Boundaries 1 - Guest speaker Chip Judd

Father, thanks for being such a great God.

Thanks for loving us.

Thanks for creating us in your image.

Father, I thank you so much for the high school students here.

Just how you've created them in your image.

Just uh what a reflection they are of you.

And please just favor them in every way, especially on this trip this week.

Um do just keep them safe, them and the whole team that's going, and draw them, the whole team and the and the and the group uh closer together, but mostly God, just supernaturally draw them uh close to you and speak to them and and uh and connect even in a deeper way with them.

And I praise you, and I thank you for that.

And this morning, Holy Spirit, please teach us.

But we thank you for all the uh the gifts you've given Chip, the life experience that he has and the ability to share it in such an impactful way.

And we thank you for the Holy Spirit.

Please take what he says and what your word says and teach us.

Just speak into each of our hearts this morning.

Give us something that we can take with us and that we can apply and that we can make uh a change and take another step forward.

So we praise you and we thank you and we love you.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Thank you, sir.

All right.

All right, y'all doing okay?

All right, they they've got notes coming around, so be patient on that.

They'll be heading your way.

Uh, I know that's a little weird for you, maybe, but um I uh you know, I think I told you last time I was here, I uh I don't I don't need myself to get up here and talk.

I talk because I wanted to help you, so I give you the notes so you can kind of uh have something to take home with you.

As Steve said, we're gonna we're gonna be back at 1 o'clock.

I'm gonna kind of show you the problem this morning, and then this afternoon we're gonna solve it a little bit.

But how many of you think it'd be okay if we had a little fun while we're doing this this morning?

Say yes if you're all right with that.

How many of you are willing to help me a little bit?

Say yes if you are.

All right, because I'll ask some questions as we get rolling.

But uh if you would, you can start the PowerPoint, just leave that first slide up there.

But um here's a here's a thought for you, an observation.

I, you know, I kind of travel around, I've been pastoring for a while, and I travel and go to different churches, and in my observation, there's several epidemics.

You know what an epidemic is, right?

You know, like the flu or whatever that spreads through a group of people.

Well, I believe there's three epidemics that are raging through the church right now.

And what we're gonna talk about today will help with all three of them.

The first epidemic I see in the church is what I would call an epidemic of heart disease.

Heart disease.

Now, I don't mean the thumping thing in your chest.

I mean Proverbs 13, 12.

Proverbs 13, 12 says this hope deferred.

Anybody know the rest of it?

Makes the heart sick.

Hope deferred.

Think about that for a minute.

I'm hoping for something, hoping for something, hoping for something, and it doesn't happen.

And eventually what happens is my heart just quits hoping.

And I just get kind of like sick in my heart.

I would say this.

I believe if we're not careful in the church, we overpromise and underdeliver.

Hmm, what does he mean by that?

We talk to you about how Jesus died to set you free, and you sit here for a month, two, three, six, a year, two, three, five, and you wonder why I'm not getting free.

And how many of you know one of the things we learn really well at church is how to pretend we're getting it, even if we're not.

You ever, you ever, you know, forgive me, I don't mean to upset anybody, but you say hello to somebody, you say, how's it going, dude?

Oh, I'm blessed.

They quote three scriptures.

Now, is there anything wrong with that?

No, there's nothing wrong with that.

If it's the truth.

How many of you think church ought to be the safest place on earth?

The safest place on earth for what?

I believe it should be the safest place on earth to be yourself.

How many of y'all, how many of you realize we're all on a journey?

How many are there yet?

Stand up if you're there, so the rest of us can have you pray for us.

None of us in this room are there yet.

So we got this issue of hope deferred.

I just want to tell y'all something.

There's answers in the book, they work, but they're not instant, they're not automatic.

And what we're going to be talking about today is really, really practical.

So the first epidemic is an epidemic of heart disease.

The second is an epidemic of what I call renegade emotions, runaway emotions.

I just have this crazy idea that inviting Jesus into my heart to be my Savior and my Lord is supposed to help me live life a little bit more balanced.

So we're going to talk about a teaching today that will help you balance out your emotions a little bit.

How many of you'd like to balance out your emotions a little bit?

How many of you could point to somebody you wish would balance out their emotions a little bit?

And then the third, uh, epidemic of heart disease, an epidemic of renegade emotions.

And then the third is an epidemic of victimization.

An epidemic of victimization.

Now, here's the way a victim talks.

Say yes if you're still here.

Are you still here?

Because I want you to get this.

Here's how a victim talks.

