<transcript><audio_161>would I would love to talk to the guy I don't disbelieve him I I believe it seems every day that goes by it seems like the extraordinary stories we've been hearing from Stephen Greer Linda Moulton Howe um and she's had whistleblowers for</transcript><transcript><audio_162>years all the way back to Bill Cooper uh there's it's and and Bob Lazar you know talked about alien ships at S4 so 30 years ago all these stories seem to be possibly true it just seems like the crazy</transcript><transcript><audio_163>stories are quite possibly true or a lot of them are there's some so I'm uh and I so I don't believe Stephen Greer is lying and I've listened to his meditation enough that I actually have great admiration for</transcript> would I would love to talk to the guy I don't disbelieve him I I believe it seems every day that goes by it seems like the extraordinary stories we've been hearing from Stephen Greer Linda Moulton Howe um and she's had whistleblowers for years all the way back to Bill Cooper uh there's it's and and Bob Lazar you know talked about alien ships at S4 so 30 years ago all these stories seem to be possibly true it just seems like the crazy stories are quite possibly true or a lot of them are there's some so I'm uh and I so I don't believe Stephen Greer is lying and I've listened to his meditation enough that I actually have great admiration for


<transcript><audio_164>um just is I I just have admiration uh just as a person that struggled with meditation for the quality of the progression of of you know what he created in his guided meditation I'm</transcript><transcript><audio_165>really like inspired by it and uh it's uh so so I'm like I'm really curious about the guy but I'd love to talk to him more about meditation even um and actually I guess this is one of the things I wanted to check with you about because there's a thing in his</transcript><transcript><audio_166>um he asks you to uh look at your awareness and uh I think it's something like um note your awareness of everything you're feeling and seeing and things like that and he says note that your</transcript><transcript><audio_167>awareness itself is silent and then he and so for me that's similar to well he separates your whatever voice you're hearing from yourself in your head from your awareness and says it</transcript><transcript><audio_168>just really interested me when he says the awareness is silent it's a really bold sort of claim that the awareness is not actually saying anything um and I don't know just it made me look at the idea of the Observer</transcript><transcript><audio_169>um differently it made or it made me sort of like see uh maybe understand the concept of what everyone who meditates and talks about the Observer is trying to actually say they are recognizing yeah this is uh you know there's been a</transcript> um just is I I just have admiration uh just as a person that struggled with meditation for the quality of the progression of of you know what he created in his guided meditation I'm really like inspired by it and uh it's uh so so I'm like I'm really curious about the guy but I'd love to talk to him more about meditation even um and actually I guess this is one of the things I wanted to check with you about because there's a thing in his um he asks you to uh look at your awareness and uh I think it's something like um note your awareness of everything you're feeling and seeing and things like that and he says note that your awareness itself is silent and then he and so for me that's similar to well he separates your whatever voice you're hearing from yourself in your head from your awareness and says it just really interested me when he says the awareness is silent it's a really bold sort of claim that the awareness is not actually saying anything um and I don't know just it made me look at the idea of the Observer um differently it made or it made me sort of like see uh maybe understand the concept of what everyone who meditates and talks about the Observer is trying to actually say they are recognizing yeah this is uh you know there's been a

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<transcript><audio_170>lot of words for that ramdas always called it the witness and that and I've used that term mostly myself yeah it's that it's that silent place behind all the words all the</transcript><transcript><audio_171>feelings all the you know sensory input it's just that which is in us that's watching all of it you know we can just see all of our life unfolding and then and then from that point we can watch</transcript> lot of words for that ramdas always called it the witness and that and I've used that term mostly myself yeah it's that it's that silent place behind all the words all the feelings all the you know sensory input it's just that which is in us that's watching all of it you know we can just see all of our life unfolding and then and then from that point we can watch


<transcript><audio_172>the mind doing its thinking processes and we can watch the vibrations on our eardrums and the sensations on our skin it's becoming the witness that's that's the way I've always used that term because I I got that from ramdas</transcript><transcript><audio_173>Yes actually that's I think that's the word I was looking for it's funny when I use the word Observer that's more of a physics term you know of the observer effect in Quantum experiment but I've uh it's an interesting thing to compare those two concepts the concept</transcript> the mind doing its thinking processes and we can watch the vibrations on our eardrums and the sensations on our skin it's becoming the witness that's that's the way I've always used that term because I I got that from ramdas Yes actually that's I think that's the word I was looking for it's funny when I use the word Observer that's more of a physics term you know of the observer effect in Quantum experiment but I've uh it's an interesting thing to compare those two concepts the concept


<transcript><audio_174>of the witness and the concept of the Observer that affects physics um yeah and they are showing in physics that it it all of reality is is happening based on</transcript><transcript><audio_175>the attention and the intention of any of The Observers and it's a it's interesting because does that mean you know you know the old thing to if a tree falls in the woods and no one's around to hear it you know does it make a noise</transcript><transcript><audio_176>and I have thought about that for so long and I've concluded that yes it does because there's everything in that Forest is alive and aware and awake and watching</transcript><transcript><audio_177>and um you know Greer and and everybody else nowadays says that everything is conscious and I mean even my mom told me that when I was four years old I mean everything is conscious and and aware so</transcript> of the witness and the concept of the Observer that affects physics um yeah and they are showing in physics that it it all of reality is is happening based on the attention and the intention of any of The Observers and it's a it's interesting because does that mean you know you know the old thing to if a tree falls in the woods and no one's around to hear it you know does it make a noise and I have thought about that for so long and I've concluded that yes it does because there's everything in that Forest is alive and aware and awake and watching and um you know Greer and and everybody else nowadays says that everything is conscious and I mean even my mom told me that when I was four years old I mean everything is conscious and and aware so


<transcript><audio_178>everything we do somebody's watching or somebody's aware something or somebody yeah it's it's a great topic in in terms of physics because what you put your</transcript><transcript><audio_179>attention on with any um intention or hope or wish or plan or any anything that you bring to that attention where your focus is will change it we'll alter</transcript> everything we do somebody's watching or somebody's aware something or somebody yeah it's it's a great topic in in terms of physics because what you put your attention on with any um intention or hope or wish or plan or any anything that you bring to that attention where your focus is will change it we'll alter


<transcript><audio_180>it and um yeah that's what they're showing well this has been a another wonderful discussion and I think we're a little</transcript><transcript><audio_181>bit past the time we said we would start the guided meditation but uh only a few minutes are you yeah I'm good yeah good to do a guided all right do you want to do a 10 or 15 minute at this point oh I think we could still do 15. if</transcript><transcript><audio_182>people since it's at the end of the program they can always just stop if they don't want to go 15. if you're comfortable with that sure sounds good</transcript><transcript><audio_183>okay should we start yes please okay so the focus of this meditation then is just to get into a receptive quiet place of um not thinking not being imaginative there's</transcript><transcript><audio_184>no imagery we wanted just for the time being focus on just being present and I'm going to start with a little bell and we'll start with just paying attention to the vibration of the bell and how that</transcript><transcript><audio_185>hits your eardrum and what that does Without Really analyzing we're just gonna watch it</transcript> it and um yeah that's what they're showing well this has been a another wonderful discussion and I think we're a little bit past the time we said we would start the guided meditation but uh only a few minutes are you yeah I'm good yeah good to do a guided all right do you want to do a 10 or 15 minute at this point oh I think we could still do 15. if people since it's at the end of the program they can always just stop if they don't want to go 15. if you're comfortable with that sure sounds good okay should we start yes please okay so the focus of this meditation then is just to get into a receptive quiet place of um not thinking not being imaginative there's no imagery we wanted just for the time being focus on just being present and I'm going to start with a little bell and we'll start with just paying attention to the vibration of the bell and how that hits your eardrum and what that does Without Really analyzing we're just gonna watch it we first sit in meditation we often start with a very active mind it's kind of digesting everything we've been thinking about so let's just start with clearing the Mind by taking a couple of and while we're breathing in just watch how your body expands notice how it feels when you reach the top of your breath kind of this sensation of enough and then it releases just watch the body contract and do that just to clear the mind if the mind is extremely active it sometimes helps to use the anchor phrase which is otherwise known as perhaps a mantra or a japa um and you can just say breathing in breathing out just a anchor your thoughts into one thought rather than so at this point we're just going to try to see where we are we're going to witness right here right hitting the eardrum could be could be a a motor running or a bird chirping or so whatever's coming in through the ears I just notice that we're just watching so this is how we begin to come into a and let's see what's going on with our skin our muscle feel our feet on the floor you might feel your shoes or socks we're trying to see what is what is actually happening and if you wanted to check in with what your eyes are doing because your eyes are another sense organ you can have your eyes open gently just looking the um texture the depth without labeling as much as possible so now that we are fairly grounded in close our eyes and just rest in this sense of invitation to a higher cause just a feeling of reaching for guidance just try to feel the buzz of life you feel it everywhere you feel it in your you can sense it in all your muscles just this and this this extends this life extends in essence we are just floating on this little Earth with an invitation if there's anything we need to know being in a state of receptivity but not so much anticipation just receptive if we receive something and if we don't now Stephen Greer would say if you want to actually invite them in physical form there's another step where you actually project a vision of where Earth is you kind of have to send out your where Earth is in the solar system in the galaxy [Music] and then focusing in on your country and your state and sort of zooming down so so they can see you because they can hear you they hear the Imagine they see the imagination they see the thoughts that we spend now we don't want to be in a mindset of imploring or begging or anything like that we want to keep the energy very high in fact we really want to cultivate the energy that is worthy and when your mind starts to wander off which it usually will just want to acknowledge it just see it witness it seeing what the Mind does when it's kind of left to its own so once we've sent out our address and given them some invitation [Music] just keeping it an open invitation and then we'll keep our eyes open for anything that might be changing during the days and weeks or months ahead so with that we're just going to come


