Frankie Mazzapica - Between Two Chapters
The title of today’s message is «Between Two Chapters.» Every single one of us is between two chapters. We have chapters behind us, seasons behind us, and we also have chapters ahead of us. And we are between two right now. You—you’re in between. And what the Spirit of the Lord tells you and confirms within you is that there’s something more for you. You can just feel it right in here. You don’t know what it looks like; you just know. Now, oftentimes, it is incredibly discouraging because you don’t know what it is, and it just seems like it’s never going to happen.
Whatever it is, you feel like it’s not going to happen. And sometimes, there is a clear, obvious area where you need God to break through. You—you desperately need it. You don’t just want it; you need it. And I say it all the time: we all have one thing in common. Every one of us is believing God for a miracle. Now, God has already done miracles in your life. You’re believing God for miracles in the future. You’re caught in between two chapters. I’ve got three major points for you today. The first one is about «Common Places, Holy Ground.» The second one is about «Your Circle of Influence.» And the third one, which may not make sense now but will, is «Your Robe That You’re Wearing Tells You What Season You’re In.»
Let’s use Hannah as a case study. Hannah was a person in the Bible. We’ll read about it in 1 Samuel chapters 1 and 2 in just a second, but she was barren. She could not have a baby, and more than anything in the world, she wanted one. And so now she’s in the temple, praying and calling out to God because there’s nothing she can do for her deepest desire to take place. Sometimes, God will put you in a season that you cannot change just so you’ll lift your head, look at Him, and say, «God, I cannot change this; I need You desperately.»
So this is where Hannah is—absolutely. Come on! This is where we’re at. So this is where Hannah is, and we’re going to start reading together in 1 Samuel 1, verses 10 and 13. In her deep anguish, Hannah prayed. Her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. I don’t know if you’ve ever prayed this way before, where you are desiring God so badly that you don’t even have the words to say it. It’s just in here. You’re thinking in that direction. If you had every word of the English language at your command, you still wouldn’t know how to articulate your prayers. It is so deep in your spirit that you don’t know how to express it. This is Hannah—she’s on her knees, praying, but her lips aren’t moving. It’s like her eyelashes are so tightly closed that nothing’s coming out. If she’s from the Woodlands, Texas, or anywhere in the South, her eyelashes are kind of stuck on, and she doesn’t want to open them because one might end up over there. How do I know about this? Because my wife taught me. Sometimes, I give her a kiss, and it’s just like she’s fanning me. If I kiss her too long, it’s going to end up on my face! She’s squeezing her eyes shut, desiring Him.
But now here’s the thing: Eli, the priest, could not understand the encounter that she was having. When people look at you, they do not understand what God is doing in you. They see you and think, «I want you to do this. I believe you can do this. I see this, and I see that.» But they don’t know what God is doing in you right now. What was taking place was that a common place was becoming holy ground. When you step into a new chapter, common places become holy ground. I want to illustrate this the best I can; I believe my wife can do it better than I can. Would you put your hands together for my wife, Ally? Go ahead!
I do have fake eyelashes, but I like them. Um, I just want to share. So the church is 20 years old in June, and it has been a gritty journey for us—a great one. But at the very beginning, it was really gritty. You know, I was 25, and you were 27. We had a 10-month-old baby and were starting a church, and I just didn’t feel qualified. Number one, we were also rolling up to gyms with a trailer, unpacking everything, and basically doing everything. We were the greeters, the ushers, the pastors making bulletins. I was folding bulletins; I mean, we did everything. And I remember the kids grabbing them and getting them to church. You single moms out there, I feel your pain. I have 21 years of getting my kids to church; they’re the hardest now. Just kidding! But it was a lot. And I remember when Presley was about to enter her pre-teens. I was doing all the things, speaking on stage, attending two services, and trying to go on trips with Frankie. I was doing everything I could to be in ministry and do it all the way a pastor’s wife is supposed to.
