WEBVTT

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Sharing good news of great joy to all people,

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Elation Church. I'm going to give you several

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statements, and then I'm going to share my story.

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That's typically what I do when I go for a one

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-day deal. I've been doing this for over 40 years.

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I was traveling at one point over 300 days out

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of the year, and now it's a little over 200 days

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out of the year, which I could retire. I'm not

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going to. I don't know how these preachers retire.

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I'm going to do this as long as I can do it.

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And I'm not going to let age be my gauge or whatever's

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going on. So for you that need to know, everybody

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say wow. Yeah, everybody say wow backwards. Yeah,

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like the ones that paused, like the letters had

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changed. So if you say it forwards or backwards,

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it's still. If you say it upside down, yeah,

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it would be mom, not wom. So everybody say wow.

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So I'll introduce myself a little bit. I'm a

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little calm now. I'm sure I'm going to get loud

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in a few moments. So I'll say a few things. You'll

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say wow. I'm married. Just celebrated August

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17th, 53 years, being married to my first wife.

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Somebody will get that later, I promise you.

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I have two boys. They're ugly. When they were

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born, the nurse said they were cute. She lied.

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They look like lizards. There was blood everywhere.

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I have 10 grandkids. And as of July the 30th

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of this year, I am now a stinking great -grandfather.

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I have a great -granddaughter, and I've met her

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only once, so now I'm a great -grandfather, freaking

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me out. And then I have a dog named Fluffy, and

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my boys think that I love Fluffy more than them,

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and I do. I do. She wants a biscuit. They want

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my money. I love Fluffy. She poops in my backyard.

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They pooped on my life. Can I get an amen? I

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love Fluffy. So that's my family. For you that

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got to know, March of this next year, I'll be

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74 years old. And I've been doing this a long

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time. I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in.

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I used to run three miles a day. I now take my

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car. I feel better, get there faster. I'm just

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kidding. I do work out. I try to take care of

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myself as best as I can. And Dean and Gany, you're

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not going to meet. And Jeffrey, you're not going

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to meet finer people. The worship that you get,

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a lot of churches don't get the worship you get.

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And if you notice, they do everything right.

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They do everything right. And so I pray one day

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that you will be in that new building and pray

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one day that you'll be that lighthouse on this

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street. And I pray that you just, you know, found

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people. I want to give you some stuff to write

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down. By the way, these are 18 note cards that

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I've taken from my pastor. And so we run around

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24 ,000 or more. We have three campuses. Our

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main campus runs about 16. And so we have service

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on Saturday night at 5 and 4 on Sunday morning.

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So if I get to be home, I'll go Saturday night

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because we get the whole thing. And then I'll

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go to the 2 o 'clock service on Sunday because

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we get the whole thing. And so even though he's

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going to preach the same message, I know I'm

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going to get something different. So these are

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just 18 note cards. I don't know how many I have,

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but I take notes. Everybody say note takers or

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history makers. And if I was you, I would start

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writing stuff down every chance you get. And

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I realize on my phone, I've got my Bible. I do

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a quiet time on my phone. I'm reading through

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the chronological Bible this year. And I'm on

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200 and something days now. And then I also do

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another devotional. So I spend about an hour

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just in my time, me and the Lord, sometimes more.

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And I'm always writing stuff down. And so I would

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encourage you to start taking notes. I mean,

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they offered you those little notebooks, and

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I would encourage you to do that. This is my

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11th preaching Bible. Now, I realize you can

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have it on your phone, and that's great, but

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there's nothing like a paper copy of the Scripture.

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And so this is my 11th. My other 10 Bibles I've

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already signed to my grandkids. I don't know

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what I'm going to do with my great -granddaughter.

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That's way down the road. But this Bible here

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is my 11th preaching Bible, and it will go to

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my son who's a pastor in Oklahoma. And I say

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I'm going to give it to him. If I pass away,

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get to be with Jesus, which I'm ready to do that,

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this Bible will be his. So note -takers, I hope

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that you'll say this a lot, note -takers are

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history makers. and I would encourage you, write

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stuff down every chance. And this is why, because

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every now and then I get to watch you guys online.

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I watch my son online, watch my pastor as well.

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And I would just tell you that you can go back

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and look at your notes in the week. That could

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be your quiet time. My son actually, on his Facebook

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page, he puts the notes from his messages. and

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he encourages his families to have family time

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and discuss the sermon. So I would encourage

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you to do that if you would. But anyway, I just

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wanted to show you that what he said is true.

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You want to take notes. It's important. Let me

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give you a couple of thoughts before I get into

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Scripture. God has a purpose for everything.

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I'd write that down. God's got a purpose for

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everything. He's got a purpose for our pain.

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And we need to live life with an eternal purpose.

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I'm going to say that again. We need to live

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life with an eternal purpose, not a temporary

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purpose. There's so many messages. And here's

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the difference between me and Dean. He's got

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to come up with messages every week. I don't

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have to do that because I'm always in a different

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place. Now, I do have plenty of messages. But

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the bottom line, I still need the same anointing

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that they need. I need that same anointing. But

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they've got to come up with stuff every single

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week to give to you. I just need to make sure

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that I preach the right messages. Amen? So I

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want to give you, let me give you that statement

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again. God has a purpose for everything, number

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one. And God has a purpose for your pain. And

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then the last one is we need to live life with

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an eternal purpose, things that last. And that's

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just important. Bad assumption in this gym that

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everybody in this room is saved. Bad assumption.

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No doubt in my mind, I believe now there's a

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greater chance of everybody in this room being

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saved than in a building that's running 4 ,000.

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So there is a greater chance. The question is,

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Do you know that you're saved? I'm going to give

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you three thoughts in my story. Now, if you came

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to leave at a certain time, you should have stayed

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home. You should have watched Joel Osteen. Nobody

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ought to be that happy. That dude needs to have

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a bad day. But here's the deal. My hope is that

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you leave this place different than you came.

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Who would have ever dreamed that... this family

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would leave North Carolina to come here. And

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then for me, the hell that I grew up in, that

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I would end up being in the same place. God's

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got a purpose for everything that happens in

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our life. Three things. Write these three things

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down. I'm going to give them to you. God and

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the devil have a plan and a purpose and a blueprint

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for your life. I'm going to say it again. God

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and the devil have a plan. a purpose, and a blueprint

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for your life. You just got to make sure you're

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on the right plan with the right purpose and

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the right blueprint. That's the bottom line.

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There's a lot of messages I would love to have

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preached today, but this is where I'm heading,

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and my story is in this as well. About an hour

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and 45 minutes from my house, in fact, I'll be

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doing a... some kind of a camp, a weekend camp

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in Kerrville, Texas. I don't know if you've read

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the news or saw the news, but Kerrville is about

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an hour and 45 minutes from my house. I was home

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on July 4th when 27 little girls, 8, 9, and 10

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-year -old girls, and the head of the camp there

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and several counselors were drowned. There were

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over 134 people that ended up dead. I still think

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there's two that they haven't found. That's about

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an hour and 45 minutes from my house. They were

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at a camp that day. They weren't planning on

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dying that day, but it happened. About an hour

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from my house in Uvalde, Texas, a young man walked

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into a school. and shot 21, two teachers and

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19 children, brutally murdered an hour from my

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front door. That's just two events. And then

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you saw this guy that went to the Catholic school

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just recently and killed an 8 -year -old and

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a 9 -year -old, I'm sharing this for a purpose,

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and wounded 17 others. I think there are two

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that are still in critical condition. So we act

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like we got all the time in the world when all

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we got is right now. That's all we got. And so

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Psalms 39, I didn't give this to them, but Psalms

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39, you can look at it later. You can read verses

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four through seven. Basically says this, our

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days are numbered. I was in a little fender bender.

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This guy just stopped and it just happened. But

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I can't tell you how many wrecks. when I left

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my home to where I am here that I saw that were

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pretty bad wrecks on the way here. So he says

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that our days are numbered. He says, remind me

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that my days are numbered, how fleeting my life

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is. You've made my life no longer than the width

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of my hand. An entire lifetime is but a moment

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for you. And then he says, we're merely moving

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shadows, Psalms 39, 6. All are busy rushing ends

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in nothing. So, Lord, where do I put my hope?

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In verse 7, our only hope. is Jesus Christ. So

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God and the devil have a plan, a purpose, and

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a blueprint for our life. Psalms 139. If you'll

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go there, Psalms 139 and verse, oh man, they're

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putting, I'm not used to all this technology

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stuff. Chapter 139, but it's verse 12. Even in

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the darkness, now watch this, God has a plan,

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purpose, blueprint for your life. Even in darkness,

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I cannot hide. From you. To you the night shines

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as bright as the day. Darkness and light are

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the same. But look at verse 13. You've made all

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the delicate inner parts of my body. And knit

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me. I have a t -shirt. I didn't set anything

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up. But I have a t -shirt. One of my shirts.

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And on the front it says your mama is pro -life.

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It's a great shirt. On the back it says we're

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fearfully and wonderfully made. And so I want

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you to notice what he said. He said, you made

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all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit

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me together in my mother's womb. And mine says,

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thank you for making me wonderful complex, but

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I like it where it says, we are fearfully and

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wonderfully made. Your workmanship is marvelous,

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how well I know it. You watched me as I was being

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formed in utter seclusion, verse 15. I was woven

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together in the dark of the womb. You saw me

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before I was born. Look at verse 16. And every

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day of my life was recorded in your book. Every

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moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

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Everybody say God and the devil. I feel like

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we ought to yell or scream or something. It's

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just so quiet. But here's the deal. You're looking

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at a dude that... I had no family, no friends,

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no future, and no faith. And here's the sad part

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of my story. I've written three books. Again,

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I didn't bring all that stuff in. But my new

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book is called Choices 101. The choices we make

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will affect family, friends, future, and our

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faith. Every choice we make will affect those

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four things in your life, in a good way or a

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bad way. I have a shirt that also says, people

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make choices, choices make people. On the back,

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we're one choice away from a different life.