<caption><image_186>The image is a portrait of an elderly woman with white hair. She appears to be in her late 60s or early 70s and has a serious expression on her face. She is wearing a colorful scarf around her neck and is looking directly at the camera with a slight smile. The background is blurred, but it seems to be an outdoor setting with trees and foliage. The overall mood of the image is somber and contemplative.</caption> right back into take a deep breath and prepare to come okay thank you so much for that all right we'll leave it there and let people carry this good energy with them excellent thanks man y'all thank you and thank thank you


<transcript><audio_0>well good morning everybody uh like jonathan said we're going through uh the lord's prayer and so we want to start each of these times together by reading that together so that's going to be on the screen um if you would join me in in praying this reading this together</transcript>
<image_1>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and jeans and appears to be speaking into a microphone. Behind him, there is a large screen with a black and white striped pattern. On the right side of the stage, there are two guitars and a microphone stand. The stage is lit up with bright lights, creating a dramatic atmosphere. The audience is visible at the bottom of the image, with their heads turned towards the stage.
<transcript><audio_2>says this our father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and</transcript><transcript><audio_3>forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen</transcript>
<image_4>The image is a text-based graphic with a quote from Matthew 6:9-13 that reads "12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debts. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." The background is a gradient of orange and pink, with a floral design on the top left corner. The text is written in a serif font and is centered on the image.
<transcript><audio_5>um for those of you who don't know me my name is john i'm usually up here with a guitar but today i am guitarless and hairless and vulnerable um so here we here we find ourselves a little bit about me i am married to</transcript><video>
<image_6>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and jeans and appears to be speaking into the microphone. Behind him, there is a large screen with a pink and black striped pattern. On the right side of the stage, there are two guitars and a microphone stand. The background is dark and there are a few audience members visible at the bottom of the image.

<image_7>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt, grey pants, and white sneakers. He appears to be speaking into the microphone and is standing in front of a podium. Behind him, there is a large screen with a black and white striped pattern. On the right side of the stage, there are two guitars and a microphone stand. The background is dark and there are a few audience members visible at the bottom of the image.
</video> well good morning everybody uh like jonathan said we're going through uh the lord's prayer and so we want to start each of these times together by reading that together so that's going to be on the screen um if you would join me in in praying this reading this together says this our father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen um for those of you who don't know me my name is john i'm usually up here with a guitar but today i am guitarless and hairless and vulnerable um so here we here we find ourselves a little bit about me i am married to

<Untitled Chapter 1>

God's Plan for Prayer Is that the Spirit Will Intercede

The Lord Is Not Slow in Keeping His Promise

God Is Not Out To Make You Abandon Everything That You Love about Your Life

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<image_8>The image shows a young couple standing on a porch. The man is wearing a white shirt, blue pants, and a red bow tie. He has a big smile on his face and is looking directly at the camera. The woman is also wearing a pink dress and sandals. They are standing on the porch with white railings and there are trees in the background. The sky is blue and the weather appears to be sunny.
<transcript><audio_9>kaylee iacocci you may have seen her around this picture of us uh actually very recent from last weekend uh we do take pictures together i guess so we've been married for three years as of last week</transcript><transcript><audio_10>and she is a student in a physical therapy program uh at the university of buffalo which means that she's doing all kinds of medical stuff all the time and she just got out of a gross anatomy cadaver lab which if you don't know what that is it's where they cut open dead bodies so it's emphasis on</transcript><transcript><audio_11>but this is a real legitimate example of a question that was asked in her class it says this this is what a student said if the superior oblique muscle does eye adduction and elevation</transcript><transcript><audio_12>why do you test it by abducting and elevating the eye that was a real question asked in that class how many people understand what that question means i got a couple how many people think there's at least three words that aren't</transcript><transcript><audio_13>english in that question i i i to to give you a picture if i were in that class the type of question that i will be asking will be as follows why is the nose attached to the face</transcript>
<image_14>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and jeans and appears to be speaking into the microphone. The background is dark and there is a pink and black striped wall behind him. On the right side of the stage, there is an amplifier and a microphone stand. The man is bald and has a serious expression on his face.
<transcript><audio_15>seriously of all the places but but the difference between those questions is funny but if i would ask that question in that class i would still learn something like they would have an answer for my why's the nose attached to the face question but it's</transcript><transcript><audio_16>clear that i would be leaving something of the learning and something of the understanding and something of the experience on the table if that was the question that i asked because i didn't understand the topic that i was asking about so i would still learn but i'm not learning the same way that kaylee is i'm</transcript>
<image_17>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and has a bald head and glasses. The background is a pink and black striped wall. The man appears to be giving a speech or presentation.
 kaylee iacocci you may have seen her around this picture of us uh actually very recent from last weekend uh we do take pictures together i guess so we've been married for three years as of last week and she is a student in a physical therapy program uh at the university of buffalo which means that she's doing all kinds of medical stuff all the time and she just got out of a gross anatomy cadaver lab which if you don't know what that is it's where they cut open dead bodies so it's emphasis on but this is a real legitimate example of a question that was asked in her class it says this this is what a student said if the superior oblique muscle does eye adduction and elevation why do you test it by abducting and elevating the eye that was a real question asked in that class how many people understand what that question means i got a couple how many people think there's at least three words that aren't english in that question i i i to to give you a picture if i were in that class the type of question that i will be asking will be as follows why is the nose attached to the face seriously of all the places but but the difference between those questions is funny but if i would ask that question in that class i would still learn something like they would have an answer for my why's the nose attached to the face question but it's clear that i would be leaving something of the learning and something of the understanding and something of the experience on the table if that was the question that i asked because i didn't understand the topic that i was asking about so i would still learn but i'm not learning the same way that kaylee is i'm

<Untitled Chapter 1>

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<transcript><audio_18>not learning the same way that the other students in that class are because they have an understanding of what they're asking and so this is the foundational truth for everything that i'm going to say today when we understand something we ask different questions</transcript><transcript><audio_19>our understanding shapes our conversation and so we're continuing like we talked about we're continuing looking at the lord's prayer the way that jesus taught us to pray and specifically looking at matthew 6 10 which says your kingdom</transcript><transcript><audio_20>come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven and so we believe that prayer is a conversation and so the lord's prayer is jesus teaching us how to have that conversation with god and just like it's</transcript><transcript><audio_21>helpful for kaylee to understand the material in class in order to ask questions uh informed questions better questions so it's better for us to understand the kingdom of god if we're going to ask for that kingdom to come to earth</transcript> not learning the same way that the other students in that class are because they have an understanding of what they're asking and so this is the foundational truth for everything that i'm going to say today when we understand something we ask different questions our understanding shapes our conversation and so we're continuing like we talked about we're continuing looking at the lord's prayer the way that jesus taught us to pray and specifically looking at matthew 6 10 which says your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven and so we believe that prayer is a conversation and so the lord's prayer is jesus teaching us how to have that conversation with god and just like it's helpful for kaylee to understand the material in class in order to ask questions uh informed questions better questions so it's better for us to understand the kingdom of god if we're going to ask for that kingdom to come to earth

