Sickness. Warfare. Glory.

This is Confessions of a Pastor. We are pastors Keith and Kara and we're here to tell you the good, the bad, the ugly about Journey Church of God. All for the glory of God. Come on, Kara. It's the truth. Yes. God uses it all for his glory. Can I just start with this? He can even use sickness for his glory. Oh, come on, somebody. Well, I woke up on Friday morning feeling really sick. Yeah. Yeah. And I just asked you, do I do I sound nasely before this podcast? And you're like, yep, you sure do. Well, you do. I'm like, girl, you could have lied to me. [laughter] I didn't want to sound nasly, but you do. Come on, somebody reality. But here's where I think this is where I want to just go here for just two seconds is I think when you're sick or when you're not feeling strong, it gives you an opportunity to ask God for strength, for life, for help.

Cuz I was certain I got sick from the devil on Friday because I knew what I was going to be preaching on Sunday. And I just think the devil tried to silence me. Yeah. Well, he hates you. Yeah. So, yeah, I would I would come into agreement with that. Yes. He hates you. And so, on Friday, I did what every pastor would do. I went and bought drugs. [laughter] And uh Well, you you actually bought a really strong drug that is behind the counter that you need a license to buy. And I was like, what are you doing? Yeah. And I bought that and I didn't [clears throat] know that it was like it was what it was until [laughter] I didn't sleep all night Friday night. This is true. And then I told you what I did and you're like, Keith, that's like speed. [laughter]

And I went and I Googled it and it's like do not take this before bed because it will keep you up and actually has side effects of like, you know, like nightmares and things like that. Yeah. Pretty bad ones. Yeah. So I didn't get any sleep on Friday night, but I told you this on Saturday. I had such a sweet time with the Lord because I didn't sleep. Okay, tell me about that. Well, I was just waring with my health. I was waring for our family, for our mar. It was just like I wasn't sleeping. So, what else am I going to do but talk to the Lord? Yeah, there you go. And it was actually I did not Saturday I was not grumpy, was I? Was I grumpy? You weren't grumpy at all. No. And I didn't get any sleep on Friday. So, uh I did learn not to take speed before you go to sleep. [laughter] So, well then this morning we compare it to

one that similar one actually the same thing just a different brand that I've bought in the past to clear um nasal and clear stuff out of my ears and the dosage was significantly more that you're taking than I had. Yeah. Yours was 30 milligrams. Mine was 120. [laughter] So, uh yeah, that's lesson learned. Lesson learned. Uh yeah, stop taking speed. Yep. I did take some before church though. I know. Yeah. I I just had to get through the day. [laughter] I was just like, "How am I going to get through this day?" But, you know, we got through the day. It is Monday, everybody. At least at the time of this recording, it is a holy hangover day. I've got the holy hangover. I'm going to testify. If you're new to Confessions of Pastor, that does not mean alcohol or drugs, right?

It just means you had a good day at church. And today you're feeling it. Just means God was working. And it was a good day at church yesterday. It was a good day. It It's like It was a journey day. As we were talking to Hannah, it was like it was a journey type day. Yeah. Where where demons need to be cast out. There's distractions happening. Although the last few Sundays we've had, we've got Lena in the room. She could testify to the last few weeks. Yeah. When you've got um threats of murder or you've got [laughter] uh you know uh different somebody screaming at you at the me during the message. Yeah. I did have a a shout back and it was not like the good kind of shout back. like, "Amen." Or that's good. It was more somebody like, "Hey, keep preaching. Go to the next verse." It's like, [laughter] you know, uh, I'm going to do that next week, sir. Right. I am going to read that.

You handled it well, though. I mean, that's that's um that's a hard thing sometimes to manage, but you manage that well. Thank you. That's that's 15 years of training. That's true. That's true. We've had our distractions and Yeah. Uh and as we were just talking about this before the podcast with that particular person, there was alcohol smelled on him. So uh did he pour out the alcohol? Is that what you told? Yeah. So he did pour out the alcohol. So glory to God. Church happened yesterday. And we got to tell some stories yesterday of transformation which is pretty cool. Yeah. Those those were good stories. And both of those stories I believe came out of this podcast. They did because we've been talking about speaking out against things like cannabis and then we've gotten that I think last week maybe we or the last podcast we talked about the push back that we got. Yes. Well, in the last two weeks or weeks since then we've actually gotten testimonies on the other side of um let's testify to that.

Let's testify. Well, I don't have my phone on me, but the in short, the testimony that I gave was someone who sent me a picture of our podcast in their living room on the TV. So, they're watching it on their television. And he just said, "It's so cool that we could watch this with our sixth grader and have good conversations." And then in short, he goes on to say like, "We It's so cool that I don't need edibles anymore to fall asleep." Yeah. He goes on to say even better, like I don't need a How did he say? I don't need joint. I don't need to smoke a joint now for joy. Yeah. You know, and he he shared that like we we tried to have a rhythm in our family of investing. And and Thursday nights used to be date night, but really at the end of the night it was like we wanted to put our kids to bed so we could have a devil's party. But now we've replaced all of those things with pursuit night and now it's a Jesus party and we're not trying to put the kids to bed. We invite them to the party. Yeah.

And it was just it was awesome. And I I got to read that uh to the church. And then you shared a really similar testimony that came to me after the podcast. Yeah. Mine was from a guy, yours was from a girl. Yeah. She was just testifying the to the the transformation that's happened in her family um since she started coming to journey. It's been a few years, but they came up at pursuit night one night and God prayed over to um to break the addiction of cannabis. And it happened like it happened and it's it's profoundly impacted their family, their marriage, their kids, their physical health, their spiritual health. Uh so the testimonies are awesome. So thank you all for sharing your testimony. So if you got a testimony, please let us know. It not only encourages us, we get to share it with others and it really does edify the church. We we are better together. You get to bless other people. How Revelation 12 reminds us, how do we

overcome the accuser? by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. Absolutely. The devil knows his time is short. It's time to testify. Yeah. So good. Yes. And we did a lot of good things yesterday. One thing I didn't even share with you is I did have someone come up to me and tell me they got healed from Thursday to Sunday. They were having horrible back problems and she came up and asked for prayer and it was it was unbearable and she works in a job that's physical. And she said she got bumped the next day at work and realized that that would have killed her. And then she realized, wait, I'm not in pain. Oh, wow. I've been healed. So, I just I'm so grateful that we continue here testimony after testimony of healing. And I don't want to stop. Yeah. I I believe that we have exactly what this region needs more so than St. Charles Hospital, which God bless the doctors and nurses and those that work hard. Yeah. But we have a God that heals. Amen. And why not ask?