Why do they keep doing that to me?

Why do they keep doing that to me?

A victim, listen to me now.

A victim always believes his or her problem is outside of themselves.

And if the problem's outside of me, number one, I'm not responsible for it, and number two, I can't fix it.

So I got good news and bad news.

The bad news, if you want to hear it that way, is if you have relational stuff that is unhealthy, if you're part of a relationship that's older than six months and it has unhealthy stuff in it, I got some bad news for you if you want to hear it that way.

You're part of the problem.

Oh, you don't know my situation.

I don't need to know your situation.

If you have a relationship older than about six months that has unhealthiness in it, you're part of the problem.

Now, I said I had bad news and good news.

Guess what?

The good news is you're part of the problem.

Because if you're part of the problem, what are you automatically?

Part of the solution.

So what we're going to talk about today is this really cool, simple, I mean, it's so ridiculously simple, but it is really powerful.

All the places I go and teach, this is the most popular in the sense that it's the most helpful, lights go on, bells ring.

Wow, that's gonna help me.

If you ask me, I might have told you this last time I was here, if you ask me in the 30 some years you've been walking with God, what are the most important things you've learned?

The first thing I would tell you is I've learned to receive and rest in the Father's love.

The second thing I would tell you is boundaries.

What we're gonna talk about today.

So, we're gonna have a little bit of fun, and I want you to interact a little bit with me, but I think it's really gonna be helpful.

How many of you agree that life does at times feel out of control?

Yes or no?

All right, hit that next slide, please, sir.

This is one of my favorite scriptures.

If you had a red letter Bible, it would be in red.

Who does that mean is talking?

Jesus.

So this is Jesus talking.

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you more stress.

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you more to do.

Is that what it says?

Come to me, come to me, Jesus, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you what?

Alright, how many of you want to receive some rest today?

Alright, I know this is gonna be a little weird, and I know we're in the South, but sometimes I go places that aren't.

So I have to teach them to say the word rest correctly.

The way you say the word rest is with two syllables and real slow.

So get ready now.

If you say it correctly, a blanket of his rest will settle in this room, and you'll take it out of the room with you.

So get ready.

Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you reyeah.

Y'all see you're in a hurry.

You live around Atlanta.

You're just in such a hurry.

You gotta say it slow with two syllables.

You ready?

Y'all want to get some rest or not?

I have a PhD in rest.

Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you reyeah.

Do you feel it start to come?

One more chance.

One more chance.

You got better though.

Y'all are good.

You're teachable.

Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rea.

You feel it?

Just ah.

How many of you'd like to learn how to walk in the rest of God?

Now, how many of you would say that of all the Christians you know, all of them know how to rest?

It just comes automatically as a Christian.

Yes or no?

How many of you'd say we're not doing such a great job of teaching that?

Well, that's what this teaching is going to help with.

So Jesus says, Come unto me, all you laboring or heavy laden, I'll give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Is learn a process or an event?

It's a process.

Learn from me, for I'm gentle and lowly in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy.

Say easy one time.

And my burden is light.

Now, my personal opinion is if we're doing Christianity correctly, the way he meant for it to be done, it should be easy.

Say this with me.

Jesus did it hard.

Say that with me.

Jesus did it hard.

So I could do it easy.

Are you with me?

So there's some stuff we're going to learn today.

My yoke is easy, my burden is light.

Next slide, please, sir.

Here's a cool verse in Proverbs 16.

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

Now here's what I take away from that verse.

God is as proud of you if you can manage the person sitting in your chair as he would be if you led one of his armies and conquered an enemy stronghold.

God wants you to learn how to manage the person sitting in your chair.

Next one, please, sir.

Similar verse in Proverbs 25, 28.

Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls.

So there's something about boundaries that makes us open to all the stuff that's happening around us.

What we're going to talk about today is helping you become a person.

Now listen, who's very difficult to manipulate.

Very difficult to manipulate.

We're going to talk about that.

Next one, please, sir.

All right.

Would you be interested in a teaching that helps you enter into rest?

Yes or no?

You want some of that?

How about a teaching that will release you and others from unrealistic expectations?

You want some of that?

How about free up your relationships from destructive cycles?

Release God's purpose in your life.

Not mom or dad or brother or sister, aunt or uncle, even your pastor, God's purpose in your life.

How about a teaching that'll help you to become more emotionally stable?

Listen, are we supposed to be flat lines emotionally?

Are we supposed to be like this?

Life's supposed to kind of be like this.

