Inside Out | André Harper & Jerry Harris

Where you go, how are you doing Crossing Church?

You doing all right. Oh, you can do better than that.

How are you doing? Crossing jerk.

Oh, so good to be in the house of the Lord with a people of the

Lord. I don't know how many of you

were here last night, but it was not.

It was incredible. Seeing this place completely

compact people standing there. No sir in this front section

here. Oh, it was, if you miss this

not, you got to wait next night of worship.

You need to have that experience because it was a, is an

incredible incredible experience.

I want to welcome all of our campuses.

We got a chance to have some of those campuses here.

Yes, at 48th Street, all of them represented last night, but we

welcome you today if you're inside online, think thankful

for you as well gods. Is doing incredible things at

and all the tribes, right? All the tribes at all the

locations tribes. We're excited about that.

And how many of you did an NCAA bracket?

Raise your hand if you did a bracket?

Yeah, a lot of hands up. So I was talking to my son Joey

and he said his small group was doing a bracket.

Yep. And so they've been doing that

and I have a three-year-old grandson.

Alex his One. And they decided to do it with

their three-year-old grandson, as well.

And so, how do you do a bracket if you're a three-year-old?

Well, what they would Mom, and Dad did, was came up with the

mascots of all the teams, and then just said, would you rather

have a blue devil or a pig, you know, or would you rather have

a, you know, and he picked his bracket based on mascots and

he's doing better than anybody else in this group better than

me and I'm in the group, you're in the group had a throwaway.

The whole thing. Yeah, so so I don't know how

you're doing with your bracket, but I can tell you what, the

series better has been incredible for a lot of people.

Yes. And I, you know, sometimes I'll

hear something when I'm out in the community and someone will

say, hey, it was great or, but I can't tell you how much of that

has saturated into all of our communities.

And I'm hearing that from the staff, that it's really.

I mean, the things that we're doing the challenges,

everything, You're really making a difference in the lives of

families and this week is no different under.

It's no different because in some ways it's because we're

talking about something that we've never talked about or

preached about before and it's a scientific and psychological

truth that explains what's going on in a person's brain from

birth to adolescence Essence and it's called synaptic pruning.

So you're going to learn about that today.

And I know it sounds kind of highbrow, you know, but it

really isn't and you're going to really appreciate what what you

hear today. And then we're going to be able

to apply that to God's word. But before we do that, you know,

I'm sharing the stage with my brother Andre and give it up for

Andre Harper up here that you Andre does.

He does the student. Here and does a lot of

leadership with the student Ministry Crossing wide at all of

our locations. And Alison, and I were

traveling, and we are on our way home and she paired the phone to

the radio and the in the car. And so, we're listening to her

play a playlist. And one song came on.

She started to cry and, you know, she was having an

emotional moment with that song and we talked about it

afterwards and she goes, you know, last time I remember, Over

here, in that song, I was in Jamaica and it was a quite a

while ago. And she goes, I was on top of a

mountain and I was looking out this Vista values Beauty and the

place and this is back, when Clayton and Jenny were dating

and this was like, the this was like the trip to see what I, you

know, like is this, you know? What's that?

What's that And Kristin and Andre were flirting, that's

right at that time and yeah and she was praying for both of

those couples. I'm telling you my wife's

prayers work they work because he's our to successful marriages

God's doing incredible great, great things.

And I'm really thankful to have Andre here to share with you.

Or we're going to talk about today.

We can do that together. So Andre, go ahead.

Yeah, thank you. Jerry, it is, Is a huge honor to

be here in front of you and thank Jerry, queued.

We're going to be talking about something called synaptic

pruning and you probably have no idea what that even means.

Just real quick just say synaptic pruning synaptic

pruning. There we go.

And so you might be tempted over the next couple of minutes to

think that we were watching some episode of Magic School Bus with

Miss. Fred says, we talked about this

concept, but what we're going to talk about has every bearing to

do with the rest of the sermon, So let me set it up in case you

have no idea what synaptic pruning even is so synaptic

pruning is the process by which the brain removes synapses or

connections between brain cells. And this process helps to remove

the rarely used connections with their rarely used.

