Testimony of Daniel Ritchie

Well, for those of you who are not here in the early service.

Our speaker today is Daniel Ritchie, was born and grew up in Julian North Carolina not too far from us here and born with a very serious handicap and he really struggled with that is he'll tell you, but God saved you by his grace and is using him marvelously. And so, let's bow and asked the Lord to bless this service. Father, thank you for bringing us to this appointed time. Thank you for bringing us this appointed messenger now father use his words to be your words to speak to our hearts as we ask in Jesus name and manual church how we doing this morning man you know I chatty bunch.

After after first service is a pastor trying to wrangle cats and so it's it's good to know it's good to know feeling when freshman man it, it's my honor to be here with you guys this morning, and in a lot of ways this is this is a little bit of a homecoming this is home turf. For me I live. I literally grew up just a few miles up Highway 62 down in Julian so man I used to earn up this part of this part of Highway 62 because me and yet you had to get to Olive Garden on the on the regular and Burlington had the closest one and so man this is great for me to be home.

It's also great to be able to in a sanctuary where man, I get to I get to see full faces again. You know, because it's like for for probably the past year you preach into a whole bunch of masking so all you can see your eyes and there's a very fine line between happy eyes and my I want to murder you eyes and so I could never really know it where I was with. But now, now I know in so if I have to run in the minute your faces will tell me, but if if God's doing good work man will will also know that.

But this morning what I would like to use it if your Bibles I go ahead and open to Philippians 4, Philippians 4 will be there in a in a little bit.

But before we get there. I do just want want to take some time and an and just share with you guys is some of my story and in what God has led me through because you know how I will be the first to acknowledge that the people are just naturally curious about the whole harmless situation in it in every way shape and form. Because people people almost always assume that that some sort of animal print produce this exterior appearance like they think some sort of critter robbed me of my arms. You know if I found that the beach people are like shark.

You know what yesterday was I was a two sharks at one time.

Brokers two sharks at once or be moving about me. I'm fairly certain what read right before COBIT I was I was in the Denver airport. I was shuffling on a plane and a resistance guy and he was just he was staring and staring at my empty sleeve and I listen like I'm all about love God, love others, but let me get let me get some background because it's like I'm a I'm a grumpy flyer in every way. Because the site you guys. You know you get legroom on a plane man by God's grace. You can just sit there and you can wiggle them ankles and your feet won't be stiff if if I don't have legroom on a plane I can't eat my in-flight pretzels I can't drink those those 2 ounces of soda that they give you like halfway through the flat I can't.

I can't get on my cell phone. I can't read.

I literally just sit there and not only do I just sit there if if I could put in a middle seat. The people around me 10 minutes into the flight realize we get extra rest and so you know now.

Now like snuggling with people I don't know, and I can't do anything for four hours and so I'm already like John with with life and in every way. And so homeboy staring at me. I'm getting ready to to say something really sarcastic and before I can say anything I do goes there. Was it what he's like a pair did prayer get your arms. You know my sis is like me and you will get that bucket of Kentucky fried chicken were just thinking you know what today on I'm just not feeling like a chicken chicken breasts like only want the chicken legs this the despair wake up and go know what in the mood for like people had or or like the squishy people middle. I catch Swanson good old fashion people arms and I and so so you're telling me you're telling me that I crossed the wrong bear the wrong time. Oh, I'm like that's my that's not what happened. Moron. And then I get on the plane and I realized is called a human being a moron and so of course God and his justice puts me in the middle seats I snuggle with two people that I don't know for the next four hours from Denver to Charlotte and the plane lands at a mad dude Mr. Mr. bear my arms he was. It was like the very front of the plane so we get often and you know he's way in front of me and so I sprint through the Charlotte airport and I like you know I can't. People on the on the backs of sort ahead bottom like a buddy sorry I called you a moron. Sorry, I thought a buried your arms.

