"A Breath of Fresh Air" - Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III

48:53 if you retain the sins of any they are retained you may be seated in God's presence I want to put a tag on this text and for a few moments with your prayers I'd like to use as a subject in which to preach a breath of fresh air, a breath of fresh air.

49:20 Have you ever thought about where you would be if fear hadn't caused you to get in your way? Think about it. What are you afraid of? What has kept you from being the you God intends for you to become. I've discovered that fear is a construction worker, building walls, locking doors, and making one a prisoner from the inside out. Fear sits at the control panel, dictating what you can and cannot do. Yeah, fear will control you. Fear will not only cause you to be scared it will shrink you so you live small too afraid to show up as your full self Howard Thurman's classic book entitled Jesus and the Disinherited he utilizes a whole chapter to speak of the hounds of hell that dog the footsteps of the disinherited and the oppressed one of those hounds of hell according to Thurman is fear. Thurman illustrates this idea a couple of times on one occasion he said that he was invited to India and while in India he said that before he went to bed his host informed him that he needed to be aware of the fact that it was possible that if he did not understand what was going on he could get bitten by a cobra because snakes would assemble on the floor at night and as a consequence he told Howard Thurman do not get out of bed and navigate the floor in the dark unless you step on a nocturnal creature known as a cobra and you will find yourself in a bad way. Don't miss this. Howard Thurman

51:26 testifies that he was given a light and that light was to be used by him before he got out of the bed at nighttime. He was not to go in a room where there was no light less again. He find himself hit or bitten by a snake. I parked right there because my anointed imagination just ran wild as I thought about the fact that Howard Thurman, this marvelous mystic, this profound theologian, this gifted gospel giant and genius could have in that moment been gripped by fear. Why? Because in a real sense he was afraid of snakes in the dark. I think I'll park right there because snakes in the dark becomes a metaphor for someone looking at me right now. I don't know you but God has me in your Kool-Aid. I just called out your flavor and you understand what it's like to be in a dark place. Wait I'm not done. You're not just in a dark place but there's no telling what is going on in that dark place and someone is in church right now and you're in a dark place. Life has turned dark on you. I think it was one poet who said, out of the night that covers me black as a pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul, but don't miss this.

53:03 This person is in a dark place. F. Scott Fitzgerald often wrote about the dark night of the soul where it's always three o'clock in the morning. I'm letting you know, my sisters and brothers, that no matter how big your Bible is, how long you've been going to church, every now and then we're in a dark place. But it's not just in a dark place that Thurman found himself in. But also there were snakes in the dark. I think I'll park right there. Because snakes, my sisters and brothers, don't just slither on the ground. Some have legs. Snakes, my sisters and brothers, are those, are snakes, my sisters and brothers, is whatever it is that will bite you and as a consequence take life out of you. I think I just said something right there.

53:57 because a snake please don't miss this will take from you in order to have life themselves and so Howard Thurman finds himself in a situation of fear because of snakes in the dark I got to move on because not only did he talk about snakes in the dark he talked about a dog that was down the street from him when he was growing up and according to Thurman this dog would come down the street every day and at certain houses it would yelp out loud. Now it was yelping in response to a throwing motion. One of the kids, one of the neighborhood kids would act like they were throwing something in the direction of the dog and the dog would yelp in fear. A park right bear because the dog was not hit by anything but the throwing motion was a trigger that reminded the dog of a trauma that had happened in the past that was now triggering and terrifying it in the present. I hang out right here because somebody's looking at me right now. I just pulled up to your address. Understand that dog. Don't judge it. That dog had something that happened in its past that caused it. Don't miss this to be terrified in the present. And that is exactly what is happening in our passage. The book lets us know that we meet the disciples, the disciples, the followers of their Lord and liberator Jesus the Christ the book lets us know it is resurrection Sunday but they are afraid the Bible says they are afraid of the Jewish religious leadership because the Jewish religious leadership had gotten in bed with the Roman Empire and had conspired Don't miss this to have their Lord and Liberator lynched on Good Friday.

