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>> Well, hello and welcome to
Pioneer Memorial Church, one of
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the most special days
in our worship calendar.
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It's called Feast of Hymns.
We're really excited to welcome
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all those watching online
from wherever you are right now.
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Thank you for joining us.
Also really glad for all of us
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joined physically here in
Pioneer Memorial Church in
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Berrien Springs, Michigan.
Let's bow our heads as we pray.
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So, Father, here we are just a
few days short of the holiday of
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Thanksgiving, but yet for today,
it's a reminder that You are our
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creator God, all things
come from You, and we give You
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thanks. Thank
You for receiving our
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worship today. We
thank You in the name of
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Jesus. Amen.
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[ Cell doors slam ] >> I thank
my God every time I remember
00:16:59.15\00:17:08.02
you. In all my prayers, for all
of you, I always pray with joy.
00:17:08.02\00:17:14.00
Because of your partnership in
the Gospel, from the first day
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until now, being confident of
this, that he who began a good
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work in you will carry it on
to completion until the day of
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Christ Jesus.
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It is right for me to feel this
way about all of you, since I
have you in my heart.
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And whether I am in chains
or defending and confirming the
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Gospel, all of you
share in God's grace with me.
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God can testify how I long for
all of you with the affection of
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Christ Jesus. ¤¤
00:17:54.57\00:18:05.25
>> Oh, God, grant us the
affection of Christ Jesus, our
00:18:10.89\00:18:13.66
Lord, that we might
know then how to live.
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We pray in His name. Amen.
00:18:17.83\00:18:21.33
Would you like to know a
mental-health secret right now
00:18:21.33\00:18:26.20
that will give you the ability
to survive this interminable
00:18:26.20\00:18:31.54
pandemic that is still going
on? I can't believe it -- two
00:18:31.54\00:18:37.45
Thanksgivings now in a row.
I'll share in just a moment with
00:18:37.45\00:18:42.75
you some of the research
corroborating this mental-health
00:18:42.75\00:18:45.45
secret, but right now,
we need to set up the story.
00:18:45.45\00:18:47.62
We need to go to an
unforgettable moment with the
00:18:47.62\00:18:50.53
Apostle Paul, that intrepid
missionary and now prisoner.
00:18:50.53\00:18:54.93
Now, I know what you're
thinking. You're saying, "Hey,
00:18:54.93\00:18:57.00
what do you mean Paul? We
got him executed last Sabbath."
00:18:57.00\00:19:00.04
Well, you're right. But
that's what preachers can do.
00:19:00.04\00:19:03.54
They can bring him back again,
and we're bringing Paul back
again because Thanksgiving is
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upon us, alright? I don't know
if you've ever sailed the
Atlantic Ocean as I
00:19:08.04\00:19:11.68
have. Missionary's kid, been
across it twice, east to west.
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I'm telling you, there's no
ocean on Earth quite like the
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Atlantic. It can cook up, brew
up a humdinger, a whopper of a
storm. We were in one of those
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storms. My dad said, "Come on,
boy, let's go to the top deck."
Up to the top deck, I'm
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clutching onto my dad's hand as
tightly as I can. He opens that
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door, the air pressure changes,
and here is this wind just
raking across this massive iron
00:19:37.81\00:19:45.75
ocean liner. My eyes pop, not
because of fear, but because of
00:19:45.75\00:19:51.45
what I'm seeing. Never in my
life have I seen waves five,
six, seven, eight stories tall.
00:19:51.45\00:19:58.26
And that old ocean liner comes
to the crest of that next wave,
comes over the top, and then
00:19:58.26\00:20:04.30
crashes down into the trough,
and when it hits the bottom,
it's just like that roller
00:20:04.30\00:20:08.00
coaster ride when you hit the
bottom and it's just... and then
everything comes back
00:20:08.00\00:20:12.11
up again. I'm telling you all
this because I can't imagine for
00:20:12.11\00:20:18.41
Paul what it was like on that
little Roman sailing vessel in
the heart of this nor'easter
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cyclone bomb. I don't even
imagine the sails are still up.
But I want to go to that story.
00:20:29.02\00:20:34.86
You need to read it to believe
it, so I'm not gonna tell it.
Let's just read it.