<Untitled Chapter 1>

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<transcript><audio_22>and i want to clarify something before you feel like you're disqualified because you don't know what the kingdom of god looks like you don't have to know everything in order to pray and in fact the bible tells us that god's spirit</transcript><caption><image_23>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and glasses and appears to be speaking into the microphone. The background of the stage is a pink and black striped pattern. The man is standing in front of a podium and there is a microphone stand on the right side of the image. He seems to be giving a speech or presentation.</caption><transcript><audio_24>intercedes it prays on our behalf when we don't know what to pray so it's not a disqualifier if you're like well i don't know everything about god's kingdom the distinction that i want to make this morning is that god's plan for prayer is that the spirit will intercede and help</transcript><transcript><audio_25>on our behalf that is his plan for prayer his design to help us in prayer that is not an excuse for us to be so just like with kaley school if i'm praying and i don't know if i'm saying</transcript><transcript><audio_26>your kingdom come your will be done but i don't know what i'm asking for god is still going to move there's still something to be seen and something to be learned there but i'm missing out on somewhat of the learning and i'm missing out on somewhat of the experience of seeing what god can do because i don't</transcript><transcript><audio_27>understand what i'm asking for and jesus original intent was always for us to understand what the kingdom of god looked like and we know that because he told us a bunch of short stories that are called parables that talk about this exact thing and so we're spending this</transcript> and i want to clarify something before you feel like you're disqualified because you don't know what the kingdom of god looks like you don't have to know everything in order to pray and in fact the bible tells us that god's spirit intercedes it prays on our behalf when we don't know what to pray so it's not a disqualifier if you're like well i don't know everything about god's kingdom the distinction that i want to make this morning is that god's plan for prayer is that the spirit will intercede and help on our behalf that is his plan for prayer his design to help us in prayer that is not an excuse for us to be so just like with kaley school if i'm praying and i don't know if i'm saying your kingdom come your will be done but i don't know what i'm asking for god is still going to move there's still something to be seen and something to be learned there but i'm missing out on somewhat of the learning and i'm missing out on somewhat of the experience of seeing what god can do because i don't understand what i'm asking for and jesus original intent was always for us to understand what the kingdom of god looked like and we know that because he told us a bunch of short stories that are called parables that talk about this exact thing and so we're spending this

<Untitled Chapter 1>

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<transcript><audio_28>morning talking about three things that we know god's kingdom looks like so that we can know how to pray right now the message title is searching for heaven and i want to start actually all three of these come from matthew the 13th</transcript><transcript><audio_29>chapter and these are the short stories that jesus told this is matthew 13 starting in verse 24 jesus told them another parable the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field but while</transcript><transcript><audio_30>everyone was sleeping his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away when the wheat sprouted and formed heads then the weeds also appeared and the owner's servants came to him and said sir didn't you sow good seed in your field</transcript><transcript><audio_31>where then did the weeds come from an enemy did this he replied and the servants asked him do you want us to go out and pull them up pull the weeds up no he answered because while you are pulling the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them</transcript><transcript><audio_32>let both grow together until the harvest at that time i will tell the harvesters first collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn if you're really confused as to what that tells you about the kingdom of god you are not alone</transcript><transcript><audio_33>jesus's closest followers about four verses later said what does that mean and he took the time to explain it to them and what he said was this the sower in that story is jesus and the field is the earth and the good the</transcript> morning talking about three things that we know god's kingdom looks like so that we can know how to pray right now the message title is searching for heaven and i want to start actually all three of these come from matthew the 13th chapter and these are the short stories that jesus told this is matthew 13 starting in verse 24 jesus told them another parable the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field but while everyone was sleeping his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away when the wheat sprouted and formed heads then the weeds also appeared and the owner's servants came to him and said sir didn't you sow good seed in your field where then did the weeds come from an enemy did this he replied and the servants asked him do you want us to go out and pull them up pull the weeds up no he answered because while you are pulling the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them let both grow together until the harvest at that time i will tell the harvesters first collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn if you're really confused as to what that tells you about the kingdom of god you are not alone jesus's closest followers about four verses later said what does that mean and he took the time to explain it to them and what he said was this the sower in that story is jesus and the field is the earth and the good the

<Untitled Chapter 1>

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<transcript><audio_34>wheat seeds that are planted are the people of the kingdom of god so the people who profess faith in jesus and the the per the enemy is the devil and he says that the the weeds the the seeds that are the weeds that are planted are</transcript><transcript><audio_35>the people of the evil one so those are the people who at this point are under the control of the devil and so when he talks about how at the end of time everything will be gathered and the weeds will be gathered and cut and tied together and burned what he says is and this is the</transcript><transcript><audio_36>words that jesus uses everything that causes sin and all who do evil will be removed from the kingdom at the return of christ at the end of the age and basically at the end of our chronological time and that's a concept i'm not really going to step</transcript><transcript><audio_37>into today but at the end of the age there is a moment in which all justice will be served and the all that do evil and all evil things all evil promptings will be removed from the kingdom but that's not till the end of time</transcript><transcript><audio_38>so what this actually means what this parable means right now is this the kingdom of god does not look like ridding your life of evil people and corrupting influences right now</transcript> wheat seeds that are planted are the people of the kingdom of god so the people who profess faith in jesus and the the per the enemy is the devil and he says that the the weeds the the seeds that are the weeds that are planted are the people of the evil one so those are the people who at this point are under the control of the devil and so when he talks about how at the end of time everything will be gathered and the weeds will be gathered and cut and tied together and burned what he says is and this is the words that jesus uses everything that causes sin and all who do evil will be removed from the kingdom at the return of christ at the end of the age and basically at the end of our chronological time and that's a concept i'm not really going to step into today but at the end of the age there is a moment in which all justice will be served and the all that do evil and all evil things all evil promptings will be removed from the kingdom but that's not till the end of time so what this actually means what this parable means right now is this the kingdom of god does not look like ridding your life of evil people and corrupting influences right now

<Untitled Chapter 1>

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<transcript><audio_39>in fact it actually looks like living a like life of faith alongside and among evil people in corrupting influences and so the question that that immediately begs is why would a good god not want evil people and evil influences out of</transcript><transcript><audio_40>my life right now these are the people who want bad things for me and who influence me to do the wrong things and who want me to fail and who are unjust and cause me pain why would a good just god not get rid of them</transcript><transcript><audio_41>does it not seem as though god in all of his glory and all of his holiness is tolerant of evil and it seems so backwards that we actually need a picture in order to grasp it and this is the picture that we have</transcript> in fact it actually looks like living a like life of faith alongside and among evil people in corrupting influences and so the question that that immediately begs is why would a good god not want evil people and evil influences out of my life right now these are the people who want bad things for me and who influence me to do the wrong things and who want me to fail and who are unjust and cause me pain why would a good just god not get rid of them does it not seem as though god in all of his glory and all of his holiness is tolerant of evil and it seems so backwards that we actually need a picture in order to grasp it and this is the picture that we have

<Untitled Chapter 1>

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<transcript><audio_42>jesus at the end of his ministry when he's about to be arrested he's in this place called the garden of gethsemane and he's betrayed by one of his closest friends and the roman officials and the religious leaders they come to arrest him</transcript><caption><image_43>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and jeans and appears to be speaking into the microphone. Behind him, there is a large screen with a black and white striped pattern. On the right side of the screen, there are two guitars and a microphone stand. The background is dark and there is text on the screen that reads "The kingdom of God doesn't look like riding your life of evil people and corrupting violence right now."</caption><transcript><audio_44>and in this moment peter who's jesus right-hand man they're they're boys isn't in the modern vernacular um and so peter steps up and in his brave valiant moment draws his sword and cuts the ear off of the servant of the high priest and in this moment he's stepping in</transcript><transcript><audio_45>front of jesus he's like no i'm not letting this happen in the next verse it says jesus commanded peter put your sword away shall i not drink the cup the father has given me another another gospel jesus looks at</transcript> jesus at the end of his ministry when he's about to be arrested he's in this place called the garden of gethsemane and he's betrayed by one of his closest friends and the roman officials and the religious leaders they come to arrest him and in this moment peter who's jesus right-hand man they're they're boys isn't in the modern vernacular um and so peter steps up and in his brave valiant moment draws his sword and cuts the ear off of the servant of the high priest and in this moment he's stepping in front of jesus he's like no i'm not letting this happen in the next verse it says jesus commanded peter put your sword away shall i not drink the cup the father has given me another another gospel jesus looks at

