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here the way she looked at me when she woke up. I'm feeling so good today. Keep your eyes on the ball. you if you Hey everybody. Welcome to Prairie Lakes.

We're really glad that you are here with us. Whether it's in person or online and we're specially glad if you're you're here and you're coming back like if you're returning and maybe last weekend was like your first week in with us, or maybe your first weekend.

In a long time. He said yeah, he said yes to come on on Easter and and maybe experience them a little bit different hopefully in a good way and and you're back. And so wherever you're on this journey, we really seriously, we're just glad that you're you're here that being said celebrate a few things with with me if you would about last weekend. So Easter's office Lee a big weekend around here at Prairie Lakes and the thing that we're we're celebrating the most is 17 people stepping across the faith line 17 people said yes to Jesus.

So that's awesome. That's the whole reason why we do this we do it if there was one we do it if there were 1700. It doesn't matter. We're really really just glad to be a part of what God is doing. I know a lot of you decide you gave just to give a portion of your Easter weekend to us too some time.

Thanks for serving on teams. Thanks for giving thanks for being a part of what God's doing. Okay. All right. Hey this week and we're kicking off a new series. I'm kind of excited about and I think it's a series that I'm excited about because I feel like I need it.

And I think a lot of us do as well. But here's the series title. We're calling it upside down. upside down now not just talking about like the physics of being upside down. We're not just going to show you different images of things being upside down for several weeks. They'd be super boring not like that more talking about like when we're upside down in like a finances, you know, and we got more going out than coming in or upside down in our calories.

You know more going down our goal. It's then we're spending on exercise things aren't going in the right direction or maybe you know upside down like when you're studying hard, but like you're not seeing the grades. move in the right direction or or you're working 50 and 60 hours a week, but you're still Behind, it's that kind of upside down that that we're talking about. Okay.

Now that might feel like a super depressing series, you know, like everybody let's spend a few weeks talking about how we spend too much and eat too much. How about that? You know, I promise you that's not what we're doing. Okay, we're not we're not doing that. But here's the deal. Here's the deal when it comes to feeling upside down.

When it comes to that feeling that experience, it's it's pretty discouraging. But it's pretty common. All of us I think are kind of in that boat maybe currently or at one time or another pretty discouraging but pretty common. We have a tendency to hide it.

Or hide from it even and there's a lot of reasons for that. But I think one of them is because there's there's not an easy fix we hide it or we hide from it because man, it just doesn't feel like there's a there's a way through her way out, but they're always is there's always a way through there's always a way out and that's why we're doing this series and that's what I'm excited about. Okay. So here's the topic for this weekend as we kick off this series of being upside down. Here's how you mean a lot of us are probably upside down. We're upside down in this area of Our Lives we over Consume we over consume. That's one way a lot of us are upside down Okay, so let's just get some of the easy targets out of the way, right? Here's one easy target. Okay. Okay. All right. Let's talk about it Easter was just last weekend. I'm betting a lot of you like me you went to church and then you went somewhere after church that involved ham.

And it was awesome and maybe it also involves some scalloped or baked or mashed or cheesy potatoes and maybe all four of those because there is in Jesus loves variety or maybe your Easter plate also had something that was called. It was called a salad but by the midwestern definition of that term, you know, like how we talk about salads we talk about it's got a lot of whipped cream or Oreos or Jello. It's got some fruit and that's why we call it a salad but you know, so obviously okay the first place that a lot of us over consume when it comes to our lives is this area of food. It's caloric intakes pretty easy target pretty easy target.

Um, let me say this though. Okay. This is an especially American and even an especially Iowan. Problem this over-consuming in this area. I mean just give you some stats quickly here. Okay, globally like 13% of adults are obese in the US. It's 41% almost three times the amount of the global average and then Iowa's Trucking in at the 11th most right shocker that those of us in the midwest would you know, maybe Comfort ourselves in the winter and reward ourselves for surviving the summer with some extra calories now if you're not okay, this is not going to be some sort of let's just pray the fat away kind of message. Okay, it's not what we're doing.

But what I want you to do here is this okay get it open up a mental file folder mental file folder just in your mind and file some of these over consuming things away first ones calories. All right, let's get to another one. Let's talk about over consuming maybe in the area of money finances. Here's some more stats for you. Okay, 68% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. It's a reality for a lot of us paycheck to paycheck.