00:20:34.86\00:20:37.90
Open your Bible to the Book of
Acts, right near the end of the
00:20:37.90\00:20:41.60
Book of Acts. One more vignette
from the life of this man we've
been tracking all this semester.
00:20:41.60\00:20:46.41
This is the last one. Acts 27,
please find it. I'll be in the
00:20:46.41\00:20:50.85
New International version. "When
a gentle south wind began to
blow, they saw their
00:20:50.85\00:20:55.45
opportunity," the captain and
the pilot, "so they weighed
anchor and sailed along the
00:20:55.45\00:21:01.09
shore of Crete." Julius the
Centurion has to get his
prisoner to Nero, into the
00:21:01.09\00:21:06.09
courtroom of Caesar. So
they're gonna have to cross the
00:21:06.09\00:21:10.13
Mediterranean. Bad time to be
crossing it. Verse 14. "But
before very long, a wind of
00:21:10.13\00:21:15.27
hurricane force, called the
Northeaster, swept down from the
00:21:15.27\00:21:19.41
island. The ship," verse 15,
"was caught by the storm and
could not head into the wind; so
00:21:19.41\00:21:24.65
we gave way to it and were
driven along." They're not even
sailing now. They're just being
00:21:24.65\00:21:29.38
battered into submission. Now
drop down to verse 20. "When
neither sun nor stars
00:21:29.38\00:21:33.72
appeared for many days and the
storm continued raging, we," and
by the way, that's Dr. Luke,
00:21:33.72\00:21:39.56
physician, traveling companion,
"we finally gave up all hope of
00:21:39.56\00:21:46.47
being saved." Verse 21. "And
after they had gone a long time
without food, Paul stood up
00:21:46.47\00:21:50.37
before them and he said," and I
love this, "'Men, you should
have taken my advice not to sail
00:21:50.37\00:21:55.14
from Crete.'" They'd had a big
debate before the ship took off.
00:21:55.14\00:21:59.91
"Shall we stay for the winter?
Shall we go?" The owner and the
00:21:59.91\00:22:04.12
pilot and the centurion say, "We
go," and Paul said, "That's a
big mistake." And he cannot
00:22:04.12\00:22:09.92
resist just letting you know, "I
told you so. Didn't I tell you
00:22:09.92\00:22:14.10
this?" Yeah. "'Men, you should
have taken my advice not to sail
00:22:14.10\00:22:18.73
from Crete; then you would have
spared yourselves this damage
and loss. But now I urge you to
00:22:18.73\00:22:23.74
keep up your courage, because
not one of you will be lost;
only the ship will be
00:22:23.74\00:22:28.81
destroyed.'" Verse 23. "'Last
night, an angel of the God to
whom I belong and whom I
00:22:28.81\00:22:34.12
serve stood beside me." Hit
the pause button right there.
00:22:34.12\00:22:37.55
You have an angel standing
beside you right now. We already
00:22:37.55\00:22:41.32
did this with the choir first
service. Don't look again. You
have an angel standing
00:22:41.32\00:22:45.89
beside you right now. You and I
forget that angel. We forget the
00:22:45.89\00:22:50.80
celestial companion that, since
the moment we gulped down our
first breath of Earth air coming
00:22:50.80\00:22:56.94
out of mama's tummy, that
angel's been assigned to keep a
careful eye on you night and
00:22:56.94\00:23:02.98
day. Everywhere you've been,
that angel has been. Everything
00:23:02.98\00:23:06.58
you've done, that angel has
seen. Every life moment that
you've lived, that angel has
00:23:06.58\00:23:11.19
been with you. It's the closest
unseen friend you have on this
00:23:11.19\00:23:18.23
planet. Wow. How did he
put that? But this -- verse 23.
00:23:18.23\00:23:21.86
"'Last night, an angel of the
God to whom I belong and whom I
serve stood beside me and he
00:23:21.86\00:23:28.07
said, "Do not be afraid, Paul.
You must stand trial before
Caesar; and God has graciously
00:23:28.07\00:23:33.88
given you the lives of all who
sail with you." So keep up your
00:23:33.88\00:23:38.58
courage, men, for I have faith
in God that it will happen just
as my angel told me.
00:23:38.58\00:23:42.88
Nevertheless, we must
run aground on some island.'"
