← ArchiveFall Kickoff with Pastor Johnny MillsDateAugust 18, 2024SpeakerJohnny MillsText—Passages in this sermonProverbs 14:122:16TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00yeah i made a decision i wasn't gonna take that leap of faith i was gonna take take the walk of faith hey man i had to get a get some water because i tell you one thing man when i worship i try to leave everything on the table i'm gonna tell you something when you take time and think about all that god has done for you man to be able to worship him the one that died on the cross for you like it was a portion in that song that said man and i lift up my hands and i just want to0:29encourage you man take that time take that time when you're worshiping and give god your all man because when he hung on that cross i want you to think about that when he hung on that cross he gave his all he didn't half-heartedly hang on the cross he didn't say i'm gonna go this far he didn't say i'm gonna go this far he extended his his hands all the way open0:59man so the least i could do is to lift my hands and to worship him the least i could do when he says stand come on now i know some of you may not worship like me because you ain't been through some of the things that i've been through i know some of you pray probably won't press in like i press in because you ain't got the joy in1:24your heart and you're you're not grateful for all that god has done for you but i'm gonna tell you something i am so grateful that we serve a god come on that still answers prayers today i'm so grateful that we serve a god that still do miracles today if the enemy had his way i'm gonna talk to you for a minute before i jump in the word1:51if the enemy had his way with me i'll be still doing finishing up a sentence of 40 years in prison if the enemy had his way let me talk to you for a minute one of the first verses that i ever learned was proverbs 14 122:16and it says there's a way that seem of right unto a man but that path can lead to destruction can i say to you listen to me you don't know the word that you have hidden in your heart that you're hearing sunday after sunday wednesday after wednesday you don't know how god is preparing you2:46to take a word to change somebody's life let me say it again you don't know that's why a lot of people are coming to church and they'll sit and it's a little different let me explain something if you had a family and you had to go to work and let's say you was a dad and you knew what you did at work3:14your family at home was depending on you you wouldn't go and argue with the boss with you come on if you knew at home that if you didn't bring that check home come on and there was no other options you do things different when you got other options but when you know you ain't got another option you don't show up late to work come on you don't wind up on the fishing bank saying today i just ain't gonna go again3:43because you know at home is somebody waiting on you you know at home is somebody that needs you am i right you're gonna give all you got no matter how tired you get because it's sometimes at my job when i was raising my children and i have five young children at home it was at times i don't want to get up some mornings but i because i knew those children were too young to fend for themselves i got up those mornings i put my clothes on4:12i went to work whether i felt like it or not well can i submit to you that a lot of you are hearing god's word come on he didn't already say go into the highways and the byways when he said go into all the world come on preach the gospel when he gave you the great commission do you not know at that point he employed you did you not know at that point he looked at you and said4:38i so believe in you and you so got a purpose on your life that i'm calling you to go throughout moody and preach the good news he looked at you and said i'm calling you to go on your job come on that mean when you go on your job if they're in the corner cussing and saying those lewd jokes and laughing at stuff they shouldn't be laughing that don't mean you go and join in that don't mean you cuss right with them5:07come on that don't mean you act just like them that mean you walk up as a believer and be an example for christ i'm telling you i pray that when i leave today some of you are going to say oh i love him or some of you are going to say oh i hate him but i'm i'm just like that lion put him up put him up put him up i'll fight you with one hand behind my back i'll fight you with two5:37guys but i'm being so real there's a hurting and a dying world that's waiting on somebody that will rise up with the good news of the gospel in their mouth you just take for granted what you have you just take for granted that every sunday you're sitting and you got pastor josh or whoever's up preaching6:06and they're preaching their heart out they done prepared all week to bring a sermon and listen i'ma say ed whether you like it or not and you got the audacity coming don't even take notes some of you go to school because you know you need to pass that test at the end of the week and you'll go in you got your school books come on you got your paper your pen whatever it takes to take notes come on i jump to your6:36those that go to college you know how it is when you go to college it was a lot different when i went to college come on when i was in junior high and high school especially elementary the teacher really made sure johnny color in the lines johnny write your name right here she made sure she looked over my shoulder to make sure i got it right come on i got in junior high i noticed they said hey this is your assignments this is what i'm going over make sure you turn your work in they'll check on you7:06you got in high school a lot of times