Yeah. I had someone last night actually um at the prophecy night testify to me. She was so excited cuz she was listening to the podcast and heard the story about the gal with diabetes who got healed at church in the park. Lives in Eugene now they come, they travel to Bend for church. That's crazy. Church that's alive is worth the drive. Yeah. So, so this gal who's testifying to me, she's like testifying and she was in Growth Track this morning, which is like our membership, our first step into getting uh plugged in here to to serving and getting on a team. She's like she was in Growth Track this morning just plugging into the church and she's like I I heard it on your podcast and then I met her. [laughter] Like so good. Diabetes was healed. These are real people. Yeah. Real stories. Real stories. And they're not just stories. They're real people. Yes. Amen.

Which is absolutely incredible. Well, speaking of real people, one of the things that's been I'm like giddy like it's Christmas because I've been prophesying for a couple of years over our kids in our church. Oh yeah. We have hundreds of kids at Journey Church and right now our kids church is just exploding and we need to multiply because they're they're over capacity our kids classes at our kids church. Yeah. And I've been prophesying over our kids that God would raise up a new generation of uh I want to say influencers, but it's not the right words, but the Billy Grahams, the Reinhardt Bonkeys, these uh these massive um movements of just something new. Y new evangelists, new missionaries, just a new movement out of these kids. And although I've said it, you never know how God's going to answer prayer. Right.

And we prophesy promises, things that aren't as though they are, believing and knowing that God can and he will. So, we're just simply saying out loud, God, we know you're going to do this. And so, we've been saying it, God, bring up some missionaries, some pastors, some evangelists. Uh, and really bring revival out of our kids. Yes. And and he's doing more than that, Kara. He He is I can't wait for this next generation because not only do they believe Jesus, they are taking Jesus at his word unlike anything I've seen in my lifetime. We're seeing it in these kids. I've never se I don't even see it in adults. I will just go backwards of what I encountered last night at the prophecy night where we talk about Israel. Cal, he's eight years old. Yeah.

Cal, he's he's not just a kid that's like, "Oh, this is sweet and cute that he's reading the Bible." This kid is he's being disciples. He's absorbed in the Bible. He's understanding the Bible. He's asking good questions about Bible. He's eight years old, Kara. Yeah. And by the time he turned eight in August, by the time he turned eight, he read through the entire entire Bible in a year in less than a year. I mean, he read the entire Bible, the entire thing in less than a year. Yeah. Eight years old. Who does that? And and comprehends it, right? He's asking these questions. He's when I ask questions to the church about really complex uh foundational theological doctrine, he's answering them about covenants and about peoples and you know who invaded

the Israelites, you know, the Assyrians, the Babylonians. I mean, he's he's like actually processing these things. He came up to me last night afterwards. He's like, "Pastor, I've I've got a question. He's so sweet and innocent and cute like and social and he's like you you say the number seven in the Bible is perfection completion. What about when you see numbers like 70 or 700? Yeah. And I told you last night I think I was like in my head I'm thinking this kid's so smart. Yeah. And he he actually he wants to know like he wants to understand it you know. So in my mind I'm thinking okay this kid's smarter than I am. like I got to I got to make sure I give him not only answer he understands but I can't give him most 8-year-olds couldn't comprehend that.

Yeah, they couldn't comprehend that. But this kid's a prodigy, you know, and we we talked about 70 like the um Israelites uh journey in exile for 70 years and the significance of of of 70 when Peter asked uh Jesus, you know, how many times should I forgive someone? seven times thinking like right this is it you know and Jesus like you think that's the perfect number let me go beyond perfection let this is the fullness uh 70* 7 you know and we we talked about God's emphasis of doing more because he's an infinite God so there's Cal all right so let's just celebrate Cal 8 years old growing in the Bible unlike anything else then we've got kids who I believe are being called to the mission field

big time I mean I I had one yesterday come to me and share with me prophetic dreams he's having. He said he's had the same exact dream three times. And as he explains this to me in his dream, he goes to other countries and he finds coins and he finds the coin of that country and collects it. He's like, "What do you what do you think of this?" Now, this kid is like 11, 12 years old. I don't know. Maybe 10 11 12 years old. And he's he's asked me this. He's asking a lead pastor. I'm having dreams. What? What do you Yeah, help me with this. Help me out with this. Well, instantly I get Luke 15 in my mind where Jesus is telling the parables of the lost and the value of what God cares about. The first one was a shepherd going after the lost sheep. The second is, and I I told him this. I said, you know, Jesus told a story reflecting the heart

of God that he goes after the lost like a coin. Yes. And and he's not going to stop until he finds the coin. And when he does, he celebrates that the coin has been found. And I said, "If you in your dream are collecting lost coins, to me, you have the heart of God." Yeah. And you care about what God cares about. And you you care about people who are lost. And not just near you, but in other countries. I said I said, "Do you have an interest in other countries?" And he's looking at me. He's childlike. He's like, you know, I'm like, "This is after church on Sunday." This is right after church on Sunday. And I'm like, "Wow, Lord, I'm so honored. We're having these conversations." And he's like, "But there's something else. Every time in my dream, there's someone that takes the coins." And I just asked him. I said, "Well, who do you think that is?" And he just quickly said, "Satan." And I said, "Yeah, because John 10:10, Jesus

said that that the enemy is a thief and he wants to steal what God's doing. So I believe God's calling you to something greater." You know, he says, "So what do I do?" And I said, "Well, couple of things. First is how cool is it that God's speaking to you through dreams?" Yeah. I said that is special and and we don't want to take that for granted. But I also said the Bible says in Habach chapter 2 that you need to write these things down. Write them down so that you can not only remember them, but God's going to use them later. Then I said, "Tell other people about this dream and ask them to start praying for you." Not just anybody, but people you trust. Like I know his parents. So I said, "Tell your parents." And I said, "I'm glad you told me. I'm going to pray for you." And you know, I said, "You need to pray about this cuz I think God's actually calling you to greater things, Kara. This this guy could be a leader of the nations.

