The Empty Vessel: Why Relational Effort Cannot Replace the Gospel

• Discipleship [00:28:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines discipleship as a 'unique strategic relationship' and God's primary method for multiplying the kingdom, contrasting it with cultural definitions or 'dirty word' perceptions.
• Spiritual Formation [00:39:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that God's growth plan is not self-help or success, but being 'conformed to the image of his son' through the influence of other people.
• Proximity and Community [00:40:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the story of Elijah and Elisha, the pastor argues that spiritual growth requires 'proximity' to others who can offer leadership and guidance, rather than isolation.
• Conformity to Christ [00:39:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that God's plan is not self-improvement but being conformed to the image of Jesus, citing Romans 8:29.
• Proximity in Discipleship [00:40:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > He explains that spiritual growth requires physical and relational closeness, using the biblical examples of Elijah/Elisha and Elijah/Shai to show that mentors must be 'proximate' to the mentee.
• Apprenticeship vs. Passive Following [00:41:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > He contrasts modern passive 'following' (cherry-picking content) with biblical apprenticeship, which involves up-close imitation, giving up authority, and experiencing the mentor's highs and lows.
• Formation and Influence [00:43:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > He asserts that everyone is being formed by someone or something, citing John Mark Comer and biological examples (baby/mother, Pavlovian dog) to prove that humans are made to be shaped by their environment and leaders.
• The Cost of Discipleship [00:45:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > He highlights that true discipleship requires 'counting the cost' and surrendering pride or comfort, illustrated by his own struggle with eating Skyline for a mentee and Elisha's hesitation to leave his family.
• Testimony of Transformation [00:47:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > He shares the story of Nick, a former biker who struggled with authority, to demonstrate how submitting to mentorship and community led to significant personal and spiritual change.
• Discipleship and Spiritual Formation [00:51:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The speaker defines discipleship not as a program to make one perfect, but as a relationship that helps one look more like Jesus, often starting with non-spiritual admiration before becoming spiritual.
• Vulnerability and Growth [00:56:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses the discomfort of vulnerability in discipleship, citing personal anecdotes of dodging personal questions and the eventual softening of a rebellious attitude.
• Multiplication and Community [01:00:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The speaker emphasizes that discipleship is about multiplication, where those who are discipled go on to disciple others, expanding the kingdom.
• Addressing Objections [01:01:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor systematically addresses common objections to discipleship, such as it being like multi-level marketing, being too busy, lacking ability, having an individualistic faith, or being too old.
• Spiritual Growth and Next Steps [01:02:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses Elijah's vision to introduce the concept of receiving 'next steps' from God and invites the congregation to welcome growth.
• Asking for Guidance [01:03:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The first practical step is to ask God to highlight people already around them who can provide mentorship or whom they can mentor.
• Admitting Need for Help [01:03:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The second step is admitting that no one arrives alone and that help is necessary, leading into a tool for finding mentors.
• Accepting Slow Transformation [01:04:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The third step is accepting that transformation is slow and messy, citing Jesus' disciples still doubting at the ascension as proof that growth is ongoing.
• Discipleship and Mentorship [01:04:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explicitly offers spiritual mentorship and discipleship as the means for this growth, noting it applies to all ages and stages.

• Sermon Illustration [00:33:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about her college friend 'Flo,' who repeatedly invited her to coffee and Bible studies to offer spiritual challenge and care. The pastor initially rejected these invitations because she was busy trying to prove she could succeed alone, only later realizing Flo was offering genuine discipleship.
• Sermon Illustration [00:35:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor retells the biblical story of Elijah finding Elisha (whom she jokingly calls 'She-She') in 1 Kings 19. She contextualizes this by noting Elijah was previously suicidal and overwhelmed, and God's solution was not just provision, but giving Elijah a successor (Elisha) to work with, illustrating that growth requires people.
• Sermon Illustration [00:30:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references a viral internet quote suggesting everyone has the same hours in a day as Beyonce, using it to illustrate the cultural pressure to do everything alone and perfectly, which she debunks by noting Beyonce has a team.
• Sermon Illustration [00:39:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts his unsuccessful romantic relationship with a woman named Flo, who persistently invited him into her life and showed kindness, illustrating the concept of someone being 'onto something' regarding spiritual proximity.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > He uses a humorous anecdote about wanting Michelle Obama to mentor him but acknowledging it's impossible because she is not 'near,' reinforcing the necessity of proximity in discipleship.
• Sermon Illustration [00:44:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > He shares a personal story about his dog, Israel, who has developed road rage by mimicking the pastor's behavior, illustrating the biological and inevitable nature of being 'formed' by those around us.
• Sermon Illustration [00:47:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > He tells the detailed testimony of Nick, a man who was molested as a child, joined biker clubs, had a severe motorcycle accident, and eventually submitted to mentorship from Greg and his wife, leading to a transformed life and marriage.
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The speaker shares her personal journey from a rebellious, uncomfortable newcomer to someone who sought mentorship, highlighting three key women (Paula, Laura, and Ashley) who guided her through vulnerability, prayer, and leadership development.
• Sermon Illustration [01:01:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) to address the objection that discipleship is too commercial or self-focused, clarifying that while MLM is about you, discipleship is about the kingdom.
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > The speaker references the biblical story of Elijah receiving a vision and next steps, and Jesus' final commission to the disciples, to illustrate that spiritual growth is a continuous, communal process even until the end.
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references Elijah receiving a vision and next steps from God during a difficult time.
• Sermon Illustration [01:04:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the Great Commission in Matthew 28, noting that even right before Jesus ascended, the disciples were still doubting and being formed, illustrating that spiritual growth is a slow, messy, and ongoing process.

• Pastoral Charge [00:41:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > Actively identify and engage with people in one's immediate proximity for discipleship purposes.
• Pastoral Charge [00:52:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > Seek out a small group, attend 'man camp', and find a mentor.
• Pastoral Charge [01:02:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > Ask God to identify potential mentors or mentees in their current circle.
• Pastoral Charge [01:03:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > Admit the need for help and visit the website Crossroads.net/mentor to find a mentor or mentee.
• Pastoral Charge [01:03:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > Accept that spiritual transformation is a slow and messy process.
• Pastoral Charge [01:03:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > Visit the website Crossroads.net/slash/mentor to find a mentor or mentee.
• Pastoral Charge [01:04:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pray for God to reveal people for mentorship and to help them step into uncomfortable spiritual spaces.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] People around them that they love. We love you. We're grateful for you. Happy Mother's Day.