But internally, I felt this stirring, like the Lord was honestly speaking to me, just saying, «Ally, they need you right now. The kids need you. They’re going to need you in this season; they’re going into their teen years.» And I remember thinking, «I can’t stop. I can’t—people are going to think I’m not there, that I’m not doing all the things I’m supposed to. But I knew that is what I was supposed to do.» So I backed off and stopped attending both services. I couldn’t go on all the trips, and I thought everything would fall apart. But none of it fell because I was obedient to what God was calling me to do. I thought, «I’m not going to be that typical pastor’s wife I’m supposed to be, but I’m also not raising typical pastor’s kids. They’re going to be different. They’re going to want to be in the house of God. They’re going to want to raise their hands as high as they can in worship. They need to find a place in their room to pray.»
They are going to be different. I thought, «If this is what it takes…» It was a quiet season, if you want to say it was a few quiet years. They weren’t thanking me for it; they didn’t know what was going on. All they wanted was food! You know kids; there’s no thanks. But I want to tell you something: a couple of months ago, I was talking to Presley, and she said, «Mama, do you remember when you made that shift and we stopped going to the babysitter after church? We stopped not seeing you guys on Sundays, and you made that decision to be home? That was a turning point for me.»
She said, «I felt seen, I felt loved. I felt important, and I knew I needed you, and I didn’t even have to ask. You made that shift without me asking.» She goes, «That is why I go and search for a celebration in College Station. That is why I serve at my church on Sunday morning. That is why I get alone in my room.» And I’m like, «God, if that’s what it’s for—if the quiet times were what You said, then it was in the holy ground of my house where I needed to serve. That was my ministry during those years.»
Now, I feel a shift coming. I still have a little pre-teen coming up here. But if we are faithful in the seasons and obedient to what looks crazy, you never know what God can do. I remember when that season happened, she had people coming up to her and I had people coming up to me saying, «You know what, I just see your wife doing this, and I see her doing that…» And we would just back up and say, «Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!»
It is extremely rare that people know what God is doing in you right now. And when you step into a new chapter, you will step into a new chapter and think, «What is common and unimpressive to everyone, but I think I’m standing on holy ground right now.» I want to say this to you: People may look at your life and say, «You’re unimpressive.» You feel like people just look right through you. But when you’re stepping into a new chapter, you recognize, «Hey, my bedroom—I can walk into my bedroom and connect with the Lord. I don’t know what it is, but…»
Point number two: Your influence begins to expand. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve got a passion for my kids in a way I’ve never had before. I’ve got a passion for that person more than I’ve ever had before. You know you’re stepping into a new chapter when a new person becomes a burden to you. When a new person becomes a burden to you, let me show you what happened with Hannah. God gave her Samuel, but watch this: 1 Samuel 2:21 says, «The Lord visited Hannah; she bore more children, and Samuel grew before the Lord.»
What happened? Her influence grew from just her to Samuel. But then after that, she had five more kids! She was getting the hang of it! Now, when people looked at her, maybe she wasn’t as fiery and public as some other ladies during her time, like Esther. But watch what she was doing in private. Check this out: This is unimpressive Hannah shooting children out like arrows. Psalm 127:4 states, «Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man or woman whose quiver is full of them.» Hannah was shooting out Samuel, the second son, the third son, the fourth son, the first daughter, the second daughter. You know you’re stepping into a new season when new people and new faces begin to stick out to you.
Let me take a shift and say this: For those of you whose children are already grown, the devil may say to you, «Oh, you missed that chapter. Oh, you blew it.» I want to remind you that any thought you think that makes you feel down or discouraged is not from you and is not from God; it is from the devil. He is whispering those words into your mind. You also know it’s the devil whenever he begins to tell you—if you’re taking notes—never lies. Never lie to yourself. Your children will never be saved. Your finances will never be better. You’re never going to get out of this season. These are never lies! I’m going to say this scripture every single Sunday: Psalm 56:9 says, «The very day you call for help, the tide of the battle turns.» Your kids are just walking down the street, and there’s an angel standing right next to them. They sit down at the table, and there’s an angel right above them.