00:23:42.88\00:23:46.59
Mm, bad news. Very
next line -- "And on the
00:23:46.62\00:23:49.22
fourteenth night" -- they'd
been 14 days and night in this
00:23:49.22\00:23:53.70
cyclone bomb. "On
the fourteenth night, we
00:23:53.70\00:23:56.53
were still being driven across
the Adriatic Sea, when about
00:23:56.53\00:23:59.07
midnight the sailors sensed that
they were approaching land."
00:23:59.07\00:24:01.84
Drop down to verse 33.
"Just before dawn, Paul then
00:24:01.84\00:24:05.24
urges them all to eat.
'For the last fourteen days,' he
00:24:05.24\00:24:09.21
said, 'you have been in constant
suspense and have gone without
00:24:09.21\00:24:12.15
food -- you
haven't eaten anything.
00:24:12.15\00:24:13.92
Now I urge you
to take some food.
00:24:13.92\00:24:15.62
You need it to survive.
Not one of you will lose a
00:24:15.62\00:24:17.99
single hair from his head.'
And after he said this, he took
00:24:17.99\00:24:22.36
some bread and
gave thanks to God."
00:24:22.36\00:24:25.73
[ Chuckling ] My, oh, my. I
mean, we go to the cafeteria and
00:24:25.76\00:24:28.60
we're not sure. "Should we
really bow our heads and close
our eyes? Let's just breathe a
00:24:28.60\00:24:31.67
prayer." We go to a restaurant.
"Well, I don't want to be seen
by everybody praying, so I'll
00:24:31.67\00:24:35.40
just say a prayer in my heart."
How did that go again? And,
"After he said this, he
00:24:35.40\00:24:42.14
took some bread and gave thanks
to God in front of them all,"
pagans that they are.
00:24:42.14\00:24:47.38
"Then he broke it and he
began to eat. They were all
00:24:47.38\00:24:51.05
encouraged, and they ate some
food themselves. Altogether
there were 276 of us on board.
00:24:51.05\00:24:55.29
And when they had eaten as much
as they wanted, they lightened
the ship by throwing the grain,"
00:24:55.29\00:24:59.59
that's breakfast, "into the
sea." "We won't need another
00:24:59.59\00:25:02.53
meal. This is it. Down to
Davy Jones' locker if we're not
00:25:02.53\00:25:08.24
saved." My. Let's iso
that line again, please.
00:25:08.24\00:25:12.27
"After he said this, Paul took
some bread and gave thanks to
00:25:12.27\00:25:19.25
God." Could that be the secret
to this mental-health tip? Why
would Paul do that?
00:25:19.25\00:25:25.79
He didn't care what the others
were thinking. You know why he
00:25:25.79\00:25:28.99
does it? Because thanksgiving
for him has become a way of
life. It wasn't always.
00:25:28.99\00:25:33.93
But it became a way of life.
Listen to this. Gratitude was
00:25:33.93\00:25:39.63
his mantra, and, "Thanks be to
God" is his credo. Five times in
his letters, he'll say that.
00:25:39.63\00:25:44.01
"Thanks be to God. Thanks be to
God." He's always thanking God.
00:25:44.01\00:25:47.64
What's up with that? This is my
favorite of his five "thanks be
00:25:47.64\00:25:51.38
to Gods." Let's put it on the
screen here. 2 Corinthians 9:15.
00:25:51.38\00:25:54.55
We're talking Calvary,
we're talking the cross.
00:25:58.95\00:26:01.96
"Thanks be to
God for that gift."
00:26:01.99\00:26:04.26
In fact, he's just described
it in the previous chapter.
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We might as well read it.
This is chapter 8, verse 9,
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2 Corinthians. "For
you know the grace of our
00:26:10.10\00:26:12.53
Lord Jesus Christ, that though
he was rich" -- oh, boy, was he
00:26:12.53\00:26:17.31
ever -- "yet for your sake he
became poor, so that you through
00:26:17.31\00:26:21.54
his poverty" --
can you believe this?
00:26:21.54\00:26:24.85
"So that you might become rich."
00:26:24.85\00:26:29.58
And what does that have to do
with a mental-health tip to
survive this pandemic that's
00:26:37.03\00:26:42.76
refusing to say goodbye? I go
to Google. I go to Google and I
00:26:42.76\00:26:47.70
say, "Okay, Google, can you
prove to me that there is some
sort of link between gratitude
00:26:47.70\00:26:55.48
and mental health?" Boom!
