A WOW Moment with Vicki, Mercedes & Rachel (Date: October 15th 2020) Rachel Shipley

Whitten Baptist Church

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00:44

I am pregnant so that was a pregnancy joke. She is pregnant and she's really starting to show.

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Yes so we're at 22 weeks. We're making way for baby. It actually is because I have

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Ava, we're his first girl around and I did not have the demands of the toddler so it was kind of like oh this is taking forever but now

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Josiah and I are kind of like oh my gosh like we're 22 weeks already and that we have this little it's a little like meter type thing and it shows you how far along you are and we're like this close to the third trimester and once you get to the third trimester you're like oh my gosh like everything like all this stress kicks in and stuff but we're not having to do as much like we had to look around for a restrictions they're gonna have on us around that time so which due dates

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February so I'm hoping by then. When are you delivering? St. Francis Park. As of right now?

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Well Methodist is allowing one person in so. I think all hospitals from what

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I've been told like like Josiah has been able to go to every single one of my appointments. I always asked the only one where they're just like well let's not have him coming for that one is when

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I get blood work done which I understand because I'm not doing a heart beat or ultrasound or anything like that so.

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Wilhelmina said hello. She said to tell y 'all that. Oh hi

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Wilhelmina how are you? I guess we got to get started.

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Good evening everyone and welcome to our Bible study. I'm Vicki everybody remembers

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Mercedes and you should remember miss Rachel Mrs. Rachel Shipley.

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She is our guest again this evening and we're so thrilled to have her again. I really missed y 'all last week

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I'm sorry I was on vacation and well I just realized

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I have 20 feet on this side again. Oh my gosh. I didn't say anything because see Mercedes is right at the edge.

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She's trying to hide herself. Do you want me to get up and move it?

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Would you like me to get up and move it? Rachel sees it too. Would you like me to get up and move it?

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Yeah you need some work. Oh my goodness. But anyways I was on vacation last week and I will be here this week and I will be here next week and then the next week.

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Thank you Megan. Anything else? You love me. And then

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I'll be here this week and next week and then I'll be on another vacation. Must be nice. So it took 15 years to get here.

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You've earned it. It's taken a long time. Good evening

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Aisha how are you? Tonight though we are in a we're gonna do a study on some scripture and I have to tell y 'all a little background before we get started because I told

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Rachel you know because she's already been on here once and we did her go -to verse then you know just she could just pick anything.

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She says well I just really don't know what to choose from and then you know this week as most of you know that are on any of our live feeds or any of our witness stuff that we have had a brother that has fought cancer and battled cancer for many years and just this past week he had a surgery that was kind of a real risky type situation.

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He was it was either a do or it was either a make it or don't. It was a make it or break it kind of deal and the surgery that that he had wasn't near what they expected.

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He I'll just put it to you this way the Lord has heard every single prayer that that anybody has ever has ever ever ever done on behalf of Brother Robert.

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It was a miraculous thing. It was amazing. It's cool too because a lot of people will say well you don't see

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God perform miracles the way he used to in scripture and I'm like not within my church body. Right because we see it we see it more often

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I think than than anybody. I'm not going to say than anybody but I think we realize and recognize it as a miracle from God instead of look or instead of oh well that was a coincidence.

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Well there are no coincidences. So anyways Rachel came up with verses tonight that when she told me last night

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I sent her a message back and I said oh my gosh that is exactly where I was hoping we were gonna go.

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I was wanting to do something on luck or something that there is no such thing as luck or just anyways it just the

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Holy Spirit's all over this and I really hope that you all receive a blessing from this because I've already received a blessing from it and we haven't even done it yet because I was so hyped about it last night and today.

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I am so excited about it. But again just a side note

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Courtney if you're watching you have to talk a whole lot. Again I want to thank y 'all and I really hope that you do receive the blessing that there is to be shared through this tonight and I do want to say

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Robert and Candace we love you so very much and we continue to pray for you. So anyway so Rachel what is the verse that you've chosen or verses because she's got two different books with several verses.

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My husband helped me come up with that because I could not gather my thoughts to come up with scripture on my own so I just he was like well wait something that's laying on your heart right now and so I just talked through it and I told him that I'm actually preaching to myself right now that's what this is.

