WALK BY FAITH

Still not right there we are.

the miracle of Technology Sorry about that y'all.

Thank you, Cory. We're going to talk this morning. Continue talking because really we've been talking about it for the last several weeks the reality of faith. and I want us to think this morning about How we live our lives? by faith the word of God says this in 2nd Corinthians 5:7 we walk by faith not by sight. We walk by faith not by sight simple statement. So incredibly difficult to really understand and then and then to live out because here's my assumption. We're all human beings this morning and we don't want to walk by faith. We want to walk by side everything within us just cries out. Show me exactly how to do it. Show me exactly where we're going. Give me a detailed agenda. Got to lay it out for me. We don't I don't want to walk by faith. I want to walk by sight. More than more than even that I want to be in control. I want to dictate the terms of my walking. I want to choose the direction and the pace. I want the layout the destination and the end. I I want to be in control of that. And so I walk by faith and not by sight goes against everything within my my sinful Human Nature.

In my experience, it's it is a radical departure. from the north we walk by faith not by sight as we've been in Genesis together for the last. Oh, I don't know 45 weeks.

One of the things that I hope you picked up over and over and over again is that is exactly this God has formed us and fashioned us and has called us to walk by faith and not by sight.

What is faith? What does that mean? We say we walk by faith but not by sight. What does that mean? What is Faith? Actually I think that is an issue that many today are absolutely confused not outside the church to be sure but even inside the church this idea of walking by faith. Has been ridiculed and NN characterized by the world in our culture today at something that doesn't resemble biblical fact. In the world today, that is so materialistic. So driven by scientific materialism the idea that everything that we can see and touch and manipulate is all that there is MN Are are cultures basically said you can either live by science or you can live by faith. I've heard this so much in in my educational experience. I remember sitting in not only high school but college classes having professors ridiculed the idea of anybody who would be or stupid enough to put their faith in God to have any sort of religious ideology any sort of religious inclination to put any value or or trust or hope in the in the Bible or in the scriptures because we've created this false dichotomy that says either troops and science or you have faith. And that that's where we're at culturally. Inside the church rather than dictating the terms of our own word because faith is our were right. We've allowed the culture to set the agenda is far too many in the church that have simply accepted that reality. The world says either you choose facts and Truth or you choose faith in far too. Many in the Church of said yeah, that's right. I'm not going to I'm not going to Value facts. I'm not going to let you choose I just I just trust Jesus. I just believe it's a face even within the church has become this anti-intellectual. anti rational anti realistic reality But I don't need to worry about the facts. I don't need to think too hard. I'm just I believe the Bible said it that settles it I'm good. There's a level of value to that kind of thinking. Bible and faith and

intellectual faith is not anti-scientific. The deck has been stacked against us when it comes to Faith. faith is not just believing in objective reality faith is not turning our minds off and stopping the reality of who we been made to be by God's you have been formed and fashioned by God as a physical being you got a body as an emotional being being you got emotions and and in feeling as an intellectual be You've Got Brains God wants you to use them. Our faith is not unreasonable. It's reasonable. face

faith is not the rejection of reality is not blind and has not anti-intellectual. What is Faith? Let me give you any any attempts. To give a definition of of a concept like faith is going to be over simplistic I get that but we need a starting place for this morning. Alright, so let me give you this definition of faith. Is the willingness to risk? Under God's Providence. a great adventure

I think this is probably a different way of thinking about faith that many of us have experienced before but this is what I see throughout. The Book of Genesis is an invitation by God from God to us. To step out into what God is calling us to and trust that the one who calls us is going to be with us and provide for us. The nature of faith is to trust God today for tomorrow to live in the present with God. Trust bully hope not not just intellectually, but actively faith is the willingness to risk.

Some of you guys I don't I don't want to risk.

I don't I don't want to hear it. We hate risk we want to avoid rest. We try to manage risk. But just like I said that the question this morning is not does God want to speak the question is do we want to hear the question this morning is not can I live a life without risk? Because all of life is risk. The question is what risk. Are you willing to embrace? And who are you willing to try? All of life is a risk. The illusion of control is exactly that it's an illusion. Everybody is building their life on something. Everyone is taking a risk in life.