Synapses to ensure that there's enough capacity in the brain for

the more frequently used connections.

And so the number of synapses that you should know this in a

baby or in children is about double.

The amount in adults, making it so much easier for babies to

rapidly learn as they develop rapidly learn task, which is why

you've probably heard the saying before that babies are like

sponges, right? Because it just soak up.

They absorb so much, you're always learning something new.

They're always surprising you. And so the pruning process, like

I said starts when they were baby continues through

Adolescence, and, and it continues actually all the way

up to about early 20s. Sometimes late 20s for some

people and this makes the adult brain more able to focus on

in-depth tasks and in-depth conversations because there are

fewer connections and changes taking place in their brain.

One way to think about it is to imagine that you move into a new

neighborhood recently and as you in this cul-de-sac, you go on

walks and you start meeting the neighbors, you know, and what

happens over time as you spend time with your neighbors, is you

begin to form stronger. Connections with some versus

others and then what happens is you start to have some of your

neighbors over for dinner or you have conversations longer or

your kids start playing with with their kids, right?

And so soon you're sharing More and more experiences together

and what happens to the other neighbors, the ones that you

don't see and talk to us, much. Yes, the relationship the

connection dies, there's there's no relationship.

Just, you know, a friendly way every once in a while or a

forced or fake interaction at best.

And so this is what's happening in the mind and the brain of a

child all the way up into adulthood into their early 20s.

There's a lot of things are dying.

Yeah. And this is Not a small thing

know so you know you might be hearing this and going okay.

There's some things that are changing no between the ages of

11 and 17 those adolescents lose 40% of their memory.

I mean that's a scientific fact. They lose 40%.

So you know a lot of you that are here that are adults that

have kids this age you're going I think Mike is lost his mind.

No just 40% of their mind, literally 40 percent of their

money because you really are the total of your memories, right?

That's his makes you who you are and imagine what they're

actually going through in this Miss of this process.

To help us understand that, you know, there's there's some easy

ways to understand that. How many of you seen the movie

Inside Out? Raise your hand allocations.

If you see an inside out. If you haven't, this needs to be

a challenge your challenge. Yeah.

This needs to be a challenge at the end of the service.

You can't do anything else to watch.

It just watch inside out. Okay, it's a Disney Pixar movie.

It's seven years old and it's an incredible.

It's actually a movie about About this very thing.

It's about synaptic pruning pruning.

It has talking about the aspects that we have in our human

personality and the characters in the movie are joy and sadness

and anger and fear and disgust, and the movie is set up about an

adolescent named Riley. Who's in the process of moving

from Minnesota to San Francisco and what that actually is

producing in her brain and you're kind of looking at inside

of her inside of her brain and inside of her reality and how

difficult it is for her. And all these things that are

being pruned and one of the saddest Parts.

Listen. I, if you watch this movie, you

will definitely cry. You will so just be prepared

specially when bing bong with Bing Bong.

Yeah. Well, she's don't tell him that

because that does the spoiler. Anyway, anyway, it's powerful

because In the sea, whole sea of these memories and memories are

portrayed as like little orbs or they look like marbles that kind

of glow different colors if there are sad memory or a

disgusting memory and they're just they all turn black when

they're gone and they're just they're standing in the sea of

discarded memories. And that really, I mean, that

kind of upsets me because I think of my four kids and how

many of those things when they were little you know, that that

I thought was there were so precious and so powerful, they

get proved I know things are really hard for us to imagine,

imagine that this is the reality that they are going through.

In that in that age range and not only are they going through

that, they're going through a hormonal storm.

Now, you think I'm just trying to say that with, I'm kind of

being a little hyperbolic, you know, hormonal storm.

How do you remember a term that was used early in covid-19

called a cytokine storm? Some of you remember that, well,

this is what they were discovering at the beginning of

covid-19, that the when the human body for some people over

other people were different, would have this really powerful

reaction to covid-19. Virus and it would create all

these antibodies and the antibodies were so powerful

inside their, their body, that it was killing the patient.