You know we had a moment together but then it was really cool because I got to sit with this guy and just, I mean truthfully layout for them. Okay this this is what happened knew it wasn't a bear was her shark and I got to share with him just my story, but it was cool that you know just just that initial conversation morphed into a 25 minute conversation were re-ended up sitting down at a gate you know there Charlie Douglas that that wasn't even our day and I get to share the gospel with this guy just just because of this this exterior that the God in his grace has given me.

And so you know, to dispel all the all the thoughts of bears and sharks and tigers. Oh, oh my, you know, I was just born this way you know know know, sort of fancy story here, you know, crazy twist and turns in there, but one of the things that I think sets just even not part of my story apart was you know leading up to what I was born, nobody knew that I was going to be born without arms. Your mom had a healthy pregnancy. My mom had two ultrasounds and so the thought was all along the way were to have this healthy baby way and so nobody knows that anything is wrong literally until the moment I'm born and the doctor is holding an armless baby boy in his arms and then in that moment, not not only am I armless, but I was I was lifeless.

I wasn't crying, I wasn't breathing.

I wasn't moving the doctor try to find a Polson and he couldn't find a pulse on me and so he just just really quickly turns to my dad and he holds me up so dad can see that I don't have arms and then he just asked my dad, do you want us to let him go because from from from a purely worldly sense my life doesn't make a whole lot us.

You know I mean truthfully we we exist and operate and live in a world made by people with arms for people with arms you know I mean seriously think about think about your morning so far. Think about you know your your iPhone went off in the in the wee hours of the morning so you reached over and he slapped it so you those extra nine minutes of sleep, and now you wake up nine minutes later than you wanted to answer your and straight panic mode so you start to start get ready. You know, brush the hair brush the teeth are the close on make breakfast literally physically throw the kids in the car speed here as fast as you can come in the service. You know, shake hands, grab coffee all that gets the and this is just this is first couple hours a day but hit the reset button on your Sunday start the day over, but don't use your fingers or thumbs are your arms and elbows.

How much of that seems productive, if not altogether implausible. You know it's just I think in so many ways just as well we live in our arms are some of the most like sake and parts of who we are. This is like, we assume it's it's the standard equipment you know but that wasn't the case for me and in that moment that doctors looking at me and he goes, what's the point what's what's he going to do what why bother the man in that moment. I'm incredibly thankful I had to parents that know they they wanted to bother you know and then they might advocate that Dr. he's like nah that's that's my boy and you're going to do whatever it is that you can do to try to bring him back. And so the doctors rushed me out and I start to work on me and couple minutes later man. Dr. walks in with a little kick and scream and armless baby boy in you know God in his grace.

It had truly brought me back from the dead and brought me to life and nothing for my parents man in that moment that fear that fear that it that existed. That man is is our little boy going to live as you can be okay that that fear subsided for a minute, but that was started to happen, as I word started to spread to the hospital right there in Greensboro. Hey, there's a there's a little armless boy up on the third floor as you go check them out. And so, like all of these doctors started to pour into our room and inside pediatricians orthopedic specialists are subdued. It walked in. He was a hand specialist in my dad's like your barking up the wrong tree because I write. Yep, you know, nobody knows nothing. You know, and he's he saunters off but it's I can in this like 3 to 4 hour span is probably 15 to 20 doctors that come in and check me out and there was one man that had something positive to say about the course of my life and the rest of them. It literally ran the range from my parents were told I'd never feed myself.

I never write. I never go to normal school never graduate never get a job.

Never be a fully functioning independent adult. When Dr. heat. He pulled my dad out in the hallway and they had, you know I'm Amanda man conversation, and the doctors told him listen, you should just get this kid up for adoption because he's going to be more trouble than what is worth a man from for a lot of us you know in this room that her parents, you know that the date the day you have your kids or your kids basis is one of the most memorable and joyful days in your life. I need for my parents.

Now the stories different.