If I just choosing to communicate with someone risks be misunderstood or rejected choosing not to do something risks just as much as choose to do something. All of life is risk. All of the future in some sense is uncertain, whatever path you take whatever way you choose to structure and build and live. Your life is not built on certainty is Bill on wrist. The only question is What is the trustworthiness what is the validity of the thing that you're choosing to trust when you engage in Risk? If you're going to live life. You got to trust something or someone?

everybody does

the question this morning is not do you have faith? The only question is who has your face? Where are you looking in? Who are you trusting?

If you live a life that is inherently risky.

There's no escape from it. Faith is the willingness to risk. It is a choice. It is intentional.

And it is scary.

It's not blind though. Sometimes there's element Supply. Blindness and we may not know all the details God shows up to Abraham and says, alright, I want you to get out of your parents basement. I want you to step out and go your own way and I want you to go to a land. That you don't know. Say without that was Blind Faith. It wasn't Blind Faith. Yeah there you don't know it but it's the land that I'm going to show you the land that I'm going to bring you to as you go. I'm going to be with you. Calling Abraham to trust in him to engage in a life of risk. Under God's Providence. when God calls That's the opportunity for Fay. when God calls calls us into a life of risk. and again Don't you wish it was a little different. We just be honest don't you wish God called us into a life of comfort and convenience. Don't you wish God called us into a life. That was absolutely secure in the Here and Now.

If you don't acknowledge the part of you that wishes that I don't think you're being honest with yourself. and yet God calls us to a life of risk and I think ultimately that's a good thing and I trust that God knows what he's doing even though it's not comfortable even though it's not convenient even though it is incredibly

discouraging troubling challenging at times when God has called we enter into a life of risk under his Providence and it is ultimately a great adventure. It is a great adventure to go on life with God. What's the difference between a great adventure and a tragedy?

Ultimately, it's the ending. That's the ultimate difference between a great adventure and a tragedy. They both have incredible ups and downs highs and lows an adventure and a tragedy both have enemies and challenges and failures and successes. The only difference between life great adventure and your life being an incredible tragedy.

Is ultimately what happens at the end.

all white is Rip faith Is choosing to live our life under the Providence of God? Not us telling God what our life should be and how we should live it but us submitting in in humility.

trusting

the value of my life not determined by temporary circumstances But I'm going to trust of the God who calls me. Is going to bring my life to completion. And try this this is what faith is Faith is active. Faith is about how you structure?

The realities of your life it's not simply an intellectual decision. That's that's what faith has been reduced to in a reductionist. It gospel environment. The gospel has been reduced in the American Church to a simple set of propositions. If you believe this fact about Jesus and you pray this prayer when you die, you don't have to go to health and you get the float off this planet to some place called heaven.

And what elements of that are absolutely true if it violates and mutilates the beauty in the holistic nature of the Gospel. The gospel is so much bigger and so much better than that. It is not simply an intellectual belief. It is Allegiant. a Life Fitness live under the authority of God under the providential care of the god that cost the life of Faith. This is how we live. We walk by faith not by sight.

The call to a great adventure not he's not comfort. The Great Adventure. I love Hebrews 11. I read a little bit of this a few weeks ago. Let's look at the first six versus again. It says this faith. Is the Assurance of things hoped for the conviction of Things Not Seen?

Faith is living in the moment and trusting God with the future. Faith is not trying to take control doesn't mean passivity.

It means humility. It's the insurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not sent for by it. The people of all received their commendation. We just pick one quick Rabbit Trail. There's far too many people today that believe that the Hebrew scriptures what we often called the Old Testament. It's all about law and works and the New Testament is all about Grace and Faith and the only way you can believe that it's actually not read the Bible itself. That's simply not the case. If you haven't seen the reality of faith and Grace in Genesis that I have not I've been doing a terrible job. As we've been walking through it together by faith the people of old receive their combination. It's always been by faith. It will always be by faith.

By faith, we understand that the Universe was created by the word of God. So that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible by faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than came here when she was commended as righteous God commending him by accepting his gifts and through his faith though. He died. He still speaks.

Difference between an adventure and a tragedy is the ultimate end. We look at the story of Cain and Abel. We think it's it's a tragedy. Yes, and no. Because the blood of righteous Pain still speaks today.

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, but he was not found because God had taken him now before he was taken. He was commended as having pleased God. and without faith it is Upchurch here this morning impossible to please

without faith. It is impossible to please him.

