In February, we learned the Heavenly Father's Bach step in learning to dance with our Heavenly Father. Let's quickly review before we begin digging into the fourth step, realign. February's sermon was a stirring of the Holy Spirit for many of us, myself included, as my wife and I talked and prayed with many of you after their service, I have continued to pray for you. Let us review where we're at in the Heavenly Father's box step. First, we talked about beginning with realizing and receiving God's love. I pray you have taken time over the last couple months to realize and receive the love the Heavenly Father has for you as you connect with him. You are a child of God. He is your Heavenly Father. First John 3.1 says, see what kind of love the Father has given to us. that we should be called children of God. And so we are. Next, we talked about rooting ourselves and why we exist. We exist to bring God glory. It's that simple. In this, we know that we bring God joy as we learn to dance with him. And I hope you feel that purpose in each day. Then we were ready to release. This was a big one for many of us, especially those of us who have ACEs, Adverse Childhood Experiences, who can understand why it may be difficult for people to envision God as their Heavenly Father. when our earthly father was not someone as dreamy as the Luther Vandross song we played. We observed many of the kids from the sports camp and the Harvest Fest, like the little boy named Richard, having a difficult time envisioning God as their heavenly father for similar reasons. And I pray you've been working on forgiveness that will release you to move forward in your realignment and getting into step with the Heavenly Father's boxed up. And I felt a stirring of the Holy Spirit as I spoke about this during the last sermon. And I know why, because many of you shared stories, questions, and came up for prayer as you process this. Can we double back on this third step for a second? Would you mind? Are you ready to have church today? Let's remind ourselves of what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is a decision of the will. God commands us to forgive. We must make a conscious choice to obey and forgive. The offender may not desire forgiveness. And that may be a harsh reality, but the offender may not desire forgiveness and may never change. But that doesn't negate God's desire for us to possess a forgiving spirit. Ideally, the offender will seek reconciliation. But if not, the one wronged can still make a decision to forgive. Matthew 544, Jesus says, but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. We are told to forgive. Paul echoes this in Colossians 3.13, saying, bear with each other and forgive one another. And if anyone has a grievance against someone, forgive because the Lord forgave you. There must be forgiveness for true justice. Forgiveness is treating others as God treats us. It's a way to heal. It launches reconciliation. It helps us avoid justifying our actions. And it releases us from the consuming nature of resentment. It also releases the person. However, it does not mean it is appropriate to have an immediate and full relationship without boundaries. Many of us talked about this after the service. Let's see what Tim Keller says about this. He strongly advocates for forgiveness, but he also emphasizes the importance of setting healthy boundaries. And I promised several of you that I would cover this today. Forgiveness can be powerful in a liberating act, freeing the wrong person from resentment and bitterness. However, however, He also understands that forgiveness does not automatically mean reconciliation or reestablishing a relationship. In certain situations, especially those involving abuse or ongoing harm, boundaries may be necessary to protect oneself and rebuild trust. Let me give you some key points here to remember. Forgiveness is not about letting the wrongdoer off the hook. It's about choosing to release anger and resentment and seeking justice without revenge. Are y'all ready to have church today? Boundaries are essential for self-preservation. Setting limits on contact or relationship dynamics can be crucial in protecting one's emotional and physical being, especially when dealing with abuse. Trust must be re-earned. If someone has wronged you, Their repentance and genuine change in behavior are necessary before trust can be rebuilt. The duty of care. We have a responsibility to care for ourselves and for our loved ones, which may involve setting some boundaries with those who have harmed us, even after we have forgiven them. Forgiveness and reconciliation are not always synonymous. Forgiveness doesn't automatically mean reconciliation. And reconciliation should only occur if it's healthy and possible for both parties. Context is key. The specific circumstances of the situation will determine what boundaries are appropriate and necessary. Is this helping? It sure helped me as I followed God's lead to lead my family in the steps after forgiveness. Consider David and Saul in 1 Samuel. Saul tried to kill him with a spear. In 1 Samuel 18 and chapter 19, Saul commands his son Jonathan and his servants to kill David. David, while not vengeful, is definitely setting his boundaries, isn't he? It was self-preservation when he set a test to see if he could trust Saul. When he subsequently fled, living in caves, theologians believe that he ran from Saul from between seven and 13 years. Seven and 13 years. He didn't stay in Saul's presence waiting for Saul's aim to get better. He had a duty of care for himself, especially as God's next anointed king. He could forgive, not seek vengeance, and not even retaliate when given many primetime opportunities. And let's learn from David's example that boundaries are okay. In simple terms, being a Christian does not mean being a sitting