Good morning. What a great day. We've got uh a couple guests with us today. Um Chip Judd and Colleen Judd are here. Chip has uh a master's in counseling from the Citadel. He has spent the last 30 years uh doing what he really has a passion for, um beach volleyball. And um his passion and really his his gift is is helping people experience that that change from the inside out, and change that that sticks, and change that that um lasts. And so uh I'm uh thankful that he's here with us this morning to share some of what uh what he's learned and and what God's taught him. And so let's just say a prayer as we get started. I had one responsibility this morning. One, to get this trash can out here before we started, and so I'm not doing so good. Luckily, God's in charge. Uh let's uh let's pray. Holy Spirit, we just praise you. We thank you for being such a great God. God, we thank you for adopting each of us as your very own children, and we praise you for that. You know, I thank you for uh Chip and Colleen and just how they would come to be with us uh this morning. And I thank you for the experience and what what you've taught uh Chip through the years. So, Holy Spirit, please uh be our teacher too this morning, and just let each of us leave with uh with something impactful that we know will will affect and change our lives. We praise you for that. We trust you for that. In Jesus' name, amen.

All right, good to be here with you this morning. Uh pastor just told you an important thing to kind of get your head in the right gear. I have been a pastor for quite a while, but more importantly, I've been a counselor for almost 30 years. And uh I I still at this point in my life spend about 10 to 15 hours a week in what I call the guts and glory of people's lives. So I'm telling you that to tell you that what we're gonna share is gonna be kind of practical, but it's probably gonna mess with you a little bit. My goal when I speak is I want to entertain you a little bit, but I want to mess with you a little bit. So uh we're gonna have like this giant group therapy session together, so it'll be fun. Now, how many of you believe your future could change today? Say yes if you believe that. If you believe that could happen, say this with me. My future could change today. Now, here's an interesting thing. Think about this for a minute. You can see your past, but you can't change it. Right? You can't see your future, but you can change it. You can't see, you can see your past, but you can't change it. How many of you know whatever happened, happened? But you can't see your future, and you can change it. Now, what I'm all about is change. I'm a metamorphologist. I study change. I study change biblically, I study it in books, I study it in prayer, I study it in practice. I study change. How many of you sitting in this room still have at least one thing about yourself that needs to change? How many of you have two? How many of you have three? How many of you want to come up here and share them with us? How many of you want to come up and share somebody else's with us? Point to somebody in the room that needs to change. You should be going like this. I like that, right over here, I like it. Two hands right there, I like it. So, what we're gonna talk about. How many of you'd like something to happen today, information, whatever, to come into your realm of reality that would give you some practical ways to help yourself change? Yes or no? You want some? All right. Why, why, why? Say why? And I just do that to make it feel more like a conversation. I'm gonna do all the talking, but pretend you're talking back. Why do people repeat unhealthy, unproductive behavior? How many of you have ever done something that didn't work and then did it again? How many of you did it again? How many of you did it again? How many of you did it and you went, I'm doing it again, and later you're like, why do I do that? Now, am I talking to the right group of people? Alright, so what we're gonna do today is we're gonna talk about why we do that. Why do we repeat stuff? Why do we, it doesn't work, didn't get me what I wanted, but I do it again. I believe part of what Jesus did for us, part of what he did for us, in my opinion, a big part of what he did for us, was to make things, power, information, access to resources available to us that should enable us to change. Yes or no? All right, well, let's see if we can get our hands on a little bit of it today. Big statement to me those who receive. Don't have time to chase all the rabbits, but in Romans 5.17 it says this those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life. Those who receive will reign. Now, I don't want to rule over anybody. Managing this is enough for me. So I like to say it this way those who learn to receive will rise above the stuff of life. How many of you want to live where you're engaged in the stuff of life, but it doesn't just bottom you out like it used to? Well, that's what we're gonna kind of talk about today. How can we learn to do this? Hit the next slide, if you would, please. Back in 2 Kings chapter 4, there's this really cool story. A certain woman of the wives of the prophets cried out to Elijah, saying, Your servant, my husband, is dead. In other words, her husband had passed away. And what she goes on to say is, the bill collectors are coming, and they're gonna take my sons from me, because I don't have enough to