Good morning every one.
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You guys are the faithful few
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that are here at
the beginning, amen.
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How are you doing today?
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You blessed?
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Well, because you came
early, you get a special treat,
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how's that?
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Because you came early,
you get a special treat.
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We have a special--
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This is the first time that
this video is gonna be shown.
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This is a work that we've
done over the last few months
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to share with others a little
about what ASI is all about.
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You know last night,
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I shared with some
of our history of ASI--
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The history of ASI,
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but this is now done in a video.
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And I think you
really gonna blessed
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as you watch this
video which tells us
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about the mission
and the purpose of ASI.
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Have you ever
wondered where we began,
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the spark to
begin this movement?
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Remember--
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It took me a long, long
time to learn to really believe
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that all things
worked together for good.
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To those who love the Lord.
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I still will have to
learn many more things.
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But I have been led over a path
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that has helped me
to stabilize my faith.
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That great truth
can be depended upon
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if one will stay by the Lord.
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Under her guidance,
this college was established,
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self supported,
inspiring, educated,
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the foundation was laid.
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Ministry sprang up
all over the world.
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Lay members and
church leaders burned
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to join
ministry with the church,
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ASI was born.
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Today, ASI
continues with the example
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of the Apostle Paul,
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sharing Jesus
Christ in the marketplace.
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Business professionals
were needed on the team,
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and as ministry and business
united in their efforts,
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a dynamic network was formed.
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Everyday ASI
members and ministries
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carried the lights
to mission fields across
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the North American
division and the whole world.
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It's important
to be a part of ASI,
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because I'm able
to share my gifts
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with the team of people
in so many ways worldwide.
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It's not just the
blessing to the people I teach.
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It's a blessing to me as well.
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Building a one day church
is a really special experience
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because you get to come in here
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and this people sometimes
don't even have a church
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or whatever they
built for themselves
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and it's really special,
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you see them come to
you, they're all happy,
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they come and shake Your hands,
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say thank you, thank you.
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They value the church so much.
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And building it,
it's a good build,
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it's not hard.
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I didn't have to get through
any special training to do it,
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but the rewards
from them are incredible.
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It's such an experience.
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It's great opportunity
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to be part of ASI as a business,
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because it's God who gave us
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these businesses
in the first place.
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And now being a
part of the ASI family,
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I can work
together in a strategic way
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to use my business,
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to multiply the
kingdom of God in the way that
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I never could have done before.
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Well, I--
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you know I think
that this whole program
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says two or
three important things.
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Number one, it
says I can be involved,
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no matter who I am,
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no matter what my skill
level or what my talents,
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I can be involved in that.
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And that really is a
message for the whole church.
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The take away is,
we can work together.
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We can build
community that goes beyond
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what differences we have.
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Healing, teaching, training,
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sharing, proclaiming,
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building faith, restoring.
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This is what we
do. This is who we are.
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The tribulation will
bring about good and mellow one.
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Make one more efficient.
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And more capable of
working for the Lord
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is a hard experience to learn.
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If I'd had my way
when I stared out,
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I never would have traveled
or would never have chosen
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to travel over a road
that had in it tribulations.
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I would have
always looked for a road
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that was free from those.
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Because as a young man.
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I'd dodged every time I could
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anything that was
hard and difficult.
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And when I was
in medical school,
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I found that even young
people that were old enough
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and had developed
enough to take a medical course
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could become quite famous
in dodging a good many things
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that they only could get
away with if you understand?
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Your wisdom is sufficient,
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that you will not
dodge any hard thing
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and take an easy road.
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Because if you get in the habit
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of doing that you're
going to have a hard time.
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We are a team in
business and ministry
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together focused on Christ,
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passionate about the mission
of the church just like you.
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Join us in spreading the light
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of the advent
message to the world.
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What the world needs is Jesus.
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Remember.
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I have the
privilege of introducing
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our speaker this
morning, a good friend of mine.
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Her name is Pat Arrabito
and she directs a ministry
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called LLT Productions.
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It's a medium ministry
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and among their most
significant accomplishments
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are two film projects.
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The first is called
''The Seventh Day''.
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It's a five part documentary
on the history of the Sabbath.
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How many of you seen that?
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Documentary,
great, that's awesome.
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The second is a film called,
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and it's a feature
film this time called
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"Hell and Mr. Fudge".
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It's a story of a man
named literally Edward Fudge.
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And Edward Fudge
studied his way into
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what we called
the state of the dead,
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our understanding of
the state of the dead.
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He was a Bible Belt preacher.
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And the film is about the
amazing story of this man's
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journey into biblical truth.
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And it's a great
film, I just love it.
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I have no bones about
saying it's the very best film
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that's been
produced by any Adventist.
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I like to say it's a vegan film,
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because it's so professional
that there is not one moment
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of cheese in the
whole film, you know,
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how some of
these low budget films
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could be kind
of cheesy at times.
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There's not a moment of that,
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the film has
wonderful warmth to it,
00:08:01.54\00:08:03.48
it's the human interest story,
but it also got deep theology.
00:08:03.51\00:08:07.75
It's a fabulous movie.
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You need to get
yourself a copy of that
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if you haven't yet.
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But the thing that's
the most remarkable about
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our speaker this
morning Pat Arrabito
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is the fact that she out
of great tragedy in losing
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three family members years back.
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Channeled that grief
into creative ministry
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and carried on in
place of her husband
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and brought his own
visions to fruition.
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And you're gonna
hear that story in detail.
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Pat is an amazing person.
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She considers herself
behind the scenes persons,
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but this morning
she is gonna be speaking
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and when she speaks,
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people listen
because she is the real deal.
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And I really love Pat.
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And aside from all
that, she is my ASI roommate
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for the last 15 years so,
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I think we gonna
hear from her next.
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Hello.
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How shall we
stand amid uncertainty?
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Where is our comfort in travail?
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How shall we walk amid infirmity
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When feeble limbs
are worn and frail?
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And as we pass
through mortal sorrow
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How shall our
hearts abide the day?
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Where is the
strength the soul may borrow?
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Teach us thy
way Teach us thy way
00:10:05.00\00:10:12.04
Make us one,
00:10:14.08\00:10:19.55
that our burdens may be light
00:10:19.58\00:10:22.88
Make us one
00:10:22.92\00:10:26.02
as we seek eternal life
00:10:26.05\00:10:29.39
Unite our hands to
serve thy children well
00:10:29.42\00:10:36.36
Unite us in
obedience to thy will
00:10:37.17\00:10:44.07
Make us one!
00:10:44.14\00:10:47.51
Teach us, Lord, to be
00:10:47.54\00:10:51.71
Of one faith
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of one heart
00:10:56.52\00:11:00.76
One in thee
00:11:00.79\00:11:07.76
Then shall our souls
be filled with charity
00:11:16.60\00:11:23.61
Then shall all
hate and anger cease
00:11:24.31\00:11:31.29
And though we
strive amid adversity
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Yet shall we
find thy perfect peace
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So shall we stand
despite our weakness
00:11:45.93\00:11:52.91
So shall our
strength be strength enough
00:11:53.41\00:12:00.45
We bring our hearts to thee
00:12:00.75\00:12:06.12
in meekness
00:12:06.15\00:12:08.99
Lord, wilt thou
bind them in thy love?
00:12:09.02\00:12:15.93
Make us one Make us one
00:12:18.50\00:12:23.77
that our burdens may be light
00:12:23.81\00:12:27.28
Make us one Make us one
00:12:27.34\00:12:30.71
as we seek eternal life
00:12:30.75\00:12:34.08
Unite our hands to
serve thy children well
00:12:34.12\00:12:41.02
Unite us in
obedience to thy will
00:12:41.82\00:12:48.56
Make us one
00:12:48.60\00:12:52.13
Teach us, Lord, to be
00:12:52.17\00:12:56.17
Of one faith
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of one heart
00:13:00.41\00:13:04.55
One in thee
00:13:04.58\00:13:10.09
Take from me this heart of stone
00:13:10.12\00:13:16.62
And make it
flesh even as thine own
00:13:16.66\00:13:23.63
Take from me unfeeling pride
00:13:23.73\00:13:29.97
Teach me compassion
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cast my fear aside
00:13:32.94\00:13:37.21
Give us one heart
00:13:37.25\00:13:40.88
give us one mind
00:13:40.92\00:13:44.45
Lord make us thine
00:13:44.49\00:13:48.19
Oh, make us thine!
00:13:48.22\00:13:52.23
Make us one Make us one,
00:13:52.26\00:13:58.03
that our burdens may be light
00:13:58.07\00:14:01.60
Make us one Make us one
00:14:01.64\00:14:05.07
as we seek eternal life
00:14:05.11\00:14:08.21
Unite our hands to
serve thy children well
00:14:08.24\00:14:15.18
Unite us in
obedience to thy will
00:14:16.22\00:14:23.22
Make us one!
00:14:23.29\00:14:26.63
Teach us, Lord, to be
00:14:26.70\00:14:33.60
Of one faith
00:14:37.07\00:14:42.98
of one heart
00:14:43.01\00:14:47.82
One in thee
00:14:47.85\00:14:54.56
One in thee.
00:15:02.30\00:15:09.30
Amen.
00:15:26.99\00:15:28.86
Good morning.
00:15:28.89\00:15:31.26
I was 21 years old
traveling the world
00:15:31.29\00:15:35.63
proving that I
could do it all myself,
00:15:35.66\00:15:38.23
that I didn't need any one.