56:06 Understand the week had begun on a high note of Hosanna and Hallelujah. But somehow it had descended in whiplash fashion to the point where Jesus not only was betrayed by one of their own. I think I'll hang out right there because that's enough to traumatize you. When you think about the fact that somebody you've been walking with ain't really with you. When you think about the fact that someone who has been by your side ain't necessarily on your side. They are in your camp, but they're not in your corner. They are smiling at you in your face all the while want to take your place. Backstabbers, that will traumatize you. Who am I talking to who has been traumatized by someone who watched this you thought was with you only to discover that they were using you until they had no use for you.

57:07 In a real sense, that's what happened. One of their own betrayed Jesus. The book lets us know after betraying Jesus, don't miss this. The text says that Jesus finds himself experiencing a corrupt judicial system that was in a real sense set up to take him out. I'm not done. The book then lets us know he experiences Roman police brutality. Jesus is lynched on Good Friday. Wait on Sunday. It was Hosanna and Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And now on Friday, the Lord is lynched. And the book lets us know it's a sad and sorrow-filled Saturday. And then Sunday morning, the Bible tells us word gets out on the gospel grapevine that Jesus had been resurrected.

58:03 But it's kind of hard for them to go with it because they are men in a patriarchal society. And the word had come to women. And women were not allowed or their testimony was not received in a courtroom of law. And so as a consequence, understand these men are confused. They don't know what to make of all that is taking place. The book lets us know they are afraid of the Jewish leadership. I've got to hang out right here because understand that the gospel of John was written, composed, if you please, toward the end of the first century of the common era. So you're talking about between 90 and 100 AD, some would say, or CE, the common era. That meant that there are generations that have now been, there are generations since Jesus had been crucified, resurrected, and ascended.

59:06 Generations have passed, And this generation finds themselves catching hell. War has been declared on them by the empire. War has been declared on them by the powerful empire with all of its military might. They declare war. They target a community. They weaponize a community that they other and oppress. I think I'll park right there because y'all, whatever else you want to say, Since January of 25, a war has been declared. And if you think I'm making this up, just listen to several persons who have looked at what has gone on with this administration. Rachel Maddow is just blatant. She says the Trump administration has declared war on the black community. I think my sisters and brothers, it is Roland Martin who declares that right now there is an all-out attempt to defund black America.

1:00:12 So war has been declared on us. There's a defunding of black America that is taking place. All of this is going on. Y'all didn't feel that in the very first quarter of last year, 300,000 black women were found themselves in unemployment lines. Y'all didn't get that. Black women are the most educated, qualified demographic in the country, and yet they were targeted for unemployment. Y'all still didn't get that. The unemployment rate for black men has risen some 2% since he's been in office. I'm simply saying war has been declared upon assuming office. He went through executive orders that created disorder by trying to dismantle all of the progress that came from the civil rights movement, dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion.

1:01:12 Not to mention what he has done by way of targeting persons of color who find themselves being targeted by ICE. And ICE now goes after people of color in this country while at the same time bringing to this country some 10,000 white South Africaners. There's a war on black America going on right now. I'm just letting you know the war is going on. And here's what's jacked up. When you have a war going on and then some of your own people are Judas who will turn on their own people, hoping they can get Trump adjacent. I'm preaching y'all just not getting this. They will absolutely have a roast of Kevin Hart and allow racists to get up and say denigrating things about George Floyd. They act like they don't know it's a war going on.

1:02:13 Kevin Hart, how you going? And laugh at somebody who is saying nasty and racist things reflecting their white supremacy. I'm just trying to let you know a war is going on. And my sisters and brothers, all of America should be in an uproar right now. I don't care your color if you've got any kind of conscience and goodwill. Because this week he had the nerve to say that over $1 billion should go in reparations. even to those who on January the 6th tried to overturn a free and fair election. A war has been declared. My sisters and brothers, war has been declared. I think I'll stop right there because it just dawned on me.