Every once in a while life's gonna slap you and you're gonna spin out.

But it ought to be mostly like this with an occasional spin out, not like this with an occasional stretch of peace.

Alright?

How about a teaching that would enable you to raise healthy er children?

Now, why do you think I say healthy er children?

Are you gonna raise perfect kids?

Why are your kids not gonna be perfect?

Because you raised them.

Now, let's just get it out of the way.

Why are your kids gonna be messed up?

Because you raised them.

How many of you are still just a little bit messed up?

How many of you realize your kids are gonna be a little bit messed up?

Now, here's your goal.

I want to raise kids that are a little bit healthier than I am.

Is that a good goal?

How many of you want to raise perfect kids?

If you do, you might as well take my card or another counselor's card because you're gonna need it.

Because you're not gonna raise perfect kids.

Why not?

Because you raised them.

Alright, last one.

How about a teaching that would help you build a great marriage?

Whether you're married yet or not, wanna be, don't want to be, whatever.

How many of you'd like to know how to build a great marriage?

Well, that's what this teaching will help you with.

Alright?

Next slide, please, sir.

Look at that statement if you want to write it in your notes.

More people suffer from trying to change or control others than any other disease.

How many of you know we spend a lot of life's energy trying to get other people to act toward us the way we want them to?

I mean, we can get really, really worn out trying to get somebody to like us, trying to get someone to stop mistreating us.

We can spend lots of energy trying to get people to do what we want them to do.

What this teaching's about is how to come around the back door and get free of that whole process.

Hit that next slide if you would, please, sir.

All right.

I I talked to the young folks and I asked if about 10 or 15 of them would come up here real quick.

This is a good spot.

Where are you?

Where are they?

You coming?

Bring some of them up here.

They're gonna come?

Some adults can come too.

Ten of you, come on, hurry up here, hurry up here.

How about how about two or three adults from over here?

Somebody come on up here.

Normally I do this and I have y'all yell at me.

We might do that today, but I thought I'd just have them yell at me.

Y'all, y'all mind coming up on stage here?

Come on up here.

Anybody else want to come up from over here?

You don't have to.

Alright, here's what we're gonna do.

We're gonna start.

My wife's gonna write some stuff down.

You can stay down there, I guess.

Um what we're gonna do is we're gonna start looking at all of life's stuff.

And I'm what we're gonna end up with is a filtering system for how you can filter the stuff of life in a way that you know what you know what is the stuff I can really do something about, which is the stuff I need to expend my life's energy on, and what's the stuff that I really can't do much about, and I need to learn to do something different with it.

So, what I want you guys to do, you can come over here in the light a little bit, and you don't have to be in a line, don't worry about that.

But what I want you to do is, what I don't know if you can see it up there.

It says, what things do you spend time and energy thinking about, worrying about, stressing over?

So as you go through a day, a week, a month, what are some of the stuff you worry about?

Think about school, grades, money, friends, parents, a job?

Self-image.

What else?

Self-image.

Self-image.

You got any?

Children.

That's why I want an adult up here.

These guys probably wouldn't think to say children.

Anything else?

Did you get a car?

I'm a little disappointed.

Nobody said world peace.

Any others?

Health, we got health.

That's another reason I want an adult.

Young people don't usually think of help.

I don't think that's my relationship with God.

Relationship with God.

Cool.

All right, now I want you to stakes.

You're gonna help me.

So, what we could do, we could build that list lots of different ways.

Hit the slide one more time.

And I just threw some up there to kind of provoke your thinking.

Go ahead and hit it one more time.

So, what we're gonna do, we just identified your what you might call, Stephen Covey calls it your seek circle of concern, but we want to figure out how to shrink it a little bit.

So hit it one more time.

What we're gonna do is give you a filtering system.

In life, there are three types of control.

Hit it one more time, please.

There are things over which you have direct control.

This is in your notes, I believe.

There's things over which you have direct control, there's things over which you have indirect control, and then there's some things over which you have no control.

So what we're gonna do is we're gonna take our list and we're gonna try to figure out do we have direct, indirect, or no control over some of them?

What's the first one?

School.

Direct, indirect, or no control over school.

Direct?

Direct?

Alright, now what do you mean?

You can you gotta do that.

Okay.

A bad teacher.

I'm kidding.

All right, but the point is they said mo they're on the direct end of things.

So what we would do if we were had a board up here, we'd put it inside the circle.

All right, what's the next one?

Grades.

Direct, indirect, or no control.

They lean toward direct.

