July 14, 2025 • 26 mins
What does it truly mean to belong? Drawing from the powerful story of Michael Oher in "The Blind Side," this powerful message explores our fundamental human need for connection and how the church fulfills that longing as a spiritual family.
The speaker unpacks Jesus's remarkable promise in Mark 10:28-31, where followers who sacrifice relationships for His sake receive "a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children." This isn't metaphorical—it's a tangible reality that believers experience through their church family. While following Christ may involve loss and even persecution, the spiritual family gained is worth infinitely more.
Looking at the early church model in Acts, we see believers sharing meals, possessions, and lives together, truly becoming "of one heart and mind." This close-knit community stands in stark contrast to our modern tendency toward isolation and independence. The message challenges us to move beyond Sunday-only relationships and create intentional connections that mirror family bonds.
The heart of belonging comes through treating fellow believers as family—older members as parents, peers as siblings. Like the Tuohy family who didn't just provide Michael Oher with temporary help but fully embraced him as their own, we're called to fully incorporate others into our lives. When major life events occur—births, deaths, illnesses, celebrations—church family shows up, providing support that reflects Christ's love.
Ultimately, true belonging begins with a relationship with Jesus. If you're seeking connection and purpose, take that first step toward the family that will never abandon you. In God's household, as Ephesians 2:19 reminds us, we are "no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people." Welcome home.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
There was a movie in 2009, and it was called the
Blind Side.
How many of you have seen it?
Yeah, all right.
So there was Michael Orr, whowent on to be a great tackle for
the Baltimore Ravens of allteams, but this was when he
(00:23):
started out.
He started out pretty muchfatherless, homeless, just
wandering the streets.
And there was this family, theToohey family, and very well off
.
Both parents were professionals.
They had two children.
But Leanne Toohey had a heartwhen she saw Michael Orr
(00:48):
wandering the streets, cold,looking for some place to be
warm.
And this iconic scene in themovie where he goes up to
Michael and says where are yougoing?
And he says going to the gym.
Why are you going to the gym?
The gym's closed.
And he says going to the gym.
I said why are you going to thegym?
The gym's closed.
And he says it's warm.
And she asked him do you have aplace to stay tonight?
(01:12):
And he kind of shook his headyes, and he says don't you dare
lie to me.
I don't know if you rememberthe scene and he said no.
So they took Michael into thehouse.
That led to a relationship theyend up adopting Michael and just
very you would not think that.
You look at the two, michaeland the family.
(01:35):
They just didn't seem like theywould fit.
But he went on as he worked outand he ended up playing
football.
They worked hard to get hisgrades and then the story is
that he ends up being draftedinto the NFL, accepted into this
family and they great story,right, great story, sacrifice
(01:58):
and belonging.
That's there.
When I talk to you today andthis is going to be a
conversation, I'm going to hitsome things that is going to
feel really personal Because itis Belonging.
All of us have this.
All of us have a longing.
We're built by God to belong,and especially when new things
(02:25):
happen, new beginnings likemoving Marriages, get a new job,
go to school how many of youremember that freshman year or
that fifth grade year going intomiddle school or high school
for the first time?
Know all your friends from theprevious one Not there, right,
(02:46):
moving into a new community,starting into a new church,
having a sense of belonging,loss and grief.
Right, it hits us, hits us hard, you feel alone, you feel you
know, wow, this is deep.
(03:07):
But again, that need forlonging.
Kids go to move out of thehouse.
You get that empty nest,getting that sense of belonging.
Celebrations right you havebaptisms, you have weddings
these are all great things, butyou want to do it with somebody.
Sometimes there are crises thathit us, there are shame that
(03:35):
hits us.
We find ourselves in tough,tough situations.
You have that need of belonging.
Key insight here is that we'rewired to belong In every season
of joy or sorrow.
The church is meant to be thatfamily.
(03:56):
You know, rick, and we grew upat the same time here.
Just about You're a littleahead of me, right, but it's
obvious.
I mean that we, our mothers,would.
