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00:00:01
- Well, hey,
welcome to Crossroads.
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00:00:03
Whether you're
watching us online
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00:00:05
or here in the room with us,
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00:00:06
it's so great to be with you.
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00:00:08
Hey, my name is Andy Reiter.
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00:00:09
I lead our Crossroads
Anywhere community,
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00:00:11
which means if you're
here in Oakley, man,
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00:00:13
I only get to see you guys
when your kids are sick.
-
00:00:15
So I'm glad
everybody's doing well,
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00:00:18
I get to be with you in person.
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00:00:19
Now, I just want to say this.
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00:00:21
I think I can speak for
all of us pretty safely
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00:00:24
when I say, like,
99.9% of us sort of have
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00:00:28
an unhealthy relationship
with this thing right here.
-
00:00:30
And throughout this whole
series called Unplugged,
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00:00:32
we're just sort of saying,
"God, do you have anything
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00:00:35
You want to say to us about
it that might help us thrive,
-
00:00:38
that might help us flourish?"
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00:00:39
And so to just start
our time off, to reset
-
00:00:42
and to focus our
attention on God,
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00:00:44
we're going to start off
by singing some songs.
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00:00:46
And these songs are a
reminder of what God says
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00:00:48
is true about us and what we
get to say is true about God.
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00:00:52
So we'd love it if you'd
stand on up and sing with us.
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00:00:59
- All right, y'all ready to
learn a new song together?
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00:01:04
Come on, I'm gonna
need your help on this one.
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00:07:14
- Come on. If you know it, sing.
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00:12:26
- Come on, sing it again.
Sit in it.
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00:12:48
- Come on, ask yourself.
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00:13:06
- Come on one more time.
Maybe you need it.
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00:13:26
- Come on, receive His grace.
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00:13:48
- Thank you, Lord. [applause]
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00:13:56
- That song is super clear
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00:13:58
that God doesn't
want us to stay stuck.
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00:14:01
Right?
That's the Lord's goodness
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00:14:04
that He wants to
bring us to a new place.
-
00:14:08
Now, you might be
wondering why I'm on
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00:14:10
a little tiny stage
that's flowering like
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00:14:12
a little garden in the
middle of an auditorium.
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00:14:14
And I just want to tell you,
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00:14:15
it's not just for
the creative effect.
-
00:14:19
It's a visual representation of
what this whole series is about,
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00:14:23
that we want to go from a
new place to someplace new,
-
00:14:27
that we don't
want to stay stuck,
-
00:14:28
that we don't want
to tend to a grave,
-
00:14:30
that we want God to
invite us to someplace new
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00:14:33
that's thriving and
that's flourishing.
-
00:14:36
And just as you sang those
words, I want you to know
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00:14:39
that's what God wants for you,
to invite you
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00:14:44
and call you to a new place.
-
00:14:47
And if you're extra observant,
-
00:14:49
you may have also wondered why
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00:14:51
whenever they've been
doing this in service
-
00:14:53
throughout this series, do they
ask me to pull out my phone?
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00:14:56
Maybe the number one
source of distraction in my life
-
00:14:59
in a series about unplugging
from digital distractions?
-
00:15:02
Well, that's intentional too.
-
00:15:04
So if you would, go ahead
and pull out your phone for me.
-
00:15:09
There's a quote
that I heard recently
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00:15:11
by George M. Adams that said:
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00:15:14
encouragement is
like oxygen to the soul.
-
00:15:18
And isn't that true?
-
00:15:20
Encouragement is
like oxygen to the soul.
-
00:15:22
And I think we can all
think of a time where
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00:15:24
someone offered
us just the right word
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00:15:27
at just the right moment. Right?
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00:15:29
And I bet we can
all think of a moment
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00:15:32
where that word didn't come,
and we just felt stuck
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00:15:37
and alone where we were.
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00:15:39
Well, when we worship,
we're not just singing
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00:15:41
truths about God to Him.
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00:15:43
We're also empowered
to live out the truths
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00:15:46
of who God says we are and
to echo those to one another.
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00:15:50
So right now,
I want you to think,
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00:15:54
"Who needs
encouragement in my life?
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00:15:57
Who could I just reach
out to and send a text
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00:16:00
right now, in this moment,
to encourage them,
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00:16:04
to invite them to
go to a new place?"
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00:16:07
Take a minute right now,
in this moment,
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00:16:10
and send someone a text
of encouragement, of hope.
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00:16:16
Let's do that together.
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00:17:24
- Come on, say it right to him.
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00:22:10
- That's who you are,
Jesus, and we worship You.
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00:22:14
We worship You freely.
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00:22:17
We bring all of our
stuff here in this room,
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00:22:20
and we say none of it is
more important than You.
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00:22:22
None of it brings us more value
or more purpose in this life.
-
00:22:27
No, it's You.
You're the giver of purpose.
-
00:22:32
You're the giver
of our identities.
-
00:22:35
They're in you.
They're not in our jobs.
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00:22:38
They're not in the way we
choose to present ourselves
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00:22:41
and our fashion.
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00:22:43
And it's in following after
You and being more like You,
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00:22:47
we are image bearers.
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00:22:51
God, you are the Creator
and I just praise You.
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00:22:57
I just realized
how grateful that
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00:23:00
my whole entire being is
right now after singing to you.
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00:23:06
That being so focused
and locked in on you,
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00:23:09
nothing else matters.
There's a peace.
-
00:23:12
There's a weight that feels
like it's lifted off of my life.
-
00:23:17
And no,
that doesn't mean my problems
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00:23:19
aren't still waiting for me.
-
00:23:21
But it means they don't control
me, because You are good.
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00:23:27
You are faithful,
and I choose to believe that.
-
00:23:33
And I thank You for who You are
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00:23:35
and for being able
to sing to You freely.
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00:23:38
It's a gift. And I praise You.
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00:23:41
In Jesus's name. Amen. Amen.
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00:23:44
Come on. Anybody
else feel Him in the room?
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00:23:47
Come on. Whoo!
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00:23:51
He's right here with us.
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00:23:53
And it's true,
every good thing comes from Him.
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00:23:55
And believe it or not,
community comes from Him.
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00:23:58
He loves it when we're together.
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00:24:00
And he built us,
created us that way.
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00:24:01
Why don't you turn to
somebody next to you,
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00:24:03
give 'em a high five.
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00:24:05
Maybe you don't know 'em,
tell 'em your name.
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00:24:07
Give 'em a fist bump.
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00:24:09
Give 'em a hug if
they're cool with that,
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00:24:11
and then you can have a seat.
-
00:24:17
- Imagine completely unplugging.
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00:24:24
Step away from the ordinary
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00:24:27
and into an
extraordinary adventure.
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00:24:31
Take a break, recharge,
and come home more alive.
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00:24:37
Unplug and connect with God.
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00:24:40
You need this.
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00:24:42
Camps.us.
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00:24:47
- Was that Wilford
Brimley or Slingblade?
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00:24:51
- No, it was John Goodman.
Definitely John Goodman.
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00:24:53
- Hey, agree to disagree.
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00:24:54
- I'll tell you who
these guys are.
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00:24:55
These are two
good friends of mine.
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00:24:57
This is Judd and Craig,
who are a big part
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00:24:58
of making all of our
camps what they are.
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00:25:00
And guys, where did actually
the idea for camps come from?
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00:25:03
- We were on a bike trip in
this muddy bog in Kentucky,
-
00:25:06
and we said, "This is amazing,"
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00:25:09
in the middle of like a
cold November morning
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00:25:11
saying like,
"More people need this.
-
00:25:13
They need the adventure,
the challenge.
-
00:25:14
They need the brotherhood
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00:25:15
and then the connection with
God that comes on all this."
-
00:25:18
And so we said,
"Why don't we make one?"