Y'all be thinking.

What I want you to do is just feel with each one.

Is this something I can directly control?

Indirectly control or no control?

Next one, please.

Friends.

Ooh.

Direct, indirect, or no control?

I wouldn't say direct.

All right, direct.

Let me give you a clue.

Direct means you can determine the outcome.

So do you have direct control over your friends?

No.

Can you look across the room and say, that person's gonna be my husband?

Is that probably a wise thing to do?

Probably not.

So direct, indirect, or no control.

So can you act in ways that make it more likely that person might like you?

So it's not no control, but it's not direct control.

So I just want you to feel that a little bit.

Next one.

Money.

Direct, indirect, or no control.

No control.

What'd you say?

Indirect, okay.

Okay.

Again, just feel it.

There's no right answer.

Job.

Direct, indirect, or no control.

Job.

Indirect?

Indirect?

Okay.

They might not hire you.

Alright, next one.

Self-image.

Self-image.

Direct?

Indirect?

Direct?

Direct?

Alright, let me just play with that one a second.

Self-image is the way I see myself.

Right?

Direct, indirect, or no control.

Alright, we'll we'll we'll we'll deal with that one in a minute.

What's next?

Children, direct, indirect, or no control.

Now, what's scary is everyone up here said that.

Direct, indirect, or no control.

What do you think?

I haven't heard the right answer yet.

Depends on their age and stage.

If you do chill parenting properly, they should go through all three stages.

Direct, indirect, no control.

If anybody's here with them, am I right or not?

Alright, what's next?

Car, direct, indirect, or no control.

Indirect.

Indirect.

It must be like getting one or something.

Okay.

Getting the money to get one, alright?

Health.

Direct, indirect, or no control.

Can you control some things about your health?

Can you control everything about your health?

Okay.

That's where you get the indirect.

Anything else?

Relationship with God.

Last one.

What do you think?

Direct?

Relationship with God.

Alright?

I just want you to kind of feel that a little bit.

Alright?

Go ahead and hit the slide one more time.

I'm going to have you stay up here just another minute.

Can y'all handle that?

I think we'll get there quick enough that it won't be a problem.

Alright, here's the deal on this.

Anything over which you have direct control, God is going to hold you responsible.

And that's going to be a key word here in just a minute.

Anything over which you have indirect control, you can't determine the outcome, but you can influence the outcome.

You're not responsible for it.

That's gonna be a big deal here in just a second.

And then there's some things over which you have no control, and for those things, you've got to find someone bigger than yourself that you can trust.

Who should that probably be?

God.

So we've got to practice some of that stuff.

So what we're gonna do is we're gonna talk about this a little bit.

Next one, please.

Alright, what we did was took our circle of concern and we shrunk it a little bit to make what we call our circle of influence and responsibility.

Y'all alright?

Alright, next one, please.

I'll try to get to you guys quickly because I'm gonna use you in just a second.

Alright, here's an important thing that's in your notes.

What I would call the law of stewardship.

And what that means to me is this this is how God allocates life and its roles and responsibilities.

God gives you a responsibility, then he gives you the authority to carry out your responsibility, and then he gives you power to back up your authority to carry out your responsibility.

Now, right now that's probably like, dude, that's a little bit weird, but it'll make more sense in just a second.

Next one, please.

Really important thought.

When you think about responsibility, authority, and power, always think R before A.

What does that mean?

You should always start with what is my responsibility in the moment.

Forgive me, fellas, but I tell a story.

It isn't entirely true, but it gets the point across.

Imagine I'm in a counseling session with Bubba and Mary Lou.

And Bubba and Mary Lou are there because marriage is kind of mucked up a little bit.

Bubba doesn't really want to be there, but he came because he, you know, whatever.

So the counseling session gets going, and Bubba starts to get a little bit uncomfortable.

And Bubba says, Preacher, tell her what the Bible says.

Now, what's one passage of Scripture every man on earth can quote?

Never heard the name Jesus, never opened a Bible, but we can still quote it.

What is it?

Wives, submit to your husbands.

So I'm sitting there and Bubba says, Preacher, tell her what the Bible says.

And I say, Well, Bubba, I'm a little slow today, dude.

I don't know what you mean.

He says, You know, preacher, tell her about wives submitting to their husbands.

And I reach over and slap Bubba so hard his head spins.

And then I say, Bubba, don't you ever mention that verse again in my presence until you're doing your job first.

And then I say, Bubba, what is your job?

And you know what Bubba says?

Duh.