I mean we could get correctedby anybody's mom and we took it
(04:20):
okay, but we were loved byanybody's mom and that is a
generational thing thatcontinues today.
When I look at the peoplethat's in here, okay, and that's
a beautiful thing we're goingto be in.
You can prepare your Bibles inMark, mark, chapter 10.
And we're going to start withverse 28.
(04:43):
What makes this church abeautiful thing?
It's not the worship time thatwe spend in these walls.
It's beautiful, but that's notwhat makes this church beautiful
.
It's the family of Christ thatextends beyond these walls, and
(05:07):
so that's what we're going to dowhen we get into God's Word.
So read with me, please, mark10, verses 28-31.
Then Peter spoke up.
We have left everything tofollow you, truly, I tell you.
Jesus replied no one who hasleft home or brothers or sisters
(05:33):
, or mother or father orchildren or fields for me in the
gospel will fail to receive ahundred times as much in this
present age Homes, brothers,sisters, mothers, children,
fields, along with persecutionsIn the age to come, eternal life
(06:02):
.
But many who are first will belast and last.
First, you know Jesus.
Peter first off is saying thecost of following Jesus.
You know, you've got to picturethis point in time.
Jesus is, he is a rock star.
(06:25):
Everywhere he's going there's acrowd that's following him.
He just crossed over the RiverJordan south of the Galilee.
He's a big crowd of peoplethat's there.
This is just following up fromthe rich young ruler when he
(06:45):
realized what does it take tofollow Jesus?
And that's when Peter said, hey, we gave it all up.
There is a cost.
There's a cost of followingJesus and Jesus, though he never
hides the cost of following him, though he never hides the cost
of following him, he's always.
(07:07):
He also never leaves asacrifice unwarranted.
Christian life may involve loss.
You may have friends before youwho are Christian, that no
longer want to be part of youbecause it's just a different
way of life.
It's a different perspective.
It turns life on its headBecause it's just a different
way of life.
It's a different perspective.
It turns life on its head.
(07:29):
But those who are, maybe thefriends that you've lost, you've
gained, and that's where we'regetting at.
There's a spiritual family.
Now.
This is the heart of thismessage.
Jesus promises those who lostbiological family security.
(07:51):
This is not metaphoric, this istangible.
It's real what Jesus ispromising here Now.
Persecution can come.
We see the church that's underattack.
You may get joked about the wayyou live your life at work or
(08:13):
in your community.
It happens.
The early Christiansexperienced it.
They were ostracized.
I mean, it was fed to the lionsright for entertainment.
This was big-time stuff.
To say you were a Christiancould cost you your life.
(08:35):
I'm thinking we're blessed tolive in America, right, we have
freedom to worship the way wewant to do, but it does have a
price.
But you also have the gift ofeternal life that comes through
knowing Jesus.
Eternal life that is abundant.
(09:02):
Yes, following Christ brings youinto a church family and you
see it every day.
But there's still going to behardships.
That's going to be here.
Man, isn't it great to have achurch family.
When those hardships come, it'sincredible.
Jesus, at the end of this,flips it.
(09:29):
He flips the world's priorities.
He says those with social orreligious privileges will be
last, those who are seeminglyinsignificant will be first when
it comes to entering thekingdom of God.
We're all going to get there,the same, all of us.
(09:50):
We're all the same.
Now, when we follow Jesus,we're adopted into something
bigger and, as you know, a newfamily of God as father, one
another, brothers and sisters.
And that leads us to the churchfamily Now, in the movie
(10:16):
Leigh-Anne Toohey, she justdidn't invite Michael to dinner,
she didn't just get him a bed,she didn't just get him a coat,
get him a meal and be done.
She invited him into the homeand made him part of the family.
That's what the church iscalled to do.
(10:37):
There are people that we don'tknow yet, that are looking for
something, that are going tocome through those doors, and we
need to be there for them andbe prepared.
And we look at the early church, and the early church in Acts
modeled this in Acts 2, 42-48.
(10:58):
They shared their meals, theirpossessions, their time, their
family.
When was the last time you hada meal with somebody in the
church?
Right, sharing time togetherplaying around a golf.