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In fact, let me give you this statement. The

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direction of your life is also a reflection of

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your heart. And then I like this. The choices

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we make today determines how we'll live tomorrow.

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And so we've got to be heavenly minded. We've

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got to be eternal minded. How can we be a light

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and salt in a lost and a dying world? I had nine

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stepfathers growing up. I was in jail at 15,

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suicidal at 10 after one of my stepdads beat

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me with the switch, cleaned the blood off my

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legs, grabbed a small bottle of aspirins. Don't

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know that anybody wants to die, but they want

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the pain to stop. Took my first drink of alcohol

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at nine. See, here's the sad part of my story.

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There were churches all around us, but nobody

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knocking on my door. And so I want you to understand,

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you're looking at a dude that's got every reason

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to be atheist, agnostic. I got every reason to

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flip God off or to cuss God out. But God had

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a, everybody say plan, purpose, blueprint for

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my life. Just as well as the devil had a plan.

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a purpose, and a blueprint for my life. The last

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verse that I'll end with will make sense. Two

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voices, two choices, two plans, purposes, and

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blueprints. My dad was a gutless man, knew how

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to make a baby, didn't want to be a daddy to

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a baby. 38 million kids in America have no idea

00:15:38.059 --> 00:15:40.940
where their real father is. And these numbers

00:15:40.940 --> 00:15:45.200
are probably higher now. But 19 million kids

00:15:45.200 --> 00:15:49.799
in America have never seen their real dad. 24

00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:53.200
different schools, nine stepfathers. I've slept

00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:56.440
in bars and cars and streets and alleys, backyards,

00:15:56.559 --> 00:16:00.779
garages. My mom was an alcoholic, would beat

00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:03.159
me and my sister. I'm the oldest of eight siblings.

00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:05.679
I have a half -brother that died from needles

00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:10.120
at 40, lost. Two half -sisters lost, alcoholics

00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:12.299
along with their kids. Another half -brother,

00:16:12.340 --> 00:16:15.409
I think he's finally won the drug battle. and

00:16:15.409 --> 00:16:17.450
doing much better, making better choices. I've

00:16:17.450 --> 00:16:19.929
got another half -brother who went to prison.

00:16:20.009 --> 00:16:22.769
He got out of prison years ago, started making

00:16:22.769 --> 00:16:25.490
better choices. I helped him get his first book

00:16:25.490 --> 00:16:28.190
published, and that he speaks in the business

00:16:28.190 --> 00:16:31.590
world. I have a half -sister I know nothing about.

00:16:31.629 --> 00:16:33.750
I may have other siblings I know nothing about.

00:16:34.210 --> 00:16:38.509
And my baby sister, when I found her, well over...

00:16:39.419 --> 00:16:41.960
I don't know how long ago it was now. But when

00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:45.019
I found her, she was 40 years old. Her 12 -year

00:16:45.019 --> 00:16:47.679
-old little boy, watch this, was crumpled and

00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:50.440
crippled over. He was in a walker. And bar some

00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:53.639
miracle, he was born that way because of my sister's

00:16:53.639 --> 00:16:57.120
choice to do drugs. You see, we act like the

00:16:57.120 --> 00:16:59.720
choices we make just affects us. It doesn't.

00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:04.319
Last week, I spoke in three public schools. I

00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:08.539
spoke to about 1 ,800 kids. Just a motivational

00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:10.460
deal. And then I invited them to come hear my

00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:14.400
story at night. And many of them did come. And

00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:16.839
we had a great, great, great time. The sad part

00:17:16.839 --> 00:17:19.539
of what I do in schools is I can't talk about

00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:22.640
Jesus. I can just tell them I made a choice that

00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:25.619
changed my life, but I still have to make choices

00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:29.359
to keep my life changed. Every day, one choice

00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:32.200
away from a better life or a bitter life. You're

00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:35.849
here today because you made a... When you leave

00:17:35.849 --> 00:17:38.970
here, you're going to make more. And you're always

00:17:38.970 --> 00:17:42.730
one away from a different life. I mean, this

00:17:42.730 --> 00:17:45.950
is a great place to be. The saddest part is empty

00:17:45.950 --> 00:17:48.349
seats. They got 300 chairs they'd love to bring

00:17:48.349 --> 00:17:52.630
in here. And they get here about seven. I don't

00:17:52.630 --> 00:17:54.349
know who helped set up, but they set all this

00:17:54.349 --> 00:17:57.109
up. And you would think we were going to speak

00:17:57.109 --> 00:18:00.650
to about 3 ,000 people today. But it's all about

00:18:00.650 --> 00:18:04.539
a perspective. It's an eternal perspective. not

00:18:04.539 --> 00:18:07.619
temporary. God's more concerned about the eternal

00:18:07.619 --> 00:18:10.420
things in our life than he is the temporary things.

00:18:10.579 --> 00:18:15.819
Amen? So everybody say God and the devil. We're

00:18:15.819 --> 00:18:17.720
not used to talking. No, he does pretty good

00:18:17.720 --> 00:18:20.480
with it. Have a plan, a purpose, and a blueprint

00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:23.460
for our life. The question is, are you on the

00:18:23.460 --> 00:18:26.480
right plan, right purpose, and blueprint? And

00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:28.400
let me give you this thought, by the way, as

00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:31.200
I get into my story. I saw this on Facebook,

00:18:31.339 --> 00:18:33.960
Dean, and I've shared it. There was a youth pastor

00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:36.519
who did a little survey. He said, do you know

00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:38.960
that if you read your Bible three days or less

00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:42.339
a week, listen to this statistic, if you read

00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:44.500
your Bible three days or less a week, there's

00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:47.940
a great chance you're not going to pray very

00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:50.720
much, you're not going to share your faith, you're

00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:53.400
not going to volunteer, you're not going to serve,

00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:56.359
you're not going to give, you're probably not

00:18:56.359 --> 00:18:58.960
going to try to win people to Jesus. There's

00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:01.700
a great chance of that. But if you read your

00:19:01.700 --> 00:19:04.240
Bible four days or more a week, and by the way,

00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:06.400
I'm in the Bible every day. There's not a day

00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:09.200
goes by I'm not in the Word, even if I don't

00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:12.099
feel like it. But if you read your Bible four

00:19:12.099 --> 00:19:14.380
days or more a week, there's a greater chance

00:19:14.380 --> 00:19:17.940
that you're going to serve, volunteer, love,

00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:21.700
pray more, share more. You're going to tithe.

00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:24.900
You're going to give. When I get home, I'll tithe

00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:27.809
on what I get. from where I've been these last

00:19:27.809 --> 00:19:30.349
couple of weeks. And there's a greater chance

00:19:30.349 --> 00:19:32.369
that you're going to tell somebody about Jesus.

00:19:33.369 --> 00:19:37.349
I can't help. I mean, I got these bracelets that

00:19:37.349 --> 00:19:40.549
glow in the dark. I got a key that I've been

00:19:40.549 --> 00:19:42.990
wearing about 10 years. I don't even know what

00:19:42.990 --> 00:19:46.609
this key goes to. I ain't got a clue. But nobody

00:19:46.609 --> 00:19:48.589
ever asked me about the cross, but they always

00:19:48.589 --> 00:19:51.910
want to know. It's a conversation. Dude, what's

00:19:51.910 --> 00:19:54.109
up with the key? And the key to my life is the

00:19:54.109 --> 00:19:58.940
cross. You know, I got tattoos. I know I probably

00:19:58.940 --> 00:20:02.119
should have got bracelets. But they're conversation

00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:06.559
pieces. I'm almost, when I checked in the hotel,

00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:09.359
they saw these bracelets. Hey, tell me about

00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:13.440
your bracelets. So I'm looking for avenues to

00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:16.839
share my faith with other people. All you got,

00:20:16.900 --> 00:20:19.380
listen, we got too many secret agents for God.

00:20:23.579 --> 00:20:27.940
Listen, it ain't no secret. My neighborhood knows

00:20:27.940 --> 00:20:31.579
where I stand with Jesus. I mean, I want you

00:20:31.579 --> 00:20:34.059
to understand the people where I go to restaurants,

00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:36.519
my wife and I, when my boys graduated and left,

00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:39.140
my wife decided she would never cook again, and

00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:44.839
she's done well. So we eat out a lot, and we

00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:46.759
frequent some of the same restaurants, and the

00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:49.380
reason being we get to witness to waitresses.

00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:51.839
We've had them come to our church. We've seen

00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:54.720
them give their life to Christ. So I'm not asking

00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:57.869
you to do something I don't do. Can you imagine

00:20:57.869 --> 00:21:01.349
if next week, if every one of you decided to

00:21:01.349 --> 00:21:04.529
bring one person next week? I'm not a math person.

00:21:04.890 --> 00:21:08.470
I studied all night to make a high F. I wasn't

00:21:08.470 --> 00:21:12.170
smart. I got two brain cells and they're fighting

00:21:12.170 --> 00:21:14.670
with each other right now. But you know what

00:21:14.670 --> 00:21:17.589
I figured? If everybody here brought one person

00:21:17.589 --> 00:21:21.950
next week, the crowd would double. And that's

00:21:21.950 --> 00:21:26.990
not deep. But see, we just come to church. to

00:21:26.990 --> 00:21:30.089
get rather than to give. And let me just say

00:21:30.089 --> 00:21:32.950
this to you. How many of y 'all have people in

00:21:32.950 --> 00:21:34.710
your life that are not Christians? Raise your

00:21:34.710 --> 00:21:37.650
hand. How many of y 'all care about those people?