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Remaining obedient even through hard times though I am a hermit so anytime I'm faced with just I wouldn't even say hard times so just any troubling situations

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I'm the kind of person that tends to not run from it but hide like I isolate myself really bad whereas scripture says to do the opposite that when you are struggling to lean on each other whereas I'm the kind of person like no

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I'm fine I'll go hide out in the corner like I'm okay and then you know it'll pass. Maybe you're in the same boat but they're separate boats because we don't lean on their people though.

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I used to struggle with quitting stuff really bad I was like oh like I would say yes to too much stuff and then

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I would just quit it all if they got too hard whereas now I have because I don't make decisions for just myself anymore

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I have a husband and like children to consider I struggle with just hiding from people I don't quit it necessarily but I just quit talking to people.

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It's a different kind of quitting so that was that's something that has just been on my heart lately that I think a lot of people can relate to especially during this time of the year a lot of people struggle with seasonal depression or yes whatever whatever kind of hurt they're going through they do people a lot of times like myself do tend to want to isolate themselves they don't want to hurt in front of people it's easier absolutely absolutely less energy

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I completely agree and I'll never forget this old lady and she said it a very old lady way but she was like you know when you tend to isolate yourself into a corner your demons are waiting there with you and I was like and she's so right because am

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I preaching to you? And I just went through all of this.

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We haven't even got started good. She's already got her hands on her face and her hands.

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But I mean she was she was right because I mean that is the complete and total opposite of Scripture is you're right of course we naturally in our sin want to go hide from our church body but the people that love and care about us because we're going to pull you out of that corner absolutely

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I think healing kicking and screaming and yes but healing does hurt that I think that that's that's the the whole point of sanctification is it is painful so it's it's hard to sit in those healing moments yes because they are painful so the scripture she's chosen tonight is

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Galatians 6 9 through 10 and Romans 12 10 through 13 so take it away

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Mercedes. For the one who has taught the message must share all his good things with the teacher.

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Do not don't be deceitful. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap because the one who sows his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh but the one who sows to the

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Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit so we must not get tired of doing good for we will reap at proper time at the proper time if we don't give up therefore as we have opportunity we must work for the good of all especially those who belong to the

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Ten through 13. Show family affection to one another with brotherly love.

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Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence. Be fervent in spirit.

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Serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope. Be patient in affliction. Be persistent in prayer.

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Share with the saints and their needs. Pursue hospitality. I would stick up to me for that one and this particular topic was when it talks about opportunity just I actually read it in ESV and it says season that's what

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I always say like we're just going through a season right now and stuff but I actually looked up what opportunity meant and it was actually it wasn't just referring to a time frame it's actually talking about the entire believers life so it's just talking about that you perceived it was that a

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Christian's life like you're only given you're giving your entire Christian life to minister to people even through the hard times and something that I've had to learn is that if scripture says that Christ is the example of how he laid his life down for the church through the cross then as we're going through our life as Christians it's not it's not supposed to be easy and everybody knows that but I think a lot of times people wait till their life is going smoothly for them to start ministering to people whereas what

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Jesus did on the cross does not show that at all that's you're supposed to be serving the church even through your and thankfully through the

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Holy Spirit we're capable of doing that we can't do that through our own strength but that that just stuck out to me well

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I think that was kind of my like aha moment that I catch myself doing that a lot of times

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I'll wait till I'm like doing really good to minister to people because I've used that excuse before where I'll say like well

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I'm not doing good right now I can't help out with that and it's like nope that's the best time for you to help out yes absolutely yeah yeah because I'm still learning the thing is that and that's what

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I've told Mercedes so many times it's when when you're in your lowest yes it doesn't only help the person that needs you right at that time but it helps you and the reason the way it helps you is that the

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Holy Spirit working through you is what helps lift you it's one of those it can be one of those situations where you're telling somebody something and you're going oh

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I need a mirror right in front of me as I say this yeah because there's a lot of times that I have been telling you something and it's like you know