Which is very stressful. Okay, but we just got a lot going out the average American holds 102,000 in Consumer Debt Millennials 26 through 41 ages 26. They increase their credit card balance in 22 by 23 percent. The average balance is 5,600 bucks. If you're in that age group Generation Z was a little bit worse. They increase theirs by 25% They're not making as much money, but they're still holding around 3,000 of credit card debt and then 42% of Americans have less than a thousand dollars and they're savings we're spending quite a bit. We're holding a lot of debt balances a lot going out probably because we might be over consuming in that area and not as much as coming in or being saved up. Okay. Now those numbers might be validating for you because you're not as upside down as some of those numbers and in fact, I would does actually pretty good. We're better than average in this category.

But my guess is this my guess is at least one or two of these describe some some of us. And $6 eggs didn't help either. Right? But of all the stats, I could throw your way to help you get your mind around this over consumption thing. Here's one that I think is the most compelling.

Around 70% of our gross domestic product our economy essentially what we're what we're producing 70% of it relies upon consumer. Spending okay not I'm not an economist. I'm not pretending to be but from my vantage point. This does explain a couple things explains why we panic when people slow down their spending.

Like on houses cars phones food, whatever like we panic when consumers. Slow down they don't buy as much. I mean people aren't going to Applebee's just like they used to oh s***, you know, it's on the panic button. Why because because most of our Lives now rests on people spending.

consuming something everything and if the backed off this month and what's next month going to be like and what's the next month's gonna be like and we're just gonna you know, so 70% now here's what this means. We have built a culture. Our culture is built on consuming.

It just that's just the data the facts of that more and more of our economy more and more of our feelings of well-being of Safety and Security. They rest on people us included. spending consuming to the point where A lot of economists currently are going I don't get it.

Like I don't get it inflation continues to run High interest rates continue to go up. Lots of us are feeling the squeeze at home and yet a lot of us continue not only to spend but spend it higher levels. So just just crazy. We consume like our lives depend on it because we kind of created a system in which they kind of do and I'm saying that tongue and cheek but you get what I'm saying, right?

So we don't just over consume we or should we don't just consume we over consume a lot of us. And so listen if you're upside down in any of these areas. Food spending whatever. It's just it's no wonder it's no wonder because just about everything in our world and especially our part of the world.

Pulls on us invites us compels us pushes us to do exactly that. And before we move away from from this, okay, I'd be remiss if I didn't at least add one more area. Of our lives in which we are very likely to be over consuming.

And let's talk. Let's talk technology. Let's talk screen time. Okay, here's some stats. And actually we've shared these before but here's some stats average screen time consumption internet usage on average. We're consuming 48 hours a week of our lives on the internet, which if you play that out over the average lifespan 20 years.

20 years of our lives on the internet TVs 24 hours a week 10 years of your life social media 17 seven years of your life News 14 five years of your life. And if you're on tiktok, I know that's gonna loaded these days isn't it? But if you are you're spending around 95 minutes of your day.

On it scrolling, okay. Crazy right. Now remember what we said? Okay when it comes to being upside down. We have a tendency to either hide it or hide from it. And so all of these stats you may look at that and go like no, I mean, that's crazy. That's not me that feels like an exaggeration, you know.

And if that's you I just I want to remind you because because we shared these with you before we shared these with you at the beginning of 2022 Pastor Cody and myself when we talked about. This series of called attention war and if you're there that weekend you're all going to recall that we showed we showed you that your phone tracks your usage and some of you that was news to you.

And it tracks how much you use your phone and how you use it what apps on and so forth and here's what I remember. I remember we got done that weekend delivering the message. And I remember seeing pockets of people in the Worship Center all huddled around their phones going. You know, what's your what's yours look like and who you know and then like, you know, just you just kind of realize you know, how much are using it because you don't feel like you are but it turns out the data says the stats say, yep. Yep. You probably are. Okay. So we over consume we over consume. We're probably upside down there maybe not in every single one of those areas, but probably at least one maybe it's food spending screen time, whatever. We all got something right. We all got something guilty me too. Guilty is charged.

Now here's the thing. This over-consuming thing that we got going on. It's not just a 2023 problem. Okay. It didn't start with the consumer economy. It wasn't invented by the TV networks or big Tech, you know.

the problem of over consuming actually originates inside of us and this is really been the case for for some time. The problem isn't out in the world the problem. The problem is us.