1:03:07 This country believes in reparations. This country believes in reparations. They gave reparations to the slave owners after slavery ended. They want to give reparations now to persons who found themselves, who they say have been weaponized by politics. And I'm tripping because he's saying we want to go ahead and give reparations to those who have been weaponized by politics. Who has not been more weaponized in this country than those of us who were brought here against our will, who found ourselves victimized by the weaponizing of a Dred Scott decision where whites had no need whatsoever to respect black people, not to mention Plessy v. Ferguson. The Supreme Court has always weaponized the law against us.

1:04:05 When you're going to give us our reparations, when you're going to repair us for what has been done to us. War has been declared on those in the text. And the Bible lets us know war has been declared. The war had been declared. But now the Bible says it's Sunday night. And I love this. It's Sunday night. And the book lets us know on Sunday night, Jesus, their resurrected revolutionary, their sable skin, savior from the streets, finds them in a locked room. And the text says Jesus shows up behind locked doors. Y'all didn't shout, I got to help you. They were not expecting him, but he showed up anyhow. And I think I'll park right there because that's a shout if you really know what I'm talking about. Because God has a way without making an announcement of showing up in unexpected ways.

1:05:07 And someone is here right now. The only reason you still saying it is because God showed up in unexpected ways. Somebody can testify. The only reason that you have not given up is because when you were ready to give up, that's when God showed up in an unexpected way. And the book lets us know Jesus shows up, offers them some peace, and then blows my mind. The book says that he breathed on them and told them, I'm sending you just like my daddy sent me. He breathed on them. And when he breathed on them, I love it. The text says they received the Holy Ghost. They received the Holy Spirit. It was a Pentecost preview. And all I came to say on Pentecost Sunday is I want a fresh God. I want God afresh to breathe on us.

1:06:04 Because when God breathes on us, something happens. As a matter of fact, it's a breath. of fresh air. A breath of fresh air. I have to admit that this wasn't going to be my subject. I was getting ready to fly from L.A. here last night on the red. I got in 5 o'clock this morning, and I'm wrestling with this text, and I got everything worked out except the subject. And so Albany asked me, so what about this for a subject? And so I said, no, that ain't got nothing to do with what I'm talking about. Well, what are you talking about? So I told her what I was talking about. And Albany said, well, daddy, how about a breath of fresh air? That made me shout because I went to do some research on the inspiration behind the idiom and discovered in 1850 that Florence Nightingale was serving as a nurse for wounded British soldiers and discovered that their insufferable situation was made worse, don't miss this, by the stagnant air that was taking place.

1:07:15 There was a stagnancy in the air, and the stagnant air made the wounded persons more sick. And then I've kept on researching this thing and discovered that some black nurses during the tuberculosis outbreak at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. Black nurses watched this, took their insight from Mother Africa and said, if you really want some healing from tuberculosis, you got to get the air straight. You need some fresh air in here. It's fresh air that is going to bring healing. It's fresh air that is going to bring deliverance. It's fresh air that's going to bless them to bounce back from the tuberculosis that has them down. It's bad air that has them where they are right now. We need a breath of fresh air if we're going to have healing.

1:08:13 I'm ready to shout, but is there anybody here who knows that when you hook up with the Holy One, God will bless you with a breath of fresh air. A breath of fresh air that will raise you back up when life has knocked you down. A breath of fresh air that will be your heart fixer and your mind regulator. A breath of fresh air that when you are frozen by fear, that's the meaning of fear in the text. Phobos, which means, from which we get phobia from. And it has to do with fear. It can also mean reverence. But right here, they ain't being reverent. They are scared. They're scared of what religious leadership in bed with corrupt politicians is going to do to them. And the book lets us know Jesus gives them a breath of fresh air. And that's all I came to bless y'all with today.

1:09:09 And let you know on Pentecost Sunday, God will give you a breath of fresh air. Healing can come. God will give you a breath of fresh air and fix your broken heart. God will give you a breath of fresh air and heal your mental illness. God will give you a breath of fresh air because there's something about the Holy Spirit who gets in us and ministers to us, in us, through us, and for us, and around us. And the Bible even lets us know when we pray, go ahead and read Romans chapter 8 verses 26 and 27. It says we don't even know how to pray as we ought to because of our weakness. And the Bible calls it in the old King James, our infirmity. It has to do with strengthlessness when we just ain't got it.

