Stand Saturday – An Opportunity of a Life

Automated transcript, lightly edited for readability. Scripture appears as spoken; the video is the authoritative teaching.

Shabbat Shalom! Shabbat Shalom! Welcome to Founded in Truth Fellowship this morning. Come on in, take your seat, then stand to your feet. Let's worship our King this morning. Hallelujah. Amen, amen. We bless You, Father. We thank You, Abba. You have brought us to this place. You've renewed us in this day to bring praise before Your throne. We honor You, Father. I want to follow You with all my heart. I worship You, God. I want to follow You with all my heart. I worship You, God. We have come to glory. We have come to glory. Welcome in this place. Welcome in this place. You're welcome in this place.

You're welcome in this place. You're welcome in this place. You're welcome in this place. Have Your way. I've come to give You glory. I've come to give You glory. I've come to give You glory. You're welcome in this place. You're welcome in this place. Welcome in this place. The Lord on me. Shout, shout, shout! Oh, let all that's within me shout out! Oh, my soul! I've come to give You praise. Oh, yeah, we give You praise, God. Thank You, Father. Have Your way in this place. You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Yeshua! We lift You. We lift You high. You and You alone are worthy of our praise. Nailed to the cross, You crucified all my sin and shame.

It was washed by Your mercy. You are the treasure I find. My reason for living. So let my life become an offering to the one who is worthy. All praise to the Lord Most High. All praise to the one who saved my life. All praise to Jesus Christ, my King of Heaven, my King forever. We surrender, Lord. You're our King. You storm the gates of Hell between. Keys to the grave. All praise to the Lord Most High, the one who saved my life through Jesus Christ, my King of Heaven. All praise to the Lord Most High, my life, all praise to the Lord. Lift my hands up, lay my whole life down, my whole life down. Lift my hands up, lay my whole for You.

All praise to the one who saved my life. All praise to Jesus Christ. I come before my King forever. Lift your voices! Let it rise in this room right now. All praise to the one, Jesus Christ, my King. All praise to the Lord Most High. All praise to the one, Jesus Christ, my King forever. All praise to the Lord Most High. All praise to the one who saved my life. All praise to Jesus Christ, High King of Heaven, High King forever. My life is for You.

Worship and Adoration

We thank You, Father. We thank You for Your presence with us. We give You praise. You are worthy of our praise. We thank You, Abba. You're here and we worship You. Yeshua is in this room right now, making this place holy ground. This is holy ground. The heavens declare Your kingdom. Closer still. Closer still, Yeshua. I yield to Your will. People in this room, making this place holy. Holy ground. This is holy ground. We worship You. You are worthy of our praise. You are worthy, and from You are all things. You deserve. You are worthy of it all. From You and to You are all things. You deserve. You are worthy. From You and to You. You deserve the glory. Be exalted. Be exalted. Praise like incense, Father, before me. May You receive it, Father, this morning. Night and day. You are worthy. You are worthy. You are worthy. You are worthy!

Worthy is the Lord

Behold, the kingdom come, the glory come. It all revolves on Your throne. Who can know so high above, yet slain for You alone? Worthy is the praise—it is Yours. Who are and is to come, God of Heaven, ever crowned, exalted now. And the praise is Yours. You're the one we bow before. As we lift You up, You will reign forevermore. And the praise is Yours. You're the one as we lift You up. You're the God who is power and strength. You're the God who is power and strength. And the praise is Yours. You're the one we bow before. As we lift You up, You will reign forevermore. And the praise is Yours!

The Opening Prayer

We thank You, Father. You are worthy of our praise. You are worthy of our adoration. And for eternity, Father, we will say: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord who was and is and is to come. It is our delight, Father, to be before You today, to bow our knees, to bend our hearts before You, Father, to open ourselves to hear from You. Have Your way, Father. Continue to speak. Continue to move. We bless You. We worship You. It's in Yeshua's name that we pray. You may be seated. Yes, give Him praise! Hallelujah! We thank You, Father!

The Bible is About Family

Every year when we reach the book of Deuteronomy and the Torah cycle, I begin to anticipate with much excitement the fall feasts. And every year when we leave Sukkot, I long to return to the tents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So when we begin again in Bereishit, we refresh our memories of the lives of our patriarchs and matriarchs. As I've gleaned from the rabbis, these are not history lessons; they are people lessons. In these stories, we can see patterns that we may choose to replicate in our lives, in the lives of our families, or maybe we can learn from the mistakes of our matriarchs and patriarchs. The Bible is all about family. From the Garden of Eden to the tabernacle to the temple and to the cross, Yahweh wants to dwell with us and have an intimate relationship with His chosen people, Israel.

Vayishalach: He Sent Out

This week's Torah portion is Vayishalach—He sent out. Jacob and his family are returning to the land promised to his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham. He decided to stealthily leave Laban's territory with his wives, children, and the flocks he earned during his 20-year stay. Laban and his sons pursued them, but Yahweh intervened in a dream and instructed him to do no harm to Jacob. During this tense meeting of father and son-in-law, they made an agreement to not cross a determined barrier that they had placed between each other, and thus a family was divided. In order to return to the promised land, first Jacob had to deal with his brother Esau.

Last we heard of this older brother, he vowed to kill Jacob because he claimed that his younger brother stole his birthright. We know this not to be true because clearly Esau sold his firstborn blessings for a pot of porridge. Knowing that a confrontation was ahead, Jacob sent an envoy to check and see if anything had changed. They came back with discouraging news: Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. Wisely, Jacob turns to Yahweh and makes his plea. From the Complete Jewish Bible, Genesis 32, verse 8: Jacob became greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people, flocks, cattle, and camels with him into two camps, saying, "If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, at least the camp that is left will escape."

Then Jacob said, "God of my father Abraham and God of my father Yitzchak, but now I have become two camps. Please rescue me from my brother Esau. I'm afraid of him, afraid he'll come and attack me without regard for mothers or children. You said, 'I will certainly do you good and make your descendants as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea, which are so many they can't be counted.'" Notice how Jacob's plea brought up Yahweh's love and faithfulness. He asked Him to rescue him, and he recites Yahweh's promises to Abraham and Isaac to do good to them and make their descendants innumerable. Wisely, he sent a present of goats, sheep, camel, cattle, and donkey ahead of the two camps in order to appease his brother.