[00:00:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:00:04] Birds singing in the dead of night. Learn to fly. Birds singing in the dead. Take these sunken eyes and learn to see. Birds singing in the dead. Broken wings and learn to fly.
[00:03:02] Crossroads and Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely mothers who are here. Come on, give it up for our moms.
[00:03:08] We're so appreciative of you We're so glad you're here And we're sorry that we either made you cry Or triggered you just now with that video But we love you And we wanted to do something special today
[00:03:23] To honor you In fact, we have some women on our team Who we told to take the weekend off From singing and worshiping So they can rest and relax And so you're going to be led by me and my brothers today
[00:03:37] So I want you to stand on your feet we might be small in number but still praise will be mighty today because praise is the way that we express gratitude to god so it's not about being pretty it's just about being loud so let's sing
[00:03:55] and worship the lord in a fresh way today let's do it right now come on and praise on the mountain and i'm sure and praise yes i will matthew 7 the recording says everyone then who hears these words

[00:11:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:11:30] of mine and does know will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house but it did not fall because it had
[00:11:43] been founded on the rock when we hear the voices around us we're hearing stories around us of people who have had wind blow and rains come and things beat on this house but we've set our eyes
[00:11:55] on Jesus and said we will be founded on the rock that he's made strong in our weakness so we sing our stories not pretty. We sing our stories loud together, like this.
[00:17:16] Whether it's hands in the air, hands coming out of your pocket, or just a heart opening up, or your your voice just getting louder. We got to use our eyes and ears when we sing together and
[00:17:29] remind ourselves that we're not alone. We may not agree on everything, but we showed up saying, Jesus, I set my eyes on you. I found freedom in releasing my inhibitions and holding nothing back and saying let me encourage you if you need encouragement today both hands in the air
[00:17:47] because he's rescued me i lift up lay my whole life down my whole life down before you hands up trying to hold nothing back from it i lay my whole life down oh i lay my whole keep it right here
[00:18:27] Sing that again, just like that.
[00:18:30] Oh, I lift my hands up, lay my whole life down.
[00:18:35] My whole life, lay my whole life.
[00:18:47] Let's pick it up.
[00:20:22] Lord, every voice in that, every hand in the air is a choice to give you praise and glory.
[00:20:28] To lay ourselves down because you've been so good.
[00:20:32] Every voice lifted.
[00:20:33] There's a story there.
[00:20:36] We don't just sing our story, we sing your story.
[00:20:38] and come back to your story week in, week out, reminding ourselves of your goodness, your faithfulness, and your strength, and your presence with us.
[00:20:48] Thank you, God, for being exactly who you are.
[00:20:52] We praise you and glorify you, lift you high above all things, and above my name, and above anyone else.
[00:20:58] We love you, Lord.
[00:20:59] I love you, and I thank you.
[00:21:02] Pray all this because of you, Jesus.
[00:21:04] Amen.
[00:21:06] That was fun.
[00:21:09] Hey, I just want to say, if it's your first time here, you're in the right place what you just saw is people choosing to say I want to point myself towards Jesus we don't get it right all the time but man we found life in him and we're excited
[00:21:20] that you're here today and hope you find the same thing in him right now why don't you turn to somebody next to you and say hey you ever thought about the voice you sounded great

[00:21:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:21:29] man there is so much to celebrate this weekend man I love those songs and hey one thing that It just feels especially fitting on Mother's Day weekend to talk about our Ignite conference because so many women spend so much of their lives
[00:22:06] helping everyone else feel seen, feel cared for, feel encouraged, fed, connected, and frankly, up to speed on where their shoes are.
[00:22:14] But somewhere between so many of those responsibilities and routines, it's easy to lose sight of what God has uniquely put inside of you.
[00:22:21] That's what Ignite is all about.
[00:22:23] It's a one-day conference designed to help women reconnect with who God made them to be and the light and the fire and the spark that he has in them and what he's calling them to next.
[00:22:32] It's happening at Crossroads Eastside.
[00:22:34] You're going to hear from some amazing speakers like Allie Patterson and Annie F. Downs who will encourage you, challenge you, and help you move forward.
[00:22:42] So this is the time.
[00:22:43] Grab your friends, your mom, your daughter, your small group, even that friend in that one group chat with 47 unread messages.
[00:22:50] Hey, do it and make a day of it.
[00:22:51] You get all the details at crossroads.net slash ignite.
[00:22:56] So hey, parents, man, summer is coming fast.
[00:23:00] It is like, it has this way of sneaking up on us.
[00:23:02] One minute you're thinking, hey, I should probably come up with a plan.
[00:23:05] And the next minute, this was literally me this weekend, arguing with my kids about, wait, wait, there can't possibly only be nine days of school left.
[00:23:14] So hey, right now it is time to put something great on your student's summer calendar.
[00:23:19] Crossroads Student Camp, it's an unforgettable week.
[00:23:21] We take over Bowling Green State University with great friends, fun night, worship, and these moments where God shows up in ways that stick around with them all year long.
[00:23:31] Last year, we had 127 kids get baptized.
[00:23:33] It's gonna be amazing.
[00:23:34] High school camp is June 27th.
[00:23:37] Starts on June 27th.
[00:23:38] Middle school camp starts on July 20th.
[00:23:40] My daughter, Ella, she's a fifth grader.
[00:23:42] She'll actually be going to that this year.
[00:23:45] I have all the feels about it.
[00:23:46] A little torn about letting it go for the week, but so excited for the connection with friends and the connection with God that she's gonna experience.
[00:23:53] So just a heads up, registration deadlines are coming up soon. So don't miss your chance. You can get all the info at crossroads.net slash camps. Don't miss it. And finally, everything you see around here and so
[00:24:06] many things that you don't, that I don't have time to talk about, whether it's camps, whether it's care, whether it's outreach, whether it's community, whether it's go day, whether it's our work in prisons, whatever, all of it happens because regular people choose to live generously. I
[00:24:19] promise there's no like corporate sponsor of Crossroads. I kind of wish there were, it would be easier, but it's not the way God works. He wants regular people to do something faithful and just decide, God, I trust you. And God, I want to take a step in trusting you with my finances,
[00:24:35] with my heart. And I want you to know, if you're doing that, your generosity is making a huge difference in people's lives. We get to see it day in and day out. And if this thing that we call
[00:24:43] the tithe is already a part of your rhythm, or you're ready to take that step, man, we actually have something called the blue team. The blue team is self-declared, but it's made up of people who
[00:24:52] practice this spiritual discipline of saying, God, I'm going to give you 10% to the local church as an act of worship and of trust. And I know that is not a small thing. Nobody hears 10% and thinks,
[00:25:03] oh, that's like a rounding error, right? That's easy. That's no, it takes faith. It takes trust.
[00:25:08] But for many, many people comes one of the most grounding, informative, spiritual decisions they make. We're going to hand it off now to Hannah Driscoll, one of our amazing young leaders and

