The Toothpaste Theology: When Experience Replaces the Gospel

• Nazarene Youth Conference (NYC) and Ministry Impact [00:26:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses his personal history with NYC, the theme 'Wonder,' and the transformative impact of the conference on students and leaders.
• Divine Calling and Obedience [00:34:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal testimony of attempting to put his ministry calling on hold for college, only to be redirected by God through a specific message.
• Illustration of Brushing Teeth [00:35:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > An anecdote about a speaker named Reggie Dabbs using the analogy of men and women applying toothpaste to illustrate how God recovers what we drop or set aside.
• Divine Providence and Calling [00:36:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the toothpaste illustration to explain that God can redeem our mistakes and continue His plan for our calling even when we feel we have ruined it.
• Youth Ministry and Spiritual Transformation [00:38:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stories of students (a girl overcoming abuse and a shy boy named Caleb becoming a worship leader) illustrate how spiritual experiences at NYC events lead to profound life changes.
• Prayer for Church Reception [00:48:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor urges the congregation to pray that local churches are ready to receive students returning from ministry trips with renewed passion, rather than extinguishing their fire.
• Flexibility in Leadership [00:49:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > Leaders are encouraged to prioritize spiritual sensitivity and the needs of students over rigid schedules and time constraints.
• Pastoral Availability and Prioritization [00:50:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor advises adults to prioritize deep, personal connection with students over rigid scheduling, warning against the distraction of phones and checklists.
• Prayer Walk and Evangelism [00:52:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > Details the logistics of the prayer walk in Salt Lake City, noting the record-breaking distance and the goal of spiritual impact on families and future leaders.
• Scale and Significance of NYC [00:54:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > Compares the New Church Conference (NYC) to General Assembly, highlighting its massive size, impact, and the representation of various districts.
• Theology of the Same God [00:56:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > Emphasizes that the God worshipped in large conferences is the same intimate God encountered in private moments, bridging the gap between public spectacle and personal faith.
• Analogy of the Moon and Badlands [00:58:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > Uses the analogy of trying to photograph the moon or the Badlands to illustrate that photos (or stories) cannot capture the full reality and wonder of the actual experience with God.

• Sermon Illustration [00:35:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a story from a 2007 NYC where speaker Reggie Dabbs used an illustration about brushing teeth: men scoop up toothpaste that falls, while women rinse and reapply. The point was that when we drop or set aside something God gave us, He still has a plan for it and doesn't let us simply discard it.
• Sermon Illustration [00:36:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story of deciding to put his ministry calling on hold to attend Eastern Kentucky University for sports management, but after hearing the toothpaste illustration, he immediately called to decline admission and accepted a call to start a middle school ministry instead.
• Sermon Illustration [00:35:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a humorous anecdote about gender differences in applying toothpaste (girls rinsing the sink, guys scooping it up) to illustrate how God can use our 'messes' or mistakes for His plan.
• Sermon Illustration [00:38:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > A story about a female student who, after years of hidden abuse, publicly burned a paper representing her anger during a district meeting, leading to her current ministry helping other girls.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The story of Caleb, a shy, awkward boy who was reluctant to attend a trip but was transformed by a David Crowder concert, leading him to become a worship leader at a large church in Florida.
• Sermon Illustration [00:37:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor's personal story of changing his college plans from Eastern Kentucky University to community college, which led to him meeting his wife and entering ministry.
• Sermon Illustration [00:58:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about driving out west and taking pictures of the moon and the Badlands, noting that while the experience was awesome, the photos on the phone look horrible, illustrating that the event is about the direct experience with God rather than just hearing a story or seeing a picture.

• Pastoral Charge [00:48:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pray for the home churches of the students to be receptive to their return.
• Pastoral Charge [00:50:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pray for leaders to be flexible and spiritually aware, prioritizing student needs over strict schedules.
• Pastoral Charge [01:00:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stand up for worship/commencement

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:01:32] All of a sudden the sky would just open up and it would rain for like 15 minutes and then the sun would come out.
[00:01:37] Isn't that what our lives as Christians?
[00:01:41] Sometimes the rain falls and the storms come and they completely overwhelm us.
[00:01:51] But you know what? They don't last forever.
[00:01:53] That joy comes when that storm is gone.
[00:01:56] And that joy can be ours during that storm because our God is with us all the time.
[00:02:01] Amen?
[00:02:03] it for you, Ashley. Let's stand together and let's start our celebration this morning.
[00:02:14] One, two, three, four, five, six.

