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        - I'm Brian Tome, Senior
Pastor at Crossroads.
       
    
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        Happy Easter. It's great
to be with you today.
       
    
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        I am in a desert.
       
    
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        This might be a bit
what you feel like.
       
    
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        If we've ever needed
Easter, we need it now.
       
    
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        Some of us are
dry, we're worn out.
       
    
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        We want to encourage you.
       
    
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        We want to give
you a sense of hope.
       
    
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        We've got some
good teaching for you.
       
    
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        We've got great music.
We've got a lot of creativity.
       
    
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        So let's get going.
       
    
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        - Easter is a radical
story of rescue,
       
    
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        more meaningful today than ever.
       
    
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        The past year has felt
like a storm in the desert.
       
    
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        It tried to break you.
       
    
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        Isolation, loss, fear, a
future out of your control.
       
    
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        Sometimes it felt like
you would not survive.
       
    
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        But one man weathered the storm.
       
    
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        One man suffered its
wrath for you and beat death.
       
    
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        Easter is the promise of
that power now living in you,
       
    
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        the power to survive the storm,
       
    
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        the power to be unbreakable.
       
    
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        I've been tested
       
    
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        But not like you have
       
    
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        Yet at every temptation
       
    
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        You never gave in
       
    
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        I've been broken
       
    
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        But not like you were
       
    
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        You laid in a grave still
       
    
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        Three days later walked out
       
    
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        All that I may face
       
    
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        You've already seen
       
    
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        You're my Red Sea parted
       
    
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        The walls I've built, fallen
       
    
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        Prison doors opened
       
    
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        Bright light in the darkness
       
    
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        My home when I've wandered
       
    
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        A well in my desert
       
    
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        No matter what comes
       
    
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        You're my rock, my salvation
       
    
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        Unbreakable
       
    
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        With you I'm safe to
       
    
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        Give up control
       
    
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        Cause you're my strength when
       
    
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        I have no strength at all
       
    
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        You conquered every grave
       
    
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        That might stand in my way
       
    
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        You're my Red Sea parted
       
    
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        The walls I've built, fallen
       
    
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        Prison doors opened
       
    
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        Bright light in the darkness
       
    
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        My home when I've wandered
       
    
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        A well in my desert
       
    
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        No matter what comes
       
    
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        You're my rock, my salvation
       
    
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        Unbreakable
       
    
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        You're my Red Sea parted
       
    
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        The walls I've built, fallen
       
    
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        Prison doors opened
       
    
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        Bright light in the darkness
       
    
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        My home when I've wandered
       
    
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        A well in my desert
       
    
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        No matter what comes
       
    
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        You're my rock, my salvation
       
    
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        Unbreakable
       
    
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        - The idea of being
unbreakable is so appealing,
       
    
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        but how do you get there,
       
    
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        how do you thrive in the desert?
       
    
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        It starts by finding
a new power source,
       
    
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        the power that Jesus
offers us through Easter.
       
    
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        - I'm in a desert right now
       
    
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        Deserts are difficult,
dry, harsh terrain.
       
    
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        I want to talk to those of
us who might feel today
       
    
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        like I'm in a desert,
I'm in a difficult spot.
       
    
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        There's a harshness to life.
       
    
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        There's a dryness to life.
       
    
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        Easter is about meeting
us in those difficult positions,
       
    
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        enabling us to keep going
       
    
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        and come out better
on the other side.
       
    
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        Jesus had all kinds
of desserts in His life.
       
    
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        It was a difficult life He led.
       
    
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        At the end of His life,
       
    
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        that ends in an
excruciating way,
       
    
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        He is crucified,
       
    
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        which is where we get
the word for excruciating,
       
    
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        because it's the most
painful invention of death
       
    
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        that humans have ever invented.
       
    
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        After that desert on a cross,
       
    
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        we'll talk about
it a little bit,
       
    
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        He's put into a tomb.
       
    
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        It's a dark place.
It's a desert of sorts.
       
    
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        And then three days later,
       
    
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        He literally, physically
and historically
       
    
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        comes back from the dead.
       
    
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        The Book of Romans
8:11 says this:
       
    
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        That verse says
there was a power
       
    
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        that enabled Jesus
to be unbreakable
       
    
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        and that power that
brought Him back to life,
       
    
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        that same power,
that same spirit
       
    
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        can actually dwell in you and I
       
    
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        and not only enable
us to be unbreakable,
       
    
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        to actually thrive
and go to a new place.
       
