Pastor Kerry and Chris teach on importance of talking about hurts and seeking support. The miracle is often in the middle of the story.
#Religion
#Personal Story
#Evangelism
#Hopelessness
#Challenges
#Trials-Hard Times
#Witness/Witnessing
#Testimony
#Restoration
#Trust God
#Chris Shook
#Kerry Shook
#Psalm 13:1-6
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Kerry Shook Ministries with Kerry Shook | Share Your Story | May 22, 2022
- Chris Shook: God uses us to heal other people.
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- ♪♪♪
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- Chris: Hey, welcome, everyone.
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- Good morning. We are so glad you're here.
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- It's great to see you, and we are excited about what we're
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- going to talk about today.
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- Kerry: Because that is a message that concludes our
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- series The Gift Of One Day, but it really is just the beginning
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- of the adventure, the one day mindset lifestyle that we're
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- really encouraging you and challenging you to live.
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- The Gift Of One Day came about because of our grandson Jude
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- Samuel, who God gave him the gift of one day on this earth,
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- but how he unwrapped it, just changed the way we look at every
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- single day.
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- And so today, we're gonna talk about maybe the most powerful
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- lesson that we learned through our journey with Jude.
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- And it's the lesson that God tells every one of us, don't
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- wait to share your story.
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- Share your story, even before you know how it ends.
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- When it comes to a good story, whether it's a good book or a
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- movie, in the middle of the story, usually the main
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- character is in trouble.
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- Usually, things look bleak for the main character in the middle
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- of the story, but it doesn't matter.
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- It's just the middle of the story.
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- All that matters is how it ends, and that's the way it is with
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- God's story of your life.
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- You're in the middle, but what matters is God's still writing
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- your story, and he's not done yet.
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- He hasn't come to the last chapter.
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- It's not what happens in the middle that matters, it's what
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- happens at the end.
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- And the good news is if you're a Christ follower,
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- we win in the end.
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- And so, we want you to open up your Bibles to Psalm chapter 13
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- because here we see David share his story with the world before
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- he knows how it ends.
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- And it's so powerful.
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- Would you stand in honor of God's Word, Woodlands Church?
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- And just follow along with me.
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- "O Lord, how long will you forget me?
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- Forever?
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- How long will you look the other way?
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- How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow
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- in my heart every day?
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- How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
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- Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
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- Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
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- Don't let my enemies gloat, saying, 'We have defeated him!'
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- Don't let them rejoice at my downfall.
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- But I trust in your unfailing love.
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- I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
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- I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me."
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- You can be seated.
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- Chris: Well, today, we're going to talk about three
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- reasons that you need to share your story, even when you don't
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- know how it ends.
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- And the first is that the miracle is in the middle.
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- We want you to know that the miracle is in the middle.
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- Let's look back at our key passage for today.
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- I want you to look at your notes there.
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- Look at that verse and underline the phrase, "how long?"
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- anytime you see it.
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- It starts out, "O Lord, how long will you forget me?
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- Forever?
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- How long will you look the other way?
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- How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow
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- in my heart every day?
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- How long will my enemy have the upper hand?"
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- You see, David here is waiting and he's wondering.
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- He feels like God has forgotten him.
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- He feels all alone.
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- Have you ever been in that place, that place
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- of "Lord, how long?
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- Lord, I'm waiting on you.
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- I'm waiting for rescue.
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- How long do I need to wait?
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- God, I'm still here waiting.
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- How long is it going to be?"
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- You see, as we read this, we know that God rescued David and
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- took care of him and provided for him.
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- But when David penned these words, he had no idea.
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- All he could see was his horrible condition.
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- He knew he was in fear.
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- He felt like he was stranded and all alone.
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- He's crying out to God.
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- He doesn't know what's going to happen next.
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- He doesn't know the great future that God has planned for him,
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- and it's the same way for us because it's in the middle of
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- our stories that we start doubting God, isn't it?
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- I mean, it's right in the middle of our stories we start
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- thinking, "Wait a minute, God, are you gonna see me through?
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- How long do I need to go through this, God?
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- I'm praying for rescue.
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- How long will it be?"
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- And maybe you're there right now, you're right in the middle
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- of your story where you don't see any end in sight.
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- And you're still walking through it.
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- I am so grateful that Scripture is so honest, so grateful that
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- when you look at David, he's writing, "Lord, how long?"
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- It shows these are real people who experienced the same real
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- situations, the real anguish that we do.
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- He's saying, "God, how long?"
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- He's waiting and waiting.
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- And the miracle is actually happening, even while we're
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- still longing for it.
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- And David's longing for the miracle, but God already is
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- working in his life.
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- The miracle is already on its way, he just can't feel it yet.
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- He just can't see it.