Some of you may remember that they came up with a thing called

proning where they actually laid a person's stomach down so that

they could actually breathe through it.

And it had to do with this psyching storm, that was

happening in them. Imagine your adolescent, having

all of this synaptic pruning losing forty percent of their

memory at the same time. I'm going through this hormonal

storm. That's a powerful thing to

consider, what they're going through.

Andre it is, as you're talking about this, I kept asking myself

the question. You know, why would God do that

to us? That like a scene out of a

hormonal storm? This doesn't go on your Bray.

Like there's so much that kids and adolescents go through.

But what's happening is your their prefrontal cortex is

developing and as As the pruning process is happening.

It's happening in here. And what's developing is empathy

that as they go through this phase and become adults to

develop empathy, and they're not self-focus or self-centered

anymore, because if you have kids, if you have any experience

with kids, you know, kids can be all about me.

Me me what, or what I want, it's everything focuses and revolves

around me. And as they get older, they

start thinking about others which is how we can.

Begin to embrace the, the great commandment to love God, with

all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your

neighbors as yourself. That's the only way we can

really understand what that really looks like.

And so I keep thinking, this is amazing.

It's amazing how we go through this process so we can get to

know God, more and love him more and love others more.

And here is a verse that sums it up in 1/3.

Psalm 139 verse Teen says, thank you for making me so

wonderfully. Complex, not complicated.

We're not complicated people. We're wonderfully complex.

We are special. We are your workmanship and he

says your workmanship is marvelous how well I know it.

And so what you need to know about how complex and how

wonderful we were made is that during the pruning process,

things that are repeated are strengthened things that are

continue to be be implemented over time gets stronger and

stronger, things that are important to you, become

important, to them, to your kids, to those who you

influence. But the opposite is also true.

Now, the things that you don't value the things that you don't

place a high importance on, they won't be adopted by those who

you influence. And so, if you're here, if

you're hearing me, if you have any influence, whether as a

parent, a grandparent Parent and add an uncle in a teacher, a

coach, a mentor. If you have any influence over

some 10 through 18 or 20, you need to know that you are

assisting in the pruning process of their brain and most times

you don't even notice it. Did you hear that the biblical

connotations of Psalm 139? That actually God is

accomplishing this wonderful thing because marvelous thing.

Yep. And So you're you may think that

well we're not talking about a Biblical concept but more of a

scientific one know it's a Biblical thing God.

Spun us up for this. He's taught us.

This and is it in just in Psalm 139?

Look at Deuteronomy chapter 6, talking about loving God and

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

loving one. Another says these are the

commands, the decrees and laws, the Lord, your God directed me

to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the

Jordan to possess. So, That you your children and

their children after them, they fear the lord your God as long

as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give

you and so that you may enjoy a long life, love the Lord, your

God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your

strength, these Commandments, that I give you today are to be

on your hearts now. Look at this.

Was this is where what Andre said about the things that were

repeated are strengthened. It says, impress them on your

children, talk about them. When you sit at home and when

you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you get

up, there's four times a day, every day that these need to be

completely reinforced that helps that memory to be a core memory.

Yes, it doesn't get discarded. It doesn't get And and it

becomes the core of that person's life.

So what does this really look like?

It's as often as you do anything with your kids, as often as you

Mentor, someone in this gen. You need to be intentional about

speaking and living out God's truth.

I can tell you that in my family, with my kids, those

things that have been repeated and repeated, they pay you back,

they pay you back. Incredible dividends as they

grow up and as they start raising their children, you see

this? Multi-generational blessing

happening. When those, those core values

are instilled, when you prioritize pursuing an intimate

personal relationship with Jesus Christ over all else, it is

likely that your child or an adolescent that you can

influence will too. But the opposite is also true if

you fight and yell and speak harsh words in front of the kids

or other young people, all those traits will be adopted as well.

You see this generation is learning from us.

Adults have the most influence in the lives of this gym.