[00:25:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:25:16] young teachers here at Crossroads right now. That's nice. So I'm a new mom. Today's a reminder.
[00:25:24] Today we get to experience this. Sometimes dollar store candles actually hit. Like, don't hate.
[00:25:29] They smell decent. They really do. But it's also a reminder for me that sometimes I just need help.
[00:25:35] I need somebody to just point the way and tell me what to do. And so never fear. The TikTok moms are here and the mom influencers y'all they know just what to say to make me feel overwhelmed check
[00:25:48] it out if you want to be a fun and happy mom here's how you're going to do it here's how i do

[00:25:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:25:51] it i consider myself a fun and happy mom i want to be in the u.s is way more boring and isolating than in spain if your child is crying they have a reason to cry talk about exclusively breastfeeding
[00:26:02] and choosing solid foods at like six plus months here's a fun summer activity to keep your kids entertained for hours. I made this aluminum foil river and my kids absolutely loved it.
[00:26:11] What? Something I've done differently with baby number two that I didn't do with my first daughter. Welcome to another week of what I meal prep my toddler. What? I have time for this. You want to have smart kids, you have to play with smart toys. Right. Two main reasons why your
[00:26:25] child is not listening to you. Okay, this is two. Drowning in guilt, imperfectionism. Me. What is the first thing you would tell her? Take a deep breath. Put your hand on your heart. In fact,
[00:26:38] Just breathe in with me.

[00:26:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:26:43] That did not work.
[00:26:46] Okay, I'm still overwhelmed, so that was not a gift.
[00:26:49] Instead, we brought the band because this is one of my favorite jams.
[00:26:52] This is a Boyz II Men song, and don't nobody do it like Boyz II Men, so let's actually just, if you know mama, let's sing this part together.
[00:26:59] This is a mama, look him in the eye and say these words.
[00:27:02] Just mama, I love you.
[00:27:03] Mama.
[00:27:05] Come on, y'all.
[00:27:06] Mama, you know I love you.
[00:27:11] I'm looking at you, I love you.
[00:27:12] I mean, stop looking at me.
[00:27:13] Look at the mama.
[00:27:14] Say heaven, mother, say.

[00:27:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:27:15] I love you, mama.
[00:27:18] Y'all better sing.
[00:27:19] Mama, you're the queen of my heart.
[00:27:27] It's from the start.
[00:27:32] Mama, I just want you to know.
[00:27:40] It's like food to my soul.
[00:27:42] Loving you is like food to my soul.

