Horse Weekend

My name is Josh, this is Magic, and we're so excited that you're here today. And I gotta believe that God has arranged the circumstances of your life to be here today. To experience this with us, because he's got something just for you. And so lean in and be a part of it. I cannot wait to see what he does in your life. And this is unlike anything we've ever done before. I mean, guys, I'm on a horse right now, but you gotta know that community here at LCBC is something we do every single week. And so be sure to continue to join us for a life-giving messages, worship, and connection. And when it comes to this community today, don't just settle for the screen. Let yourself be known here today by name. To do that, check in with us. Open up the LCBC app, hit check in, just like Church Online. Or you can text check in to 20022. If you're doing that for the first time, me, Justin Kelly, Magic, the rest of our Church Online team, wants to send you a coffee gift card, just as a thank you. We're so glad that you're here. We cannot wait to get to know you more. And for everybody checking in, we thought we'd have some fun. And so for everybody checking in today, your name is being entered for a chance to win some cowboy boots on us.

And so be sure to be a part of that as well. And while you're in the app, you'll also see ways to give. And we know here that as we trust God in brand new areas of our life, he does brand new things. And I trust him, bros. It's time for you to join me and so many others in taking that next step in your faith journey you can give through the LCBC app right now. Well, guys, we're ready. The production team is set, Todd and his team are ready to go. Get ready for horse weekend here at LCBC. Let's go. [MUSIC PLAYING] We're so glad you're here. We're going to take time to sing. We'd love for you to sing with us. [MUSIC PLAYING] Christ is my firm foundation. Though I call which I stand when everything around me shaken, I've never been more glad that I put my faith in Jesus. He's never let me down. He's faithful through generation. So I would he fell down. He won't. Oh, he never fails. He won't. I've still got joy in chaos. I've got peace that makes no sense. So I won't be going under.

I'm not held by my own strength. 'Cause I built my life on Jesus. Yes, I do. He's never let me down. He's faithful in every season. So I would he fell down. He won't. He won't. Oh, he never let you down. He won't fail. He won't fail. [MUSIC PLAYING] There you came and blew. My house was built on you. I'm safe with you. I'm going to make it through. You came and blew. My house was built on you. Jesus, I'm safe with you. I'm going to make it through. Let's sing it again. You came and blew. My house was built on you. I'm safe with you. I'm going to make it through. Oh, I'm going to make it through. I'm going to make it through. 'Cause I'm standing strong on you. Oh, I'm going to make it through. 'Cause my house was built on you.

♪ Christ is my firm, how deep ♪ He's never let me down, he's faithful to generations, so I will leave him now. He won't, we won't fail you. You guys are here with us today here at LCBC. Before you grab a seat, would you just greet a few people around you? Just say howdy, give them a fist, just say howdy, howdy, howdy partner. Let them know you're glad you're here as you're taking your seat. Well welcome, real glad to have you guys here. My name is Jason, I haven't met you yet, and we got a real fun time in front of us here. We got this beautiful horse, oh she's beautiful, right? And I think it's a she, I'm pretty sure I can check later. But I think it's a she, but I've learned a ton about horses these last few months than I've ever known. And so I've learned what a Palomino is, you might know what a Palomino is. Good, all right, the three of us, we can talk later, all right, good. I learned what a Gilding is, learned that yesterday, you might know what a Gilding, all right. If you're a man, go Google that and you won't, don't want to be one. So anyways, so we got a fun night, we got a fun experience for you. How many of you guys have absolutely no clue what to expect right now? Just have no clue what to expect, all right? Me too, that's all of us. So because of that, let me just kind of lay some groundwork where I think is going to happen over these next few moments, all right? At the most basic level, in just a moment, I'm going to invite my friend Todd Pierce to come on up, and he's going to lead us through this experience. And our team, I want you to know this, our team has been working really hard for a little over a year now. We've been working on this for a little over a year, and part of the things our team has been doing is they've been working for over a year now to find these individual horses that Todd is going to work with. These horses, these horses never been ridden, never been saddled, and Todd has never met this horse. And you're going to get to watch Todd establish trust with this horse to the point that is going to transform this horse. I can only tell you right now, just, I've seen now five of these. This one's got a little bit more anxiety than any of the others.

