A WOW Moment - September 3rd 2020

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I don't need to be answering those questions, too. I'm going to need you to put your stuff there.
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I don't need any text messages. That looks like I'm a straw shoved up my shins. It's perfect for my size.
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I don't need any text messages on that. I can't hear you.
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I can't hear you. Hey look, it's just my arm. Yeah, you're really centered. Chicken wing, chicken wing.
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She always tries to give me 20 feet. See, I knew you were going to say something and I tried so hard and instead
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I cut my own self off. To save that. We've been busy talking.
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We didn't have to go through a run through with her since she's already done it once. And then it didn't record because her son wasn't there so it was hurtful.
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Oh, goodness. We've had a blast so far tonight, y 'all.
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We've done our wow moment. Did y 'all enjoy that? You don't even have this open.
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Good evening, everybody. I hope we have some people on. If not, y 'all can catch up later.
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I think there's three. Welcome to our wow moment.
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Oh my gosh. I forgot my glasses.
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She didn't have to go in the car. She's my stool. She didn't have to go in the car to get them.
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They're right inside one of those slide pockets. Inside the backpack. Okay, Miranda, in the backpack.
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Anyways. I forgot my glasses. Welcome to our
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Bible study tonight. Are you going to wear a pair also?
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She's going to wear all the pairs. That's all there is. That's two pair.
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Welcome to our Bible study tonight, y 'all. We've been here for about an hour and you would think we'd done got our chattiness out, but we haven't.
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Apparently, Mercedes is still on the goofy side. You all know me.
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I'm Vicky. There's Mercedes. You love me.
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I have so much fun doing this. Anyways, tonight we are in, we were at a church and this is our wow room.
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I had planned on y 'all being able to see the stuff we have on the walls, but we're on the floor. Mercedes says you're not going to be able to see the stuff on the walls.
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I was right. It's okay. You can see the bottom part. But tonight we have
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Courtney Lynch with us again because the last time she was on we had wifi issues.
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There was all kinds of issues that night. So we've invited
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Courtney back. And we are really, really, really excited.
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It's been so much fun already. Anyways, because these two together
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I know I gotta start watching. I have to start watching them just a little bit closer on Sundays and Wednesdays and every other day
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I think. So Anyways, Courtney's been coming to Whitten for several many, several years.
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Several many, several years? It's better than trying to count them. Eight. Oh, one more year than me.
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Oh. Sophie was five months old when we started coming. Okay. Seven and a half more years than me.
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That's okay. I'll get there one day. You're a late bloomer. It's alright. I'll get there one day.
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So anyways, her and her wonderful husband are members here at the church and they have two of the cutest kids, three of the cutest kids.
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Two and a half. Well, yeah, two and a half because John's still a little. But I want to thank you for coming up here tonight.
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I know she gets on your nerves just like she gets on mine a lot. She's been with me all day. It's fantastic.
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We love her. Her? We do. She keeps saying her.
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We do. So anyways, Courtney, the last time you picked a verse which
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I think was in Matthew. Matthew chapter six. Gwen said you look like Jeff with two pair of glasses on.
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I should have done it. I should have jacked my eyes up for a minute. She picked up a verse
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I think that was her go -to verse. What have you picked for us tonight though? So tonight
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I chose well, it's actually a few verses but it's in Ephesians chapter one and it's a passage that I've read a bunch but when
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I was on the youth trip and we had our quiet time every day this was the passage that I studied a few days out of the week and I guess just how
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I read it was a lot differently than how I'd read it before. Like you read the same verse you've read over and over and over and then all of a sudden it just hits you with a different meaning
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I guess. That means a lot. So this has become one of my favorite.