He could who knows like and he's a child right now getting ready to do greater things. God is just he's stirring like he's stirring things. He's like activating the church like the I I feel like the church is just coming alive and and it it's it's kids. It's adults. It's everything in between. It's like the church is just coming alive and it's beautiful. Well, our kids pastor continues to testify week after week. Jesse is coming to the table at our staff meetings. Look at this story. Look at this story. Look at this story. She even testified last week during rally time. Like the stuff that we think we're being bold to tell kids, kids receive it with childlike faith and just put it into practice. I mean, I just heard word from Hannah about one of her friends whose child at what age? Three or four, Hannah? the

four years old going to kids his peers at a park. Do you know Jesus? Do you know Jesus? Do you know Jesus? I mean articulating that four years old. Yeah. And and and what we think is bold to a child, they receive it at face value with childlike faith. a child in our church having night terrors and then praying over that child to believe and a child saying they see monsters under the bed and it's like well you just tell that monster I'm a child of God and then the child coming back and testifying I did it I told the ch the I told the monster I'm a child of God and the monster never came back right and it's like these are the things as as we impart to these kids the gospel they're not only believing it care but what I've been prophesying for years I

I'm so grateful for God that he's actually giving me an opportunity to see it in my lifetime. We're going to get to see it. I mean, we're going to get to see successors at Journey where I'm going to be able to pass on this church to people who are raised up in this church. And we're going to get to see other pastors and youth pastors and worship pastors and missionaries sent out from this church. And this world's not going to be the same because of Journey. I had a young man tell me on Thursday at Pursuit, and I regret that like I'm pretty sure I I know his name. It's like an old person's name, but he's a young person. Um I hope he doesn't watch that and hear that. But um he came up to me on Sunday or Thursday at pursuit night, and he just says, "Hey, I need to ask you a question." I'm like, "Yeah." He says, "I I have a heart for China, and I think our church should do something in

China." I'm just looking at him like with big eyes. I'm like, "Are you serious?" Cuz like I am hearing so much about the church in China right now. It's exploding and the government is actually oppressing the church even more and more and more like they're more stringent rules. They have to do this. There's more oppression over what they can do and not do and and yet the underground church is just having this boldness and this massive movement right now. I mean the church is exploding in China and he's telling me this and I'm like, "Hey, I think you might be called to China." And he's like, "Okay, so what do we do?" And I'm I'm over here like, "Lord, I need to be better prepared for these answers." And I'm like, "Okay, how about you pray about this?" And I pray about this. And then I told him about the book, The Insanity of God. And there's a documentary that actually is the book as well. But I said, "You could watch the documentary or you know the book or read it." And I

said, "Let's see what God does with this because it's about a missionary that is on his own journey that wants to reach the unreached people group of uh oh, what was that country called? It's um in Northern Africa. Um it's going to come to me. Uh but he he experiences the difficulty of reaching people in countries where the gospel is not accepted. And it's it seems insane, but when you see God's kingdom, it's an upside down kingdom. Totally. And it it seems like the insanity of God, but God knows what he's doing. And he calls us to to partner with him. Yeah. Into this insanity. He does. And it's cool because I'm seeing kids now called into this to the nations to China. I'm [laughter] just like, "Come on, God.

This is so good." Uh, could we tell one more story about kids? Sure. We call this the kids podcast, but uh just hearing a testimony from our kids pastor about a 12year-old who prayed over his dad and cast a demon out of his own dad. And I I imagine for some people that might sound weird, but when you have the power and the authority of Jesus, you do what Jesus did. Yeah. And Jesus, he preached the kingdom of heaven. So he preached the gospel, he healed the sick, and he cast out demons. We regularly see this was his ministry. And it wasn't weird. It was just that that is God's kingdom come and his will on earth is not that people would continue to stay that way. And we just heard this testimony that that on some levels would be like, man, this sucks.

This is broken. But to see a child step up and not just say like, I wish my dad was better. or I wish I lived in a different situation. He said, "No, this isn't who my dad is." Yeah. And and I'm going to pray over my dad. And then, you know, in the in the Go ahead. Well, just the the fact that that was his first reaction was to pray for his dad. Like, that's where I'm saying like God is there's something stirring in the in this body here that like people's faith is coming alive. Like the fact that that was his first reaction is just to pray for number one, that's amazing. And then the fact that he cast out a demon. Yeah. It's it it's cool because it's not uh formulated. Yeah. It's not something that a lot of times in the American church, we apply the marketplace into church and it becomes a bit consumeristic.

Yeah. Uh and and our Bible studies become more like programs and cons, you know, we we want to know how do you do the Christian life versus as I was trying to teach yesterday, abiding in Jesus means it's it's who you are. Yeah. Wherever you go, Jesus goes and you live it out. in in the m the the messiness the I was going to say the mud and the mess but [laughter] like the the grossness of this life, you know, like and and then here's the deal is God steps in and he takes over. That's the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Yeah. And when you have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, you'll do things that you could never do on your own. Yeah. Amen. For example, a child 12y olds don't get a 12y old version of the Holy Spirit. They get the same Holy Spirit we get. Yeah. So although we're surprised by it, God's like, "Come on, guys." Like [laughter] there's no I mean, when Jesus was in the

temple at 12 years old, he he demonstrated perfectly 12-year-olds should be learning from the father. They should be asking questions and sitting at the feet of rabbis. But today, we've got 12 year olds and we're, hey, let's dumb it down. Let's give them a phone. Let's create a ministry over here for them that just, you know, just speaks to their language. And we flipped we flipped it into our own world instead of trying to immerse kids into the world of God. Yeah. And that that changes everything. And oh, I want more, Kara. Right. I want more. Yeah. I don't want this to stop. Yeah. I mean, it it's we we really are um seeing I feel like early church type Yes. Um conversions um productivity like like it it just I I feel honored to be a part

of it. thankful. Um I really think there's a movement that's going on. Amen. Um I mean I heard a story um from Lina actually that people are actually continuing to fill out we've we've talked about on this podcast and and at the church more our impact cards when we did our more initiative and that a part of that initiative was we're asking God for more spiritually. We're not just asking for money. This is a spiritual more people saved, more people healed, more people delivered. Let's go. And so we've got this huge container full of more impact cards. It's incredible. And the amount of people that are on those cards right now that are actually coming to journey that have been saved um and and probably healed of things. It's it's tremendous. So people are now coming to like some like the next steps table and things like that. Grabbing the impact cards. We're not even really