And so he's going to do, Todd is about to do in about an hour when it would take you and I months to do, and he's about to help this horse become more of who it was meant to become. That's the most basic level, right? So we're going to experience that together. But I actually believe there's something much deeper going on. There's something happening at a deeper level. See, I believe that too many of us have settled in life, which is settled. We've settled for lives that are a little bit less than what God created us for. And there is a longing in the human spirit. There's a hunger in you. There's a thirst in you. There's a drive in you and all of us to have a life of purpose and meaning. It's in every one of us. You can't get rid of it. And that longing for purpose and meaning will never be found when we are running from God. It just won't be. You know, Jesus oftentimes, he taught people about who God was and who we are by using stories and living illustrations to make his point. He did this all the time. He talked about, you know, you're the vine. You're the branches. He talked about faith like a mustard seed. He used like modern every day, just sort of illustrations to make his point to point to deeper truths about who God is and who we are. I think that's exactly what's about to unfold today, okay? We're going to get to see a living illustration. A story is about to unfold in front of us here with this horse. It's going to point to deeper truths about who God is and who you are. And so what I want to encourage you to do today is this. Do not watch this as a spectator. This is not an event. This is not a gimmick. I'm asking you to lean in and be courageous enough to ask God today to speak personally into your life. He wants to talk to you today through what you're about to see. Every time I've seen this happen, every time I've just found something in there, my own life, the ways that I've tried to run, the go my own way, the hurts that I've carried, the hurts that I've inflicted on others. Every time I've sensed the loving and strong voice

of God reminding me of who He is, I believe God is gonna speak to you today. Are you open? Are you open? Now I'm praying that happens. I want to invite Todd to come up. Elsie BC, would you help me welcome Todd Pierce, please. (audience applauds) (audience applauds) I want you to know, I'm so grateful for this man, for so many reasons. One is, this is kind of cool Elsie BC. He's been tracking with our church family the last month. He's told me yesterday, I didn't know this so yesterday, he's been trying to learn Ephesians one, three, three, three along with us. He's been memorizing it with you. So I think that's pretty cool. I appreciate 'cause he tells me what kind of jeans I need to wear with boots. And apparently, I'm not wearing the right ones. He's rebuked me in that. So, but it was probably about a year and a half ago that I think we were first introduced to each other through a mutual friend. And the moment, the first time I ever talked to Todd, I was actually on the way home from dropping my daughter off of college and we had a phone call. And I immediately knew, you know, sometimes you talk to someone and it's like, oh, this is a brother.

You know what I mean? Like, this is someone who gets me and I get him. That's how it felt right away. And I was just so grateful, Todd, for you. I am so grateful for you. Not just because I was looking for a friend who's a rodeo champion. I like being able to say that, right? That's kind of cool. But mostly because we've shared a lot of our stories and I know that you've come out of brokenness and found your life changed by Christ and so have I. And men need more men in our, in each other's lives who will be willing to be honest and you've been that for me and allowed me to be honest. And I wanna thank you for your encouragement in my life and what is about to unfold here with these people who are some of the most important people to me my life right here. And so I'm just so glad that Todd is here today. Todd leads a ministry called Writing High Ministries and I want you to go and I want you to follow them on social and support them and give money to them. Do whatever you need to do to support them. We'll put a QR code up here at the very end today and you can scan that and you can get merch and find other ways to support them. And I hope you'll do that. And so Todd, I would love to pray. - Yeah.

