Hi, Chair City Church, it is good to join you even in this format. I thank God for you and I thank God to be able to do what we're doing right now. Some of you see I got my warrior t-shirt on, it's actually last years. Some of the guys have the ones from this year, they're really cool.
The last few nights, myself and my sons and a bunch of guys from Chair City Church, we've come together to participate in the 2020 Warrior Conference. It was a virtual conference. They did a great job with it overall. One is men, young men, we were able to receive some treasures, nuggets of wisdom, inspiration and direction on how to be godly men, how to live out is godly dads and husbands.
The way that glorifies God is a great time looking forward to Warrior Conference 2021. Even start to put that on your calendar sometime in June. So today is a special day on a few counts, if you will. One, happy Father's Day to all dads out there.
We thank God for you and just know he's with you. If you're in a room with a dad right now, just take the time to walk over, give him a hug, a pat on the back and kiss, let him know you love him. Two, nine years ago on Father's Day, Father's Day 2011, 26 people gathered for the first time at the Garden of Cinemas and Chair City Church was started. It was 26 people, a small speaker and amp about yay-hay, one microphone.
Wow, look how far we have come. Look what God has done to God be the glory. So today is also unique or special in the way that it's the beginning of summer. And it's at this time each year I try and exhort you and encourage you to begin to consider how you're going to not only maintain your faith over the summer, but grow your faith over the summer.
Rather than come out into September and you're kind of in a slump spiritually and you're dragging, you're not doing well. And some of you go to a place where you might call it seasonal depression or you're just you're in a funk. I'm not dismissing some of those emotional struggles. But I'm saying, especially to those in the faith is, well, you know, if you really deteriorate in some of the critical areas of your life, especially spirituality over the summer, you can expect not to be doing so well in the fall.
But that's not you. That's not us. Today we decide to move forward and to grow our faith this summer. And I'm believing and hoping that this message will contribute to that.
Yesterday, my wife, my kids and some friends went to the beach. I stayed back. A person who took note to that I was not going, you know, asked me, oh, I remember now that you don't like the beach. Is that why you're not going?
And for those who aren't familiar, I've talked about, you know, not liking the sun because I'm easily sunburned and when I go to the beach, I've got, you know, it looks like, you know, I got a hat on and long sleeve shirts and I try to wear extra long shorts and I lather myself in like two layers of sunblock. And as you know, a lot of you know, I don't know how to swim. I grew up in the city. I mean, I'd go and fire hydrants.
Those are the things some of you don't know. They come out of the ground and made a medal and water comes out of them in large, you know, spurts. So I just, that's where I would go for the most part of our community pool. I don't know if you will, really nobody went to those.
And so I never really learned how to swim. And so I didn't take to the beach, but you know, over time I've come to enjoy the beach. And for two reasons. One reason is that when I go to the beach now, I like to sit back and just stare out at the ocean.
It just, it just helps me see the magnificence of God and all that he can do. I mean, all of God and what he does and his creation. And it just, it just seems to calm me. It settles me in a wonderful way.
Genesis reads, thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. Chapter two, verse one, by the seventh day God had finished a work he had been doing. So on the seventh day he rested from all his work, then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Love taking in all that God has done and his beauty of his creation.
The other reason I like going to the beach is to take in and watch my wife and kids just enjoy themselves. And it gives me the opportunity to come alongside of them while they're enjoying life, to look for those opportunities to just kind of connect and engage them. You know what I mean? Chapter six, verse four through seven, Moses is talking to dads and moms.
God is working through Moses to talk to mothers and fathers. And it says in chapter six, verse four through seven, here, oh Israel, the Lord or God, the Lord is one. Love to Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. Take some pause.
Love God. This is the one thing, the first thing, most important thing you want to teach and demonstrate to your children, I love God. The way I talk, the way I interact with people, the way I govern my life, I love God. Verse six says, these commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home. So sitting, life moves at different speeds. Sitting is one of them, right?
And when you walk along the road, that's another speed. And when you lie down and when you get up. Now when the scripture here says about lying down and getting up, that's sort of a Hebrew poetic way of speaking. It's what's called a totality of polarity.
It's what we might call polar opposites. What it does is in a Hebrew way, then of communicating, it pretty much is saying everything. So when you lie down, when you get up all the time, everywhere, I want you to notice something here. When God creates the earth, He shows us that there's certain particular speeds of life.
