1
00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,080
Speaker 1: Hi, this is Joel and Victorian. So great to have

2
00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:05,840
Speaker 1: you listening to the podcast. We have a new resource

3
00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:08,719
Speaker 1: we'd love to send you. It's the twenty twenty four

4
00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:12,960
Speaker 1: Devotional Calendar. It's full of inspiration and encouragement. It'll help

5
00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,560
Speaker 1: you to start the day off right. Hope you'll request

6
00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:20,439
Speaker 1: your copy, but enjoy the podcast today. Well, God bless you.

7
00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,560
Speaker 1: It's a joy to come into your homes and if

8
00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,520
Speaker 1: you're ever in our area, please stop by be a

9
00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,400
Speaker 1: part of one of our services. I promise you we'll

10
00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,240
Speaker 1: make you feel right at home. I like to start

11
00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,239
Speaker 1: with something funny, and I heard about this man. He

12
00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,720
Speaker 1: was the only Protestant in a large Catholic neighborhood. Every

13
00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:43,440
Speaker 1: Friday during Lent, while his neighbors were eating cold fish,

14
00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,239
Speaker 1: he was in his backyard grilling a steak. And they

15
00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,600
Speaker 1: couldn't stand the temptation and decided to try to convert

16
00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,800
Speaker 1: him to Catholicism. He finally agreed. A priest came over,

17
00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,280
Speaker 1: sprinkled water on his head, said, you were born a Baptist,

18
00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:02,000
Speaker 1: you were raised a Baptist, now you're a Catholic. The

19
00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,840
Speaker 1: next year, on the first Friday of Lent, they smelled

20
00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,160
Speaker 1: the same smell. They rushed his house. He was in

21
00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,160
Speaker 1: his backyard sprinkling water over his steak, saying, you were

22
00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,840
Speaker 1: born a cow, you raised a cow, but now you're

23
00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:19,360
Speaker 1: a fish. Say it like you mean it. This is

24
00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,240
Speaker 1: my Bible. I am what it says I am. I

25
00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:24,720
Speaker 1: have what it says I have. I can do what

26
00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,600
Speaker 1: it says I can do. Today I will be taught

27
00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,720
Speaker 1: the word of God. I'll boldly confess. My mind is alert,

28
00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:34,920
Speaker 1: my heart is receptive. I will never be the same.

29
00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,560
Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to talk

30
00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,240
Speaker 1: to you today about knowing that you are loved. When

31
00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,240
Speaker 1: Victoria and I had been dating for about nine months,

32
00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,760
Speaker 1: a friend of mine called me secretly. She said, Joel,

33
00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,520
Speaker 1: I just talked to Victoria. Don't tell her that I called,

34
00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:58,040
Speaker 1: But she told me she thinks she loves you. And

35
00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,040
Speaker 1: my friend was so excited. She was waiting for me

36
00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,280
Speaker 1: to join in the excitement. But I had a problem

37
00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,960
Speaker 1: with two words. She thinks if she thinks she loves me,

38
00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:13,080
Speaker 1: that means maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. She's still

39
00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,360
Speaker 1: trying to figure it out. It could go either way.

40
00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,880
Speaker 1: She thinks didn't give me any confidence at all. In fact,

41
00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,680
Speaker 1: it made me think I need to perform better, I

42
00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,800
Speaker 1: need to do more, try to impress, be good enough,

43
00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:31,040
Speaker 1: she thinks, put me under more pressure. Eventually, I'm happy

44
00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:35,480
Speaker 1: to say Victoria came to her senses and she went

45
00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,040
Speaker 1: from I think to I know. And that was over

46
00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,720
Speaker 1: thirty years ago. But when you know somebody loves you,

47
00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:44,920
Speaker 1: it puts you at ease. You don't have to try

48
00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:50,760
Speaker 1: to perform, impress, be good enough. You can relax, be yourself.

49
00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:55,160
Speaker 1: You're comfortable, you're secure. But a lot of people live

50
00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:58,880
Speaker 1: with this I think he loves me mentality. When it

51
00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,920
Speaker 1: comes to God, they base it on their performance. I

52
00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:06,000
Speaker 1: went to church last week. I did good. I think

53
00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,560
Speaker 1: he loves me. I volunteered at the hospital. I was

54
00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:13,960
Speaker 1: kind of my neighbor. I resisted temptation. I earned his love.

55
00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:18,000
Speaker 1: The problem with this approach is when we make mistakes,

56
00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:22,080
Speaker 1: we get off course, we don't perform perfectly. We think

57
00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,280
Speaker 1: God goes and finds somebody else to love. After all,

58
00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,400
Speaker 1: if you don't love me, human nature says, I'm not

59
00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:33,280
Speaker 1: going to love you back. But God is not like people.