00:21:38.410 --> 00:21:42.269
Do you care enough to get them here? You see,

00:21:42.289 --> 00:21:44.769
I'm telling you, there were churches all around

00:21:44.769 --> 00:21:47.730
me. My mom would drive, again, I'm the oldest

00:21:47.730 --> 00:21:50.630
of eight. When I found my baby sister, her 12

00:21:50.630 --> 00:21:52.470
-year -old little boy could barely walk because

00:21:52.470 --> 00:21:55.769
of her drug use. She had hepatitis C, cirrhosis

00:21:55.769 --> 00:21:58.410
of the liver, became the person she hated. She

00:21:58.410 --> 00:22:02.750
became my mom. I've slept in bars and cars and

00:22:02.750 --> 00:22:06.630
streets and alleys, but watch this. I'm fearfully

00:22:06.630 --> 00:22:11.589
and wonderfully made. And my mom told me all

00:22:11.589 --> 00:22:14.009
my life that I was a mistake. My dad didn't want

00:22:14.009 --> 00:22:17.250
me. She didn't want me. I mean, we cost her too

00:22:17.250 --> 00:22:21.160
much money. We'd be better off dead. I slept

00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:23.539
on a floor next to my baby sister's bed from

00:22:23.539 --> 00:22:26.440
the age, can you imagine? From the age of 10

00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:29.619
to 15, I slept on a floor in our school clothes.

00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:34.059
Remember, 24 different schools, which means I

00:22:34.059 --> 00:22:36.579
was always the new kid. So I got beat up and

00:22:36.579 --> 00:22:39.220
bullied at home. I got beat up and bullied at

00:22:39.220 --> 00:22:42.460
school. If you're listening, say yes. I'm not

00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:47.559
boring you, right? See, so here's the deal. I

00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:52.119
grew up with a lot of hate. Is it raining? I'm

00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:56.839
so glad we're in here. We need rain in Texas.

00:22:57.420 --> 00:23:00.680
Bottom line is this. My mom told me all my life

00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:03.180
I'd be nothing to nobody. So I slept on a floor

00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:06.279
next to my baby sister's bed because my mom worked

00:23:06.279 --> 00:23:09.059
at bars and clubs. And when my mom would come

00:23:09.059 --> 00:23:12.099
in late at night, 2 or 3 in the morning, if I

00:23:12.099 --> 00:23:15.619
heard her, can you imagine? I'd wake my baby

00:23:15.619 --> 00:23:17.839
sister up. We'd slip out the back door, depending

00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:20.779
upon where we lived. We would hide in a garage,

00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:26.480
a street, an alley, a park, a backyard. My mom

00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:28.799
would pass out. We could slip back in, get in

00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:31.240
our beds, and get a good night's rest. And then

00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:34.539
we'd go to school. And I didn't run into any

00:23:34.539 --> 00:23:36.740
Christians at school. I'm sure they were there,

00:23:36.900 --> 00:23:40.859
but nobody told me about Jesus. Nobody invited

00:23:40.859 --> 00:23:44.809
me to their church. I got no family, no friends,

00:23:44.990 --> 00:23:49.450
no future, no faith, but I am fearfully and wonderfully

00:23:49.450 --> 00:23:53.630
made. I think it's Jeremiah 29. You can go there.

00:23:54.089 --> 00:23:58.990
Jeremiah 29, 11. Very powerful verse. And in

00:23:58.990 --> 00:24:01.970
Jeremiah 29, notice what he said. When I pause,

00:24:02.069 --> 00:24:05.930
will you speak? For I know the... See, a minute

00:24:05.930 --> 00:24:07.650
ago when he was talking about the offering and

00:24:07.650 --> 00:24:10.329
everything, I saw some things that I just needed

00:24:10.329 --> 00:24:15.299
to highlight for me. My wife and I, I just got

00:24:15.299 --> 00:24:18.420
back from Africa, if you can imagine. I got back

00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:23.200
from Africa. It'll be two weeks past Monday.

00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:27.039
And I got back on Tuesday, left on Monday from

00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:30.440
Kenya, saw over 200 give their life to Christ.

00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:35.039
In Africa, I spoke two days to preachers, trying

00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:36.779
to share with them how to give an invitation,

00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:40.220
how to draw the net, how to present the gospel.

00:24:40.660 --> 00:24:42.900
Spoke in another church that I didn't need an

00:24:42.900 --> 00:24:45.660
interpreter, praise God. And in the middle of

00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:47.460
my message, there were two monkeys that showed

00:24:47.460 --> 00:24:51.819
up in my sermon. I've had dogs and cats, never

00:24:51.819 --> 00:24:54.319
had a monkey, but they're there. I don't know

00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:56.220
if they got saved, but maybe they were listening.

00:24:58.159 --> 00:25:01.420
But when I finished, I got home. I left on Monday,

00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:04.539
didn't get home until Tuesday. And then my wife's

00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:06.200
in the hospital Friday, and I'm on the road again

00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:11.339
Saturday. See, here's the deal. I grew up with

00:25:11.339 --> 00:25:14.019
a lot of hate and a lot of pain. And my mom told

00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:17.660
me all my life that I was worth nothing. Nobody

00:25:17.660 --> 00:25:20.819
really wanted me. That's what I grew up in. And

00:25:20.819 --> 00:25:23.839
are you ready? I didn't run into any Christians.

00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:27.099
And I know there were kids that went to church,

00:25:27.259 --> 00:25:30.380
Bible study. And me and my sister, you know,

00:25:30.420 --> 00:25:33.240
you had the cowboys. I didn't want to be a cowboy.

00:25:33.299 --> 00:25:36.500
They're weird. Some people smoke cigarettes.

00:25:36.660 --> 00:25:42.480
Cowboys eat them. You'll get that later. I wasn't

00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:46.160
an intellectual. I wasn't athletic. I had athlete's

00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:50.019
foot one time. I don't know if that counts. But

00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:51.880
you're looking at a dude that just didn't fit.

00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:54.859
And notice what he said. For I know the. Come

00:25:54.859 --> 00:25:58.920
on, be strong. For I know the, I have for you,

00:25:59.160 --> 00:26:03.059
says the Lord. There are plans for good, not

00:26:03.059 --> 00:26:06.359
for disaster, but to give you a future and to

00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:08.180
hope. Can we go to the next verse? I don't know

00:26:08.180 --> 00:26:11.039
if you can get that up there. Look at it. No,

00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:12.900
no, go back. No, I was talking about Jeremiah.

00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:16.180
Here it is. Let me read it. All right, that's

00:26:16.180 --> 00:26:19.640
all I get. Here it is. Jeremiah verse 12. In

00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:22.839
those days when you pray, I will listen. Everybody

00:26:22.839 --> 00:26:26.309
say if. Do you know that the word if is used

00:26:26.309 --> 00:26:31.150
1 ,800 times in my Bible? He could do a whole

00:26:31.150 --> 00:26:34.009
series on the word if. You look at the word life,

00:26:34.049 --> 00:26:35.950
and in the middle of the word life is the word

00:26:35.950 --> 00:26:40.690
if. Man, if my people, if you want to be my follower,

00:26:40.849 --> 00:26:44.069
if you walk in the light, if you love. If is

00:26:44.069 --> 00:26:46.150
a big word. And notice what he says here in verse

00:26:46.150 --> 00:26:50.589
13. He said, if you look for me wholeheartedly,

00:26:50.630 --> 00:26:53.150
you will find me. I will be found by you, says

00:26:53.150 --> 00:26:57.059
the Lord. I will end your captivity, restore

00:26:57.059 --> 00:26:59.940
your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations

00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:02.400
where I sent you and bring you home again to

00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:06.039
your own land. God and the devil have a plan,

00:27:06.220 --> 00:27:09.240
purpose, and blueprint for your life. Now go

00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:12.799
to John chapter 10. Now go to John 10. We're

00:27:12.799 --> 00:27:16.259
going to camp here for a few minutes. Powerful

00:27:16.259 --> 00:27:19.440
one verse, very powerful verse in John chapter

00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:24.559
10. If you're listening, say yes. We moved to

00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:29.400
California. I was seven. My sister was five.

00:27:29.480 --> 00:27:33.819
I don't know why we moved. This will be the hardest

00:27:33.819 --> 00:27:36.259
part that I share, and here's the sad part of

00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:39.599
my story. When I started doing school assemblies,

00:27:39.599 --> 00:27:41.779
and I've done over 20 ,000, I'd love to come

00:27:41.779 --> 00:27:44.559
back here and get in this school, be with sixth,

00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:46.420
seventh, eighth graders, and invite them here,

00:27:46.660 --> 00:27:48.619
whether it's Sunday morning, Saturday night,

00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:52.369
whatever we could do. But over 20 ,000 school

00:27:52.369 --> 00:27:54.690
assemblies, not counting Christian schools, private

00:27:54.690 --> 00:27:58.710
schools, alternative schools. And do you know

00:27:58.710 --> 00:28:00.549
that when I started doing this over 40 years

00:28:00.549 --> 00:28:03.730
ago, I would ask how many students came from

00:28:03.730 --> 00:28:06.970
a divorced or broken home? And out of 800 kids,

00:28:07.289 --> 00:28:11.390
I bet you there wasn't 20. Now I ask the same

00:28:11.390 --> 00:28:15.789
question out of 800 kids. 70 to 80 % of students

00:28:15.789 --> 00:28:18.470
in public schools come from divorced and broken

00:28:18.470 --> 00:28:22.839
homes. 50 % live in single -parent homes. 30

00:28:22.839 --> 00:28:24.700
% don't live with either one of their parents

00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:31.039
at all. There are a lot of Ken Freemans in our

00:28:31.039 --> 00:28:34.160
life. And we've got to figure out, by the way,

00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:36.660
this is a good group this morning. Jesus only

00:28:36.660 --> 00:28:42.099
had 12, and they were weird people. Think of

00:28:42.099 --> 00:28:46.200
what he could do with you if every week you got

00:28:46.200 --> 00:28:49.759
a Ken Freeman here. If every week that person

00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:52.140
that you care about, you said, you know what?

