# Pinelake Church // 8:00 AM **Channel:** Pinelake Church **Source:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZrvz10TLag **Transcript page:** https://www.withtranscript.ai/video/mZrvz10TLag ## Chapters - 0:00 — Opening Worship and Call to Praise - 12:44 — Welcome and Love First Vision - 14:37 — Magnifying Christ in Worship - 19:58 — Love First Impact and Giving - 22:12 — Biblical Foundation for Compassion - 26:20 — Hal Donaldson's Redemptive Story - 32:57 — Family, Healing, and Hope - 35:17 — Convoy of Hope's Global Expansion - 40:11 — One Day Campaign Vision - 44:15 — Practical Challenge to Give - 46:52 — Reasons to Give with Gratitude - 50:03 — Final Exam of Compassion - 56:27 — Prayerful Response and Invitation - 1:01:26 — Worship Response and Giving Reminder - 1:06:38 — Closing Thanks and Next Steps - 1:07:38 — Extended Outro and Filler ## Transcript **[0:00] Speaker A:** Sam, It. **[5:59] Speaker A:** That. **[8:09] Speaker A:** Good morning, church family. Would you stand together? We are here to magnify the name of the Lord Jesus today. So even as you're walking in, would you engage your heart with God? Would you pour out your praise to him? **[8:24] Speaker A:** And as we begin worship, would you say that God, I am here for you to worship you today. Come on, we sing together. **[8:32] Speaker A:** We've come for a move of God We've come for the Holy one All we want, all we hunger for is you yes, you're all we want Lord We've come with expecting hearts undone Knowing who you are Lord, we long for what only you can do Holy Spirit, Spirit come like fire on the altar Fresh wind blowing through we're going to stay here until we encounter you make us an all free make us in all the room we're going to stay here until we encounter you until we encounter you this is our prayer make us desperate Tear our idols down we repent it God, this is still your house. Yeah, you did it when you said you pour your spirit out so we sing Holy Spirit, come right Fire on the altar Fresh wind blowing through we're going to stay here until we encounter you make us an offering make us an upper room we're gonna stay here until we encounter you until we encounter you yes, Jesus, Would you pray Pray this prayer as we sing we need a move of God we need a move of Go. **[10:48] Speaker A:** We need a move of God we need a move of God we're hungry, we're desperate, Lord up in the heavens yes we need a move of God we need a move of God we need a move of God we're hungry, we're desperate Move in the heavens we need we need a move of God we need a move of God we need a move of God we're hungry, we're desperate Glory over the heavens by the altar Fresh wind blowing through we're going to stay here until we encounter you make us an offering make us an upper room we're going to stay here until we counter you from the al through we going to stay here until we encounter you make us in all three make us in a bl. We're going to stay here oh God we We need a move of God we need a move of God we need a move of God we're hungry, we're desperate. **[12:42] Speaker A:** Yes, we need you Lord **[12:44] Speaker B:** Amen what a great way to start today Just to say to the Lord God, we need to meet you today I'm so thankful that you're here Whether you're a first time visitor with us or whether this is home or whether you're at home online. Thank you for letting Pine Lake be your place to worship the Lord today together. And we do, we want to encounter the Lord. I'm reading right now in my Bible reading plan, The Psalm, Psalm 131 is a Psalm of ascent. **[13:11] Speaker B:** It's a psalm that the people would read on their way to church. And the psalm today in Psalm 131 said, God, I don't want to concern myself with stuff that's way past my pay grade. God, stuff that's way too hard for me to handle. God, I don't want to get my mind going there. God, I want to come to you just like a little baby who is up against his mother's chest and just has peace and rest. **[13:36] Speaker B:** God, that's the way I want to be. And can I just invite you to do that today? I don't know what may be worrying you, bothering you, what you got going on in your world, but would you today, would you just shift gears mentally and just say, God, I'm coming to your house. And God, I want to lay that at your feet and I want to draw near to you. I want to draw near to you and let you give me peace because he loves you. Today is a day called Love First. It's an emphasis that we have at Pine Lake once a year where we highlight a group of people who are underserved and overlooked somewhere around the world, sometimes in our community, and we try to bring the love of Christ to them in a way that is tangible. And so today is that day. **[14:13] Speaker B:** You're going to love it. It's going to be a wonderful day. You're going to leave here inspired and you're going to be a part of changing someone's life through God's love that's been given to you. So I can't wait to join in the rest of the day as we worship together and engage with God's love. But would you do this first? Would you turn around and share God's love with somebody beside you? Look at them in the eye, tell them you're glad to see them today. Give them a handshake or a smile but welcome to worship today **[14:37] Speaker C:** Saddenly articulate with a thousand tongues to lift one cry Then from north to south and east to west we'd hear Christ be magnified. **[15:30] Speaker C:** Were the whole earth echoing his imminence his name would burst from sea and sky from rivers to the mountaintops we'd hear Christ be magnified Come on, church Would you magnify the Lord with me? We sing this together. We sing oh Christ, be magnified Let his praise arise Christ Christ, be magnified in me oh, Christ, be magnified from the altar of my life Christ, be magnified in me. **[16:33] Speaker C:** In every creature finds its inmost melody and every human heart is made in Christ. **[16:53] Speaker C:** We'll see Christ, be magnified. **[17:02] Speaker C:** Lift him high Sing. Oh, Christ, be magnified we let our praise Christ Christ, be magnified in me Christ, be magnified from the altar of my life Christ, be magnified. **[17:32] Speaker C:** Oh, this is my prayer yeah, this is my song. Jesus, lead me, Lead me have your and say I won't bow the idols I'll stand strong and worship you and if it puts me in the fire Then I'll