Sabbath Sunday — DawnCheré Wilkerson & VOUS Team

Well, hey, church, welcome to Sabbath Sunday. I want to say a big Merry Christmas. Trust you had an incredible time with friends and family. And of course, Happy New Year. Whether you've been a part of VU from the very beginning or today marks your first time with us, we're honored that we get to spend the final Sunday of 2025 together. Do us a favor right now in the chat. Let us know where you're tuning in from. We're grateful that we get to worship God with you and we get to take some moments to look back on all of God's faithfulness. Today invites us to pause, to breathe, to recognize God's steady hand in our lives. As the year comes to a close, the anthem in our hearts remains unwavering. Thank you, Jesus. Listen, he's been faithful, present and powerful, shaping our church and transforming lives across our community. Before we reflect on the year behind us, we want to take a moment to reflect on the gift of Sabbath. Scripture actually gives us this beautiful reminder of where true rest is found. I love how the psalmist writes it, Psalm 62, verses 1 through 2. Truly, my soul finds rest in God. My salvation comes from him. Truly, he is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress. I will never be shaken. You know, when I read this passage, what it does is it centers my heart. It centers your heart. Rest is not just a pause from work, but a return to God as our source, our strength, and the one who steadies us no matter what the year has held. Sabbath is an invitation to slow down long enough to merely see it, to remember that God has been working even the moments when we felt unsure.

See, Sabbath has more than rest. It's realignment. It's choosing to center our lives on the presence of God, trusting that he provides what we cannot produce on our own. So as we close this year, we allow our souls to settle into the truth of Psalm 62. Our rest is found in him. Welcome to Sabbath Sunday. I'm really grateful to be here with you today, and I'm also really grateful to be with our incredible team. We're going to take the next few moments to reflect together. We're going to take a close and careful look back on all that God's done, because he's done so much over the last 12 months. 2025 has been marked by the faithfulness of God. It can be hard to capture all that he's done. It can be hard to remember, but it's important to do so. We want to testify that we've seen his hand at work. And with me, I have some of the incredible leaders of this community who are here to help testify and paint a picture of God at work. We have Minushka Charles, who leads our city location, also oversees our VU crews. We've got Oliver Marroquin who oversees all of everything creative, which is a lot here at VU Church. And we also have Blake Buckman, who helps lead our VU worship. Thank you for being with us. We're so grateful. I can't even express how grateful we are for your leadership, for your investment in this house. And I think that as we reflect, I think that we should start just by thanking God. And so Manu, before we dive in everything that God's done, let's just thank him one more time. Would you pray?

Yeah. Thank you, Jesus Christ. God, we thank you so much. Thank you, Jesus. As we come together today in our homes, wherever we are, to just reflect and to look back, we do so with a heart of gratitude. We do so remembering that thus far you have been faithful. And so, Lord God, we just thank you for what you have done, and we are looking ahead to what you're going to do. Pray that you bless this time that we are here together in Jesus' name, amen and amen. I'm so excited to reflect on 2025 because I think it has been such an amazing year. And I think it's amazing because of how we start the year. We don't start any one of our years without taking time to dedicate to prayer and fasting. We kicked off with 21 days. Prayer and fasting, we were on the Zoom every morning. We gathered together for corporate gatherings. We were on Instagram, and I can't wait for January coming because we're gonna do that again. But I do think it allows us to start off the year in strength, but we didn't only take some time to pray and fast. I always say this, if you're fasting and you're not gonna pray or read your Bible, you're just starving yourself. So that's just a little tidbit. As we prepare for 2026, that we wanna make sure that we are taking some time to fast, pray, but then also opening up God's word. And what we did this year as a community is that we had our Born Again journals.

The Born Again journals allowed us to walk through the Bible in a year. And my question is, who actually finished it? Let's get to that. Did you read the whole Bible this year? I feel like you would. If there was anybody that would finish it, it would be you, Oliver. I got to Isaiah. You got to Isaiah. Isaiah's a dense book. I think, yeah, I think the Born Again journal is the way to start your year in intention. I definitely started a lot stronger, but I didn't slow down because I was missing a bunch of days. I generally slowed down because I felt like God kept speaking to me in a major way. That's beautiful. Starting this year with intention of really writing down what God is saying through the Born Again journals. Maybe you've been a part of the Born Again journal and you understand the SOAP acronym. Maybe you don't. And really the SOAP acronym, S-O-A-P. S, everyday you're reading, your daily reading that's already prescribed in the plan. You're writing down a scripture that pops out of you that reveals something to you. It's the revelation that God has given you.

It's a light up moment. You write down that scripture and you observe the context, the narrative of what's going on in that scripture. Then you apply it. That's the A. You write, okay, why is this resonating with me this way? What is God trying to say to me? How is he trying to reframe my perspective of the life I'm living now to his kingdom living? And then P, it's the prayer. How can I apply this scripture through prayer over my life? And I'm telling you, it's been unbelievable. So I got to Isaiah. I didn't get to Revelation, I'm sorry. You got a bit of a way to go. So I got, yeah. You're on the two-year plan. But let me tell you something. I reread a lot of books. I'm not lying to you. Joe and I read a whole bunch. And I did jump around a little bit, I'm not gonna lie. But it was all from a good place. God knows my heart. God knows my heart. Maybe that's you today. I would like to also mention that you had your first child this year. That's right. That's what I thought your reason was gonna be,

that you don't finish. No excuse like that. Well, actually, that's a beautiful thing. All I'm actually undermining is I love baby girl. She's amazing. Shout out to baby girl, Lennox. It's all of those things where it's like God's really been speaking to me. And I think if anybody else is starting their year with intention, they're gonna see God speak to them in a special way. You can join voodchurch.com slash Bible. You'll see the Bible reading plan there. You can download it. You could also, or I wanna encourage you, get a physical copy of this Born Again journal. You're seeing it come up on the screen right now. Team did an incredible job designing it this year. But you'll be able to see the application or the reading plan, sorry, for each month. And you'll be able to write down your applications daily. And I'm telling you, you're gonna start finding, it's gonna be harder and harder to keep your devotions concise because God's gonna continue to reveal and build on top of what he's speaking to you. And so I'm expecting for it. And I think this upcoming January in 2026 will be intentional. And as our church comes around this together,

it's gonna be powerful what God is gonna do through us. Nicodemus, how can I be born again? How can I physically get back up inside my mother? I can't do that. And Jesus says, you just gotta believe because faith is beginning where your understanding is ending. Where logic fails, listen to me, faith prevails. And if there's anything I wanna preach into your heart as we step into a brand new year is that this is your year of faith. Not faith in faith, not faith in yourself, not faith in your dream, not faith in your bank account, not faith in your education, but faith in the son of God who came to this earth to save and redeem us, that I might live my life, not for my glory, but for his glory. But February of this past year, I mean, we went from January starting strong in that sense when we carried off right into relation tips, that collection where we were talking about all things, dating, marriage, being single. And Manu, in that, you were talking about singleness being a piece of cake. We can't go through this year reflection without talking about you eating a cake on stage while preaching a sermon. If it's true, bring in the B-roll. The people wanna know, did I eat a cake on stage?

