1 00:00:00,050 --> 00:00:00,051 Dr. Gregg Martuzky: 2 00:00:00,051 --> 00:00:02,259 Today we're talking about kindness. 3 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:05,970 I don't know if you're naturally a kind person. 4 00:00:07,110 --> 00:00:08,310 There's not that many. 5 00:00:09,220 --> 00:00:10,910 Most of us have to work at it. 6 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,939 Think about the kindest person you know. 7 00:00:18,306 --> 00:00:19,586 Melody Wooten. 8 00:00:19,586 --> 00:00:20,026 All right. 9 00:00:21,296 --> 00:00:24,216 We've been- we're gonna have a little call and response this morning. 10 00:00:24,226 --> 00:00:24,716 Amen. 11 00:00:24,736 --> 00:00:25,536 Go for it. 12 00:00:25,606 --> 00:00:26,576 Sounds good. 13 00:00:26,896 --> 00:00:27,876 I like that. 14 00:00:27,876 --> 00:00:29,566 Julie Barber. 15 00:00:29,566 --> 00:00:30,696 Julie Barber. 16 00:00:30,696 --> 00:00:31,366 All right. 17 00:00:32,656 --> 00:00:32,726 Tina Cook. 18 00:00:32,886 --> 00:00:33,866 Tina Cook. 19 00:00:33,886 --> 00:00:34,726 All right. 20 00:00:34,736 --> 00:00:35,996 A lot of elders' wives. 21 00:00:36,066 --> 00:00:36,886 Come on. 22 00:00:37,526 --> 00:00:37,566 Whoo. 23 00:00:37,566 --> 00:00:38,196 All right. 24 00:00:39,216 --> 00:00:42,366 And, and, uh, you know, as I was thinking about this too, 25 00:00:42,396 --> 00:00:46,586 guys, uh, it's usually women 26 00:00:50,138 --> 00:00:52,438 Yeah, you sort of fell into that, didn't you? 27 00:00:53,978 --> 00:00:55,478 But I thought about it, too. 28 00:00:55,528 --> 00:01:00,838 The kindest person I know, frankly, is my, my wife, especially the way she's 29 00:01:00,868 --> 00:01:05,198 talked to people all these years, the way she talks to children, the way she 30 00:01:05,198 --> 00:01:10,388 talked to our kids, the way she talks to the grandkids, the way she talks to me. 31 00:01:10,948 --> 00:01:12,128 So very kind. 32 00:01:12,868 --> 00:01:15,038 My mother was a very kind person. 33 00:01:15,648 --> 00:01:18,168 You know, a lot of kind people are soft-spoken. 34 00:01:19,408 --> 00:01:23,618 They, they, they don't mind being, uh, gentle. 35 00:01:23,688 --> 00:01:26,368 They don't mind being softer. 36 00:01:27,698 --> 00:01:32,997 And not that many people, especially guys, are taught and raised to be kind. 37 00:01:34,048 --> 00:01:41,377 Boys are raised to be strong, to be tough, in some ways even hard, streetwise. 38 00:01:42,818 --> 00:01:45,828 And so this doesn't come natural for all of us. 39 00:01:47,448 --> 00:01:50,378 Who has a kind smile in here? 40 00:01:50,418 --> 00:01:53,038 Raise your hand if you th- Go ahead. 41 00:01:53,408 --> 00:01:54,527 Affirm yourself. 42 00:01:54,527 --> 00:01:55,118 All right. 43 00:01:55,568 --> 00:01:56,168 All right. 44 00:01:56,398 --> 00:01:58,247 You can go ahead and put that down there, bro. 45 00:01:58,247 --> 00:01:59,188 All right 46 00:02:01,890 --> 00:02:02,570 Raise your hand. 47 00:02:02,570 --> 00:02:03,720 I'll make it a little easier. 48 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:06,940 Raise your hand if you have long arms. 49 00:02:07,900 --> 00:02:08,310 Go ahead. 50 00:02:08,900 --> 00:02:10,620 Raise, raise your hands if you've got long arms 51 00:02:13,130 --> 00:02:20,240 Some of the random acts of kindness in my life have been by people with long arms. 52 00:02:21,870 --> 00:02:26,720 Just this week I had to put the topper on my bed of my truck, 53 00:02:27,050 --> 00:02:28,960 and my arms are just the… 54 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:33,730 My torso and everything, I couldn't reach up over the bed and back 55 00:02:33,730 --> 00:02:35,530 there far enough to tighten it up. 56 00:02:35,790 --> 00:02:38,620 So a fella comes by with his two dogs walking. 57 00:02:38,630 --> 00:02:39,560 He's tall. 58 00:02:39,670 --> 00:02:40,800 He's got long arms. 59 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,780 I go, "Sir, would you help me?" 60 00:02:44,670 --> 00:02:45,560 He said, "What do you need?" 61 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:50,240 And I said, "Well, I need someone to tighten this underneath here for me so my 62 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,690 t- my, my bed t- topper won't fly off." 63 00:02:53,700 --> 00:02:54,970 He goes, "Oh, sure." 64 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,250 "W- and will you hold my dogs?" 65 00:02:57,790 --> 00:02:59,980 And all they did was bark at me the whole time 66 00:03:02,372 --> 00:03:03,782 And he tightened up one side. 67 00:03:03,782 --> 00:03:05,132 He says, "You need the other side?" 68 00:03:05,132 --> 00:03:06,662 I says, "Yeah." 69 00:03:07,652 --> 00:03:09,842 He goes around and he tightens up the other side. 70 00:03:10,272 --> 00:03:14,532 Usually I have my son-in-law, he's got long arms, do it, but he was, 71 00:03:14,622 --> 00:03:17,022 he was busy working late that day. 72 00:03:17,672 --> 00:03:19,952 So I love people with long arms. 73 00:03:20,052 --> 00:03:24,132 I have to use a person with long arms whenever I'm checking 74 00:03:24,162 --> 00:03:26,672 the oil in my c- my, my truck. 75 00:03:27,422 --> 00:03:33,172 Again, uh, Honda makes great vehicles, but, but, uh, the spout for the 76 00:03:33,182 --> 00:03:38,742 oil is way up over down, and I can barely touch it with my fingers, and 77 00:03:38,742 --> 00:03:40,572 I don't have strong enough fingers. 78 00:03:41,272 --> 00:03:41,652 You know? 79 00:03:41,652 --> 00:03:45,302 If I, if I could get more leverage on it I could get it undone, but I can't. 80 00:03:45,612 --> 00:03:50,382 And so I, I just sort of take a while at the pump, look 81 00:03:50,382 --> 00:03:52,872 around- … and then I spot 'em. 82 00:03:53,942 --> 00:03:57,602 And I go over and I say, "Sir, can I ask you a big favor? 83 00:03:57,602 --> 00:03:59,492 Please, can I ask you a big favor?" 84 00:03:59,862 --> 00:04:01,642 And you know, I don't look evil. 85 00:04:02,241 --> 00:04:04,631 I don't look nice, but I don't look evil. 86 00:04:05,502 --> 00:04:08,212 And they usually go, "Well, okay, what do you need?" 87 00:04:08,212 --> 00:04:12,102 And I go, "I just need somebody to take off the, the oil spout so I 88 00:04:12,102 --> 00:04:14,231 can s- add some oil to my truck." 