Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:04 Well, it's great to be with you this morning. And, uh, just so you know, I grew up in Glendale Heights and, uh, so I'm kind of a hometown guy here, and I'll tell you a little bit more about that. But I brought, I found this picture yesterday and I wanted to, I wanted to bring it, and this is this picture. And, uh, part of, part of my story is we, um, I was, I planted a church and we ended up in this roller rink in Streamwood Illinois called main street USA. Some of you may have heard of that before and now it's a church, but anyway, what this picture is, I'm, I'm right here and I'm sitting in a chair and these are pastors that are praying for me. And if you can see that one silhouette, anyone want to take a stab at who that might be. Okay, it's pastor Craig. Of course he was, you know, and I don't remember, but I think he was the one that suggested that we pray at that moment. And that's his hand on my shoulder, just like just a moment ago. And he gave me some very nice accolades, but the truth of the matter is when I met him, I, um, I thought, man, this guy's like a real pastor and he's a real shepherd. And when I grow up, I want to be like him.
Speaker 0 00:01:39 And that's kind of funny, but it's really, really true. Um, you know, I look at men of God like Greg and I'm like, man, I want to be like them because he has an incredible heart for people and a real, real Shepherd's heart and love for the word of God. And as you know, he's awesome at bringing messages to you and you have an incredible shepherd here. And I know you probably know that, but it's always good to be reminded that the man of God that is leading and shepherding you is just that a man of God. So wanted to share that with you. So, um, one of my favorite stories actually songs, sorry about that right now, is that song by elevation worship, my testimony, you guys heard that one. It's a really awesome song. This is my testimony. And, and today I get to share my testimony.
Speaker 0 00:02:44 I get to brag on God, and that is one of my favorite things to do. So, so here we go. Um, I'm going to take you back to 1995 and it is the fall of 1995 and I'm 32 and I'm living with my parents over here in Glendale Heights. And, um, I'm standing in the driveway and I'm, and I'm looking up and I'm prey. Now. I grew up Catholic, but really only by the name, you know, if someone asked me, so what religion are you I'm I'm Catholic and been to church in a really long time. Did the communion and confirmation and CCD, but really, um, didn't have a relationship. Uh, it was, it was a religion and a tradition. So I knew there was a God and I knew there was Jesus and I knew I could pray to him. So that's what I was doing.
Speaker 0 00:03:45 I was standing looking up on this crystal clear night with a lot of stars and the moon and I was praying and I was praying because the next morning I was going to turn myself in at du page county jail for seven months because of multiple DUIs. I was, uh, I wasn't drunk, but I was, I was praying. I'm saying, Lord, maybe you've prayed like that. Lord, if you can get me out of this, I promise I'll never drink again. Anyone ever pray? Those are kind of called foxhole prayers. Um, sometimes he answers those prayers and sometimes he doesn't because he knows our heart. And he knew at that moment that although I with, for me, everything in me was praying for him to get me out of this. He knew in my heart that that wasn't true. I was not going to stop. I was bartering with him and he also knew the outcome that would happen if he allowed me to go to jail.
Speaker 0 00:04:55 So the next morning came, my dad drove me to du page county and I said, goodbye and went in and went into the court courtroom and they're there. And they began to read the names of the people. And you know, some people are going before the bench and then, um, you know, they pay a fine and then they leave. And then a few of them, they were, they said, turn around and then they were cuffing them and taking them out the back. And I knew exactly where they were going. And it's where I was going in a few minutes. So went through this whole list, then call my name. And I'm like, oh, answered prayer. So I left and I remember going down the escalator in the courthouse and about halfway down, I thought maybe a better check because if in fact by name was on that list and somehow it got skipped over, um, you know, the police would be knocking on my door because there'd be a warrant for my arrest. And I thought I'm going to just make sure, um, that God answered this prayer. So I went back in and talked to, it was the bailiff. He was the only one there. And I said, so here's my name? Just wander. And you probably don't have it on that sheet, but I just wanted to check. And he went down, he goes, oh, I don't know how I skipped over your name. Could you turn around, sir?
