TAKE THE ROCK OUT OF YOUR SHOE

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 1 IMAGINE CHURCH USA IT'S TIME TO ACT | WEEK 3 OF 12 | FATHER'S DAY | FILLED. SENT. TOGETHER.

TAKE THE ROCK OUT OF YOUR SHOE A Father's Day Message

It's Time to ACT — Week 3 Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) | Father's Day | June 21, 2026

BIG IDEA — REPEAT THROUGHOUT

"You can't run your race carrying what you were supposed to lay down." THE ACT CHALLENGE — FATHER'S DAY EDITION A — ASK: Get alone with God for 10 minutes. No phone. Ask: "What am I still walking on that You told me to lay down?" Write what He shows you. Pray over it every morning.

C — COMMIT: Fast one meal this week as a declaration — "God, I am laying it down. I am not handing it to my kids. It stops with me." Dedicate that time to prayer for your family. T — TELL: Name it out loud to one trusted brother this week.

And invite one person to church this Sunday. The rock loses power the moment you stop pretending it isn't there. OPENING HOOK — FATHER'S DAY [ Walk up slow. Father's Day. Let the room feel the weight before you say a word. ]

Dad.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 2 Let me ask you something today. How long have you been walking in pain you got used to? Let me tell you what happened to me. I was heading to the airport. My Uber driver showed up early — and I was rushing. I was swapping my insoles from one pair of shoes to another.

One of my kids had left a little lock on the floor. Tiny thing. And somewhere in that rush — that lock fell between the shoe and the new insole. I didn't notice. I slammed my foot in. Grabbed my stuff.

Ran out the door. Flew from Miami to Sao Paulo. And in Sao Paulo — I am walking through the airport. My shoe is even off on the plane. I am wondering — what is going on with my foot? Something does not feel right.

But I kept going. I told myself — maybe it is just the new insole. A little hard. Keep moving. And I am heading to AFRICA. This is not the time to stop.

This is not the time to sit down and deal with it. I have got places to be. People to see. Missions to run. I kept walking. Until finally — I sat down to eat my last meal before going to Africa.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 3 In the airport. In Sao Paulo. I took off my shoe. I pulled out the insole.

And there it was. A tiny little lock. My kid's lock.

That had been in my shoe from Miami — through the whole flight — through Sao Paulo — tearing up my foot the entire time. [ Pause. Let it land. Look at the room. ]

Don't miss this. I walked from Miami to Sao Paulo — in pain — because I was too busy and too rushed to sit down and deal with a small thing. And I thought about how many men are doing exactly that with their lives. It wasn't a big thing that was stopping me. It was a small thing I refused to sit down and deal with. "The thing slowing you down isn't always big.

It's just buried." That's where some of you are today. Dad. It's not a scandal. Not some huge thing everybody knows about. It's something small that got in between the sole and the insole in the rush of life.

And you just kept walking. So today — sit down. Take the shoe off. Pull it out. Let's deal with it.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 4 THE TEXT — HEBREWS 12:1 [ Read it like it's speaking directly to every father in the room. ]

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." [ Look up. Long pause. Let it breathe. ]

Right before this verse — all of Hebrews 11 — is the hall of faith. Abraham. Moses. Noah.

Fathers. Men who believed God. A whole crowd of dads who FINISHED their race. And the writer says — because of them — THEREFORE — YOU lay aside the weight.

Two things he tells you to drop. Number one — the sin. Number two — the weight. And I need to slow down here. Because most people blur these together. And when you blur them — you end up confused.

So let me define both. Because your freedom depends on knowing the difference. WHAT IS SIN? The simplest biblical definition of sin: Sin is missing God's standard. Violating God's will.

The Greek word for sin in the New Testament is hamartia.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 5 It literally means — to miss the mark. Like an archer whose arrow misses the target. The Bible describes sin in several ways: 1 John 3:4 "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness." James 4:17 "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." So sin is not just doing bad things.

Sin is ANYTHING — in thought, attitude, word, or action — that falls short of God's perfect character and will. Lying. Pride. Lust. Unforgiveness.

Greed. Gossip. Bitterness. Rebellion. These are sins.

They must be REPENTED of. Not managed. Not minimized. Repented. Of.

WHAT IS A WEIGHT? A weight is different. A weight is something that is not necessarily sinful — but it SLOWS your spiritual progress. It hinders your effectiveness. It distracts you from God's purpose.

Think about it this way. Imagine a runner trying to win a race while carrying a backpack full of bricks. The bricks aren't evil. They aren't a sin. But they are keeping him from running his best.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 6 A weight can be: Excessive entertainment. Social media distraction. Fear of failure. Worry and anxiety. Busyness. Wrong priorities.

Certain relationships. Past hurts you refuse to release. A weight is anything that: Consumes your attention. Drains your spiritual strength. Distracts you from God's purpose. Slows your obedience.