talking about it. Filling them out and saying, "Hey, I heard that so and so got saved here and I need my my friend to get prayed for." Like it's so cool. Like there's just there's just a movement that's happening that is it's Holy Spiritled and we're just kind of along for the ride. Like we're in the river going with it and I'm just thankful, Kara. And this is just the beginning of greater things. Yeah. There you go. I mean it literally it's the beginning. I mean we we can't grow right now because we're at capacity. We have to multiply. Yeah. Which means we got to start some new services. We got to plant some new churches. We need to see we need to believe in faith that if central Oregon shall be saved, it's not even just going to be our church. We're going to see a movement of God in the churches throughout this region because we've

been prophesying it. I just shared a story with someone today like I've been declaring Central Oregon shall be saved for I don't know a year and a half or two. Yeah. And it's it's not been for decades or years. But when I said that, I don't even know. I don't even know what I meant by outside of like I believe God can do more. Yeah. And the more I say it, the more I'm starting to see fruits of it that oh no, people get saved outside of church and they don't even know how and why they got saved. Oh, people are inviting their doctors uh to church. I mean, over and over and over, I'm starting to see now, oh, Central Oregon getting saved mean God actually does the work and he's going to surprise us and people are going to repent of their sins. And it's crazy. We're sharing testimony about marijuana or cannabis or as I called it on Sunday, the devil's lettuce.

And it's like, you know, the push back we get from a few people. Yeah. Here we're having people repent of it. And as I shared with Sunday, and I want to just clarify again, it's not that marijuana is this like special sin that we're preaching against. It's when you have anything in your life that is taking the role of God. It's idolatry. Yeah. Anything. It could be yourself. You can make yourself idol. We we talked recently about parents that make their kids idols and then when their kids move out of the house, you you got moms that don't even know how to cope or being married to their husbands because they made their kids their idols or it could it could be anything. It could be a substance. It could be gluttony, overeating. I mean, I know for me it's been the stronghold of sugar. So, I don't I'm not condemning

anybody smoking marijuana that I'm better than. I just I constantly just feel the need to clarify. All we're talking about is a repentant spirit. And that word repentance in the Greek is metaninoia. And it doesn't translate well in that word repentance in English because it's a change thinking. Yeah. It's a radical. It's it's I want the heart of God. And if you believe in Jesus, you should want a change thinking. You should want repentance. And that's where revival happens. Yeah. When we're changing our thinking. And a huge part of that too is like Jesus offers life and life abundantly. So like the things that we have addictions to that we put as idols. Um they are not God's best for us. So it's not like I I don't know I've heard this saying which I I I agree with is like God doesn't hate sin because we're breaking a rule.

He hates sin because it breaks us. Like it's not his best for us. So that's where the true freedom happens is that when we actually repent and we see that God has such a better plan than we have and to live in that freedom, it's just it's lifechanging and it changes generations. I I heard something similar but different recently when you study the Bible through um the original culture, which is the Jewish Hebrew culture. Um it it radically changes and and we take things in the American way and we try to apply them. Uh for example, the the article I read was from a Jewish perspective like the opposite of law is not grace and the opposite of grace is not law. And often times we say that you know like oh the opposite of law is grace and the opp and we're relating that to the fullness of grace and truth

and but he said actually the opposite of law is lawlessness. Yeah. And the opposite of grace is not having grace. Yeah. And so you actually can have 100% law and you can have 100% grace and they can function well together. They're not opposites. The law is good because God gave it. Yes. And somehow we just think oh the law is a burden and we need grace. No. Jesus. It it says the law was given through Moses and if and then the uh truth was come came grace was given through Jesus of John chapter 1 and he is the fullness of grace and truth. Well, Jesus is the lawgiver. Yeah. He doesn't eradicate the law and and if we better understand that the law was never meant to be a burden.

It was meant for us to have a thriving relationship with the God that made us. Absolutely. Now we get the Holy Spirit who is the spirit of truth and wisdom. So yeah, it it's it it shapes and changes when we start to understand that God's best is is not a list of rules of dos and don'ts, right? And that's where it becomes confusing when we speak out against things in our region. Yeah. You know, as we begin to understand that there's a grips and strongholds over our region. Yes. Absolutely. And that's what we want released. Yes. Is we want more families restored as we were testifying. We want more marriages getting to experience life abundantly. Abundant life. It's it's just the lifegiving. We want life. He God Jesus offers life on life on life. Come on. It's it's a good word and we're continually seeing more.

And as we've been getting more bold, it it's not like this uh thing that we're like trying to do. It's like the Holy Spirit's leading us into this. And when that happens, it's organic. And organic things grow. Mhm. And we have said hundreds of times, you got this quote years ago, I think from a tweet uh long before X, it was called X, you know, back on Twitter. It's like I think it was a Oh, I I saw Christine Kane posted it in 2022 when we were just like we were just starting like yeah, we were just on our own wrestling and uh like Lord, what's happening? Wo is us, you know, and it was this reality that it it's become an axiom of our culture at Journey Church. But healthy things grow. Growing things change, and changing things change things.

And I would just say like if I was to appeal this off scientifically, organic things are healthy. Yeah. You know, where you don't have to have, you know, some type of um chemical or you know what's that called that the pesticide, you know, to get something to grow, you know, to protect it. But when something's organic, it's healthy and healthy things grow. Yep. And then growing things change. They don't they're not the same anymore. And what we've seen in this boldness is we're growing. Yeah. And God is moving in us. What his word has to say and and what we ought to do in this region. And as we do that, there's a tension between things that were. Yes. And things that are and things that will be. Yes.

And as for me, when I look towards the future of what God's going to do, it won't be the same. It cannot be the same. And I think the tension for people is wait a second, we used to be this and now you're saying this and this is uncomfortable, right? And we even had that recently when I made a comment and just speaking to the church because we're we're full. And I made a comment to the church and I just said, "Hey, if you're coming to church every week Yes. and you're not giving at church and you're not serving at church, maybe it's time for you to find a new church." Yeah. because we need your seat, right? And I said it like that and people you could you could feel the audible like you know a or laughs or you know there was this tension of like wait did you just say that?

