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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Jolan Victoria. Thanks so much for listening

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Speaker 1: to the podcast and thanks.

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Speaker 2: For supporting the ministry. We believe you're going to have an.

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Speaker 1: Awesome twenty twenty four, healthy, productive, and favor filled. God

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Speaker 1: bless you today and enjoy the message. Well, God bless

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Speaker 1: you always our joy to come.

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Speaker 2: Into your homes.

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Speaker 1: We love you, and we know God has great things

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Speaker 1: in store for each one of you. If you're ever

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Speaker 1: in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be

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Speaker 1: a part of Lakewood. I say it often, but these

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Speaker 1: are the finest people in all of Houston, right here

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Speaker 1: at Lakewood, So come on out whenever you can.

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Speaker 2: I like to start with something funny. I heard about this.

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Speaker 1: Hill billy family that had never left their small town,

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Speaker 1: never watch television, never listen to the radio. One day

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Speaker 1: they decided to take a vacation to New York City.

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Speaker 1: The first day, the father took his son to see

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Speaker 1: a famous skyscraper. They were so impressed. They were especially

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Speaker 1: intrigued by the elevator.

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Speaker 2: They didn't know what it was.

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Speaker 1: They saw this very old woman walk up and punch

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Speaker 1: the button.

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Speaker 2: All of a sudden, the walls opened up. She stepped into.

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Speaker 1: This small room, and the walls closed back up. They

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Speaker 1: sat there contemplating what they had just seen. About that time,

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Speaker 1: the walls opened back up and outstepped a.

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Speaker 2: Beautiful twenty four year old woman.

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Speaker 1: Almost in disbelief, The son said, Dad, what just happened?

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Speaker 2: The dad said, I don't know, son, but go get

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Speaker 2: your mother. All ride.

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Speaker 3: Hold up your bible. Say it like you mean it.

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Speaker 3: This is my Bible. I am what it says I am.

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Speaker 3: I have what it says I have. I can do

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Speaker 3: what it says I can do. Today I will be

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Speaker 3: taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind

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Speaker 3: is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be

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Speaker 3: the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you.

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Speaker 1: I want to talk to you today about investing in people.

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Speaker 1: When we hear the word invest we often think of

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Speaker 1: investing in the stock market, investing in real estate, investing

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Speaker 1: for retirement. And that's good, but all of those investments

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Speaker 1: will eventually fade away. The only investments that are going

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Speaker 1: to last is our investments in other people, and we

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Speaker 1: are all leaving a legacy, either intentional or unintentional. When

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Speaker 1: it's unintentional, we just live life and wait to see

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Speaker 1: what's going to happen. But when it's intentional, we're constantly

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Speaker 1: looking for ways that we can invest in somebody else.

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Speaker 1: Lou Holtz, the famous football coach, said, when I die,

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Speaker 1: my accomplishments will eventually be forgotten, but what I've invested

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Speaker 1: in my players will continue to live on. The best

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Speaker 1: legacy is not what we leave for people, it's what

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Speaker 1: we leave in people.

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Speaker 2: We all have things that we've learned.

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Speaker 1: Skills, talents, life experiences, wisdom. You have a wealth of

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Speaker 1: knowledge that God has entrusted you with. You are not

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Speaker 1: supposed to keep that to yourself. You should be passing

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Speaker 1: that on to somebody else. We have a responsibility to

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Speaker 1: transfer what we know to the next generation. Are you

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Speaker 1: taking time to invest in your children? Are you mentoring someone?

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Speaker 1: Are you training that coworker, teaching them the skills you've learned.

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Speaker 1: Are you sharing your wisdom, your experience, your insight with

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Speaker 1: a neighbor, a friend, a young person so they don't

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Speaker 1: make them the same mistakes that you made.

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Speaker 2: God expects us to impart to others.

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Speaker 1: Friends, you and I have an opportunity to leave a

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Speaker 1: mark that cannot be erased. Yes, eventually we're all going

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Speaker 1: to die, But when you invest in somebody else.

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Speaker 2: You will continue to live on. Your life can have

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Speaker 2: influence for generations.

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Speaker 1: To come if you will take time to invest in people.