00:15:38.27\00:15:40.30
I had always wanted to go
00:15:40.34\00:15:42.37
to one of the
little Greek islands,
00:15:42.40\00:15:43.77
where there is little
white buildings and blue sea
00:15:43.81\00:15:46.14
and it's beautiful.
00:15:46.17\00:15:48.51
Caught a ferry to
the island of Naxos,
00:15:48.54\00:15:51.21
I wanted to go to a place
00:15:51.25\00:15:52.58
where there
weren't a lot of tourists.
00:15:52.61\00:15:55.18
Found a room for
a dollar a night.
00:15:55.22\00:15:58.29
Went out to the
water, enjoyed the sea.
00:15:58.32\00:16:02.02
Children came and talked
to me, took me sightseeing.
00:16:02.06\00:16:06.73
Sabbath came
around a couple days later
00:16:06.76\00:16:08.36
and I wanted to spend
the day in another place,
00:16:08.40\00:16:10.90
so I took the
bus across the island
00:16:10.97\00:16:12.30
to the second village.
00:16:12.33\00:16:14.04
As I got there, I
saw this beautiful curve
00:16:14.07\00:16:17.01
with the village
here and cliffs over here.
00:16:17.04\00:16:19.44
And I just thought,
00:16:19.47\00:16:20.81
I'm gonna go out on those cliffs
00:16:20.88\00:16:22.21
and I'll spend
Sabbath reading my Bible,
00:16:22.24\00:16:23.78
and having a
quite time with God.
00:16:23.85\00:16:26.31
It took me a
while to get out there,
00:16:26.35\00:16:27.68
because it was a
rocky and stickery.
00:16:27.72\00:16:29.45
Had a bag on my
shoulder with my Bible in it,
00:16:29.48\00:16:32.22
traveler's checks, passport,
the little money that I had.
00:16:32.25\00:16:38.26
I made it out to the cliffs
and I started climbing around.
00:16:38.29\00:16:41.63
And as I was climbing my
bag slipped off my shoulder,
00:16:41.66\00:16:44.63
it bounced once on the
ledge where I was standing
00:16:44.67\00:16:48.57
and then it
flipped down into the sea,
00:16:48.60\00:16:52.44
about 40 feet below.
00:16:52.47\00:16:54.88
And my first thought was,
"Oh that could have been me."
00:16:54.91\00:17:00.65
My second thought was,
00:17:00.68\00:17:02.32
there is no way I
can get down there,
00:17:02.35\00:17:04.55
and get that bag.
00:17:04.59\00:17:07.09
And I can't go anywhere
out in the words without it.
00:17:07.12\00:17:10.56
I scrambled back through
the brush and the rocks around
00:17:10.59\00:17:14.36
the curve to the
village looking for help.
00:17:14.36\00:17:16.40
I found a teenager
00:17:16.43\00:17:18.43
who could speak
a little English,
00:17:18.47\00:17:19.80
and I told him
what had happened.
00:17:19.83\00:17:21.27
He went and got his
dad, they had a little boat.
00:17:21.30\00:17:23.71
They got in their boat
00:17:23.74\00:17:25.07
and they started
chugging across that curve.
00:17:25.11\00:17:27.28
But it was a windy
day and there're whitecaps
00:17:27.31\00:17:29.68
and they couldn't
get over to the cliff.
00:17:29.71\00:17:33.42
They took me home
with them, they fed me,
00:17:33.45\00:17:36.99
they gave me a room to stay in.
00:17:37.02\00:17:39.09
And pretty soon
this whole little village
00:17:39.12\00:17:41.19
knew that there
was an American tourist
00:17:41.22\00:17:43.56
who had lost her
belongings in the sea.
00:17:43.63\00:17:47.03
Every one came out,
00:17:47.10\00:17:48.40
I walked down
those cobble streets
00:17:48.43\00:17:50.33
and people would
invite me in their home
00:17:50.37\00:17:51.97
and they would offer me food.
00:17:52.00\00:17:53.70
The young people in the village,
00:17:53.74\00:17:55.07
friends of the
teenager took me sightseeing.
00:17:55.10\00:17:59.64
Night came, I looked out again
00:17:59.67\00:18:01.28
and the water was
still full of whitecaps.
00:18:01.31\00:18:04.71
I slept in that
beautiful guest room,
00:18:04.75\00:18:07.05
woke up first
thing in the morning,
00:18:07.08\00:18:08.42
crack of dawn,
00:18:08.45\00:18:09.78
I'm looking out my window
and there are still whitecaps.
00:18:09.82\00:18:12.35
On the next day, the
villagers entertained me
00:18:12.39\00:18:15.12
and took care of me.
00:18:15.16\00:18:16.49
The bus driver
came looking for me,
00:18:16.52\00:18:17.86
because he was worried,
00:18:17.89\00:18:19.23
I hadn't come
back to his village.
00:18:19.26\00:18:20.63
He offered me money
to get back to Athens.
00:18:20.66\00:18:23.13
Other people in the
village afford me money.
00:18:23.16\00:18:25.57
The day passed,
the whitecaps remained
00:18:25.60\00:18:28.27
and I spent another
night in that lovely guest room
00:18:28.30\00:18:30.81
which I could
never have afforded
00:18:30.84\00:18:32.17
if I were paying for it.
00:18:32.21\00:18:33.88
Monday morning dawned,
I looked out, it was calm.
00:18:33.91\00:18:39.31
The boy and his dad
and several other people
00:18:39.35\00:18:41.95
got a little bigger boat,
00:18:41.98\00:18:43.32
they took me on
the boat with them
00:18:43.39\00:18:44.72
and they checked
across that curve.
00:18:44.75\00:18:47.16
They got right
there near the cliffs,
00:18:47.19\00:18:48.99
and a man dived
down into the water,
00:18:49.02\00:18:52.29
and on his first dive
he came up with my bag.
00:18:52.33\00:18:56.63
Water running out of it.
00:18:56.67\00:18:58.47
They horn the boat going
all the way back, the people,
00:18:58.50\00:19:01.30
the whole village
was lined up on the wharf
00:19:01.34\00:19:03.64
cheering and clapping
because they found my bag.
00:19:03.67\00:19:05.84
They took my stuff,
00:19:05.87\00:19:07.21
they spread it all out
on the flat roof to dry.
00:19:07.24\00:19:10.51
My passport had
one visa washed out,
00:19:10.58\00:19:13.11
my Japanese one,
I was done with it,
00:19:13.15\00:19:14.68
all the other ink was fine.
00:19:14.72\00:19:16.32
My Bible was like this
thick, by the time it dried out.
00:19:16.35\00:19:20.29
I had a letter half
written to my parents,
00:19:20.32\00:19:22.56
I finished writing it
and I said "lick this paper,
00:19:22.59\00:19:24.86
it's salty, spin in the drink."
00:19:24.89\00:19:28.16
You know, those
people loved helping me.
00:19:28.20\00:19:33.54
I was out to
prove my independence,
00:19:33.57\00:19:36.27
and thinking that
I didn't need anyone.
00:19:36.30\00:19:38.61
And God allowed me
to be in a position
00:19:38.64\00:19:40.51
where I desperately needed help.
00:19:40.58\00:19:42.58
And what He showed me
00:19:42.61\00:19:43.95
was that those
people were blessed
00:19:43.98\00:19:46.58
to be able to help me.
00:19:46.61\00:19:47.95
Some of those people wrote to me
00:19:47.98\00:19:49.32
for five years after that.
00:19:49.35\00:19:51.09
They loved helping me
and they were so blessed.
00:19:51.12\00:19:54.16
And that was one of
my first adult lessons
00:19:54.19\00:19:57.89
in what God is like,
and how He takes care of us,
00:19:57.93\00:20:01.50
and what he does for us
00:20:01.53\00:20:02.86
that is so
surprising and unexpected.
00:20:02.90\00:20:05.10
Life doesn't always happen
the way you think it will,
00:20:05.13\00:20:08.10
does it?
00:20:08.14\00:20:09.47
It doesn't always do treat
you the way you think it should.
00:20:09.50\00:20:13.54
And I'm really
thankful to be old enough
00:20:13.58\00:20:17.01
to see some of the
things that God does.
00:20:17.05\00:20:19.85
You know, everyone has a story.
00:20:19.88\00:20:22.92
You have a
story, I have a story.
00:20:22.95\00:20:24.75
Everyone has a story.
00:20:24.79\00:20:26.12
And it's our stories that God
uses to show what He is like.
00:20:26.15\00:20:31.76
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians,
00:20:31.79\00:20:34.23
"For we are made spectacle
or theatre unto the world,
00:20:34.30\00:20:38.30
and to angels, and to men."
00:20:38.33\00:20:40.30
You don't think about the fact
00:20:40.37\00:20:41.70
that the whole
universe is looking at you
00:20:41.74\00:20:43.54
in your life and
what God is doing in you.
00:20:43.57\00:20:46.81
Paul exhorts the
Corinthians believers and us.
00:20:46.84\00:20:49.68
In 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, he says,
00:20:49.71\00:20:52.01
"You are our epistle
written in our hearts,
00:20:52.05\00:20:55.82
known and read of all
men, being made manifest
00:20:55.85\00:20:59.25
that you are the
epistle of Christ,
00:20:59.29\00:21:01.86
ministered by us,
written not with ink,
00:21:01.89\00:21:04.36
but with the
Spirit of the living God,
00:21:04.39\00:21:06.23
not in tables of stone,
but in the tables of the heart,
00:21:06.26\00:21:10.47
fleshly tables of heart."