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<transcript><audio_46>peter and says no more of this and then he takes the ear of the man that peter had cut off and he puts it back on his head and he miraculously heals him i have heard it said that if peter had been a better swordsman there could have</transcript><transcript><audio_47>but here's the difference between jesus and peter in this moment for peter the way to rid the world of evil is to hurt evil people for jesus the way to rid the world of</transcript><transcript><audio_48>evil is to show so much compassion and kindness and self-control in the face of evil that even those who would come to hurt him are the subjects of his love one was one response results in the maiming of a man</transcript> peter and says no more of this and then he takes the ear of the man that peter had cut off and he puts it back on his head and he miraculously heals him i have heard it said that if peter had been a better swordsman there could have but here's the difference between jesus and peter in this moment for peter the way to rid the world of evil is to hurt evil people for jesus the way to rid the world of evil is to show so much compassion and kindness and self-control in the face of evil that even those who would come to hurt him are the subjects of his love one was one response results in the maiming of a man

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<transcript><audio_49>and the other results in the healing not just of that one man but of all of humanity but the difficult question is who wants to do that who wants to stare down corruption and</transcript><transcript><audio_50>respond in kindness and compassion and self-control who wants to see evil done or have evil done to them and respond with love flip the script honestly when people do the wrong do wrong to you when people try to get you to do the wrong things</transcript><transcript><audio_51>even when people just disagree with you is your response self-control and kindness and compassion or is it the violent action of peter odds are you have not cut anyone's ear off recently</transcript><transcript><audio_52>i didn't know how much i was going to talk about cutting the body when i first started making this message odds are you haven't cut anybody's ears off recently but if you opened your social media if you looked at your text messages that you've been sending to people and could see the last five</transcript><transcript><audio_53>statements that you made would they speak to your kindness and compassion for the sake of healing or would they speak to an angry loud voice that makes yourself heard and cuts other people down we are armed and ready with our own</transcript> and the other results in the healing not just of that one man but of all of humanity but the difficult question is who wants to do that who wants to stare down corruption and respond in kindness and compassion and self-control who wants to see evil done or have evil done to them and respond with love flip the script honestly when people do the wrong do wrong to you when people try to get you to do the wrong things even when people just disagree with you is your response self-control and kindness and compassion or is it the violent action of peter odds are you have not cut anyone's ear off recently i didn't know how much i was going to talk about cutting the body when i first started making this message odds are you haven't cut anybody's ears off recently but if you opened your social media if you looked at your text messages that you've been sending to people and could see the last five statements that you made would they speak to your kindness and compassion for the sake of healing or would they speak to an angry loud voice that makes yourself heard and cuts other people down we are armed and ready with our own

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<transcript><audio_54>and the great tension that comes with this question is when is enough enough like when when can i stand up and say something we jonathan just talked about we still see evil happening in our world when is enough enough and i actually think you can stand up and say something</transcript><transcript><audio_55>maybe not right now but you could stand up and say something right now i'm not speaking to your anger not being justified if you're angry at evil your anger is justified what i'm talking about is what you say</transcript><transcript><audio_56>and why you say it i'm asking you is what you are saying and what you are doing and how you're saying it and how you're doing it is it helping with protecting and healing or is it designed to harm and to cut</transcript><transcript><audio_57>and i do want to point this out sometimes the most healing thing that you can do in a situation is to remove yourself from that situation i don't i don't want to miss that because that can be the most healing thing but are your actions and your words designed to heal are they driven</transcript> and the great tension that comes with this question is when is enough enough like when when can i stand up and say something we jonathan just talked about we still see evil happening in our world when is enough enough and i actually think you can stand up and say something maybe not right now but you could stand up and say something right now i'm not speaking to your anger not being justified if you're angry at evil your anger is justified what i'm talking about is what you say and why you say it i'm asking you is what you are saying and what you are doing and how you're saying it and how you're doing it is it helping with protecting and healing or is it designed to harm and to cut and i do want to point this out sometimes the most healing thing that you can do in a situation is to remove yourself from that situation i don't i don't want to miss that because that can be the most healing thing but are your actions and your words designed to heal are they driven

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<transcript><audio_58>by compassion are they driven by kindness or are they driven by anger are they driven by manipulation ask yourself this when was the last time that you changed someone's opinion or their perspective with your public criticism of them or by your cutting</transcript> by compassion are they driven by kindness or are they driven by anger are they driven by manipulation ask yourself this when was the last time that you changed someone's opinion or their perspective with your public criticism of them or by your cutting

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<transcript><audio_59>words towards them jesus spoke truth in the face of liars but he didn't sacrifice compassion to do it he acted justly in the face of injustice</transcript><transcript><audio_60>without sacrificing kindness to do it he transformed the entire world in the for you is your truth laced with compassion or is it laced with anger</transcript><transcript><audio_61>is your justice motivated by kindness or is your voice more commonly used for healing or is it more commonly used for yelling insults</transcript> words towards them jesus spoke truth in the face of liars but he didn't sacrifice compassion to do it he acted justly in the face of injustice without sacrificing kindness to do it he transformed the entire world in the for you is your truth laced with compassion or is it laced with anger is your justice motivated by kindness or is your voice more commonly used for healing or is it more commonly used for yelling insults

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<transcript><audio_62>we have an option to maim and we have an option to heal but in order for us to respond with compassion and kindness and self-control that jesus showed we first have to share his belief that god has a greater</transcript><transcript><audio_63>purpose at work in the face of evil and that he can do more through our self-control and our compassion in our kindness than he can through our anger and vengeance and insults and here's an interesting thing about peter this is the same peter after jesus dies and is</transcript><transcript><audio_64>resurrected and peter begins to see the whole scope of what jesus did and why he did it and the purpose that he was here for later on peter writes a a letter that's the word he writes a letter to the church and he speaks about</transcript><transcript><audio_65>the same topic and this is what he says the lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness instead he is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance</transcript><transcript><audio_66>that's the big picture that's the compassion and the kindness and the self-control that's the desire for healing the lord's desire is not that any would perish but that all would come to repentance and so this is the first difficult part</transcript> we have an option to maim and we have an option to heal but in order for us to respond with compassion and kindness and self-control that jesus showed we first have to share his belief that god has a greater purpose at work in the face of evil and that he can do more through our self-control and our compassion in our kindness than he can through our anger and vengeance and insults and here's an interesting thing about peter this is the same peter after jesus dies and is resurrected and peter begins to see the whole scope of what jesus did and why he did it and the purpose that he was here for later on peter writes a a letter that's the word he writes a letter to the church and he speaks about the same topic and this is what he says the lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness instead he is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance that's the big picture that's the compassion and the kindness and the self-control that's the desire for healing the lord's desire is not that any would perish but that all would come to repentance and so this is the first difficult part

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<transcript><audio_67>of praying for the kingdom of heaven and if you're writing things down this is one of three things that i would recommend you write down this morning and this requires a strength that you and i don't have but the first prayer you can pray is god help me in the face</transcript><transcript><audio_68>of evil to trust that you have a plan and give me strength to respond with the gentleness mercy and self-control that you show in the face of evil i realize that's a lot to write down now that i said it might be better to take a picture</transcript><transcript><audio_69>help me in the face of evil to trust that you have a plan that is greater than i understand and give me the strength to respond in gentleness and mercy and self-control and this is a prayer of faith this is the prayer for strength and there's no question about</transcript><transcript><audio_70>that but the kingdom of god is a kingdom of faith and sometimes faith can seem like an impossible mountain to climb and thankfully jesus taught us that in the kingdom of god faith is accessible and so that's the second uh parable the</transcript><caption><image_71>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and jeans and appears to be speaking into the microphone. The background is dark and there is a quote on the right side of the image that reads, "Ways to pray for God's kingdom. Help me, in the face of evil, to trust that you have a plan, give me strength to respond with the gentleness, mercy, and self-control that you show in. The face of the evil." The quote is written in white text on a black background.</caption><transcript><audio_72>second short story i want to look at is about the topic of faith says this he told them another parable the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in his field though it is the smallest of all seeds</transcript><transcript><audio_73>yet when it grows it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree so that the birds come and perch in its branches this is the second takeaway of the kingdom of god when we ask for god's kingdom to come</transcript><transcript><audio_74>the kingdom of god honors small steps of faith because it knows that they breed big results it honors small steps of faith knowing that they breed big results you don't know what small decisions of obedience</transcript> of praying for the kingdom of heaven and if you're writing things down this is one of three things that i would recommend you write down this morning and this requires a strength that you and i don't have but the first prayer you can pray is god help me in the face of evil to trust that you have a plan and give me strength to respond with the gentleness mercy and self-control that you show in the face of evil i realize that's a lot to write down now that i said it might be better to take a picture help me in the face of evil to trust that you have a plan that is greater than i understand and give me the strength to respond in gentleness and mercy and self-control and this is a prayer of faith this is the prayer for strength and there's no question about that but the kingdom of god is a kingdom of faith and sometimes faith can seem like an impossible mountain to climb and thankfully jesus taught us that in the kingdom of god faith is accessible and so that's the second uh parable the second short story i want to look at is about the topic of faith says this he told them another parable the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in his field though it is the smallest of all seeds yet when it grows it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree so that the birds come and perch in its branches this is the second takeaway of the kingdom of god when we ask for god's kingdom to come the kingdom of god honors small steps of faith because it knows that they breed big results it honors small steps of faith knowing that they breed big results you don't know what small decisions of obedience