-
00:25:20
- Camps started with like a
motorcycle trip and some tents
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00:25:23
and grew into
something that there's
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00:25:25
all kinds of different camp,
Man Camp, Woman Camp,
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00:25:27
Couples Camp, Student Camp,
Veterans' Camp,
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00:25:28
Father Son Camp,
Mother Daughter Camp.
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00:25:30
- Family Camp. - Family Camp.
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00:25:31
- Which is kind of both of
those crammed together.
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00:25:33
- That's right. That's right.
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00:25:34
Why should somebody
come to camp?
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00:25:36
- Because they're awesome.
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00:25:37
- Yeah, they're great,
it's super fun.
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00:25:39
- Do you like fun and God?
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00:25:40
- It's like a festival
in the woods.
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00:25:41
- I mean, if you like fun
and God, I think that's --
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00:25:43
You're halfway there, might
be two thirds of the way there.
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00:25:46
- It's maybe the
best thing you can do
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00:25:47
if you're sick of your
phone and you're distracted
-
00:25:49
and you need to get
away from it and get a --
-
00:25:52
It's like sensory deprivation,
-
00:25:53
like get out in the actual
nature that God made.
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00:25:57
- So no matter where you live,
no matter where you are,
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00:25:59
whether you're near
one of our physical sites
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00:26:01
or you're part of our
Anywhere community,
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00:26:02
hey, I just want to
tell you this is worth it.
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00:26:05
I don't care if you live in
Denver
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00:26:07
in like prime camping zone,
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00:26:08
you should in fact come to Ohio
to come to one of our camps.
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00:26:11
I know it sounds insane,
but it's worth it.
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00:26:13
Like we were just
talking before this,
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00:26:15
you both had stories of people
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00:26:16
whose lives are different
because they came to camp.
-
00:26:18
- Yeah, absolutely.
- Yeah, yeah.
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00:26:20
I mean, so speaking of
the Anywhere community,
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00:26:22
we had 2 or 3 camps ago.
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00:26:24
I was watching baptisms in
the camp and this shadow,
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00:26:27
like, falls over me from behind.
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00:26:28
I turn around and there's
this monstrous guy in overalls.
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00:26:30
And I was like,
and you know what?
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00:26:32
"Hey, man, how are you doing?"
-
00:26:33
He said, "Hey, you got to
realize how important this is."
-
00:26:36
And I was like, "Oh, thanks."
-
00:26:37
He goes, "No, you see these
scars on my arm, scabs?"
-
00:26:39
And I was like, "Yeah, yeah."
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00:26:40
He goes, so this was Sunday,
the prior Monday, he said,
-
00:26:44
"The prior Monday I came home,
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00:26:45
caught my old lady in
bed with my best friend,
-
00:26:47
went out to the garage,
threw a rope
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00:26:49
over the rafter in my
shed and hung myself."
-
00:26:51
He said, "The rope snapped."
This guy was a monstrous person.
-
00:26:53
Rope snapped, landed on
all of his yard implements,
-
00:26:55
his mower and all this
stuff and cut himself up.
-
00:26:57
He was kind of banged up.
-
00:26:58
He said, "The only reason
I didn't get back up there
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00:27:00
is because I remembered I
was coming here this weekend,
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00:27:02
and I remember what it meant
to me last time I was here."
-
00:27:05
Because he came and,
like, won arm wrestling.
-
00:27:06
I mean, this guy was as serious
as anybody I've ever talked to.
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00:27:09
So that was,
that was a big deal.
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00:27:11
- Gosh.
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00:27:12
- Yeah, I mean, camps
is great for me personally.
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00:27:15
Like, my three kids
have all been baptized
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00:27:17
at different family camps
because they wanted it,
-
00:27:21
they asked for it, you know?
-
00:27:22
And they made the
decision to follow Jesus.
-
00:27:25
And that was an environment
that made it safe and fun
-
00:27:29
for them to make that choice.
So it's been good.
-
00:27:32
- You guys were
telling me a story
-
00:27:33
about guys that were
coming from new Jersey,
-
00:27:35
didn't know anybody. - Right.
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00:27:36
- Found out that there
was somebody else
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00:27:38
that was on his route,
-
00:27:39
like his 12 hour route to Base
Camp where the camps are held.
-
00:27:42
Picked another guy up,
they became friends.
-
00:27:44
And then literally for
the last three years
-
00:27:46
have been bringing more and
more people on their route down.
-
00:27:49
So whether you know people
or whether you don't, man,
-
00:27:52
this is the perfect place to
make some new connections,
-
00:27:55
make some new friends,
or to bring your crew
-
00:27:58
and go experience camp together.
-
00:27:59
Now, all this stuff,
you were saying,
-
00:28:01
like, the price of your
ticket for camp cover what?
-
00:28:05
- It covers the basics,
the basic experience.
-
00:28:08
It doesn't cover the land.
-
00:28:09
It doesn't cover any of
the staff that's out there.
-
00:28:11
- It barely covers whatever
camp you're going to ish.
-
00:28:14
So yeah, and there's a
million moving parts and pieces
-
00:28:16
that support camp,
that allow us to have camp,
-
00:28:20
that allow camps to exist
that none of that touches.
-
00:28:22
- Yeah. How many acres?
-
00:28:24
- We're over 800 now.
- Over 800. Yeah.
-
00:28:26
- So over 800 acres,
lots of infrastructure,
-
00:28:28
lots of staff,
lots of stuff that happens
-
00:28:31
because of the faithfulness
and the generosity
-
00:28:33
of this community that
isn't included in that,
-
00:28:35
whatever the price
for the ticket is.
-
00:28:36
So I just want to say,
if you're part of
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00:28:38
the faithful team that
makes all this stuff happen
-
00:28:40
around Crossroads, thank you,
thank you, thank you.
-
00:28:42
Stories like these
and countless more
-
00:28:43
than we have time
to tell you happen
-
00:28:45
because of your faithfulness.
-
00:28:47
And specifically,
if you are a part of
-
00:28:48
our community who tithes,
-
00:28:50
that gives 10% of your
income to your local church,
-
00:28:53
and you're on what's
called the Blue Team.
-
00:28:55
You can check that out at
crossroads. ne/BlueTeam
-
00:28:58
for more information there,
or to join the team
-
00:29:01
of faithful givers who
make all this possible.
-
00:29:02
Head to Crossroads.net/give.
-
00:29:04
- It's awesome. - Do it!
-
00:29:05
- Thanks, guys. - Thanks.
-
00:29:08
- When despair for
the world grows in me
-
00:29:10
and I wake in the
night at the least sound,
-
00:29:13
I go and lie down where
the wood drake rests [cat]
-
00:29:16
his beauty on the water and
the great heron feeds. [videos]
-
00:29:20
Come to the peace of wild things
-
00:29:22
who do not tax their --
[background sounds build]
-
00:29:31
- Distracted yet?
-
00:29:32
What would our lives look like
-
00:29:34
if we took a
break from all this,
-
00:29:36
the 24 hour news cycle
-
00:29:37
and doomscrolling
ourselves to death?
-
00:29:39
How would our lives be
better if we made space
-
00:29:41
for talking and dancing
and laughing with each other
-
00:29:44
until we pee our pants?
-
00:29:46
God wants us to
experience a full life,
-
00:29:48
but our distractions
are getting in the way.
-
00:29:51
It's time to kill the noise
and listen for God's voice
-
00:29:54
echo through the
pages of the Bible.
-
00:29:56
Let's unplug.
-
00:29:57
Unplug from digital distractions
-
00:29:59
and plug into the real
life God has for us.
-
00:30:05
- All right,
who's ready to lean in?
-
00:30:07
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
-
00:30:09
I've got a specific goal
in mind for you today,
-
00:30:13
and that is for you to commit,
for you to commit
-
00:30:16
to the 40 Day Digital Reset,
-
00:30:19
because it will
transform your life.