60
00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,400
Speaker 1: People can love you conditionally if you do right, perform right,

61
00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,480
Speaker 1: treat me right, then I'll love you. But if you

62
00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,400
Speaker 1: let me down, I'll go find somebody else. When we

63
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:49,600
Speaker 1: make mistakes, God doesn't change his mind. You can run

64
00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:53,080
Speaker 1: away from God instead of turning the other way, God

65
00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:57,520
Speaker 1: will come running towards you. Quit trying to earn this love.

66
00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:01,200
Speaker 1: There's nothing you can do to make God love you

67
00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:05,560
Speaker 1: anymore or any less. It's a gift. Just receive it

68
00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:10,160
Speaker 1: by faith. Sometimes we're trying to clean ourselves up. Get

69
00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:14,520
Speaker 1: good enough, then we'll believe God really loves us. Take

70
00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,440
Speaker 1: the pressure off. God loves you right now. He loved

71
00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:20,760
Speaker 1: you when you were wrong, He loved you when you

72
00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:25,400
Speaker 1: were off course. Paul said, nothing can separate us from

73
00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:29,440
Speaker 1: the love of God. You are a marked man, a

74
00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:33,600
Speaker 1: marked woman. God put his love on you. Now you

75
00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:37,240
Speaker 1: are permanently loved. The Psalm has said, if I go

76
00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:40,120
Speaker 1: down to the depths of the ocean, God you are there.

77
00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:42,800
Speaker 1: If I go way up into the heavens, God you

78
00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:47,080
Speaker 1: are still there. He can't get away from this love. Well, Joel,

79
00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:50,040
Speaker 1: I'm an atheist. I don't believe in God. He still

80
00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,680
Speaker 1: loves you. I've made mistakes, I've had a rough pass.

81
00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:58,600
Speaker 1: Nothing you've done has changed God's love. I have an addiction.

82
00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,560
Speaker 1: I still struggle with my temper. That didn't cancel this law.

83
00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:07,800
Speaker 1: The scripture talks about the great love, wherewith God loved us.

84
00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,200
Speaker 1: It wasn't a little love, and I think love a

85
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,920
Speaker 1: conditional love. It was a great love. And we think

86
00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:19,000
Speaker 1: about how much we love God. But what's more profound

87
00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:24,040
Speaker 1: is how much God loves you. Before you were formed

88
00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:28,240
Speaker 1: in your mother's womb, God knew you. He took time

89
00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,680
Speaker 1: to plan out all of your days. He knows your

90
00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:35,320
Speaker 1: thoughts before you think them. He knows your words before

91
00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:39,279
Speaker 1: you speak them. Jesus said, the hair on your head

92
00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:43,760
Speaker 1: are all numbered. Now. I love Victoria, but I have

93
00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:48,240
Speaker 1: never taken time to number her hairs. Number doesn't mean

94
00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,560
Speaker 1: there are fifty four thousand, six hundred and twenty three

95
00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,839
Speaker 1: that's counted. Numbered means this is hair number twenty one thousand,

96
00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,760
Speaker 1: two hundred and thirty eight. Every time you take a shower,

97
00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,360
Speaker 1: every time we lose a hair, God has to renumber.

98
00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,240
Speaker 1: There was a popular book turned into a movie a

99
00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,680
Speaker 1: few years ago. It was called He's Just Not That

100
00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,799
Speaker 1: into You. It was about guys not really liking a girl.

101
00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,919
Speaker 1: Can I tell you God is just the opposite. He's

102
00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:22,200
Speaker 1: way into you if he's taken the time to number

103
00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:25,920
Speaker 1: your hairs, to know your thoughts, to plan out all

104
00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,560
Speaker 1: of your days. Do you really think there's anything you

105
00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:33,839
Speaker 1: can do to cause him to stop loving you? But

106
00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,280
Speaker 1: how God must feel when we go around thinking I

107
00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:40,240
Speaker 1: think he loves me, I think I'm good enough, I

108
00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:43,320
Speaker 1: think I haven't done too much wrong. Get rid of

109
00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:48,400
Speaker 1: the I think mentality and start having and I know mentality.

110
00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,520
Speaker 1: It's very freeing when you can say I know God

111
00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,480
Speaker 1: loves me. I know I'm the apple of his eye.

112
00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:58,640
Speaker 1: I know he's smiling down on me. Voices will whisper

113
00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,960
Speaker 1: not you made mistakes, you lost your temper, you're not

114
00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:07,760
Speaker 1: religious enough. God doesn't love you because you're religious, or

115
00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,400
Speaker 1: good enough, or come from a certain family. He loves

116
00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:15,560
Speaker 1: you because you are his child. He breathed his life

117
00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:19,600
Speaker 1: into you. When you receive this love, you live with

118
00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:23,160
Speaker 1: a confidence. When you go from I think to I know,

119
00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:26,240
Speaker 1: you'll quit trying to earn it, quit trying to be

120
00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,679
Speaker 1: good enough. You'll live secure knowing that your heavenly Father

121
00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:34,520
Speaker 1: loves you. In the Bible, the Book of John was

122
00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:39,000
Speaker 1: written by the disciple John. What's interesting is he never

123
00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:43,440
Speaker 1: referred to himself as John when he talked about himself.

