Giving Your Life Away | The Grain That Dies

Our teaching scripture this morning comes from John chapter

John 12:20–26

12 verses 20 to 26. The Scripture says Now among

those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks,

and they came to Philip who was from beside in Galilee, and said

to him, Sir, we wish to see Jesus.

And Philip went and told Andrew. And then Andrew and Philip went

and told Jesus, and Jesus answered them, The hour has come

for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the

earth and dies, it remains just a single grain.

But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their

life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am there will my

servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father

will honor. This is the word of the Lord.

More than once I've done funerals and I've been listed

like in the. Obituary as Reverend.

Which is just hilarious to me because that's.

This is not. Really like, you know what we

do? We had a great.

Weekend of meetings with some of our leaders in this.

Church, we gathered. Our elders and our board and our

leadership team and our central. Community leaders.

Together for the weekend and. So for those who were with us.

Friday and Saturday. You are surely exhausted.

Of hearing from me. So apologies to to those of you

who have to. Endure that again.

But in the late 19th and early 20th century, America was

drinking itself. To pieces whiskey was cheaper

than. Milk and addiction consistently.

Hollowed out. Homes violence against women and

children was incredibly prevalent.

As a result of that. Situation many women were.

Left in poverty. Because their.

Husbands drank away every. Cent and by the late 1800s,

Americans were consuming, on average, around 7 gallons of.

Pure alcohol a year. Per person.

So just to put. That in perspective.

That is the. Equivalent of almost 12. 100

pints of five. Percent ABV beer per person per

year. That's how much, how much

alcohol Americans were drinking around the turn of the 20th

century. The American temperance movement

of that. Period rose up as.

Sort of a response. To that.

Widespread devastation and. At its best.

It came from. Place of deep.

Compassion especially. Among women whose families had

been scarred by that kind of widespread addiction, they.

Prayed and they. Organized and they.

Spoke with tremendous moral courage and their.

Their cry was. Authentic and the need was

profound, but something. Happened, as it often does when

people sort of organize. And take action.

Over time, something shifted, and so this movement hardened

into nothing more than a. Cultural Crusade.

And so. Groups like the Anti.

Saloon League, which was. Headquartered here in

Westerville, OH, fascinatingly enough.

The Westerville public. Library has a phenomenal sort

of. Trove of like.

Print materials from this period of time.

So I think I have one of the yeah, like this kind of stuff.

So if you. Ever want to see some of that?

Like Westerville was the heart of sort of.

Temperance propaganda around the turn of the century, which I

think is. Just fascinating.

And so salons in in Westerville. And Columbus were actually.

Dynamited and America. You know it was.

Sort of nearing the end of the prohibition area in the 30s.

And what? We saw was that.

The actual. Impact of the movement.

Was mixed at best, and so the. Problem wasn't that.

The the issue wasn't real, the issue was.

Real the problem. Was sort of zeal.

Coming out of people. Without.

Being in sort of an abiding, fully formed place.

For their social action. We're moving.

Through this short series. On the spiritual journey and

we're just looking at some of the main movements in a life.

With God. So like what?

What does a? Person's life kind of look.

Like as it unfolds, living a life toward God.

And trying to follow the way of. Jesus and so Jared.

Let us off. Kind of.

Framing up the series. We looked.

Two weeks ago at. What the human life?

Before. Christ might kind of.

Look like we we. Talked about Romans 7 and how

our. Will is.

Divided and we just. Find ourselves to sort of be

untrustworthy. Sources of of motivation.

Last week, Thomas taught. So well through acts. 18 and 19

and the Story of Apollo's and. Asking what it looks like to.

Begin getting your. Life together as you start to.

Live a life toward God to order your life.

Around the invitations of God in community.

With other. People and so today we're in the

3rd and final movement of. That series we're going to.

Talk about what does it mean to come to a place of giving your

life away? At the outset of this.

You know, we just kind of acknowledged like in A room.

Like this? This room is.

Full of people who some of us are.

Just in a place. Where?

We, we, we need something we're just experiencing like I need.

Other people. I need, you know, some

visibility in my life. Maybe I have.

Some messes to clean up whatever it might be and then.

Other people are sort of in a place where it's like.

I I think I have a. Lot to give away.

I think I'm actually here with with just a lot.

To give. And I would say most of.

Us probably find ourselves. Somewhere in between.