Did did you just say that I need to go find a new church and car there were people Yeah. that were offended by that. And and but out of that we got this massive movement of people who started serving. Oh yeah. More than ever before. I didn't know that was going to happen. Yeah. And even more than that, you told me this this morning even like the more bold we get, the more we're growing as a church. Yeah. I mean, we're not decreasing in numbers. We continue to increase. So, do we lose some? Yes. But do we gain more? Absolutely. Well, and I've told you like what I think what you did in that moment was it it was it was a bit of a rebuke to the church. Um it was it was done in grace, but but it was also truth. It was we the church is not is something that you go to. It's

not a building. It's not what the western American view has has designed it to be. We are a a living body. We are the hands and feet of Jesus and and coming just coming to church and leaving regularly. You're not a part you're you're not engaging in the family. Like a family works together. We we um share the load of the dishes. We all do the laundry. We You're not invested in that family. Yeah. And and unfortunately, I've been the lead pastor now of Journey Church for over 15 years. And I know like in my own context, if if I'm going to relate to myself as the father of the house. Yeah. I have created spoiled brats. You know, I I thought if I give you options, I thought if I didn't challenge you, I thought if I did these things, you would like me better.

I thought maybe you would want to get more engaged and involved. But unfortunately, what happens over a long period of time is you get comfortable. Yeah. I'm spoon spoon feeding you food and you're just coming back for the baby food and you're not contributing. You know, at some point you're still having dad pay for your Starbucks coffee, you know, and dad's getting a little tired of this. [laughter] You know, you pay for the five buck coffee, you know, like I ain't going to keep paying for this. Like the reality is is people have stepped up. Um it's rubbed some people. In fact, we got a a letter from someone even just last night and it was it was good. I was like, "Oh no, what's going to what is this going to say?" And but it was You were kind of nervous when you told me you're like, "Keith, this is either going to be good or bad, but [laughter] I'm having a feeling it might be bad." Well, I just didn't know. I you know, we

never know what's going to come at us like uh never. Um so she she was very sweet and from people who have loved us and supported us and that's what always kind of stings, you know, when someone who's been loving and supportive, you're like, "Oh no, they're going to tell us they're leaving or whatever." She was really sweet and she just said, "You know, I I watched your podcast and um and then she said, "I was going to text you guys this and it was too long, so I wrote it in a letter." So, she handed me the letter and it was just essentially like, "Hey, you know, when you like kind of called the church to if if you're not giving, you're not serving, we need your seat." That kind of rubbed me the wrong way. And she said, "I had invited," she went on to say, "I had invited my Catholic um friends who during the the whole period of the Charlie Kirk assassination did not feel that that the church that they were going to processed it properly. It was something that they were just confused by how they dealt with it. And so this person invited them to Journey.

And so these people have been coming to Journey. And so she's sitting there and they weren't they were I think sitting on opposite sides of the auditorium that day. She knew they were there. Yeah. She knew they were there. And she's like, "I can't believe my pastor just said that." And she thought that they were going to leave and be offended. Blah. Well, then she they she circles back the whole thing. And take a time out. As you're reading this letter, I think both of us are processing saying, "Oh, they left." Totally. [laughter] That's where this is going. You know, but then but then she she'll go back to the whole thing and she's like, but they were in growth track this morning. This was just yesterday. Hello. Right. I'm like, no, actually people we raise to the level of expectation as as people. Hallelujah. So, I think that the um and and we also as leadership, we have a um a responsibility to um to to lead in a in

a healthy way, in a way that's biblical, and that's godly. Um and that is God. The father disciplines us like for a reason and it's it's good. It's healthy. He's a good father. Well, that's what was so encouraging about that letter last night because after you read it, we got to have some great conversations about it and um because she came full circle and she was um very honoring to us and she thanked us for being bold and she just said, you know, when you're uh when you hear those sort of things, it can be uncomfortable, but also it's God calling you out of sin, you know, out of comfort. And sometimes when God's calling you out of comfort, you got to recognize that it can be a sin to stay comfortable. Yeah. Well, you look at look at the um one of the letters to the church in in Leodysia. I think it was that it was, you know, God saying, "You're neither

hot nor cold, so I'm going to vomit you out because you're not you're you're not impacting anything." Yeah. Um, and it I just feel like the um we have a responsibility as leaders to call up a to activate a church to activate the body of Christ because we have a lot of I think there's a lot of dormant Christians and dormant churches. Yes. And I don't mean that in a um a condemning way. It's just an observation like Amen. churches are not uh alive. And in this region specifically, I can speak specifically for Central Oregon. There's been a spirit over this region of religion that will snuff out any type of lifegiving body and it's been successful for a lot of years. And I think we are we've we're we're like fighting through it and and we're starting to see some fruit from not backing down.

Come on. Cuz yeah, when when the religious spirit uh provokes you and condemns you and says that's not welcome here, a lot of people do leave. Yes. Cuz it is it's hard to press through. But I I totally agree with you. We're actually building upon uh what other people have tried here, but yeah, it hasn't continued. Yeah. And we're so that scripture you said, I want to because you totally hit hit the nail on the head. It's Jesus speaking in church of Leodysia. So because you're lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. So you're not useful. You're complacent. You're comfortable as you've discovered with heat packs on your neck like that can open up blood flow. A hot is good. Cold is also healing. You know, it it produces healing elements to your life. But but lukewarm doesn't

really do a whole lot. But Jesus says this to the same church a few verses later. That was verse 16, verse 19. Those whom I love, those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. So be zealous and repent. Yes. So he's saying this idea of being zealous is be on fire. Yeah. Go ahead and get excited. Yeah. Go ahead and change your thinking. Repent. And by the way, I'm I'm I'm saying these things to you not because I hate you, not because I actually love you enough to call you out of discomfort. And now I'm calling you into zealous. And that's the same scripture that has become famous on the uh the bottom of I think it's the bottom of the in in-n-out cup. Revelation 3:20.

Okay. Here I stand at the door and knock. Revelation 3:20. I think it's is it on the bottom of the In-N-Out? Of course, we don't have an In-N-Out in our city, so we don't get to look at those scriptures long enough, but uh it's it's just a a cool uh image that Jesus wants to do life with us. He wants to come in and eat with us. He wants to dwell with us. He wants to abide in us. But we've got to let him in. Yeah. And when we do, we're going to be zealous and we're going to repent and we're going to change fire. Come on. We're going to change. Like we are called of lukewarmness. Yeah. We're called to be salt and light. And those are two things that change their environment. Yes. They And that's what we're called to. Like if we're not changing our environment, we need to do some soul surging and like repent.