I did, immediately after I got off stage, everyone was cutting the cake. I was like, guys, we need it for another service. But it was such a special message. I think anytime that we get to talk about relationships with our church, it's special. It's fun, because all of you guys are married. So I feel like I get to learn from you all and your journey in my singleness. But really, it was an opportunity for me to speak to the season that I'm in. And I talked about singleness being a piece of cake from the aspect of, I'm not saying that it's easy, but it is layered and everybody has their own slice, what it looks like to each and every one of us. Every one of us might be different, but if we could develop the ingredients in this season, God's going to allow us to become what he's developing in us. And so, it was fun. I had a good time preaching it, and I had a great time eating the cake. We'll never forget it. How many slices across the day did you end up eating? You know what? I lost count. If you know how to slide into my DMs, but you can't slide into the presence of God, you ain't my type. If your prayer life is as inconsistent

as your texting game, you ain't my type. If you know every lyric to God's plan, but don't know God's actual plan, you're not my type. And let me help the fellas out, because sometimes y'all don't know what to choose, because you don't know what to look for. If she's looking for a Boaz, but acting like Delilah, she's not your type. If she could serve looks, but not serve the kingdom, she's always in her soft girl era, but never in her prayer era, she's not your type. Do you have character? Do you have integrity? Do you have substance? Can you pray for me? Can you fast? Do you know God? Do you know your word? I'm not just looking for pleasure. I need purpose. Somebody shout purpose. God's got a plan for my life, and I'm not going to waste it away on you, unless you've got purpose. I love that. I love that message, and I loved the entire collection, just really learning and digging into God's design for our relationships.

But as we wrapped that collection of talks, we stepped into Easter season, really with our collection of talks, Crux, all about the cross of Jesus. And so we learned that the word crux in Latin means cross, but we also understand it today to mean like the most crucial or the most essential point. I think the cross has become a symbol in culture but it's not normal and it's not regular. Maybe you're at home and you have one on your necklace. Maybe you've got it hanging on your wall, but what does the cross really mean? And so what we learned in that collection is that the cross wasn't just a historical event. It is what all of history is based around. It is the most crucial point. And so the cross of Jesus, it still has power today and we have victory through it. Yes, no doubt, Simon carried the cross, but please understand, he wasn't carrying everything. Ooh, I feel that in my spirit. He was carrying a cross, but he wasn't carrying his sin. He was carrying a cross, but he wasn't carrying the shame of this world. He was carrying a cross, but he wasn't carrying the guilt and the condemnation of his past. And I only say that because today we're talking about something heavy and something painful.

We're talking about you carrying a cross, a cross at times that you did not choose, that you did not pick, that you did not want, but it showed up after you carried it. That you did not want, but it showed up at your doorstep. But rather than boast simply in the cross that you're carrying, why not be reminded, you might be carrying a cross, but you are not carrying everything. Anybody grateful you don't have to carry the fear of the future? You don't have to carry the weight of your past? You don't have to carry your anxiety of the day? You don't have to carry the chains of your addiction? You're carrying something, but you're not carrying everything. And what I'm learning in my life, what I'm learning in my life is so often the cross that you didn't want may carry the grace you didn't know you would need. But we also learned coming into Easter Sunday that the story of the cross was not the end, but that Jesus, he had victory and resurrection over the grave. Pastor Rich preached an incredible word, but if he did really helped me reframe my perspective and my life of going, man, if Jesus really did, if what we believe is true and he really did conquer the grave, then man, I can have victory over anything

that I'm facing as well. And so it was a beautiful Easter season. April was truly incredible, but not just because of Easter, but also because our very own Pastor Dawn Cherie released her first ever book. So incredible, Slow Burn, The Work and Wonder of the Weight. And I've been so blessed by it. I read it, my wife read it, I gifted it to my mom. It's really been impactful and incredible for our community, but not just with the release of the book. We also stepped into a collection of talks with the same title, really learning all about the purpose of the weight and why it's so important that it's not punishment, it's actually has intention. And so we're so blessed by that collection and so grateful for your insight and your hard work and putting the book together, but also resourcing our church. It was so special. And it being our 10th year, it was my very first time in 10 years to preach an entire collection. I've always had respect for Rich. I'm always cheering him on, praying him through. admiring how on that Monday morning, he starts studying again after he's poured his heart out all day on Sunday. But to carry that for a month,

to preach four weeks in a row, four services a Sunday, it stretched me. And I waited on God in a whole different way. But I think about the theology of waiting. There is a theology to our waiting. And what we believe about our weight will shape the story of our weight. And I think the story of this book, Slow Burn, like you said, I didn't just write it for women. I wrote it for men. I wrote it for singles, for families, for people that are grieving. I wrote it for all of us because waiting isn't a season, waiting is life. The question for us is, are you gonna live in the weight? And for me, waiting has been the theme of my life, not just in infertility, but planting the church and walking with friends and family through seasons. And the reason why this book was written is because some moments need to become milestones, milestones of maturity that we can refer back to again and again. And I learned it from Rich's grandpa that the greatest gift I can give friends is not a new sweater, is not a perfume, but it's a resource to give a book. And my prayer is that it would encourage people and point not to our words, but to the word of God and to the ever-present help we have in Jesus. He's faithful in the weight.

Absolutely. That's beautiful. I think a lot of times in life, we think that our life is supposed to culminate to this mighty bonfire moment where everything we're waiting on comes true, where suddenly the sparks that we've been breathing on, trying to fan the flame, suddenly culminate in a mighty bonfire that everyone can't help but witness. But can I ask you, what if God orchestrated your life to look more like smoke than a flame? What if his plan was never for our lives to be some huge bonfire, the center of attention, but rather to be a fragrance that is invisible, that draws people to lift their eyes to the fire of God and the eternity that awaits and may not be what we see in this life. It may be what we sense. I think this book has been a huge blessing. And maybe you're watching today, you forgot to get somebody a Christmas gift. Hey, now's your chance. This is the book to get people. Waiting is life. It's a part of life, and God develops us in so many different ways. And Pastor Onshree, sometimes we see with resolutions each year, everybody's looking to arrive at some new goal or destination with their fitness goals.