But the truth is that. This.

Temptation is alive today. To sort of move.

Toward action to move toward giving our.

Lives away. But not doing it from a.

Deeply rooted and fully. Formed place and.

It's it's always easier. To do than to become to become a

certain kind of person requires a certain amount of honesty.

With ourselves. Doing and sort of pushing out

into the world. It doesn't require much

introspection. It doesn't.

Require much. Wrestling with the hard.

Questions about our lives and grappling with the.

Reality of what is so for us. The questions that we have in

community, the questions that we have.

Before God, the. Questions that we have.

About the story of the. Scriptures.

And how that would inform our lives.

And you know it's. Easy for us to say.

Sure. Read your Bible.

Say your prayers. But then get out there and do

the real. Work that's a popular.

Framing across the board in the church today you know whether.

It's in communities. That sort of heavily influence,

heavily emphasize. Evangelism and sharing your

faith. Or churches that put a.

High value on. Sort of social justice.

And action in the community, whatever it might be.

We can, sort of. Slip into this frame that says.

You know, prayer scripture. Community, those things are.

Good. But what really matters is.

What we're doing and. I hope that throughout.

This series and really throughout the next.

Year as we. Frame some of our teaching

around this. Idea of the spiritual journey

that we can. Kind of wrap our.

Arms around a a. Full picture of what it looks

like. To not just be deeply formed in

what God's doing in our individual.

Lives or in our life as a congregation, but to also.

Receive that work. In a way that.

Would just be like jet fuel for our.

Work in the community for our work as a neighborhood.

Church to. You know to to.

Seek out. Those who?

Who just need a real tangible presence of the.

Love of God. In their lives and so the.

Danger to leapfrog over. The inner.

Work and go straight into the. Outer work is real.

And when we. Carry our unhealed.

Wounds and our. Restless egos.

And our unresolved anger into. The work of justice.

We risk burning out. We risk turning brittle.

We even risk. Sort of.

Reproducing the same patterns of of domination that we're trying

to resist in the world the temperance movement was a

response to. A real problem that moved very

quickly toward action. And it was completely sort of

undermined by the under formation and and the lack of

understanding of the real condition of the human.

Soul and it. Failed to be informed.

By a posture of. Sustainability and growth and

patience that would see change. Worked out over the.

Long haul. That would be.

Sustainable and helpful. For people.

For for the rest of their lives. And so we all know how tempting

this is. Because action.

Looks. Like progress, it looks

productive. When we're doing things out in

the world that people can see and we're able to point to that

and see. Look at all.

The good work, that. We've done and it.

Is good work, but. Becoming and letting God.

Reshape. Us from the inside.

Out is harder. It's harder, but.

Last week, Thomas used the. Picture of the church as a

hearth. And so when we do that internal.

Work. We're able to let the fire.

Burn hot and that's something that can have real long lasting

sustainable impact out in the world.

Around us, as we. Carry the the generous love of

God. To the people in our.

Lives. We are able to.

See that? We can be sustained.

By a formational practice. Of knowing.

The presence of God. Day in and day out.

So if our lives never. Go through that deeper.

Surrender even our. Justice, even our activism.

Even our sharing our. Faith is really just.

Sort of a seed. That sits on top.

Of the soil it's. Full of potential, but it never

gets buried down deep into the environment that it needs.

To to sort of flourish. And that's where Jesus meets us

in John 12. So some.

Greeks approach. Philip And they say we want to

see Jesus, and this is no small thing.

So at this. Point in John's gospel, we're

starting to turn our attention to the cross.

We're moving toward the passion and so.

Up to this point. Jesus ministry has been almost

entirely within. Israel to the Jews.

And what we're seeing is. Is this steady trickle?

Of the nations coming to. Jesus just days before his

arrest. Representatives of the nations

are coming to him, that's what. This sort of symbolizes.

That's why it's important that these folks.

Were Greeks because we start to. See the messages of Jesus.

Pushing out the boundaries even as he.

Starts to head to the cross so we.

See this point where the world begins pressing in to see the

one that. Israel's scriptures promised.

It's this. Hinge in John's story up until

now, when questioned about this point that's coming, Jesus

consistently will say my hour has not yet come.

It's a common refrain in John's Gospel, but now when the.

World arrives before Jesus. We.

Hear the Hour has. Come for the Son of Man to be.