And you know what? We may not even realize it but

it's the truth. Yeah, we don't realize it.

Another passage that I appreciate and really ties in

what we're talking about. Is Proverbs 22 verse 6.

Proverbs 22:6

He says start children off on the way they should go.

And even when they're old, they will not turn from it.

Powerful passage profitable for something.

I remember eyes going to VBS is a kid and there's different

versions to this. There's some versions,

obviously, that's a start, but there's one that says train up

and I like the idea of training up versus start or teach because

the difference between training up and, and, and training, you

know, like teaching and training is to completely different

concept when I think about this. I think about the Olympics.

Yeah, you know, I grown up. In Jamaica, we're known for our

athletes or sprinters to be specific and a bobsled team and

a bobsled team. That's right.

Saying Cool Runnings. All right, you should watch

that, you but but, but the idea of these athletes these

sprinters, if they are serious about making it to the Olympics,

it starts when they're, you know, so small and they're like

four years old and as they continue their working on, on

their speed, they're working on their technique there.

Practicing how to be still in the starting blocks and how to

accelerate and get through that dry phase the to reach that top

end speed. So Usain Bolt's like Usain Bolt.

Yeah, fastest man, ever, and no one will ever top him either,

but that's the idea or talking about is, is training for

something and doing it consistently over time.

The same can be said about shooting 100 free throws a day.

You know, one day, you might become the next Steph Curry or

if you continue to, you know, do these Things.

It's muscle memory. It's like riding a bike.

You never forget. And so, if you're a parent, if

you're a caregiver, you're switching from caregiver to

coach and every good coach knows, that drills are vital.

Yes, for game time that you have to drill in over and over the

plays, or the rules, or just different steps in order to

prepare your team, prepare your players for the big game moment.

Prepare them for, what's next. And so that's why Believe

Solomon. What was what he was saying.

Was absolutely right that he was onto something and Proverbs 22.

And what he's saying is don't don't allow don't don't allow

their faith in God. Their relationship with Jesus to

be pruned simply because we weren't intentional with our

time and our influence with them.

See from my experience, it is so much easier to get it right in

the beginning. In the beginning stages, when we

actually have influence and we can help the pruning process

then to fix it later. That's why Solomon, whose the

wisest men. Born of natural.

Birth said, even when they're old, they will not return.

Our will not turn away from it and so, Jerry, synaptic.

Pruning. It's real real, it's real for

kids. It's real for our students, and

they have no control over it. If you're here and you're under

the age of 20, you have no control.

What's going on. You might not even know it's

happening, simply because it happens in your subconscious

mind. Yeah.

However, we, the adults in all of our locations are the

determining Factor. We can help shape this

generation. What they value and we can

evaluate by our actions what we've been communicating and

make intentional changes to how we live our lives to that end.

Yeah, it's on. Us, you know, when I was going

through this transition process with with Clayton, where he

became the senior pastor and I'm working for him, I saw a lot of

advice for mentors. I had all over the country and

there was one particular guy, Don Wilson, who was pastoring

the largest Christian Church in the country about 38,000 a

weekend and was talking to him on the phone.

And this is what he said to me as he was coaching me.

He said in the transition Jerry you Older, 100% of the

responsibility. Clayton has 0%.

He had to say that a few times because I'm kind of going that's

not fair, you know, Clayton, these two have some of this

responsibilities as know, that responsibility Falls solely on

you, kids are losing forty percent of their mind.

They're in the middle of a hormonal storm.

The responsibilities on you. It's on you.

You know why? Because your mind has been

pruned and your hormones. Should hopefully hopefully be

under control. So how do we do this?

How do we walk this out? As a practical reality?

I was looking at something that a guy named Tyler MacKenzie's

been here. And preach before said gave 15,

really, really good things pertaining to Tech and since

we're on the heels of Clayton preaching on technology and how

that relates, I want to give you some practical ways, Andre, and

I want to give you some practical ways on how those two

things work together in this whole process of synaptic

pruning. And how we Can repeat the right

things and eliminate the wrong thing.

So, hold on for these 15 out and they may not all apply.