I love the.
Where are you going today, al,after church?
Oh yeah, it's weird, lori and Inever know where we're going
(11:22):
when we come here for dinner,but half the time we run into
Sandy and the group and Essieand Rick.
You know, it's really neat,isn't it to have that special
bond that after church they goand they have dinner together.
Right, these are special things.
It's sharing life together.
(11:43):
All believers were of one heartand of one mind, and that
doesn't happen if you're justcoming here and listening.
It helps, right, but we need tobe sharing with each other.
And I'm telling you I'm talkingto myself, okay, I really am.
I saw what it's modeled to belike and I try to be there.
(12:05):
But, man, this is a tough daythat we live in.
We have demanding jobs.
We also have instantgratification when we come home.
Right, we can air conditioning,you can turn on the TV, you can
watch any movie that you want.
Right, you can get yourselfentertained.
Man, that's empty, though it'snot as full as when you share it
with somebody.
(12:25):
That's special.
That's family Now filling thegaps.
So we all have a role In theToohey family.
It was really neat.
There was a little kid named AJ.
You guys remember that kid inthe movie.
(12:46):
He loved his big brother, right.
And there's a really cool thingwhen all these big colleges
came to recruit Mike Warr, theywere in the living room and
they're trying to recruit him,right?
Well, aj is like the negotiator.
He's like what can you do forme?
Right?
He wants a sideline pass, hewants to walk onto the field, he
(13:08):
wants to lead the team.
He's really, really special,but he had a role in the family.
Right, the dad had a role.
It's really really special, buthe had a role in the family.
Right, the dad had a role.
The mom had a role.
We all know where I'm headingwith this.
In 1 Timothy 5, verses 1 and 2,it says treat older men as
fathers, older women as mothers,younger people as siblings.
(13:31):
This is a two-sided thing.
You look at the Blythe's Linemovie there's Michael and
there's the Toohey family.
It's two-sided thing.
You look at the Blindside moviethere's Michael and there's the
Toohey family.
It's two-sided.
In the church.
Right, there's you having aneed to belong and then there's
the rest of the church that'strying to meet that need, to
make you feel that way.
Seek it out.
Seek out relationships.
(13:53):
If you're looking for that,you're like, oh man, I really
want this, seek it out.
Seek out relationships.
If you're looking for that,you're like, oh man, I really
want this, seek it out.
There's everyone in here who'slooking to become a closer
friend to you.
Create that opportunity, bethat big brother, be that father
figure that someone's lookingfor.
We all come to those situationswhere we have that need.
(14:21):
In Proverbs, I love this.
My oldest brother, bill, namedthis thing.
We started golfing 30 years ago.
We started getting togetherOhio guys, christian guys and
West Dan.
That was 30 years ago.
We started getting togetherOhio guys, christian guys and
West Virginia guys and westarted just hanging out after
the first round and just sharingand praying for each other, and
(14:45):
so it got named Iron SharpensIron.
Proverbs 27.17,.
As iron sharpens iron, so oneperson sharpens another.
That's what church is aboutSharpen each other up, learning
from each other, making eachother better.
(15:06):
These are finding peers,finding siblings within the
church.
Not everybody has that.
I've been blessed to have agreat family.
No offense, dan, but what I'mgoing to say, but these elders
(15:30):
that I serve with I mean realclose brothers there Okay, it
becomes something special.
You know it, all of you herehave felt it.
We need to make sure thatthat's a focus of ours where
we're heading, what we're doingand how we're doing it.
Jesus modeled it.
(15:51):
Jesus modeled it.
Romans, chapter 12, it talksabout many, many parts, but yet
one body.
We all have a role to do.
We all have something to dowithin our church and it's a
(16:12):
beautiful thing, something to dowithin our church, and it's a
beautiful thing Now being thefamily.
And the two of these didn't waitfor someone else to act, but
they stepped in, and so shouldwe.
You know belonging.
When you think of the word,it's a verb, right, you think
(16:33):
about it, it's a feeling, but Iwant to turn it into an action
item of the church Talking aboutfamily values.