[00:27:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:27:57] Happy Mother's Day.
[00:27:59] Okay, get out of here.
[00:28:00] I got to preach.
[00:28:00] Thank you.
[00:28:01] Love you.
[00:28:02] Man, that was just a comical reminder that when the world does its best to offer us any type of hope, it will always come up short. Thankfully, our hope is in Jesus, and we're going to see that
[00:28:16] he gives us hope, not through things like TikTok, but through this unique strategic relationship that we're going to talk about today called discipleship. Let me pray for us. God, thank you so much for Mother's Day, a reminder that you gave us an actual picture of formation. Lord,
[00:28:33] would you use my words today to speak directly to each and every one of us and to communicate your love and the plans that you have for our life. In the name of Jesus, amen.
[00:28:45] Those moms in that video, I'm poking a little fun at them, but the reality is they're good moms. The problem is that they just are influencers. And so they influence me to the point that I am so
[00:28:57] overwhelmed. But I know I'm not alone in that. I know dads. I know other women. I know other men.
[00:29:03] You guys got people barking at you too, telling you who to be, telling you how to be, trying to yap and tell you what it is to be a real woman, a real man. Students, I know that you definitely
[00:29:14] got people telling you what to wear, how to dress, how to look, what to eat, what to say, who to cancel. And it all just becomes too much. So in a world where everybody is screaming, follow me,
[00:29:28] Jesus comes along and he gives us a different definition of followership, one that we're going to unpack today. See, God's plan for the kingdom begins with this thing called multiplication through the spiritual formation of discipleship. And I've found this to be true in my own life.
[00:29:47] See, this is my family. This is my husband, David, and little baby, Israel, and they keep me busy.
[00:29:54] They do. They keep me busy. So I'm a wife and a mom, and I work here at Crossroads, and I got a pretty demanding job, and I also want to be a good friend. I also try to lead well the things that
[00:30:05] I'm leading. I also volunteer over in our student ministry. I also am, I don't know, trying to remember to be a human and drink water and work out every now and again. There's just a lot on
[00:30:15] the table. And there's this tendency, maybe you're like me, you want to grab life by the horns and do something with it. You want to be on it all the time. There's a silly little quote that floats
[00:30:27] around on the internet every now and again. And there's not even an author because it's just on the internet. And it says something silly like, hey, just remember, you have the same hours in a
[00:30:37] day as Beyonce. So if that's true, that means I should be planning a secret tour that don't nobody know about. I should drop a surprise album, be a great mom, be a great friend, look great,
[00:30:49] smell good. And don't get me wrong, I love my girl Beyonce, but the trick is you look at her and you think, oh, she's doing it alone. She ain't doing nothing by herself. I mean nothing. She's got
[00:31:01] people. And what I have found is the way that I don't crumble under the pressure of all that I just mentioned is to have people, real, genuine people, not just around me to pat me on the back,
[00:31:17] but to challenge me, to grow me. And that has specifically happened for me through the relationship of discipleship. Now, discipleship is kind of a dirty word, depending on where you come from or where you find yourself today. You might think of that word and think about
[00:31:33] people drinking Kool-Aid on islands, maybe people walking around in white robes claiming they found some important cult leader. And in reality, that word has been hijacked by self-serving people and it's often been underused or undervalued in the church setting. But the reality is discipleship
[00:31:52] is God's idea and it's his plan to multiply and grow his kingdom. It's his way of spreading his love. In fact, in the very first part of the Bible, in the book of Genesis, one of the things that
[00:32:06] God is telling us, the first commands that he gives us is to be fruitful and multiply. Now, he's not just talking about, go have a bunch of kids. That's not what he's saying because then
[00:32:15] it wouldn't apply to everyone. We get a glimpse of what he's saying when Jesus tells us through what we call the great commission in Matthew 28. It says, go therefore and make disciples of all
[00:32:28] nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When we wonder how the church spread without a single shred of Wi-Fi, no emails, text messages, or group means to invite
[00:32:45] people to the church meeting or large group gathering, it did not exist. The church spread and multiply simply because of discipleship. Now, my own story with discipleship is not actually a story of triumph. This is Flo. Flo was my college friend, and I mean, she was amazing. Everybody
[00:33:08] loved Flo. People just wanted to be around her. She had a personality that you went, wow, you are so kind. And I met Flo through my church, through our campus ministry group, where we just would
[00:33:20] have Bible studies and kind of hang out. And that's where Flo was. And so time after time, Flo would invite me into her life. That's just what she did. She invited people in, maybe to like a girls night
[00:33:31] or to some sort of Bible study that she was hosting either, even. And often because she was so kind, because she truly embodied the love of Jesus, I would just be like, yeah, no, thank you. Often.
[00:33:44] That was my thing. I'm good. I'm good, Flo. And there was a reason that Flo kept doing that Because I'm like, why are you trying to hang out with me?
[00:33:52] Every now and again, though, I would accept her invitation.
[00:33:55] And I would accept because, again, she was an infectious person.
[00:33:58] And I'd be like, okay, sure, girl, I'll go to coffee with you, no problem.
[00:34:01] And when we would be at coffee, she would ask me things like, so what's God doing in your life?
[00:34:06] Do you think you're, like, carrying too much?
[00:34:08] Like, maybe you have a lot going on and need to rest a bit.
[00:34:13] And I hated those questions because I was like, who are you?
[00:34:17] Who do you think you are?
[00:34:19] And what I realize now is that Flo is actually inviting me kindly into a discipleship relationship. Now, I kind of wish she would have just said that because, of course, I would have still said no, but at least I would have known. At least I would have known that she was trying
[00:34:36] to give me some space for truth and for challenge. See, at that time, I was so unwilling to accept because I was actually a hot mess, you know, taking 20 or more credit hours at any given point.
[00:34:48] She was right to ask about rest because I was working five to six jobs voluntarily to put myself through school and all just trying to prove that I could do it on my own. See, the reality was
[00:35:00] I had a bunch of people around me from the 1.5 million clubs I was in, but nobody who knew me.
[00:35:08] Nobody. Nobody who truly, genuinely knew the real me. And because they didn't, they couldn't love me.
[00:35:18] And Flo was just trying to show love and I couldn't let her.
[00:35:22] So see, my beginning of my story with discipleship is not one of triumph, but thankfully where we see one of the most successful relationships with discipleship outside of Jesus and his 12 disciples is in the book of 1 Kings, where we meet a guy named Elijah and his encounter
[00:35:39] with a guy named Elisha.
[00:35:41] Now, I don't know if God was trying to be funny by giving them the exact same name.
[00:35:45] So we're just going to actually call Elisha She-She, because that's what I would call him.
[00:35:50] And otherwise, you're going to get confused. You're not going to know who I'm talking about.
[00:35:53] So we got Elijah, and then we got Elisha, or She-She, or She. Okay, that's what we're talking about. Let's go to the Bible. 1 Kings 19 says, so he departed, Elijah, from there, and he found
[00:36:06] Elisha She, the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen before him. And he was with the 12th. Then Elisha passed by him and threw his mantle on him. And he, Elisha, ran, left the oxen
[00:36:23] and ran after Elisha and said, please let me kiss my father and mother and then I will follow you.
[00:36:30] And he said to him, go back again for what have I done to you? Verse 21, then he, Elisha, arose and followed Elijah and became his servant.
[00:36:44] Now we just cherry picked that little moment from the Bible and that is what we have to do for our time today because we don't have enough time to go all the way there.
[00:36:52] But when we cherry pick from the Bible, we miss context.
[00:36:55] And context is actually really important for what just took place.
[00:37:00] See, Elijah, the main kind of character in the story has just found himself a couple of chapters before panting because he is quite literally running for his life.
[00:37:11] See, he was a prophet and he was a prophet of God and people didn't like what prophets had to say.
[00:37:16] And so there was somebody actually trying to kill him.
[00:37:19] And he finds himself overwhelmed with life, overwhelmed, running away, telling God, I don't even think I wanna live anymore.
[00:37:27] He's alone and suicidal.
[00:37:30] You might not have even known there were suicidal people in the Bible, but here he is, one of God's top, and he is alone and suicidal.
[00:37:38] And just like God, because he is a good father, he starts to minister to him.
[00:37:43] He starts to do some things for him.
[00:37:45] The first thing he does is he feeds him and then he makes him go to sleep because sometimes you need to rest.
[00:37:52] And then he actually reminds him, hey, I am God, I got this thing, I'm under control.
[00:37:57] And then the last thing that he does is he gives Elijah a vision for his life and he gives him some next steps.
[00:38:05] And those next steps involve Elisha, Shea, because up until this moment, Elijah has done most of his ministry all by himself.
[00:38:14] He has spent copious amounts of time alone.
[00:38:19] And God's vision for him, his next steps to get him to the next place of growth is people.
[00:38:26] No matter who and how you came in here today, maybe you came in here out of obligation because it's Mother's Day.
[00:38:33] Or maybe you came out of curiosity or maybe you simply came out of ritual.
[00:38:38] What God has for you and for me, his plan for growth for us is people.
[00:38:46] And don't just take my word for it.
[00:38:48] We gotta go to the Bible.
[00:38:49] Jesus says, God says in Ephesians 4.13, it notes, God wants us to grow until we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's son, growing in maturity with a stature measured by Christ's fullness.
[00:39:05] Romans 8, 29 says, for those he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son.
[00:39:13] What's that trying to say?
[00:39:14] That God's growth plan for you and I is not that we would just grow to become more successful versions of ourselves, no.
[00:39:22] His growth plan for us is that we would grow to be conformed to looking like Jesus, more and more like Jesus.
[00:39:31] And his plan to get us there is not a self-help book.
[00:39:35] is people. That is one of the reasons that my relationship with Flo was unsuccessful because she was a real person and she kept inviting me into her life. And she never gave up, by the way. She did it till the day she graduated. She still showed kindness. She still
[00:39:52] showed love. But I think Flo was really onto something because all she did was look up and go, who's around me? Who's around me that might be ready to go to the next phase? Who might
[00:40:04] need a little leadership, a little guidance? Who might be ready to look more like Jesus?
[00:40:11] Flo might have asked herself, who is proximate? And this is really important because we see this same idea of proximity pop up in the story of Elijah and Shea. The Bible gives us absolutely no indication that they didn't know one another other than God said, go find Elisha. Now, from
[00:40:31] what we can read in the scripture, it doesn't appear that Elijah pulled out his Rolodex or pulled out his contacts and went, oh, I guess I better find out who Elisha is and where he lives.
[00:40:39] No, he went right to him. Similarly, Shea is in the farmer's field working, doing his thing.
[00:40:45] He doesn't look up from afar off and go, man, I wonder who that guy is coming towards me.
[00:40:50] He knows instantly, oh, that's the prophet. That's that guy. So there's a proximity for these folks.
[00:40:58] Now, and that's important because as much as I want Michelle Obama to mentor me, and I do.
[00:41:03] Michelle, if you are watching, I'm available for coffee.
[00:41:06] I am available.
[00:41:07] That just ain't going to happen because she's not near.
[00:41:12] Discipleship begins with proximity.
[00:41:16] Got to look up and see who's around.
[00:41:19] But proximity is actually not powerful enough to produce the multiplication that is required and that the early followers of Jesus had.
[00:41:28] the next thing we see in this story is this idea of apprenticeship. That's not a word that we use or even an idea that's common anymore. But at one point, if someone wanted to learn a skill
[00:41:40] or a craft, they would apprentice under someone, which means they would just watch do what they do and act how they acted until one day they would take over. We see that same idea of apprenticeship
[00:41:52] start here. And it's very important because it requires an idea of giving away some of your own authority and putting it under someone else. Earlier, I was kind of poking at the TikTok moms.
[00:42:06] And again, those are good moms just doing their thing, trying to get those advertising gains. I get it. They're doing their thing. But the reason that I can poke fun at that is because our
[00:42:15] definition of followership is actually really passive. When we follow somebody, what we really mean is that we cherry pick what we like, we follow them from a distance, and we sift out what we don't. It means that we save a bunch of recipe videos that we never gonna do. We do a bunch of
[00:42:33] workout challenges that, man, maybe next time is when I'm gonna get on that 30-day calisthenics.
[00:42:38] I know I can do it. That's what we do. It means we follow from a distance. But apprenticeship is different. It's up close. And this is what we see Eliza inviting Shay into his life. He's saying,
[00:42:50] come do what I do. Come eat with me. Come experience how God works through me. Experience the highs and the lows and apprentice, which means that Elisha had to give up a little bit of his
[00:43:04] authority. But what's interesting about our version of followership, although it's passive, it's still got a little bit of power because it produces formation. Whether or not we realize it or even want to, all of us are being formed by what we do, what we watch, what we see.
[00:43:24] John Mark Comer says it like this, if you are not being intentionally formed by Jesus himself, then it's highly likely that we are being unintentionally formed by someone or something else. See, we're all slotting ourselves under people, even unconsciously. We're all slotting
[00:43:44] our authority under someone else, even if we don't really realize it. Maybe you're in the back and you're like, not me, I'm tough. I'm my own person. I'm an individual. You're probably right. And you're the best of us. But most of us, most of us, that's not funny. Most of us have this actual
[00:44:06] biological thing going on in us where we were made to be formed. When a baby comes out of its mother. They slap that baby on the skin to skin, whoever the mom is. They slap the baby on the
[00:44:17] chest because the baby is literally going to be formed by the mother. Even in science, we see this with the Pavlovian dog experiment. The process that took place was a process of formation.
[00:44:30] Right now, part of Israel's spiritual formation is my recovering road rage. Whenever he sees a car and hears a car go beep beep, he just goes, go. And he does that because that's what I do. Yep.
[00:44:45] Don't worry. I am working on it. I'm working on it, but he's being formed. Even if, even if I don't want him to be formed in that way, he is being formed. And this is the story that we see
[00:44:56] with Elisha as well. See, Shay was already in the farmer's field. The Bible says that he had 12 yoke of oxen before him, which means somebody was rich. You don't just have 12 yoke of oxen.
[00:45:08] So he was already on a successful path, whether it was his family that was rich or he was working for somebody rich, he was already being formed. And that takes us to really this next, my favorite
[00:45:22] part of this story, because Elisha meets a little bit of resistance. He has a human moment. I had this exact same human moment with Flo where I said, wait a minute, what you're inviting me into
[00:45:35] might have some cost to it.
[00:45:37] Elisha says, wait a second, hold on, what about my mama?
[00:45:40] Let me go back and kiss my father.
[00:45:43] And Elijah, he doesn't judge him.
[00:45:45] He doesn't say that's a bad idea.
[00:45:47] Instead, he actually goes, yeah, what have I done to you?
[00:45:51] Now you can read that scripture with the tonal inflection like I just said it, but instead we should read it with what have I done to you?
[00:45:59] Which means, yeah, bro, you need to count the cost because this discipleship relationship inviting someone to challenge you and grow you inviting someone to help you get to your next step it will cost you like any good thing it costs something because in this way Elisha wasn't just
[00:46:18] going to receive a bunch of information from Elijah he was going to receive transformation discipleship is about transformation so whether you're interested in this relationship you got to know that it's going to cost you maybe a night. It might cost you a couple of hours. It might cost
[00:46:37] you a few dollars on a cup of coffee. In my case, it costs me because one of the ladies that I've stepped into discipleship with, she likes Skyline. And it costs me a little bit of my pride every
[00:46:47] time I have to humble myself and eat Skyline because I will eat Skyline for Jesus, whatever it takes. Whatever it takes for her to know him. But it costs you something. Elijah's invitation is different. And this is why I don't have any pictures with Flo. Because I was not ready to
[00:47:07] be transformed. I was not ready for a life that would cost me something to get to my next step.
[00:47:13] The process of transformation is actually slow and messy. And what I wanted was a quick high road to success. And this coming, this resistance of feeling like, wait a minute, should I do this?
[00:47:27] really common. It's really normal to wonder if actually entering into a close connection could yield growth. But it is the pathway to growth. And this is common. And we see it even in a community
[00:47:41] member of our own. We have a story of a guy named Nick in our own community who had to ask himself these questions, who himself had to count the cost of what it would mean to give away some of his
[00:47:54] authority and allow someone to speak into his life. Here's Nick's story. I was coming home one

