10:45AM "You'll Be Aight" Pastor Reginald W. Sharpe Jr. Sunday, Oct 29, 2023-

58:12 Her first book that was released around 1970 was entitled The Bluest Eye. She unequivocally and unapologetically would let people know I write for black folks. I write to capture the story and the essence and the pain and the joys that African Americans feel. Toni Morrison used her entire ministry, if you could call it that, her entire work, her artistry was to capture what it meant to be black in the United States of America. she's asked on this stage in 2001 how do you survive whole how do you survive whole when we're all victims of something did you hear what she said sometimes you don't sometimes you just survive in part but the grandeur the fascination the excitement about life is not trying to come out whole. It's just attempting to come out at all. The grandeur of life is to come out as fearless as you can. And then she adds to behave as beautiful as one can under impossible circumstances.

59:27 Something about what she said freed me because often we want to survive in whole. We want to come out and be all the way all right. We want to be perfect. We want to be pristine. We want to be polished. We want to come out powerful. We want to come out like we are more than conquerors. We want to come out like and and and here's what we like to say. You don't even look like what you've been through. We like to come out and not even look like what we've been through but the truth is sometimes you come out and you do look like what you've been through but the testimony is at least I've come through what I've been through. Ernest Hemingway who wrote decades and decades before Toni Morrison wrote a book entitled A Farewell to Arms and this is what Ernest Hemingway says the world breaks everyone and afterwards many are strong at the broken places. He continues to go on to say but those that will not break it kills. The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places but those that will not break it kills. Sometimes I've got to embrace the fact that life breaks me. Sometimes I have to embrace the fact that I'm not feeling my best, that this has affected me, that this has caused grief, that this has left me wounded and this has scarred me and I'm not all right, but I've got to let life break me because if I allow it to break me, it's possible I can be made strong at my broken places and if I don't let it break me it might kill me it's what my therapist told me when I expressed to her in August and September that my grief feels

1:01:34 just as heavy in August and September as it felt in February when my grandmother passed and she said can I tell you why I think the grief is still there she said because sometimes our desire to move forward is a sign of avoidance and when you try to avoid the brokenness when you try to avoid the pain when you try to avoid the thing that has hurt you the most what you do is postpone your healing instead of just facing it instead of saying i'm not all right instead of saying i don't feel all right instead of just saying this has hurt me this has broken me if i allow it to break me it might not kill me oh i'm talking this morning but for those who try to avoid being broken those who try to pretend like it didn't affect you it might kill you but you got to become content saying i might come out of this thing not in a whole but in part but at least with god's help i have the power to come out of it at all can somebody who knows what i'm talking about help me thank god that you have come out of so many things that should have robbed you of your life snatched everything out of you that you had in you but i'm not whole but i'm here i ain't perfect but i'm alive i'm breathing and we pause to celebrate cancer survivors we pause to celebrate domestic violence survivors today because some of us have been broken but the truth is you're broken but you're breathing i don't even know who i'm talking to today but i have made up my mind even if i can't come out whole i'm gonna come out in part and i'm gonna embrace the grandeur the fascination the splendor the fantastical experience of just trying to behave as beautiful as i can

1:03:42 act as fearless as possible because we are living in some impossible circumstances did you hear what Toni Morrison said it's impossible. Everywhere you look around the world, the globe, it's impossible circumstances. One out of four women will face domestic violence in their lifetime. One out of eight men will face domestic violence in their lifetime. Did you see that mass shooting in Maine, in Lewiston, Maine? There were only 13 homicides up until this point in the state of Maine. Maine I didn't even know people lived in Maine Maine 18 people killed by a man who was dealing with a fractured mental health crisis a man who walked in a bowling alley and just opened up and began to kill people at bowling alleys and bars have you seen the impossible circumstances going on over in Hamas at the Gaza Strip where hospitals and homes and refuge centers are being bombed and women and children and babies and infants are being killed by people in the military on the other side of the wall in Israel and there are church people, religious people who believe that because Israel is the place where Jerusalem sits as the capital that we ought to back Israel no matter what Israel decides to do because that's where God is going to come back to get us and the Bible says pray for the peace of Jerusalem yeah we're going to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Chicago but when somebody is killing innocent children when an entire nation is dropping bombs and nuclear airstrikes on innocent people, somebody got to step up and say, this ain't all right.

1:05:43 and yeah yeah yeah we we we know judaism came from from apraham we know that that islam came from apraham it is out of ishmael apraham's first son where you get the tenants and the religion of islam it is out of apraham's second son isaac where you get the tenants and the religion of Christianity and Judaism and really what you see right now are these two brothers feuding but the bible says that Ishmael and Isaac were able to make up before they died and just like there was reconciliation in scripture I believe that there could still be reconciliation today amongst the Jews and the Muslims and the Christians. We all in one family. We all talking about one God. We all pointing back. Now your route may be different than my route, but at the end of the day, we all are supposed to be living this thing out to show the love of God. Am I making sense?