Glorified. For the first time in John's

Gospel and so. How will that glory be revealed?

We get a story about a seed. In in pure Jesus fashion because

when he's questioned about what the Kingdom of God.

Looks like that's what we get. We get stories about a lost.

Coin. We get stories about yeast.

Working its. Way through the dough we get

stories about. A parent, A child.

Returning to their parents love and so this is not a miracle.

To impress the Greeks. It's not a fiery sermon to.

Rally the crowds. Jesus points to his death in

this moment. This is how the nations will be

drawn in what's being demonstrated in.

This text. Is how God?

'S love will embrace. The whole world.

Through surrender, through sacrifice, like a seed being

buried in the ground. So that's the context for what's

happening here in. Israel's scriptures saying.

Of seeds and fruitfulness we see in the Psalms.

That. Those who sow in.

Tears shall reap with joy. The prophet Isaiah writes about

the. Suffering servant, who will be?

Buried, but fruitfulness comes in almost unimaginable

proportions. Due to this.

Suffering and. Sacrifice of the servant.

So Jesus is. Gathering that.

Whole. Story.

Into himself. In this moment, he's defining

glory. Not as power.

Or visibility. Or control but.

Surrender and so the. Glory of a seed buried.

Into the ground. Is where we start.

Thinking about. What it looks like to give our

lives away, Jesus says. Very truly, I tell.

You unless a. Grain of wheat falls into the

earth and dies. It remains just a single grain.

But if it dies. It bears.

Much fruit and so we know if you cling to a seed.

Or if. You eat it.

You. Might get something.

For today. For a moment, but it never

multiplies. And when the seed is surrendered

and it's. Buried.

And it's lost from our sight. Like gardeners understand this.

That planting a seed is is like an act of faith.

Because you just sort. Of cover.

This thing up in the soil. And have trust that.

Somehow a little plant is going to eventually pop up.

What a tremendous miracle Jesus is saying that our lives.

Work like that. If we.

Cling to our lives. If we sort of.

Hold them out of. The.

Soil of formation. To we.

Cling to our comfort. We cling.

To our ego. We cling to some form of

recognition, or just sort of. Frantic.

Action out in the. World, our lives remain.

Small. Like what God is?

Doing in US and through US remains small.

If we. Cling to the.

Seed, or if we eat the seed and if we bury.

Them in the love. Of God if we bury our lives in

the love of God. Surrendered into the hands.

Of Jesus. What God will do?

In US becomes fruitful beyond what we could possibly imagine.

This is what? Ronald Ruehlhiser calls the.

Past passage into generative discipleship.

In his book. Sacred fire that we've.

Sort of taken some of this framework from.

In the. Early stages of our faith.

We are. We're we're.

Meeting. Jesus for the first.

Time we're getting our. Lives together.

We're learning to pray. We're learning to just make.

Basic choices about how how we would live.

Our lives and finding community but the mark.

Of maturity isn't fully. Exhausted by this?

Question Who am I becoming becoming as foundational to all

of this? But eventually we begin to ask

the question, for whom am I giving my?

Life away, Bob Dylan. Once gave.

Voice to this Great. Mystery in his song I dreamed I

saw Saint Augustine on the the the.

Sleepy. Great record.

John Wesley Harding So. If you're looking.

For a good Dylan record that maybe you haven't.

Spent much time with. It's it's, it's phenomenal.

It's one of my favorites. So he sings this song in in the

late. 60s where he sees. Himself sort of wrestling with.

Fame and disillusionment and the search for something deeper.

And in this dream that he sings about in the song I, I dreamed I

saw Saint Augustine, the Saint who spent years chasing ambition

and. Pleasure before discovering

that. His heart was restless.

Until it found rest in God. Appears to Dylan like.

Radiant and unsettling and. We we hear the.

Line with a blanket underneath his arm and a.

Coat of solid gold. Augustine sort of like.

Roams the earth calling. People to a radical.

Kind of devotion to something. Deeper than themselves.

His life. Fully turned toward God becomes

this kind of. Vision that draws.

Us in and is sort of unsettling to.

Us because a life. That is fully surrendered.

To the purposes of God exposes all the places where we are

still. Clinging.

I don't. Know if you experienced.

That a little bit. But when I hear stories.

Of tremendous faith. They're helpful and inspiring to

me, but at the same time. They sort of expose.

My own attachments. And so Dylan sings this song

that. Portrays this.