-
00:30:21
So you heard the details.
-
00:30:23
We're going to be doing
this together as a church.
-
00:30:26
It's an opportunity
for us to reevaluate
-
00:30:27
our relationship
with our technology.
-
00:30:29
It's an opportunity
for us to fast, right,
-
00:30:31
to give up something physically,
-
00:30:33
but to gain
something spiritually.
-
00:30:36
You know, I try before
I speak on a weekend
-
00:30:39
to just ask God, "God,
what do you think?
-
00:30:41
What's on your mind about the
people that I get to speak to?"
-
00:30:45
And oftentimes God
will give me pictures
-
00:30:48
or He'll give me words.
-
00:30:49
And I feel like the
thing that God gave me
-
00:30:51
coming into today is this:
-
00:30:53
there are world
changing callings
-
00:30:56
on the lives of
people here right now.
-
00:30:58
I don't know if you
believe that about yourself,
-
00:30:59
but I believe that about you.
-
00:31:01
I believe that there
are people in here
-
00:31:03
who are called to
set a new trajectory
-
00:31:05
by building a healthy family,
-
00:31:06
even though you've
never experienced one.
-
00:31:08
I believe there are
people in here who have
-
00:31:10
creative, entrepreneurial ideas,
and God is going
-
00:31:13
to give you not just
world changing ideas,
-
00:31:15
but industry shifting
ideas for a business.
-
00:31:18
I believe there are
people in here right now
-
00:31:20
that God is going to
use in incredible ways
-
00:31:23
through your artistic gifts,
to create lasting art
-
00:31:27
that helps people not
just in this generation,
-
00:31:29
but in future generations,
connect to the living God.
-
00:31:32
I believe there are
world changing callings
-
00:31:34
on your lives in here.
-
00:31:36
And God just was giving me
that as a picture and an image.
-
00:31:39
Because here's the deal.
-
00:31:41
If we're going to
experience that,
-
00:31:43
we've got to find a
way to shift our lives
-
00:31:46
from distraction into destiny.
-
00:31:49
And that's what I
believe is an opportunity
-
00:31:52
that this digital
fast offers for us.
-
00:31:54
So let's pray that that
would happen for all of us.
-
00:31:56
God, I ask that You would speak,
that You would move,
-
00:32:01
that You would motivate,
that You would encourage,
-
00:32:04
that You would guide,
that You would comfort,
-
00:32:06
that You would challenge,
that You would do
-
00:32:08
whatever is needed
for us to say yes
-
00:32:11
to what it is
you're calling us to.
-
00:32:13
God, I believe there is
something in this for me,
-
00:32:17
and I'm eager to receive it.
-
00:32:18
And I believe that is true
-
00:32:19
for every person
who is listening,
-
00:32:21
whether they're in
their house right now,
-
00:32:23
whether they're in
a building right now.
-
00:32:24
There is something
for all of us in this.
-
00:32:26
Help us to see it.
Help us to receive it, God.
-
00:32:28
Help us to step into it.
-
00:32:29
In Jesus's name. Amen. Amen.
-
00:32:33
Romans 12:1-2 says this:
-
00:33:01
I don't know everybody
in here personally,
-
00:33:03
but I'm going to
take a wild guess that
-
00:33:05
no one listening right now
wants to be a conformer.
-
00:33:09
Anybody want to be a
conformer in here? Right?
-
00:33:12
I mean, we're just, like,
-
00:33:13
naturally
don't want to be a conformer.
-
00:33:15
But here's the challenge
or the problem we face.
-
00:33:19
We are. We are conformers.
-
00:33:22
And the question that we
have to ask ourselves is,
-
00:33:25
right now in your life,
are you conforming
-
00:33:29
or are you transforming?
-
00:33:32
Because you're
doing one or the other?
-
00:33:35
We have more and more
of our brothers and sisters
-
00:33:37
that come to Crossroads
who speak Espanol.
-
00:33:40
And so in Espanol the
question would be this:
-
00:33:42
estas confirmando
o transformando de,
-
00:33:47
because we're doing one
or the other. Uno or el otro.
-
00:33:51
Paul writes these words
in Romans and he says,
-
00:33:54
I appeal to you. I am putting
on my encourager hat today.
-
00:33:57
I want to encourage you.
-
00:33:59
I want to make an appeal to you.
-
00:34:01
I want to make an appeal to
you based on the mercies of God.
-
00:34:03
God is for you.
-
00:34:05
We talked about that last week,
-
00:34:06
and I want to make
an appeal to you
-
00:34:08
that requires you not
just to think differently,
-
00:34:11
but to act differently.
-
00:34:13
Paul says we're to offer our
bodies as a living sacrifice.
-
00:34:16
That means this is
a full contact appeal.
-
00:34:20
Are you conforming or
are you transforming?
-
00:34:23
The invitation is to transform.
-
00:34:26
So in the first two weeks,
if you weren't here,
-
00:34:29
I think we did a really
good job making a case that
-
00:34:32
we need to reevaluate our
relationship with our devices.
-
00:34:35
There's data behind it,
there's science behind it,
-
00:34:38
there's stories behind that.
-
00:34:39
If you missed the
first two weeks,
-
00:34:41
I encourage you to
go and listen to that.
-
00:34:42
But I think we made
that case pretty clearly.
-
00:34:44
I do want to say one thing,
technology is neutral.
-
00:34:50
Technology is
neither bad nor good,
-
00:34:53
and there's a lot of good
that's come from technology.
-
00:34:55
But how we use technology
is either conforming us,
-
00:35:01
or it can be a part of
how we are transformed.
-
00:35:04
And what I want to do
today is not make a case
-
00:35:06
that you should spend
less time on your phone.
-
00:35:09
Instead, I want to make a
case for being transformed.
-
00:35:12
I want to invite you
in to transformation.
-
00:35:15
Romans 12 is Paul's
appeal to followers of Jesus
-
00:35:18
in first century Rome.
-
00:35:20
And let me give you some
context for first century Rome,
-
00:35:22
so you can understand
how countercultural
-
00:35:25
and how high challenge
these words actually were.
-
00:35:28
Rome ruled the world
in the first century.
-
00:35:31
The Roman Empire was
the most dominant force
-
00:35:33
on the planet in that time,
and they worshiped many gods.
-
00:35:38
Like, part of their culture
was they worshiped trees.
-
00:35:40
They worshiped buildings.
They worshiped different gods.
-
00:35:43
They worshiped rivers.
-
00:35:44
They worshiped
even their emperor.
-
00:35:47
So in that time,
everybody in Rome
-
00:35:50
who was loyal to the empire
would say, "Caesar is Lord."
-
00:35:54
And what they meant
when they said that was that
-
00:35:56
the man who sat on the throne,
Caesar, was divine.
-
00:35:59
They didn't think
he was just a man.
-
00:36:01
They would say he was a god, and
they worshiped him like a god.
-
00:36:04
And so Roman culture
was unique in a lot of ways.
-
00:36:07
Roman culture was
a mix of sophistication
-
00:36:10
and at the same time, brutality.
-
00:36:13
I mean, there are things
like the Roman aqueducts
-
00:36:15
and the Roman road
system and all kinds of things
-
00:36:18
that they made kind of artistic
and architectural things
-
00:36:22
that were just
innovative for the time.
-
00:36:23
There's a lot of sophistication
in the Roman Empire.
-
00:36:26
And yet this is the
same empire that had
-
00:36:29
in the arena gladiators
-
00:36:32
and people who they
were feeding to lions,
-
00:36:34
while other people cheered
on and were entertained by that.
-
00:36:38
So it was this crazy
mix of vulgarity.
-
00:36:41
It was also very a
sexually explicit culture,
-
00:36:44
and the people were
addicted to entertainment.
-
00:36:46
In fact, Caesar said
the reason that they did
-
00:36:49
the gladiatorial games
was because they wanted
-
00:36:52
to give the people
bread and circus.