they just turn the board put on what they want on the board and say hey you better make sure you're gonna get this grade you're gonna get this grade you ain't gonna and then they start saying you better make sure you got enough credit so you was watching your credits but oh my when i got into college boy i had one profession in u.s history all he did was walk to the board he turned his back and boy he must love what he taught because he didn't turn back around he just taught and wrote and taught and wrote7:35and taught and wrote and then boy but guess what he did not care whether or not you took notes or not he didn't care if you were prepared he didn't care if you studied because when he gave you a test so can pj submit to you that a lot of times god is preparing y'all for y'all test but because you haven't prepared yourself you're not ready for the test and then you got shame on you husbands, wives, children8:05shame on when you when you say somebody else made you do something how many times a husband say I'm so tired of her I came in I was arguing with your wife you said she made me do it she didn't make you do it you weren't prepared for it children when the parents tell you to go and do something go clean your room or tell you to go do something and you turn around and snap well why are you telling me to do it I'm tired guess what you weren't prepared for it because the Bible not already told you8:33children obey your parents so they go well with you you better listen to what God is trying to say to the church of the living God are you going to be one that get to heaven and say God I'm so glad I made it but ain't nobody else going in with you are you going to be one that make it to heaven and you can't look around in heaven and have nobody that you want to the Lord is that going to be you9:02is that the kind of student you're going to be is that the kind of worker you're going to be are you going to be someone that say listen I'm going to go in I'm going to learn I'm going to grow so that I can be able to take this good news back amen so that's what I'm praying and I challenge you before we get into word I'm going to show you some quick slides9:31y'all can tell I'm passionate about the word I ain't nothing but a good old boy preacher hey love to preach this word but if you look up you'll see PJ's first ministry got that lovely wife of mine look at her oh man my sweet thing up there 25 years going to 26 ain't that right baby I've been loving you for 26 years long that's our children we're a blended family we got five children but when I married her10:00I don't think all our children was under five when we got married so boy we have raised them and loved on them come on and they're a young adults and we got seven grandbabies that's the grandbabies boy that's the best thing that ever happened since sliced bread right there oh my goodness you want to see me melt when them little bitty bitty bitty hands grab my hands my heart just melt like butter I'll be like what you want my daughter once called me10:29the daughter that's over on this side she called me once she had to spank one of the children she wanted somebody to console her and she called her wanted to try to tell her dad how she spanked the grandbaby y'all I told her don't you ever call me again to tell me you had to spank one of the grandbaby she was like what and y'all I wasn't playing I said listen you need to get you a friend somebody you can talk to10:58that you can call but when you having trouble like that don't call me cause first thing I'm gonna ask you did you talk enough did you explain and she said who is this is this the same dad that I grew up with it's amazing when you become a grandparent how you view things so much different did you talk it out baby so my daughter said no you done changed give me my next slide here's PJ's extended family you said what did that mean listen all of us got some room11:28to be a blessing to somebody it don't take a lot it don't take a lot to be riding down the street and listening to the Lord I'm telling you and the Lord said sometime hey take so and so a meal why don't you fix that extra sandwich and if you see anybody that needs this pass it don't take much what I found and my wife kind of pushed me this my wife loves children it don't take much to open up your home it's a lot of children I'm talking about in the foster care system it's a lot of children that ain't nobody11:58to care for and they're just looking for somebody that will show forth the love of Christ well we got my girl Madison she got a full ride to the University of Alabama she almost scored the perfect score on the SATs the only reason she couldn't she was two points off and I remember the day I took her to take the test one more time she was so sick that morning she went to get out of the vehicle12:27and she almost stumbled and I said baby you can't make the perfect score I said you just gonna have to go to Alabama where I think she had a 34 and the perfect score was a 36 I said go on take that that 34 you got a full ride anyway but Madison love of our life she's growing doing doing good then we got over there my boy Connor now Connor was kind of interesting because when we met him I met him12:57we was working at King's Home in Chelsea, Alabama and he was a super introvert Connor really didn't like talking with anybody but I found a way to his heart and the way to his heart was grilled cheese toast that's right I found a way to his heart so at night when everybody else went to bed I would leave the back door open so Connor could sneak around and me and him would go in the kitchen and we would grill cheese toast and I would just talk to Connor and I found Connor13:26had a lot to say he just didn't want to say it open so me and him were talking, talking and when we