00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:54.680
Go to church with me Sunday. We'll go to lunch

00:28:54.680 --> 00:28:57.619
afterwards. I promise you, if you can get people

00:28:57.619 --> 00:29:00.940
here, they're going to hear the gospel. You see,

00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:05.279
worship is our life. It's not a song. And you'll

00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:07.619
never worship a God that you don't know, and

00:29:07.619 --> 00:29:10.480
you can never worship a God that you don't serve.

00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:14.339
When I was in Africa, man, I didn't understand

00:29:14.339 --> 00:29:19.099
their language, but I worshiped. It's not knowing

00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:24.119
a song, it's knowing a Savior. Amen? We moved

00:29:24.119 --> 00:29:28.980
to California. I'm seven, my sister's five. My

00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:31.039
mom woke me up. She said, I'll see you in three

00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:34.920
days. I'm going to go party. My mom left us with

00:29:34.920 --> 00:29:40.839
an ex -boyfriend, made another. Woke up to my

00:29:40.839 --> 00:29:46.470
baby sister crying. I fell back to sleep. When

00:29:46.470 --> 00:29:48.789
I looked in the bunk bed, usually a dream or

00:29:48.789 --> 00:29:51.829
a nightmare, my sister was weeping, and it wasn't,

00:29:51.829 --> 00:29:56.069
I'll be careful here as best I can. I watched

00:29:56.069 --> 00:29:58.789
as this dude did horrible things to my baby sister.

00:30:00.150 --> 00:30:03.750
And for my sister and my two half -brothers and

00:30:03.750 --> 00:30:06.029
myself, the abuse that we went through, you can't

00:30:06.029 --> 00:30:10.230
imagine. You can't even imagine. And then we'd

00:30:10.230 --> 00:30:13.500
go to school and get beat up and bullied. Nobody

00:30:13.500 --> 00:30:16.480
reached out to us. We didn't dress very cool.

00:30:17.500 --> 00:30:20.220
I wore glasses back then. That was not a cool

00:30:20.220 --> 00:30:22.920
deal. I wasn't athletic. I was always the new

00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:27.180
kid. He grabbed me by the arm. My anger turned

00:30:27.180 --> 00:30:31.220
to fear, slung me to the bottom of the bed, and

00:30:31.220 --> 00:30:34.500
it was my turn. You see, that happened because

00:30:34.500 --> 00:30:38.180
my dad mayday. Watch how it works. My mom mayday.

00:30:39.019 --> 00:30:41.869
Her ex -boyfriend mayday. And here's where I

00:30:41.869 --> 00:30:44.230
share this in public schools. Here's what I tell

00:30:44.230 --> 00:30:47.490
students. Sometimes, like me, you've got to live

00:30:47.490 --> 00:30:52.569
with the consequences of your parents, your families,

00:30:52.829 --> 00:31:00.269
your classmates, your workers' choices. One choice

00:31:00.269 --> 00:31:04.950
away from a different life. Romans 6 .16, you

00:31:04.950 --> 00:31:07.769
ought to read Romans 6. 23 verses, powerful chapter.

00:31:08.029 --> 00:31:11.039
You ought to read it. Christian life's about

00:31:11.039 --> 00:31:13.039
life and death. The Christian's life is about

00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:15.700
freedom and bondage. It's about wages and rewards.

00:31:15.900 --> 00:31:17.740
But listen to Romans. It's one of my bracelets.

00:31:18.079 --> 00:31:21.420
Romans 6 .16 says, Don't you realize whatever

00:31:21.420 --> 00:31:24.680
you choose to obey becomes your master? You become

00:31:24.680 --> 00:31:28.180
its slave. You can choose sin that leads to death,

00:31:28.279 --> 00:31:31.940
or you can choose to obey God and have a righteous

00:31:31.940 --> 00:31:35.220
life. One choice away from a different life.

00:31:35.420 --> 00:31:40.079
It all started in the garden. Everybody say thank

00:31:40.079 --> 00:31:43.400
you. Yeah, I'm giving you more. I'm giving you

00:31:43.400 --> 00:31:47.039
as much as I can. Adam and Eve, do you understand,

00:31:47.180 --> 00:31:53.759
had one wrong choice. And if you don't think

00:31:53.759 --> 00:31:56.960
it messed with you, read Romans 5 .12. Because

00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:00.319
of one man, Adam, and his sin, all of us became

00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:05.380
sinners. That's why we needed Jesus, the second

00:32:05.380 --> 00:32:09.490
Adam. Amen? If you're listening, say yes. My

00:32:09.490 --> 00:32:11.650
mom came home three days later. We rushed into

00:32:11.650 --> 00:32:13.630
the living room, wrapped our arms around my mom's

00:32:13.630 --> 00:32:15.789
legs. I'm looking up at her. I'm going to tell

00:32:15.789 --> 00:32:18.450
my mom what I think this guy did, what he probably

00:32:18.450 --> 00:32:20.549
did to others. He's already drinking a bottle

00:32:20.549 --> 00:32:24.710
of beer. He gets in the car and leaves. My mom

00:32:24.710 --> 00:32:26.509
kicks us off our legs because she was pretty

00:32:26.509 --> 00:32:30.009
drunk. We passed out on the floor, or we slept

00:32:30.009 --> 00:32:31.890
on the floor. The next morning, I went into my

00:32:31.890 --> 00:32:34.670
mom's room. It's a little bit bigger bottle than

00:32:34.670 --> 00:32:37.559
this. And on my mom's nightstand, she had a warm

00:32:37.559 --> 00:32:41.220
bottle of whiskey with a shot glass. Now, I haven't

00:32:41.220 --> 00:32:44.220
had a drink of alcohol over 50 -something years

00:32:44.220 --> 00:32:47.319
I've been clean. Yes, I can have a beer. Yes,

00:32:47.480 --> 00:32:50.220
I can have a glass of wine. But I've chosen to

00:32:50.220 --> 00:32:54.079
be an example, not an excuse. And what we do

00:32:54.079 --> 00:32:57.420
in excess, kids are going to, excuse me, what

00:32:57.420 --> 00:33:00.779
we do in moderation, kids will do in excess.

00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:04.099
Just drink a bottle of water or a Diet Dr. Pepper.

00:33:04.279 --> 00:33:08.900
It'll change your life. I want you to understand

00:33:08.900 --> 00:33:12.660
that I began to tell my mom what I thought happened

00:33:12.660 --> 00:33:15.819
after she drank that shot glass. Got us to the

00:33:15.819 --> 00:33:18.140
hospital. My sister stayed. They arrested the

00:33:18.140 --> 00:33:21.059
dude. He did go to prison. And from the age of

00:33:21.059 --> 00:33:25.779
7 to 20, 13 years, I lived in a prison of guilt,

00:33:25.880 --> 00:33:29.059
shame, and blame for 13 years. I was 20 when

00:33:29.059 --> 00:33:32.210
I realized. What happened to my sister was not

00:33:32.210 --> 00:33:35.970
my fault. We moved from California back to St.

00:33:36.109 --> 00:33:38.009
Louis. That's when I wake up with a knife to

00:33:38.009 --> 00:33:41.029
my throat, mom's whiskey breath in my face. I

00:33:41.029 --> 00:33:43.329
didn't hear her come in. She's going to kill

00:33:43.329 --> 00:33:46.390
me and my sister. I begged and cried. She dropped

00:33:46.390 --> 00:33:48.829
the knife in the ground, and we got to live one

00:33:48.829 --> 00:33:51.609
more day. My sister began to run the streets.

00:33:51.710 --> 00:33:54.809
I moved to Texas, born in Virginia. Just got

00:33:54.809 --> 00:34:00.400
to Texas as quickly as I could. As I drove in

00:34:00.400 --> 00:34:02.059
with my two half -brothers because I wanted to

00:34:02.059 --> 00:34:05.839
take care of them, my stepdad married another

00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:09.239
woman just like my mom. She began to beat me

00:34:09.239 --> 00:34:12.380
like my mom. I was real small growing up, real

00:34:12.380 --> 00:34:16.340
small. So I was easy prey to get beat up. After

00:34:16.340 --> 00:34:19.619
a year or so, maybe longer, I don't know, I packed

00:34:19.619 --> 00:34:22.420
my suitcase. I'm not advocating this. And I lived

00:34:22.420 --> 00:34:25.119
in the streets for about three days. And then

00:34:25.119 --> 00:34:27.300
family started letting me live with them. Everybody

00:34:27.300 --> 00:34:32.989
say God. devil, have a plan, purpose, blueprint

00:34:32.989 --> 00:34:37.969
for my life. According to Psalms 139, we're fearfully

00:34:37.969 --> 00:34:40.469
and wonderfully made, scheduled and planned each

00:34:40.469 --> 00:34:43.010
day of our life. According to Jeremiah, I know

00:34:43.010 --> 00:34:45.710
the plans I have for you to prosper, not to harm

00:34:45.710 --> 00:34:47.789
or hurt you, give you hope and a future. And

00:34:47.789 --> 00:34:51.190
then John 10 .10, look at that one. The thief's

00:34:51.190 --> 00:34:55.329
purpose, I'm not lying to you, is to steal, kill,

00:34:55.389 --> 00:35:00.070
and destroy. Now, I'm going to tell you, the

00:35:00.070 --> 00:35:04.670
devil's real. But if you know the Bible, 1 John

00:35:04.670 --> 00:35:08.110
4, 4, greater is he that is in than he that is

00:35:08.110 --> 00:35:14.050
in the. You read James, James in chapter 4, he

00:35:14.050 --> 00:35:16.670
says, submit yourself therefore unto God, resist

00:35:16.670 --> 00:35:20.869
the devil, and he's got to go. We got to quit

00:35:20.869 --> 00:35:22.989
blaming stuff on the devil. Can I get an amen?