Speaker 0 00:06:26 Sure. Enough turned around. And he handcuffed me and took me behind the, the door and then down the hallway. And I got processed into DuPage county jail. That's not fun. I said, I remember took all day to get processed through. And I remember getting to the pod, that's what they call it in their cells. In these pods kind of just like on TV for those of you who've been there just like on TV, hopefully you haven't. And then that door shuts and the reality sets in, oh my, I guess I won't be able to go to the fridge for quite some time. So entered into the, my little cell with the concrete bed, with a little mattress and one pillow and my little orange suit that I had on and seven months behind bars, freedom gone, period of time. I, I, I actually wavered back and forth when I get out, I'm going to go nuts partying.
Speaker 0 00:07:43 And then the very next day, I would say, you know what, I'm never drinking again. And I went back and forth and back and forth. And then finally, when I was released, I was at that day that I'm never ever drinking again. And so my dad picked me up and we went and, um, that vowel lasted two weeks. And I drank again, I know hard to believe, right? Four DUIs crashing cars, um, all the things that go with that. And I drank again and it was worse than ever. I had blacked out a lot of times in my drinking, but when I picked it up again, it's like my, my alcoholism just kept going, even though I didn't keep drinking. And then right when I picked up again, it picked up and I was worse than ever in blacking out every single time. And that was March ish, April. And for we'll just say April and may and June, it was horrible. And, uh, and I, I mean, I, I lost everything. I, I didn't, I didn't have a job. I didn't have a license. Didn't have any friends. I barely had any clothes and I was living with my parents.
Speaker 0 00:09:04 And, um, it was, it was horrible. So finally in July, I said, I got to stop this somehow. And I looked in the yellow pages when we still had those under a where you find a and, and I found a meeting in Glen Allen on main street. And I asked my dad to give me a ride to an AA meeting. And I thought he was going to fall over right there, but he didn't. And he gave me a ride. And, and I, as we were driving down main street towards Glen Ellen, and I said, dad, I really need you to park, you know, like two or three blocks away so I can get out and walk because I don't want anybody to see me going into an AA meeting. Now think about that statement for DUIs. I've been in jail, I've crashed cars, I've ruined lives. The world knows I'm a drunk. And I'm like, I don't want anybody to know. And my dad, just in his graciousness, he drops me off. And I walked down to this church and it's a Presbyterian church. Maybe some of you have seen it as you're heading down the hill into downtown Glen Ellen. It's on the right hand side. And I remember standing in front of that church debating if I really needed to go in, if I really had a problem.
Speaker 0 00:10:27 And as I looked up into that church, it looked like there was a hundred steps that led into the door that led to that meeting, but somehow some way. And I think we know who helped me by his grace up those steps and into that meeting, I drive by that church, you know, every day I drop my daughter off at the bus stop in Glen Ellen. And the funny thing about that church in those steps is there's like six, but that day they looked like a hundred. Maybe, you know what I'm talking about when there's something in your life. And it seems insurmountable. And it seems like to get to the place of freedom from it. It's too far.
Speaker 0 00:11:19 Six steps went into the meeting, went down into the basement. That's where a lot of AA meetings happen. There was probably about 50 people. And, and in this basement, they were to these pills that, um, that you could hide behind, at least in my estimation. That's not why they were there, but that's what I used it for. So I got myself behind one of those pillars and I got as skinny as I can. Thank God I was skinnier than I am today. And I just was hiding behind there. And the reason that I was hiding is because in this particular meeting, they were going around and everyone was saying their name. And they were saying that they're an alcoholic. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I don't want to have to say that. So it's going around and it's going around and I'm getting skinny behind this pillar and silence. And the reason that there was silence is because it came to me, it seemed like five minutes, but I'm sure it was like 10 seconds.