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<transcript><audio_75>you make today will bring about the kingdom of god tomorrow i don't know if i've ever told this story before but when i went to college i didn't really have any friends at first i was there for about a month and i was pretty miserable and i used to go back to my bedroom at night and watch</transcript><transcript><audio_76>comedy tv shows and read my bible and call my dad and pray for the strength to make it through the next day um and then one night that we had this thing at my school where all the residence halls put on these different events and you could go visit all of them and it was really fun but i didn't</transcript> you make today will bring about the kingdom of god tomorrow i don't know if i've ever told this story before but when i went to college i didn't really have any friends at first i was there for about a month and i was pretty miserable and i used to go back to my bedroom at night and watch comedy tv shows and read my bible and call my dad and pray for the strength to make it through the next day um and then one night that we had this thing at my school where all the residence halls put on these different events and you could go visit all of them and it was really fun but i didn't

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<transcript><audio_77>even know it existed because again i didn't have any friends so i was sitting in my room and there was an upperclassman whose name was daniel and he came to my room that night and he got me and he was like i want to show you what this campus has to offer and so</transcript><transcript><audio_78>he took me around to all these super cool events that college students were putting on i got my hair cut by a college student hindsight's 20 20. i wouldn't recommend that for everyone</transcript><caption><image_79>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is bald and wearing a black t-shirt and glasses. He appears to be speaking into the microphone and is gesturing with his right hand as if he is explaining something. Behind him, there is a guitar and a microphone stand. The background is a pink and black striped wall.</caption><transcript><audio_80>but it was a night where i realized there was more than i had when i had thought about that school about the people there and his small step made a huge difference in how i saw my school and how i saw people and it gave me the strength to take the next</transcript> even know it existed because again i didn't have any friends so i was sitting in my room and there was an upperclassman whose name was daniel and he came to my room that night and he got me and he was like i want to show you what this campus has to offer and so he took me around to all these super cool events that college students were putting on i got my hair cut by a college student hindsight's 20 20. i wouldn't recommend that for everyone but it was a night where i realized there was more than i had when i had thought about that school about the people there and his small step made a huge difference in how i saw my school and how i saw people and it gave me the strength to take the next

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<transcript><audio_81>step forward into what god had for me there and then not only that but then when i was an upperclassman do you know what i was on the lookout for the kid who looked like he was barely holding it together and had no one to talk to</transcript><transcript><audio_82>you don't know what decisions you make today small as they might seem will and this is my favorite prayer to pray and this is going to be the prayer for this practical step it's god help me to</transcript><caption><image_83>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and grey pants and appears to be speaking into the microphone. Behind him, there is a large screen with a pink and black striped pattern. On the right side of the stage, there are two guitars and a microphone stand. The background is dark, suggesting that the photo was taken at night.</caption><transcript><audio_84>see small steps of faith and give me the strength to take just that step faith is accessible in the kingdom of god because it happens one step at a time my my preferred language is god show me</transcript><transcript><audio_85>the doors that you are opening and give me the strength to take a step through that door i'm a big image person and here's the thing these small steps don't feel small pretty much ever they usually come with some sort of attached</transcript><transcript><audio_86>emotion it can be as painful as forgiving someone who has hurt you or it can be as humbling as apologizing to someone who you've hurt it can be as awkward as stopping a conversation where people are gossiping about someone else behind their back or</transcript> step forward into what god had for me there and then not only that but then when i was an upperclassman do you know what i was on the lookout for the kid who looked like he was barely holding it together and had no one to talk to you don't know what decisions you make today small as they might seem will and this is my favorite prayer to pray and this is going to be the prayer for this practical step it's god help me to see small steps of faith and give me the strength to take just that step faith is accessible in the kingdom of god because it happens one step at a time my my preferred language is god show me the doors that you are opening and give me the strength to take a step through that door i'm a big image person and here's the thing these small steps don't feel small pretty much ever they usually come with some sort of attached emotion it can be as painful as forgiving someone who has hurt you or it can be as humbling as apologizing to someone who you've hurt it can be as awkward as stopping a conversation where people are gossiping about someone else behind their back or

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<transcript><audio_87>it can be as frightening as lifting your hands in worship or it can be as uncomfortable as talking to someone who seems like they have no one to talk to each step is a step forward in faith and each step brings the kingdom of god a</transcript><transcript><audio_88>little closer to earth and again each step requires a strength that you don't have and so the second prayer you can pray for god's kingdom is god help me see small steps of faith and give me the strength to take just that step that's the second thing i'd recommend you take</transcript><transcript><audio_89>a picture of or write down today now i talked about the uh the difficult feelings that are associated with taking those steps the awkwardness the uncomfortability the humility the frighteningness of it all and there's something that binds all of those things together and it's something</transcript><transcript><audio_90>that stops us oftentimes from taking the steps of obedience and faith that god calls us to and that thing is security we love security and so good news bad news jesus did teach about security that's the good</transcript><transcript><audio_91>news bad news is we don't always love what jesus had to say and so the last short story that we're looking at from the chapter of matthew 13 says this the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field</transcript><transcript><audio_92>when a man found it he hid it again and then in his joy he went out and sold all that he had and he bought that field and again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls and when he found one of great value he went</transcript> it can be as frightening as lifting your hands in worship or it can be as uncomfortable as talking to someone who seems like they have no one to talk to each step is a step forward in faith and each step brings the kingdom of god a little closer to earth and again each step requires a strength that you don't have and so the second prayer you can pray for god's kingdom is god help me see small steps of faith and give me the strength to take just that step that's the second thing i'd recommend you take a picture of or write down today now i talked about the uh the difficult feelings that are associated with taking those steps the awkwardness the uncomfortability the humility the frighteningness of it all and there's something that binds all of those things together and it's something that stops us oftentimes from taking the steps of obedience and faith that god calls us to and that thing is security we love security and so good news bad news jesus did teach about security that's the good news bad news is we don't always love what jesus had to say and so the last short story that we're looking at from the chapter of matthew 13 says this the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field when a man found it he hid it again and then in his joy he went out and sold all that he had and he bought that field and again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls and when he found one of great value he went

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<transcript><audio_93>away sold everything he had and bought it the kingdom of god looks like giving up something that the world views as worthwhile in order to receive a relationship that's better</transcript><transcript><audio_94>giving up things something that the world sees is worthwhile in order to receive a relationship that's better uh we have three interns this summer at calvary i have had the pleasure of working with uh becky o'dell who is up here leading worship this morning with</transcript> away sold everything he had and bought it the kingdom of god looks like giving up something that the world views as worthwhile in order to receive a relationship that's better giving up things something that the world sees is worthwhile in order to receive a relationship that's better uh we have three interns this summer at calvary i have had the pleasure of working with uh becky o'dell who is up here leading worship this morning with