00:35:25.230 --> 00:35:27.690
Can you imagine getting a flat tire and you're

00:35:27.690 --> 00:35:30.250
getting ready to change it and you're upset because

00:35:30.250 --> 00:35:34.769
you think the devil gave you a flat tire? You

00:35:34.769 --> 00:35:36.469
really think he's in the pits of hell going,

00:35:36.570 --> 00:35:40.750
this will be good. You know why you got the flat

00:35:40.750 --> 00:35:43.449
tire? I'd write this down. This is deep. Got

00:35:43.449 --> 00:35:51.210
a hole in it. The devil and God had nothing to

00:35:51.210 --> 00:35:55.119
do with the flat tire. After the flat tire, the

00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:56.780
devil wants to have something to do with it,

00:35:56.820 --> 00:36:00.880
as well as God. You'll understand that in a few

00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:04.059
moments. My story just keeps going. I mean, here

00:36:04.059 --> 00:36:07.840
I am, a great -grandfather, and you're looking

00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:10.219
at a dude that should be a wife -beater, child

00:36:10.219 --> 00:36:13.719
-abuser, drug -user, and I should be an alcoholic.

00:36:14.900 --> 00:36:17.239
But 50 -something years ago, this coming October,

00:36:17.500 --> 00:36:21.039
56, 57 years ago, I'm living on a couch. This

00:36:21.039 --> 00:36:23.739
family took me in. I'd been living with different

00:36:23.739 --> 00:36:26.659
families. Finally, I got this couch. A football

00:36:26.659 --> 00:36:30.880
player gets me to go to church. There were girls

00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:33.039
and foods. I was into chicks and chickens, so

00:36:33.039 --> 00:36:38.380
I went. Y 'all are laughing. I walked in the

00:36:38.380 --> 00:36:40.159
back of that church. I was going to sit in the

00:36:40.159 --> 00:36:42.039
back row. I found out you want to get a good

00:36:42.039 --> 00:36:45.159
back row, you got to get there four or five days

00:36:45.159 --> 00:36:50.000
early. My first time to go to church, I joined

00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:54.159
the youth choir. I could cuss wallpaper off a

00:36:54.159 --> 00:36:58.179
wall, and I'm in the choir. Big old football

00:36:58.179 --> 00:37:00.599
players hugging me. I didn't even know they're

00:37:00.599 --> 00:37:02.440
mamas. I don't know how I became their brother.

00:37:03.260 --> 00:37:05.639
The girls hugged me. Hallelujah. I thought that

00:37:05.639 --> 00:37:09.380
was good. Now I'm giving you the short version.

00:37:09.460 --> 00:37:14.159
You can just go online and look. Bottom line

00:37:14.159 --> 00:37:18.940
is... October of 1968, gas was 13 cents a gallon.

00:37:22.260 --> 00:37:24.400
The dude said, are you tired of running? His

00:37:24.400 --> 00:37:28.320
name was Freddy Gage. I started crying. I didn't

00:37:28.320 --> 00:37:31.800
cry in front of people. But see, the thief's

00:37:31.800 --> 00:37:35.739
purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. Every

00:37:35.739 --> 00:37:39.260
six minutes in America, there's a murder. Every

00:37:39.260 --> 00:37:41.980
eight minutes in America, there's a rape. One

00:37:41.980 --> 00:37:45.219
in three women, usually a date rape. Every 15

00:37:45.219 --> 00:37:47.619
minutes, someone dies because of somebody drinking

00:37:47.619 --> 00:37:51.539
and driving. It used to be 90. Every 16 minutes,

00:37:51.639 --> 00:37:53.360
someone will take their own life and probably

00:37:53.360 --> 00:37:56.559
didn't want to die. And children under the age

00:37:56.559 --> 00:37:58.599
of five will be beaten to death by somebody they

00:37:58.599 --> 00:38:02.480
love. Are you all listening? That's why we've

00:38:02.480 --> 00:38:06.400
got a world that's dying to go to hell. We've

00:38:06.400 --> 00:38:10.119
got to give them a reason for heaven. We ought

00:38:10.119 --> 00:38:11.920
to be the difference. They don't read Matthew,

00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:15.210
Mark, Luke, and John. They read me and you. We're

00:38:15.210 --> 00:38:18.110
the Bible that people read. Are they closing

00:38:18.110 --> 00:38:22.650
the book? Are they asking more questions? Bottom

00:38:22.650 --> 00:38:25.190
line is I got saved that night. I'll never forget.

00:38:26.789 --> 00:38:29.269
School system found out I had no legal guardian.

00:38:29.329 --> 00:38:31.210
I had to go back and live with my mom in St.

00:38:31.289 --> 00:38:34.550
Louis. The football player's name was Jeff that

00:38:34.550 --> 00:38:36.429
got me to go to church. I didn't run into another

00:38:36.429 --> 00:38:39.929
Jeff. And then I call them my Jesus parents.

00:38:40.050 --> 00:38:42.130
In one of my books, they write the foreword.

00:38:43.239 --> 00:38:45.460
and they were the minister of music at the church

00:38:45.460 --> 00:38:48.000
where I was saved in Corpus Christi. They moved

00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:51.559
to San Antonio to another church, and I went

00:38:51.559 --> 00:38:54.699
to St. Louis. They sent me a one -way plane ticket.

00:38:56.739 --> 00:39:01.579
I can count on two hands the choices I made to

00:39:01.579 --> 00:39:05.059
where I am right here today. They changed throughout

00:39:05.059 --> 00:39:09.019
the years, but I chose to get on that plane,

00:39:09.219 --> 00:39:12.659
one -way ticket. They took an Hispanic girl coming

00:39:12.659 --> 00:39:15.659
off of drugs. She got the extra bedroom. I got

00:39:15.659 --> 00:39:19.000
a camper shoved up in a carport. I thought it

00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:24.199
was a condo. Now I'm giving you the short version.

00:39:24.320 --> 00:39:27.780
The thief's purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy.

00:39:29.980 --> 00:39:33.980
You look at the abortions, the murders. You look

00:39:33.980 --> 00:39:38.539
at our political garbage. I'm just telling you,

00:39:38.539 --> 00:39:41.519
we're in a mess. I think our country is better

00:39:41.519 --> 00:39:44.099
than it's ever been. I don't know who you voted

00:39:44.099 --> 00:39:47.239
for. I don't really care. But I think we're in

00:39:47.239 --> 00:39:50.099
better shape than we've ever been. But the four

00:39:50.099 --> 00:39:53.519
years before this, I'm 73, so I've seen a lot

00:39:53.519 --> 00:39:55.559
of presidents. It was probably the worst four

00:39:55.559 --> 00:40:00.119
years I've ever seen in America ever. And I'm

00:40:00.119 --> 00:40:01.679
not talking about a man. I'm just talking about

00:40:01.679 --> 00:40:04.239
politics. But can I tell you this? We don't need

00:40:04.239 --> 00:40:07.880
a politician. And let me just tell you this.

00:40:08.460 --> 00:40:10.400
A politician ain't going to make America great.

00:40:11.860 --> 00:40:15.579
God can. And we've got to be praying for those

00:40:15.579 --> 00:40:20.199
people. See, I'm in this Bible every day. When

00:40:20.199 --> 00:40:21.820
you're in the Word every day, you're going to

00:40:21.820 --> 00:40:26.320
pray more. You're going to reach out more. You're

00:40:26.320 --> 00:40:28.739
going to listen better. You're going to love

00:40:28.739 --> 00:40:32.059
more. You're going to serve more. Man, who can

00:40:32.059 --> 00:40:35.679
I tell about Jesus today? The little fender bender

00:40:35.679 --> 00:40:39.340
I had, I got out. I said, hey, listen, my foot

00:40:39.340 --> 00:40:41.659
slipped off. I gave them all the insurance stuff.

00:40:42.300 --> 00:40:44.179
And I took a few minutes to say, hey, listen,

00:40:44.280 --> 00:40:47.059
I'm getting ready to preach this weekend. I guess

00:40:47.059 --> 00:40:50.260
my sermon just now started. So I got to tell

00:40:50.260 --> 00:40:52.219
them a little bit about Jesus and a little bit

00:40:52.219 --> 00:40:55.900
of my story. It was an incredible conversation,

00:40:56.039 --> 00:40:57.940
but we had to have a wreck for it to happen.