- And I'm gonna give it to you and let you do your thing. All right, you pray with me, Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us here at this moment for a reason. You have a story that you're writing in our lives. You have a story that you wanna tell through what this experience that how it's about to unfold and you're gonna reveal to us insight and truth about who you are, who we are and you. I pray that our hearts are open. So we say to you right now, God, show us what you wanna show us. - Yeah. - Speak what you wanna speak in to us right now and remind us that you are as close as you've ever been. And it's in your name, you pray, you pray. - Amen. (gentle music) - I feel like I know y'all just because this last spring I got to come out here and meet a bunch of the staff and members and here of the 40 years of brick by brick, life by life, year by year. What happens in 40 years to make it to where LCBC lives changed by Christ is a viable family. And there's something that this covenant keeping God that has given us to each other makes it to where we're family, whether we get to know each other well or not. And I take family super serious and one of the things about it and that's just hit me again

right now is, Jason, you got your literally your biological family with you as well as this family that you guys have so devoted your lives to and sacrifices that have been made that nobody's ever gonna know about. And tears that have been shed and victories that have been celebrated. And for someone to invite me into their house and let me speak to their family, it's a sacred thing for me. And I don't take this lightly. I bet we're gonna have some fun tonight. We got a horse on the stage. So something unique is gonna happen. And because I haven't met the horse yet, I do that on purpose. And there's nothing that I can do in a preconceived way that's going to be able to help her. Wow, she is pretty. [MUSIC PLAYING] That's what I was trying to say. I don't know if you guys can interpret tongues, but what she said. In the book of John, he starts out talking about Jesus, the Word of God. And he's made flesh, and he came, and he dwelt among men. And in that same passage, he goes on and says that he made it to where he's given everyone the right to become a child of God. And I think there's this idea out there

that's made it to where we're all children of God. No, we're all invited to be children of God. It's a beautiful thing where there's an adoption that has been taking place to where he chose you. It's done from before the foundations of the earth. He chose you. And you're here right now, again, with the privilege to say yes or no. And so I hope because we're going to work with this little filly, little filly. Oh, she's not very little. That I'm going to give her invitations and with every invitation, she's going to have some liberty. It's free agency fully. And because she's big enough and strong enough that the only way for me to bully her is I would have to be violent and I would have to cheat her. And so we're not going to do that. But I'm going to give her some chances. And I want her to move around a little bit. Is she too, Britain? Two or three? Two? Well, she's pretty two-year-olds. So at two, she's fully sexually mature. She's still young and going to develop in some ways where she'll put on some more muscle, maybe a little more size, but at a quarter horse being this late into her two-year-old. So she's more than two and a half.

She's got plenty of stories that she could tell. And she's made her mind up where she fits in the world and where she fits in the world in her herd amongst her own. She's been branded by somebody. Staked as though she belongs to someone. And I just want to use this as part of the word picture because not all horses are branded. And because she's carrying a brand, I want to challenge the brand. I want to say that someone has put their mark on this horse saying that it belongs to them, where for today, we're going to come against that and say that the place that you found yourself in the herd isn't where you belong. That you belong. There's so much conversation happening right now that I wish like I'm not going to bore you guys with the fascination of how horses communicate. But we're having a beautiful conversation right now. And her place in the herd made it to where through a lot of negotiations with the others around her, she found her place of where she felt the safest. And because she's a horse, that's just kind of what the animal world does is it has a way of getting a pecking order about things. So if I stopped in the wrong spot, and that spot happens to be, I know, let's do this together. She's seeing herself in the, it's so fun. The, we got a German shepherd named Sam, and he's been doing it for 10 years now. Every time he sees himself in the mirror,

he just found his best friend. back to because if she can get around some horses, some more of her own kind, she'll at least know where she fits, but standing here in church on a stage with all these people looking at her with a stranger. It's everything but comfortable and we've been raised in a variety of different situations because there's thousands of you in this room right here. So we've got so many different stories, so many different ideas of who you are, where you belong. Unless you're an exception, most of those belief systems that you got about yourself were given to you by others or just hard experiences. And it's a way to live, it's kind of what makes civilizations what they are. Everybody finds their place. We're sitting in this place, let's just do this together, see that? Can we get this camera that's on our face? That one, look at you. There's an image, this is probably the first time she's seen herself, ladies. She doesn't get to look in the mirror very often, so I'm pretty sure she doesn't realize she's looking at herself, but can you imagine the first time that you see yourself? I wonder what you'd see, if it wasn't through all the filters and all the branding and all the labeling and all the hierarchy and the competition and the who's and whose aren't. What if we just looked for the first time? Yeah, and realize that in this conversation that her and I are going to have is that I'm going to make sure that she's seeing what's actually true about her. She doesn't have to be minimized or disqualified because of whatever her environment has told her that there's a higher truth about who she is, and this you're going to find, I hope, as we go through this time together that she's going to be less and less fixated on these images and more and more fixated on me, and what's going to happen is it's going to become something that's no longer just something that's activated in her brain, but she's going to feel to the core of who she is, that there's something with tremendous authority that's among me right right now, and it's giving me a different way of seeing myself, that if