rejoice. Cause you're there too and I won't be for my feelings I hold back to what is true. If the cross brings transformation Then I'll be crucified with you oh. Cause death is just a doorway into it Resurrection life and if I join you in your suffering Then I join you when you rise yes. And when you return in glory with all the angels and the saints yes. My heart will still be Sing. My soul will be the same Sing. Christ, be magnified we let it pray, let it rise Christ be, Be magnified all across this lo. Christ be magnified from the altar of my. **[18:59] Speaker C:** Christ, be magnified in me Always sing it. Oh, Christ, be magnified we let his pres. Christ be magnified in me oh, Christ, be magnified from the altar of my life Christ, be magnified in me. **[19:36] Speaker C:** Jesus, be magnified Be glorified in us today. It's our prayer. It's our desires to worship you, to praise you, you. To give you glory, to give you honor. Thank you, Jesus. **[19:49] Speaker C:** We magnify you right now in this place. We love your presence. We love you, Jesus. Thank you for loving us. In your name we pray. **[19:57] Speaker C:** Amen. **[19:58] Speaker C:** Amen. Hey, you guys can go ahead and take a seat. **[20:08] Speaker D:** For years, you've been a part of something special through Love First. Together, we've been able to care for people who are often overlooked right here in Mississippi and around the world. And what's encouraging is that the difference you've made hasn't stopped. The ministries you supported are still caring for people and changing lives today here in Mississippi, you've helped families walking through adoption and foster care. You've mentored men and women in state prisons. **[20:35] Speaker D:** You've helped hundreds of people receive counseling and mental health care and a safe house. You Helped Renovate is still providing a place for women rescued from human trafficking to find safety, healing, and a fresh start around the world. You helped build the Dream center in Uganda where families are learning skills to provide for themselves. In Colombia, more than 1200 children continue to receive daily care and support through Compassion International. Through Convoy of Hope, you've given more than $1 million to help farmers and women in Tanzania, Niger and Colombia build a more stable future for their families. **[21:12] Speaker D:** And last year, you helped Canopy Children's solutions create a safe, caring environment for children walking through some really difficult circumstances. And that's what your generosity has made possible. And the impact continues. This year, we're partnering again with Convoy of Hope through their One Day campaign. Around the world, families are trying to survive on less than $2 a day. **[21:36] Speaker D:** Convoy of Hope is working to help feed children and families while creating opportunities for lasting change. And we're inviting every person at Pine Lake to be a part of that work by giving one day's wage. Here's how you can figure out what that means for you. Take your annual income and divide it by 365. That's one day's wage. **[21:56] Speaker D:** And that's what we're asking you to to prayerfully consider giving through Love First. This year, we've seen what God can do through the generosity of this church family. And we're looking forward to seeing how God will use our obedience this year through Love First. **[22:12] Speaker B:** Well, welcome everybody. Man, what a great day to come together and celebrate the love of the Lord for us. This is a day we call Love First. And as you just heard Jason say, it's a day where we highlight a group of people who are overlooked and sometimes underserved in our community or around the world. And we try to bring the love of Christ tangibly to that group. **[22:32] Speaker B:** Now, that wasn't just an idea that we had One day. We believe that love first is grounded in the scripture. First John 4, verse 10 says this in this is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us. And he sent his son to be the propitiation, the place of payment for our sins. **[22:51] Speaker B:** Not that we loved God first, but that he loved us first. And so the love that we share is actually the love that God has given to us. That same love is what we share with those who are most at risk and most vulnerable in our world. And some of the most at risk and some of the most vulnerable among us are children. We're going to talk today about how we can share the love of Christ with some very Vulnerable kids. **[23:15] Speaker B:** I want to share some statistics with you that you could get from a basic Google search. If you just looked up poverty or children in need, it would show you that 181 million children approximately under the age of five endure severe food poverty, which greatly increases their risk of having issues of malnutrition. On top of that, nearly 900 million children experience multidimensional poverty, meaning they lack essential needs like clean water, nutritious food, shelter, health care, and education. Now, I tend to think when I hear those kind of statistics of kids in need all over the place, I tend to think that's probably in Africa somewhere in Sub Saharan Africa. That's probably in Southeast Asia. And it is, okay, it's there, y', all, but it's also here. It's in America. In America. The USDA says that 1 in 5 kids in America, that's roughly between 12 and 14 million children in the US suffer with food insecure households, meaning they are uncertain where or when they're going to get their next meal. **[24:22] Speaker B:** I don't know about y', all, but that's hard for me to fathom. **[24:26] Speaker B:** And yet it's a fact. And now that we know, what do you do with that? John, who was one of Jesus top three brothers in the fight, wrote this in First John, chapter three, verse 17. Whoever has the world's goods and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, man, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and in truth. John says, if you have been truly blessed and you have what you need, then when you hear of other people who don't have what they need, God's call on us is to step toward that in some meaningful way. Not just to feel for them, not just to love them, say, oh, man, that's terrible. But to actually do something. That's why I'm excited about this day and partnering with