Back to the Start | Part Three | Pastor Brodie Kalamen

Thank you for listening to the Kelowna Christian Center Podcast.

Our desire is that today's message will be fresh and encouraging to you.

For more information on KTC and how to connect, visit us at KCC.net.

Well now, I've grown up with Pastor Dave.

And uh today I've missed uh I've missed hearing his uh voice on the front row.

Do you know that church used to be like you could hear his voice no matter where you sat in the church?

You'd hear Pastor Dave's voice when he was uh when he was singing.

So being a few uh seats down, get to he getting to hear it, just that presence that someone's there, that's good.

Um 21 days of prayer, just a quick last update.

We how many of you have been uh joining with us?

21 days of prayer, being a part of this journey together.

We are on our last stretch, we're on the last seven days, and uh we're really excited to be a part of this uh to be praying together.

I just want to continue to make that invitation that you join with us in prayer.

There's still uh manuals out in the lobby, as well as for having Wednesday from 7 to 8, a time in the morning before people go off to work or they leave halfway through.

They're coming through to pray with us together, and it's been just such a great time of praying together.

Uh, we're encouraging you to pray every day.

Pray every day.

Now, if you are uh maybe just look in the seat in front of you, there's like a white card, a connection card there.

If you have a prayer request, we're just encouraging you take a moment, fill out that prayer request, make a prayer request, uh, go on the app.

Make sure to go on the app, go to where it says uh where you can make a prayer request to contact us, place a prayer request there, and or email us, direct message us on Facebook, Instagram, whatever it may be.

Just connect with us because we like on those mornings to be able to connect and compile the prayers for the church, and we will pray with you and for you and agree with you.

How many of you are going through something or know someone who's going through something, and you need prayer in that area, then we want to be able to be a church that's like supporting you in prayer.

So make sure you take advantage of that, uh, those those uh access points to be able to allow us to pray along with you.

Um we are on our last step here as well on this back to the start theme, uh, the last step on this journey.

And as I like to do before I start every service here, I just want to encourage you to be an engaging church.

Amen.

I I'm trying to break this this this uh you know this respectful silence.

I think that there's like this solemn silence that makes it seem like we're just so dignified and respectful.

Instead of just agreeing with something when the word says yes, we say amen.

We say yes, when the word says no, we go no.

It's like I agree.

Because what you're doing is you're actually confirming in your heart what is yes and amen, what the what the promises of God is and what the uh what the word says, and you're actually lending your faith, believing together.

So I want you to be a vocal church.

We believe in engagement.

I there's no point in time if you if you like, I agree, just say I agree.

If you say I disagree, just say it quietly, and then write it on to the pastor's card, and we'll get one of our team to deal with that.

Um but these are these are the the this is the heartbeat of the church.

You guys, you we are working and moving forward together.

It doesn't matter uh what age we are at, how long we've been Christians, or non or new, or or kind of seasoned in our faith.

We want to be moving forward together.

We want to be encouraging each other to move forward together.

And you don't know what your engagement point will actually do for the people that are around you.

So say yes to engagement, say yes to God, say yes to his words, say get used to saying yes.

Yes, yes, yes, like agree with it.

Get used to saying yes to God.

If God says give, you say yes.

If God says go, you say yes.

If God says stay, you say yes.

Get used to saying yes.

It's really important for us.

I believe 2019 is a year of yes.

Yes, amen.

So, way to go.

Let's give God a hand in that.

That's a good point.

So we're moving forward together as a church.

We're moving forward into the journey where we believe God is moving us, taking those next steps.

We're so grateful that each week we've been having, uh, we've been experiencing people coming to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for the first time.

It's been so exciting for us.

Uh, in kids' ministry, up here in the adult ministry, in the youth ministry, we're seeing people saying yes to God and taking next steps towards Jesus.

And as they're taking next steps towards Jesus, the next steps from there are taking next steps to community, joining, connecting, making uh a part, becoming a part of our community, and from that point making steps and taking next steps to being uh involved.

And uh the result is that together we can make a difference wherever we're going.

Today I want to talk to you about a series, uh, a part of our series that um I wish it was the one week that uh that Pastor Dave wasn't here because he actually wrote a book on life purpose, and today I want to talk about discovering your purpose.