left the job we thought Connor would stay behind shoot Connor got on the phone and called his social worker and said hey the mills are leaving I want to go with them so y'all we left thinking we left the job but they called us and said hey Connor said he wanted to go with y'all I said what he was about 15 I think at that point he was in the 10th grade and I said okay Connor I said13:56I said you'll be the last child we have in our house I said because I think I'm tired of foster children I'm tired of servitude I said Connor I think I'm good he said okay so Connor came in he graduated and y'all that's he got in the gown he graduated from Montevallo and when he graduated from Montevallo I remember this kid telling me we were living on 280 at the time he had been graduated at Mountain Brook he had in several of his classes14:26he had the highest score smart kid smart as a whip but he was struggling because his parents were veterinarians and didn't want him for no reason great kid never gave us an ounce of problems man was a was a great kid but the mom said I'm just gonna give her words the mom said when she was first breastfeeding he didn't latch on so she never thought they would get a loan so she gave her son up to the system fast forward I meet him at 15 so you know14:55he stayed with us till he graduated high school and when he graduated high school I remember we were sitting out back because Connor went and scored a 94 on the asphalt so when he scored the 94 you know people calling you from everywhere you know at that point I'm considered dad so they calling us from Annapolis the Naval Academy they calling us Air Force Academy everybody calling and every time I asked Connor where he's going he just shrugged his shoulders15:25his shoulders so after about a couple of weeks I noticed he didn't commit to no school so finally I had to have a come to Jesus meeting with Connor and I'm gonna be real with you I I wish I was the soft cuddly type with my children I'm a little different with the grandchildren now I'm talking about with my children now so I we was living in an apartment on 2-8 I opened up the slide door I told Connor come on out back and I closed the slide door15:55in case he tried to run I closed the slide door back we were sitting out back and I said Connor I said we're getting all these phone calls young man or these schools that you can choose I said what's the problem you have not chosen a school he looked at me with tears in his eyes and he said well he said I've been thinking about that and he said what I think I'm gonna do is he said I'm gonna go and get an apartment and he said I'm gonna live close to my parents16:25parents he said because I just wanna be with them and some in my heart stirred up and I stood up and I said let me tell you something young man cause sometimes listen to me there are sometimes you cannot shield your children from the truth that's a big bad world waiting out there and if you're listening to me I've raised I've done children been doing children since 1993 let me tell you one of the worst problems that I've seen16:55with parents is where parents stand up and don't allow their children to go through anything that does not prepare them for the real world matter of fact it's set them up for a fall because we call them somebody that's gullible they're easy to be misled so you need to prepare them with the truth in your house tell them the truth don't sugarcoat it so that was my motto so I told17:24Connor I said look and I looked I looked in my eyes I said Connor let me explain something to you and so I'm going to be real with you and I said you know I love you at this point I'd improve my love to you when I go to work and make sure you eat every day I'd improve that I love you so that's beyond at this point but I'm going to tell you this Connor why would you go and subject yourself to a family that I've shown you over and over again that they don't want to be in your life why would you go and have to depend17:54to depend on somebody that if things go wrong they're going to be the ones that help you I said no son I didn't raise you that way I said matter of fact here's the options you got on the table I said here's your option either one you're going to beat me in this backyard today or number two you're about to tell me what college you're going to go to that's the only two options you got now back up I know I'm telling you some stories and I may not even get into my lesson18:23my lesson is that alright with y'all but back up when we was at King's home Connor made this announcement he don't talk much but every once in a while you know boys gonna be boys and boys like to wrestle they like to challenge you am I right if you got boys boys are rambunctious so Connor got up one morning he made the announcement y'all I ain't going to church no more I said what everybody dressed getting ready for the church and Connor said I ain't going to church no more but I started noticing18:53noticing Connor had started taking wrestling in school y'all he used to love to bump me I used like why did Connor keep walking by bumping my shoulder y'all he was sizing me up that's what he was doing he was trying to see he was taller than me and I kept I kept noticing then he always wanted to grab me to wrestle me and said let me show you this hole and he didn't know I was a grappling king I wrestled myself y'all he didn't know when I went to DOC Department of Corrections that's what I majored in grappling come on I ain't tell him19:23tell him all that that I was part of the 13 I ain't tell him how I used to be the quickest one to slap cuffs on people so I ain't tell Connor all that you know you always have to keep a you know a hidden secret in your back pocket you ain't got to tell all your business so this particular Sunday