89 00:04:14,262 --> 00:04:15,031 "Oh, yeah." 90 00:04:15,332 --> 00:04:18,872 And they come over and they do it, and they hand it to me, and they look at me 91 00:04:18,872 --> 00:04:21,702 like, "So you couldn't do this yourself?" 92 00:04:23,252 --> 00:04:25,471 I said, "Well, you know, I'm a little shorter, and you're 93 00:04:25,491 --> 00:04:27,611 tall, and oh, you did awesome. 94 00:04:27,621 --> 00:04:29,121 Thank you so, so much." 95 00:04:30,371 --> 00:04:35,042 And so I love random acts of kindness. 96 00:04:37,114 --> 00:04:40,744 You know, one of the teens gave me a random act last Wednesday night. 97 00:04:40,744 --> 00:04:43,644 He gave me a, a card, a thank you card. 98 00:04:44,933 --> 00:04:49,384 He graduated, and, and my wife was thoughtful to buy a card 99 00:04:49,384 --> 00:04:52,834 and a gift card for him, and I took it to their, his party. 100 00:04:53,524 --> 00:04:58,634 But what he wrote was very meaningful, and cards seem to get to my heart. 101 00:04:59,924 --> 00:05:04,864 And so I, I, I, I put it in the, the drawer beside my bed. 102 00:05:04,904 --> 00:05:06,694 You know, that's where I collect them. 103 00:05:06,694 --> 00:05:10,754 And then after that gets full, I put them in this little box that, 104 00:05:10,754 --> 00:05:14,704 uh, one of the churches gave us years ago with a bunch of cards. 105 00:05:15,374 --> 00:05:19,024 Kindness makes such a difference. 106 00:05:19,024 --> 00:05:25,094 And so I wanna inspire us this morning to be kind people, to work 107 00:05:25,094 --> 00:05:30,964 at it, to strive for it, to let the scriptures inspire us to be kind. 108 00:05:31,344 --> 00:05:33,604 Please buy this book if you get a chance. 109 00:05:33,604 --> 00:05:38,533 You don't have to read it right away, but keep it in your library, try to read it. 110 00:05:38,554 --> 00:05:40,003 It will inspire you. 111 00:05:40,004 --> 00:05:41,584 It's been inspiring me. 112 00:05:41,834 --> 00:05:50,603 And then our theme verse, Galatians 5:22 and 23, "For the fruit of 113 00:05:50,604 --> 00:05:52,913 the Spirit," the Holy Spirit. 114 00:05:53,724 --> 00:06:01,043 Not the fruit of our spirit, but the fruit of God's spirit, "is love, joy, peace, 115 00:06:01,123 --> 00:06:09,573 patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control." 116 00:06:09,913 --> 00:06:13,253 And today, we're talking about kindness. 117 00:06:13,913 --> 00:06:15,894 So let's define it a little bit. 118 00:06:15,894 --> 00:06:20,504 Let's get, like get, get some of the, the world's thoughts. 119 00:06:20,864 --> 00:06:25,663 Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle. 120 00:06:26,394 --> 00:06:29,624 When you've struggled, when you've needed kindness, you 121 00:06:29,674 --> 00:06:32,863 tend to then be a kinder person. 122 00:06:34,504 --> 00:06:37,604 I don't wish cancer on anybody, but I'm glad I had it. 123 00:06:38,443 --> 00:06:38,824 I'm a… 124 00:06:38,913 --> 00:06:40,564 I, I think it changed me. 125 00:06:41,123 --> 00:06:42,793 It helped me to empathize. 126 00:06:43,504 --> 00:06:47,334 I care more about people who are sick because of it. 127 00:06:48,474 --> 00:06:52,483 And then I, I wrote this after reading a lot of things on kindness, "Giving 128 00:06:52,504 --> 00:06:58,534 from the mind is trading, while giving from the heart is a gift." 129 00:06:59,664 --> 00:07:04,994 So often people give to receive, a reciprocal kind of relationship. 130 00:07:05,254 --> 00:07:07,873 But if you just give from the heart, it's a gift. 131 00:07:08,304 --> 00:07:14,184 When you have a choice to be right or to be kind, choose to be kind 132 00:07:16,346 --> 00:07:20,716 So often we want to be right when we should be kind. 133 00:07:21,106 --> 00:07:25,456 "Never be too busy as not to think of others," Mother Teresa. 134 00:07:25,486 --> 00:07:31,836 "You can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness," Anne Frank. 135 00:07:32,406 --> 00:07:34,036 And Plato, "Be kind. 136 00:07:34,376 --> 00:07:38,556 For everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle." 137 00:07:38,876 --> 00:07:42,116 That may not always be true, but it's often true 138 00:07:44,194 --> 00:07:47,634 We don't know what other people are going through, and it 139 00:07:47,634 --> 00:07:50,284 may be tougher than we think. 140 00:07:51,474 --> 00:07:53,334 This is a feeling of the heart. 141 00:07:54,354 --> 00:07:59,754 It's a, the fruits of the spirit are feelings, love, joy, peace. 142 00:08:00,804 --> 00:08:06,004 They describe virtues for relationships, patience, kindness, goodness, and 143 00:08:06,004 --> 00:08:09,704 relationship with God, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 144 00:08:10,364 --> 00:08:14,734 We'll define the difference between kindness and gentleness. 145 00:08:15,274 --> 00:08:18,104 But kindness, the opposite of it is rude. 146 00:08:18,644 --> 00:08:23,394 We've n- if I ask you to think of a rude person, you can think of one, can't you? 147 00:08:23,654 --> 00:08:25,354 You maybe saw one this week. 148 00:08:25,914 --> 00:08:28,574 You maybe witnessed some rudeness this week, right? 149 00:08:29,724 --> 00:08:33,683 But kindness isn't always as self-infinite. 150 00:08:34,504 --> 00:08:38,144 You know, the goal of this series, guys, is for us to be more spiritual people. 151 00:08:39,433 --> 00:08:40,924 Are we spiritual enough? 152 00:08:41,844 --> 00:08:42,443 Not yet. 153 00:08:43,424 --> 00:08:45,374 We're growing spiritually though, aren't we? 154 00:08:45,384 --> 00:08:45,414 Yes. 155 00:08:46,263 --> 00:08:50,843 And the Bible says we are changing from one degree of glory to another, 156 00:08:50,874 --> 00:08:53,374 so we're always changing as Christians. 157 00:08:53,864 --> 00:08:59,203 The Spirit is always taking more root in our lives, and that seed of the Spirit 158 00:08:59,203 --> 00:09:02,084 that we got at baptism is growing. 