1) "Now, one of the ways that we've talked about it is how the Great Commission, the Christian teaching about the Great Commission, we are on mission, and at the same time, we're not supposed to do it at the expense of the Great Commandment. Now, what is the Great Commandment? The Great Commandment, of course, is to love God with every part of who you are and to love others as you love yourself. So when we talk about Emotionally Healthy Mission, we're talking about the Great Commission and the Great Commandment." [01:46] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2) "Now, do I regret going out for the team and doing my best? No, I don't regret it. I wanted to give everything. But at the end of the day, here's a realization that came to me, is that I have limits. There's the limits of like, I'm actually not fast enough. I'm not strong enough. I'm not athletic enough. I have limits. You know what's interesting about the scriptures is that that passage in the book of Philippians, when it says, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, the immediate, it was actually a letter that was written to a church. And in that letter, right before this phrase, Paul basically says, I've learned what it means to have a little bit of money, and I've learned what it is to have a lot. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." [10:35] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3) "Now, what is Peter writing here? What Peter is basically saying is every single one of us have gifts that we contribute to the world around us, but they're different gifts, and every single one of us, what we're called to do is to use those gifts to steward them for the good of others, the good of the world, and the good of the church. Now, the apostle Paul would actually write to the church in Corinth, and he would use a metaphor that would be very similar to this theme. Look at what Paul writes, 1 Corinthians chapter 12. He says, just as a body, though one has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. Even so, the body is not made up of one part, but of many parts." [13:00] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4) "Now, you know what's so crazy is that Jesus in his ministry, Jesus was someone who raises the dead. He opens the eyes. He opens the eyes of the blind. He actually makes the lame walk. He teaches with incredible authority. And Jesus, what's so crazy is that he actually himself, filled with extraordinary power, at the same time would be someone who would live with limits. And in fact, there's this story in John chapter 6. He's just finished feeding 5,000, scholars estimate even thousands more than that. And look at what it says. It says, after the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed of feeding so many. They began to say, surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world. Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself." [15:03] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5) "Now, you know what's so interesting is that Plato is writing this and talking about a philosophy that would help govern the human spirit, something beyond human beings that we could grasp onto and hold onto for what is good and beautiful and true. And Jesus shows up in the world, and he says this, I am the way. The truth and the life. Anyone, in your quest for human meaning and a voice that could help govern you, that could help you through the ups and downs of life, if anyone is looking for that voice, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Now, immediately, some of us are like, well, how do I know I can trust that voice? Well, here's what Jesus would do. See, Jesus would live and die, but he would resurrect from the grave." [22:19] (57 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




6) "Notice what Jesus says. Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, this hired hand, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. Do you see what Jesus is basically saying? He's like, I'm not like some person that's just hired to love you. Recently, I was kind of with a group of people who are pretty wealthy. And one of the things that they were confiding in me is they were sharing that with all the wealth that they've amassed, one of the hardest things about being wealthy is someone told me that they're constantly hit up for money." [26:10] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




7) "How do we know that Jesus is good and beautiful? How do we know that he's true? How do we know that he's worth following? How do we know that his voice is the safest voice? It's because it's a voice that's not, it's not there just as a hired hand, just so that you would somehow reciprocate a kind of love. It's because this is the good shepherd who would actually lay down his life for you. That he demonstrates to you and to me that he's the good shepherd. He's not some hired hand. He's someone who wants what's best for you. Someone who would give his life for you." [27:25] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Amen, you may be seated, everyone.

Hey, over the last few weeks, we've actually been in this message series called Emotionally Healthy Mission. Now, these words, oftentimes you might be wondering, what does that even mean? Well, Emotionally Healthy Mission, what we're talking about is oftentimes there's two kinds of values in the world around us today. And you don't even have to be a Christian here to kind of have these words resonate with you.

First, there's the word mission. This idea that here we are, we've got a purpose in life and hopefully we're accomplishing that purpose and moving the needle, moving up and to the right. In fact, mission, this is what New York City is all about. This is why we moved to this city because we are the alpha city of all cities. In fact, we are the home of the American League champion, New York Yankees. Ah, yes, you know it, right? Like that's one reason. We love mission, this idea of mission.