He's like some of them. You may go, I can do that one.

Yeah but but there's some ideas here that you need to grab a

hold of it. Here's the first one.

How about a 30 day? This is about you guys.

How about a 30-day digital detox?

Thirty days off all technology except what is essential to keep

your job. What if you were to do that?

How would that affect you? I mean it is a technology

cleanse and it would be a good thing.

Yeah it wouldn't be or the 111 rule.

It's phone free for one hour. That's a breeze, right?

One hour day and then one day a week also doable.

Yeah. But then one week a year when

you go on vacation with your family what would it look like

for you to just turn your phone off?

Completely and just be present in the moment with those people.

Here's number three, how about no screens when you eat How

about you just have like a basket on your table and you

just put them in the basket or or you put them face down.

So you can't see whatever's popping up on the screen that

you're actually present in that moment to have the conversations

that might change the trajectory of an entire life.

Yeah or no screens when you worship when you come to church

don't you know get on the Bible out, bring it out a physical

Bible actually had a 7th. Grade student was talking about

earlier this morning she had her Bible.

She's Planning on opening that when she's back in fuse.

But she's just gonna, you know, open if the physical one, not

not the app because you can get distracted.

So many times when you just start looking at this

notifications popping and next thing you know you're thinking

about something else versus what God wants you to hear in that

moment or no screens that big life events like when you're at

at something where your family is gathering like a Thanksgiving

meal or a wedding or something like that, that you're actually

present in that moment and and your exampling In front of your

kids. Absolutely.

Or what it would look like. If we shape the space around

conversations and not the TV. If you look in your living room

are all the furniture facing towards the television, or is it

facing towards having conversations with the people in

your family or spouse has listen to this access to passwords that

spouses have 100% unfettered access at there's, what they're

all their spouses passwords and that parents have Total Access

All their kids devices. How about that?

When you guys like that? You like that parents.

Argh laughing. Yeah, kids are like stop talking

or what it look like to have screen time limits for everyone.

You know, Clayton refer to this last week that on Sunday, for

many of us who are iPhone users, we get a screen time report and

he was kind of bragging, how his was like down to like seventy

seventy nine percent, which is, which is pretty big.

That's pretty cool. But you can limit access you can

you can set limits for yourself or your family and just say, hey

for 2 hours a day. That's all I can be on my phone

for and that's probably a lot for some people and you start

there and work your way down how about putting your phone on do

not disturb stuff. Phone stays on do not disturb

except for like critical people that and you need to

communicate. You know, you can actually

customize that on your phone. How much that would put you in

the Situation better than if you were always being interrupted.

Yeah, something that goes hand in hand.

With that is to have notification, stay off.

That means you're turned off your notification for any social

media app and any messaging app and just completely turning

those officer. Again, you're not seeing stuff

pop up on your banner on your lock screen and being tempted to

go. See what that is.

Yeah. And dovetailing with that.

How about no social media apps on your phone?

Just having them on your computer.

It's a little Harder to get to write and so you'll have a

little bit of space if you keep those social media apps off your

phone, some you're going to. I don't know about that one.

Right? That's a hard one.

Yeah, here's one that I personally struggle with and

it's don't start the day off on your phone.

Don't let that be the first thing you're looking at to see

if you got a missed call or text or you missed something, or you

want to play a game or watch something on your phone, start

on your knees. Start with a conversation with

One in your family, leave the glowing rectangle for later or

just limit unnecessary, phone usage.

A lot of our usage is completely unnecessary and when we're on

our phones as adults, and our kids are right there.

What they're seeing is that they're being replaced at,

they're not as important to you as the time that you're spending

on the phone. It's like someone cutting in

line. Yeah, for them.

So what if we just eliminate that unnecessary, phone usage?

Each. Here's another one, one screen

at a time rather than having, you know, I know, it might be

convenient sometimes to have kids teens on a device.

That way you can be doing something different odor, look

like to just put all the devices that way.

