September 4, 2016

I didn't know you were here Elizabeth. I saw Tim earlier, but you're here and Tobias with you. Very cool to Elizabeth has a brand new baby boy. So we're very excited about that sometime in the yeah art supplies sometime in the coming weeks when you're back and we plan ahead. We'll have you up front and reduce hip since he's so young. Everyone do not go shake hands with table. I will give him a few more weeks before we have that kind of special moment. But so glad you're here. That's a great opportunity women study on Monday mornings at 10 and if if weekdays like that don't work I Jerry Cheryl's women's group is meeting on Wednesday nights. Originally that wasn't happening but that's been reconfigured. So on Wednesday nights, there is a women's Bible study that's occurring during her alive. So take note of that to this morning. I really what's been said already speaks to our sermon a little bit and so I just want to move right into that because I'm not preaching the sermon this morning. That nurse applies to that can be like they could be a good thing. You don't sometimes folks say I'd rather see a sermon then I would hear one. And while we are going to hear we are kind of going more towards seeing it how there's a verse.

There's a verse in John chapter five right after Jesus has healed a man. The Pharisees are angry that he would heal a man on the Sabbath and one of his answers to them is look my father is constantly doing good and I'm following his example some translations talk about how my father is always working in the original language. It's the sense that God is always actively working in our lives to accomplish his will and accomplishes good. And so Jesus even goes on it says look, I see where the father is working and I join him. There's always this activity where God is working it. Sometimes I don't think we fully process that it and let it sink in that God is always at work.

Always at work. And always at work in our lives as sometimes we enjoy a sermon but we might make the mistake of locating the work of God as something that occurs in the Bible only or something that occurs in ancient history and isn't it interesting. We heard that sermon about this biblical figure that's very fascinating and then we kind of move back into our life, but the reality is not only from scripture do we see God working but he's working today right now and he's working in our lives on a regular basis. And one of the great things we can do to encourage each other is to share the ways in which God is working in our lives. And so this morning we did this back in may we spent a special Sunday morning with a greater emphasis on prayer and we're doing that a little bit this morning, but we're combining it with some brief testimonies. So here in just a moment Mitch Cannon is going to come and share a brief testimony about how God has been working in his life the past couple years and then lead us in a prayer that I think many will resonate with a be glad to be lead in that sort of focus because he's he's walked up at the lot of us would say man, you know, yeah, how do you walk that path? Because we've we've all had our own struggles and similar ways after Mitch shares and leads us in a time of prayer Gary Blake is going to come and share and you may be aware of that Michael. Jordan was been a member here and connected it to Gary and are downtown Ministry is a homeless person for the past eight years. He passed away recently. We're helping with his funeral expenses and Gary is working on a memorial service and he's going to share a little bit not just about Michael. But but some of the things that God has really put on his heart things that God's teaching him and impressed upon him. And so it's good to hear how God's working in his life and he's going to lead us in a time of prayer related to what he shares when he's done. I'll come back up and lead us in the close to this sermon time, but then we'll have group prayer. I wear our prayer team will be in the back and in the front as usual and all of us will have an opportunity to pray in our pews or to go and have someone pray with us about things that we may have on her heart out that we'd love to have someone join us in prayer in relation to so I want us to come open your eyes to the fact that scriptures living today. There are disciples right here. There are people whose lives have been touched and changed by Jesus right here. And like someone standing up from the gospel standing upright out of scripture folks can stand and come to this mic and share what God is doing and has done in their life. And so we're going to we're going to do that this morning Mitch. I'm going to invite you up.