00:21:10.53\00:21:12.33
God story is
written on ours hearts,
00:21:12.37\00:21:15.24
and it's written for
the whole universe to see.
00:21:15.27\00:21:19.07
And it's for the purpose
that the universe can see
00:21:19.11\00:21:21.68
what God is like.
00:21:21.71\00:21:23.95
Some of the things
that I have learned,
00:21:24.01\00:21:26.51
I want to share
with you this morning.
00:21:26.55\00:21:29.28
I have learned
that God loves me.
00:21:29.32\00:21:31.85
I have heard that all my life.
00:21:31.89\00:21:33.76
I didn't really
take it seriously
00:21:33.82\00:21:35.99
until I was a
rebellious teenager.
00:21:36.02\00:21:38.06
I walked into a week of prayer,
00:21:38.09\00:21:39.83
I looked up at the
ceiling and I said,
00:21:39.86\00:21:42.56
"God, don't think you
gonna get me this time."
00:21:42.60\00:21:46.00
By the end of
that we week of prayer,
00:21:46.03\00:21:47.70
God had spoken to my heart
and He had impressed my heart
00:21:47.74\00:21:50.84
with a fact that He liked me.
00:21:50.87\00:21:53.41
And it wasn't
because I was so good.
00:21:53.44\00:21:56.58
And I couldn't
help but like Him back,
00:21:56.61\00:21:58.95
that's what God does.
00:21:58.98\00:22:00.52
He says, I know the thoughts
that I think toward you.
00:22:00.55\00:22:03.42
Thoughts--
00:22:03.49\00:22:05.32
says the Lord, thoughts
of peace, and not of evil,
00:22:05.35\00:22:07.79
to give you an expected end.
00:22:07.82\00:22:09.16
He has plans for
us and purpose for us.
00:22:09.19\00:22:12.06
And when things
don't look so good,
00:22:12.09\00:22:14.10
it doesn't mean that
they aren't good, right?
00:22:14.10\00:22:16.23
Because God does things in
ways that we can't understand.
00:22:16.26\00:22:19.73
I learned that,
00:22:19.77\00:22:21.10
it's because God loves
me that I have great value.
00:22:21.14\00:22:24.31
It's not because I am so
good, because I am so gorgeous,
00:22:24.34\00:22:27.34
talented, accomplished,
it's because I am His child.
00:22:27.38\00:22:32.28
Because I am, He loves
me, and His love for me
00:22:32.31\00:22:35.62
is what gives me value.
00:22:35.65\00:22:37.45
I remember
holding my first born son
00:22:37.49\00:22:39.55
after a long
and difficult labor,
00:22:39.59\00:22:42.59
his head was
shaped like a bullet
00:22:42.62\00:22:44.19
and he had white
stuff all over him
00:22:44.23\00:22:46.06
and I realized later he
really wasn't beautiful,
00:22:46.09\00:22:49.30
I couldn't tell at the moment.
00:22:49.33\00:22:51.87
And that baby in my arms
did nothing to win my love,
00:22:51.90\00:22:57.77
earn my love,
or payback my love.
00:22:57.81\00:23:01.08
I would have died
for him on the spot.
00:23:01.11\00:23:03.68
I loved him so much and
I realized I'm God's baby.
00:23:03.75\00:23:07.88
There is nothing beautiful
about me but He loves me
00:23:07.92\00:23:10.39
and that's what
gives me such value.
00:23:10.42\00:23:15.22
You know speaking of
ugly, I remember thinking
00:23:15.26\00:23:17.23
before he was born,
00:23:17.26\00:23:18.59
having seen a baby that
look kind of unhomely to me.
00:23:18.63\00:23:22.36
You know when my son is born,
00:23:22.40\00:23:24.23
I'm gonna admit if
he is not beautiful,
00:23:24.27\00:23:26.74
it doesn't mean
I don't love him.
00:23:26.80\00:23:28.90
But when he was
born, I couldn't even tell
00:23:28.94\00:23:30.71
because love creates beauty.
00:23:30.77\00:23:32.97
We look at the people we love
and they are beautiful to us.
00:23:33.01\00:23:35.64
And that's what God does in
us, His love creates beauty,
00:23:35.68\00:23:39.08
and He creates love in us
00:23:39.11\00:23:42.35
because He said
love begets love.
00:23:42.38\00:23:44.55
And that way that God loves us
00:23:44.59\00:23:46.25
is what gives us
such tremendous value.
00:23:46.29\00:23:51.13
Another thing that I
learned along the way
00:23:51.16\00:23:52.63
is that God loves
us and in that love
00:23:52.66\00:23:55.86
God allows us to suffer.
00:23:55.90\00:23:58.57
I used to think if I
just truthfully obeyed God
00:23:58.60\00:24:01.54
and followed Him
well, that I wouldn't need
00:24:01.57\00:24:04.11
the discipline of suffering.
00:24:04.14\00:24:07.71
And then I
remember reading, well,
00:24:07.74\00:24:09.61
I was kind of
drawn to the Book of Job,
00:24:09.64\00:24:11.18
I wanted to
understand Job's experience.
00:24:11.21\00:24:13.82
And then, I also came
across Hebrews Chapter 2
00:24:13.85\00:24:19.59
where it says that
00:24:19.62\00:24:21.82
"It became him, for
whom are all things,
00:24:21.86\00:24:24.23
and by whom are all things,
in bringing many sons to glory,
00:24:24.26\00:24:28.00
to make the captain of
their salvation perfect
00:24:28.03\00:24:30.67
through suffering."
00:24:30.73\00:24:32.07
That's Chapter 2 verse 10.
00:24:32.10\00:24:33.80
And then over in
Chapter 5 it says,
00:24:33.84\00:24:36.60
"Though he were a Son,
00:24:36.67\00:24:38.07
yet learned he obedience by
the things which he suffered,
00:24:38.11\00:24:42.04
then being made perfectly
00:24:42.08\00:24:43.41
he became author
of eternal salvation,
00:24:43.45\00:24:45.41
for all those that obey him."
00:24:45.45\00:24:47.08
And I just thought wow,
00:24:47.12\00:24:49.05
if Jesus suffered
to become perfect,
00:24:49.08\00:24:54.12
to develop that character,
00:24:54.16\00:24:55.79
how would any of us feel
that we could be like Jesus
00:24:55.82\00:24:59.39
without suffering.
00:24:59.43\00:25:00.93
And I realize that
suffering isn't just discipline,
00:25:00.96\00:25:03.77
suffering is
entering into Christ.
00:25:03.80\00:25:06.84
And into fellowship with Christ,
00:25:06.87\00:25:08.27
and it's becoming like Christ.
00:25:08.30\00:25:10.41
And that we really
can't be like that without it.
00:25:10.44\00:25:13.41
The servant is not
better than the master.
00:25:13.48\00:25:15.81
And if Christ endured that,
00:25:15.84\00:25:17.25
then the people
who love Him will also.
00:25:17.28\00:25:23.59
I knew then that, well,
I had never really suffered
00:25:23.62\00:25:26.49
in my life, that suffering
will be a part of my life.
00:25:26.52\00:25:30.66
My husband was an artist,
00:25:30.73\00:25:32.69
but his great
passion was soul willing
00:25:32.73\00:25:34.50
and he loved evangelism.
00:25:34.56\00:25:36.46
And he began to share Sabbath
history in his evangelism
00:25:36.50\00:25:39.53
and he found people
so responsive to it.
00:25:39.57\00:25:41.97
People had never
heard those stories.
00:25:42.00\00:25:44.11
They never heard
that Saint Patrick
00:25:44.17\00:25:45.94
was the Sabbath keeper.
00:25:45.97\00:25:47.34
They've never
heard that the schism
00:25:47.38\00:25:49.01
between the Latin and
then the Orthodox churches
00:25:49.04\00:25:51.85
was partially over the Sabbath.
00:25:51.88\00:25:53.48
The Latin church was
requiring fasting on Sabbath
00:25:53.52\00:25:56.52
and the Orthodox church, Greek
church said, absolutely not,
00:25:56.55\00:25:59.45
the one day of the week that
you can't fast is the Sabbath
00:25:59.49\00:26:02.06
because that's a festival day.
00:26:02.09\00:26:03.49
And so, they excommunicated
each others leadership
00:26:03.56\00:26:07.76
and there was a big schism.
00:26:07.76\00:26:09.23
And, you know, those
stories were new to people
00:26:09.26\00:26:11.47
and we would find
people showing up in church
00:26:11.50\00:26:13.64
on Sabbath after
hearing those talks,
00:26:13.67\00:26:15.77
when they hadn't
even been invited.
00:26:15.80\00:26:17.74
And out of that, he
wanted to produce a documentary
00:26:17.77\00:26:20.78
series for secular
audience that would trace
00:26:20.81\00:26:23.01
the history of
Sabbath, and show the conflicts
00:26:23.04\00:26:25.71
and the heroes and the martyrs,
00:26:25.75\00:26:27.62
and where Sunday came from.
00:26:27.65\00:26:30.72
And he laid that
dream before the Lord
00:26:30.79\00:26:32.72
and he began to work toward it,
00:26:32.75\00:26:34.32
and to travel to
gather material for it.
00:26:34.36\00:26:37.93
Traveled to Europe,
traveled to the Middle East,
00:26:37.96\00:26:40.63
traveled to China
00:26:40.70\00:26:42.00
and other places in
Asia collecting material.