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I've had to tell myself this or I have had to preach this to myself and preaching to yourself is not easy especially when it's something that you told yourself over and over and over and over again yes and you've known it or you've heard it like you've heard that over and over again

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I told you this before yeah listen listen

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Linda right exactly so but I mean in it's true because it and the thing the whole thing with whatever a man sows he will also rape and I've always heard with obedience comes blessings and you have to be careful to define what blessing is because a lot of times yes or you know oh if I keep doing this

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I'm gonna get my house and stuff like that like they just right but it's blessings don't always come the way we perceive them like it's a blessing to receive conviction that doesn't really yeah actually we don't really see that as a blessing but it is like I'm there's been times where I've been thankful for the conviction of the

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Holy Spirit because to be honest it lets me know that the Spirit of God is still living inside of me it's like okay

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I'm glad this makes me feel bad. It's a good and bad consequence thing.

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Yes exactly. Because I've actually asked people before and not here but outside of church you know because they work and they work and they work and then they're constantly saying well

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I'm gonna make it and I'm gonna do this I'm gonna do it and I'll make this money and I'm like but what is money what you know why do you strive so hard for money especially with what you're doing like if you're putting it towards yourself it's like right right because I mean you could live every single day of your life trying to make your bank account bigger right but what good is that gonna do you in all honesty

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I mean it's like right now Scott and I we both work and it's it's not a we it's not as bad as it was but we're not on easy street by far and and I never want to be on easy street

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I never want to be I don't ever want to be there because that's not what's for I mean it's not for me

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I'm with you and there's some people that like Christian people that they are wealthy and are honestly our church the church in some aspects has to be thankful for that but I like purchase

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I and I that's never something that we at any point of our marriage I've ever talked about striving for a certain amount of wealth right now of course he's been called to pastoral ship and so that there's

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I feel like there's no place for a pastor to ever strive after money that's that's a scary route to go down so that I definitely would say that actually with any

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Christian we shouldn't do that right right you know I mean just because you live your life day after day after day and in what you're put on this earth for is not to make the dollar bill what you're put on this earth for is to reach one more soul or a preach or say a word or to give a good word or to support or encourage or another soul that's what we're here for that's why you were born and that's why

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Mercedes was born and I thank God every day that he landed me here because now

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I can sit here with you two and with many other women and give that encouraging word or receive that encouraging word from the

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Holy Spirit because what we have to share with each other is so much more than just being women and I feel like that the more that we reach out and the more that we seek the

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Lord and what he has in store for us besides our nine to fives or besides being a mom of three kids or besides being a pastor's wife or besides being a troll you know then we we can give that and that good afternoon or good morning or how was your day or anything to to anybody out there you know what

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I'm saying so the reaping and the sowing is is all on you it's all on you so that's why when you told me this scripture

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I was like this is gonna be really good especially to those who are of the household of faith so just your church family so I feel like we show our love and obedience to God through loving one another the most

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I think that's shown the most I think that actually scripture that's how the world sees

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Christ in us and the church body is love one another yes we technically are considered a blue -collar church like most of our like we're we're obviously not a big church but it's so funny and I really don't we don't not a lot of our people have a ton of money to get like we're a nickel -and -dime kind of people yet we have very consistent givers not even just in tithing and church giving and stuff but I mean

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I I couldn't even stop to think of the amount of people if I needed food or anything like that like and they they would be like sure why don't you come over for dinner like this like instantly they would open up their home so that that's something

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I love about our church body is just the not even just hospitality but just like that actual family vulnerability just immediately

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I don't know where I'm willing to help you out there's no conditions to it or anything like that it's just it's amazing yeah we're really again blessed yeah we're a wealthy church when it comes to that yes spiritually

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I would say we are an incredibly wealthy church this is true this is true our building might be falling apart.

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We might have a leak or two in the ceiling, but hey, not anymore. We got that fixed. Yes, we got a lot of stuff fixed.

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Yeah, not anymore. Going off of what you just said was helping others, you know, in that sense, 1

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Timothy 5 .8. But if anyone does not provide for his own, that is his own household.

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Yes, it's not the faith, and it's worse than unbelief. Wait a minute, can you repeat that? 1

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Timothy 5 .8? Yeah, will you read that again? But if anyone does not provide for his own, that is his own household.