And yet at the same time, there's this idea of health. Now, oftentimes health is something that in today's world, of course, it means so much to us. And a lot of times these two words, health and mission, can oftentimes be juxtaposed against each other, almost as if the two can't coexist and exist side by side. And yet we find in the teachings of Jesus and in the way of Jesus, in the way of Christian belief, actually both of these things are incredibly important.

We've explored how words are used, for instance, the apostolic, the Apostle Paul uses the word of progress and joy. Can I hear you say progress and joy? That's right, he talks about progress, this idea that we are to be progressing. But at the same time, the way that we progress matters greatly, that we do it with joy.

Another way of putting it is also talking about mission and morale. Can I hear you say mission and morale? That's right, that both of those things are important, that we are supposed to foray into the world and progress and be on mission, and yet at the same time, we're supposed to do it with joy and that morale matters.

Now, one of the ways that we've talked about it is how the Great Commission, the Christian teaching about the Great Commission, we are on mission, and at the same time, we're not supposed to do it at the expense of the Great Commandment. Now, what is the Great Commandment? The Great Commandment, of course, is to love God with every part of who you are and to love others as you love yourself.

So when we talk about Emotionally Healthy Mission, we're talking about the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Now, here's the thing. For those of you who maybe you're not even a Christian here, I want you to know today's message is actually distinctly for Christians about what Christians believe about how we are to do this. So for those of you who aren't Christians, however, I'm encouraging you to do this. I'm encouraging you to do this. I'm encouraging you to do this. I hope you can lean in and hear and be like, oh, this is what Christians believe about how they balance health and mission together.

Now, it's with this passage that we talked about in the book of Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 to 6. It says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Now, immediately then, the disposition that the book of Proverbs is talking about, trust in yourself with all your, no, it doesn't say that. Trust in your accolades, trust in your own wisdom, trust in the fact that you went to an Ivy League school, trust in the fact that you went to another school that is also well respected in the world. Trust in the fact that you are a young person who's leading the way in technology, finance, law, whatever it might be.

I mean, honestly, this passage actually gets at the heart of what's so difficult for most New Yorkers, because it is so easy, whenever these words are used, to say, trust in the Lord. The immediate disposition, the invitation is actually not to trust myself, but to actually trust in the Lord with all my heart. And look at what it says, "and in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Now notice, this whole kind of disposition is one that immediately tethers us, not to say that we're not supposed to have dreams, and wishes, and hopes, and preferences, but instead it actually invites us that whenever it comes to any situation in life, in any kind of decision, in any kind of moment, in our past, our present, and our future, that the initial way that we are to live is to be a people who immediately, it's to trust in the Lord with all your heart. It's to trust in the Lord with all our hearts. It's not to trust in myself, my own accolades, my own skills.

But, you know, the reality is, I really want to trust myself, because honestly, I think I know better than everyone else. You know what's so crazy about this, is even as a pastor, I can often want to just trust myself more than trusting in the Lord. I can think of, I can prepare sermons, and go about pastoring in a church, and think more about how I can do this, how I have the natural skills, the smarts, the wisdom to do this. And it's so insidious, isn't it? Because it's so easy, especially in a city like this, to simply look to my own reserves, my own power, to find my way in the world.

You know what's crazy? You know what's crazy, isn't it? That the scriptures actually do give teachings, though, about how each one of us, we can fulfill our greatest potentials when we actually, in God, we believe that we can do all things. For instance, there's this passage that I memorized a lot when I was a kid. And as I was wrestling through faith and whether I believe this or not, I clung to this passage. And the reason why was because I often felt like I wasn't good enough. I didn't measure up.

And so there's this passage in the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi. Look at what he says. He says, "I can do all things." Can I hear you say all things? That's right. He says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." And so the reason why I would read this passage and memorize this passage is because honestly, I loved what this passage was saying. It was basically telling me that there was no obstacle in front of me that was insurmountable. In fact, I was someone that if I trusted God enough, I can do anything.

And I clung to this verse because it confirmed also what I watched in Disney movies. And you see in Disney movies, of course, the message was so much about how you can do whatever you put your mind to, that you've got the skill, the smarts, the industriousness that you can do anything. And of course, I baptized that with this verse and said, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Now, I thought I'd actually show you a picture from when I was in high school. Here's a picture of me.