1:10:05 And I don't care how long you've been going to church every now and then. You fall on your knees and pray and the words don't come to your right. Every now and then when life is hurting you and beating you down and messing with your mind and hurting your spirit. In those moments it's hard to find words to say when you want to pray. But that's when the Holy Spirit comes along and helps us. The Holy Spirit takes our prayers and polishes those prayers, takes them up to God, and y'all, the prayers get answered even if we didn't have words to say. That's why the old folk used to say, when I can't say a word, I'll just wave my hand. That's why the old folk used to say, when I can't find the words to pray, I'll just moan. I'm trying not to shout but some old folk every now and then when they couldn't find words to pray they would just go ahead and moan and you know what they would say the devil don't understand what you're talking about when you're moaning and so you moan because the Holy Spirit is our breath of fresh air so how does this work Freddie Haynes I'm wrestling with my own fear and trauma you say the Holy Spirit helps in that as our breath of fresh air how does that work I'm almost done watch the text the text says first thing that really gets me is that oh my god there is newness out of our nightmare I love the text the text shouts me because it says it's it's it's on the first day, the first day, okay, you didn't shout. First day of the week, it's a new week.

1:12:03 I've already told you about the nightmare of the past few days, but out of that nightmare, there is newness. Man, I did a fresh reading of Henry Brown a couple of weeks ago, about a month ago Henry Brown and it just broke my heart because Henry Brown uh paid for his wife and three kids his pregnant wife and three kids not to be sold further south into enslavement and he was promised that they would not be sold and yet the crooked slave owner sold him anyhow he was traumatized he was messed up devastated heartbroken because it became a nightmare please don't miss this his wife is pregnant he has three kids by her they have a beautiful family he pays he works hard to come up with money to pay to ensure that they will not get sold away from him and the slave master did it anyhow how trifling what a betrayal how low down that was the slave master did it anyhow I parked right there because that's where somebody is you know the nightmare of betrayal the disciples in our text they've experienced a nightmare a nightmare when the worst that could happen actually does happen. I'm talking to somebody right now in church. You love the Lord, but you know what it's like to live through a nightmare, a real life nightmare where doors shut in your face, a real life nightmare where your heart is broken, where your spirit is shattered, a real life nightmare where life goes wrong and it keeps getting more and more wrong, a real life nightmare. I'm talking to somebody right now. The contract got pulled, a nightmare.

1:14:08 I'm talking to somebody right now, the death of someone you always depended on and they're not with you for Memorial Day tomorrow, a nightmare. I'm talking to somebody who knows something about a nightmare that will break your heart, mess with your mind, shatter your spirit. It's a nightmare. That's what's going on in the text. But the text says on the first day of the week, on the evening of the first day of the week, newness broke into their nightmare. And that's what I came to tell somebody right now. Newness can break into your nightmare. That's what I came to tell somebody. And that is God ain't dead. God ain't done. But God can bring something new in the midst of your nightmare and snatch newness out of your nightmare. I love it.

1:15:06 The text says Jesus showed up. Uh-oh. And then showed them his wounds. He showed his side and he showed his hands. Y'all get that, don't you? because he had been a spear had gone into his side he had been nailed to the cross with his hands he he shows them receipts uh just in case you don't believe it's me let me show you receipts that it's me I'm going to let you as a part of the newness breaking into your nightmare I'm going to give you an encounter with the resurrected Lord and that's what I came to tell somebody Jesus will show up in your situation as the resurrected Lord Jesus will show up in your situation please don't miss this the original audience is 90 to 100 uh common era this is several uh decades after this episode had taken place and the writer wants them to know hear me well and that is that you can still experience the resurrected Jesus Christ that's why Paul said that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and Jesus shows them his hands and his side I got to go on and the text says that after that they were glad when they saw the Lord okay Lord was only used for Caesar that's a subversive message they were glad when they saw who's really running things okay okay okay I you know what I get what's going on y'all are still messed up about Henry Brown Henry Brown is known in history as Henry Box Brown Henry Box Brown was messed up by what happened and Henry Box Brown decides to mail himself to freedom

