0:07

Hello and welcome to the John Mark

0:09

Comer Teachings Podcast. I'm Strawn Coleman, your

0:11

host and part of the teaching team

0:13

here at Practicing The Way. Each

0:16

week on this podcast we share a

0:18

teaching from John Mark or other trusted

0:20

voices in the formation space. In

0:23

today's teaching John Mark encourages us to

0:25

seek, know and persevere in the unique

0:27

dreams that God has given each and

0:30

every one of us. So

0:32

if you like me have dreams that you've been waiting

0:34

on for years or even new ones that you're not

0:36

sure what to do with, I know this teaching

0:38

is going to be deeply encouraging and empowering

0:40

for you. As

0:43

you're listening, you may like to ask yourself the

0:45

question, what supernatural dreams

0:47

has God put in my heart?

0:51

Here's John Mark. Hey,

0:55

tonight we are wrapping up

0:57

our practice on discovering your

1:00

identity and calling. And

1:02

this is just something that I

1:04

have been learning in my own

1:06

journey of discovering my identity and

1:08

my calling that I find helpful.

1:11

And I think you will find it helpful

1:13

as well. If not, come

1:16

back next week. OK, let's start off

1:18

here in Genesis chapter thirty seven. Take

1:20

a look at verse two. This

1:23

is the account of Jacob's family

1:25

line. Joseph, a young

1:27

man of 17. I'm

1:33

just saying. Was

1:36

tending the flocks. That could be your

1:38

vocation prophetic word over your life. I

1:41

hope not. With

1:43

his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and

1:46

the sons of Zilfah, his father's wives,

1:48

and he brought their father a bad

1:50

report about them. He's a bit of

1:53

a tattletale. Now, Israel loved

1:55

Joseph more than any of his other

1:57

sons because he had been born to

1:59

him in. his old age, and he

2:01

made an ornate robe for him. When

2:04

his brothers saw that their father loved him

2:06

more than any of them, they hated him

2:08

and could not speak a kind word to

2:10

him. And Joseph had a

2:13

dream. And when

2:15

he told it to his brothers, they hated

2:17

him all the more. He said to them,

2:19

listen to this dream I had. We were

2:22

binding sheaves of corn out in the field

2:24

when suddenly my sheep rose and stood upright

2:26

while your sheaves gathered round mine and bowed

2:28

down to it. Now,

2:30

like, before we read the next part, how would you

2:32

feel if your little brother said that to you? Yeah,

2:35

I have a little brother. No. His

2:38

brothers said to him, do you actually intend

2:40

to reign over us? Will you actually rule

2:42

us? In Hebrew it means more like, you

2:44

are an idiot. And they hated

2:47

him all the more because of his

2:49

dream and what he had said. But

2:51

then he had another dream, and he did

2:53

not learn from his mistake. He told it to his

2:55

brothers. Listen, he said, I had

2:58

another dream. And this time the sun and

3:00

the moon and the 11 stars were

3:02

all bowing down to me. When

3:05

he told his father as well as his

3:07

brothers, his father rebuked him and he said,

3:09

what is this dream you had? Will your

3:11

mother and I and your brothers actually come

3:13

and bow down to the ground before you?

3:15

His brothers were all jealous of him, but

3:18

his father kept the matter in

3:20

mind. Joseph

3:22

was a dreamer. And

3:25

God's people have always been dreamers. As

3:29

long as God has been in relationship

3:31

with people, he has been giving them

3:33

dreams. And when I say dreams, I

3:35

don't just mean literal dreams when you

3:37

are asleep. That too, for sure, we

3:39

believe in all of that. But

3:41

I mean it in a much broader sense. Any

3:43

kind of a vision for your future and

3:46

the role that you are to play

3:48

in the family of God, a prophetic

3:50

word over your life from a family

3:52

member or friend, or just a gut

3:54

sense, this is going to happen, or

3:56

that is going to happen, or an

3:58

idea in your mind. eye that

4:01

you just can't quite shake. Maybe

4:04

your dream has to do with your career, the role that

4:06

you want to play in the healing and the renewal of

4:08

our city. Maybe it's not that at

4:10

all. Maybe it has more to do with

4:12

the relationship, marriage, or family, or a child.

4:14

Maybe it has to do with your own

4:16

character, the kind of man or woman that

4:18

you want to grow and mature into. Maybe

4:20

it has to do with the justice issue

4:23

or problem in our day or our age

4:25

or business you want to start toward church

4:27

you want to plant or you get the

4:29

idea. But my guess is that on each

4:31

and every one of you here there is

4:33

some kind of a dream deep in your heart. Maybe

4:36

more than one, maybe two or three

4:38

or even more. And the odds are

4:40

that at least some of that dream

4:43

is from the Spirit of God. Because

4:45

you see dreams play a key role in

4:47

our life. Without dreams we would just

4:49

get sucked into the tyranny of the urgent,

4:52

right into the vortex of the busyness

4:54

and the digital distraction and the materialism

4:56

of our day and age. We would

4:58

just wander our way through

5:00

life and squander it

5:03

on trivia. But

5:05

dreams have the potential to operate

5:08

kind of like a roadmap for life or

5:10

at least like a compass to keep you

5:12

and I on track. In

5:14

the language of the self-help world they are

5:16

how we quote start with the end in

5:18

mind. Put into the

5:20

language of our practice, dreams are how

5:23

God leads us and how God guides

5:25

us into our identity and calling to

5:27

be who God made us to be

5:30

and do what God made us to

5:32

do. But here's the thing, dreams are

5:34

a tricky thing to live with. Am

5:37

I right? Because there

5:40

is always a gap between the

5:42

dream and the fulfillment of that

5:44

dream. That gap might be a

5:46

few days long or a few

5:48

months long or a few years long

5:50

or a few decades long. But in

5:52

that gap we run the

5:54

full gamut from hope and anticipation

5:57

and I can't wait and faith

5:59

all day. the way to

6:01

despair and impatience and doubt

6:03

and cynicism and disappointment. Enter

6:06

Joseph. I would argue that

6:08

Joseph's story is a paradigm for how

6:11

you and I are to live and

6:13

live well in that gap between the

6:15

dream and the fulfillment of the dream.