159 00:09:02,294 --> 00:09:07,693 Today, even by coming to church, hearing God's word, singing God's praises, praying 160 00:09:07,694 --> 00:09:11,653 to God, taking of communion, remembering the death, burial, and resurrection of 161 00:09:11,654 --> 00:09:17,083 Jesus feeds the Spirit so we're becoming more spiritual just by being here. 162 00:09:17,144 --> 00:09:17,784 Way to go. 163 00:09:17,794 --> 00:09:17,834 Amen. 164 00:09:19,084 --> 00:09:19,783 Way to go. 165 00:09:19,794 --> 00:09:20,933 You showed up. 166 00:09:20,944 --> 00:09:20,964 Wow. 167 00:09:21,733 --> 00:09:24,303 And that's part of being there. 168 00:09:24,313 --> 00:09:24,333 Yeah. 169 00:09:24,764 --> 00:09:27,253 Just showing up. 170 00:09:27,334 --> 00:09:29,614 We need to become spiritual. 171 00:09:29,614 --> 00:09:30,254 Yeah. 172 00:09:30,254 --> 00:09:34,563 Spiritually-filled people have a hungry heart to be spiritual. 173 00:09:35,474 --> 00:09:38,593 Spiritually-led people have a honest heart. 174 00:09:38,644 --> 00:09:40,164 They know how much they need it. 175 00:09:40,194 --> 00:09:42,893 They're desperate to be changed by God. 176 00:09:43,184 --> 00:09:45,704 Spiritually-minded people are humble. 177 00:09:46,334 --> 00:09:49,333 They're just, they just know they need to change. 178 00:09:49,334 --> 00:09:51,354 They know they don't have all the answers. 179 00:09:51,354 --> 00:09:56,393 They know that they struggle with pride, and so there's, they have a 180 00:09:56,393 --> 00:10:01,494 humble heart, and spiritually-driven people usually are happy. 181 00:10:03,270 --> 00:10:08,280 Because they're growing and they're changing, and it's very, very obvious. 182 00:10:08,630 --> 00:10:10,580 Let's define kindness. 183 00:10:10,680 --> 00:10:15,740 From scripture, Old Testament and New, kindness is hesed. 184 00:10:15,780 --> 00:10:18,280 You've heard me sh- share this word before. 185 00:10:19,690 --> 00:10:22,740 And usually I've shared it as steadfast love. 186 00:10:23,900 --> 00:10:27,840 But at its root, it's, it's kindness also. 187 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:34,310 It's the kind of love that shows the right spirit towards people, the 188 00:10:34,310 --> 00:10:39,210 right tone, the right empathy, the right compassion, the right heart. 189 00:10:40,050 --> 00:10:44,050 And in the New Testament, it's so close to Christ. 190 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:46,310 Christotis. 191 00:10:47,070 --> 00:10:52,690 It's so close that sometimes it even gets mistranslated as Christ, 'cause it, 192 00:10:53,009 --> 00:10:55,760 it is Christ-like being kind, isn't it? 193 00:10:56,780 --> 00:11:01,970 Kindness is showing mercy, extending devotion. 194 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,910 Kindness is helping those who what? 195 00:11:05,500 --> 00:11:06,400 Need help. 196 00:11:06,980 --> 00:11:08,600 Whether they deserve it or not. 197 00:11:09,429 --> 00:11:15,800 Kindness is an outwardly visible fruit by action, not an inward 198 00:11:15,810 --> 00:11:17,859 attitude or invisible mindset. 199 00:11:17,859 --> 00:11:19,680 It's not just an intention. 200 00:11:20,009 --> 00:11:21,720 It shows itself. 201 00:11:21,889 --> 00:11:27,579 Kind people reveal themselves as kind by what they do and how they act. 202 00:11:27,590 --> 00:11:33,080 Kindness is being gentle, compassionate, and empathetic 203 00:11:35,618 --> 00:11:38,368 I don't know when I learned the definition of empathetic. 204 00:11:38,368 --> 00:11:39,958 It wasn't as a young man, though. 205 00:11:41,148 --> 00:11:42,528 It was later on in life. 206 00:11:43,988 --> 00:11:47,818 And it's seeing other people's point of view. 207 00:11:47,828 --> 00:11:47,848 Wow. 208 00:11:48,448 --> 00:11:53,858 It's understanding how they're thinking and living and their struggle. 209 00:11:54,138 --> 00:11:56,748 It's walking in their shoes. 210 00:11:57,708 --> 00:12:01,828 And I'm so glad that I've spent time as a chaplain, and they emphasize 211 00:12:01,828 --> 00:12:06,588 this in our training to, to get the other person's perspective. 212 00:12:07,208 --> 00:12:12,048 You know, a lot of times in conversations, what I would see, we'd have to write 213 00:12:12,048 --> 00:12:13,698 verbatims after we'd visit a patient. 214 00:12:14,047 --> 00:12:16,738 Uh, we're supposed to remember everything said, everything they 215 00:12:16,748 --> 00:12:20,788 said, everything you said, and we'd go through it in class with the other 216 00:12:20,788 --> 00:12:23,157 students and with the, the, the teacher. 217 00:12:24,078 --> 00:12:25,907 And all of a sudden the teacher would, "Stop." 218 00:12:27,158 --> 00:12:31,758 You're reading along and they say, "Stop," and you're thinking, "I was doing good. 219 00:12:31,758 --> 00:12:32,878 It was a good conversation. 220 00:12:32,988 --> 00:12:34,057 I was really listening. 221 00:12:34,308 --> 00:12:35,268 I was responding. 222 00:12:35,268 --> 00:12:36,508 I was an active listener." 223 00:12:37,388 --> 00:12:40,158 He goes, "Do you see your perpendicular there, Greg?" 224 00:12:41,318 --> 00:12:42,688 Go, "This isn't geometry. 225 00:12:42,697 --> 00:12:44,618 No, I don't see a perpendicular." 226 00:12:45,088 --> 00:12:45,467 You know? 227 00:12:46,207 --> 00:12:48,527 He says, "You turned the conversation. 228 00:12:49,258 --> 00:12:52,548 They were talking about how they were feeling, and all of a sudden you ask 229 00:12:52,548 --> 00:12:54,388 a question about a different subject." 230 00:12:55,458 --> 00:12:55,508 Oh 231 00:12:58,060 --> 00:12:58,520 Huh. 232 00:13:00,698 --> 00:13:04,828 And it was amazing how often I would do it perpendicular. 233 00:13:06,038 --> 00:13:09,858 And so often I've seen it even in conversations with people where 234 00:13:09,888 --> 00:13:14,138 I change the subject to talk about what I wanna talk about. 235 00:13:14,908 --> 00:13:16,928 World Cup, you know? 236 00:13:17,488 --> 00:13:18,128 Or something. 237 00:13:20,028 --> 00:13:25,148 But we need to listen and go where they're going, 'cause people give 238 00:13:25,158 --> 00:13:30,918 hints, small ones, subtle ones, not very direct ones at all. 239 00:13:31,618 --> 00:13:35,258 But they tell you what they wanna talk about if you really listen. 240 00:13:36,228 --> 00:13:38,748 But too often we don't, at least I didn't. 241 00:13:38,768 --> 00:13:43,137 I had to learn this, and I'm still learning this, and it comes from a 242 00:13:43,138 --> 00:13:47,338 heart of kindness to be empathetic. 