And so, really, I'm sure there's a lot more he's thinking, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

You can add here and take away here.

But I'm just gonna deliver this to you because I believe people today are searching for purpose.

And it's odd, it's strange.

Um, you wouldn't know it, but I go to the gym at times, and I try and keep it undercover just because you know I just want to do that.

I just wear baggier shirts and just I don't want to show off too much.

But I go to the gym and it's interesting, I watch a lot of people.

How many of you are people watchers in this place?

Like, you just sit down, you just watch people.

That'd be like your holiday.

Sit on the beach.

It's not about the sun in the sand and swimming, it's about watching people.

Like, wow, this is great.

What's going on?

It doesn't matter.

I'm just watching everybody.

Um, when I'm at the gym, I'm watching people.

And uh probably more than I probably, you know, more than I'm exercising.

I'm just like thinking and watching, but because I love the social dynamics of people.

And what's really interesting is people put their earbuds in or headphones, for those of you who are a little older, headphones, and you know, the big headphones.

But they put their headphones in and they don't, they it's interesting because inside I can tell they're desiring someone to connect to, but they want to be isolated, they want to be alone.

But yet inside they're searching for something, and I see it each time I'm there.

People are searching for something, connection, that that sense of purpose, that sense of relationship and community.

And so they're there.

Some of them are even, they're crazy.

Some people go twice a day, right, Johnny?

You see that?

They go twice a day.

And uh they're there and they're just they're working out all the time, and they're just making those connections as best they know how.

They're searching, and they're searching for purpose, and you don't have to search very long, even if you go on Google to search out major questions.

How do I find my purpose?

And you'll find the seven steps to purpose.

The three steps that you shouldn't do in order to find purpose.

You'll find purpose is a big deal.

People who can help people discover their purpose are very valuable people.

People will pay tens of thousands of dollars to go to someone who will help them discover their purpose.

And people are asking the questions, and they're either asking questions or ignoring the questions.

They're doing things to either shut themselves down from having to ask the questions because in each of us is this compulsive question that's saying, why am I here?

What am I doing here?

What is my purpose?

What is my gift set?

What is my calling?

Why am I in this place, in this city, at this time, here at this moment, in this place?

And there's a search that people have in their hearts for purpose.

The fact that people are even just asking questions is huge.

The fact that people are going online, they're asking the questions, they're talking to other people about it.

What kind of job should I have?

What should I do with my life?

These questions are big questions.

And the fact that people ask that is the fact, it tells me that God has actually put something in the hearts of each individual to accomplish and to complete and to discover.

God put a searching in our heart, and that frustration is real.

Everyone inevitably has to ask the question: what am I going to do?

Who am I going to live, do it with?

What is my calling?

What is my purpose?

And the frustration is not only real, it's good.

Living in that frustration because that frustration pushes you to discover and search it out.

No, statistically, 13% of Christian, church-going Christians, realize and recognize their purpose.

This is my gift set, this is my passion, this is my uh my my leadership style, this is where God has called me to be.

13% of Christians can articulate what God has put them on this earth to accomplish.

And I want to say this to you today, and this is the one point that I want you to hold close.

If it's the one point that you hear all day, it's this is that your purpose is worth discovering.

Your purpose, your purpose is worth discovering.

It's it's more than worth discovering.

It's worth fighting for.

It's worth fighting for.

And some of you are in that place right now where you're actually contending and fighting to continue and discover that primary uh purpose.

Um, you're having to say no to a lot of other things.

Some of you are saying, you know what, my my purpose is to complete to do this, and I'm gonna have to say no to things that are really good, like retirement, holidays, sun and sand.

It's saying no to certain things to say yes to the purposes of God in your life.

It's saying no to comfort and saying yes to the discomfort.

Because the purpose of God is there for you.

Uh the the calling of God, the purposes of God are compelling you towards a certain place, and you've got to say no to other things.

Um, Steve Jobs, the the founder of Apple, uh, he, who many of you are are wearing one of his devices or carrying one of his devices, an Apple iPhone, iPad, um, Apple watches, he's at the Macs.

