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Today's talk comes from Pastor Ben Stewart.

Well, I was a youth pastor right out of college, and every year I would take my students to go repelling.

And we would go with one of those outfitters that had the guides and had the gear, and he would take us to some mountain somewhere, and then we would just send kids off the side of the cliff.

But before we did, he would always sit us down and give us the speech.

Did it every year.

Where he'd sit down, and he would start with himself.

I just want you kids to know.

I've been sending kids off the side of a cliff for 25 years.

I have trained all these guys personally myself.

We have never lost a man.

None of you will plummet to your death today on our watch.

Do you believe this?

And the kids would say, we know, we know, because they heard it. But undaunted by their lack of enthusiasm, he would move to the

equipment. I want you to know this carabiner could hold 6,000 pounds. I could lower a Buick with this thing.

I want you to know this rope could hold all of us simultaneously. It will not fray or snap. No one will die today because of equipment failure.

Do you believe this?

They're like, we know, we know.

Yet when it came time to repel, if you've never been, you know, when you get hooked up,

you don't climb down the mountain.

You lean all your weight back on that rope and walk down.

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