It should be an intentional,intentional relationships,
(16:54):
someone who's looking for Jesus,and they find the relationship
and they come to the churchfamily.
We need to be there for them.
Those need to be intentional.
Belonging needs to become anaction verb, creating that
culture of belonging.
We can do that when I look atthe, if we can turn with me,
(17:25):
please, to Ephesians, chapter 2,verse 19.
You are no longer strangers butfellow citizens and members of
(17:47):
God's household.
You know, dan, you mind if Ishare about our time working
together, all right.
So, dan, I think it's been twoyears since we've known each
other, probably right andcomplete different paths right
before we got to know each other.
But Dan and I have been doingsome work together and it's
(18:10):
really cool because I'm gettingto know Dan, dan's getting to
know me.
It's really cool because I'mgetting to know Dan, dan's
getting to know me.
I can tell you that Dan is.
He likes Philly cheese, subsfrom Subway, hard working, great
work, ethic.
He loves his family and isseeking life how to live life as
(18:32):
a Christian right.
I look at the similarities ofDan and I and it's been really
cool to do and I cherish thosetimes that we've spent together.
These are what the church isabout people, and I love when I
look at Dottie and the way thatyou embrace people as a mom and
(18:55):
a grandma across this church.
We know Dottie and the heartthat she has and I look around
here and I just People that Iknow, ron, you'll go pick
somebody up and take themsomewhere.
All we have to do is ask, right, I mean, my goodness, I mean,
(19:15):
these are roles that we have andit's a special thing that we
hold on to and that we have.
Let's not forget that,especially whenever we have
something big in our life right,a new birth, a death, a
marriage right.
We need to share that together.
(19:36):
As a family, we need to bethere for one another.
I mean, you all are aware of myfather's passing and it was so
cool to see the church reachingout while he was sick and we
were leading up man coming tovisit with him and praying with
(19:57):
him.
Those are special memories forus.
Right, it carries on and wewant to be there.
Just ask for prayers for yourmom and we're going to give them
.
And you know what?
Right now, I want to pray foryou.
Okay, let us pray.
(20:17):
I want to pray for you.
Okay, let us pray.
Dear Lord, we just come hereright now and we know that we
all have a need.
Right now, one of our lovedones' mom is not well.
We just ask you to be with her.
(20:38):
Give her peace at this time.
One of our loved ones' mom isnot well.
We just ask you to be with her.
Give her peace at this time.
Let your Holy Spirit be there,be with the family, be with us
(20:59):
to be there to comfort, toprovide strength, but just to be
there, to have the courage tojust stand there and be in the
sorrow together.
But we know we have hopethrough you and I ask you now
just for us to continue to justbe together as a family.
Yes, we pray in Jesus' name,amen, supporting this message of
(21:28):
belonging.
There's a lot of things.
You can look at it what achurch family does, being
adopted into a family, thehospitality that comes, being
one body working together.
Inheritance that comes throughbecoming a Christian and
following Jesus Christ, and thereversal of how you see the
(21:53):
world flips on its head.
Some of those things are noteasy, they're not comfortable,
but I want to miss make surethat we are totally aware that
we can do it together and that'sa beautiful thing.
You know, all of this startswith a relationship of Jesus
(22:17):
Christ.
This doesn't happen.
Churches, this is just onebuilding the world.
Christianity is out there.
(22:39):
I look at Dennis Arnold andwhat he meant to my life.
He was already not part of thischurch whenever I was a young
kid but man.
At times I would be involvedwith him at church camp, youth
rallies.
He was always there,encouraging and moving me on on.
Think of Kathy Taylor, whoinfluenced my wife and I so much
(23:04):
in our beginnings of our lifeNever part of this church, but
part of the body of Christ.
They're out there.
God is a powerful thing, but itall starts with that
relationship with Jesus.
If you're seeking to get closer, if you're seeking an answer,
(23:29):
if you're seeking belonging, itstarts with that relationship.
Pray, call out to Him, ask Himto be part of your life.
It might seem foreign prayerman.
You can pray to Jesus.