6:18

Because for Joseph, and my guess is it's the same

6:20

for you, I know it's the same for me, that

6:23

journey from dream to the fulfillment of the

6:25

dream is anything but a straight line. It's

6:27

more of a zigzag, it's two steps, three

6:30

steps forward, two steps back. It's

6:32

honestly a very long and most of the

6:34

time a very hard road. The end

6:36

is worth it and in the middle is a

6:38

pain in the butt. Now it

6:40

would take all night to read Joseph's story. It's

6:42

about 10 chapters long. But let's just read a

6:45

few key moments along the way and talk about

6:47

what it all means for you and me. Okay?

6:51

Okay. Take a look again at verse, chapter

6:53

37 verse 12. The

6:55

story goes on. His brothers had gone to

6:58

graze their father's flock near, we say Shechem,

7:00

it's actually Shechem, you can say that, and

7:03

it's just for the heck of it, you know?

7:05

And Israel said to Joseph, as you know, your

7:07

brothers are grazing the flock near Shechem. Come, I

7:09

am going to send you to them. So Joseph

7:12

goes on an errand for his dad. It's

7:14

a multi-day or multi-week journey to check

7:16

in on his brothers. Now skip down

7:18

to 18. They saw

7:20

him in the distance, en route, and before

7:23

he reached him, they plotted to kill

7:25

him. Here comes that

7:27

what? Dreamer. That's what he's

7:29

known for, a dreamer. They said

7:31

to each other, come now, let's kill

7:33

him and throw him into one of

7:35

these cisterns and say, hey, a ferocious

7:37

animal devoured him. Then we'll see what

7:40

comes of his dreams. This

7:42

by the way, just makes me feel so much better

7:44

about my parenting skills. Right, babe? Like

7:46

after a few days with my kids over

7:48

Thanksgiving, I have two boys, they're always fighting,

7:50

but this we've yet to reach anything close

7:52

to murder. All right? I have

7:54

one wife, not four. I feel like I'm actually

7:56

doing all right. Okay?

7:59

And in the story... So they conspire together

8:01

and they plot and they take Joseph and

8:03

they first throw him into his sister and

8:05

to kill him later but then

8:07

they look up and on the horizon they

8:09

see this caravan of Traders

8:11

slave traders and they come up with an

8:13

idea Why kill him when we can sell

8:15

the dude and make some profit off of

8:18

his body and skip down to 28 So

8:20

when the Midianite merchants came by his brothers

8:22

pulled Joseph up out of the sister and

8:25

sold him for 20 shekels of silver to

8:27

the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt

8:30

now, here's all I want you to notice Joseph

8:33

has a dream and then

8:35

the very next story is the exact

8:37

opposite of that dream Instead

8:40

of Joseph's brother is bowing down

8:42

to him. Joseph is bowing down

8:44

to all sorts of other people Joseph

8:47

goes down to Egypt not up to

8:49

the father and he goes down not

8:51

as a master But as a slave

8:53

then if you know the story it

8:55

goes on to make matters worse He

8:58

is a slave and actually does a great job

9:00

to this Egyptian by the name

9:02

of Potiphar, but there's a run-in with Potiphar's

9:05

wife and Joseph is innocent But there's a

9:07

false accusation and in the end he is

9:09

in prison and then we read this turn

9:11

over to chapter 40 years Go by Joseph

9:14

is now was a slave now He is

9:16

in prison sometime later the cut bear

9:18

and the baker of the king of Egypt So

9:20

those aren't just like people that work in the kitchen

9:23

Those were both like advisory roles to

9:25

the king or in this case to

9:27

Pharaoh Pharaoh was angry with both of

9:29

them The chief kept there and the

9:31

chief baker So he puts both

9:33

of them into the prison and lo and behold

9:35

what a coincidence that the exact same prison where

9:37

Joseph is and on the first

9:40

night both the cut bear and the

9:42

baker have a Dream and wake up

9:44

all distraught then look at this six

9:46

when Joseph came to them the next

9:48

morning He saw that they were dejected. So

9:50

we asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody

9:53

with him in his master's house Why do

9:55

you look so sad today? We both had

9:57

dreams they answered, but there's no one to

9:59

interpret them. Then Joseph

10:01

said to them, Do not interpretations belong to

10:04

God? Tell me your dream. And

10:06

so the baker and the cupbearer tell Joseph

10:08

the dreams. Joseph interprets the

10:10

dreams. Then a few days

10:13

go by and both of the dreams

10:15

on the third day come to pass.

10:17

One of them is put to death

10:19

and the other is put back to

10:21

the right hand of the king. But

10:23

then look at the closing line of

10:25

the story. Verse 23, the chief cupbearer,

10:27

however, did not remember Joseph. He what?

10:30

He forgot them. Now

10:32

notice the story goes on.

10:35

Joseph interprets other people's dreams,

10:37

but his own dreams are

10:40

unfulfilled. Just

10:42

imagine that for a minute. Right?

10:45

You have this dream, this thing

10:47

in you, you feel like it's

10:49

from God and literally your life

10:51

is 180 degrees bent in the

10:53

exact opposite direction and you can

10:55

interpret, but you can't actually

10:57

live into your own dream. The baker

10:59

has a dream. Three days later

11:02

it comes to pass. Joseph has

11:04

a dream. Years go by and

11:06

nothing. He is literally left to

11:08

rot in a dungeon. Turn the

11:10

page. Chapter 41 verse one,

11:12

when two full years had passed, Pharaoh

11:15

had a dream. So now just everybody's

11:17

dreaming. It's like right and left. It's

11:19

the new thing to do and

11:22

goes on. There's the dream. Look at verse

11:24

eight. In the morning, his mind was troubled.

11:27

So he sent for all the magicians

11:29

and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told

11:31

them his dreams, but no one could

11:33

interpret them for him. If you

11:35

ever had a dream that you really feel like

11:37

it is from God or there's something to it,

11:39

but you have no idea what it means and

11:41

you, and you feel tension and confusion and distraught

11:43

and that itch in your mind. Then

11:46

the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, today I'm reminded of

11:48

my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with the servants and

11:50

he imprisoned me in the chief baker in the house

11:52

of the captain of the guard. Each of us had

11:55

a dream the same night. Each dream had a meaning

11:57

of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there. Notice he does not

11:59

even know what he was doing. remember his name. It's

12:02

just anonymous. A young, I don't even remember his name. A

12:04

servant of the captain of the guard, we

12:06

told him our dreams. He interpreted them for

12:09

us, giving each man the interpretation, and things

12:11

turned out exactly as he interpreted

12:13

them to us. I was restored to

12:15

my position. The other man was impaled.