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<transcript><audio_95>lexi and the story of how she came into this internship is exactly what this short story speaks to in seeing what god is calling you to and being obedient to that thing and then giving up things in order to do it and then in seeing the relationship that unfolds as a result so</transcript><transcript><audio_96>if you would turn your attention to the screen she's going to share her story so the internship in general didn't really make sense at first when john ibarka first approached me about it i kind of dismissed the idea really quickly staying at home i would have saved a lot</transcript>
<image_97>The image is a screenshot from a video interview with Becky O'Dell, a worship intern. She is sitting in a room with a plant and a painting on the wall behind her. Becky is wearing a navy blue t-shirt and has long dark hair. She appears to be speaking into a microphone and is looking off to the side with a serious expression on her face. The text on the image reads "Becky O'dell Worship Intern" and there is a logo of the company on the bottom right corner.
<transcript><audio_98>of money and i'm trying to finish up college right now so i gave up a really well paying job that i had so financially it didn't really make a lot of sense to stay in rochester i also didn't have a place to live or a job lined up and i only had a couple</transcript>
<image_99>The image shows a woman standing in a room with a desk and a lamp in the background. She is wearing a navy blue t-shirt and has long dark hair. The woman is speaking into a microphone and appears to be in the middle of a conversation. On the desk, there is a potted plant and a framed picture hanging on the wall. The room is dimly lit with orange and yellow lights.
<transcript><audio_100>weeks to get that figured out so i think one of the ways that god speaks to me is he'll like put something on my heart and i can't get it out of my mind so even though i tried to dismiss this idea of staying in rochester for the summer it kept coming back to me within a week of accepting the internship</transcript> lexi and the story of how she came into this internship is exactly what this short story speaks to in seeing what god is calling you to and being obedient to that thing and then giving up things in order to do it and then in seeing the relationship that unfolds as a result so if you would turn your attention to the screen she's going to share her story so the internship in general didn't really make sense at first when john ibarka first approached me about it i kind of dismissed the idea really quickly staying at home i would have saved a lot of money and i'm trying to finish up college right now so i gave up a really well paying job that i had so financially it didn't really make a lot of sense to stay in rochester i also didn't have a place to live or a job lined up and i only had a couple weeks to get that figured out so i think one of the ways that god speaks to me is he'll like put something on my heart and i can't get it out of my mind so even though i tried to dismiss this idea of staying in rochester for the summer it kept coming back to me within a week of accepting the internship

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<transcript><audio_101>god provided a place to live he provided me a job he's been providing for me constantly with finances i've definitely grown a lot in my trust and relationship with god this was a big step of faith for me i'm very much a practical person and i like</transcript><transcript><audio_102>to have a plan but then how god provided you know it just showed me like he is constant and faithful and if you're obedient to him he will provide to you in that season i will remind myself in situations where i'm facing two decisions of like this is what god did</transcript><caption><image_103>The image shows a young woman standing in a room with a gray wall and a wooden shelf in the background. She is wearing a navy blue blouse and has long dark hair. The woman is looking up towards the sky with a thoughtful expression on her face. On the shelf, there is a white lamp and a small plant. The overall mood of the image is calm and contemplative.</caption><transcript><audio_104>last time this is how he was faithful and i do believe that you know if you approach a decision with the heart of obedience to god even if you do make a mistake or make the wrong decision he's gonna know your heart and honor that and he's gonna work through that wherever you end up and he'll meet you where</transcript><transcript><audio_105>you're at and so that helps me a lot and i think like just remembering how god did provide a place to live and a job and all that stuff it all just fell into place and i've had so many people pouring into me both in my spiritual life and</transcript> god provided a place to live he provided me a job he's been providing for me constantly with finances i've definitely grown a lot in my trust and relationship with god this was a big step of faith for me i'm very much a practical person and i like to have a plan but then how god provided you know it just showed me like he is constant and faithful and if you're obedient to him he will provide to you in that season i will remind myself in situations where i'm facing two decisions of like this is what god did last time this is how he was faithful and i do believe that you know if you approach a decision with the heart of obedience to god even if you do make a mistake or make the wrong decision he's gonna know your heart and honor that and he's gonna work through that wherever you end up and he'll meet you where you're at and so that helps me a lot and i think like just remembering how god did provide a place to live and a job and all that stuff it all just fell into place and i've had so many people pouring into me both in my spiritual life and

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<transcript><audio_106>relationship with god and then in life in general and just like receiving a lot of opportunities to grow in worship ministry and as a musician and as well as like leadership and pushing me out of my comfort zone to do things that again i wouldn't have been able to do if i</transcript><transcript><audio_107>wasn't here can we take a moment just to praise god for what he's doing in becky's life in so many</transcript> relationship with god and then in life in general and just like receiving a lot of opportunities to grow in worship ministry and as a musician and as well as like leadership and pushing me out of my comfort zone to do things that again i wouldn't have been able to do if i wasn't here can we take a moment just to praise god for what he's doing in becky's life in so many [Applause]

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<transcript><audio_109>there's an important i think distinction that i need to make here which is that god is not out to make you abandon everything that you love about your life um and in fact the bible tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from god everything that's good that you love</transcript>
<image_110>The image shows a bald man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and glasses and appears to be speaking into the microphone. The background is a pink and black striped pattern. The man is gesturing with his right hand as he speaks. He has a serious expression on his face and is looking directly at the camera.
<transcript><audio_111>comes from god what the kingdom of god does is it re-prioritizes our lives so that the gifts of god and the things that god does are not more important to us than the relationship with him itself</transcript><transcript><audio_112>because in the end things don't last but relationships do i my wife loves that i use her as the example for everything in these messages um i love her because she is always learning she has this</transcript><video>
<image_113>The image shows a bald man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and appears to be speaking into the microphone. The background of the stage is a gradient of pink and black, with a wave-like pattern on the wall behind him. The man is bald and has a serious expression on his face. He seems to be giving a speech or presentation.

<image_114>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and glasses and appears to be speaking passionately. The background of the stage is a pink and black striped pattern. The man is bald and has a serious expression on his face. He seems to be giving a speech or presentation.

<image_115>The image shows a bald man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and glasses and appears to be speaking into the microphone. The background is a pink and black striped wall. The man is gesturing with his right hand as if he is giving a speech or making a point. He has a serious expression on his face.
</video><transcript><audio_116>constant desire to learn and grow and change and improve now currently that is happening through this physical therapy program at the university of buffalo if she were not doing that program would i therefore not love her because of what</transcript><video>
<image_117>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and glasses and appears to be speaking into the microphone. The background of the stage is a pink and black striped wall. The man is gesturing with his right hand as if he is explaining something. He has a serious expression on his face and is looking directly at the camera.

<image_118>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and glasses and appears to be speaking into the microphone. The background is a pink and black striped pattern. The man is bald and has a serious expression on his face. He seems to be giving a speech or presentation.
</video><transcript><audio_119>she is doing no i love her because of who she is and that that not doing the the program at ub would not change the fact that she loves to learn that is who she is she loves to learn she loves to grow and i</transcript> there's an important i think distinction that i need to make here which is that god is not out to make you abandon everything that you love about your life um and in fact the bible tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from god everything that's good that you love comes from god what the kingdom of god does is it re-prioritizes our lives so that the gifts of god and the things that god does are not more important to us than the relationship with him itself because in the end things don't last but relationships do i my wife loves that i use her as the example for everything in these messages um i love her because she is always learning she has this constant desire to learn and grow and change and improve now currently that is happening through this physical therapy program at the university of buffalo if she were not doing that program would i therefore not love her because of what she is doing no i love her because of who she is and that that not doing the the program at ub would not change the fact that she loves to learn that is who she is she loves to learn she loves to grow and i

<Untitled Chapter 1>

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<transcript><audio_120>love her for that and it's why i love her it's not what she does it's who she is but we do it with god all the time where we love what god gives to us and we love what he does and we'll even give him credit for it we'll be like yeah god</transcript>
<image_121>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and grey pants. The background is dark with a large screen that has a wave-like pattern. On the right side of the stage, there is a guitar and a microphone stand. The man appears to be giving a speech or presentation.
<transcript><audio_122>gave me this job god gave me this relationship this opportunity this car but when he requires to give that thing up suddenly that relationship is not one that we are interested in anymore</transcript>
<image_123>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt, grey pants, and white sneakers. He has a bald head and appears to be speaking into the microphone. Behind him, there is a large screen with a pink and black striped pattern. The stage is lit up with bright lights.
<transcript><audio_124>when god requires you to give up the summer job and the stability of living at home in order to go pursue this step of obedience suddenly it's a lot harder to take that step but the kingdom of god just like any marriage or family is based in</transcript><transcript><audio_125>relationship not things and that's what you hear in becky's story that the relationship with god is worth giving up the things that the world around you might see as worthwhile and then that the next time she was called into a step of faith she could look back and see the</transcript> love her for that and it's why i love her it's not what she does it's who she is but we do it with god all the time where we love what god gives to us and we love what he does and we'll even give him credit for it we'll be like yeah god gave me this job god gave me this relationship this opportunity this car but when he requires to give that thing up suddenly that relationship is not one that we are interested in anymore when god requires you to give up the summer job and the stability of living at home in order to go pursue this step of obedience suddenly it's a lot harder to take that step but the kingdom of god just like any marriage or family is based in relationship not things and that's what you hear in becky's story that the relationship with god is worth giving up the things that the world around you might see as worthwhile and then that the next time she was called into a step of faith she could look back and see the