and y'all said PJ you crazy this particular Sunday y'all everybody else was in the van so when Connor made this announcement y'all watched this I went and opened up all the doors to the van I opened the door my wife was in the front I opened her door and the other boys19:52boys we had how many boys in the house eight up about eight boys I opened up the door because I knew if I didn't settle this with Connor I was gonna have trouble with the rest of them so I made the announcement I opened up the door and said hey y'all me and Connor finna have a wrestling match I got on my dress shoes my dress clothes and me and Connor finna have a wrestling match I said now if Connor beat me he ain't gotta go to church never again I said matter of fact we'll get up in the morning and say bye Connor and we'll go ahead and go to church but if I beat Connor he gonna get in the van never say anything again I said you agree Connor he said20:22he said yeah I agree so I said okay let's go and y'all I'm gonna tell you the truth when I hooked him like this when he couldn't move I quickly ran up on him taking away his mobility because I hooked him and then when I hooked him y'all I ain't stopped there y'all could have said I could have just hold him you know let him no no because see that didn't show the boys nothing I needed to show the boys what I20:52what I was about so when I hooked him y'all I took these thighs and I lift him up so he was off his feet that mean he lost his mobility at that point so when he lost his mobility I could have stopped there and said y'all look but the boys still would not have gotten the point I wanted to make sure as a dad I gave a good visual lesson so y'all you know what I did I did scooped him up so his legs could go up because when you throw him like this his legs going to flame and then21:22and then right there and there in front of everybody I bust him bam and you know what I didn't even get up fast y'all I got up moving slow I was on top of him real face to face I got up a little slow and said you ready to go to church he said yes I'm ready to go to church so when I saw this kid walk across the stage it almost makes me tilt right now when I when I21:51when I saw this kid walk across the stage at Montevallo because of COVID we was outside so he walked across got his diploma took his picture he walked down the stage and with a crowd of people he walked down I was standing to the side he didn't go back to his seat like everybody else he went down and down and down and he found me and he handed22:20he handed me his diploma and when he did y'all I lost it I cried so bad I just couldn't control it and I leaned on his shoulder and all I could say was Connor you did it you made it you did it I cried so long that the while he bumped me said Mr. Johnny can you stop crying and stand up I need to go back to my seat come on just showing the love of God22:50of God I'm telling you that's all it takes just a little bit y'all just a little bit then you see my last one over there she's the apple of my eye right now my wife my wife tell me said why didn't you talk to Mumu like she live her name is Amusha y'all she from Ethiopia we met her when we worked at Big Oak she came there she was nine years old she's sixteen now and oh yeah I love to see I love to swing her hand my wife23:20my wife be like she's not a little girl she's a little girl to me I swing hands with her I talk kind to her but she love her papa that's what she called me papa but I'm watching her grow into a young lady now I thought y'all heard me I said Connell was going to be the last one well hi how Amusha slipped in there cause she wouldn't stop calling my wife we left big oak to move she kept calling my wife said I want to live with y'all23:50with y'all I said oh not again Lord please give me release but guess what I'm loving the journey cause sometimes you gotta be uncomfortable comfortable for the Lord if everything God asks you to do is comfortable somewhere you need to check yourself cause it should be some things that God asks you to do you just don't want to do you standing at the line at Chick-fil-A24:19at Chick-fil-A and you feel the nudge to say tell that person Jesus love that ain't always comfortable I don't know about you sometimes God asks me to do stuff at the most uncomfortable time if you find yourself where God is never challenging you to come out of your comfort zone you need to check yourself cause God is a challenger come on God love us so much he'll challenge us and he want us to do more for the glory of his24:49of his kingdom boy I'm about to lose this mic if you would turn to my next slide look at that look at that look at that who is that in that picture hold up there's some white people in that picture that ain't just my church who could that be man is there some folks from Moody on that picture but what Moody Alabama doing way up there in Montgomery Alabama y'all give y'all yourself a round of applause cause guess25:18cause guess who that is that's Bethel can I talk to you for a minute let me see how much time I got can I talk to you for eight minutes when I met Pastor Josh I shared a little bit of this morning but when I met Pastor Josh he was an answer to prayer do y'all not know that God loves you so much that when you talk to him he hears you and do25:46and do you not know that sometimes what you're praying God has really put on your heart you think is you but God said he will give you listen to this the desires where you think the desire is coming from if you're a single man you've been single do you think God telling you to find a wife just for you come on he got other things on mind he got that child that's about to be great and he need to bring that child to a loving home so he trying26:16to tell you don't be so selfish and live out all