[00:48:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:48:03] day from work. I was on my motorcycle. I had the green light. My car pulled out. I tried to avoid him. If he would have stopped, I probably would have been all right, but didn't. And so I got
[00:48:15] ejected and no helmet, no jacket, no nothing. Going, I don't know, probably 40 or 50 mile an hour. I ended up breaking my back, my hip, my pelvis, my arm, my shoulders. My name's Nick and
[00:48:32] I struggle with authority. As a kid I was molested as a you know as when I was I don't know five, six and I feel like ever since then it was been like nobody gonna tell me what to do. I grew up
[00:48:49] going to church was told, as soon as you're old enough to not come anywhere, you don't have to. And as soon as that was the case, I was gone. I was looking for something, but
[00:49:01] I wasn't sure what I was looking for. Then I rode motorcycles. So Rapid Hash is where I would come and hang out. I was always running into a group of bikers that I would talk to
[00:49:13] and ended up joining a club called the Brothers Eight.
[00:49:18] Ran around, did stuff with my brothers.
[00:49:21] Stuff that I'm not too proud of.
[00:49:22] It wasn't a good, good thing.
[00:49:24] Just running around lost.
[00:49:25] You know, I started prospecting for the Iron Horsemen.
[00:49:29] I met one of my best friends, Dave.
[00:49:32] Him and I were hanging out one night, and he's like, I want to meet up with this chick, and she has some friends.
[00:49:36] I was like, oh, cool.
[00:49:37] And that's the night that I first met my wife, Megan.
[00:49:40] As soon as I seen her, I was like, yep, that's who I want to be with.
[00:49:43] asked her out on a date and she was asking me questions about, you know, she knew I was in the process of patching in. She was like, well, like what cost is it to you and your family?
[00:49:54] We talked about like what she wanted out of a, out of a marriage or of a man or whatever. And it ended up being like someone that goes to church, like in a leader of the family and all
[00:50:05] the things that I want to be. How much does it go to church on Sunday and be like a man of God when I'm beating people up on Saturday.
[00:50:14] Ultimately ended up leaving the club.
[00:50:17] About that time, I started going to church.
[00:50:19] How I met Greg was Megan was being mentored by his wife, Lynn.
[00:50:25] I asked Greg if he would be my mentor because I seen how him and his wife handled their marriage.
[00:50:32] And I want to model my marriage after someone that's godly.
[00:50:38] And then you get hit by a Mitsubishi.
[00:50:40] I'm laying there, and I'm breathing, and I hear this little girl off to my right, and she's praying for me.
[00:50:50] And it just, like, it kicked into my mind, like, hey, man, you should be praying.
[00:50:55] You know, like, you should just be thanking God.
[00:50:59] But I ultimately think that I needed that to kind of set me down and say, hey, listen, I'm in control.