    
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        The Bible is full of
deserts where people
       
    
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        are forced to learn that
they actually are unbreakable.
       
    
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        We saw a week or so ago,
       
    
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        if you were in a
previous series,
       
    
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        that Moses was in
a desert for 40 years
       
    
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        waiting to hear the call of God.
       
    
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        He was unbreakable.
       
    
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        We also learned that
the nation of Israel
       
    
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        went a 40 year period
through the desert
       
    
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        waiting for their next era.
       
    
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        Jesus had a period in
the desert for 40 days
       
    
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        before all the amazing
stuff that's recorded
       
    
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        about Him happens, before
all the amazing teachings,
       
    
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        all the amazing miracles,
He first goes through a desert.
       
    
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        Remember, when you're in
the desert, you can do this.
       
    
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        You have the ability
to stay where you are
       
    
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        and not be moved and
not be turned into dust.
       
    
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        Remember that there
is a different thing
       
    
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        on the other side and
that the same Spirit
       
    
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        that did that in Jesus
can do that inside of you.
       
    
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        I want to help you
today, but I also want
       
    
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        to help you by not blowing
bubbles up your butt.
       
    
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        I mean, I know as preachers
we like doing that, right?
       
    
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        We like just telling you
that everything is good.
       
    
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        Let's ignore all the bad stuff.
       
    
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        Let's be happy, happy,
happy, happy, happy.
       
    
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        Christians have a
real hard time with this.
       
    
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        We don't like difficulty.
       
    
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        We don't have a
theology of difficulty.
       
    
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        We always want to
get the nice, happy bow.
       
    
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        We want to make us believe that
everything is going to be okay.
       
    
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        It's one of the
reasons why I generally
       
    
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        don't like Christian
movies at all.
       
    
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        It's like 90 minutes
of desert and difficult,
       
    
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        then, oh, it's all solved now.
       
    
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        Oh, nice little bow,
everything's good.
       
    
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        Accept Jesus and your life
is always great all the time.
       
    
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        It doesn't work that way.
It doesn't work that way.
       
    
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        Sometimes there's no
pretty bow on the end of it,
       
    
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        at least not for a
long period of time.
       
    
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        And you've got to know this
because I know you can do this.
       
    
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        You can, you can be unbreakable.
       
    
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        You can keep going.
       
    
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        Don't keep wondering
when it's all going to end
       
    
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        so much as wondering,
       
    
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        "God, what are you
doing in me right now?"
       
    
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        One of the greatest
Christian thinkers
       
    
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        of the 20th century, C.S. Lewis.
       
    
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        And he said this:
       
    
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        I don't want to cut
down your problems
       
    
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        and minimize your problems.
       
    
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        I want to bring you some
fresh water in the desert
       
    
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        in which you're in right now.
       
    
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        Some of us are a
desert of poverty.
       
    
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        Some of us are in a
desert of separation,
       
    
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        a desert of loneliness,
a desert of divorce,
       
    
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        a desert of chemical dependency,
       
    
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        a desert of bankruptcy,
       
    
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        a desert of just confusion
over what my future is like.
       
    
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        You're in the desert,
       
    
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        suck everything
out of it that you can.
       
    
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        You can do this.
       
    
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        God has created you
to be unbreakable.
       
    
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        And with His Spirit,
you can do things
       
    
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        that you never
thought that you could.
       
    
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        I know that there's
somebody else like you
       
    
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        on the planet right
now that's making it
       
    
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        and you can make it.
       
    
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        History is littered
with spiritual greats
       
    
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        who are spiritual greats
because of the desert
       
    
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        that they were in.
       
    
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        The stats are telling us right
now that we're in a desert.
       
    
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        Mental illness is skyrocketing,
suicide is skyrocketing,
       
    
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        depression is skyrocketing.
       
    
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        I ran across one
study that talks about
       
    
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        how younger folks are
especially vulnerable
       
    
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        and likely in a
desert right now.
       
    
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        The study says this:
       
    
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        So says the Scientific American.
       
    
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        Now, are younger people
weaker than older people?
       
    
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        No, no, but why are
younger people tending
       
    
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        to have more desert
like situations right now?
       
    
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        It's because the
younger you are,
       
    
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        the less you've
been hit in the mouth.
       
    
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        The younger you are, the
less you've been fortified
       
    
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        and actually learned
that you are unbreakable,
       
    
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        that the same Spirit
that brought life to Jesus
       
    
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        can bring life to you.
       