pay them. Elijah says, Woman, what's that got to do with me? Then he says, All right, go get vessels, borrow vessels from everywhere. Get as many as you can get your hands on. First he asked her, What do you have in the house? She said, A little jar of oil. Then he said, Go get all these vessels. Do not gather just a few. Hit the next one, please. All right, it came to pass. The kids, boys run out, get all the vessels, they bring them back, they close the door. Mom takes this little vest, this little bottle of oil, starts filling vessels. And this little thing of oil fills this big old vessel, and another big old vessel, and another big old vessel. But eventually, she's got all the vessels full, and what happened? The oil stopped. As soon as they were all full, the oil ran out. So she goes back to the prophet and she says, here's the deal, blah, blah, blah. And he says, Go sell all that oil. Now, here, just for a little side note, pay your debt, pay everything you owe, and then there'll be enough for you and your boys to live on for the rest of your lives. How many of you know when God does something, he always does it extravagantly? So he didn't just pay her bills, he paid her bills and gave her enough to take care of her for the rest of her life and them for the rest of their life. Now, important point is this. Next one, please. Next slide. What determined her capacity? Holler something at me. What determined how much oil she got? Her vessels. Hit it one more time, please, sir. The bottom line is what determined how much oil she received was her capacity to receive the size of her container. Hit it one more time, please, sir. Capacity, now I know this is sounding like science class, but think a minute. Capacity is the maximum amount you can receive and hold on to. Receive it and how many of you know life takes? Life takes. So we gotta learn to receive and hold on to it. Now I need two volunteers really fast. Two volunteers. Somebody want to come up and help? Two. One, one more. I'd rather an adult. Sorry, young lady. Uh somebody, how about a man? Give me a man. Come, you, you, brave shirt. Brave shirt. Hurry, hurry, hurry. All right. Here's the deal. Oh, no brave shirt. All right? Here's the deal. This is everything. Say everything. This is everything God wants you to have. This is salvation, forgiveness of sin, heaven when you die, health, relational health, just everything. This is everything, everything God wants you to have. Don't you step over that way? This is, sorry, this is the capacity of her container. How many of you see maybe a problem? Alright? So, throw that. Your job is to try to catch it. Don't use your hands, only your cup. Now, my challenge to you is make it hard on her. Make it hard on her. Alright, you're using your head. You're using your head. You can't do that. Alright, try it again. One more try. Come on, come on, come on, come on. Ow! Will you run that? Throw that up here, please. Alright, how many of you just realize we got a problem? Alright? Let's try this. This is not everything. Say not everything. Throw that up here, babe. Bring that. I need that. This is not everything. Alright? But it's forgiveness of sin, salvation. You're gonna go to heaven when you die, but you're not gonna enjoy all that God wants you to enjoy. Alright? Same container. Alright? The bottom line is what's the problem? The container is not big enough to receive what God wants us to have. Try it one more time. Alright, just let it go. It'll be alright. Alright. Golf ball, wiffle ball. This is I accepted Jesus 20 years ago, hadn't changed a lick. I think I'm gonna go to heaven when I die, maybe. Alright? Whoa. All right. All right, let her catch it, man. Come on, catch it. All right, that's good enough. Alright, stay up here. Stay up here. All right? Let's give her a bigger container. All right, get rid of this one. She's got a bigger container. What's we still gonna have a little bit of a problem? All right? All right, let's give her a better container. There you go. All right? Step back over here, sir. Now, your job, swish. No sides, just net. Booyao. Uh-oh. All right, that was on the sending end, not the receiving end. Boom. All right. What did we change? Did we change what God wanted her to have? We changed her capacity to receive. Thank you. You guys can go ahead. We changed her capacity. All right. What determines, hit the next slide, please? What determines your capacity? What do you see up there? A bucket. What's it got in it? Holes in it. Guess what? Your bucket is your heart. Your heart. Your heart. How many of you agree life punches holes in our heart? So what happens by the time we're 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30 is we got a heart that's probably smaller than it was when we were born. How many of you know by the time you become an adult, your want her is broken? How many of you know when you're a kid you want purely? I want that, I want that, I want that, I want that, I want that. When you get to be an adult, you just don't want as purely. Does that make sense? Well, your bucket is your heart, and it's got holes in it. So what we're going to talk about, next slide, please, is the fact that your heart determines the capacity of what you can receive from God? How many of you believe right this second God wants you to have more than you have? Now, just so you don't think I'm talking about just green stuff, although I