Haunting vision of of Augustine wandering.

The earth and calling. People to surrender and calling

people to humility. And the people in the song take

his life. And Dylan confesses in the song,

I was among the ones who put him out to death.

Isn't that often the case? The idea of.

Truly. Giving our.

Lives away, sort of. Unsettles us and makes us want

to just snuff out the thing that's making us feel the

discomfort. It confronts our comfort and it

names. The places where we.

Cling to things instead of letting go.

And so I think that's what Jesus is pointing to here, that the

grain must die. There is no shortcut in

fruitfulness to putting the seed in the ground and covering it

up. In the dark.

The shift only happens through the surrender of the things.

That we hold the closest to us that God would have us give

over. To him.

And then Jesus continues to sharpen this image that he's

using and he says. Those who?

Love their life. Lose it.

And those who hate. Their life in this world will

keep it for eternal life. And I want to be clear, this is

not about despising life. It's not about it's it's, it's

not about some kind. Of like, you know?

Weird like, masochistic like. It's it's not that.

It's not that at all. It's about not clinging the

more. Tightly.

That we sort of. Treasure the.

Things that we think make up our lives, the more tightly we cling

to certain comforts, certain habits.

Or the more we resist. Asking hard questions about.

What's real for us? The more we protect ourselves

from painful. Truths.

The more quickly life slips through our fingers.

But when we release. Our lives into God's.

Hands when we sort of. Make ourselves vulnerable to the

presence of God. We make ourselves vulnerable.

To the body of Christ. And community.

What we discover is real life. Is in that place and so.

This is where we. Just need to be honest about our

cultural moment. We're surrounded by examples of

what happens when when zeal and pain and anger.

Go unhealed and unresolved. We are surrounded by a.

Moment by institutions that have no imagination for this kind of.

Deep work. Of having a life.

That's deeply rooted. In something and so when people.

Lash out. Because of unhealed passions.

The fruit. Of that is violence and

polarization and destruction, and so the headlines of the

last. Couple of weeks.

Have been heavy, multiple school shootings as kids return to

class and the assassination. Of Charlie Kirk, and I know

that. There are people who deeply

appreciated his work. And I know that.

Many people I know also thought much of what he did was in poor.

Taste. But whether it's children?

Losing their lives in the. Classroom or a public?

Figure. Cut down in violence in front

of. All of our eyes.

These tragedies reveal something deeper going on in US than

politics. They show us what?

Happens when zeal and pain and emptiness go unhealed and.

When people lash out. Without the.

Deeper work of surrender. The fruit is always destructive.

It's always destructive it. Doesn't matter the starting

place and so. Pastor, Really I.

Just want to name what I know many.

Are feeling for for. Those of us.

Who are shaken and disoriented by the kind of violence.

That we are just. Observing on a regular basis in

the world around us. You.

Are not alone in feeling the heaviness of that, and you're

welcome to bring the heaviness of that into into this space

into the. Spaces that we are, are.

Creating. And for those who.

Feel. More or less connected.

To particular names or events, I just want to challenge you to

not. Shrug.

Any of it. Off because there's a

temptation. To sort of silo ourselves.

Into into certain. Portions of.

The public discourse of. The the.

Consideration of what's going on in the world around us and.

I just hope that we can be a church.

Full of people. Who you know through the lens of

like the. Radically sacrificial life and.

Call of Jesus are able to look at all sorts of.

Brokenness in the world around us and name it for what it is

and not. Feel a temptation.

To sort of be magnetized toward one framing or another.

Of our public life does that. Sort of make sense?

It's a really different way. Of thinking than what's put on

display for us out in the world. And so I understand how how?

Challenging and how frustrating that might even sound.

But beneath all the slogans and. Tribal fights our culture.

Milieu is marked by a. Constant fire.

Of despondency. It's just this restless.

Emptiness that people are trying to fill with.

Outrage with ideological certainty.

Or with some kind of. Fiery rhetoric rhetoric.

And meanness that just shows up in the world.

In a. Way that is so.

Harsh and crass and all of these things.

Are sort of. Promising to give people life

and meaning as lonely people become.

More and more withdrawn. Into like their corners of how

they think. About the world every.

Camp offers its own version. Of.

Salvation, but the human soul is.

Never ever healed by. Hitching our wagon to 1

sociopolitical promise or another.

And so these things that we're seeing kind of unfold.