we are fixated on God's view of us, that we'll realize that each of us potentially, at least be open to this idea that you've been deceived, that you're not what you believe that yourself you are to be, and that's what Jason started off with, that we've almost always, if we get honest with ourselves, we settle for a lesser version of ourselves than what it is that God intended for us, and so with everything that I'm doing with her and for her, wanting her to know that I'm here, I smell funny, and she's going to have lots of reactions, and all of her reactions, if she was around her kind, they would react to her reactions, they would find themselves as her eyes are wide and she's kind of blowing through her nose right now, because she's super tender, super sensitive. Everybody else around her would get anxious. And what's going to, I want to see modeled and what I believe that Jesus did for us was that he was the first guy that came along that didn't react to the world around him. He was who he was, he says, "I am who I am." And if we are the image bearers, the ones that get to show the world what is it like to not live in reaction to the world around us, it's going to change things. I don't know how far we'll get with her. She's super touchy like this. If I got anxious for even a moment and she sensed a rise in my blood pressure, she'd go through the roof. She's not going to feel safe. But the more she reacts to me and notices that I'm not reacting to her, it's building a confidence that makes it to where she realizes that she's being captivated by something that she doesn't understand. But she realizes that she's longed for this her whole life. Something that could make her feel safe enough, that all of this anxiety would be able to disappear. Wow. Let's look at them for a second. I see her jaw loosening up a little bit and I'm going to do something that again. She's used to the way her hurt acts, the way her culture has formed her, and when she's

felt something that has been given authority over getting a position of vulnerability, it would be like the echo of Jesus saying, "Come to me, O, you, her weary, you're anxious, you're heavy burdened," because I'm gentle and I'm meek and I'm kind. I'm just going to do something. If you watch her ears, you're going to watch where her attention is, because I know that we're living in a time and in a culture that our attention is so divided. I spend quite a bit of time traveling, I'm from Idaho, I'm here with my son and we were just noticing we walked through the airport and you literally cannot find somebody that's not staring at their device. Even when they're sitting there with their family, everybody's looking at their phones. I'm not saying that as an indictment, I'm just saying that this is the culture that we're in. This is the culture that's made it to where we're having to figure out what to do with this anxiety that comes up in us because there's so much information coming at us at one time. We're reminded of all the horrible things that are going on all over the planet, and if you're not careful, it gets in your algorithms and it's like the only thing you can see is what's going wrong. I want to tell you that from the first generation of recorded humanity. There was a murder in a family. It was a story of Cain killing Abel. There's nothing new under the sun. The anxiety that we feel about the condition of our culture, it's only valid if that's what you've decided is true. But I say that there's actually a revival going on in our culture. Everything that I can see from here is that in Lancaster County right here, I've seen thousands of people in the last 24 hours say that Jesus is the king. He wants to be my father.

He wants to show me a better way. And we're all in for that. [MUSIC PLAYING] So what if we shifted what it is that we're seeing and what it is we're believing? Because she's not so nervous and fixated on what's going on on the screen right now. There's too much going on around her for her to not pay attention to the invitation that she's being given. Because she's wanting to know what this is all about. She's never had this type of experience. Because if I have the only one expressed intention for her, and that is for her to learn how to become the best version of herself, that she will be free. Free because she's going to be so connected to me and one with me that she's going to gain such wisdom and insight and revelation that she won't walk around scared and nervous all the time. I think it's so good. [MUSIC PLAYING] So her most basic instinct, it's just like us if she wants to find out how to be safe. And one of the instincts on how to stay safe is do not let anything on your back. And they've got some really cool mechanisms to keep people from getting here. We made a whole sport out of it. See if you can stay on that one. And I can tell she's got the potential to be one of those.