-
00:36:54
Because if we can
get them so distracted
-
00:36:57
by these entertaining things,
they won't be concerned
-
00:37:00
about the ways that
we're dominating them
-
00:37:02
in every other
area of their life.
-
00:37:03
So in Rome,
-
00:37:05
it was countercultural
to be a Christian.
-
00:37:07
Check this out.
-
00:37:08
In Rome,
Christians were called atheists
-
00:37:12
because Christians didn't
worship all of the other gods
-
00:37:16
and the rivers and the
buildings and Caesar as Lord.
-
00:37:18
They had the courage
to say that Jesus is Lord,
-
00:37:21
and they were seen as
atheists because of that.
-
00:37:25
To be a Christian
in Rome was at best
-
00:37:29
to be a social outcast,
and at worst,
-
00:37:32
and this was true for
thousands of Christians
-
00:37:34
in the Roman Empire,
it was to be seen as an enemy
-
00:37:37
of the state and
killed for your faith.
-
00:37:40
So suffice to say,
in that environment,
-
00:37:44
there's a lot of
pressure to conform.
-
00:37:47
Like knife to your throat
pressure to conform.
-
00:37:51
Like, do I want to be
fed to lions tomorrow
-
00:37:54
pressure to conform.
-
00:37:55
Let alone all the social
challenges of being
-
00:37:58
an outcast to conform,
high pressure to conform.
-
00:38:02
And here's what I would say.
-
00:38:03
I think it's similar
for us today
-
00:38:06
as people who want
to go the way of Jesus.
-
00:38:09
Now you might be like,
"Wait a second,
-
00:38:11
I'm not going to
leave here hopefully
-
00:38:13
and be violently assaulted
because of my faith."
-
00:38:16
Thank God that's
likely not to happen.
-
00:38:18
That's likely not going
to happen in our lifetime.
-
00:38:20
And yet, to be clear,
the way of Jesus,
-
00:38:23
the way that Jesus calls
us to His followers of His,
-
00:38:26
is completely countercultural to
-
00:38:29
the typical American culture.
-
00:38:30
It is not the culture of
America to go the way of Jesus.
-
00:38:34
It isn't. It isn't.
-
00:38:35
And here's the thing.
Here's the thing.
-
00:38:38
We can say we are
Christians with our words,
-
00:38:43
but our choices and
our actions tell the truth.
-
00:38:47
And the question is,
are you conforming
-
00:38:50
or are you transforming?
-
00:38:52
Paul's appeal is very clear.
-
00:38:54
Do not be conformed
to this world.
-
00:38:56
What does it mean
to be conformed?
-
00:38:58
It means to be squeezed
into the mold of the culture,
-
00:39:02
to be squeezed into
the mold of the culture.
-
00:39:04
And what is the
pattern of this world?
-
00:39:06
It's any value set,
any system that is
-
00:39:08
inconsistent with
the way of Jesus.
-
00:39:10
And it is true for
us in our culture.
-
00:39:12
Let me give you a couple
patterns of the world
-
00:39:14
that are easy to
be conformed to.
-
00:39:16
One of them is materialism.
-
00:39:18
Materialism is a
pattern of the world
-
00:39:20
because Jesus
says in Matthew 6:25,
-
00:39:23
"I tell you, do not be
anxious about your life,
-
00:39:25
what you will eat,
or what you will drink,
-
00:39:27
or about your body
or what you will put on.
-
00:39:29
Is not life more than food and
the body more than clothing?"
-
00:39:32
And yet, it's very easy to be
so materialistic in our culture.
-
00:39:36
Here's another one.
-
00:39:37
Hyper individualism is
a pattern of this world.
-
00:39:40
It is not the culture
of the Kingdom
-
00:39:42
to have this hyper
individualistic view.
-
00:39:44
In fact, there are
whole parts of the Bible
-
00:39:46
that don't make sense because
-
00:39:47
they're not written
to individuals.
-
00:39:48
They only make
sense in community.
-
00:39:51
There's this whole
idea of one another,
-
00:39:53
and you can't even do
most of the commands
-
00:39:54
in the Bible outside
of community.
-
00:39:56
That's why Paul
says in Philippians 2:3,
-
00:39:58
"Do nothing from selfish
ambition or conceit,
-
00:40:01
but in humility count others
more significant than yourself."
-
00:40:06
Hedonism,
the worship of pleasure,
-
00:40:09
the addiction to entertainment
is a pattern of this world.
-
00:40:13
Look at what it says
in Galatians 5:17.
-
00:40:16
It says,
"For the desires of the flesh
-
00:40:18
are against the,
capital S, Spirit."
-
00:40:21
They're against
the Spirit of God.
-
00:40:23
"And the desires of the
Spirit are against the flesh.
-
00:40:26
These are opposed
to each other."
-
00:40:29
And yet, let's just be honest,
there is tremendous pressure
-
00:40:33
to be squeezed into these molds.
-
00:40:36
How do I know?
Because I'm conformed.
-
00:40:39
I know because there are
areas where I'm conforming
-
00:40:42
and not transforming.
-
00:40:43
Let me just give
you a couple that
-
00:40:45
I know are are
temptations for me.
-
00:40:46
Every time I hear the
word immigration right now
-
00:40:50
I am being conformed to
whatever the news outlet
-
00:40:54
is that I'm listening to,
-
00:40:55
and that bias or point
of view and perspective.
-
00:40:58
It's not the full perspective.
-
00:40:59
But if that's what
I'm listening to,
-
00:41:01
it's conforming my view
on how to think about that,
-
00:41:04
not how the Bible tells
me to think about that.
-
00:41:06
I am being conformed.
I know it, I know it.
-
00:41:09
How about this one?
I watch a lot of sports.
-
00:41:12
I love sports,
which means I watch
-
00:41:15
a lot of sports commercials.
-
00:41:17
And sports commercials,
let's be clear, many of them,
-
00:41:20
the majority of them want to
give me a view of manhood
-
00:41:24
that is not consistent
with the way of Jesus.
-
00:41:26
They certainly want to give
me a view of how I view women
-
00:41:28
that is not consistent
with the way of Jesus.
-
00:41:30
And they want to
give me a view of
-
00:41:32
this thing called the good life,
-
00:41:33
that in many ways is not
consistent
-
00:41:35
with the way of Jesus.
-
00:41:36
But do you know how many
thousands of commercials
-
00:41:38
I've seen in my life?
-
00:41:40
Do you think they're
not having some effect?
-
00:41:43
Am I somehow immune
to all of that influence?
-
00:41:47
Here's another one.
Very, very serious.
-
00:41:50
I walk into REI,
y'all, just to browse,
-
00:41:55
but then soon realized
that my whole survival
-
00:41:58
hinges on me buying a
$300 ultralight titanium spork.
-
00:42:04
I don't even camp that much,
but I need it.
-
00:42:07
I mean,
what happens if I get lost
-
00:42:09
in my suburban neighborhood
-
00:42:10
and I have to ration
out my takeout?
-
00:42:13
Better safe than sorry, y'all.
-
00:42:15
I'm getting the spork.
-
00:42:16
I mean,
we're all conformed in some way,
-
00:42:20
and that's all I'm saying,
is we are all conformed.
-
00:42:22
But Paul and I am
appealing to you,
-
00:42:25
do not be conformed
to this world,
-
00:42:26
but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind.
-
00:42:32
When I was a kid,
I loved Transformers.
-
00:42:35
I loved Transformers.
-
00:42:37
My favorite transformer
was always Optimus Prime.
-
00:42:41
Optimus Prime. Loved,
loved, loved Optimus Prime.
-
00:42:44
Loved the little
sound they make.
-
00:42:45
You know when they would,
like, transform.
-
00:42:47
Like, I loved Transformers.