Hundreds -- I'm talking about
00:26:55.48\00:27:00.35
literally hundreds of sites.
Boom, boom, boom. The effect of
00:27:00.35\00:27:06.39
gratitude on our bodies -- I
just scribbled the list down
here, how it affects our sleep,
00:27:06.39\00:27:10.23
our blood pressure, our physical
health, our mental health, our
mortality, our longevity, to
00:27:10.23\00:27:14.63
name a few. Harvard, Duke, UC
Berkeley, and on and on and on.
In fact, there's a whole wing
00:27:14.63\00:27:19.07
now of psychology called
positive psychology where they
focus on nothing but the effects
00:27:19.07\00:27:24.47
of gratitude. Paul was on to
something, and he didn't even
00:27:24.47\00:27:30.21
know the research. I'm gonna
share with you three studies.
That's what I want to do right
00:27:30.21\00:27:32.61
now, just run them by you.
Three. The first study has to do
00:27:32.61\00:27:38.05
with social media, alright?
Instagram. So, they did this
00:27:38.05\00:27:42.79
research. They took
undergraduate students like we
have here this morning between
00:27:42.79\00:27:47.40
the ages of 18 and 24. They
divided them into two groups.
You'll be the gratitude group
00:27:47.40\00:27:50.40
and you'll be the
control group, alright?
00:27:50.40\00:27:53.03
Now, watch this.
Put it on the screen.
00:27:53.07\00:27:55.64
"Hey, here's a picture of
my grandmother. Look at her!
00:28:04.95\00:28:07.38
She is the most wonderful woman
in the world. I am so thankful
00:28:07.38\00:28:11.02
for my grandmother. If she got
on Instagram, I'd tell her right
00:28:11.02\00:28:15.19
now, 'Grandma, I love you to
pieces,'" alright? So, one
Instagram post dealing with
00:28:15.19\00:28:20.96
gratitude. The control group,
the other group, here's what
00:28:20.96\00:28:24.63
they posted. Color -- so, I
don't know, what would you post?
"Here's my cat, and the colors
00:28:29.00\00:28:34.14
are -- isn't this a beautiful
cat? It's brown and white and a
00:28:34.14\00:28:37.45
little bit of black." That's
all they're allowed to do.
00:28:37.45\00:28:41.72
Picture and then comment about
the color. That's the caption.
00:28:41.72\00:28:45.49
Now, what happens when they take
a battery of psychological tests
at the conclusion of this
00:28:45.49\00:28:51.59
testing? How did they do?
I'll share that with you in a
00:28:51.59\00:28:53.86
moment. Let's go to study number
two. So, this is social media
00:28:53.86\00:28:56.50
study number one.
Number two is a texting study.
00:28:56.50\00:29:00.20
Everybody loves to text.
Let's put this one on the
00:29:00.24\00:29:02.44
screen, please. "The
objective of this study was
00:29:02.44\00:29:05.71
to examine if participants in
a 20-day gratitude text message
00:29:05.71\00:29:10.71
intervention" -- I'm gonna hit
the pause button right there.
00:29:10.71\00:29:13.88
Gratitude
intervention by text message.
00:29:13.88\00:29:17.22
Now, here's what's going on.
00:29:17.22\00:29:19.15
The participants are not doing
anything. They just get texts,
00:29:19.19\00:29:24.36
okay? They're not sending texts,
they're not writing messages.
They're just receiving.
00:29:24.36\00:29:28.66
And that's why it's
called an intervention.
00:29:28.70\00:29:30.30
They've done nothing.
Now, watch what happens.
00:29:30.30\00:29:32.37
So, they get this 20 days
of gratitude text messaging.
00:29:32.37\00:29:37.01
What did it do? It was
to examine if it in any
00:29:37.01\00:29:40.81
way improves resilience, stress,
and now notice the next one, and
00:29:40.81\00:29:44.51
mental health scores more than
participants in a control group.
00:29:44.51\00:29:48.32
Can gratitude actually, just by
you taking it in -- you're not
sending anybody a message.
