1 00:00:07,660 --> 00:00:12,063 Welcome to Crowd Church. It's great to be with you tonight, whether you're here 2 00:00:12,063 --> 00:00:16,466 tonight, 7 o'clock Sunday live, or you're listening to a pre-record. I'm joined 3 00:00:16,466 --> 00:00:20,870 today by the wonderful Jan. 4 00:00:20,980 --> 00:00:26,884 Hi, hi, hi everyone. Nice to be here, whether you're here for the first time or 5 00:00:26,884 --> 00:00:32,789 If it's your 29th time, um, you're very welcome to be here. 6 00:00:33,490 --> 00:00:39,070 So, um, yeah, well, we have tonight, we're continuing these, this new series, 7 00:00:39,070 --> 00:00:44,649 Jesus the Revolutionary, which is, yeah, it's been brilliant so far. Um, and 8 00:00:44,649 --> 00:00:50,229 we've got the wonderful Will joining us today. Hi, Will. 9 00:00:50,469 --> 00:00:52,539 Hello, hello. Good evening. How are you both? 10 00:00:52,869 --> 00:00:52,969 Good. 11 00:00:53,020 --> 00:00:53,979 Yeah, well, thank you. 12 00:00:54,060 --> 00:00:55,740 Yeah, are you all prepped and ready? 13 00:00:56,079 --> 00:00:57,920 All prepped and ready. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 14 00:00:57,969 --> 00:01:03,063 So we Um, we're doing this series, and if you've not been to Crowd or listened 15 00:01:03,063 --> 00:01:08,156 to Crowd before, um, Will's going to do the talk, and then we will have 16 00:01:08,156 --> 00:01:13,250 Conversation Street where we'll answer questions. So anything, just in the 17 00:01:13,250 --> 00:01:18,343 comments, just put questions, and we'd love to be able to try and answer those 18 00:01:18,343 --> 00:01:23,436 and discuss them afterwards. Um, just to let you know, we've got Will today. Um, 19 00:01:23,436 --> 00:01:28,530 next week I'm doing the talk. 20 00:01:28,659 --> 00:01:28,890 Yeah. 21 00:01:29,450 --> 00:01:32,879 Um, about Mary and Martha, which is looking forward to doing. 22 00:01:33,069 --> 00:01:33,840 That'd be really good. 23 00:01:34,099 --> 00:01:38,908 And also every Tuesday we just started another Alpha. So last Tuesday another 24 00:01:38,908 --> 00:01:43,716 Alpha started. So if you're interested in Alpha course, just a great way to find 25 00:01:43,716 --> 00:01:48,525 out about Jesus, to informal, just ask questions, no wrong questions, no, it's 26 00:01:48,525 --> 00:01:53,333 just It's great, and we had about 14 people, um, last week. It was brilliant. 27 00:01:53,333 --> 00:01:58,141 Yeah, really good. But it's not too late if you want to join, uh, onto that, 28 00:01:58,141 --> 00:02:02,950 onto that group, then you'd be more than welcome. 29 00:02:04,430 --> 00:02:05,250 So great. 30 00:02:05,939 --> 00:02:07,250 I think Will would— 31 00:02:08,900 --> 00:02:14,973 oh, I'm sorry, just catching up on my Facebook. No, that's fine. Hello, hello. 32 00:02:14,973 --> 00:02:21,046 So yeah, good evening. Um, as Dan said, we've been looking in this series about 33 00:02:21,046 --> 00:02:27,119 Jesus the Revolutionary. And so far it's focused on His interactions with 34 00:02:27,119 --> 00:02:33,192 different people. Tonight we switch context a little, and since we're British, 35 00:02:33,192 --> 00:02:39,265 we talk about the weather. So we're looking into the well-known story of Jesus 36 00:02:39,265 --> 00:02:45,338 calming the storm, and you can find this, if you've got a Bible, in Mark 4, 37 00:02:45,338 --> 00:02:51,412 starting at verse 35. So I'm just going to read that scripture now. That day 38 00:02:51,412 --> 00:02:57,485 when evening came, he said to his disciples, 'Let us go over to the other side.' 39 00:02:57,485 --> 00:03:03,558 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along just as he was in the boat. There 40 00:03:03,558 --> 00:03:09,631 were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up and the waves broke 41 00:03:09,631 --> 00:03:15,704 over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern sleeping on 42 00:03:15,704 --> 00:03:21,777 a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don't you care if 43 00:03:21,777 --> 00:03:27,850 we drown?' He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be 44 00:03:27,850 --> 00:03:33,924 still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his 45 00:03:33,924 --> 00:03:39,997 disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They were 46 00:03:39,997 --> 00:03:46,070 terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey 47 00:03:46,070 --> 00:03:52,143 him.' That's Mark 4:35 to the end of the chapter. My earnest prayer life began 48 00:03:52,143 --> 00:03:58,216 at the age of 6, and we generally go camping by the sea for summer holidays as a 49 00:03:58,216 --> 00:04:04,289 family, and every night I would pray, "Thank you, God, for a lovely day. Please 50 00:04:04,289 --> 00:04:10,362 can we have another one tomorrow?" I do remember a very sunny holiday, and it's 51 00:04:10,362 --> 00:04:16,436 easy to dismiss the rather self-centered prayers of a child and perhaps their 52 00:04:16,436 --> 00:04:22,509 coincidence for sunny week in July in the UK. But I have continued periodically 53 00:04:22,509 --> 00:04:28,582 to pray for the weather over the years, and I remember more answers than not. My 54 00:04:28,582 --> 00:04:34,655 favorite story is a cycling holiday in the west coast of Scotland, um, with a 55 00:04:34,655 --> 00:04:40,728 very good friend of mine. And the plan was we get an overnight train from 56 00:04:40,728 --> 00:04:46,801 Liverpool. This was back when I was, I don't know, early 20s. Overnight train 57 00:04:46,801 --> 00:04:52,875 from Liverpool So, we got out into the Highlands about half past 6 in the 58 00:04:52,875 --> 00:04:58,948 morning and we cycled down Glencoe. Now, Glencoe, if you don't know it, is a 59 00:04:58,948 --> 00:05:05,021 very large glaciated valley, a beautiful kind of U-shaped valley, massive 60 00:05:05,021 --> 00:05:11,094 mountains either side down towards the sea. It's absolutely beautiful. Going 61 00:05:11,094 --> 00:05:17,167 down Glencoe is a better idea than going up it if you're on a bike. Anyway. We 62 00:05:17,167 --> 00:05:23,240 got off the train, no sleep, 6:30 in the morning. Also, if you know the 63 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:29,313 Highlands of Scotland, the midges descended, absolutely eaten alive within about 64 00:05:29,313 --> 00:05:35,387 30 