[00:02:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:02:17] You can drop them

[00:06:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:06:55] on the opera plate and give them to Luann on your way out and they'll make sure our prayer team gets those so we can pray with you and rejoice over your praise reports.
[00:07:03] Next. Alright, kids camp. We are coming up just a couple days away from registration. Again, the registration cost is $290 and that's due by the June 30th, July 26th to the 29th is camp. This will be at the Virginia
[00:07:19] Nazarene Campground. First grade through sixth graders. So if you have any questions about camp, please reach out to Marissa or I today.
[00:07:29] At latest tomorrow, we'll be in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. Can't help you from there.
[00:07:34] So, I don't think they allow internet out there. So, I'm kidding. But if you have any questions, please let us know. We'd love to take a couple kids with us to camp. Next, Next, King Camp. So July 5th, we've got a couple more days to register for this to get the $300 price. Again, July 19th through the 23rd. Finishing 6th grade, if you've just finished 12th grade, you can go to King Camp. I know we have at least one going to King Camp, so if anybody else would be interested, please let Marissa know and she can get all the information that you need.
[00:08:05] Next. All right, so we're working on something new here at the church, a new partnership.
[00:08:11] We've been talking with an organization called the Prison Alliance about the possibility of helping get into the prisons under the discretion of the chaplain services.
[00:08:27] So we would go in and share some devotional stuff created by the Prison Alliance.
[00:08:32] The prisons are always looking for people to come in and help share the gospel.
[00:08:37] So this is our first time announcing it to you.
[00:08:38] We're kind of just still on the ground floor getting this going.
[00:08:42] If this is something you think you'd be interested in going up with us to the Statesville Jail and helping share the gospel through video messages that Prison Alliance put together, we're just going up and sitting with us
[00:09:00] and helping us get to know some of the inmates just let us know we understand this might not be a ministry for everybody but there's a niche for everybody alright so I'm thankful the Lord loved me
[00:09:13] and the Lord still loves the people in the jail too and they need to hear about the Lord so if this is something you're interested in we're going to be announcing it through July and then
[00:09:23] to start August we'll start putting our teams together to get up there, get a tour, see what we'd be doing, a more detailed approach then.
[00:09:32] So you'll be hearing about this for a couple weeks, and then August we'll kick it off.
[00:09:35] So if this is something you're interested in, just keep praying about it.
[00:09:39] If you're not interested, pray for it.
[00:09:41] It opens the hearts of those that are, and that we can have a vision-packed working with Prison Alliance.
[00:09:46] Next.
[00:09:48] All right, so we typically do Walking Mondays down at Bellingham Park.
[00:09:54] This week, we're doing it on Thursday, and that will be our prayer walk night.
[00:09:58] So Marissa and I will be in Salt Lake City, and we can talk to you guys about the prayer walk.
[00:10:02] So if there's anything else you want to announce about this, go for it.

[00:10:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:10:05] Okay, so we, like friends, we typically walk on Mondays and Saturdays.
[00:10:10] We're moving into Thursdays.
[00:10:11] This week, Brandon and I will be in Utah.
[00:10:14] But during NYC afternoon conference, one of the things that the students will be doing is walking the neighborhoods and just praying over Utah.
[00:10:25] There is a very large need in Utah.
[00:10:29] A statistic that we learned is that Utah, and specifically Salt Lake City, is the top city for teasers and suicide in general.
[00:10:40] There are billboards all over the place about mental health just because of how it is.
[00:10:48] So the teens and the adults that are going to be in Salt Lake City this coming week, we're going to be walking through communities just praying um and what better way for you guys to partner with us and over our community and
[00:11:03] what's happening in salty as well um so we have one opportunity to do so uh thursday at bellingham park at seven if you are thinking that you will probably be there there is a sign sheet out in
[00:11:16] the um foyer on the table underneath the tv just so that luann has an idea of who all is planning and to be there so she knows when to wait off.
[00:11:25] It's raining, it is still going to happen.
[00:11:27] Y'all are going to meet under the pavilion by the bathrooms.
[00:11:31] So if it's raining, go to the pavilion by the bathrooms.
[00:11:36] Actually, walk the trails, but we still want to pick up.
[00:11:40] Pray for NYC, for the community, for all those things on Thursday.
[00:11:45] And if you go to the next slide, on Wednesday morning, during morning glories, there will be an opportunity to also do a little bit of, all are in a starting seat where you usually can pray someplace in the sanctuary itself.
[00:12:14] If you also like to, you're welcome to walk the property as well, just praying for the church, praying for the community, praying for what's in Salt Lake City, all of those things.
[00:12:26] Pray for Utah on your own.
[00:12:34] We've had an initiative for the last month to pray for Utah at 826.
[00:12:40] You can still continue to do that through NYC, through however long you feel that you you should just keep on praying for utah there's a great name in utah for for god for jesus to just
[00:12:56] show up in a really mighty way so those are all different opportunities for y'all to pray

[00:13:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:13:00] alongside of us to be a part of this typical meeting spot between the playground and okay if it's not raining typical meeting spot thursday in between the tennis courts and the playground do the walk next we're gonna invite our ushers to come this morning and uh we're gonna ask you
[00:13:25] you to stand as we continue in our service today.
[00:13:32] Hey God, we ask you now that we just feel your presence in a mighty way through everything else that happens in this service, God, through fellowship, message, giving, worship. You just be lifted up through all of it. Right now,
[00:13:47] God, I pray that you will prepare our hearts for worship. As we give, just multiply to the many needs of your kingdom and the Lord's will be on it.
[00:13:56] And we just thank you and praise you in advance for all that you're going to do.
[00:13:59] In your name I pray. Amen.