12:17

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph. That's

12:21

right. And he was

12:23

quickly brought from the

12:25

dungeon. When he had shaved and

12:27

changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. So there's

12:29

a twist in the story. Out of the blue,

12:31

out of nowhere, you go,

12:33

if you're Joseph, you go from the

12:35

dungeon to right in front

12:37

of the most powerful man on

12:39

earth at that time. And Pharaoh said to

12:41

Joseph, I had a dream, and no one

12:43

can interpret it. But I've heard it said,

12:46

rumor is, that when you hear a dream,

12:48

you can interpret it. Notice 16, I cannot

12:50

do it. Joseph

12:52

replied to Pharaoh, but God

12:55

will give Pharaoh the answer he

12:57

desires. Can you notice just for

12:59

a moment, all

13:02

of that cocky ego, it's

13:04

all gone. It's

13:06

been beat out of him by

13:08

prison and years. He's older. He's

13:11

a bit wiser. Now there's a

13:13

humility about Joseph. Oh, I can't

13:15

do it. But there's still a

13:17

faith. God can. And he, Pharaoh

13:19

tells the dream. Then in the

13:21

story, Joseph interprets the dream. Then

13:23

skip down to 39. Then Pharaoh

13:26

said to Joseph, since

13:28

God has made all this known to

13:30

you, there is no

13:32

one so discerning as wise as

13:34

you. So when

13:36

he was young, he was an arrogant fool. Now

13:39

he's marked by a humility, and

13:41

he's thought of as the wisest

13:43

man in the empire, right? And

13:45

you would imagine it would be

13:47

pretty hard to impress somebody like

13:49

Pharaoh. You shall be in

13:51

charge of my palace, and all my

13:54

people are to submit to your orders.

13:56

Only with respect to the throne, will

13:58

I be greater too. Room.

14:01

Wow. Okay so now the dream

14:03

is just starting to come to pass.

14:05

The slays is now everything is turned

14:07

upside down or right side up and

14:10

he's made into a ruler. But still

14:12

the brothers are not in the story

14:14

and it's been years since that dream

14:16

and years since the brother turn to

14:18

chapter thirty to look down the bro

14:20

in the story as a salmon. Now

14:22

l has to do is Joseph stream

14:24

it's you know at this a salmon

14:27

and the brothers are you know multiple

14:29

week journey up to the north and

14:31

the. Family and Josephs family of origin

14:33

is out of food and starting to

14:35

go hungry. And so Jacob the dad

14:37

says i boys you go down to

14:40

Egypt and by we have money but

14:42

we don't have any food. Go by

14:44

soon to the brothers com and down

14:46

and guess who is the one there

14:49

to sell the food? It's little brother

14:51

Joseph. Take a look at six. Now

14:53

Joseph was the governor of the land,

14:55

the person who saw grain to all

14:57

it's people. So when Joseph's brothers arrives

15:00

they bowed down to him. With their

15:02

faces to the ground? Are you picking

15:04

that up? As soon as Joseph saw

15:06

his brothers he recognize them. but he

15:08

pretended to be a stranger and he

15:11

spoke harshly to them. where do you

15:13

come from A Us from the land

15:15

of Canaan? They replied to buy food.

15:17

Although Joseph recognize his brothers, they did

15:19

not recognize him. Then

15:22

he remembered his. Dreams.

15:25

Can. You imagine your does it work

15:27

one day? you know. Running the empire,

15:30

Whatever it is you do saving the

15:32

world from starvation. you know, one city

15:34

business deal at a time. whatever. And

15:37

n walk your brother is. there's Reuven

15:39

his Judah, there's all the men that

15:41

sold you into slavery and after all

15:43

of these years that it's in the

15:46

back of your mind. That would

15:48

never go away. Was that dream from

15:50

God or was I crazy? Is.

15:52

There a god is got actually with

15:54

me. It's or am I all alone

15:56

in the world. And then there are

15:59

the brothers. Then you know bow

16:01

when down in front of you. just

16:03

like in the dream. Now next in

16:05

the story, there's a whole bunch of

16:07

drama that we don't have time to

16:09

get into. Turn over to Chapter Forty

16:12

Three. Long story short, the brothers go

16:14

back home. Still no clue that was

16:16

little brother Joseph. Go back home. a

16:18

few more years go by they run

16:20

out of food again. they take a

16:22

road trip down to Egypt to buy

16:25

more food again. and then we read

16:27

this. chapter. Forty Three looked down at

16:29

Verse Twenty Six. When Joseph came home,

16:31

they presented to him the gifts they

16:33

had brought into the house and they

16:35

were. Bow down before

16:38

him to the ground. Are you

16:40

picking this up right? Read it.

16:42

not once, but now twice. Then

16:44

there is more drama, a whole

16:46

lot of stuff and just of

16:48

just can't keep it in any

16:50

more. Chapter Forty Five Verse One

16:52

Been Joseph can no longer control

16:54

himself before all of us attendance

16:56

and he cried out get Outta

16:58

here, leave Me alone And then

17:00

Joseph Verse Three said to his

17:02

brother's i Am show Ces. His.

17:04

Dad still alive. But

17:07

his brothers were not able to answer

17:09

because they were terrified at Us Presidents

17:11

presence. And you would be to do

17:13

you imagine Dang little brother and we

17:16

sold into slavery is some second most

17:18

powerful man on earth and our life

17:20

is literally in his hands. But then

17:22

Joseph said to his brother's come close

17:25

to me. Met. In the

17:27

fear, the trepidation when they had done

17:29

so, he said i am your brother

17:31

Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt

17:33

And now do not be distressed. Do.

17:36

Not be angry with yourselves for selling

17:38

me here. Because it

17:40

was to save lives Said God sent

17:42

me a had as you for two

17:44

years Now there has been Sam and

17:47

in the land of for the next

17:49

five years there will be no plowing

17:51

and reaping. But God sent me ahead

17:53

of you to preserve for you a

17:55

remnant on earth and to save your

17:58

lives by a very great deliverance. So

18:00

then it was not you who sent me

18:02

here, but God. He made

18:05

me father to cerro of a

18:07

horde of this entire household and

18:09

ruler of all Egypt. In

18:11

the story goes on. What?

18:13

A story rice and that's the short

18:15

version. Is your new to the bible?