seconds. And we started cycling. Now I'd been to Glencoe as a kid on a family 65 00:05:35,387 --> 00:05:41,460 holiday. And I remembered, I just had this memory of this incredible place. My 66 00:05:41,460 --> 00:05:47,533 friend that I was cycling with had never been there. So I was really looking 67 00:05:47,533 --> 00:05:53,606 forward to showing him. But 6:30 in the morning, midges and cloud, not quite in 68 00:05:53,606 --> 00:05:59,679 front of your face, but very, very low cloud, no views, very soggy, classic 69 00:05:59,679 --> 00:06:05,752 Scottish weather. And as we were cycling, my friend was beginning to question 70 00:06:05,752 --> 00:06:11,825 more and more the wisdom of this idea of this cycling holiday. And we started 71 00:06:11,825 --> 00:06:17,899 going down Glencoe, and to be honest, it was miserable. We were so tired, we 72 00:06:17,899 --> 00:06:23,972 were wet, eaten alive. But as I was cycling, I kind of had in my mind, and I did 73 00:06:23,972 --> 00:06:30,045 sort of start praying it, just what it would be like if the sun just started 74 00:06:30,045 --> 00:06:36,118 coming through the clouds and the clouds lifted and we start to see this 75 00:06:36,118 --> 00:06:42,191 magnificence. What a great way to begin our holiday. Um, and 10 minutes later, 76 00:06:42,191 --> 00:06:48,264 that exact thing happened, exactly as I'd seen it in my mind, started to happen 77 00:06:48,264 --> 00:06:54,338 in front of me as I was cycling down this road. And it got to the point where 78 00:06:54,338 --> 00:07:00,411 the clouds just completely lifted, these shafts of sunlight coming through, the 79 00:07:00,411 --> 00:07:06,484 mountains were there, blue, blue sky. And I just shouted to my friend, said, 80 00:07:06,484 --> 00:07:12,557 "Stop, stop, stop, stop!" And I told him about basically what I prayed about a 81 00:07:12,557 --> 00:07:18,630 quarter of an hour before. We then had the most incredible week cycling all up 82 00:07:18,630 --> 00:07:24,703 to Skye in beautiful sunshine. But so what? Surely God has got better things to 83 00:07:24,703 --> 00:07:30,776 do and changed the weather. Something about that story was that it was probably 84 00:07:30,776 --> 00:07:36,850 the first time I really understood God's love for me. We'd both been serving on 85 00:07:36,850 --> 00:07:42,923 a summer camp with lots of young people, and it had been a really hard work 86 00:07:42,923 --> 00:07:48,996 month, but brilliant. And people had come to faith, and people had grown in 87 00:07:48,996 --> 00:07:55,069 their faith, and it was just— and in my sort of slightly naive young mind, I 88 00:07:55,069 --> 00:08:01,142 thought, oh, maybe this is God just like, you know, rewarding us by giving us 89 00:08:01,142 --> 00:08:07,215 this beautiful day cycling down Glencoe. And I thought, don't be stupid. But we 90 00:08:07,215 --> 00:08:13,288 were the only ones in that valley, and it just struck me that God would do that, 91 00:08:13,288 --> 00:08:19,362 just kind of shift the clouds and give us the most awesome view that I will 92 00:08:19,362 --> 00:08:25,435 never forget, um, just because he loved us. So there was that. But sometimes, of 93 00:08:25,435 --> 00:08:31,508 course, there is much more at stake than having a nice day out. Two quick 94 00:08:31,508 --> 00:08:37,581 further stories, one from the Bible and one from living memory. There'd been a 95 00:08:37,581 --> 00:08:43,654 drought in Israel and no rain for 3 years, and this account is in the book of 1 96 00:08:43,654 --> 00:08:49,727 Kings chapter 18. And the prophet Elijah had a big standoff with the in vogue 97 00:08:49,727 --> 00:08:55,800 priests of the idol Baal. And he says to the king Ahab, "Get home, the rain is 98 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:01,874 coming." Now there had been clear skies for 3 years and the sky was still 99 00:09:01,874 --> 00:09:07,947 cloudless. But God had said to Elijah he was bringing rain, and so Elijah was 100 00:09:07,947 --> 00:09:14,020 operating out of faith. He then goes up to a hilltop and starts to pray, 101 00:09:14,020 --> 00:09:20,093 earnestly pray. It describes him as having his face between his knees, a 102 00:09:20,093 --> 00:09:26,166 position of humility, but also sometimes likened to a position where you might 103 00:09:26,166 --> 00:09:32,239 give birth. Jan, as a midwife, can correct me on that one. 3 times, While he's 104 00:09:32,239 --> 00:09:38,313 praying, he sends his servant to scour the horizon for an answer. 3 times, 3 and 105 00:09:38,313 --> 00:09:44,386 a half years of blue sky. On the third time, the servant sees a cloud rising 106 00:09:44,386 --> 00:09:50,459 from the sea the size of a man's fist. Soon after, the sky was black and heavy 107 00:09:50,459 --> 00:09:56,532 rains came. The second story is to reclaim the spiritual heritage of the Battle 108 00:09:56,532 --> 00:10:02,605 of Dunkirk. Um, this episode early in the Second World War when the majority of 109 00:10:02,605 --> 00:10:08,678 the British Army was about to be wiped out. And there was a great Christopher 110 00:10:08,678 --> 00:10:14,751 Nolan film made in the past few years— great, except it completely scrubbed one 111 00:10:14,751 --> 00:10:20,825 of the most essential elements. In May 1940, Nazi Germany had invaded the 112 00:10:20,825 --> 00:10:26,898 Netherlands, Belgium, and France, and there were 400,000 exhausted Allied troops 113 00:10:26,898 --> 00:10:32,971 who'd been retreating and were driven back to the Channel coast. They were 114 00:10:32,971 --> 00:10:39,044 pinned down and surrounded finally at Dunkirk, which is a seaside town with a 115 00:10:39,044 --> 00:10:45,117 very long sandy beach. Instead of continuing in for the kill, the Nazi 116 00:10:45,117 --> 00:10:51,190 commanders preferred to bomb the clustered troops from the air at leisure and 117 00:10:51,190 --> 00:10:57,263 also decrease risk to their vehicles, their tanks, etc., and their troops. And 118 00:10:57,263 --> 00:11:03,337 on the 24th of May, King George VI in England called for a national day of 119 00:11:03,337 --> 00:11:09,410 prayer. And tens of thousands poured into churches and synagogues. You, you can 120 00:11:09,410 --> 00:11:15,483 see online, you can find old photos of queues to get into Westminster Abbey that 121 00:11:15,483 --> 