I try to be exciting to take out and be in front of you today and I just want to share a few things that kind of what's been going on in my life. I lie when Robbie talk to me about this is it's pretty obvious for those who know me know me the last four years kind of some things have been going through and it's like I'm glad that I get to share a little bit about this. So I'm going to go back about 3 years and that's a romance art instead of going all the way packets that would take too long. So anyway three years ago. I was working for a company out of Cincinnati has working at home and do some really crazy circumstances primarily with ownership. There were two owners that kind of ended up fighting over the company. They decided to let the company to spell and so I was working with him trying to to help keep the company going for a while in and so they just ended up ceasing operations and August of July of 2013 and so when I happened. I found myself without a job and I found myself without that job at all. So they still owed me on several weeks of pay along with several expensive trips that I took that they never reimburse me for and so right there and they're starting out things things were rough and it was a really difficult time to be faced with that because you think yourself I'm I'm supposed to be providing for my family and you'll have I've got all these things that just hit me is going through my mind at that time and you'll thankfully I've had a great eye loving family and church family are very all right for the beginning or there to support me for there to pray for me and they're too to help me as I went through the struggle but it was a struggle and there is definitely a lot of trial a lot of a storm. You know that the song the other will praise him in the storm. A lot of times we don't realize that we are in that storm bit. And you know when you take this that back and look at it, we're in that storm all the time. It's not just eking always to go back to is a specific circumstances and so a little bit when I wanted to share about today was a patient's perspective perseverance in peace and I experienced Autos things through that time and the other patients will I know is I don't know if if I was praying for patience or somebody else was praying for it for me, but I definitely had to go through that so can a jumping ahead a little bit so I started from 3 years ago. I was able to do some freelance. I'm a graphic designer. So I was able to do some freelance graphic design on the side and then what I thought might end up turning into a career with something that was great to have it there, but it was kind of like, okay it's there to help kind of get us by It's not something that's going to be a long-term career option for me to work from home forever. And so I was doing that I was also actively seeking other local jobs in and Lexington area and at the same time I was sharing, you know with elders and other people are at church. You know what my desire was that I kind of need to get back in to full-time and a job at some point. And so It's hard to think about it. But you know, it takes three years and I can say now that I've worked for a full month that added a new job. I'm working for Valvoline now and so at this point is straight cuz I could see that I've made it through that portion of that storm at turn on my life. But through that time there was a lot of patients that I had half. There is a lot of perseverance that we had to have going through it and that I can say without a doubt that there was peace because I knew that God was with me through it and I can say I'm going to praise him in the storm out and it was well, that's great. And it it did it's great to do that at the same time. One of the biggest questions I had was while I'm waiting cuz I know God has a plan while I'm waiting. What is my role in that time of waiting? And what is guys are all in that time of waiting. I think sometimes we might get caught up into the fact that you guys got. Play and he's going to provide so I'm going to I'm going to sit back and say God do your thing. And I don't think that's exactly what God has in mind when we're doing and going through these times. And so that actually was a little bit of a struggle for me at times. Okay? How how far do I go with what I'm supposed to be doing? And then how much do I know that where do I know that God is working in and where is God planning the steps for me and one of the situations that happened during the three-year period is someone I used to be but work for a he moved to Texas and I was working for a company down there and we had serious conversations about our family moving from Lexington to down to a near Dallas, Texas and I would say we probably got the point we thought it was 85 and 90% that it was really going to happen and a threesome other circumstances. It ended up not happening, but it forced us as a family to really discuss. Ian some really hard decisions and topics and things and you know with Elena in high school and did Jessie start out college and all those things it there were some some really difficult and frustrating times through that process that I'm having gone through that now and being at a better place as far as the job site of it. I can look back with perspective and the perspective can be a lot of things but one is I know that God was with me every step of the way that God provided for our family to be able to get through the time and I provide a great friends in the church that was supportive was always praying for me always asking how things were going and sometimes it got a little hard is to give the same answer over and over again for so many years. I bet it was that made it all the more great when I can say yes. I've got a job now and so it's very exciting.