Wrestling With God

He sent his family across the river, and he remained alone. That night he wrestled with a man, and his hip was dislocated. Genesis 32, 29: Then the man said, "From now on you will no longer be called Yaakov, but Israel, because you have shown your strength to both God and men and have prevailed." Yaakov called this place Peniel—face of God. This man, who I believe to be Yeshua, gave him a new name, Israel, which means he will rule with strength. With renewed confidence in his God, Jacob took the lead as he went out to meet Esau. They negotiated a gift to be given to the disgruntled brother. Then they parted ways: Jacob to Eretz Israel and Esau to a far-off country. Jacob and his camp continued on their journey and arrived in Shechem, where Jacob bought land. That was when disaster struck the family. Dinah was raped, and the brothers took revenge and killed the inhabitants of the city. Jacob hastily moved on to avoid being attacked by the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the people living in the land.

The Character of Rachel

In order to set the stage for the next tragic event in Jacob's life, I would like to backtrack to last week's Torah portion, Vayetze—He went out. In it, we are introduced to Rachel. In Genesis 29, 6, Jacob inquires about Laban, and we learn two facts about Rachel: She is Laban's daughter, and she is a shepherdess. Then Jacob asked them, "Is he well?" "Yes, he is," they said. "And here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep." We can learn something about Rachel's character from her work as a tender of the sheep. Sheep are difficult creatures to herd. They can become cast—or turned upside down—because they eat the wrong stuff. They are wanderers. They get bugs in their ears and wool, and this can drive them crazy.

They are easily spooked and fearful. Sheep have no natural defense except to say, meh. Sheep cannot be pushed, but will follow the leader if they are well cared for. This is a 24-7 job that takes much skill and patience. When Jacob saw Rachel, there was an immediate attraction. They married but did not live happily ever after. Laban tricked Jacob by switching sisters and forcing him to marry her sister Leah first. He took Rachel, the love of his life, as his second bride after promising seven more years of servitude to Laban. Rachel bore two children, Jacob, Joseph and Benjamin.

Rachel's Death and Prophecy

Now let's proceed to Rachel's death that occurs in this week's Parsha. She died during childbirth as is described. Imagine Jacob holding his beloved in his arms as she proclaimed the name of their newborn son to be Benoni, meaning son of my sorrows. This beloved shepherdess who stole her father's idols was not allowed to enter the land promised to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. Her soul departed without her being able to watch her sons grow up, marry, and produce offspring. A tragic ending, right? In the book of Jeremiah chapter 31, we read, A voice is heard in Ramah lamenting and bitter weeping. It is Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no longer alive. What can this mean? If Rachel died, how could she mourn over her children? It is a prophecy. This verse is quoted in Matthew chapter 2 verse 18, saying, and refers to the slaughter of children ages two and under, ordered by Herod after Yeshua's birth. I also see that fulfilled in Ephraim, being scattered among the nations.

When Sorrow Finds You

Maybe you can relate to Rachel's sorrow. Possibly you have lost a child due to death or other circumstances. I have. When my daughter was 10 years old, she went to live with her dad in Colorado. I remember the first night she was gone. We had a rocker that we sat in together, and I sat there rocking and weeping all alone. That was one of the hardest periods of my life. Within a couple of short months, I had to move, find new work, a home because of an economic downturn. My dog got hit by a car and was killed. On my birthday the previous year, Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. One year later, three days before my birthday, he passed away. Needless to say, I was devastated. For my birthday that year, my sister sent me this little journal with these verses from Jeremiah .

This is what Yahweh says. "Stop your weeping and dry your eyes, for your work will be rewarded," says Yahweh. "They will return from the enemy's land." "So there is hope for your future," says Yahweh. "Your children will return to their own territory." So many of my friends have lost their children to the world. They seem to be trapped in the enemy's land.

There Is Hope for Your Children

I would like to encourage you with this testimony. Four decades ago, that's 40 years, have passed since that year in which I experienced so many losses. Before my dad passed away, he accepted Jesus as his Savior. My daughter came back and lived with me her senior year in high school. Together, we became students at Appalachian State. She began her bachelor's degree and I my master's. After the death of my husband a year ago and the loss of several friends and even a house fire, I am now living with that daughter and her husband. Our Yahweh is the God of second chances. In Rachel's case, the time for her prayers to be answered went beyond her lifespan here on earth.

Abraham looked for a city and a land that was beyond his 175 years. So let us encourage one another. There is hope for our children. Like Rachel, Yeshua is the good shepherd. He will leave the 99 and pursue that one lost sheep. So keep hoping and praying. Don't give up. I will end with these words from Jeremiah 31, 19. Isn't Ephraim my very dear son, a child who delights me so? I speak about him all the time. I can't help but recall him to my mind. In some I deeply yearn for him. I will surely show him favor, says Yahweh.

Founding Truth Announcements

Thank you so much, Beverly. Shabbat shalom, everyone. Welcome to Founding Truth, everybody. Great to be back this week. Hello, everybody online watching. Good that you're back this week as well. Every year we love to celebrate Hanukkah, the time of the Maccabees, as well as we love to celebrate the light of the world, which is Yeshua. So I always like to have a little party to commemorate that, memorialize that. So save the date for Sunday, November 28th. We are going to have it out there in the parking lot. It's going to be great with some big lights coming in to light up everything. There's going to be food, fun, and festivities. It's going to take place from till p.m. So we're going to party into the night for those of us over 30. We're going to have an outdoor Hanukkah party here at Founding Truth, including a car or table decorating competition.

We will be decorating our vehicle. I know you guys don't want to compete with that because there's no hope. But we need everyone to at least try. We have a trunk-a-ka—a mixture between decorating a trunk and Hanukkah. Guys, I want you to bring your vehicles, and I want you to open up the trunk, and I want this thing to be bursting with light and festivities and whatever. I don't think anyone's ever done something like that. So we're going to have a parking lot full of cars that are decorated, or you can bring a table, and just make it fun and get your kids involved and just have fun with it, and we're going to line them up. There is no competition. There is a competition. We have trophies. You need a honker trunk trophy. Guys, this is a big deal. You can bring candy to bribe the judges, bright festivities. You want something that's just so outlandish, big and loud. So we have the clipboard and who's going to participate in this? Four people. Okay, that's great. So I guess we can either pass this around or this will be on the table out front. Sign your name to it and we'll get you.

The Festivities Continue

There will also be an ugly sweater contest that we will also be participating in. So you can cheat and go out and buy a prefab ugly sweater. That's fine. You'll blend in or you can fabricate one. Guys, we're just having fun. Whenever we have events, and if you guys haven't noticed, like 50% of our fellowship is under the age of 12. Whenever we come together on Shabbat for worship services, during the time of Passover at Sukkot, anytime we come together with some type of community event, guys, we love it to be an atmosphere of joy for the kids, and we love for our kids to see us having fun when we come to church.