[00:14:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:14:01] The things that we are striving for

[00:17:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:17:43] are about to do and some treatments as well.
[00:22:56] Unspoken requests through our congregation.
[00:23:00] So let's just continue to keep praying that the Lord continues to move in a mighty way.
[00:23:08] I do have Deb back with us this morning after her hip surgery.
[00:23:11] So she's probably going to be

[00:23:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:23:17] a little bit more active afterwards because she's just tired of looking at four walls.
[00:23:21] so just give her another face and something to talk to her after service today.
[00:23:25] It's good to see her this morning.

[00:23:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:23:30] Let's just go to the Lord in prayer.
[00:23:31] If there's anything you have specifically in your life that you need to lift up, please do it this time.
[00:23:36] Let's pray together.
[00:23:38] Hey God, we just come to you now.
[00:23:41] We want to lift these names, these situations up to you today.
[00:23:45] Think of Ginger Gibbs.
[00:23:47] Think of Gorman's daughter.
[00:23:49] Think of Carolyn's brother-in-law.
[00:23:51] I think of Gail with Tina Foskey God you know each and every one of these situations they're all a different level of dire but God we just pray for your hand and special touch on each of them
[00:24:07] we just thank you in advance for the the move your spirit, the healing that will happen God we've seen them before God pray right now we see it again God for the unspoken requests that some of us bring in here that are so heavy
[00:24:25] God, I just pray that you remove those from us today.
[00:24:29] Carry them away.
[00:24:30] Remind us that you've got them.
[00:24:34] God, for our service today, may your spirit just be with us.
[00:24:39] May we just be in awe of everything that you are, everything that you do, everything that you'll continue to do.
[00:24:47] It's your name I pray.
[00:24:48] Amen.
[00:24:50] All right.
[00:24:50] I'm going to invite our kids to come up this morning.

[00:24:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:24:52] We're going to say wonder.
[00:25:10] One, two, three, wonder.

[00:25:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:25:13] I've got to give a shout-out this morning to all those that have volunteered to help in some way with our teen, children, student ministry of the church.
[00:25:40] I think Marissa last week sent out all the forms that you haven't filled out yet.
[00:25:46] It's still waiting. Marissa's watching.
[00:25:47] So, but she sent out all those e-mails about the ministry safe forms that were filled out and stuff.
[00:25:54] And I think overall there's around 30 people volunteering to make sure that this children's youth program are maintained.
[00:26:01] And that's amazing.
[00:26:03] That is awesome.
[00:26:07] So, again, thank you so much.
[00:26:09] And it warms my heart to see our kids and to be able to tell our district people that we're taking at least one team to team camp.
[00:26:16] It's awesome.
[00:26:17] So just to get that off the ground, it's amazing.
[00:26:19] So, this morning, I'm going to start by showing you a little video. Before we play that, you guys are probably already tired of me saying Utah, right? Like, we're going to Utah, whatever. I get it.
[00:26:33] But, one person last week even asked, not in a bad way, why are you and Marissa going?
[00:26:40] We don't have any teens going.
[00:26:42] It's a great question.
[00:26:44] This will be my sixth Nazarene Youth Conference in a row, starting back in 2007.
[00:26:49] And this will be Marissa's fifth.
[00:26:51] And it's almost just become a branch in our ministry.
[00:26:56] Some people, we're always camp people.
[00:26:58] They always go and serve at camp.
[00:27:00] This is just kind of our thing.
[00:27:02] And I'll get a little bit more into that during the message, but it does hold a very special place in our heart in so many lives over the years.
[00:27:10] And so this video at the beginning just kind of shows about some of the impact of natural income.

[00:27:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:27:16] There's something powerful about gathering together.

[00:27:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:27:25] God says, wherever my people are gathering, I'm in their midst.

[00:27:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:27:29] It's a moment where you realize the magnitude of an event like this.
[00:27:33] This draw to come together and worship God and to praise and to live in a faith.
[00:27:38] It's a huge moment for a student to see they're part of something so much bigger than themselves.
[00:27:42] I'm part of a big family. I'm part of an international church.

[00:27:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:27:44] To experience the presence of God in a new way.

[00:27:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:27:48] To recognize that they're not alone.
[00:27:50] A sense of belonging, a sense of connectedness.

[00:27:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:27:53] To explore together what it means to be the people of God.

[00:27:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:27:57] To be the kind of person who's a force for the kingdom coming.

[00:28:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:28:01] And they get to see a church that is living and breathing and very much alive.

[00:28:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:28:06] There is nothing that can keep you away from the love of Jesus Christ.

[00:28:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:28:13] This is a moment.

[00:28:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:28:14] NYC is a spark.

[00:28:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:28:15] It's not just the event, but it's what happens days, months, and years after.