I mean something in US is drawn to over consuming. And that's been true for a long time now. I just want to show you the story. Okay First Kings 3 is where we're gonna be First Kings is is a little bit closer to the front of the Old Testament. So if you have an actual book of the Bible, you're or Bible book should I just say you should go to the front we're gonna have the the versus on the screen as well. But we're gonna look at the story of Solomon.

And starting in First Kings 3 in a couple of other chapters. And Solomon is the second. Excuse me. He's the Third King of the nation of Israel. And by far he is the most hands up being the most wealthy, but he didn't really start that way. And so I want to pick up the story in First Kings 3 and we're looking at verse 4. Here's the story of Solomon the King Solomon. He went to Gibby into Opera sacrifices for that was the most important high place and Solomon offered a thousand bird offerings on that altar.

And that giving the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in the dream. He said ask for whatever you want me to give you. Okay, so there's there's the part of the story that we're kind of helicoptering down into now if you've been in church a while and and maybe you've been in the Bible for a while too if that's you nothing about these verses.

You know trips you up, right? but if that's not you what's a high place and why a thousand burnt offerings that seems like a lot of dead animals and I'm expected to believe that the god of the universe appeared to some dude in a dream and and 3,000 years ago, you know. Yeah, I get it like that. Yes that If I were you that would sound weird to me, too.

And and for what it's worth. I'm not saying that you have to believe that or know for sure. If God still does that today or or whatever, but you do need to know that the author of the text believes that this happened and I do too. But I'm just gonna invite you. All of us let's just imagine. Let's just imagine this for a second. Imagine ourselves in this story.

Imagine that God the god of the universe came to you given all that you're managing and all that you're leading and all that you're hoping for and this God of the universe says I'm your Genie in a Bottle. I'm giving you one wish go.

And you can't you cannot wish for infinite wishes? Okay. No, that's not you can't do that. Okay, but what would you say? What would you say? How would you respond? What would you ask for if you knew and believed it was the god of the universe and he was gonna make good in his word. What would you do?

Okay. Here's here's what Solomon did verse 6. Solomon answered You've shown great kindness to your servant My Father David because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart.

And you've continued this great kindness to him and you've given him a son to sit on his throne to this very day David as his father the king before him. Okay, and he continues now Lord my God, you've made your servant King. in place of my father David But I'm only a little child.

And do not know how to carry out my duties your servant is here among the people you've chosen to great people to numerous to count or number. And so then here's what he asks for. So. Give your servant a Discerning heart. Why it's a govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong for who's able to govern this great people.

Of yours of all, the things in the world that Solomon could have asked for all the things. He asks for wisdom. Help me to do the thing that you've called me to do God because I don't think I got it in me. In fact, I know I don't.

Take a look at God's response. Okay. The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him since you've asked for this and not for a long life or wealth for yourself. Nor have asked for the death of your enemies. But instead for discernment and administering Justice.

I'll do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and Discerning heart so that there will never have to be anyone like you nor will there ever be? So that there will never have been anyone like, you know, or there will be I'm Gonna Make You unique for oh moreover. I'll give you what you've not asked for both wealth and honor. So then your lifetime you'll have no equal among Kings like bonus with bonus. Wish granted. What a great. It's pretty great deal.

And what it what an amazing start for like a young man, you know, and especially a guy who's following David who was the most famous and beloved of all these Kings and just that's exactly where he began with this humility. And God. I need you. Here's what I need.

That's how Solomon starts out he passes the tests so to speak and he's not in it for himself. God loves this, okay. And so God's given in this task and his first one that God entrusts to him is actually building a temple like a permanent place of worship for God to dwell with his people. They haven't ever done that before it had been a tabernacle had been a big tent until that point and if you read through First Kings, you're gonna see that there was very specific guidelines for how God wanted this built and it ended up being like a wonder of the world level Beautiful by the time it was done. In fact, here's how first cream is described it and the 11th year in the month of Bowl I know in the eighth month the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications and Solomon spent seven years.

Building seven years right great biblical number set number of perfection or completion exactly. How God Had said to build it, okay. And then look. What literally the next verse says?

Took Solomon. 13 years to build what? his house seven years for Gods 13 years for his awkward, right? It's pretty nice house guy, but wait till you see mine, right? You see what I'm building.

And and this really is like a it's like foreshadowing and Solomon's story this wealth that God had blessed on with because he wasn't chasing after it. this wealth well it becomes something he He starts to chase after it so chapter 10. We're told that Solomon received 25 tons of gold 25.

tons of gold annually and once they do with that he makes them into 500 gold Shields. And then we're told He makes himself a throne out of Ivory and the overlays that throne with gold and then He makes himself goblets of gold.