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Speaker 1: You remember the story Jesus told about the talents. Two

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Speaker 1: of the men took their talents and went out and

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Speaker 1: multiplied them. The Master was very pleased. But this third

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Speaker 1: man buried his talent in the ground. You could say

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Speaker 1: he took his talent to the grave. He didn't share

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Speaker 1: it with anyone, he didn't multiply it. He just lived

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Speaker 1: to himself Luke, nineteen twenty two. The Master calls him

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Speaker 1: an unfaithful servant. And when we're not taking time to

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Speaker 1: share what we know, we're not mentoring, training, teaching, developing modeling,

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Speaker 1: then we are not being faithful with what God has

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Speaker 1: given us. The next generation should not have to start over.

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Speaker 1: They shouldn't have to relearn what you've already learned. You

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Speaker 1: should be pouring everything you know into your children, into

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Speaker 1: a young person, into that coworker that's under you at

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Speaker 1: the office. Well, you say, Joel, I'm busy. That takes

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Speaker 1: a lot of time. I'm trying to reach my own goals. No,

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Speaker 1: when you help others accomplish their dreams. God will help

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Speaker 1: you accomplish your dreams. He'll multiply your time, He'll multiply

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Speaker 1: your talents.

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Speaker 2: He'll make sure that you rise higher.

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Speaker 1: Now I've discovered you never stand taller than when you

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Speaker 1: reach down and help somebody else succeed. When you add

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Speaker 1: value to others, you are adding value to yourself. Don't

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Speaker 1: go to your grave with your talent buried. Find somebody

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Speaker 1: to share it with. After all, none of us got

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Speaker 1: to where we are by ourselves. From the moment we

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Speaker 1: were born, somebody was investing in us. Somebody was sharing

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Speaker 1: their gift. The doctor that delivered you, the nurse that

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Speaker 1: wraps you up, the mother that loved you, the Sunday

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Speaker 1: school teacher that trains you, the coach that taught you,

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Speaker 1: the neighbors that befriended you, the boss that gave you

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Speaker 1: a good break. None of us got to where we

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Speaker 1: are on our own. Somebody took time to train us.

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Speaker 1: Somebody sacrifice so we could succeed. Now our job is

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Speaker 1: to reach back and.

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Speaker 2: Help someone else succeed. I think about all the.

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Speaker 1: People that have invested in me. My grandfather was very disciplined.

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Speaker 1: He had a very strong work ethic. He taught me

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Speaker 1: by example the importance of being diligent and giving every

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Speaker 1: job my very best. My grandmother, she was so full

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Speaker 1: of joy. I never saw her upset. She constantly had

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Speaker 1: a song of praise coming up out of her heart.

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Speaker 1: And she is a big part of who I am today.

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Speaker 1: She's one of the main reasons why I smile practically

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Speaker 1: all the time. I can still remember my basketball coach

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Speaker 1: in seventh grade. I was the smallest player on the team.

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Speaker 1: One day I was in the hallway at school with

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Speaker 1: all of my friends and he called me over. He's

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Speaker 1: a big, gruff guy. I never showed much emotion. He

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Speaker 1: looked me in the eyes and he said, Joel, it's

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Speaker 1: not the size of the person that matters, it's the

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Speaker 1: size of their heart.

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Speaker 2: And let me tell you, you have a big heart. You're

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Speaker 2: going to do great this year.

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Speaker 1: When he said that, it was like I turned into

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Speaker 1: Michael Jordan.

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Speaker 2: That did more for my confidence, more for my.

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Speaker 1: Self esteem than he could ever imagine. What was he

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Speaker 1: doing investing in me? If you could see all the

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Speaker 1: people that have made me into who I am today,

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Speaker 1: the line would be one hundred yards long. Parents, grandparents, coaches,

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Speaker 1: Sunday school teachers, aunts.

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Speaker 2: Uncles, relatives, even my brother Paul.

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Speaker 1: He has taught me by example what not to wear,

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Speaker 1: how not to play sports. Paul's invested in me growing up.

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Speaker 1: My mother I'd only loved and cared for us children,

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Speaker 1: but every day before we left for school, she would say, Father,

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Speaker 1: thank you that my children have your favor wherever they go.