And that's very important to me for my son because I want him to know that every time we come together as a community, it is a time of celebration. So please participate, have fun. There's going to be face painting and more. There is a Facebook page where you can RSVP at your convenience called Fit Hanukkah Party 2021. Feel free to bring guests and neighbors to celebrate this joyous occasion together. Please bring your chairs, some flashlights, and dress for the weather. Don't wear shorts. If you'd like to sign up for the car or table decorating contest, please sign the sheet in the back. There's going to be some food.

We're going to have hot dogs and donuts, and those go together perfectly. And gluten-free. We will have a gluten-free table.

Upcoming Classes and Events

Children's ministry middle school Zoom class will not meet this week on Thanksgiving. Our next class will be Tuesday, November 24th. Kids classes will be doing Thanksgiving-themed crafts and activities today. Kids Shabbat Zoom classes have started the new study on the symbolism of fire in the Bible. I think this morning we spoke about fire, the burning bush and Moses. The Women's Mental Health Support Group, Stilled Spirits, will not be meeting this week. Contact Haley for more details or if you'd like to join the Facebook group, there's one specifically for our community called Stilled Spirits Fit.

Ladies Bible Study, you guys will not be meeting this week but will resume December 8th. Women's retreat—we're excited. We get to do one this year. We didn't do one last year, did we? None of the men either. The 2022 Fit Ladies Retreat is happening March 4th through the 6th at South Mountain Family Camp in Kayser, North Carolina. Our theme this year is Covenantal Beloved, Uncovering the Fullness of Who You Are as His Chosen. This retreat will be two solid days packed full of teaching, worship, good food, and fellowship. We're so excited for all that the Lord is putting together. We're expecting a mighty move of the Spirit in our midst. The total retreat cost is $100, and that covers six meals.

Volunteer Opportunities

Six meals, overnight accommodations, grounds and facility use fees, and a few special surprises. A $25 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration. So, guys, if you have any questions, please reach out to Christy Bush at christy at foundedintruth.com for registration info. Oh, here we go. As we steadily grow, we are in need of more volunteers. Oh, yes. I love that all the team leads are the ones cheering and clapping. Right? Yes, we need more volunteers, guys. God has opened the door for so many ministries to begin to expand under the fit conditions, community umbrella, and it's so exciting. We need a worker, so can you bring your strengths to Founded in Truth?

Currently, there are several volunteer positions available. One is the nursery—we're in need of volunteers, especially those who are not parents of babies. Help us bless the families here by caring for their littlest ones. Maybe once a month or once every two months if you'd like to volunteer. And if you'd like to help every month or two to serve Shabbat breakfast, we would love it as well. And what about the production side of Shabbat? Guys, if you've ever been interested in soundboard or presentation software, live streaming, we will teach you what to do. Just get in touch with Matt Lamb at mateo at FounderInTruth.com. Or you can fill out a sheet and drop it in the offering box.

Youth Events

Teen Fellowship—oh yeah, excited! This is open to all middle and high schoolers. Tuesday, November 23rd at the Yandel residence. Join us for a Thanksgiving celebration with food, dessert, campfire, and worship, 6 p.m. until it's over. See Abby Reddick or Lindsay Yandel for details, and we hope to see everyone there. Please RSVP with one of them. Oh, we have another one! Saturday, December 4th. You know what's happening December 4th? A youth special Hanukkah campfire worship time. This will be at the home of Jason and Tara Gonzalez. We'll be roasting hot dogs on the fire, having s'mores, and worshiping God. What a combo! Hope to see everyone there for sure.

Giving Tuesday Fundraiser

Okay, so every single year—and this is also important—every single year after Thanksgiving, we have a special day that everybody loves to go and trample other people to get into Walmart. What's it called? Black Friday, right? And then the following Monday, we have what? Cyber Monday. And then the day after Cyber Monday... Giving Tuesday, yes! I'm glad you already know about it. Every single year we throw up a fundraiser on our Facebook page for Giving Tuesday. That's usually for a specific need. We've done the building fund. We did foster care care packages—we raised like 10 grand and covered all the care packages for all of York County, which was awesome.

And this year on Facebook, every single year Facebook offers to match every donation that's given dollar for dollar to nonprofits like us, up to $8,000 across the $8 million across the platform. So there's definitely incentive there to give and double the impact. And this year we are having a fundraiser to buy our own electric drum kit. The Bushes have graciously allowed us to use theirs for so long, but we're trying to offset the costs of an overhaul of worship equipment as well as an overhaul of streaming equipment that we use to reach not only people across the nation but even local people who are still immunocompromised and can't join in on large gatherings. And so they join us every single week, but they haven't been back since the pandemic hit, unfortunately.

So we'd love to be good stewards of everything that we put forth. And there is a fundraiser on the Founded in Truth Facebook page for that this Giving Tuesday. So yeah, please donate, and hopefully your donation can have double the impact. If you would like to give to Founded in Truth, there is an offering box outside. You can also give online. Guys, we are here because of the generosity of others. We're able to meet, worship together, do all of these events, the robust children's program, youth program—everything, all of the ministry. So thank you, everyone who gives.

Recognizing Our Volunteers

Now, if I call your name, I'd like you to stand up. We're getting in trouble. Pete Wilson—he's already standing. Laura, Laura, hang on, where's she at? Yes, our Laura, yes. Ronna Lee, she must be prepping for kids class. Beverly, where's she at? Oh, there she is. The light was in my eyes. Is Emma Reddick here? No? Abby, you can stand. Yes, Abby, please stand as well. Riley Price, Kelly Price. Let's see here. Alex Wilde, she's not here. Amy, please stand. Krista, if you're here, please stand. And Robin and Lindsay Andell. Is that it? Is that everyone? And Jenny Vander Els. And Christy Bush, she's on here.

Did I not call her? Christy Bush, please stand. Guys, last weekend we had a pretty big conference here with 15 speakers come in. And we wanted to accommodate them as well as the whole community here by having three different types of meals offered on top of offering childcare for the entire day for ages zero to nine. And these individuals are the ones that made that happen. These are the ones that made the conference happen, because without those things—specifically the childcare—the conference wouldn't have happened. And so I would like to recognize them and thank you guys for making us proud. Thank you so much.

It was kind of a huge deal. So thank you guys. All right, I think we have exhausted the announcements. Everyone good? All right, please stand.