124
00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:48,080
Speaker 1: Instead of using his name, he said, the disciple whom

125
00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:52,720
Speaker 1: Jesus loved. In John thirteen, he wrote, the disciple whom

126
00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:56,440
Speaker 1: Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus. He could have

127
00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:00,920
Speaker 1: just written, John was sitting next to Jesus. When Matthew, Mark,

128
00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,880
Speaker 1: and Luke wrote their books their accounts of the Gospel,

129
00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:08,200
Speaker 1: they referred to themselves using their own name. Can you

130
00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,880
Speaker 1: imagine if they would have read John's account, they would

131
00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:15,840
Speaker 1: have thought, who does John think he is describing himself

132
00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:19,480
Speaker 1: as the one Jesus loved. Jesus loved us all the

133
00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:23,680
Speaker 1: nerve of that God. But John had an incredible confidence,

134
00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,240
Speaker 1: not just in how much he loved God, but in

135
00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:31,640
Speaker 1: how much God loved him. Four times he referred to

136
00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:36,240
Speaker 1: himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. You would think,

137
00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:38,840
Speaker 1: all right, John, we got it the first time. We

138
00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:41,880
Speaker 1: heard aloud and clear. You think you're the one he loves.

139
00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,000
Speaker 1: You don't have to keep telling us. But in chapter

140
00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:50,040
Speaker 1: nineteen he wrote again, when Jesus saw his mother and

141
00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:54,920
Speaker 1: the disciple whom Jesus loved, Now you know Jesus loved

142
00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:58,560
Speaker 1: his mother. In fact, he probably loved his mother more

143
00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:01,840
Speaker 1: than he loved John. But John didn't take the time

144
00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,360
Speaker 1: to tell us how much he loved his mother. He

145
00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:08,800
Speaker 1: just reiterated the fact he was the one Jesus loved. Now,

146
00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:10,960
Speaker 1: you can fault him for it, but I have to

147
00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:14,160
Speaker 1: give him credit. He knew how much he was loved.

148
00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:19,240
Speaker 1: Two chapters later, John wrote, the disciple whom Jesus loved

149
00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:23,400
Speaker 1: said to Peter. It's funny he didn't say. The disciple

150
00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:27,520
Speaker 1: whom Jesus loved said to the other disciple whom Jesus loved.

151
00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:31,960
Speaker 1: You could take this as being arrogant, self centered, but

152
00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:35,520
Speaker 1: John was showing us the confidence he had and how

153
00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,840
Speaker 1: much he knew God loved him. And when you can

154
00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:43,040
Speaker 1: do like John, maybe not announce it to everybody, don't

155
00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,360
Speaker 1: put it on your business card, but in your heart,

156
00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:48,920
Speaker 1: I'm the one that he loves. You wake up in

157
00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:51,960
Speaker 1: the morning, good morning, Lord, It's the one that you

158
00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:55,280
Speaker 1: love all through the day. Lord, I love you, and

159
00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:59,560
Speaker 1: I know I'm the one you love. When Lazarus was

160
00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:03,520
Speaker 1: very and close to death, his two sisters Mary and

161
00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:07,520
Speaker 1: Martha sent a note to their good friend Jesus asking

162
00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:10,520
Speaker 1: him to come and pray for Lazarus. Jesus was in

163
00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:14,640
Speaker 1: another city. The note didn't say, Jesus, we're begging you

164
00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,839
Speaker 1: please come pray for Lazarus. Jesus, you know Lazarus is

165
00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,520
Speaker 1: a good man, you know how much he loves you. Instead,

166
00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:26,559
Speaker 1: the note read Jesus, the one you love is sick.

167
00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:31,640
Speaker 1: They didn't tell Jesus how much Lazarus loved him. They

168
00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:36,160
Speaker 1: thought it would be more persuasive, more effective, to remind

169
00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:41,000
Speaker 1: Jesus how much he loved Lazarus. Sometimes we're trying to

170
00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:42,520
Speaker 1: convince God that we love him.

171
00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:42,880
Speaker 2: God.