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Speaker 1: I learned to expect God's favor from my mother. You

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Speaker 1: know what I'm doing today telling other people to believe

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Speaker 1: for God's favor. I'm not gonna take the gift that

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Speaker 1: she gave me and bury it. I'm gonna pass it

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Speaker 1: on to my children, my friends, my colleagues, my associates.

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Speaker 2: My father was constantly telling me how great he thought

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Speaker 2: I was and how I could do anything.

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Speaker 1: He took time to mentor me. He was busy, but

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Speaker 1: he gave me his attention. As a little boy, he

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Speaker 1: used to go up to the hospital to visit people

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Speaker 1: that were sick. He would always take me with him.

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Speaker 1: He'd have me join hands with the family when we prayed.

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Speaker 1: As a teenager, I would come down to the church

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Speaker 1: during the summer and sit in meetings with him at

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Speaker 1: the office. Half the time I didn't know what was

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Speaker 1: going on, but on the way home he had always

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Speaker 1: explained it, Joel, this is what we were doing.

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Speaker 2: This is the reason we were doing it.

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Speaker 1: He didn't have to, he had a lot going on,

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Speaker 1: but he understood this principle that he had a responsibility

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Speaker 1: to pass on everything he possibly could.

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Speaker 2: It's kind of funny.

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Speaker 1: My father knew nothing about mechanics and how things operated.

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Speaker 2: That wasn't one of his strengths.

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Speaker 1: And one day our back door knob, the whole unit

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Speaker 1: messed up, and so we went to the hardware store

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Speaker 1: and bought a new one.

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Speaker 2: I was about twelve.

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Speaker 1: Years old, and I was there trying to help him

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Speaker 1: get the new one on. And my father worked and

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Speaker 1: worked and he couldn't get the old one off, and

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Speaker 1: he had the hammer and he was beating that doorknob,

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Speaker 1: and we ended up using kitchen utensils, knives, forks, fatulists. Finally,

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Speaker 1: after about two hours, Daddy got that new doorknob that

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Speaker 1: whole unit on. He was so proud, he said, Joel,

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Speaker 1: I told you, if you just stick with it, you'll.

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Speaker 2: Get it done.

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Speaker 1: He went to slam it and to shut it to

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Speaker 1: show me how it worked. And when he did that

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Speaker 1: doorknob hit the wood frame, it chipped, the trim bounced

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Speaker 1: back open. He had put the whole thing on totally backwards.

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Speaker 1: But what I appreciated about my father is he did

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Speaker 1: his best to teach me everything he knew, and even

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Speaker 1: sometimes things he didn't know. But I'm constantly telling my children,

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Speaker 1: you're not only getting everything I have, not only everything

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Speaker 1: I know, but you're getting everything Granddaddy imparted into me,

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Speaker 1: everything grandmother gave me. They put it in, and I'm

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Speaker 1: going to do my best to pour it into you.

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Speaker 1: Think about how high our children would go if we

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Speaker 1: would all live like this. This is the way it's

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Speaker 1: supposed to be. Every generation should build on the next.

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Speaker 1: My children shouldn't have the same struggles that I've struggled with.

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Speaker 1: They're starting at a higher level. There's more wisdom, more death,

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Speaker 1: more experience in our family line. They should take what

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Speaker 1: I know and run with it. The only this is

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Speaker 1: gonna happen is if we are taking time to invest.

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Speaker 1: We have to transfer what we know into them. And really,

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Speaker 1: I believe this is the best inheritance we can leave them,

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Speaker 1: not leaving something for them, but leaving something in them.

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Speaker 1: Don't get me wrong, I'm all for leaving resources. But

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Speaker 1: that's not all I'm gonna leave. I'm gonna make sure

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Speaker 1: I teach them everything I know about life, about ministry,

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Speaker 1: about marriage, business economics, anything I know, I'm gonna pour

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Speaker 1: it into them.

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Speaker 2: My prayer and.

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Speaker 1: My declaration for all of our children is that they

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Speaker 1: are going to start where we finish, and God's gonna

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Speaker 1: take them places we've never even dreamed of.

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Speaker 2: Our children are gonna be mighty in the land.