And I've gotten fairly good at getting bucked off. I say everybody's got to be good at something. If you get really good at failing, there's not a whole lot to be scared of. [MUSIC PLAYING] A brave girl. We're taking ground. We're taking back everything that she had settled for. [MUSIC PLAYING] Realizing that if she continued with her trajectory, being stuck in her little pigeonhole and her herd, figuring out how to just get enough to eat and drink and maybe reproduce, reproduce what? Reproduce another one that's going to be scared and stuck in their little social categories because Jesus taught with pictures and parables. He spoke to a really smart, very devoted religious leader that was really fascinated with Jesus because he knew the laws of Moses. And he knew this guy that was fulfilling the law of Moses. And he wanted to know, what is it about you? Not just a miracle worker. We've never seen anything like it. For thousands of years, we've followed these rules and we've done what we were told to do. And he came to Jesus and wanted to know. And Jesus said, "You need to be born again." And the guy took it literal, which he really wanted to trust Jesus, but when Jesus says something like that, I was like, "How do you trust someone that's telling me I need to go back and my mother's womb?" How do I do that?

He literally asked the question. And then Jesus said that there is a rebirth that happens, that everyone is born of the flesh, but then everyone must be born of the Spirit, that that's a decision that we get to agree with or we walk away. And if you're born of the Spirit, then of the Spirit, the same Spirit that Jesus was submitted to, the Spirit of the living God, who he called Abba Papa Father, that we would be submitted to the same Spirit. We would be born of the same Spirit, that quite literally, that I would be filled. I know this first step is going to be a doozy. And if all we get is a step, it's going to be a huge victory for her. I'm hearing the words of Armstrong right now. One small step, what do you think sweetie? See how her legs are crossed? She doesn't even want to move her feet. So she's terrified, stuck because she wants me near. She's already said yes, but to move just feels terrifying to her. And I want her to have such a great experience with her first steps that there's this idea that hope deferred makes the heart sick. And she really wants things to stay chill. She wants to be able to walk and rest in this peace. And she's afraid if she moves with me that things are going to fall apart. And she's got some experience and even some of her own personal stuff to contend with. What do you think, huh? Yeah. That's a good girl, a good girl. Austin, for my sake and hers. Here's where the humanity of it for me comes into it is that I need to carry the confidence that she's going to pull on. Jesus walked around being threatened by all sorts of things and his men were scared. In fact, there was a time when he was in a boat taking a nap and there was a storm that

was going on. And the disciples, they woke Jesus up and they're like, "Don't you care about us?" Which I think is pretty funny, that they would start off with that. But they were scared enough that they asked Jesus, the one that they've literally laid their lives down for, devoted themselves to, if he cared about them. That's how scared they were. And because they were scared, they start with that question. And if you cared about us, you would do something about the storm. Jesus did, which is just him being a really, really good leader, was he didn't want to just let the boys sit there and think they're going to die. But he calmed the storm and modeled to something to them that made it where they had a brand new template for their life on what do we do when everything around us starts shaking. And the wind starts howling and the waves are super intimidating. The same that happens in life where we get that scared and we see Jesus was asleep. So then we can say, "Well, if we actually want to have victory over these storms, it's going to be such a deep peace that we don't even have words for it, but I can sleep through this. Just in the midst of the storm and the chaos that's going on. And I want that so much for her because I can't make this sensation that she's having, that's making it where she's so touchy, that if she moves, it's going to be great big movement. So Austin, I'm just letting worship over us and we'll see if she'll settle in a little bit. You're living hope, your presence, I've tasted and seen, but the sweetest of us, where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone, your presence, Lord, holy spirit, you are welcome. Don't flood this place and fill the atmosphere, your glory, God is what our hearts long to be overcome by your presence, Lord. Your presence, there's nothing worth for, that could ever come. Your presence, Lord. I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of those where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone. Your presence, Lord.