243 00:13:48,808 --> 00:13:52,148 There's a guy that wrote a book called Gorilla Kindness. 244 00:13:52,178 --> 00:13:54,538 Now, that's an oxymoron, isn't it? 245 00:13:55,248 --> 00:13:58,737 I don't consider gorillas kind, all right? 246 00:13:59,458 --> 00:14:02,227 But he wanted to start a movement and, and there's… 247 00:14:02,288 --> 00:14:08,138 If you, if you go on Amazon or Google, you'll see so many books about, 248 00:14:08,258 --> 00:14:10,877 you know, random acts of kindness. 249 00:14:11,868 --> 00:14:17,398 You know, there's probably 20, 30 books entitled Random Acts of Kindness. 250 00:14:17,827 --> 00:14:21,528 So I think he wanted to talk about random acts of kindness, but he didn't 251 00:14:21,528 --> 00:14:25,548 want that title 'cause everybody had been using it and it was overdone, and 252 00:14:25,548 --> 00:14:29,628 so he called his book Gorilla Kindness. 253 00:14:30,418 --> 00:14:35,718 And he really wanted to start a movement where people just randomly were kind. 254 00:14:36,317 --> 00:14:40,558 You ever been at Sta- Starbucks and somebody paid it forward in front of you? 255 00:14:41,827 --> 00:14:43,657 Oh, you wished you ordered more. 256 00:14:47,734 --> 00:14:49,344 I'm just saying what I think. 257 00:14:51,224 --> 00:14:51,784 You know? 258 00:14:52,604 --> 00:14:55,174 I'm like, "Wow, it is so nice." 259 00:14:55,554 --> 00:14:58,994 And then you'll s- you'll, you'll, you just feel this obligation to 260 00:14:59,004 --> 00:15:03,124 do the same when you get to the, the, the, the, the drive, uh, when, 261 00:15:03,164 --> 00:15:07,794 when you pay and you think, "Ooh, I hope they don't order too much." 262 00:15:09,294 --> 00:15:09,624 You know? 263 00:15:11,004 --> 00:15:15,364 But you drive away feeling good that you received and you gave. 264 00:15:15,994 --> 00:15:17,834 You received and you gave. 265 00:15:17,834 --> 00:15:19,574 You paid it forward. 266 00:15:20,334 --> 00:15:26,614 But Gavin Witt said, "My aim is only to remind people of the kind impulses 267 00:15:26,614 --> 00:15:32,804 that all of us have, to remind people of something they already know, which is that 268 00:15:32,893 --> 00:15:37,594 it feels good to act on those impulses." 269 00:15:39,324 --> 00:15:41,814 We have impulses to say something nice. 270 00:15:42,584 --> 00:15:49,914 We have impulses to smile, to wave, to nod 271 00:15:53,018 --> 00:15:54,608 Follow up on those impulses. 272 00:15:54,608 --> 00:15:55,078 Amen? 273 00:15:55,078 --> 00:15:56,228 Amen. 274 00:15:56,228 --> 00:15:57,778 Give in to those impulses. 275 00:15:58,938 --> 00:16:03,248 But you know, I, I was reading a little bit of this book, Random Acts of Kindness, 276 00:16:03,878 --> 00:16:07,108 and some super in- inspirational stories. 277 00:16:07,108 --> 00:16:09,258 It's sort of like Chicken Soup for the Soul. 278 00:16:09,508 --> 00:16:15,848 This is a series by this publisher, and, uh, you know, you can get several 279 00:16:15,848 --> 00:16:17,738 of them, and he can give you ideas. 280 00:16:17,738 --> 00:16:22,728 I love these word clouds that talk about random acts of s- of kindness, 281 00:16:22,728 --> 00:16:27,847 encouraging other people, being more positive, to speak kindly, to thank, 282 00:16:27,928 --> 00:16:33,128 write a thank you note, to write a gratitude email, to befriend somebody 283 00:16:33,128 --> 00:16:38,788 new, to bake cookies to surprise somebody with a treat, et cetera, et cetera. 284 00:16:39,858 --> 00:16:44,798 But you know, the story in the Bible that we all recognize 285 00:16:45,328 --> 00:16:48,338 as good is the Good Samaritan. 286 00:16:48,978 --> 00:16:48,998 Yeah. 287 00:16:49,388 --> 00:16:50,768 And we know the story, don't we? 288 00:16:50,858 --> 00:16:50,878 Yeah. 289 00:16:51,897 --> 00:16:54,708 All those religious hypocrites. 290 00:16:55,918 --> 00:16:58,138 That priest that walked by. 291 00:16:58,857 --> 00:17:03,578 That Levite, that temple servant that walked by on the other side. 292 00:17:03,768 --> 00:17:06,028 And you know, I was doing some study last night. 293 00:17:06,328 --> 00:17:10,438 I, I, I had three books on parables in my library, so I took them home 294 00:17:10,438 --> 00:17:12,287 yesterday, and I was reading late. 295 00:17:12,298 --> 00:17:15,657 Should've gone to bed earlier, and that's why I look like I look this morning. 296 00:17:15,676 --> 00:17:18,327 Don't look at the dark circles under my eyes. 297 00:17:19,426 --> 00:17:23,297 But I couldn't help but read through all of them about the parable of the Good 298 00:17:23,298 --> 00:17:26,098 Samaritan, and I learned a few things. 299 00:17:26,637 --> 00:17:30,507 That the guy that came up to him, you know, we, we, we, we… 300 00:17:30,507 --> 00:17:35,387 He's called a lawyer, but he was a, an expert in the law of Moses, so he was a, 301 00:17:35,847 --> 00:17:38,247 a Old Testament theologian is what he was. 302 00:17:39,207 --> 00:17:40,727 He was a Bible student. 303 00:17:41,137 --> 00:17:47,388 He was a rabbi's student, and he, he wants to come up and ask Jesus, 'cause he's 304 00:17:47,388 --> 00:17:50,537 heard Jesus say, "Love your enemies," and that just didn't make sense to 305 00:17:50,537 --> 00:17:53,448 him, because the Jews only loved Jews. 306 00:17:54,838 --> 00:17:56,817 They had a very tight circle. 307 00:17:57,847 --> 00:18:01,488 They, they've been a persecuted people, and they've been an attacked 308 00:18:01,527 --> 00:18:07,297 people, and so they only loved their neighbor, which was a fellow Jew. 309 00:18:08,068 --> 00:18:14,217 In fact, if they reached outside of the Jewish community, they, it became unclean. 310 00:18:14,217 --> 00:18:18,417 And especially a priest or a temple servant, they didn't wanna be unclean, 311 00:18:18,417 --> 00:18:19,897 'cause then they couldn't do their job. 312 00:18:19,958 --> 00:18:21,458 They couldn't do the temple service. 313 00:18:21,747 --> 00:18:26,837 So then it made more sense why they just walk on by, because they didn't 314 00:18:26,837 --> 00:18:31,167 know whether this was a Jew that had been beaten up or a Samaritan, but they 315 00:18:31,167 --> 00:18:34,967 even thought, probably self-righteously, "Well, they got what they deserve. 