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Speaker 1: But so often today, instead of investing in our children

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Speaker 1: and giving them the attention they need, we give them activities,

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Speaker 1: running them here and there, taking them to this activity,

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Speaker 1: and got to give them back to this special function

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Speaker 1: and then to this other activity.

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Speaker 2: It's like we're running.

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Speaker 1: A bus service and we sit back and watch them

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Speaker 1: play sports, and watch them do ballet, watch them in

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Speaker 1: the school play.

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Speaker 2: And that's fine. I've played a lot of sports.

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Speaker 1: But if we're not careful, we will substitute activity for attention. Understand,

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Speaker 1: your children need you more.

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Speaker 2: Than they need another activity.

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Speaker 1: Studies tell us by the age of five, our children

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Speaker 1: have already developed their sense of reasoning. By the age

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Speaker 1: of twelve, ninety five percent of who they are and

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Speaker 1: what they believe has already been established. Don't let the

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Speaker 1: television be a babysitter for your children. Don't allow sports,

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Speaker 1: ballet and band to take the time from you spending

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Speaker 1: with them and you imparting into them. Well, you said

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Speaker 1: I really wanted to hear about my dreams today, not

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Speaker 1: somebody else's. No, your dreams are connected to other people.

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Speaker 1: If you will help someone else rise higher, God will

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Speaker 1: help you to rise higher. Take time to invest in others.

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Speaker 1: Share what you know, even in simple things. I think

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Speaker 1: about how in Victoria's family, they've had a special recipe

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Speaker 1: that's been in the family line for four or five generations.

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Speaker 1: It's called Senator Russell's sweet potatoes. They're the best sweet

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Speaker 1: potatoes in the world. They've got a crust of cinnamon

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Speaker 1: and sugar and nuts. We don't even like the sweet potatoes.

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Speaker 1: We just like the crust. But what happened is, generations back,

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Speaker 1: somebody came up with that great recipe.

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Speaker 2: They cut a fault.

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Speaker 1: This is my special dish. I'm just gonna keep it

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Speaker 1: to myself. No, they were living with this mindset. I've

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Speaker 1: got to pass down everything good I possibly can, so

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Speaker 1: one day that mother taught her daughter the recipe, that

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Speaker 1: daughter taught her daughter. Eventually it got down to Georgie,

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Speaker 1: my mother in law. She taught her daughter Victoria. Now

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Speaker 1: every Thanksgiving, Victoria and our daughter are in the kitchen

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Speaker 1: making Senator Russell's sweet potatoes. Let me ask you, are

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Speaker 1: you transferring your wisdom, your experiences, your shortcuts, your recipes

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Speaker 1: down to the next generation so they can start ahead

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Speaker 1: of you. Do you have skills and gifts that you're

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Speaker 1: just keeping to yourself.

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Speaker 2: You're kind of taking that for granted, no passing down.

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Speaker 1: Just the other day, I was talking to our son, Jonathan,

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Speaker 1: he's fourteen, about how to prepare a message and how

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Speaker 1: to study and how to communicate. I thought, I've been

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Speaker 1: doing this for ten years. I want to make sure

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Speaker 1: he at least knows what I know. You may think, well, Joel,

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Speaker 1: I don't have any special expertise.

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Speaker 2: I don't know that much. Sure you do. You know

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Speaker 2: about life. You know what works and what doesn't.

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Speaker 1: You know the mistakes you've made and what you've learned

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Speaker 1: from it.

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Speaker 2: You have experience, you have skills.

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Speaker 1: Many times what we'd take for granted is a big

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Speaker 1: deal to someone else. Remember this older lady that used

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Speaker 1: to come to Lakewood. Now she's since going to be

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Speaker 1: with the Lord. And she wasn't very wealthy. She didn't

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Speaker 1: have a quote expertise. Not many people would consider her

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Speaker 1: to be very successful, but she was an expert in

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Speaker 1: one thing.

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Speaker 2: This lady knew how to pray.