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Yes, it's not the faith, and it's worse than unbelief. Even though we don't all reside under the same,

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I mean, we all have our own households, but at the same time, we are a family.

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You know, we are a household, so to speak. I was talking to Ms.

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Kaylee Dillon the other day, and she was telling me, she was like, I just love coming here.

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And I was like, me too. She goes, I just feel relaxed. And I was like, yeah, like it's home. Yeah, it's like an extension of your home.

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I was like, I know exactly what you mean. You just, you know, feel like you're, like, it's, you get a different feeling when you go to your job.

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It's like you have to put on your cap for, I gotta go to work, and kind of stuff. It's, you don't have to put on your church cap when you come here.

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It really is like, it's a different home. Like, you are home. Well, I have gone to several churches in my life, and this is the only church

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I think I would, that I would actually sit my grandchild down and not worry about. I've never,

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I have a lot of people that, and I love Witten, don't get me wrong, I agree with what everyone says, but I grew up here, so I've never, thankfully, experienced what a bad church can,

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I've grown up, and I've seen the different people that have come through here, so I'm good, so I'm bad, and just the growth of the church and stuff, but it has always been a safe place.

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So when people tell me, like, yep, there's no other church, or they've never experienced another, not that there's not a single other church out there like ours, but that they've never experienced that,

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I don't know, it just kind of makes me proud, I'm like, that's right. Yeah, because Mercedes, she had exited a church that,

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I did not have a fantastic experience, and so coming to Witten, seeing the family, the family feel to it, and hearing when somebody says,

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I love you, knowing that it's genuine, and it's true, and it's not empty, void words, and when they ask you, how are you doing, are you okay, it's not just one of those small talk things, it's genuine,

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I want to know if you're okay. They're not like, you doing okay?

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Please say yes so we don't have to talk about it. People here will actually get it, like, no, what do you really mean, you're not doing okay?

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Are you lying to me? Let me hide my feelings for a minute. The fact that, to not feel like I have to put up that I'm okay face, or that false, that falsehood of that.

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Because people see straight through it. Yeah, they see straight through it. Or when somebody says, is there anything that you need?

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It is not, it's not empty, it is true.

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For all of you out there that don't know, Mercedes, when she first started coming here, was not ever going to come back.

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She came here on a business issue, and then she heard the pastor preach, and she said, well, we'll go back next

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Sunday. He's a good speaker, we'll come back. He's a good speaker. He held my attention.

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And then she told her husband, okay, we'll go back, but we're going to sit on the back row.

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I don't do this, I don't do that, I don't, I'm not going to join, I'm not going to go to Sunday school, I'm not going to tie, I'm not going to make friends, build relationships, back row attendee, last one in, first one out, that is it.

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This is guy, ha. Right, he's like, bet, bet. Because little did

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I know, I was in the hot seat literally the minute my butt entered the doors. I did not want to be here that first day.

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But I remember. She said pastor preached on grace the first two Sundays. First three.

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Three Sundays. So that first Sunday I'm there, and I'm texting my uncle trying to figure out some other, my mom passed last

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January, so had some family already coming here, and so it was, hey, do you want to have the service here?

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Because, you know, they're not going to charge us. And I was like, free?

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Yes. And I was asked to come on that Sunday, and I went, where do

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I stand with all that? I don't know. And I would just think about it. So I was like, you know what,

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I kind of need to know who I'm going to be corresponding with. What kind of space we're going to be working with.

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You know, what the layout is. So I put my business hat on. 100 % business hat.

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That is all my intentions were. And truthfully, honestly, I was just using

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Lytton for what I could get, which was free. And when

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I look back at that, and I've made that connection, I'm going, man, like how horrible is that?

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It did. It worked out very well. Would not go and change that in any manner.

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So that first Sunday, he was preaching on grace, and I'm talking to my uncle, trying to figure out more details that need to be handled.

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So in between messages, I'd chime in and listen and come back down.

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And every time I'd start listening again, I'd hear the word grace.

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And so finally, I text him, I was like, hey, you know what, let me talk to you later. I'm at church.