316 00:18:34,967 --> 00:18:36,987 They shouldn't have been on this road by themselves. 317 00:18:36,988 --> 00:18:41,048 They didn't have any fri- friends, and it was probably s- God's judgment on them." 318 00:18:42,247 --> 00:18:43,647 Oh, that's a sad judgment. 319 00:18:43,928 --> 00:18:45,277 That's a rationalization. 320 00:18:45,988 --> 00:18:50,127 And so often we rationalize instead of doing what's kind. 321 00:18:52,026 --> 00:18:53,746 And so who does what's kind? 322 00:18:53,826 --> 00:18:59,656 The irony of this story, the, the backstory is a Samaritan. 323 00:19:00,686 --> 00:19:04,956 And the Samaritans, the Jews really kept their distance from 324 00:19:05,226 --> 00:19:08,956 because they were seen as traitors. 325 00:19:08,996 --> 00:19:10,626 They had intermarried. 326 00:19:11,496 --> 00:19:15,246 They had, they had forsaken the pure blood. 327 00:19:16,876 --> 00:19:19,996 And so this is even about racial prejudice 328 00:19:22,498 --> 00:19:26,578 And you know, there's so much racial prejudice in our society. 329 00:19:27,838 --> 00:19:27,858 Yeah. 330 00:19:27,868 --> 00:19:28,388 You know? 331 00:19:28,398 --> 00:19:28,418 Yeah. 332 00:19:30,128 --> 00:19:32,368 And it's, it's every direction. 333 00:19:33,868 --> 00:19:37,848 It's not just whites prejudice towards people of color, it's 334 00:19:37,848 --> 00:19:39,638 people of color towards whites. 335 00:19:40,718 --> 00:19:40,738 Yeah. 336 00:19:40,748 --> 00:19:43,738 It's, it's people of color towards other people of color. 337 00:19:44,518 --> 00:19:46,338 It's towards different nationalities. 338 00:19:46,338 --> 00:19:47,738 There's so much. 339 00:19:49,318 --> 00:19:52,138 Are you kind to people that don't look like you? 340 00:19:54,586 --> 00:19:55,576 Or are you afraid of them? 341 00:19:56,946 --> 00:19:58,236 Those are microaggressions. 342 00:19:59,546 --> 00:20:01,356 Let's give people the benefit of the doubt. 343 00:20:01,376 --> 00:20:02,866 Let's be nice to everybody. 344 00:20:02,876 --> 00:20:02,916 Amen. 345 00:20:03,766 --> 00:20:08,756 Let's let them earn the distance if we need to protect ourselves or set 346 00:20:08,756 --> 00:20:12,696 a boundary, but let's go ahead and give people the benefit of the doubt. 347 00:20:12,936 --> 00:20:13,466 Amen? 348 00:20:13,986 --> 00:20:14,026 Amen. 349 00:20:15,076 --> 00:20:22,686 Let's be kind people 'cause, you know, the moral of this story, at the end of the 350 00:20:22,686 --> 00:20:26,666 story, Jesus says, "So who showed hesed? 351 00:20:28,276 --> 00:20:30,366 So who was the good neighbor?" 352 00:20:30,976 --> 00:20:35,886 Lawyer, theologian, student, think for yourself, think critically. 353 00:20:36,485 --> 00:20:38,055 You can come up with the answer. 354 00:20:38,956 --> 00:20:46,696 And he says, "Well, I guess the one who ministered to the 355 00:20:47,866 --> 00:20:51,786 beaten up, left for dead person." 356 00:20:53,586 --> 00:20:55,566 And Jesus says, "You've answered correctly. 357 00:20:56,096 --> 00:20:57,595 Now just go do likewise. 358 00:20:59,576 --> 00:21:03,046 Go treat people like neighbors." 359 00:21:03,385 --> 00:21:06,235 I'm so glad I lived in Nebraska. 360 00:21:07,935 --> 00:21:10,396 Nobody claps, nobody hollers. 361 00:21:11,266 --> 00:21:11,305 You know. 362 00:21:11,465 --> 00:21:11,545 Nebraska. 363 00:21:12,355 --> 00:21:12,645 Yeah. 364 00:21:14,065 --> 00:21:14,505 Right. 365 00:21:14,505 --> 00:21:17,946 It's just one of those flyover states. 366 00:21:17,965 --> 00:21:20,986 They have great corn, incredible corn. 367 00:21:21,785 --> 00:21:22,916 It's very flat. 368 00:21:22,935 --> 00:21:27,356 It's very, very cold in the winter, wind chill below 25. 369 00:21:28,455 --> 00:21:34,525 You know, we've got some of the best, uh, warm weather clothing in our closets that 370 00:21:34,525 --> 00:21:38,536 we'll probably never need living the rest of our life here in Southern California. 371 00:21:38,546 --> 00:21:38,556 Aww. 372 00:21:39,595 --> 00:21:42,095 But I wouldn't let Cathy give them away yesterday. 373 00:21:42,095 --> 00:21:43,786 I said, "Just put them in the… 374 00:21:43,786 --> 00:21:49,075 Uh, put them in the garage," because I, I love being able to stand out there and 375 00:21:49,095 --> 00:21:52,325 pump my gas in that 40-below weather. 376 00:21:52,555 --> 00:21:53,395 I'm not cold. 377 00:21:53,785 --> 00:21:54,475 I'm not cold. 378 00:21:55,605 --> 00:21:57,005 I'm getting cold, but I'm not cold. 379 00:21:59,450 --> 00:22:02,710 But what I loved about Nebraska, everyone's your neighbor 380 00:22:04,826 --> 00:22:07,416 You pull off the side of the road, three or four people pull over 381 00:22:09,782 --> 00:22:10,212 You know? 382 00:22:11,742 --> 00:22:15,062 And you're out there shoveling your snow, three or four neighbors come over. 383 00:22:16,942 --> 00:22:18,442 You're mowing your grass. 384 00:22:19,312 --> 00:22:24,762 So my random act of kindness, I'm gonna lose my reward in heaven for this, but 385 00:22:24,762 --> 00:22:28,442 I bought a riding lawnmower from one of the brothers that was moving away 386 00:22:28,502 --> 00:22:30,562 'cause I had a pretty big backyard. 387 00:22:31,212 --> 00:22:32,902 The front yard was very small. 388 00:22:33,952 --> 00:22:38,302 But I mowed my neighbor to the left and neighbor to the right. 389 00:22:38,392 --> 00:22:40,422 It just was a nice big circle. 390 00:22:40,482 --> 00:22:42,892 Oh, I had fun, and it only took 30 minutes. 391 00:22:42,892 --> 00:22:47,432 I wish I had a smaller riding lawnmower so it would take a little while longer. 392 00:22:49,042 --> 00:22:52,092 And it only took 30 minutes to even cross-cut it, and only a 393 00:22:52,092 --> 00:22:53,582 few of you know what that means. 394 00:22:55,882 --> 00:22:59,451 But I loved it, and, and, and then my neighbor next door, he 395 00:22:59,452 --> 00:23:02,162 got his own lawnmower, and I said, "You don't need to do it. 396 00:23:02,171 --> 00:23:02,732 I'll do it." 397 00:23:02,732 --> 00:23:05,052 And he goes, "No, I need the exercise." 