Yes. I I would agree. And what we get to see is a new movement rising up. Yeah. Amen. [snorts] And we get to see, and I've said it before and I'll say it again, a great awakening in our lifetime. And it's not going to look like any former great awakenings. and is going to happen because God's already doing it and we give him the glory and we thank God and we want to just ask for more. We're not going to stop. Yeah. I I really think about like we've talked about the kids. I look at the teenagers that we have, you know, at at the church right now and just their passion um I just I just see a generation that um is just rising up. And I think that's I think that might be national. I I think there's a national movement uh of the spirit that is raising up a new generation to just fall in love with

Jesus. And and when we go to certain places, we hear pockets of it. Yeah, I see it. In California and across the country, I I've seen postings of masswide college campus baptisms that are just like God is doing a new thing. He's doing something new right now. And it's really beautiful to be a part of. It is. And uh speaking of God doing a new thing, we're in November. Yes. And and Pastor Brandon prophesied this will be a November to remember, right? I love it. And it's crazy because it just sounds cliche and cute and we can just say those sort of things, but there was just something about it that that stuck. Uh and I don't know if it stuck with every person on our team, but there it was it was clear that I was like, "All right, we'll receive this." And then the things that followed in the days to come were just really clear.

Yeah. I mean, he sent me a podcast that his dad sent him. I don't know if they talked about or what, but his dad sent him a podcast. And the the podcast literally was titled November to Remember. It was a prophetic word. Yes. And it was a prophetic word from a pastor from Alabama. And uh I listened to the whole thing and there were some nuggets in there that I I even text you. I was just like, for example, November demands discernment. We need the discernment of the Holy Spirit, the discernment of God's word to say, do we take God at his promises or not? And I just I took that and said, okay, we can believe God's best and it demands discernment. This is no time for us to just treat life like normal. Every day we wake up and ah what's today have to happen? No. Get in the word of God and ask God for more. Take the promises of God. Let's take back what the enemy has stolen. Let's take back the land.

Let's take back the plunder. You're not meant to just live in prosperity, you pagan. Instead, Christians ought to stop stop operating as orphans. Jesus said in John 14, you're no longer orphans. We get to do that. Amen. I mean, totally unrelated but related. So, that's the way my mind works. Unrelated but related. I remember hearing someone teach about tithing and they talked about the principle of first how Abraham was the first to tithe till mkisedc and mkisedc of course is a reflection of Jesus Jesus is the greater mekisedc he it could have been Jesus it could have been Chrisphony that's a whole another uh conversation or or theological um

discussion but this person was just saying how Abraham tithed to MelkiseDC and uh that that's the principle first. So, we ought to look at the example and the the hatred that was coming from the church world in the form of comments. Uh I call them keyboard warriors. Uh they they don't do Matthew 18. They don't meet you eye to eye and say, "Hey, can I talk to you? You know, I'm not sure that theology is right." But this this pastor was getting just ripped apart from meanhearted church-going folk. I don't even want to call them Christians cuz they're not representing Jesus well. And one of the comments I saw, I I'll never forget it stuck with me and it's weird because it sent me on a rabbit trail and like I'm doing right now. And it sent me on a rabbit trail. Uh this person said, "Abraham received his

wealth from plunder." And he should have never tithed on plunder because he stole that spoil from other people. And this person was like talking about you shouldn't even be teaching about that tithing because that's inappropriate use, you know, like of of of like like stuff or whatever. And I was like, wait, wait. I mean, like my theology was kind of rocked. I was like, like I'm going to tell you what's going on in my head right now. Like what the hell? Like let me study this. And then I study it's like, oh yeah, it was plunder because God's favor and anointing was on Abraham's life. Yeah. God called him when he was still Abram to go to a land that he's never been to before and that it's his land. Yeah.

And that he's going to increase his life. And God did give him victory. He He did fight battles and he did take their plunder. And what I see with that is and it's the same thing that I'm I am commanding over this region that the enemy does not get the final say. Yeah. When God calls you to go and if he tells you to walk around the walls, then guess what? Those walls are going to come down. And if he tells you to shout, then you need to shout. And if he tells you to fight, you need to fight. And if he tells you don't take the plunder, yeah, don't take the plunder. Totally. But if he says, "Go ahead and take that because that was never intended for them. That was intended for you. Take the plunder and tithe it to God and thank him for giving you victory." And so it was just really messed up that the world actually the world wants to still operate in

poverty and the world wants to say, "No, we're not going to plunder." And if you look at the spoils of what was given in David's reign that he wasn't able to build the temple, but the offering was given and it was preparing Solomon to build the temple. A lot of that was plunder. It was it was plunder. It was it was actually taken from the enemy and saying we had victory and it was only by God's help. But I will say if God says don't do it, don't do it. Absolutely. and and because it's all his to begin with. Let let's just start with that theology. It's all his to begin with. There's nothing there's no ours and there's it's all God's. And at the end of the day, we want to honor God with what's ours. And we want to honor God when he says to go, go. If he says to fight, fight. And by the way,

it's a good fight. We we wrestle not against flesh and blood. We're not going against other people. We're going against the demonic forces, the principalities, the rulers and authorities that have been cast out of heaven because of their pride and their resistance against a good God. So it we're at war. Well, and I would even go on since he brought up the concept of tithing. I think that people have a misunderstand like I think people have backwards thinking about it like no, I don't have enough to tithe. No, no, that's actually backwards thinking. Like we you can't not do it if it like he God calls us to trust him with our finances. calls us to um to really to trust him. It's all like you said, it's all his anyways. So if we if we his his God's kingdom is is uh multiplication. It's not a kingdom of subtraction, of division. It is multiplication. He tells us to give him what we have. Not more than what we have. He tells us to give him what he has and he will multiply it.

So and it's a backwards thinking. It doesn't always feel good, especially if it's not habitual and a part of who you are. It feels uncomfortable. And to those who are listening and you're not tithing, you know, this isn't a condemnation. Just start somewhere. Start with the heart of God. Start trusting God somewhere. And you will see that he is faithful. That when you trust in what he tells you to do, which the word of God does say tithe. And Jesus even tells the religious leaders of his day. You're tithing even your herb garden. You know, the mint and the dill and the cumin, all they weren't doing the other things, right? Yeah. You you you don't have mercy. Yeah. You're neglecting mercy and kindness. Like listen, you can't be like all obedient in the law and have no grace. Yes.