Maybe they have a book list they're gonna read. And maybe there's some discouragement in not meeting that, and they don't necessarily even have patience for themselves. What I'm encouraged with is not just with your talks, obviously, this year, but your book is that it's giving us actually a foresight to say, you know what? My life is actually about a journey with God. And my life is actually about partnering with Jesus in every moment. And I don't truly arrive until I'm with him on the other side of eternity. And I think that's the most beautiful thing. And I think that's what encourages me every day. Every day, you have these different frustrations of things that you can and can't control. But ultimately, you kind of start going with the flow because you're trusting Jesus to a new degree. And I thank you for that, and I honor you. What a great first book. Unbelievable. Great first book. So grateful. All four weeks that you preach. You just drop a banger. Your first book's supposed to be like you feeling it out. Yeah, right. I was laughing with Rachel. I'm like, I cannot wait till you're preaching again. It was amazing, week after week.

So thank you for doing that. We needed it. We needed all four weeks of that. That perspective shift is everything. I think this year, with that revelation, it was really tied to how do I actually view God in my life? And I think about this collection that we were in. Your God is too small. Just following Sloban, I think it was perfect. Pastor Rich is talking about what is our perspective of God? How often do we put God in a box? There was one message, Pastor Rich actually had a box on stage. He went into the box. It was unbelievable. We think we're carrying God. But what kind of a picture is that? What kind of a God is a God that you have to carry? A lot of y'all, let's be honest, I let God down. How could you let God down? Oh, you think you're holding God up? You can't hold God up. He's God. He don't need anything. He's offering relationship with you. He's not fragile. He's God. No, no, no. This picture is what Isaiah is saying. We cry out to these images.

We cry out to these dreams, these plans that we've made up, and they do not answer us. They cannot save us. They are made from human hands. No, the God that we serve is not one that I carry. No, real repentance is admitting I can't carry you, but I believe you could carry me. Real repentance is going, okay, God, this is what's funny to me. God, would you carry me? I admit I'm weak. I'm not a stoic. If the answer's not within me, the answer's gotta be up. I gotta look up to you. God, I love you enough to say, if you're telling me that these things around me, these sinful acts are destroying me, God, I still desire them and I want them at times, but I'm gonna trust that you have a better plan. So God, would you carry me? Would you carry me? I repent, I'm removing my barriers. And what happens is, is whatever box we've created of God, when we actually let God carry us, as we get in quickly, we realize, oh, this thing's not even big enough to hold me up. Oh man, oh, before you know it, as I actually let God carry me, he breaks every box that I could have ever had or created about him.

If you'll actually repent and say, I can't do it on my own, you're gonna discover whatever box, whatever framework, it was too small to begin with. He's better, he's bigger. Oh my God, I got a new view. The biggest thing is that I wanted to shift the perspective myself. I don't wanna be remembered for having my fear over my faith. Like the spies that said, we look like grasshoppers in their eyes. They're remembered for their fear. And it's like, I wanna be remembered for my faith. How big is my God? Am I putting him in a box? And I think often about how God, he operates outside of what we even understand and how I try to even understand it, I guess, this point in my life is God is deeper than I know. He's wiser than I can imagine. He's more knowledgeable than I can ever be intelligent. And I gotta submit to that. I gotta surrender to that. How we exist in life is through time, space and matter. And I'm a nerd. I like science, I like math. No way, just kidding. Shocker. You don't say. Shocker.

Yeah, yeah. Start talking about quantum physics. But I think about time, space and matter because that's how everybody views the world. And you'll hear a lot of people say that within science classes and college campuses, even all over. But time, space and matter. And I think Genesis 1.1 helps us understand that God is exceedingly beyond that. Abundantly beyond that. In the beginning, there's time. God created the heavens. There's space and the earth. There's matter. Matter is, for those at home, I know everybody in high school is educating their parents right now. Matter is atoms coming together to occupy a space with volume. And so you can't have one by itself. They all need to operate together. Right now we're in this space, in this room. And this is the time that we're experiencing it together. And we are making up the space within it. That's why God can do what God does. That's why he can redeem our past. Because he's outside of time. That's why God can do the miraculous because he's operating in a construct that we don't understand with the physical bodies we have.

That's why he can heal. That's why he can redeem. That's why he can restore and provide. And that's what that collection highlighted the most to me. Is like, have I put God in a box? Have I thought of him too small? I want to be operating from a space of God is exceedingly and abundantly every construct of my thinking. And so I'm incredibly encouraged. I'm looking to this new season, finding some more math and science to me. I'm like, I think you need to do four weeks on Netflix. I was like, I don't know if Pastor Rich preached that, but you just took what he preached and turned it into physics. I think it's beautiful though, because the revelation of scripture and what God is doing in our community is so diverse and so beautiful. And knowing your history, Oliver, that you were an engineer before you answered the call of God to be part of church leadership. It's beautiful to see the scripture and the majesty and the mystery of God come alive in your heart and then inspire all of us. God's done so much this year. And like you said, God is not contained. He is not limited in any way. He's always doing more than we know.

Absolutely. I love that we have the opportunity to go through these different collection of talks throughout the year, because each and every collection gives us a focus point as a community. And in the fall, we stacked two powerful collections, New Days, Same Demons. I love this one. One of the things that Pastor Rich said that was so powerful and gave me great perspective that I carry with me, he said that the devil can't grow, but you can. How amazing is that? Because sometimes we think ourselves too small or think that the enemy has all of this power, but it's like, he is limited. Us being connected to God allows us to step into the limitless power of God. And so we had an opportunity. opportunity to really explore that we might be in a new day, it's the same demons, but God has given us power. And then we stepped into this collection of talks called Contend, contending for the faith, contending for what we believe in. And all of these collections are really just an opportunity to give us practical tools in our faith and in our discipleship. I think that as believers, we're always wondering, how do I grow spiritually?

How do I grow and mature? I think the way that you grow is you take what you learned on Sundays, you apply it to your Mondays, review that message again, you step into a crew, you get into community, you have conversations about it. And so all of these collections have honestly been so impactful for me and for my journey. I know that we probably can all say the same about these collections. Yeah, the power of as a community gathering around the word of God, it unlocks a different vision. It's bigger than our circumstance. It's bigger than our past history or what other people in our life have spoken over our life. It gives us a brand new vision. The word of God is alive. It is active. And I love that every single time we gather, that if our hearts are open, Jesus comes in, sits at the table of our heart, and that conversation changes everything. But we do take time every year to have a season that is specifically called our vision season. And this year, like every single year over the last 10 years, we have had a vision statement. This statement is prophetic. I thank God that every year Rich takes time away to really pray, God, what are you speaking to our community this season?