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And he goes, I never thought about that. And I go, yeah, no, me neither. Surprise to me too.

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And then he did the service, and I was like, okay, well, all right,

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I'll give it another shot. That next Sunday, Sunday two, grace.

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And you know how sometimes he will look in the general direction of the person who's on his mind as he's preaching?

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Absolutely. Well, he was kind of in my direction. Because he didn't even know you then.

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Not really. We had only met twice at this point. And so that third

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Sunday, still back row. And I mean, I don't mean like kind of back row.

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I mean very, very back row. The chairs were still in rows. If they had pulled in another row.

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It would have been back there. We're going back there. Right. We need to be in the absolute back row. So that third

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Sunday, he's still talking about grace. And this time, his eyes.

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And I'm like, there is nobody behind me. What is going on? He does do that sometimes.

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The same big person that he's talking to, he'll walk in. He'll even say,

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I'm talking to you. Who's he talking to back there? There was nobody behind me. And then the first scripture he pointed me to was in Ephesians, talking about grace.

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And I'm like, seriously? Blake, what is this? Hot seat the minute

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I came in here. So now it's been a year and a half.

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Almost two years. It'll be two years in January. In January. And Mercedes has been rolling up in here.

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I had to stop and catch my breath for a minute. Those people are crazy. So much. The Holy Spirit whipped her up.

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And we just loved her. Just loved her.

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And it's amazing and incredible watching her go through the whole sanctification and learning.

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It's been a whole process. I mean, within the first five months,

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I dealt with loss. You know, back to back. Talking about the love that's shown here.

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I saw it firsthand with Vicki when I had the miscarriage. And she took an entire day off to take me to my follow -up appointment.

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So I didn't have to go by myself. Because we couldn't afford for Justin to take another day off. And she didn't even know me.

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Not really. I didn't have to. Just Whitten is beautiful.

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We did have fun that day, though. We did. We made it a fun day. I didn't see

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Mines that day, but in the fishbowl. She was in this room that had mirrors. She kept sneaking in.

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And like kicking her out. They would tell me I couldn't stay in. They would tell me

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I couldn't stay in there. And then I would go back out in the wedding room. And then they would say, do you want to go back there with her?

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And I was like, well, sure. So they would bus me back there, and I'd be sitting there. And she'd be like, oh, they let you back in.

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They let me back. And the guy would come in and say, ma 'am, you're not supposed to be in here. I'm like, well, then why do they keep letting me in? And then she'd stand at the window and tap.

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And this one lady was like, ma 'am, I think. And I was like, what are you doing? It was a big old window in this room that she was waiting on her test.

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Because she was waiting on her blood levels to go down. And I would just stick my head in just like this much. And then her and Jenny and Tara were on.

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They group face chatted me on Messenger to help kind of. It was a very group affair.

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You were not on your own through that. No, I was not. As much as they wanted you to be, you were not on your own.

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That's just who we are. That's who we are. I was actually told at one point, ma 'am, you can't be video chatting right now.

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I'm like, gosh. All right. I'll go, guys. All right. Welcome to Win.

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They kicked you out of the room. So, yeah.

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But, I mean, it's just incredible. And, you know, I've been through a whole lot in my life.

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And I've seen a whole lot in my life. And to watch other people go through things that I've been through. And it's not identical things.

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But I know how they feel. And it really, really, really gets to me.

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Because it's like, don't feel like that. I don't want them to feel like that. Because in all honesty, the grace of God is going to get you out of that.

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And His mercy is more so. He has more mercy than we have failure.

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Absolutely. And He has more grace than anything you can ever possibly outgrace

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Him. You can't outgrace Him. Grace of balance. Grace of balance more. So, you know, it's just there.

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And that's what verse 10 in Galatians is talking about, I think, with the opportunity.

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It's like, you know, you go through something. Somebody else goes through something similar or exactly the same.

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And that's your opportunity to encourage. Absolutely. And speak truth and share the gospel and go, look what

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God did in my life. Right. This is what God did when He, you know, He used this.

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Well, because that's like, I have never been in the situation you've been in through your miscarriage. I've never, that's something

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I've never experienced. But I have felt the pain of loss before.