Do you receive that? But I want to talk to you further about influence. When you’re stepping into a new season, there are something called «fathers and mothers in the Lord.» You did not birth them, but there’s something about them—a halo effect. There is something about them that draws you to them. Again, point number two is: when you step into a new season, your influence expands. Something draws you to that person. The Bible is full of people who were fathers in the Lord and mothers in the Lord. They looked at a person and said, «You’re my son. You’re my daughter.»
Let me show you a series of examples. Moses had a son in the Lord named Joshua. Eli had Samuel. Elijah had Elisha. Jesus had the disciples. Paul had Timothy and Titus, and help me out, Philemon. Thank you! Ally, just because you preached for a few minutes, doesn’t mean you can have my job! Lydia oversaw the Philippian church, John the early believers, and he called them young believers. He said this, «You’re like children to me.» These were adults! «You’re like children to me. You’re my children.»
Priscilla and Apollos. Apollos was like the T.D. Jakes of the time—like the best preacher in those days! Paul was not a good preacher; he was a contemporary. He preached over here, and Apollos preached over there. Everybody said, «Apollos is great! He’s great! He’s great!» Then they talked about Paul and said, «You are boring!» That’s what was taking place. Paul said, «Even though I am an unskilled speaker, I do not consider myself inferior to super apostles.» I am an unskilled speaker. I am boring! Apollos is amazing! But look at this: Priscilla, a mother in the Lord to Apollos. Tabitha and the widows in Joppa—mothers in the Lord. I talk about this lady all the time, and I will as long as I can. Her name’s Jeannie Mayo. She’s my mother in the Lord. My father came to me when I was around 16 and said, «Frankie, I have taken you as far as I can. Like, you’re grown. I can control you a little bit because you’re in my house. If you are in my house, it’s my rules. But the next stage for you spiritually, I’ve taken you as far as I can.»
I’ll never forget this woman. She was 51, and I was 19. She looked at me and said, «You are my son.» I looked at her, and I called her «Mom» every day from that day forward. She’d look at me and say, «I’m a diamond cutter. When I look at a person, I can tell how many carrots they have, and you’ve got a lot of carrots. I’m going to mentor you and take care of you.» She called me every single day for six months. Every day! I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her. She went to speak at a conference in Canada, and a young lady was assigned to drive her around.
While sitting in the car, she looked at the young lady and then went home and said, «If I’ve heard the Lord correctly, the Lord told me that girl was going to be your wife.» She said, «Maybe I missed it; maybe I didn’t.» Don’t you love people that are that honest? Everybody that gives me a word from the Lord is like 100% sure, and I’m like, «Wow.» John the Baptist wasn’t 100% sure. He was in prison, and they said, «This guy’s out here doing miracles,» and he said, «Go ask Him if He’s the Son of God.» But we all have friends that never miss it, and that’s fine! But she said—she went on and said, «Frankie, if I heard God, He said this one is for you.»
When you’re 21, you hear something like that—today’s the day to bring her down! Now she’s sitting in the front row. Mothers and fathers in the Lord, can I tell you this? When you look at someone and say, «I’m going to chase you» and «I’m going to be that voice in your ear.» Cell phones can be your friend in this area! Just this past weekend, I took the phone and videotaped myself looking at two different people. I did it two different times: «I want you to know I’m thinking about you, and I love you.» I send text messages to people sometimes, saying, «I’m thinking about you.» That’s it—period!
These are people that I feel knitted to. Just like you, I’ve got 12 billion numbers in my cell phone; I don’t know any of them. I know like 10! But there are people that are knitted to me. Let me go on to the next point. So first, when you’re stepping into a new season, common places become holy places. When you’re stepping into a new season, you begin to burn for certain new people. Now, number three: the robe that you’re wearing tells you what season you’re in.
Let me illustrate, going back to Hannah: every single year, his mother made him a little robe. What does that mean? When Samuel was little, she brought him to the temple and looked at Eli, saying, «Will you mentor him? Will you be a father in the Lord to him?» And he lived at the temple. Once a year, she would show up to the temple with a brand-new coat, but she only came once a year. So when she brought the robe, she had to have not just his stature today in mind, but who he was going to be in the future at the same time.