And that's a statement that should absolutely rekt you and change everything about your life. Especially those of you that are really churched. See the more Church you are. The more religious you are the more time you spend doing religious activity and religious things. The more the more that you live in that world the greater the danger there is of doing all of those things and trusting in them rather than trusting in God. Is that if it is a terrible irony and it's in it's something that we have to be incredibly aware of is that the the more we walk with God in the more we serve. The greater. The Temptation is to not actually be trusting in God we trust in the things that we do. I thought if you if you're here this morning. You like I'm doing a good thing. I'm coming to church even going to give a little in the plate. But you do it without faith. Just know this morning got. Please with that, but if you're okay with that. That's all you get.

without faith Again, this is not intellectual assent. This is just gave examples right and Enoch. They're living their lives under the Sovereign Providence of gods in trusting in Him even when things don't turn out well.

Without that kind of faith. It is impossible to please him and then and then it says this for whoever would draw near to God bus must believe that he exists.

And that he rewards those who seek him.

That he rewards those who seek him. Now this is a verse that if we want to take it and twist it. who made God into the cosmic Butler and Genie that will give us everything that our heart desires we can try to do that with this ver I've heard creepy crazy pastors do that. I believe he's a rewarder of those who seek him. So just believe in that Cadillac to me. You're just believe and you'll never be sick again. Just believe in whatever your heart desires will happen.

Not what this text to say. Text is embedded in holistic understanding of Life a life. That is inherently risky. Time this morning to walk through the rest of the chapter, but it just it just goes to the chapter. We call it Faith chapter this guy and I love the beauty and in the realism of it because for some of them it works out really really well and for some of them they died with their head cut off.

And the guy that died well and peacefully in his bed at an old age by faith and the guy that was burned to death by faith. They both had their faith in the same providential care of God.

And the difference between them is not the circumstances of their death. We we we look at the circumstances that says that one must have had better Faith than that one. No, no Hebrews in the whole entire day of scripture saying our faith is not the guarantee of a comfortable convenient life Faith is the guarantee of a god watched life.

Herbalife but no matter how it ends because I don't know if this is new information to you, but your life is going to end. One day I or somebody like me is going to stand up in front of in front of a bunch of your family and friends. And say a bunch of almost true stuff about you.

We're going to burn you up and spread your ashes are going to put you in a box and drop you in the ground.

That's why.

faith the god means that not even death Can stop God from rewarding those who put their trust in you?

face to face

faith is everything to those of us for entrusting ourselves to God

and rather than preaching a bunch more about

The abstract idea faith I want to do a little interview this morning with a few people from our body. So I'm going to ask just in case come on up and ask my dad to come up everybody say good morning.

Come on slacker.

You going to middle?

That's the middle. You guys go over there? I know.

so

This is Jeff and Kate Simpson. You probably recognize them from a few weeks ago. When I brought them up to talk about the big barbecue mission that thing that we're doing and Jeff absolutely choked and I couldn't say anything straight and so afterwards I said we will give you another chance and And we'll do it more interview style. But we're going to bring Kate along to just said but really it's it's important that both of you in this conversation because even though you're together and Anna been doing this barbecue Mission Ministry together, it's it's been a different Journey for each of you. And so we're going to want to talk a little bit about that this morning. I wanted to bring defecate up because they're stepping out in faith in a very significant way that I mean they've started a whole new ministry 501 c 3 got bored doing all that sort of stuff like God has called them to a great adventure cooking really good food for hungry people and I love it. So so we're going to talk a little bit about that at the same time. I wanted to bring somebody else up that is living by faith. But not starting a Ministry write a formal Ministry, but doing Ministry. We kind of look alike. I don't know if you noticed that.

So this this just blows my mind cuz my dad. Has always been my God. and yeah. and he was he was a Baptist pastor growing up and what I want him to talk about this morning with y'all is he's got a Ministry now playing poker, which I Just blows my mind. So what we'll get there. I want to start. I want to start here with Jeff and Kate that was there with you. Does your chance for adoption?

I gave them questions ahead of time. Okay?

That's that's not on me.