Everything he's he surrounded himself with this uh this culture of Apple.

He said this.

He said, listen, people think focus means saying yes to the things you've got to focus on, but that's not what it means at all.

It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that are out there.

You have to pick carefully.

This is what he said was really great for me to hear.

He says, I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things we have done.

Innovation is saying no to a thousand other things.

And saying yes to that one thing.

There's a fight in us.

Should I continue?

Should I go forward?

Should I move forward in terms of chasing after my purpose?

God has placed a purpose in you worth fighting for.

And God starts to share about this purpose in Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

He says, each one of you, would you say that?

Each one, each one of us.

Now look to your neighbor, say, you've got it, you've got it.

Like you've got this.

Has been given a grace, a giving, a grace has been given to you.

Each one of us, as Christ apportioned it.

In other words, you've got it.

You've got this gift, you've got this grace in you, you've got this calling in you.

Uh, when it says this, this is why it says, when he ascended on high, he took many captives and he gave gifts to his people.

Jesus came as we took communion today.

We remembered the fact that Jesus came as a man.

He bore the penalty of our sin.

He went to the cross, he died and was resurrected again.

And when he ascended to heaven, he gave gifts to his people.

James says it this way.

He's the giver of every good and perfect gift.

He's the father of lights.

All gifts come from him.

He's got good gifts for you and I.

And this is what he's saying.

He says there are gifts, it's grace.

There are gifts that each one of us carry.

And he gave us these gifts to help us to grow, help us to mature.

Later on in that same passage, verses 11 to 14, it says Christ Himself gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers.

Why?

To equip his people for works of service, to equip you so that the body of Christ might be built up, might mature.

The verse is telling us that Jesus gave gifts to the people.

Now I would be amiss as a pastor to number one, not inform you of the fact that you've been given a gift.

Imagine if I needed something, I needed cash.

I was hungry, I needed money for food, and my wife, or maybe that's not the right scenario, but my my wife had been given a gift for me, but she just held it to herself.

She didn't communicate the fact that I I needed, I had access to a resource, I had access to gift, but I didn't, she didn't inform me that I actually had it.

My job today is to tell you that the scripture is true, and the scripture is true that God has given you a gift.

God has given you a gift, a grace particular to you.

He's deposited it in you, and it's there for your benefit.

It's there to help you grow, it's there to help you mature.

And and I need to be the one, and we need together encourage each other to discover those gifts.

To discover them, bring them to maturity.

Now there are special gifts, specific gifts that will help the church move forward, that will help your family move forward, they will help the community, the church, the city of Kelowna, our nation of Canada, the world.

And those gifts are residing within each one of us.

It's the Bible talks about it being like a treasure that is inside of you.

So you come to know God, you come to find community, you come to engage with people, and then you discover your gift so that you can go ahead and make a difference in the world.

Each one of us carry this gift.

Do you hear it today?

Do you hear my heart today?

And sharing this with you.

I need your gift.

I need your gift more than like I need you active in your gift.

Some of you have have gifts of administration.

We're just happy to have with us Camille.

Camille is now come on our team.

Why don't you set up Camille as a new administrator at our church?

She comes all the way from the Lower Mainland, and we're excited to have her.

She starts this week.

She is an administrator.

I sat around our table one day and I sat with Malachi.

I said, Malachi, one out of ten, what are you on in terms of administration?

He's like, I'm working on it, Brody.

So you notice how they don't give you answers, they just tell you, I'm getting better.

I'm working on it.

Camille is like an administrator.

She's on our team to actually help us grow and help.

I need her gift.

I need that gift.

I need the gift in Malachi.

I need the gift in Brian.

I need your gift.

Like I'm I'm jealous of your gifts, that they come out.

And you might say, well, my gift isn't, my my purpose may seem small.

It's not small.

It's not small.

It's there to mature the church, to help the church grow, to benefit the body of Christ.

So we have to discover our gifts.

If we don't discover our gifts, the church is limited and hampered in growing and moving forward.

If we don't discover it, so you don't discover your gifts.

You don't earn your gifts, you discover them.

One of the fun things that I like to do with my kids over the summer is uh we love to go out to this little lake, and I just open the door and I just let them out.