[00:28:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:28:20] How are we changed and how can we carry it forward?
[00:28:23] It is the calling of the local churchmen to come alongside these young leaders.
[00:28:27] Making room for students at the table. You're not the church of tomorrow. You're the church of today. There's work for you here.

[00:28:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:28:35] Right now, you are the church of the Nazarene. Right now, you are the move of God. Right now, you are having an effect on our world right now.

[00:28:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:28:44] Everything's said and done. How can you not be changed?

[00:28:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:28:47] Ten thousand young people, all different, and yet so beautiful.

[00:28:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:28:52] The kingdom is found, and there's kingdom work to be done.

[00:28:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:28:56] This has been my sixth NYC. NYC's average 9,500 students every four years. That means I've been to NYC with 57,000 different students. Think about that. 57,000 Nazarene students just from 2007 through what will be this coming week.
[00:29:41] That's awesome. There's always one group, so it's a little less than that. There's always one group, the ones that get to go after they get out of eighth grade, and then they can go back after they graduate.
[00:29:53] There's always that one group, so there's a little bit of an overlap. Marissa was one of those. That's how she got to go twice as a team.
[00:29:59] And so, we'll say probably 52,000 students that have been different every time. And that's amazing.
[00:30:11] This year's theme is wonder.
[00:30:15] Anybody ever driven out west?
[00:30:18] Anybody ever been?
[00:30:20] There's a lot of nothing, some parts, but sometimes that's pretty beautiful.
[00:30:27] Marissa and I did have the privilege of driving, went out to Idaho and then down to New York a couple years ago.
[00:30:36] And anybody ever driven near the Badlands?
[00:30:39] Anybody ever driven through that?
[00:30:40] Talk about, Grand Canyon gets all the publicity, Badlands is my favorite, that was awesome.
[00:30:45] I don't know if it's Buffalo, I'm going to be the Bison Buffalo, whatever.
[00:30:48] Like right by the car, park ranger would drive by and be like, don't roll down your windows, don't give them food, you won't have a car lived after that.
[00:30:57] So going out west, I think that was the decision behind the denomination and coming up with the theme, Wonder.
[00:31:07] Back in 2010, I had the privilege of sitting on a team of 12 people chosen by their regional directors.
[00:31:20] So if you have no idea, the Nazarene Church is broken up into regions.
[00:31:24] So we are on the Tribeca region, the southeast Nazarene field is what we are.
[00:31:31] I grew up on the east central field, which is Mount Vernon, that college field.
[00:31:36] and I was selected by the university.
[00:31:38] I did not go to Mount Vernon National University, so to be selected as a young leader, I got to sit as the 12-person committee to come up with a plan, NYC, in 2011.
[00:31:49] And that was really, really cool.
[00:31:50] So I got to sit in these rooms and how they come up with these themes and things.
[00:31:55] I have to just speculate.
[00:31:58] This is probably it.
[00:31:59] They drove out and flew out to all these different places to see where NYC was going to be this year.
[00:32:05] and when they stuck on Utah, I'd imagine there was a part of a morning where they got to see the sunrise over the Stokat Mountains or maybe went out to the Salt Flats.
[00:32:14] And they're like, man, this is beautiful.
[00:32:19] Sense of wonder there.
[00:32:21] Sense of wonder is just a desire to know something a little more and you think about it a little harder.
[00:32:30] So coming up on this trip, I'll be honest with you, I've talked to Marissa a couple times, and I'm like, I'm having a little bit of a hard time getting fired up for this one.
[00:32:40] It's the first time I haven't had any students go or wasn't a student myself.
[00:32:45] And that is weird.
[00:32:46] I don't know a lot of our district students.
[00:32:48] Marissa and I were asked to go on this one because we've directed in the past.
[00:32:52] We directed the one in East Ohio where we came from.
[00:32:54] I directed the one in 2011 in Kentucky.
[00:32:57] So we were asked by this district to help get them on the right track.
[00:33:00] The last NYC, I think they lost $12,000.
[00:33:04] They're in the hole.
[00:33:05] And they're like, you guys made money somehow in East Ohio.
[00:33:07] Come be a part of this leadership team.
[00:33:10] get us in the right direction.
[00:33:12] We're glad to be asked. We love this event.
[00:33:14] But I don't have any students I'm taking with me that I've been pouring into and want to see the Lord do these amazing things.
[00:33:21] And so I've been wondering, what is the purpose for me this year?
[00:33:30] And just this morning, I put on a playlist of old NYC's that I asked on Spotify trips I've been to. I was kind of reminded this year that I just need to hush and be in awe and wonder
[00:33:41] what God can do.
[00:33:45] Thank you, Lord.
[00:33:51] Next Monday evening, we're going to have so many stories about the student that we didn't think God was, or probably a lot of people didn't think God could do anything with.