So Jesus isn't saying get rid of the law. He's actually saying you're practicing that without also practicing the heart of God. Amen. The heart of God is is righteousness. It's it's justice. It's mercy. It's love. So good. So we do both. Yes. And and when we do both, we get to see God work mightily. And he's a good God. It's a journey. It's not a destination. We haven't arrived at We haven't arrived at that place like, hey, we've got this thing figured out. We go forward a few steps, we go backwards another step. And but but I I also think we've we've walked with the Lord, you know, for a long time now together. We continue to mature. Yeah. Yeah. And I The more you see his faithfulness, the more I feel like you are willing to step out. I'll just speak for myself. The more I've seen his faithfulness, the more I can look back and be like, "Okay, I'm not going to be scared. I'm not going to fear [clears throat] the unknown because I've seen his faithfulness.

Yeah, it does. Get it does. Yeah, it it makes it easier to step out in in faith. Um and and see what God can do, you know, with with the little that we have. Yes. Um whatever that is. I don't mean just money, just just our lives, you know, if we Well, it really all comes back to faith and our heart posture and where we are with the Lord. I I would liken in the illustration what you're sharing, faith is like a muscle. Yeah. you know, and if you're not working out for days, weeks, months, years at a time, when you try to do it, it's uncomfortable. Yeah. You actually want to go back to what's uh the regular rhythm. Yeah. You want to just this this is not easy. And when you're sore for the next few days, it's like, h is it worth it? Right. You have to actually want what's on the other side of the pain more than what you're going through right now. And when you see that obedience on the other side

is God's blessing. It is his favor. But there is there is hard and sometimes you can't even predict what the heart is because the devil's going to try to get you at just the right time. It's true. [snorts] Like a cold on a Friday morning as we started [laughter] this podcast. Or sometimes the devil does use people. Yeah. Or sometimes it's, you know, through something else. I mean, it it comes in many different forms. Yeah. It's true. And I think we can all say we've experienced some type of spiritual [laughter] Yeah. [snorts] uh sideswiping from the devil. That's true. That's true. I agree. You can't see it. But and usually it comes, by the way, in a couple forms. Expect it. Well, no. When when you're either doing great things for God, and so the devil's trying to destroy you and distract you from what you're doing

or you you have an anointing and a calling on your life, and the devil does not want you to be aware of it. He doesn't want you to be um in tune with the spirit. So, as long as he keeps you away from that, you're you're never you're never going to um go after it. You're never going to fight for that. Um so, it's either a you're going after it and the devil's going to try to stop you or b you haven't entered into it and the devil's going to try to keep you away from it. Uh I don't know if that makes sense, but okay. I agree. Makes sense in my mind. So, [laughter] I Okay, I just keep thinking about um we're in the book of John. Mhm. Um uh it's been I it's been really powerful and impactful for me. Um this last Sunday you talked about, you know, what was it? John 16 15.

Sorry. That Yeah. John 15. Yeah. Abiding and um is a true. Yeah. Um what does that look like practically for you? Maybe let's just have this conversation. What does that look like to abide? Yeah. Um and to to allow the the father to prune um and abide in bearing more fruit. What does that look like practically for you? Well, I've got a perfect example because I went to coffee with someone this morning and I was just sharing with him uh about our oldest child when she was just in a season of rebellion. So, he has uh four kids and they're younger. So he just asked me sincerely, honestly, and just um innocently, "So what did you do?" And my we prayed.

That that was my answer. [laughter] I didn't even have to think about it. I said, "We prayed." And it sounds so cliche because those prayers didn't feel good. They didn't look good. I mean, there were times we were waring. There were times we were weeping. Yeah. Uh there I mean, it's even it's muster up in my mouth emotion. Thankfully, I didn't have at the coffee shop. There were times we got oil and just we [clears throat] annoyed the room and expected expected God to answer and it's like there was trial after trial and it's just like it was just our personal journey and nobody really knows what you're going through as you're waring in prayer but we kept praying and we kept praying and we kept praying and then eventually there's like a little bit of breakthrough. Yeah. You know and you we we'd celebrate them and you try not to tell your kids you're celebrating, [laughter] right? you know, they go in the room

like, you know, and it's like more, Lord, more. And you just keep praying. So, all I told him was prayer, prayer. [snorts] Sorry. Uh, it's funny. Beforehand, they even said our friends in the room, do you need tissue? And it's like kind of [laughter] I'm not going to cry. I said, I'm not going to be the one crying today. But, uh, so he brought up the sermon. He's like, "It's exactly what you said in the sermon about making sure that you're abiding in the times of pruning." And he related his own time because in his own marriage, he and his wife um are just in a time of tension about trying to confirm God's calling with what's next in their uh their family with where to live, what to do, and all those kind of things. And he's like, we're in that pruding season where you don't feel the fruit, you don't see the fruit,

but you know that go God's not wasting the time we're in. Yes. Amen. So, it's stay connected to Jesus in that time. So, I'm trying to answer your question. What do you do? What does that look like? Yeah. What does it look like to abide uh in in Christ as John chapter 15 says, how do you abide in Christ? How do you let the God the Father be the gardener? Well, in the time that it's not comfortable, you keep abiding. Yeah. You don't give up on God. You don't leave the church. You don't leave your faith. You don't abandon Jesus. You you run to him. And even when you can't feel it, you keep taking God at his word and you keep asking. Matthew chapter 7, you keep seeking and you keep knocking. There there there's a verb, you know, you you keep asking, you keep seeking, you keep knocking until God, you know, answers and he opens and

you find, you know, like th those are the um the principles of abiding. Yeah. is uh if I don't have fruit, I I might be in a season of winter where I have no leaves, but I'm not going to get cut off from the vine right now. Yeah. [clears throat] Because I know spring is coming. Yeah. And in the spring is when the leaves come. And then in the summer is when the fruit comes. Yeah. And as we've been to Napa in the fall, that's when the harvest happens. Amen. And the father comes and he has to cut off that fruit because if he doesn't cut off that fruit, how are you going to get new fruit next summer? Yeah. And so it's like the the key to abiding is in every moment when you can't see it, you can you can have faith. And I don't know why we think faith is seeing and feeling good. Cuz faith, Hebrews 11:1 says, is the assurance of things hoped for.