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- And the same is true for us.
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- In this series, The Gift Of One Day, we've been sharing with you
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- what our family walked through, through the loss of our
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- grandson, Jude.
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- And we haven't done that perfectly by any means, but
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- we've tried to be open and honest, not because everyone has
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- the exact same hurt or situation, but because we know
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- that everyone has a hidden hurt.
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- Everyone sitting around you has a hidden hurt right now.
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- We just don't usually know what they are.
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- And one way that God loves to heal our hurts is found in this
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- next verse, 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 4.
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- "He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and
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- before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is
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- going through hard times so that we can be there for that person
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- just as God was there for us."
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- Wow.
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- God uses us to heal other people.
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- He uses us.
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- He doesn't disqualify us because of our scars.
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- He doesn't use us in spite of our scars, the hard stuff
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- we've been through.
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- No, he doesn't throw us aside because of that.
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- He doesn't use us in spite of our scars, he uses us
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- because of them, right in the middle of them.
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- You see, it's in our hurting places, in the toughest spots of
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- our lives, that we are able to walk alongside someone else
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- and be used of God the most in our whole lives.
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- We all have scars.
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- We all have hard stuff we've been through.
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- Our scars are different, but we all have them that's because we
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- live in a broken world.
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- But what if, as Christ followers, we chose to see our
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- scars as clues, as a clue to how God might want to use us to come
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- alongside someone else?
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- I think if we started doing that, then instead of hiding our
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- scars, instead of pretending that, you know, "I'm good,
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- everything's good.
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- How are you doing? Great, how are you?
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- Awesome."
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- And then we both walk on our ways with broken hearts.
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- Instead, if we were honest and open, and we could say, "You
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- know what, I'm hurting," that we could be open and honest like
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- David and say, "You know what?
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- I've been praying, and I don't see how God
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- is coming through here.
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- But I'm praying.
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- I'm still, I'm still right there in the middle of it."
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- And someone can come alongside you in that.
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- After our grandson Jude went to be with the Lord after living
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- for one day, people started coming up to us just on the side
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- some we just met, but a lot of people that we had known for a
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- long time.
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- And they would say something like, "You know, I also lost a
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- child," or "I also lost a grandchild," or "I have had a
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- miscarriage, and I feel your pain of losing a child.
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- I understand."
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- Or, "I recently lost a spouse or a loved one, and I understand
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- what it is to be missing someone, to be apart from them."
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- They'd come alongside us, but it was only in seeing our scars
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- that they felt like they could step into that and see our hurt
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- and speak into that.
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- And it was so helpful, so healing for us, and that's what
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- we hope that we're all able to do for each other.
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- You see, if we wait to find the perfect words in just the right
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- moment to share our stories with each other, it'll never come.
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- The perfect moment with the perfect words
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- just doesn't happen.
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- And if Kerry and I waited until the day that we could perfectly
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- wrap up this story about Jude with a bow and tell you, you
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- know, this is what happened, and this is all good, and this is
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- perfect, that day may never come.
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- But what we can tell you, and tell you with absolute
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- certainty, is that God is working in our hearts, and he is
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- good, and he has not forsaken us, that even to the times that
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- we have felt forsaken, he has never left us.
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- And the miracle is that he sustained us throughout every
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- single day, and he still is.
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- We're right in the middle of it still.
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- We are not finished with our story.
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- I'd like to say, "Oh, let me tell you how we arrived.
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- We'll tell you how to deal with pain."
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- No, I'm just saying, you know what?
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- We're in pain too.
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- You're hurting, we're right there with you today.
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- And yet, we have a Savior, and God is good
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- and his name is Jesus.
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- female announcer: Still to come with Pastor Kerry Shook.
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- Kerry: So, don't let your mess make you miss your miracle.
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- ♪♪♪
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- Kerry: Chris and I really want you to know about our new
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- book that just came out in paperback.
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- It's "The Gift Of One Day: How To Find Hope
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- When Life Gets Hard."
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- We all go through hard times and difficulties and pain, but God
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- wants to see you through with his hope.
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- I know one of the most difficult days we've ever experienced was
- 00:10:41.523 --> 00:10:45.293
- when our grandson Jude Samuel was born, and he only lived
- 00:10:45.293 --> 00:10:48.797
- for 24 hours.
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- It was devastating to us and we still grieve.
- 00:10:50.965 --> 00:10:53.968
- But yet we know that he's with the Lord in heaven and the way
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- that little boy lived those 24 hours taught us how to live
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- the rest of our years.
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- I know you know someone who's going through some pain and
- 00:11:03.678 --> 00:11:06.314
- problems, or maybe you're going through a difficult time
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- in your life.
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- And so, I hope you'll call us right now.