Where are you leading us? Whatever you say, we wanna follow. And the word that Rich has brought to our church this year, marching orders, it's legacy work. And so I think about the legacy that we wanna leave as a church. It's the legacy that we see in the history books of the men and women of God that have gone before us, that they died, as Hebrews chapter 11 says, still believing, not having in hand what was promised. It's because the promise for all of us is tied to this family of faith that we are a part of. It's not done. And so this legacy work that we have, it is the story that we may never see the full impact of our yes, but yet you and I, we have the opportunity. We have the invitation. It's not forced. We are not forced to follow. We're not forced to give. We're not forced to believe, but it's this invitation to be a part of his story, history. That's the legacy work that is at hand today. And our faithfulness, the testimony of God's goodness, it will be what the next generation stands on. And our church is full of stories. All of us are in the middle. People are in the middle of grief. They're in the middle of believing.

They're in the middle of struggles, crossroads. God, which way do I go? The in the middle, the middle of the wait. But the story of God's miraculous power and faithfulness is not on the other side. It's always right here. God, you're at work right here. There is legacy work and transformation right here, right now. And that is a testimony that the next generation can stand on. But I'm like, boys, you gotta turn the lights out. You don't pay for this house. That's electricity. We're paying for that. Every room you leave, turn the lights out. The other day, I get ready to go, Wyatt, wild. And as I'm about to say, they go, we know, dad, turn out the lights. You know what that means? That means culture has begun to set in. That before their father says it, it's already who they are. What we're reading right here in the Shema in Deuteronomy chapter six is a passage that shows up all throughout the Bible. In fact, you know it in the New Testament. They come to Jesus. They say, Jesus, what is the greatest commandment? What does he do? It's Moses right here on the edge of the promised land.

He says, you wanna know what the greatest commandment is? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. What is Moses trying to say? What is Jesus trying to say? He's saying this whole thing called Christianity, it's not a Sunday kind of religion. You don't do this one day a week. But rather, it's gotta be the culture of your home, the culture of your life. Everywhere you go, every step you take, you find yourself praising God, giving glory to God. Are there any children of God in the house? Go ahead and give him praise today. This year, Voo Worship released our seventh worship project, Dying to be Different. It was so much fun. It was songs like Prodigal Praise, Living Sacrifice, Dying to be Different, the title track, Holy Jesus, so much more. So much, I mean, these songs are the soundtrack of our home. My kids are asking for Voo Worship every time we're in the car. Thank you, Blake, we love y'all. Really, the heart of this project is the title itself, that we're dying to be different and that we are desperate to be more like Jesus. And we've seen a generation really responding to that and seeing so much engagement in the music, but people saying, I want to.

to be different. I wanna be set apart for the glory of God. And it's been unbelievable to see the engagement and receive the stories of how God has moving and working through voo worship, obviously in church as we're singing these songs, but all across the world as people are listening in their home, in their car, it's been unbelievable and it's making a global impact, which is incredible to see. And actually this year, one of our songs, Give Me Jesus, eclipsed 10 million views on YouTube. Unbelievable, I encourage you at home, go check it out. Go read through the comments of everything God is doing as people listen and they worship along. Man, God is encountering people where they are. And it's been unbelievable to see the response, but really worship, it helps put our theology to melody. We're taking what we believe and making it something that we can sing. Music really helps us remember that it's attached to our memory. So often in my life, I can struggle to memorize a scripture or remember a word that God spoke to me, but as soon as I put it to a tune, I can recall, I remember songs when I was five years old about scripture and truths that are in my heart because they're attached to music. And so as we gather in church, it's more than just singing songs.

We're declaring truth, but it's actually getting rooted in our heart. But it's more than just remembering and leaving the church, remembering, it's also music moves our heart. And I pray as a worship leader, as we're leading in our spaces, and every time that we gather in church that our hearts move closer to God, that we won't miss a moment to encounter His presence and let Him speak to us in a new and special way. And so we're really grateful for everything we've been able to do with VU Worship and this year, it's been amazing. It has honestly been amazing. And it's amazing to not just hear VU Worship in our local community, but to go in different places, hearing prodigal praise, hearing give me Jesus, hearing some of the songs of Our Heart bless people. And I think that's what we love as a church that we don't wanna just have things to ourselves and keep it right here in Miami. We're just so grateful because we have a global network that is our VU friends and family that we get to come together, whether it is online or creating special moments where we get people in person. And we do that through our VU friends and family pastors assembly, where we get different pastors from around the world,

from around the globe to come in for two days of impartation. This year was incredible because we had Mariah McManus-Goss, we had Javen Chavez, we had Dennis Daniels, we had our pastors. It takes some time to really speak in to the pastors around this world. It was beautiful to see pastors at the altar praying with their team, going to workshops, connecting with one another. And I believe in the local church, but I also believe in the global church of what God's doing through community. We can't do it on our own. We need each other. We need to learn from one another. And even as VU, we don't think that we have it all together. We don't think we know everything. But whatever we do know, we'll share. And whatever you know, share with us. And we believe that when we come together, we are stronger. And this is why we're gathering again in January for the assembly. And we want you to be here. If you're a pastor, if you're a leader, if you love God, if you love the church, I encourage you, get to Miami. First of all, why wouldn't you want to get to Miami? Right? It's a January.

In January, because maybe you're in Omaha, Nebraska, and it's snowing. You're like, you know what? I want two days with God in the sun. Miami summer's over, right? Come in the winter. Come in the winter. Come enjoy. Get the beach in January. Yes. So we personally want to invite you to come down sometime. They don't even know that it's possible to go to the beach in January. Of course. We go to the beach in January. We are blessed. Yeah, exactly. So come see us in January. Be here. It's really easy. VUConn.com slash pastors. I think that I'm so grateful for you and Pastor Rich for creating spaces because I have met so many people through the Pastors Assembly and through our VU Friends and Family Network that I get to connect with in life and ministry. It happens every year. Relationships are formed. Faith, that exchange of faith. The encouragement.

You go back to your hometown full of vision, knowing I'm not alone in this. Isn't it amazing that God's made us a part of this massive family? It's not just global, but it spans history. But if we're not careful, we can isolate ourselves. And our world can become smaller and smaller. But the Bible says the world of the generous, the world of the generous gets larger and larger. That's what Pastors Assembly is about. We don't have all the answers, but we want to live generously, going whatever we've learned, it's yours. Because we learn so much from every single community that we get to know. We bring it back to Miami. And so Pastors Assembly, there's nothing like it. I love the different denominations I love the different ages of pastors and leaders. It's that unity that blesses the heart of God, but also empowers us to step into what He's calling us. Come on. I'm excited to hear from Pastor Levi, too. But also, I heard Manu's doing the golf tournament. Come on, Manu. You're playing golf? Listen, I've never played golf, but Bucky, if you teach me. I gotta see that swing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

If you teach me, give me some lessons. We got what? We got one month? Month and a half. I feel like I can do it. Six weeks. I ran a marathon, so I feel like I can do anything. Either way, just bring a good fit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a memory. That's truly what it's all about. We're on the same page here. Thank you. I'll be there. That's what it's all about. She could win the golf tournament this year. I think it's gonna be uplifting. I love it. I'm ready. What can she do? I'm ready. Don't miss Pastor's Assembly. So many things going on. So many people. I love it. And not only that, you know, when it comes to gathering community and uniting hearts, one of my favorite ways that we express that every year is through VU Girl.