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What is the verse? One what? So, Ephesians chapter one but it's going to be 7 -14 my certain ones are 13 and 14 but you have to read 7 -14 to get the gist to get the whole story to get what you're trying to say to put the mayonnaise on the bread
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Alright Mercedes, let's read let's get started let's read Ephesians 1 7 -14
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We have redemption in him through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure that he planned in him for the administration of the days of fulfillment to bring everything together in the
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Messiah both things in heaven and things on earth in him we also have received an inheritance in him predestined according to the purpose of the one who worked out everything in agreement with the decision of his will oh man so that when
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I was on a roll so that we who had already put our hope in the
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Messiah might bring praise to his glory when you heard the message of truth the gospel of your salvation and when you believed in him you were also sealed with the promise of the
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Holy Spirit he is the down payment of our inheritance for the redemption of the possession to the praise of his glory
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Courtney that's good 13 and 14 is my favorite because I've read it a lot because I've studied
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Ephesians quite a bit but when it says that the Holy Spirit is the down payment just the more that I read about that how it's worded when we think of down payment you know when we buy something or whatever you put a down payment on something that's important you're going to finish it out or you're going to see the end of it you're not just going to waste a down payment on something so I don't know it was really cool to me how that was worded like we get something now the
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Holy Spirit as the down payment but because of what's to come when we get the rest you know this is another
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Bible study I've done it's a it's a New Living Translation and it just puts things just work
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I understand the word a little bit better and and now you have heard the truth the good news that God saves you and when you believed in Christ he identified you as his own by giving you the
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Holy Spirit whom he promised long ago the spirit of God's guarantee the spirit is
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God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people this is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God there is another thing in verse 13 where it says you were also you were sealed with the promised
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Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and when you believed so in that part
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I kind of looked it up a little bit and it's talking about the sealing of the Holy Spirit and that was basically it meant like you were sealed with the promised
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Holy Spirit and with that with that comes ownership the sealing to be sealed with the
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Holy Spirit it was talking about ownership and being secured away from being secured from Satan it secured and sealed you with the
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Holy Spirit and it would identify you as being sealed it's like protection your identity that's part of your identity now it was pretty cool yeah verse 7 he is so rich in kindness he purchased our freedom through the blood of his
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Son and our sins are forgiven he has showered his kindness on us along with all wisdom and understanding yep and also in verse 11 where it says in him we have also received an inheritance because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will predestined so so when you think about these people that don't believe in the predestination it's used a lot it's a common
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I think people choose to not because they don't know a lot about it so if you study the
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Bible it's pretty obvious I think people that say they don't they don't look into it or they don't try to understand it or whatever there's definitely the elect
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I mean it's apparent yeah I mean because there's you know he knows who's going to be saved and he knows who's going to believe on him and in him and he knows who's not there's foreknowledge there because he knows everything right that's why it's so important for us to spread the word because we don't know who is and who isn't and so because we don't know you know that's why we it's so important for us to do that because you might be you might see somebody every single day at work and you know whether it's actually supposed to be you or not that's used to point them to Christ you don't know that either well and that's why that's why it's not only in your words either it's a lot in how you live your life and a lot of how you present yourself um because I'll be the first one to tell y 'all um this grandma right here used to know what not y 'all wouldn't have known me had you have met me many many years ago you'd have been like there's no way no way but and it's not and always remember too though it's not up to you and um you're supposed to plant the seed plant the seed because then once you plant the seed it's the
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Holy Spirit that does the rest of the work he does actually all the work because he does the work through you um for someone else that's why our pastor says all the time he ain't never saved nobody um because we don't have that ability to do so and you know
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I used to get so hurt when people didn't see things the way I did like especially coming to church forever you know forever and leaving with your family and you're going man that was a good sermon and nobody's getting it nobody's like yeah it really was you know what
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I mean because they didn't get the same thing you got out of it and some of that was because they didn't they didn't understand it because they didn't have a relationship with the
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Lord at the time so now it's good just to say like especially on Tuesday nights because we listen every
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Tuesday night at home um it's good whenever like you know
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I can see my husband his eyebrows are going and I know he wants to say something like are you listening to what he's telling you but he doesn't so but yeah and sometimes
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I look at him like I don't know what you're talking about like I don't understand so but yeah the predestination thing that everybody gets you know well and to me like because Ephesians was written by Paul and it was to a church and it was a young church so to me also the passage is uplifting because you know he's speaking to a church a new church and so I think it's supposed to be some encouragement like this is what's coming like you have a down payment of the