But it's like then went when they think back to the day that that they had me it was honestly one of the scariest days of their life. This is the slide here it is just twist and turns bad news after bad news. Fear after fear and worry in tribulation after tribulation, and there just sit there the night. Finally, winds down, everybody goes away and they're just left to themselves with me and I will do you know how how how do we I don't even like begin to navigate the and and for them to the one promise that they held to in the midst of everything that night was know what God God brought this little boy back from the dead and so he's not going to do that, McGarr. I did my job. They'll figure the rest out like that's not that's not what God's do God's that's got this and guys like truthfully that the best way I can explain is that that's incredibly true because it's it you know fruit for you guys got me jealous.

The deluxe model so you know like you got you got all the fingers and thumbs and arms and all the fun stuff on the economy model. You know like I didn't I get the cool stuff you got. I'm just more aerodynamic than you are. You know that's that's about the only benefit I have but it's like with with the armless hardware it was.

I got Jim and armless software to and there was this is clear understanding even them in my little heart in those early days of my life.

It was just like got it and scripted on my little heart hey buddy, I think if you hands back a few feet, so go get them tiger you know and and so nobody grown-up. Nobody had to teach me if if you set a bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in front of me.

Nobody had to teach me how to spit stick a spoon in between my toes and make that ice cream vanishing to my face. It was just like God. God wrote that on my harder, nobody had to teach me how to do stick a crayon in between my toes and color in between the lines and then write may be seized. God just got just wrote that on my heart and was just so amazing to watch that all of these things that the professional opinion of man said I would never do God and his grace in his kindness to send watch this and man, I was able to feed myself and ride.

I went to normal school, you know into Nathaniel Green Elementary right out right up the highway from graduated graduated from Southeast Guilford high school with with honors.

You know, got my license at that 16 just like everybody else you know grew up like every other boy and Southeast Guilford County, you know, dad.

Dad raised me fish and I remember probably be at eight or nine years old he looks at me and his lack son were going teach you how to shoot, because we can't have an unarmed unarmed man that's that's a double negative, and so you know I it in so many ways.

I had just a normal childhood growing up here.

You know I'm I went to went to college on a full ride met the girl of my dreams you know is it is a junior in college and we were married of in my senior year. We've been married 15 years. Gotta nine-year-old boy five-year-old little girl and man these days have a ministry that that I wouldn't trade for the world and all of that for a kid that the world said in minute one of my life.

I wasn't good. The world looked at me and said she should we really bother just should he really take a breath, should he really even be alive and it's like where it whereas I think in a lot of ways my my physical body hasn't been overly full of struggle what what must struggle was then what my struggle continues to be now is just this this feeling that I'm not good enough. This perception of of viewing myself to the eyes of the world which at times it can run the range of all man look at look at this armless duty. Such an inspiration than it can also be just as quickly look at this free this weirdo look at this circus that I just found myself, I think Trafton just this prison of word and insecurity and I and I was starting to judge my life and my worth and my purpose all all determined by my circumstance.

So with that starting to do for me is that created all sorts of insecurity in my heart. He led me to hate people. Let me to hate and question God because I'm starting to keep score of God's love and God's grace toward me on my turn and so I'm looking around going got on the only kid in my middle school has the pizza was toes and I know yeah Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so you know about my parents wrote that on my little heart in those early days kid, but I remember thinking will. God loves everybody else because he gave alarms what why doesn't God love me like he loves them and that man that just created just so much tension and turmoil in her and Anna sees this as I got into my teens just like depression and isolation in MN as a 15-year-old can't use this this kid in my in my chemistry class in high school. I thought he was my friend because he invited me into this like thing that is youth group was there when I was at school and I show up and he neglected to tell me that this was a youth group dodgeball lock-in now armless people are good. A lot of things dodgeball is is not one of them. And so the whole night. I just basically get like beaten to death was like an armless piñata. You know for for four hours. Did you know hammered and then halfway through the night.

The youth pastor.

He gets up and of course he talks about of all things God's love is on putting an ice pack on my face on my gut feel that totally and and so the night. You know it winds back out the guys go back to playing dodgeball and set out I'm done among I'm just going to watch them do their thing. So I'm sit on the sidelines and student pastor comes up to me starts to talk to me and you know he's feeling me out. You know, just kinda getting a sense of what's going on in my life and and I think he could say that insecurity and that her that brokenness in my heart and so he just straight up asked me to know you don't, you don't really like your life do I like this guy, like no there's there's nothing good about this.

