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Is God in the Ordinary? · Fostering Faith

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Welcome back to Fostering Faith and I am gonna
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be your host Tracie Foster for this episode of
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Fostering Faith. And I hope that this week is
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just been really good for you guys and we are
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in back to school volleyball and we are just
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coming off a youth conference and let me tell
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you that God is moving in our youth all across
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America, all across the United States. Africa,
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Asia, China, I mean he is on the move and you
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can just see that with our kids in our Refresh
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Conference this last past weekend, we had over
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200 kids there worshipping God, leaning in and
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just being open and vulnerable and it was such
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an amazing experience and I love that our church
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has heart for youth and we have to build up our
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younger generation and as older saints and we
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have to have you know the culture right, we need
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to know the culture and meet them where they're
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at. And so welcome back to Fostering Faith. I
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am so glad that you're here today because we're
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gonna be talking about something that hits every
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single one of us. Whether you're a teenager in
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a youth group, a mom trying to make it through
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a busy week, a leader pouring out into your kids
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or someone scrolling through life, feeling unnoticed.
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This one's for you. And so let's get real. We
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live in a culture obsessed with famous people
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and verified check marks and blue check marks,
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platforms, followers, likes, conference speakers,
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athletes with the highlight reels, worship leaders
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with a voice that makes you want to cry. And
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we are lucky and fortunate to have someone like
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that on our worship team. AJ, shout out to AJ.
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And influencers with a million followers. But
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listen, I'm not saying that it's bad. I'm not
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here to bash anybody, and God has blessed people
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with influence, and many of them are using their
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platform for good, for kingdom good, and praise
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God for that. But here's the tension. When we're
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so focused on the famous, we overlook the faithful.
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And so we're caught up in the big names, and
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we're caught up in, you know, we're missing the
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faces, you know, that are right in front of us.
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And so because here's the truth that I want to
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lay down today. God is with you in your best
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day and in your worst day. He doesn't only show
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up in the spotlight moments. He shows up in everyday
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moments. He doesn't only speak through famous
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people. He speaks through faithful voices. And
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a lot of times those voices are sitting right
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next to you. They don't have a blue check mark.
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They don't have the followers. They've not had
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videos that have hit a million views. They may
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not even be on social media and or own a smartphone.
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But he's put these people in front of you. And
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so, let's talk about God in the ordinary. The
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people that are right in front of you. And so,
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let's start with this past weekend. We had a
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kids conference in Lemotelia. The energy was
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amazing. Worship was loud. Kids were dancing.
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And the minute the word got out that Evan and
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Anna were gonna come because our kids had went
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to access conference hashtag access conference
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Down at the life church in Tennessee. They lost
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their mind They were so excited that these guys
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were coming back because the energy that they
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had down in the access conference was lit They
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were so excited and we were so so privileged
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that they came Up to speak at our youth conference.
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We were so excited and so you should have seen
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it The phones were out the selfies were taken
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the hashtags were happening kids were quoting,
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you know every single word that was coming out
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of their mouth because it hit home with them
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God moved in such a big way and We loved every
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minute of it. I love seeing kids so excited to
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hear God's Word. I love seeing them honor the
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men and women that came to serve at this conference
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who have been faithful and preach the gospel.
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It was so, so good. But as I watched this, I
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had this thought that really tugged at me. What
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if we carried that same excitement for the people
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that God has already placed in our lives every
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single week? What if we learned and leaned in
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and liked what our small group leader spoke.
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What if we got so excited at our youth pastor
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or our senior pastors text us just to check on
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us? What if we didn't roll our eyes when our
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parents gave us encouragement, but instead we
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treated it like it was a gift? Because here's
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the thing, if someone quote -unquote famous texts
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you, you probably respond immediately, right?