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Holy Spirit like God's got you you're taken care of you know that it's gonna happen he's gonna be there at the end like this is how you can be sure you have a down payment so to me it kind of helps that part too and he wrote it while in prison well it's a prison to encourage people and he's encouraging other people yeah
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I mean don't you want to do that? honestly
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I don't know how encouraging I'd be able to be if I was sitting in prison somewhere
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I mean cause you know coffee she's not very encouraging before she has coffee coffee encourages me so um we would pray for that um but we have redemption in him verse 4 for he chose us in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight in love he predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for himself according to his favor and will to the praise of his glorious grace that he favored us and was in him beloved and that's again his will do you know this was
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Mercedes favorite book? oh I love a few it's one of my favorites especially the first couple chapters cause this was where that light bulb clicked for me so have you told anybody else your story about when you started reading it yeah
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I've talked about it a few times I don't know sorry something
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I just thought about so Mercedes you don't have a slip into 1500 books yeah so in relation to verse 7 yeah in relation to verse 7 and really probably 4 as well
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Hebrews 9 12 he entered probably he entered the most holy place once for all not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood having obtained eternal redemption for if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkling those who are defiled sanctified for the purification of flesh how much more would the blood of the
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Messiah who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God cleanse our consciences from dead works to serving the living
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God what was that 9, 12 through 14 even into 15 therefore he is a mediator of a new covenant so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance because the death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant 17 for a will is valid only when people die since it is never enforced while the one who made it it is for a will is valid only when people die since it is never enforced while the one who made it is living that is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood
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I think Courtney has a passage that's fine I was just I know
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I made a note in my other bible before I traded over before well actually on the way home from the youth trip the whole ice chest dumped on my bible so I had to get a new one but I got the same one so going back to 13 and 14 because that was kind of the focus in 1st sorry 2nd
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Corinthians 1 .22 it also says he has also put his seal on us and given us the spirit in our hearts as a down payment so it just goes back to the down payment with the
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Holy Spirit I think just a lot of times people think of God the Father, God the
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Son, God the Holy Spirit 3 parts 3 in 1 but they don't really think like we have the
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Holy Spirit right now and like that's something that you have if you're a
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Christian then you have it right now and it's something that you it's with you everyday all day no matter what so to me just reading that reiterates it's the down payment it's something you have right now like I think people just they focus more on God the
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Father because we can relate to a father figure God the Son, we can relate to a figure of a son but the
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Holy Spirit I feel like is such a foreign thought like we don't have anything to compare it to really but you know the
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Bible talks about all the ways you can think of it such as a down payment you know it is one of the 3 parts so it is equally important but well and right now at this moment it's what we have right it's what we have like right now it's also what helps us understand scripture as we read it you know yeah because some people they don't understand why they don't understand why they can't understand for instance since you brought it up earlier well a few minutes ago for me when
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I was you know it was suggested to me to read
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Ephesians the first chapter and I had opened up the app on my phone and I'm reading it
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I don't know why I just I don't know why I was so nervous
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I don't get this and so I put it down then the next day I tried again for a couple of days
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I tried and I'm like I'm just not getting it and then this was just last year and I've never understood scripture ever not really
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I always thought it was something pastors were able to understand nobody else was and that's why they were you know to teach us because we can't so finally that you know after a couple of times
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I stopped and I prayed I prayed for the first time in I don't know how long and I said just help me understand just help me understand this and I'm not even kidding you
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I opened my eyes started reading and it was instant oh make a note oh make another note and it was just like that and I didn't know that in somewhere else and I can't remember where it's out in scripture but it says you know just asking for wisdom and it will be given to you and that you know
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I didn't know that at the time and I also didn't know that also in scripture it says that scripture is foolish to those who don't believe you know and so for an unbeliever you cannot and I'm not saying
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I didn't believe in God but it was it was it wasn't heart service right it was always lip service oh you said heart service yeah like you were just mouthing yeah like I believed in God but I didn't believe on him you know and so when my heart changed my mind changed and then your eyeballs said wow yeah and so you know for me
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I think that was when like we talked about that was the point of my true conversion and for me that was when the
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Holy Spirit said I got you
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James 1 maybe James 1 5 now if any of you lacks wisdom you should ask
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God who gives to all generously and encouragingly and it will be given to him yeah and I didn't know that that was there