Yeah. Now, first, a couple of things, because I recognize in this picture, there's two very apparent things that you're probably surprised by. Number one is you're like, those two people look the same. Well, I do have a twin brother. How many of you think I'm number three? Number three. How many of you think I'm number 25? I'm number 25. David, I'm so disappointed. Jason, it's disappointing, man. I'm just, DK, what was going on, bro?

That's right, I'm number 25. I have a twin brother. My twin brother played quarterback, and I played wide receiver. And so, you know, I look back at this picture, and I'm kind of like, honestly, I'm a little embarrassed, and I'm like, man, I thought I was so cool. Back when I was in high school, I actually used to put, and well, the second thing that you might be surprised by is that I did have hair one time. I had a lot of it, everyone, flowing hair.

So when I was in high school, when I was a high school senior, I used to put Vaseline in my hair to make it shiny, and that's probably why I don't have much hair today. But nonetheless, I look back at that, and I'm like, oh, man. And I think back to my high school self, my high school senior self, with all the dreams and longings that I had. And I think about this passage that I would often recite, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

And so my greatest dream when I was in high school was that I would actually play in the NFL. That was my dream, that I'd become a professional football player. And so I kind of, my senior year, I was angling, and I ended up choosing the university that I chose. One big reason why was because the university that I went to, the year prior, to me entering as a freshman, that the school and the team went 0-10 in football. So I was like, I got a shot.

And so...I remember my freshman year, I was working out like crazy and doing whatever I could to make the football team, a Division I football team. And so I did. I was in the best shape of my life. And then I got cut. And then I got cut, and I was so disappointed. And, you know, I thought to myself, oh, my goodness. I can't do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

And it was this moment of, like, I was so perturbed by it because for most of my life, I had, like, come up with this whole belief in myself that if I am trusting in God, I can surely do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Turns out I'm a little short and a little too slow and a little too weak and not quite as skilled enough to become a professional football player. And like, in my genetic material, it doesn't matter how much I worked hard or how much I dreamed or how much I put my mind to it. I came, like, I got hit by this big dose of what's called reality. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And I remember getting hit and just realizing I can't do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I don't have the genetic material. I don't have the genetic material to be in the NFL. Now, that whole wake-up call was somewhat jarring for me. Now, do I regret going out for the team and doing my best? No, I don't regret it. I wanted to give everything.

But at the end of the day, here's a realization that came to me, is that I have limits. There's the limits of like, I'm actually not fast enough. I'm not strong enough. I'm not athletic enough. I have limits. You know what's interesting about the scriptures is that that passage in the book of Philippians, when it says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength," the immediate, it was actually a letter that was written to a church. And in that letter, right before this phrase, Paul basically says, "I've learned what it means to have a little bit of money, and I've learned what it is to have a lot. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

In other words, this verse actually comes from a greater context of Paul basically saying, "I've learned what it means to have a lot or to have a little. I can make it through any kind of difficult circumstance I find myself in." And yet somehow, I had bought into this idea that, you know what, with God, I can do anything, even make it to the NFL. And here I was, I actually couldn't make it to the NFL. I actually couldn't even make it on the team.

Now, what does that mean, though? Does that mean that I'm someone who should deprecate myself and think that I can't do anything? Well, look at how the earliest Christians thought about our unique contribution to the world. Look, the book of 1 Peter. Peter is writing to the church in Asia Minor. Look at what he writes. He says, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things, God may be praised through Jesus Christ."

Now, what is Peter writing here? What Peter is basically saying is every single one of us have gifts that we contribute to the world around us, but they're different gifts, and every single one of us, what we're called to do is to use those gifts to steward them for the good of others, the good of the world, and the good of the church.

Now, the apostle Paul would actually write to the church in Corinth, and he would use a metaphor that would be very similar to this theme. Look at what Paul writes, 1 Corinthians chapter 12. He says, "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. Even so, the body is not made up of one part, but of many parts." He's using this metaphor of basically saying that we all are, we all comprise the body of Christ, but in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

In other words, each one of us are exactly who we've been created to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you." And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you." If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ. High five your neighbor and say, "You are the body of Christ." And each one of you is part of it. Now, do you see inherent in this teaching then is that every single one of us has something to contribute. We're all gifted. High five your neighbor and say, "You are gifted."