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Speaker 1: She used to come to the services early, sit in

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Speaker 1: her chair and pray. I was eight or nine years old,

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Speaker 1: and when she would see me walking through the auditorium,

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Speaker 1: she would call me over and say, Joel, come over

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Speaker 1: and let me pray for you. I'd sit there for

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Speaker 1: three or four minutes and she would pray God's blessings,

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Speaker 1: God's favor, God's wisdom, God's victory in my life, that

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Speaker 1: lady not only taught me how to pray, but she

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Speaker 1: modeled for me the importance of reaching out to others

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Speaker 1: and speaking faith into their lives. She didn't have to

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Speaker 1: call me over. In fact, I never wanted to go.

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Speaker 1: It embarrassed me. I wanted to be out playing with

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Speaker 1: my friends. I tried to avoid that, but invariably she

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Speaker 1: would seek me out. Joel, come over, just give me

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Speaker 1: five minutes. I'd walk over toward her like I was

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Speaker 1: so excited. Down deep, I was thinking why did I

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Speaker 1: come this way?

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Speaker 2: Not again?

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Speaker 1: But all that time, even subconsciously, I was taking it in.

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Speaker 1: It was being ingrained in me. Reach out to others,

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Speaker 1: speak faith into their lives. She never prayed fancy prayers,

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Speaker 1: She never prayed anything super spiritual. She just said, God,

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Speaker 1: give Joel wisdom, help him to fulfill his destiny for

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Speaker 1: his life.

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Speaker 2: What's my point? She had a gift, she had a skill.

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Speaker 1: No, she wasn't a computer expert, she wasn't a master mechanic,

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Speaker 1: she wasn't a medical doctor.

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Speaker 2: But she was a prayer warrior. Now.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if that lady had children of her own,

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Speaker 1: but I know this today she is living on.

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Speaker 2: On the inside of me.

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Speaker 1: Every time I get up and speak faith into people,

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Speaker 1: a part of her is alive.

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Speaker 2: She put something in me. She didn't have to.

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Speaker 1: She could have prayed at home, she could have prayed silently,

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Speaker 1: but she took time to invest in others. What do

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Speaker 1: you have that you could be passing on may be

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Speaker 1: a great gift. Maybe you're skilled in the arts and music,

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Speaker 1: communication and sells pass it on to somebody else. Maybe

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Speaker 1: your gift is what you'd consider to be something more simple,

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Speaker 1: like this, lady, you've got a gift of kindness. You're

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Speaker 1: an excellent mother, you're a skilled cook, you're an expert

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Speaker 1: when it comes to fixing things. Instill those qualities in

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Speaker 1: those around you. Take time to share what you know.

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Speaker 1: It was in the grocery store a while back and

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Speaker 1: I noticed how they now have something called seedless fruit.

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Speaker 1: You can buy an orange without any seeds. We've eaten

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Speaker 1: it our home many times, seedless watermelon.

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Speaker 2: It's not natural.

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Speaker 1: It's been organically altered, and it's nice to eat because

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Speaker 1: you don't have to worry about the seeds, don't have

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Speaker 1: to worry about swallowing anything. But the fact is, without

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Speaker 1: the seeds, the fruit cannot reproduce.

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Speaker 2: Once you eat it, it's gone. The life is over.

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Speaker 2: You know how a normal orange.

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Speaker 1: If you eat it, you could take the seeds and

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Speaker 1: plant them in the ground. A certain amount of time,

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Speaker 1: you'd have dozens and dozens more oranges. It would continue

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Speaker 1: to live on, continue to perpetuate. That's the way God

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Speaker 1: designed it. The problem with many people today is like

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Speaker 1: this organically altered fruit, is they are living seedless lives.

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Speaker 1: Yes they look successful, Yes they're accomplishing their dreams. But

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Speaker 1: they're not sharing what they know with anyone else. They're

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Speaker 1: just living to themselves. When their time is over, because

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Speaker 1: they haven't sown any of these seeds, they won't continue

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Speaker 1: to live on. They may leave a mark, but it

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Speaker 1: will be quickly forgotten. I was reading about a young

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Speaker 1: boy that was growing up in Ghana, West Africa.

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Speaker 2: He was extremely poor, and at.

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Speaker 1: Sixteen years old, he decided to leave home, determined to

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Speaker 1: find some way to help better his people. Seven years

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Speaker 1: later he would turned back to his village. The people

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Speaker 1: were so excited they saw him coming down the road

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Speaker 1: ran out to meet him. They were sure that he

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Speaker 1: had brought wealth, riches, and abundance. They said to him,

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Speaker 1: show us what you brought. Without saying a word, he

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Speaker 1: reached into his pocket and pulled out three tiny seeds.