00:26:42.03\00:26:47.04
He traveled to Alaska.
00:26:47.10\00:26:48.67
He heard a story of a
Inupiat whom God had talked to,
00:26:48.70\00:26:54.44
and told him about the Sabbath,
00:26:54.48\00:26:56.01
told him about the
Father and the elder brother
00:26:56.04\00:26:58.98
and a beautiful city
that was gonna come down
00:26:59.01\00:27:01.38
and a special fruit that
you would eat in that city,
00:27:01.42\00:27:03.65
and taught him that the Father
00:27:03.72\00:27:06.82
had more power than the shamans,
00:27:06.89\00:27:08.82
that his people
were subjected to.
00:27:08.86\00:27:11.59
The shamans tried to
kill him but they said,
00:27:11.63\00:27:13.23
they couldn't because he
was surrounded by a white light,
00:27:13.26\00:27:16.10
and his home was
surrounded by a white light
00:27:16.13\00:27:17.70
and they couldn't
get through to him.
00:27:17.73\00:27:19.37
And this man told his people,
00:27:19.40\00:27:21.30
every time you see my
pole with a flag on it,
00:27:21.34\00:27:24.31
that's the day you
don't have to work.
00:27:24.34\00:27:26.44
You can come and I will
talk to you about the Father
00:27:26.47\00:27:28.71
and teach you.
00:27:28.74\00:27:31.01
It's a
wonderful story, isn't it?
00:27:31.05\00:27:32.38
It just shows you
how God is not willing
00:27:32.41\00:27:34.32
that any should perish,
00:27:34.35\00:27:35.68
but that all
should come to repentance.
00:27:35.72\00:27:37.75
And where there is no machinery
and no human voice can go,
00:27:37.79\00:27:41.32
God sends dreams, or
He sends a talking bird
00:27:41.36\00:27:44.79
as he did to
Maniilaq, The Eskimo.
00:27:44.83\00:27:48.33
God is so good, isn't he?
00:27:48.36\00:27:51.97
Jim was traveling to Alaska.
00:27:52.00\00:27:53.80
He had enough
mileage on his travel bank
00:27:53.84\00:27:56.67
to take our two older sons.
00:27:56.71\00:27:58.44
Tony was 13, Joey was 11
and the dream of their life
00:27:58.47\00:28:02.54
was to go to Alaska.
00:28:02.58\00:28:04.61
They wanted to see elk and
go fishing and see polar bears,
00:28:04.65\00:28:07.92
and do all the things
that kids would like to do
00:28:07.95\00:28:10.52
in a place like that,
they were outdoor kids.
00:28:10.55\00:28:13.32
For 10 days they
stayed in the villages up
00:28:13.39\00:28:16.16
in northern Alaska,
00:28:16.19\00:28:19.43
they learned what life
is like that it's hard.
00:28:19.46\00:28:22.43
They heard the stories,
they interviewed the elders,
00:28:22.46\00:28:25.57
it's an oral tradition
00:28:25.60\00:28:26.94
and stories are passed
down from father to son,
00:28:26.97\00:28:29.27
they
interviewed different people
00:28:29.30\00:28:30.64
to get the whole story.
00:28:30.71\00:28:32.47
You know, it's a
story of tremendous hope.
00:28:32.51\00:28:34.78
People still believe
that Maniilaq was a prophet,
00:28:34.81\00:28:37.35
and that his
prophecies will yet come true.
00:28:37.38\00:28:41.02
While they are up there,
God put on my heart to pray
00:28:41.05\00:28:45.12
particularly for my boys,
00:28:45.15\00:28:47.19
that he would put
love in their heart
00:28:47.26\00:28:49.29
as the motive for their choices.
00:28:49.32\00:28:52.06
They'd been baptized.
00:28:52.09\00:28:53.70
I wouldn't say that they
were ready for translation.
00:28:53.73\00:28:57.53
But I wanted them to make
their decisions based on love.
00:28:57.57\00:29:03.04
It's not enough to obey
00:29:03.07\00:29:04.47
because your mom
and dad told you to.
00:29:04.51\00:29:06.81
It's not enough to do good
because the church has rules.
00:29:06.84\00:29:10.08
God is calling
for the motive of love
00:29:10.11\00:29:12.01
in our hearts for action,
00:29:12.05\00:29:14.38
and that was my
prayer for my boys.
00:29:14.42\00:29:16.32
And you know, God has told
us in Matthew 7 to ask, He said,
00:29:16.35\00:29:22.39
"Ask and you'll
receive, seek and you'll find.
00:29:22.42\00:29:25.13
Knock and it will
be opened unto you."
00:29:25.16\00:29:27.40
And he says, "What father
if his son asks for bread,
00:29:27.46\00:29:31.10
will he give him a stone?
00:29:31.13\00:29:33.34
If he asks for a fish,
will he give him a serpent?"
00:29:33.37\00:29:36.54
My boys probably would
have loved to have a serpent.
00:29:36.57\00:29:39.21
But I know that
God heard my prayer,
00:29:39.24\00:29:42.24
because He promised,
00:29:42.28\00:29:43.65
if we ask for what's good,
He is not gonna give us a rock.
00:29:43.68\00:29:47.65
And that we are to ask him.
00:29:47.68\00:29:51.45
They were scheduled
to return home on Monday,
00:29:51.49\00:29:54.29
landing in L.A
00:29:54.32\00:29:56.19
because they'd been to
get cheap flight out of L.A
00:29:56.22\00:29:58.66
And one of our helpers
had driven down to L.A.
00:29:58.69\00:30:01.06
to pick them up,
00:30:01.10\00:30:02.43
I live in northern California.
00:30:02.46\00:30:04.90
He gave me a call mid-afternoon,
00:30:04.93\00:30:06.27
and he said,
"They're not on the plane."
00:30:06.30\00:30:10.07
And I was kind of
shocked, 'cause I thought,
00:30:10.11\00:30:12.21
surely if they've
missed their flight,
00:30:12.24\00:30:13.58
they would have
called and let us know.
00:30:13.64\00:30:16.81
I called up to Alaska,
to our friends up there,
00:30:16.85\00:30:20.38
and that's when I found out
00:30:20.42\00:30:21.75
that the small
plane they were flying in
00:30:21.78\00:30:23.12
had not arrived in
Anchorage the night before.
00:30:23.15\00:30:27.06
They were-- It was
Jim, and our two sons,
00:30:27.12\00:30:29.92
and a young
lady from New Zeeland
00:30:29.99\00:30:31.83
and a native pilot.
00:30:31.86\00:30:34.46
Search and rescue
was unable to go out,
00:30:34.46\00:30:36.43
because the
weather was bad that day.
00:30:36.46\00:30:39.97
But I knew in my
heart that they were fine,
00:30:40.00\00:30:42.67
because Jim was
working on the Sabbath project,
00:30:42.70\00:30:45.37
and God had given
us so many evidences
00:30:45.41\00:30:48.28
of His intervention
and of His guidance in it.
00:30:48.31\00:30:53.15
It was a big project.
00:30:53.18\00:30:54.52
Originally Jim had
prayed for $10,000.
00:30:54.55\00:30:58.09
He said, "I'll
finish this in six months,"
00:30:58.12\00:30:59.45
but you know, how
things grow, they grow,
00:30:59.49\00:31:00.96
they take on a
life of their own.
00:31:00.99\00:31:02.99
And there was more
material, and more information,
00:31:03.02\00:31:05.06
and more places to go.
00:31:05.09\00:31:06.53
And ultimately, he was
praying for million dollars.
00:31:06.56\00:31:09.33
And me, me of
little faith was thinking,
00:31:09.36\00:31:12.93
a million dollars, why do
we need a million dollars?
00:31:12.97\00:31:18.01
But that was his prayer,
00:31:18.04\00:31:19.81
and as he began to
put material together,
00:31:19.84\00:31:22.24
we could see that
was a huge project.
00:31:22.28\00:31:24.58
He storyboarded it all,
00:31:24.61\00:31:26.05
before he had gone up to Alaska,
00:31:26.08\00:31:27.42
almost 600 small frames
00:31:27.48\00:31:29.22
telling the
people and places, events
00:31:29.25\00:31:30.79
in the order it
should go as he saw it.
00:31:30.85\00:31:33.92
He hadn't
written a script for it,
00:31:33.96\00:31:35.56
and he had not
filed his information.
00:31:35.59\00:31:38.06
It was all in his head,
and in all the books he read.
00:31:38.09\00:31:41.13
So his goal was, when
he got back from Alaska,
00:31:41.16\00:31:45.47
he would begin to write on it.
00:31:45.50\00:31:48.50
I knew that God was
gonna finish that job.
00:31:48.54\00:31:50.94
He was praying one day
for money for the project.
00:31:50.97\00:31:53.41
The phone ring
as he was praying,
00:31:53.44\00:31:55.11
and the voice on
the other end said,
00:31:55.14\00:31:56.48
"I heard about
what you're doing,
00:31:56.51\00:31:58.25
and I'd like to know
what you'd do with money,
00:31:58.28\00:32:00.75
if I gave you 10,000
or 25,000, or $50,000."
00:32:00.82\00:32:03.89
And Jim said,
"I'll call you back."
00:32:03.92\00:32:06.52
Called him back and
the man send $50,000,
00:32:06.55\00:32:08.92
that was the beginning.
00:32:08.96\00:32:10.43
And over and over
again, God opened Iraq,
00:32:10.46\00:32:14.00
it had been closed to tourism,
Jim was able to get into Iraq.