-
00:42:48
And I believe actually God wants
you and I to be Transformers.
-
00:42:53
God wants you to be
a transformed person.
-
00:42:55
He wants you to be
a transformed human.
-
00:42:57
He wants you to be a
transformed family member.
-
00:42:59
He wants you to be
a transformed friend.
-
00:43:00
God wants you to
be a transformer.
-
00:43:02
So for the rest of the time,
-
00:43:03
I want to encourage
you to be a transformer.
-
00:43:05
I want to tell you three
traits of transformers
-
00:43:07
that will be true of
you if you allow yourself
-
00:43:10
to be transformed by
the renewing of your mind.
-
00:43:13
And the first one is this:
-
00:43:15
conformers settle,
but transformers soar.
-
00:43:20
Conformers settle,
but transformers soar.
-
00:43:24
I want to take you
to nature on this one.
-
00:43:27
There is a difference
between the behavior
-
00:43:31
of an eagle and a pigeon.
-
00:43:35
I grew up in Philadelphia.
-
00:43:37
You grow up in a big city, there
are pigeons all over the place.
-
00:43:41
And God created everything,
-
00:43:43
and everything
He created is good.
-
00:43:44
But I would be fine if God
created a few less pigeons.
-
00:43:48
Because what do pigeons do?
-
00:43:50
They just strut around
and poop on things.
-
00:43:55
And you know, if there's
food coming for a pigeon,
-
00:43:57
they, like, hurry up and
try to get to the food, right?
-
00:43:59
And they just stick
around other pigeons
-
00:44:01
and they never really kind
of leave the ground. Right?
-
00:44:04
They're just kind of annoying,
right?
-
00:44:06
They're just like pigeons.
Right?
-
00:44:07
But here's the thing,
pigeons are not
-
00:44:10
what you and I are called to be.
-
00:44:12
We're called to fly
higher like eagles.
-
00:44:14
I hang out with some guys.
-
00:44:15
And one of the things that
we have is a phrase regularly
-
00:44:18
is we talk about, hey,
man, let's fly higher.
-
00:44:20
You know what eagles do
when they get around pigeons?
-
00:44:23
They fly higher.
-
00:44:25
They fly -- or they eat them,
but they fly higher.
-
00:44:27
They fly higher, right?
-
00:44:29
Eagles have the
ability to soar beyond.
-
00:44:32
They have the ability
to have a different
-
00:44:34
and distant long
term perspective.
-
00:44:37
Eagles have the ability to
let the wind take them higher.
-
00:44:41
You, my friend, are called
to be an eagle, not a pigeon.
-
00:44:47
I love what Dave
Ramsey says about this.
-
00:44:49
He's talking about money,
but it's true about any area
-
00:44:51
in your life where you're
willing to be transformed.
-
00:44:54
He says this, he says,
"Live like no one else,
-
00:44:56
so later on you can
live like no one else."
-
00:45:01
I love that. I love that.
-
00:45:03
Live like no one else.
Do the weird thing now.
-
00:45:05
Do the thing that not
many people are doing now,
-
00:45:08
so later on, you can live the
life that no one's living now.
-
00:45:11
You can have the influence
that people can't have now.
-
00:45:14
You can have the joy
that people can't have now.
-
00:45:17
Conformers settle,
but transformers soar.
-
00:45:21
Second thing is this:
conformers choose easy change,
-
00:45:25
while transformers
choose lasting change.
-
00:45:29
See, the data is very
clear that if you want
-
00:45:33
to experience deep pleasure,
deep satisfaction,
-
00:45:37
a fulfilled life, it does not
come from quick dopamine hits,
-
00:45:42
that the deepest,
most fulfilled life happens
-
00:45:46
when you do what I would
call and what a pastor called
-
00:45:49
a long obedience
in the same direction.
-
00:45:51
So when you're willing to
walk in something faithfully
-
00:45:55
over a period of time, you
experience the greatest rewards.
-
00:45:59
In fact, when you
settle for the quick hit,
-
00:46:01
the dopamine comes in,
but then it drops
-
00:46:05
and you actually feel less
full than when you started.
-
00:46:08
Now, I know that because
I've made that mistake
-
00:46:11
over and over again.
-
00:46:12
One of the things that I
am teaching my kids is
-
00:46:15
how do you train your
kids in delayed gratification?
-
00:46:19
Because here's the thing,
delayed gratification
-
00:46:22
is the difference maker
between them and their peers.
-
00:46:26
So what am I
training my kids to be
-
00:46:29
delayed in their
gratification of now,
-
00:46:31
because I know over time it's
going to produce great results.
-
00:46:34
That's why I care about
how they approach school.
-
00:46:37
That's why I care
about how they approach
-
00:46:39
everything in life,
because I want my kids
-
00:46:42
to be building skills
now that are going to
-
00:46:44
make them great over
the long haul, right?
-
00:46:47
And this is the
opportunity we have
-
00:46:49
if we're willing
to step into that.
-
00:46:51
Now, here's the thing.
-
00:46:53
There are times in my life,
-
00:46:54
and I'm sure there's
times in your life,
-
00:46:57
where you take
the short term fix,
-
00:46:59
where you go for the
quick change, right?
-
00:47:00
I'm not alone in that.
-
00:47:01
I'm not the only weird person
who's not been perfect at this.
-
00:47:04
Thank you. Okay.
All right, just make sure.
-
00:47:06
And whenever I do that,
whenever I do that,
-
00:47:08
it leads to regrettable
decisions. Regrettable.
-
00:47:11
Let me give you a simple one,
a stupid one.
-
00:47:14
But it happens every time.
-
00:47:16
I travel. Travel fairly often.
-
00:47:19
And when I am at an airport,
I am assessing
-
00:47:23
the speed and pace of
the various TSA lines.
-
00:47:26
Am I the only one,
anyone with me on that?
-
00:47:28
And why is it that I always
wind up choosing the slow line?
-
00:47:35
But I'm smart enough to
know that what I need to do
-
00:47:38
is make a quick
change to the other line.
-
00:47:41
But why is it that
when I get in that line,
-
00:47:45
now that's the slow line, right?
-
00:47:46
Regrettable decision.
Regrettable decision.
-
00:47:48
Because I'm trying to
make a quick decision
-
00:47:50
and it never works.
-
00:47:51
Here's one that my wife
has been trying to help
-
00:47:53
me with for years, and
I'm starting to figure it out.
-
00:47:56
I would say I am
good with money.
-
00:48:00
I would say I am a good
steward of our finances.
-
00:48:04
My wife might say I'm cheap.
-
00:48:08
That's what she might say.
-
00:48:11
And she might be right.
-
00:48:12
Now here's this. I love to cook.
-
00:48:14
And my wife has told
me for years, "Chuck,
-
00:48:17
the quality of the ingredients
you put into the meal
-
00:48:20
determine the quality of
the output of the meal."
-
00:48:24
But when something
is 4 for $5 at Kroger,
-
00:48:27
I mean, is it really that
different? Is it really?
-
00:48:31
Well, it turns out
in some cases it is.
-
00:48:34
Some cases I've
done the cheap thing
-
00:48:37
only to have a cheap
tasting meal at the end.
-
00:48:40
And I'm like, "Oh,
you know what?
-
00:48:42
Every vanilla extract
is not the same.
-
00:48:46
I probably should have
paid a little bit more money
-
00:48:48
for this vanilla extract."
You know?
-
00:48:50
It's those kinds of things.
-
00:48:51
It makes regrettable decisions.
-
00:48:53
And here's what I'm
saying in all of this.
-
00:48:54
All I'm saying is this,
do not settle for easy change,
-
00:48:59
because the life
you've always wanted
-
00:49:01
is rooted in going
for lasting change.
-
00:49:04
You were created for
a life that truly satisfies,
-
00:49:09
and you were created
for a life where you actually
-
00:49:13
allow yourself the
time to be transformed.