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- We'd love to pray with you and pray for you and would also love
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- to get you this book for a gift of any amount, "The Gift Of One
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- Day," because God wants to get you through today.
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- He wants you not only to survive, but he wants you
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- to thrive.
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- He has a great plan for you.
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- Chris: All of us have our stories.
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- And I want to introduce to you someone, a couple people, that
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- we absolutely love, our pastor of life groups here at church,
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- Chris Vanhouten and his awesome wife, Jess.
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- And they're gonna come and share their story that they're right
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- in the middle of with you.
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- And it takes a lot of courage and vulnerability to share your
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- story, but they wanted to do this because they want you to be
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- able to step into their story with them.
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- And so, that gives us an opportunity to come alongside as
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- a church and encourage them.
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- So, would you please welcome Chris and Jess?
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- Jess Vanhouten: Thank you, Pastor Kerry and Chris.
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- We really are so honored to be here this morning just to share
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- a little bit of our story with you.
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- And I want to say, for those of you who are foster parents or
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- who have fostered before, thank you for what you've done, and
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- our hearts are so deeply connected to you.
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- For us, adoption has been something on our heart and
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- something we had talked about, but it was also something that
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- was really scary for us.
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- There's so many uncertainties and what ifs in that journey.
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- And I remember after Jude had gone to be with the Lord, we had
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- talked with Josh and Kelly on a few occasions about foster care.
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- And we would come home after those conversations, and we
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- would talk about the risks and the scary parts and the hard
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- things that could come along in that journey because I knew I
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- wanted to control as much as possible in that and I wanted
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- the least amount of pain.
- 00:13:05.366 --> 00:13:07.635
- But the more we talked about it and the more we evaluated, it
- 00:13:07.635 --> 00:13:11.539
- became clear that there was uncertainty with every route we
- 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:15.410
- were considering.
- 00:13:15.410 --> 00:13:17.278
- There was nothing sure.
- 00:13:17.278 --> 00:13:19.113
- And so, we knew that we had to take a step of faith and trust
- 00:13:19.113 --> 00:13:22.617
- God with the rest, that we were gonna choose to not let our
- 00:13:22.617 --> 00:13:25.987
- fears hold us back from what we felt like God was calling us to.
- 00:13:25.987 --> 00:13:31.593
- And so, we did, and we started the process
- 00:13:31.593 --> 00:13:34.028
- to become foster parents.
- 00:13:34.028 --> 00:13:36.030
- And we took the classes, and we completed the interviews, and we
- 00:13:36.030 --> 00:13:39.934
- changed our home.
- 00:13:39.934 --> 00:13:41.703
- And after our home was licensed in January 8, 2019, we had got
- 00:13:41.703 --> 00:13:48.877
- our first call that day for a little boy.
- 00:13:48.877 --> 00:13:52.080
- And we didn't know any of the information really that was
- 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:54.782
- going on, but we excitedly and very nervously said yes.
- 00:13:54.782 --> 00:14:00.688
- And it was a mad dash to get all the things we needed just to get
- 00:14:00.688 --> 00:14:04.292
- through the night, just a few of the specifics.
- 00:14:04.292 --> 00:14:08.630
- And we had an hour and a half before he showed up at our home.
- 00:14:08.630 --> 00:14:12.400
- And I remember that night, I didn't sleep at all.
- 00:14:12.400 --> 00:14:14.903
- I just stayed wide awake staring at this monitor the whole time
- 00:14:14.903 --> 00:14:18.940
- just thinking if something was gonna happen, and I was excited,
- 00:14:18.940 --> 00:14:22.710
- but it was a long night of just watching that monitor.
- 00:14:22.710 --> 00:14:26.481
- And soon after that, you know, we quickly spread the word to
- 00:14:26.481 --> 00:14:31.886
- our friends and our family about us having this sweet boy in our
- 00:14:31.886 --> 00:14:34.923
- home and also not really knowing what we were doing.
- 00:14:34.923 --> 00:14:39.260
- We felt very lost.
- 00:14:39.260 --> 00:14:41.262
- And there's just a ton of toddler food out there.
- 00:14:41.262 --> 00:14:44.699
- I didn't even know where to start.
- 00:14:44.699 --> 00:14:46.768
- And in the days that followed, our family and our church family
- 00:14:46.768 --> 00:14:50.438
- and our life group showed up with food and clothes and toys
- 00:14:50.438 --> 00:14:56.077
- that people just wanted to donate.
- 00:14:56.077 --> 00:14:58.413
- And it was a huge blessing to see their love lived out
- 00:14:58.413 --> 00:15:02.116
- in that way in our lives.
- 00:15:02.116 --> 00:15:04.552
- And we were just learning as we went.