398 00:23:05,101 --> 00:23:08,002 But I need the reward in heaven 399 00:23:11,978 --> 00:23:15,258 And then the neighbor next door, they had a ki- a child and a, a 400 00:23:15,258 --> 00:23:19,118 dog, and so they built a fence so I couldn't do their yard either. 401 00:23:19,128 --> 00:23:20,298 I was so bummed out. 402 00:23:20,578 --> 00:23:22,458 So I just did mine several times. 403 00:23:22,678 --> 00:23:22,908 Amen. 404 00:23:24,898 --> 00:23:25,468 I did. 405 00:23:25,768 --> 00:23:26,208 Nobody… 406 00:23:26,258 --> 00:23:27,398 You should've laughed. 407 00:23:27,398 --> 00:23:31,478 I mean, uh, sounds stupid, but it was fun. 408 00:23:33,438 --> 00:23:37,218 You, when you really have a nice rider lawnmower, you'll know what I mean. 409 00:23:38,668 --> 00:23:41,128 Micah 6:8. 410 00:23:41,128 --> 00:23:41,928 Going forward 411 00:23:44,410 --> 00:23:46,370 Somebody put something in there that shouldn't have 412 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:52,540 What are you doing, guys? 413 00:23:52,580 --> 00:23:58,310 Anyway, Micah 6:8, "He has shown you, O man, what is good. 414 00:23:58,980 --> 00:24:01,430 And what does the Lord require of you?" 415 00:24:01,930 --> 00:24:01,980 To act. 416 00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:06,580 "To act justly, and to love mercy." 417 00:24:06,660 --> 00:24:07,670 You know what that word is? 418 00:24:07,810 --> 00:24:09,250 Hesed, kindness. 419 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:13,110 "And to walk humbly with your God." 420 00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:13,160 Amen. 421 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:14,970 To love kindness. 422 00:24:15,310 --> 00:24:20,050 And then Proverbs 21:21, this is a great verse, "He who pursues 423 00:24:20,050 --> 00:24:25,360 righteousness and love," but this is the same word, kindness, "finds 424 00:24:25,420 --> 00:24:28,250 life, prosperity and honor." 425 00:24:28,260 --> 00:24:28,300 Amen. 426 00:24:30,050 --> 00:24:35,390 You need, we need, especially as Christians, to be known for our kindness. 427 00:24:35,420 --> 00:24:40,569 I love this book 'cause it tells us the obstacles to be kind, and 428 00:24:40,700 --> 00:24:42,250 I resonate with all of these. 429 00:24:42,260 --> 00:24:44,359 And I could probably add to this list. 430 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:46,550 Promoting self-sufficiency. 431 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:51,990 We learn at a young age, do it yourself, be independent, rely 432 00:24:51,990 --> 00:24:54,170 on nobody, don't ask for help. 433 00:24:55,680 --> 00:25:00,260 Not asking for help keeps people from showing you kindness. 434 00:25:02,010 --> 00:25:07,400 You know, Cathy mentioned that, uh, she broke her mirror on her car this week, and 435 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:12,289 after church, one of the brothers, Tony Siebert, came up to her and said, "Hey, 436 00:25:12,580 --> 00:25:14,369 I know how to fix that kind of thing. 437 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,259 Can I come over and, and fix it?" 438 00:25:16,809 --> 00:25:19,939 And she goes, "Sure, I already ordered a, a new one. 439 00:25:19,940 --> 00:25:21,630 My son-in-law ordered it for me." 440 00:25:22,059 --> 00:25:25,450 So he came over, and, and I looked at the YouTube video and 441 00:25:25,450 --> 00:25:27,060 I was thinking about doing it. 442 00:25:27,449 --> 00:25:30,900 And I thought, "No, I think I'll learn from Tony." 443 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,800 And you know, when I fix something, I usually do it wrong the first time. 444 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:37,240 I have to do it twice. 445 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:42,930 And so it take, what should take about a 30 minutes, takes me two hours. 446 00:25:42,939 --> 00:25:42,959 Wow. 447 00:25:43,820 --> 00:25:49,400 And Tony comes over, and he literally fixes this mirror in 15 minutes. 448 00:25:49,410 --> 00:25:49,430 Wow. 449 00:25:50,629 --> 00:25:51,519 And I, I was just… 450 00:25:51,589 --> 00:25:53,410 I, I, d- my, my jaw dropped. 451 00:25:53,410 --> 00:25:53,539 I was like- 452 00:25:56,416 --> 00:25:58,536 Guy on YouTube took a lot longer than that. 453 00:26:00,146 --> 00:26:01,146 It was so amazing. 454 00:26:01,146 --> 00:26:03,826 He goes, "Yeah, I didn't even have to use all the tools I brought." 455 00:26:05,216 --> 00:26:07,396 A random act of kindness. 456 00:26:08,666 --> 00:26:11,446 Just that's what a good Christian does. 457 00:26:12,216 --> 00:26:14,916 And we didn't even ask him for help, but we accepted it. 458 00:26:14,956 --> 00:26:15,456 Amen? 459 00:26:15,886 --> 00:26:15,926 Amen. 460 00:26:16,396 --> 00:26:22,016 Nurturing autonomy, living independent as a non-neighbor. 461 00:26:23,416 --> 00:26:27,816 You know, in, in California, we go in and out of our garages, don't 462 00:26:27,816 --> 00:26:29,536 we, or in and out of our driveway. 463 00:26:31,146 --> 00:26:33,706 You know, we need to get a dog or something to walk 464 00:26:33,706 --> 00:26:35,256 it around the neighborhood. 465 00:26:36,086 --> 00:26:39,685 You know, we need to bring our grandkids down and walk around the 466 00:26:39,686 --> 00:26:41,956 neighborhood to meet our neighbors. 467 00:26:42,906 --> 00:26:46,186 You know, sometimes I'll see my neighbors outside, I'll just run 468 00:26:46,186 --> 00:26:49,546 out of the house just to be able to start up a conversation 'cause you 469 00:26:49,546 --> 00:26:51,436 don't get that many opportunities. 470 00:26:52,376 --> 00:26:54,896 And I even live in one of these neighborhoods where the houses 471 00:26:54,896 --> 00:26:57,016 are inches apart, you know? 472 00:26:57,306 --> 00:26:58,616 There's a lot of neighbors. 473 00:26:59,076 --> 00:27:00,026 There's a lot of them- Yeah 474 00:27:01,206 --> 00:27:04,076 but you don't get to meet them very naturally. 475 00:27:04,575 --> 00:27:10,625 We just go in and out of our house, and so there isn't that opportunity to be kind. 476 00:27:11,056 --> 00:27:16,665 Exalting productivity, times too precious to help other people. 