172
00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,480
Speaker 1: I went to church last week. God, I bit my

173
00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:48,680
Speaker 1: tongue at the office when I felt like telling them off. God,

174
00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:52,040
Speaker 1: I've been performing perfectly. Would you please help me? Why

175
00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,400
Speaker 1: don't you do like Mary and Martha and say, Lord,

176
00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:59,160
Speaker 1: the one you love needs healing, the one you love

177
00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,120
Speaker 1: is lonely, the one you love has a child that's

178
00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:06,240
Speaker 1: off course. What moves God is not just your love

179
00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:11,400
Speaker 1: for him, but recognizing his love for you. It pleases

180
00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,240
Speaker 1: God when you know you are dearly loved. That's why

181
00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,840
Speaker 1: the scripture says, come boldly to the throne. Don't go

182
00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,040
Speaker 1: like a weak worm of the dust. If my son

183
00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:26,839
Speaker 1: came up to me, half embarrassed, ashamed, head down, Dad,

184
00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:30,040
Speaker 1: I hate to bother you. I know you're busy. I

185
00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,360
Speaker 1: don't deserve it. It's just little o'd me. But Dad,

186
00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:35,520
Speaker 1: I'm just begging you. Would you help me in this area?

187
00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:38,439
Speaker 1: I wouldn't feel sorry for him. I would feel bad

188
00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:42,199
Speaker 1: about myself as a father. I would think, what have

189
00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:45,959
Speaker 1: I done wrong? My son comes to me so inferior,

190
00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,680
Speaker 1: feeling unworthy, begging me for a little help. It's not

191
00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:52,760
Speaker 1: my lack of love for my son. I'd give him

192
00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:56,120
Speaker 1: the world. It's his lack of knowing how much he

193
00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,400
Speaker 1: is loved. Now, I'm happy to say my children don't

194
00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:02,240
Speaker 1: feel that way. They know how much they're loved, and

195
00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:06,040
Speaker 1: they're not afraid to ask. When our daughter Alexandra was

196
00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,480
Speaker 1: ten years old, she was going out to eat with

197
00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:11,120
Speaker 1: her cousins and they were about to go ice skating.

198
00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:14,199
Speaker 1: She came up to me in the den and said, Dad,

199
00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,200
Speaker 1: can I have twenty dollars to go out to eat

200
00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:20,920
Speaker 1: and go ice skating? I said, sure, go back and

201
00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:23,840
Speaker 1: get it off my bathroom counter where I keep my keys.

202
00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:27,080
Speaker 1: She gave me a kiss and said thank you. Then

203
00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:30,760
Speaker 1: she turned and started walking toward the garage the wrong way.

204
00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,000
Speaker 1: I said, wait a minute, aren't you going to go

205
00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:36,080
Speaker 1: get the money? She smiled and said, already got it.

206
00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:43,079
Speaker 1: She said, I knew you would say yes. That made

207
00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:47,160
Speaker 1: me feel good as a father. She knows how much

208
00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,720
Speaker 1: I love her. She's not living with an I think mentality.

209
00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,920
Speaker 1: I hope he loves me. If I perform good enough,

210
00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:58,000
Speaker 1: he'll love me. She has no doubt my father loves me.

211
00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,400
Speaker 1: What if we felt that same way about our heavenly father.

212
00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:05,640
Speaker 1: You want to make God smile, You want to make

213
00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:10,240
Speaker 1: his day. Start approaching him like you know he loves you.

214
00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,480
Speaker 1: You know he's for you, you know he's longing to be

215
00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:17,760
Speaker 1: good to you. It doesn't bring God any pleasure for

216
00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,839
Speaker 1: us to go around insecure, unworthy, beating ourselves up for

217
00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:26,160
Speaker 1: past mistakes. Shake that off and start going boldly to

218
00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:30,480
Speaker 1: the throne. Our daughter, Alexandra is in college now. She

219
00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,360
Speaker 1: called Victoria a few months ago and told how their

220
00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:37,560
Speaker 1: sorority was having the Big Mother Daughter weekend. Wanted to

221
00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:41,400
Speaker 1: make sure that Victoria could come. She gave Victoria the dates.

222
00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:46,319
Speaker 1: It just so happened it was this weekend. Victoria said, oh, Alexandra,

223
00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:49,679
Speaker 1: we have a night of hope that Friday night. Plus

224
00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,280
Speaker 1: Dad and I are supposed to speak at Lakewood that weekend,

225
00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:56,840
Speaker 1: and Dad really doesn't like me to miss. Alexander said, Oh, Mom,

226
00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:00,360
Speaker 1: don't worry. I'll call Dad. He'll do anything that I ask.

227
00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:06,000
Speaker 1: She called, and you notice they're not here. You know

228
00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:09,960
Speaker 1: why Alexandra can have that boldness. She knows she's the

229
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:13,680
Speaker 1: one I love. She knows she's my prize possession. She

230
00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:16,880
Speaker 1: knows I'll go out of my way to be good

231
00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,280
Speaker 1: to her. She's my child. Now i'll be good to

232
00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:23,880
Speaker 1: your child. I'll be kind, loving, generous. But let's be honest.