[00:34:02] Next thing you know, they're called to be a missionary in Africa, an inner city pastor, or a pastor of a small church out in the country road.
[00:34:12] And I've seen all of this happen.
[00:34:15] I've seen just how amazing God can be and move in people's lives, not just students.
[00:34:20] There are plenty of adults that have went through this, and God has completely transformed their life as well.
[00:34:28] In 2007, St. Louis, Missouri, the NYC I went to, and I had a calling on my life for ministry.
[00:34:38] I knew that.
[00:34:40] I think they're going to scroll some shots of NYC's past.
[00:34:45] I think maybe Tampa, Louisville.
[00:34:49] I had a calling on my life, and I knew that, and I was already in ministry.
[00:34:54] In 2007, I kind of thought, well, this is my last trip with the church.
[00:34:58] I'm going to go to college.
[00:35:00] And at that point, I'll put my calling on hold because we like to think we can do that in our life.
[00:35:06] I'm going to put my calling on hold, and I'm going to do this college thing.
[00:35:10] I'm going to learn how to do sports management and broadcasting.
[00:35:15] And maybe I'll just be able to witness to those people in the broadcasting booth, and that will be my calling.
[00:35:20] And the Lord quickly directed my mind at the NYC in 2007.
[00:35:26] The speaker, the night that I remember this vividly, his name was Reggie Dabbs.
[00:35:31] He was amazing.
[00:35:32] Ever heard of him?
[00:35:33] You know, if you haven't, strongly suggest YouTubing some Reggie Dabbs, D-A-B-B-S, today.
[00:35:40] And there was a certain illustration he used about brushing teeth.
[00:35:44] You want to hear brushing teeth?
[00:35:46] Every game better go up.
[00:35:47] So he said there are two different people in the world, and they're typically men and women, boys and girls.
[00:35:57] Guy, you put the toothpaste on.
[00:35:59] Girl, you put the toothpaste on.
[00:36:00] You might put a little too much, and it falls off.
[00:36:03] Girls, rinse the sink out and do it again.
[00:36:05] Guys, you scoop it up.
[00:36:09] And I remember laughing at that.
[00:36:10] I'm like, you know, I've probably scooped it up before.
[00:36:13] Yeah, beer, beer, and all.
[00:36:15] So his illustration with this was every time God gives us something.
[00:36:22] and we just kind of drop it, whether intentionally or not.
[00:36:28] Sometimes we think we've ruined it when we lay it down.
[00:36:31] But God says, I still have a plan for it.
[00:36:36] I remember sitting down thinking that night.
[00:36:37] I'm not even sure the illustration we were doing was prevalent to just my circumstance, but I took it as, I can't set this calling down.
[00:36:47] That's not how that goes.
[00:36:49] I can't put that on hold.
[00:36:50] We got home, and I decided to go to community college Instead of going two hours away to Eastern Kentucky University, I went to community college and a church.
[00:37:02] The same day I called my admissions counselor at East Kentucky University and told him I wasn't coming.
[00:37:10] The same day the NY president of a Nazarene church in town called me and said, hey, we're starting middle school ministry and you're the name that keeps coming up amongst our board.
[00:37:19] Would you be interested in doing that?
[00:37:22] I'll call you back.
[00:37:24] I hung up and called him back like ten minutes later.
[00:37:27] Yes.
[00:37:27] from the moment I got home NYC St. Louis I'd been in pastoral ministry I had in my heart a stupid little illustration about scooping up toothpaste but you have that stupid little illustration in a room of
[00:37:46] 10,000 peers that are all also thinking about setting down this calling and picking it up later I can do something with the mess I'm trying to engage 2011 Louisville there was a girl on our
[00:38:07] district, I'll leave her unnamed and she's living an amazing life now.
[00:38:11] Her story, nobody knew, and she was this girl in our district from a church about two hours from mine, but I'd gotten to know her at camps and stuff over the years, and she was just a, she was fantastic.
[00:38:22] I lit up a room, and she walked in.
[00:38:25] Every night after service, you go back to your hotel, and it's the same this year.
[00:38:31] We'll be doing it in a couple days.
[00:38:32] You walk back to your hotel as your group, and you go to your meeting room.
[00:38:36] Every district has a meeting room in their hotel.
[00:38:38] go to that room and you can do a debrief from the day. What was your favorite part of the day? And somebody would raise their hands. I loved one of the BVFs at the homeless shelter. That was great.
[00:38:50] I loved painting the school.
[00:38:53] Everyone has these different things. And I remember that night, this girl, she raised her hand. You can tell she'd been crying the other day. Her eyes were full.
[00:39:04] And she just told us her whole story that come from a family you never expect any of it.
[00:39:11] I won't share all the details this morning, but she did not hold back any details that night about the multiple levels of abuse that she went through.
[00:39:22] And nobody knew it.
[00:39:23] That night, she had this piece of paper in her hand.
[00:39:30] She opened it.
[00:39:31] It was written, and she wrote it on the surface.
[00:39:33] She said, tonight, I've decided that I've given all this anger to the Lord.
[00:39:37] She pulled out a lighter and just burned it right out of the hotel.