Three that perspective I can look back and there is opportunities that I had that I wouldn't have had if I did have a full-time job and one of them to see your help and Jessica do all her college visits and doing all that plication process and all those things. I wish I wouldn't have had the time to do that. If I was you working full-time, there's things that I was able to do with Elena taking her to school and drop her off unless every days before she started driving and I think like that whenever you go through the trial or storm and you can look back for that perspective, you can see that God provided. For you, but he also provided opportunities that you wouldn't have had if you weren't going through that. So I'm thankful for that experience. I'm thankful that that that he was faithful that he brought me through but also that he showed me that that that it was worth it that they were great opportunities. I had even during that time so it's it was a storm but it really wasn't a storm when you look back on it and and that's a good thing and I share a quote with a lot of times when I wanted to share it today and it's about The attitude that we take during a trial or a situation with life and it's Ephraim Charles Swindoll says we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we Embrace for the day life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. Our attitude is everything and even without God being there to to help us and see kind of mold and guide our attitude towards things things could get really bad but looking back on it now, I can say yeah, Leo shared for choosing these things each and every day and so choosing to have a good attitude and positive attitude about it, but I was very helpful. And then before we got to go into our prayers have about this. I want to share one other thing I miss is from John chapter 14. a verses 1 through 4 It says do not let your hearts be troubled you believe in God believe also in me. My father's house has many rooms if that were not. So what I have told you that I'm going in there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am, you know the way to the place where I'm going. I wanted to point out and verse 1 says you believe in God believe also in me and other translations his trust in me and you when we wake up each and every morning every day, that should be the the first thought in the mind as we need to trust God we need to trust the Jesus has our best interests at heart and even while we're going through difficult circumstances, we have a choice and opportunity to make our attitude one at Thanksgiving even before the blessing sometimes. So am I know that everyone here has something that you struggle with or have been struggling with or maybe we'll be struggling with in the near future and so my words in my encouragement to you is too too trusting. God know that he's got a plan and that each and every day we can choose to have a good positive attitude about that and that he has a better plan for you then then I did I thought my plan was to go to Texas. It wasn't that's not the plan. God had a better plan. And so I please join me and I'm praying about this.

Gracious Heavenly Father. We yeah we come before you today. We thank you that you give us opportunities each and every day to trust in you. To give ourselves of our whole life. And your hands? And Lord my prayer is that that people would be encouraged. To do just that. Someone is out there is struggling if they're going through that storm in their life right now Lord help them to know that above all you are with them that you're their hand in hand that you desire good for them. It's someone's am struggling with depression and pain and and a fear fear of Tomorrow fear of being taken care of Lords. You are there you're with him. You're preparing a place for us. You're coming to take us with you. Lourdes we like a back on our lives with prospective and hopefully we can look back in peace knowing that that you have guided and directed our paths and Lord that have the choices that we make help us to make those in accordance to your will and what your desire is for our lives. Lord help everyone to know that that no matter what you're going through. We can always come to you. We have you as our help and our strength and our foundation but also Lord, we have our friends forever loved ones. We have our church family. Lord I'm so thankful. That you have provided so many people with encouraging words along the along the journey along the path. I'm thankful that that that you

Gave me peace through the storm. Knowing that you are with me.

The Lord that we went to lift up Thanksgiving to you for the opportunities to share to to be able to tell others the great things that you do in our lives and my prayer right now Lord is that each of us have a testimony that we can share with those around us or help others to see you through us and that we make that choice each and every day to to make a.m. Positive choice in our attitude and how we react to you at the events of the day and things that come before us. Lord help us to live for you and love you always in Jesus name. I pray amen.

I got is always pruning on me. And and I'm thankful that he never gives up and I praise him because he is so patient and I need so much this past week what the lord has laid on my heart is as we have spoken close friend Michael Jordan friend from downtown passed away this week ago Saturday, and we've been going through the process of trying to find a next of kin in and then do all those kinds of things in in in my conversations with some of the people that knew him where he grew up in Portsmouth. And and then from his family I heard I heard some of the same same words and it really it really cut to my heart. They they all of them said he had so much potential.

And if they did that's all they said but the rest you can then say any way to get you know that they met but he did so little or he failed to use it and I thought what what what went through my mind is I heard this several times was what a terrible epithet Epitaph for someone to have, you know, not he he he did this and this and then you in but to have an appetite that said he had so much potential. It really it really cut to my heart and Anna and I prayed I was praying Lord. What what does this? What does this say? What does this mean in in in in the first name? I come to the question-and-answer just in the question, but the question came to me.

Would you love your children? Do you do you love your children any less because they haven't achieved their full potential and it and it's like no don't I love my children just as much and then I reflected on the prodigal son that that prodigal that took off and eaten folks could say of him. He had so much potential. He had his father's inheritance. He was young he takes off and unfortunately does does more harm and little good in any but when he comes back to his father, His father is Father does not say you squandered your potential. He does not say I'm going to punish you he does not heat he runs to him. With open arms and you any welcome to man. And you know, that's the way I see. That's the way I see God my friend Michael who who who they say had so much potential. He second God's arms now and he's man loved not because of what he achieved but because of who he was loved by the father. Then the Lord has a way of going a little deeper. He usually doesn't stop just because of the next question. He asked me was. Do you think you're achieving your potential? Wow, and I didn't I didn't think that question was coming in and then I remembered infusions where it says I'm created on God's workmanship created to do good works that he is prepared for me in advance since like I bet he's got a lot prepared for me that I have skipped over that. I walked by and I hung up the the phone on or or slept through in N. I'm sure that I don't live up to my full potential.