00:41:01.900 --> 00:41:06.840
You see, the bottom line is. I was able to graduate

00:41:06.840 --> 00:41:09.000
from high school, two years of college. I've

00:41:09.000 --> 00:41:12.639
written three books, two boys, ten grandkids,

00:41:12.960 --> 00:41:16.920
a great -granddaughter. I was able to forgive

00:41:16.920 --> 00:41:20.679
my mom because forgiveness is a... I watched

00:41:20.679 --> 00:41:22.519
my mom laying in bed. I wiped the blood from

00:41:22.519 --> 00:41:25.300
her eyes, skin turned yellow, body bloated. For

00:41:25.300 --> 00:41:27.900
14 years, I loved my mom as best as she'd let

00:41:27.900 --> 00:41:32.340
me, but my mom died lost, never got saved. Found

00:41:32.340 --> 00:41:40.300
my dad. After 42 years, my dad got throat cancer,

00:41:40.380 --> 00:41:43.000
bone cancer. I was able to lead my dad to the

00:41:43.000 --> 00:41:47.780
Lord 12 days before he died. You see, here's

00:41:47.780 --> 00:41:50.099
the deal. Your story, just everybody's got a

00:41:50.099 --> 00:41:56.139
story. But are you on the right plan with the

00:41:56.139 --> 00:41:58.619
right purpose and the right blueprint? I'm going

00:41:58.619 --> 00:42:01.219
to give you the biggest ripoff in just a moment.

00:42:02.860 --> 00:42:05.099
On this arm, you're going to see my first tattoo.

00:42:05.179 --> 00:42:08.719
I probably should have got a bracelet. But my

00:42:08.719 --> 00:42:10.699
grandson, Trey, this year would have graduated

00:42:10.699 --> 00:42:12.820
from high school. You would think I've been through

00:42:12.820 --> 00:42:16.000
enough. And at the age of seven, we couldn't

00:42:16.000 --> 00:42:20.219
beat leukemia. Our loss was heaven's gain. This

00:42:20.219 --> 00:42:22.340
other one, if you go to pray for Caleb Freeman

00:42:22.340 --> 00:42:25.860
or go to hashtag but God, his older brother Caleb

00:42:25.860 --> 00:42:27.980
was in a horrible wreck about seven years ago.

00:42:28.059 --> 00:42:30.869
They pronounced him dead. He was in a coma for

00:42:30.869 --> 00:42:33.429
about two and a half months. He now walks without

00:42:33.429 --> 00:42:36.210
a walker. He's still going to all kinds of therapies

00:42:36.210 --> 00:42:40.769
in incredible shape. Him and my son travel and

00:42:40.769 --> 00:42:43.730
speak. They spoke at Falls Creek this year, 6

00:42:43.730 --> 00:42:47.130
,000 students. So he's still in front of people.

00:42:48.309 --> 00:42:50.789
I'm praying for complete healing that one day

00:42:50.789 --> 00:42:53.849
he'll run again. He walks like a drunk. It's

00:42:53.849 --> 00:42:59.050
awesome. We love it. So here's what I'm saying.

00:42:59.519 --> 00:43:03.880
There's a purpose for our pain, and God's got

00:43:03.880 --> 00:43:07.320
a purpose for everything. Amen? Romans 8, 28.

00:43:08.260 --> 00:43:12.440
For all things work together for those who love

00:43:12.440 --> 00:43:14.940
God and are called according to His purpose.

00:43:17.980 --> 00:43:24.840
Now, before I close, the second part of John

00:43:24.840 --> 00:43:29.119
10. Jesus, I love how the New Living reads. He

00:43:29.119 --> 00:43:34.059
said, my purpose is to give you a rich, satisfying

00:43:34.059 --> 00:43:36.739
life, but I like it where it says, my purpose

00:43:36.739 --> 00:43:40.019
is to give you life. That's salvation. But then

00:43:40.019 --> 00:43:41.920
he said, and life more abundantly. Everybody

00:43:41.920 --> 00:43:46.860
say upgrade. See, you know what I believe? I

00:43:46.860 --> 00:43:48.739
never thought I'd ever say this, Dean, and you've

00:43:48.739 --> 00:43:51.960
heard me say it before. There's more than just

00:43:51.960 --> 00:43:56.130
getting saved. Nothing wrong with getting fire

00:43:56.130 --> 00:43:59.389
insurance, but if that's all you got. And you

00:43:59.389 --> 00:44:02.409
know what I tell people? If all God is going

00:44:02.409 --> 00:44:04.150
to get out of you is Sunday morning, and that's

00:44:04.150 --> 00:44:07.449
all God gets, you probably ought to get saved.

00:44:10.949 --> 00:44:13.070
I mean, you've got small groups that you ought

00:44:13.070 --> 00:44:15.730
to be a part of. I lead a small group in my church.

00:44:17.869 --> 00:44:20.489
We have about 12 in our group. Don't stop listening.

00:44:22.059 --> 00:44:25.900
So Jesus said, my purpose is to give you a rich,

00:44:25.940 --> 00:44:28.199
satisfying life. You know what I noticed about

00:44:28.199 --> 00:44:33.179
John 10 .10? Two voices, a deceptive voice and

00:44:33.179 --> 00:44:40.280
a voice of life and truth. Two choices, two blueprints,

00:44:40.420 --> 00:44:45.639
two plans, two purposes. I want to give you this

00:44:45.639 --> 00:44:48.679
statement. I believe the biggest ripoff, everybody

00:44:48.679 --> 00:44:51.559
point to your head. I'm trying to be careful

00:44:51.559 --> 00:44:54.980
with your time, not really. Everybody point to

00:44:54.980 --> 00:45:00.079
your head. Say you can know about God. Point

00:45:00.079 --> 00:45:04.260
to your heart without knowing God. Point to your

00:45:04.260 --> 00:45:10.000
head. You can know about God's love. Heart without

00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:18.460
knowing God's love. 18 inches. You can know a

00:45:18.460 --> 00:45:21.599
lot. In 1 John 5, 13 said these things are written

00:45:21.599 --> 00:45:24.599
that you might know you have everlasting life,

00:45:24.639 --> 00:45:28.219
not hope. In 1 John 5 chapters, the word K -N

00:45:28.219 --> 00:45:32.480
-O -W is used 34 different times. That's the

00:45:32.480 --> 00:45:34.340
one thing you ought to know. I think my wife

00:45:34.340 --> 00:45:39.340
and I are going to make it. You know, I bought

00:45:39.340 --> 00:45:42.820
her a little pebble when we got married. It's

00:45:42.820 --> 00:45:45.610
all I could afford. And then I gave her the rock

00:45:45.610 --> 00:45:49.070
for our 20th anniversary. I think we got a shot

00:45:49.070 --> 00:45:53.630
at it. Ten grandkids and a great -granddaughter.

00:45:53.650 --> 00:45:55.750
I think we're going to make it. I don't know

00:45:55.750 --> 00:46:02.650
that. But what I do know, if I die, he were to

00:46:02.650 --> 00:46:04.510
come, I'm going to be with Jesus. That's what

00:46:04.510 --> 00:46:10.110
I do know. I close with this. A .W. Tozer said

00:46:10.110 --> 00:46:14.610
this. He said, if your Christian conversion...

00:46:14.610 --> 00:46:19.670
Dean, I'll take a picture of it and give it to

00:46:19.670 --> 00:46:24.610
you. If your Christian conversion didn't change

00:46:24.610 --> 00:46:29.309
the direction of your life... Listen to this.

00:46:29.710 --> 00:46:33.070
If your Christian conversion didn't transform

00:46:33.070 --> 00:46:36.829
or change your life... He said, you've never

00:46:36.829 --> 00:46:40.670
been converted at all. In fact, here's what he

00:46:40.670 --> 00:46:43.639
said. You're simply a victim of a pray this Jesus

00:46:43.639 --> 00:46:49.199
prayer, pray this prayer. Do you know that you

00:46:49.199 --> 00:46:50.820
can pray every prayer you want, that ain't going

00:46:50.820 --> 00:46:54.739
to save you? Not according to Scripture. Romans

00:46:54.739 --> 00:46:58.340
10, 9 and 10, if you believe in your, confess

00:46:58.340 --> 00:47:02.480
with your, that Jesus is, believe that he raised

00:47:02.480 --> 00:47:07.320
from the, he said you'll be saved. You see, salvation

00:47:07.320 --> 00:47:12.159
starts right here. And most people are going

00:47:12.159 --> 00:47:14.900
to split hell wide open. They knew about him,

00:47:14.940 --> 00:47:19.340
but never got changed. Now I know when you're

00:47:19.340 --> 00:47:21.500
supposed to grow up, and I told my wife the day

00:47:21.500 --> 00:47:25.239
I wear my pants up to my chest, white socks and

00:47:25.239 --> 00:47:29.579
sandals, she needs to shoot me. We don't got

00:47:29.579 --> 00:47:33.840
to dress like we're dying. You know, the Bible

00:47:33.840 --> 00:47:37.579
says in Timothy, don't let people look down on

00:47:37.579 --> 00:47:39.280
you because you're young, but can I tell you

00:47:39.280 --> 00:47:44.389
about... My age is not a gauge. I've met Corrie

00:47:44.389 --> 00:47:47.429
Ten Boom. Anybody know who she is? Sat on a stage

00:47:47.429 --> 00:47:52.309
with her twice. One of the most powerful women

00:47:52.309 --> 00:47:54.630
I've ever met in my life. And most of her family

00:47:54.630 --> 00:48:00.670
was burned and martyred. But she continued to

00:48:00.670 --> 00:48:06.710
live. You see, Jesus said, my purpose is to give

00:48:06.710 --> 00:48:11.880
you life. And life more abundantly. I was in

00:48:11.880 --> 00:48:14.239
Samson, Alabama. Didn't even know where it was.