(23:49):
To me this is like breathing,having that close relationship,
anyone in your life.
That's closer than anyrelationship you'll ever have,
the relationship with Jesus, andhe loves you.
God cares so much that he senthis son.
No matter what you've had inyour life, no matter what.
(24:10):
He has grace enough to forgiveyou of your sins and it flips
your life upside down.
It gives you hope, it gives youdirection, not a simple life,
but it's the answer.
So if you have a decision tomake today, I want to extend
(24:35):
that to you, whether it's arededication of your life or
whether you want to give yourlife to Jesus.
This is the time.
We're the family of believersthat are here.
We're here to welcome you inand to support you and to live
life alongside.
So let us pray, then we willhave our song.
There was a movie in 2009, and it was called the
Blind Side.
How many of you have seen it?
Yeah, all right.
So there was Michael Orr, whowent on to be a great tackle for
the Baltimore Ravens of allteams, but this was when he
(00:23):
started out.
He started out pretty muchfatherless, homeless, just
wandering the streets.
And there was this family, theToohey family, and very well off
.
Both parents were professionals.
They had two children.
But Leanne Toohey had a heartwhen she saw Michael Orr
(00:48):
wandering the streets, cold,looking for some place to be
warm.
And this iconic scene in themovie where he goes up to
Michael and says where are yougoing?
And he says going to the gym.
Why are you going to the gym?
The gym's closed.
And he says going to the gym.
I said why are you going to thegym?
The gym's closed.
And he says it's warm.
And she asked him do you have aplace to stay tonight?
(01:12):
And he kind of shook his headyes, and he says don't you dare
lie to me.
I don't know if you rememberthe scene and he said no.
So they took Michael into thehouse.
That led to a relationship theyend up adopting Michael and just
very you would not think that.
You look at the two, michaeland the family.
(01:35):
They just didn't seem like theywould fit.
But he went on as he worked outand he ended up playing
football.
They worked hard to get hisgrades and then the story is
that he ends up being draftedinto the NFL, accepted into this
family and they great story,right, great story, sacrifice
(01:58):
and belonging.
That's there.
When I talk to you today andthis is going to be a
conversation, I'm going to hitsome things that is going to
feel really personal Because itis Belonging.
All of us have this.
All of us have a longing.
We're built by God to belong,and especially when new things
(02:25):
happen, new beginnings likemoving Marriages, get a new job,
go to school how many of youremember that freshman year or
that fifth grade year going intomiddle school or high school
for the first time?
Know all your friends from theprevious one Not there, right,
(02:46):
moving into a new community,starting into a new church,
having a sense of belonging,loss and grief.
Right, it hits us, hits us hard, you feel alone, you feel you
know, wow, this is deep.
(03:07):
But again, that need forlonging.
Kids go to move out of thehouse.
You get that empty nest,getting that sense of belonging.
Celebrations right you havebaptisms, you have weddings
these are all great things, butyou want to do it with somebody.
Sometimes there are crises thathit us, there are shame that
(03:35):
hits us.
We find ourselves in tough,tough situations.
You have that need of belonging.
Key insight here is that we'rewired to belong In every season
of joy or sorrow.
The church is meant to be thatfamily.
(03:56):
You know, rick, and we grew upat the same time here.
Just about You're a littleahead of me, right, but it's
obvious.
I mean that we, our mothers,would.
I mean we could get correctedby anybody's mom and we took it
(04:20):
okay, but we were loved byanybody's mom and that is a
generational thing thatcontinues today.
When I look at the peoplethat's in here, okay, and that's
a beautiful thing we're goingto be in.
You can prepare your Bibles inMark, mark, chapter 10.
And we're going to start withverse 28.
(04:43):
What makes this church abeautiful thing?
It's not the worship time thatwe spend in these walls.
It's beautiful, but that's notwhat makes this church beautiful
.
It's the family of Christ thatextends beyond these walls, and
(05:07):
so that's what we're going to dowhen we get into God's Word.
So read with me, please, mark10, verses 28-31.
Then Peter spoke up.
We have left everything tofollow you, truly, I tell you.