1:06:49 It's impossible circumstances. And yet you got to show up and try to live under impossible circumstances. I was in D.C. for a few moments this week and I saw the Washington Post and on the front page all I saw was devastation. All I saw was death and death tolls rising and I know that even if I don't talk about what's going on in the world, even if I don't talk about what's happening in our country, I can walk straight up to your front door and walk in your living room and sit down and cross my leg and we can sip tea on just talking about all you carry.

1:07:29 All that you're trying to navigate. All of the impossible circumstances that you carry in your family. And look, and I don't even know, what a miracle it is that you made it to church today. What a miracle it is that you were able to put your clothes on and then put your shoes on your head and your hat on your feet. What a miracle it is you're still in your right mind. I'm about to walk right up to you. Don't you act like I ain't talking to you. I'm talking to you. I'm talking about your family crazy, your money crazy, your mind is going to feel like it's going crazy. Every way you look, it's just one thing after another. But God let me get all the way back from the A-Town to tell y'all three little words. You're going to be all right. I don't care what it is going on in your life or what's going on in the world. Because we have a sovereign God. Because we've got a God who sits high and looks low. I need you to look down your row and tell somebody that look like they're just as happy as you.

1:08:24 I tell them you're going to be all right. I know it's heavy, but you're going to be all right. I know it's a lot of weight on you, but you're going to be all right. I know your family is on you and you can feel the pressure in your shoulders. Your sleep has been disturbed. You don't want to drink, but you're just trying to find a relief from something and somebody. Listen, I came under the anointing to tell you that whatever it is, we all know we're going to die one day. I ain't talking about avoiding death. I'm talking about why you're alive. You're going to live with some joy and some strength and some vitality. You're going to have some sunshine in your life.

1:09:04 Yeah, you're going to be all right. And after all that Joseph went through, Joseph sits in this text today to remind us under impossible circumstances. Even when I can't come out in whole, I might come out in part. but there's still the potential for me to come out because the bible says in verse 14 that pharaoh end up hurriedly calling joseph out of the dungeon now he's in the dungeon because his trifling brothers sold him into slavery he's in the dungeon because after he became a slave he was at potiphar's house and potiphar's wife lied on him and now he's thrown in prison which is a dungeon but God set the circumstances up for his victory that that that that the highest ranking man in power hurriedly called him out of a dungeon which lets me know whatever dungeon I'm in whatever low place I'm in whatever dark place I'm in that's not my last stop it's a pit stop but it's not my last stop I feel like preaching and all I want to do is interrogate this text today to let you know how you and I have the potential for things to be all right do y'all want to know it y'all want to know or no all right here it is here's how I know it's gonna be all right here's how I know it was all right for Joseph and here's how I know it's gonna be all right for us no matter what it is because Joseph like us we can have inspirational incarcerations we can have inspirational incarcerations tell your neighbor you can have an inspirational incarceration. Now you do know what it means to be incarcerated. It means be locked up, won't let me out. It means I'm in jail. It means that somebody has me in stocks. I have been, I have been in bondage. I'm incarcerated. But what I love about this y'all is that Pharaoh has a dream. Y'all remember last, last week, he has a dream about seven fat cows and seven

1:11:12 skinny cows and the seven skinny cows eat up the seven fat cows. He dreams about these full ears of corn and these little famished ears of corn and the seven famished ears of corn eat up the firm full ears of corn. And what it symbolizes, we learn later, is that there's going to be seven years of plenty and surplus and then there's going to be seven years of famine. And if we're not careful here, the seven years of famine are going to eat up the seven years of plenty. And so Pharaoh has this dream and he gets disturbed and verses 9 through 13 y'all it's so easy that i'm embarrassed to tell you what happens pharaoh is disturbed go to verse 9 go to verse 9 i don't want y'all think i'm making this up all right he's disturbed he's having a dream he's restless verse 9 then the chief cup bearer to the pharaoh said i remember my faults today once pharaoh was angry with his service and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard is it on the screen can y'all see what i'm reading uh-huh we dreamed on the same night he and i each having a dream with his own meaning a young hebrew was there with us a servant of the captain of the guard when we told him he interpreted our dreams to us giving an interpretation to each according to his dream as he interpreted to us so it turned out now i don't know if y'all just heard what i heard but the cup bearer to Pharaoh was thrown in prison when he was in prison with the chief baker whatever trouble they got in they had dreams while they were in prison they met a young Hebrew slave named Joseph while they're all in prison Joseph is still helping other people with their dreams everybody's incarcerated everybody's locked up but joseph decided even though i'm in a situation in an impossible circumstance i have a gift to interpret dreams i'm gonna still operate in my gift even through my grief i'm not gonna let a space take my substance i'm not gonna let