- 00:15:04.552 --> 00:15:06.754
- We were first-time parents.
- 00:15:06.754 --> 00:15:08.589
- We were navigating the foster system.
- 00:15:08.589 --> 00:15:12.327
- We were trying to understand the toddler words that he was trying
- 00:15:12.327 --> 00:15:15.029
- to say to us, so we didn't get--we were trying to navigate
- 00:15:15.029 --> 00:15:19.467
- the questions that he was asking about his mom.
- 00:15:19.467 --> 00:15:22.737
- And we were just learning what he liked and what
- 00:15:22.737 --> 00:15:24.505
- he didn't like to eat.
- 00:15:24.505 --> 00:15:26.474
- And it was hard, but it was really good.
- 00:15:26.474 --> 00:15:29.844
- And as we got further in the journey, it got harder.
- 00:15:29.844 --> 00:15:34.215
- Our little boy struggled to adjust in our home, and we were
- 00:15:34.215 --> 00:15:38.519
- battling anxious feelings and worried thoughts
- 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:41.022
- as the case changed.
- 00:15:41.022 --> 00:15:42.957
- And at times, we felt like we were drowning in inadequacy.
- 00:15:42.957 --> 00:15:46.761
- And I remember one day, Chris looked at me when I was feeling
- 00:15:46.761 --> 00:15:50.064
- really overwhelmed and he said, "We just need to show up today."
- 00:15:50.064 --> 00:15:54.736
- And what he meant is we needed to be there in the moment.
- 00:15:54.736 --> 00:15:58.206
- We needed to let go of trying to fix or solve
- 00:15:58.206 --> 00:16:01.342
- or control anything.
- 00:16:01.342 --> 00:16:03.177
- We needed to show up with the love and the patience that God
- 00:16:03.177 --> 00:16:06.214
- had given us and poured into us that day and give that to this
- 00:16:06.214 --> 00:16:10.318
- little boy, and that we would be letting go and knowing that God
- 00:16:10.318 --> 00:16:14.222
- will do great things with what he's already poured into us.
- 00:16:14.222 --> 00:16:18.359
- And so, over time as we continued to do that, we showed
- 00:16:18.359 --> 00:16:21.763
- up and we got to see some of the fruit that God blessed us with
- 00:16:21.763 --> 00:16:26.934
- and produced, and we got to experience such a deep love from
- 00:16:26.934 --> 00:16:30.872
- those hard places that we were in.
- 00:16:30.872 --> 00:16:33.841
- Chris Vanhouten: Yeah, that theme of showing up continued.
- 00:16:33.841 --> 00:16:36.644
- I mean, it was really constant.
- 00:16:36.644 --> 00:16:38.379
- We would remind ourselves often of this moment of just keep
- 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:41.115
- showing up.
- 00:16:41.115 --> 00:16:42.917
- Now, that didn't remove any of the fears.
- 00:16:42.917 --> 00:16:45.686
- There were plenty of moments where we just didn't know what
- 00:16:45.686 --> 00:16:47.955
- tomorrow held.
- 00:16:47.955 --> 00:16:49.690
- And so, we had plenty of thoughts of, Well, what if?
- 00:16:49.690 --> 00:16:51.759
- Or how's this gonna work? Or what's gonna happen next?
- 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:53.428
- And things like that.
- 00:16:53.428 --> 00:16:55.329
- But, you know, one of the things that came out of a conversation
- 00:16:55.329 --> 00:16:57.165
- with Josh and Kelly and talking about Jude and really something
- 00:16:57.165 --> 00:17:00.401
- I feel like Jude taught us was to pray a just-for-today prayer.
- 00:17:00.401 --> 00:17:04.105
- And so, that, for us, was, "Lord, just for today, give us
- 00:17:04.105 --> 00:17:07.375
- the ability to love this little boy in such a way that he will
- 00:17:07.375 --> 00:17:10.778
- experience your love."
- 00:17:10.778 --> 00:17:12.580
- I mean, really none of us are gonna, you know, have any sort
- 00:17:12.580 --> 00:17:15.450
- of guarantee or promise of tomorrow.
- 00:17:15.450 --> 00:17:18.453
- And so, what we wanted to do most was celebrate the miracle
- 00:17:18.453 --> 00:17:21.789
- of this little boy in the moment and in the day.
- 00:17:21.789 --> 00:17:24.992
- And so, foster care is incredibly messy and
- 00:17:24.992 --> 00:17:27.728
- complicated, and there's so many things that you have to do
- 00:17:27.728 --> 00:17:31.532
- in this process.
- 00:17:31.532 --> 00:17:33.301
- And so, it constantly brought up these same fears over and over
- 00:17:33.301 --> 00:17:36.637
- again, but we would continue to tell each other,
- 00:17:36.637 --> 00:17:39.474
- "We showed up today. Keep showing up.