00:11:21,556 day to pray. Now, at first it was only naval ships being used to transport 122 00:11:21,556 --> 00:11:27,629 troops back over the Channel to England, and their size meant that getting right 123 00:11:27,629 --> 00:11:33,702 up to the beach was difficult and evacuation was really slow. There was 700— 124 00:11:33,702 --> 00:11:39,776 7,600 or so in the first day. These ships were also large and making, making 125 00:11:39,776 --> 00:11:45,849 them very vulnerable targets for the German aircraft to bomb. Many were lost in 126 00:11:45,849 --> 00:11:51,922 those first few days. Now the hope at that point amongst the Allies was that 127 00:11:51,922 --> 00:11:57,995 with luck on their side, they might rescue 45,000 before the Germans would block 128 00:11:57,995 --> 00:12:04,068 further evacuation and close in. So in desperation, small boats and their owners 129 00:12:04,068 --> 00:12:10,141 were enlisted all along the south coast to assist with the evacuation, but these 130 00:12:10,141 --> 00:12:16,214 were much more vulnerable to the rough sea conditions the Channel was prone to. 131 00:12:16,214 --> 00:12:22,288 Miracles were needed and miracles were prayed for. Over the following 8 days, 3 132 00:12:22,288 --> 00:12:28,361 weather interventions turned disaster to salvation. First were days and days of 133 00:12:28,361 --> 00:12:34,434 rain and low cloud limiting the effectiveness of attacks from the air. Second 134 00:12:34,434 --> 00:12:40,507 was the blowing of bomb smoke from attacks on the town to cover the beaches and 135 00:12:40,507 --> 00:12:46,580 obscure the extent of the evacuations being achieved. And third was the sudden 136 00:12:46,580 --> 00:12:52,653 lull in wind and waves the day the largest flotilla of small boats sailed. The 137 00:12:52,653 --> 00:12:58,726 Channel that day was described as a millpond, very unusual, and these factors 138 00:12:58,726 --> 00:13:04,800 culminated in the largest evacuation day of over 68,000 troops on the 31st of 139 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:10,873 May. In all, bearing in mind they'd expected 45,000 to be rescued, Over 330,000 140 00:13:10,873 --> 00:13:16,946 were eventually saved and brought back to England. So why am I telling you 141 00:13:16,946 --> 00:13:23,019 stories of changes in weather in response to prayer? I want to make 3 brief 142 00:13:23,019 --> 00:13:29,092 points: Jesus is God, Jesus cares, and Jesus does not abandon us to our fears. 143 00:13:29,092 --> 00:13:35,165 In the Bible passage we just read, Jesus commands the weather and the weather 144 00:13:35,165 --> 00:13:41,239 obeys. And as I've outlined in those stories I've told, it's for God and God 145 00:13:41,239 --> 00:13:47,312 alone to transform the weather. Even with our sophistication and the control of 146 00:13:47,312 --> 00:13:53,385 our lives and cities with technology, weather is still mostly outside our remit. 147 00:13:53,385 --> 00:13:59,458 We are much better at predicting it than we ever have been, but we mostly cannot 148 00:13:59,458 --> 00:14:05,531 change it. But as well as the weather in this story, Jesus also commands the 149 00:14:05,531 --> 00:14:11,604 sea. And for the majority of Jewish people, the sea was associated with turmoil 150 00:14:11,604 --> 00:14:17,677 and death, which is why in visions of heaven there is apparently no more sea, 151 00:14:17,677 --> 00:14:23,751 which always disappointed me when I was younger. In Psalm 89, God is worshiped 152 00:14:23,751 --> 00:14:29,824 as ruling the raging sea and stilling the waves. So, by his command over the 153 00:14:29,824 --> 00:14:35,897 wind and the waves, Jesus was clearly aligning himself with the divine. Others 154 00:14:35,897 --> 00:14:41,970 have prayed to God in the Bible and were answered, as we've seen. Jesus directly 155 00:14:41,970 --> 00:14:48,043 commanded. It was his spoken word that canceled the storm. It's no wonder that 156 00:14:48,043 --> 00:14:54,116 his followers were terrified in the sudden calm. Who Is this? But not only is 157 00:14:54,116 --> 00:15:00,189 Jesus God, Jesus cares. There are actually plenty of weather gods that many have 158 00:15:00,189 --> 00:15:06,263 worshipped over millennia. There's Zeus, Thor, Indra, Vajrapā��i, just to say a 159 00:15:06,263 --> 00:15:12,336 few. Worship of these gods seeks to placate the gods' wilder tendencies with 160 00:15:12,336 --> 00:15:18,409 sacrifice and service. Those gods didn't really care. They needed to be buttered 161 00:15:18,409 --> 00:15:24,482 up, if you like. But we see no such ritual or offering here, just a desperate 162 00:15:24,482 --> 00:15:30,555 help from men well used to sailing and weather, but nevertheless fearing for 163 00:15:30,555 --> 00:15:36,628 their lives. Now, in the passage we've read, these men directly challenge Jesus, 164 00:15:36,628 --> 00:15:42,701 "Don't you care?" They're indignant Jesus can sleep in in apparent peace while 165 00:15:42,701 --> 00:15:48,775 they're struggling for their lives. But Jesus does not care less. He's not a God 166 00:15:48,775 --> 00:15:54,848 needing placating with sacrifice. Jesus is just completely at peace about the 167 00:15:54,848 --> 00:16:00,921 whole situation. He knows absolutely his identity as the Son of God. He knows 168 00:16:00,921 --> 00:16:06,994 absolutely the authority he has. As a bit of an aside, what's astonishing is 169 00:16:06,994 --> 00:16:13,067 that through his Spirit, and this is in Matthew 28:18, he bestows that same 170 00:16:13,067 --> 00:16:19,140 identity and authority on all who follow him and call him Lord. Jesus knows they 171 00:16:19,140 --> 00:16:25,214 are not on the verge of disaster in the boat, but he also wants these followers 172 00:16:25,214 --> 00:16:31,287 of his to recognize who he truly is. He also wants them to grow in faith. And 173 00:16:31,287 --> 00:16:37,360 this brings us to our third point: Jesus does not abandon us to our fears. I 174 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:43,433 think in this account, Jesus is demonstrating that he's not just a fixer— "Don't 175 00:16:43,433 --> 00:16:49,506 trouble yourselves, I'll take care of it." He's also not an overprotective 176 00:16:49,506 --> 00:16:55,579 parent, keeping us well away from any challenge or upset. His care extends to 177 00:16:55,579 --> 00:17:01,652 walking with us through our fears, mastering them, knowing our true identity in 178 00:17:01,652 --> 00:17:07,726 the midst of them, and beginning to think and act accordingly. Now, there's a 179 00:17:07,726 --> 00:17:13,799 common misconception, it seems, that faith in God, and perhaps especially faith 180 00:17:13,799 --> 00:17:19,872 in Jesus, transports us somehow into a perfectly managed existence of peace and 181 00:17:19,872 --> 00:17:25,945 joy and wholeness. Nothing goes wrong, no accidents happen, no harm befalls us. 182 00:17:25,945 --> 00:17:32,018 Christians safely living in the in-crowd, guaranteed priority boarding to 183 00:17:32,018 --> 00:17:38,091 heaven, all the perks implied. This is faith billed as a protective magic charm. 