There's nothing good or glorious or or redeemable about this armless packaging like I don't I don't see how God can love me or I don't even see the evidence of God loving me like look at what good can come of this, and it was amazing how for the next couple hours. Literally, the student pastor sits with and he lays out God's love for me not only in the fact that in my mother's womb that God was forming me and shaping me and that it it's not like God turned his back for a little bit and then turned back around, as I don't offer now the arms. You know like the Lord, the Lord didn't do that when he fearfully and wonderfully made me he crafted me even in my harmlessness for reason is this guy started to explain to meeting your your your perfect creation in the hands of a perfect creator, but she didn't.

He didn't miss a stitch when he stitch you together in your mother's will. But not only does God love you Napa. God loves you and this is that even when question him in doubt his pursuit in his love of you.

He sends his son to live the perfect life. You could not live to die the death that you most certainly should dies a sinner and a rebel.

God raises him to live, to show his victory over both sin and death and to all who trust in him. The adoption of the family of God and sends out on the mission of God. That's how much the creator and sustainer, and Savior of the world loved men to see the gospel like that coming truly change my life. For the better MN to trust interest in Christ. Not only is my Savior, my Lord, my king, my everything, but then man he started to be my purpose. My hope I remember in those early days I grown in Christ my my favorite verse that lean on us. Philippians 413 I can do all things in Christ who gives me something.

I leaned on I think is like this. This overly motivational verse in the months to come. I'm never forget like sitting down to studying through the book of Philippians for the first time, like chapter 1 to chapter 4 in man to watch at Scripture truly comes alive and to realize it.

It's far more than just man do better, try harder.

Don't quit. But will we see just just through the word of God, the power of God and the purpose of God shown in and through his people. So if you have God's word this morning. Turn with me.

Philippians chapter 4 working to reverse his full verses 11 through 13 and now listen before we dive in, like wheat we got to remember that this this is a prison epistle Paul tends these words to the church at Philippi as he sits in a prison cell. Not knowing if he's going to live or if he's going to die. Paul doesn't know where it would, tomorrow is get a hold, but he does know the one that he is trusted his life with and that jumps out in a very apparent way.

In this first verse were about to read to read with me. Philippians chapter 4 starting in verse 11 in God's works. Is this not that I'm speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation that I am content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance of learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger abundance and need I can do all things through him who strengthens me is wild to me that a guy doesn't know if he's going to live or die can pin a verse like verse 11. I'm content in whatever certain situation that I find myself I'm content when I'm preaching I'm content when God is using me to plan a church.

I'm content when I'm being I'm content when I'm sitting in the present prison cell. Not knowing what my night or my next they will hold, but I know the one that I trust in and that that's secret there in verse 11 as he was not so secret he sorta sprinkled the reality all through this entire book of Philippians that for him.

His everything his secret to being content is worth his value. His hope is all built on the person and work of Christ. Paul says in the very first chapter Philippians chapter 1 verse 21. To live is Christ to die is gain. Man, that's the that's a wild way to live for a guy was being persecuted because ultimately that that's a that's a really annoying person to have to persecute customer like for Paul if it's a live is Christ and his everything is built on Jesus so you can take his money, his job, his freedom don't care he's got Jesus and then if you kill them all.

You given the opportunity to do is see Jesus face-to-face outside. No matter what Paul wins no matter what. You can't really beat the guy up or steer them off course because he is focuses entire line toward Christ is hope.

His value his strength, his everything on him as we see even even the psalmist says in Psalm 73 whom have I am heaven, but you and there is nothing on earth I desire besides you my flesh in my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my church we live in a day and age. This is your worth in your value comes from what you doing what you have and unless you've reached a certain decimal point in your bank account or certain amount of square footage in your home or the right trucker. The right boat or the right vacation of the right platform of the right power, then you have it made it that you got a chase after all of those things to finally be happy to finally be consent but you know what we can look across the landscape of this planet. We can see people that have all those things they have platform power they have money, they have all the stuff and they're still just as miserable as they were before they had hoped doesn't come from the things of this world. Contentment doesn't come from things that I can see and touch and taste and smell our hope.