Around us are the ugliest manifestation of what?

Happens when the emptiness inside of us left unhealed

lashes. Out it's it's passion.

It's divorced from humility. It's energy with no.

Place to go, but. Destruction and.

So that's what we're. Talking about when we're talking

about the work of being deeply formed, of being buried in the.

Soil of the. Love of God is this idea that

how how these. Sort of Unhealed passions show

up in each. Of our lives.

Can be different depending on where we find ourselves in in

family or in the world or what. We think about politics, but at

the end. Of the.

Day it's the same energy, that kind of.

Animates all of it. Is this making sense?

OK. So that's why we're.

Talking about learning to. Give our lives away.

From the very center. Of the way that God is loving.

Us because if we're giving something into the world and

it's not coming from the white hot center of the.

Love of God that we're. Experiencing in our lives, we're

giving away something that nobody.

Needs or wants? Say that again if we.

If we, if we, if we are. If we are giving ourselves.

Away from anything other than the white hot center of the.

Love of God for us, we are. Giving something away that

nobody needs or wants. Jesus demonstrates a life that's

rooted. In the everlasting love.

Of God for us. It's it's given away.

Generously, it's a life. That's surrendered so that.

We could bear fruit. That lasts.

And so he concludes. This passage.

Saying whoever serves. Me must follow me, and where I

am there my servant. Will be also whoever.

Serves me the Father will honor and to serve.

Jesus is to follow. Him into surrender.

To be where he. Is.

And where is he? Always, always, always.

With the hurting. Always with the outsider.

Always on the path. Of costly.

Love one for another. Ronald Rehlheiser We call this

the the. Fire of maturity.

Not not flashy or frantic, but steady and hot and so.

It's a life. That's so deeply.

Rooted in God, that. It can be.

Poured out for others. Without being consumed, without

running out, without burning out.

There's a a great. Film French film of gods and men

about. These.

Trappist monks in Algeria. Kind of a modern.

Picture of this. This grain of wheat.

Life. And so it is in French.

So if you don't. Like, you know, reading.

Subtitles. Get over it because you should

watch this movie their. Daily rhythm was simple.

Prayer, tending the garden, caring for the sick.

You know this. Was like one of the only places

in this small town. Of, of of.

Almost exclusively Muslims. Where?

Medicine was coming in into this.

This place where they're. Living And so over time, these

monks just become woven into the.

Life of the village. That they're.

Living in and civil. War.

Erupts in Algeria, violence spread and extremist groups.

Begin targeting foreigners intentionally and the monks had

every opportunity to leave. They were encouraged.

To leave by their. Government, they were

encouraged. To leave by the church.

And some had opportunities to even.

Slip away quietly. But they continued.

To choose to stay. And what's important?

To see from their story. Is that their?

Decision was not sudden. Heroism it.

Wasn't a knee jerk reaction to what was taking place around

them. They didn't wake up one day and

decide to be martyrs. They had.

Already given their lives. Away years before this.

In prayer and in discernment and community.

And they had been buried like seeds in that village that they

were living in long before. Danger ever reached their door.

And so the. Film is.

Beautiful because you. See them wrestle through

discernment together. In real time about.

Do we stay? Do we go?

For what reason does God have us in this place and.

What we see is. That when this moment of testing

comes. They weren't.

Scrambling to decide. Who they were, they had already.

Been invited into this kind of. Life that's deeply.

Planted in the soil. Of the love of God.

But most of the time. Our costly availability does.

Not look that dramatic. And so I think it's important to

also center ourselves on examples that we can actually

hold onto it. Looks like a.

Parent choosing presence over ambition Your neighbor who?

Cares for their sick. Spouse day after day a friend

saying no to. Themselves so that.

They can say yes. To another.

These are hidden seeds and hidden.

Soil. That bear fruit over.

Time that. Lasts.

I think of one of my dearest friends who lost.

His mom this week to. Cancer.

She's only 60. 6 and her sickness.

Progressed really quickly. And what it's.

It's been tremendous to watch in friendship.

I've watched him step. Back from sort of the brink of a

really destructive season in his life and and regain his footing

and his faith in a. Beautiful way.

And then spend his final. Months with his mother.

In the most tender ways, sitting with her in the garden and

staying overnight to. Care for her.

And playing guitar. For her as her body failed.

And it cost him something. But because of the deep work

that he has. Allowed God to.