When God is speaking through Moses to moms and dads on how to build a family, we're seeing different speeds, if you will, as you're in a process of preparing to reengage life, or you are in the process of engaging life again as we navigate and come through this COVID-19 virus. It's a good time to think about how you're going to approach life, how you're going to manage it. Right now you want to decide how are you going to live life in the summer of 2020. Dads love and lead your family in these certain speeds, if you will, particular speeds.
I'm going to bring to you today. Moms, dads, just approach your kids this summer. I mean always, but especially this summer in thinking of these three speeds. One is the speed of life.
And this is like the run speed. Everything's done. We'll call this doing. Next is the speed of love.
First life, now the speed of love. This is the speed of walk. We're talking about relationships now because they need a slower speed. Here dads and moms, you're connecting to your children, you're engaging your kids where they're at.
This is not doing. This is more about feeling. Sure, you're taking particular steps, but we're connecting. This is a lot about feeling.
And then the speed of learn. This is where you're not running, you're not walking. This is where about sitting is an example to try and give you a picture, a construct, if you will. So in order to deeply learn and grasp something, you want to settle in.
You and your children together want to be settled in. You having their attention and then pouring that, pouring your knowledge of what you want them to know what you believe in, biblical truths and principles and commands into their lives. So three speeds, run, doing, walk, feeling, learn, thinking. Three speeds for family to build their faith in God.
Always. I want you to commit to beginning to do that the summer of 2020. Let this be your best summer. Let you and your family grow in your faith this summer.
If you're single, begin to live this and act this out in your own way, apply to your life. That one, you're just going to become more of an attractive person. I'm telling you, for that right person, or as we say, in our family, don't look for the right person, be the right person. So become the right person by applying this to your life in the summer of 2020.
You don't want to look to the culture around you. Dad, moms, people, on how to build your life, on how to lead your family. You want to have values and vision for your life, for your home, on how to raise your children. Values, these are the things that we hold to, that we believe deeply in vision.
This is how we are going to intentionally live it out, measure it, move it forward. And your choice in this is going to determine a lot. Look to the Bible. Look to biblical truths on how you establish your values and your vision.
And establish biblical truths, values and vision today, the summer of 2020. So God is calling us to great things. Let's live out those things. And let's live in enjoyment for those things.
And let's live for that calling to one. Well, let's look at three speeds. The three speeds. The first is the speed of life.
God created us to run, to get things done. Genesis chapter two speaks to that. The Bible starts out by telling us that God, God, things done. He worked.
He got stuff done. Dad and parents, teach your kids the value of good work ethics. This has always been important, but I don't know if it's ever been as important as it is right now. I mean, in the history of the world, certainly in the history of our country, I don't know if this truth has ever been more important and more needed to say.
Dad and moms, teach your children the value of good work ethic. Teach them that God created them to run and to run to things that matter and to do those things well. And listen, I did not have a horrible work ethic up until I was about 28. And then coming to faith, it's taken me years to improve and build that work ethic.
But you had my father in the law, who from when I first met him, until this day, had a tremendous work ethic. And as I've said before, I would, and have over the years, pointed my kids more to my father in the law than myself when it comes to work ethic. I do point out particular things that I do and I'm improving on and working on and doing to them. But really, I mean, I say if you're looking, I've learned something from my father in the law.
I can't tell you I've applied it to a large degree in my life, but as I'm teaching my kids, I'm valuing it and I'm gaining in it. But we have this thing in our home and we call it grandpa's work ethic. I'm at my father in the law, and it's one, start it, then do it right and finish it. Start it.
Don't put off tomorrow what you can do today. Do it right. I mean, when you do it, do it the way that when people walk over and take a look at it, they're like, this must have meant something to someone because you can see they kind of put their heart into it and they did it really well. Impress people.
And then three, finish it. And what we teach here is that something could take you a week to do, 10 hours, 50 hours to do, but it's the last five, 10, 15 minutes. It's the last 5% is often what I teach my kids. The last 5% have such a weight on the whole 95%.
Even though you might not think it's so important, here's the thing. At this point, it's not so much about how good it is. It's about making sure it's not going to be a bad reflection on all the good and the great you've done. So finish it.