00:29:48.35\00:29:52.69
Can it reverse the symptoms of
depression that you're suffering
00:29:52.69\00:29:57.73
from? I need to tell you
something about this study. Some
of you are not suffering
00:29:57.73\00:30:00.73
from depression at all. That's
okay. But you have many friends
00:30:00.73\00:30:05.67
that you know. What this is
saying is if you just take some
00:30:05.67\00:30:10.37
time out and once a day shoot
that friend of yours, by
self-confession, experiencing
00:30:10.37\00:30:15.64
depression and just send a word
of gratitude -- just send a
message about gratitude. That's
00:30:15.64\00:30:19.91
all you have to do. For 20 days.
Then they measured the effects
of these participants in the
00:30:19.91\00:30:25.75
study. And by the way,
while you're sending the texts,
00:30:25.75\00:30:30.19
endorphins -- you know, those
little chemicals inside of you
when you do something good for
00:30:30.19\00:30:33.40
somebody else -- pshh! --
they're just going to town,
because why? You're helping
00:30:33.40\00:30:37.13
somebody else. It's not just
"me, me, me, me me" all the
time. Alright, three studies.
00:30:37.13\00:30:40.90
First one is on social media,
second one's on texting. So last
00:30:40.90\00:30:44.47
one is on writing. You can write
on a laptop or you can write by
hand, and let's put this one on
00:30:44.47\00:30:48.81
the screen. Now, what's a
trivial letter? "Dear, Grandma,
thanks for the socks.
00:30:57.75\00:31:01.69
Love you lots, bye." That's
trivial. Come on, you didn't
00:31:01.69\00:31:06.43
tell your grandmother a thing,
did you? No, you didn't. You
just thanked her for the
00:31:06.43\00:31:08.76
socks 'cause you had to.
00:31:08.76\00:31:11.20
"Were instructed to write
non-trivial letters of gratitude
00:31:11.23\00:31:14.80
to an individual to
express appreciation for them."
00:31:14.80\00:31:17.47
Now, keep reading.
Watch how they're supposed to
00:31:17.47\00:31:19.87
write.
00:31:19.87\00:31:20.94
We got that part.
What did they find?
00:31:29.48\00:31:32.52
In fact, you know what?
This could be a summary -- this
00:31:32.52\00:31:34.99
could be a summary for
all three of these tests.
00:31:34.99\00:31:37.09
Let's put it on the
screen. Here's what they found.
00:31:37.09\00:31:39.39
"The present investigation
contributes to the literature by
00:31:39.39\00:31:42.56
further clarifying that writing
letters of gratitude" -- now, I
00:31:42.56\00:31:45.67
put that line under it --
"writing letters of gratitude
00:31:45.67\00:31:48.27
has a cumulative effect that
benefits the author," the writer
00:31:48.27\00:31:51.37
of the letter. Keep going.
00:31:51.37\00:31:53.71
Some of you are suffering from
depression right now. Could it
00:32:00.72\00:32:07.36
be that letters of gratitude
could actually turn the edge of
that dark depression?
00:32:07.36\00:32:13.90
Could it be? Keep reading.
00:32:13.90\00:32:17.27
Here we go. "As a
tool for mining that
00:32:25.11\00:32:28.01
resource" -- in other
words, you already have it.
00:32:28.01\00:32:29.68
You don't have
to buy it somewhere.
00:32:29.68\00:32:30.91
You don't have
to order it online.
00:32:30.91\00:32:32.15
You have gratitude already.
"As a tool for mining that
00:32:32.15\00:32:35.88
resource, letters of gratitude
have produced positive outcomes
00:32:35.88\00:32:39.69
related to important
qualities of well-being."
00:32:39.69\00:32:42.46
What are they?
"Happiness, life-satisfaction,
00:32:42.46\00:32:45.73
and depressive symptoms."
I'm not making this stuff up.
00:32:45.73\00:32:49.66
Mercy. Letters of gratitude
can relieve depressive symptoms.
00:32:49.70\00:32:55.20
So, is anybody surprised when
you take the 13 letters that
Paul wrote to discover that
00:32:55.20\00:33:01.21
8 of them, 8 out of the
13, begin with expressions of
00:33:01.21\00:33:08.55
gratitude. In fact, I'm gonna
share with you just five of them
because they were all -- they're
00:33:08.55\00:33:11.49
the five that were written in
prison, chained to a wall or
chained to a Roman guard.