your life on your own marry somebody come on bring an offspring into this world that you can show my love to can I get an amen in the house so watch this pastor Josh I was praying and I was like Lord listen I'm going to my community but when I go to my community most of the people that I'm reaching they look like me y'all say what that mean they all26:45they all white like you oh no I'm sorry I'm black I am black I forgot that they look like me but guess what I realized heaven ain't going to look all like me come on it's not so if I'm going to be an ambassador for Christ then I need to resemble what the kingdom of God going to look like so I started saying God I'm glad that we're going to the community but I need somebody that's willing to27:15willing to partner with us come on that'll go and show them what the body of Christ because see they supposed the Bible said they supposed to be able to identify us by the love that we have one for what come on if you're never getting out of your comfort zone to love anybody else how you saying that you're a child of God I'm just challenging you come on if you ain't winning nobody to the Lord I'm going to say it over27:45over and over again sometimes we get in the mind that only the worship leader is supposed to lead somebody to the Lord or maybe you think only the pastors are supposed to lead somebody to the Lord no no no a child has the ability to open their mouths and lead somebody to the Lord it ain't no little holy spirit there is no small holy spirit even in children y'all28:15y'all haven't been to other countries do y'all know in some other countries there is not even a word in the dictionary for teenagers in other countries do you know I've been to some countries like when me and my wife went to Honduras and we was in Honduras and I remember half a day I started watching these little children going up the mountains and to me they looked like little babies and all day these children were climbing the mountains so finally I had to ask the guy why these children keep going up the mountain he said well the cleanest water is up the mountain and they28:44and they were carrying these big jugs on their back getting water but they were little children and I said why the children do that so he looking at me like as a matter of fact why come you don't understand that well I didn't understand it well what he explained he said well most parents work in the field they were doing I think sugar cane I forgot what was the crop said most parents work from sun up to sundown in the field most of your young adults29:13adults notice I ain't call them children I ain't call them teenagers they're young adults they really are and we need to prepare them did not the bible said train up a child in the way that he should what go let me ask you something are you really training your children are you just letting them occupy space in your house let's be honest are we really taking the time if a young lady is supposed to grow up and be a wife mother are you29:43are you teaching her to be a wife are you training her to know what you know do she know how to go to the bank and do what you do come on do she know how to cook anything come on do she know those things well if they don't know them guess what you failing at your job dad are you teaching that young man how to use his strength come on for some other than a video game do he do he know it's his job when mom pull up to run out there I ain't say walk run out there and get those groceries for mom do he30:12do he know it's his job to cut that grass do you know it's his job well if we ain't train them how they gonna know it how they gonna be prepared how they gonna be ready if we if we're not doing our job as believers I'm trying to challenge you let's do good the title of my sermon today man we need to do good and all I did was share just some of the ways that you guys are30:42guys are doing good because when when pastor josh met me and he talked with me he said pj pastor johnny we want to partner with you guys and he went further than just words when you guys showed up the last time we was on Troy highway and for those that you heard in our area we had just had a triple homicide that mean three people had got killed right up the street like a week before and here we were going to that community and I31:12and I was a little concerned I didn't know people would really come out I didn't know how they would what kind of stance they would take but to my amazement man people came out we served people they were hugging us and high-fiving and finally one person pulled me to the side and said I'm so glad that y'all chose to come to our community because we needed hope I just wonder listen to me who needs some hope and you got it I31:40I just wonder in your community right here wherever you live I wonder do your neighbor next don't need some hope come on I wonder do your boss need hope I wonder right now do you have a child in your house and I say this because I have been with children a long time be careful if you're allowing your children to spend quantities of time not around you it's not good and32:10and young people listen challenge your parents sometimes sometimes your parents get into routines I see I got some young boys right here challenge them sometimes to go outside and do some stuff to go some places don't let them get so stuck in routine going to work come home no no no let's play some games together challenge your parents because they can't get something to y'all and then y'all do a good job to make them follow this out parents are really supposed to teach you what32:40what they know so that when you step in the world you're not afraid of the world the world can't trick you and you ready for the world so make them give you something are you understanding me young