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So, you know, so it doesn't matter if you've been through something that somebody's been through.

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You still know. I'm not going to say that again. I'm not going to say it doesn't matter.

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But it's like with Rachel. Rachel and I are two completely, totally different people. But we can relate with a lot of issues when it comes to feelings or emotions that you're not supposed to even take, that you're not supposed to give them any credit at all.

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But it takes another Christian believer to tell you and to remind you the truth.

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And that's what we have to do with each other. Especially when you're in that hard place. Which, like you were saying, just because you have an experience, like I've never experienced a miscarriage either.

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But that doesn't mean I can't sit down and hurt with someone. You can sit down and sympathize with them and love on them.

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But it does take that friend or that sister in Christ or brother.

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Just to sit down and cry with you. Yes, just cry and, I don't know, love on them. And then you reach that moment where it's like, all right, we're going to carry each other through this now.

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Like I've let you wallow a little bit. When you say to get up, let me throw a shoe at your head. Like we're going to move forward with this.

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Yeah, that's about how that works. If you're one of Vicki's friends. Particularly me. Did you actually physically throw a shoe at her?

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Yes, I did. My first mission trip. Last year. It was.

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It was a pack of black and pink Crocs. Those have weight to them. Yes, they do. It attacked her somewhere in the middle of the back of my head.

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From across the hotel room. And you know what she said? You just hit me in the back of the head.

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I was so shook. It's a good thing you weren't turned around or I'd have smacked you in your face. I was so shook,

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Rachel. Shook. I was like, you're the women's ministry director.

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What are you doing? I am getting people in line. Literally.

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Like my assistant. So on to physically handling the church body.

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No, I'm just kidding. Anyways. We've really witnessed a lot this week within our church body.

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And not just this week, but in the past several weeks. I'm here to tell each and every one of you that watches this today, tomorrow, in a month, in a year,

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God's still in the business of miracles. Yes, absolutely.

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And you need to look at them for what they actually are. You don't do anything.

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And what you receive is not something that you gain yourself. It's a gift that he gives you every single day.

38:36

If he gives you another breath in the morning when you wake up, then that is a gift.

38:42

I was just about to say, I think we become so privileged in our lives that we start missing the smaller blessings like waking up.

38:54

Like a lot of times you grunt when you wake up. I do right now. And you don't wake up with a grateful heart.

39:01

I do too. That you woke up that morning. But even just in the stuff like we're talking about going to Lebanon, our church family,

39:10

I'm thankful to live in a country where we can even do something like that. Because that is not...

39:15

Doing something like this, being on social media, live. With our Bibles open.

39:21

There's no fear of persecution. No. So I think not recognizing the

39:28

Lord's provision and protecting us through that, that we're able to do something like that and being grateful for that.

39:35

And not viewing that as a miracle in and of itself. That's where you get caught up in yourself and just your privilege and stuff.

39:45

Not recognizing that. So then we look at it and we're like, does God even perform miracles anymore? Are you kidding me?

39:51

Right. Yes, every day. But this is the thing. I've said this to a lady at work, and I know we've gone over, but I've said this to a lady at work.

40:01

One day she said, I asked her, I said, so how are you this morning?

40:06

She said, well, you know, I'm not pushing up daisies. And I said, do what?

40:12

She said, well, you know, at least the Lord woke me up. I said, well, you know, this is a few years back.

40:17

I said, well, you know, I'm getting to the age, though, that sometimes I wonder, if he didn't wake me up,

40:25

I would be in glory. So which one would be better? And she looked at me with a really stunned face, and she said, well, you know, that's true, but he wakes me up every day because there's something else he wants and needs me to do.

40:47

I think it's recognizing that. Right. Because like you said, if you're a

40:53

Christian, is death really the worst thing in the world, or is it... Right, or is it living the next day because this is getting to be a bad world?

41:01

But I also look at it, too, that it's actually a blessing that my husband wakes up every day, and it's a blessing for me.

41:10

Absolutely. And it's a blessing that my children wake up every day because it's a blessing for me because I don't have to go through the suffering of losing them.

41:19

Right. So it's the same way with Mercedes and you, or anybody that I love, you know?