Now, at the same time, this passage, what it also says is you are all gifted, but you are also limited. High five your other neighbor and say, "You are limited." That's right. I am gifted and I am limited. I am someone who's uniquely made to comprise this body. Now, I have to also be someone who recognizes my limits and recognizes that the way that I live my life then is not in this unrestrained place where I can do all things. No, it's with this wisdom of believing in faith and moving forward in faith. And yet at the same time, being grounded in reality in the ways that God has for us.

Now, you know what's so crazy is that Jesus in his ministry, Jesus was someone who raises the dead. He opens the eyes. He opens the eyes of the blind. He actually makes the lame walk. He teaches with incredible authority. And Jesus, what's so crazy is that he actually himself, filled with extraordinary power, at the same time would be someone who would live with limits.

And in fact, there's this story in John chapter 6. He's just finished feeding 5,000, scholars estimate even thousands more than that. And look at what it says. It says, "After the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed of feeding so many, they began to say, 'Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world.' Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."

Now, isn't this interesting? If I were Jesus in this moment, I would basically be like, "Hey, yeah, do you see how I could feed, how I could multiply food, how I could raise the dead, how I could heal the sick?" If I were advising Jesus, I'd be like, "Jesus, this is now the time where if you just create like a branded website and maybe you join TikTok right now, like this is the viral moment. This is the moment where you basically take all the momentum from your ministry, and this is the moment that this goes exponential and into the world. This is it."

And yet there's something so incredible and so restraining that in this moment, Jesus doesn't simply say like, "Oh yeah, of course, this is what I'll do. And of course, you want to make me king in this way." In fact, what Jesus does, he actually withdraws. Noticing and knowing his own limits and knowing what he's called to do. It's almost like in this moment, Jesus, he reveals that he's actually marching to the beat of a different drummer.

It's not the ways in which everyone around him wants to do a certain thing. It's not the ways of the world that tell us, "Oh yes, this is what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to amass as much as you can and become as influential as you can and be as great as you can." It's not all these values, which in and of themselves are not bad. There's something about Jesus that when it comes down to his life, his ministry, the way that he goes about in the world, the question that he's constantly asking that governs his life is the question, "Should I do this?" Not, "Can I do this?" Should I do this?

He's listening to the voice of whether he should do something or not. He's not governed by simply like, "Of course we're gonna do this because this is where the great opportunity is when it comes to mission and advancement and getting bigger and more influential." He's constantly asking the question, "Should I do this?"

Now in the world around us, we are awash in messages that tell us this is what we can do. And of course, go for it if the opportunity is there. And there's nothing wrong with pursuing open doors and different opportunities and even overcoming difficult obstacles. However, you remember the initial disposition of faith is one in which we say, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. In all your ways, acknowledge him." Not trust in myself and of course, ask this question, "Can I do this?"

And yet the world is awash. Technology is awash in this. We are constantly seeking what human ingenuity and human secularism tells us. This is what human beings are capable of. This is how smart you are. And yet with all the ingenuity of human creativity and smarts and even what exists within this room, how many of us have found ourselves in positions or in moral dilemmas even in the world today when it comes to people who are asking, "Can I do this?"

With science. Can I do this with becoming a God myself? And ultimately, no one has taken a step back and asked, "Wait, wait, should we do this?" You see, there's a passage actually in the scriptures, in the Old Testament scriptures, there's this thing called the Tower of Babel. And it's a story where people, of course, in their human ingenuity, they start to build a tower and they say, "We will build this tower so that we will reach up to the heavens and be like God."

And yet, this thirst for being like gods is what so many of us can find ourselves in, especially in a city like this, to amass more and more and more. And yet, the governing question for me and for you and for all of us is the question, "Should I do this?"

Now, I recognize that even this question, "Should I do this?" So immediately, you're probably like, "Wait a minute, should I do this? Listen, Drew, you shouldn't tell me anything about what I should do. Moreover, who gets to tell me what I should do? I'm the author of my own life, aren't I?"