No loose ends. Now, so how does this work out? Well, let's just say my kids, when they're all of them have played sports, they won't leave a baseball field, a basketball court without saying goodbye to the coach and thanking them for being their coach. And they go into the game with a good attitude and they play their heart out and they give their best with a good attitude.
So they've started it, they've done it well, but they finish it. The last bit, that last 30 seconds is acknowledging their coach, showing respect and appreciation. Now they've finished it. And you know what, often that's what seems to matter so much.
So, and there's a guy here in our church and it's just worth saying, Doug Marchant, you might catch him out there when we're coming into our building and he's out in the parking lot, either directing or helping people park cars. And he has a saying, it's when a job is first begun, never leave till it's done, be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all. So that lines up really, really close to what we share in our home regarding grandpa's work ethic. Doug and Lloyd are two or two people who have extraordinary work ethics.
If you approach life this way, if you do it this way, you're going to be glad about the work you're doing. Just like the Bible says, God created the earth, he created human beings, he took a look and he said, it is good. At every day in creation, day one, day two, day four, God poisons and said, it is good. Imagine kicking back after completing a task or a project and just saying, yeah, man, that's good.
I dig that, that was good. You know, it's not easy, it takes a bit more, but it's so worth it. And you can do it, God created you to work and to work well and to have a good work ethic and to have enjoyment in doing that. It's something that we call self-efficacy in psychology.
People talk about self-esteem but then it's self-efficacy, meaning knowing that I feel comfortable and power equipped, good to step out and do something. And when I do it, I believe and I have hoped that I'm going to do it well and do it good. Don't settle for the mediocre, mediocrity. There's so much more.
I want to ask you a question today. What is it that you're settling for? What are you letting your kids settle for? What are you teaching your kids to settle for?
You were created to get things done. It's part of the run in life, to run and to get it done. God help us, you and I, to run after the things that are worthwhile. God help us to run after the things and to do the things that will honor God.
Do it in a way that shows that God is glorifying himself through us. To run in a way that's going to build healthier lives and to build healthier, closer, more intimate relationships. Let's raise kids that know how to run after the right things. Listen to what Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 24 through 25.
He says, do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes in a strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Run after things that are worthwhile and do it in a way that glorifies God. The truth is you cannot always live by the speed of life. You cannot always be on the run and getting things done. You don't want to teach your children that.
You don't want to teach your grandchildren that. Some of us, this is the only speed we have, that speed of life, that run. You want to slow down to the speed of love. You need to stop the run and start the walk.
We were created to walk, to slow down for relationships. We see that with God and Adam and Eve and the garden. Our families, we need to slow down for them, to walk with them. Our spouses, our children, those in our families that we can have a closer relationship with them, a relationship that functions in a way that's going to create and foster intimacy and to engage them, to enable us to understand them.
It's so important to understand those we're in relationship with and not only to know them but to know where they're at at a particular time in their lives. Listen, if you're going to engage the people you love, you must disengage with you. You must disconnect from yourself in a way. I don't have the time to sparse out or to flush that out.
But it's just my point is that you're focusing on them. It's not easy, but you want to shift from getting things done to focusing on those you love and connecting and engaging with them and walking with them and loving them. I personally, I'm built to run. Those who know me, as I've been talking, you're probably kicking around in your head.
I am built to try and get stuff done and try and do it as best as I can. But I've learned that if I live out this, if this is the majority where I'm going to live my life, I don't do some walking and come along so I know I love them. I'm building my house on a quick stand, man. What am I doing?
I'm not feeding and growing healthy relationships in my home. I've learned I've got to be very intentional about this walking thing. I've got to create rhythms. I've got to carve out time.
I've got to be assessing, not crushing myself, not beating up on myself, but assessing how I'm doing in this area. Some people I know they won't take calls when they get home from a day's work. Some people, everybody goes about it in a different way. Because of what I do, that would be really hard for me to do, the nature of pastoring and the way I pastor.
So I carve out time. Whether it's Sunday morning pancakes, especially, I'm sorry, Saturday morning pancakes, especially in the winter time. I've talked about carving out particular slots of time with my children. 15 to 30 minutes, two, three, four hours or an hour, half a day to a full day.