duck or a doormat to those who habitually sin against us. Let's dig into what I forecasted earlier in realigning ourselves to God. It's a constant step, one to repeat daily, just like the box that continues, continuing your alignment with God, getting closer and closer, matching his perfect rhythm. And I want to share more deeply and more tangibly, as I promised on this realignment step and where it has led me today, So early in my Christian walk, my Heavenly Father taught me these steps to dance with Him. And I didn't know Him until my mid-30s, but as I told you last time, I did know how to dance, okay? And I didn't know what a good earthly father was like, but I spent time in my Heavenly Father's Word and with Him to learn what a Heavenly Father was like. As Pastor mentioned, I sought my master's in theology to learn more deeply about God and equip myself. I use a great study Bible to augment my reading and understanding, and I love systematic theology. It has been an honor and a privilege to learn from Pastor Tom and co-teach this topic, digging into what the Bible says about an entire topic. I sought out earthly models, men dancing with their heavenly father, and I went about learning how to be an earthly father. And I want to take you on a bit of a journey here as God has taken me as I learned to dance with him. Let's look at some nuggets he's been teaching me and things I want you to be praying about and working on this summer. Because Pastor Tom wanted me to share about my journey, let me take you back to when I first became a Christian briefly. I just kind of woke up every day and I spent time till about noon with the Lord because I had a flexible schedule and a flexible job at that time. And to account for this time, I kind of had to ramp up to learn the dance with my heavenly father. And I needed to put in some extra time. Do any of you feel like you've had to put in some extra time to catch up? And as I married, transitioned roles and jobs, and had kids, I could no longer spend a half day with the Lord. My Heavenly Father's box step needed to evolve a little bit, and I had to schedule my time with the Lord and share it with my wife, and then my children. Those relationships take time, don't they? As an example, let me show you how my schedule has evolved to spend time in the Word. Many of you were curious, so I want to share that with you as promised. And I had to invite my family on to the dance floor with me. And over the years, we've stepped on each other's toes. getting synced to the steps and the rhythm. Let me show you a little bit of what that looks like in the grand home, and not because we get it right all the time, but we're trying. Joshua 1.8 encourages us, the book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success. We've taken this to heart. Here's an example of how we schedule time in the world throughout our day, both individually and as a family. We don't get it right. imperfect every day, but it has helped us establish a good foundation and rhythm for us to do the Heavenly Father's box step. A little bit about the journey of how we got there. When we first got married, Mandy and I, she read her Bible at night and I read in the morning. We began to discuss what we were reading, but we were reading different things. We realized our conversation would be a little bit richer if we read the same thing. So Mandy and I now, our children, have been going through the chronological reading plan since about 2017. In 2019, we developed the vocal method based on the SOAP method, and I had learned this from a men's group in Florida. And since then, we've used it diligently, capturing our kind of thoughts on paper. And some of you have asked, what do we do? And how do we grow spiritually? So in response, we're sharing. Mandy shared the vocal methodology with the ladies a couple weeks ago, I believe. And I heard you had a good time, and I wanted to share it here as well so the men don't feel left out. On the next slide, I will show you the methodology briefly. It's just a methodology, not the methodology. The focus and point is, is that you are spending focused time in the word and moving into action based on what you read. You may have a great way to study and apply what the Holy Spirit teaches you, and that is wonderful. Let's continue to collaborate and share with each other. Second Timothy 3.16.17 says, So let's take full advantage of it. And this is how we have found to do this. V is for verse. Pretty simple. As we read the same chapters, we just pick a verse to expound on. Why is this important? We gain broader context. It prevents us from being overwhelmed. It's a tangible nugget for us. We can focus on memorization of relevant scriptures and inspiration comes straight from the Holy Spirit. O is for observation. We can use this to explain or note what we are learning. We soak in the verse and consider its importance to you, why it's there and the context it's in, and its relationship to your life in the world now. And we capture what you were thinking about it. C is for covenant. This is how the verse applies to our marriage and family, which I can save for another time. But in this, the answer, we kind of answer how this verse speaks to us. and how we should live according to God's plan, how you should live to God's plan, according to God's plan. And A is for action. Each person commits what they will do, inspired from that verse. True learning must lead to a changed mindset in action. Without action, how is your time in the world worthwhile? And we go back through these actions to assess if we have completed them. This brings learning into application, and you can tell that Mandy and I have educational backgrounds. And lastly, we pray. Beginning with L for Lord, we document these prayers. We've found this method easy for children and adults to pick