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We're an excited group of people because some of us have an understanding where we should be. But by the grace of God, by the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ, we're standing here today. And so I just want to testify a little bit. Can I do that? On a Sunday morning at Social Dallas, the Texas Trust Theater last week, we were gathered at our huddle pre service and we had an individual, a sweet, sweet woman who raised her hand. She said, she said, can I testify a little bit? We said, absolutely. She said, this time last year, I actually got off meth and I've been free for one year now. Can we just celebrate? I also, I was going through photos and I looked and I saw an individual who struggled with alcoholism just about a year ago. And they've been free and sober every sense, and they're standing in the room today. The Lord is so faithful, the Lord is so good and his mercy endures forever. And so we are just excited to celebrate his name, to lift up his name, because I don't know if you know it or not, but all the earth will shout his name, praise his name. It's not a maybe, it's not a possibility. It's for sure that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He's alpha and he's omega, he's the lion and the lamb. He's the beginning and the end, he's king of kings and he reigns forever and ever and ever and ever. God, you are good, you are worthy, you are matchless. And we glorify your name because we know who we should be, we know who we are today by your grace, by your grace. So we absolutely have lost our minds because he's been that good. He's so, so good. Do you believe in the name of Jesus? Do you believe that he has all authority at that name? That every demon runs out of the room and anxiety trembles and it breaks? And that families are restored at that name, the relationships are restored at that name. It's a good name. It's the only name. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, be lifted up. Jesus, be lifted up. We're excited, God, for what you're going to continue to do. The atmosphere has already been set, not just with worship, but pre service prayer and individuals who have been believing for the miraculous. It's another Sunday, but you ordained this day. You know every single person in the room, you know their situation, you know their history, you know what they walked in caring, you know what they're having a hard time with, laying down, you know, the insecurities, you know, the hesitation. They didn't even want to come to church today, but they're here. So I don't even, in my own effort, try to do what only savior you can do. I actually release control. We release every detail. And we trust, Father, that you meet the heart of every individual, including myself, and that we will leave this day, this theater, transformed by the power of your spirit. In Jesus name. We love that name. In Jesus name. We don't even have to yell it. We could just say, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, have your way today. Amen. And amen. Thank you, Father. Thank you, worship team. Best worship team in the world. We have it at Social Dallas. For those of you that are like, wait, you are not a black man. Where is Pastor Robert? I don't know if y'all. Y'all knew that or not, but I'm Pastor Robert's wife. My name is Taylor. And the beauty of our pastor is that he's a global voice. And so we get to send him out to communicate. Well. We get. Every single Sunday, we get to send him out to share the gospel. And so today I get the honor and the privilege to bring God's word. And wow. Thanks. Going to have us a good. A good, good old time. And if you are contemplating on walking out because Pastor Robert is not here, I have ushers stationed around the room to trip you on your way out. Okay. You think I'm playing? I'm just kidding. No, it's going to be good because God is here, and ultimately he's the reason that we gather. And so it's an honor and privilege always to share my heart. I do, in an odd way, feel like I'm the mama. I have, like, people that are 50 year old, and I'm like, I'm your mother. Come here. It's weird, but I feel so called to just love and nurture this house. It is our greatest honor and privilege to love on this house and just to be able to share heart. And so before we sit down, y'all know how we get down at Social Dallas. Let's share with the guests. We have a word for the year. I see you, Drew. Mm. Yes, we have a word that our pastor comes the beginning of the year. We come around this as a house, and our word is unshakable. Does anyone feel shaken this year? I said I'm. I'm unshakable, but I'm also a little shaky. So we're. We're trying to work that out with the Lord, but We are unshakable. We come around this verse. It's Hebrews 12. Are y'all ready to say it out loud and make the enemy run out the door because he. He's intimidated by a church that has the scripture in their souls? Do you see what we've. Wow. Wow. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord if it is your first time. We're so honored that you're here. Truly, truly so grateful. You could be at any church in dfw. We know there's a lot. And so you've joined us, and we're just grateful. We hope you have the best experience. I'm excited to jump into God's word. Actually. My word for my personal life has been unhurried. And so who was at Social Girls one day? SG One day. Wow. All the ladies, we love it. And so pr. We don't stream that. And PR Was like, I want you to share what you shared at Social Girls. I want you to share it today for the men as well and the women that weren't able to attend. And so I have a word. I've actually been able to travel the last four weeks, and I've been sharing this word, and it's just. It just resonates in my soul. So this is a place that I was speaking. It's a personal thing that the Holy Spirit has been speaking to. To me. And so I'm excited to share it. If you're ready for God's word, go ahead and turn with me to Mark, chapter 6, verses 30 through 44. It says, Are y'all ready? I believe it's on the screen as well. Let's go. The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour, told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest a while. He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat. Oh, my God. I don't even know how that works, because let me tell you something. One thing about me, I'm going to eat. I'm going to have chomps in my bag and Doritos and goldfish. And so this just jumped out to me because they were so busy that they did not have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place where they could be alone. But many people recognized them and saw them leaving. And people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the Boat. And he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Late in the afternoon, his disciples came to him and said, this is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat. But Jesus said, you feed them with what they asked. We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all of these people. Well, how much bread do you have? He asked. Go and find out. They came back and reported, we have five loaves of bread and two fish. Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of 50 or 100. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, and he looked up toward heaven and blessed them. Then breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread. He kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted. And afterward, the disciples picked up 12 baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed. God, thank you for your word. It is alive. It is powerful. It transforms the heart and the mind and the individual. And so speak holy spirit on my behalf. Let me speak on your behalf, God. And hit the heart. That's the power of the Holy Spirit, is that you can hit every single situation in one moment. So breathe on this word today. Soften the hearts, the soul of our hearts, our souls to receive what you have in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Thank you, worship team. You're the best, y'all. Barrett single. Can you give it up for Brett? No, he's not single. Oh, my gosh. I didn't just say that. He's not single anymore. Boom. Sorry. I know you got excited, but never mind. Okay. Wow. I just said that. We'll talk about that in staff meeting. Forgive me. Okay, so I have a lot of fun up here. So everyone loosen up. Everyone buckle up also and get ready. All right, so I recently discovered my fifth grade journal. Okay. There's a lot of fun facts about me. I would say probably one of the most incredible things about me is actually discovering my fifth grade journal. My kids brought it out, and whenever I started reading, I was like, wow. It's very intriguing because I remember my 5th grade teacher always wanting me to write more. She always encouraged me to write more and more. And then what's funny is, as I was reading. I was like reading about my family and all the drama and all the things. We love Jesus. We were in ministry, but we also. It was almost as if you were watching the Jerry Springer Show. Y'all remember that? What someone said? Wow. You remember? Yeah, it's throwback, right? Uh huh. Like I said, we love Jesus. PK Pastor's kid. But, you know, there were a few times we had a little. Little fight here and there. Some cops would show up at the. At the house a time or two. And so, you know, it was a lot. But I. I'm open and I'm very transparent. I'm a seven on the Enneagram, so I really have no secret. So I would write it out in my journal. Very entertaining. So she was always like, bring me your journal. Come here, Taylor. I'd love to see your journal. You should write more. You should keep writing. And so in the front of the journal actually says, I want to be blank and blank when I grow up. And so I'm super excited to announce that one was I want to be a singer. So I've sang a time or two, so I can say mission accomplished. I've sang, I've led worship. So that's great. Right? Well, the second one, it's my greatest honor and privilege to announce that. That recently came to pass as well. It says, I want to be an educator. I want to be a teacher. So as of three, four months ago, I became an educator. Y'all. Are y'all impressed by that? Yeah. You should be. Right? So I'm an educator. I didn't go to school for it. I don't have my degree in it. But as far as three to four months ago, we decided to homeschool our children. Yeah. Where are the homeschool parents at? Anybody in the room or. I'm the only crazy one. Yeah, I see. I see one. I see you, girl, actually going to pray and intercede for you, because this is no joke. So it's been amazing. It's been amazing. I would