The Blessing of the Children

Guys, every single week we have a tradition that we do here to bless the children and thank God for the greatest gift he's given to us as a community, which is the next generation. So I would ask that all the kids come up, even the youth. Nope, okay, you're good. And I need, what, eight people to grab the hoopas? Guys, we have a tradition where we hold up a huge cloth over the kids called a hoopa, and it represents God's continued blessings over them. Hey, bud. Fire hazard every week. Come on. This is great. Hey, you guys ready? Alvina Malkinu, our Father, our King, Father, we thank you for this Shabbat, this one day that you've carved out of creation and given to us as a sign—as a sign of the eternal rest that is truly only found in your Son, Yeshua.

We ask, Father, that you would bless the young men here today as Ephraim and as Manasseh, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs of our faith, that you would instill in them a spirit of boldness, a spirit of wisdom to carry your banner throughout their generation, that they would be the light to the nations. And Father, I ask for the young ladies here today that you would bless them as Rachel and as Leah, even as Sarah and Rebecca, the patriarchs of our faith, that you would instill in them discernment and courage to be the mighty warriors in the next generation and stand for your truth. And the youth here today, Father, I ask that you would give them the same spirit as Joshua and Caleb, the spies that rushed into the land to the mountaintops to proclaim your promises—not the spies that went down low and were scared—that they would truly be the emissaries of your kingdom, that they would carry your banner wherever they would go, and they would reflect your light, the light of Yeshua. We thank you, Father, for this day and that your spirit of joy and peace would be upon us. In the name of Yeshua, we pray. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

All right, guys, as you know, we are continuing to teach our children the greatest prayer ever given—the most potent one—and that is the one that our King taught us. And so we're going to put it up just so everyone's in sync. And adults, I would ask you to say it too, because the more the kids hear it, the more they will remember it. Okay? So let's say the Lord's Prayer. Amen. Do you ever find yourself searching for something bigger than you? For a community to be a part of? A place founded on truth and love? A place to worship the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the Son of God. Welcome to Founded in Truth, where we're more than just a fellowship. We're a family. So welcome home.

Foster and Adoptive Ministry

Hey guys! So my name is Catherine Cohen, for those of you who don't know me. And my husband Benjamin and I are the leaders of the Founded in Truth Foster and Adoptive Ministry. And so what we do is we have partnered with Fostering the Family, which is a local nonprofit that ignites churches to support and surround foster families. And we do this by creating care communities who bring a meal once a week to the foster families, who provide childcare, prayer, a friend, a shoulder to cry on—because foster care is hard. Not just for the kids who enter the system and enter these homes, but for the parents as well. And that is why 50% of foster families end up stopping fostering within the first year, because it's hard. But with support, we see 80 to 90% continue to foster after the two-year mark. So that is what we do here at FIT, which is awesome.

And we are participating this year in Stand Saturday, which is an extension of Stand Sunday, which brings awareness to the fact that we need to stand up and be the voice for the vulnerable children who do not have voice in this system, who will bounce around from house to house and often wind up homeless, pregnant without help, and who just perpetuate the cycle. So we are standing to break that cycle. And we have an amazing speaker here today, you guys, from Fostering the Family. She is our regional manager. She is also a guardian ad litem, so she works hand-in-hand with foster kids and is their voice in the court systems. So she is here to tell you a little bit about her journey and how you can stand for the orphan and for the kids in foster care. So I would like to introduce Susie Boyle and invite her to come to the stage.

Good Morning

Good morning. It is bright up here. He was serious. My name is Susie Boyle, and I'm honored to be here today to speak to you about a cause near and dear to my heart concerning Stan Sunday and the day-to-day significance of being a voice for adoption and foster care. I'd like to tell you a little bit about my story. I've been married for 26 years to my awesome soulmate and college sweetheart, Dennis. He is here today. We have two great adult biological children who are both in college and another adult child who lives in Michigan who we love like our own. There's a lot of talk about the plan God has for your life.

But sometimes we're like, God, really? It was one of those times. It was the year 2003, and we had just moved to North Carolina from Pennsylvania, and we love the South. A lake, the people, our church. We had been in North Carolina for just a year and a half, and my husband felt like his career was moving him towards management. And off to Michigan we went with a five-year-old and a three-year-old. A place where we knew no one and knew nothing about. And it was cold, like really cold, like minus sign cold. We moved into this house in the woods, and it took a bit of adjusting. There were many kids around, so our children, Shane and Avery, really loved that, and they made immediate friends.

Shane was five, about to start kindergarten, and wide open. Just like this church with kids. I love it. He was a little guy, and he barely weighed 40 pounds. And his new neighbor, best friend, was nine, adult size, and a girl. Her name was Kennedy.

Kennedy and Shane

Shane and Kennedy did everything together. They rode bikes, they played ball, they rode the tire swing, they caught frogs. She would show up at our door early Sunday mornings so she could go to church. And I mean early Sunday mornings. And we didn't go to church early, but she didn't want to miss it. This unique friendship seemed so perfect and unexpected. Kenny was fun and funny. Then the neighborhood stories began. She had moved in next door with her sister and her uncle's house. Her family had been split up, and there was abuse. Many kids, and they were all separated. Selfishly, I was concerned.

My babies were young and very, very innocent. So we laid the ground rules. "You're welcome here whenever you want to be here, but there's no S-words in our house. No stupid, no shut up, and no sucks." That's the kind of innocence we still had in our house. Kenny liked being with us so much, so she spent a lot of time in our house obeying the rules. No S-words. As the months went by, there was talk of her aunt and uncle's family, our neighbors, moving out of Michigan to Ohio. This child had become a big piece of our new life in Michigan, and we were super sad to hear this. Move they did, and we promised to visit as our kids were heartbroken.

We planned a visit, and we arrived to our surprise. Kennedy's little sister was no longer there. Their aunt was pregnant and decided she couldn't do it all, and she sent Kennedy's little sister back to Detroit foster care. And I was in total disbelief.

When No Isn't an Option

So I told her, "If you think for a minute that you're going to do this to Kennedy, please let me know and I'll come get her." As you can see, this is a long time ago and it's still emotional today. One of the most painful memories of my life was that call I got, and it said, "I just took Kennedy, brought her to Detroit, and dropped her off in foster care." At this point, I know nothing about foster care, Detroit, or even Kennedy's biological family. All I knew was I was called to help this child. I made calls. And I barely remember who at this point. What I remember most is this: "You are who to this child?"