1:17:13 and Henry Box Brown created a box got in the box they say it's no longer than three feet wide the box is no longer than two and a half feet high feet high he got in a box and shipped himself to Philadelphia Pennsylvania y'all miss your shout y'all I love me some us because we are some creative folk that's why we ought to quit tripping about how bad things are right now and just tap into our creative DNA and recognize that this ain't our first rodeo this is our time to shine I gotta help y'all because understand that what happened my sisters and brothers Henry Box Brown ships himself to Philadelphia via train wagon steamboat 27 hours in a box and as soon as he gets to Philly a Quaker opens up the box and he breaks out singing Psalm 40 verse 1 I love the Lord because he inclined his ear unto me and heard my cry and set me on a solid rock. I'm simply trying to say God is able to raise you up. God is able to lift you up. God will give you newness in the midst of your nightmare. Oh my God, I love that right there, but I got to go on and give you something else. Not only is there newness that is coming to somebody in spite of the nightmare you find yourself in the text lets us know there is wholeness for the wounded wholeness for the wounded Jesus twice says deuces right you know he's a brother he says peace that's what text says twice he says peace that's what Jesus says to his disciples who are wounded he offers wholeness man I love that right there because

1:19:19 all of us know what it's like to be wounded all of us know what it's like to feel feel the wounds only to to have God give us wholeness and and that's really what Jesus says he is saying not Irene the Greek he's saying shalom peace and we do an etymological study of the word shalom there are several word pictures that blow my mind one word picture has to do with a bone that has been reset and so one is now healed they're experiencing wellness and wholeness because what had been broken is now healed I didn't come through I'll give you another one another one has another word picture of shalom has to do with a completed constructed facility. A facility has been constructed and now it is completed. So even if a storm comes because it is completed the facility can withstand the storm because of its shalom, its wholeness. I'm still not coming through like I need to. Check this out. I think I shared with you that I was a part of the group that went to what was it Selma and Montgomery. What was it a week ago yesterday and when I went to Selma and Montgomery I wanted to make sure I did my homework Pastor Magruder and so I read afresh what happened in 1965. Do you know February 28th 1965 right after Deacon Jimmy Lee Jackson had been killed on February the 26th there in Selma, Alabama, that there was a preacher by the last name of Harrison who had been warned by a deacon at a church that only met on the fourth Sunday. They only met on the fourth Sunday there in Lowndes County. Y'all are too young to know about this, but in some parts of the south, east Texas and Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and others, they didn't have a preacher to preach every Sunday so they would have church first and third, second and

1:21:28 fourth, or sometimes first Sunday only, second Sunday only. I think y'all get the picture now. And this pastor Harrison had a responsibility of preaching at this church in Lowndes County, Alabama, once a month on the fourth Sunday. I got to tell y'all what happened. He had the nerve the Sunday before to preach in Selma and mention voting. That was a dangerous thing in 1965. Why? Because understand in Lowndes County, they had 15,000 residents. 80% of them were black and none of them voted because of vicious voter suppression that would take place. I hope y'all getting this right here. They did not want black folk voting for anything. And so as a consequence, if you discuss voting, you were going to get lynched. And Lowndes County had an ugly history of lynching.

1:22:26 I got to get y'all because Lowndes County with its ugly history here in Selma over in Dallas County, Reverend Harrison preached about voting. It got to Lowndes County. And when those in Lowndes County found out what happened, they said, you better tell that N-word preacher he better not show up in church for Sunday. Let me tell y'all what happened. He showed up for church that Sunday. I like Negro preachers who ain't scared. I like black preachers who don't mind telling the truth and nothing but the truth. I like black preachers who ain't scared of what somebody may do to them because they don't believe in what the person is saying. But here's your shout. The shout is he goes to church and they're having worship. And all of a sudden, some trucks pull up around the church. They surround the church.

