,840 I had other than just wanting him to be okay was the longing to be with you. 335 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:14,360 The longing to be surrounded by my community. 336 00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:22,840 See, the scriptures tell us to mourn with those who mourn, to rejoice with those who 337 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:23,840 rejoice. 338 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:32,760 I was down and I just knew that if I were here with you that I'd be better. 339 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:39,540 That the fear of life being temporary would be calmed. 340 00:23:39,540 --> 00:23:46,200 That the anxiety of everything changing suddenly would be comforted. 341 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:52,560 That the longing in my heart for a taste of heaven would be satisfied. 342 00:23:52,560 --> 00:24:00,880 I messaged Eric and I messaged Pastor Jen and I messaged Pastor Chris and they prayed 343 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:01,880 for me. 344 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:03,720 Today, I'm grateful. 345 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:08,200 I'm grateful for a community that gave me space for a sabbatical. 346 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:14,840 I am grateful for a community that tastes like heaven. 347 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:22,200 Grateful that God is with us here in this place and grateful that no matter what may 348 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:33,960 come, no matter how much life feels temporary or transitory for any of us, that God has 349 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:44,880 given us a community to camp through it together, even if it's in a tent. 350 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:45,880 Amen? 351 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:48,880 Let us pray. 352 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:51,600 Father, we thank you for your scriptures. 353 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:59,320 We thank you that you told us to not let our hearts be troubled but to take heart. 354 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:01,520 That you told us that you have prepared a place for us. 355 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:09,160 That you have given us your spirit to be with us in this life that we might camp through 356 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:12,520 it together. 357 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:17,440 Help us continually love each other as we love you. 358 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,200 Continue to guide us. 359 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:32,000 Give us a taste of heaven.