boys right there make sure your parents give you something all right make a demand on them can I get amen now I'm getting ready to close but I'm going to say this to you if you heard my voice make pastor Josh or whoever's preaching give you something make sure they give you33:09you something then you take what they give you and take it back to your community I want to challenge you if nothing else find an empty seat beside you and somebody asks man why you always sitting beside a chair that's empty because I'm going to fill that chair with somebody that went to the Lord I want you to start challenging yourself many of our church houses the reason we're not full it ain't because of the pastor it33:38it ain't because of the church staff they're doing what they're supposed to do but you know who's supposed to33:52sheep you said who's the sheep y'all you my wife told me don't don't don't use y'all well what I supposed to use you guys you all y'all I want to encourage you and I'm closing because I'm looking at my time three one okay I did so that mean I'm at zero time well can I take five minutes who would give me five minutes raise your34:22your hand you give me five minutes oh that mean I got an hour five ten fifty twenty y'all I want to close with this because I started with it and I want to finish it I want to be honest y'all as you as I stand before y'all really if the enemy had his way I'm not lying to you I would have been finishing up a forty year sentence in the eleventh grade guys I made some real34:52real bad decisions you know the Bible says this it says bad company corrupt wood good morals and it didn't give her age it didn't say that's only for young people that's for adults come on we see politicians right now going to prison for embezzlement why why you already got the world we know I don't know y'all35:22y'all know Scrooci now Church of Highlands got their building on 280 come on you're at the top of the healthcare world in Alabama why would you want to steal people's pension come on it don't make sense unless you hanging around the wrong crowd talking about the wrong thing what makes children go astray want to fit in too often listen to me I want to be honest what makes children do it what made we just had to do a funeral not too long ago 11 year old child went in the35:52closet and hung themselves what listen to me now what make it sometimes it's who you hang around well I found myself guys I'm in 11th grade great athlete matter of fact y'all wouldn't believe it as much as I talk and the way I'm standing before you I grew up an introvert didn't like talking I grew up in a big family my family man ran over me talked bad about me36:21about me but when I played football it's like all my anger and hostility everything I had I could release and play in football and I found that was a place where a man could look at me and say boy you're doing a good job he had a boy high five come on show some type of physical men and I know I'm saying a lot but I'm really trying to dump something in you men in your home you should be the biggest hugger there is that's right I said it it should36:51it should come from men daughters should learn how to love because of their daddies I heard a guy say one time he said and it so disturbed my mind he said that a young girl's first intimate encounter and he used this word adults you know what I'm saying he used the word orgasm to come from the dad so that confused me I'm like what and it took me a while to do37:21to do research because sometimes you need to research something all it means is the euphoria of emotions so what they were saying the highest emotion that a girl should feel is from the affection of her daddy and the only thing could trump that is the husband did y'all just hear me so dads if you're not taking the time to hold your girl hand if you're not taking the time to hug her if you're37:51if you're not taking the time to high five your son if you're not taking the time to take him fishing and to show him how to change the time what's somebody else teaching them what is somebody else taking the time to teach them come on my parents felt like as long as they put food on the table that we were okay but I was in a community where I'm gonna be honest yeah man I was on the newspaper for playing football and everything and don't38:21and don't you know my parents weren't the only one that seen that news article can I talk to you and be real for a minute my parents weren't the only one that was seeing me on the news do you know people from that community were seeing me on the news and do you know they targeted at that and because I was so gullible come thinking everybody my friend I got in with the wrong crowd started mixing with the wrong crowd and found38:51found myself arrested the judge told my lawyer before I got sentenced he said you can prepare your young man and tell him I'm gonna give him 40 years in prison but the good news is before he could give me my time I gave myself to the Lord and I'm talking about I ain't do like the hokey pokey I ain't put my right foot in and take my right foot out39:21out that's how some of y'all play with the Lord and put my right foot in and shake it all about no when I jumped in y'all for Christ I live and for Christ I die I didn't have39:39can about you I hang around people that serve you so that meant if you was hustling like I used to you can get in my car are you making them type of fine line decisions I didn't care if my whole family and whole community cussed all they want you weren't hanging out with me because I chose to start living for the Lord so watch this I gave my life to the Lord and I40:09I wholeheartedly surrendered everything I had to the Lord to when I had to go back before the judge y'all watch this are you ready for this when I