233
00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,360
Speaker 1: If it's between your child and my child, I'm gonna

234
00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:32,040
Speaker 1: choose my child. That's my daughter. She's my favorite. That's

235
00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:36,120
Speaker 1: the way God feels about you. You're his child. Can

236
00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:39,720
Speaker 1: I tell you a secret? Don't tell anyone, keep it confidential.

237
00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:45,080
Speaker 1: You're his favorite. You're the one that he loves. I've

238
00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:49,200
Speaker 1: heard it said God has no favorites. I think that's wrong.

239
00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:53,640
Speaker 1: God has all favorites. You're his favorite. You're his favorite.

240
00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:56,520
Speaker 1: You're his favorite. You're his favorite. God has the amazing

241
00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,560
Speaker 1: ability to trade us all like we're his favorite. He's

242
00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:03,640
Speaker 1: not like people. He doesn't have to pick and choose.

243
00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:08,040
Speaker 1: He has unlimited love. He doesn't just show love, he

244
00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:12,000
Speaker 1: doesn't just express love. He is love. That's not what

245
00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:15,320
Speaker 1: he does, it's who he is. When you start seeing

246
00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:19,040
Speaker 1: yourself as his favorite, you'll go to him with confidence.

247
00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,360
Speaker 1: You'll pray bold prayers. You'll ask him for your dreams.

248
00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:26,400
Speaker 1: You'll believe for your health to turn around. You'll expect

249
00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,480
Speaker 1: new doors to open, not because of who you are,

250
00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,880
Speaker 1: but because of who your father is. You know he'll

251
00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:36,040
Speaker 1: go out of his way to be good to you.

252
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,360
Speaker 1: I grew up with five siblings. My sister April is

253
00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:43,920
Speaker 1: the youngest. She always felt like she was the favorite

254
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:47,640
Speaker 1: of the family. The truth is, my parents had more

255
00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:51,360
Speaker 1: resources when she came along. My older brother, Paul is

256
00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:53,800
Speaker 1: forty seven years older than April, I mean twelve years

257
00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:59,040
Speaker 1: older than April. From a young age, April started telling

258
00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,560
Speaker 1: us all that he was our parents' favorite. Now that

259
00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,200
Speaker 1: never bothered me because I knew she wasn't I was,

260
00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,800
Speaker 1: But she's been doing this so long now. When my

261
00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,640
Speaker 1: mother sends us kids a group text, it lists our

262
00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,280
Speaker 1: names at the top. Paul, Lisa Tamra Joel, instead of April.

263
00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:21,680
Speaker 1: It says favorite. I had my mother's cell phone one time.

264
00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:26,920
Speaker 1: Under the contacts, she has April stored as favorite. Now

265
00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:32,360
Speaker 1: that's not right. I can imagine if God had a

266
00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:36,640
Speaker 1: cell phone, you would be stored under favorite, not Joseph

267
00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:42,880
Speaker 1: Rodriguez favorite, Rodriguez favorite, Smith favorite, Edward favorite, Rebecca. We're

268
00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:47,040
Speaker 1: all his favorite. You're the one that he loves well,

269
00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:49,960
Speaker 1: not me, Joel. You don't know the mistakes I've made.

270
00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:53,000
Speaker 1: You don't know the past I've lived. When I clean

271
00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:55,520
Speaker 1: myself up, I know God will love me a lot more.

272
00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:59,800
Speaker 1: Nothing you can do will make God love you anymore.

273
00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:04,560
Speaker 1: You might as well believe you're his favorite right now now.

274
00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:07,959
Speaker 1: He may not be pleased with all your behavior, but

275
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,159
Speaker 1: that doesn't change his love for you. When we go

276
00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:14,960
Speaker 1: around guilty, beating ourselves up, that doesn't help you to

277
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,760
Speaker 1: do better. It pushes you down, causes you to struggle more.

278
00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:23,840
Speaker 1: But when you receive God's love and no, despite your shortcomings,

279
00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:27,720
Speaker 1: He's still proud of you. He still says you're amazing,

280
00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:31,639
Speaker 1: he still calls you a masterpiece. That's what lifts your spirit,

281
00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:34,479
Speaker 1: That's what gives you the strength to do better and

282
00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:38,200
Speaker 1: to break those chains that are holding you back. Luke,

283
00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:41,719
Speaker 1: Chapter nineteen. There's the story of Zachius. He was a

284
00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:45,240
Speaker 1: tax collector. Back in those days, they were known for

285
00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:50,920
Speaker 1: being dishonest, for cheating people. They were very disliked, even hated.

286
00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:56,680
Speaker 1: Zachius was the chief tax collector. He was especially despised,

287
00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:01,919
Speaker 1: looked down on by everyone, not just figuratively, but even physically.