Let's let's let's talk about calling because faith is absolutely depend upon the call of God, right? So, how did God call you Jeff and and take with you, but how did you experience God's call? At this particular Faith Journey that you're on right now with with BBQ Mission. What does that look like? How much time do we have? You got three minutes go right over there a few months after we had moved to Australia, which was 2014 and I had been on a journey trying to figure out cuz I felt like I was telling me I was supposed to be doing something in my life. I don't I mean we had many conversations. I mean, I was ready to go to China. I was ready to go to Africa. I was like whatever God wants for me. I just I just know there's something for me and I was sitting right over there. You were preaching. I'm daydreaming daydreaming. I was I was actually

And it was so weird. I was like an audible voice in my head and he said what do you like to do? I like to do a lot of things but I said I don't like the barbecue Smoked Meats and he's like then do it. That's really strange. So I get in the car with Kate after the service and I said this is what happened. She's like at my wife always does then do it and I'm like, I don't even know what I'm doing. So I knew that we had we supported a ministry here called you matter Ministries knew nothing about it. I just knew we brought peanut butter and jelly and water and then I found out that he comes up here every Wednesday. So I thought I'm going to meet him want to know more about what he does. How many months later I got them?

Hey, Denny, let's just schedule an appointment so we can come up here on a Wednesday Rick walks and introduced myself and and and and we have groups that come down and serve food and I'm like wow, like, okay well. I got told me I was supposed to start feeding the homeless. And he looks at me like this is like I like this really weird look and he's like you're not going to believe this coming down here for over three years that just contacted me this week and said we're no longer going to be able to get enough people to come down and serve any longer. So I had a Saturday this wide open if that's not a hot knife through butter. So has my office say how long did it take it took a while for me to actually get this thing moving but we went down two or three separate times to get a lay of the land how many people are coming through when I was noticing cuz I didn't know what we were going to serve with didn't know how we were going to do this. Bet it was like a it was like a buffet. I mean it was this Crock-Pot after Crock-Pot after crockpot of just everything you can possibly imagine.

Stop on their plate and I'm like now it's got to be simple. So we started doing pulled pork baked beans coleslaw in a bag of potato chips, and that was 6 1/2 years ago

Close enough. So yeah, that's kind of that's that's about half the story.

There's there's a sense for many in the church that what God wants us to do and be involved in has to be something that we don't like or don't want to do we can refuse service with sacrifice. We we think that's what God is calling me like a great that's calling me to teach 3rd grade Sunday school and I hate it's God's calling me to go someplace that I want to go over like this. This sense that that God has planned for us must be separate from God's design of us and I think that's such a ludicrous idea. It's ridiculous to me like the more I think about it the stupid her again, right? Like honestly, why would God make you the way that he made you and then call you to go do something completely different, right? What is God that inefficient is got that like pets such a ridiculous concept like God Made You you for a reason God Made You spreadable ability to cook great meat

I thank God for that every day important reality. Like when we think about walking by faith far too often. We over spiritualizing we overthink it we think it's got to be something ridiculously sacrificial has got to be something that's way out there and when God spoke and called you he just said what you like to do cook some meat but people right. It's a beautiful thing. I think a little bit about That sense of call for you, right and it wasn't to cook meat wasn't okay to start out by telling how I was called to Ministry. I came to Christ when I was 17 and I School through campus Crusade and media. I felt like I wanted to do something to serve God. and then I got married at 18 and

We decided we should go to Bible School. So I just had to turn 20. Jen was still 19. We had a baby 3 months old in the back seat and we got in our 64 Dodge Dart and we drove 1000 miles up I-5 on bald tires didn't have any changes. I didn't even know what chains were going up in Southern California to go to Bible school without a job without anything except an acceptance to start school right away and the bet so I began with that concept that God wanted me to do something. I didn't know what I didn't think I was going to become a preacher speaking to people that bad. I knew God wanted me to do something until I just took a step at a time and you know it if it's a 20 year old came in for Council to me now and then suggested the plan. I might not embrace it readily right, right.

You mentioned that then we are past ring for a long time by Pastor for 45 years and it in enter Baptist Church in in Oregon. We kind of falling into routine. Everything we did revolved around the church and we didn't we didn't have really much contact with people outside are our circle of influence and we realized that was the wrong horse. Wheatley brought the A-Team in for it was called renewal and they kind of studied us and Link make came up with some suggestions and what are things that says you need to engage more with the community Grant and so I became a fire chaplain. I joined the Grange but they also said find something. That's fun that you enjoy doing and and make some friends that way and just at that time and God's perfect timing. I had a financial advisor. And she invited me to a poker game. Enjoy later. I called her my poker buddy and financial advisor combination around a group of people the language wasn't what I was used to and that God was causing friendships with these folks. It's all I just tell one story.