"Well, I'm the neighbor of the uncle." "So you're not related." "Well, Kennedy has a placement, and she's fine. She doesn't need to be moved. You can't take her anyway, because you don't have a foster license, and then we probably won't even move her." But they didn't know me, and sometimes "no" just doesn't work. And this was one of those times. In my mind, "You'll move her." "Oh, you'll move her." We got a visit with Kennedy a few weeks later for our daughter's sixth birthday. When I picked up Kennedy, she had a brand new T-shirt on, and she was especially proud of it. Nobody had bought her gifts in a while, and her foster mom had bought it for her.

We still talk about this Tshirt to this day. It was a white T-shirt, and it said, I'm like McDonald's, fast and cheap. Needless to say, I promptly replaced that T-shirt. It left a permanent mark of trust that day for Kennedy. She can look back and know that she was too young to know when someone did her wrong, but we had her back. I took the shirt, gave Christian Social Services a piece of advice on what kind of foster homes they were supporting, and was more driven than ever to get her moved. In this house, she was also super sad, physically assaulted by some of the other kids, and picked on because she didn't quite fit in being half white, half Mexican in a house where skin tone actually mattered, at least to them.

As I know it by now, by an act of God and God alone, we got our foster care license in less than 60 days. And the department moved Kennedy into our house based on the abuse she was getting in the home, and well, because no actually wasn't an option. Is there anyone in this room that can relate to this story of an absolute and ultimate drive to fix injustice in the world? Some people are called to foster or adopt. Now, we would have legally adopted this beautiful child, but her plan was different. She went home, and though reunification is the ultimate goal of foster care, this decision was painful for her at the time. So painful, she chose to get on the stand at 12 years old to testify against her biological family.

Kennedy's Hard Choice

You see, she no longer wanted to live in chaos, food insecurity, the unknown, unsafe areas. She wanted a better life. But why did she have to stand up at 12 years old on the stand? She didn't have a CASA worker. She didn't have a volunteer guardian ad litem, an adult voice who speaks on her behalf and for her best interests. And she had to do it herself at 12 years old. The judge wasn't fazed. All kids in her family were going home, and home to their biological family they went. And well, our family, having moved for my husband's career, got transferred back to the Carolinas about six months after Kennedy moved out. Little did I know, I would absolutely not ever be the same. We were fortunate enough to maintain a relationship with Kennedy over the years. And this is unusual for foster care, but a gift Kennedy's biological mom gave us, though at times it's been extremely difficult. One day in the Carolinas, I read in the newspaper the opportunity to be the voice for kids in foster care. And Kennedy's journey may have been different if she had an adult voice.

Called to Advocate

I was a nanny at the time, working with special needs children and taking care of my own children. And I couldn't imagine finding 30 hours to get trained, but I gave it to God and said, "Do what you will, and I'll follow your lead." This February will be 10 years that I've been the voice for kids here in York County as a guardian ad litem. Some people are called to be guardians ad litem. It has been the greatest, most rewarding experience in my life besides raising my own children. It has also been frustrating, heartbreaking, and incredibly eye-opening. We take children out of homes because of neglect and abuse, and sometimes both.

But did you know our court system and Department of Social Services is so broken that these children are sometimes neglected just as badly while in the state's hands? I mean, what would you call three years in the system, ten different foster homes, five DSS workers, and one guardian who is, thankfully, the one person you might have seen consistently? Parents in jail, sometimes out, not making significant strides on their treatment plans, but still not having their rights terminated.

The Broken System

We not only have to believe we can do better; we actually have to do better. Last year I had the opportunity to start doing part-time work for Fostering the Family. And well, of course, that's why I ended up here today. In this position, I've helped Fostering the Family put on events, fundraisers, talk to churches, and spread the absolute need for us to stand up as biblically written in James . "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by this world." Working with Fostering the Family has been an absolute honor.

One of the greatest pieces of that honor happened a couple weeks ago as we met with the governor and lieutenant governor to work on change in the foster care and adoption system here in South Carolina. To know better is to do better. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Some of us are called to educate and help create change. Some of you in here have been part of these awesome care communities to help foster parents continue their calling. Making meals, mowing lawns, tutoring, babysitting, praying, and just offering support.

All of Us Are Called

These spiritual gifts are necessary as well. And as Catherine spoke about earlier, without this support, 50% of foster families will quit after the first year. 90% will still be fostering a year or two later when a care community wraps themselves around this family. Some of us are called to support. Some of us have been financially blessed but have no time or energy. We need those resources as well to help create change. All of us are called to be givers.

Marks of Life

I have one more question. What do you think of tattoos? Probably a lot of mixed feelings, I'm sure. My brother has more than 20. That's crazy, right? I know. He's a gifted artist. We are actually Irish twins. And from the amount of children in this room, I'm pretty sure somebody in here knows what Irish twins are. But in case you don't, it means your mom goes to the doctor for a checkup after having a baby, and they tell her she's pregnant. Yep. And that was me. It came as a bit of a surprise. So my brother and I were born within the same year. He's an artist with a lot of ink-based tattoos, and well, I'm a jock soccer player, but I feel like I have a few tattoos of my own.

Tattoos are marks of life like scars or things you have lived through. For me, that's three knee surgeries, two breast cancer surgeries, most recently a dog bite, and unfortunately this past Monday I ran into a skin doctor that, as you can probably tell, has left my face marked up to prevent skin cancer. Though I have no art tattoos, I do feel like life leaves us with these marks and many become part of our significant life story. Two of our three children have decided that art tattoos have significance, and they wear some permanent art on their bodies. Our 19-year-old daughter wears this: Be the Light.

In her words, her parents have always told her and her siblings to be the light. Show positivity wherever you go, and treat people with kindness, showing them God's way. There are many who need it.

Be the Light

Our foster child wears this: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29 11. In her words, one of her foster grandparents gave her a purple Bible when she was young. And this verse has stuck with her ever since. She wrote it all over the place as a young child until she was 18 and legal. And then she wrote it on herself. For that reason, she wanted to share it with those around her. And she had countless people tell her they needed to hear these words when they read them on her wrist.

I really appreciate being able to come here today and share my story. I don't have any fancy tattoos yet, but what I do really have is a call on my life to help the orphans and the widows, to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And though I know I have supported many children and families on this journey, it is my life that has been enriched beyond belief and changed. Would you stand today to have your life enriched as well? Thank you. Thank you. Susie, thank you so much for coming here today to tell your story and represent Fostering the Family. If you guys were with us in 2018, I believe that was in 2018, we had Fostering the Family come in and speak to us at our old venue. And that is when we launched FitFam, Founded in Truth's foster and adoption ministry. It was incredible to see the response we had and to see the hearts of people who didn't even know they had a passion to do something like this, to stand up.