Hal and Dorie Donaldson and the Convoy of Hope team to put a dent, at least in this issue around the world and even in our state, in my experience. **[25:35] Speaker B:** Convoy of Hope, HOPE is one of the leading voices, one of the leading agencies and organizations out there making a dent with women's empowerment, with children's feeding, and with sustainable farming practices all over the world. And so, Pine Lake family, it's a joy today to welcome Hal Donaldson, the president, founder, CEO of Convoy of Hope. Would you put your hands together with me and welcome Hal today? **[25:59] Speaker E:** Thank you, Pastor. Thank you. Thank you so much. Great to be here. Thanks so much. **[26:04] Speaker B:** Hell's like a dream. I mean, I've had the opportunity to be in rooms where Hal Donaldson has been, but I've never had this type of opportunity to be with you and Dori. And, man, you are just. You guys are so genuine and just what I dreamed and thought you were. You are so. Thank you. **[26:18] Speaker E:** Thank you, Pastor. **[26:20] Speaker B:** I've had the opportunity to hear Hal's story, and it's moved me. And so I want you, as my family, to hear my brother's story. And so, Hal, if you would. Would you share with us kind of the hard road that you grew up in as a young kid? **[26:38] Speaker E:** Well, first, I want to just say thank you to you and Pine Lake. Thank you for the partnership together. We've done a lot, and I think in the years ahead, we're going to do even more. But thank you for your friendship and your trust. When I was 12, my parents were scheduled to attend a business meeting, and my two younger brothers and sister and I were supposed to stay home with a babysitter. But the babysitter was late, and so my dad said, hop in the back of the car. You'll have to go to the business meeting with us. **[27:04] Speaker E:** My dad was halfway down the road when he looked in his rearview mirror and he spotted the babysitter pulling into our driveway. So my dad made a U turn, he dropped the four of us kids off, and we would spend the night with the babysitter after all. So about an hour and a half passed, and there was a knock at our door, and there, standing in front of me were two uniformed police officers, and they had come to deliver the news that our parents had been hit by a drunken driver, and my father had been killed instantly, and my mother was in the hospital fighting for her life. And I'll never forget that night, Pastor, because a number of friends and neighbors began to gather in the front yard, maybe 25, 30 people. And the police officer stepped up to the porch, and he looked out over the crowd, and he said, is there anyone here, any friends or family here who are willing to take the four kids home with them? **[27:53] Speaker E:** If not, we'll take them downtown to the station. And that night, just for a moment, no one responded. And then finally, one young couple raised their hands and they said, we'll take them. And their names were Bill and Laveda Davis and Bill and Laveda. They had two kids of their own, and all they owned was a single wide trailer. **[28:14] Speaker E:** And so I'm sure they thought it was going to be a One or two night sleepover. But we ended up living with the Davises for about a year. This family, they sacrificed their privacy, they drained their savings account so four kids could have a home. And I believe to this day that I'm not bitter, I'm not angry in large part because the Davis wrap their arms around us. My mom recovered and so she was able to land two part time jobs and my parents didn't have insurance and the man who hit them didn't have insurance. **[28:43] Speaker E:** And so the family was forced to survive on food stamps and welfare and handouts. And so as a kid going to school, there were times the cupboards were empty and we'd have to go to school without a sack lunch in her hand. And yet I didn't become bitter in large part because I experienced the power of kindness. Yes, I experienced the shame and the pain of poverty, but also the power of kindness because people from a local church would come to our door with bags of groceries. And people ask me all the time, well, what difference can a bag of groceries make or a plate of food? **[29:17] Speaker E:** Trust me, when you're hungry, it makes all the difference in the world. And so as a kid, even though really hard times, I believe it was just the power of kindness that kept me together. And I'll never forget. I'll tell one story, Pastor. There was a woman who saw that I came to church and I had holes in my tennis shoes and she asked permission to take my to me to a shoe store called Kenny's Shoes. **[29:40] Speaker E:** And back then Kenny's had three pairs of shoes. One for $299, one for 399 and one for 499. I'm not talking about $299, I'm talking about $2.99. Right? That's all they that I had and that's all I'd ever known is the $2.99 pairs. **[29:57] Speaker E:** So I made a B line to the 299 pair. But this particular day the woman waved me over and she said no how today Jesus wants you to have the best they have. And so I was able for the first time to wear shoes for 4 99. **[30:11] Speaker B:** That's amazing. And I love that. I love that the church responded to you in need, having no way of knowing what God was going to do through your life out. And yet here you are today, the president, founder, CEO of literally one of the top 25 or 30 nonprofits in the world. Can you tell us how that happened? How did convoy get started? Where was your heart Kind of touched and. **[30:43] Speaker B:** Yeah. Can you just share that story? Sure. **[30:46] Speaker E:** So, you know, when you're raised poor, you begin this quest not to be poor anymore. And for me, I thought the best way to escape poverty was through education. **[30:54] Speaker E:** So I worked my way through college, earned several degrees, and out of college, I landed an amazing job as a ghostwriter. And I was helping people write books. And one of those book writing projects took me to Calcutta, India. And when I landed the missionaries I was writing the book for, they said, well, we want you to interview Mother Teresa for our book. And so it was in the course of that interview where Mother Teresa, she turned the tables on me. And she said, young man, may I ask you, what are you doing to help the poor and the suffering? And