Embracing Change: The Journey of Becoming

Foreign, amen! Praise the Lord, everybody, amen!

All of the youth that are going to youth church, you guys can wait until Apostle Aisha says, "See sashes to that door," and you guys can follow her, amen. Get your snacks on, get your word on, all you if they want to go to youth church, follow the line between, uh, Apostle Mahesha, amen, amen.

One more time, can we just give God praise in this place? (Applause)

Now, I'm going to spell it because I want you to know that I know it is M-I-G-N-O-N. Um, we've had meetings where we want to make sure that we're pronouncing it the right way, so I want to hear you pronounce it first: mignon. Okay, we got praise, oh, we got an amen here, Sister Tia is here, amen.

Um, these represent some of our Sunday workers, uh, that sometimes I know you work overnight, um, but I know that you work on Sundays, and so it is always a pleasure to have you and see you in the house segment. Um, we see some returning family and stuff, we want to thank you guys, amen. Every time you walk in the house, it's always a pleasure, amen.

Um, I just have a few quick announcements. Um, the word is going to be, uh, so relevant to the worship experience for today that I feel that it's just going to be the perfect icing on the cake. Uh, I'm so grateful that I don't really have to dig and teach and do all the stuff that I was going to do. It's because I feel that the entire service is geared towards the, uh, the word for today, and so I'm just grateful, amen, to be in the house.

I do have some announcements and some things, um, and I apologize I didn't realize it until this morning that my tongue is still numb, and so we're gonna try to, uh, get through it. They got 15 days. I called DJ; DJ answered my phone call because I was trying to get a message to Claire like, "How long is my tongue supposed to be swollen in the dental field?" In the house, eight minutes. If you got any teeth issues, I need you to, at the service, go get Claire's number, amen, 'cause Claire will hook you up, amen.

Is it more than three weeks? Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, I stopped talking to people because people were looking at me like I got a lisp. No, I don't got a lisp; I just literally cannot talk right now. Um, but we're gonna get through it, amen. If you can't understand me, just, just Steve wave at me, and I'll sit down and shut up, amen.

Uh, I have a few different announcements. Um, here we are, we're in a new season, and so the level of preparation that it takes to do our services is on a whole different level. So sometimes my mind be blown.

Um, I first want to thank everybody that has called, texted, checked in, sent a message, um, and physically showed up. I want to give special acknowledgments for Amanda, uh, Sister Janine, Brother Ty, um, anybody else that went down to the hospital to go see Joy, her surgery. I'm gonna say one amazing, um, you know, she's in recovery, and so I just want to say this to our house at large, um, that even if she gets, uh, is she still physically there tomorrow, um, it was between today and tomorrow that she was going to be released.

Even though she may leave the hospital between today and tomorrow, um, the road to recovery is going to take some time. And so, um, I'm joking, but I'm gonna say what I'm gonna say. Uh, we had to confiscate her car, confiscate her car keys, tell her, "You can't pick up Zach; if he got a doctor's appointment, we'll take him," amen. You know, I didn't literally do that, amen.

Um, but I just want to say to the house at large that because her road to recovery is going to be a lot more than just the hospital portion, let's be there for her as a house, amen. Whatever she needs, uh, Joy, uh, we're my highly independent people. There, raise your hand, get delivered, get delivered. I saw one hand over here; I didn't see which one went up, baby, get delivered, amen.

Uh, because sometimes you need help, amen. And one thing that I'm learning in this season is that sometimes your next season is going to be released by you understanding that you need help. Any destiny that does not need help is going to be a very minute and small destiny, amen. But the bigger the destiny, the more help that you need, amen.

And so I want to thank you guys so much for just loving on her, and let's continue that love for her. Um, and let me just say this: this is not, uh, this is not specified to anybody individually. We do not have favoritism; we do not show partialities. And so what we do for one, we will do for all, amen. Because I promise you, if I ever find out any of you are up in the hospital and you ain't tell nobody, I promise you, you will get rebuked in the hospital. Y'all think I'm playing, but I'm talking heavy, amen.

Um, I do want to just give two rough statements, amen. It's gonna get a little bit rough in the next 90 seconds, but we'll get through it. Amy, look at your neighbor and say, "We will get through it," amen.

Because we're in a new season, um, I remember when, um, at one point it was only 12 of us in worship, and then it was only 20 of us in worship, then it was only 25 of us in worship, right? Um, there was a time where we had the space to do whatever that we wanted to do.

Um, but because our family is growing, amen, every Sunday we look like a family reunion now. There are certain things that worked in the past seasons that will not work going forward, amen. Certain things I will address at large, and what I'm doing right now, certain things I will dispense the information through the ministry leads and the executive teams.

Um, if we had a culture where we, this X, Y, and Z was done, and you start hearing that we're no longer doing it, please don't give them a hard time. Y'all got real quiet; come on, can everybody say amen?

Um, because this is what scalability looks like, amen. Where my business owners at? Um, that your business structure should be built and based for scalability. You know, there's certain things where if you got one client a month, you can do visits, but at 500 clients a month, you can't be doing house visits for everybody, amen.

And so there are certain things where, you know, just be prepared that we're not being mean; we just want to sharpen up so that visitors don't come in thinking that this is a whosoever will, amen. But the Bible says that God does everything in decency and in order, amen.

Um, one more point, you know, minor point, but it does have long-term major ramifications when it comes to any area of our giving. The only proper way of our giving is directly to the house, amen. At no point at any time, and I'm gonna give some, um, what was the word that goes against absolutes, like it's contingencies, that's where, um, some other ways that it may come into place.