288
00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:06,200
Speaker 1: He was very short. One day, Jesus came passing through

289
00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:10,240
Speaker 1: their town, and words spread quickly. Everyone went out to

290
00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:14,119
Speaker 1: try to get a glimpse of Jesus, including Zachias. It

291
00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:18,119
Speaker 1: was so crowded, so many throngs of people. Zachius couldn't

292
00:18:18,119 --> 00:18:21,640
Speaker 1: see anything. He was too short. Rather than give up,

293
00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:25,200
Speaker 1: he decided to climb up in a tree. He got

294
00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:29,320
Speaker 1: in perfect position, had a great viewpoint. In a few minutes,

295
00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:33,959
Speaker 1: Jesus came walking down the street. I can imagine Zachius

296
00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:37,240
Speaker 1: was in awe. He had heard how Jesus had healed

297
00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:41,560
Speaker 1: the sick, open blind eyes, cured the lepers. Now Jesus

298
00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:43,760
Speaker 1: was passing right in front of him. It was an

299
00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:47,360
Speaker 1: amazing moment. Hundreds of people were trying to touch Jesus,

300
00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,280
Speaker 1: get his attention. All of a sudden, in the midst

301
00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:55,520
Speaker 1: of the commotion, Jesus stopped. Everyone froze, thinking why is

302
00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:58,760
Speaker 1: he stopping? They got quiet. He's going to say something.

303
00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:03,480
Speaker 1: Jesus turned earned and looked up in the tree. Time

304
00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:08,879
Speaker 1: stopped for Zachius. Every eye was focused on him. Zachius

305
00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:11,920
Speaker 1: knew he was hated, he knew he had cheated, done

306
00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,320
Speaker 1: people wrong. He was waiting for Jesus to let him

307
00:19:15,359 --> 00:19:19,840
Speaker 1: have it. But Jesus said, Zacheus, come down from the tree.

308
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,359
Speaker 1: I want to go to your house and have dinner.

309
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:27,199
Speaker 1: At that moment, I believe Zachias felt something that he

310
00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:32,480
Speaker 1: had never felt. Something on the inside, said Zachius, you're

311
00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:35,919
Speaker 1: the one that he loves. Out of all the people

312
00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:39,359
Speaker 1: there that day, no doubt, there were rabbis, elders in

313
00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:43,919
Speaker 1: the synagogue, respected leaders. Jesus could have gone to dinner

314
00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:47,240
Speaker 1: with any of them. But he was making this point,

315
00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,879
Speaker 1: you don't have to have it altogether for God to

316
00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:54,160
Speaker 1: love you. You don't have to clean yourself up. Then

317
00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:56,239
Speaker 1: you can come down out of the tree, then you

318
00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:59,200
Speaker 1: can go to dinner. That was the case. None of

319
00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:02,960
Speaker 1: us would have had a chance. What's interesting is the

320
00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:07,800
Speaker 1: name Zaychius means pure one. I doubt if anyone in

321
00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:14,199
Speaker 1: that crowd ever called him Zacheus. They probably called him fraud, crook, cheater.

322
00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:19,439
Speaker 1: One version says they called him scum. Jesus could have

323
00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:22,800
Speaker 1: looked up in the tree and said, hey, you come down,

324
00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:27,159
Speaker 1: Hey mister, hey sir, or somebody get that guy from me.

325
00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:33,359
Speaker 1: But on purpose, Jesus said, Zacheus, pure one, come down.

326
00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:36,159
Speaker 1: I want to go to your house for dinner. The

327
00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:40,199
Speaker 1: religious leaders nearly passed out. They said, why would he

328
00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:44,560
Speaker 1: go to dinner with such a notorious sinner. We don't

329
00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:48,080
Speaker 1: see people the way God sees them. We look at

330
00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:52,560
Speaker 1: their behavior, how perfectly they perform. God looks beyond all

331
00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:57,639
Speaker 1: that they saw a notorious sinner. God saw the one

332
00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:01,680
Speaker 1: that he loved. You may have made misias, like zach

333
00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:04,640
Speaker 1: Hes you got off course, you know you're not where

334
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:08,359
Speaker 1: you should be. But if Jesus came passing by today,

335
00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,840
Speaker 1: he wouldn't say, hey, Joel, come on man, let's go

336
00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:15,360
Speaker 1: to lunch. You got that big church. Hey, sister, do right.

337
00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:18,200
Speaker 1: You hadn't made a mistake in thirty three years. I'm

338
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:21,080
Speaker 1: proud of you. Let's go get something to eat. He

339
00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:24,520
Speaker 1: would pass by all the people that look like they

340
00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,840
Speaker 1: have it together. He would come to you. You're the

341
00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:30,840
Speaker 1: one that he loves. You may be up in the

342
00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:34,239
Speaker 1: tree trying to hide dealing with issues. Can I tell

343
00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:38,440
Speaker 1: you we all have issues. God is saying, come down,

344
00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:43,520
Speaker 1: pure one, Come down forgiving child, Come down, redeemed daughter,

345
00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:50,080
Speaker 1: come down, favorite one, Jesus pointed in choosing Zachs over all.