Jesus replied no one who hasleft home or brothers or sisters
(05:33):
, or mother or father orchildren or fields for me in the
gospel will fail to receive ahundred times as much in this
present age Homes, brothers,sisters, mothers, children,
fields, along with persecutionsIn the age to come, eternal life
(06:02):
.
But many who are first will belast and last.
First, you know Jesus.
Peter first off is saying thecost of following Jesus.
You know, you've got to picturethis point in time.
Jesus is, he is a rock star.
(06:25):
Everywhere he's going there's acrowd that's following him.
He just crossed over the RiverJordan south of the Galilee.
He's a big crowd of peoplethat's there.
This is just following up fromthe rich young ruler when he
(06:45):
realized what does it take tofollow Jesus?
And that's when Peter said, hey, we gave it all up.
There is a cost.
There's a cost of followingJesus and Jesus, though he never
hides the cost of following him, though he never hides the cost
of following him, he's always.
(07:07):
He also never leaves asacrifice unwarranted.
Christian life may involve loss.
You may have friends before youwho are Christian, that no
longer want to be part of youbecause it's just a different
way of life.
It's a different perspective.
It turns life on its headBecause it's just a different
way of life.
It's a different perspective.
It turns life on its head.
(07:29):
But those who are, maybe thefriends that you've lost, you've
gained, and that's where we'regetting at.
There's a spiritual family.
Now.
This is the heart of thismessage.
Jesus promises those who lostbiological family security.
(07:51):
This is not metaphoric, this istangible.
It's real what Jesus ispromising here Now.
Persecution can come.
We see the church that's underattack.
You may get joked about the wayyou live your life at work or
(08:13):
in your community.
It happens.
The early Christiansexperienced it.
They were ostracized.
I mean, it was fed to the lionsright for entertainment.
This was big-time stuff.
To say you were a Christiancould cost you your life.
(08:35):
I'm thinking we're blessed tolive in America, right, we have
freedom to worship the way wewant to do, but it does have a
price.
But you also have the gift ofeternal life that comes through
knowing Jesus.
Eternal life that is abundant.
(09:02):
Yes, following Christ brings youinto a church family and you
see it every day.
But there's still going to behardships.
That's going to be here.
Man, isn't it great to have achurch family.
When those hardships come, it'sincredible.
Jesus, at the end of this,flips it.
(09:29):
He flips the world's priorities.
He says those with social orreligious privileges will be
last, those who are seeminglyinsignificant will be first when
it comes to entering thekingdom of God.
We're all going to get there,the same, all of us.
(09:50):
We're all the same.
Now, when we follow Jesus,we're adopted into something
bigger and, as you know, a newfamily of God as father, one
another, brothers and sisters.
And that leads us to the churchfamily Now, in the movie
(10:16):
Leigh-Anne Toohey, she justdidn't invite Michael to dinner,
she didn't just get him a bed,she didn't just get him a coat,
get him a meal and be done.
She invited him into the homeand made him part of the family.
That's what the church iscalled to do.
(10:37):
There are people that we don'tknow yet, that are looking for
something, that are going tocome through those doors, and we
need to be there for them andbe prepared.
And we look at the early church, and the early church in Acts
modeled this in Acts 2, 42-48.
(10:58):
They shared their meals, theirpossessions, their time, their
family.
When was the last time you hada meal with somebody in the
church?
Right, sharing time togetherplaying around a golf.
I love the.
Where are you going today, al,after church?
Oh yeah, it's weird, lori and Inever know where we're going
(11:22):
when we come here for dinner,but half the time we run into
Sandy and the group and Essieand Rick.
You know, it's really neat,isn't it to have that special
bond that after church they goand they have dinner together.
Right, these are special things.
It's sharing life together.
(11:43):
All believers were of one heartand of one mind, and that
doesn't happen if you're justcoming here and listening.
It helps, right, but we need tobe sharing with each other.
And I'm telling you I'm talkingto myself, okay, I really am.
I saw what it's modeled to belike and I try to be there.
(12:05):
But, man, this is a tough daythat we live in.