I try and get in a bunch of these during the year. Maybe at least one time I'm with them for four to eight hours each child. A whole bunch of dozens of times where I'm with them for 15 minutes to a half hour. And this we call this special times.
I got my challenges. I got my issues. You got yours. But we have to find a way to intentionally come alongside, walk alongside those we love and engage with them and connect with them.
So not only is that itself beneficial, but it's going to prepare us to be there to come alongside them in those critical moments. Let's look at a video. So in this video, you have a dad and a two-year-old daughter. The little girl, it's her dance recital.
Some of you have been there. It can be a really painful, difficult moment. All those months working. Now your little girl goes up on stage.
And in this case, she does what some of your little kids have done. She sort of just breaks down and comes apart. So let's take the little girl, by the way, is going to be the one on your far left. Let's watch the video.
Well done, dad. That was great to see. So what do you want to do with your little ones? Just what dad did.
You want to get in their world so that God working through you will prepare you to walk alongside of them. When they get up, when they lie down all the time, you're ready. You're on point to have that moment with them, that life-changing moment. I mean, emotionally engaged with them where they are in the middle of what matters to them.
Do it in a way that shows, I love God and I love you. So let's practice the speed of run, the speed of love, and let's practice the speed of learn. When God finished his creation, he said it's good. He knew he had created human beings so that they could learn in a unique way in comparison to all other creation.
We need to be grounded in the truth. We need to slow things down enough to transfer that truth to our children. Their life depends on it. I deeply believe this.
We see in the life of King David, after David's king for 40 years, he turns a throne over to his son Solomon. Let's read about that in 1 Kings chapter 2, verse 11 through 13. It says, He had rained for 40 years over Israel. Seven years in Hebron and 33 in Jerusalem.
So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David and his rule was firmly established. David knew one day that his son Solomon would sit where he was sitting. David knew he had to spend time with his son to teach him, to transfer truth into his son's life. That is someone to learn.
Years later, Solomon writes about this in the book of Proverbs chapter 4, verse 1 through 5. Solomon writes, listen, and he's speaking to his son now. David's grandson. Why don't you get this grandpa's?
You're going to be a grandfather one day. So it says, listen, my son's to a father's instruction. Pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning.
So do not forsake my teaching. For I too, as a son to my father, still tender and cherished by my mother. Then he taught me, and he said to me, take hold of my words with all your heart. Keep my commands and you will live.
Get wisdom, get understanding. Do not forget my words or turn away from them. Before Solomon sat on the throne as a man, he sat at his father's feet as a boy. Dad's mom's grandparents slow it down enough to engage your children and your grandchildren.
Let them kind of sit at your feet. In my case, it's when I'm driving a lot and my kids are sitting in the seat next to me. Now sometimes I'm sitting next to them. But either way, we are sitting down and they are taking in when I'm speaking to them.
Grandparents, it is good to speak in. I think it's a grandparent. It's a challenging place to me because you're really playing two roles at once. So first I want to encourage your parents to do all you kind of facilitate your moms and dads speaking into lives and having a wonderful, enjoyable access into your children's lives.
It's what God would have you do and it's truly, spiritually and emotionally so healthy and life given to your children. On that note, grandparents, again, I'm not one yet but from what I see, it's a really challenging role to play. On one end, your parents still always will be to your child who's now in a doubt. On the other end, you're a grandparent to these little ones.
And you do. You want to see those little ones? Get it right. You want to see your children get it right.
You want to see them not make the same mistakes you make. You want to see them gain from what you've learned and it affects you deeply. But you've got to make a choice. What are you going to put emphasis on?
The relationship or getting it done or them doing things right. And I know doing it right means a lot to you but you've got to see it that way. Relationship and getting these things done right. And by the way, if you build a relationship, then you can teach more.
You've got to get this. The more you meet your adult children where they are, the more you can affirm them and validate them and come alongside them, the more they're going to receive what you're saying. They might even be reaching out to you more. Certainly whatever you say they're going to hear it.
If you're coming to them in ways of just correcting them or displeasure or disappointment or looking down on them or frustrated, they're likely not going to receive a lot of what you're saying. You know so. Love come alongside them and let them learn from you. It's the better way.