Speaker 0 00:12:20 And I said, my name is Paul. And I'm, I'm an alcoholic. And the moment that I said that I felt some relief admitted. I was powerless in that moment and I felt some relief. So I started going to AA meetings and there's certain things that, that they tell you, they suggest to you in order to enter into a transformational journey. And there's, you need to work steps and read this big book and get a mentor or a sponsor and go to a meeting every single day for 90 days. So I received that information. It went well, you know what I, I think maybe, yeah, I could work a few steps and I'll come to these meetings. But as far as a sponsor or a mentor, someone telling me what to do now, I'm going to pass on that. And as far as this book thing goes, I'm not really interested.
Speaker 0 00:13:26 So, so I did a, my way, guess what? It doesn't work like that. I stayed sober for July and August and September, and then most of October, but I was started going to a lot of meetings. Then I went to less meetings than I went to less meetings. Then I was going to like one a week and I still kept hanging around with the same people. And I was also dabbling in the same places that I used to hang out with or hanging in. That was some of the bars. So eventually, um, yeah, you know what happened here? I drank again, one night, went downtown with a friend and I, and I drank my emo when I start drinking is I, I drank until I pass out or the money runs out. But in this particular instance, in this particular night, when he said, let's go home, I did.
Speaker 0 00:14:32 And I stayed over at his house and the next morning it was, uh, it was a Saturday and we went to play golf. And, um, we got to the halfway house where there's a, you know, they offer drinks and hotdogs and sandwiches. And he said, do you want a beer? And I remember looking up and I know there was a lot of beers, but I saw a rolling rock. I still see that in my mind. And I'm like, no, thanks again. God's grace. I really believe if I have that beer I'm off to the races and what happens next doesn't happen. Or at least it doesn't happen in the sequence that it did. So I get done playing golf and I called a friend of mine who was trying to be my sponsor. And I was pushing him away, was trying to help me work these steps.
Speaker 0 00:15:24 And I'm like not really interested. And it was someone that I actually used to run with and party with, but he had sobered up three years earlier. But what I didn't know about him was this. He was a Christ follower called him up. And I said, I'm in a bad way. And by a bad way, I mean, this, what I was, what I was experiencing is, as I was saying that I I've come to the realization that drinking isn't doing it for me. And I've come to the realization that AA isn't doing it for me. And I'm in a mess and I don't know what to do.
Speaker 0 00:16:03 And he said, sure, I'll come over. So he came to get me and he took me to seven dwarves in Wheaton and we sat for hours and we talked, I think I talked, he listened, we got back to my house, my house, my parents' house at the age of 33. I'm living with my parents and we're sitting in the driveway. And I said, I don't know what to do. I said, I don't know what's happened to me. I said, I grew up in Glendale Heights from a very young age. I played hockey like six and seven years old. And I played for this really prestigious, awesome team. We traveled around all over the United States and we traveled around Canada, played against Wayne.
Speaker 0 00:16:58 Fabulous. Yeah. And I, and I played baseball and I played golf and I played football. And I'm like, what, what is what it's happened to me? I had, I had friends. I had dream jobs. I was a PGA golf professional. No, I, I played baseball and golf. I was a junior college. All-American at Cod and state baseball player. Got a full ride. ASU, all Missouri valley in this car at age 33. And I have absolutely nothing, nothing. And I'm like, how did this happen? What do I do? And he said, I have the solution. If he would have said, hop out of the car and to spin around 50 times on your head, I would have given it a shot. If he would have pulled out a Buddha doll with the little belly and said, rubbed this 50 times, I would, I would have tried it. But he said, here's what you need to do. He said, you go into your house, you say hello to your parents. You go in your room, you shut the door, you get on your knee and you asked Jesus for help. I said, okay, I'll do that. Actually. I said it more colorfully.