00:48:15.360 --> 00:48:21.820
First Baptist Church. Running 115 or so people.

00:48:22.380 --> 00:48:25.119
And Sunday morning, the Sunday before Easter

00:48:25.119 --> 00:48:30.719
of this year, 17 people were saved. Two of them

00:48:30.719 --> 00:48:35.139
were deacons in the church. They've been deacons

00:48:35.139 --> 00:48:36.980
for years. I thought they were just coming to

00:48:36.980 --> 00:48:39.340
pray. And both of them walked up to me and said,

00:48:39.380 --> 00:48:43.099
Brother Ken, and they both said not hearing each

00:48:43.099 --> 00:48:46.639
other, I've known for years that I was lost.

00:48:47.639 --> 00:48:49.900
He said, I knew about Scripture and blah, blah,

00:48:49.900 --> 00:48:53.019
but I didn't have a passion for the Word. I didn't

00:48:53.019 --> 00:48:56.699
have a passion for lost people. Both of them

00:48:56.699 --> 00:48:58.900
were baptized on Easter Sunday the next Sunday.

00:49:00.500 --> 00:49:03.800
Little teeny church, we probably had 75, 80 people

00:49:03.800 --> 00:49:09.219
saved. It was unbelievable. So here's the question

00:49:09.219 --> 00:49:12.980
today. Hebrews 9 .27 said it's appointed once

00:49:12.980 --> 00:49:16.260
for man to die and after that the judgment. So

00:49:16.260 --> 00:49:19.159
we're all going to die. We're all going to be

00:49:19.159 --> 00:49:22.260
judged. If Judge Judy is our judge, we're all

00:49:22.260 --> 00:49:28.639
going to hell. But are you ready for this? We

00:49:28.639 --> 00:49:33.530
all have a destiny. You see, the next funeral

00:49:33.530 --> 00:49:35.530
you go to, that's not the end of their life.

00:49:36.349 --> 00:49:42.590
It's the beginning of eternity with God or without

00:49:42.590 --> 00:49:47.130
God. I just said it nicer. So I got to ask you,

00:49:47.190 --> 00:49:51.570
my son prayed a prayer when he was eight, baptized

00:49:51.570 --> 00:49:54.650
him. Here's what he told me at 16. And he's one

00:49:54.650 --> 00:49:57.250
of the most incredible Christian men I've ever

00:49:57.250 --> 00:50:00.409
met in my life. He said, dad, from the end, some

00:50:00.409 --> 00:50:02.639
of y 'all are going to do what? What he did for

00:50:02.639 --> 00:50:06.679
three years. He said, Dad, from 13 to 16, he

00:50:06.679 --> 00:50:08.840
went to an incredible Christian school, a great

00:50:08.840 --> 00:50:12.340
church. He had a great dad. Are you ready for

00:50:12.340 --> 00:50:15.699
this? He said, Dad, for three years, I knew I

00:50:15.699 --> 00:50:19.420
was lost. He was a virgin when he got married.

00:50:20.360 --> 00:50:23.800
Never did drugs. Drank with a couple of his dorky

00:50:23.800 --> 00:50:27.840
friends. He said, Dad, it wasn't a biggie. He

00:50:27.840 --> 00:50:31.139
said, Dad. I knew I was lost. I didn't have a

00:50:31.139 --> 00:50:33.599
passion for the Bible. I didn't care if my friends

00:50:33.599 --> 00:50:36.659
got saved. He said, Dad, I was disobedient. I

00:50:36.659 --> 00:50:39.300
was deceptive. I was rebellious. And then he

00:50:39.300 --> 00:50:41.280
said this. He said, I was embarrassed of who

00:50:41.280 --> 00:50:46.059
you were as an evangelist. And my son at 16 finally

00:50:46.059 --> 00:50:49.739
got saved. My wife grew up in a military home.

00:50:49.780 --> 00:50:52.840
She was born in Tallahassee. Married in an Air

00:50:52.840 --> 00:50:55.909
Force home, Southern Baptist home. Prayed a prayer

00:50:55.909 --> 00:50:58.889
with her dad at nine. And at 20 years old at

00:50:58.889 --> 00:51:02.269
Texas State in San Marcos, she got saved at a

00:51:02.269 --> 00:51:05.050
campus revival. Came home and told her dad, hey,

00:51:05.070 --> 00:51:07.829
dad, I got saved. And he said, but Debbie, I

00:51:07.829 --> 00:51:10.369
prayed with you when you were nine. Dad, I remember

00:51:10.369 --> 00:51:13.070
you praying with me, but I got saved this week.

00:51:18.489 --> 00:51:21.030
90 -year -old great -grandmother in my son's

00:51:21.030 --> 00:51:27.730
church. In 2019, right before COVID, we had 15

00:51:27.730 --> 00:51:30.769
saved at the 8 o 'clock service when we had 159

00:51:30.769 --> 00:51:34.409
for the week. And this woman came forward, 90

00:51:34.409 --> 00:51:36.610
years old, great grandmother, walked up to talk

00:51:36.610 --> 00:51:39.070
to my son, her pastor. The others were right

00:51:39.070 --> 00:51:41.829
here. My son walked over. I said, I'll never

00:51:41.829 --> 00:51:45.510
forget this. I need to tell the church what this

00:51:45.510 --> 00:51:47.889
lady just told me, who, by the way, just passed

00:51:47.889 --> 00:51:53.789
away. He did her funeral three years later. She

00:51:53.789 --> 00:51:56.670
said, Brother Jeremy, I've heard your dad preach.

00:51:57.429 --> 00:52:00.949
I've been in his church four or five times. He

00:52:00.949 --> 00:52:03.389
said, When I was 12 years old, I sat at the back

00:52:03.389 --> 00:52:05.630
of the church, and I was sitting with four of

00:52:05.630 --> 00:52:10.230
my girlfriends, 12. She's now 90. I didn't hear

00:52:10.230 --> 00:52:12.829
one thing that was preached. I hope you all are

00:52:12.829 --> 00:52:14.789
listening. See, I know you can hear me, but it

00:52:14.789 --> 00:52:17.630
doesn't mean you're listening. And see, when

00:52:17.630 --> 00:52:20.340
you have your Bible with you, When you've got

00:52:20.340 --> 00:52:22.179
that notebook and you're writing stuff down,

00:52:22.280 --> 00:52:29.119
you're engaged. I said, Jeremy, I didn't hear

00:52:29.119 --> 00:52:31.000
anything. I looked over. My four girlfriends

00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:35.500
were weeping. I mean, weeping. Invitation came.

00:52:35.619 --> 00:52:39.219
They all four stood up. So I stood up. I worked

00:52:39.219 --> 00:52:43.659
up a few tears with them. Went forward. Prayed

00:52:43.659 --> 00:52:46.900
the same prayer they prayed. Got in the baptistry.

00:52:47.039 --> 00:52:50.250
She said I was 12 years old. She said, Jeremy,

00:52:50.389 --> 00:52:53.210
20 minutes ago, I just got saved sitting right

00:52:53.210 --> 00:52:57.670
back there. She said, I'm 90 years old, and I

00:52:57.670 --> 00:53:01.150
knew I was lost. You see, when I was 12 years

00:53:01.150 --> 00:53:04.090
old, God didn't deal with me. My girlfriends,

00:53:04.369 --> 00:53:08.550
what was going on, I just went forward. He baptized

00:53:08.550 --> 00:53:10.909
her that night, and about three years later,

00:53:10.949 --> 00:53:15.250
passed away. Almost missed heaven. So here's

00:53:15.250 --> 00:53:18.440
my question, and we're done. if your heart were

00:53:18.440 --> 00:53:20.719
to stop, if you were to die. And here's the deal.

00:53:20.739 --> 00:53:22.519
I was able to forgive my mom. She died lost.

00:53:22.920 --> 00:53:25.480
I found my dad was able to lead him to the Lord

00:53:25.480 --> 00:53:28.579
12 days before he passed away. My baby sister

00:53:28.579 --> 00:53:31.420
was going to kill herself and kill her son. I

00:53:31.420 --> 00:53:33.679
called a preacher friend of mine. My baby sister

00:53:33.679 --> 00:53:36.780
got saved. We don't think it was on purpose.

00:53:36.920 --> 00:53:39.739
I mean, I bought her a brand new set of dentures,

00:53:39.860 --> 00:53:43.739
teeth, so she could smile again. I found a lot.

00:53:43.880 --> 00:53:47.159
Dean, I called three churches to go. visit my

00:53:47.159 --> 00:53:51.179
sister in St. Louis, Baptist churches. You know

00:53:51.179 --> 00:53:53.340
what all three of them told me? My sister lived

00:53:53.340 --> 00:53:57.239
in the wrong neighborhood. So I found a biker

00:53:57.239 --> 00:54:03.480
church. Have Bible, will travel. My sister got

00:54:03.480 --> 00:54:06.880
saved. Now, we don't think it was on purpose,

00:54:06.980 --> 00:54:10.760
but my sister, about three or four years later,

00:54:10.860 --> 00:54:12.900
drank a little vodka one night. She was still

00:54:12.900 --> 00:54:15.949
dealing with some alcohol. and took some pain

00:54:15.949 --> 00:54:19.530
pills. She had chronic pain, and my sister died

00:54:19.530 --> 00:54:21.809
in her sleep. I think she's with Jesus today.

00:54:22.789 --> 00:54:25.269
She just couldn't win some of those battles.