[00:51:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:51:07] short of how we were brought together at your wedding our circles i don't know if they would have overlapped if it wasn't for our wives right 100 can agree that would not have happened yeah
[00:51:20] so this is all new ground for me too if i would have gone to crossroads and i would have said okay do you have a discipleship program and i'm interested in discipling somebody one i wouldn't
[00:51:29] have done it because it would have been really outside of my comfort zone but i probably would wound up discipling somebody a bunch like myself. It's nothing I chose, but I know God's hand was in
[00:51:40] it. I know he chose the right person and I'm just eternally grateful for it. So yeah, you got me this

[00:51:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:51:46] Bible, uh, what, two years ago now, uh, for my birthday. Yeah. Could you not? I opened this up, I pulled the tab and it's on Roman seven, seven. And it says, I do not understand what I do
[00:51:59] for what I want to do. I do not do, but what I hate, I do. And I'm like, that is like my whole life. In my opinion, you need people like you. Um, you need to find a group. You need to find,
[00:52:14] go to man camp. You need some type of mentorship. I've seen the marriage. I've seen the babies.

[00:52:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:52:19] I've seen the motorcycle accident. I've seen you grow in faith. Your rebellious attitude is

[00:52:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:52:23] definitely dissipating. Yeah. I couldn't even imagine somebody telling me what to do. Cause It's just not who I am, and it's always been that way.
[00:52:32] And now I'm noticing that it's not that way, especially with you.
[00:52:37] I'm shocked now that following would ever make me feel as free as what I do.

[00:52:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:52:43] Somewhere down the road, somebody's going to look at you, and they're going to look at you as an example, and they're going to say, not only did he speak his faith, he walked it.