I figured it was probably not a good idea to lie to Mother Teresa, right? I told her the truth. I said, I'm really not doing much of anything. And she said, well, everyone can do something. **[31:36] Speaker E:** Just do the next kind thing that God puts in front of you. And those words were really haunting. You know, I went back to my hotel, and the tears were flowing down my face. And I opened up the window to the hotel room, and I could hear the cries of the poor that were living in the streets of Calcutta. I returned to the States and I began to pray. God, change my priorities, change me. Make me more like my father. And as I prayed that prayer, there was an idea that just kind of dropped in my heart. And the idea was to write a book on living in the cities and what was going on in the cities. And so I did that. I actually took that idea and I went and lived in the streets of eight American cities for three days and three nights. **[32:18] Speaker E:** I went to Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, dc, New York, major cities. And I rode with the police on the midnight shift. And I had a hidden tape recorder. I just walked the streets, interviewing drug addicts and gang members, prostitutes, runaways and the homeless. **[32:31] Speaker E:** And all I can say is that God broke my heart. And I believe that God had to do a work in my heart before he could do a work through my hands. And it was on the heels of that that I took $300 and put $300 worth of groceries in the back of a pickup truck and went out and began passing it out to working poor, needy families. And that was really the story of convoy, of hope. And that's where it began. **[32:57] Speaker B:** Can I rewind you just a little bit? Along the way, God provided you an unbelievable wife and some family. Tell us a little bit about Doria and your Four girls. **[33:07] Speaker E:** Yeah. So I met Dori, and immediately, as one of those, love at first sight, I knew that she was the one. **[33:13] Speaker E:** And unfortunately, she didn't think so. And so, you know, we had this courtship on and off for five years, and she just wouldn't listen to God. That's all I can say. You know, and. But no, I mean, I just. I feel so privileged. God knew what he was doing. And a great family. **[33:33] Speaker B:** Indeed. Indeed. **[33:35] Speaker B:** Can I also rewind you just for a second? Because, you know, we really skipped from man, a lot of trauma as a young kid to literally leading an organization that has worldwide recognition and impact. And yet I know how there are some people who haven't gotten past what you said about trauma. Could you just speak to our Pine Lake family? Because there are men and women in this room who today are living with a lot of heartache and pain. **[34:04] Speaker B:** Can you give them hope? **[34:06] Speaker E:** The God we serve is the author of Redemptive Stories. And my story is a story. It's redemptive. That God took my father's mangled automobile and he transformed it into a fleet of convoy of hope trucks that today are crisscrossing the country offering help and hope to millions of people. **[34:23] Speaker E:** And my word would be this. If God can do that, he can take your trauma, your pain, and he can turn it for good. He can. It says in Proverbs 15:3 that the eyes of the Lord are everywhere. He knows exactly what we go through. **[34:37] Speaker E:** He's not disinterested. He's not distracted. He knows everything. There are some people who feel like they have made mistakes, huge mistakes, and that God is up there in heaven with this massive report card. And he has a pencil in his hand. And he's marking us down. Hal Donelson, D Minus. He doesn't have a pencil in his hand. He has an eraser. He's a God of mercy, a God of grace. **[34:58] Speaker E:** And today he wants to draw a line in the sand and says, that's the past. He wants to give you a new beginning. **[35:04] Speaker B:** Amen. Amen. I love that. **[35:06] Speaker B:** And speak that over us. Look, we're going to talk about loving first. And I want you to hear his house testimony that God loves you right where you are, and he does want to redeem that pain, and he has done that for you. **[35:17] Speaker B:** You just mentioned again, convoys impact all these 18 wheelers crisscrossing the country and literally the globe. How can you give us an update? **[35:26] Speaker B:** Just the scope of what you're doing and what convoy is doing around the world to help alleviate Poverty and need. **[35:35] Speaker E:** Well, I do want to say thank you to you and Pine Lake for just really coming alongside our efforts in Africa in particular. This past year, we've been able to go to 75 new communities and villages, and we have brought with us we've launched Children's Feeding, Women's Empowerment, and agriculture in those communities. And it has led literally thousands of people to Jesus Christ. And we've made the church and those communities the centerpiece of the community, because everything Convoy Vogue does is through the local church. **[36:03] Speaker E:** So thank you for just coming alongside. In Africa, we're grateful. But worldwide, I mean, Today we're feeding 700,000 children every single day and discipling them. Last year, we had 78,000 women and girls that went through our Women's Empowerment program. That's where we provide jobs training and we help many of them start their own businesses and through agriculture. Last year, it was 49,000 farmers that were able to go through training. So we give God the glory for what he's doing. Globally, the numbers are staggering. God just continues to grow it. But we want to get to a million kids. I mean, that's where we really want to get. And. And that's one of the reasons we're here today. They talk about the million children, but on top of that, in the United States this past summer, we started with 220,000 children who are underprivileged. And these are kids that don't have access to the school lunch programs during the summer months. **[37:02] Speaker E:** So we started with 220,000 kids. It was so successful working with churches that next year we're going to do 500,000 and then get to a million kids right here in the States. So that's a quick overview of what God is doing. But we're grateful. **[37:17] Speaker B:** Could I ask you to drill down just a little bit into that? Because I