Holy Spirit, You are welcome. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by Your presence, Lord. Your presence, Lord. Your presence, Lord. Jesus, how we love Your presence, Lord. Let us be come, more aware of Your presence. Let us experience the glory of Your goodness. Let us become more aware of Your presence. Let us experience the glory of Your goodness. Let us become more aware of Your presence. Let us experience the glory of Your goodness. Let us become more aware of Your presence. Let us experience the glory of Your goodness. Lord, Holy Spirit, You are welcome. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by Your presence, Lord. I know it's just a horse, but she's a highly intelligent, extremely sensitive animal. Very emotional. And there's a combination of those two things going to come in where she's wanting all of this. The patience and what this journey is going to look like for her. I hope that whoever gets her next will stay the course because these baby steps that she's taken. Man, I meet people whose lives are all blown up and I know that they're just doing what they've been taught to do. They're living like victims and they don't even know it. They think they're doing whatever they want to do and they'll just harden their neck and say that on my own man, I can do what I want to do. I don't like you're not doing what you want to do, man. You don't want to hurt people. You don't want to hurt your family. You don't want to bring shame on yourself. You don't want people to think that whatever. You're still just living out a reaction of a brother. If I'm doing something that's different than my design, is there any hope if I just say that it's okay? There's a humility that she's being invited into to say that it actually doesn't work for me not to move, because when she first came in here, she couldn't stop moving. She loves to run around. She's built to run. And every time she moves, she's scaring herself. This is the way the world runs. We just follow, and we're following something that please bear with me. You're being lied to.

There's something so much more to you than what it is that you're continuing to just submit to. And the only way for us to start the journey of healing is to realize that you want something more. And the only reason that she still wants more, and she keeps, you know, with the way she's communicating to me with her ears and her eyes. She wants so much more, but it's just going to take some time. And we come into people's lives and we blow it up and we say, "Well, man, we just follow Jesus." And they're like, "Yeah, I want to. Like I want to know how to trust Jesus the way you trust Him, but I just don't yet. What are you going to do with them? Are you going to beat them and shame them and tell them to hurry up? Get your ass to church." Dang it. It's like we've got to quit doing each other that way and have enough grace for each other to realize that this journey of her taking some steps, it's taking a minute. And I'm going to keep encouraging her. This doesn't hurt, by the way. This is like her tail whacking her. But think where we started? I couldn't even... I keep looking at the time. I could do this all night because I know when she figures it out and she starts walking, she's going to find her groove and it's going to be a fulfillment of the promise that some are going to sow seeds, some are going to water it, but there's going to be an increase that's given when the pure love of God, the power of God comes over someone and they realize what they're being invited into. Because I want her to move so much, I'm going to be impatient because I have to not do that. A few weeks ago, I had a horse that kind of got stuck like this and so I had my son that's

now with me again come and get on it and let me lead him, but I'm pretty sure that it worked that time because that's what Jesus wanted me to do. But I think right now I'd just literally be throwing my son to the wolves. So I'm not going to do that, but look at this. [Music] I gotta explain something to you in the horse world. Everything from the tack that we develop to the way that we're taught to train a horse, everything happens from this side. She's been conditioned by man to have most of the fears that she has has been given to her by men, or women. I don't know. So because of that fear, this right side, she feels way more permission to move in. 'Cause she hadn't been. She'll go back to comfort. It's amazing how dysfunction people will continue in dysfunction because it feels safer, but they don't go anywhere. This is her stuck place. And if you look at where her head is, she's just off to the left. It's comfortable 'cause she feels like she's actually got control of anything, but she's not gonna do anything. She's not going anywhere. (gentle music) (somber music) (somber music)

It's a new way. (somber music) Will you come with me? (somber music) Look at that. (somber music) It's so good. It's so good. We're right there, honey. Right there. (somber music) (somber music) They stopped the clock floor. I think everybody in this room wants to see her break free. Is there not a longing that's being magnified over this place that we just want freedom? We wanna know what it's like to move and breathe and have everything in this place where there's no more fear. And if this is exactly what King Jesus came to give us to where there's no fear of punishment, there's no fear of death, there's no more shame. There's such deep levels of forgiveness that we find healing for ourselves and we extend healing to others. There's nothing, there's nothing being forced but it's this invitation and I know that people are just sitting here

staring at me right now like, okay, there's got to be a catch here. There is no catch, this is it. This is why I came. This is why I'd actually risk my own life so that others could see the kindness and the patience and the gentleness and the goodness and the faithfulness of this Father that's just longing for us to be free. And this process of being forgiven and becoming one of his. (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) [MUSIC PLAYING] - I wonder how long you guys would actually stay. [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] - We're in such a hurry. Thank you, Father, for showing us patience. [sighs] - She can never go back like it would ruin her if she went back. She can't go back to just letting people stick her back in her spot.

[sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] - I don't want you to clap, but you should be celebrating inside. [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] - You're so brave. To confront this level of hurt, this level of confusion, and to confront it and say that it's not right that I'm this scared. It's not right that I've actually only got stuck to one side. [sighs] Jesus has actually opened all the doors and said this is the way, walk in it. It's as though the prophetic word over us as a house. We're ruined. We're ruined for going back to the ways that the world was teaching us to do it. There was a kingdom that was escorted into this room, and it's a kingdom that represents the kingdom of heaven. It's the kingdom that Jesus spoke of when he said that, behold, the kingdom is at hand. I carry within me the power and the love, the generosity, the patience, the truth that makes it to where you don't have to live confused. [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] So if this is who we are as a house...

[sighs] [sighs] And I see tears everywhere. I feel like there's such a breakthrough moment for us where... [sighs] Whatever these patterns have been, this made it to where you have to feel like you're stuck, people have told you what you are. And now you've got enough courage to say, no, I'm actually scared, and I don't want to be scared anymore. I want to know what it's like to be so loved, and who I am, and who it is that God designed me to do, that all the pains that have come throughout my life, that I'm no longer going to allow those to be an excuse that makes it to where I just see myself as a broken toy. He said I came so that I could bind up broken pieces that I would heal things that are wounded, and I would set people that are in captivity, I'd set them free. And that we do this together in covenant with this unseen God that's making himself very, very tangible tonight. And that the invitation stands that if we will just embrace this and say, Jesus, I don't even know how to do this other than I say yes to it, because I can't keep doing things the way that the world has taught me to do them. I'm stuck with the brand, but I'm going to refuse that. If you've made me special and you've made me unique, and every one of us have got our own fingerprints, then why is it that I was following somebody else to find out who I am? Only you, Jesus, can do that for us. Your dad lied to you. Some of you have got to hear that right now. Your dad lied to you. And you're going to forgive him. offering to you. I know I'm way over time, so man, LCBC, this has been something we've done five events in the last 24 hours and I truly believe that he saved the best for last year because it's

going to leave us with some question marks, and Jesus was amazing at asking questions and then letting people rest with it. He didn't go on and explain to the guy how it is that this born-again thing is actually going to work. But he left it enough for him to know that he's going to spend the rest of his life discovering what does it mean to do that? Because if you could project an hour from now, a day from now, a year from now, where would she be? Do you think she would be stuck back in the herd, living underneath the brand, stuck in the order that was given to her? I reckon not. I think more time being loved in this way is going to make it to where freedom. That's the only course forward. Yeah, amen. Thank you guys. Can you help me think, Todd, one more time? How many of you were just pulling the entire time? Just take that step, just take that step, just take that step. Can't force it, can't force it. And, you know, this is probably the horse I've seen my story in the most out of the five we've done because I know what it is to walk in fear. I guess there's some of you who came in here. You got a lot of fear that's kept you stuck in life. Fear of your face and your past, fear over your future. And when horses get afraid, you know what they do? What you saw, bird dude, tonight, they kick, buck, and run, they bite. And I would imagine some of you come in and you've been kicking a lot in life, been kicking, been kicking against God, you've been kicking other people away, you've been running. And that's been the story of our life. And I just, you know, Todd mentioned it a moment ago and I'll just reiterate it.