Why We Started FitFam

And we had many people go to the initial foster parent education class just to see what the reality of becoming a foster parent is. And if you guys have any questions about that, I can hook you up with that class, or you can talk to Jenny and me, because it's been three years. We just passed our three-year mark, didn't we? Golly, blink of an eye. Three years and 11, 12 children have come through our home. Yeah, one of them is still with us. Three years will be next month or the month after. And then another one in a year and a half now. Two beautiful girls who we love very much. But it is not all playgrounds and butterflies.

Yeah, it is difficult in ways that you don't know until you experience the real situations. That's the thing. I think a realization that I had coming into this is, and it's not just foster care, it's every type of situation. As Christians, we're called to love, right? We're called to love. And it's always a fun idea to be like, yeah, I love everybody in every situation, right? But you can't adequately love or show love in a situation until you actually face the circumstances of that situation. You understand? You don't know how to love. You don't know the dynamics of how to love. Emotionally, you can't give some type of love on that emotional level unless you understand the circumstances or at least you're privy to them or at least you're jumping into the pit itself to see what's going on.

You Can't Love at a Distance

You can't love at a distance in circumstances, in crisis, where people are suffering. It's not an option for a believer. And I think when we went into foster care, we had ideas about how it would go emotionally. It's gonna be hard if we get attached to a child and they go back home, but that was our goal. We knew that going in. 'Cause that is the ultimate goal, always with foster parents. If they're with you for a year or three years, that is the ultimate goal despite you maybe not wanting it to happen at the end 'cause it's gonna hurt. That's what you're fighting for. You're fighting for a family for the child.

And sometimes that family ends up being you if you choose to adopt and the child's been with you. Or sometimes they go on to another adoptive family, or hopefully to a family that went through some issues but was able to rectify those issues and grow and become the parents and the family that they were always meant to be. And we've seen that a couple times in our experience as well. So fulfilling. But yeah, emotionally, it is not impossible, but you will face things you never thought you would face. The reality of being a foster parent is not what all the scary stories say. It is actually very down to earth.

You're gonna take care of another child. You're gonna give them a bed. You're gonna read them a story every night. You're gonna wake up with them and either hold them and give them a bottle or you're gonna help them get dressed. Throughout the day, you're gonna tell them that they're loved and that they're safe and you're gonna show up in their life and you're gonna be a part of their life.

What Foster Care Actually Looks Like

And although for some people that sounds like a very hard emotional attachment, it's not. You're being what they need. You just do it. You just do it because it needs to happen. Because this child has been separated from his parents, his siblings, his friends, his school, their school, her school. And even if their parents were in a scenario that got their children taken away because of their actions or lack thereof—and you understand that, the world understands that, and social services understands that—but guess what? Their child doesn't. Their child has just been separated from the only family they know.

And so being a foster parent is being there for them and doing your best to give them some type of emotional support through loving them through this hell that they're going through. And that's what being a foster parent is about. It is that easy, but it is that hard. What I'm saying is, if you ever want to go to a meeting with someone who is highly educated, highly experienced for many, many years, decades, we can hook you up with a meeting. That is totally no pressure. They don't want you to join if you're pressured. They want serious people.

But it'll give you an opportunity to ask whatever questions you want and get an actual experience of what to expect. And so there's that. Just like Susie mentioned, that's not the only way to help this situation. There is a crisis going on all over the nation. And the fact of the matter is, if one church, if every church in America chose to support one foster family within it, from my understanding, there wouldn't be a foster care crisis. One foster parent in every church. There wouldn't be.

The Crisis and the Calling

In fact, at least a few years ago, I was told there would be a waiting list to become a foster parent because the need wouldn't be there anymore. One foster family per church. That's it. But for some reason, we're not made aware of the crisis. Sometimes we ignore the crisis, let's be honest. Sometimes we think it's someone else's job. And I'm here to tell you as believers, it's not your job or it's not your place to ignore something like this. It's actually your calling to jump into the pit and hit it head on, any way possible, doing whatever you can do. And so that's why we started the FitFam ministry, which Ben and Catherine have done an amazing job leading from its inception. And I'm so thankful for you guys being so passionate about that.

Ways You Can Help

Do you think that you could pray for a foster family every day? Do you think maybe you could make a meal? And this is if you don't think you can open your home and become a foster parent. Maybe you can still open your heart just a little bit. Do you think you could make a little casserole once every two months for a foster family? Do you think maybe you could watch one of their kids if they're desperate because they need to take the other kids to therapy and they don't have anyone to babysit for two hours? Maybe you could help out with chores every once in a while. I don't know. Do you think you could be part of a bigger team of seven to ten people whose only objective is to make sure a foster family is doing okay and that they're getting the support and the encouragement that they need?

What You Can Do to Help

And that if they need anything, you as a group will address it. Is that something you think most people could do in their busy schedules? Maybe. Maybe. Before I understood, before I met Kim Traynor of Fostering the Family, I didn't know there were any other options to impact the foster care system other than jumping in and being a foster parent. Still would have done it, but I just didn't know. I didn't know that you could do little things. I was homeschooled. DSS was a bad thing. Let's be honest. If you're homeschooled, DSS is like they're the bad people, right? Because they don't like homeschoolers.

They're going to take you away in conspiracy. In the 90s, yeah. The people that work at DSS—most of them are there because they want to help people. Some of them are there because it's a job. Both groups of people struggle through the complexity of this crisis the best that they can. The turnover is high. I think our three-year-old has had four transitions of caseworkers? Three? Guardian at Loudoun—one, yes. Our other one, guardian at Latim—just one? So thank you for doing everything that you do. There are ways that you can impact this crisis in our nation, in our state, and within your very own county that do not require you to open your home if that's not something you think you're prepared to do.

But we're having this event today to make you aware of a very real situation that we believe, as Christians and believers, you are called to be a part of. You are called to be a part of making it better.

The Early Church and the Exposed

I was doing some research this morning preparing this message about how the first orphanages were planted by the early church. In the Roman Empire, abortion was not against the law, but it was frowned upon. However, the idea of not getting an abortion but having a child, and then if it was maybe a girl when you wanted a boy, or if there was some type of illness with the child, deformity—it was a common occurrence to perform something basically called exposure. You would leave the child in the dung heaps or in the sewers, or in Ephesus, out beyond the city, next to the temple of Dionysus. Exposure. You'd leave the child out in the cold or heat, in the woods with the animals, and you'd walk away.