know that part of trying to provide that type of resources, many times you're dependent on somebody else to give you the food so that you can go give the food. Talk a little bit about what you guys are doing at Convoy right now to actually deal with your own food. **[37:36] Speaker E:** Yeah, so we really have been building infrastructure. And so we started with a distribution center in Missouri. We also now have one in Sacramento, one in Atlanta. And we're planning many more because they've been so successful in meeting the needs locally and regionally. But on top of that, we're also increasing our food supply. And so I think we may have a picture of that equipment that we have. This equipment is going to help us provide millions and millions of meals and get us up to a billion meals a year. And we're going to be able to distribute across the United States and around the world. **[38:10] Speaker E:** And we're so grateful for that because now we're not dependent on other corporations giving us the food. We're creating the food, **[38:18] Speaker B:** which is impressive. Christina had an opportunity to be at Convoy with you guys back in August and to tour their facility and that particular aspect. Couple things about that, if I can say one is, so they're buying now, think rice, beans, things like that in bulk. They can package and to distribute without having to depend on someone else. But the thing that was really impressive, Hal, was that in studying the regions of the world where there are vitamin deficiencies or different things. Am I understanding it right that you're actually adding that in? **[38:51] Speaker E:** Correct? Yeah. These are vitamin enriched products and it'll be cereal, pasta, soup mix and really a wide range of dried foods that we'll be able to package and send all over the US and around the world. **[39:04] Speaker B:** Yeah, it's amazing. And we got to tour a little bit of the agricultural research that you're doing. Could you speak a little bit about that? **[39:11] Speaker E:** Yeah. So we have farmers really all over the globe. And so what we wanted to do is rather than us having to send people from the United States there, we do have a large team of agronomists, but we didn't want to send people from the US to give them training. We thought, well, maybe we can just use their mobile phone. And so we've done is we've created these greenhouses, large greenhouses that will replicate the soils of countries and continents really all over the world. And we'll be able to communicate directly with the farmer through their phone. **[39:40] Speaker B:** That's nuts. **[39:41] Speaker E:** Yeah, it's **[39:42] Speaker B:** nuts. But you're looking at you recreate literally the soil and the atmosphere of somewhere in Africa and then figure out which seed is the best and what fertilizer it might respond to or what's the best way to care for that. I was just blown away with that for sure. And so thank you for what you're doing to be. Hal has an entrepreneurial spirit and really trying to do a lot to just say, how can we be the most effective to the most people in the world? And I love that. **[40:11] Speaker B:** Hal, can we talk about one day? **[40:13] Speaker E:** Yes. **[40:13] Speaker B:** Would you tell us the vision of One Day to Feed the World, which is the initiative we're leaning into today. Could you tell us about where that comes from and what you're asking us to do. **[40:22] Speaker E:** Right now, we have over a million children, women, and farmers that are on our waiting list around the world. They've been fully vetted. We know the need is there. **[40:32] Speaker E:** They're just waiting for the resources to get the job done. And so we began praying. We said, God, you know, how do we do this? Because right now there are kids that are eating off of garbage heaps. They're begging in the streets, they're sniffing glue to take away their hunger. **[40:47] Speaker E:** I just don't believe that's God's will. And we want to get them off of garbage heaps, get them into classrooms where they can learn to read and write and learn that Jesus loves them. And so we began just praying, asking God, how do we do this? And someone came up with the idea of one day. What if people across America gave one day's wage to help these kids get off of garbage heaps and get into the classrooms? **[41:10] Speaker E:** And so, Pastor, that's really where it came from. **[41:13] Speaker B:** So the idea for us today is if we were to lean in and we felt led to give, we give toward this one day offering. Can you talk a little bit about the. What would be the impact of that? **[41:26] Speaker E:** It's going to mean thousands and thousands of children getting off of garbage heaps and no longer begging in the streets. **[41:35] Speaker E:** We've demonstrated this. This is not just a pipe dream. It's a proven study that if we can get them into classrooms, their lives will be changed forever. And the thing that's preventing us from getting them into classrooms comes down to having the food to feed them every day. And so, you know, our pledge to you today is if you give one day's wage, we're going to use that, we're going to stretch it to get as many kids in those classrooms as possible. **[42:03] Speaker B:** Amen. Pine Lake family, I want to ask you to join me in praying right now for Hal and for Dorie and for the Convoy family. So y' all know our practice is we're just going to extend a hand this way. You can't physically touch him like I'm going to touch him, but would you just extend your hand this way as you're looking at Hal? And could I lead you just to pray, just specifically for he and Dorie and their family? **[42:28] Speaker B:** Would you just pray for. Would you pray for God's grace and peace on them, protection over them? **[42:40] Speaker B:** Would you pray for the mission of convoy, of hope that God would use the work of their hands to change kids lives all over the world, to not just fill their bellies but to fill their hearts with the love of Jesus. Would you pray for that? **[43:06] Speaker B:** Would you pray God's protection? A lot of moving parts, a lot of personnel. Would you just pray God's protection and provision over convoy? **[43:21] Speaker B:** So God of heaven, we call upon you and we just ask you, thanking you, God, for this man, thanking for his wife, for his girls