But remember, as we grow, we will institute what's needed, amen. At no point should anybody be giving anybody else money in the church. Come on, shout out to our ways of giving. Let's see what you guys know: Zelle, who's that?! Venmo, PayPal, through the app, text to give. Y'all don't even know the text to give number; I don't know what either, it doesn't matter.

Um, through the app, through the website, amen. When it comes to any events, when it comes to anything that we're doing as a house, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, if anybody's misinforming you that you could just give them the money, please let me know, amen.

I've already addressed this with the leadership; now I'm addressing this to the church. Um, there's a lot of reasons why I'm saying this right now, um, for the reasons that they go outside of how you feel about what I'm saying.

I'm very big on financial accountability, that we do some very, very big bookkeeping in this house. Everything is counted dollar for dollar, amen. That you cannot get a tax statement giving money to somebody else and that you get credit for that, amen. That is not works.

And then, for some of you that are used to giving to people and you're not being meticulous in what you're putting on them, at a certain point, the IRS will have some structured ways to make sure that you are accounting for every one of your taxes, amen. Sometimes they call it a 1099K, amen. If you've never got a 1099K or had to file a 1099K4, just wait until I push you a little bit further in your businesses, amen.

It's coming, and most of you guys, you don't really worry about this stuff because you get a W-2, right? And so, you know, somebody else handles all of your taxes.

Uh, I don't live that life, and I've been audited over two times by the IRS, and so this is more important than you think, amen. And so, feelings aside, there's a reason why, you know, God even wants us to really make sure that we're doing everything dotted, everything crossed, amen. Because we're preparing for millions, and I don't got time to be getting audited when we get the millions. There's certain things that we have to learn now, amen.

Um, let's talk about disclaimers, amen, and shout outs to our deacons, amen. Look around the room; y'all see our deacons? They out boo loving, they out brunching, amen. And I want to thank, I think Maurice was the only call that they did, and I want to thank, uh, Maurice for stepping in their stead. He was here, um, uh, he was here, uh, early today. He was texting me; he said, "I'm two minutes away, I'm one minute away."

I said, "Bro, I got you, I got you. It's only when you start slipping off where you gotta worry about my text messages and phone calls." I remember, they've been doing a great, uh, great job, amen. Can we celebrate Maurice, amen? He came yesterday to clean the church, amen, and I'm just proud of the development that God has for you, amen.

Um, and so we will eventually need, um, uh, especially with Joy not being able to, and I'm going to set a protocol. I don't know if she can stay home for a little bit, amen. And so I will be, uh, um, training our deacons on how to do communion, go to the home and do communion.

Um, and in that context, you know, they will have the charge, um, and some of our elders to go on behalf of the ministry to collect our giving, amen. Now here's one other disclaimer, amen. Look to your left, look to your right real quick, amen, so you can have your neighbor in your peripheral.

Um, I do believe in benevolence; I do believe in giving, but I don't believe in giving to people that you hardly know. Um, let me say this: I'm not talking about you driving and there's a homeless person on the street; that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the predatory thinking and mindset of people preying on churches to try to get a handout, amen.

Now, Lisa and Naya, Pastor Lisa, Naya, they're sisters, they're blood sisters, right? Um, if Naya needs a few dollars, she does not have to come to the church to ask permission to ask Naya, right? Uh, Amanda's parents, Deacon Debbie, Deacon Sylvester, she does not have to ask the church to ask permission to ask her parents for money; that's her parents, right?

Um, uh, uh, Pastor Lisa needs a few dollars from, uh, Pastor Darrell, uh, she, nope, I'm sitting in the back, where she came from, back to Cinder, back to Cinder, right? Right, does not need to ask permission, right?

There's some of you guys, uh, who is there anybody that you know, is there anybody that you know before the church that's here today? You normally have a crowd, and so, so, I don't think anybody here that you know before the church, that's here today, that you knew before the church.

All right, Chanel, right? Um, they had a prior relationship outside of the church, you know, they did not meet in the church. You can ask her; you can ask her. I don't have to know that, right?

Um, but one thing that I do want to set a precedent for is if there is not a clear, strong founded relationship, amen, ask the church first. We love each other, but here is why this is important: because person A gives to person B, and then now person A feels like, "Well, I gave to this person, and they give to the church, they tithe to the church."

Oh, we have benevolence, right? Um, there should be nobody in the church struggling; there should be nobody in the church getting evicted. You know, because one of the things that I love about our church, um, and I have the right to do so, is number one, I ain't just gonna give you a handout; I'm gonna get up all in your business to help you.

Now you stand up for a second. We, uh, Naya transitioned on her job, but Naya is a boss when it comes to career help, job help, resume help, amen.

Um, we got so many people, you know, in this ministry that are resources, amen. And so, you know, give a man a, what was it, give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but teach a man how to fish, and they eat for a lifetime. You sit down.

Um, this is what our ministry is about, and so, you know, because I'm very, very big on excellence, I'm very big on even just family, I want to make sure that nothing comes in to ever taint the stuff and the things that God is calling us to do.

Um, let me just say this: for anybody that feels like I'm talking out of context, I am so grateful that you have never been through this before, but I've been through this more than 10 times at different churches. It ain't fun; it ain't fair. You raise money, the church already struggling, you give somebody three thousand dollars, next thing you know, they on Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas, and I'm mad.

It's like, that was supposed to be the money that I'm supposed to be cruising with, and these can't sail. I'm liberated!