[00:39:40] we kind of had to put that out pretty quick but at the same time I got where she was coming from and I was like that's amazing and we all got to cry and pray with her
[00:39:49] and it was amazing she now works in a place in Lexington helping young girls go through the same thing and it's absolutely incredible and this is not a disparagement she would say the same thing now
[00:40:03] to small churches her church was able to help her as best they could with what they knew which is still as much as everybody else did But she said there was something about being in this moment, the freedom of everyone feeling that same kind of worshipful presence of the Lord that allowed her the freedom to be like, I'm giving this up.
[00:40:29] 2014, Louisville again.
[00:40:32] There was a kid from the same church as the girl I just talked about.
[00:40:39] The most shy, awkward, backward kid ever.
[00:40:44] Seriously, in the district meetings, he was the kid we were worried about coming on this trip because he is just so socially awkward.
[00:40:52] Like, no matter what group you put him in, it wasn't going to work.
[00:40:57] He wouldn't complain about it, but you just knew he wasn't having a good time.
[00:41:02] You can all probably picture somebody like that.
[00:41:04] Not that they're a miserable person.
[00:41:05] They prefer to stay home.
[00:41:08] His mom was on the church board.
[00:41:10] She was the missions president.
[00:41:11] She was going to make sure he was going to this trip.
[00:41:13] like she made sure he went to king camps and fall retreats and did quizzing and all this stuff so we got there and I'll say his name his name is Caleb I was Caleb's group leader
[00:41:25] I knew him from camp, I said I'll take you to him that's fine, so we get there and I'm like are you excited, he's like not at all I'm like okay, this is good he said Brandon you know I love Jesus but this isn't my thing
[00:41:36] I said oh that's fine he didn't sing in worship never would he ever think about raising his hands Not because he was embarrassed, but he just didn't want to draw any attention to himself, ever.
[00:41:52] And I totally believe he loved Jesus.
[00:41:54] You can see his Bible when he opened it in the services.
[00:41:57] There was more writing on it than my grandma's.
[00:42:01] He knew the Lord.
[00:42:03] I didn't worry about that.
[00:42:04] My prayer for him was just that Lord willing, bless his Bible.
[00:42:11] That's the thing.
[00:42:12] The third night was the David Crowder concert.
[00:42:16] Everybody knows David Crowder.
[00:42:17] I love David Crowder.
[00:42:18] Crowder has a way to kind of get you moving, and your head will bob, and feet will start tapping.
[00:42:25] Caleb had done that.
[00:42:28] Everyone standing around him was just ready to go back to the hotel.
[00:42:34] He heard the message, and he was good.
[00:42:37] The last song that Crowder did at the time was the biggest song he put out, How He Loves.
[00:42:43] Anybody heard that in the church?
[00:42:45] He loves us.
[00:42:47] Wonderful song.
[00:42:48] 10,000 people singing that.
[00:42:50] It's pretty heavenly.
[00:42:51] It's amazing.
[00:42:51] over and Caleb is crying.
[00:42:55] Still sitting, still arms crossed.
[00:42:58] So I was like, I'm just thinking he's going to tell me he's past his bedtime.
[00:43:02] Like, seriously.
[00:43:05] So I lean down as a pastor and I don't always say the right things.
[00:43:12] I said, hey dude, we're going back to the devotional soon.
[00:43:14] We can go to bed soon.
[00:43:16] He looks up at me and says, no, you're not going to deal with me, man.
[00:43:20] I'm supposed to be a worship leader.
[00:43:23] You talk about me being mind blown.
[00:43:26] I'm like, well, you're probably going to have to learn to stand up and sing.
[00:43:29] And so he opens his Bible, and throughout the entire services, three days prior, he's written down so much in the margins of his Bible about how the Lord was telling him that he has to be a worship leader.
[00:43:42] He showed me a text to his dad.
[00:43:44] He made his dad order him a guitar and a chord chart to learn how to play when he got home.
[00:43:50] That next year, he was a junior on that trip, Caleb led worship for teen camp.
[00:43:56] Right now, Caleb is a worship leader at the biggest Nazarene church in Florida.
[00:44:04] Beehome Church in Florida.
[00:44:10] It's amazing.
[00:44:13] And these are just two of the students that I got to see at these events.
[00:44:23] 9,999 others that the Lord is doing individual stories on.
[00:44:28] I told you Marissa and I have a connection to this time, but at an NYC, 2011, there were 14.
[00:44:39] yeah she was signed up already to go to Kent State University and Kent State University is a small college in Ohio and she was already signed up to go all her paperwork was in something happened at NYC
[00:44:56] and she decided to text her parents and say she wants to change to Mount Vernon because of that I think their reluctance to accept her in that choice she got connected into ministry classes, did other things, did internships, which made her work at the camp that I was
[00:45:16] working at, and that's how we met.
[00:45:20] In Phoenix, NYC 2019, we got to be together as a couple at NYC and help lead some students there through my youth group at Kishopton, and then the last NYC before this one, we got to co-lead, co-direct for East Ohio District, and just what a joy it's been.
[00:45:44] And so this year, the theme being wonder, the verse that they're using comes out of Psalm 65.
[00:45:54] Like in the NIV.