and for their family and the way, God, you have redeemed the pain of his past, God, and you have made it a powerful testimony of your goodness to the world. Thank you, God. And I know you're not done. And God, I know that the dream lives on. And God, we're a part of that today. And so we ask you, Lord Jesus, to bless Hal and Dori and their family and the convoy team. And God, bring your kingdom all over the world through the arms of convoy. And Lord, today we open our hearts to join you in this effort. So we pray this today in the name of Christ. Amen. **[44:04] Speaker B:** Amen. Pine Lake family, would you put your hands together and thank Hal Donaldson for sharing with us today? **[44:15] Speaker B:** So here's the ask for us today. One day to feed the world. And so what we're asking you to consider is, would you just think about what is your one day's offering. You can certainly give more than that. We're not saying you can only give a day's wage. **[44:34] Speaker B:** And listen, if a day's wage would be too much of a stretch, I believe God honors the widow's mite. If that's what God stirs in you, then you can give that. But I pray, would you open your heart to say, God, what do you want us to do? What do you want me to do? Christy and I, she brought me to church today. She dropped me off, but on the way, I said to her, what do you think? What's God stirring? So we had our conversation about how God is stirring in our hearts to be a part of this day. And so I'm asking you to think about that. If you're a college or high school kid and you've got a part time job and you make $5,000 a year, I'll go ahead and do the math for you. **[45:11] Speaker B:** That's about $15 that today you could give $15 and your one day could change somebody's every day. 15 bucks. If your income is roughly $50,000. I've already done the math for you. If you make 50 grand a year, you would give roughly $140 today. If you want to do one day to feed the world 140 bucks. Now, if you make more than that, you're smart enough to figure it out yourself. I'm not smart enough to do that math, but you get the idea. Is that. Would you just think about God? **[45:43] Speaker B:** What would be my part today to give? Now, some of you, certainly one day's wage is going to be a stretch, but can I just speak to a handful of you? One day's wage would be nothing to you. And one day's wage is not the ceiling. It's really the low bar to say God is bringing one day of our church community together to say, what are you doing? **[46:07] Speaker B:** What am I doing to help the poor and the hurting around the world? Because everybody can do something. Now, the question in your mind might be, chip, why would I even do that? That's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking, how can. **[46:21] Speaker B:** How can I help you? And to think why you should step toward this. And I've got some reasons why. I think God is stirring in me to give. And I want to encourage you to consider giving. I know some of you are going to do it already ready? But I think you should lean in with an open hand and say, God, what do you want me to give? Alright, so don't just pull out 20 bucks and say, that's what I'm going to give. But God, what do you want me to give? And here's why. **[46:44] Speaker B:** Gratitude. Come on, anybody. Thankful to God for how good he has been to you. **[46:52] Speaker B:** God has been good to us. I slept in a warm bed in a cool house last night with soft sheets and a pillow that supports my head most of the time. Thank God. I took a warm shower today. I had a choice of clothes today. **[47:07] Speaker B:** My wife had a vehicle that she could bring me to church today because my vehicle is elsewhere. Man, I've been blessed and I'm reminded. James 1:17 says, Every good gift given and every perfect thing, it comes from above, from the Father of Lights, with whom there's no shifting shadow or change. Listen, listen. If you've got good things in your life, it's because God's been good to you. **[47:29] Speaker B:** You say, well, I did that. No, you didn't. God let you be born where you were born. When you were born, he gave you physical health and gives you physical health. He gives you mental capacity to study and be smart and think of ideas. **[47:40] Speaker B:** Come on, y'. All. Gratitude. Everybody can do something because God has been good to us. And God says, I want you to take what I give to you and share it with other people. Now, we've Been talking about that over the last few weeks. But again, I want to remind you that God says his heart is to help the poor and needy. I don't know all the verses, but Bible scholars estimate somewhere north of over 2,000 verses in the Bible. Talk about God's heart for us to help the poor and the needy and the overlooked and the underprivileged. It's God's heart for those who have to do something to help those who don't have. **[48:22] Speaker B:** Right now, that's God's call on our life. I'm reading in Ezekiel. Anybody else doing the Pine Lake reading plan? Reading through Ezekiel right now, that's some hard stuff to understand in places. But let me tell you one thing that has been real easy to understand. **[48:37] Speaker B:** God saying to the people, his people, part of the reason they were going to go into exile is because they had stopped caring for the poor. Let that sink in. Ezekiel 16:49. I read it yesterday. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom. **[48:56] Speaker B:** She and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. **[49:05] Speaker B:** And I'm convinced that that verse became the on ramp to a lot of pride and a lot of wicked stuff that followed. But it started with becoming selfish and not caring for the hurting around them. Proverbs 28:27 says, he who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses. Let that sink in. **[49:30] Speaker B:** James 1:27, you know, pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this. That we would visit orphans and widows in their distress and keep ourselves unstained from the world. And I think that last part, keeping yourself unstained from the world, is less about, hey, don't do bad stuff. I think it's more, guard your heart so that the things of this world don't grab a hold of you. And you forget the widow and the orphan. **[49:58] Speaker B:** God says, help them. And this is on the