Yes. Thousands of women, so many different ages, so many different stories. It is an on-ramp for people to meet Jesus. And we really look at VU Girl not as something just for our house, but as an easy entry point for the women of our house to make an invitation to people who haven't found hope in Jesus yet. VU Girl is special to us. And I know that this year I was so touched by going to one of our locations, Homestead Correctional Institution, where hundreds of women who are incarcerated actually gather to have VU Church right on their property every single week. And as I walked in, I was about to walk into the chapel in Homestead, and right there in front of the chapel, it said the motto of VU Girl. I couldn't believe that it was right there on the wall at Homestead. It said, you'll never walk alone. Beautiful. You'll never walk alone. That's the promise that we have in Jesus. I'm thankful for what God is doing at all of our locations. VU Girl is a night for everyone to be united, look to Jesus, and know that whatever season we're in, He's faithful.

But it's not just VU Girl, because the men have been showing up over the last few years. That's right. VU Man this year was explosive. It was a move. I'm telling you, I thought you guys were gonna worship the roof off at ITech. It was so loud hearing all the men worship and seeing God move. Ollie, it was a night. Unbelievable. I remember the building shaking quite literally, and I'm thankful for what God is doing through the men in our community. And even if you're a man in our community joining online, this is for and through you as well. God is using you in your workplace, in your family, in your city. And I'm thankful for the stories that we already heard within our community. So many great stories and so many different applications too. We actually got to send a team to Africa this past year to help do missions on the ground, hands and feet of Jesus. And we got to capture a little bit of that story too. Why don't you see what God is doing through the men right here in VU Church. I am Eric Castain, and I am Man Alive.

I'm Kevin Castro. I am Man Alive. Man Alive to me means a man that is submitted to Christ and all that he does. For so long, I tried to do things out of my own strength and out of my own power, and it left me empty. Growing up, we attended church, didn't really make a connection with God. And it wasn't until I got married to Britt in 2018 where we were able to start seeking our own home church. Well, I grew up in Ponce, Puerto Rico. My mother was of the Episcopalian faith and so was my family. So we attended church from, we were little, had a speech impediment when I was younger. So speaking in front of folks, praying in front of folks was a huge challenge. I had moved to Miami. I just remember looking at my life and thinking that on paper, my life should be perfect. On paper, I have everything that I ever thought I wanted. When I laid in bed at night, I had no peace. I was so empty. I started going to church online. The very first sermon that I watched was from Adrian Molina on obedience. At that moment was when I really had my adult encounter with God. I was having a hard time at work. The organization that I was in

weren't talking about God at all. If I would talk to them about God, they basically shut it down. So coming to this community at VU Church and being surrounded with a young body of believers and being sharpened by the men that I was meeting there, I've seen it transform us. When we got married back in 2018, it's been a pillar to our faith. I remember scripture tells us, raise up a child in the way that they should go so that when they grow old, they will not stray from it. It was in that moment that I had nothing left. I knew my way didn't work. I really just slowly started to read my Bible. I started to pray. I started to go to church. Cruz and just being in church period have really, really equipped me. Like my tools are definitely sharpened. I'm a better leader because of it. Every time we gather as men, I love to see our brothers just opening up our hearts and really saying like, hey, this is what I need accountability with. You know, can you hold me accountable and then seeking that person and sharing like, hey, this is where I dropped the ball. There's been many, many moments where I've been held accountable about different things. With being around individuals of like mind and like faith, you know where that accountability comes from.

Going to church went from going to consume, going just to show up, to hear, to worship my Creator, to serve His people, to be a part of what God is doing in our city. By the grace of God, He saved me. Everything that He restored me, He continues to do so every day. Culture wants us to be focused on our strengths, but I think we grow stronger as a community when we focus on our weaknesses and we leverage each other's strengths to build each other up. And as a man and as a leader, it was up to me to make that decision. We are responsible for our own deeds, our own actions. More importantly, we are responsible for leadership in our circles, whatever that circle is. Whether it be school, whether it be home, we are responsible as men of God. If we're doing anything here on this earth as men of God, it is to advance the kingdom of God and give glory to His name. I am meek, I am accountable, I am needed. I am men of life. I love to see what God is doing through all the men in our community, men that are meek, accountable, and needed here at VU. But I think there's a true longing in not just today's generation, all men, young, on the college campuses, wise, older in their years that are truly seeking profound wisdom. It's James that said, if we ask for wisdom, seeking godly wisdom, God is good, He'll grant it for us. And I truly believe that for this day and age, the information age, where there's so much to glean from and there's some information that may be even misguided that people take and run with. It's truly important that the men rise up in this way, and that's what VU Man Alive is. I'm thankful that we understand. It was God who said it is not good to be alone, and we chose to come around in community. What God is doing through VU Man Alive, each and every single one each year, has been unbelievable and only gets better and better. I believe the best is yet to come there.

But another way that we've been gathering in such a big way, it's honestly reminding me of this event, it's VUCon. And this past year, so much to celebrate with what God has done as the body of Christ gathered in Miami, Florida. Over 7,000 people registered, first time selling out the Wattsco Center, it's where the University of Miami plays their basketball games and has so many other events. And man, being in that room, there was a tangible presence in the room and just hearing from so many people with beautiful ministries all over the world, Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell bringing the house down, talking about making sure we understand God is high and lifted up to young communicators like Bryce Crawford, talking about, God, I'm going to use what's in my hand. I'm going to steward this platform, this literal platform you've given me and his impact on social media and even just speaking with Dakota on stage was powerful. And I love what God is doing, going to continue to do through VUCon. And we're looking forward again to this year, 2026, again, gathering at the Wattsco Arena. Most ticket sales we've had up until the beginning of this year, and I believe it's going to sell out again. Get your ticket today, VUCon.com. You want to be in the room, I'm telling you. There's so many surprises at VUCon. It was just last year's VUCon that Pastor Anshari surprised us with her miracle talking about Wolfgang. And then this year, just bringing Wolfgang out and preaching with him. Come on, man. That was unbelievable. And seven days after I heard the word of the Lord in that voice note, seven days later without me knowing, without any doctor, without any appointment, without any help but Almighty God, we conceived a child. And I've been trying to tell you guys all weekend. Rich already said it.