346
00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:53,560
Speaker 1: The other quote good People was to let us know

347
00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:58,760
Speaker 1: your performance doesn't determine God's love for you. Well, Joel,

348
00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:01,280
Speaker 1: if I can break this bad habit, if I can

349
00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:03,920
Speaker 1: stop this addiction, I know he'll love me a lot more.

350
00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:07,720
Speaker 1: He will be more pleased with your behavior. Your life

351
00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:11,640
Speaker 1: will go better. But that doesn't affect God's love for you.

352
00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:16,719
Speaker 1: He's calling you pure one right now. Will you receive

353
00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,800
Speaker 1: this love? Will you come down and go to dinner,

354
00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:22,679
Speaker 1: so to speak? Or are you going to stay up

355
00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:26,679
Speaker 1: in that tree and let condemning voices convince you that

356
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,440
Speaker 1: you're all washed up? You have to shape that off

357
00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:33,040
Speaker 1: and say it. By faith Lord, I believe I'm the

358
00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:37,720
Speaker 1: one you love. I believe despite my failures, despite my mistakes,

359
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:41,760
Speaker 1: you still have a great plan for my life. First,

360
00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:45,479
Speaker 1: John for says, this is real love, not that we

361
00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:49,359
Speaker 1: loved God, but that He loved us and sin his

362
00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:54,320
Speaker 1: son as a sacrifice for our sins. Real love is

363
00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:57,400
Speaker 1: not our love for God, it's God's love for us.

364
00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:01,000
Speaker 1: When we try to perform togain aim this love, the

365
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,320
Speaker 1: problem is we'll never measure up. There will always be

366
00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:07,520
Speaker 1: something we can't do right, some reason we can't feel

367
00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:11,080
Speaker 1: good about ourselves. Why don't you take the pressure off

368
00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:15,679
Speaker 1: and receive real love, God's love for you. That's what

369
00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,639
Speaker 1: the lady had to do. In John chapter eight. The

370
00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:21,920
Speaker 1: religious leaders brought her to Jesus. She was caught in

371
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,520
Speaker 1: the act of adultery. They threw her at his feet, said,

372
00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:28,199
Speaker 1: the law says stoner. What do you say we should do?

373
00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,920
Speaker 1: Jesus said, you that are without sin, throw the first stone.

374
00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:36,480
Speaker 1: They all left, from the oldest to the youngest. Jesus

375
00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:40,879
Speaker 1: asked the woman, where are your accusers? Hasn't anyone condemned you?

376
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,600
Speaker 1: She said no. Man, Lord, he said, neither do I

377
00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:49,000
Speaker 1: condemn you. Go and sin no more. He didn't say,

378
00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:52,800
Speaker 1: go and sin no more, then I won't condemn you.

379
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,760
Speaker 1: Change your ways, get your act together, Quit giving in

380
00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,679
Speaker 1: to the temptation, then I'll love you. Then I'll be

381
00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:03,760
Speaker 1: four you just the opposite. He said, I don't condemn

382
00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:07,879
Speaker 1: you first before he talked about her behavior, Before he

383
00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:11,840
Speaker 1: addressed the issues. Jesus wanted to make sure she knew

384
00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:16,000
Speaker 1: she was the one that he loved. When she felt

385
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,359
Speaker 1: this real love, when she realized the one person that

386
00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:22,879
Speaker 1: could have condemned her wouldn't do it, I believe something

387
00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:25,840
Speaker 1: happened on the inside. She walked out of there a

388
00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:30,640
Speaker 1: changed woman. But sometimes religion tells us clean yourself up,

389
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:34,679
Speaker 1: then God will love you. Do right, perform correctly. If not,

390
00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:37,560
Speaker 1: God won't have anything to do with you. That's not

391
00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:41,760
Speaker 1: real love. That's conditional love. If you do good enough,

392
00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:45,200
Speaker 1: if you measure up, then God will help you. Real

393
00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,960
Speaker 1: love is not about your performance, what you do or

394
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:53,040
Speaker 1: don't do. It's about what God has already done. It's

395
00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:56,600
Speaker 1: not based on how much you love God. It's based

396
00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:00,040
Speaker 1: on how much God loves you. When my brother p

397
00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:03,440
Speaker 1: was a little boy, before any of us siblings were born,

398
00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:06,000
Speaker 1: my parents would put him in his bed at night,

399
00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,359
Speaker 1: and then they would go get in their own bed.

400
00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:11,000
Speaker 1: Their rooms were just a few feet apart down a

401
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,280
Speaker 1: short hallway, my father would always say good night Paul,

402
00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:17,640
Speaker 1: and Paul would answer back, good night Daddy, good night mother.

403
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,000
Speaker 1: One night, for some reason, Paul was a little afraid.