00:33:11.49\00:33:15.62
He's scribbling out. He
opens the letters, always with
00:33:15.62\00:33:18.93
gratitude. Watch this, let's go.
Let's go to Ephesians 1:16. "I
have not stopped giving
00:33:18.93\00:33:22.80
thanks for you" -- this is
written from prison --
"remembering you in my prayers."
00:33:22.80\00:33:28.50
Wow.
00:33:28.50\00:33:29.64
You'll notice these are all
at the beginning of the first
00:33:29.67\00:33:31.37
chapter. Let's
go to Philippians.
00:33:31.37\00:33:33.17
Also in prison.
00:33:33.17\00:33:34.78
Let's go to
Colossians, the opening lines.
00:33:45.25\00:33:47.82
"We," because others are
in prison with him, "We always
00:33:47.82\00:33:50.73
thank God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray
00:33:50.73\00:33:54.83
for you." Keep
going, there's one more.
00:33:54.83\00:33:57.13
To a rich businessman.
00:33:57.13\00:33:59.17
His name is Philemon. Opening of
his letter -- it's a very short
00:33:59.20\00:34:03.30
letter. And now we're gonna look
at the last letter that we have
that he ever wrote -- ever,
00:34:07.24\00:34:11.98
ever, ever. We spent
time with it last week.
00:34:11.98\00:34:14.22
2 Timothy. "To my
beloved son Timothy,"
00:34:14.25\00:34:17.19
remember, that's how it opens.
Then he writes, "I thank God,
00:34:17.19\00:34:20.69
whom I serve, as my ancestors
did, with a clear conscience, as
00:34:20.69\00:34:25.06
night and day, Timothy,
I constantly remember you.
00:34:25.06\00:34:31.10
Oh, I thank God for you. I
remember you in my prayers."
00:34:31.10\00:34:35.07
How could this prisoner be
so grateful? Five letters, all
00:34:35.10\00:34:38.64
written from prison, and he's
thanking God. He's thanking God
for whoever's the recipient of
00:34:38.64\00:34:44.31
this letter. I tell you why Paul
can be -- because he knows the
debt that he owes to the Lord
00:34:44.31\00:34:50.89
Jesus. By the way, a debt you
and I owe, as well. Paul
severely learned that on
00:34:50.89\00:34:55.06
the Damascus Road. He never
forgot it. "As long as there's
00:34:55.06\00:34:59.09
breath in me, I will show
gratitude to God, and I will
show gratitude to people."
00:34:59.09\00:35:04.83
And he never stopped. "Gratitude
was his mantra" -- Oh, I like
00:35:04.83\00:35:11.57
that line -- "and 'Thanks be
to God' was his credo." So, what
00:35:11.57\00:35:17.48
would happen if we paused right
now? Come on, let's do a little
research right here.
00:35:17.48\00:35:20.88
We're gonna pause right now.
Inside your little worship
bulletin, there is a piece of
00:35:20.88\00:35:26.72
stationary. Let's try
it, come on. We'll try it.
00:35:26.72\00:35:28.62
There's a piece of stationary.
If you didn't get a piece of
stationary, just put your hand
00:35:28.62\00:35:31.86
up. Our ushers are really
fast in getting it to you so you
00:35:31.86\00:35:34.73
won't have to wait long, but put
your hand up high enough for us
00:35:34.73\00:35:37.77
to see it. I see hands there.
Good. This is for you to use.
00:35:37.77\00:35:43.20
"Dwight, what am I gonna do with
this?" Well, you'll simply focus
00:35:43.20\00:35:46.37
your grateful attention on some
human being, and you're gonna
tell them, "Man, oh, man, I am
00:35:46.37\00:35:51.58
so grateful for your friendship.
Oh, Mom, I'm so grateful I got
00:35:51.58\00:35:56.42
you as a mother. Dad, you're the
one I got. Wow. Hey, roommate,
00:35:56.42\00:36:00.96
thank you for putting up with
all of my craziness. Come on,
00:36:00.96\00:36:04.69
you know what I'm talking about.
