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Holy Habits :Faith Rhythms that last · Fostering Faith

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  Welcome back to Fostering Faith. My name is Tracie
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  I'll be your host today. And we're gonna be talking
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  about a topic that I love, habits. And so we're
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  gonna call this episode, Holy Habits. Faith,
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  rhythms that last. And so welcome back. If you've
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  not joined us, welcome back family. And if you're
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  new to the family, welcome. My name is Tracie
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  Foster. And in here in Fostering Faith, we are
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  gonna learn how to live everyday lives that are
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  rooted in Jesus, even if those days are just
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  a little messy, a little chaotic, or even just
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  plain loud. I am. talking about something that's
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  going to get real close to home. And so in our
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  youth, we just started a Bible plan called Habits.
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  And so we're going to be talking about habits
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  and so not New Year's resolutions, not I'll try
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  harder next month moments. I'm talking about
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  wholly anchored, steady rhythms that keep your
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  heart soft, your faith strong and your mind clear,
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  even when life is anything but. And this episode
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  is called Holy habits faith rhythms that last
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  and yes, we're gonna laugh we're gonna keep it
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  real and we're gonna talk about What it's like
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  to stop living for spiritual adrenaline and start
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  living with consistent connections in Jesus.
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  And so as we walk in through this, it's about
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  habits, it's about consistency, consistency.
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  That word has just really been resonating in
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  our life. And so me and my husband go for a walk
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  every morning and I am a 4 .4 kind of walker
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  with a 20 pound vest on. He is a 3 .5. Walker
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  and I was in band. I was a marching band. I played
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  baritone I can march with the best of them and
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  I keep pace I run I can keep pace I can walk
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  I can keep pace and I wear a Garmin shout out
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  Garmin and I have my phone on my vest and it
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  will yell out pace it'll route it'll yell out
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  the pace for us and so he says he needs me to
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  be a 3 .9 wife I need you to be a 3 .9 wife I
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  can't keep up with you if you walk like your
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  normal walk. I want you, let's meet halfway.
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  Just be a 3 .9, just be a 3 .9. And so I am consistently
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  walking at 3 .9. How do I know this? Garmin tells
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  me average speed 3 .9, average speed 3 .9. Well,
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  he is waxing and waning. He has to run to catch
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  up and then he'll slow back down. Run to catch
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  up, slow back down. And he is exhausted. by the
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  end of this, you know, two mile walk in the morning
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  because he's having to run and catch up, run
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  and catch up. And so I'm just like, it's a beautiful
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  morning walk for me. I keep pace. I'm in rhythm.
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  I keep saying he's like, no, you're speeding
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  up. And Garmin will say average speed, three
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  point nine. And so like I am constantly in the
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  same speed. I am consistent. And it is just about
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  the consistency and about that consistent connection
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  with Christ that makes our life. It's so much
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  easier. And so, wait, let's call it out. We live
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  in a life and a world that loves chaos. We love
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  glorifying busy. We scroll 90 miles an hour.
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  We wait until we're running on empty and then
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  God help me. But here's the thing. Faith isn't
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  built in emergencies. It's built in the quiet,
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  the daily, the moments no one sees. And if you're
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  going to go into high school, or honestly, just
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  trying to be an adult without losing your mind,
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  you need rhythms that anchor you, not just hype
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  you up. And so let's talk about a word I think
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  that is underrated. And so, blessed is the one
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  who does not walk in step with the wicked, but
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  those that delight in the law of the Lord and
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  who meditates on his law day and night. That
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  person is like a tree planted by streams of the
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  water. And that's Psalm one, one through three.
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  And so planted, that's the word right there.
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  Not tossed, not trending, planted. When you're
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  rooted in God's word daily, you start to grow
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  quietly, steadily, and fruitfully. Even when
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  the storms hit, even whenever you feel nothing,
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  consistency, builds fruit. And so let's break
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  it down. Holy habits are intentional rhythms
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  that draw you closer to God. Not because you're
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  trying to earn something, not because you're
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  trying to be perfect, but because you know that
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  your soul needs space to breathe and be filled.
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  And let me give you some examples that work for
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  real life. And I mentioned these because I had
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  an older saint and she gave me an acronym, KISS.
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  Keep it simple, Saint. Because we often call
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  ourselves sinners and those that have been washed
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  in and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior
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  and we have been baptized in the Holy Spirit
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  into our water, we are called saints. We are
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  no longer sinners. And so let's reference that
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  into Romans. And so please call yourself what
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  you are. You are a saint who chooses to sin,
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  if you want to be real honest, where others that
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  are not followers of Christ, that have not had
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  that the Holy Spirit, they are slaves to sin.
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  We are no longer slaves to sin. And so it is
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  just keep it simple, saint. So remember that
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  kiss. So five minutes in the word before you
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  touch your phone. Five minutes. We are doing
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  a habit on the YouVersion Bible app with our
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  high school students and I literally read it
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  while my water is warming up for my coffee in
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  the morning. That's how long it takes. Two, talk
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  to God while brushing your teeth. I tell the
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  kids, say thank you God for waking me up before
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  your feet even hit the floor in the morning.
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  Journaling, one sentence a day. One sentence.