say it's very fulfilling, but it also. I have a little twitch here and there, so I need a little bit of prayer. Where are my intercessors at? You gonna be praying for your pastors? Yeah, it's been quite the adventure, so. And it's different because I believe that my kids, the Madu kids, are different. Like, I know that you homeschool and shout out to you, girl, but let me tell you, Madu kids, they're just different. They got a little bit of Nigeria in their Blood. And they also have a little bit of Arkansas. So the Arkansas and the Nigeria combo, it's quite the journey. And so we're here, and so it's beautiful, and it's brutal. But we're out here, and they're really, you know, pushing my buttons and really working. I'm giving everything that I have to give my kids the best education that they've ever had. But the hardest part of it all is not necessarily the fact that I'm homeschooling. It's actually the reality that my life is already so full. Okay? So how in the world could I possibly fit one more thing into my schedule? You know, I'm a wife and I'm a mom, and I'm pastoring and. And all the things. And now all of a sudden, I'm an educator. I'm a homeschool teacher. And people think I am crazy. And honestly, to that, I. I feel crazy, but I also feel fulfilled. And the reality is that as I've been thinking about the decision that I made, I feel like I'm not necessarily adding busy into my life. I'm actually adding a boundary around a priority in my life. And the reason I'm doing this is because we've been pastoring for three years, and I've learned very quickly on, we love people, we do this for people, but people are demanding, demanding, really demanding. And I said, I'm not going to go down. I'm not going to lose my marriage over ministry. I'm not going to lose my kids over ministry. I'm not going to lose myself over ministry. And so I put a boundary in place to make sure that I'm getting this time that's necessary for me to raise my babies. One of my favorite quotes is that if you want to change the world, go home and love your family. So we can be up here, we can be building the church. And that's amazing. And you look around and you see thousands. But if PR and I, our soul is not okay and our family life is a mess, then y'all should be concerned. And so our priority is working on our marriage. Our priority is working on our souls. Our priority is our children and our family. And from that, you will see the beautiful fruit of what God is doing internally. Right? And so there is a difference between a busy life and a full life. There's a saying that if the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy. And so I think that's what is a little bit of a dangerous thing, is that often we see sin or we see concern whenever you're at the club. So we know, hey, okay, you're making a mistake, you're living a sinful lifestyle and you're at the club, you cheated on your spouse. So we define that and put that in a category of sin. However, the crazy part is that if the enemy can't get you to do that, he'll get you so busy that you actually miss opportunities. You miss people in front of you, you miss moments around the table. You miss seeing the individual. We pray for God's purpose and his plan to come into our lives that we would walk in that calling, right? And yet we're so busy that we miss the opportunity that we've actually prayed for. So a full life is not a busy life. A full life is an intentional life. And today our Savior Jesus Christ, he had a full life. So full that he didn't even have time to eat. For real, think about how, how full that was that you don't have time to eat. I don't know anything in my life that can make me so busy that I don't have time to eat. In Jesus name I want to pause there because it says they were on a ministry tour. A ministry tour. And he took time to hear all about this ministry tour, even though it was about him. He already knew what happened and what they did. And yet he took time, sweet Savior, sweet Jesus, to sit and have a conversation with them. So here we have Jesus and we see that he's never in a hurry. We often see Jesus gathered around the table having one on one conversations with people. Why? Because people matter. It matters to slow and to see. We see him in John 4, going to sit on a well and wait to have a conversation with one woman. Because she was lost and she was isolated and she was broken and she was too far gone. And yet he saw necessary in his full life to go out of his way to a place he shouldn't have gone. And he goes and he sits to have a conversation. Why? Because he saw this woman. He's a savior who sees. And it was this one encounter with this woman that would not just transform her, but she would now go back into the city. Our first evangelist in the Bible and she would go back and she would begin to testify the power of what Jesus had done and this encounter that she had. And now all of a sudden a host city is saved because of this woman's testimony. Never under underestimate the power of your testimony and what the Lord wants to do in you. And through you. So this is who our Savior has always been. Slowly. Moving slowly. And seeing. Slow and see. Slow and see. That is actually my title today. Slow and see. We never see Jesus running anywhere. The only time we see him connected to running is when he's telling the story of the prodigal son who decided to come home. That's the only time we see him running. Talking about running. Luke 15:20. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son. I don't know what lie you've believed to think that you're too far gone. I wish you knew the stories that were in this room. That's my favorite part. You know what keeps PR and I going is whenever we can hear the stories of the individuals that are coming into this room, it would shock you. It would shock you. You wouldn't believe it. And yet we gather to lift up his name. We gather to be a place of restoration. And yet those that come and their stories. But you know who isn't shocked by it? King Jesus. Sweet Savior. Intentionally aligning, intentionally calling every individual in the room so that he can see them. The Father has always been consistent. And in our text today, verse 34, Jesus saw the huge crowd and what did he do? He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. This story, I know you've heard it. I've heard it. This story is more than a build our faith story. It's actually a front row seat of our intentional, unhurried, slow and steady Savior Christ, personifying patience and presence. Jesus Christ, the one with the greatest demand, with unlimited power, and yet the most unhurried Savior of the world. He came to seek and to save the lost. He shed his blood on a cross so that you could walk in freedom. So that I could walk in freedom. So that no matter what you did or I did yesterday and the day before that, you could be washed white as snow. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Wonderful, counselor. He's patient and he's kind and he cares about your life and he's concerned about the things that concern you. He's not this God of the universe that you can't see and you can't have relationship with. He could have done that. And yet he sent himself, his son, to die on a cross. The cross. Wonderful counselor. He cares about you. He cares about your history. He cares about what you've walked through. He cares. Wonderful Counselor Emmanuel. God who is with us. You're not alone. I know you feel alone. Somebody in this room feels so alone. And you feel so isolated and so forgotten. And yet Emmanuel sees you. And you're in the room today for a reason. He's so many things. He's everything that you need him to be. He's everything that I need him to be. Lion and the lamb. He's great. He's mighty. He's fearless and he's strong, and yet he's gentle and he's kind and he's loving. He's not mad at you. He's not mad at you. He's not angry at you. He's gentle and he loves you. He's the great I am. He has a lot of names. I love the names of God. I love unpacking the names of God. And today in this text, we see Elroy. We experience Elroy. Elroy is the God who sees the God who sees you. Feel like no one sees you. Well, Elroy sees you. And it's not just the God who sees as I was setting the name, it's the God who sees me, the God who sees you. And Jesus, he teaches us how an unhurried life allows you to see and not just look. What are you talking about? I can look out and see a crowd. I can look out and. But when I slow, I can see the person. You know what my prayer is each day that I get up? This is a. Is a newer thing for me, is that often we get up and it's like, we just get up. It's another day. But I'm like, holy Spirit, you've given me breath in my lungs, you've given me purpose in my body to be able to be used by you in the earth. Who can I see today? Send them my way and allow me to be a vessel to work on your behalf. Let me be a person that doesn't just look, but we, we see. I recently, we have three children and one of them, they were acting out attitude. They were talking back. I said, help me, Jesus, and I knock them out because I will in half a second in Jesus name. So thank you, Lord. And so I could have sent them away to their room, but something in me said, go and talk to them. And so I began to talk and unpack why they had this little attitude. And as I, as I began to unpack it, it started to make a little bit more sense to me. And the Holy Spirit reminded me, you could have dismissed it. You could have seen Their behavior and dismissed them and condemned. Condemned them. But you took time to see them and to hear them. And as I began to unpack this story, it made a little bit more sense. And I feel like the Holy Spirit has come to tell you and to tell me as a church, when I tell you, as I mentioned earlier, the stories that are coming in this room, the people that we are called to rescue from the pit of hell, instead of looking at their outward behavior, how about we see them, that we get down eye to eye and hear their stories and hear their background and hear what they've walked through, and then we'll view them a little bit differently. As believers, as Christians, we are called to love people and to see people, not just to look. But we won't pass by and just look, but we will see, and we will listen and we will hear, and they will always have a seat at this table. Because reality is we all want to be seen. Humanity just wants to be seen. I'll admit it. I mean, to think about that person that you look up to or the person that you admire, whenever they see you, you know, like, you're walking by, you think you'll never be able to talk to them, and all of a sudden they're like, hi, how are you? And they see you, you feel