I am so grateful for you. Hey,
colleague on the job, down
00:36:04.69\00:36:08.26
the hall, door to the left, I am
so grateful that we work on the
00:36:08.26\00:36:11.97
same team. You are such a
blessing to me. Hey, neighbor,
come on. I thank God every time
00:36:11.97\00:36:17.37
I think about you." Scribble it
down. Take a moment right now.
00:36:17.37\00:36:24.41
If you remember the address and
you put it on the other side,
00:36:24.41\00:36:27.58
guess what? We will mail this.
We will mail this anywhere in
00:36:27.58\00:36:30.69
the world. I told the guys
in first service even to Brazil.
00:36:30.69\00:36:33.36
We'll send it. No postage
charged to you. We'll mail it
for you. If you'll write the
00:36:33.36\00:36:38.83
letter and put the address on,
we'll mail it. You say, "Dwight,
00:36:38.83\00:36:41.70
I can't even find -- I've been
holding my hand up. They're not
00:36:41.70\00:36:44.33
coming my way." Hey, come on,
you got your phone. You don't
have to wait for it to
00:36:44.33\00:36:47.40
go through the U.S. mail. Just
come on. Just text somebody.
00:36:47.40\00:36:50.77
And don't just say, "Hey, love
you, bye." But say, "You know
00:36:50.77\00:36:55.04
what I really love about you?
00:36:55.04\00:36:56.64
I'm so grateful for the
kind of moral stamina you have.
00:36:56.68\00:36:59.45
I've seen what
you've been through.
00:36:59.45\00:37:02.08
You are something
else. I praise God for you."
00:37:02.08\00:37:04.99
That's what you do.
That will not only bless the
00:37:04.99\00:37:08.32
recipient, it will bless
you. You're reaching out.
00:37:08.32\00:37:12.36
Gratitude is your mantra.
Thanks be to God is your credo.
00:37:12.36\00:37:16.36
Let's do it. Why not?
00:37:16.36\00:37:17.27
And by the way, if you can't
think of anybody, write a letter
00:37:17.27\00:37:19.40
to God. I write a
letter to God every
00:37:19.40\00:37:21.90
morning. I'm
telling you the truth.
00:37:21.90\00:37:23.24
Every morning, I
write a letter to God.
00:37:23.24\00:37:25.14
I've kept them. And
it's made a difference in my
00:37:25.14\00:37:29.74
life. I predict it'll make a
00:37:29.74\00:37:31.05
difference in
your life, as well.
00:37:31.05\00:37:32.51
Write a letter to
God. Do it for Jesus' sake.
00:37:32.51\00:37:37.62
Or do it for the sake
of your own mental health.
00:37:37.62\00:37:44.29
¤¤
00:37:49.53\00:37:57.81
¤¤
00:37:59.44\00:38:07.78
¤¤
00:38:09.45\00:38:17.73
¤¤
00:38:19.36\00:38:27.60
¤¤
00:38:29.24\00:38:37.51
¤¤
00:38:39.18\00:38:47.46
¤¤
00:38:49.09\00:38:57.33
¤¤
00:38:59.00\00:39:07.34
¤¤
00:39:08.98\00:39:17.25
¤¤
00:39:18.89\00:39:27.13
¤¤
00:39:28.80\00:39:37.07
¤¤
00:39:38.71\00:39:46.98
¤¤
00:39:48.62\00:39:56.89
¤¤
00:39:58.56\00:40:06.80
¤¤
00:40:08.44\00:40:16.71
¤¤
00:40:18.38\00:40:26.65
¤¤
00:40:28.29\00:40:36.53
¤¤
00:40:38.17\00:40:46.44
¤¤
00:40:48.11\00:40:56.38
¤¤
00:40:58.02\00:41:06.36
¤¤ >> ¤ I saw the river of the
00:41:11.70\00:41:19.87
water of life ¤ ¤
Flowing bright as a crystal
00:41:19.87\00:41:28.48
¤ Flowing from the throne
of God ¤ ¤ And of the Lamb
00:41:28.52\00:41:38.29
¤ Through the middle of the
street of the city ¤ ¤ Of the
00:41:38.29\00:41:49.80
city ¤ Alleluia ¤
Alleluia ¤ Alleluia
00:41:49.80\00:42:01.42
¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia
00:42:01.42\00:42:12.23
¤ Let everyone ¤ Who is