184 00:17:38,091 --> 00:17:44,164 Faith as a ticket to the first-class lounge, if you like. But Jesus viewed it 185 00:17:44,164 --> 00:17:50,238 very differently and modeled it differently by his life. He said to his 186 00:17:50,238 --> 00:17:56,311 followers, 'In this world you will have trouble.' And certainly in his life he 187 00:17:56,311 --> 00:18:02,384 did. Or perhaps our modern rational selves would tend towards perfect control, 188 00:18:02,384 --> 00:18:08,457 managing for every eventuality through following the best teaching or process, 189 00:18:08,457 --> 00:18:14,530 making sure we have all bases covered just in case, playing it safe. And this is 190 00:18:14,530 --> 00:18:20,603 faith as a self-help guide, a cast-iron guarantee life hack. Faith is a premium 191 00:18:20,603 --> 00:18:26,677 insurance policy. But as the famous modern philosopher Mike Tyson once said, 192 00:18:26,677 --> 00:18:32,750 everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the head. Neither of these are 193 00:18:32,750 --> 00:18:38,823 the faith Jesus is training his disciples in, and to extension, us. The storm 194 00:18:38,823 --> 00:18:44,896 came. Jesus in the boat wasn't a magic charm protection. Jesus knew the storm 195 00:18:44,896 --> 00:18:50,969 would come and yet still allowed or even told his disciples to row across the 196 00:18:50,969 --> 00:18:57,042 lake. Following Jesus' instructions didn't keep them from danger. Yes, Jesus did 197 00:18:57,042 --> 00:19:03,115 rescue people where they were helpless to rescue themselves. And yes, he did 198 00:19:03,115 --> 00:19:09,189 teach and outline a way of life that would bring fullness and joy. Connection 199 00:19:09,189 --> 00:19:15,262 and eternity. And make no mistake, belief in Christ is a guarantee for eternity. 200 00:19:15,262 --> 00:19:21,335 But here, in this boat, in a terrifying swell and dark clouds, he wanted his 201 00:19:21,335 --> 00:19:27,408 followers to know, "I am with you. You are mine. You are safe. Do not fear." He 202 00:19:27,408 --> 00:19:33,481 met them in their place of terror. And he demonstrated he had authority to 203 00:19:33,481 --> 00:19:39,554 protect them in that place. So by Jesus' word, he demonstrates he is God, 204 00:19:39,554 --> 00:19:45,627 demonstrates he cares, and he will not abandon us in difficulty. I wonder what 205 00:19:45,627 --> 00:19:51,701 the proverbial storm you are needing reassurance in is. Have you given up crying 206 00:19:51,701 --> 00:19:57,774 out for help? Does God seem altogether too relaxed about the situation you find 207 00:19:57,774 --> 00:20:03,847 yourself in? I encourage you not to stop asking. I encourage you to ask Jesus 208 00:20:03,847 --> 00:20:09,920 his perspective on it. And I encourage you that, in my experience, you will not 209 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:15,993 be abandoned. Jesus lived among us, but he was never wholly one of us. He is a 210 00:20:15,993 --> 00:20:22,066 solid rock in a storm. He's not flustered by what threatens to tear us apart, 211 00:20:22,066 --> 00:20:28,140 but he does care and he is able. 212 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:37,803 Thank you, Will. Yeah. He does care, doesn't he? He does. Um, that was great. 213 00:20:37,803 --> 00:20:43,206 Thank you very much for that. Jan, yeah, where do we go? What, what came to— 214 00:20:43,206 --> 00:20:48,609 what was the thing that stood out to you? 215 00:20:49,019 --> 00:20:55,246 Just, just so much thanks, Will, for that. That was really, really excellent. 216 00:20:55,246 --> 00:21:01,472 Um, I just think that your voice as well throughout it all was it was calming, 217 00:21:01,472 --> 00:21:07,699 and I was just like really soothed by it. Um, most of us, I would say, have not 218 00:21:07,699 --> 00:21:13,925 been— we don't work, you know, in fishing or in the sea, on the sea. So most of 219 00:21:13,925 --> 00:21:20,151 us have normal type of jobs where we're on the land, on land, except if none of 220 00:21:20,151 --> 00:21:26,378 us work in the airport or anything. Um, but I would say that, um, we can still 221 00:21:26,378 --> 00:21:32,604 come across these chaotic, frightening moments in our lives, whatever, you know, 222 00:21:32,604 --> 00:21:38,830 wherever we tend to be. So, um, I just wanted to kind of ask the question really 223 00:21:38,830 --> 00:21:45,057 to you, Dan, first. Is it, you know, what, what do you do when things feel out 224 00:21:45,057 --> 00:21:51,283 of control? Or can you think of an incident where that has happened, you felt 225 00:21:51,283 --> 00:21:57,509 like that? 226 00:21:58,460 --> 00:22:02,990 Um, I can't, I can't think of an incident off the top of my head, but, but one 227 00:22:02,990 --> 00:22:07,519 thing that really I, I wrote down that Will said jumped out was when he said, 228 00:22:07,519 --> 00:22:12,049 surely God has got better things to do. 229 00:22:12,289 --> 00:22:14,940 Yeah, he doesn't, does he? 230 00:22:16,049 --> 00:22:20,818 And that's, that's what I love, that, um, I, I read something today and a lady 231 00:22:20,818 --> 00:22:25,587 had tweeted, I don't think God really— yes, he's all-powerful, but he's not— 232 00:22:25,587 --> 00:22:30,356 doesn't know everything. I thought, no, he does, because he does, because he, he 233 00:22:30,356 --> 00:22:35,125 wants to, wants to know our situation. He cares particularly about our 234 00:22:35,125 --> 00:22:39,894 situation. And yes, he has— he does want to do, you know, hasn't got other 235 00:22:39,894 --> 00:22:44,663 things to do. He wants to focus on you, he wants to focus on you, Jan, on me, on 236 00:22:44,663 --> 00:22:49,432 Will. And yeah, I love that. That— yeah, so going back to your question, when it 237 00:22:49,432 --> 00:22:54,201 is perhaps a bit chaotic or something, and, um, at work, my, my prayers are 238 00:22:54,201 --> 00:22:58,971 always, God, help me in this, because I know he— I know he does, always has 239 00:22:58,971 --> 00:23:03,740 done. 240 00:23:03,819 --> 00:23:03,980 Yeah. 241 00:23:04,619 --> 00:23:06,930 Um, and always will continue to. 242 00:23:07,029 --> 00:23:07,609 Absolutely. 