They know what it's all about.

They go out to this lake and they look for crayfish.

Crayfish.

And the way they find these crayfish, they love doing this because they run along the shoreline and they start lifting up rocks along the shoreline.

Now there's an easier way to catch crayfish.

You have it like a trap.

You throw it out into the water and the crayfish come into the trap.

But they don't care about the trap.

They love lifting up a rock and looking under that rock.

Why?

Because maybe under one rock there's nothing there.

But maybe under the next rock they lift it up, and there's like monster crayfish daddy there, you know, with his pinchers on, and they're like, Oh, dad, get over here, help.

You know, it's funny, they they don't want to really grab it because uh it's kind of dangerous.

It's not really dangerous, but it's like they just they don't want to grab those crayfish, but they they love the discovery aspect of actually finding these crayfish.

You don't earn your gift, you discover your gift, and that's why community is so important.

Community helps you discover the gifts that are in you.

So it's fun to discover.

One of the scriptures I I when I first read it, I was frustrated, but on the other hand, I was challenged.

It was from Proverbs chapter 20 25, verse 2.

Proverbs 20 · chapter mention

It says, it's God's glory to conceal a matter.

But it's the glory of kings to search it out, to search out a matter.

It's like it's the glory of God to conceal a matter.

It's when you have children, how many of you ever played hot and cold with your kids?

It's like you're hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, cold, cold, cold, cold.

It's like you love playing that game because there's this search and this activity and this engagement in the process of actually.

Discovering what you've hidden.

When you're with God, it's like God has hidden something for you to discover.

And He's there, He's saying, Come search it out, search me out, help discover that gift.

And when you find that gift, you'll find fulfillment.

So we look for it, we look for that place of discovery.

Now the problem is that in the world today, there's an approach to finding your purpose that is is backwards.

The approach is this it says you don't find your purpose, you make your own purpose.

You don't find your purpose, you make purpose.

In other words, if if the system doesn't work for you, you create your own system.

If the purpose doesn't work for you, you make your own purpose.

And the problem with this way of doing things is that in making something happen yourself, it's dangerous because you're doing it outside of God's intent, your creator's intention.

And so you end up chasing after something.

It's like playing hot and cold when you don't know what you're actually even looking for.

It's just a futile process.

You search and search and search and search without finding anything along the way.

And so when you discover something, when you're looking to discover it, you end up actually pursuing something to make it your own.

It becomes an endless process.

It just becomes futile because God created you for a particular reason, and the only one who can help you find it is God Himself.

And so He creates you specifically.

And this is what happens.

These are some of the main areas where people actually look for purpose.

Number one is they look for it in fame.

In fame.

If they don't know God's plan, uh they look for their own plan.

And the idea that if you're valuable, if people are following you, if uh they like what you are and who you are, and you find what you are is attractive, and if there's a tension towards you, then it will prove that you actually have purpose.

And fame is a dangerous, dangerous uh approach to finding purpose because the the question comes down to like, are you getting text messages?

Are people liking what you have?

And it becomes, instead of releasing you into freedom, it releases you into a place of bondage where you're actually trapped to the fact of the approval of people.

And so fame never leads you to purpose.

Now, your purpose may bring fame, but fame will never lead you to purpose.

And another place is a platform.

Instead of searching after purpose, people search after a title, they search after this occupation that will just that will create a distinctive for them.

And they look for like, what do I have that no one else has?

And in trying to look for that, they they start to identify themselves by that title.

I'm a businesswoman, I'm an entrepreneur, I'm a vegetarian, I'm a champion of the underdog.

You identify yourself by a title, and by doing that, you elevate yourself into a position of a title.

You look for a platform that you can identify, that the world will identify you as.

And from that you you consider the fact that you might actually have purpose.

It might actually create purpose in your life.

But I I need to tell you that a platform will never create purpose in your life.

Uh you might, God might give you a purpose that leads you to a platform, but a platform will never lead you to purpose.

And so we have to be careful that we don't pursue a platform.

We don't pursue a title, we don't pursue an occupation as defining our purpose.

Who you are is who God created to you to be.