    
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        But you'd only learn that
when you go through a desert
       
    
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        and you learn to hang
on and you learn that
       
    
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        I can do this and you
learn that God is greater
       
    
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        than all of my weaknesses.
       
    
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        And as you go through
deserts, you grow in confidence
       
    
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        because you've seen what
God's done in your past
       
    
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        and you say, "I'm
going to take this one.
       
    
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        I don't like it, but
I'm going to take it."
       
    
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        People like you
have not just survived,
       
    
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        but they've actually thrived.
       
    
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        - Throughout history,
God's chosen people, Israel
       
    
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        faced unimaginable hardship
as they fought to survive.
       
    
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        They longed for a Savior.
       
    
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        They were enslaved by Egypt,
       
    
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        and God promised
He would rescue them,
       
    
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        that soon He would
send the Messiah.
       
    
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        But they grew
restless and impatient.
       
    
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        They despaired that God
would keep His promise.
       
    
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        God felt far away.
       
    
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        His people feared
He had forgotten them.
       
    
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        God saw their suffering
so He sent a messenger.
       
    
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        He called Moses as a
prophet to remind His beloved
       
    
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        of His promise to rescue them
       
    
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        and to lead them to
the Promised Land.
       
    
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        He filled Moses with Ruaha,
the very breath of God,
       
    
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        and Moses went to Israel
with God's words in his mouth
       
    
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        and songs of rescue on his lips.
       
    
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        I am an instrument,
       
    
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        I am an instrument,
       
    
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        I am an instrument of peace
       
    
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        I am a messenger,
       
    
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        voice in the wilderness,
       
    
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        I am a mouth piece
       
    
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        Prepare ye the way,
       
    
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        prepare ye the way,
       
    
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        prepare ye the way for the Lord.
       
    
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00:12:10
        Prepare ye the way,
       
    
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        prepare ye the way,
       
    
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        prepare ye the way for the Lord.
       
    
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        Comfort ooo comfort
       
    
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        oh take comfort
my love, my comfort.
       
    
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        (Hallelujah)
       
    
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00:12:33
        Comfort ooo comfort
       
    
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        oh take comfort
my love, my comfort.
       
    
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        (Hallelujah)
       
    
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        The war you've been
fighting will soon be over
       
    
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        Prepare ye the way,
the way for the Lord
       
    
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        (Hallelujah)
       
    
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        The road rises up,
high in the desert,
       
    
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        you'll wander no more,
no more, no more
       
    
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        Prepare ye the
way, the way for Lord
       
    
      - 
        
00:13:10
        Prepare ye the
way, the way for Lord
       
    
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        And he shall reign
forever and ever
       
    
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        Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
       
    
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        And he shall reign
forever and ever
       
    
      - 
        
00:13:29
        Hallelujah
       
    
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00:13:31
        Comfort ooo comfort
       
    
      - 
        
00:13:36
        oh take comfort
my love, my comfort.
       
    
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        And he shall reign
forever and ever
       
    
      - 
        
00:13:45
        Comfort ooo comfort
       
    
      - 
        
00:13:49
        (Hallelujah)
       
    
      - 
        
00:13:51
        oh take comfort
my love, my comfort.
       
    
      - 
        
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        And he shall reign
forever and ever
       
    
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        Prepare ye the way,
Prepare ye the way,
       
    
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        Prepare ye the way of the Lord
       
    
      - 
        
00:14:36
        (vocalizing)
       
    
      - 
        
00:14:48
        Prepare ye the way,
Prepare ye the way,
       
    
      - 
        
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        Prepare
       
    
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        No matter how desperate
the night has become,
       
    
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00:15:09
        the rescue is coming
as sure as the dawn.
       
    
      - 
        
00:15:16
        No matter how desperate
the night has become,
       
    
      - 
        
00:15:22
        the rescue is coming
as sure as the dawn.
       
    
      - 
        
00:15:29
        No matter how desperate
the night has become,
       
    
      - 
        
00:15:36
        the rescue is coming
as sure as the dawn.
       
    
      - 
        
00:15:42
        No matter how desperate
the night has become,
       
    
      - 
        
00:15:49
        the rescue is coming
as sure as the dawn.
       