41:27

Talking about the little things that we miss. I struggle with depression. It's a pretty rough case of it.

41:35

Yeah, it is. Are you surprised with that? Thank you.

41:41

Wait, wait. That was so... I don't know, I didn't know how to answer that. That was such a timid answer.

41:47

It threw me off, and I thanked you. That was good. That was great.

41:54

It threw my brain for a minute. Like, of course someone else deals with depression.

41:59

I didn't want to belittle what she goes through. Thank you. I will think that was a legitimate thank you.

42:05

The other one was, I didn't... Yeah, anyway, so... I was like, what do you mean by that? Yeah, so confused.

42:13

Anyway, so yeah, I struggle with it. And when I'm going through those really low lows,

42:19

I don't see beauty in anything. So much looks shades of gray.

42:27

So when I come out of it and I see the color, the greenery and the trees and the sun and the blueness in the sky,

42:35

I find myself thankful for vision so that I can see God's creation around me.

42:42

Right now, the crisp in the air in the morning, being thankful that I get to experience and breathe in that crisp air.

42:50

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. It's amazing.

42:57

You know, we really take so much for granted. And we just have to remember it and we have to constantly stay on one another.

43:07

Yeah. I think you can see when each other gets in and out, which those are the people that must get on your nerves when you are in your depression, when they're like, there's so much to be thankful for.

43:19

And then you start listening and I'm like, shut up. Yeah. Stop asking me what I'm thankful for right now.

43:26

But man, when you can muster up something, then there's hope in that. And it gets to the point, as I'm asked that, sometimes daily, you know, the first few times,

43:37

I'm like, nope. I eventually do come back and answer the text message. But the more often

43:42

I'm asked, the easier it is to come up with something. And then it gets to the point where I will tell them what

43:48

I'm thankful for before they ask me. You know, it's... I wonder, you know, since we're talking about not being able to see

43:59

God's creation around us for the beauty that it is and the beauty that it holds.

44:06

Paul struck blind on the way to, on the road to Damascus, right?

44:12

When he gets to where he's supposed to be, his vision is restored.

44:19

And at this point, I mean, God spoke to him, you know, and he's,

44:25

I'm assuming, converted at that point, right? So his view of everything around him,

44:38

I wonder if that changed. Like, if he actually saw the beauty that is in those things.

44:46

I'm sure. You definitely see throughout his ministry, it was instant humility, whereas, I mean, before,

44:52

I mean, he was killing Christians, and he's such an educated guy. I mean, he was the guy.

45:01

And so that instant humility of, I'm not as powerful as I think

45:07

I am. I'm not as intelligent as I think I am. You know, the world does not revolve around me, and so on and so forth.

45:13

So there's definitely, you see a change in, I guess you could say who

45:20

God was in Paul's life. Originally it was Paul. Then it became God.

45:25

But I'm sure. I mean, how far of a walk did he have after he was struck blind?

45:32

Right. You know, and then having your sight restored, and you see for the first time again, in however long, trees and grass and sky.

45:44

Did they have grass? I'm assuming that they probably had grass. I'm sure they had it somewhere. I don't know. When we went to Nicaragua, this is a side note, one of the translators there had never seen grass before.

45:55

It was just like all dirt and stuff. So either that or grass was not translating correctly.

46:00

But she acted like she, I wasn't surprised that she had never seen snow before. But then talking about mowing a lawn, no one has a lawn there.

46:09

So like grass was just kind of a foreign word for her. She was, I don't know if everything's a weed to them.

46:15

Well, I was just wondering because, you know, the sandals and the dust and the. Oh, maybe. Okay, so maybe not grass, but.

46:22

The trees. I'm with you, I'm with you, I'm with you, I'm with you. You know. They had, creation was there.

46:28

I'm getting to go through that sweet age with Ava right now, which a lot of people hate. And I understand the annoyance, but just the, what is that?

46:37

Like, I just see her little mind just want, like she just wants to know like, what is that?

46:42

Yes. And so, and I know it carries on to the, well, why? And what's that? And you know, all that kind of stuff.

46:49

But I don't want to get annoyed with that because it, every time she asked that question, it's an opportunity for me to point her to the gospel.