And remember, you've got a lot of different tools in your box if you're a grandparent. You're seasoned in life. You're just like your garages piled up with all sorts of tools when you started out. You might have like a screwdriver.
But when you look at all those tools, don't always reach for the hammer, especially the sledgehammer. Look at where they are and let God lead you to using your wisdom and your knowledge and all the different abilities you have to touch and speak into their lives. All right, let's look. Now, your children need to see and hear about the world, moms and dads.
Your actions are going to teach them how to see the world. You can't get right all the time, but you can react in a way that shows how you love God. Take the time to ask them what they're thinking. Take the time to give them answers.
And you don't always have to have it spout on right there. But you can take this as an opportunity to learn and to provide answers to them, to cultivate this relationship, to plant and to nurture and to grow faith in their lives. Listen to this. What you feed grows and what you starve dies.
Teach your kids how to think good and how to live good. For God is good. Feed good things into your children's lives. Feed them godly things and godly truths.
Starve the bad things in their lives and in your life. You can be accountable and be available. We talked about this last night at the Warrior Conference. Be accountable to God and available to God as a father, right?
And be accountable and available to the children in your life and to your spouses and to your wives. Do not do whatever makes you feel good. Do not do whatever you want to do just in that moment for yourself. Be accountable.
Think of them and how it's going to affect them in any and every way. How it's going to affect them emotionally and spiritually. We are doing this series to help you build your faith this summer. Usually when summer ends, people are struggling.
If you pause right now and you take a hold of this, I really believe that not only will it enrich your summer, not only will it build and you'll have a more enjoyable summer and come out with stronger relationships, but then in the fall, man, it's a time. What is the fall? The fall is a time of harvest, a time of reaping. Just picture that.
You're harvesting and reaping and taking in the good fruits of how you obeyed and honored God during the summer. Right now commit to this, this summer of 2020. I'm going to grow in my relation with God. Today we are the Holy Spirit guide you in doing that.
Today know that God stepped out of heaven to be with you. And Jesus loves you. Today know that God, the Father created you. God created you.
Jesus stepped out of heaven. God loving you and the Holy Spirit is guiding you. He's with you. Look at all the work God puts into you.
Look at how much He loves you. And the first step to believing in that and knowing that is to trust in Jesus Christ. And Jesus' death on the cross for your sins in mind. He bore our sins.
And to believe in Jesus' death on the cross. To believe that He was resurrected. To believe that He sits at the right hand of the Father. And we are thankful in this.
If you are in this place in your heart and your mind, that this is your speed right now. Knowing what God has done for you. Knowing that He loves you. Knowing that He's pouring in teaching you right now and drawing you close to Him.
And you'd want to say this prayer to yourself between you and God. God, I need you. Today I turn to you. I'm thankful for your love and for what Jesus did for me on the cross.
I want to draw closer to you today. I just want to slow it down right now. I want to settle in and I want to know you in a great way. I want this somebody to be a summer of faith for me.
The summer of when I turn to you and came to you. Today I trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. If that's you and you've come to this place, pray His God. You want to scroll down and just look to the bottom of the screen and you're going to see a link or a text number.
You want to just, that's going to take you to a form. It's a simple form. If you could fill that out. It lets us know that you've made this incredible life-changing decision.
And we can pray for you. We'll also send you out a special package to give you some traction and support. This great decision. So if you're here for the first time, again, scroll down to the bottom.
Or if you've been here before, but you've never completed this, what we call our first time guest, our connection card form. Take the time to fill it out. It's so encouraging to know that you're with us and also we'll send you out a separate special package as well. So before we finish up, I want to ask you a question.
What speed do you do really well? Of the three speeds we talked about. The running, the walking, the learning. Ask yourself right now in your life what speed needs attention.
What speed do I need to, you know, what speed do I need to turn around and improve and grow this summer? Ask your relationships well this summer. Think about these speeds of life. Trust in God.
Do you need to start working in a way that God has created you and called you to? Maybe you need to slow down into doing and less running and more walking, coming alongside, engaging, noticing, connecting to those you love. Maybe you need to pause and to really drill down and sit alongside your children and to teach them God's truth. That maybe we want to have maybe one Bible versus one Biblical principle, a handful that they're going to hold and connect to the summer of 2020 where you all are going to grow greater in your faith.
I love you. I miss you. God be the glory.