Because Bubba don't know his job.

Now, what did Bubba do?

He wanted to operate in authority with no responsibility.

Let me tell you, fellas, ladies, anybody in this room, if you want to operate in authority that others willingly, joyfully submit and follow, guess what?

Serve them.

Put their needs before your own, and they'll follow you anywhere.

Can anybody say yes to that one?

So it's responsibility first, then authority.

Notice the second one though says R equals A.

How many of you know in any situation it's very easy to know how much authority you have?

How much responsibility do you have?

Are you allowed to go into somebody else's home and discipline their children?

Can you go into your friend's house and give their kid a spanking?

I'm around my part of the country, they shoot you for stuff like that.

Why is that?

Because it's not your responsibility, therefore you don't have any authority or power.

So whoever has the responsibility, listen now, that person has the authority and power.

Next one, please.

Outlaws exercise power without permission, which is just another word for authority.

Guess who else does?

In-laws operate, exercise power without authority.

Next one.

I gotta get these folks busy up here.

All right, we're gonna talk about boundaries.

This is where this thing comes in.

Who wants to be my guinea pig?

Who wants to do it?

You?

Alright, come here.

Come here.

Here, this thing doesn't want to move for us.

Oh, wrong way.

Here you go.

I want you to suspend it around you.

I'll step up here.

What's your name?

Kristen.

Kristen.

Alright?

I want you to pretend.

I want you to pretend.

Hey, quiet down, girl.

Quiet down.

Man, we got problems already.

Where's your parents?

They in here?

All right.

Pretend, Kristen, that you're my wife.

What an honor, right?

Alright, here's the deal.

Alright, what are boundaries?

I'm going to walk you through the notes, and while we're doing it, I'm going to talk about it.

Alright?

Next one, please.

Next slide, please.

This is all in your notes.

Boundaries are the invisible property lines of your life.

How many of you know when somebody gets too close to you, you feel kind of creepy?

You ever had somebody talk to you from too close?

It's because we all have this subconscious zone around us that we don't want anybody else to get inside of.

And that's this whole idea of boundaries, and we'll make more sense out of that in just a minute.

Next one, please, sir.

Boundaries where I stop and others start.

The most fundamental boundary you have, look up here, is your what?

Skin.

That's why violations of touch, particularly early in life, are profoundly damaging to a developing personality.

Anything that violates our sense of boundaries hurts the person that's developing in the inside there.

Next one, please, sir.

Boundaries define who I am and for what I am responsible.

And this is where it's going to grow some teeth here in just a second.

Next one, please.

I want you to imagine everybody in this room, everybody on this stage has a hula hoop around them.

So position yourselves about far enough that you if if you each had a hula hoop around you, you're good.

You just do what you're told.

I'm kidding.

So imagine everybody in the room has a hula hoop around.

Now, Kristen, right?

All right?

Kristen and I are married.

So that means there's a circle around the two of us called what?

A marriage.

That circle separates the two of us from every other person on earth.

But don't you dare think inside that circle we aren't living in our own circles.

I'm responsible for certain things.

She's responsible for certain things.

Alright, we'll make more sense out of that here in just a minute.

Next one, please.

All right.

Everything inside my circle is my responsibility.

Everything inside Kristen's circle is Kristen's responsibility.

Everything inside each of these persons' circle is whose responsibility?

Theirs.

So just this thought.

Everything inside my circle is my responsibility.

Everything inside your circle is your responsibility.

Alright, here we are, husband and wife.

Hit that one more time.

You make me mad.

Alright, what just happened?

Where's my anger?

My anger's inside my circle.

My anger's inside my circle.

Who's responsible for everything inside my circle?

So if I say you make me mad, what did I just do?

I just made her responsible for my anger.

Where's my anger?

In my circle.

Who's responsible for everything inside my circle?

I am.

You make me sad.

Where's my sadness?

Inside my circle.

Who's responsible for everything inside my circle?

I am.

You make me glad.

Where's my gladness?

Inside my circle.

Who's responsible for everything inside my circle?

I am.

Now, hit it one more time.

Please don't forget this.

If I say you make me mad, whether I meant to or not, I made Christian responsible for my anger, whether I meant to, what went with the responsibility?

The authority and power to control me.

Listen to me carefully.

Whoever is responsible also carries the authority and power.

Where's my anger?

Inside my circle.

Can my wife Kristen act in ways that make it more likely I might get angry?

Yes or no?

But who decides whether or not I get angry?

I do.