What you do might be different.

In discovering purpose, lastly, you can get distracted in other areas by, for example, like money, um, finding yourself uh defined by the things that you have, tangible things.

We call them belongings.

It's an interesting word that you have that that uh people have.

Is that if I have a lot of belongings, then I belong.

If I find myself surrounded by belongings, then I then I'm comfortable, and I must, then that must define that I'm in a good place.

I've got this purpose.

But more stuff doesn't mean a greater purpose.

And the fact that you put another dollar in the bank doesn't mean that you're actually moving forward in discovering your purpose.

Real fulfillment is what happens when you make a difference for someone else.

It's when other people win.

It's it's fame, title, money, all those things are all about you winning.

If I have fame, I win.

If I have money, I win.

If I have a title, I win.

But real purpose and real fulfillment comes when it's your purpose that God has placed in you, help someone else win.

And when someone else is winning, that's when you begin to find true fulfillment.

Because you're doing the work that God has called you and created you to do.

It's not about a me-centered activity or a me-centered identity.

It's about what God has created me to be to be benefit to be and benefit other people.

So discovering that purpose is not difficult, but it requires your own search and saying, okay, what things am I chasing right now that may not may not be beneficial to me particularly right now?

So you can't find yourself your purpose in fame, platform, or money, because there's something deeper inside of you, and it and you're created with a more intricate design.

It you're designed differently.

Ephesians chapter 2 says this you are God's masterpiece.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

Would you say that?

Masterpiece.

Masterpiece.

Created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do.

You were created by God to do something particular.

Like you were cre a hammer is used to drive a nail, to hammer a nail into place.

A shoe is not, how many of you have used a shoe as a hammer before?

It's like just that you could try to use it, but it's not gonna work.

It's got a different purpose.

God created you before time with a particular purpose to accomplish.

And he prepared you, he created you in advance to do that, like it placed it in you in advance to accomplish it.

God placed something inside of you before you even needed to use it.

And it is this treasure.

Now, this word masterpiece actually comes from a Greek word called poema, poima, poima.

And puima, you maybe hear the word poem in it.

It means intricate, like intricately designed.

You were created with thought.

You were created with a designation, like with a design factor to live by.

It's like when someone puts together a poem, they just don't throw words on paper.

They're thinking about what that poem means.

They're thinking about what it makes you feel, they make it think about uh the audience who's listening to it.

It's the design of the design of that poem is so intricate and placed and pieced together on purpose.

That is the design that God created in you.

God made you to be a masterpiece.

Put together, intricately put together.

Turn to your neighbor and say, You're a masterpiece.

You're a masterpiece.

Now, oftentimes, when we look at ourselves, we look at all the broken pieces.

We don't see ourselves as a masterpiece.

When we wake up in the morning, you look in the mirror, you don't go, wow.

Natalie, get up for a second.

You gotta see this.

Look at that.

It's a masterpiece, a work of art, intricately put together, each piece, perfectly formed.

It's amazing.

Isn't it amazing?

Just look at it again.

But instead, we see all the broken parts that we live with.

And sometimes the broken parts of us are so big that we go, God, where is the brokenness swallows up the masterpiece inside of us.

And I don't believe that many of us, 13% of us, value the masterpiece of God inside of us enough that we would actually take time to discover it.

Whereas if if we really knew God's heart towards us, we would be saying, God, surround myself with people.

Go ahead and pick up that card on the seat in front of you.

I'm gonna join the next steps program.

Because it's not just like a new believers class.

If only 13% of us actually know our design, then it's a survival class.

Like, hey, what is it?

Help me find it.

One of my joys is actually helping people discover their purpose, discover their particular design, and being released in it, because when you're released in it, you find that area of great fulfillment.

You are a masterpiece.

You're not broken, you're valuable to God.

Your purpose is worth discovering.

It's worth searching out.

And I love it because for me, if I know, if I know the calling that you've got in your life, you know, all I want to do is just fuel the fire in it.

If you're a worshiper, I just want you to be released in worship.

I want you to just worship God.

If you're, I look at my friend Mike Daigle, and he's an accountant.

He loves numbers and formulas and strategies and structures.