It says he accumulated 1400 chariots in 12,000 horses. You can just see this guy. He's gonna appetite to accumulate and consume and eventually obviously over consume. and and as he chases after all the stuff his story this overconsumption of his gets pretty dark.

And First Kings 11 1 through 4 years. Here's what it says King Solomon loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter mobile is ammonites and edomites and cydonians and the Hittites and they were from Nations about which the Lord told the Israelites don't intermarri with them because they'll surely turn your hearts after.

Their own Gods but Solomon held fast to them in love. 700 wives 300 concubines. I'm going to tell you what that is. And they let him astray and so Solomon grew old his wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not fully devoted. The Lord is God as the heart of David his father.

had been in fact as The Story Goes On Solomon this guy who starts out humbly just asking for wisdom. He becomes the king who? Not only follows after foreign Gods but what that meant back then there was two in specific two specifically one required worship through illicit sex.

And the other required worship through child sacrifice. And the text says he did both. And it's a painful truth in Solomon story and in granted. It's an it's an extreme example for sure. But the truth underneath that extreme example is is also true for any of us who are allowing our appetites.

And over consumption to rule our lives and shape the trajectory of our lives. And that is this whenever we're giving into our desire to over consume whenever we're doing that wherever we're doing that in our lives. Okay, wherever you and I are over consuming.

What we're really doing is replacing something. over God and what he desires for us that's what we're actually. Doing now, this is something I believe and I also recognize this. This is something that there's a lot in our culture that says now come on.

Come on. I mean, if every time you over consume, you're you're you're doing something that God doesn't like, you know or whatever wherever you're chasing after more spending more yearn or on your phone way too much or whatever. It might you might be upside down with like is it really fair to say?

Or is it really fair to frame all that up? As a sin, right like I'm doing something against God. Is that really okay? Here's what I think I think a lot of us. We already have. So much built up shame. And insecurity about these areas of our lives these areas of overconsumption.

That the idea of adding God's disapproval of them. It's like something that just makes us want to Drown our sorrows in a sleeve of Oreos, right ironically. Okay, so I'm not I'm not trying to like Add to your shame, okay?

And I don't think God is trying to do that either. That's that's not what I'm trying to do with even with this statement. But I do want to invite you. To consider the true nature of our over consumption and not only in what it's doing to our lives. But what it's doing to our hearts.

Because here's here's the truth. Okay, whenever we play something over God in our lives, which is what over consumption does whenever we do that. We're really putting ourselves in some pretty significant Danger. I mean really? For Solomon he chased after gold and wealth and fame and sex and all of it and it ended up costing him everything and a bunch of other people.

as well You might not think you're poor choices and diet or finances or screen time or whatever are going to cost you nearly as much. But you don't know. might be wrong about that and really I don't think that any of us in our heart of hearts. I don't think that any of us once that first results. I don't think we really ultimately the deepest level want to be people who overconsume. I just don't think we do.

I know we've got these compulsions this desire to over consume, but I don't think we ultimately want to be ruled by them. And I know for sure that God doesn't want that for any of us either. Okay. So so remember where we started here's what we said we said when it comes filling upside down pretty discouraging pretty kindly have a tendency to hide it or hide from it. There's no easy fix but but there's always a way through.

And there's always a way out there is there is okay. And I want to just camp on that that last line there before we walk out of this room today because what's the way out and what's the way through? How do we start moving this over-consuming deal that we got going how to start moving that in a different direction the opposite direction, so we're not upside down so we're right side up on some of this.

That's one of suggest a few things. Okay. Ways out of our over-consuming or waste through it if you will number one is this confront the brutal facts? Start tracking. Okay start tracking now. This principle is certainly not something I came up with sounds way smart.

It came out of book called good to great. As we buy gun and Jim Collins and a lot of us. I'm sure have have read it if you haven't you need to but it's it's one of his principles about great leaders and great organizations. They confront the brutal facts now in this book if you're reading he's careful the clarify you also can't do so and then lose Faith or give up.

Hope But he kind of clarify some of us cling to Faith or hope as an excuse not to confront the brutal facts about our reality. A lot of times. We'll just wave Faith or positivity or God's got it or I know I'm not doing great.