00:32:14.10\00:32:17.53
China was close to
tourism at that time.
00:32:17.57\00:32:19.63
He told the travel agent,
00:32:19.67\00:32:21.70
"As soon as there is a
way for me to get into China,
00:32:21.74\00:32:24.21
book me a ticket."
00:32:24.27\00:32:25.61
The agent called one
day, he said, "There's a tour,
00:32:25.64\00:32:27.78
it's going across China
00:32:27.81\00:32:29.18
to all the places
that you want to go."
00:32:29.21\00:32:31.75
So Jim said, "Book me,"
there were three other men
00:32:31.78\00:32:33.72
that were gonna go
with him with equipment.
00:32:33.78\00:32:36.12
The agent called
one day, he said,
00:32:36.15\00:32:37.79
"By tomorrow I need $1,400
00:32:37.82\00:32:41.32
to hold your
place on that tour."
00:32:41.36\00:32:43.99
We had no money,
Jim was an artist.
00:32:44.03\00:32:46.66
The next day, someone
walked into the studio,
00:32:46.70\00:32:50.40
someone we hadn't
met before, but he heard,
00:32:50.43\00:32:52.20
and Jim explained the
project to him and he left.
00:32:52.23\00:32:54.67
He came back an hour later
00:32:54.70\00:32:56.04
and he pulled a roll of
bills out of his pocket,
00:32:56.07\00:32:58.57
and counted off 20 $100 bills.
00:32:58.61\00:33:01.44
We hopped in the car
00:33:01.48\00:33:02.81
and went down to
the travel agent.
00:33:02.84\00:33:04.25
Jim pealed off the 1,400
and then he said to the agent,
00:33:04.28\00:33:08.08
"I've got 600
left, shall I put this
00:33:08.12\00:33:10.12
toward what's needed
for the rest of the balance.
00:33:10.19\00:33:12.85
And the agent said, "No,"
00:33:12.89\00:33:14.26
when the time
comes, he will have it.
00:33:14.29\00:33:16.42
See what God does,
He uses our experiences
00:33:16.46\00:33:20.23
to give faith to other people.
00:33:20.30\00:33:23.10
And it was true,
God took care of it.
00:33:23.13\00:33:25.87
And on that trip,
00:33:25.90\00:33:27.24
he had opportunity
to share with people,
00:33:27.30\00:33:28.90
they wouldn't have otherwise.
00:33:28.94\00:33:30.57
Their guide was a
young Chinese woman.
00:33:30.61\00:33:32.81
And she made it
plain right at the start
00:33:32.84\00:33:34.38
that she was
communist, and she heard
00:33:34.41\00:33:36.31
that four of the people
on the tour are Christians,
00:33:36.34\00:33:37.95
and she made it plain,
00:33:37.98\00:33:39.31
I don't want to
hear anything about God.
00:33:39.35\00:33:42.08
So Jim had with him a
Christ Object Lessons book,
00:33:42.12\00:33:45.12
he was reading.
00:33:45.15\00:33:46.49
And he sent to
her, her name was Doe,
00:33:46.52\00:33:47.86
he said, "Doe, I'll
help you with your English.
00:33:47.89\00:33:49.79
Come sit with me on
the bus or the train,
00:33:49.82\00:33:51.79
and I'll help you with English.
00:33:51.83\00:33:53.66
So she comes, sit with him,
and he would tell her stories,
00:33:53.70\00:33:56.83
he would tell her
stories like the prodigal son,
00:33:56.90\00:34:00.94
the sower sowing the seed.
00:34:00.97\00:34:02.67
He would tell her
some of the stories
00:34:02.70\00:34:04.04
from the old true
education readers,
00:34:04.11\00:34:05.64
those heartening stories.
00:34:05.67\00:34:07.18
Toward the end of the
trip, she said to him,
00:34:07.21\00:34:09.64
and he wish she'd
come to sit with him,
00:34:09.68\00:34:11.01
he put his Christ
Object Lessons away.
00:34:11.05\00:34:12.91
He would say, "You
don't want to hear this book,
00:34:12.95\00:34:14.48
because it's a Christian book.
00:34:14.52\00:34:16.45
Toward the end of the
trip, she said to him,
00:34:16.48\00:34:18.82
"Where do you
hear these stories,
00:34:18.85\00:34:20.46
they won my heart."
00:34:20.49\00:34:22.36
He said, "Well, a lot of
them are in this book here."
00:34:22.39\00:34:26.49
She said, ''Can
I have your book?"
00:34:26.53\00:34:28.60
And he left it with her.
00:34:28.63\00:34:30.17
And we know that God's
word does not return void.
00:34:30.23\00:34:33.40
No one know what's
happened, but God knows,
00:34:33.44\00:34:35.87
and she had that book.
00:34:35.90\00:34:38.24
So God had opened that door.
00:34:38.27\00:34:41.38
Over and over again,
00:34:41.41\00:34:42.74
God had provided ways and means,
00:34:42.78\00:34:44.11
and I knew that God was
going to accomplish his dream
00:34:44.15\00:34:48.28
of a Sabbath documentary.
00:34:48.32\00:34:50.05
There was no doubt,
00:34:50.09\00:34:51.42
and I believe that
He needed Him to do it.
00:34:51.45\00:34:54.26
And I knew that they were okay.
00:34:54.29\00:34:55.62
Besides, my son
had taken with him his
00:34:55.66\00:34:57.83
"How to survive in Alaska" book.
00:34:57.86\00:35:00.76
So I had confidence when
I went to bed that night,
00:35:00.83\00:35:06.57
I prayed and have you
ever asked God to talk to you.
00:35:06.60\00:35:09.64
Sometimes we need the
voice of God, don't we?
00:35:09.67\00:35:12.51
And very often, God has led me
right to the verses that are--
00:35:12.54\00:35:17.15
what His word is to me,
00:35:17.18\00:35:18.78
and I know it's
Him talking to me.
00:35:18.81\00:35:21.08
And I went to bed
that night, and I said
00:35:21.12\00:35:22.68
God, I don't
know what's happening,
00:35:22.72\00:35:24.45
I don't have any word,
00:35:24.49\00:35:25.99
I believe that
my family is fine,
00:35:26.02\00:35:27.66
but please talk to me.
00:35:27.69\00:35:29.49
And He took me to
a verse in Job 23:10,
00:35:29.52\00:35:33.50
"But he knows
the way that I take,
00:35:33.53\00:35:35.70
when He has tried me, I
shall come forth as gold."
00:35:35.73\00:35:39.37
And I thought,
00:35:39.40\00:35:40.84
"Man, why are you
giving me that one?"
00:35:40.90\00:35:43.57
And I thought,
well, it's probably,
00:35:43.61\00:35:45.14
'cause it's a trial to
not know and have to wait.
00:35:45.17\00:35:48.84
And later I thank
God for that verse,
00:35:48.88\00:35:50.91
because you know, He
knows that we are about dust,
00:35:50.95\00:35:54.85
and yet He's promised
00:35:54.88\00:35:56.32
that He can make
gold out of dust.
00:35:56.35\00:36:01.32
God is amazing.
00:36:01.36\00:36:03.69
The next day we waited
for news, and as we waited,
00:36:03.76\00:36:06.73
my house filled up
with friends who had heard,
00:36:06.76\00:36:09.63
friends hooked to wait with me.
00:36:09.66\00:36:12.77
Early afternoon, I had a phone
call from search and rescue,
00:36:12.80\00:36:16.24
which was headed up
by an Adventist pastor,
00:36:16.27\00:36:19.61
and they said,
we've located the plane,
00:36:19.64\00:36:22.84
and we're sending
the helicopter in,
00:36:22.88\00:36:25.05
and that's all they would say.
00:36:25.08\00:36:26.72
My brother is a pilot,
he lived in Sacramento,
00:36:26.75\00:36:29.15
I called him, and I
said, they've found the plane,
00:36:29.18\00:36:32.35
he called them,
00:36:32.39\00:36:33.86
he'd been keeping
in touch with them,
00:36:33.89\00:36:35.22
and he called me back
and said, "I'm gonna fly over
00:36:35.26\00:36:37.03
and be with you
when you get the news."
00:36:37.06\00:36:39.29
So he flew over in his plane,
00:36:39.33\00:36:41.80
my dad picked
him up at the airport
00:36:41.83\00:36:43.93
and brought him to the house.
00:36:43.97\00:36:45.87
And my brother let me outside,
00:36:45.90\00:36:49.00
and he and my dad
closed their arms around me,
00:36:49.04\00:36:52.67
and my brother said,
"There are no survivors."
00:36:52.71\00:36:55.68
And my head was spinning,
00:36:58.71\00:37:00.55
and I think that
time stood still,
00:37:00.58\00:37:05.75
and I thought, but
there are survivors,
00:37:05.79\00:37:07.59
because I'm still here,
and my two younger children.
00:37:07.62\00:37:11.39
I don't know how
long we were out there.
00:37:11.43\00:37:15.43
People say that you go
through a stage of denial,
00:37:15.46\00:37:17.70
but there was no denial
in me, I knew it was true.
00:37:17.73\00:37:22.54
I went back in the
house, my son Andy was seven,
00:37:22.57\00:37:26.88
my daughter
Ella was almost nine.
00:37:26.91\00:37:29.41
Andy ran across the room,
00:37:29.44\00:37:30.95
and he just
flung out these words,
00:37:30.98\00:37:32.98
"My daddy is dead, isn't he?"