    
      - 
        
00:15:57
        (Hallelujah)
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:10
        Prepare ye the way,
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:12
        Prepare ye the way,
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:14
        Prepare ye the way of the Lord
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:17
        Prepare ye the way,
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:19
        Prepare ye the way,
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:20
        Prepare ye the way of the Lord
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:31
        - Wow, after seeing
something like that,
       
    
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00:16:33
        you have to ask yourself,
What am I watching?"
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:36
        - Oh, my gosh, yes.
- Is this real life?
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:38
        - Absolutely. You know what?
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:39
        I'm here to tell you
that this is real life.
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:42
        This is a church and
you can be a part of it.
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:45
        - Hey, my name is Kyle.
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:46
        I'm the community pastor
for Crossroads Church online.
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:48
        It's my job to take that
thing you just watched
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:51
        and show you how
you can be a part of it.
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:53
        - That's right. And
my name's Hannah
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:55
        and I'm a part of
the team that makes
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:56
        all of this stuff that
you're experiencing today.
       
    
      - 
        
00:16:59
        - And this is Crossroads Church.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:01
        It's an online community
that you can be
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:02
        a full part of no
matter where you live.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:06
        - And that starts with watching
the weekly online message.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:09
        That message is
there for you to get
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:10
        weekly inspiration, weekly hope,
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:13
        weekly truth, weekly
encouragement.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:15
        And throughout the week,
there are different ways
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:17
        for us to connect
anywhere as well.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:20
        - That's step one,
but don't stop there.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:22
        There's a step two.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:23
        There is so much more for you
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:25
        than just an inspiring,
helpful episode every week,
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:28
        there's an entire community,
experiences, connections,
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:32
        and more helpful
content that you can
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:35
        have access to
throughout your week.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:37
        You can get everything
just by signing up
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:40
        for our weekly newsletter.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:42
        If you are in the
desert right now,
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:44
        you need to know
that you're not alone.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:47
        Jesus isn't just powerful,
He wants to meet you
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:50
        in your hard times and
take you to a new place,
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:53
        just like He's done
for so many people.
       
    
      - 
        
00:17:58
        - And I sat on the floor
and I just started crying
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:00
        and I asked God, like,
"Why do you hate me?
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:03
        Why are you doing this to me?
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:04
        Why would you take that away?"
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:10
        I had three
surgeries in four years
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:13
        and all of them
came from wrestling.
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:17
        Doctors had told me I had
basically distorted my bones
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:21
        and they would pop out
of place and pop back in.
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:24
        They told me I'm
pretty much a danger
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:27
        to myself and others,
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:29
        something can break
and it might be fatal.
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:32
        And they didn't want
to have that liability
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:36
        out there and put
that on other kids also.
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:38
        It just put me in a dark
place for a long time.
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:42
        Wrestling for me at that point
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:43
        was a top tier priority for me.
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:48
        It was where I belonged
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:50
        and that was the only
place I felt like I belonged.
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:53
        And so when I lost that,
I lost a part of myself
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:56
        and I didn't know who I was.
       
    
      - 
        
00:18:59
        And it just took a
toll on me mentally.
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:01
        I remember one night distinctly,
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:04
        this was the first
time I was able
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:05
        to make it off the
couch and up to my room
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:08
        in about three months.
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:10
        And I sat on the floor
and I just started crying
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:13
        and I asked God, like,
"Why do you hate me?
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:15
        Why are you doing this to me?
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:17
        Why would you take that away?"
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:19
        So I ran from God and I
wanted nothing to do with Him.
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:24
        I think that turning
point was when
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:27
        I met someone who really
showed me what it means
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:31
        to follow God and
truly trust in Him
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:33
        and that He's not just
there for the good times
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:36
        and getting you through
whatever you want,
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:38
        that He's there
through all of it.
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:40
        And now I get the chance
to do that same thing
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:43
        and coach and tell kids
that they have a chance
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:47
        to do something different
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:48
        and sports doesn't
make them who they are.
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:51
        Now, since I'm not wrestling,
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:54
        I've found a deeper love for God
       
    
      - 
        
00:19:57
        and just a better
understanding for His Word.
       