18:17

Go read it on your own. Week

18:19

off. Now

18:21

there's a lot that we can learn

18:24

from the story. About

18:26

how to live in that gap

18:28

between a dream and the first

18:30

film and have that dream. Can

18:33

I don't want you to notice

18:35

for things about Josephs Dream. When

18:37

the dream finally comes to pass

18:40

it is one different, too hard

18:42

or three longer and for better.

18:45

A short word on each first

18:47

us different. Joseph

18:49

in the dream sees all of

18:52

his brother's bowing down to him.

18:55

But he does not see. Egypt.

18:58

He. Does not see slavery. He does not

19:00

see prison. He does not see a

19:02

seven year sam and he does not

19:04

see any of that. He sees a

19:06

little but he is blind to a

19:08

lot and dreams are often like that.

19:10

The reality is to the dream with

19:13

the tree is to the see it

19:15

All of the raw materials are there

19:17

in that seat. but it's just a

19:19

sneak peek. It's just a fraction of

19:21

the whole. When we get

19:23

a dream from God, weather is a

19:25

literal dream when you were asleep. Or

19:27

more vision in your mind's eye, aura,

19:29

or desire, or an idea. Whatever it

19:32

is, you might get ten percent of

19:34

it, or twenty percent of it. Or

19:36

if you're lucky, sixty percent. But there

19:38

are a whole bits and pieces, whole

19:40

chunks that are missing when we see

19:42

the suit. Sure, most of the time

19:44

it's Suzie. It's It's not clear Yoda

19:47

even said something about that. He is

19:49

very wise Rice Paul Yet another wise

19:51

man who actually. Was a real

19:53

person said something very similar He

19:55

said quo now we know in

19:57

part but then in the future.

20:00

The Resurrection of the dead then we

20:02

will now was We also are known

20:04

when my favorite quotes about prophecies from

20:06

the theologian and t right he says

20:08

this quote all prophecy about the future

20:11

is signposts pointing and of the fog.

20:14

I love that. think of a road

20:16

trip to San Francisco or into the

20:18

coast. Signposts pointing into the fog is

20:20

this way, rights and that's all that

20:22

you get. It's not a photograph or

20:24

to signposts pointing into the fog and

20:26

that's because the point of a dream

20:28

isn't to tell you what's going to

20:30

happen in the future, it's to tell

20:32

you how to live in the present.

20:35

Me say that again. The point of a

20:37

dream or a vision or prophetic word of

20:39

your life or a sense from gods isn't

20:41

to tell you what's going to happen in

20:44

the future. It's to tell you how to

20:46

live in the presence and Fat God seems

20:48

to be against his people knowing the future.

20:50

There is an ancient Santa we read all

20:52

of that we read about all for the

20:55

Old Testament that was called divination where men

20:57

and women would divine the future through which

20:59

or spirit is or medium of some kind

21:01

and divination is still alive and well. Why?

21:03

Because there a human bent and. All of

21:05

us whether it's in the occult or

21:08

right and church to want to know

21:10

the future, whether it's through astrology or

21:12

a palm reader or through long rage

21:14

business planning and reading and this seminar

21:16

or likes miss her tradition I grew

21:18

up and like crazy and of the

21:20

year prove to see update things about

21:22

the under the world and revelation and

21:24

a chart of exactly how would happen

21:26

week by week by week for the

21:28

seven your tribulation like we're in the

21:30

what were you getting this from My

21:32

goodness we want to know the future

21:34

because we. Think that knowledge is power. We

21:36

think that if we can know the future than

21:39

we can have control over the future. And if

21:41

we can have control over the future, then we

21:43

don't have to trust God. And pretty much none

21:45

of us want to trust God. Least not until

21:47

we're pretty far down the path and are apprenticeship

21:50

to Jesus. Back. The main thing

21:52

that I have come to believe God

21:54

is teaching me and you and the

21:56

years of our maturity is to trust.

21:59

Deep. Anxiety. And.

22:01

Arise and six and peace and hope

22:04

and surrender to the Living God. God

22:06

doesn't want us to have control. He

22:08

wants us to have faith. That's why

22:10

God will rarely, if ever, tell you

22:13

what exactly is going to happen. Instead,

22:15

he will tell you just enough about

22:17

tomorrow to show you how to live

22:19

today. I. Had this what you

22:21

focus on? I just saw the time God show

22:23

me what com mean. It's not to control the

22:26

future and so I'd have to trust you like

22:28

he won't play that game and if he does

22:30

is because of your immaturity. Not. Because

22:32

it you Mccurry. Many. Or something better

22:34

for you. But because I need

22:36

to know what will focus on right now,

22:39

would I give my time to my money,

22:41

to my energy to what am I see?

22:43

How what should I be on the lookout

22:45

for and watch out for right now? What

22:47

I need to know about The Season of

22:49

Lies and is there to saw I need

22:51

to avoid? Is there something any of focus

22:54

on in a relationship or alive or work?

22:56

things like those are the questions to ask.

22:58

And because of that when the dream it

23:00

does come to pass. Most of

23:02

the time and again this is all

23:04

like as a general rule stuff. Tonight

23:07

most the time it's a little bit

23:09

different or even a lot different than

23:11

we were expecting. I have learned the

23:13

hard way that when I have a

23:16

dream that I really feel is from

23:18

the spirit of God that I should

23:20

expect it one to come to pass,

23:22

but to it to come across quite

23:25

a bit different than what I see

23:27

in my mind's eye. So first, different,

23:29

second harder. As I

23:31

said Joseph and the dream. He sees

23:33

this picture in his mind's eye of

23:35

his family bowing down to him. But

23:37

he does not see the slave trade,

23:39

He does not see the cistern, He

23:41

does not see pot of hers, wife

23:43

and the false accusations and the dungeon

23:45

and years. And nothing like he does

23:48

not see, sees all of the good

23:50

and none of the bad. We do

23:52

this and my right all of us

23:54

during like me: When you get a

23:56

dream or when you get a vision

23:58

for your future, you romanticize it. Right?

24:00

the future? At least I'm a bit of an

24:02

idealist side. I'm worse than most, but still. Amicus

24:05

a general rule. Most of us

24:07

imagine something that we see A.is

24:10

stirring up and ask for the

24:12

future. It's it's romanticize, it's warm

24:14

and it's fuzzy and it's perfect.

24:16

And there's Adobe Photoshop just all

24:18

over and when we get there

24:20

will just be so happy. will

24:23

never be sad ever again. And

24:26

he married People Now Sinise.