00:37:33.01\00:37:35.68
And you know, as
a parent, it's our--
00:37:35.72\00:37:37.85
our job is to
protect our children.
00:37:37.89\00:37:40.16
We raise our children
00:37:40.19\00:37:41.96
hoping that we can
protect them from damage,
00:37:41.99\00:37:44.79
and get them to adulthood whole.
00:37:44.83\00:37:47.66
And at that moment, I wanted
more than anything to say no.
00:37:47.73\00:37:51.53
But it wouldn't
have made a difference
00:37:51.57\00:37:53.00
'cause it was true.
00:37:53.03\00:37:56.14
He climbed on my lap, and
my daughter was on my lap.
00:37:56.17\00:37:59.47
And I felt like we were--
00:37:59.51\00:38:01.04
this tiny spot of
the most intense agony
00:38:01.08\00:38:06.25
in this huge universe.
00:38:06.28\00:38:08.38
You know, and where
is God, and does He know
00:38:08.42\00:38:11.22
and 'cause He know how
much pain we're in right here,
00:38:11.25\00:38:14.59
and how can we bare this.
00:38:14.62\00:38:17.36
And at that moment, I
felt a core of peace in me
00:38:17.39\00:38:21.83
that I knew is not me,
that God was right there.
00:38:21.86\00:38:26.20
And He was keeping me in peace
00:38:26.23\00:38:29.24
in the midst of the worst thing
that could ever happen to me.
00:38:29.27\00:38:33.61
My daughter looked
at me, and she said,
00:38:33.68\00:38:35.01
"Mom, I'm sure glad
you're not the kind of person
00:38:35.04\00:38:36.85
that blames God for everything."
00:38:36.88\00:38:39.78
I thought it's my daughter
feeling that presence too,
00:38:39.81\00:38:43.52
and at the same time,
my son is blaming God.
00:38:43.59\00:38:46.52
We are all so different.
00:38:46.55\00:38:48.49
And yet God knows,
He knows our hearts,
00:38:48.52\00:38:50.86
He knows our needs,
00:38:50.93\00:38:52.33
and He is there
to minister to us
00:38:52.36\00:38:54.00
whatever that is.
00:38:54.00\00:38:57.60
Then Ella said, "How
about Tony and Joey."
00:38:57.63\00:38:59.93
And I had to say them too.
00:39:00.07\00:39:02.50
You know, in that instant
our family was cut in half,
00:39:02.54\00:39:06.37
and for my son especially,
00:39:06.41\00:39:10.08
it was all the
men in the family,
00:39:10.11\00:39:12.01
it was his heroes, his mentors,
00:39:12.05\00:39:14.62
it was the men
who kept a lid on him,
00:39:14.65\00:39:16.48
'cause he was
always a bit too much.
00:39:16.52\00:39:18.15
It was like
gravity was gone for him.
00:39:18.19\00:39:19.99
I knew that God was there,
00:39:23.49\00:39:26.53
and I knew that God was gonna
finish the work He had started.
00:39:26.56\00:39:31.20
And I knew that God
would do it with or without me.
00:39:31.23\00:39:37.87
I wanted God to do with
me, I want to be part of it.
00:39:37.91\00:39:41.38
I don't have the
gifts that my husband had,
00:39:41.41\00:39:44.35
I'm not the artist,
and the creative person,
00:39:44.38\00:39:47.12
and didn't have
the capabilities,
00:39:47.15\00:39:50.69
but another
thing I learned is that
00:39:50.72\00:39:52.49
God can do anything He wants
00:39:52.52\00:39:54.49
with anyone He
wants to do it with.
00:39:54.52\00:39:57.23
Do you think that you don't have
00:39:57.26\00:39:58.59
any of the gifts or abilities?
00:39:58.63\00:40:00.53
Are you a one talent person?
00:40:00.60\00:40:04.03
It does not matter.
00:40:04.07\00:40:05.83
God picks the least likely,
00:40:05.87\00:40:09.10
because He can be
seen for who He is.
00:40:09.14\00:40:12.31
There is a verse in
Isaiah, that I really love.
00:40:12.34\00:40:15.48
A few verses, that is
Isaiah 41:17-20, it says,
00:40:15.51\00:40:20.18
"When the poor and needy
seek water, and there is none.
00:40:20.22\00:40:23.89
And their tongue
feels them for thirst.
00:40:23.95\00:40:26.39
I the Lord will hear them.
00:40:26.42\00:40:28.86
I the God of Israel
will not forsake them.
00:40:28.89\00:40:32.36
I will open
rivers in high places,
00:40:32.39\00:40:35.13
and fountains in the
midst of the valleys,
00:40:35.16\00:40:37.40
I'll make the
wilderness a pool of water,
00:40:37.43\00:40:39.97
and the dry
lands springs of water.
00:40:40.00\00:40:42.54
I'll plant in the
wilderness the cedar,
00:40:42.57\00:40:44.51
the acacia tree, the
myrtle and olive tree
00:40:44.54\00:40:46.84
are set in the desert,
00:40:46.91\00:40:48.24
the fir tree, and the pine tree,
00:40:48.28\00:40:50.21
and the box tree together.
00:40:50.28\00:40:51.81
That they may see and know,
and consider, and understand
00:40:51.85\00:40:56.22
that the hand of
the Lord has done this,
00:40:56.25\00:40:58.95
the Holy One of
Israel has created it."
00:40:58.99\00:41:01.69
It starts out with,
00:41:01.72\00:41:03.53
when the poor needy are
thirsty, they need water.
00:41:03.56\00:41:06.46
It ends up with, and
God's gonna do it in a way,
00:41:06.49\00:41:10.23
that you'll see
and know and consider
00:41:10.27\00:41:11.93
and understand that He did it.
00:41:11.97\00:41:14.10
God accomplishes His work
00:41:14.14\00:41:16.37
in a way that
we know who did it.
00:41:16.40\00:41:19.17
Remember the story of Moses,
00:41:19.21\00:41:21.91
he didn't want to
go to speak to Egypt.
00:41:21.94\00:41:24.45
He said, I can't even
talk, don't ask me to do this,
00:41:24.48\00:41:28.55
and God wanted him to do it.
00:41:28.58\00:41:31.69
And God wanted
him to do it in a way
00:41:31.72\00:41:33.66
that everyone would
know that it was God.
00:41:33.72\00:41:36.69
My favorite
author, Ellen White says,
00:41:36.73\00:41:38.49
"God intended to
accomplish the work
00:41:38.53\00:41:40.30
in a manner that would
pour contempt on human pride.
00:41:40.36\00:41:45.57
If you know, you can't do it,
00:41:45.60\00:41:48.24
and God does it,
you know that it's Him.
00:41:48.27\00:41:52.24
And that's exactly what God
did with the Seventh day Series.
00:41:52.27\00:41:57.18
It took me eight
years of research,
00:41:57.21\00:41:59.45
and all the time I was praying
that God would send someone,
00:41:59.48\00:42:02.68
who knew how to
do it better than me
00:42:02.72\00:42:04.29
and faster than me.
00:42:04.32\00:42:06.05
And God didn't send anyone.
00:42:06.09\00:42:08.16
I know how to
research, I can do that.
00:42:08.19\00:42:11.16
So during those eight years
00:42:11.19\00:42:12.53
I prayed for a
producer, director,
00:42:12.56\00:42:14.73
who would know
how to produce it,
00:42:14.73\00:42:16.06
and he would see the
scope and the value of it.
00:42:16.10\00:42:19.03
I prayed for someone
who could write the script,
00:42:19.07\00:42:21.80
because writing
script is an ability
00:42:21.84\00:42:25.61
that a person learns, and
I didn't have that ability,
00:42:25.64\00:42:28.44
and I prayed that God
would send the right host.
00:42:28.48\00:42:30.75
And for those eight years,
00:42:30.81\00:42:32.15
He didn't send
any of those things.
00:42:32.18\00:42:34.72
At the end of eight
years, I had a manuscript
00:42:34.75\00:42:38.02
that was over 200 pages,
it had over 1000 footnotes.
00:42:38.05\00:42:42.32
Some of the
footnotes had 10 sources.
00:42:42.36\00:42:45.36
Every footnote
was filed in hard copy
00:42:45.39\00:42:48.76
and in my computer
so it couldn't be lost.
00:42:48.80\00:42:52.03
And I sent that out to a
few people and they said,
00:42:52.07\00:42:55.34
"This is way too
long, this is too big."
00:42:55.37\00:43:00.38
I wrote a book.
00:43:00.41\00:43:02.84
About that time,
someone, one of my friend said,
00:43:02.88\00:43:06.21
"Have you talked to
Jeff Wood, he's a producer."
00:43:06.25\00:43:08.92
I said, "No, he
is such a busy guy."
00:43:08.95\00:43:10.49
And he said, "Let me give
part of the script to him."
00:43:10.52\00:43:12.69
So he gave him,
00:43:12.72\00:43:14.06
that was laid out in four parts,
00:43:14.09\00:43:15.42
he gave them the first part.
00:43:15.46\00:43:16.83
And I had a call, and he said,
00:43:16.86\00:43:18.19
"I'm interested
in this, let's talk."
00:43:18.23\00:43:21.50
So we met together,
looked it over, and I told him,
00:43:21.53\00:43:24.30
you know, there's all
these other parts here it is.
00:43:24.33\00:43:27.00
And he said, "Well,
would you be interested
00:43:27.04\00:43:29.10
in having
scriptwriter, come on board."