    
      - 
        
00:20:00
        Just following His lead
       
    
      - 
        
00:20:02
        and doing what I can
to further the Kingdom.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:06
        - In Matthew 4 it says
that Jesus was led
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:11
        by the Spirit into the
wilderness, or desert,
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:15
        to be tempted.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:16
        Now, the Spirit led
Him into the wilderness,
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:19
        but it also says at the
very end of the section
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:22
        that then God sent angels.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:26
        Then God ministered to Him.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:28
        So for 40 days in this
desert, He didn't feel God.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:31
        He was prompted
by God to go there,
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:33
        but he didn't feel God
while He was there.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:35
        I think that during
that 40 days,
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:37
        Jesus learned that he was
stronger than He thought.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:40
        Now God was empowering
Him. God was --
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:43
        God was doing things
in and through Him.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:45
        Okay, Jesus is God Himself,
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:46
        so there was some
power He had there.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:48
        But Jesus learned some things
about Himself in that 40 days.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:51
        That's the way it is
with us in our desert.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:54
        I came out of a
desert not too long ago.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:56
        We went into COVID and all
the difficulties around COVID.
       
    
      - 
        
00:24:59
        I had all kinds of problems
in my life that you may have,
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:02
        problems in my home
life, problems with aging,
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:06
        problems of all kind of things.
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:09
        And then all the problems
of COVID came on top of it.
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:11
        And I found myself
some time in that desert
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:15
        was the beginning of me
coming out of it was realizing,
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:18
        "Oh, my goodness, this
thing called Crossroads
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:21
        that I'm a part
of, that I've been
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:22
        a part of building
for all this time.
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:24
        We didn't even have in building
Easter services last year,
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:27
        which is kind of a
big thing for churches.
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:29
        What is going on with it?
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:31
        People are dropping off.
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:33
        All the visual indicators
are just not good
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:36
        because things are shut down."
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:38
        And I started going
into this kind of pity party
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:40
        and in a difficult dry place.
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:42
        And beginning of the
end of my desert was
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:46
        when I sensed God
whispered to me, saying, "Brian,
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:49
        Brian, you can handle this."
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:51
        I'm not going to say
that I am unbreakable
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:54
        and I have all the power.
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:55
        I'm not trying to say that.
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:56
        I just recognize
that I'm stronger
       
    
      - 
        
00:25:59
        than I was giving
myself credit for
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:01
        and other people
before me and right now
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:03
        in modern times are doing things
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:05
        much more difficult than I am.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:06
        I can endure.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:09
        This is the story of Jesus.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:13
        He not only endures
while He's in the wilderness,
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:17
        but coming out of that He
endures public persecution.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:21
        He endures people
not understanding Him.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:24
        He endures feeling like
people have abandoned Him.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:27
        He endures an awful,
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:29
        excruciating
experience on the Cross.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:33
        Nails taken through His
wrists, through His feet.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:36
        He's been flogged. He's been
beaten. He's been clubbed.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:40
        He's had people spitting at Him.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:43
        He's up on a cross
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:44
        and He's having to push up to
exhale and drop down to inhale,
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:48
        push up, drop down,
while His beaten back
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:51
        is going up and down
a rough hewn cross.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:55
        Friends, that is a desert.
       
    
      - 
        
00:26:57
        It is difficult. It's grueling.
       
    
      - 
        
00:27:00
        And we can take
hope that our desert
       
    
      - 
        
00:27:03
        is never going to
be like His desert
       
    
      - 
        
00:27:05
        and that there is a
God who cares for us.
       
    
      - 
        
00:27:10
        And Jesus went through
that difficulty on the Cross
       
    
      - 
        
00:27:13
        because God was
thinking about you and me.
       
    
      - 
        
00:27:16
        He was thinking about
taking all of our pain,
       
    
      - 
        
00:27:19
        all of our suffering,
all of our sinfulness,
       
    
      - 
        
00:27:21
        and putting it on His back
so we wouldn't have to bear
       
    
      - 
        
00:27:23
        that pain and suffering and
sinfulness for all of eternity.
       
    
      - 
        
00:27:27
        That is the Good News.
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:19
        - Jesus has the
power to rescue you
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:21
        and He will meet
you where you are.
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:23
        You may not immediately
be out of the desert,
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:26
        but you can have hope
even in the hardest of times.
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:33
        - Ali was diagnosed
with lung cancer.
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:36
        - Mike was diagnosed
with neuroendocrine cancer
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:40
        and I was eight months pregnant,
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:42
        - Something like this was
just like, "It's just too much."
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:46
        It was too much.
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:51
        It really starts in college.
       