So where God got me through all of this and that and Where I Leave You All is Grace is all sufficient because we have a guy that doesn't care about all the yesterdays because of the blood of Jesus Christ really cares about our tomorrow. he only cares about where his yes, there's plenty of work to be done. There's plenty of needs in this world. And in order to connect with those and want to serve not to be saved. I don't serve it. I don't see anywhere to be saved I serve because I am saved. Because I am saved. Anna so that's my heavy lesson of the week. Let me let me leave The Sinner prayer. Almighty God. We thank you that you are our heavenly father and that you lies beyond what even our Earthly fathers could love we thank you for your grace. But I thank you for the friendships that I share with with people that don't live up to their potential because I am one of them. I am one of them. father-in-law I just I just pray that you would go before us prepare us may we always feel your presence with us. May we always do well close to your doorstep in Jesus's name. I pray.

Let me testify a little bit too Mich and to Gary when I first moved here four years ago to accept this position. I lived in the Cannons home for the first 8 weeks because my family wasn't here yet and I was house shopping and they said well you can live with us so I know I'm at the cannons. That share with you that their microwave is not Christine and I was so glad the first time cuz they're awesome family and so much was so right about their family. I kept thinking bummer means our family really screwed up because this family's got everything perfect. And then one day I was opening their microwave and there was a little something still left in there. I thought I really had that thought. I thought oh good. It looks a little bit like our microwave. So so maybe we're more like one another that I think and so that was encouraging but I can tell you even since living with them as as we've known them and Mitch is one of our elders they have been such a consistent faithful and encouraging family and even as Mitch's walk through this, I mean it is a shoulder lowering challenge toot toot to be working and then lose that job when you're when you're established you're older you got family. You've got kids. It's a very heavy burden to carry II. I know when when I left Ministry and went to get a doctorate I picked the worst time possible because it was the year of the 08 year and all the leads I had disappeared is it we all know the economy just went and everybody that spoke to me about anything said no, we're not hiring. We're letting people go, you know, and that was that was the reality of coming. Out of taking a year off of work until I I spent time stringing together everything I could and I know that that just sets on your shoulders like an anvil and I can tell you that as a testimony to Dimension his family. They've been no different during these past three years. Their character didn't change. They continued to be generous to others every opportunity they got. Now that's that's a testimony because when you're going through that you're tempted to circle the wagons that you don't want right now. I just got to worry about me and mine and I ain't got time for nobody else and they never did that. We never experienced that from them generous to us with their time and their energy. They they watch our foster daughters. If we ever call and say can you watch him we needed to do something. I say, yeah. Yeah. Oh, thank you for letting us watch him, you know every opportunity and so I appreciate and respect them. And honestly, I suspect they would say it's not just ice there's probably a lot of families that we could sit down with you and the church and have conversations and learn great things about how God is working in their life and how God has blessed them and and how they've had some times when they struggle but sometimes when they've been faithful and and and that's a beautiful thing, you know with Gary, I think a lot of folks. I don't know about you, but when Gary's up here going and I'm not very good at serving the lord. I'm thinking holy cow of Gary's. I'm very good at serving the lord, you know, what kind of position am I in Buffalo has a lot but he has a consistent faithful servant I all throughout the church and and downtown with the homeless Ministry and he's the one that's had long-term relationships of Mike on those guys because of his faithfulness. And so so I sing his praises to but but I also know like me and like all of us he still appropriate. It's another testimony to him that he still says Lord. Okay, you know, where you speaking to me? Where is there potential? I'm not I'm not I'm not paying attention to and that's encouraging. You know, that that he doesn't feel like he has to do it to be right with God. Jesus has provided that because of what Jesus has done he's excited to do in and willing to do it and that is a testimony like like the Cannons faithfulness.

Think about this for a moment.