404
00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:24,000
Speaker 1: A couple of minutes after they had said their good nights,

405
00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:27,560
Speaker 1: Paul said, Daddy, are you still in there? My father

406
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:30,760
Speaker 1: said yes, Paul, I'm still here. Was quiet for a

407
00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:35,119
Speaker 1: few seconds. Then Paul asked, Daddy, is your face turned

408
00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:39,040
Speaker 1: toward me. My father said, yes, Paul, my face is

409
00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:43,879
Speaker 1: turned towards you. Somehow, it made Paul feel better just

410
00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:48,240
Speaker 1: knowing that his father's face was turned toward him. Can

411
00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:52,359
Speaker 1: I tell you today, your heavenly Father's face is turned

412
00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:55,920
Speaker 1: towards you. You're the one that he loves. You're his

413
00:25:55,960 --> 00:26:01,080
Speaker 1: favorite child. He's not counting your mistakes again you, He's

414
00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:05,600
Speaker 1: calling you pure one. My challenge is received this love

415
00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:08,760
Speaker 1: all through the day. Lord, Thank you that I'm the

416
00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:11,680
Speaker 1: one you love. Thank you that your face is turned

417
00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:15,080
Speaker 1: toward me. Remember real love. It's not about your love

418
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:19,440
Speaker 1: for God. It's recognizing the great love God has for you.

419
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,280
Speaker 1: If you'll do this, I believe and declare you're going

420
00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:29,280
Speaker 1: to live confident, secure, overcoming obstacles, rising higher, and becoming

421
00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:33,240
Speaker 1: everything He's created you to be in Jesus' name, and

422
00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:37,800
Speaker 1: if you receive it, can you say amen? Today? I'd

423
00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:40,320
Speaker 1: like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the

424
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:44,880
Speaker 1: Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus,

425
00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:50,840
Speaker 1: I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I

426
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,760
Speaker 1: make you my Lord and savior. If you prayed that

427
00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:58,000
Speaker 1: simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in

428
00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:01,320
Speaker 1: a good Bible based church, and keep God first place.

429
00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:04,800
Speaker 2: Do you have a dream that's waiting to happen, but

430
00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:07,840
Speaker 2: it often feels like you'll never get there? Is your

431
00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:11,200
Speaker 2: dream to start a business, to see a loved one

432
00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:14,399
Speaker 2: come to the Lord? Are you asking God? Will it

433
00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:15,040
Speaker 2: ever happen?

434
00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:18,840
Speaker 1: Sometimes it feels like our dream is so far off.

435
00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,679
Speaker 1: But I believe you're closer than you think. You're on

436
00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:24,800
Speaker 1: the verge of seeing things change in your favor, new

437
00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:28,000
Speaker 1: doors opening, the right, people showing up. I'd love to

438
00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,040
Speaker 1: send you are New Hopes and Dreams twenty twenty four Planner.

439
00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:34,520
Speaker 1: It's not only a calendar, but it has scriptures, an inspiration,

440
00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:37,439
Speaker 1: a place to journal. It'll help you stay focused and

441
00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,040
Speaker 1: encouraged so you can see your dreams come.

442
00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:42,960
Speaker 2: To pass as you support the Ministry this month with

443
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,160
Speaker 2: a special end of year gift of any amount, we

444
00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:48,600
Speaker 2: would like to bless you with the Hopes and Dreams

445
00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:52,000
Speaker 2: twenty twenty four Planner. With the new Planner, you will

446
00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,399
Speaker 2: start the new year with fresh ideas, fresh hope, and

447
00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:59,800
Speaker 2: endless possibilities. You'll find monthly calendars and plenty of space

448
00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:03,440
Speaker 2: plan for a better day ahead. Plus there are inspiring

449
00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,480
Speaker 2: scriptures and thoughts that will encourage you to believe for

450
00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:07,240
Speaker 2: your dreams.

451
00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:10,840
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your prayer and support your

452
00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:14,159
Speaker 1: year in giving. You're making a difference around the world.

453
00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:16,760
Speaker 1: And a special thank you to our Champion of Hope

454
00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:20,120
Speaker 1: partners for your monthly gift. If you're not a partner,

455
00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,720
Speaker 1: I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember you can watch

456
00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:27,240
Speaker 1: the services online every Sunday morning, see all the music

457
00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:30,800
Speaker 1: and ministry, and you can download our daily podcast.

458
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:33,320
Speaker 2: We hope you and your family have a very blessed

459
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:38,400
Speaker 2: Christmas season and a healthy, productive favor Field twenty twenty four.

460
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:41,440
Speaker 2: Be sure to request your copy of The Hopes and

461
00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:45,960
Speaker 2: Dreams twenty twenty four Planner today. Visit Joeloustein dot com

462
00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:49,480
Speaker 2: or cull us toll free