-
00:49:16
There's a great book,
Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,
-
00:49:19
and one of the
things it says is this:
-
00:49:39
I'll give you another
book if you want to read it,
-
00:49:42
read with caution
because if it challenges you
-
00:49:45
like it challenged me,
just be ready.
-
00:49:48
The book is called
Three Mile an Hour God.
-
00:49:52
Three Mile an Hour God.
-
00:49:54
Turns out that the average
walking pace of a human
-
00:49:58
is about three miles an hour.
-
00:50:00
And the book makes the
premise that God moves at
-
00:50:06
the pace of three miles an hour.
-
00:50:09
If you want to experience God,
-
00:50:11
you're going to
have to slow down.
-
00:50:14
You're going to
have to not buy in to
-
00:50:16
the faster, quicker,
easier mindset.
-
00:50:21
But if you're like me,
I want to speed God up.
-
00:50:23
"Come on, God," like, you know,
like, "Let's go. Let's go.
-
00:50:26
God. Let's go. I'm here.
I'm here already.
-
00:50:27
God, why aren't you here?"
-
00:50:29
But if I really want
to experience God,
-
00:50:31
I need to walk at God's pace.
-
00:50:35
Because at the three mile
an hour pace, I'm transformed.
-
00:50:40
But when I try to speed
up what God wants to do,
-
00:50:43
I'm being conformed.
Three Mile an Hour God.
-
00:50:46
This is the path
to abundant life.
-
00:50:48
And why this is important
is because of this,
-
00:50:51
the third thing, the third
trait of transformers is this,
-
00:50:53
conform or settle
for a smaller story,
-
00:50:57
but Transformers
live a greater story.
-
00:51:01
You were created
to live a greater story.
-
00:51:03
We sung about it today.
-
00:51:05
You were made for more, friend.
-
00:51:07
You were made for more.
You're made for more.
-
00:51:11
You may have seen this before.
-
00:51:13
This is a common understanding
of how many movie arcs go,
-
00:51:17
how many story arcs go.
-
00:51:18
Joseph Campbell
wrote a book about this
-
00:51:20
called Hero of a Thousand Faces.
-
00:51:21
It's the Hero's journey.
-
00:51:22
And here's what I believe.
I know this to be true.
-
00:51:25
All of us, every last one of us,
the way that it works
-
00:51:27
in your relationship with God,
the way that it works
-
00:51:29
if you haven't chosen
a relationship with God,
-
00:51:31
is that there is a
call on the table.
-
00:51:34
God is calling you.
-
00:51:35
Remember what I said earlier,
-
00:51:36
God has world changing
callings in this room.
-
00:51:39
God has world changing callings
-
00:51:41
of people who are
watching right now.
-
00:51:42
You have a choice though.
-
00:51:44
Will you accept the calling
and all that comes with it?
-
00:51:50
Because that's the
path of transformation.
-
00:51:52
That's the path
of a better story.
-
00:51:55
Or will you reject the call,
choose confirmation
-
00:51:59
and live a lesser story?
-
00:52:02
Think about the movies you love.
-
00:52:04
Think about a movie
-
00:52:06
that you could watch
over and over again,
-
00:52:07
or think about a movie
that moved your heart.
-
00:52:10
In every one of those stories,
there is a hero
-
00:52:14
who is invited into
a call for adventure,
-
00:52:17
and they have a choice to make:
-
00:52:19
will they accept it
or will they reject it?
-
00:52:21
I'm going to give you a
couple examples of this.
-
00:52:23
My kids know it's required
reading and watching
-
00:52:26
in my house,
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
-
00:52:28
I just love it. Love it.
-
00:52:30
The Hobbit is us, man.
-
00:52:31
We are like Bilbo Baggins
-
00:52:32
and I love that
story for that reason.
-
00:52:34
What do you have in The Hobbit?
-
00:52:36
You have a timid
hobbit who likes comfort.
-
00:52:38
Can I get an amen, somebody?
-
00:52:39
Anybody like that? Right? Right.
-
00:52:41
A timid hobbit
who likes comfort,
-
00:52:42
who Gandalf the wizard
calls to a greater adventure,
-
00:52:46
"Come help the dwarves
regain their homeland
-
00:52:50
by defeating the dragon Smaug."
Right?
-
00:52:52
And Bilbo doesn't want
to answer the call at first,
-
00:52:55
but he steps into the adventure
-
00:52:57
and we see him
grow in cleverness.
-
00:52:59
We see him grow in courage.
-
00:53:01
We see him being
one of the reasons why
-
00:53:03
the dwarves are able
to defeat the dragon,
-
00:53:05
get the Arkenstone and
restore their home. Why?
-
00:53:08
What happens though, if
Bilbo doesn't accept that call?
-
00:53:12
If he doesn't accept that,
call his friends, the dwarves
-
00:53:14
do not restore their
homeland and chaos ensues.
-
00:53:18
Bilbo accepted the call.
-
00:53:20
He allowed himself
to be transformed.
-
00:53:22
This whole story is about
him being transformed,
-
00:53:24
and because of that,
he lived a greater story.
-
00:53:27
Give you another example,
I love Moana.
-
00:53:30
I love both Moanas.
-
00:53:31
They're both awesome,
awesome movies, right?
-
00:53:33
What do you have in Moana?
-
00:53:35
You have a character
who is a daughter of a chief
-
00:53:39
that doesn't want
anybody to go into the sea,
-
00:53:42
and yet all in her is the
calling to go into the sea.
-
00:53:47
[singing] See the line
where the sky meets the sea,
-
00:53:49
it calls me, and no one
knows how far it goes.
-
00:53:57
If the wind in my sail on
the sea stays behind me,
-
00:54:01
one day I'll know
how far it goes.
-
00:54:06
I mean, it's awesome.
It's awesome.
-
00:54:09
[cheers & applause]
What a great story.
-
00:54:12
I did that because my daughter.
-
00:54:13
That would make me so
cool in my daughter's eyes.
-
00:54:16
That's why I did that just now.
-
00:54:17
No, but I love that movie.
-
00:54:19
What happens if she
doesn't accept the call
-
00:54:21
to return to Te Fiti heart,
to Te Fiti?
-
00:54:24
If she doesn't, then her
island doesn't get rescued,
-
00:54:27
she doesn't find her identity
and her people aren't saved.
-
00:54:31
But because she
answered the call,
-
00:54:33
she got a second
movie from Disney.
-
00:54:34
That's a big deal. [laughter]
-
00:54:36
It's a big freaking deal, right?
-
00:54:38
No. It's great.
I love, love Moana.
-
00:54:40
And I love when we see
this happen in real life.
-
00:54:43
Because these aren't
just make believe stories,
-
00:54:45
this is real life.
-
00:54:46
So one of the movies
that is on my list,
-
00:54:48
I haven't watched it yet,
but I'm going to,
-
00:54:50
it's my next one is a
movie called Unstoppable.
-
00:54:52
Anybody seen that, Unstoppable?
-
00:54:54
Man, I hear so many
good things about this.
-
00:54:56
Anthony Robles was a wrestler
-
00:54:58
who was born
without a right leg,
-
00:55:01
but he decides to compete
in collegiate wrestling,
-
00:55:04
and he winds up becoming
-
00:55:05
a Division 1 NCAA
wrestling champion.
-
00:55:08
What a story.
-
00:55:10
You know what,
I bet you a million people
-
00:55:13
told him to choose
a lesser story.
-
00:55:16
He probably had parents who,
because they loved him
-
00:55:18
and didn't want his
feelings to get hurt, said,
-
00:55:20
"You shouldn't do this.
You only have one leg."
-
00:55:23
He might have had
physicians that said to him,
-
00:55:25
"You shouldn't do this."
-
00:55:27
I'm sure there were coaches
and other people who said,
-
00:55:29
"Why am I going to
spend time on you?