24:28

Yeah, any single people in the house and

24:31

I yeah, come, how many single people want

24:33

to get married? And

24:35

thank you for the courage to put

24:37

your hands up! Rise As Grace A

24:39

want to get married. For.

24:42

The temptation is. To.

24:44

Romanticize it literally. In.

24:47

Your mind's eye. It. Will

24:49

be like this will be like that He

24:51

will be so amazed him he has had

24:53

great one. L

24:55

Will. Be like my soul mate

24:57

somewhere out there doesn't the Bible

24:59

teaches somebody out there is a

25:01

perfect fit somebody custom made by.

25:03

Just to fits exactly in. The mice

25:06

know the bible teaches that you're born

25:08

sinful and so as every other person

25:10

on the planet. Best case scenario: you

25:12

have somebody that like they're seen as

25:14

a kind okay fit with your sin.

25:17

Best case scenario: I

25:20

love Killer. I loved him. Colors point

25:22

that on one level, every single person

25:24

on the planet is a bad fit

25:26

for you. It's just summer. a lot

25:29

worse than others. Horizon Wow. He like

25:31

that's really cynical. It's biblical actually us.

25:33

So we forget that the romantic hollywood asked

25:36

think honesty is the older I get termini

25:38

written a book about this right now I

25:40

think more and more sexy lives in the

25:42

pit of hell. Because it

25:45

is disillusionment and disappointment waiting to

25:47

happen. There's a healthy kind of

25:49

romance arm and others centered. How

25:51

can I think with creativity and

25:53

love and a servants Hard to

25:56

make this dinner this experience with

25:58

his picnic special for. Barry I

26:00

care about and there is an unhealthy

26:02

kind of romance. How can I get

26:04

the next emotional hi. How

26:07

can I want out? How can

26:09

I keep this alive and a

26:11

what is it was never made

26:13

to be kept alive? What if

26:15

God is doing something totally other

26:17

in your life and in mine.

26:20

You. Know it's all Rights About Marriage She

26:22

writes quotes Those who marry will face

26:24

many troubles in the slides on I

26:27

Want To Spare You this. Call me

26:29

cynical. that's a verse in the bible

26:31

rice our married couples. You can't laugh

26:33

right now, but you all know that's

26:35

true. And honestly I think that is

26:37

one of the reasons why the divorce

26:40

rate is through the roof right now.

26:42

Because so many people go into marriage

26:44

was stars in their eyes and a

26:46

sense marriage is bad. Marriage good is

26:48

that marriage is hard. And

26:51

some sure a bit harder than others, but I

26:53

don't think anybody has it easy. And.

26:56

Love. Self sacrifice. Love as defined

26:58

by Jesus which is self sacrificial

27:00

love to put the good of

27:03

another above your own. That is

27:05

never easy. And. That

27:07

will never come naturally to you. And.

27:10

That will have an that will flow. And

27:13

of course, the invitation of Jesus

27:15

is to love a person exactly

27:17

as they are. Through. Every

27:20

stage for every age

27:22

through every size, gene

27:24

through every everything. To.

27:26

Love somebody exactly as they are.

27:28

My point is, it's really easy

27:30

to romanticize the future. Whether it's

27:33

marriage or your career or a

27:35

thing you want to do for

27:37

God or the of what, it's

27:39

really easy to romanticize it. In

27:41

your mind's eye, you know we

27:43

sink. that life is the straight

27:45

linear kind of arrow to success.

27:47

My therapist calls at the gospel

27:49

of Upward Mobility. We.

27:52

Think about how that has started to

27:55

creep into the church we have. This

27:57

sounds like life will just keep getting

27:59

better. Better and better and better and then

28:01

a like go from this the wealthy to super

28:03

wealthy tough Know all this and I'll turn and

28:05

famous I'll be beautiful. And like a that's an

28:07

exaggeration, but we have this thing it would just

28:09

get better and better. Hashtag: The best is yet the

28:12

com net a person hashtag right now. When.

28:15

The reality is this a bitter. Truth

28:17

in that. Belies. Is

28:19

not always exactly like that. Last

28:21

year I I wrote a novel in like

28:24

as a hobby. In my free time I

28:26

wrote a novel for my three kids just

28:28

to like nerd out and have fun and

28:30

I'm and I had no clue what I

28:32

was doing. So I went off and I

28:34

read a number of books about literary criticism

28:36

and I read this one. Cop Latin Structure

28:38

by James Bell. Who are

28:40

doesn't great work on plots are

28:42

those really fast and in. He

28:44

breaks down literary structure and two

28:46

major plot categories and the first

28:48

is what he calls a commercial

28:50

plot. So this is and will

28:52

see the last store. You

28:55

know that spot where like as you seen

28:57

the movie where his head gets his or

28:59

his hair gets saved off on i can

29:01

tell you how or whatever but it's like

29:03

his hair gets saved off as from the

29:05

trailer you should know that by now and

29:07

ah were missing there was no with my

29:09

we have all my children there and sunday

29:11

leave him he goes he looks like daddy.

29:17

If a home visit us got

29:19

glasses apparently her I say is

29:21

for all of that good. Ah

29:23

if only that was true but

29:25

this. Is sore right? like it's right out. As

29:27

a gay it's and you hit an obstacle and

29:29

you push past the and you hit an obstacle

29:31

in you push past and you had an obstacle

29:33

in you. push past this and then you get

29:35

to The analysts say the. Whole plan on the

29:37

spaceship. I won't give it away. You need to go

29:40

see it's a great film or ice. My point. Is

29:42

like this is a to This is every. Blockbuster movie

29:44

in the Summer. This is a page

29:46

turner novel with your have one misses

29:48

Us Tv series you just can't put

29:50

down. It's a commercial plot and is

29:52

another type of plot that is called

29:54

a literary plot. This is a

29:57

Pulitzer Prize. Books. Right? Have

29:59

you read fiction? I read about a

30:01

novel or two every single week and I alternate

30:03

back and forth between like a commercial ten, a

30:05

novel and a literary nobody. The to the end

30:07

of a literary novel. And it is that Denali

30:09

End. It just stops. You

30:12

know and I'm talking about and

30:14

you just kind of sad. And

30:16

Iowa was really smart. And

30:19

on this is super just has to

30:21

tell tale way. what was the point

30:23

of that Like and it's is kind

30:25

of up and it's down and it's

30:27

more about the inner journey. Than

30:29

it is about action. Or. It's less

30:31

about let's go take on this alien

30:34

and it's more about like what. Is

30:36

going on deep in your heart and

30:38

the sometimes the ending is hopeful, other

30:40

times the ending is not. It's downbeat

30:43

or it's ambiguous or it's you. Kind

30:45

of wonder why not years where I'm

30:47

going with this is the story of

30:49

Joseph. A commercial plot or literary plot.