243 00:23:07,829 --> 00:23:07,990 Yeah. 244 00:23:08,269 --> 00:23:10,400 So if it bothers us, it bothers God. 245 00:23:10,839 --> 00:23:11,140 Yeah. 246 00:23:11,369 --> 00:23:18,778 Isn't it? That's the truth. And I just think what really came out as well, um, 247 00:23:18,778 --> 00:23:26,187 for me was, um, that knowing him is the key, isn't it? Um, so one-off situations 248 00:23:26,187 --> 00:23:33,595 that I've been through, you know, where I felt very overwhelmed or very anxious 249 00:23:33,595 --> 00:23:41,004 or even frightened, um, you know, certain times in my life. Um, but God, you 250 00:23:41,004 --> 00:23:48,412 know, I've prayed and God has intervened and come, but I haven't continued to 251 00:23:48,412 --> 00:23:55,821 live in that peace. Um, and I think, I think God's saying here, or the, the 252 00:23:55,821 --> 00:24:03,230 scripture is, is sort of saying that this is more of a lifestyle possibly. 253 00:24:03,490 --> 00:24:03,680 Yeah. 254 00:24:03,910 --> 00:24:10,461 Than a you know, situations that we can write in our diary and say, "Gosh, do 255 00:24:10,461 --> 00:24:17,012 you remember that July 7th, you know, when that happened? I really trusted God 256 00:24:17,012 --> 00:24:23,563 because I had nowhere else to go." Unfortunately, if I'm really honest, is God 257 00:24:23,563 --> 00:24:30,115 always the first place I run to? Possibly not. He's in my thinking. But I, I 258 00:24:30,115 --> 00:24:36,666 think we need to— it's just like childlike faith, isn't it? It's like a little 259 00:24:36,666 --> 00:24:43,217 child will ask mum or dad to pick them up and, and they'll cry and show they're 260 00:24:43,217 --> 00:24:49,768 upset and they'll need comfort. Um, who better to go to than, than him, our 261 00:24:49,768 --> 00:24:56,319 Father? But we don't do it as quickly as possibly we should. 262 00:24:57,140 --> 00:25:01,029 I know that, that, that modeling of a, of a lifestyle, yeah, was something that 263 00:25:01,029 --> 00:25:04,920 really struck me in this passage, that Jesus knew the storm was coming. He told 264 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:08,809 the disciples, like, oh, let's go to the other side, knowing full well, if we, 265 00:25:08,809 --> 00:25:12,700 you know, believe he's God and knows all things. Um, but he really wanted to 266 00:25:12,700 --> 00:25:16,589 kind of meet them in that place of fear. And, and you can imagine them talking 267 00:25:16,589 --> 00:25:20,480 for years after, it's like, oh, do you remember the storm? Remember when he was 268 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:24,369 asleep on that cushion? 269 00:25:24,630 --> 00:25:24,789 Yeah. 270 00:25:25,269 --> 00:25:29,472 And what did he say to us? And he challenged us about our faith. And the You 271 00:25:29,472 --> 00:25:33,674 know, there'll be other storms that they would have come across where they'd 272 00:25:33,674 --> 00:25:37,876 remember this story and they'd talk about it and go, "Well, he did it then, so 273 00:25:37,876 --> 00:25:42,078 we can do it now." And you know, I've got so many of those stories, and as a 274 00:25:42,078 --> 00:25:46,281 family, we then talk about, "Well, God did it then, so why not now?" And I 275 00:25:46,281 --> 00:25:50,483 think, yeah, and that's what I was saying when it's like, Jesus doesn't wanna 276 00:25:50,483 --> 00:25:54,685 just fix everything and protect us from everything, a bit like a sort of cotton 277 00:25:54,685 --> 00:25:58,887 wool parent. He wants us to walk the hardship and grow and learn. Um, for 278 00:25:58,887 --> 00:26:03,089 whatever reason. But yeah, that's certainly the way God works. 279 00:26:03,569 --> 00:26:08,825 And some— sometimes he interacts in different, different ways. That we, as a 280 00:26:08,825 --> 00:26:14,081 family, we used to go away quite a lot, a lot of times, all over Europe. And we 281 00:26:14,081 --> 00:26:19,337 had a— we had a big, um— well, we started off with a bright yellow ambulance and 282 00:26:19,337 --> 00:26:24,593 the trailer behind. We go to places like Portugal and Poland and all over, um, 283 00:26:24,593 --> 00:26:29,849 for most of the summer telling people about Jesus. And on the way home one time, 284 00:26:29,849 --> 00:26:35,105 we were in— it was a bigger truck then, massive trailer— and it kept breaking 285 00:26:35,105 --> 00:26:40,360 down on the way, on the way back. And it would just be— would just be going, and 286 00:26:40,360 --> 00:26:45,616 then it would just stop, and we'd have to get outside the road. Weather wasn't 287 00:26:45,616 --> 00:26:50,872 great. My job was to put out the triangle, um, you know, this has been like in 288 00:26:50,872 --> 00:26:56,128 France, um, and We'd— Dad would like bleed the engine, get, get all the air out 289 00:26:56,128 --> 00:27:01,384 and stuff, and then we start and we go again and go again and again again. It's 290 00:27:01,384 --> 00:27:06,640 happened so many times, um, and we missed our ferry. 291 00:27:07,220 --> 00:27:07,480 Oh no. 292 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:11,869 But that ferry was— it was— this was in like the late '80s when the crazy storm 293 00:27:11,869 --> 00:27:15,779 happened and Kew Gardens and all this. 294 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:16,950 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 295 00:27:17,049 --> 00:27:21,906 So this was what, the opposite? The storm still happened, but God stopped us 296 00:27:21,906 --> 00:27:26,763 getting on the ferry and going across. So sometimes he works, he cares about us. 297 00:27:26,763 --> 00:27:31,619 He might not stop that storm, but he just might stop us getting in the way of 298 00:27:31,619 --> 00:27:36,476 it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He surely does care. Yeah, he does. Yeah, yeah. I 299 00:27:36,476 --> 00:27:41,333 love that, um, also you put that Jesus knew his authority, didn't he? Yeah. And 300 00:27:41,333 --> 00:27:46,190 that he passed it on to us. 301 00:27:46,460 --> 00:27:48,819 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which, yeah, which is astonishing. 