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Strong Tower Radio

Jacob Gibbs

Gravity

Fresh manna fell to the ground as a gift from God while the Israelites were in the wilderness.

It was fresh from the ovens of heaven, baked by the master baker himself.

How the Israelites must have anticipated the taste and the smell of each morning's delivery.

Just like the Israelites, you too can now experience the taste and smell of fresh manna.

Today you'll be listening to Jacob Gibbs, associate pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

I want to ask, Father, that you would do something that you've done here before.

We ask that you do it again, that you'd fill this place with your Spirit.

That, Father, we would desire your will in our inward parts that you could prepare a people to meet your Son when He comes.

There were 3 men, Frank Borman, James Lovell, and Bill Anders, who did something that nobody has done before.

They entered into another gravitational pull.

It took them about 55 hours flying from Earth to the moon, and after 55 hours, they felt the pull of the moon and they left the gravitational pull of the earth and all the people around the world were listening and tuning in to what was happening and there was excitement for the marvel of mankind's innovation and scientific wonders.

I wonder what the angels thought about this.

I think the angels get more excited about a different kind of gravity.

They get excited about when somebody transitions from the pull of this world to the pull of God.

And I want to share just the story of how the Gibbs family felt the pull of God's gravity.

Something that I do that's maybe a little unique to the preaching time.

I draw the sermon, then I reveal what I've drawn so that you can follow along with me.

As you'll get to know me, I think in illustrations and pictures more than words.

And so, Just follow along with me and let's reveal the story.

You can imagine the angel now, sitting with God, Jesus on the throne, And Jesus says, hey, check out what my gravity is going to do with this family, this Gibbs family.

The angel peers down and he looks at the world, he looks at North America, he goes into Michigan and he sees, and Jesus says, right there, 211 Sunset Hills, Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I grew up.

And the angel looks down and sees a broken family.

My mom couldn't handle it anymore, and so she filed for divorce while my dad went to jail, leaving 2 sons and his ex-wife alone.

It was tough for the family, but we coped, we got by.

A few years later, 4 years later, We were in a strawberry red Escort.

Someday I'll challenge Pastor Shane and he'll humble me.

But this accident, I mean, like, my mom took a chance.

And instantly, my mom was in a coma for 3 months.

I woke up the next morning, which was 7 days later, and I remember this pounding headache.

I remember looking at this IV in my arm and the room was spinning.

The nurse comes in, opens the door, a ray of light comes in.

I'm struggling to make sense of the world and she said, you've been in an accident.

This was my first sense of consciousness after this, I was going to the basketball game.

And it was such a shock to realize what's going on.

And as I spent a week in that hospital, they sent me to Mary Free Bed Rehab Hospital.

And I remember on my way to that hospital, I went from the seventh floor of Butterworth Hospital to the fourth floor.

The only thing that was giving motion to her was the bedrood rock so that pneumonia wouldn't build up into the lungs.

And she had a cage around her leg because it was so fractured.

She had a hole in her throat with a breathing tube and the only sign of life was a monitor saying the heart was going, the lungs were breathing.

At 13 years old, seeing mom like this, it was devastating.

At 13 years old, that's a critical age for the acceptance of truth in Jesus.

She was raised a Catholic, she loved God with all her heart.

I remember she would pray at her bedside.

I would sometimes walk by and I imagine she was praying for my brother.

I was the type of hellion that all parents desire that their enemies may have.

I would call my mom words that we cannot utter here to her face because I was an angry little brat.

My brother can testify about my brattiness.

And so when my mom was in that coma, love fell from my heart.

And my dad takes over the family because you know he kind of sobered up a little bit just a little bit and he takes over the family and so some things would happen I tried to search for you know drugs I'm trying to fill my life try to find meaning in drugs and music.

I try to find meaning in the silly things of video games.

I try to find, You know, sports is something that I would be attracted to.

I'd try to find fulfillment in playing and doing sports and media.

And I'd try to do all this stuff to fill the hole that my mom's love, which I believe parents who love their kids, it's just a shadow of God's love for us.

And so when that was empty, I tried to go all these different directions.

My dad takes over the family, my brother, like I had 3 rules in the home at this point when my dad takes over the family.

Don't do drugs at school and don't get a girl pregnant.

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Gravity

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