final exam. **[50:03] Speaker B:** Listen, it's on the final exam. You're part of the way that God's going to judge and determine how your eternity shakes out is by what you do to help the poor. Y' all remember being in high school or college? Come on, old people. Y' all remember your teacher be up there talking, talking, talking, talking, talking. Finally, somebody raised their hand go, hey, is this going to be on the final exam? Anybody remember that? Because if it wasn't going to be on the final exam, what were you going to do with it? Oh, I ain't Listening. But if he or she said, oh, yeah, this is on the final exam you locked in because you knew you were going to have to recall this information. You're going to have to give an account for how well you had learned this information. Can I just tell you that how you treat the poor and the needy is on God's final exam? **[50:47] Speaker B:** I'm just going to read it. **[50:49] Speaker B:** Just want to read to you what Jesus said one day is going to be like for us. Matthew 25, beginning in verse 31. Jesus said, when the Son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he's going to sit on his glorious throne. The world's going to know, and all the nations are going to be gathered before him, and he's going to separate them from one another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he's going to put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. **[51:22] Speaker B:** Then the king's going to say to those on his right, come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. **[51:40] Speaker B:** I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. **[51:51] Speaker B:** And the righteous are going to answer and say, lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you and thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we ever see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? And the king will answer and say to them, truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me. **[52:17] Speaker B:** And then he's going to say to those on his left, depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. In other words, it wasn't prepared for us, that was prepared for the devil and his angels. But that's where they're going to go. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. **[52:40] Speaker B:** I was a stranger, you didn't invite me in. I was naked and you didn't give me clothes. I was sick and in prison, and you never came to me. Didn't they themselves are going to answer and say, lord, my gosh, when did we ever see you hungry or Thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn't take care of you. And he's going to answer them and say, truly, I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of these, the least of these, you didn't do it to me. **[53:06] Speaker B:** These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. When you did it to the least of these, you did it to me. Now, can I be real clear? Pine Lake family, you don't love the least of these so that God will love you. **[53:28] Speaker B:** You love the least of these because God has loved you already. **[53:37] Speaker B:** And the love that you've received is the love that you give. **[53:42] Speaker B:** And that's really why I think you should consider giving today. It's because God gave to you when you were destitute and poor and needy. You're like, bro, I ain't been needy all my life. Well, actually, maybe not materially, but spiritually. **[53:58] Speaker B:** Spiritually, the Bible says that all of us are broken beyond repair. That spiritually, on your best day, your best acts are like filthy rags and you're unworthy before God. That the wages, the outcome of our actions is death, nothing less. **[54:17] Speaker B:** And that's a debt. I don't know about you, but that's a debt I can't pay. And yet, while God saw us in that place, he did not leave us there in his love. He refused to let you stay in your spiritual poverty, and he shared with us out of his great abundance. I'm reminded of Isaiah 55. As I was thinking about this very moment, a lot of verses I could pick from where God has come to us in grace. But in Isaiah 55, God is speaking through Isaiah the prophet. And this is his invitation. **[54:48] Speaker B:** Ho. Listen. Yo, listen up. Hey, everyone who's thirsty, come to the waters. You who have no money, come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost to you. Why are you spending your money for what is not bread and your wages for what doesn't satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and delight yourself in abundance. It's the invitation of God that if you're spiritually hungry or thirsty, and if you've been spending all your time and all your money on things that ultimately have not satisfied your heart. And you sit here today looking good, empty. **[55:34] Speaker B:** God says to you, come to me, because I'll give you bread, I'll give you food, I'll meet your need. God alone can satisfy you, and he invites you to come and receive all that you need. Listen at no cost to you. That's what he said. Come eat for free at no cost to you. **[55:58] Speaker B:** But please hear me. It was with great cost to him for God to meet our need. Cost him a lot. Second Corinthians 8, verse 9 says, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sake he became poor so that you, through his poverty, might become rich. **[56:27] Speaker B:** And so can I invite you today to pray and say, God, what's my part? What's my part? Because I'm grateful and because it's what he wants and because it reveals my heart and because he has been so gracious to me. I want to give. **[56:51] Speaker B:** When you feel like you have what it is that God's given to you to give, then there are ways that you can do that. You can go online at our website or go on the app and give. You can text love first to 57555. You can do it old school like God intended and write a check. **[57:16] Speaker B:** Today. You can actually tap to give on the seat back in front of you. There's a place for you just to tap your phone and it'll lead you to give. And if you don't understand what that is, don't worry about it. Write a check, But everybody can do something. **[57:34] Speaker B:** I'm reminded of the Church of Macedonia that Paul talked about when he was writing to the Corinthians. Now, the Corinthians were a