I don't care what she or anyone else on this planet does, I decide how it affects me.

Say yes if that makes sense.

Now, very important question.

It might be up here next.

Hit it one more time.

The key word is our word, it's in the in your notes there.

Hit it one more time.

I'm hoping this slide's gonna show up.

Go back to that last one, if you would, please, sir.

All right, is Kristen alone in here?

Is she alone in her circle?

Remember where we are right now.

A little clue.

Is she alone in there?

Who's in there with her?

God is.

How did God get there?

Boom, kick the door down and went in.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

Just a little side thought.

If even God knocks before entering, how dare we not?

When we try to control and manipulate.

But God's in her circle.

Alright?

Where is her need for love?

Where is her need for love?

Inside her circle.

Who's responsible for everything inside her circle?

She is.

Who's in there with her?

How much of her need for love can God meet?

Alright, listen to this.

I've said this with my wife on the front row many times.

Imagine me with a hula hooper on me.

I don't need my wife to love me.

I want my wife to love me.

I like it when she loves me, and she does love me.

But why don't I need her to love me?

Who meets my need for love?

Where is my need for love?

It's inside my circle.

Who's responsible for everything inside my circle?

Guess what?

I fired my wife.

She's no longer responsible for meeting my need for love.

You're fired.

I fired my children.

I fired them.

Why?

Because God's in my circle.

I'm responsible for getting my need for love.

My wife and I have learned the secret to a great marriage.

And the secret to a great marriage is to have an affair.

So I go over here and have an affair with God.

How much of my need for love does he meet?

Virtually all of it.

My wife goes over here and she has an affair with God.

Now, how much of her need for love can he meet?

Virtually all of it.

Please listen to this.

How different do you think a relationship feels when you come back toward each other?

Listen now, already full.

Instead of empty, trying to get.

Now, you guys come up closer.

Let's make this more applicable to everybody in the room.

These are a bunch of people, let's say their sp their their ages spread from 15 to 50.

Thank you.

I don't really know what they are, but let's just say they do.

Here's the deal: who's responsible for everything inside her circle?

Alright, listen.

Is she responsible for her to feel liked?

Is she responsible for Kristen to feel liked?

Is she responsible for Kristen's self-image?

Where's Kristen's self-image?

Inside her circle.

Who's responsible for everything inside her circle?

Now, can she act in a way that isn't very kind to Kristen?

Can Kristen control that?

What can Kristen control?

How it affects her.

Why?

Because if it's her responsibility, she has the authority and power.

Everything inside your circle is your responsibility.

You're not alone in there.

Say yes if that makes sense.

Now, for time's sake, we're going to have to quit kind of abruptly.

Forgive me for that.

I forgive me if it's an inconvenience for a moment, but please, if you can come back at one o'clock, we will have a delightful time ending this and then giving you some practical answers on how you can apply this stuff.

This teaching is just so ridiculously simple, but it has changed our lives.

It's changed the way we relate to one another, and it's changed the way we relate to everybody else on earth.

So forgive me for the abruptness, but I'm going to be there.

There's not a good place to stop, to be honest with you, until we jump in the middle of things later.

So say yes if you're all okay with that.

If you can't make it back at one o'clock, Pastor Steve's coming, I hope.

If you can't make it back at one o'clock, they're going to record both sessions, I believe.

He can clarify that.

And uh you can get that.

And make sure you take a copy of notes.

I think they've got some for this afternoon, too.

And we're going to review a little bit of this, and then we'll jump back in and finish it up, okay?

So forgive me for any abruptness.

Thank you guys.

How about these guys?

Are they good or what?

Now uh now they're all gonna sing a song for us.

We're getting a divorce.

Uh-oh.

Uh-oh.

Sing it as you make your way back to your seat.

Now, when I said they're gonna sing a song, Kristen turned to me and said, We're getting a divorce.

That's cold, man.

What kind of people you got around here?

Thank you, Chip.

Is that great stuff or what?

And so if you're like me, you're getting, you know, you're you're uh getting the gist of that, but you're like, okay, but what about this situation, this situation, and how do I walk this out?

And uh we will leave with those answers this afternoon.

Let's pray and then we'll finish with uh worship.

Thank you, Father.

Thank you for uh thank you for chip.

Uh Holy Spirit, thank you for being our our teacher and even translating what we hear and applying it directly um to us.

That's how we want to live.

We want to live with a light with a light load, and we do want to rest, God.

And so please uh teach us and just lead us right into that.

We praise you and we thank you in Jesus' name, amen.