And it wasn't as bad as abortion because you didn't kill the child, right? That's the line of thinking. And it was the early Christians that would go out to the dung heaps. It was early Christians that would walk out to the fields outside the city, to the sewers, and they would collect the bodies and they would bury these children. And if they found any of them still alive, they would pick them up and either take care of them for any remaining life that they had or they would adopt. We have writings of Christian women who had committed themselves to never getting married in the fourth century, who adopted—never intending to start a family—but God showed them a need.

Later, in the fourth and fifth centuries, orphan homes started appearing, and they would be part of the churches. There would be buildings attached to the churches, those places that are emissaries for heaven where heaven meets earth, and that's where these children would be taken care of and nurtured. It was the Christians who felt like their calling was, despite it never being a plan in their life to adopt a child, to rush to the fields and pick them up and give them a home. So yes, I believe it is a Christian obligation to impact scenarios where vulnerable children are placed in a living hell, however they possibly can.

The Parable of the Three Servants

In Matthew 25, there's a parable. It teaches a lesson because that's what a parable is—a story meant to teach a lesson. And in this parable, Jesus, Yeshua, is talking about the kingdom of heaven. He's talking about what it looks like when the kingdom of heaven collides with earth— when the world outside collides with the kingdom of heaven. And he says that a man has three servants and he's going away on a long trip. This is what the kingdom of heaven is like. While he's gone, he expects his servants to run his estate. He gives them complete control of all his money—the bags of gold—dividing them among these three to manage wisely and continue his business and estate just as he had done. He divides them according to what each is capable of handling. To one servant, he gives five bags of gold. To another, he gives two. And to another servant—how many? One. Then he goes on this long trip.

The Lazy Servant

Upon his return, he goes to see what the servant he gave one bag of gold to did with it. What did you do with what I gave you to be responsible for? And he didn't do anything. This servant didn't do anything. He didn't spend any of the money. He didn't lose any of it. But he did not continue to make investments to find ways to be responsible and good stewards with the money. He didn't do anything to make the money grow. He didn't even try to engage in the responsible and conservative handling of the money given to him by his master. He just digs it up out of the ground because he buried it—frozen in place, saying, "Here's your money back, sir.

Dirt. It's all here." And the master gets so upset. So upset. You wicked and lazy servant. Lazy. Lazy. You couldn't even have done the simplest thing with the money, which is to deposit it in a bank to earn 0.7% interest. You couldn't even put it in a savings account, where it would have been equally safe and at least I would have earned a dollar. You didn't care enough to even try to do that. Instead, you sat back. You claimed your own status as a governor over my estate, but you didn't actually do anything with it. You just wanted the label and the status.

The Faithful Servants

He goes to the other two servants and they show him what they've been doing since he's been gone. Since their promotion to be managers over his things, they wanted to be wise even if it involved uncomfortable risk. The servant he gave five bags of money to says, "Yeah, I went out and it was kind of scary and there was a risk, but I knew what you wanted. I understood the assignment." And he brought back five more bags of gold. He doubled the estate for his master. And the servant he gave two bags to found ways to invest it. He says, "I was able to bring back another bag of gold. Three bags of gold you now have that I was responsible for."

And he's so proud of them, this master. He's just so proud because they understood the assignment. They understood the expectations. You don't just sit here and not enter into the uncomfortable realm of risk. You don't just sit here and not take the risk. It's worth the cost. Try. The master wanted to see his servants expand his kingdom, expand his estate. He wanted to see them being willing to go to the uncomfortable places and pour in with what they have been given. Not for themselves, not for their benefit, not for some type of reward that they would get. No, but for his estate.

What Have You Done? What have you done with what Yeshua has given you? What have you done? What have you done since Jesus ascended into heaven? The two at his side—one of them looks down and says, "Hey, guess what? He's going away for a bit, but he's coming back. The Master is going to come back." It's so easy to make the gospel and the mission of Christians about just saying a prayer and then waiting until you die to go to heaven. And the only issue with that, in my opinion, is the Bible. Because Yeshua claims that the good news in Mark 1 is that heaven has come near, here. The kingdom of heaven has come near. The kingdom of God has come here. It's not there, it's here, because it comes with Jesus. Why? Because new creation is taking place here. And Jesus taught us what that looks like through his ministry, everything he did. Yeah, but do you think we're supposed to follow the same pattern as Yeshua did in his ministry? Like reaching out to the vulnerable people in this world that the religious elite have rejected?

The people that have no support? The people that everyone else could care less about? We're supposed to go to them and actually care? Yeah. We're supposed to provide comfort and healing however possible to this group of people that has been rejected for whatever reason? Yeah. But what about that group of people that I don't like? That's not about you. Your fruit is not for you. It's for them. Follow me is what he says. Even so much so, he says, yeah, so you can do everything that I'm doing here, but guess what else I want you to follow me in? Carry the cross alongside me. Take on the cruciform lifestyle just like he did.

Have we been given an amazing gift by the King of Kings? Yeah, we have. What are you doing with it? I greatly appreciate Catherine for organizing this event today and Ben for leading this entire ministry. And I've never seen a couple so zealous about making sure they're not burying their gold. Susie, thank you so much for presenting today and telling your story. Thank you. Revealing what the passion of all believers should be. And so now the question is: how will you respond to Susie's story? How will you respond to the reality of what is taking place right under your noses? You see foster children every single day and you don't even realize it.

When you go to the store, when you're walking in the park, when you're getting your oil changed and the car next to you has a bunch of kids, you see foster children every single day, but you're not made aware of it. So you don't see how big the problem is. You don't see how many children need support. You don't see how many foster parents need support. Foster care does get hard after a couple years. And the one thing that made the difference for Jenny and me is having a group of people that just show us they care. And they do that not only by praying for us, but by sending us text messages, by being involved daily and weekly, checking what's going on with everything.

How can we help? Ben, you guys were the first ones to come over and babysit when we had to go somewhere. And we've had two project days where everybody came over to my house, which I hate because I'm a man and I have tools and I fix things around the house and I haven't because I'll do it one day. And to my surprise, they show up and they help me fix some stuff around the house. It was just a blessing. We get a meal every week. It's great —it's nice with the chaos of children, especially children that are vulnerable, children that do have trauma, children that do not know how to manage their emotions like other children that didn't grow up or didn't have the same experiences. A meal's nice.

How Do We Respond?