rich church, church, metropolitan city, port city, Corinth had it going on, but the Macedonian church was poor, and yet they were very generous. And Paul was bragging on the Macedonian church to the Corinthian church, saying, hey, look, if they can do it, man, y' all can do it. And this is what he said about them and about their generosity. In Second Corinthians 8:5, he said, and this generosity was not like we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and then to us by the will of God. Can I just say that over you right now that the will of God is that before you give an offering, you give yourself to God first. That's what he wants, your heart. **[58:29] Speaker B:** Would you give yourself to him today? I'm going to pray for us. Going to give you some time to just pray. You'll have time later on today to talk and think. Unless you already know and you can go ahead and give, but I really want you to give yourself to God and then help us with one day to let God's heart be seen all over the world. **[58:53] Speaker B:** Can I lead you to pray, Would you just bow your head with me and close your eyes? **[58:59] Speaker B:** Has God been good to you? You. **[59:07] Speaker B:** So good? **[59:16] Speaker B:** Is he stirring in your spirit even now? **[59:21] Speaker B:** Would you say, God, show me what's my part? **[59:34] Speaker B:** Would you give yourself to God first? **[59:48] Speaker B:** I'm going to close this time of prayer and we're going to have a time of response where we sing to the Lord and worship him. You can go ahead and give if you want to in one of those ways, but I'm going to have some friends at the front of the room for those of us who might need to give ourselves to God first. So if you need to give your life to Jesus or if you need help in your spiritual walk, my friends are going to be at the front of the room. They'd love to just hear you, encourage you, pray with you today. So would you, when we stand to sing, you just come to the front and let them encourage you. **[1:00:20] Speaker B:** You. But it's in my spirit that some here today, you may be in that place of heartache and tragedy like you heard Hal's story. And if you're there, please hear me. We do not want you to walk alone. When we stand to sing, would you just walk to the front, take one of my friends by the hand and just say, would you pray with me? I'm in a bad place right now. Others of you may want to come, just kneel down at the front and say, God, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for being so good. But would you respond to the Lord as he leads you so? Father, we love you, we bless you, we thank you. And God, we open our lives today and we want to be a pass through for your generous grace to the world and God. **[1:01:04] Speaker B:** Food's a part of it, but God, the goal is your glory for little kids and women and men and families to be changed by your grace and your goodness. So God, we open our hearts to you now and we say your kingdom come, your will be done right here on earth as it is in your heart. In Jesus name, Amen. **[1:01:26] Speaker B:** Amen. Come on. Would you stand with us? You respond as God leads you. **[1:01:52] Speaker A:** You give life. You are love. You bring light to the darkness. You give hope. You. **[1:02:05] Speaker A:** You restore every heart that is broken. Thank you, Lord. Great. Are you, Lord? **[1:02:22] Speaker A:** It's your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise. We pour out out our praise. It's your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise to you. Only. **[1:02:45] Speaker A:** To you, only God, you give life. You are love you bring light to the darkness. You give hope and you restore every heart that is broken. Oh great. Are you Lord? **[1:03:20] Speaker A:** Sing. It's your breath, your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise. We pour out our praise. It's your breath in our lungs. **[1:03:37] Speaker A:** So we pour out our praise to you only it's your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise. We pour out our praise. It's your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise to you. **[1:04:00] Speaker A:** Holy, Holy, worthy God, pour out our praise on you Lord. **[1:04:23] Speaker A:** All the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing great. **[1:04:35] Speaker A:** Are you Lord? Come on. We believe and we declare that all the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing great. **[1:04:55] Speaker A:** Are you Lord? Every tribe and tongue all the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing great. **[1:05:15] Speaker A:** Are you Lord? **[1:05:22] Speaker A:** It's your breath in our love. So we pour out our praise. We pour out our praise. It's your breath in our L. So we pour out our praise. You only it's your breath, God, in our love. **[1:05:47] Speaker A:** So we pour out our praise. We pour out our praise. It's your breath in our L. So we pour out our praise De. **[1:06:08] Speaker B:** Amen. The Lord is good. He's so good to us. And so we today want to share that love that he's given to us with the world around us through this one day. Again, you can give by text. **[1:06:20] Speaker B:** Love first to 57555. You can tap to give, go online, go to the app, write a check, but please be a part of what God is doing among us. Hey, would you put your hands together and thank hal Donaldson and Ms. Dorie for being here with us today. **[1:06:38] Speaker B:** Hal, you and Dori, your story is so inspirational. I've heard it several times, but man, it just moves my heart. **[1:06:45] Speaker B:** Hal's story is so much more deep than even what we've shared today. And so much so that the world around us has noticed that and has chosen to make a movie about Hal's life. So there's actually going to be a full length motion picture called Hal that's coming out in June. We're going to help you remember that in June. But it's in a crazy story and God is using Hal and Dori and their life and ministry, literally, literally to change the world. And we get to be a part of that. And so Hal, again, you and Dori, thank you for leaving your family and being here with us today and for doing what you do. Hey, Pine Lake family, Love you guys. Let's go change the world. One life change story at a time. 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