But you know, I'm I'll be fine, you know. And what he's gonna encourage us to do and I think God does as well just hey. Just take some stock of what is actually going on. What actually has got your heart why you're actually and what you're actually doing. I think it's true. That for these areas of our lives that were upside down and especially over consuming.

I think it's true that we have a tendency to hide it or to hide from it. I we just we just do I do for sure. Okay. The last thing that a lot of us want to do is confront it. And I get that. And I'll just be vulnerable with you here. Okay, the area of my life that I probably have struggled the most with this is and I've been up and down in this is is calories for me. It's my weight it is it's my food choices. It's my eating.

It is absolutely shocker right can't get up on the weekend without people knowing but listen to me. Okay, because I the way out of that whether it's that or something else the way out of that is is like conferring the beautiful facts for me. It's getting on the scale every day sucks. I'm sorry stinks. No, it sucks.

It does but that's the way out just seeing it and then tracking what I eat every day. I do that. I've been doing that now for under that periodically and about three months. I think I'm 135 meals in okay. I'm getting some regular exercise and I like that because you know, what at the bottom of me the deepest part of me. I do not want to be ruled by it. Neither. Do you?

But you have to start by kind of going. Okay. What am I actually doing here? Stop hiding it. Stop hiding from it. Okay, start tracking how what you're doing is making upside down if it's finances. You got to start budgeting of a screen time. You actually got to start tracking that and putting some stuff and In place confront the brutal facts number one. Number two number two, is this practice telling you to practice telling yourself?

That's enough that's enough. It's a novel idea. I know I know but this this is practice this requires practice because we don't do this not instinctively. I don't think in a world of convenience making consuming something whatever it is easier. We want to make that easy when make it quicker. You want to make it more seamless you want this just click a button. You know, what if In that world you started to simply try and tell yourself.

That's enough. That's enough. It doesn't have to be in your upside down over consuming area. Okay, you can try it in any of your life, right? Hey, I've been scrolling for a while now and I gotta this little advertisement but this cool thing on Amazon.

That's enough. You know, the bag says that eight chips is one serving and I've never actually counted out what eight chips looks like on a plate but okay, there's eight. That's enough.

I've got this streaming service, but they've bundled this one now with that kind of thing. And if I sign up for it, I get this free cool tote bag. It's always the tote bag, right? But hey, maybe one streaming service is enough, right? I mean take a look at this verse from Proverbs. Okay, 25 16. I love this. If you find honey eat just enough.

Too much of it. You'll find it. Vomiting honey is a horrible image, right? There's a difference between consuming and over consuming. There's a difference. Define enough and start just practicing telling yourself. Hey.

That's enough. Okay. All right. Last one number three. Try this. Try spending on others first before you spend on on you. Sometimes the root of our over consumption is is misplaced priorities.

And by that here's what I mean we spend on me first we spend on us first I stand on me first things that I need and the things that I want and the things that I don't need but kind of want you know, and and then there's that great deal that came up for the kids who need that and it's been a long time. So it took a real vacation and the cost of everything has gone up and so not a lot left over.

What if you decide did to give? things that weren't out of the leftover What if that was first, whatever it was? However much, okay. What if before you spent on anything consumed anything? You said something aside to bless others? Maybe it's a charity that is especially meaningful to you. Maybe it's Church.

Maybe it's time that you gave to our church or gave a little bit more to our church. Maybe maybe it's a secret fund that you just set aside and whenever a need comes up you can maybe make an impact in that person's life or that need what doesn't matter. Okay because here's the principle again from Proverbs honor the Lord with your wealth with the first fruits of all your crops. Then your Barn's gonna be filled to overflowing your Vats will brim over with new wine first fruits is an agricultural turn back. Then it meant hey when you harvest your crops instead of first storing it or first selling it first give some away.

And it's time to give so you can get kind of magical thing, but it's a principle start with generosity first and you'll experience. A pretty generous life over consuming. Okay. Those are the ways out. Those are the way through try some of those this week. I hope that this series peaked your interest a little bit. I hope it kind of landed we're gonna be journeying with it over the next few weeks before we continue in the service. Let me pray for us. Okay.

My father I know this is an area that all of us, we've got a little bit of guilt a little bit of Shame a little insecurity. Probably built up. Some of us are pretty discouraged. Some of us are hiding. Some of us are hiding from it God would you reach down wherever we're at and just help us take a few steps outside of that and through that and help us as we do God. I pray all this and your son Jesus's name.

amen