- 00:17:39.474 --> 00:17:41.943
- This is important. Be in the moment."
- 00:17:41.943 --> 00:17:43.744
- And as we were in the moment, as we continued to really press in
- 00:17:43.744 --> 00:17:48.249
- and go past the fears that we had, I mean, we experienced
- 00:17:48.249 --> 00:17:52.420
- so many blessings.
- 00:17:52.420 --> 00:17:54.021
- There were plenty of days where we were discouraged and hit
- 00:17:54.021 --> 00:17:56.557
- moments that were hard, but we kept showing up.
- 00:17:56.557 --> 00:17:58.392
- And as we showed up, we experienced blessings and
- 00:17:58.392 --> 00:18:00.895
- precious moments we will forever cherish, I mean things that I
- 00:18:00.895 --> 00:18:04.732
- will never forget because of how good those moments were as we
- 00:18:04.732 --> 00:18:08.803
- loved him and really, not only he received that love,
- 00:18:08.803 --> 00:18:12.106
- but he loved us back.
- 00:18:12.106 --> 00:18:13.774
- And it was not something that was promised or guaranteed, but
- 00:18:13.774 --> 00:18:16.878
- it continued to happen as we were present each and every day.
- 00:18:16.878 --> 00:18:21.048
- You know, at some point in the journey, he started calling us
- 00:18:21.048 --> 00:18:23.084
- mommy and daddy, and that was a huge deal.
- 00:18:23.084 --> 00:18:26.154
- We never asked him to do that.
- 00:18:26.154 --> 00:18:27.922
- We never told him those words.
- 00:18:27.922 --> 00:18:29.724
- But, you know, we referred to ourselves, honestly, as Chris
- 00:18:29.724 --> 00:18:32.627
- and Jess in the entire process.
- 00:18:32.627 --> 00:18:35.596
- But for him, what he was feeling and what he was experiencing was
- 00:18:35.596 --> 00:18:39.400
- the love of parents, and it was good, and it was right.
- 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:43.604
- And I think, for us, that those kinds of moments were the ones
- 00:18:43.604 --> 00:18:46.874
- that started to change us.
- 00:18:46.874 --> 00:18:48.676
- You know, we knew we were loving him in such a way that it was
- 00:18:48.676 --> 00:18:50.945
- changing him, and then slowly those were the moments that
- 00:18:50.945 --> 00:18:53.414
- really started to change, even us and our heart.
- 00:18:53.414 --> 00:18:57.385
- January 8 of this year of 2020, he was really united with his
- 00:18:57.385 --> 00:19:01.322
- biological mom, and he went home to live with her.
- 00:19:01.322 --> 00:19:04.592
- That was the hardest moment for us.
- 00:19:04.592 --> 00:19:07.061
- I mean, he was in our home for exactly one year to the date,
- 00:19:07.061 --> 00:19:11.032
- and there were so many incredible moments in that year,
- 00:19:11.032 --> 00:19:13.901
- so many precious things that we hold tightly to.
- 00:19:13.901 --> 00:19:16.671
- And that little boy that came into our home as a stranger,
- 00:19:16.671 --> 00:19:20.074
- truly left as our son.
- 00:19:20.074 --> 00:19:22.877
- And we miss him, every day we miss him.
- 00:19:22.877 --> 00:19:25.613
- But don't misunderstand our hurt in this moment that it was not
- 00:19:25.613 --> 00:19:28.749
- something in which--you know, we have no regrets.
- 00:19:28.749 --> 00:19:33.554
- We have no, you know, "Maybe that wasn't worth it."
- 00:19:33.554 --> 00:19:37.291
- It was absolutely worth it, and it is so right that he is
- 00:19:37.291 --> 00:19:39.961
- with his mom.
- 00:19:39.961 --> 00:19:41.662
- Don't miss that either.
- 00:19:41.662 --> 00:19:43.231
- It is so good that he has been reunited with her.
- 00:19:43.231 --> 00:19:45.499
- But our hurt comes from a place of you love greatly
- 00:19:45.499 --> 00:19:48.002
- and you risk greatly.
- 00:19:48.002 --> 00:19:49.837
- And then we miss him, and we long for him,
- 00:19:49.837 --> 00:19:51.772
- but I know it was good.
- 00:19:51.772 --> 00:19:53.674
- And one of the things that God has done since then is really
- 00:19:53.674 --> 00:19:57.011
- overwhelmed us with his peace.
- 00:19:57.011 --> 00:19:59.046
- Because in our understanding of this moment,
- 00:19:59.046 --> 00:20:01.382
- it doesn't make sense.