Speaker 0 00:18:22 So I walked into their house and I said, hello. When I went into my room and I got on my knees and I looked up and I said, help me, Jesus. And I hopped up into my bed and I pulled the covers up. And something happened. I mean, obviously at the moment, I didn't know what it was, but I felt something physically inside me. And I knew things were going to be different. And I went to sleep the next morning, woken up by the phone. And, um, it's the same guy from the night before he said, I'll be there in 15 minutes. I'm going to pick you up. And I'm going to take you to church. And I said the same colorful words that I said the night before, what the heck?
Speaker 0 00:19:20 So he comes in, he takes me to a church it's in Bloomingdale. That's I don't know, 50 people. And we walk in and of course I sit in the back row, like furthest possible from the front. And it is a, it is a charismatic Pentecostal church. And what that means is couldn't be any further than Catholicism from Catholicism. I mean, there's a lot of stuff going on in this church. Like they're speaking in tongues. If you've heard of that, I never had, especially growing up Catholic, they were waving these flags. They were singing. They were having these prayer huddles, unlike all my gosh, what in the world did he bring me to? Here's the thing after what had happened to me the night before, and I stepped into that church and I felt like, even though all this in my mind, these shenanigans are going on. I'm like, I'm sensing something here. So, and the pastor gave his message. I have no idea what it was about, but I knew he was talking to me. Maybe you've had that happen to you before. Like that, of course in my self-centeredness I'm like, well, my friend told him I was coming.
Speaker 0 00:20:41 So the pastor gets to the end and he begins to talk about this Jesus who he is and why he came. And I heard it probably didn't go down like this, but I heard this, that he came to earth and died on a cross and shed his blood so that I could be forgiven and then went on to say, not only forgiven, but Jesus came, he died on that cross so that my sins could be wiped away. The Bible talks about them being blotted out, never to be remembered again. And I remember sitting there going, you mean to tell me that this is available to, to a guy like me.
Speaker 0 00:21:36 And again, I mean, I was a drunk. I stole money from my parents. I stole money from him. I mean, I, I used people. I slept with married women. I wasn't married at the time. I mean, I could go, I could go on and on and I'll share this with you again. I said, I had four DUIs in one of those. I killed someone when I heard that message. I was like, you've gotta be kidding me. I had, I had encountered Jesus the night before. And in that church on that morning, I was experiencing his grace is undeserved faith.
Speaker 0 00:22:36 I was living under a mountain of guilt and shame and remorse. And it was a cycle that I could not break. I couldn't stay drunk or high 24 seven. And when it wore off, I would, I would be buried under that guilt and shame and remorse. And you know what? I should have been. It's a horrible thing. But at the end of that, pastor telling me it was like me sitting there with him, who Jesus is and why he came and that he died for me and my sins and that I could be forgiven. And that, that he would hit the restart on my life. And my sins would be washed clean. He, when he said that, and then he said, if anyone would like to trust Jesus and surrender their life to him, I want to invite them up.
Speaker 0 00:23:50 And I popped up and began to walk. I have never cried so hard in my whole life. It was like every sin was being washed out of me. And I remember coming front and coming up front and him putting his hand on my shoulder and, and, and leading me in a prayer. I don't even know what I said, but I, but I knew somehow some way my life was going to be completely different. Again, I, I encountered Jesus and I experienced his grace. And I walked out of that church. That was October night, October 20th, 1996. And it was a crystal clear blue day. You know, those crisp fall days that it seems like you could see forever. But for me, it's like, I couldn't see. And God gave me a brand new set of glasses. And it's like, everything was Technicolor. And I knew my life was going to be different <inaudible> And then I lived happily ever after from that moment, <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:25:10 Not really because as you can see, I had a lot of baggage and a lot of sin. Yes, I was forgiven. Yes. My sins were remitted and removed, but I had all this, all this baggage and all the hurt and all the pain that I caused, you know, especially in my home with my parents, I'm, I'm an adopted, only child. And what I put them through is deplorable. So at that point, I surrendered completely. Actually, I believe I surrendered by saying to that guy, I'll do whatever you want me to do and surrender and what happened? I surrendered. And one, those two words don't go together very well, but in God's economy, they do. So I asked that friend to be my mentor, sponsor, whatever you want to call it. And he agreed. So he began to help me through God's word. And I went to meetings and did those steps and got very involved in that church and pastored that pastor like daily. And he didn't seem to mind because I was really hungry. And I think they just saw that something had happened in me. And, um, so I had this mentors, sponsors names, Dale, I still talk to him all the, and um, and he said to me, he said something really interesting. He said, you need to get a job.