Our purpose are worth our contentment comes from Christ and Christ alone is what Paul can sit saying Philippians chapter 3 that I count all things as loss in view of the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ is my Lord and when Paul says that like Paul. Paul can say from experience because honestly the worst earthly thing that happened to Paul was meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus because before Christ, he had the tier 1 education get the job with power people knew his name. They respected him, they feared him and then the moment he met Jesus came thorn in the flesh, persecution, beatings and imprisonment. But Paul can look in the rearview mirror and you say I'll do it all again you of knowing and trusting and resting in Christ as my church. Hear me out. Wheat we don't have to sit in here this morning and have to meet certain income requirements are meet and assert certain platform standard or meet any sort of expectations of any other person on this planet to feel like we matter or were worth it or where love because the creator and sustainer of the universe is already proclaimed both your worth your purpose and his love toward you and that is a promise, that does not fade and will not go anywhere and that is why we can hope that is why we can trust even in the worst of circumstances can. Secondly, what I want to see this morning is this is God is at work in your heart. God is at work in your heart you flashback to chapter 1 in Philippians policy and listen. I I'm no that this will work out for my deliverance. Paul goes on to say either. He's going to be delivered physically and in being freed from the bonds of prison are that he'll be delivered from this life and in death. You will meet his Savior face-to-face. But regardless, Paul says I know that my imprisonment will work out for your good and that even if I gain my freedom that also will be for your good and for his glory and that even in the worst of circumstances. We see this refining the God works and moves in and through us and it's a refining. I've seen you know Peter talks about in first Peter chapter 1 he says in this and just talking about trials and heard in the things that we have to face in this life. He says in this you should greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while.

You have to face various kinds of trials it so that the proof of your fate with which is more precious than gold, even though it perishes by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ and sometimes the worst thing about us is the best thing that God uses to remind us how we you are and how sovereign he truly use you know people. One of the most common questions people ask me all the time. As I hey if you can like jump in a time machine go back start this whole life thing over again which it would you want to like start life over with arms. People asked me hey you ever wanted to get prosthetics you know and the prosthetics question.

There's there's one little*there like if Tony Stark was real and I could have like Ironman arms that be cool I could be like to be one quarter of a superhero like that be kind of fun, but considering is not real of that's not that's not a likely scenario, and in all honesty, if I could go back and started all over again with arms.

What I know, I really what would life be more simple, yet absolutely love for me going. Paul says right here. I know the secret of facing plenty and hunger abundance and need.

I know I can do all things through Christ that gives me the strength not my trial in my tribulation has allowed me to not only know that God is strong and mighty revealed through his word, but it's like I know how strong he is because he shown up in ways that I never could've seen coming. I can hear people preach about the hope that God brings.

I can see his hope revealed in Scripture, but he is cemented that reality in my heart that even when the world looks at me as a lost cause I see a God who is used to broken and shacked up life and used me for his glory for his purposes, and I wouldn't trade that for the world, you know, does that mean there's there's still hard days. Yeah, absolutely. You know I got saved at 15 and I woke up this Morning. You know what happened.

I was still armless.

No, I didn't. I didn't sprout arms overnight. You know my my whole physical situation to get better.

But God has given me a hope to navigate other still bad days. You know, especially, especially as a daddy, you know there's times where I wish I could scoop my kids up and hug you know her… A nine-year-old little boy that loves football like the desert loves the rain and and he wants nothing more than a go in the back yard and play catch with his daddy and and and you just can't.

You know I think I'm a little girl that one day by God's grace show show walk down the aisle and I will walk right beside her, but I will. I won't be able to hold my little girl's hand and a psych stuff like that. Still, it still stings and it is and it still hurts, but I know that God is working in the midst of that to remind me that it's like my security is not in 10 fingers and two arms. My security and hope and strength are all provided by him in ways that often times are really intangible because for me. I mean he crafted me like this for or a purpose.