When she gave him the robe, it was a little bit bigger so that he could grow into it. Are you with me? Say «yes!» So when he initially got it, let me visualize this—Luke, come on up here! This is my son Luke! This is his friend Callie—come on up here! They’ll illustrate it for me. If you’re looking at him, you’re like, «I can see some resemblance, but he’s better-looking. He’s the 2.0 version of me.»
All right—let me put the first coat on him. This is if I visited Luke once a year. He’s got this coat on. I want him to look warm today; I see him today. But I also see who he’s going to be in the future. He’s going to grow! And God, when you’re walking into a new season, it’s like, «Oh my goodness, what if I fail? I’m going to blow it!» You can’t sleep at night; you’re nervous, you’re sick—you’re more convinced you’re going to fail than you will do good. Your flesh is telling you, «It’s over. Alldone.com!» Your spirit is saying, «No, no, no! Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!»
And then you’re like, «No, greater is He that is in the world than greater is He in me.» You’re just going back and forth, thinking, «Dear God, if You don’t help me, I’m in trouble!» And sometimes that season is with your kids. Sometimes it’s with your family; you’re just overwhelmed by what God is doing with you in the present season. You’re overwhelmed; it’s too big! You’re nervous, you’re scared!
But as the season progresses, it doesn’t get easier; you get stronger. So what happens? Now you’re in the same season, but God’s done so much in that season that it’s not overwhelming! You got this! The challenge and the skill are equal; you got this! Life isn’t easy, but you got it! Now, when you’re here, enjoy it because you’re not there very long.
You’re not here very long. This is the season when you’re saying, «God is good all the time. All the time God is good! I love you! You’ve been faithful on the mountain, You’ve been faithful in the valleys—this is when you got this!» Somebody comes up to you and says, «Hey, what can I pray with you about?» You’re like, «I’ll make something up if you want!»
But I’m doing pretty good right now—enjoy that! It doesn’t last long because what happens, do you know? All of a sudden, you’re in the same season, but now the season is too small. What used to be hard is now easy. The challenge in your faith matched, but you’ve been in that season for so long that it’s easy now. Not only is it easy now, it’s frustrating because you’re like, «God, do you have anything else for me, or am I stuck?»
«I’m irritated, I’m frustrated! My marriage used to be worse, but it’s stuck right now. My kids used to be worse, but it’s stuck right now. I used to make less money, and I’m glad I’m making more than I did, but I’m stuck right now!» I’m stuck! And this is when everything is too small.
Not enough money! You’re not close enough to the Lord! Everything is too small! If you feel like that, you are inching toward the next season. It’s an indication! And what does that next season look like? Because everything is frustrating; it’s so easy, but it’s so lame! If you’re in a lame season, I’ve got good news and bad news.
The good news is that’s an indication that the chapter is almost over; you’re going into a new chapter! The not-so-good news is it’s time to go into a season where you’re overwhelmed again. Because in order for God to grow you, He must stretch you. In order for your faith to grow, you have to be in a season of uncertainty.
You—you can’t be in a season of «I got this!» And that’s not wrong—that’s when the coat fits. «I got this!» But when you start getting restless, you’re feeling restless. Like my wife, the coat was too big. «How am I going to devote my life to my children when I just birthed a church with my husband? We had three people from the Woodlands Spring-Conro area in our first service—three! Three! Actually, six! It was me, my wife, and Presley, and then three people from the Woodlands. Three! We birthed this!»
And now she’s given it up, wearing this. A decade later, the jacket is too small, and she’s ready for something else. That next something else is going to end up looking like this all over again! Are you with me? Say «yes!» Are you with me? Say «yes!» Give Him a big round of applause! You guys can sit down.
The question is: What jacket are you wearing this morning? Are you overwhelmed, saying, «God, I don’t know how You’re going to do this»? Are you in that sweet spot, thinking, «God"—or are you restless, like, «Everything is too easy»? Where are you? The jacket you’re wearing is an indication of the season that’s coming.