Well, it's true. You are the author of your own life. But see, here's what Christian belief and where Christian belief comes in. The idea of should. The idea of where do we take our marching orders? Where do we listen to other voices? You know, the reality is in the world today, there are so many different kind of spheres of influence that tell us, "Oh, this will, well, if you just follow this kind of voice, then you will find utopia, or you will find the freedom and the meaning and the purpose that you've been after."

One such area, for instance, is politics. For instance, in politics, we can tell ourselves, "Oh, you know what? If we vote for this, then the world will be a better place. Then we'll find utopia." Now, I recognize some of you are like, "I was not expecting you to say politics, Drew, especially with this election coming up."

Now, here's what's interesting. Look at what David Wells writes in his book, Losing Our Virtue. When he talks about the moment we find ourselves in this cultural moment, he says, "It is this cultural dilemma that now drives a debate between Democrats and Republicans. The one wanting more law and the other more freedom. Would it be inappropriate to suggest that both parties are partly wrong and partly right? Republicans, I believe, are right and government regulation is burdensome and sometimes ineffective, but they are slow to see the consequences of having less law in a culture whose moral character is worn, where obedience to the unenforceable is tepid."

Do you see what he's saying? He's basically saying, you know, you can say philosophically that we're supposed to have less laws, but what if the character of people, like we've lost any sense of moral virtue? Now, notice though, Democrats are right to fear what will happen in such a society where the heavy hand of the law is lifted, but they rarely see that the law cannot restore what we have lost, which is our sense of obedience to the unenforceable.

The law is no substitute for what we have lost. We can, for example, pass laws against murder, however, not against hatred, against adultery, but not against lust, against fraud, but not against lying, against violence, but not against the emotional neglect of children. We can condemn abuse, but we cannot command kindness. We can condemn bigotry, but we cannot require civility. Republicans ask for more freedom, Democrats for more law, but freedom in the absence of public virtue is as disastrous as more law because of the absence of public virtue.

Now, what is David Wells saying? He's saying, you see, the world that we live in today, we've lost any sense of morality and a moral compass of any kinds of shoulds. Why? Because most of us were trusting in all these other things to somehow govern us. We think that more laws or less laws, and yet the human condition that we find ourselves in is we continue to find ourselves lost, looking for purpose, meaning, and a moral compass.

Now, Plato in the ancient world, he would actually talk about these things called the transcendentals. The transcendentals were these aspects beyond the physical world that every human being would long for. It was what was good and what was beautiful and what is true. And Plato would write about how these three things are things that the human spirit constantly are gravitating towards and looking for. Throughout time in history, we were looking for what is good and beautiful and true.

Now, you know what's so interesting is that Plato is writing this and talking about a philosophy that would help govern the human spirit, something beyond human beings that we could grasp onto and hold onto for what is good and beautiful and true. And Jesus shows up in the world, and he says this, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

Anyone, in your quest for human meaning and a voice that could help govern you, that could help you through the ups and downs of life, if anyone is looking for that voice, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Now, immediately, some of us are like, "Well, how do I know I can trust that voice?"

Well, here's what Jesus would do. See, Jesus would live and die, but he would resurrect from the grave. And he would say, "If you've been looking for what is true, you can trust that I am the author of truth because I'm the one who created the world and also the one who raises the dead." And so Jesus is the one who is the one who is true, that we can actually say, "Jesus, you are true. You are the one that we are to follow. You are the way, the truth, and the life."

See, but the question still exists. Okay, if Jesus is the one who is true, I can get, yet if Jesus claims to be God, and if he's God, of course, God is the one who is truth because God is transcendent over time, space, and people. Well, how do we know that Jesus is good and beautiful?

You know what's interesting is that Jesus would actually give this teaching a metaphor of who he is to the world. Yes, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, but in John chapter 10, he gives this metaphor, and look at what Jesus says. He says, "My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me." He basically says, this is what it's like to follow me. This is what it's like to live into what is good, what is true and good and beautiful.

He says, "My sheep listen to my voice." My sheep, of all the voices in the world around us, the voices of success in the world around us, the voices of like the way that you should do relationships in this hyper-sexualized culture, the voice of money and greed that exists within our city. He says, you see, what it means to follow me is it's like sheep who hear my voice. They know my voice and they follow me.