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James 1 what? 1 5 I thought it was James 1 but I couldn't remember so I didn't want to quote it I had no clue that that was there but then when
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I came across that I go this has been the best and it happened and it worked because the
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Bible says that it would work yeah and scripture is true you know a lot of people have said a lot of bad things 2020 has not been the best year ever but spiritually
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I don't know I can't speak for y 'all but spiritually it has been amazing
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COVID has put a lot of people through the wringer but at the same time God has done incredible things with it
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I mean us doing the wow moment and things like that that would have never happened it would not have happened there is no way you would have gotten me and her on facebook and not just that but any of the things that our church does now probably would not be taking place right now and it's really opened eyes and it's opened a lot of hearts and so I can't
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I was sitting there last night thinking God this year is almost over we're getting there but then
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I got to thinking about it and I thought that it hasn't been a bad year for the
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Lord no of course I don't think he has a bad year even for me and Courtney it was work
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I mean we work with so many of our Witton family we get to hang out with Witton every day
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I don't want to hear it you're stoic you're not supposed to be stoic you can come have lunch with us any time from downtown can we drive from downtown
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I don't get better at it bring us some I don't get better at it rendezvous do not bring us rendezvous bring us some central you can get 30 minutes for lunch we can be halfway we'll meet you halfway really anyways so this year hasn't been that bad of a year how cool is it to know that God chose us
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I mean we don't have anything to offer we didn't bring anything to the table we weren't seeking him you know
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I mean he chose us he found us true
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I was looking for something I didn't know what I was looking for he provided a living sacrifice for us like I said
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Mercedes wasn't looking for Jack not Jack poor Jack Jack never gets looked for oh
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I do appreciate that that one was for you Aisha has more
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Jack jokes if you want so I walked I walked into John's office and I go hey
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John guess what I'm exercising my 5th amendment rights and he was like I think it's 5th amendment and he was like what's that it's probably not whatever the right to bear arms is is that 2nd amendment so I'm like yeah
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I'm exercising that right and he goes oh yeah the right to bear arms Smith and Wesson he just looked at me and I walked out oh god
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Elena you came up to work and didn't say hello okay anyway
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I'm sorry what were you saying she lost it you were saying 5th amendment yeah sorry
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I knew I was wrong the Smith and Wesson just blew me out of the woods it is a pretty powerful gun well
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I'm not saying it's not but your arms are not Smith and Wesson and then he goes and then he goes
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I'm just gonna walk around with bear arms like bear arms anyway what were you saying so aren't you jealous you don't get to put up with that everyday like I'm gonna wish
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I did there's a thing called Marco Polo I can get that on thank you pastor thank you for my assistance that's the other thing we probably would never use
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Marco Polo if it wasn't for COVID that's true but yeah but not as much so what were you saying
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Vicki I'm sorry we were talking about can we rewind it can somebody tell us where we were at we weren't talking about being chosen we weren't seeking him oh no what
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I was saying is you weren't looking for Jack and you went off the because Mercedes came to church going
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I don't want to meet nobody I don't want to know nobody I walked in the doors with a whole bunch of I'm nots guess what she is the nots got worked out yeah they did
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God said I bet God said I bet yeah saying you're not one more time
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I've really gotten to the point where I just quit saying I'm not yeah me too and that's that's the other reason too and honestly as women that's the whole thing that's the whole kit and caboodle caboodle not a cafe hush let me get my thought out um let me help you
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I lost it again that's the whole kit and caboodle oh women that's just like us sitting here talking about not saying that you're not going to do something anymore especially when it comes to ministry and stuff like that women also have got to get it through their heads that the worry is no good either nope yeah the worry to worry is no good hey that has to deal with my verse from last time that didn't get recorded just for fun can
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I read it yes you can we're going to recap Courtney's first trip just really quick because it didn't get recorded and it really is my all time favorite verse and it does help with worry and anxiety both of which
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I deal with so it's Matthew chapter 6 and it is starting in verse 25 the heading of this section is the cure for anxiety so go ahead therefore
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I tell you don't worry about your life what you will eat or what you will drink or about your body what you will wear isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing consider the birds of the sky they don't sow or reap or gather into barns yet your heavenly father feeds them aren't you worth more than they can any of you add one moment to his lifespan by worrying and why do you worry about clothes observe how the wildflowers of the field grow they don't even labor or spin thread yet I tell you that not even
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Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these if that's how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow won't he do so much more for you you of little faith so don't worry saying what will we eat or what will we drink or what will we wear
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Matthew 634 is therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow worry about itself each day has enough trouble of its own and that's always been a super favorite of mine that was that was our first one wasn't it?