46:55

And so it's just, I, I love being able to, even talking to her about my belly.

47:01

I know she's not absorbing that there's a baby inside of me. And so, but I get like, whenever we're talking about sister,

47:08

I'm always like, yeah, that's where God puts babies. You know, they grow in mommy's belly and stuff.

47:14

So I'm getting to introduce her to that. Just, it's, it's just neat. I love it. She, she is, like you said, a sponge.

47:20

Like she's absorbing everything. So anytime she ever asked a question, in my opinion, that's an opportunity to point her to the gospel.

47:28

Yeah. Well, boy, I told y 'all it was going to be good tonight.

47:34

Yeah. I told y 'all we were going to go over. Yeah, we did.

47:41

Y 'all went over it with me last time, didn't you? For a few minutes, because your husband was outside.

47:46

Y 'all had somewhere to go. Yes. So we had to. I don't remember. We had to cut it off,

47:51

I think. But we were chatting. Because he came in right afterwards. Anyways, but he's not here tonight.

47:57

No, he's at home with him. But I hope that you guys out there have enjoyed this evening.

48:09

I hope that you have received something, some little tidbit, a word out of the word, or encouragement, anything.

48:25

I hope you've received something. A laugh that you may have needed. Because that's what we're here for.

48:34

My husband's not going to like that. He's going to be like, why did you say that? I'm sorry. We all look like pregnancy dreams.

48:41

It honestly is. I have no filter right now. Anyways, so thank you so, so much.

48:53

It's always, I love sitting and talking with you anytime I get a chance to sit and talk, which is not often.

48:59

Because usually Sundays and Wednesdays is this and that and this and that. That's why I love Women's Retreat, because I'm like, hi, let's talk.

49:07

Yeah, Women's Retreat, you can sit down and let it all out. I'm so excited for this coming year.

49:12

Me too, it's going to be fun. Yes. Anyways, so I hope you have enjoyed this evening.

49:19

I want to thank y 'all for coming to our Bible study. I'm sorry if, I noticed some people put some stuff,

49:26

I posted a few things, but that's why we swipe them on Mercedes' phone, so we can't see them.

49:35

I'd rather see them. Or try to read them, because this is our Bible study. But we always appreciate it when people put stuff in the comments, because we can go back and read them later.

49:45

It also helps for other people that are scrolling through, or maybe somebody is posting a reference or something.

49:51

Yeah, exactly. Something to reference. Exactly. So anyways, again, thanks a lot.

50:00

I hope you've enjoyed tonight. Rachel, thank you so much. Thanks for having me. We don't get a lot of chances to sit and chat, and what else is better to chat about than sharing the

50:14

Scripture and the Gospel with anybody and everybody we can. This has definitely been a fun way to connect with other women.

50:23

There's been people that we've had that I have literally never had a conversation with, like Dana. Yeah. Yeah.

50:30

Once you sit down and talk with Dana, though. Oh, I've nerded out hard. Yes, yes. I did.

50:36

You don't want to stop talking to her. Well, hopefully when she comes back in town, she sets aside some time for us to do another one, because she's so full of knowledge, and she explains things so well.

50:51

Yes. You know? She's got that ability to go way up here with stuff, but when she talks to me,

51:00

I guess she stays. Yes. I think it's humility. She's definitely very humble.

51:06

Yes, she is very. She is very. Thank you. But we love you, Dana. Thank you for watching.

51:12

So again, thanks. We'll probably sit here and chat for another not too long, because this one's tired.

51:17

I know she's tired. We were both yawning before we came in the building. Well, it was raining, so we were like, man, we could take a nap.

51:25

So thanks again for coming. I hope you all enjoyed tonight, and share the word, and encourage somebody.

51:33

If not tonight, you've got the rest of your life, but try to do it every day. Every day.

51:38

I would say smile at somebody, but we have to wear those blasted masks, and you can't see it.

51:44

You can smile with your eyes. Unless you smile with your eyes, yeah. Some people can do that. People might think you're a freak or something.

51:49

Or crying. That's what I would look like. You think you're crying? Is she crying or smiling?