477 00:27:17,685 --> 00:27:18,845 Are we too busy? 478 00:27:19,355 --> 00:27:20,446 That's the next one. 479 00:27:20,526 --> 00:27:24,866 Compartmentalizing life, over scheduling our time. 480 00:27:26,026 --> 00:27:31,795 You know, I did this for years, and now I try to leave breaks in my schedule, 481 00:27:31,906 --> 00:27:34,696 afternoons where I can be interrupted. 482 00:27:35,956 --> 00:27:40,105 And I used to, whenever I had a plan even for the day, and I got interrupted, 483 00:27:40,105 --> 00:27:42,645 I'd go home and I'd be just be anxious. 484 00:27:43,425 --> 00:27:45,415 "Oh, I didn't get as much done as I planned on it." 485 00:27:46,656 --> 00:27:52,015 And now I go home and think, "Hey," I say, "I got interrupted, and I was able to help 486 00:27:52,026 --> 00:27:54,216 somebody or do something for someone." 487 00:27:54,736 --> 00:27:59,996 And most of my interruptions now are phone calls, phone calls I don't expect. 488 00:28:00,016 --> 00:28:04,366 They come from all over the country sometimes or just from different members. 489 00:28:04,706 --> 00:28:06,765 Don't hesitate to call, guys. 490 00:28:07,355 --> 00:28:10,105 That can be my act of kindness. 491 00:28:10,245 --> 00:28:12,496 Don't steal my reward from heaven. 492 00:28:12,926 --> 00:28:14,036 Interrupt me, all right? 493 00:28:14,995 --> 00:28:18,045 So I can get, do what I'm preaching. 494 00:28:18,045 --> 00:28:18,505 Amen? 495 00:28:18,505 --> 00:28:19,346 Amen. 496 00:28:19,346 --> 00:28:21,046 How do you cultivate kindness? 497 00:28:21,435 --> 00:28:24,545 Remembering our story. 498 00:28:26,105 --> 00:28:29,865 None of us are fully, completely self-made men and women. 499 00:28:30,876 --> 00:28:31,716 We needed help. 500 00:28:33,135 --> 00:28:36,476 College students co- uh, high school students going off to college, let 501 00:28:36,476 --> 00:28:39,715 me give you the very best advice from somebody that went to college 502 00:28:39,725 --> 00:28:41,555 for about 30 years, all right? 503 00:28:43,256 --> 00:28:45,625 You don't get by without help. 504 00:28:47,770 --> 00:28:48,250 You know? 505 00:28:48,740 --> 00:28:50,650 Almost dropped out of engineering. 506 00:28:51,350 --> 00:28:56,030 And then I found a guy, an upperclassman, in my dorm. 507 00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:58,170 He was an electrical engineer. 508 00:28:58,170 --> 00:29:03,330 He didn't even study civil engineering, but he could do, help me do my homework. 509 00:29:03,870 --> 00:29:09,020 Instead of me just knocking my head against the wall for hours upon hours, he 510 00:29:09,020 --> 00:29:11,510 could explain it in ways the professors… 511 00:29:11,540 --> 00:29:14,830 Most of my professors never turned, turned around and looked at us. 512 00:29:14,830 --> 00:29:16,270 They just wrote on the board. 513 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:17,820 They talked to the board. 514 00:29:18,430 --> 00:29:19,960 Th- th- most of them were foreign. 515 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:20,930 They had accents. 516 00:29:20,970 --> 00:29:22,570 I couldn't understand them anyway. 517 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:25,070 I needed help. 518 00:29:25,750 --> 00:29:30,220 And then I found that you could go talking to TAs, and that they would 519 00:29:30,220 --> 00:29:33,350 open their door, and they had office hours, and they would help you. 520 00:29:33,570 --> 00:29:37,450 Every time I'd go to a professor, they'd just use the Socratic method. 521 00:29:37,450 --> 00:29:40,570 I'd say, "Hey, I need some help understanding this," and they'd say, 522 00:29:40,570 --> 00:29:42,049 "Well, what do you know about it?" 523 00:29:43,370 --> 00:29:44,400 Not enough. 524 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:48,149 "Well, what have you tried to do to learn?" 525 00:29:48,940 --> 00:29:50,480 "Well, I read the book." 526 00:29:51,410 --> 00:29:52,769 "Well, read it again." 527 00:29:53,730 --> 00:29:55,030 And they'd send me away. 528 00:29:55,950 --> 00:29:59,840 But the TAs, they'd even tell you what was on the test. 529 00:29:59,850 --> 00:30:04,699 So anyway, that wa- that's, uh- … just a thought to think about, all right? 530 00:30:05,490 --> 00:30:07,050 None of us are self-made. 531 00:30:07,660 --> 00:30:09,349 Nurturing connections. 532 00:30:09,380 --> 00:30:13,130 Seek out ways to help and be helped. 533 00:30:13,539 --> 00:30:15,480 Listening to one another. 534 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:22,449 It's com- can be one of the kindest things you do to validate each other's reality. 535 00:30:23,209 --> 00:30:26,340 Af- affirmation, advice, admonishment. 536 00:30:27,050 --> 00:30:29,579 And then practice statio. 537 00:30:30,539 --> 00:30:34,189 Benedictine, this is one of Victine- Benedictine's rules. 538 00:30:34,830 --> 00:30:38,430 Stop doing one thing before you start another. 539 00:30:39,649 --> 00:30:40,989 Uh-oh, I'm in trouble. 540 00:30:42,010 --> 00:30:44,619 For all you multitaskers, I'm in trouble, right? 541 00:30:46,938 --> 00:30:52,458 But if you really are gonna give yourself fully, just focus. 542 00:30:53,258 --> 00:30:54,358 Be in the moment. 543 00:30:55,138 --> 00:30:58,388 Don't have your mind wandering all over the place. 544 00:30:58,388 --> 00:31:01,318 You can't be kind unless you're present with people. 545 00:31:01,518 --> 00:31:05,438 Some of the kindest people you know, it, they, they'll, you'll 546 00:31:05,438 --> 00:31:09,808 say a- about them later, "It seemed like I was the only person in the 547 00:31:09,808 --> 00:31:11,268 room when they were talking to me. 548 00:31:12,078 --> 00:31:13,848 They gave me their full attention. 549 00:31:14,618 --> 00:31:15,538 They looked me in the eye. 550 00:31:15,558 --> 00:31:16,648 They focused on me. 551 00:31:16,648 --> 00:31:20,178 They made me feel so heard, so special." 552 00:31:21,157 --> 00:31:23,778 My campus minister, Tom Brown, had that gift. 553 00:31:24,088 --> 00:31:24,138 Come on. 554 00:31:24,738 --> 00:31:29,528 You could talk to him for 30 seconds, and you just felt different. 555 00:31:30,988 --> 00:31:31,058 Yeah. 556 00:31:31,067 --> 00:31:32,888 How he made you feel. 557 00:31:34,388 --> 00:31:38,958 One of the quotes I read, "Kindness is making people feel better 558 00:31:39,078 --> 00:31:40,938 after they've talked to you." 559 00:31:41,907 --> 00:31:44,978 Stop one thing before beginning another. 