We have demanding jobs.
We also have instantgratification when we come home.
Right, we can air conditioning,you can turn on the TV, you can
watch any movie that you want.
Right, you can get yourselfentertained.
Man, that's empty, though it'snot as full as when you share it
with somebody.
(12:25):
That's special.
That's family Now filling thegaps.
So we all have a role In theToohey family.
It was really neat.
There was a little kid named AJ.
You guys remember that kid inthe movie.
(12:46):
He loved his big brother, right.
And there's a really cool thingwhen all these big colleges
came to recruit Mike Warr, theywere in the living room and
they're trying to recruit him,right?
Well, aj is like the negotiator.
He's like what can you do forme?
Right?
He wants a sideline pass, hewants to walk onto the field, he
(13:08):
wants to lead the team.
He's really, really special,but he had a role in the family.
Right, the dad had a role.
It's really really special, buthe had a role in the family.
Right, the dad had a role.
The mom had a role.
We all know where I'm headingwith this.
In 1 Timothy 5, verses 1 and 2,it says treat older men as
fathers, older women as mothers,younger people as siblings.
(13:31):
This is a two-sided thing.
You look at the Blythe's Linemovie there's Michael and
there's the Toohey family.
It's two-sided thing.
You look at the Blindside moviethere's Michael and there's the
Toohey family.
It's two-sided.
In the church.
Right, there's you having aneed to belong and then there's
the rest of the church that'strying to meet that need, to
make you feel that way.
Seek it out.
Seek out relationships.
(13:53):
If you're looking for that,you're like, oh man, I really
want this, seek it out.
Seek out relationships.
If you're looking for that,you're like, oh man, I really
want this, seek it out.
There's everyone in here who'slooking to become a closer
friend to you.
Create that opportunity, bethat big brother, be that father
figure that someone's lookingfor.
We all come to those situationswhere we have that need.
(14:21):
In Proverbs, I love this.
My oldest brother, bill, namedthis thing.
We started golfing 30 years ago.
We started getting togetherOhio guys, christian guys and
West Dan.
That was 30 years ago.
We started getting togetherOhio guys, christian guys and
West Virginia guys and westarted just hanging out after
the first round and just sharingand praying for each other, and
(14:45):
so it got named Iron SharpensIron.
Proverbs 27.17,.
As iron sharpens iron, so oneperson sharpens another.
That's what church is aboutSharpen each other up, learning
from each other, making eachother better.
(15:06):
These are finding peers,finding siblings within the
church.
Not everybody has that.
I've been blessed to have agreat family.
No offense, dan, but what I'mgoing to say, but these elders
(15:30):
that I serve with I mean realclose brothers there Okay, it
becomes something special.
You know it, all of you herehave felt it.
We need to make sure thatthat's a focus of ours where
we're heading, what we're doingand how we're doing it.
Jesus modeled it.
(15:51):
Jesus modeled it.
Romans, chapter 12, it talksabout many, many parts, but yet
one body.
We all have a role to do.
We all have something to dowithin our church and it's a
(16:12):
beautiful thing, something to dowithin our church, and it's a
beautiful thing Now being thefamily.
And the two of these didn't waitfor someone else to act, but
they stepped in, and so shouldwe.
You know belonging.
When you think of the word,it's a verb, right, you think
(16:33):
about it, it's a feeling, but Iwant to turn it into an action
item of the church Talking aboutfamily values.
It should be an intentional,intentional relationships,
(16:54):
someone who's looking for Jesus,and they find the relationship
and they come to the churchfamily.
We need to be there for them.
Those need to be intentional.
Belonging needs to become anaction verb, creating that
culture of belonging.
We can do that when I look atthe, if we can turn with me,
(17:25):
please, to Ephesians, chapter 2,verse 19.
You are no longer strangers butfellow citizens and members of
(17:47):
God's household.
You know, dan, you mind if Ishare about our time working
together, all right.
So, dan, I think it's been twoyears since we've known each
other, probably right andcomplete different paths right
before we got to know each other.