If there's going to be any device on, it's just one and you

you sent her a moment around that, that one device and make

something intentional. With that time, the last one is

only quality television. And I know that really drops

down On what you're gonna be watching.

But I mean we should consume entertainment for art and

learning and formation and fun, but we need to stay away from

all that gratuitous sex and violence that we see in so many

things that they, you know, it just draws us into the more, the

baser nature of ourselves and we want things that appeal to our

higher nature, right? Yeah.

I hear all of this and I can't help but ask myself the

question. What would it look like?

You know if we started a streak with our kids, what would it

look like if we Decided to, you know, we're going to take a

challenge and we're going to make a streak of it.

And so for you and say when you use that term, I'm from the 70s.

So not not that kind of Street, okay?

Okay, yeah, yeah, clarify, that. Okay.

Do not do any sort of streaking? Well, let me let me clear that

up, but there is a social media app called Snapchat.

And if you are on Snapchat, you know, I'm talking about Is this

phenomenon called call a snap Snap Chat streak we're going to

try to make as many connections with one person daily and if you

miss a day, you break the streak.

And so people boast about how they have a streak of, you know,

over a thousand days with with someone just because they've

continued, either sending one word or a picture or having some

conversation. So, that's this.

The idea of his tree block, everything else out.

Okay. Okay.

All right. What would it look like if you

started a streak to read the Bible with your kids, no matter

what like you just start with with one verse like one verse

today, we're going to do that or or start a prayer streak with

your kids before they leave school or when he first schooler

on their way in the cars are dropping them off.

Like what would it communicate to the brain of that child if we

do stuff like that? Or what have you decided to

always be a part of Body of Christ.

Yeah, even if you're out of town, when you're out of town

for vacation or you're, you're traveling because of a sporting

event. What would it look like if you

prioritize getting online and being a part of the body of

Christ or finding a local church somewhere that's close to you

that you can be a part of again what does that communicate to

the brain of your kids? You know, over the last few

weeks we've been giving you challenges and from the feedback

that we're getting? We can tell that many of you

have embraced the challenges and I've tried them and you're

seeing fruit. You're seeing how it's helping

your family when at home. And so we have a few more

challenges for you. What if you were to start a

Godly habit, start a habit to reinforce a Godly or Christian

value there. So many of them out there,

decide amongst yourself, which one you want to pursue and try

that for 30 days or what it look like.

If you started a prayer streak with In this Jen, mmm, that you

message them in the morning and you say, hey how can I be

praying for you? And you actively pray for those

needs or what would it look like if you decide to start a bible

plan with someone in this Jen you're not just going through

one scripture but you're actually looking at how it

applies to you and how it applies to them and having

deeper conversations about that text or maybe for you, parent is

going to be to have a weekly date night.

Awesome with your kids. Yeah.

You know, spend some quality one-on-one time with them, try

to discover what their love language is, our figure out how

God wired them, how they feel loved.

So that way you can love them exactly how God wired them.

And there's a love language test online that you can fill out as

you get to discover what that looks like.

Or for some of you it's simply find a service project.

Find a service project in your community that you can again

find someone in this gen to serve alongside.

I'd wear maybe it's a need in your at your campus at your

local campus, that you can serve them of the Ministries there.

Again, what would that look like?

I can't help but wonder that us as adults embrace the idea that

we do have influence that we can help cultivate the brains of

this generation. And we decided to be intentional

with their time. Be intentional.

With the example that we are setting how much of a difference

that would make as they continue to go through this prunings

process. As they continue to become young

men and young women, young women of Jesus, how big could that be?

So, we need to think about that as we move into this time of

decision. Amen.

Amen. So just to reiterate to this

service, like I had to do with the 9:00 a.m. service the

challenge today is not to go in your community and go streaking.

I don't want to see any of our people on the news, saying our

Pastor said this but we do want you to take a step A big one.

One of the things that I want you to capture, I want you to

kind of capture this phrase that you can't give what you don't

already have. You can't give to your kids, you

can't give to your family, you can't give to your co-workers,

the people you love what you don't already have.

And so you're like, well, what what is that mean?