We're expecting. We're four months pregnant. Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Hey! I'm going to let you say it, but I'm going to get my amen in right here with everything I've got. Lord, let everything you've said happen to me. Amen! Come on, praise Him! Praise Him! Give Him glory! Give Him honor! I look at this young man of God, this prophet, and I can't even describe the adoration in my heart for Him, the way my heart leaps just to feel Him. close to me, just to feel him close to me. I have wanted to hold that boy all day long because even when I'm away from him, my heart longs for him. I long to hold him. I long to kiss him. I love to look into his eyes. I love to sing songs over him. I love to comfort him when he's crying. I woke up in the middle of the night last night just to pat his back and take the kids Vucon sticker that was still stuck on his back in the crib off. But the love that I feel for him, it pales in comparison for the love that your father in heaven feels for you. Don't you doubt for one minute how much he loves you. He loves you so much that he sent his only son to be humiliated, to be beaten, to be bruised for our transgressions because there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood. And today I just want to remind you that it's because of the blood of Jesus that you come close. I'm really grateful for the unforgettable moments that we share every year when we gather for Vucon, but holding Wolfgang in my arms, I can't help even now, but thank God. I think that reflection, it's not meant to just move us emotionally. It's meant to move us towards praising God. It's meant to move us towards expressing our hearts to our creator. And I'm just so grateful because I never could have imagined that he would give me this miracle in Wolfgang. And I want from even before he was born to speak the promises of God over his life, over my children, that because of Jesus, everything is available to them. All the presence, the presence of God living within them when they surrender their life to him. And there is no limit on our life. And our prayer at Vucon is that spirit of faith that as we

profess the faithfulness of God, as we declare the promises of God, as we lift up our very lives in worship, that it would mark us not just for a weekend, but that it would mark us for the rest of our life. And for me, I can say that over the last 15 years at Vucon, God has done that every single time that as we pour our hearts out, he fills us up. Vucon is a non-negotiable. I just can't even tell you it's a non-negotiable. Put on your calendar now. You better be there. I want my babies in the room. I can't wait till they're teenagers right there on the front lines, worshiping God. Every age is represented. And it's like one of the highlights, honestly, of life that we get to be a part of this, that we get to run together. Yes, there's no doubt. Vucon 2025 was truly unforgettable. So many testimonies coming out of that weekend. But it wasn't just felt in the Watsko on that weekend. Actually, 40 days before Vucon, our team set out on a journey from Jacksonville all the way down to Miami. Oh, it's a long drive. More than a drive. They ran 400 miles over the course of 40 days on our road to Vucon. What an unbelievable journey. It was truly a symbol of strength and unity in the body of Christ. Over those 40 days, not only were we running, but we were also partnering with churches in outreach across cities, all the way, like we said, from Jacksonville down to Miami, partnering with so many churches, giving, sowing seeds of generosity in ministries and other churches that we're partnering alongside of. It was truly unforgettable, but it wasn't just the Road to Vucon team that participated in this journey. Hundreds of people across the state of Florida, from VU, from other churches, outside of church, wanted to be a part and run. So many people joining on legs, but also joining in on service projects. It was an unbelievable experience that we know impacted Florida and beyond. But why don't you check out what God did on the road to Vucon? God, as we kick off this run, Lord, the Road to Vucon, I just pray that you bless every runner who participates, the hundreds who have already signed up. Lord, it's not just about starting something, it's about finishing. So Lord, our goal is to make it to Miami. Of course, we run to your glory, but God, may this also be a gesture to those that are on looking, Lord, that the church of Jesus Christ is united. Yeah, and then it ends at the Watsko Center. We're 100 miles in 40 days. Whoa, I, oh, running, running. Running.

400 miles. What? You want to be different? How bad? How bad? Dying to be different, man. Dying to be different. Lift his name together. Bunch of bodies in one room. We'll find one name. That's Jesus, baby. It's like, how much are we willing to pay? How much are we willing to give up in order to get life? In order to be satisfied in Jesus? The commitment that you continue to have to what God's called you to, and ultimately the people that you're going to meet along the way that are already prepared for you, is I think a testament to what this journey is really actually all about. And we can't thank you guys enough for your time, for your talent, for your treasure. Say thank you for providing for the community. So we're just really, really thankful. We're partnering with Samaritan's Feet. Maybe today we'd be compelled to show the love of Christ. The relationship with the Lord is that you are reminded that above your circumstance, above what you have and what you don't, you are his son, you are his daughter. So he's not just my God, he's your God. It's just a great place to see the hands and feet of Jesus. It's not about us, but it's about empowering the local church, partnering with the local church, coming in, uniting. For us, generosity is our privilege. And on behalf of Blue Church, we would love to bless you guys with the gift of $10,000. $10,000. $10,000 to Rock Harbor Church. We'd like to sow a seed of $10,000 into your church today. Wow. Wow. $10,000 into Oceanside. But what I'm receiving from this is just that we're not alone in this, you know, and that God sees us. That's how a relationship in ministry works, because I can't tell you how much food has been there for us. You know how Paul was talking about suffering? Yeah. And how what it creates in us, perseverance, character, hope. Yeah. And I feel like when you're suffering, if you can unlock that mindset and persevere in it and actually start to find joy in it, which is crazy, you're free. Nothing can touch you. People are going to come and experience God in a way that they don't even know. Yeah. And I think the beautiful part is we've experienced Him along these 40 days.

We now get to see why all of it mattered. Every step, every mile, every outreach, every church. And it has marked us. The only thing I feel like that qualified us for this journey is that we said yes. One foot after the other each day added up to 400 miles. What a journey we've been on together this year. You know, this entire year of 2025 reminds us together that we are a part of this legacy work. That phrase is not just a vision statement for us, but it's really the directive for our everyday living and believing together. Generation after generation, we're setting a foundation of faith for the next. And we stand here today, not on our own two feet, but we stand on the shoulders of faithful men and women who came before us. They sacrificed when nobody else was watching. They prepared the table for you and I. And that's where we end today. We're reflecting on this promise, legacy, the work that we all get to be a part of every single week as we serve together, as we give our annual bricklayers offering, as we choose to invest in the legacy, the story that God is telling. He's not looking for the most visible, the most successful, the smartest, the most impressive, the most talented. No friends, he's looking for the most available. Legacy doesn't live on platforms, lives in people. Legacy doesn't start with the famous or the known, it starts with the faithful. And for us at VOOC Church, it hinges on this revelation. Give God a day, he can change a life. But give God a decade, he can change a legacy. Psalmist says, let this be written for a future generation that a people not yet created may praise the Lord. What we're doing today, I believe will be written in history books. And not for our names to be left behind, but I believe that people are going to read about a people who loved God, who served their community, who worshipped. Together, this is what legacy work is all about. Every yes that we make today has an impact for tomorrow. Over this year, we've gathered around a few statements that for me are a framework of perspective