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Speaker 2: They looked at him confused. They said, is this all

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Speaker 2: you've brought us?

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Speaker 1: You've been gone seven years, this is it. He planted

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Speaker 1: those seeds in the ground. Not long after that, Ghana

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Speaker 1: had its first cocoa plants.

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Speaker 2: They multiplied and multiplied.

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Speaker 1: Today, many years later, coco is one of the major

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Speaker 1: products in Ghana. That young man left a mark that

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Speaker 1: cannot be erased how to do it by planting three

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Speaker 1: simple seeds. Friends, you and I have the same opportunity

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Speaker 1: when you live your life planting seeds in others, imparting

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Speaker 1: what you know.

363
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Speaker 2: Your skills, your wisdom.

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Speaker 1: Your love, your kindness, your encouragement. Then as that seed

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Speaker 1: takes root, it'll grow. That person will touch another person,

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Speaker 1: and that person another, on and on. Before long, your

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Speaker 1: life will be influencing thousands of people. Even long after

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Speaker 1: you've gone what happened because you took time.

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Speaker 2: To invest in others, you will.

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Speaker 1: Continue to live on. My grandmother is living on today

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Speaker 1: through me. That coach that spoke faith into me, he's

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Speaker 1: living on through me. Now I'm asking you to not

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Speaker 1: live a seedless life. Orange without seeds, it may taste

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Speaker 1: good for a moment while it lasts, but once it's gone,

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Speaker 1: it's over.

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Speaker 2: The pleasure is far too temporary. It's the same way

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Speaker 2: in life.

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Speaker 1: When we live without mentoring, training, teaching, modeling. We may

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Speaker 1: have some success, but it's very short compared to what

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Speaker 1: God had in store. When you reach out and touch

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Speaker 1: others and they touch more people, all that's accumulated to

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Speaker 1: your account. One day you'll look up and hear God,

383
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Speaker 1: say you left a mark that cannot be erased. You

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Speaker 1: sowed so many seeds that three generations later, four generations,

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Speaker 1: five generations, people are still being influenced by your life.

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Speaker 1: And every one of us should have a project, someone

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Speaker 1: that we've taken under our wing. We're encouraging them, we're

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Speaker 1: teaching them our skills, we're giving them our advice. Should

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00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:58,960
Speaker 1: start with our own children or another young person, a

390
00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,119
Speaker 1: coworker at the AWE. They could easily make it to

391
00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:05,439
Speaker 1: the next level. They just need a little mentoring, a

392
00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:08,120
Speaker 1: little training, take time to invest.

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Speaker 2: I've heard it said.

394
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Speaker 1: There is no greater occupation than in helping someone else succeed.

395
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Speaker 1: Nineteen thirty two, a baby was born to an unwed mother.

396
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Speaker 1: Six weeks later, he was adopted by this loving couple.

397
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Speaker 1: The age of five, this adopted mother suddenly died. For

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Speaker 1: the next ten years, the little boy with his father,

399
00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,960
Speaker 1: traveled the country searching for work for the father. The

400
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:38,000
Speaker 1: little boy told how growing up, his favorite thing to

401
00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:41,040
Speaker 1: do was go out to eat and watch the other

402
00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:46,480
Speaker 1: families sitting together enjoying each other. He became fascinated with restaurants,

403
00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,919
Speaker 1: and he began to study the menus and how everything worked.

404
00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:53,200
Speaker 1: At the age of fifteen, the owner of a local

405
00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:56,800
Speaker 1: restaurant gave him a job. This man took him under

406
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Speaker 1: his wing and he began to teach him everything he

407
00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:03,320
Speaker 1: knew about the restaurant business. At eighteen, the young man

408
00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:06,720
Speaker 1: got drafted. After serving our country for four years, he

409
00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:10,160
Speaker 1: came back home and once again that gentleman gave him

410
00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:12,960
Speaker 1: a job. This time he put him in charge of

411
00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:14,480
Speaker 1: four of his restaurants.