If you don't have an intimate personal relationship with Jesus

Christ, you've never stepped into that that walk with him.

You've never said yes to him to make him Lord and savior of your

life, you can't give that to your kids.

You can't give that gift to the people, you love, they won't

experience it from you. They're looking to you then

looking to me. and if you don't have that part, they're going to

look elsewhere. And so, if you've never started

that relationship with him, if you've never accepted him as

Lord and Savior here in this room or online.

Listen, that is the step today. Simply laying down your own

desires. And trust in Jesus and starting

that walk and getting in that Waters today just 9:00 a.m.

service. We had incredible young man.

Who meant he? He had a he could have gone a

couple of different ways. He had a couple different

options growing up. He had a grandparents who share

Jesus with them, and he had a mom and a dad that was was

Muslim. And it took him a while.

But today he put his feet in the sand.

He said, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and he

declared that his faith is in Christ and In Christ Alone.

And listen, I'm not talking about religion, I'm not talking

about anything other than a personal relationship with Jesus

and you all every single individual in this room.

Listen, you get to make that decision for yourself.

So, if you want to do that today, it's the very best

decision. You could possibly make.

And in just a little bit we're going to start singing some

songs. And here in this room there's

going to be a pastor by the baptistry that would love to

walk with you and help you. Maybe discern what that next

step for you. Is if it's A water today, we're

ready. If it's online, you just click

that button and I'm ready to start that intimate personal

relationship with Jesus. And let's get on that Journey.

That is the very first step. But it also goes further, you

can't give what you don't have. I mean, if you're if you're

consumed with technology, if you're, if you're consumed with

the world, if you're consumed with sin, your kids are seeing

those things. Your grandkids are seeing those

things. They're seeing what priorities,

you put yourself in the word that I kept hearing today, in

this message. And I heard it.

This is the third time is in being intentional.

Being intentional with your time, being intentional with the

what you do with your actions. There's a lot of steps you could

take today, but here's the thing Church.

You just got to take one and that step may look different for

every single person in here. There may be a challenge that

resonated with your heart with your soul and your spirit,

confirmed the the Holy Spirit confirmed, it inside of you and

just a moment. Maybe you're just like I still

have no idea. There's so much listen as a dad.

I'm sure my daughter's in here right now which makes us human

harder. Because I get to stand up here

and tell you, this is how you should live when I'm also

confronted with it. And it's hard going home with

these challenges is hard. It's tough work.

But when we leaned in and when we take steps, we're trusting

the faithfulness of God and we know we're doing it, not for

ourselves, but we're doing it because of the relationship with

Jesus and we're doing it because of the betterness of this

generation that we are trying to raise up to know when it gets

tough lean in. Take a step and so when just a

little bit in this song Start for you, maybe you just come up

and you just humble yourself before the Lord and you say God,

I don't know where to start. I don't know where to go.

I don't know how to move. What is my step?

He's faithful, he will provide that for you and he'll give you

the tools to take that step because we are a church that

moves. That's what decision time is

about. That is why every single week we

have a moment such like this because we believe you can

either go forward. You can go out the same person

or sometimes you can even go backwards, but our prayers that

we are a church that stink and moves moves closer to Jesus.

So that We can make a bigger difference in this world, so if

you want to be that church man, it starts right here.

Let's get on our knees humble ourselves before God.

And let's move, would you stand with me?

Heavenly Father God, I'm so thankful to be a part of a

church that actively puts their faith in motion that we don't

stand still. We don't stay in the same place,

we don't go backwards. We are a church that moves

forward moves forward with your help.

Your holy spirit is inside of us.

God, I pray that you just move and you make yourself known to

every single person. In this room because every

single individual has a step. They have a step online and God

I pray that in this moment you reveal what it is and we just

take it. God, we trust you.

We love you and God I pray that in every moment along the road

when we get up, when we lie down and we're sitting in our homes,

we take this challenge seriously to impress upon our kids, your

love, and our love for the people around us.

Lord, let us be a church that moves in this moment in Jesus

name. Amen.