on our life and on our mission. You can take these, you can make them your own. One of them is, you might not be someone's miracle, but you might be their messenger. Manu, when you hear that, what application in everyday life in this community, what does it bring to mind? Yeah, it really even brings me to the scripture that says that Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God is the one who brings the increase. So we all have our role to play, and I think about, even through our small groups, people gather, thousands of people gather through small groups, and it takes the yes of a crew leader that makes the difference in somebody's life. Because a crew leader said yes, that they have an opportunity to now host a conversation, to say something that encourages someone, and because of what they said, now someone encounters God in a new way, or they get the miracle that they've been expecting because they talked about it during a prayer request. I think about how we can play our role to be a part of the miracle. When Jesus performed his first miracle, he had told those people, he said, hey, grab the jars, fill them up with water. At the time, they had no idea that they were getting ready to participate in a miracle.

They were doing something mundane. They were doing something simple. I'm just filling up some jars with water, but little did they know that they would be written about in history books of the first miracle of Jesus Christ. And so, even the little things that we do, we get to be the messenger. We get to be a part of the miracle. Yeah, may we never get familiar with the good news that we get to carry. People are desperate for it. They're searching, they're spending their whole life wishing that they could find a life, path, and journey worth living, and we are the messengers. We carry that good news. Here at VU, we also say that legacy is described as less about leaving something behind and more about sending something ahead. Oliver, what do you think of when you hear that statement, just the everyday application of this community of VU? That's purpose to me. I mean, we're always looking at life in its totality. There are things that come up in our lives that help us micro in on a moment, but ultimately we're like, what is my life made up of? And sometimes it takes us thinking about life's end, and at life's end, there's nothing that we're gonna take with us, material, bank accounts, all of those things.

None of that's coming into the other side of eternity, but we can sow something ahead of us. We're not gonna take something with us, but right now we can sow something that'll live beyond us. And that's what this bricklayer's offering is all about. I see the vision. I see the people in South Beach turning their heart to Jesus. I see these facilities housing service projects. You know, our I Love My City projects, we house so many service projects at our facilities now that we're location-based across the board. This is gonna be a beautiful miracle for our city, housing so many donations of our generous church to be practical storage. There's things that we can actually be the hands and feet of Jesus by applying them in our generosity and giving it to this city that I believe is hand-in-hand with this vision. And I think about what do I want my life's end to look like with what I gave? And I truly believe that's what the legacy work that we're talking about here is. That's what that means. Yeah, it's good soil to sow into. Absolutely. It's meeting the physical and spiritual needs of our community, both locally and nationally. And I'll go even further, globally.

I'm grateful for the vision and for the unity of this house. We say give God a day, he can change a life. Give God a decade, he can change a legacy. But Blake, I wanted to ask you, what do you think it looks like to stay faithful? Not just for a day, not for a week, not for a season when you're really desperate for God to come through, but what does it look like to stay faithful for a lifetime? Trusting God every step. Yeah, I really think it's summed up in what we say every week, just keep coming back. That there is consistency that builds legacy. Legacy isn't about what we do one time, it's about our habits. It's about what we build our life upon. And we see it across all of our locations. So many people that have been on this journey for a decade, but we also see the start of so many legacies beginning right now. And what I would encourage anyone with is if they had an encounter with God, don't fall back on that encounter, continue to come back, continue to be consistent. That's where God builds a legacy. And it's not just for you, but it's also for generations to come that have not been born, they may praise the Lord. And so as we continue to be consistent, we're building a legacy that will last longer than us. Even if our name isn't attached to it,

we understand that God is doing so much more than we can imagine. Beautiful. And as we gather, the vision is clear. We're united as we look towards eternity. And we believe that the best truly is yet to come. I'm grateful that we get to serve together. And I'm grateful even more that we're gonna spend eternity together. God is faithful, and he's building his church right here in Miami. He's doing more than we can see, and we can trust him. Amen. Amen. It's beautiful. Amen. Though they have not yet seen, they will see. Though they have not yet heard, they will hear. The Lord is faithful, good, holy, mighty. His eyes range throughout the Earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. So we rest in him, in his plan. In his story. I've been coming to VU since 2020 and I was going through like a really hard season of my life. I was going through my divorce and I was craving that peace. I started watching online

and I gave my life to Jesus in my bedroom. I came to the Lord in 2013. My prayer was for the rest of my family to fall in love with him the same way that I had. I was running a little bit from God. It wasn't until a friend invited me to church that I truly surrendered at VU. I was actually part of the team that came over from Fellowship Church when VU Church bought the property that's there at South Miami. Growth Track Step 4, looking to see where I wanted to serve. She had come up to me and introduced the production space to me. And so then we started serving together. We became friends. And then from there became more. I started seeing how family oriented VU was. I started going to crew. It was amazing. I felt so welcome since day one. I asked the lady next to me, I'm like, what is the team with the biggest need? And she was like loading. And I was like, what is that? And she said, well, you have to be here at 545 and you have to just set up the church. And I was like, okay. I mean, I was not a morning person,

but I said, if I really want to sacrifice for this, I'm going to do it. It's a blessing that my daughter gets to see other women of God, like on fire for Jesus. We, after I completed Growth Track, there was a great need for translator. And that's what I do for a living. I started serving there, just connecting with Spanish families. They would come and wait for me to come out of the translation booth to pray for them because they wanted to connect with the person that they had done the salvation prayer with. Translation, I think, was the way that we could actually all be at church together. We had conversations while we were dating, while we were engaged about becoming parents in the way of foster care. I grew up in a household that had adopted siblings. And so I've always been interested in the foster care process and found family in January. And I was like, okay, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. In January of this year, we started the licensing process. We want to make sure that for the time they are with us, whether that's 24 hours or 24 months, we want them to know that this is a safe space,

that this is a space that has been prayed over. They get to join our lives, which means that we're not changing who we are, who Matt and I are, are committed Christians. And we go to church and we're a part of a community. And so the children that we bring into our household also joins that community while they're with us. I mostly like serving dreamers, playing with them, serving, helping. Sometimes I have to stay extra services because she wants to serve. I'm excited. Every time there's a baptism, I feel really good. I feel like it's the least I can do for the things God has given me in life. Before we were definitely all going different ways, different schedules. Now it's just our Sundays are a plan together. And I can see how it transformed my family and I have hope for so many other people in this city. So I will never forget a day she came back and she said, you know what I did today in VU Kids? And I was like, oh, what did you do? And she said, I gave my life to Christ. And I was like, yes, thank you, Jesus. What a blessing it is that we get to build the kingdom of God. As you get to give your life to Christ and have your own walk with him, your kids would get to do that as well.