412
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Speaker 2: They continued to flourish.

413
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Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty nine, that gentleman sold his business, and

414
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,520
Speaker 1: this young man decided to take everything he had learned

415
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Speaker 1: and start his own restaurant.

416
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Speaker 2: He called it Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers. Today there are

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Speaker 2: over six.

418
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:37,119
Speaker 1: Thousand Wendy's and the owner, the late Dave Thomas, is

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Speaker 1: still one of the most beloved and endeared people in

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Speaker 1: all of America. Mister Thomas gave millions and millions to charities.

421
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:51,080
Speaker 1: He started numerous foundations to help adoption agencies, children learned skills,

422
00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:56,119
Speaker 1: mentoring programs, on and on. Dave Thomas made a huge

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Speaker 1: difference with his life, but it would have never happened

424
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Speaker 1: if that loving couple had not adopted him, and if

425
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Speaker 1: that restaurant owner had not taken time to mentor him,

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00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:10,320
Speaker 1: to train him, to teach him his skills, to show

427
00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:15,000
Speaker 1: him his shortcuts, to impart into a young man. They

428
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:19,600
Speaker 1: didn't leave something for Dave Thomas. They left something in

429
00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:23,920
Speaker 1: Dave Thomas. By investing in this young man, they left

430
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Speaker 1: a mark that will not be erased. Look around. Is

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Speaker 1: there someone in your life that you could easily take

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Speaker 1: under your wing. You could mentor them, you could teach

433
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:40,640
Speaker 1: them your skills, you could speak faith into them. There

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00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:45,440
Speaker 1: is no greater giving than the giving of yourself. It's

435
00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:49,040
Speaker 1: great to give money, that's important. But when you give yourself,

436
00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:53,560
Speaker 1: your time, your energy, your advice, that is the ultimate gift.

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Speaker 2: Now I've learned this.

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Speaker 1: The greater the giving, the greater the living, you will

439
00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:02,399
Speaker 1: never eve he be more fulfilled than when you're making

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Speaker 1: a difference in somebody else's life. I have a good

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Speaker 1: friend that was raised in a very dysfunctional home.

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Speaker 2: Her father was.

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Speaker 1: Never around and her mother had plenty of problems on

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Speaker 1: her own. At the age of sixteen, she was basically

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Speaker 1: raising her younger brother. The mother was not responsible and

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Speaker 1: never at home. This young lady was just crying out

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Speaker 1: for help. On the inside. One day, a friend at

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Speaker 1: school mentioned that her father owned a small store and

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Speaker 1: maybe he would give her a job.

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Speaker 2: She went and applied.

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Speaker 1: This man not only gave her a job, but he

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Speaker 1: began to watch after her like she was his very

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Speaker 1: own daughter.

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Speaker 2: He would make sure she would change the oil.

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Speaker 1: In her car at the right time, make sure she

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00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:47,920
Speaker 1: was doing okay in school, make sure she could balance

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Speaker 1: the check book. He didn't realize it, but he was

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00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:55,359
Speaker 1: the father figure that she had so longed for. Years later,

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Speaker 1: when the young lady went to get married, the father

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00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:01,080
Speaker 1: was still not around. You know who She chose to

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00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:03,480
Speaker 1: give her away at the wedding, the man from the

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00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:07,800
Speaker 1: small store. He took time to make a difference. He

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00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,960
Speaker 1: shared what he knew he didn't take for granted, simple

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Speaker 1: things like knowing when to change the oil in a car.

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Speaker 1: And today I'm benefiting because this young lady is healthy

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00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:23,280
Speaker 1: and whole. Her friendship, her encouragement has made my life better.

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00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:28,000
Speaker 1: That man invested in her, she invested in me, and

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Speaker 1: now I'm investing in others.

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Speaker 2: He made a mark that cannot be raised.

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Speaker 1: My challenge to you today is, don't live a seedless life.

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Speaker 1: Take time to share what you know, mentor someone teach

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Speaker 1: your skills. Invest in others. Friends, were all leaving a legacy.

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Speaker 1: Let's make sure it's an intentional legacy. Remember, we didn't

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Speaker 1: get to where we are on our own. Somebody invested

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00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,760
Speaker 1: in us. Now make it a goal to invest in

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Speaker 1: someone else. You can leave a mark that cannot be erased.