30:52

Was it more like. Far

30:54

more like a literary plan, right? specially if you

30:56

keep reading. We ran at a time all the

30:58

way to the end of the story. And

31:01

actually his story is quite a bit better

31:03

than most that if you really want to

31:05

know how to read the Old Testament even

31:08

if you're not a reader, I would go

31:10

read one or two Pulitzer prize winners just

31:12

to get a feel for how that kind

31:14

of literature works and how lot of those

31:16

stories. And onto the most helpful things you

31:19

can do to make sense the Old Testament

31:21

is go read a few like really snobby

31:23

literary works because the Old Testament brilliant literature

31:25

and you get to an end of a

31:27

lot of the stories. I it's just kind

31:30

of like this weird. And in. Like

31:32

David this man of god and run after and.

31:34

Then the end of his life is like skill

31:36

that person and he has like a young concubine

31:38

in bed with them and his sons a mass

31:40

and his family's a disaster and this is the

31:43

man up and then the story ends. This

31:45

is one king who does like awesome and then you get

31:48

to the anonymity and he turned away from god and how

31:50

to for disease nets. The another story. Like

31:52

what's that? What author would end. Of story

31:54

like that like those is great because revival many

31:56

concerned with from god and and and up with

31:58

the foot disease so. The Job. What's the

32:01

moral? That story like like wash your

32:03

feet every night if you sin a

32:05

lot. I mean I know what's the

32:07

point and it's because they're not always

32:10

to give you the shot in the

32:12

arm through to emphasize with the human

32:14

condition. My point is that why is

32:16

most of the Bible far more literary

32:18

than commercial? It's because most of life

32:20

is far more literary in and commercial.

32:23

We rarely feel like Thor. Maybe.

32:25

That's just me. As

32:27

the end of the day off to

32:29

me feel more like Joseph whereas gotta

32:32

kinda my life I thought that was

32:34

from him and what is this and

32:36

I'm confused. That's more what it's like

32:38

to be human. But so often we

32:40

just like Joseph are blind to that

32:42

reality. So first, different, second, harder, third,

32:44

as long as I'm just here to

32:47

encourage you longer. And.

32:50

Longer. Kids. Do the math

32:53

with me. There a chapters in

32:55

the story and upwards of twenty

32:57

two years. Between the dream and

32:59

this assume and of the tree. Joseph

33:01

is seventeen when he dreams he's

33:04

thirty when he becomes the ruler

33:06

of Egypt. But nine more years

33:08

go by. Seven years of plenty

33:10

and then two years of salmon

33:12

before the dream even starts to

33:14

come to Paris. Twenty two years,

33:17

my friends, is a very long

33:19

time. As is often said,

33:21

there is a time gap between the conception of

33:23

a dream and the birth of the dream. Often

33:26

God, just like he did with Mary on

33:28

that first Christmas, will impregnate your heart with

33:31

something, a vision for your future and the

33:33

role you are to play in the family

33:35

of gods. But it's long before that dream

33:37

will actually come to birth in the world.

33:40

It really. I mean you hear from God

33:42

and you think great, let's do it. I

33:44

had a dream a few nights ago. woke

33:46

up early dream journal out riding. Down

33:48

as like okay with third Thursday. Sounds

33:50

good. Does that work for your Jesus?

33:53

By what is what is that? Realities

33:55

months away Or years away. What if

33:57

it's twenty two years away? Often The.

34:00

Stream comes long before Gods timing

34:02

as a general rule. The larger

34:04

the dream, the longer the waiting

34:06

period. And the smaller the dream,

34:08

the shorter. The way. Small Dream

34:10

Short Way Large Dream Long way.

34:12

But either way, this waiting period

34:15

is usually way longer than we

34:17

expected. You see that one line

34:19

at the beginning of chapter Forty

34:21

One four when two full years

34:23

had passed. Again, the bible, scriptures,

34:25

also literature, you have to pay

34:27

attention to the details that One

34:29

Shore. Throwaway Line has so much to

34:32

say. Think about it. for two years.

34:34

Joseph is just sitting there in prison.

34:36

Can you imagine how he would have

34:38

felt during that time? No word from

34:40

God, no prophecy, no access to the

34:43

Holy spirit like you and I know

34:45

like wake up in the morning, make

34:47

your comment Chemex in the jail cell

34:49

open to a song, do a little

34:51

listening prayer the picture from the Holy

34:53

spirit like ah. that Feels really good

34:55

to go to your Bridgetown community on

34:58

Thursday night. Share meals, share your heart's.

35:00

Really hard to see like I'm

35:02

waiting. I'm waiting to, I'm with

35:04

you. It's okay, like community and

35:06

know you're all by yourself in

35:08

a cell. No other worshiper of

35:11

the one true God anywhere near

35:13

you know prophetic words over your

35:15

lights and you're just stuck there

35:17

waiting. right?

35:20

Now I'm I mean if you read the bible new

35:22

Year new but in in the room I'm guessing at

35:24

least a few of your yes and I'm. So

35:26

I get the end of the end of the

35:29

year if you read the the Old Testament. Ah

35:31

December is like all the minor process of the

35:33

short profits and so I think I'm a few

35:35

weeks behind them and Daniel were we was pure

35:37

another thing. Yeah.

35:44

So you're behind to us and Mexico.

35:46

So much better and makes me feel

35:48

so much better. Wherever

35:51

I'm a few weeks behind but where where

35:53

into is one of my savior things to

35:55

do and I read through all the process

35:57

is just to count up the little time.

36:00

Yeah, between each prophecy you'll notice it. Beginning

36:02

of each one is a little line is

36:04

like in the second year of Kings somebody

36:06

you've never heard of before and the fourth

36:08

month at a dad the word of the

36:10

Lord came and then there's a chapter with

36:12

a vision or something when my savior thing

36:14

seduced. Count up the time gaps in between

36:16

and you realize mans it's easy to read

36:18

that story. Insane man whose air whoever is

36:20

just hearing from god right and left and

36:22

realize oh that was over twenty years there

36:25

for. Four

36:27

times of hearing from God over

36:29

two decades. Daniel? I think they're

36:31

six over thirty years or something

36:33

like that. I'm

36:35

sorry. Sixty years, Six over sixty

36:38

years Swanson decade and it's easy

36:40

to forget in the long slow

36:42

work of God and our allies.