560 00:31:46,188 --> 00:31:48,248 Guys, let's be more spiritual, amen? 561 00:31:48,338 --> 00:31:48,378 Amen. 562 00:31:49,008 --> 00:31:53,128 Let's have hungry hearts, honest hearts, humble hearts, happy hearts. 563 00:31:53,137 --> 00:31:57,667 Not hard hearts, hollow hearts, half hearts, or hidden hearts. 564 00:31:58,188 --> 00:32:00,167 Lack of prayer means you don't need God. 565 00:32:00,198 --> 00:32:01,177 You got a hard heart. 566 00:32:01,748 --> 00:32:05,807 Lack of silence and listening to God think is a hollow heart, meaning 567 00:32:05,807 --> 00:32:07,598 you think you have the answers. 568 00:32:08,018 --> 00:32:12,497 Lack of gratitude is a half heart, and a lack of purpose is a hidden heart. 569 00:32:12,548 --> 00:32:15,657 Let's have full hearts. 570 00:32:15,667 --> 00:32:15,697 Yes. 571 00:32:16,678 --> 00:32:17,947 Here's where we start. 572 00:32:18,938 --> 00:32:20,717 Help people in your family first 573 00:32:23,930 --> 00:32:28,770 Sometimes those are the hardest people to help, 'cause then they're gonna expect it. 574 00:32:29,930 --> 00:32:30,700 That's okay. 575 00:32:31,590 --> 00:32:33,770 Help those in your household. 576 00:32:34,660 --> 00:32:36,380 Help a brother or sister. 577 00:32:36,390 --> 00:32:38,900 Somebody in this room's gonna need your help this week. 578 00:32:39,690 --> 00:32:40,120 Help them. 579 00:32:41,170 --> 00:32:43,200 Find out who they are, even in fellowship. 580 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,780 Don't take off before you find someone you can help. 581 00:32:46,770 --> 00:32:47,740 Help a neighbor. 582 00:32:48,330 --> 00:32:50,030 You might have to knock on a few doors. 583 00:32:50,030 --> 00:32:51,960 You may have to search around. 584 00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:55,550 You may have to ask a few neighbors, "Who maybe needs some help?" 585 00:32:56,279 --> 00:32:56,739 You know? 586 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:58,530 Everybody needs a little help. 587 00:32:59,330 --> 00:33:01,120 Takes two people to move a dresser. 588 00:33:02,270 --> 00:33:02,710 All right? 589 00:33:04,010 --> 00:33:08,100 Lot of people need help, lot of neighbors, strangers. 590 00:33:08,620 --> 00:33:09,960 This is the hardest. 591 00:33:10,620 --> 00:33:12,839 Try to help a stranger. 592 00:33:14,210 --> 00:33:15,270 Try to help a stranger. 593 00:33:16,469 --> 00:33:22,820 You know, most people that are working for minimum wage, give them a big tip. 594 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:25,960 Shock them one of these days. 595 00:33:27,700 --> 00:33:29,950 Not just the 10 or 20%. 596 00:33:30,049 --> 00:33:31,629 I mean, blow it out. 597 00:33:32,970 --> 00:33:37,760 I mean, give them so much they wanna give you change, and then don't take it. 598 00:33:37,979 --> 00:33:38,499 Amen? 599 00:33:38,869 --> 00:33:40,889 Help a stranger. 600 00:33:42,119 --> 00:33:42,769 Why? 601 00:33:44,299 --> 00:33:50,080 Because Jesus said the one who had mercy, kindness on him, 602 00:33:50,869 --> 00:33:52,579 that's who we wanna imitate. 603 00:33:53,229 --> 00:33:56,230 So go and do likewise. 604 00:33:56,279 --> 00:33:56,870 Amen? 605 00:33:58,872 --> 00:34:00,512 Kindness to all. 606 00:34:02,132 --> 00:34:03,942 I'm not naturally a kind person. 607 00:34:04,722 --> 00:34:08,141 It's why God gave me a great wife that's so kind. 608 00:34:09,542 --> 00:34:10,572 She's always kind. 609 00:34:11,592 --> 00:34:14,032 I can g- I can be grumpy at times. 610 00:34:14,422 --> 00:34:15,002 I know. 611 00:34:15,242 --> 00:34:17,601 I know you can't picture it, but yeah. 612 00:34:19,032 --> 00:34:20,871 And she's always kind in return. 613 00:34:22,192 --> 00:34:25,911 And then that makes me feel bad and guilty, and then I'm kind. 614 00:34:26,842 --> 00:34:27,562 It's good. 615 00:34:28,212 --> 00:34:30,572 Keep those burning coals, you kind people. 616 00:34:31,112 --> 00:34:32,342 It's good for us. 617 00:34:32,962 --> 00:34:33,722 Kindness. 618 00:34:34,362 --> 00:34:39,422 Even in worship, guys, when we take of the Lord's supper, we're giving and receiving. 619 00:34:40,032 --> 00:34:41,592 That's kindness from God. 620 00:34:42,112 --> 00:34:48,081 In worship, we're expressing how grateful we are t- for God's kindness to us. 621 00:34:48,752 --> 00:34:52,212 When we're serving other people and sacrificing and helping 622 00:34:52,212 --> 00:34:54,232 others, we're becoming more kind. 623 00:34:54,672 --> 00:35:01,281 And then as we struggle with being kind, we get to know ourselves better and how 624 00:35:01,282 --> 00:35:03,742 much we need to be more spiritual, amen? 625 00:35:03,742 --> 00:35:04,931 Amen. 626 00:35:04,931 --> 00:35:05,491 Amen. 627 00:35:06,062 --> 00:35:08,282 Let me bless you with a prayer and then we'll close. 628 00:35:08,912 --> 00:35:12,382 God and Father, we bow before you at this time because we need 629 00:35:12,382 --> 00:35:16,531 and want and desire the fruits of the Spirit with all our being. 630 00:35:16,812 --> 00:35:18,282 We wanna be like your Son. 631 00:35:18,282 --> 00:35:20,261 We wanna be our best selves. 632 00:35:20,321 --> 00:35:23,682 We want to be radiant lights in this dark world. 633 00:35:24,052 --> 00:35:30,401 Father, we see things sometimes going from, from, from better to worse, 634 00:35:30,421 --> 00:35:34,431 and, Father, we, we want things to get better, and we wanna be a part of that. 635 00:35:34,452 --> 00:35:37,301 We want to do random acts of kindness. 636 00:35:37,302 --> 00:35:40,162 We want this guerrilla kindness to take effect. 637 00:35:40,421 --> 00:35:41,931 We want to pay it forward. 638 00:35:41,931 --> 00:35:46,912 And so, Father, give us the thoughts, give us the desire, give us the heart, give us 639 00:35:46,921 --> 00:35:49,542 the spirit to be able to do these things. 640 00:35:49,542 --> 00:35:55,302 We need you in Christ's holy, holy, holy, sacred name we pray. 641 00:35:55,912 --> 00:35:58,081 And the people said, amen. 642 00:35:58,081 --> 00:35:58,491 Amen. 643 00:35:58,491 --> 00:35:59,172 God bless.