1:23:22 The deacons look out and they discover it's members of the local clan. They are outside. They surrounded the church. And they are threatening for something to go down. They're calling for the preacher. And the preacher says, I need all of us to start singing right now. And they started singing this little light of mine. I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. All because they were talking about voting. I think I need to stop right there. Because the same DNA that would lynch us for voting in 65 is now on the Supreme Court. The same DNA that didn't want us to vote in 65 is now in the White House, and they're doing everything they can to make sure that we don't vote. Now, why are you going to cooperate with folk who don't want you to vote and not show up and vote?

1:24:17 If anybody ought to show up and vote every time the polls open, it ought to be folk who look like us and believe in one person, one vote. So watch this, watch this. They started singing this little light of mine. I'm going to let it shine. And then Harrison said, no, change it. And called her the deacon and his name was Haynes. Deacon Haynes, I want you to sing my song. And Deacon Haynes began to sing that old spiritual. And before I be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave and go home to my God and be free. And that's when they turned up the hunk and the noise on the trucks outside. And the preacher Harrison started preaching and he kept on preaching and kept on preaching over the noise. The next thing you know, there's no truck noise outside. And they send a reconnaissance team outside to see if they're outside trying to set up an ambush.

1:25:18 And here's the shout. They had gone. They had left. Nothing happened to anybody in that church. Harrison later on got elected to office right there in Selma, Alabama. I'm trying to let you know that what had happened was because while I was there, I had to ask some folk. I said, what happened? Why did the Klan leave? And they said, we don't know. We can't explain it. Evidently, God put a bug in their ear and they had to get up out of there. And y'all, I've discovered there's some stuff God does. I ain't got words for it. All I know is that I can't explain it by what I said, by what I did. And all I can do is say to God be the glory. Great things God has done.

1:26:11 I got to quit. I've held y'all too long. It got good to me. In the final analysis, watch this. The text says now we have, watch it, power to fulfill purpose. Now, I got to slow down here because I ain't going to lie. I've never ever preached this last part of this passage because it didn't sit well with me. I like translation. Can I read it to you? No, I just say it. It basically says, if you forgive folk, they'll be forgiven. if you don't forgive them they won't be forgiven huh did you say that Jesus are you kidding me now let me let me say this in love the bible was not written in English right the original languages were Hebrew some Aramaic and Greek so so so what you have is a translation a translation and and so uh doc i even looked up some commentaries and they were justifying this and they were justifying it and it got to be messier and messier because this is how you weaponize and and and have little women or teenage girls come before the church when they're impregnated and you have her stand before the church but not the...

1:27:45 it's it's it's a weaponizing it's a weaponizing and so so I did some homework and and came across uh some bad scholars the Schneiders uh and I want to read to you uh because I don't want you to think I'm making this up the Schneiders they came across with an understanding a rendering watch this of the Greek that's powerful here it is if you release the sins of anyone the sins are released and gone and the one watch this who sins you have released hold them fast embrace them they are held fast by God big difference huh it's saying what you do you you you forgive them release them because forgiveness in the original means to release right to set free so so you release them that's what you do you you release them they're free now and and and then the second part of it has to do with but you retain you hold on to them while releasing the sin that messed them up because because don't miss this don't miss this because if they don't do it if that's not the translation, then what you're going to do with Peter who denied Jesus? What you're going to do with Thomas who later on has proven to doubt Jesus? What you're going to do with the disciples?

1:29:23 All of them left him. What you're going to do with all of those that Jesus said, go and sin no more? Jesus is a, John says at the beginning, God so loved the world that God gave God's son that whosoever believe won't perish but have everlasting life and then it goes on to say here's your shout right here but God did not send him into the world to condemn the world but that those through him believe might be saved our God is a loving God our God is a God of grace and mercy our God loves us better than we love ourselves. And so forgiveness is not something that God is going to yank back from us. But God says what I'm going to do is I'm going to hold on into the fellowship. Those who have messed up as they experienced the forgiveness and release from their sins.