00:54:27.230 --> 00:54:31.969
So here's the deal. You're looking at a dude

00:54:31.969 --> 00:54:34.090
who should be a white beater, child abuser, drug

00:54:34.090 --> 00:54:41.070
user, alcoholic. But God had a... and a... and

00:54:41.070 --> 00:54:47.500
a... Would you bow your heads? Every head bowed.

00:54:49.219 --> 00:54:50.739
The moment that I don't know if they're going

00:54:50.739 --> 00:54:54.639
to start playing music. But with every head bowed,

00:54:54.639 --> 00:55:01.119
every eye closed. I'm the only one looking. If

00:55:01.119 --> 00:55:03.159
you really listened to me today, raise your hand.

00:55:05.400 --> 00:55:07.860
If you learned something today, raise your hand.

00:55:08.800 --> 00:55:13.679
I'm always learning. So my invitation won't be

00:55:13.679 --> 00:55:18.429
long. How many sitting here would say, Brother

00:55:18.429 --> 00:55:20.849
Ken, Mr. Freeman, yo dude, now listen to me close.

00:55:22.489 --> 00:55:24.690
I'm not asking if you've been christened as a

00:55:24.690 --> 00:55:28.530
Catholic, sprinkled as a Methodist. I'm not asking

00:55:28.530 --> 00:55:30.550
if you've been baptized in a Baptist church.

00:55:32.409 --> 00:55:34.869
I'm not asking about an aisle that you walked,

00:55:34.969 --> 00:55:37.070
a church that you joined, or a prayer that you

00:55:37.070 --> 00:55:42.590
prayed. I'm not even asking about your commitment

00:55:42.590 --> 00:55:46.489
level, how committed you are. How much you know

00:55:46.489 --> 00:55:50.869
the word. Husband, wife, I hope y 'all are listening.

00:55:52.909 --> 00:55:56.409
And if you're visiting here today, this was a

00:55:56.409 --> 00:56:01.349
divine appointment for somebody here. How many

00:56:01.349 --> 00:56:03.170
here would say, Brother Ken, Mr. Freeman, yo

00:56:03.170 --> 00:56:05.230
dude, if my heart were to stop, if I were to

00:56:05.230 --> 00:56:11.070
die. Brother Ken, I know without a shadow of

00:56:11.070 --> 00:56:16.579
a doubt that I'm born again. I'm saved. I know

00:56:16.579 --> 00:56:19.300
I'm a Christian. Hey, Brother Ken, I know that

00:56:19.300 --> 00:56:21.519
if I died, I'm going to be with Jesus. I know

00:56:21.519 --> 00:56:25.340
that. Would you raise your hand? I'd be careful.

00:56:26.079 --> 00:56:31.139
God, I'd be careful. Put him down. Is there anybody

00:56:31.139 --> 00:56:34.099
here? I'm going to come back to you in a moment.

00:56:34.199 --> 00:56:38.800
Who would say? Brother Ken, this might surprise

00:56:38.800 --> 00:56:41.780
my husband and wife. And I wonder. If there was

00:56:41.780 --> 00:56:43.980
somebody here that did what my son did for three

00:56:43.980 --> 00:56:47.320
years, you raised your hand one more time, convincing

00:56:47.320 --> 00:56:51.860
yourself. But is there anybody here that would

00:56:51.860 --> 00:56:54.659
say, Brother Ken, Mr. Freeman, I honestly don't

00:56:54.659 --> 00:56:57.860
know that I'd go to heaven if I died. I honestly

00:56:57.860 --> 00:57:02.320
don't know that I've ever been saved. But I want

00:57:02.320 --> 00:57:07.599
to know. Would you pray for me? Anybody here?

00:57:07.980 --> 00:57:14.199
Say, Brother Ken, I'm lost. Okay. Now the sad

00:57:14.199 --> 00:57:16.219
part about that is we got to get lost people

00:57:16.219 --> 00:57:21.820
here. So can I ask this question before I turn

00:57:21.820 --> 00:57:25.639
it back over to Dean and we close? How many of

00:57:25.639 --> 00:57:27.159
you here would say, Brother Ken, I know I'm saved,

00:57:27.219 --> 00:57:30.820
but I'm going to be honest with you. Lately in

00:57:30.820 --> 00:57:34.880
my life, the devil's been ripping me off. There's

00:57:34.880 --> 00:57:37.260
been voices in my life. There's choices that

00:57:37.260 --> 00:57:40.650
I'm making. Brother Ken, I'm not in the Word

00:57:40.650 --> 00:57:45.389
like I should be in my prayer life. I'm not being

00:57:45.389 --> 00:57:48.849
the husband, the spiritual leader. How many here

00:57:48.849 --> 00:57:51.750
would say, Brother Ken, I know I'm saved, but

00:57:51.750 --> 00:57:54.070
would you pray for me? Because lately I feel

00:57:54.070 --> 00:57:56.230
like I've been listening to wrong voices, wrong

00:57:56.230 --> 00:58:01.510
choices, and I'm not being that person God wants

00:58:01.510 --> 00:58:03.849
me to be. Would you raise your hands? Put them

00:58:03.849 --> 00:58:06.510
up high. Come on, hold them up high. All over.

00:58:07.150 --> 00:58:13.280
Unashamed? Unafraid. Well, here's what we're

00:58:13.280 --> 00:58:18.619
going to do. Just for a few moments. I'm going

00:58:18.619 --> 00:58:21.119
to ask if you'd say, Brother Ken, I want an upgrade.

00:58:21.420 --> 00:58:22.880
Remember he said, I've come to give you life.

00:58:23.940 --> 00:58:29.219
But I want to give you life abundantly. How many

00:58:29.219 --> 00:58:30.960
of you would say, Brother Ken, I want to know

00:58:30.960 --> 00:58:33.739
him more. I really do. Raise your hands. Hold

00:58:33.739 --> 00:58:36.659
on. I want to know him more. I want an upgrade.

00:58:38.639 --> 00:58:40.940
Put them down. I'm going to pray for you, but

00:58:40.940 --> 00:58:43.280
before I do, would you take a moment? Husband,

00:58:43.360 --> 00:58:46.300
would you lean over to your wife or your son

00:58:46.300 --> 00:58:48.179
or your daughter right now? Put your arm around

00:58:48.179 --> 00:58:53.360
them. And would you pray out loud for your family

00:58:53.360 --> 00:58:57.460
right now? Would you just say, hey, God, I want

00:58:57.460 --> 00:59:01.199
an upgrade as a dad. I want an upgrade as a husband.

00:59:03.159 --> 00:59:05.619
God, give me a passion for your word. Would you

00:59:05.619 --> 00:59:10.730
do that? Give me a passion for worship to be

00:59:10.730 --> 00:59:13.349
a witness. Would you do it, husband and wife?

00:59:16.429 --> 00:59:19.969
Just take a moment. Maybe you're single, widowed.

00:59:22.070 --> 00:59:27.329
God, give me a fresh, a fresh touch of your spirit.

00:59:28.170 --> 00:59:34.570
Hey, God, I want an upgrade today. I want to

00:59:34.570 --> 00:59:42.039
know you more and I want to make you known. Hey,

00:59:42.059 --> 00:59:43.780
wife, you might want to pray for your husband

00:59:43.780 --> 00:59:50.880
right now. Thank God for your husband. Twenty

00:59:50.880 --> 00:59:54.159
-seven little girls, their parents don't get

00:59:54.159 --> 00:59:58.119
to hug them again. Eight and nine -year -old

00:59:58.119 --> 01:00:01.719
in that Catholic school, two parents won't get

01:00:01.719 --> 01:00:06.400
them. So hold on to your kids. Hold on to your

01:00:06.400 --> 01:00:14.940
family. stay on the right plan, walk in His purpose.

01:00:15.619 --> 01:00:20.179
And the blueprint is the Word of God. So Father,

01:00:20.199 --> 01:00:25.460
for this church, may You bless this church. I

01:00:25.460 --> 01:00:27.679
thank You for Dean, Gayna, Jeffrey, and I thank

01:00:27.679 --> 01:00:34.300
You for their families. And God, my prayer is

01:00:34.300 --> 01:00:38.840
that You would bless their faithfulness. God,

01:00:38.900 --> 01:00:41.539
I pray one day you'd fill this gym up where they've

01:00:41.539 --> 01:00:48.539
got to move or add more chairs. I pray financially

01:00:48.539 --> 01:00:54.300
you would bless this church. God, I want to thank

01:00:54.300 --> 01:00:59.739
you for the worship today, your word today. Now,

01:00:59.760 --> 01:01:03.300
God, would you bless these people right here?

01:01:04.519 --> 01:01:10.530
Let them get somebody to church next week. God,

01:01:10.590 --> 01:01:12.550
let them get a key and put it around their neck,

01:01:12.690 --> 01:01:14.289
hoping somebody's going to say, what's up with

01:01:14.289 --> 01:01:19.369
the key? But help us to be conversation pieces.

01:01:20.949 --> 01:01:24.929
Help us to make a difference in your kingdom.

01:01:26.230 --> 01:01:32.710
We'll give you praise in Jesus' name. Amen. Look

01:01:32.710 --> 01:01:38.090
this way. You can go to KenFreeman .com and more

01:01:38.090 --> 01:01:41.469
of my stories there. You can look up Ken Freeman

01:01:41.469 --> 01:01:44.650
books. You can get them online. But I challenge

01:01:44.650 --> 01:01:50.070
you. Don't settle for just being saved. Want

01:01:50.070 --> 01:01:57.570
more. I always want more. Amen? This online worship

01:01:57.570 --> 01:02:00.090
experience was brought to you by the friends

01:02:00.090 --> 01:02:01.750
and partners of Eulation Church.