Ep 80: Don't Skip That House!

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Well, good morning and welcome
to the show.

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I'm Daniel Dalp and this is for
your Sunday morning drive.

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The short podcast with the goal
of providing you some

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motivation, Dr. and
encouragement on your way to

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worship and helping you recenter
your mind on those spiritual

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things on hectic Sunday
mornings.

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We are brought to you in
partnership with the Ministry

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League network of podcasts.
Ministry League offers many

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great resources free of charge
and also many other wonderful

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podcasts.
You can check them out at

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ministryleague.com or you can
download their app.

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I sure hope you're having a
great day, and I hope you have

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the most whimsical of Halloween
shenanigans planned for Friday.

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Be safe.
And if you don't mind, save me

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your Reese's Cups.
Well, anyway, let's get the show

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on the road this morning.
This is episode 80.

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Don't skip that house.
Let's go to church.

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Are we there yet?
Well, it's the most wonderful

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time of the year.
This Friday is Halloween.

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Ah, that magic time of year
where our children rush from

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door to door seeking the best
treats and the parents tag

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along.
All the while we are mentally

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calculating just how severe the
dad tax is going to be imposed

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upon that sugary horde.
My kids know to at least save me

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a peanut buttercup or two.
Over the last few years,

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watching my own kids and the
shambling masses of other

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children, all of them rushing
door to door on Halloween night,

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I've noticed something that some
houses get skipped for several

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reasons.
Maybe the house is too creepy,

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or the porch light is turned
off.

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Maybe the driveway is too long
and the hill too steep.

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Or maybe they are notorious for
giving out what I am going to

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call, in my humble opinion,
trash candy.

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I'm looking at you boxes of
raisins, smarties, and Tootsie

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rolls.
Or that bag of pretzels.

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Anyway, I digress and feel free
to disagree with me, but just

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know that you're wrong.
But at the same time, other

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houses get flocked to because
they are well lit or maybe they

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have the Super cool decorations
outside like the 12 foot tall

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skeleton.
Maybe it's the home of a family

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member or a neighborhood icon
lives there.

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But more than likely they are
just famous for handing out the

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good stuff.
I'm talking the full size candy

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bars, the peanut butter cuffs,
the name brand chocolate.

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No joke, there's a dude in the
neighborhood where I take our

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kids that gives out grilled hot
dogs and a cup of hot chocolate.

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Yes, I know it's a weird
pairing, but man does it hit the

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spot on a chilly night.
And all of this to say that kids

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have their own hierarchy of
decision making when it comes

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down to what houses and what
treats are worth the risk, or

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rather worth the time.
A sort of juvenile cost benefit

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analysis, if you will.
And boy does that scale tip in

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favor of what is easy and what
is desirable.

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And that got me to thinking.
Sometimes I think we do the same

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thing spiritually on several
levels, but especially when it

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comes to things like our
spiritual disciplines.

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You know, we might gladly visit
the ones that feel rewarding,

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worship, an encouraging sermon
or those moments of answered

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prayer.
But maybe we skip those

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spiritual houses that feel or
look dark and difficult.

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Fasting, self examination,
solitude, perseverance and

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prayer, sacrificial service.
Maybe we are choosing those

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sweet practices and maybe
avoiding the ones that don't

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give us immediate satisfaction.
But following along with this

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metaphor, spiritual maturity
means knocking on every door of

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obedience, not just the ones
that give us the treats.

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Luke 16, verse 10.
The one who is faithful in very

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little things is also faithful
in much.

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And the one who is unrighteous
in a very little thing is also

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unrighteous in much.
Yes, we like the low hanging

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fruit, the spiritual equivalent
of candy from a bowl left on the

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porch with a note telling us
just to take one because it

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means no knocking, no waiting,
no thank you, no effort

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required.
And when that happens, sometimes

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we look down and we count our
sacks as full.

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First Timothy chapter 4 verse 7
says discipline yourself for

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godliness.
What blessings might we be

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missing out on by skipping those
other houses?

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I'm sure there are many and just
from the top of my head, some of

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those might be missing out on a
deeper understanding of

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scripture by only diving in at a
devotional level.

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Missing out on the value and the
life changing relationships of

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our brethren by treating them
instead as mere acquaintances

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and treating fellowship as an
afterthought.

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Maybe missing out on an
opportunity to rely fully on God

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by going ahead and trying it our
way first.

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And the list could go on and on.
But my point is, sometimes our

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sacks aren't as full as they
could be because we aren't

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taking the time to seek out the
freely given but hard won

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blessings of spiritual maturity.
So the next time that you're

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tempted to walk past an
opportunity to grow, don't.

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Because Jesus tells us to stop.
And and knock, Matthew Chapter 7

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verses 7:00 and 8:00.
Ask and it will be given to you.

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Seek and you will find.
Knock and it will be opened unto

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you for everyone who asks
receives, and the one who seeks

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finds.
And to the one who knocks, it

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will be opened when those
opportunities come along.

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Don't be tricked into missing
out on God's streets.

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Don't skip that house.
Stop and knock.

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Well, those are my thoughts for
your Sunday morning drive.

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Now it's time to hear yours.
Our discussion questions for

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this week are what are some
reasons that we only seek those

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surface level aspects of
Christianity instead of giving a

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deeper dive?
How far are we willing to go in

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order to receive the richest of
God's spiritual blessings?

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And looking back on life, what
areas of spiritual growth have

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we missed out on because we were
not willing to apply ourselves?

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And I'll throw in an extra what
is the best and worst Halloween

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candy?
Let me know what you think.

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I'd love to hear from you at for
your Sunday morning dr.com.

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I hope you have a wonderful day
and I'll see you Sunday.

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We're here.