1:30:22 I lost y'all, huh? It's okay. It's okay. Come Wednesday night. I promise you we'll dig deeper into it, okay? Because I ain't got time to do all this right now. Let me go ahead and give you room to shout. Here it is. Text says he breathed on them. Breath of fresh air. He breathed on them. It was an intentional breathing. It was like when you're trying to keep your hands warm when it's cold. Or trying to make sure that your coffee or tea cools off when it's hot.

1:30:57 He breathed. he breathed on them. I love this. He breathed on them and he said, receive the Holy Spirit. Receive the Holy Spirit. Receive the wind. receive the wind and and and y'all the only other places where we see this it's not in the greek new testament but we see this in genesis 2 verse 7 where god breathed into the nostrils of clay and humanity came to life. Jesus is replicating, reproducing what took place in Genesis chapter 2 and breathing into them because they had lost it all.

1:31:55 They were traumatized and terrified and now they get a breath of fresh air and the breath of fresh air, it gives them new life. Wait, it ain't just Genesis 2 and 7. You got to run over to Ezekiel 37 where the book says, this is an old black preacher text where the black preacher would have Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones. And y'all know what happened in the valley of dry bones that Ezekiel is asked by God, can these bones live? I don't know. Thou knowest. And that's when all of a sudden the old preacher said the foot bone connected to the ankle bone. The ankle bone connected to the leg bone. The leg bone connected to the thigh bone. Thigh bone connected to the hip bone. And the bones came together. And it rose up as a mighty army. Wait, it's Ezekiel who is writing to people in Babylon who were broken, defeated, and feel like it's all over. And that's when God said, Ezekiel, what's going to happen right now?

1:32:58 And Ezekiel said, God, it's up to you. Speak to the wind. And the wind began to blow. And when the wind began to blow, it was a breath of fresh air. And the breath of fresh air, it brought life back to those dead bones. Jesus blew into them. And now he blows into us and gives us new life. Okay. Okay. Okay. I got to give you this and I'm done. This is real good. I was in California. I guess it was earlier this year and here's what happened, it was really a trip I go there, run into someone I grew up with and we were real cool, I was growing up hadn't talked in a very long time and he reminded me of some stuff I'm not really proud of I really shouldn't share it with you but confession is good for the soul and so here's one of the things we did and it was really jacked up you have a lot of birds in in Cali and so so we wanted to catch a bird in a trash can and uh that's what we did we we we we had this trash bin that was open and we put some bread in the bin and then the bird came down got in the bin and we closed that bad boy as we closed it rain starts coming down meaning a storm is on the way so we had to run to go into our respective places so we went to run into our respective places and the rain was horrible the thunder was roaring the lightning was flashing the wind was blowing and the next thing we know we heard outside watch this the bin tumble over the bin tumbled over I look out the window and the bird watch this is flying out of the trash with bread in its beak. Now the bread is in its beak and the bird is flying on to wherever

1:35:05 it is it has to go. My imagination ran wild. Must have been a mama bird and mama bird was taking baby bird some bread and mama bird had been held up by some clowns who decided to bait it into a trashy situation but then God let a fresh a breath of fresh air fly on through there and the wind knocked over the trash bin and the trash bin open and the bird was set free I talked to the bird recently I said bird how'd you get free and the bird said I got free because God sent some wind and the wind had power to do what I could not do myself. The wind gave me power that set me free. I'm done. Is there anybody here who knows when you can't, God can. Is there anybody here who knows the Holy Spirit will be the breath of fresh air that will set you free?

1:36:08 Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows fall? Why should my heart be lonely? and long for heaven and home. When Jesus is my portion, a constant friend is he. His eye is on the sparrow. And I know he watches me because he'll give us a breath of fresh air. hallelujah hallelujah listen every head bowed every eye closed oh god we thank you and praise you for a breath of fresh air and god you know who's here who's been dealing with a lot of polluted stuff getting all in their head and spirit and mind god i'm believing you even now for a breath of fresh air i'm believing you even now for healing and deliverance you are god and you are so able you are so good so please right now since you're a heart fixer and a mind regulator go ahead fix hearts that are broken go ahead fix minds regulate minds that are under attack from the nasty air that we find ourselves in right now oh god have your way now i pray that you would save those who are lost change lives even now and then god bring home to your church those who have no church home have your way have your way in Jesus name. Listen, heads bowed, eyes closed. Christians, please keep praying.