don't have any problem with that either. How many of you believe God wants you to have more love than you have right now? How many of you believe God wants you to have more approval than you have right now? How many believe God wants you to have more security, more rest, more peace? You follow where I'm going. All right, I don't believe the problem's on the sending end. I believe the problem's on the receiving end. Can anybody say yes to that? I believe the issue is our heart determines and sets the capacity that we have to receive. Next slide, please, sir. Couple of scriptures. Proverbs 4, 23. Above all else, guard what? Your heart. One translation says, keep your heart, and it's like it's like taking care of a garden. It's like weeding a garden. It's like hoeing a garden. It's like fertilizing a garden. Guard, keep, nourish, and maintain your heart, for it affects everything you do. Everything you do. Next one, please, sir. Proverbs 23, 7. I love this one. For as a man thinks, where? In his heart. How many of you know you can think one thing on the surface of your brain and another deep in your heart? How many of you know we can say, do you believe God loves you? And our answer is. But we live as if it's no. How many of you know you can believe one thing in your head and another thing in your heart? Took me a while to realize, not long, factually, God loves me. Guess what? Didn't make much impact on my life at all. Until it shifted from my head to my heart. And I learned to receive and rest. Ah. In the Father's love. Forgive me if this sounds weird. I don't ever, ever not feel loved. I'll be quite honest with you. I cannot remember the last time I didn't feel loved. It's been about a decade. Now maybe not, but it's been a while. Years. Why? Because I've learned, say learned. Is that an event or a process? I've learned to receive at rest in the Father's love. Whole nother subject. Next one, please, sir. A good man or woman out of the good treasure of the heart. What is a treasure? Now we normally think of gold and pirate treasure. Treasure is simply anything you've stockpiled over time. Anything you've collected and stored over time. Well, guess what? Your heart has stored everything that's ever happened to you. So a good man or woman, out of what their heart is full of, brings forth good things. Hit the next slide if you would, please, sir. An important way to find out where your heart is. How do I locate my heart? Think about that question for a moment. When or where do you feel at home? Think about who you're with, what room you're in, or whatever. I know exactly where I feel at home. I feel at home when my wonderful wife and I are sitting in our king-sized bed, pillows propped up behind us, a stack of books on the bedside table, and a cup of coffee in my hand that she just brought to me. Now you know what? As the beer commercial says, it don't get any better than that. Now, home is when the outside matches the inside. Now I got good news and bad news for you. The good news is there are principles and practices that will help you change your life. The bad news is, whatever condition your life is in right now, if you are an adult, whatever condition your life is in right now, you created the life you're now living. You did. Nobody did it to you. Now, people might have done things to you in childhood, but you took what your heart was full of from childhood, and then you've constructed a reality around you that reflects the reality you see on the inside of you. Say yes if you're kind of warm to what I'm trying to say. If you bel you know what I've learned about people? They'd rather be right than happy. What do you mean by that? If you believe you don't deserve to be loved, you will make sure you're not. If you believe you deserve to be abused, you will make sure that you are. What makes you easy to manipulate is your needs. Well, what if you learn to get your needs met in a healthier way, and you entered a room already full, not empty, waiting to be full. You can learn to do that. Next one, please. Next slide, please, sir. Your internal reality creates, shapes, and defines your external reality. Now that's a big pill to swallow. But you gotta think that one through. How many of you have ever thought a thought like this? If my husband would just change, if my wife would just change, if my boss would just change, if my kids would just change, I'd be happy and my life would be wonderful. Let me give you some bad news, folks. They can change all day long, but if you don't change, nothing's gonna permanently change. Unless you change on the inside, the outside, you might rearrange the furniture, you might even change addresses. But give yourself a little bit of time. If you don't change on the inside, you're gonna have life right about back where it was. How many of you ever seen this happen? Someone's married to an abusive person or they're in an abusive relationship. They get out of that abusive relationship with your help. You pray and you minister to them. And they get out of that abusive relationship. And God help us, what do they do six months or a year later? They find another one. Why does a person who grows up in an alcoholic home either become one or marry one? Why is that? Because it feels like home. Why does someone grow up in a home where they're yelled at and they either become a yeller or they marry one? Why? Because it feels like home. Home is