<Untitled Chapter 1>

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<transcript><audio_126>relationship that she had built with god before and take the next step confidently and so security is often a barrier to our beat our obedience and purpose and the kingdom of god is a kingdom of obedience and purpose and removing that</transcript><transcript><audio_127>barrier once more requires a strength that we do not have and so our final prayer of praying god's kingdom to come the final thing to write down this morning is this god show me something in my life that i wouldn't let go of even if you</transcript><transcript><audio_128>asked me to give me strength to turn control of that thing this is a difficult prayer because it requires humility to turn over control of something that you love</transcript><transcript><audio_129>but what happens when you pray this is exactly what becky described in that video and what we talked about at the very beginning with kaylee's class you see more of god's kingdom as you step into obedience and as you see more of</transcript><video>
<image_130>The image shows a bald man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and glasses and appears to be speaking into the microphone. The background is a dark pink color with a curved design. On the right side of the image, there is a quote written in white text that reads "Ways to pray for God's kingdom. Show me something in my life that I wouldn't let God even if you asked me to give me strength to turn control of that thing over to you."

<image_131>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and glasses and appears to be giving a speech or presentation. The background is a pink and black striped pattern. On the right side of the image, there is a quote that reads "Ways to pray for God's wisdom. Show me something in my life that I wouldn't do if you asked me to give strength to turn control of that thing over to you." The quote is written in white text on a black background.
</video><transcript><audio_132>god's kingdom the next time that step comes you know what to ask for and then you take another step of faith and that's what a relationship of god is it's a beautiful cycle of taking steps of obedience and seeing the kingdom come i'm going to invite the the worship team</transcript> relationship that she had built with god before and take the next step confidently and so security is often a barrier to our beat our obedience and purpose and the kingdom of god is a kingdom of obedience and purpose and removing that barrier once more requires a strength that we do not have and so our final prayer of praying god's kingdom to come the final thing to write down this morning is this god show me something in my life that i wouldn't let go of even if you asked me to give me strength to turn control of that thing this is a difficult prayer because it requires humility to turn over control of something that you love but what happens when you pray this is exactly what becky described in that video and what we talked about at the very beginning with kaylee's class you see more of god's kingdom as you step into obedience and as you see more of god's kingdom the next time that step comes you know what to ask for and then you take another step of faith and that's what a relationship of god is it's a beautiful cycle of taking steps of obedience and seeing the kingdom come i'm going to invite the the worship team

<Untitled Chapter 1>

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<transcript><audio_133>out so asking for the kingdom of god looks like being willing to let go of my own security in order to follow what god is calling me to asking for eyes to see the small steps of faith and the strength to take those</transcript><transcript><audio_134>steps in obedience and asking for strength in the face of evil to respond in gentleness and mercy and self-control for the sake of healing and trust that god has a plan to redeem all things</transcript><transcript><audio_135>and here's what i want to point out this is something this is the most important thing that i can know about the kingdom of god today i call it this message searching for heaven because what happens to all of us is that when we look for the kingdom of heaven when</transcript><video>
<image_136>The image shows a bald man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and glasses and appears to be speaking passionately. The background is a pink wall with a black wave-like pattern. The man is gesturing with his right hand as he speaks. He looks confident and focused.

<image_137>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is wearing a black t-shirt and has a bald head and glasses. He appears to be speaking or giving a presentation, as he is gesturing with his right hand as he speaks. The background of the stage is a pink and black striped wall. There is a shadow of a person on the left side of the image.

<image_138>The image shows a man standing on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He is bald and wearing a black t-shirt and glasses. He appears to be speaking into the microphone with a serious expression on his face. Behind him, there is a large screen with a black and white abstract design. On the right side of the image, there are two people, one of whom is a woman with long dark hair, who is standing in front of the screen. The background is dark, suggesting that the photo was taken at night.
</video><transcript><audio_139>we look for god's kingdom we look for it to be out there and to then come affect me i'm looking for god's kingdom external to affect my internal and what god calls us to what we see in all three of these</transcript><transcript><audio_140>prayers is that god wants to bring the kingdom of heaven into the world through you the kingdom of god starts in you and and he knows that we need his strength</transcript> out so asking for the kingdom of god looks like being willing to let go of my own security in order to follow what god is calling me to asking for eyes to see the small steps of faith and the strength to take those steps in obedience and asking for strength in the face of evil to respond in gentleness and mercy and self-control for the sake of healing and trust that god has a plan to redeem all things and here's what i want to point out this is something this is the most important thing that i can know about the kingdom of god today i call it this message searching for heaven because what happens to all of us is that when we look for the kingdom of heaven when we look for god's kingdom we look for it to be out there and to then come affect me i'm looking for god's kingdom external to affect my internal and what god calls us to what we see in all three of these prayers is that god wants to bring the kingdom of heaven into the world through you the kingdom of god starts in you and and he knows that we need his strength

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Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<transcript><audio_141>in order for that to happen and that's why he gives us prayer because we can't do it alone we have to have his strength in order to take steps of faith we have to have his strength in order to give up security we</transcript><transcript><audio_142>have to have his strength to respond in kindness and so as we step back into worship i'm going to ask you to choose one of these three prayer opportunities that are listed on the screen and to pray according to that prompt out loud</transcript><transcript><audio_143>for 20 seconds and it doesn't have to be out like like outside voice can be inside voice out loud but practice praying something that involves god's kingdom coming into your heart because this is something that we can carry into our</transcript><transcript><audio_144>lives day to day and every day we can see more of god's kingdom coming so i'm going to give you 20 seconds take one of these prayers and pray it</transcript> in order for that to happen and that's why he gives us prayer because we can't do it alone we have to have his strength in order to take steps of faith we have to have his strength in order to give up security we have to have his strength to respond in kindness and so as we step back into worship i'm going to ask you to choose one of these three prayer opportunities that are listed on the screen and to pray according to that prompt out loud for 20 seconds and it doesn't have to be out like like outside voice can be inside voice out loud but practice praying something that involves god's kingdom coming into your heart because this is something that we can carry into our lives day to day and every day we can see more of god's kingdom coming so i'm going to give you 20 seconds take one of these prayers and pray it [Music] during that time [Music] you may have had a specific situation or feeling or thought that came to your mind you may have been challenged in the way that you've been thinking about or responding to a situation you may have been prompted to forgive or to apologize or to reach out to someone there may be something that came to your mind that you've been holding on to so closely because you're afraid that without it you wouldn't be able to live but god is calling you to give control of that thing over to him [Music] pay attention to those thoughts that is what it feels like to pray for the kingdom of god to come on earth as it is in heaven so father would you make real in our what it means for your kingdom to come here not to happen outside and affect us but to come into us and affect the world would your kingdom come starting in our hearts in jesus name would you stand we're going to worship

<Untitled Chapter 1>

Asking for the Kingdom of God

Prayer Opportunities


<image_0>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a character's hand holding a green and gold compass with a green light on top. The compass is in the center of the image and is surrounded by a green background. On the top left corner, there is a menu bar with various options such as "Menu", "Settings", and "Help". On the right side of the screen, there are various icons and buttons for the player to navigate through the game. The background appears to be a jungle-like environment with trees and plants.
<transcript><audio_1>it has two chests right here marked it okay so I got a capson upgrade if</transcript><transcript><audio_2>padle I got a legendary or like an orange rifle good great great nice I've never seen this one before it's a knock gun seven barel mon uh if you press Tab and point your</transcript>
<image_3>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a map of a small island in the middle of a body of water. The island is orange in color and has several buildings and structures scattered across it. On the right side of the island, there is a compass with a red arrow pointing towards the top right corner of the map. The map also has a few icons on the top left corner, including a treasure chest, a treasure map, and a map pointer. The background of the image is green, and the island appears to be floating on the water.
<video>
<image_4>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a desert landscape with a large rock formation in the background. The rock formation is made up of multiple layers of different shades of brown and orange, with a few green plants scattered around. On the top left corner of the image, there is a menu bar with various options such as "Menu", "Settings", and "Help". On the right side of the screen, there are several buttons and menus for the player to navigate through the game. In the bottom right corner, there appears to be a control panel with various buttons and options. The overall color scheme of the screenshot is warm and earthy, with shades of orange, brown, and green.