302 00:27:48,869 --> 00:27:53,730 Isn't it amazing that, I mean, the universe gives us That's an authority. Yeah. 303 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:57,576 And he wants us to learn it, because I mean, what's the point of having 304 00:27:57,576 --> 00:28:01,193 authority if you don't know you've got it? But yeah, it is an amazing thing. And 305 00:28:01,193 --> 00:28:04,809 again, I can imagine his followers, you know, after he died, rose again, they 306 00:28:04,809 --> 00:28:08,426 received the Holy Spirit, remembering these stories and going, oh yeah, Jesus 307 00:28:08,426 --> 00:28:12,043 had authority. I mean, he said he was going to give us, you know, all the more. 308 00:28:12,043 --> 00:28:15,660 So it's like, oh, maybe we— yeah, yeah, it would be part of their growth. 309 00:28:16,180 --> 00:28:21,824 I think in the process of growing in our faith and, uh, trusting God in these 310 00:28:21,824 --> 00:28:27,468 situations where we feel overwhelmed, where life is chaotic. The, the beautiful 311 00:28:27,468 --> 00:28:33,112 thing in— I've experienced is that God doesn't humiliate me. He doesn't, um, 312 00:28:33,112 --> 00:28:38,756 make me feel ashamed. Um, yeah, he's like, come on, catch up, you know. Um, but 313 00:28:38,756 --> 00:28:44,400 there's no shame in it, and he's not angry with me. Yeah, I think, um I don't 314 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:50,043 know, I'm speaking for myself. I think I've often imagined him being annoyed and 315 00:28:50,043 --> 00:28:55,687 like, 'Hurry up, how many times do I need to teach you this?' Or, 'Why are you 316 00:28:55,687 --> 00:29:01,331 getting worried again?' You know, um, but he's not like that. He— there is no 317 00:29:01,331 --> 00:29:06,975 shame, there's just love and acceptance. And, um, he affirms us each time, 318 00:29:06,975 --> 00:29:12,619 doesn't he? 319 00:29:12,839 --> 00:29:13,440 Yeah, yeah. 320 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:16,575 And 'Cause he does challenge the disciples here in this passage. He says, "Have 321 00:29:16,575 --> 00:29:19,510 you still got no faith?" After all the things they saw. And we're talking about 322 00:29:19,510 --> 00:29:22,445 some of those in this series about the different people, the healings and 323 00:29:22,445 --> 00:29:25,380 different people. 324 00:29:25,430 --> 00:29:28,349 He literally just fed 5,000 people. 325 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:32,526 Yeah, yeah. I mean, they're kind of living a miracle every day. But no, you're 326 00:29:32,526 --> 00:29:36,653 right. He doesn't like, yeah, there's just a sense of like, "Oh, let's keep 327 00:29:36,653 --> 00:29:40,779 doing this." Yeah. Keep on this journey of learning. 328 00:29:40,730 --> 00:29:41,099 Yeah. 329 00:29:41,319 --> 00:29:42,190 Um, yeah. 330 00:29:43,069 --> 00:29:45,664 And I think it's certainly true that we don't— you know, God says that you will 331 00:29:45,664 --> 00:29:48,259 have troubles. 332 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:48,789 Yeah. 333 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:54,359 I think we can all testify to that. Um, but we're not on our own in them. 334 00:29:55,029 --> 00:29:55,119 Yeah. 335 00:29:55,329 --> 00:30:00,089 Um, which is amazing, isn't it? It's just, yeah, just incredible. Yeah. 336 00:30:00,559 --> 00:30:04,353 Alicia's got amazing testimony here. So she, she said, um, I like to remind 337 00:30:04,353 --> 00:30:08,146 myself that God is good both in small and large things. And, um, happy birthday 338 00:30:08,146 --> 00:30:11,940 was Alicia. 339 00:30:12,019 --> 00:30:12,710 It was her birthday. 340 00:30:12,809 --> 00:30:17,753 Last week. Yeah. And but bittersweet because it's her, um, first birthday since 341 00:30:17,753 --> 00:30:22,696 her, her mom's passed. Um, and she said she had an, um, incredible encounter 342 00:30:22,696 --> 00:30:27,639 last year with him where I told Jesus, I told him how I longed for my mother's 343 00:30:27,639 --> 00:30:32,583 hugs and basically wished he could hug me. But I thought, well, that's not 344 00:30:32,583 --> 00:30:37,526 possible, is it? But the next morning I woke up feeling like I was enveloped in 345 00:30:37,526 --> 00:30:42,470 the most indescribable hug I've ever known. And it was an original song of 346 00:30:42,470 --> 00:30:47,413 praise on my lips that was not of my own making, isn't it? Just, yeah, surely he 347 00:30:47,413 --> 00:30:52,356 cares about us. Okay. Yeah, individually. Yeah, that's great. Thanks for, for 348 00:30:52,356 --> 00:30:57,299 sharing that, Alicia. 349 00:30:57,380 --> 00:30:59,049 Thank you. Yeah, yeah. 350 00:30:59,210 --> 00:31:02,382 And then that was that, that story of that, that mad cycle in the Highlands. 351 00:31:02,382 --> 00:31:05,554 Just like, I mean, literally, you know, we hadn't seen a soul. We're the only 352 00:31:05,554 --> 00:31:08,725 people that were there to see that particular amazing weather miracle. And I 353 00:31:08,725 --> 00:31:11,897 think that was the first time I realized, yeah, God does care about the small 354 00:31:11,897 --> 00:31:15,069 things. 355 00:31:15,809 --> 00:31:21,725 Yeah, um, yeah, I am— many years ago, and I just learned to drive, I was, um, a 356 00:31:21,725 --> 00:31:27,640 student nurse, and I was, um, out on a placement, um, in quite a rough area. And 357 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:33,555 it was first thing in the morning, it was November, and so it was quite foggy. 