- 00:20:01.382 --> 00:20:03.417
- Thankfully, it doesn't have to.
- 00:20:03.417 --> 00:20:05.019
- In Philippians 4:7 it says that God's peace surpasses all
- 00:20:05.019 --> 00:20:09.090
- understanding and guards our hearts and minds.
- 00:20:09.090 --> 00:20:11.759
- And that's what's happened in the last couple of months is
- 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:14.495
- God's truly guarded our hearts and our minds in a way in which
- 00:20:14.495 --> 00:20:18.366
- his peace has overwhelmed us.
- 00:20:18.366 --> 00:20:21.102
- This season has been really hard, but hard is not the
- 00:20:21.102 --> 00:20:24.005
- opposite of good.
- 00:20:24.005 --> 00:20:25.406
- It has been so good, and it was so right.
- 00:20:25.406 --> 00:20:27.108
- And I know he's better for it, and I know we're better for it.
- 00:20:27.108 --> 00:20:30.378
- We are so much better today in terms of what it means to love
- 00:20:30.378 --> 00:20:34.282
- boldly and to risk greatly because we did it every day.
- 00:20:34.282 --> 00:20:39.487
- It's not over.
- 00:20:39.487 --> 00:20:40.855
- Our season isn't done.
- 00:20:40.855 --> 00:20:42.556
- I mean, I think more than anything, God is still writing
- 00:20:42.556 --> 00:20:44.125
- our story.
- 00:20:44.125 --> 00:20:45.893
- And so, we have the responsibility now to live in
- 00:20:45.893 --> 00:20:48.829
- each moment, to live in each day, and to be just as
- 00:20:48.829 --> 00:20:51.766
- intentional as we were when he was with us.
- 00:20:51.766 --> 00:20:55.336
- And so, you know, whether this connects with you in a way of
- 00:20:55.336 --> 00:20:59.073
- maybe you have a calling on your heart to be a foster parent,
- 00:20:59.073 --> 00:21:02.443
- let me tell you something, don't run from that moment.
- 00:21:02.443 --> 00:21:04.712
- Don't fear that. It is so good.
- 00:21:04.712 --> 00:21:07.548
- It is so right. It is worth it.
- 00:21:07.548 --> 00:21:08.883
- So, if you have any sort of, man, this is something God's put
- 00:21:08.883 --> 00:21:12.253
- on your heart, go pursue that, be obedient,
- 00:21:12.253 --> 00:21:14.989
- step into that boldness.
- 00:21:14.989 --> 00:21:16.724
- But for everyone else in here, not everyone's gonna
- 00:21:16.724 --> 00:21:18.359
- be a foster parent.
- 00:21:18.359 --> 00:21:19.827
- But let me tell you, you still have a responsibility to love
- 00:21:19.827 --> 00:21:22.697
- greatly, to love intentionally, to be in the moment, to love
- 00:21:22.697 --> 00:21:26.334
- your kids today.
- 00:21:26.334 --> 00:21:28.369
- Don't put off moments that are like, "Well, this is hard."
- 00:21:28.369 --> 00:21:30.471
- It is hard, but it is also good.
- 00:21:30.471 --> 00:21:33.607
- And so, when you love greatly and risk greatly, whether that's
- 00:21:33.607 --> 00:21:37.178
- with your kids, whether that's with your spouse, whether it's a
- 00:21:37.178 --> 00:21:39.447
- neighbor, a co-worker, you have to choose to be intentional.
- 00:21:39.447 --> 00:21:43.517
- And one of the things I feel like in this process we were
- 00:21:43.517 --> 00:21:46.187
- taught was Jesus telling us, "That's what I've asked of you
- 00:21:46.187 --> 00:21:50.157
- the whole time."
- 00:21:50.157 --> 00:21:51.859
- There are no guarantees.
- 00:21:51.859 --> 00:21:53.494
- There's no promise that that's gonna work out in every moment.
- 00:21:53.494 --> 00:21:55.096
- You may love greatly and risk rejection.
- 00:21:55.096 --> 00:21:58.399
- You may experience hurt and pain in that process.
- 00:21:58.399 --> 00:22:00.901
- But let me tell you something, it is so worth it to love in the
- 00:22:00.901 --> 00:22:04.071
- way in which Jesus has loved us.
- 00:22:04.071 --> 00:22:06.741
- And what he calls us to is to love intentionally, love
- 00:22:06.741 --> 00:22:09.410
- unconditionally, and what happens from there is God's
- 00:22:09.410 --> 00:22:12.413
- peace, his grace, and his mercy.
- 00:22:12.413 --> 00:22:15.082
- Fill in the rest.
- 00:22:15.082 --> 00:22:16.784
- Thank you.