36:45

And waiting as hard am I right? I

36:48

should Now I'm really bad at it.

36:50

I personalities come along great strategic plan

36:52

or living in the future is easy

36:54

for me. Living in the here and

36:57

now present to god present in the

36:59

man or woman in front of me

37:01

or my child's with cup of coffee

37:03

or a good meal is much harder.

37:07

But all that to say, the gap between

37:09

the dream and the fulfillment of the dream

37:11

is you see much longer than we expected.

37:14

Even in this series on identity and calling,

37:16

it's really easy for you to get off.

37:18

Track and look up at people that.

37:20

Are ahead of you on the journey and

37:22

say oh, she has it all together He

37:24

has it all together. Keys in a vocation

37:26

Season a vocation. They know exactly who they

37:28

are and who they aren't. exactly a look

37:30

at. What they are doing in the world

37:32

is healing and as renewal and it's easy

37:34

to likes not imagine them as a twenty

37:36

one year old. Or. Imagine

37:38

them I've when they were in high school when

37:40

they were twenty five years. Or you know, I

37:43

love what I'm doing. Now I see like it's

37:45

right out of who God made me to be.

37:47

I've worked here for fifteen years. And.

37:49

Before that I was an intern. I made eight

37:52

hundred dollars a month with no health insurance like

37:54

and I wasn't even a lot of money. Back

37:56

then it was just like it's so easy. I

37:58

remember working at a. The shop is making

38:01

where is God in my life I like coffee

38:03

but it wasn't like a cool coffee shop. we

38:05

make a living wage and people like oh you

38:07

work at arguer cool know it wasn't like that

38:09

at all. it was lame. was by an airport

38:12

and the coffee was terrible and was so and

38:14

i had to wear like this Italian apron it

38:16

was so bad. As

38:19

easy to forget. When.

38:21

You look up at people had as you. Man.

38:24

It was a very long time to get where

38:26

they are and you have your own journey

38:28

to go on. To. Little hope

38:30

for some time to look ahead, a

38:32

look at them, look at her, look

38:35

at him the sometimes it's not. You

38:37

had your own journey, you have your

38:39

own identity, you have your own call,

38:41

and God is at work in your

38:43

lies. You just have to wait for

38:45

it. And then finally. so different. harder,

38:48

longer, and then finally. Better.

38:50

When Joseph stream finally does come to

38:52

pass, it's different. It's hard, it's longer,

38:54

but it's also better than he ever

38:57

expected. And when I say better, not

38:59

necessarily by, you know, human metrics, but

39:01

by the metrics of God. Joseph dream

39:03

or his interpretation of his dream was

39:05

all about his own and glory like

39:07

his ego is just dripping off the

39:10

page. And chapter thirty seven, and he

39:12

did get blurry eventually. But man did

39:14

it come at a high cost. After

39:17

decades of suffering and pain

39:19

and rejection and humiliation, And

39:22

in the end, the dream actually wasn't

39:24

about Joseph at all. It. Was

39:27

about saving the family of God for

39:29

the family line in order to eventually

39:31

usher in the Messiah of Israel and

39:34

the world to put the world to

39:36

rights. For before God could

39:38

bring the dream to pass, he had

39:40

to strip it of all Josephs ego

39:42

and even it's idolatry and that is

39:44

God's ammo. He takes our dreams that

39:46

most the timer all about us and

39:48

our own glory. and then or make

39:51

us wait. To. Make a space

39:53

disappointment Things won't go exactly as we

39:55

hope will warn exactly here from god

39:57

on the way we want to will

39:59

live. And the confusing kind of

40:01

in between. And the beautiful

40:03

thing that happens in that waiting period. Is

40:06

if you let.in to you. That

40:08

dream is stripped of all of it's

40:10

ego and it's idolatry down to the

40:12

raw. As since the part of it

40:14

that is from God and you are

40:16

stripped down to and so on, eyes

40:18

and we grow was set free for

40:20

the need for that dream the come

40:22

to pass and we grow and mature

40:24

into the kind of people who can

40:27

steward the first film into that dream

40:29

with wisdom and humility and Christ like

40:31

character. When people have dreams come to

40:33

pass too early, it is rarely a

40:35

good thing and if you don't believe

40:37

me, google Justin Bieber. Right? Because

40:39

they don't have the character yet. To

40:41

Stewart, it's let's buy for Lamborghinis and

40:43

race down a street and get high

40:45

as ugly. Don't have the wisdom and

40:47

the humility and the Christ like character.