when the outside matches the inside. Why does someone grow up in a home that's emotionally distancing and they either become someone who's emotionally distancing or they marry one? Because it feels like. Home. Now, I know how that lands on us. You mean, dude, some of the mess in my life is of my own creation? Yeah, it really is. But see, if you can just get packed past the victimization part of that, do you realize that if you're part of the problem, what are you automatically? Part of the solution. But listen to me. If you believe that the problem is always outside of you, guess how much control you feel you have over it? None. If you're willing to take responsibility that no matter what your situation is, you are partly responsible for it. Guess what you automatically have? Some power. Say yes if you're still here. Next slide, please, sir. Don't make me come back there, Chris. I was teasing him before the service. All right, faith. The Bible talks a lot about faith. Be it unto you according to your faith. Well, this is the Chip Judd counselor blah, blah, blah version. I believe faith is just another word for your heart beliefs. Your heart beliefs are your subconscious set of rules about how the universe really works. For instance, I believe the universe works like this. When I earn it, I deserve love. I believe the universe works like this. When I please certain people, I'm allowed to feel good about myself. I believe the universe works like this. I'm a loser, and I don't deserve to succeed. How many of you know, according to your faith, be it done unto you? I used to believe I didn't deserve to succeed. I used to believe I was lazy and I'd never amount to anything. I used to believe that deep in my heart. I don't believe that anymore. I believe I'm a uniquely wired individual who doesn't work like other people. If you want to, if you hey, if you want to use that, go ahead. Here's the deal. Am I a type A driven person? No. No. How many of you'd like to go to a counselor that was tapping his foot, looking at his watch? Okay, I got that part. Hurry up. Okay, okay, please. I got, I got, I gotta go meet with some other people. Come on. How many of you like to go to a counselor like that? Raise your hand. Well, guess what? God showed me. You know what, Chipper? You're not a type A-driven person. You know what, Chipper? You're never going to build a church like this. But you know what, Chipper? I'm honored and pleased that I can send hurting, scared, limping people to you. And they're going to feel safe. And they're going to feel like they have your full undivided attention. And they're going to feel my love flowing through you to them. And my father would say, Chipper, is it okay with you if some of the biggest impact you have in life is in a room with one person at a time? Is that okay with you? Yeah, God, that's okay with me. Now, what did that do to me? I quit comparing myself to type A-driven people. Now they're most of the ones I try to help. But what I do is I'm comfortable inside my own skin. And now I'm like, so God, you mean I'm not this way because I'm a loser? No, Chipper, you're this way on purpose. You mean you could still prosper me? Love too. Love too. How many of you follow where I'm going? Alright, next slide, please, sir. What you believe in your heart determines what you receive in life. Now, I don't mean that in the hardcore old school faith way. I mean it like this. I'm about to walk into a room full of people I don't know for a meeting. Twelve of us. We're going to be together all day. I believe in my heart I'm a loser and nobody likes me. I turn the handle of that door. What am I feeling as I open the door? Fear? I'm all paralyzed. What happens when I go in the room? What do I see? People that don't like me. Turn their back, get a cup of coffee, ignore me. I'm clumsy conversationally. What's the end result? They don't like me. Alright, now back up the tape. I've learned to renovate my heart. I like me. You know what? I'm not the greatest conversationalist, but I'm pretty good. You give me half a chance, I can get it out. But I feel good about myself. Now I'm reaching for the knob of the door. What am I feeling? I'm excited. I open the door, walk in the room, and what do I see? A bunch of folks, half of them like I used to be. Afraid to death that nobody's gonna like them. So now I'm secure and full enough. Guess what I do now? I look for the ones that look the most afraid. And I say, hey, let's hang out today. Let's talk, man. Where are you from? How many of you now? What changed? Do this. Point your finger and act like you're looking for something. Where did the change happen? Boo yow. All that changed was the way I think. All that changed is the way I think. Yes or no? It's all that changed. Next one, please, sir. Where did you get your heart beliefs? Look at some of the statements up there. From a lifetime of learning. How many of you agree? Big problem. Life has lied to us. How many of you came out of childhood with a few lies lodged in your soul? Everybody did. Bottom statement: most of your heart beliefs were placed in you before you were able to challenge them. Do you realize that researchers say that 80% of what you'll ever know, 80% of what you will ever know. Anybody want to guess what age? Seven. Guess what they say about your self-esteem? Your fundamental components of your self-image are in place by, anybody want to guess?