So I’m so happy my wife is wearing a small jacket, but the next season, she’s going to be biting her nails! And those of you who are single, and you think to yourself, «If I was just married…» That’s married people laughing! «If I was just married, I would have someone to carry this burden with!» Every married person is carrying a burden that their spouse knows nothing about.
Now Ally and I share everything, everything! But there are certain hopes, fears, and different hopes and fears that are so deep in here. Whether you’re single or married, that’s there! So those of you who think you’re in an unhappy marriage because it’s in there—no, you’re not in an unhappy marriage! It’s in there because God’s calling you to a new season, and you’re between chapters.
And I don’t know—I feel like this is just for somebody in the room. Sometimes we get mad at our spouse for not doing what only God can do. So then we get bitter at them because we’ve got a hole in our heart, and we’re looking at them saying, «I’m not happy because of you!» Your spouse is looking back and saying, «I look— I’m giving you my all! That’s all I got!»
And there are things that the person who loves you the most in this world will never be able to give you. You may be looking at your spouse; you may be thinking, «I can’t believe I’m talking about this. It must be for somebody.» You may be looking at your husband saying, «You’re not giving me what I need.» Your husband is thinking, «I’m not purposely holding anything back. It’s all I’ve got!» Meanwhile, the husband looks back at the wife and thinks, «You’re telling me I’m not giving you what you need? Well, guess what? You’re not giving me what I need!»
But the wife is not standing there thinking, «I woke up this morning and decided I’m not going to give you what you need.» Nobody’s thinking that. The reality is that no one can give you everything you need.
Now, how in the world am I going to tie that back into my? Maybe I won’t! Why don’t you stand up and give the Lord a standing ovation? Come on! Give it to Him. Give it to Him! I’d like for all our prayer partners to come down to the front. Every single person in this room, I believe, is standing here thinking to themselves, «I’m so glad I came to church today.»
Also with that same thought, every person’s thinking that, but there are some of you thinking, «I almost didn’t come.» Even though you’re happy about being here, I can promise you, next Sunday morning, you’ll have the same decision to make on whether or not to come. I want to challenge you!
In Psalm 26:8, it says, «I love the sanctuary of the Lord because it is where His presence dwells.» You should not be surprised that the enemy doesn’t want you to come to church; you should not be surprised by that! Philippians 2:11 says, «We are not unaware of the enemy’s schemes.»
But don’t you feel taller this morning? Don’t you feel stronger this morning? Don’t you feel closer to the Lord this morning? Prioritize His presence! Those of you that have children in Sunday school, whether you feel like coming or not, you have to come—just for them! It’s not even really about you.
You understand what I’m saying? If your heart were to stop beating in the next five minutes, are you 100% sure you’re ready to see Jesus? Your heart is like throwing a basketball in the air. You know at some point it’s going to stop bouncing; you just don’t know how many bounces there are before it stops. That’s how your heart is. You know at some point it’s going to stop. You just don’t know how many beats you have.
And my cousin’s in town, and my wife and Ben were sitting in the living room last night, talking about all the people that died too young who are friends of ours. One of them had a heart attack like that; my age—stood up from the couch—bang! You never know! If you’re in this room and saying, «I’m not sure,» I want you in a minute to come down and take the hand of a prayer partner; let them pray with you.
If you’re in this room and saying, «I just need someone to pray for me…» That’s it! I just need someone to pray for me! This is why they are here! Now, every week, we don’t have enough prayer partners! I could have 70 of them, and it’s still not enough! But when they come down, when you come down to the bottom of the aisle, we have the best ushers in the world that will point you to the first available prayer partner.
There’s no official dismissal; you can leave whenever you’re ready. Next Sunday, I’ll speak on part three of the series! But before you leave, let’s sing this song one time through before anyone goes. May the Lord bless you; may He keep you. May His face shine down upon you and be gracious to you. May His countenance be lifted upon you and bring you peace. In Jesus' name, Amen!