you come alive. Right? I recently had that happen to me. So, as I mentioned, it's, you know, it's October, so I'm. I'm. I'm a seven on the Enneagram. I'm very loud and outgoing. Life of the party, right? And our pastor is. He's more of a investigator, and he's more introverted. And so I had this brilliant idea last year or the year before. I was like, for Halloween, I want to dress up as my hero. For those of you that don't celebrate Halloween, we're not celebrating Halloween. I said, no day belongs to the devil. None of my days belong to the devil. Every day of my life belongs to Jesus. And so we had some fun, and I said, let me dress up as my hero. So I decided PR was like, please don't do that. Please don't do it. Please don't do it. I decided to dress up as Joyce Meyer for Halloween. So she's my hero. Y'all got it on the screen? Yes. Period. Honestly. Period. For real? That's iconic. I don't care what you say. That's amazing. I'm just truly enjoying everyday life, you know? And so I dressed up as Joyce Meyer. She's my hero. And she's Amazing. And if you're watching Joyce, we love you at Social Dallas. Just, you know. And so I dressed up as Joyce, and he was nervous, and I thought it was the funniest thing. I was like, this is amazing. This is iconic. This is brilliant. Love it. I'm probably gonna dress as Joyce Meyer every year for Halloween. And so all of a sudden, I was in the kitchen, and my phone, I get a little notification. It says, joyce Meyer started following you on Instagram. Wow. Crickets. I thought it was amazing. I literally. My heart skipped a beat. I was like, wow, Joyce sees me. And then she invited me on her podcast. I was like, wow, I'm really living my best life. But she wasn't there. So that was cool. Except she wasn't there. So I was like, oh, wow, that's. That's fine. Yeah. So maybe again. Maybe next time. But it was so funny because how ridiculous is that? I got so excited that Joyce started following me on Instagram. Can I admit that? Are y'all like, wow, I'm leaving the church? Cause this is weird. It is weird. Yeah. Joyce started following me. She saw me that day, and I'm like, how shallow is that? And how often do we. We often settle for a shallow sea, when in reality, Jesus Christ, Elroy, he settles sees us. And is that not enough? That is enough. He sees you in the midst of your betrayal. He sees you when you receive the diagnosis. He sees you in the midst of your miscarriage. He saw you as a child trying to navigate the abandonment. He saw you when you lost your job. He saw you then, and he sees you now. Consistent Savior. He saw them that day, and he wasn't annoyed and he wasn't frustrated. His heart was full of compassion. And meanwhile, the disciples, not so much. They didn't care. They were like, we're over it. We've been on this ministry tour. We haven't eaten. We're tired. We actually went away to get away, and we want to go home. We want to sleep. And yet they don't agree with what Jesus is saying. Christ sees opportunity, and disciples see a problem. Often in life where we see a problem, Christ sees opportunity. And that sounds real cute until you're in the moment, right? That's like, real, real good until you're actually living it out. The solution for the disciples, it was super simple. Send the crowds away. The circumstances aren't ideal. I don't want them. So solution here. Send it away. The easiest solution would be to send the problem away. And that's what most of us do if it's hard, we send it away. We don't want it. Sending it away sounds great, but we don't have control over our circumstances. We only have control over how we act in our circumstances. So what if today, what if it fill in the blank for what year it is? What if it isn't going anywhere? We can fill our schedules up. We can stay so busy that we don't have to think about it. We can try to ignore the trauma that we've walked through, go from relationship to relationship, go to sex and more sex, go to porn, go to alcohol, go to Target, spend money, go to Amazon. But it will always resurface itself until we face it. What I'm learning in my life at 37 years old is that God will make you face it until you're free from it. Recently I struggle with people pleasing. I love people and I want everyone to like me. Well, welcome to pastoring. No one likes you when you're a pastor. Like, it's fine. Year three, I'm good. It's so funny because I would always pastor and just hope to meet everyone's expectations. Imagine, look around the room meeting every single one of your expectations of what you have for Prni. Are you kidding? You're never enough. You're never enough. Is this a therapy moment? Y'all are like, what's happening? I'm like, yeah, I have the microphone, so you know, it's just great. No, but it's never, it's truly, it's never enough. But it's so sweet of Jesus to give us the grace to actually lead because it's not enough. And I'll never be enough. And PR will never be enough. And social Dallas will never be enough to fix whatever it is in you that you need because only he is enough. And so it's so sweet because it used to take me out. There's been seasons where I was like, I can't get out of bed, I'm so sad. So and so left and so and so. And I just want to be what they need me to be. And. And it's recently there was an incident where someone else got offended. And you know what, I came in, I had