-
00:55:31
You're limited.
You can't do this."
-
00:55:33
I'm so glad he didn't
listen to those people
-
00:55:35
and he chose to
live a greater story.
-
00:55:37
He's transformed, I'm sure,
in the midst of his journey.
-
00:55:40
I'm sure it has suffering.
-
00:55:42
I'm sure it has difficulty,
but it also has triumph.
-
00:55:45
It also has triumph.
-
00:55:47
And because he
chose not to conform
-
00:55:50
to what people said
were his limitations,
-
00:55:52
but to be transformed
into a champion,
-
00:55:54
millions are now
inspired by his story.
-
00:55:58
Friends, this is real life.
This is real life.
-
00:56:01
Give you one more,
Gertrude Ederle.
-
00:56:03
Anybody seen the movie
Young Woman and the Sea?
-
00:56:06
Oh my goodness,
you need to watch this movie.
-
00:56:07
Young woman and the Sea.
-
00:56:09
This was a woman who was
determined to break a barrier.
-
00:56:12
In the time that she was
doing this it was thought
-
00:56:15
that a woman could not swim
the entire English Channel.
-
00:56:18
It had never been
done by a woman.
-
00:56:20
Not only does she swim
the English Channel,
-
00:56:22
she sets a record in
swimming the English Channel
-
00:56:25
and opens up the door
for so many other women.
-
00:56:28
I love when people
step into the story
-
00:56:31
and there's something about
these movies that move us.
-
00:56:33
You know what it is?
-
00:56:34
You know why those
movies move you?
-
00:56:36
You know why it wakes you up?
-
00:56:38
Because you were created
to live a greater story.
-
00:56:42
You were not created for a
settling story, a small story.
-
00:56:47
You weren't made
to be tending a grave.
-
00:56:49
You've been called by name,
-
00:56:51
born and raised
back to life again.
-
00:56:54
You were made for more.
You were made for more.
-
00:57:01
How do you live a greater story,
though?
-
00:57:03
Be transformed by the
renewing of your mind.
-
00:57:08
Not one time, but as a practice.
-
00:57:11
You know what we're
doing with this Digital Reset?
-
00:57:14
We're practicing.
We're practicing.
-
00:57:16
I'm talking about practice, man.
-
00:57:17
That'll never get old.
-
00:57:19
And if you know, you know.
Right?
-
00:57:20
I'm talking about practice.
-
00:57:21
It's an opportunity
for us to practice
-
00:57:23
in one area of our life the
kind of spiritual principles
-
00:57:26
that make us great in
many other areas of our lives.
-
00:57:29
How is your mind renewed?
-
00:57:30
Paul talks about that
over and over again
-
00:57:32
by the renewing of your mind.
-
00:57:33
Your mind is renewed when
you tap into a different power,
-
00:57:36
when you do different things,
-
00:57:38
and when you do it
with different people.
-
00:57:41
What we get to do over
these 40 days is tap into
-
00:57:45
the power of God's
very Holy Spirit.
-
00:57:47
When you fast,
you're opening yourself
-
00:57:50
and accessing the
power of the Spirit of God
-
00:57:53
to help you do something that
you couldn't do on your own.
-
00:57:56
The Bible says
that the same Spirit
-
00:57:58
that raised Jesus from
the dead lives in you.
-
00:58:01
If you're a follower of Jesus,
the same Spirit.
-
00:58:04
And that's the Spirit
we're tapping into.
-
00:58:05
And because we're
tapping into that Spirit,
-
00:58:07
we're going to
do different things.
-
00:58:09
We're going to
reevaluate our relationship
-
00:58:10
with our devices.
-
00:58:11
We're going to do
some things different
-
00:58:13
than what we would normally do.
-
00:58:14
And here's the thing.
We're going to do it together.
-
00:58:16
You don't have to do it alone,
-
00:58:18
but we get to be a team in this.
-
00:58:20
Here's what I want
to promise you.
-
00:58:22
I promise you this reset
will renew your mind.
-
00:58:25
I promise you it will
renew your mind.
-
00:58:28
And I promise you this reset
-
00:58:30
will have profound
spiritual benefits.
-
00:58:33
You'll hear the voice of God
-
00:58:34
in a way that you
haven't before.
-
00:58:37
You'll be able to understand
how to be peaceful
-
00:58:41
in the midst of the
chaos and the distraction
-
00:58:43
that we all live in,
all the time.
-
00:58:45
You're going to
learn some things.
-
00:58:46
You're going to have different,
and I believe,
-
00:58:49
better relationships with
the people closest to you
-
00:58:51
if you step in and do this.
-
00:58:53
So how do you step in?
You commit.
-
00:58:57
How do you do this? You commit.
-
00:58:58
If you listen to this and
say this is interesting,
-
00:59:01
you will not be transformed.
-
00:59:04
If you leave here and don't
make a decision to do this
-
00:59:07
in a way that works for you,
but to do something,
-
00:59:09
you will not be transformed.
-
00:59:11
There's a saying in recovery.
-
00:59:12
It says,
"It works if you work it."
-
00:59:15
This is only going
to work if you work it.
-
00:59:17
This is only going to work
if you step in and do it.
-
00:59:19
You know what, you
commit in a time where people
-
00:59:22
are losing the ability
to commit to anything,
-
00:59:25
you choose to be a committer.
-
00:59:26
Who's willing to be a committer?
-
00:59:28
Who's willing to go against
the cultural norm right now?
-
00:59:32
The cultural norm right
now is to not commit.
-
00:59:35
Let me just give you
some statistics on this.
-
00:59:37
I'm hearing that millennials,
the research says
-
00:59:39
millennials are choosing
domestic partnerships
-
00:59:42
over marriage. You know why?
-
00:59:44
Because the domestic
partnership is a contract
-
00:59:46
you can get out of
when things get tough.
-
00:59:48
But marriage is a covenant
that you commit to for life.
-
00:59:51
And so people are
committing less to marriages.
-
00:59:54
There's decreased
church attendance.
-
00:59:56
There's actually decreased
membership in anything.
-
00:59:58
Here's one that really
got under my goat.
-
01:00:00
One of the principles I have
as a parent and with my kids,
-
01:00:03
if you try a sport
and don't like it,
-
01:00:05
you're going to
finish the season.
-
01:00:07
You're not going
to quit mid-season.
-
01:00:08
Well, more and more kids
are having the permission
-
01:00:11
to quit mid-season now.
-
01:00:13
Man, that is not good for
-
01:00:14
the character
development of these kids.
-
01:00:16
Locally, how about this,
the Flying Pig Marathon,
-
01:00:19
there are fewer people
committing to run the marathon
-
01:00:22
or the half marathon or the 10K,
or the 5K.
-
01:00:26
Commitment is an issue.
And you know what?
-
01:00:28
It's happening around
here at Crossroads too.
-
01:00:31
It's harder and harder to get
people to commit to volunteer,
-
01:00:34
to go on trips that
can be transformative,
-
01:00:36
to go to camps, get off the grid
-
01:00:38
and connect with God and
people in a different way.
-
01:00:41
It is harder and harder to get
people to do things around here,
-
01:00:44
and we would like
to reverse that trend.
-
01:00:47
Would you like to
reverse that trend?
-
01:00:48
Would you like to be a
church of committers?
-
01:00:50
I believe we're
better than that.
-
01:00:53
Here's the thing,
17,000 of you to date
-
01:00:56
have gone to
Crossroads.net/unplugged.
-
01:00:58
You've checked out the website,
-
01:01:00
you've maybe even
considered signing up.
-
01:01:02
Only 2500 of you have signed up,
-
01:01:05
17,000 visited, 2500 signed up.
-
01:01:09
What do you say we
close that gap right now?
-
01:01:11
Right now I want you
to take out your phone.