Speaker 0 00:26:52 And I'm like, well, I have a job. I'm a catty over at Medina. He goes, this is not a job. You show up whenever you want, you need structure. You need a job. You need to, you know, you need to work eight to five, you need to work so hard that you're making them a diamond. They're paying you a nickel. I said, okay, okay, I'll get a job. He goes, you're not really understanding what I'm saying. I want you to get a job right now today. He said, here's what I want you to do. Tick, uh, take this advice, go to your dad. He'll be happy to hear this. Um, have him drive you to Stratford square mall. We all know where that is. And don't leave the mall until you have a job.
Speaker 0 00:27:39 I'm like, okay. He said, no, you really don't understand. So yeah, I do. He said, but you're still on the phone. Wham. He hangs it. He used to do that all the time. I needed it. Hang up the phone. I go tell my dad takes me to the mall. I'm going store to store, to store, to store nothing. And it's like Christmas time right now. It's November, middle of November, last store Marshall fields. Now Macy's I walk in, I, they have the HR desk and there's a lady sitting back there and I said, Hey, I really need a job. And she says, we don't have anything. I'm like, ma'am, you really don't understand. Like, I can't leave this mall until I have a job. You don't understand this guy who told me. And she's like, whatever. Um, but I said, I can't, I can't leave this door until I have a job. I don't have a job. So I'm leaving, thinking about what I'm going to say to him. She says, hang on a second. I'm like, oh, she goes in the back. She comes out. She comes out with a box and she sets the box down and she begins to pull stuff out of the box. A uniform. It's the middle of November.
Speaker 0 00:28:57 No, where I'm heading here. My first job in Christ and in sobriety, I was an elf in Marshall fields. Yep. Surrender. And when, really, again, I grew up around here and I told you all those wonderful accolades with sports and people knew that about me. And they're coming in to Marshall fields and saying, thought you were a golf pro didn't didn't you I'm like, I'm an, and you know what? Here's the funny thing. I was the best darn elf ever. And here's how I know, because when Christmas help was done in January, they kept me on moved me all the way to lamp. Yes.
Speaker 0 00:29:57 And then to mattresses. And then I made it all the way to men's clothing. So God was promoting me a little at a time when you surrender, you win. Right. Well, I kept, I was caddying at Medina and someone took a liking to me and they recommended me for a job in the city, at a country club. And then I became the caddy master, but I got back into the golf business. During this period of time, I'm going to Hinsdale hospital every single day with my mentor and sponsor. And I'm talking to the detox patients and I'm going to AA meetings and, and helping people. And then I started a Bible study in my home and people began to say, maybe you should consider going into the ministry. And my life is really getting better. And I'm starting to play really good golf again, traveling around a little bit, playing what they say, the call, the mini tour. And I'm having some success. So I'm like, no, thanks. When I go on the tour, you know, I'll just talk to people about Jesus. Nice. And my mentor sponsors like, because I said, well, someone will sponsor me. And he's like, are you out of your mind?
Speaker 0 00:31:15 You were just a drunk. You need to focus on your relationship with Jesus and, and you need to go into ministry. I'm like, no, thank you. I really don't want to do that. And it was about a year of a wrestling match. And the thing about wrestling with God, we, our arms are too short. He pins us every time if we surrender, we, right. So I went into ministry and right about that time, I, I helped someone. I was in jail with get sober, who found out where I was and he called me. I took him to an AA dance. And just so happened that at that AA dance, this incredibly beautiful woman was there helping someone, a young girl that wanted to get sober. And, and I met Laura, my wife at an AA dance. And we were both helping others in that something, God so knows what he's doing, but that was about three years after I had sobered up and started walking with the Lord.