up to start to make the Bible tangible. And so an important part of the vocal, the methodology is kind of sharing with others. And in this, there is joy in being heard. There's also a level of accountability. Mandy shared that the ladies enjoyed this time of deep sharing at the breakfast. So as you learn to dance with your heavenly father and read his word, look for his characteristics and pattern them in your life as you would pattern the box step. In February, we talked a little bit about my dad's funeral. Many of you have dealt with this and loss. And when asked to do my dad's eulogy, beyond the funny anecdotes, I prayed for the Lord to show me how to bring closure to his life, help people heal, and provide a way forward. The Lord God guided me to call out glimpses of dad's qualities that were like God while not avoiding the characteristics that did not exemplify God. Continuing on the theme of David, we have a great example of godly qualities in him, don't we? And we all know he had some downfalls and some sinful moments. And I wove in David's cold seasons and the characteristics Second Samuel details about David in my dad's eulogy. We read Second Samuel, and when we read it, we see David's godlike characteristics. Faithfulness, patience, courage, generosity, commitment, honesty, modesty, penitence. being truly sorry and regretful. And I encourage us, as I encourage those at the funeral, to get to know God's characteristics and emulate them. And to understand God's characteristics in our model of a Heavenly Father, we must spend time with Him. Psalm 5.3 says, in the morning, Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning, I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. And I am confident I am not ready for my day, ready to dance with my heavenly father and ready to be a good example without time and prayer and in silence and in meditation. Aren't those all the same? No, you're missing it if you do. And sometimes, to be quite frank, when my spirit is not right and I haven't gotten in a rhythm with my heavenly father, I take more time. It's like listening to the beginning of a song to catch the beat before you take the first dance step. And in the morning before I engage with my family and after I study the word, I spend time in prayer, often starting with the Lord's Prayer and following the Acts flow for prayer. But the majority of my early morning is spent in silence and in meditating on his word, waiting for the Rema to come, for the Holy Spirit to speak to me. And it usually takes me and everyone's different, about 20 minutes of silence to hear from the Lord. In this sweet time, it's the sweetest time, he has provided me with such clarity and wisdom, helping me to make decisions in a manner that he would. His dance steps and getting into a rhythm with him before leading my family. In addition to the Heavenly Father, it is good to have an earthly model. God thought so much of this idea that He sent His only Son to be our model. Throughout the Gospels, we see the Son dancing with the Father by spending time alone with Him, doing what He says, praying and talking with Him. In Proverbs 27, 17, Solomon encouraged his son, many of you know this one, iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. We should pattern ourselves after Jesus and his followers, also seeking an earthly model of a man who's dancing with our heavenly father. From growing up as a little boy named Richard, I spoke about last summer, Without my dad being healthy and around for the majority of my childhood, I needed an earthly model to show me how to be a father and a husband. I've read books that have helped me, along with being a student of the word. I'm humbled. I'm very humbled that many of you have asked me what resources I reference, so I've listed some of my favorite resources on this slide for you. Thank you for asking. And belatedly, I saw the benefit of being in fellowship with other godly men. In fact, it's weekly fellowship with godly men in Texas that led my friend Gary to recommend River Mountain Chapel based on his relationship with Elder Jerry. In this church, I have found such rich, godly male fellowship. And I want to thank you men for helping sharpen me and being a blessing to my family. Thank you. I've also sought the earthly model of Mandy's dad, who many of you have been praying for. The fruit of his godly leadership in his home shines. And Mandy and her sister, they were just here. And they're in Paris right now. And I'm honored and appreciative that he is here with us today. Just a quick reminder, in all of this, do not expect perfection in any earthly model. Look only to your Heavenly Father to be perfect in all of his ways as you seek an earthly model and become one yourself. To be an earthly model yourself, give your family your best, then others. Not your job, not your career. Give your family your best first. Be the best what you are learning. from your Heavenly Father with your family, ask yourself these three questions. And I'm convicted many times. What are you learning as you dance with the Heavenly Father? What is he teaching and guiding you, you, to do? What characteristics are you modeling? What do you need to start, stop, or in hands. The way I know what the stop is, I just watch my son. I got to stop that. He got that for me. That's the way I know if I'm modeling the right thing. Since many of you have asked, I'll briefly share a few things over the years that the Heavenly Father has taught me. The first is prioritizing and balancing life. Man and I have been led by the Lord, created, and signed our marriage covenant. Since then, we've used three items to prioritize and balance life. God is first in our day. Next, we try to make sure our home is always a safe refuge. And then we always say, how are we using our gifts and resources to serve others