1:13:21 a place ruin my purpose preach sharp I'm doing the best I can I'm not gonna let captivity zap my creativity I'm not gonna let grief steal my gift I'm gonna still be who I be do what I do love how I love show up for others even when I need somebody to show up for me because I'm gonna make this incarceration inspirational can I holler at some people you ain't gotta say man today i'm here to remind you while you're walking through your hell keep creating heaven for others while you're suffering keep being a blessing to others even when you need help keep giving help to others because it might be how god uses somebody you bless to turn around and bless you and the reason he gets out is because a man he helped in prison remember that he helped him preach shop dreaming got me in it and dreaming's gonna get me out I cannot change who I am just because I'm in a rough place just because I'm in a rough patch tell your neighbor keep being who you be I don't care if your whole family is jacked up you keep being who you be if God made you a lover be a lover if God made you a leader be a leader if God made you a dreamer be a dreamer if God made you generous be generous now don't let people rob you don't let them leeches around you just suck all the life out of you put some boundaries up because leeches don't have boundaries so the givers have to set them but don't you let the prison steal your purpose am I making sense because some of y'all just sitting and looking at me like huh I'm telling you, at that job you don't like, stay faithful.

1:15:17 At that house that's full of hell, you stay faithful. because if I can be faithful and helpful to others in a season where I needed myself I set myself up for a miraculous moment where God may use the very person I helped in their storm eventually turn around and help me out of mine is that too heavy on a Sunday morning y'all not feeling me i told y'all i was at homecoming yesterday didn't i tell you i was at homecoming well well well watch you watch you watch you a brother who literally see so y'all be kind to the wrong people you can't be kind to just the folk that run stuff and have big titles i learned i learned you better be kind to the janitors whoever's in the kitchen whoever got the keys whoever's the maintenance person so I'm cool with all the people at Morehouse from 10 years ago when I was a student who don't have big titles but they're big people I know the guy who's over transportation he's a member of my home church at House Open Atlanta he hit me up and said are you coming to homecoming I said absolutely he said when you get there hit me where are you parking I said I don't know but I am driving because I got a rental car he said well when you get there come down this street turn down this street I want you to park by the president's house now if you know anything about morehouse homecoming ain't no parking he saved me a spot then after he saved the spot he said have you eaten i said no he said well let's go by the president's house they got a banquet in the backyard well they were about to wrap up stuff i had grits i had eggs i had everything i could find back there had a little fruit and then i he said you could i said i'm

1:17:22 great he said well now let's go over to the president's tent i said i don't have a pass for the president's tent he said you don't need one you with me I'm going somewhere. I didn't walk across the campus. He's over transport. I got in a golf cart and rode across the campus. We went through traffic. you had to pay to go to homecoming I ain't paid nothing I ain't even know you had to pay cause every gate every blockade every security place he said you with me you think that's the shout don't you here's what he told me while we were riding I said man you being so kind to me I can't believe it he said you forgot two weeks ago my family came to visit fellowship and you made sure they had somewhere to sit.

1:18:17 He said, the love I'm showing you in Atlanta is because of the love you showed my family. Y'all sleep. I'm trying to tell you, you keep doing good. You keep being a good person. You keep operating in your gifts, flowing in what God told you to do and God will flip that thing and favor will find you that you don't have to chase. surely goodness and mercy high five somebody say God will work that thing out for you you just keep taking care of people while you in prison you keep pouring into people while you're hurting you might have to limp you might have to struggle but just keep doing what you do and watch how all things work together for the good of them who love God to those who are the cause watch I might not make it to the next point cause that's all somebody needs to be reminded of don't let your storm kill your spirit don't let this junk steal your joy wake up every day say this is the day hey you reach over and shake somebody's hand and don't be disobedient shake it like you're gonna shake it off and you sanitize it later say neighbor i'm in some seasons where everything is breaking down but i choose to represent jesus i'm gonna give it all i got I'm going to help as many people as I can.

1:20:01 I'm going to pour as long as I can. I'm going to pour for the rest of my life. I'm going to serve as long as I can. Through the storm. Through the rain. Through sickness. Through pain. Through divorce. Through breakups. Through diagnosis. Through grief. Through the funeral. Through the sickness. I'm going to serve. because he may not come when I want it I'm sorry eight o'clock I just got happy he may not come when I want him but when he come I'm gonna want him inspirational incarceration you gotta still flow in your gift while you still gripped with grief here's another one you want to know how you gonna be alright here's why here's why because you're gonna experience innumerable interventions innumerable intervention. Tell your neighbor that's a big word. That's a big word. That's a big word.