Then there was this one couple there. That was the nephew of the girl that invited me the Bible or to the poker game generally the poker game and maybe six months or eight months into the process. Well the nephew and his girlfriend at the time had two children and one on the way. And you know, what as you're sitting around the table conversations go and this one woman started, you know, really criticizing her what's wrong with you. You have two children and one on the way. Why aren't you married? And she begins to try to defend yourself. Well, it just a piece of paper really doesn't matter and I. Time they knew I was a Preacher Man fact that became my nickname preacher until the woman says the preacher. What do you think about this? But I really had decided my job wasn't there to criticize or preach to them? And so I said, well, I really love Miranda and Matthew. And Miranda quickly said well if we ever do get married Pastor Jim he's going to Marius. And about six months later Matt comes over to my house all excited knocking on the door. I'm going to I'm going to propose to Miranda he had it all planned out was going to be at at the the local park. There's a walking path and her and her friend were going to be walking by the path. And Matt was going to be there on home base. And they were going to see him and walk over to him and as she walked over to him the lights come on cuz he had it all arranged and some country music started playing and he gets down on his knee and he proposes to Miranda. And 6 months later, I married. And did she want to be married? Every day for the next two months was a picture on Facebook of her in her wedding dress.

And so anyway, I develop some great relationships with people. I I baptize people I did some funerals do some marriages some of them started coming to church but it was a group of people. I never been to where it had grown up playing poker as a young Catholic boy penny-ante poker every Sunday afternoon, but then I'd give it up for 30 years and but I did like it and God called me back and and I've got poker group here now too, but we'll wait and see stay tuned. All right. So there's for my dad come on. There's a there's a risk involved anytime we're engaging and pay for it. Like it's there's there's all sorts of I'd love for you to talk a little bit about Jeff gets in the car and says we're supposed to do this and and and you start. Your journey with this was different cuz God told him about it, but then talk to you as well and and there's risk involved and there's there's challenges a little bit about that. Well when I first mentioned it to me, I'm all in if you hear from God get moving cuz I don't want any of your bad mojo to hit me. But the reality is the risk, you know, it came later. So when we built this quiet little Ministry, we knew what to expect the first Saturday of every month. We knew that we were the one paying for it. We didn't even ask people to help us eventually people started helping us and it was just a quiet little thing and I could be super Brave in that it was when Jeff came to me and said hey, I think this is going to be so much bigger and I it's amazing thing about what God could do with this and he's like he goes from zero to a thousand miles an hour. And you know, I'm like, wow, I'm super brave but not really end and the risk was Moving from a from this quiet place of fear that only my husband would see on occasion and it was like, oh that's not a great quality. So I'm going to kind of keep it to myself but that isn't how God works and So the faster this train, you know went from being the slogan freight train to like a bullet Express train the more that fear bubbled to the service because I am Lenny look down the road around the corner playing everything out and this guy's over here talking about doing Ministry full-time and real estate going on the back burner, and I'm just like We're not independently wealthy. So how am I supposed to plan this? I mean really States pretty sketchy anyway, and now you're going to be in full-time Ministry, so it was really this process and I feel like the risk. I mean on one hand the risks you're giving up your time which was easy. So we are wired for this, you know, again, you know, you talked about the fact that God calls us to the things that we love not to the things that feel like a burden Willits work, but it's this joyful energetic work. I mean just one example, we had this huge Advance. It's an hour and a half away from where we live. We drive home and pulling at 11. We open up the trailer. He had put a whole pot of baked beans and barbecue sauce in the fridge. She turned the corner it flew all over the trailer. So that was not a joyful moment that I just I laughed I might get the hose. We're like shoveling beans at midnight and you know what the end of it when we roll into bed at 2 a.m. There is a smile on her face. And so that tells me that we are absolutely are doing what God called us to do and at the same time I would also say that through this process the risk was I had to let go of this route. This is deep root of fear over not being able to control certain aspects of my future including my finances. Which is just an illusion anyway, right but like God does this to deal with those things in our heart rate? Like I've often found it man when God calls me to something. It's it's usually more about me than about the thing that I'm doing it in some very real way. I like this is how God chooses to set us free and in deal with those things that weed. We don't want to deal with ding ding ding because I would say that very clearly a few months ago that this thing was rolling probably about six months ago. I had just come out of there pretty dark time of a significant illness and my connectedness to the father father, you know to Father God's heart was pretty strong and he got a grip and he showed me how I was not being that encouraging wife. You know, Jeff would say something about barbecue Mission and I would say all of the reasons that I could go wrong and I just really got a hold of me and just said hey, I'm in this and I'm going to do this you want to be a part of it or not. And I really needed some correcting and the other side of that willingness to be obedient to what God was trying to show me which was super painful to really see that reflection of who you are and really who you are not who you think you want to be right, but the other side of that is this Freedom over the future in the things I can't control like I've never had in all of my 50 years. So it's like I'm I'm thrilled I my sleep scores in the 90 it never happened. Like I am sleeping phenomenally zero fear. This thing is this barbecue mission is not this quiet little Ministry anymore. It's grow. Buy Beats and balance, but we were not even doing it a little bit more about that because so it's a life of risk embrace the risk and it's scary and it's very difficult. God revealed these things within us that that his grace wants to the heel and and but as he does that we're taking this risk under God's Providence and God has been like just kicking open doors left and right for you guys, and I'd love for you to just Brag on got a little bit GIF give God some Glory a little bit this morning about how he has been providing because it is it is beyond you and that's not to belittle you but it's to say that God's better than you and and aren't we glad it's better than us like an n and he can bless us more than we could ever even ask or imagine, right? So just a little bit and I will say God's timing is perfect because I'm the kind of guy the one I like she said I go from 0 to a thousand and I want to do it now. So kind of step back January 2019 agents in here will tell you it's like this and and I just she my wife was gone. She was in the we had planned a trip for 50th birthday feel way. She was with her her friends in redwoods in California, and I'm sitting on the couch Saturday morning freaking out just gone. Is this what I'm supposed to