You'll and ultimately like that verse right there, verse, verse 13 when when Paul says I can do all things through Christ gives me the strength. That's not this like 10 ultimate motivational verse, you know, if you walk into any Christian bookstore you're going to see. Philippians 413 on pencils on garden gnomes on tour mass, you know, it's just like it's just like this overly sensationalized verse that people use to like run that last little quarter-mile in their job or do not murder, that coworker that's really annoying like will will almost recite it is just this little motivational push, but truthfully, with this verse is about is is is not about me is this verse is not about I clicked look down if you still have your Bibles I got verse 19 pulses this my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus to God and father be glory forever and ever.

Amen. The strength that he gives is about his glory, not yours and and that's the. The whole push of this entire book. Even though like theologians will call Philippians.

The book of joy this joy is about the opportunity for people to see the fruit and work of Christ in your life and the taste and see the Lord is good and often times that opportunity comes by us to simply putting our yes on the table before God and to go God, whatever you need of me.wherever you call me whatever tough conversations you ask of me. Here's my yes because I know that by your strength by your grace and by your hope that it that I'll be able to approach this. That for us the strength that God gives is for us to walk in the mission that is called a student in the first place and yell sometimes… Missions heart you know I'm I'm saving it. 15 God calls me into ministry at 16 and if I'm to be totally honest even at 16. I'm a recovering people hater. You know like I don't.

I grew up like I was very very you know any time I met new people there going to like stare at me and pointed at me and say everything so it's like Lord I don't like humans.

Likewise, you why are you calling me to take the gospel to groups of humans like Lord.

This is not this is not my wheelhouse but I just remember going all right. This is not gonna go well but okay.

It was it was a stroke in the Lord grew me and stretched me but but I put my yes on the table before God and to watch how how he just took that simple obedience and he use my brokenness in my weakness to display his glory, and he continued to do that throughout the course of my life. You know now, 20 years in the trusting and resting in Christ as my Lord. He still continues to put me in in situations that I'm woefully insecure about you know a couple years ago. I'm I'm sit on my back porch sipping on some ice coffee. You know, just have a not having a chill afternoon and so I start to scroll Twitter and on. So I just tap on this one like random news article and of all things in this news article is described in this abortion legislation that's going through the Virginia legislator and and in this legislation there offering up protections to abort children with disabilities all the way up until the point of birth.

Anything beyond that, the governor Virginia goes on to say in this interview that that they were offering up protections in this legislation that even kids with disabilities could be born, and in his words they be kept comfortable in a conversation could ensue between the doctor and the mother as to whether the baby should live or die. And now listen, I'm not. I'm not an overly political person by any stretch of the imagination, but I read through this article in man that flashes me back to that conversation that was had over my lifeless body in the first few moments of my life and all the things that my parents were told that I would never do would never be and how woefully wrong they were and I'm sit there thinking how many other mothers are going to be told what their kids will never be what their kids will never do in their little lives are going to be snuffed out before it start and I'm I'm in. This can't this can't come to be and so what I did what every self-respecting millennial would do and so I shot a video on my phone a post on Twitter itself and in this video I mean it was 92nd but I just lay out biblically why this is utterly jacked up and why human worth is stamped on each and every human life in the womb. From the moment of conception.

They got fearfully and wonderfully carafes each and every person disability or not, as image bearers to be used for his glory and his purpose that our disability does not negate and it was wild to watch how just a matter of hours. This little video and been seen tens of thousands of times and people would like like to tweeted and all the stuff and so much so that like a person from Fox news reached out to me there like a man. We we saw that video could could you turn it in the like, like an 800 word piece.