- 00:22:16.784 --> 00:22:24.925
- Chris: Chris and Jess opened their hearts, and God used them
- 00:22:29.096 --> 00:22:32.933
- as a result of it.
- 00:22:32.933 --> 00:22:34.635
- Kerry: So, the miracle is in the middle.
- 00:22:34.635 --> 00:22:36.804
- But secondly, the miracle is in the mess.
- 00:22:36.804 --> 00:22:39.407
- Don't ever forget that.
- 00:22:39.407 --> 00:22:40.908
- The biggest fake news story of all time has been circulated by
- 00:22:40.908 --> 00:22:44.645
- Satan for centuries and the headline reads, "You're the only
- 00:22:44.645 --> 00:22:48.816
- one going through what you're going through.
- 00:22:48.816 --> 00:22:52.820
- Everyone else is happy.
- 00:22:52.820 --> 00:22:55.156
- Things are going great for everyone else.
- 00:22:55.156 --> 00:22:56.791
- This is a happy church.
- 00:22:56.791 --> 00:22:58.459
- Everybody's so happy.
- 00:22:58.459 --> 00:23:00.494
- You're the only one who's hurting.
- 00:23:00.494 --> 00:23:03.030
- You're the only one who's struggling.
- 00:23:03.030 --> 00:23:05.299
- You're the only one who's going through depression.
- 00:23:05.299 --> 00:23:08.469
- You're the only one who's lost a loved one.
- 00:23:08.469 --> 00:23:10.771
- You're the only one who's going through the pain of divorce.
- 00:23:10.771 --> 00:23:13.874
- You're the only one who's struggling in your
- 00:23:13.874 --> 00:23:16.110
- marriage relationship.
- 00:23:16.110 --> 00:23:17.778
- You're the only one who can't break free from that addiction.
- 00:23:17.778 --> 00:23:21.782
- You're the only one who's going through what
- 00:23:21.782 --> 00:23:24.752
- you're going through."
- 00:23:24.752 --> 00:23:26.787
- And it's a lie from Satan.
- 00:23:26.787 --> 00:23:28.589
- And when we believe that lie, we try to hide our mess.
- 00:23:28.589 --> 00:23:31.392
- We try to hide our struggles.
- 00:23:31.392 --> 00:23:32.960
- We don't share them.
- 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:34.628
- We put on a smile, and we put on a fake-news face and act like
- 00:23:34.628 --> 00:23:40.267
- we've got it all together when God wants us to reveal our hurt,
- 00:23:40.267 --> 00:23:45.139
- to reveal our wounds, to reveal our struggle, to reveal the mess
- 00:23:45.139 --> 00:23:48.576
- that we're going through.
- 00:23:48.576 --> 00:23:50.845
- I want you to see what David said in Psalm 13, verse 3.
- 00:23:50.845 --> 00:23:53.848
- He said, "Look on me and answer me, Lord my God.
- 00:23:53.848 --> 00:23:57.051
- And give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my
- 00:23:57.051 --> 00:23:59.920
- enemy will say, 'I have overcome him,' and my foes will rejoice
- 00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:02.723
- when I fall."
- 00:24:02.723 --> 00:24:04.425
- And David is so honest about the mess he's in.
- 00:24:04.425 --> 00:24:06.627
- And he's saying, "God, if you don't come through, I'm dead.
- 00:24:06.627 --> 00:24:09.396
- This is how serious it is.
- 00:24:09.396 --> 00:24:10.831
- God, if you don't come through and write the rest of my story,
- 00:24:10.831 --> 00:24:13.868
- then there's no hope for me."
- 00:24:13.868 --> 00:24:15.736
- He's just so honest about the mess that he's in, and he's
- 00:24:15.736 --> 00:24:19.740
- expressing it awkwardly to God.
- 00:24:19.740 --> 00:24:21.842
- And he lets us in on it because he turned it into a song.
- 00:24:21.842 --> 00:24:27.515
- So, don't let your mess make you miss your miracle.
- 00:24:27.515 --> 00:24:31.852
- God's doing a miracle right in the middle of the mess, right in
- 00:24:31.852 --> 00:24:34.188
- the middle of the hurt.
- 00:24:34.188 --> 00:24:35.856
- And be like David, just be honest with him.
- 00:24:35.856 --> 00:24:37.791
- Be honest with God.
- 00:24:37.791 --> 00:24:39.326
- Be honest with others.
- 00:24:39.326 --> 00:24:40.661
- You can let your guard down, so you can experience healing.
- 00:24:40.661 --> 00:24:44.899
- Chris: And the third thing we want you to see is that the
- 00:24:44.899 --> 00:24:46.834
- miracle is in the making.
- 00:24:46.834 --> 00:24:49.336
- Let's look back at our key passage
- 00:24:49.336 --> 00:24:51.171
- and see how it finishes up.