Go for it, Mike.

All the power to you.

Like if you love making coffee, if you love working with children, I want you to do it with all your heart.

Because you know what?

For me, I'll never have to wonder if if someone like is in the place of the their greatest joy if they're actually doing that job because they want to be in, they want to get up in the morning to be somewhere.

We've got uh our media team is directed, run, and like it's overseen by an adult, but most of the kids who are running it are like between 10 and 12 years of age.

Each Sunday, each Sunday, like it's pretty cool.

All they're like is, hey, do we can we get some pizza?

I'm like, go for it, guys.

Like, uh go for it.

Uh can I they want some media devices, some new tripods.

I'm like, go for it.

Each week they're reaching out to hundreds of people online.

Last week we had over 150 people viewing our service online because of the work that they're doing.

They're like uh they talked about the next generation, like the millennials, and they're like an LED.

You know, they they're just they're working smarter.

We we work really hard to get 150 people in a room.

They just post something and they reach like 10,000.

It's like, how do they do that?

Well, they just know how to, they're just like smarter.

You work smarter.

Like an LED, it's not as much energy or consumption, it's just we just want to get the job done because we have other things to do.

I'm like, go for it, guys.

It's awesome that they're different platforms, they're releasing the media, they're reaching out.

They are here now.

Get this a 10-year-old comes to church at 6:37 in the morning on a day off on a Sunday to be here, to set up, to hang out, to grab a few snacks in our volunteer area, and to, you know, maybe grab some coffee.

It's their culture.

And uh they're here doing it because it's in their passion wheel, in their wheelhouse.

And I have to give uh credit to James Johnson for rallying and harnessing, harnessing this gifting and the purpose in these kids.

They didn't even know that it was in there, and they're walking in and they're just like, I've logged 243 hours of video work and I'm doing this and this and this.

I'm directing and posting and overseeing.

I'm thinking, you guys are awesome.

I love that.

So our response to God ought to be, yes, God.

Thank you, God.

Thank you for what you've placed in me.

Thank you for what you've given me.

I'll do whatever I can do to discover it.

I don't want you to go another month without knowing and being able to articulate your God design.

We need to understand it.

Um, there's this there's a parable in Scripture about the uh the a businessman who was leaving, and he left three of his his stewards uh some investment.

And he left one steward five bags of gold, and another steward three, and another one one.

And he said, I'm going on a trip for a while, but I'm gonna come back.

And he goes on his trip and he comes back and he goes to the first steward and he says, Hey, I gave you five bags of gold, what do you do with it?

He said, Well, I took that five bags of gold, I invested it, and look, I made five more bags of gold.

And he was like, right on.

Of course, three.

He goes and invests three bags of gold, he gets three more, he comes out with six, and then he goes to the last uh steward.

He says, Listen, I gave you one bag of gold.

What do you do with it?

What where's my return?

Where's my return on my investment with you?

He says, Well, I know you're a tough boss, I know you're so I I didn't want to lose it, so I just went to uh a space and I buried it in the ground, and just because I didn't want to lose it, I didn't want to risk anything.

And so he says, Here I came, I I I dug it up, and here's your one bag of gold back again.

And it's interesting what the scripture says, the master says, he says to that person, he says, You wicked lazy servant.

He says, You should have put your gift to work.

And I think about that sometimes, and it really hits the core of my heart.

And I don't like, it's not a guilt trip at all, it's just a reality check.

We need to know our gift, and we need to start putting our gift to work.

We need to put it to work, we need to start investing our gift wherever we can.

There are those in this room who can help people with their finances.

There are those in this room who have who have navigated divorce and relationship uh conflict and have come through on the other side.

You need to help others.

You God is helped, God has gifted you in different areas, each of the church in different areas.

And we need the church coming together.

We need to discover our purpose.

So, how do you do it?

Number one, you have to want it.

You have to want it.

The Bible says, eagerly desire it.

You gotta like stir yourself up, okay.

I'm gonna find this out, I'm gonna figure this out, I'm gonna get my big whiteboard that's in my house, I'm gonna wipe it clean, and I'm gonna just say, okay, my purpose is dot, dot, dot, what is it?