had to go before the judge I was ready and I said Lord if I have to go I'm going to prison and win as many as I can to the Lord but when I stood before the judge I was the third person to stand before the judge that day he asked me three times young man are you still in high school40:39school I said yes sir him in my last year of school he said well sit down I'll talk to you at the end of the day and at the end of the day this same judge that was sentencing people back to back and when I said the judge name in my community everybody said whoo because they know this guy is known for giving people a lot of time so when I stood in front of this judge judge price the circuit judge he said this to me and like I said I don't sugarcoat words I don't lie41:08lie I tell it like it is it it's just the way it is when I stood in front of it he said young man he said I'm so sick of seeing young black men stand in front of me throwing their life away he said I'm sick of it he said but I'm going to give something to you I said what sir he told me he said if you do three years probation and get in no trouble he said I'm grant you while a youthful offender41:38offender act y'all guess what it wasn't hard for me to do you know why listen to me it wasn't hard for me to do it was not hard for me to do because I had surrendered my life to the Lord so I say to you what's keeping you from going all in with the Lord what's keeping you from surrendering everything you got it ain't gotta be a jail sentence on your back what's preventing you from going all42:08all in with the Lord because sometimes they say man if you was to catch people away from the church you'll be amazed at how they act you'll be amazed at what they'll say you'll be amazed at what you watch on TV you'll be amazed at what you play you'll be amazed at who you hang around I'm trying to challenge some people because it's time for the body of Christ to start looking like Jesus it's time for the body of Christ to start looking like42:38like something we're listen y'all it's wrong we're not supposed to look like the world we're not supposed to talk like the world we're not supposed to have marriages like the world how you gonna tell your children you love God but at the same time you say I gotta go to the court and have a divorce how how tell me unless we're making the decision to43:07to not go all in for the Lord I know my time is up Pastor Josh probably never invite me back again but you know what I don't care if I'm on the street corner I don't care if I'm in the prison I don't care if I'm standing in front of the richest person in the world I'm gonna give you everything I got so when I walk away if I drop dead right down I say God I gave him the best that I could give him I43:37I don't try to leave nothing on the table so I don't want to leave nothing on43:54a while and you didn't want nobody to the Lord I want to leave you with this challenge get up and do something for the Lord Jesus Christ next thing I want to say and I want to talk to these husbands and these wives the next thing I want to say listen we got an important job right now do you know the world is trying44:24trying to tell our children that we can choose who we want to love if I want to love a woman and I'm a girl it's okay if I want to love a man I'm a boy the world is trying to say it it's in the TVs it's everywhere we got to do a better job as husband and wife and listen if you having problems come to the church and get help the Bible say it ain't good for man to be alone guess what it say it ain't good for you be going through stuff alone when44:54when you got a church family that can gather around you that can pray with you that can talk you through things that can encourage you listen because the body of Christ need to see some good families we're missing good families get back to holding your wife's hand I don't care what you say get back to praying with your wife get back to having dinner and make your children calm put away them little TV stands and stop letting them go to their room with their food I don't care if you did45:24go and buy it go do like the old people used to do they'll go buy that food and then they put it in some good dishes so it'll look like they cooked it I'm trying to challenge you listen listen we got to show an example we got to be an example and listen try to at least once a month invite somebody to your table don't just keep eating all your meals getting fat come on invite somebody to that45:53to that table so they can see how you live they can see who you are but you need to practice like take your month if you know you and your wife argue a lot take your money get yourself ready say baby I know this is gonna seem funny but I'm gonna start holding your hand just a little bit good I'm gonna start holding your hand tell her what you gonna do and girl every once in a while I'm gonna throw my arms around you and don't try to fight me I'ma throw my arms around you and I'm gonna start hugging you and babe I'ma take46:23I'ma take these little lips and she might pass out when you say this babe I'ma take these little lips and I'm gonna start kissing you she'll probably pass out when you say that what probably been 20 years since you kissed her 10 years how long it been I'm trying to encourage you listen get back to the basics that's all PJ's saying to you let's get back to the basics and I'm telling you watch this I promise you if you do it there's not going to be a vacant seat in the building they're only vacant because the46:53the sheep once again ain't doing this what job and we get to doing our job because there's too many people hurting and waiting for you they're waiting on you to be the hands and the feet of Jesus can I pray real quick as I leave can you guys stand to your feet if you don't mind