It's the conviction or substance, the evidence of things not seen. So I can't see how God's going to answer my marriage right now in the tension of where we're supposed to be or what that looks like. I can't see my child coming back to the Lord or fruitful, you know, whatever that looks like for all of us. It's a different season of life. I can't see the finances to pay my bills. Whatever that I can't see cancer being healed right now because it's stage four. Whatever it is for each of us, it's different. I can't feel it. I can't see it, but I'm going to keep abiding. Yep. Amen. I I've been doing a Bible study with the ladies and one of the things that the Bible study teacher Christy Mlen has just like uh encouraged is she calls it fathing like it's it's a verb. Come on. Faith is a verb. It is not like you said a comfort. It's not a feeling. It is an action. If you read through Hebrews 11, it's by faith these people did this.

They're they're believing and they're actually stepping out into something. And I would also say in the um in those that season of pruning that you're talking about in our life with our oldest daughter and it was it wasn't just that. It was we were just kind of spiraling. It's it's when we took three months off and it did reset us. But I have to say like those seasons are so hard, but they are some of the most meaningful seasons to me um that I actually treasure because even though it was so hard and it was like just gut-wrenching that season, but it there's something that happens in those desert seasons that like you don't get in in a in a season of harvest or season of fruit. Like there's something that happens in those seasons that grows you, that refineses you, that makes you who you are. Um, and it just it it it um builds character. Uh, it it it builds dependence on the Lord that you just

don't have if you don't walk through those seasons. I mean, and you could walk through those seasons and ignore it and and not believe in faith through it. Um, or you can look to God and and cling and trust and know that he's good. Amen. Kara, that's so good. I would I want to relate to that in the same vein of the rhythms of God in in his word and how he grows us is our wilderness seasons. Yeah. And we see wilderness all throughout the Bible. Yes. Throughout all the scriptures that the wilderness season is not wasted. Yes. Over and over with the Israelites. It's it's not God's judgment of the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land that he's going to leave them there. Yeah, it was God giving every person and every generation thereafter a reminder that sometimes the wilderness is the the testing, the trying, the teaching.

Where' the law come out of the wilderness season? You know, where did the intimacy come out of the provision? How do you know Gyra provider unless you don't have to rely? Yeah. And and to see that your shoes don't wear out in the wilderness season. you just just see God over and over and the relatability of uh Moses with the stiff necked people. And all that to say is we live in the wilderness. We're we literally physically geographically we live in the high desert which ironically is the desert and it is the wilderness and it is that season uh Matthew chapter 4. Then Jesus was led by the spirit, capital S. He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1.

To know that our wilderness seasons could be God taking us there to get us to where we need to go. Yeah. It's a testing season, too. Yeah. And and this was where he was tempted three times. And this is where he got to be ministered to by angels. And this is where we get to see it was the launching pad. for his public ministry and just for our lives to abide now in the Jesus that was tempted in the wilderness that when we're in the wilderness, we don't cave into temptation. Uh that we allow God to work through those dark nights of the soul, if you will. Uh they're not wasted with God. Yeah. And stay connected. That was one of your points. Just stay connected. Stay connected. Stay connected. Stay connected. Yeah. cuz it it really is easy um to reject God, to blame God.

Meanwhile, he is a good father and and he just knows what he's doing and he allows us Yes. seasons that are hard to for so many reasons. But in the moment, for any person that's in the moment, yeah, you can't see it. And I just want to give a profound theological principle. That's okay. Yeah. [laughter] If you can't see how you're going to get out of it, that's okay. What's not okay is choosing to take the role of God and give up on God. Yeah. And start living in Yeah. sin because I would just tell you, it's not going to work out well. Yeah. No. You you get further away. And if you think that rebellion is actually going to get you closer to where you need to be, it's not. So take David's words. Even though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I'm not going to fear any e evil. Let just let him take that rod and comfort you. Get you through it. He's going to get you through it.

And then he's going to prepare a table through your enemy. So good. In front of your enemies that he's going to prepare this feast. He's going to anoint you with oil and you're going to overflow and you're going to see goodness and mercy. Come on. Yeah. Amen. He's going to chase after you all the days of your life. Yeah. He's in hot pursuit of us. So good. Yeah. So good. So good. So keep keeping on. Yes. So good. It's a good word. Car, is there anything today we didn't talk about that you want to talk about? I don't think so. This is our free counseling. So, [laughter] come on. If you need to lay down right now and just like work it out, flush it out. The good, the bad, the ugly. We talk a lot of good today. Just so much good. That's true. Yeah, we didn't talk about much ugly. No, we didn't talk about much ugly cuz I think last time we processed through a lot of ugly. So, and it all worked out for good, right? Romans 8.

Look at the testimonies that came out of it. Thank you, Jesus. Yeah. And even sometimes like what like Joseph in Genesis like what what what someone intended for evil God God works it for good and and you end up ministering the very person that meant it for evil. It's like hey guys we're all in this together. Yeah. None of us got this figured out but he does. So let's go there. So good. It's been good. Yeah. A good word. Guys, did we miss anything that you guys wanted to cover today? So good. So good. Okay. Well, I I will wrap us up in prayer. Okay. And then uh we will just say until next time. So why don't why don't we pray together? I want to pray for our listeners that they too would abide. So Lord, we thank you this day that God, you're a God that doesn't give up on us. Your mercies are new every morning. Those words in Lamentations 3 were given during exile. So we just we celebrate today that in our exile that your

mercies are new every morning. Thank you for your steadfast love, your faithfulness, your kindness, your goodness. And God, in the midst of this generation that we're living in, thank you that we live for such a time as this. So, how could we not ask you for more that these kids in this generation would encounter you and raise up and be the church? You give to children not a small Holy Spirit or child Holy Spirit. You give them the fullness of you, who you are. So, we're just praying for this generation that you not only protect them, but you would use them as a catalyst for an even greater awakening than what we're experiencing, God. More we're going to look back on these podcasts and say, "Oh, you were just getting started." So we thank you for the testimonies of what you've begun, Jesus. We thank you for the stories of what you're doing at Journey Church. Even the distractions that someone would come into church inebriated, but God, they're hearing your word and they're stepping into a new season. So we thank

you for what you're doing and we simply ask for more. God, bless every person that's listened today that they would stay connected to you as the true vine and that we would be the branches that bear not only fruit, but more fruit and much fruit because, Father, you're going to prune us. And we say that's okay. In that season, we're not going to loosen or get connect or disconnected from you. We're going to stay connected. And I just speak that over every person. And I thank you for this time in Jesus' name. Amen. And amen. So friends, until next time. Come on somebody. This is Confessions of a Pastor. Till next time, we will see you. Peace out.