And in Fairly successful and here I'm in this. This job that I never in a million years thought I would ever be in and that's a story in itself. But I'm literally on my knees like that. When am I supposed to be doing and I just couldn't get an answer and I'm like, I'm not going to call my wife cuz I'm freaking out here, but I'm in a call who I would consider my best friend and my business partner for 15 years who happen to move the Arizona cuz we got time to talk and he's like dude. I've known him for 20 plus years. You've never asked me if I got time to talk. So I'm so hours later. He looks at me and he said Did I just feel like God wants you to do more with BBQ Mission, I want no world. Okay, I don't know what that means. But okay, so me get rid of a thousand. I'm setting a point appointments with 501 c 3 attorneys to figure out how this how this works to the attorneys telling me where I'm going to talk you out of doing this. So here's the different plan to I'll send all these men to start coming around me successful businessman successful coming around me and just give me all this advice and it just was It was amazing how all this stuff to started falling into place and I get a call from my buddy Chad. He's like, hey got a guy and that our kids go to school together and he wants to hear more about your story. And by the way, he owns a real company and I'm like, okay, so get a hold of him and he's like and want you to come down when I just hear more about your story, you know, and we're friends with Chad. So let's get together. So I head down to the office schedule time in here. It's The company that owns Pit Boss grills. I'm sure people ever heard of those there in all the Walmarts Lowe's Louisiana Grills country smokers excetera excetera. They've got a ton of different businesses and their base right here on Arizona Skywalk in you put me in this huge boardroom next and I know his brother and his dad walk in there the three owners of the company. They said hey, we want to hear your story board 100% whatever you need while fast forward. I'm sure people see it in the parking lot that trailer was donated by by Jeff Dan and Jordan peace and the owners. I'm actually driving the president's truck right now to pull up because we're still in the process of trying to figure out how we can get funds to to actually get a truck to do it with but if you ever look them up is dancing. Com on the internet. They they are a huge company and they love the Lord and they have just been an absolute blessing. by the way, Jeff deason the president is actually one of my two board members and then Chad my one of my best friend's is the other and just a journey through here. I mean, I just think about it when you figure out January 2019. I want to start this. I was ready to go by February. and it took a year-and-a-half for us to be where we are right now and just looking back on that and going man. If I'd have done this that at this time it would have been a disaster if I knew this would happen would have been a disaster and you just look at that and you go absolutely and here we are the adventure is just beginning, you know, I we we are now doing we would never stop doing you matter Ministries Saturdays are Rick Smith 100% will always be there but we've actually started going down on Mondays down to Grace Lutheran Church downtown and I would say that probably has doubled in the amount of people that come down there on a Monday. I mean it is insane. I mean we were We blew through 120 hamburgers in an hour. So I mean we're talking hundreds of people down there and we're just trying now. I mean, it's just such an alluring experience because we want to be a light. You know, I think my gift is to actually just make the food and serve. I mean I'm I love to to serve people and you know, we want to be that light people know exactly what we do. It says right on the side of the trailer serving Jesus one meal at a time. If you don't know what we're doing, then there's a problem but you know, we just want to see that light and we just want to grow this thing maybe a couple days a week and actually Just getting I know there's people down that mean it's amazing. To see these people. I don't want to put them in a class because they're not I mean they are just like you and I have fallen on bad times mental issues drug issues. We can all be there one day. I mean at the end and I would hope that somebody would come along and help me if I was in that situation, but just to get to know each people's names that have them look in the I have those conversations, you know, it's now just to get to know them down there, too. Yeah, it's an adventure and Adventure does not mean easy or comfortable things that we need, you know to be able to do this ministry, you know, we thought we could do it on our own we went down to the first time. It was just it was Kate and I and and just and Justin. I mean it was a nightmare trying to get we went to bed at like 7:30 that night. It was absolutely overwhelming volunteers to say. Hey, we're we're on board to be down there every Monday with you to just I mean what a blessing he's almost think God was in control.