Do in him. Over the last few years of our

friendship. He was able to show up for her.

In love. And his presence became a

picture to me of. God's own love.

For us. And so if that's true in a

family, it's true in a church. This kind of costly.

Availability is not just an individual.

Call. It's the fire.

In the hearth of Central Vineyard Church last week, we

used that picture and I just. Think it's so helpful and this

week I want to say. That the fire that.

Burns in that. Hearth is costly availability.

One to another. Without that fire, the hearth

grows cold. And without it our.

Community. Becomes a place where.

There is little warmth or light or sustenance for others.

But if that fire burns hot, we have.

Something to give and so we need.

People who are. Willing to give?

Their lives away. In costly availability and so.

Here's just a little list. Of things that came to my mind

just off the top of my head. That like we're already.

Engaged in in some way. Because listen, we're talking

about. Community, we're talking about

formation, we're talking about doing the deep work, but.

We also have to keep in focus like.

We have. We have.

Some missional assignments from God and so this.

Work that we're doing is to even more faithfully.

Live into those assignments we need to engage.

The crisis. Of housing and homelessness in

Columbus to come alongside neighbors who are battling

addiction and cycles of brokenness to shelter and aid

the vulnerable, refugees, immigrants, those who are coming

to our city in deep need of welcome to take vision to.

Communities where the. Good news of Jesus needs to be

contextualized in a new way, even in our city, whether that's

through some kind of. Service or even through.

Planting churches. To to care.

For and support vulnerable women at.

At risk of exploitation like the.

Work of Sanctuary night to be near to kids who don't have the.

Support that they deserve through partnerships with.

Organizations like royal family. Kids.

To support and care and educate orphan kids.

In Cambodia through. The work that we are privileged

to do with Asia. 'S hope and and.

Ultimately as well to. Pray and to share.

Hope one with another. Here as a church.

To give in this. Context in our central

communities. Learning new modes of prayer

ministry. Learning to give.

Away what God is. Doing inside of us.

And address the very. Real.

Spiritual darkness that entwines.

Both our lives. And the systemic evils.

Of the world. Around us, that's what it means

for us to lean into. Costly availability as a church.

And so if that list. Sounded like a lot.

It was. Sort of meant to, because I'm

looking around and it's like there's not even that many

people in this room. But that's the work.

That's in front of us. And so for us.

To do that, like if if we were just to sort of lash out.

In zeal and inspiration, right now, we.

Wouldn't get very far and we'd get really.

Tired really fast. And so I'm going to invite the

worship team to come back up and just as we start to turn toward.

Prayer Ministry. I'm thinking about.

The way that. Some.

Of us in this. Room have become.

A little weary. Not because.

You've given too much, but maybe.

Because you've just. Overextended a little bit in the

wrong season? You've you've.

Tried to do the. Work, if we're honest, just

without first letting your life be buried deep in in the soil

of. The love of God.

And that's OK. I think God's making space.

For you to. Regain your footing.

There. Are some of us who feel like a

call? And a stirring toward whatever.

It is toward justice. Toward sharing your faith.

Toward giving yourself more. Fully to community.

And toward God's world. And you're excited, and you know

that you need deeper. Rooting I would invite.

You to come and receive prayer. And I know that there are some.

People in this room. Who have a lot.

Of great stuff. Going on in their.

Life and you are. Ready to?

Just surrender and recognize. That you.

Have a lot to. Give and the.

Invitation is to stop clinging. And let your life.

Fall into the soil. And be covered up.

And. Flourish so wherever you are.

That invitation is the same and Jared will have a couple of

things, but. Don't settle.

For something shallow. You know what?

We're what we're aiming at through this whole.

Series is to be able to. Just kind of.

Figure out like. OK, where am I on the map?

What might God be doing and how can I?

Just fully. Embrace that work so.

Come. Come and receive prayer.

Yeah, I just had a sense that there's some of you just like,

man, how do I get, how do I get the fire?

Like how do I get the? Fire inside of me.

And I just have a sense that some of you want the fire for

your own life, for your own life with God.

And here's the thing, you cannot start the fire.

God has to do that for you. It's an act of God's grace and

gift. And some of that happens when we

pray for each other. And so I would love to pray for

you if you're just like I. Can I get a little fire?

Inside of me, I would love to pray for you and just see what

God would give to you this morning.