a little two step, I was like, hey babe, how are you? And just had a hard conversation. And guess what? I was okay because the Lord reminded me, I'm going to keep allowing you to face this until you're free from it. And so although it was hard and it was hard again. And it was hard again. Three years in this thing, I'M actually being set free because I've been facing it over and over again. So I came today to let someone know. I know you're tired of facing it, but the Lord has a strategy and a plan to free you from that very thing that you want to go away, that you want to send away. God is saying, come on, I'm going to let you face it until you're free from it. And it hits different when you're free from it. It reminds me I'm a little unshakable in that area now. You know what I mean? So what in your life are you trying to send away that God is allowing you to face and asking you to endure for the joy set before Him? He endured, right? He do it. He pressed through. What in your life are you trying to send away that he's actually inviting you to endure so that he can do the miraculous through you? God is a God of process. And that's the part that we hate in our humanity and in our flesh. God being the God of process, can you just fix it immediately? Can you just shift it, you know, change it and meet? Yeah, he, he can, but because he's more concerned with the condition of our souls and our heart, that he's willing to allow us to hold our hand and carry us through the process so that he could continue to refine us and perfect us and heal us and restore us. It's in the process. And this is another thing is that the process is not just for us, it's also for those around us, because our lives are all connected. So you're in the process and you want to get rid and get out of the process. But the process is not just for you. It's not about us. Isn't that crazy? It's like it is about us because we're on this mission to rescue. It's a rescue mission, but also it's not about us. Think about it. If God would have done what the disciples had said to do out of their own desire, he would have met the needs of 12 and missed the opportunity to meet the needs of 5,000. Plus they, they, they said that it was 5,000 men, but plus women and children. They, they expected probably around 10,000 people. And so he could have answered and done with, the disciples said, but that would have met the needs of 12 instead of 10,000. Experienced this savior, the miraculous power of Jesus Christ. And we are often earthly focused while Christ is only eternity focused. So you're not just in the hospital room for you, you're not Just in the hospital room for you. There are nurses and there are doctors and there are individuals that are walking those hallways that are actually hearing you pray and intercede for that loved one. They're coming in and they're seeing your joy despite. They're seeing your strength despite. And all of a sudden, they're being ministered to. You're not in the hospital room just for you. You're in there for them. And I don't under. I don't want to dismiss your pain or your sorrow or the grief. I'm trying to help you see, get a different perspective, shift your perspective. Because the enemy wants to distract you and make you feel like you're forgotten and alone. But God is using you in such a mighty way. You're not just without a car, because God doesn't want you to have a car. You're in that car. You're in that Uber because God wants what's in you to get to that Uber driver. Do you ever just get in the Uber, Uber car? And how many. Actually, there's so many stories of that. People getting Ubers here and they minister and end up inviting them to social Dallas, and they come. Is that your story? How many of those are that? It's crazy. They literally get in the Uber and they begin to talk to them about Jesus, and they end up coming in the service. It's not about you. It's so much more than the car. It's so much more than the hospital room. It's so much more. It's Jesus and what he's wanting to do in you and through you. There's a bigger picture. We're not just going from venue to venue. You know what God is assigning and aligning. If he wants us to have a building, he'll give us a building. It is super simple. He's our provider. If he wants us to. If he wants us to have a building, he will give us a building. But until then, we will be a grateful people. We will be excited as we set up and as we tear down, as we set every. Every. Every line and we run every cord and we put every single chance. Tear out every single seat, because guess what? We'll come into these venues and I'll look over and I'll. I've seen it with my own eyes. Security guards standing there, they're there to work. And now all of a sudden, I believe he's doing it right now. Tears are coming down their faces. You know why God has called us to be a mobile church? Because he can Trust us with the mission so God, give us the strength to endure until you give us a building. We will have eyes that see. See the greater mission. I have a picture I want to ask you. What are you seeing? What do you see? You don't know what you see? Are you confused? Who sees a duck? Who sees a duck? Who sees a rabbit? Wow. It's really cool, right? Really clean. Same picture. Same picture. And you're seeing two different things. There's going to be the same situation and it's up to