Crazytown Series

Well… I just wanna welcome everyone here to Embrace…

at all of our campuses…

and wherever you’re joining us from.

My name is Adam… I’m one of the pastors here…

and as always… we are so excited…

that you are with us.

Just so overjoyed that you are here.

And now I just gotta ask… do you ever feel… like your life is crazy?

like completely insane….

I mean… I know for myself…

Sometimes it’s feel… like I live in Crazytown.

I mean… on a weekly basis…

It’s like… how can my life be this crazy?

Again… I just feel like I live in Crazytown. But I even just look back at college….

and back then… Crazytown…. consisted of writing papers…

and eating pizza…

and trying to impress girls…

and playing Mario Kart…

for hours…

And yes… I went to class… every so often as well…

But seriously though… college was 4… of greatest years of my life…

And sometimes... I just wish I could go back to college…

Anyone else feel that way…

Just so I can play more… Mario Kart… Amen?

But even at the time though… life just felt crazy.

And each day… I had more to do… than I could ever fit into a day.

But little did I know….

that my visits to Crazytown… were just beginning.

Like I didn’t have a clue….

And then after college though…. I got married…

Hashtag… Boomshakakla…

No but seriously though…

this meant having to think about… someone other than myself.

And there was laundry.

And dishes. And taking out the trash.

And trying to be somewhat helpful…

so that I could stay married.

And then somehow… our first baby showed up.

And I was now… responsible for another… living, breathing human being,

and there was no instruction manual included.

And there was diapers… and poop.

Spit up. Pee. No sleep. And trying to be a dad.

And then after school… I got a real job… Like a real job.

With more responsibility and deadlines.

And then Facebook was created…

And then Twitter…Then Instagram. And Snapchat.

And if I ever did… have extra second…

it was now completely gone….

And then we bought a house…

And like….without even knowing it…

I had officially moved to Crazytown.

Because the house… it had a lawn that needed to be mowed.

And sidewalks had to be shoveled.

And light bulbs needed to be changed.

And then 3 more kids showed up….

It was like kids were falling from the sky…

And we needed a dog too, right?

And why not get a chicken… and how about 4 chickens….

And again… I had moved to Crazytown...

and honestly…. it’s where I still live…. now today….

And after living here for so long…

It’s all that I know…

And I really can’t imagine…

living anyplace else.

And does any of this… sound familiar?

Now your version of Crazytown…

might look completely different from mine…

which looks completely different… from the next person’s.

But just in general though…

if you’re anything like me…

most days you’re just trying to keep your head above water….

And all your ducks in a row.

And if you’re anything like me… you’re just trying to survive another day.

And between work and deadlines… and kids

And schedules, and homework, Twitter…

And whatever else….

who has time for anything?

In the midst of trying to juggle 16 different things at once…

who has time for God?

And more specifically, in the midst of living in Crazytown…

who has time to pray?

(pause)

Now in the Bible…

At one point… a guy named Paul wrote a letter to a group of Christians…

in a city called Thessalonica.

And near the end of Paul’s letter though…

he told these people what their lives… and what our lives…

should look like as followers of Jesus.

Basically… if you follow Jesus…

You should do these things…

And he started off by saying… to encourage… one another.

and to do good to one another.

And he said…to rejoice always….

And then listen to this…

Paul said… to pray without ceasing.

Like what?

Again… pray without ceasing…

It can also translate as… Continually. Always…. Never stop.

Once more… as followers of Jesus…

We’re told…. to pray… without ceasing.

Okay… so this is wonderful right?

But if you’re anything like me…

It’s wonderful…

But it pretty much seems…impossible.

Like this isn’t even real….

And I don’t have nearly the time.

And I just can’t commit to doing anything more… right now…

And I’m just trying to get better at saying no… to things.

And I mean… I can maybe pray… here and there.

And maybe when I have the time to…

Or on Sundays…

Or when I really need to pray…

But pray without ceasing?

I mean… even if… I truly wanted to pray nonstop…