00:43:29.14\00:43:31.51
And I'm like, "Absolutely, yes."
00:43:31.54\00:43:34.34
He suggested his
brother Jim Wood, so Jim came,
00:43:34.38\00:43:37.21
we began to talk
and I asked Jeff,
00:43:37.25\00:43:39.55
"What do you think
00:43:39.58\00:43:40.92
we are looking at
in budget for this?"
00:43:40.95\00:43:43.15
He said, "I think it's
a million dollar project."
00:43:43.18\00:43:46.32
And I'm like, "Yes."
00:43:46.35\00:43:50.19
And God did it.
00:43:50.23\00:43:52.16
Ultimately it was
a $4 million project.
00:43:52.19\00:43:55.60
At this point it's been
translated into 19 languages.
00:43:55.63\00:43:59.57
There are four
more in the works,
00:43:59.60\00:44:01.47
and it's being used all over.
00:44:01.50\00:44:03.41
And look what God did,
00:44:03.44\00:44:05.84
and look what He
chose to do it with,
00:44:05.87\00:44:08.18
someone who couldn't do it.
00:44:08.21\00:44:09.98
We-- None of us
have any right to think
00:44:10.05\00:44:13.92
that we can't do
something for God.
00:44:13.95\00:44:17.09
We have no right to think
that we don't have abilities--
00:44:17.12\00:44:19.85
'Cause God measures
differently than we do.
00:44:25.46\00:44:27.93
And that's another thing
that I learned about God.
00:44:27.96\00:44:29.96
He measures things
differently than we do.
00:44:30.03\00:44:31.97
Remember the widow
with her two coins,
00:44:32.00\00:44:35.87
and how Jesus thought
00:44:35.90\00:44:37.27
that she had given more
than all of the rich people
00:44:37.31\00:44:39.11
that were putting
a lot of money in,
00:44:39.14\00:44:41.31
'cause she'd given her all.
00:44:41.34\00:44:45.38
Her heart went with her gift,
that's what Ellen White says.
00:44:45.41\00:44:48.05
The value is estimated
not by the worth of the coin,
00:44:48.08\00:44:52.19
but by the love to God,
and the interest in his work,
00:44:52.22\00:44:54.39
that had prompted the deed.
00:44:54.42\00:44:56.79
It's the motive that
gives character to our acts,
00:44:56.83\00:45:00.26
stamping them with
ignominy or high moral worth.
00:45:00.33\00:45:06.00
Here's another one I love.
00:45:06.03\00:45:08.10
Those who think
they can do, but little,
00:45:08.14\00:45:11.01
should improve every opportunity
00:45:11.04\00:45:12.74
to do that little.
00:45:12.77\00:45:14.34
It may be the smallest
link in the longest chain,
00:45:14.38\00:45:18.41
separate it
from other influences
00:45:18.45\00:45:20.05
that may appear
of very little worth,
00:45:20.12\00:45:22.42
but in God's great
chain of circumstances,
00:45:22.45\00:45:24.99
it may be the link
00:45:25.02\00:45:26.35
that connects
the soul to heaven.
00:45:26.39\00:45:28.42
You don't know what
your little acts are doing.
00:45:28.46\00:45:30.83
You don't know what your smile
or your kind words, the card,
00:45:30.86\00:45:34.10
you don't know what God
does with those little things.
00:45:34.10\00:45:37.57
And you know what
makes them of great worth.
00:45:37.60\00:45:40.40
It's the love
of God in our heart
00:45:40.44\00:45:42.40
that motivates those actions.
00:45:42.44\00:45:44.21
Did you know that love is power?
00:45:44.27\00:45:47.88
Love is power.
00:45:47.91\00:45:49.24
Moral and intellectual strength
are involved in this principle
00:45:49.28\00:45:51.95
and cannot be separated from it.
00:45:51.98\00:45:54.52
Whatever is done
out of pure love,
00:45:54.55\00:45:57.69
be it ever so
little or contemptible
00:45:57.72\00:45:59.62
in the side of
men is holy fruitful.
00:45:59.65\00:46:03.76
For God measures more
with how much love one works
00:46:03.79\00:46:05.96
than the amount he does.
00:46:05.99\00:46:07.40
Love is of God,
that's from a Review
00:46:07.46\00:46:09.10
and Herald
article, May 11, 1886,
00:46:09.13\00:46:12.37
"Did you hear that,
that whatever is done
00:46:12.40\00:46:14.70
out of the motive of
pure love is holy fruitful."
00:46:14.74\00:46:19.34
We might not see
the fruit of it now.
00:46:19.37\00:46:22.04
We might not know
what God's doing with it.
00:46:22.08\00:46:24.58
But you can
believe this promise,
00:46:24.61\00:46:27.22
that if you've done it
out of the motive of love,
00:46:27.25\00:46:29.45
it's holy fruitful.
00:46:29.48\00:46:33.19
Those of you who have
experienced great loss,
00:46:33.22\00:46:35.52
and that's probably all of you.
00:46:35.56\00:46:37.89
I heard a
quotation one time that said,
00:46:37.93\00:46:41.03
"You should
treat everyone you meet
00:46:41.06\00:46:42.83
as though they
suffer from great pain,
00:46:42.86\00:46:46.07
because they do."
00:46:46.10\00:46:48.20
That is a human
condition down here.
00:46:48.24\00:46:52.71
We want to protect
our children from it,
00:46:52.74\00:46:54.28
we want to raise
them without that pain.
00:46:54.31\00:46:57.25
And yet I've learned
that it's in the journey,
00:46:57.31\00:47:03.22
that we show who God is.
00:47:03.25\00:47:05.82
It's not necessarily the arrival
00:47:05.85\00:47:08.82
or the
accomplishment or the growing up
00:47:08.86\00:47:11.36
or the reaching the goal.
00:47:11.39\00:47:12.73
That's the most
important part of this journey.
00:47:12.76\00:47:16.53
You know, maybe it's in our
falling down, and stumbling,
00:47:16.56\00:47:20.14
and being wounded and damaged.
00:47:20.17\00:47:22.77
You know, maybe it's in
our great need of Jesus,
00:47:22.80\00:47:28.08
that the story is
really told of who He is.
00:47:28.11\00:47:31.61
You know, not one
of us grew to adulthood
00:47:31.65\00:47:34.38
without pain and damage.
00:47:34.42\00:47:37.95
And in this world, not one
of our children will either,
00:47:37.99\00:47:41.49
much as we wish to protect them.
00:47:41.52\00:47:44.33
But it's in that
pain, it's in those wounds
00:47:44.36\00:47:47.40
that we find out
how much we need God,
00:47:47.40\00:47:49.96
and that we find
out how faithful,
00:47:50.03\00:47:52.30
and how good God is.
00:47:52.33\00:47:54.70
We would not know
if we didn't need Him.
00:47:54.74\00:47:57.27
You know, we hate to be in need.
00:47:57.31\00:47:59.44
We are so self sufficient.
00:47:59.47\00:48:01.08
We don't want to need anything.
00:48:01.11\00:48:03.38
And yet God in His mercy,
another thing I've learned.
00:48:03.41\00:48:06.28
And in His love,
allows us to be in great need.
00:48:06.31\00:48:10.55
And it's in that need
that we find out who He is,
00:48:10.62\00:48:13.42
and how faithful He is.
00:48:13.49\00:48:15.46
How could we know otherwise?
00:48:15.49\00:48:17.29
If we're so self-sufficient
that we can accomplish anything
00:48:17.36\00:48:20.53
and everything by ourselves,
we don't even need God.
00:48:20.56\00:48:24.83
And I look at the
millennial generation,
00:48:24.87\00:48:28.27
and so many of them
are in that position.
00:48:28.30\00:48:31.54
Life is good, they
have everything they need,
00:48:31.57\00:48:34.71
they are successful financially.
00:48:34.74\00:48:36.78
They don't realize
that they need God.
00:48:36.85\00:48:39.51
And I know that
they will find out,
00:48:39.55\00:48:41.88
they will suffer,
and God in His mercy
00:48:41.92\00:48:44.85
will allow them to be in need,
00:48:44.89\00:48:47.36
so that they can
know how good He is.
00:48:47.39\00:48:52.19
You know, Paul, when he
was a prisoner in Rome, said,
00:48:52.23\00:48:56.16
"The Lord can bring
victory out of that,
00:48:56.20\00:48:58.33
which may seem to us
discomfiture in defeat.
00:48:58.37\00:49:02.64
When misfortune
and calamites come,
00:49:02.67\00:49:04.54
we're ready to charge
God with neglect, or cruelty.
00:49:04.57\00:49:08.31
We need to learn
that chastisement
00:49:08.34\00:49:09.71
is part of His plan.
00:49:09.74\00:49:11.78
And that under
the rod of affliction,
00:49:11.81\00:49:14.45
the Christian may sometimes
do more for the master,
00:49:14.48\00:49:16.82
that when engaged
in active service."
00:49:16.85\00:49:19.79
That's sounds
really strange, doesn't it?
00:49:19.82\00:49:23.76
That under the
rod of a affliction,
00:49:23.79\00:49:25.13
you might be able
to do more for God
00:49:25.16\00:49:27.03
than you could
in active service.
00:49:27.13\00:49:30.17
You remember in the
chapter on John the Baptist
00:49:30.20\00:49:33.67
in Desire of
Ages, where she says,
00:49:33.74\00:49:37.24
that God's faithful
servants are never laid aside
00:49:37.31\00:49:40.51
in sickness and in
health, in life and in death,
00:49:40.58\00:49:43.75
he uses them still.