Speaker 0 00:32:21 They say that you should wait at least one year when you sober up to get into a relationship. But for me, that mentor sponsor guy, he was like, you probably need to wait two or three years because your case is really bad. And by the way, you have no clue how to do a and you know what he was right. But at the right time, right time for me, right time for her, he put us together and she is, uh, she's the love of my life. And without her, I mean, ministry wise, it would never work. And I know pastor knows that about Beth doesn't work. So it's beautiful. So, um, anyway, I went back to school and got into ministry and how am I doing Craig? Time-wise okay. In another hour. So kidding. So I get back, I go into, I get into ministry and get my credentials and go back to that church.
Speaker 0 00:33:20 And I'm serving at that church, new life church in, in Bloomingdale. And then, um, and the senior pastor decides he's going to leave and go to another church. And I've been in the ministry now for, I think, two years, two or three right in there. And so he's leaving and I'm like, Ugh, I'm going to be the senior pastor. So I went to the board and told them that. And, uh, and they said, we're going to, we're going to look around. And I said, really well, I'm going to look around that. Cause I'm kind of a big shot.
Speaker 0 00:33:56 Not, I didn't surrender. I thought by now, of course I can make my own decisions. I mean, you know, now I've got my thinking clear and I'm, you know, I'm, I'm sailing in, in this new way of life. So I think I should be the senior pastor in any way. I looked around and ended up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at a church in his school. I was the athletic director and basketball coach and PE teacher and Laura, my wife was the administrator to the senior pastor and we were excited. We had a new journey and, and four weeks later something happened in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that year, it was called hurricane Katrina.
Speaker 0 00:34:45 When we're from the Midwest clueless, when it comes to what happens in the midst of preparing for a hurricane, I mean, I had to put my whole house on cinder blocks and sandbags and then debating on, should we leave? Should we not as it going to come this way, is it going to come that way and ended up, we, we ended up leaving and we started driving on the interstate. And many of you saw those pictures. They were parking. Lot. People were actually barbecuing on the interstate. So we got off and just started heading north. And we ended up in Greenville, Mississippi in some Notel motel, but we didn't care. Um, we slept the night and we headed back to Baton Rouge because I'm a terrific meteorologist too, and a pastor. And I thought, you know what, hurricane Katrina, it's going to veer to the east and we're not gonna, we can drive back.
Speaker 0 00:35:34 Well, we drove right through the side, hurricane Katrina. And I was like, oh, everything's fine. Help us, Jesus. So we get back and there was a tree on our house. And, um, but it had just gently touched our house. And we, we showed up at church and we decided we were going to be a shelter. And within an hour, no kidding. 150 evacuees coming out of new Orleans was in our, and um, I learned through that period of time thought I was ready to be a pastor. God's like, I'm going to teach you how to be a pastor, because you're going to minister to people who have absolutely nothing. They don't know where their family is. They don't know Jesus, but I'm going to teach you how to minister the midst of them being completely broken. And all you can do is sit with them and cry with them.
Speaker 0 00:36:35 And then in the midst of that, he also revealed something to me that I had some racism, but the coolest part about it is he removed it from me. And I didn't see any color in the people I was ministering to. All I saw was broken people that God had assigned me to be, and it was beautiful. So, and then fast forward, nine months, Lord said, okay, now you can go be a pastor. And I came back to Glendale Heights and planted a church in our, in our home. I'm actually living in that home again. And our church started very small in my home. And then we went to a hotel and we were setting up, sound familiar. Um, and then by the grace of God, we moved into a strip mall, which was fantastic. And we didn't have to set up and, you know, hopefully that's kind of where you guys are, are headed.