- 00:24:51.171 --> 00:24:53.207
- Because after David expresses, honestly, his doubt and his fear
- 00:24:53.207 --> 00:24:58.045
- and his feeling of desperation, he says this, "But I trust in
- 00:24:58.045 --> 00:25:03.784
- Your unfailing love.
- 00:25:03.784 --> 00:25:05.519
- I will rejoice because You have rescued me.
- 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:09.323
- I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me."
- 00:25:09.323 --> 00:25:13.794
- See, David makes the choice.
- 00:25:13.794 --> 00:25:16.363
- He chooses to praise God, to worship him, to rely on him, to
- 00:25:16.363 --> 00:25:21.602
- lean hard on his goodness, even when he doesn't feel like it.
- 00:25:21.602 --> 00:25:26.540
- Even when his feelings say everything is wrong,
- 00:25:26.540 --> 00:25:29.877
- he makes the choice.
- 00:25:29.877 --> 00:25:32.279
- He isn't led by his feelings.
- 00:25:32.279 --> 00:25:34.281
- He's led by his decisions and says that "you are good to me."
- 00:25:34.281 --> 00:25:38.185
- And over and over and over and over in our own lives, we get
- 00:25:38.185 --> 00:25:41.021
- to make that same choice.
- 00:25:41.021 --> 00:25:42.723
- ♪♪♪
- 00:25:42.723 --> 00:25:52.833
- Chris: We're so glad you joined us for the message today,
- 00:25:52.900 --> 00:25:55.336
- and we hope it impacts your life all week long.
- 00:25:55.336 --> 00:25:58.038
- Kerry: And Chris, I know there's many out there who've never
- 00:25:58.038 --> 00:26:01.909
- received Christ, and all you have to do is just pray and ask
- 00:26:01.909 --> 00:26:05.879
- for his salvation and say, "Jesus Christ,
- 00:26:05.879 --> 00:26:08.482
- forgive me of all my sins.
- 00:26:08.482 --> 00:26:09.917
- Come into my life. Be the Lord of my life.
- 00:26:09.917 --> 00:26:11.986
- I accept your free gift of salvation and heaven one day."
- 00:26:11.986 --> 00:26:15.856
- And if you pray that prayer, Christ will come into your life
- 00:26:15.856 --> 00:26:18.626
- and he'll never leave you.
- 00:26:18.626 --> 00:26:21.061
- Kerry: Chris and I really want you to know about our new
- 00:26:21.128 --> 00:26:22.896
- book that just came out in paperback.
- 00:26:22.896 --> 00:26:25.065
- It's "The Gift Of One Day: How To Find Hope
- 00:26:25.065 --> 00:26:27.401
- When Life Gets Hard."
- 00:26:27.401 --> 00:26:29.370
- We all go through hard times and difficulties and pain,
- 00:26:29.370 --> 00:26:32.272
- but God wants to see you through with his hope.
- 00:26:32.272 --> 00:26:35.109
- I know one of the most difficult days we've ever experienced was
- 00:26:35.109 --> 00:26:39.346
- when our grandson Jude Samuel was born, and he only lived
- 00:26:39.346 --> 00:26:42.616
- for 24 hours.
- 00:26:42.616 --> 00:26:44.551
- It was devastating to us and we still grieve.
- 00:26:44.551 --> 00:26:47.488
- But yet we know that he's with the Lord in heaven and the way
- 00:26:47.488 --> 00:26:51.592
- that little boy lived those 24 hours taught us how to live
- 00:26:51.592 --> 00:26:55.763
- the rest of our years.
- 00:26:55.763 --> 00:26:57.598
- I know you know someone who's going through some pain and
- 00:26:57.598 --> 00:27:00.167
- problems, or maybe you're going through a difficult time
- 00:27:00.167 --> 00:27:03.737
- in your life.
- 00:27:03.737 --> 00:27:05.472
- And so, I hope you'll call us right now.
- 00:27:05.472 --> 00:27:07.041
- We'd love to pray with you and pray for you and would also love
- 00:27:07.041 --> 00:27:11.045
- to get you this book for a gift of any amount, "The Gift Of One
- 00:27:11.045 --> 00:27:14.248
- Day," because God wants to get you through today.
- 00:27:14.248 --> 00:27:18.485
- He wants you, not only to survive, but he wants you
- 00:27:18.485 --> 00:27:20.554
- to thrive.
- 00:27:20.554 --> 00:27:22.556
- He has a great plan for you.
- 00:27:22.556 --> 00:27:24.725
- ♪♪♪
- 00:27:24.792 --> 00:27:27.161
- CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 aberdeen.io
- 00:27:27.161 --> 00:27:30.990