[00:52:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:52:52] I love his story because it's so real, and you know what?
[00:53:03] this thing works. It proves that it works. He's multiplying this past Sunday. He just baptized someone for the first time. This thing works. I don't know why it's God's plan to use imperfect people to grow and expand his love, but it is. And some call outs from that video. I love that Greg
[00:53:22] is not a guru. He's just a guy. He's just somebody that Nick saw somebody in and said, I think I want a little bit of something like that. I also love what he says, because he says, yeah, Nick, your
[00:53:34] rebellion has certainly dissipated, you know? And that's my story too, is we are not perfect.
[00:53:41] Discipleship is not some spiritual mentorship that's going to make you perfect. It's just going to make you look more like Jesus. And I'll tell you what, the most thing that I love is that they pointed out that it's uncomfortable at first. It really is. It takes a lot of guts
[00:53:57] to kind of raise your hand and maybe think that you're open to this level of growth. But I will tell you what, I'm just up here telling you what I learned. And what I've learned is that if I want
[00:54:08] to cut off my impact, if I want to cut off my ability to be a great mother and a great wife, then I will cut off this relationship. And I tell you why, because I can point every single
[00:54:19] moment of growth in my life to my discipleship relationships. Without the women who have discipled me, I would not still be married. Without the women who have discipled me, I would not be a faithful friend and doing well in my leadership abilities. Without the women that have discipled
[00:54:36] me, I would not be on this stage sharing vulnerably with you because that is just not who I was.
[00:54:41] I can trace back every single moment of growth back to the relationship of discipleship.
[00:54:51] And what's funny is that it wasn't even spiritual for me at first.
[00:54:55] And at first it might not be for you.
[00:54:57] See, there was a leader that I liked and I went, man, I really like how they lead.
[00:55:01] I wonder if they would tell me how they lead because they have a lot on their shoulders and they're crushing it.
[00:55:05] And then it became, man, I really like how this woman is a friend and she seems really engaged with her family.
[00:55:12] I want to be a friend like that someday.
[00:55:14] I want to maybe have a family like that someday.
[00:55:16] I didn't even want to be a mama when I met this lady.
[00:55:20] And then it became spiritual.
[00:55:22] It was a woman and she seemed to be a woman of prayer.
[00:55:25] And I felt that maybe God was impressing on me that I needed to dig deeper into prayer.
[00:55:30] And I just said, hey, will you meet with me to talk about prayer?
[00:55:35] Now, all these photos that have been popping up behind me the whole time that I'm speaking are of men and women that truly mean something to me, that have been a key part in my life.
[00:55:44] But these next three women that I'm gonna highlight are three women who have been key to my spiritual and deep formation. These are the women that when I looked up and realized who was proximate to me, they were around. This first person is Paula. See,
[00:56:01] I asked Paula and all of these ladies to write a little bit about how we first met because I want to prove to you that this relationship is not just perfect and up to the right. It is a
[00:56:12] transformational, slow, and messy process. So here's some things that Paula said. She said, when we first met, what I wanted to work on with you was the most uncomfortable thing, vulnerability, both personally and professionally. It was a long time before you shared anything personal.
[00:56:30] There were one-on-ones where you would uncomfortably sit in the chair and strategically dodge any personal questions. That is true. Any personal questions. It wasn't that I wanted to know more about you, although I did because I care about you, or that I felt it was my job
[00:56:46] at a church to get you to share, although that does lead to spiritual maturity, it was because I knew you had the potential to be a world-class leader, and this could be the thing that held you
[00:56:58] back. What a gift. What a gift from God to put somebody in my life to see something that I could not see. I then remember asking a lady to sit down with me and talk about prayer. And this is
[00:57:13] Laura. This is what Laura had to say. We've known each other now for about four or five years. Laura said, I felt like God had highlighted you to me to be available. Your first request was around prayer
[00:57:25] and you asked if I would teach you more about prayer, listening, and abiding. I responded to your request without pushing any agendas. And in the beginning, our relationship felt like you needed lots of freedom to come close and then pull away. Perhaps you were testing if I would
[00:57:40] be consistent with you, honor your story and privacy. And then you would ask me, when you would ask me to step into your life with encouragement or prayer, I did. I love what Laura has to say because unbeknownst to me, God had actually highlighted me to Laura.
[00:57:58] God was inviting us both into some growth. And so if that's you, if you have some capacity, if you're going, God, I want to be able to live out the command that you say of making disciples,
[00:58:11] perhaps he wants to highlight somebody to you. This last person is really important because this is the one person that I remember strategically saying, would you get coffee with me? Because I was looking at her life and going, there's something in there that I want. This is Ashley.
[00:58:28] And Ashley has just been around almost for more than a decade pouring into my life. And this is what she had to say. I think if I had to summarize who you are, what I see from where we first
[00:58:39] started to where you are now, there's just been a softening. And when I think for a lot of women, it's really hard to feel like you can be bold and strong and a courageous leader, but remain soft.
[00:58:52] And I've watched you go from how the world set an expectation for confident leadership into holy leadership, how the Lord has created you.
[00:59:02] See, I love this because I went from the girl who was just rejecting to be fully known, rejecting coffee with flow, saying, girl, please leave me alone, to raising my hand, saying, please get coffee with me
[00:59:14] because I am ready to go to the next level in my life.
[00:59:18] If your life is feeling stuck, if you're feeling like you don't know the next step, or maybe you wanna even know just a little bit more about Jesus, I'm going to tell you right now, your answer is not found in the next podcast. It is not in the
[00:59:30] next group that you can get your hands on. It might just be through this significant relationship of discipleship. And it can take on many forms. It can look like motherhood or fatherhood even.
[00:59:42] It can even look like friendship, but it's not just hanging out with beers. It's inviting somebody to strategically look at our life and challenge us and grow us. What I love about discipleship is that it's actually about multiplication. See, because of those three women, there have been
[01:00:02] multiple many more women in my life that I've been able to disciple, like Esme and Zoe and Lauren and Ryan and Tondaway and Cariel and Faith. These are all amazing women who I've had the privilege
[01:00:15] of seeing the highs and the lows of their life, the first kids and the marriages and the first boyfriends and the first breakups.
[01:00:23] Been around for all of that.
[01:00:25] And the best part is not that I get to pat myself on the back because look at me, I'm doing great.
[01:00:29] No, I get a front row seat to God expanding the kingdom.
[01:00:35] And there is no greater joy.
[01:00:39] Now, I know I'm teaching and you guys are like, great, Hannah, brunch is waiting, come on now.
[01:00:45] And maybe you're on the fence.
[01:00:47] Maybe you're like, I kind of got some more capacity in my life, and I do want to grow, and maybe this could be the path to get there.
[01:00:54] Or maybe you might be like, I need someone to show me the way and the next steps.
[01:00:59] Regardless, there's going to be some objections.
[01:01:02] So let me just squash those for you real quick.
[01:01:04] The first objection might be, Hannah, this sounds like multi-level marketing.
[01:01:08] Well, it is.
[01:01:10] It is.
[01:01:10] I'm going to just say that it is multi-level marketing.
[01:01:12] But multi-level marketing got its idea from discipleship.
[01:01:15] and multi-level marketing is about you.
[01:01:19] This is all about the kingdom, all about growing and spreading and receiving God's love.
[01:01:24] The next objection might be, I'm too busy for that.
[01:01:27] And you know what?
[01:01:28] You're right again.
[01:01:29] We're all probably a little too busy.
[01:01:31] And I won't say get less busy.
[01:01:33] What I will say is this will cost you something.
[01:01:37] It might cost you swapping out something to put in a relationship like this to grow and it will be worth it.
[01:01:45] It has been worth it for me.
[01:01:48] You might think, man, I don't have what it takes.
[01:01:51] I don't either.
[01:01:53] And the good news is that we don't have to have what it takes.
[01:01:56] We have Jesus who, when he ascended to heaven, left us with his spirit.
[01:02:01] And his Holy Spirit is what gives us the ability to listen well, to offer growth, to offer challenge, to express love.
[01:02:10] The fourth one is, my faith is individual.
[01:02:12] Thanks so much.
[01:02:13] I used to think that too.
[01:02:15] Until I look at the life of Jesus and realize, actually, the way he expressed his faith was always communal. Our faith was meant to be expressed and lived and shared experiences.
[01:02:28] And the final one is I'm too old for that. Well, the good news is if you feel too old, your hair is still growing, your nails are still growing, which means that you're still growing
[01:02:37] and that there's room for growth. And where there's room for growth, my invitation is wherever you are, however you're experiencing this service online or in one of our rooms, is that you would welcome the growth. So when Elijah was going through what he was going through, God gave him
[01:02:55] a vision for his life, but he also gave him some next steps. So here's your next steps. The first thing that you're going to do is ask. Ask God to highlight the people who might be around you
[01:03:07] because they already might be around you. Ask him to show you who might have a next step for you or who you can show the next step.
[01:03:16] The next thing you're gonna do is admit that we all need help sometimes.
[01:03:20] None of us have arrived by getting anywhere by ourselves.
[01:03:24] And in fact, we've created a tool where you can do some of that admitting.
[01:03:27] Crossroads.net slash mentor is a place you can go if you don't know where to start with this.
[01:03:32] If you want to go ahead and say, I got some capacity, I can disciple people.
[01:03:36] Or if you're saying, I need somebody to disciple me, this is a spot for you.
[01:03:41] the last thing that you're going to do is accept this process of transformation is slow and messy right before Jesus ascends to heaven in Matthew 28 where he gave that great commission right before he says that he says to the disciples are you still doubting because they were up until the
[01:04:03] very last second with him was he still forming them and this relationship is transformational listen, I have not arrived. And that is good news for me because it means that we can still grow.
[01:04:19] Maybe you feel like you haven't arrived. Maybe you feel a little stuck and unsure of the next step.
[01:04:24] I just wonder if I could offer to you this unique godly relationship of spiritual mentorship of discipleship. Lots of ships in there. This idea that God wants you to grow. He doesn't just want us to stay where we are. He wants to take us to the next step. I guarantee future you will be
[01:04:45] glad you did. Let me pray for us. Thank you, Lord, for a unique space like Mother's Day where we get to hear about your word. Discipleship is something that you have for each and every one of us, no
[01:04:59] matter our age or stage in life. Would you highlight people to us? Would you help us to step into uncomfortable spaces. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