Every story begins with a moment, a seed planted, a step of faith in the dark, not small, sacred, not an accident, a decision, not built in years, but in generations. I don't know if biological children will ever be a part of our story, but we are so thankful to have a house that we can welcome children into, to know that we're making an impact. Now getting to partner in building something, not just Booth, but the Capital C Church, is so special because it is something that is going to outlast us and outlive us. I love that there's a place for everybody at Booth. We want to serve. We want to be a friend. We want to be in a community. God is there with you. Let this be written for a generation not yet created, that they may praise the Lord. This is our marching order. This is our call. This is legacy work. Wherever you are today as you join us, why don't you take a moment in your house, grab some bread, grab some juice, something to drink. We're going to share communion together. And communion isn't just a tradition. It's holy. It's miraculous. It's a response to the faithfulness of God.

It's how we personally say to our Savior, Jesus, It's how we personally say to our Savior, Jesus, I have not forgotten what you've done for me. We don't do this out of religion. We don't just do this out of tradition or repetition. No, it's all relationship. We remember the weight of the sacrifice that Jesus made 2,000 years ago on Calvary. This was not a moment of weakness. It was definitely not a moment of defeat. It was the clearest picture of love that the world has ever known. Jesus wasn't guilty. We were. Jesus wasn't broken. We were. But Jesus decided to trade places with us. He took our place so that we could take His. That's the gospel. Isaiah 53 says, He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on Him. And by His wounds, today, friends, today, we are healed. I think what you're saying is so beautiful. It depicts for us the importance of communion. But we take communion in community. The Bible teaches us that on the night before Jesus was betrayed, He sat with His disciples for what we know as the Last Supper. He broke bread.

He blessed it. And it was a picture for them to be reminded what is told in Isaiah of His body being broken. In Matthew 26, verse 26, it says that while they were eating, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks. He broke it. And He said to His disciples, take and eat. This is my body. His body was broken for us. It was beaten. It was torn so that we could be made whole. And so today, wherever you are, we take communion as an act of remembrance. He said, do this in remembrance of me. So let's just take a moment to remember. Remember what God has done over this past year. Remember what He has done 2,000 years ago. In this moment, we pause. We still ourselves. And we remember. So God, we thank You so much for Your body. We thank You that it was beaten and broken so that we could be made whole. And we stand in gratitude. And as we eat of this bread, we do this, Lord God, as a sign of remembering God. We will not forget what You have done for us. In Jesus' name, amen. Come on, why don't we eat together? Amen.

Then He took the cup. And when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, drink from it, all of you. This is the blood of the covenant poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. And I'm thankful for Jesus' bloodshed. See, it's His blood that was shed on the dust of the ground that redeemed who we are as men. It's how we were first formed. His blood covers all. It creates a new creation with Him. And I'm thankful for His blood. By His stripes that we are healed. I think of our lives like an altar. It's got Jesus' blood showing that we are covered and we're righteous because of Him. I'm thankful for Jesus' sacrifice. I'm thankful for the blood that He shed, that we are new creations because of it. We put our trust in Him and His sacrifice. And we know that's not the end. He died, but He rose again. We're thankful for the reminder of the blood. Let's pray. Lord, I thank You for Your sacrifice. I thank You for the blood that was shed, Lord, on the cross. I thank You, God, that You redeemed us because of Your promise. perfect sacrifice. Lord, that you called us to a better future,

empowered by the power of your Holy Spirit, only possible through belief in you. Lord, we thank you, and we call you Lord over our lives. And Lord, we thank you for your sacrifice. We recognize and remember it today. Lord, help us to keep it at the front of our minds in everything we do, to live a life full of grace and mercy you've already provided for us. We love you, in Jesus' name, amen. Let's drink together. ♪ Oh, oh, oh oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Waiting on your Spirit ♪ ♪ I need to hear your voice above it all ♪ ♪ I know that I can trust you ♪ ♪ You never left me any time before ♪ ♪ I'm hanging to the promise ♪ ♪ No matter where I go, you're always near ♪ ♪ I know you're always working ♪ ♪ I'm ready to encounter you right here ♪ ♪ Open my heart, all my heart to you ♪ ♪ Make me aware of what you can do ♪ ♪ I know you hold my future every minute, every hour ♪ ♪ But I need your presence now ♪ ♪ I never see it coming ♪ ♪ Somehow you are always right on time ♪ ♪ So even if I'm waiting ♪ ♪ I would change your will way over mine ♪ ♪ So open my heart, all my heart to you ♪ ♪ Make me aware of what you can do ♪

♪ I know you hold my future every minute, every hour ♪ ♪ But I need your presence now ♪ ♪ I need your presence now ♪ ♪ Anything is possible when you move, when you move ♪ ♪ Anything is possible when you move, when you move ♪ ♪ Anything is possible when you move, when you move ♪ ♪ I may not see it, but I believe it ♪ ♪ I keep on waiting, I keep on waiting here for you ♪ ♪ I may not feel it, but I receive it ♪ ♪ You're always working, You're always working for my good ♪ ♪ I may not see it, but I believe it ♪ ♪ So I keep on waiting, I keep on waiting here for you ♪ ♪ I may not feel it, but I receive it ♪ ♪ You're always working, You're always working ♪ ♪ Anything is possible when you move, when you move ♪ ♪ Anything, anything is possible when you move, when you move ♪ ♪ Darkness has to run and hide when you move, when you move ♪ ♪ When you move, when you move, when you move, when you move ♪ ♪ Coming back to life ♪ ♪ When you move, when you move ♪ ♪ Open my heart, oh my heart to you ♪ ♪ Make me aware of what you can do ♪ ♪ I know you hold my future every minute, every hour ♪ ♪ I need your presence now ♪ ♪ I need your presence now ♪ ♪ I need your presence now ♪ How do we leave a legacy? One really profound way we respond to this call is through our bricklayers offering. So many faithful hands have come together

to sow into the vision, and there's still time to be a part. To those who've already participated, thank you. We count it a privilege to be a part of what God is building. This is more than just vision. This really is legacy work. We're committed to continue investing, knowing that what we give today is blessing a generation not yet created. This is not just about buildings or expansion. This is about the gospel of Jesus moving forward, the mission continuing, that those far from God would come close to him. We're confident of this. God will build his church. Our opportunity, respond with faith. In the final days of 2025, let's pray boldly. Let's believe in faith. God is on the move.