Here's the key question for sin: "Is this displeasing to God?" Here's the key question for a weight: "Even if this isn't wrong — is it helping me become who God called me to be?" THE DIFFERENCE — AND WHY IT MATTERS Sin must be REPENTED of. A weight must be LAID ASIDE. A runner carrying a chain around his legs — that is SIN. A runner carrying a heavy backpack — that is a WEIGHT.

Both keep him from running well. But for different reasons. And Hebrews 12:1 challenges every believer — every father — to deal with BOTH. Repent of the sins that entangle. Remove the weights that hinder. And then run the race God has set before you — with freedom, focus, and endurance.

And he doesn't say tolerate it.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 7 He doesn't say manage it. He doesn't say get used to it. He says LAY IT ASIDE.

[ Preaching moment. Look at the room. ]

It's time to lay it aside. It's time to grow up. Real men don't carry rocks. Real men sit down — deal with it — and get back in the race.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 8 POINT 1 Stop Walking On It. [ Build direct. This is for the men who keep pushing through. ]

You will never run your race — limping on something you were supposed to lay down. I walked half of Malawi in pain — because I wouldn't stop for two minutes to deal with a little lock. That's a lot of men. You won't stop. You won't sit down.

You won't get quiet long enough to figure out what's actually hurting you. So you keep walking. You keep providing. You keep grinding. You keep showing up.

Limping the whole time. And your family feels the limp — even when they can't see the rock. The problem is — most men think strength is pushing through the pain. But the truth is — strength is finally sitting down to deal with it.

It took me sitting down. It'll take you sitting down too. "Pushing through pain isn't strength. Dealing with it is."

PREACHING MOMENT "Get alone with God this week. No phone. Ten minutes. Ask Him one question: 'What am I still walking on that You told me to lay down?'

Then be quiet long enough to hear the answer. Because He WILL answer. And what He shows you — is the rock you need to pull out."

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 9 POINT 2 Lay It Aside and Grow Up. [ This is your legacy point. Hit it hard. ]

Hebrews says — lay aside the weight AND the sin that clings so closely. That word CLINGS — it's the thing that wraps around your legs. The thing that trips you right when you're about to run. Dad — what's clinging to you? For some of you it's anger.

For some it's something you saw your father do — and you swore you'd never do it — and now you're doing it. For some it's a habit nobody knows about. For some it's just the weight of disappointment you've been dragging for years. Here's the truth. Whatever you don't lay down — you hand down.

Your kids inherit your unhealed places. They learn what you tolerate. They carry what you carry. So this is where it changes.

This is the moment to grow up. And growing up isn't about your age. It's about your decision.

The decision to say — "It stops with me. I am not handing this down. I am laying it aside today. Somebody in this room needs to be the one who BREAKS it.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 10 The cycle stops somewhere. Why not you? Why not NOW?

Lay it aside, Dad. Lay it aside. "Whatever you don't lay down, you hand down."

PREACHING MOMENT "Name it out loud — to God and to one trusted brother this week. The rock loses its power the moment you stop pretending it isn't there. That's your assignment. Do it."

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 11 POINT 3 — THE MALAWI MOMENT What Malawi Taught Me About Your Race. [ This is your perspective point. This is where it gets fire. Personal. Let it breathe. ]

Let me tell you about Malawi. And church — this is because of YOU. 47 churches taught. 100 Bibles given.

Hundreds came — by foot, by boat, from hundreds of miles away. For a Bible. For prayer. For hope.

I prayed for hundreds of kids. Laid my hands on each one. Many of these kids — they'd never seen a toilet. No running water.

You could feel it when you touched them. And I thought — we are the hands and feet of Jesus. We don't get to feel too holy to touch somebody. We ARE the touch.

There was a pastor there. Last year when we came — he told us: "We had no hope." This year — he looked at us and said: "You've given us hope."

[ Let it sit. Long pause. ]

And I have to tell you about the first person we met on the mountain. A little child. Whose feet had been burned. Badly.

That child had been crying — for two months. Two months of pain. And our team gave that child medical attention.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 12 And for the first time in two months — the crying stopped.

Everywhere we went — lines and lines of people. Hundreds. For a Bible. For prayer. For a doctor.

For hope. And this is why discipleship matters. Anybody can draw a crowd. Jesus didn't say — go make a crowd. He said — go make DISCIPLES.

A crowd scatters. A disciple stays. Grows. Reproduces. When you disciple one person — you're not reaching one. You're reaching everyone they'll ever touch.

That's how you change a nation. Not with a moment. With a multiplication. So let me bring it home. Dad. After Malawi — what exactly are we complaining about?

What are we worried about? We've got running water. We've got shoes. We've got a Bible in our own language sitting on a shelf. [ Look at the room. Build. ]

Here's the contrast that should wreck us. They walked a hundred miles by foot and by boat — with NOTHING — to get what some of us won't drive ten minutes to receive. They had every reason to complain and chose HOPE. We have every reason for hope — and choose to complain. "They walked a hundred miles for what some of us won't walk across the room to receive."