Three.

How many of you can remember at two saying, I don't agree with my father's opinion of me? So did you listen carefully now? Did you get to pick what I call your start-up set of beliefs? Did you get to pick them? No. How many of you got to pick the home you were born in? If you think you did, we need to pray for you. So if you didn't get to pick the home you were born in, you didn't get to pick your start-up set of beliefs. Okay? In a sense, we're all born victims. But, say but at some point, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, or wherever you are right now, it changes to what am I going to do with them? Next slide, please. True freedom comes from examining your thoughts and beliefs and choosing right now which ones you want to keep and which ones you want to change. Let's just take one of these little golf balls, and this is a belief. You're lazy and you'll never amount to anything. I caught that thing back 15 years ago. The Bible says to capture your thoughts, take every thought captive. That thought would roll across my brain. Well, one day I grabbed it. I said, Hold it. Where did you come from? And where are you going? More importantly, God, do you agree with this thought? Now, who did that? Who did all that I just described? I did. Please, I beg you. I beg you. No one can do that for you. No one can get inside your head and catch the lies that are torturing you. No one can do that for you. No one. Even God needs your cooperation. But I started catching lies one at a time. And I'll be honest with you, I worked on that one lie for about a year. For about a year. Now listen to me. If you could identify the number one thought that tortures you, and I could promise you that a year from now, it will never bother you again. Would you be interested? Now, here's the point, folks. You might have to work for a year to get that one shaken loose. But please, please, please hear me. You will never feel the same again. You know what's one of the most important things that's happened in my life as I've learned to receive and rest in the Father's love? You know who I've learned to like? Want to guess? Myself. Who do you spend more time with than anybody else? Doesn't it suck to spend time with somebody you don't like? I mean, doesn't it? Crap, I gotta spend my day with you. Forgive me if that's a cuss word, I'm sorry. I mean, imagine getting up, looking in the mirror, and saying, Dog, I gotta spend my day with you again. How many believe God made you? Pastor told me we can go to one o'clock, by the way. Not really. How many of you believe God made you? One more time. Put it down. How many believe God made you? Put it down. How many believe God made you? Hold it up. You really believe God made you? Yes? No? How many of you spent lots of time criticizing his work? You ever thought about that? I really believe God made me. I don't like my nose. I don't like my butt. I don't like my hair. I don't like. I mean, come on. How many of you expecting God to give you a do-over? You're gonna die, go to heaven, he's gonna say, I'm gonna give you another chance. Pick a body, pick a hairstyle. I mean, give me a break. How many of you know this is it? Please listen to me. You decide, you decide, you decide whether you enjoy the journey. You decide. You decide. Now please don't think I think it's easy. Please don't think I think it's easy. And I know if we sat down and heard your story, some of you, it will be colossally difficult. But I have a responsibility to tell you. You still have to do it. This is the only life you're ever gonna have. Grab it by the throat. Grab it by the throat and make it give you what you want. I love passionate people. I love people, I love people that like loud music. Next one, please, sir. If it's outside our ability to choose, it's outside our ability to change. If you can choose it, you can change it. If you can't choose it, you can't change it. Can I play basketball like Michael Jordan? Oh, you can be anything you want. No, you can't. That's the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. Well, you can just be anything you want. That's stupid. You can be anything God wants. And He's designed you to fit what He planned for you. So if you can choose it, can you choose to accept yourself the way you are? Can you? Well, if you can choose it, you can change it. Maybe you don't yet. But if you can choose it, you can you choose to like the way God made you? Then guess what? You can change it. Next one, please, sir. Making and consistently practicing new choices produces change. Guess what? I don't know how to not be nice to myself anymore. I just forgot. I don't know how to not be nice to me. How did I learn to do that? I practiced. I got in front of a mirror and I said, you know what, dude, you okay. Now guess what? At first I didn't believe it. Well, my pastor, when I got saved, said this: Say it till you believe it. Then say it because you believe it. So I said it till I believed it. Now I like it. Now I look and I say, you know what, dude? If I was your friend, I think I'd like you. How many of you think it's okay to like