Well, we welcome you at every single Fresh Life Church and partner churches from the Open Network

to Blessed Are the Spirling Week 1. You made it. Welcome. We're glad you're here. What we're going to be doing in this series is pulling lessons, learn the hard way from this book, and of course from Scripture to apply to all of us, especially if you have ever felt

lost inside your own life. This message is for you. I have a ring with an anchor on it. It's a special

ring to me because the Bible pictures an anchor as a symbol of hope, that hope is like an anchor for your soul. How many of you know

when you are in a storm and you're in a boat, you want to have an anchor that will hold? And the

Bible says in life's most difficult storms that hope we have in Jesus is like that. It's an anchor that

is sure and steadfast. And so I love this anchor and what it represents to me. I love the ring.

Now, one November, we were at Linya's grave, and we go there. I have a daughter, by the way,

named Lenia, who's with Jesus in heaven. She went home to be with Christ at age five.

And she's the second of the five children that Jenny, my wife and I have four girls and then now a little boy.

And we were at Linia's grave.

And we were, of course, there trying to do what we always try to do, keep our eyes on Jesus in the midst of a place that is bleak and painful and challenging.

And so one of the things that we like to do

is do something that sparks faith

that speaks of defiant hope,

defiant trust in God.

And so we had brought confetti on this day

to sort of, and it was biodegradable,

for those of you who were worried about all that.

We're going to throw the, you know,

with in like tinfoil or anything like that.

Like all of a sudden, squirrels are choking on it, you know, wouldn't like tinfoil or anything like that. Like all of a sudden, squirrels are joking on it, you know.

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