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I believe so when you blew up that holy spirit was uh he took over our first land which
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I pray that he takes all of them but yes women and worry stop it yeah and the the second part that I went with that was in Matthew chapter 10 talks about the stupid sparrows that don't do anything for anybody yeah you were talking about how they weren't even worth eating you don't even eat sparrows they're so tiny are two sparrows sold for a penny yet not one of them falls to the ground without your father's consent but even the hairs of your head have all been counted so don't be afraid you're worth more than many sparrows yeah so you had to do two in one yeah
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I did the sparrow one is my Pastor Josiah and I were talking about it at work the other day a little while ago about how sparrows will literally do nothing they're not pretty you don't eat them you don't look out the window and go oh look a pretty little sparrow like oh red bird they're not colorful and all that but that even a bird that really doesn't benefit us in any way
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God knows exactly when it falls to the ground when it hits the door at work and slides down the window he knows that that happened and he knows about the little stinking bird and then he knows all the hairs on our head and they're all numbered and counted not only the hairs that you have now but all the hairs you've ever had age boy is my mom but and the hairs that you will have or you won't have depending on how old you are right
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Ricky? thanks it's pretty easy for bald people
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I mean you know there's not much I think I see Bragg's Mercedes anyways
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I think we've run out of time probably um I have to say that we should have recorded the entire time we were up here tonight has been a really fun evening um but I also know that there were parts of tonight that didn't need to be recorded so there's that oh
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I want to thank you all thank you, thank you, thank you for coming tonight um I think we were kind of everywhere a little bit for a minute there we didn't really stick with Ephesians 1 7 -14 but that's the whole point of studying the whole point of this
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Bible study is just to put something out there and where it takes us, it takes us and where we end up, we end up well
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I mean we did kind of in the sense of with what she read in Ephesians or what she picked in Ephesians it's one of those we're sealed with the
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Holy Spirit like she said like God's got us and so ties that in with worrying there's no reason because we were sealed with that promise
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God's got us look at Mercedes being the super glue I can connect that sometimes
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I'm not always squiggly lines we're getting somewhere y 'all we're getting somewhere she makes me so proud every week never mind the other days of the week just on Thursdays I'm kidding,
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I'm really kidding but Courtney thank you so much for coming thank you so much for doing this again with us we actually have done this so many several times now and when we finish the ladies that we have studied with they're like so when are you coming back but when we first get there or when they first sit down in the seat they're kind of like I don't know why
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I decided to do this I don't really know if I'm going to be okay we usually get a text later that night
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I'll do another one and Rachel said when we finished she said
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I'll do that again she hadn't even left the church yet Elaina texted us later that night
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I'll do another one we need to do one with Elaina so y 'all can do that no never mind
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I was about to say y 'all can do that while I'm on vacation no no no I will have somebody to chaperone while I'm on vacation while I'm on vacation
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I might have Pastor sit with Mercedes how about Pastor sit with you
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Mercedes I mean that's fine he can sit with us Elaina he'll enjoy it just as much I'll put somebody in I'm looking to go on vacation sometime in October I don't know quite sure when yet but I have to have somebody sit in to make sure this goes properly no you're good we got a plan we'll be fine you can watch us from vacation
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I will be watching from vacation I don't think she trusts us can she call us in the middle of a cut out or something no
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I'll put my phone on mute but if you're here I bet you I can call you on your phone and dare you say are you calling
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I don't hear you I'll just push the do not start I'll call you back later somebody will be here
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I promise it will not go awry we'll make you proud mom
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Carrie or Gwen Gwen or something
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I don't know y 'all please pray I'm not worrying but when
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I come back anyways thanks y 'all again for joining us tonight in this crazy 45 minutes that we've been here
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I hope that you've received something out of it that you may be able to use or that maybe the
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Holy Spirit brought the word to you in a different way and he'll use it but if you are in the area this week come join us
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Sunday morning service starts at 10 .30 I will give you the address of the church but guess what 6773 that's it
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I've heard it said so many times you'd think I would I don't mail anything here so but go ahead also all the other stuff that us along with Pastor Ben Pastor Josiah, Pastor Jeb Brother Andrew are all on YouTube if you want to go check those things out
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Witten Media Ministries yep alright alright thanks again