-
01:01:13
We have a QR code that
comes up on the screen
-
01:01:16
and we are going to commit.
-
01:01:18
We're going to commit together.
-
01:01:21
So I want to walk
you through this.
-
01:01:22
I want you to just go get
that up on your phone.
-
01:01:25
And when you get there,
you're going to see a place,
-
01:01:27
I think we're going
to show it right here.
-
01:01:29
You'll see it says,
"What is the Digital Reset?"
-
01:01:31
Kind of explains the dates.
-
01:01:32
And then there's the button.
Sign up now.
-
01:01:34
I want you to click that button.
-
01:01:36
And then what I want
you to do is put your name.
-
01:01:38
Hopefully that part is easy.
-
01:01:40
First name should be easy.
-
01:01:42
Last name should
also be very easy.
-
01:01:46
Email should be easy.
-
01:01:48
And then there's a box.
-
01:01:50
Let me give you a
couple minutes even now
-
01:01:52
just to think about what do
you want to put in that box?
-
01:01:54
What are you going
to specifically fast from?
-
01:01:56
Because here's the thing, you
want to do what works for you,
-
01:01:59
but make sure it's
something that stretches you.
-
01:02:02
Don't take the easy way out.
-
01:02:03
Let me read to you
what I put in that box.
-
01:02:05
I said: my fast is I'm going to
make my smart phone dumb.
-
01:02:08
I'm going to limit TV
to only what I watch
-
01:02:10
with family or in community.
-
01:02:12
I'm going to set personal
and family goals around
-
01:02:15
how much screen time we will
redeem each week of the fast.
-
01:02:17
I'm going to use that Aro app
that maybe you've heard about.
-
01:02:19
That's what I'm going to do.
-
01:02:21
So I want you to just
think about that right now.
-
01:02:23
Now for some of you,
you've had time,
-
01:02:24
you've been thinking about this.
-
01:02:25
Go ahead and fill it out.
Hit commit.
-
01:02:27
For others of you,
maybe just put one thing,
-
01:02:29
one thing you're
going to commit to,
-
01:02:31
and then you get time
to figure the rest out.
-
01:02:32
You got till Wednesday
before this starts.
-
01:02:35
Maybe you're brand new today,
but you want to jump in.
-
01:02:39
I love that.
-
01:02:40
And maybe right now you're like,
"Hey,
-
01:02:42
I really need some
time to think about this."
-
01:02:44
But if you want
to say you're in,
-
01:02:45
I just want you in that,
again, in that blank spot,
-
01:02:48
just to put the words I'm in,
I'm in.
-
01:02:51
And I want you to hit submit.
-
01:02:53
Let's be committers.
-
01:02:54
Let's do this together.
-
01:02:56
We've got some
tools to help you win.
-
01:02:57
We've talked about those
at the top of the service,
-
01:03:00
but just as a reminder, we've
got our app, the Crossroads app
-
01:03:03
that's going to be providing
daily prayer prompts for you,
-
01:03:06
opportunities to
kind of guide you
-
01:03:07
to connect with
God in unique ways.
-
01:03:09
And we've got the Aro app.
-
01:03:11
It cost money, but you can
access it for free during this.
-
01:03:14
And I'm really excited about
coming on Monday nights
-
01:03:16
and praying with you guys.
-
01:03:18
Are you excited about that?
-
01:03:19
I'm really excited to
see what God does, man.
-
01:03:22
We want to see change,
transformation,
-
01:03:24
not just the personal level,
but at the societal level.
-
01:03:26
What an amazing
opportunity we have
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to come together and to pray.
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01:03:32
Here's what awaits
you on the other side
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as you're clicking those
buttons and committing.
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Paul's final words in
Romans is this. He says:
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I really believe this is one
of those inflection moments.
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This is so countercultural.
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This is so different.
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And I think because of that,
it's really special.
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You step into this, I think
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you're going to be
different on the other side.
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01:04:03
You step into this, I think
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you're going to be
better on the other side.
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01:04:06
I think you'll have some clarity
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that is desperately needed.
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I think you're going to
have some spiritual power
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that you don't have right now.
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01:04:13
I think you're
going to have joy.
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01:04:16
And so I just want to invite you
to step in to this opportunity.
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Because doing this
is you saying to Jesus,
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"Jesus, I want You.
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I want You more
than being distracted.
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I want You more
than numbing out.
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I want You more
than always being on.
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01:04:36
I want You more than
instant gratification."
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And here's what I know,
Jesus wants you.
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He wants to be with you in this.
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He wants to
strengthen you in this.
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He wants to
transform you in this.
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And I know this about Jesus.
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The Bible says if you seek Him,
you will find Him
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because Jesus goes
where He's wanted.
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01:07:49
- This is the last time
we'll get to be together
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in a gathering like
this before we start.
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We'll be together next weekend.
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Kyle is going to
be talking about
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what does it look like
for us to Marie Kondo
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our digital life,
and really walk this out?
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But I just want if you are if
you are committing to this,
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I'm committing to this,
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I just want you to put
your hands out like this.
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And I just want to pray
a blessing over you.
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This isn't going to be easy, but
man, it's going to be so good.
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So, God,
I just want to bless my family,
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my brothers, my sisters,
people who are here,
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people who are watching at home,
watching online.
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I want to bless them
as they step into this.
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This is so countercultural, God.
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And God,
there's probably going to be
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between now and Wednesday
something that causes them
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to say, "Umm, maybe not,"
but God, can You meet us
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in that moment of
doubt with Your strength?
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Maybe that will be,
for some of us, the first
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of many times that we
hear Your gentle voice
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calling us to live
a greater story.
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God, would You give us
the strength to walk this out?
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Would you give us delight
and joy in what we learn
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and what we find?
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Would you help us to find
encouragement along the way?
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And God, would you do
something in and through
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this digital fast that doesn't
just change us for 40 days,
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but changes us for a lifetime.
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So God,
we believe that You are good
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and that this is
a gift from You.
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With open hands we receive
it and we walk out of here
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confident and connected
to You and to each other
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to walk this out in faith.
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So I pray this in Jesus's name.
Amen and amen.
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God bless you guys. [applause]
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We're in this together.
We are in this together.
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- Man, so that is so, so good.
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This is a challenge that's
not for somebody else.
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This challenge is for me.
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Everything Chuck shared with us,
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everything that we've
been preparing for
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over the last number of weeks
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is to set us up for
what starts this week.
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To go into this Digital Reset,
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to go into this digital
fast is not just about
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removing distraction
from our life.
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It's about putting
something more valuable
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and more worthwhile
in its place.
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And again,
this could impact the trajectory
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of your family,
of your relationships,
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of your spiritual, emotional,
relational health.
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And so I want to show up well
for my kids and for my wife.
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I'm going to be leaning in,
leaning in hard
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over this entire period of Lent
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as we hit the Digital Reset.
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There's going to be
a number of things
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that we want to also
add in as a replacement
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for the time and the space
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that we're separating
from our phones.
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One of those could
be using the Aro app.
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It normally costs money,
but we're giving away free
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to everyone in the community.
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You can get that at
crossroads.net/Unplug.
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But for the duration
from March 5th
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all the way through April 17th,
we're going to have
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special things in the
Crossroads Anywhere App,
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special reflections
and scripture readings.
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We're also going to be having
Monday night prayer meetings.
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This is not just a time for
us to sit and receive prayer.
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This is time for us to
lean in and say, "God,
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if You go where you're wanted,
I want to let You know
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that I want You to
show up right here."
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We'll be doing those
at all of our sites
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and online for
Crossroads Anywhere.
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So I just want to encourage you,
this is your time.
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This could change the way
your relationships play out
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for years and decades to come.
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Don't miss this chance.
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Go to crossroads.net/unplug
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and sign up for the
Digital Reset right now.
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Thanks so much for joining us.
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We'll see you next week.