358 00:31:33,555 --> 00:31:39,470 Um, I'd borrowed my dad's car, he'd let me with, uh, you know, fear and 359 00:31:39,470 --> 00:31:45,386 trepidation, rightly so. And, um, I broke down just on this, the road near 360 00:31:45,386 --> 00:31:51,301 where, where I was going. And it was literally, there was not a soul, it was 361 00:31:51,301 --> 00:31:57,216 about half six in the morning. And, um, it was, you know, I couldn't see a 362 00:31:57,216 --> 00:32:03,131 thing. I didn't know what to do. The engine just stopped. And I was a bit 363 00:32:03,131 --> 00:32:09,047 nervous to get out of the car because it was early. I didn't know what to do. 364 00:32:09,047 --> 00:32:14,962 Anyway, I just prayed and said, you know, God, help me. I really need to get to 365 00:32:14,962 --> 00:32:20,877 work, but I don't feel safe here. Anyway, the next thing, literally out of the 366 00:32:20,877 --> 00:32:26,792 blue, I heard a voice go, "You alright, love? Do you need a hand?" And I was 367 00:32:26,792 --> 00:32:32,708 like, oh, and it was a man came towards me. I couldn't tell you what he looked 368 00:32:32,708 --> 00:32:38,623 like. He was a, you know, like a father age, my dad's age. Um, he told me to 369 00:32:38,623 --> 00:32:44,538 lift the, you know, open the bonnet, did all that. Um, and he said, try the 370 00:32:44,538 --> 00:32:50,453 engine now. Um, did, and it turned, and that was it. And I, I was, you know, he 371 00:32:50,453 --> 00:32:56,369 put the bonnet down And I was like, 'Tha!' And there was no one there. He'd 372 00:32:56,369 --> 00:33:02,284 gone. I don't know whether he'd gone into the mist, but there was no footsteps. 373 00:33:02,284 --> 00:33:08,199 I couldn't see him. It could have been an angelic thing. It could have been God, 374 00:33:08,199 --> 00:33:14,114 you know, a God moment. Um, but he, he does care. He really does. And, um, yeah, 375 00:33:14,114 --> 00:33:20,029 I've had many moments like that. You know, which is brilliant. 376 00:33:20,349 --> 00:33:21,619 Yeah, yeah, amazing. 377 00:33:21,799 --> 00:33:25,629 And as well, Will, you said that he doesn't take us— doesn't take us out of that 378 00:33:25,629 --> 00:33:29,460 place, does he? He meets us in— yeah, in our place of terror. Yeah, because it 379 00:33:29,460 --> 00:33:33,289 said in, in this world there will be troubles. 380 00:33:33,339 --> 00:33:37,379 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I don't know, I don't know where this idea comes 381 00:33:37,379 --> 00:33:41,418 from that, you know, you— well, people talk about Christianity as a crutch, 382 00:33:41,418 --> 00:33:45,458 don't they? And like, oh yeah, the, the reason you've got faith is because 383 00:33:45,458 --> 00:33:49,497 somehow you're gonna your life's going to become perfect. Um, which, I mean, I 384 00:33:49,497 --> 00:33:53,536 suppose that makes sense. That's the offer, isn't it? It's like, yeah, you give 385 00:33:53,536 --> 00:33:57,576 your life to God, God makes your life perfect. That's the contract, that's the 386 00:33:57,576 --> 00:34:01,615 transaction. Um, and if you've been— if you've listened to anything on Crowd for 387 00:34:01,615 --> 00:34:05,654 any amount of time, you recognize that that's really— that's really not the 388 00:34:05,654 --> 00:34:09,694 case. Yeah, but actually it's better. Yeah, even though, you know, it's— and 389 00:34:09,694 --> 00:34:13,733 people struggle with bad things happening, and of course we, we all do. Um, but 390 00:34:13,733 --> 00:34:17,773 actually that sense of knowing, knowing God with us in it. And, and then, you 391 00:34:17,773 --> 00:34:21,812 know, another thing that you'll hear a lot in, in Crowd is that, that 392 00:34:21,812 --> 00:34:25,851 accessibility, that just that kind of cry for help, much like you in the car, 393 00:34:25,851 --> 00:34:29,891 you're just like, help! There's not a, there's not a ritual, there's not a whole 394 00:34:29,891 --> 00:34:33,930 kind of way we have to, I don't know, be, be favorable enough to God. We can 395 00:34:33,930 --> 00:34:37,969 just say help. 396 00:34:38,010 --> 00:34:43,435 Yeah. Yeah, um, you mentioned again in, in your talk about sometimes we do 397 00:34:43,435 --> 00:34:48,860 think, is this a reward for when you're that kind of— it's a reward for this. 398 00:34:49,090 --> 00:34:49,360 Yeah, yeah. 399 00:34:50,710 --> 00:34:55,133 And he just loves to lavish, doesn't he? And he just loves to hear— and he loves 400 00:34:55,133 --> 00:34:59,556 to hear our voice. Yeah, I do believe that. He loves to hear our voice. Yeah, 401 00:34:59,556 --> 00:35:03,980 yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow, wow. 402 00:35:05,199 --> 00:35:09,710 Um, what else can we— are there any more comments? 403 00:35:10,949 --> 00:35:19,340 Um, yeah, yeah, she's just, yeah, really hot on emojis. Um, yeah, he, he loves 404 00:35:19,340 --> 00:35:27,730 to hear our voice. 405 00:35:27,969 --> 00:35:28,820 Yeah, he loves— 406 00:35:30,030 --> 00:35:34,856 prayer is a strange thing, isn't it? Um, if we sort of— it's not really a bit of 407 00:35:34,856 --> 00:35:39,683 a tangent, but that, um, he's the God of the universe, he can do what he wants, 408 00:35:39,683 --> 00:35:44,510 he knows our thoughts, yet we need to pray. 409 00:35:44,820 --> 00:35:45,199 Yes. 410 00:35:45,530 --> 00:35:49,515 Um, yeah, we still need to ask him. Um, and it's— so if you're in a 411 00:35:49,515 --> 00:35:53,500 relationship, you, you know, I know my— what, what my wife likes, I know what 412 00:35:53,500 --> 00:35:57,485 she does, I know what she does in the morning and, and through the day. But I 413 00:35:57,485 --> 00:36:01,470 still like to ask her about today. I still want to talk to her, have that 414 00:36:01,470 --> 00:36:05,454 conversation. Um, and he's, he's still for us in that, still wants that, that 415 00:36:05,454 --> 00:36:09,440 relationship. 416 00:36:09,679 --> 00:36:10,030 Yeah. 417 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:15,836 What I, um, really liked as well was the— you told the story about how the king 418 00:36:15,836 --> 00:36:21,273 called for a day of prayer. Yeah, that just blew me away. Can you imagine that 419 00:36:21,273 --> 00:36:26,710 happening now? Um, in this country, people are Really, I think, I think, I hope 420 00:36:26,710 --> 00:36:32,146 that people would, you know, take the challenge. Yeah, take the challenge. But 421 00:36:32,146 --> 00:36:37,583 then we'd get like, because we're so multicultural now, it wouldn't just be 422 00:36:37,583 --> 00:36:43,019 going to church. 