Ep 89: Don't Miss the Encore

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What can an encore teach us
about the providential nature of

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our God?
Let's talk about that in just a

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second.
Oh, good morning and welcome to

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the show.
I'm Daniel Dalp, and this is for

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your Sunday morning drive.
We're the short podcast with the

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goal of providing some
motivation and Dr. maybe even

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some encouragement on your way
to worship and helping you

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recenter your mind on those
spiritual things to help guide

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you on a hectic Sunday morning.
Thank you so much for being with

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us this morning as we wind down
the new year.

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We've had some great guests, 12
guests over the last year, and

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I'm excited to tell you that in
the coming year I have even more

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plans.
So look forward to that.

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Check out our website if you
have a chance and look at some

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of the guests we've had in the
past.

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Thank you to all who joined us
in that capacity over the last

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year.
You'll certainly see some of

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those voices returning and many
new voices added to that, and

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I'm excited to make that happen.
Let's go ahead and get the last

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episode of 2025 on the road this
morning.

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This is episode 89.
Don't miss the encore.

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Let's go to church.
Are we there yet?

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Just a few days remain as we
begin to closeout 2025 and move

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into the new year.
And as many are, I've been doing

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some reflecting on just exactly
what this year has brought and

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overall it's been a great one.
There have been some ups and

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downs for sure, but personally I
feel incredibly blessed.

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And maybe it's just me, but I
often at the end of the year I

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get somewhat melancholy.
I tend to get really bogged down

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on the finality of another year
coming to an end and all of

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those moments in time that I
feel that I might have just kind

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of wasted, or maybe I didn't put
to good use, or the things that

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I didn't do, or the memories
that I didn't make for my

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family.
And it can be really depressing,

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especially if I don't reorient
my thinking and realize that,

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Lord willing, there's the start
of a new year right around the

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corner and it's brimming with
opportunity.

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You see, sometimes we get so
wrapped up in the end of things,

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or even in the the midst of what
is here and now, that we miss

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the next act.
And in doing so, we can miss out

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on what God has in store for us.
I was reminded about this fairly

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recently.
A couple weeks back, we took our

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daughter to a concert, and as
the final arrangement was coming

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to a close, many people began to
stand up and leave without

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realizing that there's going to
be an encore.

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One more number that would tie
everything together and not

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leave anyone wanting.
Doesn't it make you cringe a

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little bit when that happens?
It's kind of like when people

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get up and leave at the end of a
Marvel movie without about

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staying till the end credit
scene.

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You want to shout, hey, there's
more to the story and you're

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going to miss it.
But it seems those people either

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don't know or they simply don't
care.

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And because of that, they miss
the encore.

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And I think oftentimes our
spiritual life is the same way.

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We can get caught up in the
doldrums or become so

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overwhelmed with the present or
the ending of one stage in our

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lives that we miss out on what
God has lined up next.

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And he always has more planned
for his people.

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We serve a God who rejoices,
dare I say even revels in the

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encore.
He told Noah to build an ark,

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saving him and his family.
He stopped Abraham's knife,

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saving Isaac.
He, through Moses, parted the

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Red Sea, saving them from a
pursuing Pharaoh's army.

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He shut the mouths of lions,
preserving Daniel.

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He raised up an Esther to thwart
the plans of a murderous Haman.

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He was there, in the midst of
the fiery furnace, saving

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Daniel's three friends.
And he changed a murderous soul

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into a soul winning Paul.
And of course, how can we not

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mention the Jesus who rose from
the grave on the third day?

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All of these individuals had
moments of perceived finality,

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only for God to work in ways
both divinely miraculous and

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providentially ordinary to bring
about his own plans, all for the

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benefit of his people.
And if God can accomplish these

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things after the curtain has
fallen, then why do we doubt

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that there's going to be an
encore?

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You see, he served that same God
today and he is still living and

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active.
So all of this to say, don't

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miss the encore.
Don't give up when God is just

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getting started.
Don't let the finality of the

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year coming to a close or maybe
it's even a stage in life that

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is ending get you down.
Whether it's those bittersweet

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moments that feel like loss,
kids growing older and babies

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growing up and some of that
magic slipping away, friendships

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changing in unexpected ways,
relationships and marriage is

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evolving and maturing.
Or maybe it's those hard times

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in life, the death of a loved
one, the loss of a job, the

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splintering of a family.
You see, even hardships, it

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seems, are woven amidst God's
redemptive plan.

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Romans 828 says we know that all
things work together for good.

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To those who love God and to
those who are called according

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to His purpose.
Don't lose hope.

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Don't throw in the towel.
Remember what it says in

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Lamentations 322 and 23.
It gives this insight into the

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good of our God through the
Lord's mercies.

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We are not consumed because his
compassions fail not.

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They are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness.

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The Lord is my portion, says my
soul.

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Therefore I hope in Him.
Yes, don't miss the encore,

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because don't you know there's
more coming?

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There's always more that God can
do.

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And just as every day, month and
year ends, a new one begins.

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Lord willing, there is more to
look forward to in His service

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and shouldn't we wait and see
what He has in store?

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Because sometimes when we see
the curtain fall in our own

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lives, God is just setting up
the stage for the next act Don't

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miss it.
Well, those are my thoughts for

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your Sunday morning drive.
Now it's time to hear yours.

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Our discussion questions this
week are in what ways do we get

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bogged down with the present
that we don't look to the

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future?
How does our outlook on the

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future reflect our trust in God?
And what times can you identify

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in your life where you see
evidence of God's providential

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hand providing for you?
Thank you for being with me this

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year.
I'm excited to see what next

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year has to bring for us.
I hope it's full of good things.

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Trust in God, Have a great week
and I'll see you Sunday.