You know, just just write out like a 800 word article and will will posted on our website tomorrow. I'm sit here going now listen, I'm not like not a college professor. I'm not like an ethics expert like all of God's who God is what God has done and what he show me from his words of your gloomy preach and that's all I got there like were cool with you, preach, and I guess your loss and I and so you know I type up this will article and and I send it to them and they they posted the next day and it was wild because of all of the thing that Apple news picked up is like a push notification for that day. It was that one article that I wrote on the sanctity of human life and you of the author of life in just 24 hours, almost 4 million people read through this article.

So Fox doubles down there like a man.

Can you be in New York City in 12 hours lie there like listen we want to come on a show and just talk about this whole pro-life thing. Your stories really timely and we just love to you know hear your perspective and I'm like, listen, I'm not like wordy small are anything like that. Like all of God is just God and in his his good if you're cool with that. That's all I've got to come on them like dang it, like I was hoping I would always open like the whole gospel thing was going to scare them off and then you know there are to booking the plane ticket on my grade.

You know, and so I get on a plane to fly to New York City and so touched down in and they literally pick me up from the airport to drive me to the studio myself into. This is terrifying. So I called my best friend who lives in Pleasant Garden. Unlike hey man going to do and I called the wrong human being because all he says was listen you screwup 7 million people think you're an idiot. So so tell don't screw up what what a jerk and I hang up. And so now I'm like now I'm just freaking out and so I'm just playing through in my head just have everything they're going to ask me because I can in these in the shows like everything everything is laid out in advance and so, like I know all the questions the last bill know all of my responses.

And so I'm just I'm just playing it through my head like a likable newsreel so I get there and I walked in the Fox and that they put me in this tiny little green room and I walk in and there's three human beings in the green room, it's me Congressman Doug Collins and former Gov. Chris Christie. And I'm sit here going on the dumbest person in the room. You know, I just even more. I'm feeling like scared and freaked out and so finally the time comes to go upstairs and squiggle four minute interview. The first three questions is all about. Like sanctity of human life abortion legislation rights of the child stuff like that and then in the fourth question. This lady totally goes off script asked me a question that we hadn't gone over before and it like it. It sent me scrambling because she asked me.

She says listen something happen when you were 15 years old that change your life. What was it, and I listen I'm here to talk about like abortion and in pro-life and I'm going I didn't do nothing with abortion is 15-year-old like what is this lady in the pages collect time in this.

This woman wants me to talk about the day that I trusted and arrested in Christ as my Lord and my Savior marking my everything. So for 45 seconds man.

I preach the gospel of God's grace to 7 million people and I think that I bought I could preach 50 more years. I will preach 7 million people banana not one moment and in the midst of my weakness and my insecurity and my woeful insufficiency got to put me in situations where I had to put my yes on the table put my yes on the table and to watch how God took my fragile life and used it to show the world his glory and grace. And I listen like your your yes on the table might not look like a Fox News interview but your yes on the table might mean having tough conversations with people you love your yes on the table before God might mean loving really unlovable. Your yes on the table might mean serving this local church in ways that that are very comfortable for God's promise that if you just simply walking what he's asked but he's got your back will carry you along.

He'll use you in the midst your weakness in your insufficiency and your brokenness and he'll use you for his glory and his kingdom and his purpose and I think a simple question is will you will will you put that yes on the table before the Lord because is only through through the the body of believers doing something like that. Then in another 48 years will be another person standing in this pulpit talking about the previous 48 years that God is shown his glory and grace in and through beacon baptistery. It only comes to people who are willing to say here I am God.

I give you all I got.

It might not be much but I'll give you my time, my talents, my relationships, my Mondays my Fridays my Thursdays.

All the Monday use me to show the world you the soul God asks of us just we take what he is already given us by his kindness and grace and use it for him.

So this morning. The simple challenges just that will will you say here I am God. When we pray for his father, we thank you so much God for your glory for your grace, God, we thank you for your love and pursuit of us.

Father this morning. In light of all of that in light of your pursuit in grace and love towards us.

Father, I just pray we would all say with one voice got here we are.

Here's our yes you send us. We will go what you ask of us. We will do the words you give us God, we will say all for your glory. All dependent on your strength father.

We love you. Thank you.

In Jesus name we pray