I think one of the most powerful things Jesus ever said was in Matthew chapter 11, where he said, "Come to Me, come to Me." This is the words of Jesus, "Come to Me." All of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, are you stopping? Come to Me, are you afraid to take that first step, come to Me, are you afraid, kicking, running, come to Me, and he goes, "And I'll give you rest," and he says, "Take my yoke upon you, take my bridal," is another way you could say that. Let me teach you, because I'm humble and gentle heart, you will find rest for your souls. You know the old school ways of getting a horse to submit, you know how they used to do it? They tie it up to a post and they just beat the crud out of it. You didn't see that tonight. You know why I just pointed that out? Because some of you think God is that way, and I'm so sorry that that was the image of God that you were handed, that he's just going to beat us into submission. He will never do that. What did Jesus say? He said, "I'm gentle, gentle." You can have peace, but you've got to let him lead. You've got to take the first step, just the first step, and we'll worry about the second step tomorrow, just the first step. Because the only way this horse can become, who is meant to become, is to place itself in a trusting relationship with a new authority, and you have a God who created you for more. And at some point, we've got to make a decision to trust and come under submission to his leading in authority. And so, in light of all that, I just want to give you an ask you to consider maybe just a few next steps in light of today in this experience. The first is this, for all of you, I'd love to just invite you, come back to church, come back, come back. Some of you, you've never been to church, or it's been a long, long time.

It's time to come back to church. God's doing something. [MUSIC PLAYING] We started a brand new series next weekend called "Run With The Horses." No, I'm not gonna be on one, all right? But we are going to discover what it looks like to go on this adventure of faith. And if you've got a church home, you go there and you get planted. But if you don't have a church home, let us be that church for you. Let us be that church. I can promise you this. You're gonna be surrounded with a bunch of kicking, running, broken people. None of us got to figure it out here. I promise you that. But you're gonna be surrounded by people who are finding more hope, more purpose, more meaning, more freedom. Because we're starting to listen to the voice of the one who says, "Follow me." If you wanna join us on that, man, we'd love to have you back. The second thing I was just gonna put in front of you, maybe a next step for you is, you're sitting there today and something stirred up inside of you and it's maybe struck you for the very first time.

I've never trusted Jesus. I don't know who this Jesus is, but I want to. I wanna know Jesus. I want life. I want peace. I wanna come to him. If that's you, you don't even know if you have language for it. I wanna ask you to text the word trust to 2.0.0.2. Text the word trust. You're sitting there going, "I wanna follow Jesus." And then we're gonna send you. So we wanna walk with you as a church. We're gonna help you understand what that means as you begin this new adventure of faith. And then I realize for some of you, you're not ready to step out and trust. You're not ready to take the step yet, but you got questions and at least you're curious. At least you're wondering. At least you're open. We've actually created an environment for you. It's a four-week long experience. It's starting up in a couple of weeks. All of our campus is online. It's called exploring faith. No commitment. Just saying, I have questions. I wanna know more what it looks like to take that step. If you wanna be a part of that,

text the word next to 2.0.0.2. Do this before you leave today. Let us know. Whatever you do, don't let this weekend pass. Whatever you do, do not let this weekend pass without considering why God had you here. Why did God have you here today? In the seat that you're in, at this gathering, with this horse, not the other ones, with this one. Why? Speaking, you were made for more. And he's ready to walk with you, if you'll just take a step. Just a step. Love to pray for us and I would have to imagine. For some of you, you got some things you wanna pray about today. I wanna tell you, we've got people down here to the front left. As soon as we're done, we'll stay as long as you wanna, if you want us to stay. We'd love to pray with you. Pray about anything. Just come down. Don't miss a moment for us to pray with you if you've got something you wanna pray about. So let me pray and then we're gonna be done. Heavenly Father, we're so grateful for the story that just unfolded in front of us, Jesus.

I am so grateful that all the times I tried to throw you off my back, all the times I tried to kick at you and I tried to run, you never stopped chasing me. You've never stopped chasing us. You kept climbing on. You kept coming back for more. You got on your knees and the sand to let us know just how much you love us. And you'll never force anything on us, but you just lovingly invite and call and say, come to me, come to me, Jesus. Thank you, thank you for your patience. Like we saw demonstrated tonight that you never give up on us. We are so grateful for your love, for your love, for your love, for your love. And it is in your name. We pray, LCBC. May the Lord bless and protect you. And may the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. Thanks so much for being here. (water splashing) (gentle music) (water splashing) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music)

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