Almost I hate Kate really wants to say something something. That was a

as BBQ Mission before I started to take off. I feel like something shifted for Jeff and I and it really I look back at that time and think that this is a Cornerstone moment for us and it was when we started praying instead of asking God to come in the last all the things that we thought he needed to blast. Was that when we ask God, please move us under what you're already blessing your way is better than our way. Your timing is better than our timing. We are, you know, we basically want to be a reflection of the light of Jesus Christ. This ministry isn't about us. It's not about all that we can do and God has shown us very quickly that we need help the difference that help can make and as we just continue to pray. Please move it under what you're already blessing. Then the doors just blew off and I think that there we were I felt like we were wasting our time being hey God bless this do this. Give us this we need this we need that God knows everything. That's beautiful. You know, I am always a risk bringing these guys up cuz they all have The Gift of Gab and lots and lots of stories and you guys did a great job this morning, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

if it's not about you guys, and and and that's some That's really important for us because this was not just a throwaway morning for you to hear about somebody cooking pulled pork and another guy playing poker. It's about an examples of what it look what faith looks like and it looks radically different for from all of us and that's okay cuz we're all radically different from each other. God made us who we are on purpose to my heart and my passion is is not the have a bunch of cookie cutter Christians that all look the same and think the same and talk the same and are doing the same thing. That's ridiculous. Let's let's give up that that that ridiculous concept of what it means to be a person of Faith what it what it means to be a person of faith is to be the man or the woman that God made you to be and do it intentionally and fully st. Irenaeus said the glory of God is a man or a woman Fully Alive.

And without faith. It is impossible to please God so much my heart and my hope and in bringing these guys up here to share just a little bit of their story and and they got a lot more to tell so so get with them, you know, there's not lots of opportunities to serve with BBQ Mission you go play poker with my dad if you want to hear gladly take your money.

Listen to the story cuz it's not about the poker and it's not about the pulled pork. It's about it's about the God and the people in His image that we by faith are trying to serve and love and reach with the Beauty and the glory of the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ. And so my question to you is how is God calling you to walk in faith. Who is God made you to be what is God stirring in you right now? What is it that God is already doing and blessing God is not asking you to go out and start something new for him. That's not asking you to come up with an idea that that he doesn't have is Kate. You just said so beautifully the question is where is God already moving? What is God already given you how is God already formed and shaped you that you can intentionally choose to enter into the risk of Faith under the Providence of God. And live your life as a great adventure, not for God but with God. That is the call of Faith Church. We are called to walk by faith. And not by sight. Hey, man, don't let me pray father. I thank you so much.