[00:46:02] This is New Living, so I'm not reading that.
[00:46:04] It's from this morning.
[00:46:07] The whole earth is filled at your wonders.
[00:46:12] Where morning dawns forth songs of joy.
[00:46:19] I don't think that they're going to focus solely on the outdoors.
[00:46:24] But I do think that the sunrise every morning, if you see it just right, it's like a promise that God is there.
[00:46:33] If you get to see a sunset, it's a reminder that you made it through.
[00:46:39] God's with you.
[00:46:41] And there's something about seeing it out west.
[00:46:44] It's just gorgeous.
[00:46:47] But it's more about this week.
[00:46:49] And this is what I want to help or have you guys help us pray for these students and adults alike.
[00:46:55] We'll be praying that back for you.
[00:46:57] Is that you find the wonder in the Lord.
[00:47:00] The wonder of the Lord should never stop.
[00:47:06] It's that big.
[00:47:07] It's that vast.
[00:47:08] It's that beautiful.
[00:47:15] Well, our socks off.
[00:47:25] I don't know.
[00:47:26] I should have asked at the beginning.
[00:47:27] Did anybody have any kids?
[00:48:06] This is that.
[00:48:07] Whatever the church we've been a part of, this is that.
[00:48:13] To be specific with the pastor, how can I pray for this event?
[00:48:22] I'd say teens and adults that are coming on this trip, pray for their churches for when they return.
[00:48:30] It puts out a fire quicker than a church that is not ready for somebody coming back on fire from the Lord.
[00:48:40] There's countless stories of former students that have went on this trip, that got back, and their church was happy, and they didn't mean to extinguish it.
[00:48:53] But these kids came back ready for something, like run through a wall for the Lord.
[00:49:03] It's a run through.
[00:49:04] They met with what was just barbed wire.
[00:49:14] What's the one way to pray for the church that these students are coming from?
[00:49:20] Let me also say, these kids are also not going to be 100% right in everything they say when they get back.
[00:49:25] But the Spirit of the Lord leading them is.
[00:49:28] So pray that the church gets right with the Spirit and is just allowing the Spirit of the Lord to lead and move and help them grow together.
[00:49:40] Second, pray that the leaders on the trip are flexible enough to allow the Spirit to move.
[00:49:50] The denomination has to end the service at a certain time.
[00:49:57] They only rent the building for a certain amount of hours.
[00:50:00] So I understand that worship can't go on forever and the praying and the lobby and the auditorium and the arena can't go on forever.
[00:50:09] But pray that the leaders are flexible enough and have the spiritual awareness to realize when these students need it some more.
[00:50:17] On the walk back to the hotel, in their meeting room, if you've got to stay up late and pray with somebody, you better stay up late.
[00:50:28] Because there's going to be a chance that there's going to be a couple of these kids that are like Caleb that want to be able to share what they're feeling, but they don't want to share with a whole lot of other people
[00:50:35] because they don't know the lingo and they don't have the will of your heart You know how sometimes it feels really strange and it doesn't make sense.
[00:50:45] These kids are feeling that too.
[00:50:47] So they're probably going to want to go to an adult they're close to and say, hey, I have something to say.
[00:50:53] And if the adult is constantly on their phone or looking or checking the schedule to make sure everyone's in their room at the same time, throw that out the window.
[00:51:01] I'm probably going to get in trouble with our leaders because that's me.
[00:51:06] I've been to too many of those to see so many students miss out on something because of the schedule.
[00:51:13] which is most important.
[00:51:26] Lord, down on that place that overtakes not just the building that we're in.
[00:51:33] I keep saying arena.
[00:51:34] I'm used to being in an arena.
[00:51:35] This year it's in a convention center.
[00:51:38] That it just blows in the city of Salt Lake comes to be aware that Jesus is the real.
[00:51:47] As Sharon is true, Salt Lake City is the number one city in the United States for suicide.
[00:51:54] The Nazarene has taken Salt Lake City under their wing and made it their mission field within the United States.
[00:52:06] Since the last time I told you there are four churches at the Nazarene in Salt Lake City, there are now six.
[00:52:15] More churches are planting as this event is getting closer.
[00:52:18] The goal by the end of this calendar year is to have 12.
[00:52:23] That is on NYC's shoulders.
[00:52:24] That's on these students' shoulders during the prayer walk time.
[00:52:28] Marissa, do you remember how many miles this is?
[00:52:30] We're not all walking together.
[00:52:32] 10,000 students going in different directions around Salt Lake City.
[00:52:35] I think it comes up to like 287 miles worth of city that we're walking.
[00:52:40] Again, not one group walking one way, but all combined, which is what sets the record for the longest prayer walk in the United States.
[00:52:48] So we're just hoping that the Spirit of the Lord goes out and touches these families in a way that you've never experienced.
[00:52:57] You've never experienced before.
[00:53:03] It can be weird, but it feels good.
[00:53:18] There are thousands upon thousands of people that care about Jesus.