How do Christians respond to a situation where there's no excuse not for heaven to come down and snuff out the fires of hell at least a little? How do we respond to that? With being made aware that there is a place to invest what the master has left you. How will we respond? And maybe the Holy Spirit moved some of your hearts today, not out of guilt, not out of pity, not out of feeling bad, but out of responsibility to get more information of what it looks like to become a foster parent. Guys, I will repeat this. We can get you information to go to a class that is so casual, so nonchalant, no pressure, just to get information and ask questions about the reality of what it really looks like to become a foster parent.

Not what you see on TV, not what you read on blogs online, what to expect and what not to expect. Or you can talk to Jenny and me. Maybe you realize today that you've been given a responsibility to show the world what new creation looks like and where the trajectory's heading. The trajectory's heading to the new Jerusalem. We've been going through that with the Revelation. What does new creation look like? And I'll tell you what, new creation doesn't look like a world where vulnerable children don't feel safe. But guess what? You can still open your heart by stepping into a child's life, even if you can't open your home, by supporting foster parents around you.

Founder in Truth not only supports foster parents, has care communities within this church, but also outside of this church. We're supporting foster families that have never once attended this church. We need people to love foster families as they pour in and love these children. And our current foster family care teams do this by doing just that, doing just that.

Making a Difference

And maybe you're here today because this is a paradigm shift. Maybe you've never heard this topic discussed. Maybe you've never really thought about it. You never realized the reality of what was going on in your own backyard, but you're not 100% sure how to proceed with it. What do I do? How can I? I don't know if I can be committed to a care community fully. I don't know if I can be a foster parent. That seems maybe I'm not in a place where that's even possible. Guys, your resource for how to make any type of a difference is sitting right over here with Ben and Catherine. Reach out, reach out. Here's the thing, and this is the question I want to leave you with. If—everybody, say if—if, it's not concrete in reality. If there was something you could do, no matter how small it would be, would you do it? That's the question I want to leave you with. If there was something you could do, no matter how small, no matter how small of a difference it would make, would you do it? If it was totally doable with your resources that you have, your time, your energy, if you could do it, would you?

Stand Up

And now is the part of this week's message where I'm going to have a call to action. Not even going to try to hide it. Everybody got nervous. Yeah. Because I want to see what that looks like in our group today. And no shame if you're not at a place where you think you can participate at all, it's fine. But I want to see who thinks they can on any and all levels make an impact. And so I'm going to ask if after today's message and the information you've been given on what is going on right now outside these doors, if you would make a commitment. And that commitment is that if there is something you can do to impact the life of a vulnerable child of no fault of their own, that finds himself in a place where their parents and everyone that they love have been separated from them, would you commit to bringing awareness to the foster care crisis?

That's it. Being an ambassador for what's actually going on. Could you do that? Could you share information? Could you be zealous in just that aspect of making an impact? Or could you possibly explore what it takes to be a foster parent in opening up your home? Or could you explore what it takes to represent a foster child and fight on behalf of them like Susie does as a guardian at LATAM? Or could you explore being a part of a small care community that directly cares for a foster family and takes them under their wing? Or if you will just be open to do anything you possibly can. If you can commit to any of those things today, I would like you to please stand up.

Okay, that's why we call it Stand Saturday. Guys, in each of your, and thank you, and you can remain standing. I'll make you stand. Thank you. In each of your handouts today, there's this sheet of paper. Everybody noticed it. Some of you probably just turned it over because you didn't want to read it. And this piece of paper is specifically for you. If you would like more information about what it looks like to join a care community to take care of a foster family, and this may be foster families within the fellowship, or I think the growing need are families who don't have a church community that is capable of giving them a care community and we're trying to step into their lives.

If you want more information or you feel like you would like to check out what it's like to be part of a care community, you can fill this out with your name, email, and address, or phone number, and you can drop it in the offering box out back. And if you want any more information about being a church advocate or a foster parent, you can email Ben at ben at foundinintruth.com.

Good Stewards

Guys, let's be good stewards of what God has given to us. Because the last thing Yeshua wants to see when he comes back is that we've been lazy. And that all we did is take the status of his kingship, but never actually became an ambassador of it. You know, the whole—yeah, the master was very upset. So worship team, you guys can come up. We always conclude with worship, it's the same way that we enter into diving into the discussion about God and the Word. So please stand. Alvina Malkinu, our Father, our King, Father, we thank you for this time that we've been able to come together to address a real situation that biblically we are called to address.

And that your Spirit that resides in each and every one of us, according to your Word, will do its job and reveal to us, no matter how uncomfortable or what risk there is, that what we can do to make an impact no matter how small and that you would give us the strength to actually step out and act on it. We thank you, Father, for the message and the history and the story and the passion of Susie and Catherine and Ben today. And we ask that it would make an impact for your glory. In the name of Yeshua, we pray. Amen. Any situation in your life, I know it's been a tough couple weeks for a lot of families.

Guys, we have a prayer team on either side of the stage. If you just need someone to be an advocate for you alongside you, take advantage of that. These are our prayer warriors who want to stand with you. Please join us as we worship. Worthy of every song we could ever sing. Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe. We live for you, Yeshua. We came above every other name. Yeshua. Could ever say worthy of every breath we could ever. There is no, there is none, and show who you. With your love to those. Worthy of every song we could ever see of every breath we could ever. Yeshua, Yeshua. The whole and show with your heart and live to those.

There is no one there to know. It is a firm foundation I trust in each way. It is a firm foundation. Put my trust. Who alone I will not be shaken. Will not be shaken, God. Will not be shaken. We put our faith. Build our lives on you. It's your love. Move us in your love. A light upon the earth. Thank you, Father.

A Heart to Respond

Motivate us, Father. Cause us to move to the beat of your heart. Cause us to have eyes to see, ears to hear, the ability to understand and to move out in obedience, even in the smallest thing, God, because you multiply the might, right? The woman who gave to you was greater than those who gave many. Father, we know that you multiply in our obedience. So thank you, Father, for the work you are doing in our men. We bless you. We thank you, Father, for your faithfulness to us, your graciousness to us, Father. And I ask that you would prick our hearts to respond and reciprocate in our generosity and in our love. In Yeshua's name, amen.

Shabbat Shalom

What a beautiful day. Sing the Shema with me. Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. Blessed is the name of his glorious kingdom for all eternity. Now may the God of patience and encouragement grant you be like-minded with one another in the manner of Messiah Yeshua, so that together with one voice you may glorify the God, our Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Amen. Shabbat Shalom.