Thank you so much for including me. I am incredibly grateful to be a part as always of what Gateway Church is doing.

We love and admire and respect your pastors, your leadership team, what

God is doing through and in your house is a blessing to us and we're incredibly grateful.

And the fact that God would let me actually partner with you right here at the top of the year

as you dive in deeply to what it means to honor God, that feels like a gift to me to participate.

So thank you so much.

I'm excited to share God's word with you.

Let's pray together and see what he has to say. Lord Jesus I thank you. I honor you father because you speak to us through

your word so I pray Lord that in these next few moments you would take the words of

my mouth and the meditation of my heart and make it

acceptable to you. In Jesus mighty name, I pray.

Amen. It was September 13th of the year 2008 when a category 2 hurricane named Ike caused extensive damage, particularly in Texas.

There were 100 and mile per hour winds

that seemed to wreak havoc everywhere that the winds blew,

devastating everything in its path, particularly in a beachside town called

Gilcrest, Texas. In fact, a quick Google search will show you exactly what it is that I'm about to describe.

That particular community boasted of about 200 homes,

mostly retired couples that had gone there

to spend their days in a little bit of peace

and a little bit of quiet and a little bit of quiet.

And yet all of that was interrupted in 2008 when the storm came.

The aftermath was completely devastating.

...