Built to Stand

Intro [Smile. Pause.] [ Pic ] I have discovered that it is possible to be a fan of something without having any intention of doing it. I can watch someone run a marathon and say, “That is impressive!” I can read about a man who climbs a mountain and say, “I admire his courage.” But admiration does not…

One stormy afternoon, Thibodeaux stopped by to visit Boudreaux. When he walked in the door, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Rain was pouring through the roof in a dozen places. There were pots and pans and buckets all over the floor— plink, plink, plunk —and Clotile was running around emptying them out…

Intro Boudreaux decided he was going to build himself a camp down on the beach at Grand Isle. Thibodeaux came by to watch, and there was Boudreaux, pounding his stakes straight down into the sand. Thibodeaux said, "Boudreaux, ain't you gonna drive some pilings? Pour you some concrete?" Boudreaux said,…

In the spring of 1782, the American Revolution was all but won. But the army was unpaid, the soldiers were angry, and the Continental Congress looked weak and broke. So a colonel named Lewis Nicola sat down and wrote a letter to General George Washington. Nicola’s argument went something like this: Look…

Salty and Shining / Living Distinct on the Narrow Road Opening Hook Before we read a single verse, I want you to do something for me. Think of the person who first made Jesus real to you. Who made Jesus Real to you? Whose list are you on? Not the first person who told you about church. The first person…

Intro Boudreaux and Clotile were sitting on the porch on their fiftieth anniversary. Clotile had been quiet for a long while, and finally she said, “Boudreaux, in fifty years you hardly ever tell me you love me.” Boudreaux took a sip of his coffee, thought about it, and said, “Chère, I told you I loved…

What Is Holding Revival Back? 1. Prayer Is a Place of _Sacrifice_ 23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my…

Intro How would like it if your phone updated tonight and had a new feature on it. Every time you typed something that wasn’t true, your phone corrected it before sending it. You type, “I’m five minutes away.” Your phone changes it to, “I’m still looking for my keys.” You type, “Sorry, I just saw your…

Insulated, Not Isolated Staying Pure in a Polluted World Boudreaux gets a new job at the sporting goods store, and on his first day the manager tells him, “Boudreaux, whatever you do, don’t touch the register unless you ring somethin’ up. It’s an old machine, temperamental, and if you play with it, it’ll…

I don’t know how often you fly, but picture this. You're standing at the gate. You checked in early, did everything the app told you to do, got there in plenty of time. Then the gate agent picks up the intercom: “Folks, this flight is overbooked — we need a few volunteers.” Nobody volunteers, so they…