And you're gonna start making points and assessing what that purpose is.

You have to want it, you have to you have to go after it because there's a reward attached to it.

When you discover it, you'll actually have that reward.

And uh number two, it it starts with discovering your purpose is really starts with discovering your gifts.

And as you discover your gifts, your purpose will emerge.

Um, Romans 12 says we all have different gifts according to the grace that God has given us.

And sometimes it's as simple as saying, hey, what am I good at?

What do I enjoy?

If I was to look at your your history and like the books and that you've checked out of the libraries and what you your actual consumption is, if I wanted to look at your Kindle and say, what is this person interested in reading all the time?

Then check, check, check.

That might be a signal to it.

And lastly, an intentional process can help.

And that's where we come in.

We've actually got a process that helps you understand and realize your leadership style, your personal passion, and your spiritual gift.

And we would love to be able to take each person through this.

There are 87.

Is my math right?

Mike, is my math right?

Eight if 13% haven't discovered it, 87%, right?

87% could use it.

And we would love to be able to take you through discovering your spiritual gifts, leadership style, and personal passion.

This is a big part.

Um, as I close, I just have an example here.

There's this girl named uh Vivian Meyer.

Vivian Meyer lived for uh 40 years working as a nanny in Chicago.

She was a hobbyist, uh, photographer, and her hobby was taking primarily pictures of uh of individuals and architecture.

Well, for 40 years, living as this hobbyist photographer, she uh she never really realized any of her works.

They were all a lot of them, uh, the prints that she had were undeveloped.

When they went to, she passed away, and when they went into her home, they discovered like crates of undeveloped film.

And some people went to her place and and and took some of that film and and developed it.

Others uh purchased an auction or there was a uh kind of a bidding uh auction on a storehouse, and part of the things that they accumulated from that storehouse, like that warehouse, was uh some of her prints.

And some people thought, man, who was this?

It must have been a famous artist.

And he started posting some of her pictures after she had actually passed away.

And when it went online, her pictures went viral.

Her pictures went viral.

She took more than 150,000 photographs during her lifetime, and her life work now has been in documentaries, films.

She's uh received uh she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in terms of some of her videography.

She was uh she premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

She had all these awards, and she never Realized one of them because her gifts remained undeveloped.

She was never, she was never able to express them, never able to utilize them to the place where where people would have appreciated them.

And my heart today is that your purpose in life would not be undeveloped.

You wouldn't leave today with undiscovered gifts, undiscovered purpose in your life, but that you would go forward in life realizing what God has placed in you.

Can I hear an amen for that?

Come on.

Amen.

Would you bow your heads with me?

Father, thank you today that you've uh called us to a great high calling.

You've placed inside of us a purpose and a gift, Lord, to be uh and to benefit people in our community, to benefit uh our city and our nation, the world even.

And Father, I ask that you would just create a desire in us, Lord, to know it, to be able to articulate it, to define it, Lord, so that we could actually move forward in it.

I ask, Lord, that that you would see, you would see each in us, Lord, uh, as those who are hungry for it.

Father, we thank you that you're doing something new in this church.

Lord, new in us.

It's a new year.

And Lord, we don't want to move forward like we've moved before, doing the things that we've always done.

We want to make sure that we're on the right track.

So we ask today for your help.

We ask today for your encouragement, for the encouragement of the church today to be able to move us forward in Jesus' name.

Amen.

And Father, today, even as we're praying, I ask, Lord, that if you're moving on any hearts today, Lord, that as people are taking this opportunity to even assess their own hearts and their own lives, Father, today people would realize that you're wanting a direct relationship with them.

And Father, today I just pray for anyone in this place who has never received that, uh, never realized that opportunity to come to know you and responded to an invitation, Lord, that you want to know them and you want to make their gifts known to them.

Lord, I ask today that at this point in time that people would would respond to that call, that in their heart, Lord, there would be a turning.

And Lord, that turning would respond to like a dedication of their own lives to you.

So, Father, today we just pray together and we we ask together, Lord, for you to do a work in each person's heart and life.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

God bless you.

I'm going to invite Malachi to come on up.

Let's give him a hand as he comes.

Thanks, Mel.