and further God's kingdom? Another is the flow of decisions in the home. I seek the Lord for wisdom and clarity. He is my head. I'm not the head. And I take this very seriously. I try to model my leadership after my Heavenly Father's leadership, setting clear expectations, listening and communing, loving grace, teaching the Bible and speaking the truth in love. I include the family's opinions and thoughts, but I ask that they respect my decisions as long as they're aligned to the Lord. I don't always get it right. But I take my role, as I said, very seriously. Knowing that my dance with my Heavenly Father must, must translate to my dance with my wife and my dance with my kids. It must translate. Another is order. Chaos and disorder are extremely unsettling to me. Extremely. based on my childhood home experiences, and aces. And I realize in time spent with the word, even starting right in Genesis 1, how God is a God of order. So I've implemented things for myself, for our home, and for our business, but always trying to maintain an atmosphere of love. While we are men, And while we as men are heads of the home, you have a significant role ladies. I know we've been talking predominantly about the fellows, but you have dance steps too. As you realize and receive the love of your heavenly father, understand your roots in his. Dig in and learn. Listen to him. Listen to Him. Listen to Him. Release and forgive the past, yours and His. There can be a lot in the past. Pray about release, forgiving. Whatever is there. Realign yourself and support his realignment. Ladies, we need your support. Your growth in the Lord will be an encouragement and an inspiration to him. Again, since many of you have come up for prayer, I've been so touched by this and shared so much that has blessed our family. I want to share a few examples of what this looks like. And Mandy gave me permission, and I got to tell you that she was the one. We were working with a client prison fellowship doing training and development. Here she brought this questionnaire to me, that ACES questionnaire. And when I told you, I checked off nine out of 10. And she did this so I could be a better, I could get better, it would help me, it'd help me understand my roots. And she is committed to growing the Lord, studying the Bible, and she reinforces God's love for me when the storms comes, because the storms come, don't they, fellas? She knows that only God can be the lifter of my head and reminds me about this often. She's opened her arms to have my mom live with me. And at one point, four generations. And I said, I told you what you've done. I tried to warn you. Oh, let's do it. Then after about three months, I said, I tried to tell you. I tried to tell you. No, anyway. And she gets up every morning, every morning before our kids with her cup of coffee. Don't mess with her cup of coffee to read the Bible. And she prays before she starts her work and as we prepare to go home school. And she prays for my continued healing and my relationship with my Heavenly Father. And I'm grateful to have a partner who is also seeking to dance with the Heavenly Father. We covered a lot today about our dance steps to learn from the Heavenly Father and lead our families. It's a lifelong journey, correct, Pastor? It's a lifelong journey. And it means we have to keep getting better at understanding what it means to be a man and put God first in the home. Keep working on your Heavenly Father's box step. But let's not stop there. Our dance should lead us to act. In February, our actions were in the first three steps. I have given you examples of actions in the fourth step today. 2 Peter 3, 18 encourages, but grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. To him, be glory both now and forever. We should not stop growing in the grace and knowledge of our Heavenly Father. Some of you may be ready to move into a different dance move as you dance with the Heavenly Father. You may be ready, or may already be adding a little spice to the dance, maybe a little turn, maybe a little flare. And as I prepare to close, I want to ask you a question. Are you ready? I'd be remiss if I left out dwelling, if I left us dwelling on ourselves only. The Heavenly Father's box step is not just for our own personal growth. It is for us to further God's kingdom. In Luke 4, 17, 18, Jesus says, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives in recovering of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed. We can do that through sharing the gospel, making disciples, and by doing as the Lord commands. Throughout the Bible, God commands us to care for those in poverty, especially to widows, orphans, and oppressed. And I could go deep into our response to this as Christians, as a church, and as business leaders if that applies, as I wrote my master's thesis on this. But to put it into a bite-sized takeaway, we must respond to alleviate poverty, raise human dignity, and empower people in life and in their Heavenly Father's box step. Are you taking steps? Are we taking steps beyond ourselves to do this? And I know many families in our church live and breathe this, being adoptive parents. So many of you live this step in serving at our sports camp, in Harvest Festival last year, which was open to all children, but was intentional. It was intentionally geared towards the underserved children of Oneida and Shepton. And I'm excited about our church taking this next dance step together as we co-host the RMC. Hi, Julie. Push to Rock Sports Camp again this summer. Mark your calendars for August 11th through the 15th. We need your help and prayers. And until then, and as a church, let's keep dancing with our Heavenly Father. Thanks for listening to this message from River Mountain Church. If you'd like some more information, visit our website, rivermountainchurch.org.