    
      - 
        
00:33:55
        Leslie started dating her
first husband, Mike, there,
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:01
        who was also a
good friend of mine.
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:02
        And eventually Mike
and Leslie get married.
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:06
        During that time, I got
married to my first wife, Ali.
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:11
        A couple of years into
mine and Ali's marriage,
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:16
        Ali was diagnosed
with lung cancer.
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:20
        And we had just had
our daughter, Olivia,
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:24
        and Olivia had just turned
one when Ali passed away.
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:30
        - In 2012, Mike was diagnosed
with neuroendocrine cancer
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:39
        and I was eight months pregnant.
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:41
        It was stage four and
it had metastasized
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:43
        to his liver when
he was diagnosed
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:45
        so I kind of saw the
writing on the wall
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:48
        and knew that our story wasn't
going to have a happy ending.
       
    
      - 
        
00:34:55
        Mike passed away
November 10th, 2013.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:01
        You have in your
mind this picture
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:04
        of what you
think your life is --
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:05
        how your life is
going to play out.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:07
        And I didn't know
how to live that life.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:10
        And it was at that
point that I reached out
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:12
        to reconnect with Ben.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:15
        - There's a comfort knowing that
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:17
        you don't have to explain
it to this other person.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:21
        You know, you feel kind of like
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:22
        you're all alone in the grief.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:24
        And when you've got
someone that's in it with you,
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:27
        it does so much to
ease that loneliness.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:31
        It's really hard to describe.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:33
        - It just worked, like
we would get together
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:35
        and go do things and our
kiddos got along really well.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:39
        - It was kind of just
right in front of our face.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:42
        - That was sort of the beginning
of our romantic relationship.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:45
        Two years from the point we
started dating, we got married
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:51
        - And we found out
we were pregnant.
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:53
        And then we found
out that our baby
       
    
      - 
        
00:35:59
        was going to have Down syndrome.
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:00
        Yeah, we really felt like we
had been through so much
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:04
        and that something
like this was just like,
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:08
        it's just too much.
It was too much.
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:11
        - Yeah, I thought, "Goodness,
we've --we've paid our dues."
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:15
        - Yeah. And I think
in the same way
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:17
        that you can grieve
the loss of a person,
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:20
        you definitely grieve the loss
of expectations that you have.
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:24
        - Again, you have
this vision of how
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:27
        this blended family
is going to play out
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:29
        and that little extra chromosome
wasn't part of that vision.
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:34
        We wanted to get
to a place where
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:35
        we were excited to
welcome our baby.
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:38
        And in order to do that,
we needed to take the time
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:41
        to grieve and then
educate ourselves
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:46
        so that we understood, like,
what does this really mean?
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:49
        - We met with other families
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:51
        that have kids with
Down's syndrome.
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:54
        And the more we learned
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:56
        and the more we
were exposed to it,
       
    
      - 
        
00:36:57
        the more we realize like
this isn't such a scary thing.
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:00
        It's just not that terrible.
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:02
        In fact, it's not terrible
at all, you know?
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:04
        And we had to get to that point.
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:08
        - So Nash was born
November 28th, 2016.
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:12
        - He's awesome and he's brought
so much joy into our lives.
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:16
        And sometimes I feel
shame for how we reacted
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:21
        to that diagnosis and
how much fear we had.
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:24
        We just -- we had no idea
how many positive things
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:28
        would come from it.
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:31
        All the twists and
turns that we've had,
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:33
        together and separately, I think
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:36
        what we're able to do
is look back on all that
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:40
        and see how God
has taken certain things
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:44
        and used them to build
us, to build our character,
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:49
        to build our relationship.
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:50
        And there were definitely times
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:52
        where I felt a distance from God
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:55
        and I questioned why I
had to be going through this.
       
    
      - 
        
00:37:59
        In my gut I just
knew that there was
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:01
        something on
the other side of it
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:03
        and that I just
had to trust God.
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:06
        - When Mike died,
there was a moment
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:09
        where I just kind of
crawled up in bed with him
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:11
        and I -- that moment was
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:16
        the most connected
to God I have ever felt.
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:19
        I was overcome with this, like
everything's going to be okay.
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:22
        So I think even
though I had moments
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:24
        where I questioned
why God had allowed me
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:28
        to be in this situation, I had
something to come back to.
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:34
        - Nothing gets wasted.
God doesn't waste anything.
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:36
        And although it may be
tragic, it may feel unfair,
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:41
        when you have that perspective,
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:43
        you can look at it
from a different angle
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:45
        and see that this
is going to be used.
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:49
        I'm sure other things
will happen in our lives
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:51
        that are going to
be bad. You know?
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:53
        We also know that
those things are going
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:56
        to be used for
good in other ways
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:58
        that we just don't know about
       
    
      - 
        
00:38:59
        and we'll be patient and wait
and see how they get used.
       