423 00:36:43,170 --> 00:36:47,746 But, um, I just think that's, you know, but it's actually another really good 424 00:36:47,746 --> 00:36:52,323 example, isn't it, of being powerless? I mean, that was a proper time when like 425 00:36:52,323 --> 00:36:56,900 this was This was most of the kind of professional, if you like, army about to 426 00:36:56,900 --> 00:37:01,476 be wiped out. Before the war had really even started, this was like, and it's 427 00:37:01,476 --> 00:37:06,053 just a desperation of like that call to prayer. I mean, I believe it was done in 428 00:37:06,053 --> 00:37:10,630 faith. I think George VI was quite a godly man. But again, it was just that 429 00:37:10,630 --> 00:37:15,206 help. We are out of resources. We are out of ideas. I've grown up with a lot of 430 00:37:15,206 --> 00:37:19,783 very cynical people who will always, always ask, just a coincidence, and, and, 431 00:37:19,783 --> 00:37:24,360 you know, whatever answer to prayer you could say that of course there's an 432 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:28,936 answer, and it's irrational. But, but part of the, part of the journey of like, 433 00:37:28,936 --> 00:37:33,513 yeah, but when we, when we did it and then it happened and it built a faith and, 434 00:37:33,513 --> 00:37:38,090 and it kind of, we got to know more of God, and, and that, that sort of journey 435 00:37:38,090 --> 00:37:42,666 of really risking that prayer. And I, you know, I really would encourage you to 436 00:37:42,666 --> 00:37:47,243 to risk saying those prayers and, and just, just turn off your little cynical 437 00:37:47,243 --> 00:37:51,820 voice for a moment and say, well, yeah, but what if God answers that? What if it 438 00:37:51,820 --> 00:37:56,396 is a really stupid thing? And what if it might have happened anyway? Just pray 439 00:37:56,396 --> 00:38:00,973 anyway. As you say, he loves to, loves to hear our voice. He wants, wants to be 440 00:38:00,973 --> 00:38:05,550 on that journey. 441 00:38:05,630 --> 00:38:07,760 Yeah, he does. Yeah, absolutely. 442 00:38:08,420 --> 00:38:14,823 I think I've met quite a few people, um, in the past who are so controlled in 443 00:38:14,823 --> 00:38:21,227 their life that they don't allow themselves to get into an awkward situation, 444 00:38:21,227 --> 00:38:27,630 or, you know, they think of every eventuality. If they're going on holiday, if 445 00:38:27,630 --> 00:38:34,034 they're going out for the day, they've got this and that and the other. Um, and 446 00:38:34,034 --> 00:38:40,438 I, I kind of admire those people. I am not one of those people. Um, but you 447 00:38:40,438 --> 00:38:46,841 know, there's some things that happen in life that no matter how prepared you 448 00:38:46,841 --> 00:38:53,245 are, you still haven't got the right stuff on you for that moment. And that, 449 00:38:53,245 --> 00:38:59,649 that would freak a lot of people out. But I just think it's, um, that's when 450 00:38:59,649 --> 00:39:06,052 trust comes, where you can almost let go of all that fear and that, oh, you 451 00:39:06,052 --> 00:39:12,456 know, that sort of tightness, you know, that anxiousness, um, because God's— God 452 00:39:12,456 --> 00:39:18,860 can handle it. I loved what you said at the end, he is able. 453 00:39:18,909 --> 00:39:19,380 Yeah. 454 00:39:19,780 --> 00:39:25,454 And that is so reassuring to know that he's with me and he can do it. It's like, 455 00:39:25,454 --> 00:39:31,130 okay, thanks. 456 00:39:31,570 --> 00:39:32,639 Yeah. 457 00:39:35,070 --> 00:39:39,400 Yeah, you might have gathered that we, we as a crowd, like to put our trust in 458 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:43,730 Jesus. Found that it, found that it works, found that it's the best way. 459 00:39:43,889 --> 00:39:44,400 Absolutely. 460 00:39:44,510 --> 00:39:48,924 Um, and again, like we mentioned at the beginning, if you, if you do want to 461 00:39:48,924 --> 00:39:53,338 know more about, about Jesus, obviously there's loads of talks on Crowd Church, 462 00:39:53,338 --> 00:39:57,752 but there is an Alpha that's just started. So please, um, yeah, get in touch. 463 00:39:57,752 --> 00:40:02,167 And if you want to, just fill out the form on crowd.church, you find the form 464 00:40:02,167 --> 00:40:06,581 there. Um, we're almost coming to an end, so when, when we finish this live 465 00:40:06,581 --> 00:40:10,995 stream, we will do a live lounge. Live lounge is the word. Yeah. Um, so Zoe's 466 00:40:10,995 --> 00:40:15,409 going to put the— 467 00:40:15,869 --> 00:40:16,670 yeah, come meet us— 468 00:40:16,670 --> 00:40:20,990 the address, or Matt will put the address in the— uh, Matt's going to do that, 469 00:40:20,990 --> 00:40:25,309 put the address in the comments. So come and meet us. Yeah, and we're talking to 470 00:40:25,309 --> 00:40:29,630 you, and But before that, is there anything you'd just like, any parting words? 471 00:40:30,099 --> 00:40:35,023 Well, just that final verse in our reading, actually, when the disciples are 472 00:40:35,023 --> 00:40:39,946 just kind of dumbstruck at all that's just happened, and they just say, "Who is 473 00:40:39,946 --> 00:40:44,869 this? Who are you?" And you know, that's a great prayer. 474 00:40:45,369 --> 00:40:46,690 Yeah, yeah. 475 00:40:46,780 --> 00:40:51,625 Just say, "Jesus, who are you? What is this? Who is this? What are you doing and 476 00:40:51,625 --> 00:40:56,470 what do you want to do?" um, start that journey, start those, those steps of the 477 00:40:56,470 --> 00:41:01,315 big and the little answers to prayer and, uh, knowing that, yeah, he is God and 478 00:41:01,315 --> 00:41:06,159 he does care. 479 00:41:06,530 --> 00:41:07,280 Yeah, absolutely. 480 00:41:07,340 --> 00:41:09,570 He's with you in your storm. 481 00:41:10,469 --> 00:41:13,219 Yeah, amen. Yeah, thank you. 482 00:41:13,269 --> 00:41:13,909 Anything else? 483 00:41:13,949 --> 00:41:19,460 No, I think, um, I think we've said, you know, said what I wanted to say. 484 00:41:19,679 --> 00:41:22,819 Well, thanks for joining us, and we will see you next week. And Like I said, 485 00:41:22,819 --> 00:41:25,960 come and— if you're, if you're watching this now, come and meet us on Google 486 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:29,099 Meets. 487 00:41:29,340 --> 00:41:30,420 Yeah, Live Lounge. 488 00:41:30,690 --> 00:41:31,639 Yeah, see you next week. 489 00:41:31,690 --> 00:41:32,219 See you there.