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  Worship music while you drive instead of a full
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  -volume drama podcast. One meal a week where
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  phones are down and Jesus is mentioned. These
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  are all simple five minutes. You're already gonna
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  be brushing your teeth. Pray while you're brushing
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  your teeth. I remember when I started journaling
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  and it was literally like one word here, one
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  word there, a couple sentences here and there.
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  And I mean, now like that I'm in it, like I am
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  writing page after page. And I mean, it's just
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  a wonderful time. But I mean, there are some
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  days where I have time for it. Thank you for
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  everything. Today is going to be a great day.
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  Thank you for everything that you've done for
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  me. And that's all I write. And then there's
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  days where like I could just say, help me. Because
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  he knows me because I spend time with him And
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  because I talk to him a lot And worship music
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  while you drive you're gonna be listening to
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  something anyway, so fill your bucket before
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  you get out of the car and so there's seasons
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  in your life and You may have never hit them
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  yet But I've been in some pretty dark seasons
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  in these seasons where I was doing all the quote
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  -unquote Christian things church serving praying
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  and with other people, but in my private rhythm
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  was bone dry. I mean, there was no... I'd let
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  the good things crowd out the God things. And
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  I can remember one day I sat down to pray and
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  I just felt nothing. I was numb. Not because
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  God wasn't there, but because I hadn't been with
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  Him in the quiet. So I started small. Five minutes.
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  That's it. And I left. awkward at first, like,
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  hi God, I'm back, again. Sorry I left. But he
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  met me, like he always does. And those five minute
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  habits, they grew. And now it's part of my day,
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  like brushing my teeth or drinking my coffee,
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  actually with coffee, because caffeine and Jesus,
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  is it yes and amen? It is an amen. Jesus and
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  coffee and my Bible in the morning is an everyday
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  thing. It is wonderful. It's wonderful. But let's
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  make it practical. So if you're in high school,
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  if you're a student, if you're a tired mom or
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  just a human trying to grow spiritually, I think
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  these three holy habits can help you. And so
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  a rooted morning and scripture Mark one thirty
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  five says Jesus got up early to pray. Start your
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  day anchored and not anxious. And listen, I'm
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  not talking about an hour in Leviticus at 5 a
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  .m. I mean five minutes to read a psalm. Say
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  a real prayer. God help me love people that I
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  don't like today. Breathe in the truth after
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  scrolling chaos. But start small. Just win the
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  first five minutes. Two. Sacred pauses. 1st Thessalonians
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  517 says, pray without ceasing. And so let prayer
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  interrupt your day. Waiting in line, talk to
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  God. Walking to class, ask him to lead you. About
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  to clap back at somebody, whisper, Holy Spirit,
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  take the wheel. These moments add up. They make
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  you in rhythm with his spirit. And three. Rest,
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  that's refuels. Scripture says, Genesis 2, 3
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  says, God rested on the seventh day. This is
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  a huge one. Rest is worship. Turn off the noise,
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  take a Sabbath, say no to one thing this week,
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  and yes to stillness. You're not weak for resting,
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  you're wise. What if you think that you messed
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  up? Okay, so take a deep breath. Because here's
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  what happens. We start strong and then we skip
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  a day. Then there's three and then we feel like
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  we failed and we ghost got until January. Don't
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  do that. Jesus isn't measuring your strikes or
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  your streak record. He's winning a relationship.
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  So if you missed a week, come back. If you feel
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  numb, still show up. If you're burnt out, start
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  slower. This isn't about doing more. It's about
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  being with Him. And so this challenge for you
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  guys, and so if you're listening and you're thinking,
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  okay, I'm in, so here's a challenge, 21 days.
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  That's it. Pick one of these rhythms, morning
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  time with God, journaling once a day. a worship
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  playlist instead of a toxic one. Ten minutes
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  of quiet. Are we reading one verse of a Bible
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  a day and do it for 21 days and see what happens.
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  You don't have to post it. You don't have to
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  be perfect in it, but you have to start. And
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  so this is what shapes you. So we want to end
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  this with. Your faith isn't about hype moments.
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  It's about it's built in hidden rhythms. And
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  when you pray and no one knows, when you open
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  your Bible in the middle of a busy day or whenever
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  you whisper, God, I'm here. Even if you don't
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  feel anything, those habits, they form you. They
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  foster your faith. And you're not just preparing
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  for high school. You're preparing for life. And
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  if you build your house on rhythms and roots
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  in Jesus, You'll stand strong when everything
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  else shakes. And so we would love to pray for
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  you this week. And so dear Heavenly Father, thank
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  you so much for these listeners. Thank you so
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  much for what you have done for us. Thank you
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  that they are going to build habits on you. Thank
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  you that they're going to take these next 21
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  days to go through those habits and just to get
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  rooted in you and that we keep it simple because
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  we don't have to be overwhelmed. We just have
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  to be in your presence. Thank you that you've
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  not given up on us. Thank you that you've given
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  us another chance for today. Thank you for all
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  that you do. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. So if
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  this episode encouraged you or challenged you
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  share with a friend share with your small group
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  invite someone to do a 21 -day rhythm challenge
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  with you text your group leader text your cousin
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  a group chat and Don't forget to subscribe leave
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  a review leave a comment and come back next week
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  for real talk real faith and rhythms that actually
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  Last until then stay rooted stay steady and stay
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  close to Jesus. We love you guys. Talk to you
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  later. Bye