40:49

Yes, to stewardess or even to enjoy

40:51

it because at that point it's an

40:54

idol or it's entitlement. Both are bad

40:56

options. So first.has to deal with the

40:58

idolatry of the dream because often the

41:00

dream becomes our god rather than a

41:02

gift from God. We want the dream

41:04

more than we wants the God who

41:06

is the giver of the. Dream. We

41:09

think that the dream will satisfy us and

41:11

make us content When know dream can do

41:13

that. No marriage can do that. No career

41:15

can do that. Know whatever. Kinda Only God

41:17

can do that and you don't have to

41:19

wait for that in the future that is

41:22

available to you right here. And right now

41:24

this morning I was thinking about that line

41:26

and flip eons. I can do all things

41:28

who. Prices strengthens me, people tear that are

41:30

contexts and leverage it as. Some little self

41:32

help line for I can do this thing. or

41:34

i can get out why for i can

41:36

start a business or i can make money

41:38

or i can plan to church or whatever and

41:41

in contents what is your writing about as you

41:43

know flipping she's writing about content miss any

41:45

sane i've been poor and i've had plenty

41:47

of money and i have learned to be

41:49

content and any and all circumstances quote i

41:51

can do all things you prices for instance me

41:53

you internal was way harder than starting a business

41:55

or having say the raising money or whatever

41:57

your mountain is would have your goliath is

42:00

being content in the here and now. And

42:02

the one and only way to do that

42:05

is through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. In

42:07

the here, in the now, whether you're in

42:09

your dream job or you are some dead-end

42:11

minimum wage thing that you are just God

42:14

save me. Whether you're brand new and you

42:16

can't wait to go to work every morning

42:18

or you've been there for a while and

42:20

you're dead tired. Whether your marriage is a

42:23

dream come true or something else. Whatever it

42:25

is, wherever you're at, you can do all

42:27

things through Christ who strengthens you. You can

42:29

be content. You have everything you

42:31

need to live the way of Jesus, to

42:33

live what Jesus called life to the full

42:35

right here, right now. 17 years

42:38

old in high school, 82 years old

42:40

a gal I was chatting with this morning and

42:42

nearing the end of your health. You have everything

42:44

you need right here,

42:47

right now. And you can do

42:49

this through Christ Jesus. There's no

42:51

other way who strengthens you. But

42:53

God will often let you sit there

42:56

and wait and he'll often even let

42:58

that dream die in order to free

43:00

your heart from its need for the

43:02

dream to come to pass, for its

43:04

idolatry, to bring you to a place

43:06

where you are content with God Himself,

43:09

with food and with clothing. And anything

43:12

else, you see, I have shelter, I have a

43:14

heater, I have a community,

43:16

I have, I can read, I can

43:19

write, I have a job where I

43:21

make money. Like anything else is all

43:23

bonus. And then at that point you're

43:25

finally ready for this fulfillment. And

43:27

you're ready to enjoy it as a

43:29

gift. You're full of gratitude. All the

43:32

entitlement is gone. And you're ready to

43:34

steward the dream or the fulfillment of

43:36

the dream with wisdom and humility and

43:38

Christ-like character. That's why dreams so often

43:40

go through the cycle of death, burial

43:42

and resurrection just like Jesus. There's a

43:44

death to the dream and Abraham and

43:47

Isaac kind of moment. There's often a

43:49

burial. You just feel it's over and

43:51

dead. But then frequently, not always, frequently

43:54

if the dream is from God, there is

43:56

a resurrection. But when it comes back

43:58

to life, it is never a resurrection. the

44:00

same. It's better. Not better by

44:02

our human metric system, but

44:04

better in all the ways that matter

44:07

most. And we find that it was

44:09

more than worth the wait. So, to

44:11

recap, different, harder, longer, better sounds

44:13

like a Nike advertisement. But actually, I

44:17

would argue it's a biblical

44:19

theology of dreams. But I would argue

44:21

that you could lay this template over

44:23

pretty much any character or new dream

44:25

in the Bible. Moses and his dream

44:27

of the Exodus, Paul and his dream

44:30

of Apostle to the Gentiles, David and

44:32

his dream for the temple, or whatever

44:34

it is. As I said before, God's

44:36

people have always been dreamers. To

44:39

end, and Gerald is en

44:42

route up here to lead us in a little

44:44

bit of listening prayer, but I think this weekend

44:46

is just a call to dream. And to dream

44:48

well, dream way bigger than just a tired, old,

44:51

uncreative American dream. Don't

44:54

dream about yourself. I mean, dream about the role

44:56

you are to play and the, sure, but don't

44:58

dream about like a bigger house, or

45:01

a new car, or a new cell

45:03

phone, or whatever. I mean, there's

45:06

nothing wrong with that stuff, but

45:08

dream into your identity and your

45:10

calling. Open up your mind's eye

45:12

and even your heart to the

45:14

Holy Spirit and allow God to

45:16

drip deep into you

45:18

a dream. And when it's

45:20

different, trust God. That's what

45:22

he's after is your trust. That's where freedom

45:25

comes. When it's harder, don't

45:27

give up. Man, so many people never

45:29

experience the fulfillment of a dream because

45:31

they bail way before.

45:34

You just don't give up. Just give

45:36

it. Wait. Go. When it's longer,

45:38

wait. We inherit the promises in

45:40

the language of Hebrews through faith

45:42

and patience. Faith.

45:44

Some of you, that's a word for you tonight.

45:47

Faith and patience is the need of the hour.

45:49

And when it's better, call all of your friends

45:52

and throw a party. And

45:54

the best thing about a dream coming

45:56

to pass is not a dream coming to pass. It's

45:59

that you have been change through the process of

46:01

dreaming. One of the most

46:03

important things in that story is that Joseph's

46:06

brothers don't even recognize him. That's

46:09

what God will do with you and your transformation.

46:11

If you open up your life to his dream

46:13

and you wait and decades often go by, not

46:15

months, decades, God will

46:17

transform you and people won't even

46:20

recognize you and it will

46:22

be a beautiful thing. Let's stand and pray. As

46:29

someone who has had a lot of dreams in my life and

46:31

some that are long held and I've been

46:33

waiting on, I found that message deeply encouraging.

46:37

I love something John Mark said earlier in

46:39

his message, the point of

46:41

a dream or a vision or a prophetic

46:43

word over your life or a sense from

46:45

God isn't to tell you what's

46:47

going to happen in the future, it's

46:49

to tell you how to live in the

46:51

present. Later he says, to

46:54

draw us near to God. In

46:58

the end there, John Mark encourages us to

47:00

dream with God into our identity and our

47:03

calling, to open our mind's

47:05

eye and even our heart to the

47:07

Holy Spirit, to allow him to sow

47:09

something deep within us and

47:11

to trust him. So

47:14

we're just going to take a moment right now

47:16

to open our hearts and minds to God. It

47:18

might be about an old dream or vision or

47:20

word or it might be to receive something new.

47:24

We're just going to take half a minute to

47:26

take a few deep breaths, open

47:29

ourselves up to God and allow him to

47:31

place his dreams within us. Let's

47:34

do that now. Thank

47:53

you. This

48:13

podcast is from Practicing the Way. We

48:16

develop resources to help churches and small

48:18

groups apprentice in the way of Jesus.

48:21

And all that we make is completely free

48:23

because it's already been paid for by The

48:26

Circle, a community of monthly

48:28

givers who partner with us to see

48:30

spiritual formation integrated into the church at

48:32

large. Special

48:35

thanks for today's episode goes

48:37

to Brandon from Indianapolis, Indiana,

48:39

Julia from Auburn, Washington, Tammy

48:41

from Tustin, California, Nate

48:43

from Denver, Colorado and Delaney

48:45

from Edmonton, Alberta. Thank

48:48

you all very much. To

48:50

join The Circle or to learn more

48:52

about running a practice in your church

48:55

or community, visit practicingtheway.org. Until

48:58

then, may the grace of the Lord

49:00

Jesus Christ and the love of God

49:02

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit

49:05

be with you all.