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you'd be like, oh my gosh, they noticed me. They
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said my name. They replayed my story. They reposted
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me. And you'd take a screenshot and you'd post
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it and you'd frame it. But what if we treated
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every encouraging message from a leader, a mentor,
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a friend with that same kind of energy and not
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out of guilt. Not because we quote -unquote should,
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but because those are the voices that God is
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using to speak into your life right now. And
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so let me say this, God doesn't just speak through
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famous people or Instagram, you know, TikTok,
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whatever. He speaks for the faithful. And more
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often than not, the faithful voices are the people
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standing right in front of you. And so let's
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stand on some scripture. So let's let's ground
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this in some scripture Because you know me I
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I don't want to give you good thoughts I want
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to give you God's truth and so we have Matthew
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25 40 that says truly I tell you whatever you
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do for one of The least of these brothers and
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sisters of mine you did for me And so think about
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that Jesus Jesus identifies himself with the
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overlooked with the people we don't naturally
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get excited about. We have Hebrews 13 2 that
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says, do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
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for by this some have entertained angels without
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even knowing it. And that means every encounter,
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every conversation, every moment could be a divine
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appointment. And not to get overwhelmed and over
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theorize all the things. You're going to have
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conversations, but it's about just looking for
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opportunities of God's little blessings in everyday
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conversation. And we have 1 Samuel 16 7 that
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says, a man looks at the outward appearance,
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but the Lord looks at the heart. We're drawn
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to big names and big stages, but God, he looks
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at the faithful heart. And throughout scripture,
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God uses the ordinary. David was just a shepherd
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boy. Mary was a teenager girl. In Nazareth the
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disciples were fishermen and tax collectors.
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No blue check marks. No platforms just willing
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hearts and So let's bring it to where we are
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at and so some of you listening right now are
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on your best day Life feels like it's lining
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up. You got the promotion your kid made the team
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your relationships are going good and you feel
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like God's presence is Right there with you But
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others of you, you're on your worst day. You're
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overwhelmed. The bills are piling up. Your marriage
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is junk. And you're wondering if God even notices.
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But here's the truth. That God equally is present
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in both our best day, and he's saying, don't
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forget me. Don't think that the success came
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from you alone. And he's there on your worst
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day. He's whispering, I will never leave you
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nor forsake you. And how does this, how does
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he remind us of that? Often through people. Through
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the friends who text us just at the right time,
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through the hug from a child, through the leader
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who shows up week after week after week. That's
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God saying, I see you. I'm with you. And so because
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of those scriptures above, I had an experience
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last night. And so let me tell you what happened.
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And so I was driving home. I had to, I put my
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mother -in -law to bed. Derek was with Gia at
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an away volleyball game. And so we switch off.
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If he's gone, I stay home and take care of our
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mother -in -law. As you've listened to this podcast
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before, she has MS and she's wheelchair bound.
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And so we are caregivers for her. So I was, over
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her house taking care of things and I drove past
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these guys and they had a tire off and so I thought
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that they were just kind of changing a tire.
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and went to her house, did all the things, and
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was coming back, and they were still there. And
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so I pulled up to them, it was two gentlemen,
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and I pulled up, and they were speaking Spanish,
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and your girl does not know Spanish, but I have
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Google Translate, and so I pulled out my Google
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Translate and asked them if they needed any help,
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and they were like, no, it's okay, we have to
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change our battery, and I don't know if they
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really didn't need help, or they didn't need
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help from a girl. one of the two. So the other
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guy, and so I was like talking to him or whatever
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and then another truck pulled up as I was like
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kind of pulling off and I stopped and talked
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to him and it was this guy and I said You know,
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I said, can you stop and help him? I said I don't
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know if they were just not wanting to ask me
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to help him but I don't know because if and they
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were driving a Dodge and So you have to take
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the wheel off and if you've ever had dodge car
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because I did I had a Chrysler and my husband
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hated me for it Because the battery is in the
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inner fender. Well, which is ridiculous but anyway,
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and so like I they were riding the struggle bus
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and we're on the back of a country road mind
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you And so I said, hey, can you stop him? And
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we live in a very small community. I did not
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know this man that I was speaking to, but he
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had a little kid in his car and I was just like,
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I can run your little boy home and if you want
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to stop and help him. He's like, I've already
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passed these guys. They've been out here for
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four hours. I had to get my son to football practice.