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 13 PREACHING MOMENT "You don't have a complaining problem. You have a perspective problem. And the cure for a complaining heart is a grateful one. Before you complain about anything this week — name three things you have that a father in Malawi prayed for. Watch how fast the rock falls out of your shoe."

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 14 THE CLOSE — DECLARATION [ Bring it all home. Rise. Full voice. ]

So here's the whole thing today. Dad. You've got a rock in your shoe. A weight. A sin that clings. And you've been walking on it so long — you called it normal.

The Word says — LAY IT ASIDE. The fathers of faith say — YOU CAN FINISH TOO. Malawi says — YOU'VE GOT MORE THAN ENOUGH TO RUN WITH. [ Rise. Full voice. Don't hold back. ]

You can't run your race carrying what you were supposed to lay down. So sit down. Take the shoe off. Pull the rock out. And get back in the race. FREE.

You can't run your race carrying what you were supposed to lay down. Lay it aside, Dad. And run.

[ Say it with the room. Again. One more time. Lock it in. ]

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 15 ALTAR CALL — FATHER'S DAY [ Tender. Father's Day. This one goes deep. Don't rush it. ]

I want every father in this room to do something with me right now. Close your eyes. Right now — in your heart — reach down. And pull out the rock. Name it. The anger.

The shame. The thing from your own dad. The habit. The weight. Whatever's been clinging to your legs. And lay it aside.

Right here. Right now. Open your hands. And say — "God — I'm done walking on this. I lay it down today."

[ Begin to pray over them. ]

Father — for every man in this room who has been limping — we ask for healing. For every dad who has been carrying what he was supposed to lay down — we ask for the grace to let it go. Not tomorrow. TODAY. SALVATION: And if you've never given your life to Jesus — you've been walking your whole life in pain you weren't meant to carry.

Today is the day you sit down with Him. He'll take the rock. He'll heal the foot. He'll get you back in the race.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 16 If that's you — lift your hand right where you are. "Jesus — I believe You died and rose again. I stop walking on my own. I sit down with You.

I give You my life. Take the rock. I'm Yours. Amen."

Father — send every man out of this room today lighter than he walked in. Your comeback starts now. Lay it aside. And run. In Jesus' name. Amen.

THE ACT CHALLENGE — THIS WEEK THE ACT CHALLENGE — FATHER'S DAY EDITION A — ASK: Get alone with God for 10 minutes. No phone. Ask: "What am I still walking on that You told me to lay down?" Write what He shows you. Pray over it every morning. C — COMMIT: Fast one meal this week as a declaration — "God, I am laying it down.

I am not handing it to my kids. It stops with me." Dedicate that time to prayer for your family. T — TELL: Name it out loud to one trusted brother this week. And invite one person to church this Sunday. The rock loses power the moment you stop pretending it isn't there.

WHAT DO I DO THIS WEEK? 1. GET ALONE WITH GOD. Ten minutes. No phone. Ask: "What am I still walking on?"

Be quiet enough to hear the answer. 2. NAME IT OUT LOUD. To God first. Then to one trusted person. The rock loses power when it's brought into the light.

3. DECIDE IT STOPS WITH YOU. Say it out loud: "I am not handing this down. It stops with me." That's the most fatherly sentence a man can say.

4. THE ACT CHALLENGE. A: Pray for your person by name. C: Fast one meal for your family. T: Invite one person to church this Sunday.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | IT'S TIME TO ACT — WEEK 3 | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | im.im Page 17 5. COME BACK NEXT SUNDAY. Week 4: One Heart, One Mind. Acts 4:32-37.

You don't want to miss it. IT'S TIME TO ACT — FULL SERIES | SUMMER 2026 Wk 1 | May 31 | We Were Filled to Be Sent | Acts 2:42-47 Wk 2 | Jun 7 | The Lame Man at the Gate | Acts 3:1-10 Wk 3 ← YOU ARE HERE | Jun 14 | Take the Rock Out of Your Shoe (Father's Day) | Hebrews 12:1 Wk 4 | Jun 21 | One Heart, One Mind | Acts 4:32-37 Wk 5 | Jun 28 | The Price of Compromise | Acts 5:1-11 Wk 6 | Jul 5 | They Couldn't Stop Them | Acts 5:12-42 Wk 7 | Jul 12 | The First Deacons | Acts 6:1-7 Wk 8 | Jul 19 | Stephen - Full of Faith and Power | Acts 6:8-7:60 Wk 9 | Jul 26 | Scattered but Not Stopped | Acts 8:1-8 Wk 10 | Aug 2 | Philip and the Ethiopian | Acts 8:26-40 Wk 11 | Aug 9 | The Damascus Road | Acts 9:1-19 Wk 12 | Aug 16 | Cornelius - The Nations Come In | Acts 10:1-48 IMAGINE CHURCH USA | im.im | IT'S TIME TO ACT | FATHER'S DAY | JUNE 21, 2026 | FILLED. SENT. TOGETHER.