I believe here's your homework. Okay, I'll wrap the sermon up. I believe were called to have these sorts of conversations with one another on a regular basis. There ought to be Brothers and Sisters in Christ. With whom we have close enough relationships that on a regular basis. We're hearing about how God is working in their life or how they're struggling to allow God to work in their life, and we're telling them how God's working in our life or how we're struggling. To be obedient and let God work in our life. I believe scripture when it talks about the one another's of confessing your sins to one another and relationships bearing one another's burdens and praying for one another. I believe we are called to obey those scriptures. Does that sound like a reasonable assumption on my part? In order to obey those scriptures we have to have relationships with Brothers and Sisters in Christ that are close enough that we could confess our sins to one another that we would naturally know about one another's burdens so that we can bear one another's burdens that we would be close enough to ask for help when we needed it and close enough to know when that brother or sister needed help. I mean that what now we'll just you know, it's Joan Rivers I can we can we talk, you know, we'll just it's just us. All right, we all know that in the life of the church. Sometimes we see families are individuals who everyone thinks everything is good and fine for and then suddenly their marriage dissolved or suddenly they walk away from their faith or suddenly they struggle on Waze, and we also boy, we just didn't know we just did.

Let's send. on our part

So here's the challenge, you know that Gary very appropriately said Jesus asked questions, and I thought boy that that's true because the passage that this verse is in comes right after that the healing of the man by the pool and what he says to them and you know that passage. What does he say to the man who's who's waiting to get in but never seems to get in. Do you want? to get well

that might be a question for us. Do you want to get well? Do you want to struggle less with sin? Do you want to be Faithfully obedient to the New Testament? Do you want to have a testimony to share? Do you want to be used of God to impact others?

If the answer is yes, and you don't already have relationships with Brothers and Sisters in Christ that are close and growing and healthy, then that's your first step.

There you go. You wonder what God wants me to do. I'll be in a dark carrying creature. Thus saith the Lord he wants you to have close enough relationships with some Brothers and Sisters in Christ that you can be an encouragement to them and they can be an encouragement to you that you have somebody to lean on when you struggle that you can confess your sins to somebody that can come to you and say I'm blown it. I mean, I you know, and you would be that friend who who they would not be scared of that that they could confess that too and you would pray with him and help him walk through so that one day we don't just find out that something fell apart in a brother or sister in Christ life. So here's here's your homework. If you have those relationships have a conversation this week about how God's working in your life and ask them how God's working in their life and enjoy the richness of that conversation go get yogurt or eat out her play checkers and in your friends home this week, but but share together if you don't already have that relationship then started this week. Whoever might be on your radar that could fit that bill start and it might mean just going for ice cream. And that's all you accomplished this week. But it's the beginning of ice cream together in six months. Were you built that kind of relationship and you can share what's going on and what you're struggling with. Does that sound like okay homework

Either either mind the riches of the relationships you have already this week and talk about how God's working in their life and encourage each other or or take the next step in building that relationship if it's not there already that God work in our life that way I'm going to bite the worship team to come forward.

the time in prayer together

Philippians 4:6 says don't be anxious about things some of you might already be anxious about what I've just said, you may think I don't know anybody and I don't have over let you know, who am I going to ask that ice cream with you and you're already turning it over in your head in a way that makes you anxious good scripture for us. Don't be anxious about things instead. Not in addition to being anxious instead of being anxious pray about everything your active will be in this week might being Lord help me figure out who I can have that relationship with who I can be a friend to who can be the friend of me that may be your first step to not be anxious. But instead to pray about those relationships thing Paul writes God longs to hear your request. So talk to him about your needs and be thankful for what has come. Even be thankful for the conviction this morning. If you feel convicted, you've got to take the next step. Thank the Lord for that. He's working in your heart. That's what that conviction means. And so thank God even for that. Now we're going to have a song that we're going to sing together and during this song they'll be a couple of folks up front. I could pray with I'll be in the back and they'll be other folks in the back to during this time. If you want to pray with someone have somebody pray for you come to one of us and allow us to do that. If you're looking to make a decision looking for a church home or two to learn more about Chrysler to accept him as your lord and savior. I'll be in the back come to me and let me pray with you or talk to you about that decision for all of us use this time to reflect and pray about what's next for you in obedience to God in in serving him and letting him serve you and letting him use you to minister to others whatever it might be spend this time and prayers were let in our song.