1:21:13 That's a big word. Innumerable. That's just a $20 word with a little two cent meaning. It means too many to count. It can't be numbered how many interventions are going to happen in your life. Because from just verses 1 through 13, God keeps intervening. He just, I just can't count how many times he just gets in it. Verse 14 says, and Joseph comes out the dungeon. But he would not have come out the dungeon if Pharaoh would have not had a dream. And if Pharaoh had not become restless about their dream, he would have never woke up talking about, I had a dream and I'm restless.

1:22:12 All the folk around them are listening to Pharaoh talk about, I had this weird dream about cows and corn and I don't understand what it is. well if he hadn't been restless nobody cup bearers, armor bearers Pharaoh support team they wouldn't have heard he was restless if he wasn't restless and if he hadn't said he was restless then the cup bearer wouldn't have been standing there to say I know somebody who I met when I was in prison but if the cup bearer had never been thrown in prison he would have never met Joseph can I tell y'all something God is in all your chaos chaos is the material god uses to create so the more chaos you have in your life i'm telling you god has more to work with y'all not listening to me pharaoh's restless he starts expressing himself there's a cup bearer who was once in prison with joseph he happens to remember joseph and says i know somebody that can help you the reason why joseph makes it out is because god kept getting in it he was in the restlessness he was in the prison sentence of the cup bearer he was in the memory of the cup bearer because sometimes you got to thank god for the people who called your name and didn't forget you and you got to be the kind of person that don't forget the people who helped you when you because some of y'all so bougie now some of y'all just so oh god you don't even speak to people like you You used to walk in and hug everybody.

1:23:56 And you got one little raise and moved to the other side of town. And now you just give people your fingertips. You don't even, hey, how are you? Just some good to see you today. God, if you don't sit yourself down, somebody prayed for you, girl. Somebody went to war for you. Somebody called your name in a room you had not entered in yet. Somebody recommended you. somebody holler God's got in it and I dare you right now without me having to holler for the next 10 minutes to just give God praise for all the times he jumped in your story and made a way out of no way just stepped in it and used every setback for a set up use every storm to water your garden used every enemy to become a footstool for your success god will use whatever god's got to use to get you where he needs to get you tell somebody you're gonna be all right because you got a god who's in the middle of your life working things out can i prophesy to you right now the reason you ought to shout like you're going crazy on this fifth sunday of october is because god is already in next week god is already in next month god is already in next year and he's intervening in the future in moments you haven't even got to yet and it's the ugly stuff that's gonna lead to the beautiful stuff dr. Dominique Robinson one of my closest friends visited the Grand Canyon and she said she stood there amazed at the Grand Canyon if you've ever gone there before it is a fascination fascinating piece of geological artwork it's just masterful and I said Dom how'd they create how did the grand canyon get created i'm just curious she said i was too and i asked her god how did this happen billions of years ago the colorado river began to cut through a piece of the canyon and the weight of the rocks were not stronger than the power of the water

1:26:04 when you look at the grand canyon you are witnessing years and centuries of collision and erosion. What we call beauty today is really something that's been breaking down over time. so what you think is falling apart might be falling in place you're free to shout right there you're free to give God praise because that applies to your house that applies to your children that applies to your diagnosis that applies to your job that applies to everything whatever you think is falling apart is really falling in place I'm done because I got to get you out of here. You're going to have an inspirational incarceration.

1:26:57 You're going to have innumerable interventions. Can I give another reason you're going to be all right? Because you're going to witness like Joseph, incessant increases. Yeah, I feel like using my words today. Incessant increases. You know what incessant means? Back to back. Over and over. Routine. Uh-huh. Perpetually.

1:27:23 Continually. Unstoppably. Indutably. Consistently. Oh, y'all don't know in the shout. Because all them words I just said, I said, you're going to experience back-to-back increases. I told you in the shout, you're still sitting there just looking at me. I say to you, are gonna experience back to back, perpetual, consistent, unstoppable increases. Now, last week, go to verse 52. Last week I told y'all that Joseph had two sons. Uh-huh. And the sermon, I got so happy, I didn't tell y'all about one of them. I told y'all about Manasseh.

1:28:19 And Manasseh's name means what? God has made me forget. but I got so happy I ain't tell y'all about the second son second son is named Ephraim let church say Ephraim do you know what Ephraim means it's right there in verse 52 for God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortunes. King James Version says, in the land of my sorrow. Another version says, in the land of my affliction. Can I license you for 10.5 seconds to look at somebody and preach and say, neighbor, the reason you ought to rejoice is because God is going to add it up in the second.