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00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:08,320
Speaker 1: If you will take time to invest in people, mentoring, teaching, training, modeling,

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00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:12,040
Speaker 1: then those seeds that you saw will be multiplied back

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Speaker 1: to you. God will make sure you rise higher. He'll

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00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:19,000
Speaker 1: make sure you accomplish your dreams, you overcome your obstacles.

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00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:22,080
Speaker 1: I believe and declare you will live that life of

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Speaker 1: victory that He has in store.

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Speaker 2: Amen, do you receive it today?

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Speaker 1: Well, we never like to close our broadcast without giving

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Speaker 1: you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life.

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00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:37,159
Speaker 1: Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I

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00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:41,600
Speaker 1: repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make

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00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:45,080
Speaker 1: you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that

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00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:47,280
Speaker 1: simple prayer, we believe you got born again.

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00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:50,720
Speaker 2: Get in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place.

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00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:53,240
Speaker 2: He's going to take your places you've never dreamed of.

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00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,520
Speaker 4: Breathtaking. That's what you feel when you look out at

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00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:02,760
Speaker 4: majestic mountain peaks. Yes, God's creation truly is a masterpiece,

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00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:06,639
Speaker 4: but even as you consider his handiwork, you might also

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00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:11,639
Speaker 4: feel less that, not good enough, or not valuable. The

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00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:16,080
Speaker 4: image before you is incredible, but the confidence inside is lacking.

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Speaker 2: How do you overcome this?

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00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:22,280
Speaker 1: The opinion you have of yourself is your most important opinion.

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00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:27,320
Speaker 1: Too often we see ourselves as ordinary, not talented, unattractive.

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00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:30,800
Speaker 1: That wrong self image is setting the limits for our life.

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00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:33,720
Speaker 1: The key is to get an agreement with who God

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00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:38,800
Speaker 1: says you are. He calls you a masterpiece, strong, talented, valuable.

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00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:42,200
Speaker 1: If you'll have the right image of yourself, you'll rise

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00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:45,400
Speaker 1: higher and become who you were created to be. We

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00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:47,600
Speaker 1: have a new resource that will help you do just that.

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00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:51,600
Speaker 1: It's called you Are a Masterpiece. It's filled with inspiration

507
00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:57,440
Speaker 1: and encouragement that will remind you who you really are, gifted, chosen, approved.

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00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:59,600
Speaker 1: It will help you get rid of the wrong self

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00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:03,760
Speaker 1: image and start seeing yourself as the masterpiece God created

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00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:04,240
Speaker 1: you to be.

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Speaker 4: As our Thank you for your gift of any amount

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00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:10,160
Speaker 4: to the ministry this month, we want to send you

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00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:16,320
Speaker 4: jewels inspiring Newbrook. You are a masterpiece. God made you unique,

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00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:20,240
Speaker 4: with a divine purpose and a bright future. As these

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00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:23,880
Speaker 4: truths sink down in your spirit, the majesty of God's

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00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:28,120
Speaker 4: glory will arise within you. Yes, God has breathed his

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00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:33,000
Speaker 4: life into you. He approved you, equipped you, empowered you.

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00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:36,960
Speaker 4: Stop believing the lies about you and start hearing what

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00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:38,240
Speaker 4: God says about you.

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Speaker 1: Thanks so much for being a part of the ministry, Betoren.

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00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,680
Speaker 1: I pray for you and your family every day. Believe it,

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00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:47,320
Speaker 1: It's going to be a favor filled twenty twenty four.

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00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:52,120
Speaker 2: We appreciate your prayer and support. Your generosity is impacting

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00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:53,560
Speaker 2: people around the world.

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Speaker 1: Remember you can watch the services live online Sunday mornings,

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00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,920
Speaker 1: see all the music in ministry, download our daily podcast.

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00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:04,840
Speaker 2: Until we meet again. May the Lord bless you and

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Speaker 2: keep you.

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00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:08,640
Speaker 4: Be sure to request your copy of that You Were

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00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:19,400
Speaker 4: a Masterpiece today. Visit Joelostein dot com