Hey everybody, this is Andy Wood, and I'm the pastor here at Saddleback Church, and this is our podcast. Be sure to subscribe so we can get you these new messages every week, and I hope you enjoy today's message. Let's dive in.

Well, good morning. Saddleback Church. I am absolutely delighted to be with you.

California is so beautiful and I am so thankful to be here. Some of you realizing right about now that I am not from California, I was born and raised in Mississippi.

And, no, I'm from Australia, and California resembles the most of Australia

of anywhere in the United States.

In fact, all the way along the five are Australian eucalyptus gum trees. Did you guys know that?

And it makes me feel like I am at home.

I know you know about Australia because you've been educated by Outback Fake House.

And so you know, I visited the United States in 1998, or as my children call it, the 1900s.

And I landed in the U.S. for the first time.

I'd never been outside of Australia before, and I'd heard all about this church.

No kidding, I'd heard all about this church called Saddleback.

And the first church I ever visited 27 about this church called Saddleback. And the first

church I ever visited 27 years ago was in this very room, Saddleback Church. And I'm thrilled to be back

here. I really am. Listen, I'm an accidental pastor. This was not the plan. I ended up moving to the U.S. six months later to work in

Christian radio. That's what I did in Australia. And I was in Melbourne at the U.S. Embassy trying to get a

visa to come to your country. And I applied and the officer who was working on my file

misunderstood what I was asking for. They made an administrative

error. They gave me the wrong kind of visa. True story. They gave me a pastor's visa. I had never

been a pastor before. I had no plans of ever becoming a pastor. But the only way I could come to

America was to become a pastor.

Sometimes people ask me, how did the Lord call you into the ministry?

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