<image_5>The image is a screenshot from a video game. The background is a dark brown color with a futuristic design. On the left side of the image, there is a menu bar with various options such as "Menu", "Settings", and "Help". On the right side, there are several icons representing different settings and options. At the bottom of the screen, there appears to be a control panel with various buttons and menus. The overall color scheme of the game is dark and futuristic.

<image_6>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a scene from the game, where the player is in the middle of a battle. The scene is set in a desert-like environment with a large rock formation in the background. The rock formation is orange and red in color, and there is a large explosion in the center of the image. On the left side of the screen, there are several options for the player to choose from, such as "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "10", "11", "12", "13", "14", "15", "16", "17", "18", "20", "21", "22", "23", "24", "25", "26", "27", "28", "29", "30", "31", "32", "33", "34", "35", "36", "37", "38", "39", "40", "41", "42", "43", "44", "45", "46", "47", "48", "50", "51", "52", "53", "54", "55", "56",

<image_7>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a scene from the game, where the player is in the middle of a battle. The scene is set in a dark room with a red light shining on the right side of the image. The room appears to be empty, with no other objects or people visible in the background.

On the left side, there is a control panel with various options and settings. On the top left corner, there are several icons, including a shield, a sword, and a shield. The shield is on the top right corner, and the sword is on top of the shield. There are also several buttons and menus on the bottom right corner of the screen, including the player's health, health status, and other information about the game's health and health settings.

<image_8>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a scene from the game, where the player is in the middle of a battle. The scene is set in a desert-like environment with red walls and a rocky terrain. On the right side of the image, there is a large rock formation with a red light shining on it. In the foreground, there are several enemies scattered around the base of the rock formation.

On the top left corner of the screen, there appears to be a menu bar with various options such as "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "10", "11", "12", "13", "14", "15", "16", "17", "18", "19", "20", "21", "22", "23", "24", "25", "26", "27", "28", "29", "30", "31", "32", "33", "34", "35", "36", "37", "38", "39", "40", "41", "42", "43", "44", "45", "46", "47", "48", "

<image_9>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a room with a red floor and a white wall in the background. The room appears to be empty, with no furniture or decorations. On the left side of the image, there is a menu bar with various options such as "Menu", "Settings", and "Help". On the right side, there are several icons representing different items in the game. At the bottom of the screen, there appears to have a control panel with various buttons and menus. The overall color scheme of the room is red and black, giving it a futuristic and sci-fi feel.
</video><transcript><audio_10>mouse in the weapon you can see their chest and also hey I found a pop upgrade</transcript>
<image_11>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a scene from the game, where the player is in the middle of a battle. The scene is set in a dark room with a red carpeted floor and a large wooden structure in the background. The structure appears to be a bridge or a tower with multiple beams and pillars. On the left side of the image, there is a menu bar with various options such as health, stamina, and health settings. At the bottom of the screen, there are various icons and menus for the player to navigate through the game. The player's character is visible in the bottom right corner of the screenshot.
<transcript><audio_12>great great pump upgrade s okay so we go here they actually suck also another CS upgrade okay okay lots of upgrades then I like that you guys did not move</transcript><video>
<image_13>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a dungeon-like environment with a circular floor and walls. The walls are made of stone and there is a large archway in the center of the room. On the left side of the image, there are several pillars and arches, and on the right side, there is an archway with a red light shining through it. In the center, there appears to be a large circular platform with a green light shining on it. At the bottom of the screen, there has a wooden stick with a wooden handle, which is likely a weapon for the player to use in the game. There are also several icons scattered throughout the image.

<image_14>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a scene from the game, where the player is in the middle of a battle. The scene is set in a dungeon-like environment with a stone floor and walls. On the right side of the image, there is a large red octopus-like creature hanging from the ceiling. The creature appears to be attacking the player with its tentacles.

On the left side, there are various options and stats displayed on the screen, including the player's health, stamina, and other health settings. There are also a few enemies visible in the background. The player's character is standing in the center of the screen and is holding a weapon, which is a wooden stick. The game's interface is visible at the bottom of the screenshot, with various buttons and menus.

<image_15>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a scene from the game, where the player is in the middle of a battle. The scene is set in a cave-like environment with a stone floor and walls. On the right side of the image, there is a wooden weapon with a wooden handle and a red handle. The weapon appears to be a bow and arrow, and it is positioned in the center of the cave.

On the left side, there are various options and settings displayed on the screen, including a list of items, a timer, and a timer. The timer is displayed on a green screen, and the timer is on a yellow screen. There is also a timer on the top right corner of the screen. The background of the game is a dark green color, and there are several icons scattered throughout the scene.

<image_16>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a wooden chest with a white question mark on it. The chest is placed on a tiled floor in a dungeon-like environment with a stone wall in the background. On the right side of the chest, there is a wooden barrel and a cart. On top of the image, there are various icons and information about the game, such as the player's health, stamina, and other settings. The game appears to be in the middle of a battle, as indicated by the text on the screen.

<image_17>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a room with various items scattered on the floor and walls. On the left side of the image, there is a red box with a black object inside, which appears to be a treasure chest. Next to the box, there are several wooden barrels and a wooden barrel on the right side. In the center of the room, there appears to have a red bow and arrow resting on top of it.

On the top left corner of the screen, there has a menu bar with various options such as "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "10", "11", "12", "13", "14", "15", "16", "17", "18", "19", "20", "21", "22", "23", "24", "25", "26", "27", "28", "29", "30", "31", "32", "33", "34", "35", "36", "37", "38", "39", "40", "41", "42", "43", "44", "45", "46", "47

<image_18>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows the interior of a cave with a stone wall and a wooden floor. On the left side of the image, there is a menu bar with various options such as "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "10", "11", "12", "13", "14", "15", "16", "17", "18", "19", "20", "21", "22", "23", "24", "25", "26", "27", "28", "29", "30", "31", "32", "33", "34", "35", "36", "37", "38", "39", "40", "41", "42", "43", "44", "45", "46", "47", "48", "50", "51", "52", "53", "54", "55", "56", "57", "58", "59", "60", "61", "62", "63", "64", "65", "66", "67", "68", "69", "70", "80",
</video><transcript><audio_19>the ship that would have been a bad here that's aett good here okay there's someone here drag pistol it does 57 damage it's</transcript><transcript><audio_20>crazy uh please load this some okay okay someone help I think do you have enemies there yes you have someone almost killing me okay okay someone is definitely going to kill me okay I'm going to die without is bad I'll try to</transcript>
<image_21>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a room with a stone floor and walls. The room appears to be in a dungeon or a dungeon-like environment. On the left side of the image, there is a panel with various options for the player to choose from. The panel has a green light shining through it, indicating that the player is in the middle of a battle.

On the right side, there are several icons and menus, including a treasure chest, a sword, and a shield. There are also a few other items scattered around the room, such as a shield and a sword. The player's health and health information are displayed on the panel, and there are a few icons on the bottom right corner of the screen.
<transcript><audio_22>oh God there's an enemy right here guys don't die you got to bring back the loot before you die just bring back the loot Stu fire someone near me someone I killed someone okay okay so someone's shooting me apparently no are you guys</transcript>
<image_23>The image is a screenshot from a video game. It shows a scene from the game, where the player is in the middle of a battle. The scene is set in a desert-like environment with a bridge in the background. The bridge has a tall tower with a flag on top, and there is a large crane on the right side of the image. The sky is cloudy and there are mountains in the distance.

On the top left corner of the screen, there are various icons and options for the player to customize their character. On the top right corner, there is an arrow pointing to the right, indicating the player's progress in the game. In the center of the screenshot, there appears to be a control panel with various buttons and options. The player's character is holding a weapon, which is visible in the bottom right corner.
 it has two chests right here marked it okay so I got a capson upgrade if padle I got a legendary or like an orange rifle good great great nice I've never seen this one before it's a knock gun seven barel mon uh if you press Tab and point your mouse in the weapon you can see their chest and also hey I found a pop upgrade great great pump upgrade s okay so we go here they actually suck also another CS upgrade okay okay lots of upgrades then I like that you guys did not move the ship that would have been a bad here that's aett good here okay there's someone here drag pistol it does 57 damage it's crazy uh please load this some okay okay someone help I think do you have enemies there yes you have someone almost killing me okay okay someone is definitely going to kill me okay I'm going to die without is bad I'll try to oh God there's an enemy right here guys don't die you got to bring back the loot before you die just bring back the loot Stu fire someone near me someone I killed someone okay okay so someone's shooting me apparently no are you guys