you to find the beauty. You can see negativity. You can complain, you can be over it, or you can find the beauty. I know for social Dallas and myself, I want to be the person that always finds the beauty and what the Lord is doing. Proverbs says, ears to hear and eyes to see are gifts from the Lord. So instead of sending away, now Jesus comes with a solution. He says, okay, you know, you want to send them away, but I have a solution. You feed them. Jesus puts a demand on the disciples that is actually humanly impossible to achieve. And that part, the whole thing where people won't put. Jesus won't put more on you than you can handle. That's actually not true. It's not. Sorry. He will. He actually will. And we see it right here. Why would he suggest this at the snap of a finger? One word spoken. Bread of life could make Olive Garden breadsticks appear in front of every single person with the Alfredo sauce. Okay. Or raising cane's Bob bread. Bob butter on both sides. You know what I'm talking about. If you haven't gotten it, go get it. Uh huh. I love food. I don't know how else to say it. I really love food. And so he could have made the bread appear. He could have. But instead, unhurried, Jesus is about to reveal who he is. He's not only healer, he's not only redeemer, but he's also the provider. And some of you are at that place right now in your life where you need God to snap his finger and make bread appear. But one thing I know is that our urgency never rushes God's plan and purpose. And I believe that one day you will look back and be grateful that your urgency never rushed God's plan and purpose for your life. I know. That's my testimony. I once was lost and broken and I made a lot of mistakes. And I was a teen, pregnant out of wedlock. And I remember laying in the hospital room. Some of you know my testimony. Some of you have no Idea. I would. I would lay in the hospital bed holding my lifeless baby. And I. I was a pk. I knew that I'd heard of Jesus my whole life, and I had been in every worship set, and I had been in Sunday school, and I had been in every. Every, you know, Sunday service, and. And yet it was something about laying in that hospital bed holding my lifeless baby that I began to. To die, dive deeper and say, holy Spirit, I really, really, really want to know you. I've heard about you, but I want to experience you. And God said, I am a God that makes all things new. And it was in that moment of my lack and in my suffering and in my uncertainty, when I was wrapped and covered in shame and guilt and condemnation and all the things, that all of a sudden, Redeemer stepped into my life. And it's not what someone else says. It's what I know. Because he met me and he redeemed my life, and he restored my life. And it was. It was in that moment. Verse 39. Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass worship team. Join me. Groups in green grass groups. Everyone say groups and green grass. 10,000 people in groups. Can you imagine? So he's about to feed them. They're hungry. And before that, he's like, let's first create structure and order, because we serve a God who loves structure and systems and order. And he said, let's put the people in 50 or 100. So that is frustrating because I want to eat. I told you already, I want to eat. But he's like, before we do that, let's get him in groups on the green grass. And this is the part that I love about Jesus. Intentional Savior. Everything that he asks us to do, there's a reason behind it. So I imagine the disciples extremely frustrated that Jesus would do that and ask them to put the system in place, because that's going to take hours. 10,000 people in groups of 50 to 100, that's frustrating. But Jesus, he's intentional. So as they're grouping, I can see that they're seeing. So they go from frustrated and annoyed to now all of a sudden seeing the individual, looking into their eyes, hearing their stories, talking to them. Now all of a sudden, their frustration turns into compassion because Jesus is intentional and he's a God who has called us to see. So the next time you're frustrated because you have a flat tire, your car breaks down. That's super frustrating. For real. God, what are you wanting me to see? Next time you show up to the venue that we were at last week and we're not there anymore and you're frustrated, God, what are you wanting me to see? Next time you go to Starbucks and you forget your credit card at home and you don't have Apple pay and you need a miracle? What? What do you want me to see? What do you want me to see? And so while they're grouping, they're also seeing AW Tozer says, while it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes, there's a God who has not surrendered his authority. So we have the groups, but now we have the green grass. And this is intriguing to me because grass is green. Why do you call it green? Because we know grass is green. But Mark, this miracle is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. The only miracle that's recorded in all four. Mark is the only one that mentions that the crowds were like sheep without a shepherd and that the grass was green. Mark is. Is pointing the readers to a psalm that they would have all been familiar with. The good shepherd has now come to the rescue. Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. Another version says, the Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. So now, all of a sudden, this psalm is now coming to life here, grouping, having them sit. Because in the presence of the Good shepherd, we lack nothing. In the presence of the good shepherd, we have all that we need. The promised Messiah would fulfill Psalm 23 and would make the house of Israel lie down in green pastures and would invite them to dine at his table. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that someone today is finding you and discovering you as the good shepherd. So Jesus, he. Then he. He took the bread and he gave thanks. He gave thanks. He gave thanks for what was not enough. Two fish, five loaves. And it's not just any bread. It's actually barley bread. And barley bread was known as animal feed. Animal feed. The lowest of the lowest of the lowest ate this bread. So pretty much it's crap. And he's lifting up crap and saying thank you. And sometimes our. Our situations, it's. It's crap and it's not enough. And that nothing is going to be enough. And so I believe that Jesus teaches us what to do in the midst of our not enough. As we give thanks. And we see that in the hands of Jesus, our not enough becomes enough. And that would be my prayer for social Dallas is that he would take our not enough and turn it into enough. You don't have enough to fix your marriage. You don't have enough to have the baby. You don't have enough to get the job. You don't have enough to find the spouse. But what you do have is a thank you. What you do have is gratitude. Gratitude is one of the greatest weapons. Joyce Meyer says, if you want to make devil mad, just get happy. Gratitude turns what we have into enough. Can you stand to your feet? If I could summarize this whole text and my prayer for every single one of us, including myself, would be number one, give us eyes to see. May social Dallas and every individual in the room be someone that sees that we don't miss what you're doing, Holy Spirit, because we're frustrated or we're tired or we're weary or we're hungry. But God, let us see what you see. There's a scripture. Do you see what we've got? I don't know if y'all know it. An unshakable kingdom. And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He is acting actively, cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn. And he won't quit until it's all cleansed. Do you see? Do you see? Do you see? Do you see? We will be a people who see. We see. And if we don't see, God, help us to see. Help us to see. Give us eyes to see. Number two, give us strength to endure. God, we need your strength to endure. You may not take it away. We may not be able to send it away, but God, give us strength for the journey. Give us grace for the journey to continue to press through no matter what comes our way, no matter what uncertainties we're facing, no matter what chains are holding us back. God, you are a God that gives strength to the weary. Don't grow weary in well doing. Strength to endure. And lastly, number three, give us grace to be grateful. Anyways, you. You think that he just hasn't answered your prayer? It's not that he can't do it. It's something that he's doing beyond what you can fathom, beyond what you can think or imagine or grasp because we're earthly focused. But he's eternity focus and he's doing something. So I want to encourage you to be a grateful people despite. And so I'm going to invite the the prayer team to come forward. And I don't know what you're walking through. We each have a story. But you're in the room today for a reason. And all of us could be up here. We could be tap dancing. We could be the most, you know, entertaining group of people. Guess what? I. I can't do it in my own strength. What matters is the soil of your heart as the seed goes forth. The presence of God, the word of God, the condition of your soul is what matters and how you receive it. I pray for softened hearts right now to be able to receive what the Lord wants to do. He can use a burning bush, he can use a donkey, he can use social Dallas, he can use anything. But it's about what we see, the condition of our souls. And so I know that hardships come. I know that unfortunate circumstances happen. But I also know that Jesus Christ is alive and well and that he rescued me from darkness and he gave me strength to overcome that everything that came my way. And that I'm still standing as a living testimony. And if he did it for me, he can do it for you. You can do all of this and all of this is great. But if you don't know him as Savior and you haven't received him as Savior, then we're missing it all. What is the healing if you don't know Him? What is meeting that need if you haven't received him as Savior, all the earth will shout his name. And I believe that this is a divine, divine appointment, defining moment for some of you in the room. So I want to pray right now, Close our eyes, every head bow. And if you want to receive Jesus as Lord and you want to know Him, I want you to say this prayer after me. Father, I receive you as Savior, my life, forgive me of my sins and my shortcomings. I don't know necessarily what is next, but what I do know is that I don't want to take the next step without you. So, Savior of my life, sit on the throne of my life and have your way now and forever. In Jesus name, Amen. Come on, let's give it up. Let's give it up. It's a big deal.