1:37:57 If you're online or in the house, the good news is you ain't here by accident. God planned it because God knows that you needed a breath of fresh air, a breath of fresh air, newness in your life. In spite of the nightmare, God has a plan and a purpose for you. God has wholeness for you where you've had woundedness and so if you are online and you know you need to give your life to Christ you're online and you're ready for God to change your life I think that's what I'm trying to say yeah you're online and your thing is yeah I need God to change my life I need this God who's a heart fixer and a mind regulator I need a breath of fresh air in my life if that's you dial that number 972-228-5217 use the qr code even email us and join us at friendshipwest.org or you feel led to join church we'd love to have you i'd love to serve as your pastor so go ahead dial that number email us use the qr code today's a good day to receive your breath of fresh air or you're saying preacher i ain't online i'm right here in the house with you and I need this breath of fresh air yes you can have a breath of fresh air today you can have a breath of fresh air the Holy Spirit living inside of you our kids already sang about it our kids they get it the Holy Spirit living inside of you and whoever God inhabits nobody can inhibit I promise you if God is within you who can be against you and so if you're here and you're not saved you're not a Christian you're here and you know it's time for you to let God change your life you're not here by accident God set this up because God set you up for an appointment for an appointment with God that can change your life forever and so if you're here and you know it's time for you to give your life to Christ it's time for you to let God change your life if that's you

1:40:02 here's what you do stand up step out of the aisle you're in come on down front and give your life to Christ. We've got some wonderful ministers down front who are waiting to pray with you, who are waiting to share with you. And today you can leave here new life. Leave here newness. Leave here fresh start. Leave here with a breath of fresh air. And so if you're here and you're not saved, you're not a Christian, you're here and you're ready for God to change your life. Here's what you do stand up step out of the aisle you're in come on down front and give your life to Christ preacher I got that part right but to be honest with you I feel God leading me to join church I'd like to join church today today's a mighty good day to join church all you got to do is stand up step out come on down and join church bless your heart I see you coming somebody else somebody else I love love love love it because you know what I'm so glad she's on her way because the good news is you were sitting there and you were saying well I don't want to be the first one to go is this the right time and God touched her so you ain't got to be scared now God touched her so you ain't got to worry if it's the right time it's the right time here's what you do stand up step out come on down and give your life to Jesus Christ if you're here and you're not saved you're here you're ready for God to change your life stand up step out come on down give your life to Christ do it right now I see you coming I see you coming somebody else somebody else God is speaking God's spirit is moving you can receive a breath of fresh air today today today today preacher here's my deal I feel God leading me to join this church I'd like to be a part of this church community if that's you stand up step out come on down and join church preacher I just moved to Dallas sportsworth from another area. I got a church home back there, but now I live here, work here. I go to school here. I just don't have a church home here. Today's a mighty good day to join church. Preacher, I used to go to church. I stopped going. I'm ready to get back in church. If that's you, come on,

1:42:12 let's get back in church. All you got to do is stand up, step out, come on down, give your life to Christ and join church. Bless your heart. Listen, I see y'all coming. Bless you. God bless you. God bless you. I love it. I love it. I love it. Here's what we're getting ready to do. We're getting ready to all stand. When we stand, if you're here and you know that you are ready for God to change your life, you know it's time because you've been doing it your way all this time. God allows you turns. I like that. God allows you turns. God will turn your life around. And so if you're here and you're ready for God to turn your life around we get ready to stand and when we stand that's your signal stand up with the step out of the aisle you're in come on down front give your life to Christ or you know you need to join church you feel led to join church you've been coming here for a while you've been dating us you've been coming to see us but you have yet to make a covenant commitment to us. Today is a good day to go ahead and step it up and let's be covenant in our relationship with each other. Today's your day.