yourself? How many of you think life might just go a tad better if you learn to? Next one, please, sir. What you see is what you get. Now, makes more sense when you add the two outer statements. What you see on the inside is what you get on the outside. That's big time stuff. Next one, please, sir. You can't consistently live in a way that is inconsistent with the way you see yourself. You just can't. You can muster it up for a day or two, but you can't consistently live in a way that's out of agreement with how you see yourself. So guess what? Change the way you see yourself. With God's help. Next one, please. What we live, we learn. What we learn, we practice. What we practice, we become. I've become from a person who had this little cloud of depression following around, kind of insecure, very intimidated by male authority figures. I become a guy now who's pretty laid back, chilled, and happy with himself, and most of my life is spent now ministering to guess who? Male authority figures. Go figure. I never saw it coming. Next one, please. Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world. Where should you start the process of change? On the inside. Next one, please, we'll be done in just a minute. You've got to renovate your life from the inside out. Next one, and we'll end on this. Jesus said, Repent and believe the kingdom of heaven's at hand. Repent simply means to change the way you think. Metanoia. Change the way you think. Hit it one more time, please, sir. This is a simple, if you can, write it down, remember it, whatever. It's very simple. Identify your destructive patterns of thought, belief, and behavior. Identify. What do I mean? Write it down. You're lazy and you'll never amount to anything. I wrote it down. Number two, challenge it. I challenged it. I said, God, do you agree with that? No, I don't. Asked a couple of friends, my wife, do you agree with that? No, I don't. I challenged it. And then I changed it. I'm not lazy. I'm just uniquely wired. I have an unusual schedule that I like to live by that includes lots of play. Guess what? God lets me get away with it. You follow where I'm going here. What if by next week you could identify the number one thought that tortures you, and then you started challenging it with the eventual goal of driving it out of your brain, never to come back again in a welcome state. Amen? Last slide. What I'm talking about is how you enlarge your capacity to receive what God has for you. One time the Lord spoke this to me. My background's kind of faith stuff. And one time the Lord said to me, faith is not why God does miracles. Love is why. Now listen to me. If you get a revelation of his love, faith will never be a problem. I'm going to say it again. If you get a revelation of his love, faith will never be a problem. Worship team, go ahead and come on up here. I'm going to pray for you guys. Can I? Say yes if that made sense this morning. All right. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. You ever given a pill to a cat? I would say you have. Do cats like pills? Are pills good for them? Hopefully, if you were giving it to them. Well, here's the deal. You're the cat. Here's the pill. Most of the areas of your life that are troubling and torturing you are waiting for you to change something about the way you see God, yourself, and your relationship to others to change. What am I trying to say? The pill to the cat is, God, I'm waiting for other people to change. I need to help ask you to help me change me. Say yes if that makes sense. Let me pray for you. Father, in Jesus' name, I pray for these wonderful group of people. I pray, sir, that you give them the courage, the insight, and the capacity to receive everything they need to change. Everything they need to shift the way they see you, the way they see themselves, and what they believe they have to do to please you and get their needs met. Bless these wonderful folks. Bless this wonderful church from the leadership right on down through the littlest of the children. And I thank you for the honor of being with them here today in Jesus' name. Amen. Bless you guys.

Thank you. Thank you, Chip. If y'all want to stand, we'll get ready. We're going to sing one last song together. You know, we are going to change. We are going to. We're not going to come together on Sunday morning and play church and have a hoop-de-too. We are going to change our lives, and we're going to do it together, and God's going to do the heavy lifting, and we are not going to be the same people a year from now that we are today. And it starts really with just turning to Jesus, telling him, I need you. This isn't working out. I need you. I need to connect with the one who created me, the creator of the universe. And he makes our spirits come alive, and then he does the does the heavy lifting. It's as simple as just saying that to him, however you would say it from your heart. And one of the great things he does is he brings people into our lives that help us change. And I really think for us, the chip is one of those people. And I appreciate him being here so much this morning.