    
      - 
        
00:43:16
        The book of Ephesians 1:18 says:
       
    
      - 
        
00:43:52
        The reason why we
know the name of Jesus
       
    
      - 
        
00:43:55
        is because He went
through the desert,
       
    
      - 
        
00:43:57
        He went through the pain.
       
    
      - 
        
00:43:59
        That's why we know His name.
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:04
        The pain and
difficulty of the desert
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:06
        equips us for a
future that is amazing.
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:08
        We don't know what
it's going to come,
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:10
        but it is going to come.
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:11
        And His name is
above every other name.
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:13
        What kind of names
is his name above?
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:17
        They're talking
about the names of
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:20
        depression and
hopelessness, fear and anxiety,
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:27
        credit card debt and bankruptcy,
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:30
        uncertainty and confusion,
malaise and status quo,
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:36
        loneliness and rejection.
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:39
        These are the names
that we encounter
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:41
        when we're in the desert
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:43
        and these are the
names that Jesus
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:46
        trounces by His
victory on the Cross.
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:49
        These are the names, they're
trying to call out to you
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:53
        that God has forsaken you
and He has abandoned you.
       
    
      - 
        
00:44:56
        No, He has not,
you're just in a desert.
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:00
        And it's not unlike the
desert Jesus went through
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:02
        and all the greats
of previous history.
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:04
        You can do this. You can.
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:06
        You can be unbreakable
and the Spirit
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:08
        that gave life to His body
can give life to yours.
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:12
        This dry, desolated place
that you may find yourself in
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:17
        leaves us with two choices:
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:21
        Dry out and die by
living on our own strength
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:25
        or look for the waters of
nutrition and nourishment
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:29
        that He brings to us.
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:31
        Psalm 50:15, He says:
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:42
        We need delivered.
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:44
        We need delivered
from everything
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:46
        that's gotten us
inside the desert.
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:49
        Some of us have got
like capital P problems,
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:53
        not just adult problems,
but capital P problems.
       
    
      - 
        
00:45:59
        The kind of problems
that movies are made of
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:01
        and we leave those
movies feeling depressed.
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:03
        The kind of problems that I
don't even want to talk about
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:06
        because other
people are going to go,
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:08
        "I didn't need to
hear that on Easter."
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:10
        You know that's you.
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:11
        You know it if you're
one of those folks like,
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:13
        "Man, this is -- it's
going to take more than
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:15
        a little pick me up
sermon to get me going."
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:17
        I know. I know.
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:20
        That's exactly why Jesus
came and lived the life He lived
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:22
        and died the death He did
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:24
        and offers the
Spirit that He offers.
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:27
        Most Americans are on
a self-improvement plan.
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:30
        They believe that,
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:32
        "I'm just an understandably
flawed person
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:34
        in need of a couple
of helpful principles
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:37
        just to get me over the edge."
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:39
        When I say you got
this, I'm trying to tell you
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:42
        you are stronger than you think
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:44
        and we're also not
as strong as we think,
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:48
        because we need Jesus to
make a difference in our life.
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:53
        We need Him. We need Him.
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:56
        We need Him to have died
the death He died for us.
       
    
      - 
        
00:46:59
        And we need the
resurrection power that He has.
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:02
        That's the story of Easter,
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:05
        that someone came
back from the dead.
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:07
        And if that power still
exists today, and it does,
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:10
        I've felt that power.
I've sensed that power.
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:13
        I am where I am today
because of that power.
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:14
        That power comes to normal,
average people like you and I.
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:20
        Easter is about the
hope of the resurrection,
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:23
        the hope of a new day,
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:25
        the hope of a mist coming
and moistening our skin,
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:29
        the hope of an oasis that's just
around the next craggy rock,
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:33
        the hope that there is a
beautiful life ahead of me.
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:37
        And if there's not a
beautiful life ahead of me,
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:39
        there's a beautiful
eternity ahead of me.
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:42
        I don't know if you've
ever reached out to Him
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:45
        and actually asked
Him for His Spirit
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:49
        to come into your life
where you are right now,
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:52
        but I want to pray for
you and I want to trust
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:55
        that your desert is
going to be survivable
       