But notice what Jesus says. Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, this hired hand, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep."

Do you see what Jesus is basically saying? He's like, "I'm not like some person that's just hired to love you." Recently, I was kind of with a group of people and I was like, "I'm not like some person that's just hired to love you." I'm a group of people who are pretty wealthy. And one of the things that they were confiding in me is they were sharing that with all the wealth that they've amassed, one of the hardest things about being wealthy is someone told me that they're constantly hit up for money.

And there's constantly this sense that the only reason why people want to be around me is because they want something from me. They want money. They want a donation. They want, I don't know, they just want to be around me for my money. And I was just thinking about, you know, like, that feeling of someone who is just doing something because they just want something from you, or maybe because they're hired to do it or something.

And here Jesus actually, he cuts through that and he's just basically like, "I'm not some hired hand. I'm not someone who's doing this because I'm paid to do it. I'm not a shepherd to you. And you don't have to wonder like, oh, is he, does he really care about me? Or does he just want something from me?" Jesus basically cuts through all of that. And he's basically like, "I'm not, I'm not some hired hand. In fact, I would lay down my life for you. Not because you pay me for it. Not because I have to, but because that's who I am."

Notice what it says. He says, "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. Just as the father knows me and I know the father and I know and I laid down my life for the sheep."

How do we know that Jesus is good and beautiful? How do we know that he's true? How do we know that he's worth following? How do we know that his voice is the safest voice? It's because it's a voice that's not, it's not there just as a hired hand, just so that you would somehow reciprocate a kind of love. It's because this is the good shepherd who would actually lay down his life for you.

That he demonstrates to you and to me that he's the good shepherd. He's not some hired hand. He's someone who wants what's best for you. Someone who would give his life for you. When we say this prayer, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your paths."

See, it's an invitation to say, "God, I want to trust the good shepherd. The one who has my best interest in mind. The one who has loved me even when I don't love myself. The one who has loved me even when I felt unworthy of your love. The one who will give your life for me, even if my suspicions might tell me that God is somehow trying to get over on me."

Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for my sheep. Will you trust me? Will you listen to my voice over and against other voices in the world?"

There was a moment in the life of our church where we were actually going to start a location in the Upper East Side and something happened where there was a leadership change and I actually had to step into leadership or I was, I willingly stepped into leadership there thinking, "I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. Oh, I'll just step into leadership there. We'll continue to pioneer this work in the Upper East Side."

And I remember kind of in the midst of that, I was telling myself, "Oh, because it's all about mission and God wants us to extend the work that we're doing in the Upper East Side." And I remember a friend who was on our staff, who was a pastor on our staff, who's still part of our church. He came to me and he just said to me, he's like, "Drew, can we, what's, what's behind that? What's behind you stepping into leadership there?"

And I was like, "Oh, like, I'm, I'm going to step into leadership there. I want to serve the work that's happening in the Upper East Side." And it was so easy to baptize it with religious language and be like, "Oh, of course, God wants us to be in the Upper East Side. This is why we're going to do it." And he's like, "No, no, no, what's really behind that?"

I was like, "I don't know what you're talking about, man." He goes, "No, no, no, what's, what's really behind it?" And as he kept probing, I was so annoyed. But what became apparent was what was true for me. I started to realize, that he was gracious enough to point out in a loving way. Was that honestly, the reason why I wanted to do this thing in the Upper East Side and was stepping into this was because honestly, I didn't want people to think that I failed and that I was a loser.

And here I was about to make this monumental decision that was gonna impact the life of my family and our congregations and everyone else and here I was and it was all seeded from this deep insecurity that I want people to think that I'm a good pastor who doesn't make mistakes.

Should I do this? Or can I do this? Who are the voices that you're listening to today? The voices of your own fear, the voices of your own insecurity, the voices of your own ambitions that have kind of lost their way, the voices of your shame, the voices of your anxieties and today what if the invitation for you was will you listen to the voice of the good shepherd who calls you by name, who knows you, your past, your present, your future and who promises to be the good shepherd who has loved you from the start?