Sheryl Brady - Family Love

I want to talk about family love. I’ve been telling you this since the beginning of the year. Toward the end of last year, God began to speak to me about the outcome of 2024. He said, «This is what I want; this is what I expect from this church. I want strong men raised up in this church. I want strong families raised up in this church.» How many of you know we are on our way to making that happen? Strong, strong families! You are not going to enter 2025 the same way you came out of 2024. You are going in with the victory! I mean, I’m talking about a real victory. Look at someone and tell them, «We are going to be in a different place because we are going to do it together—together, together, together!» That’s what family love is.

Father, today I thank you for Your Word. Speak as only You can. You know every situation; You know every person, every heart, every struggle that’s going on in every mind. But today, I just believe that Your Word can reach every last one of us. Speak to us today—those that are in the building, those that are in the overflow, those that are watching online. Talk in this place, and we will leave here richer, better, and wiser than when we arrived. We ask You to do it now, in Jesus' name. Amen.

On your way down, hit someone good and tough and tell them, «It’s a love thing! It’s a love thing!» I was talking to someone earlier this week about our kids. I shared about my girls and how, when Len first learned to drive, that was challenging enough for me to watch her get in a car and drive out onto the road. What made it worse was when all three of them got into the car while L was driving on those backcountry roads in West Virginia, and I watched her drive off with three pieces of my heart. It was a little nerve-wracking. We didn’t have cell phones back then, so I gave them a little beeper. They knew that if that beeper ever went off, they better find a safe place to pick up a phone and call me to tell me where they were. We had an agreement that whenever they left the house, there was only a certain path they could take. I needed to know the road they were taking because if they didn’t respond to the beep or if they never called to let me know they arrived safely, I would get in my car and follow the path I told them to take. I could do that because I knew the way they were taking.

The Bible tells us that He knows the way that we take. Sometimes, I’ve read that over and over and thought, «God, I’m so glad You know because I don’t have a clue where I am right now.» But He knows the way that I take. I was that type of mom; I had to keep track of my kids at all times. And that’s not a bad thing because I know where they all are today, and I’m grateful for the grace of God, a good dad, and strong Christian leadership in their lives. They are still here, praising and serving God.

I fly quite often, and before our plane takes off, the pilot has to do something called filing a flight plan. Are there any pilots in here? I mean, any pilots in this room? Hello, Cam, you are. So, whenever you get ready to take off or go somewhere, if you fix my mic a little bit, it’s pretty dry and bothersome. But if you get ready to fly, the pilot must file a flight plan. If you’ve noticed, sometimes as you prepare for takeoff, the pilot will come on and say, «Yes, we’re leaving Dallas, heading toward Atlanta; we will be passing over…» Have you ever noticed that they inform you of their route? The reason they know that is that they have a flight plan. So, when it is time for us to depart, they are supposed to move in accordance with the plan they have filed.

However, during the flight, sometimes the plane encounters turbulence, wind, rain, and occasionally those three issues, along with many others, can cause the plane to deviate from its flight path. When a weather system moves in, if you meet it head-on, it’s possible that it could significantly deviate your plan. However, thank you, Jesus, most of the time your plane will arrive at its destination. The reason it gets there is that, despite the deviations, there are pilots seated with their headphones on, receiving feedback about their location and what is happening. Control towers are communicating with your pilot; instrument panels are providing data, and other pilots in different planes are also communicating. Based on the feedback, they are continually making the necessary adjustments along the way to align themselves back into the flight plan. Y’all following me today? Look at someone and tell them, «Get back on track!»