    
      - 
        
00:47:58
        and you are going to be
able to get through your desert
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:01
        through the
resurrection of power
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:03
        that comes through His Spirit.
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:05
        Let me pray for you right now.
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:06
        And if you want
to pray this prayer,
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:08
        I'll do a little pauses and
you can just pray it out loud.
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:12
        Muttered it if someone
sitting next to you.
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:14
        Romans 10:9says, If
we believe with our hearts
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:16
        that Jesus has been
raised from the dead
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:18
        and we confess with our mouth.
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:20
        So confess it,
make this a prayer.
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:22
        It goes something like this:
Jesus, I need Your power.
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:28
        I'm not sure I can last in this
desert, but I will continue,
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:33
        but I need Your Spirit.
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:38
        I ask forgiveness for my sin.
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:42
        I asked that You would
fill me with Your presence.
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:46
        And I not only will stand in
this desert to be unbreakable,
       
    
      - 
        
00:48:51
        but I will follow You as best I
can the rest of my life. Amen.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:01
        Man, that was good stuff.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:03
        Hey, for those of you
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:04
        who received Christ
for the first time,
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:06
        you're going to have
this new adventure
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:08
        of the same Spirit that
raised Him from the dead
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:10
        working in and through you.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:11
        It's great having
you part of the family.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:15
        Hey, I hope we've
delivered by giving you
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:17
        some encouragement or
at least some awareness
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:20
        of what it's like
to be in the desert.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:22
        There is a God who loves you,
cares for you and empowers you.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:27
        I hope you have an amazing
Easter, the rest of your day.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:30
        And I hope to see
you back next week.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:31
        We're here every
week. We'll see you then.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:35
        - Man, what a great
time that we've had today.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:37
        I hope you learned that
you and I are unbreakable,
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:41
        no matter what
we're facing our lives.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:42
        And that's because
Jesus beat death.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:45
        And that same power that
raised Jesus from the dead
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:48
        is in you and it's in me.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:50
        And we've had
such a good journey
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:51
        learning about that today.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:52
        - Absolutely. Look,
that's why we exist
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:54
        to guide you forward
on your journey with God.
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:57
        And look, part of
that journey is learning
       
    
      - 
        
00:49:59
        to trust Him with
everything in your life:
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:01
        your career, your relationships,
even your finances.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:04
        And I know right now
you want to click away.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:06
        Please hang on for a second.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:07
        Look, learning to trust God
with your money is a step
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:10
        that every single person
who wants to follow Jesus
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:13
        has to pass through.
And I'm telling you,
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:15
        it's an incredible,
incredible journey in which
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:18
        you actually receive
more than you give.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:21
        See, God actually
says in the Bible that
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:23
        when we trust Him
with our finances,
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:24
        He will bless our lives
in ways and places
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:27
        that money cannot buy.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:29
        And look, I know that
might sound self-serving.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:30
        It does, right?
- Yeah, just a little bit.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:32
        - For a church to say that,
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:33
        but we've actually
designed a way around that.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:35
        - That's right. We've
made something just for you
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:37
        called the 90 Day Title Test.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:39
        In this 90 days, we want you
to test God with your finances,
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:42
        because if He's not
moving in your life,
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:44
        we'll give you all
your money back.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:46
        That's how strong
we believe in this tithe.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:48
        That's how strong we believe
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:50
        that God will bless
you in every area.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:53
        So you can try this out by going
to Crossroads.net/tithetest.
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:57
        - And when you do that,
       
    
      - 
        
00:50:58
        you'll be prompted to
submit a prayer request.
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:00
        We would love to just partner
with you, us and our team,
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:03
        and pray for that
thing, that place
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:04
        that you want God's
breakthrough in your life.
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:06
        - That's right. You
can connect with me
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:08
        by going to
hannah.sheppard@crossroads.net.
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:11
        You can email me. That's
me. I'm going to respond.
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:14
        - She actually will,
or you can email me,
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:16
        kyle.ranson@crossroads.net.
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:17
        We would love to
connect with you.
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:19
        - Come back next week where
we're going to be exploring
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:21
        what it means to take on life
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:23
        and have the endurance to last.
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:27
        - If you liked what
you saw today,
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:29
        there's actually way
more to this story.
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:31
        God has more to
say about getting you
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:33
        out of the desert
that you're in.
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:34
        And if you want that, go to
Crossroads.net/unbreakable
       
    
      - 
        
00:51:38
        to watch more episodes
of the same story right now.