[00:53:19] There are going to be hundreds if not a thousand people accepted calling to the mission field, whatever mission field that looks like.
[00:53:30] There are going to be hundreds if not a thousand or more accepted enrolling in some kind of pastoral ministry.
[00:53:37] There are at least about 7500 students that's name isn't going to be written as a statistic of a calling.
[00:53:51] It doesn't make them any less important.
[00:53:58] Lord Jesus in a mighty way and that whatever he decides to do in their life, they go back and do it with 100% confidence. That's what the Lord calls them to do.
[00:54:12] So what about this? You say, Pastor, that's great. None of us have seen this. We have no idea what you're talking about. Good job.
[00:54:19] You were so cold.
[00:54:23] You're a part of this. You go to a church of the Nazarene. This is the largest event the church of the Nazarene puts on.
[00:54:32] This is larger than General Assembly by people. General Assembly 3200 is the average It also happens every four years.
[00:54:42] It more than doubles General Assembly in impact.
[00:54:50] Now, one could argue there are General Assemblies held around the world as well.
[00:54:54] Yes, and those are huge.
[00:54:56] Canada is the only other country that does come to NYC, so we can talk about that.
[00:55:02] But if you attend a church in Nashville, this is part of it.
[00:55:11] All these people in this picture wearing different colored shirts represent a district.
[00:55:18] we will be representing the north carolina district 78 of us totally going in this district representing you representing the lord together be a small part of heaven here on earth good job what do we do here i've been at things too where people talk about events that they've been to and
[00:55:59] i've never been to so i can only briefly picture it so i know sometimes how awkward that can feel but it should be a celebration because this is an event about a god that we also serve here
[00:56:11] It's the same God.
[00:56:12] I heard it said once, and I think it's true.
[00:56:18] The same God, bigger budget.
[00:56:19] It's meant these kids in this place, the same God I've talked to in my bedroom, the same God I've talked to in my car, the same God I've talked to in the hospital.
[00:56:38] It's the same God that we sing about here, we pray to, we hear about.
[00:56:45] My prayer is the same God that just blows our minds in wonder.
[00:56:53] While we leave Tuesday morning, you guys are going to have your prayer experience Wednesday and Thursday.
[00:56:58] I pray for you is that it's not just those two days that you think and pray about this but every day next week lift up these people in your hearts and minds because you never know
[00:57:12] your next pastor may come from this conference that was me at one point your next worship leader may come from this conference and that kid may hate talking to people and not lead the worship in front of 18,000 people
[00:57:33] every Sunday morning our next links missionary might come from this conference our last one did the one we have now Jessica Hadcock received her call at that's where you come from drop us off at your Walmart pickup
[00:58:08] they come from this conference the pastor wants to have me say God is so big and so powerful and so good and so grand that man my mind went first and wondered of what it would be like
[00:58:31] if we all got that same view and vision of it. I'll end with this.
[00:58:39] I started by talking about driving out west and seeing some of those things and how beautiful they were.
[00:58:44] And Marissa and I took all kinds of pictures.
[00:58:48] Anybody ever try to take a picture of the moon on your cell phone? You want to show somebody so bad just about how awesome the moon was.
[00:58:58] It looks horrible on your phone.
[00:59:04] That's cool. I bet it was great.
[00:59:20] It's an experience with God, not just the moon. We can show you all the pictures we took from the Badlands.
[00:59:27] We can show you the picture collection of it.
[00:59:39] It doesn't look nearly as good on our phone.
[00:59:46] We're going to experience it the same way that we can experience now.
[00:59:49] And together, it's not just a story about a picture that was taken.
[00:59:53] It's an experience with a living, breathing God.
[00:59:59] And that is the connection.
[01:00:01] That, to me, is the wonder that this whole event is about.
[01:00:07] Because it's more than an event.
[01:00:09] It's a life-changing experience that happens daily.
[01:00:13] And I think when we can get on board with that as our guide, that change happens.
[01:00:20] I'm going to invite our worship team to come up this morning.
[01:00:25] I'm going to read the verse one more time.
[01:00:26] The whole earth is filled with all of your wonders.
[01:00:36] I just pray that we can all experience that together.
[01:00:41] Why don't you stand?
[01:06:15] So, I want you to experience that wonder.
[01:06:20] Let's pray together.
[01:06:23] God, we come to you now.
[01:06:24] I just want to thank you in advance for the beautiful encounters that will happen, not just in Salt Lake City, but through the United States and Canada, that is a way for the trickle effect from this experience with you and our eyes just be new
[01:06:45] transformed into the new transforming things that you're doing and we love like you see like you help us be who you want us to be it's your name everyone said

[01:07:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:07:00] I'm in, I'm in, I'm in, I'm in, I'm in.