But Dan and I have been doingsome work together and it's
(18:10):
really cool because I'm gettingto know Dan, dan's getting to
know me.
It's really cool because I'mgetting to know Dan, dan's
getting to know me.
I can tell you that Dan is.
He likes Philly cheese, subsfrom Subway, hard working, great
work, ethic.
He loves his family and isseeking life how to live life as
(18:32):
a Christian right.
I look at the similarities ofDan and I and it's been really
cool to do and I cherish thosetimes that we've spent together.
These are what the church isabout people, and I love when I
look at Dottie and the way thatyou embrace people as a mom and
(18:55):
a grandma across this church.
We know Dottie and the heartthat she has and I look around
here and I just People that Iknow, ron, you'll go pick
somebody up and take themsomewhere.
All we have to do is ask, right, I mean, my goodness, I mean,
(19:15):
these are roles that we have andit's a special thing that we
hold on to and that we have.
Let's not forget that,especially whenever we have
something big in our life right,a new birth, a death, a
marriage right.
We need to share that together.
(19:36):
As a family, we need to bethere for one another.
I mean, you all are aware of myfather's passing and it was so
cool to see the church reachingout while he was sick and we
were leading up man coming tovisit with him and praying with
(19:57):
him.
Those are special memories forus.
Right, it carries on and wewant to be there.
Just ask for prayers for yourmom and we're going to give them
.
And you know what?
Right now, I want to pray foryou.
Okay, let us pray.
(20:17):
I want to pray for you.
Okay, let us pray.
Dear Lord, we just come hereright now and we know that we
all have a need.
Right now, one of our lovedones' mom is not well.
We just ask you to be with her.
(20:38):
Give her peace at this time.
One of our loved ones' mom isnot well.
We just ask you to be with her.
Give her peace at this time.
Let your Holy Spirit be there,be with the family, be with us
(20:59):
to be there to comfort, toprovide strength, but just to be
there, to have the courage tojust stand there and be in the
sorrow together.
But we know we have hopethrough you and I ask you now
just for us to continue to justbe together as a family.
Yes, we pray in Jesus' name,amen, supporting this message of
(21:28):
belonging.
There's a lot of things.
You can look at it what achurch family does, being
adopted into a family, thehospitality that comes, being
one body working together.
Inheritance that comes throughbecoming a Christian and
following Jesus Christ, and thereversal of how you see the
(21:53):
world flips on its head.
Some of those things are noteasy, they're not comfortable,
but I want to miss make surethat we are totally aware that
we can do it together and that'sa beautiful thing.
You know, all of this startswith a relationship of Jesus
(22:17):
Christ.
This doesn't happen.
Churches, this is just onebuilding the world.
Christianity is out there.
(22:39):
I look at Dennis Arnold andwhat he meant to my life.
He was already not part of thischurch whenever I was a young
kid but man.
At times I would be involvedwith him at church camp, youth
rallies.
He was always there,encouraging and moving me on on.
Think of Kathy Taylor, whoinfluenced my wife and I so much
(23:04):
in our beginnings of our lifeNever part of this church, but
part of the body of Christ.
They're out there.
God is a powerful thing, but itall starts with that
relationship with Jesus.
If you're seeking to get closer, if you're seeking an answer,
(23:29):
if you're seeking belonging, itstarts with that relationship.
Pray, call out to Him, ask Himto be part of your life.
It might seem foreign prayerman.
You can pray to Jesus.
(23:49):
To me this is like breathing,having that close relationship,
anyone in your life.
That's closer than anyrelationship you'll ever have,
the relationship with Jesus, andhe loves you.
God cares so much that he senthis son.
No matter what you've had inyour life, no matter what.
(24:10):
He has grace enough to forgiveyou of your sins and it flips
your life upside down.
It gives you hope, it gives youdirection, not a simple life,
but it's the answer.
So if you have a decision tomake today, I want to extend
(24:35):
that to you, whether it's arededication of your life or
whether you want to give yourlife to Jesus.
This is the time.
We're the family of believersthat are here.
We're here to welcome you inand to support you and to live
life alongside.
So let us pray, then we willhave our song.
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