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And so he was like, you figured two grown men
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would know how to change a battery. And I was
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like, how would they know? Said they're two grown
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men But if no one's ever taught them, how would
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they know that? how would they know like how
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to change a battery in like this random car and
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It hit me because it it isn't how we treat people
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sometimes we assume they should know better They
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should have it figured out but now But here's
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the truth if no one's ever taught them or you
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or me You don't know You don't know what you
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don't know. And so I told the man, I said, look,
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I can start nine different drips on you in ICU.
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I can put an IV in you. I can put a tracheostomy
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in you. I can do all the things. I said, but
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that doesn't mean, because I was taught that,
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but I don't know how to change that battery.
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And he was like, oh, I guess that's a good point.
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And so I'm sitting there judging them. What if
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we just stopped to help? What if we saw them
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not as inconvenienced? but as an opportunity.
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I even offered to take the little boy home, and
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I don't know if he stayed to finish the job,
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but I did go ahead and call the police just to
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see if they could go out there because it was
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getting dark, and so they really weren't going
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to get the job done. And I had text another person
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that owes a towing company, and he was busy at
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the time. My husband was gone, and so I just
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wanted to make sure that they were taken care
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of. And I honestly side note did not know that
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like cops did that and so I had text another
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friend And he was like just call the cops like
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they have you know They have roadside assistance
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or whatever and they'll get him help with what
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they need. I'm like shut up I didn't even know
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that so I called our local Police department
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and they went out there and took care of them.
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So I mean, here's the point God is in every person
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stopping Last night wasn't about a car battery
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It was about paying attention to the people he
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put in front of me and just like the people in
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walmart just like the people That he has in front
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of you at the grocery line at church at the school
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pickup people are in front of you But are we
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noticing them? Because they're just ordinary
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people And so let's tie this kind of together.
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So at the conference these kids were super hyped
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about these amazing Amazing preachers that came
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to speak and that's awesome But I don't want
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to miss The leaders and the pastors and the mentors
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all over our town And in the country and in the
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world and I have met so many like amazing um
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leaders, uh going back to school and so we have
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to do several Like online like kind of meet and
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greets and gets like to know people and there
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is so many people passionate around The world
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y 'all about loving God and spreading his word
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not to the youth but to Women's ministry men's
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ministry youth ministry. There are so many people
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that are on fire for God and the friends that
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God has placed right in front of us and the men
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on the side of the road needed help and The temptation
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to say they should know better, but God reminded
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me no They're made in my image And here's a chance
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to be a blessing. So here's my challenge for
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you this week. Celebrate the famous, sure, but
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don't miss the faithful. Be grateful for big
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names, but don't overlook the small voices. Notice
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the people in front of you because in God's kingdom,
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there is no ordinary people. God is with you
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on your best day and on your worst day. And most
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often he shows up through the people He's placed
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right in front of you. So we want to pray for
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you this week. I hope that you guys were encouraged
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by this message. And if it inspired you or if
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you know this would encourage somebody, share
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it with somebody. Repost it, like it, do all
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the things, be a blessing to somebody else. And
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so we would love to pray for you this week dear
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heavenly father. Thank you so much for these
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listeners Thank you so much that they are going
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to have open eyes to see those that you have
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put in front of them Thank you that we look for
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You and everything that we do in the creation
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in the people that you've put in front of us
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Thank you for being such a good god that you
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know exactly what we need when we need it before
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we even need it Thank you that you've given us
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eyes To see people like you see them. Thank you
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that you've given us ears to hear exactly what
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we need Thank you for good soil that this seeds
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that are gonna be planted this week grow So deep
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thank you for all that you do in Jesus name.
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I pray amen So thanks for hanging out with us
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today on fostering faith if this encourage you
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share it with a friend and remember Don't wait
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for a spotlight moment. Look for God in the ordinary.
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We hope you guys have a great week We love you.
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Bye