[01:05:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:05:09] Hey, no one can experience the fullness of who God created them to be on their own.
[01:05:14] It's what Hannah's been talking to about. There are gifts that God wants to give us that can only happen through the lives of others. And the same is true for you and the gift that your life
[01:05:23] could be to others. Hey, we'd love for you to check out crossroads.net slash mentor to look at what that might be to pass on some of your wisdom or experience to others and to benefit
[01:05:33] from some of that. So hey, if something from today challenged you or encouraged you to think about yourself or about God in a new way, we're here for it. We'd love to pray for you and process
[01:05:43] with you and make a next step. So you can either do two things. You can chat in at the website or text anywhere to 301-301, and we'd love to connect with you there. Discipleship is all about following
[01:05:56] God with small, faithful steps that over time add up to huge growth. So don't let this summer be the season where your spiritual rhythms get derailed before they even start. It's one of the things
[01:06:06] that I love about the Crossroads Anywhere app. It's a tool that you can take with you where your church can literally go with you wherever you go and you can continue to grow. You can
[01:06:16] rewatch messages, you can share them, you can pray for people, you can receive prayer, you can read the Bible and so much more. But it's a way that your church can be more than a Sunday thing.
[01:06:25] It can be an all week long thing and an all summer long thing. So wherever your summer plans take you, Take the Crossroads Anywhere app to continue to grow in your own discipleship to Jesus.
[01:06:36] Hey, one quick thing I want to just celebrate.
[01:06:38] Yesterday and this past week, we actually had our Crossroads Live events where we're hosting live events in two cities, Detroit and Indianapolis, and they were incredible.
[01:06:47] It's this amazing thing where people connect, where it's not just an event, but it's actually sort of planting a seed to see community grow.
[01:06:54] I've got lots of friends in Detroit and Indy.
[01:06:57] Hey, thank you guys for helping pull that event off.
[01:06:59] so excited to see what God does. Hey, thanks for joining us. We'll see you next week at Crossroads.