thirsty come ¤ Let anyone
00:42:13.33\00:42:27.01
¤ Who wishes ¤ Take the
water of life ¤ As a gift
00:42:27.01\00:42:41.32
¤ The water of life
¤ As a gift ¤ Alleluia
00:42:41.32\00:42:51.77
¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia
00:42:51.77\00:43:02.98
¤ Alleluia ¤¤ ¤ Let anyone
00:43:02.98\00:43:21.40
¤ Who is thirsty ¤
Come to me ¤ And let the one
00:43:21.40\00:43:32.54
¤ Who believes in me ¤ Drink
¤ Out of the believer's heart
00:43:32.54\00:43:50.83
¤ Shall flow ¤
Rivers of living ¤ Water
00:43:50.83\00:44:05.27
¤ Living water ¤¤ ¤ I
saw the river of the water
00:44:05.27\00:44:23.56
of life ¤ ¤ Bright as a crystal
¤ Flowing from the throne of
00:44:23.56\00:44:35.60
God ¤ ¤ And of the Lamb
¤ Through the middle of the
00:44:35.60\00:44:44.61
street of the city ¤
¤ Of the city ¤ Alleluia
00:44:44.61\00:44:58.49
¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia
00:44:58.49\00:45:10.47
¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia
00:45:10.47\00:45:21.82
¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia
00:45:21.82\00:45:34.00
¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia
00:45:34.00\00:45:43.91
¤ Alleluia ¤ Alleluia
00:45:43.91\00:45:56.22
¤¤ ¤¤
00:45:57.59\00:46:11.83
¤¤ ¤¤
00:46:11.83\00:46:25.48
¤¤ ¤¤
00:48:34.81\00:48:51.23
¤¤ ¤¤
00:50:32.19\00:50:46.21
¤¤
00:50:46.21\00:50:53.15
¤¤ ¤¤
00:52:13.60\00:52:28.74
¤¤
00:52:28.74\00:52:36.25
¤¤
00:54:08.21\00:54:16.48
¤¤
00:54:18.15\00:54:26.43
>> Amen. Our
benediction comes to us from
00:56:47.94\00:56:50.54
Ephesians 6:23 and 24.
"Peace be with you, dear
00:56:50.54\00:56:55.78
brothers and sisters, and
may God, the Father, and the
00:56:55.78\00:56:58.81
Lord Jesus Christ give
you love with faithfulness.
00:56:58.81\00:57:02.82
May God's grace be
eternally upon all who love our
00:57:02.82\00:57:05.35
Lord Jesus Christ."
00:57:05.35\00:57:07.19
Amen. Thank you so
much for joining us today.
00:57:07.22\00:57:10.59
May God bless you. Have a
wonderful week, and we'll see
00:57:10.59\00:57:15.13
you next week. >> I want to take
an extra moment to thank you for
00:57:17.57\00:57:19.33
joining us in worship today.
It's by the continued support
00:57:19.33\00:57:21.54
from viewers like you that we're
able to bring this program.
00:57:21.54\00:57:24.57
Today I want to invite you,
though, to share with us how
00:57:24.57\00:57:27.04
this ministry has blessed you.
I get inspiring notes, e-mails
00:57:27.04\00:57:30.75
from viewers literally all over
the world telling me, "Look,
00:57:30.75\00:57:32.98
Dwight, God has been blessing me
this way, He's been doing this."
00:57:32.98\00:57:35.98
I would love to
hear from you, as well.
00:57:35.98\00:57:37.55
Just visit our
website. You know it --
00:57:37.55\00:57:39.55
Newperceptions.tv -- and click
on the contact link at the top
00:57:39.55\00:57:43.43
of the page. Send me a note.
00:57:43.43\00:57:45.13
Let me know what God has been
doing right now in your life.
00:57:45.13\00:57:48.86
Once again, thank you
for being with us today.
00:57:48.86\00:57:51.23
I hope you'll join us right here
next time, and until then, may
00:57:51.23\00:57:54.60
the God of grace journey
with you every step of the way.
00:57:54.60\00:57:58.67
¤¤
00:58:00.31\00:58:08.58
¤¤
00:58:09.62\00:58:17.89
¤¤
00:58:18.96\00:58:27.20