Speaker 0 00:37:38 Um, if, if God so wills and I pray that he does, because it begins to kind of tax both to set up and break down and be in someone else's facility. And, you know, I pray that he opens that door for you and that you can make that transition. So we moved into a strip mall in Roselle, and then we were there and we moved into that roller rink that I showed you there. And we renovated it. We bought it for like 350,000. And I think it's worth 1.5 million today. That church was called Lamplighter, right? Amy and Jay. And, uh, and then Lamplighter was adopted by a church called Christ community church. And I went on staff there and I remember the first day I was there. Um, I didn't have a title. Didn't have really a job description. And I walked in and they said, here's your office? And was a makeshift cubicle that they locked a door. So no one would come through.
Speaker 0 00:38:42 And I thought, oh, my surrender and win. I was thinking, I mean, I just designed a whole entire church. I had an office that is, was beautiful. And here I am in a cubicle, go against a door with no position. I'm like, huh. And, um, and I wanted to run and I just want to read this passage real quick. This is James don't run from tests and hardships. My friend told me to read that I'm like, oh boy, difficult as they are. You will ultimately find joy in them. If you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patients as you endure. Right? I mean, I'm reading that going. Oh, I don't, I don't like some of this stuff. And true patients brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and crush, the finished land, mature, complete, and nothing.
Speaker 0 00:40:00 Maybe you felt like that about God's word because once we hear it, we can hear it. Now we're responsible. So I couldn't leave. I had to stay in the cubicle. I surrendered again for the one good Jillian's time. And then one, because God allowed me to start an incredible recovery ministry there. And then I launched two more at two of their campuses. And then, um, about a year and a half ago, maybe a little bit before that, I, I, I moved to a church called compass, which I'm at right now. And in the midst of COVID God gave me an idea because I knew that recovery people really have trouble with zoom. That's not, it doesn't work. Not really well. So I thought, man, I need to start something. So I started something very small with 10 people in the parking lot. And we, and we did that three days a week.
Speaker 0 00:40:55 And then in, in, in July of last year, we launched this care night ministry. And we started that with about seven people. Um, you know, last Thursday we had 55 and launch. We have a brand new building going up in south Naperville. And in the fall of care night, this recovery program, we're going to launch it there again, surrender. And when surrender and when there's so many times in my ministry journey that I wanted to just go cut grass, because it was hard. It was probably, you know, the first 18 years of my ministry went like this. And then it seemed to go like this. And I was like, what, what happened?
Speaker 0 00:41:57 God brings us back to moves forward. At least I've experienced that. I want to read you one more passage. As I began to close here, Philippians two, adopt the mindset of Jesus. The anointed live with his attitude and your hearts. Remember though, he was in the form of God. He chose not to claim to equality with God, but he poured himself out to fill a vessel, brand new, a servant and form a man, indeed the very likeness of humanity. He humbled himself obedient to death, a merciless death on the cross. So God raised him up to the highest place and gave him the name above all names. Jesus modeled, surrender. And when done a lot of wonderful things and that's pre-Jesus and with Jesus, but my claim to fame is this help me, Jesus, the greatest move I've ever made.
Speaker 0 00:43:31 Have you made that move? Have you, have you trusted in Jesus as your savior? Have you surrendered your life to him and right now, as you're pondering that maybe you're thinking, well, I think I have, I might have, if you're in any of those thoughts, you haven't, but maybe today is your day. Maybe today is your October 20th. God wants to give you that, that opportunity today. And if you would just everyone here just shut, shut your eyes for a moment and bow your head. Maybe right now you, your heart racing and that's, that's, that's God drawing you.
Speaker 0 00:44:39 If today you want to trust Jesus as your savior so that he can forgive you and wipe your slate clean. And so that you could experience forgiveness and the guilt and the shame and the remorse can be gone, that you today slip up your hand, say, that's me today. I need that. You can open your eyes and look up and or maybe today you're just, you know, you need to surrender something. And today is the day that you're going to do that. Thanks for having me. It's been a total blessing. I know I probably went too long, but sorry. <inaudible>.