00:49:43.78\00:49:46.55
That God could
use us in sickness.
00:49:46.58\00:49:49.02
That God could
even use us in death.
00:49:49.05\00:49:51.42
Isn't that to his credit
of what an amazing God He is.
00:49:51.45\00:49:55.59
And not only that, that
He allows us those things,
00:49:55.62\00:49:58.69
and sometimes not
for our own chastisement.
00:49:58.73\00:50:01.53
Sometimes our need or our trial
00:50:01.56\00:50:05.13
is for the good of somebody else
00:50:05.17\00:50:07.40
and a blessing
for somebody else,
00:50:07.44\00:50:09.20
we don't know.
00:50:09.24\00:50:10.57
You know, we can
never complain or question
00:50:10.61\00:50:14.78
what it is that
God is doing with us,
00:50:14.81\00:50:16.81
because we know that He is good.
00:50:16.85\00:50:18.45
We know that He
has good plans for us.
00:50:18.48\00:50:20.72
We know that He uses
anything and everything
00:50:20.78\00:50:23.65
that happens to us.
00:50:23.69\00:50:25.02
And we can know,
that no matter what it is,
00:50:25.05\00:50:27.62
no matter how grievous,
no matter how shattering,
00:50:27.66\00:50:31.16
no matter how painful, God
is able to use it for good,
00:50:31.19\00:50:35.43
not only for us,
but for someone else.
00:50:35.46\00:50:38.13
When I think that God could
take the loss of my family,
00:50:38.17\00:50:43.14
the agony of that,
and end up using it
00:50:43.17\00:50:46.14
to encourage or
bless someone else.
00:50:46.17\00:50:48.91
I'm just overwhelmed and amazed
00:50:48.94\00:50:50.98
at what God can do.
00:50:51.01\00:50:53.68
Paul went on to say
scene that we're surrounded
00:50:53.75\00:50:56.18
by so great a
cloud of witnesses,
00:50:56.22\00:50:59.29
let's lay aside
every weight in the sin
00:50:59.32\00:51:01.79
that so easily be besets us.
00:51:01.82\00:51:03.86
Let's run with patience,
the race is set before us.
00:51:03.93\00:51:07.10
Looking to Jesus, the author
and the finisher of our faith.
00:51:07.13\00:51:10.73
We're not alone in
this, we're being watched,
00:51:10.77\00:51:13.30
not only by heavenly beings,
00:51:13.34\00:51:15.87
and not only by the
universe, whatever is out there,
00:51:15.90\00:51:19.17
but we are being
watched by each other.
00:51:19.21\00:51:21.48
You don't know
what people see in you.
00:51:21.51\00:51:24.38
You can be totally surprised
by what someone has seen
00:51:24.41\00:51:26.98
in an experience of yours
or in a response of yours.
00:51:27.02\00:51:30.45
Something you're
completely unaware of that
00:51:30.49\00:51:32.59
God used to draw
attention to Himself,
00:51:32.62\00:51:35.86
to His credit, He can do that.
00:51:35.89\00:51:38.73
And I stand in all
that, because God is so good,
00:51:38.76\00:51:41.70
that He can
take the worst thing,
00:51:41.73\00:51:43.40
and the most painful
thing and use it for good.
00:51:43.43\00:51:46.80
You know as parents
that your children's agony
00:51:46.87\00:51:50.47
and your
children's troubles are yours.
00:51:50.54\00:51:54.34
And having to see
my children suffer,
00:51:54.38\00:51:56.88
the way they did,
00:51:56.91\00:51:58.25
to have lost their
dad and their brothers
00:51:58.28\00:52:00.35
was my pain as well.
00:52:00.42\00:52:04.02
We went memorize all the
verses on the resurrection.
00:52:04.09\00:52:07.26
My son felt so
burdened and guilty
00:52:07.29\00:52:09.72
like, somehow
they must not like him,
00:52:09.76\00:52:11.96
or he even said God,
God doesn't even like me,
00:52:11.99\00:52:14.60
'cause if God liked me, He
won't let that happen to me.
00:52:14.63\00:52:17.33
And I think in his
mind was a question to,
00:52:17.37\00:52:19.13
if God is really as
loving as we say He is.
00:52:19.17\00:52:22.57
And if He really
loved me that much,
00:52:22.60\00:52:24.17
He wouldn't let it happen to me,
00:52:24.21\00:52:25.67
or if God is
strong as they say He is,
00:52:25.71\00:52:28.18
He could have stopped it
from happening and He didn't.
00:52:28.21\00:52:30.71
So those questions
went around in my son's mind
00:52:30.75\00:52:32.88
and we prayed and read promises,
00:52:32.91\00:52:36.58
and you know, we have
to say that my son probably
00:52:36.65\00:52:40.52
still struggles with
those things to this day.
00:52:40.56\00:52:43.49
My daughter, for five years,
00:52:43.53\00:52:46.53
she didn't want
to think about it,
00:52:46.56\00:52:47.86
but she couldn't
help but think about it.
00:52:47.93\00:52:49.56
And she'd think, "I'm okay,"
00:52:49.60\00:52:50.93
and then at night she
cried herself to sleep.
00:52:50.97\00:52:53.80
And for her when
her dad was gone,
00:52:53.87\00:52:55.30
it was like God was gone.
00:52:55.34\00:52:56.77
You know, for children,
their dad is the image of God.
00:52:56.84\00:53:00.41
And she felt like,
she couldn't see God,
00:53:00.48\00:53:02.71
because her dad was gone.
00:53:02.74\00:53:04.78
When she was 14,
00:53:04.81\00:53:06.15
she made an adult
commitment to God,
00:53:06.18\00:53:09.42
and He helped her through it
and He walked her through it.
00:53:09.45\00:53:13.15
And I think God, He
can do such a thing,
00:53:13.19\00:53:15.62
you know, he can lead us.
00:53:15.66\00:53:17.03
My son still struggles,
God's not done with him.
00:53:17.06\00:53:20.33
God has given us promises.
00:53:20.40\00:53:22.10
You know, how often God
talked to us when we needed.
00:53:22.13\00:53:25.77
My children were young,
and I was agonizing over them.
00:53:25.80\00:53:31.07
He sat on the couch one night,
put him to bed early and cried,
00:53:31.11\00:53:33.84
I said, "God, look at
my kids, they are helpless.
00:53:33.88\00:53:36.31
Look at me, I can't even
save myself much less my kids.
00:53:36.34\00:53:39.45
What are we gonna do?"
00:53:39.48\00:53:40.88
And He took me right to
those verses in Isaiah 49,
00:53:40.92\00:53:44.05
where He promises that He
would take the captive away,
00:53:44.09\00:53:47.36
that He would contend
with him who contends with us
00:53:47.42\00:53:49.36
and He would save our
children, that's our God.
00:53:49.39\00:53:53.86
After we finished
the Seventh day Series,
00:53:53.90\00:53:56.23
we wanted to talk about
00:53:56.26\00:53:57.60
what God is like
in relation to death.
00:53:57.63\00:53:59.33
The character of
God, and we started by,
00:53:59.37\00:54:01.00
wanting to talk about
hell and eternal torment.
00:54:01.04\00:54:03.61
Do you realize that
over 60 percent of Americans
00:54:03.64\00:54:05.67
believe in eternal torment?
00:54:05.71\00:54:07.98
Do you realize that most
Christians, most of Islam,
00:54:08.01\00:54:11.45
very large proportion
of people in this world
00:54:11.48\00:54:13.52
believe in eternal torment?
00:54:13.55\00:54:15.88
And it's the devil's attempt
to make God look like himself.
00:54:15.92\00:54:19.75
We got to know Edward Fudge,
and when we heard his story,
00:54:19.79\00:54:23.63
we thought, it's a
good way to talk about it.
00:54:23.66\00:54:26.36
It's a sweet story,
00:54:26.39\00:54:27.73
and God led him
every step of the way
00:54:27.76\00:54:29.63
through difficulties,
and trials, and heartache
00:54:29.66\00:54:32.97
to the place
where he could see that.
00:54:33.00\00:54:34.97
The dead are really
dead, and God is not such a God
00:54:35.00\00:54:38.21
as to torment
sinners endlessly in fire.
00:54:38.24\00:54:43.21
Again it was an act of
God to produce the movie.
00:54:43.24\00:54:46.05
We didn't have funding.
00:54:46.08\00:54:47.68
We set it aside for a while
and I had phone call one day,
00:54:47.72\00:54:50.69
and the man on the other
end, someone I had not met
00:54:50.75\00:54:53.32
and still have not.
00:54:53.36\00:54:54.69
He said, "It was
really a mistake for you
00:54:54.72\00:54:56.09
to stop working on that project,
00:54:56.12\00:54:57.79
is there anything I can
do to talk you into it."
00:54:57.83\00:55:00.23
And I said, "I've
never stopped praying
00:55:00.26\00:55:01.83
that God provide the
means for us to do it."
00:55:01.86\00:55:04.60
He said, "Well, I think
I can get you some money.
00:55:04.63\00:55:06.67
Three weeks later, there
was an envelope on my desk
00:55:06.74\00:55:09.24
with a half a
million dollars in it.
00:55:09.27\00:55:11.34
That was marching orders,
that wasn't the whole budget,
00:55:11.37\00:55:14.21
but that God is going,
00:55:14.28\00:55:16.34
and step by step,
God accomplished it.
00:55:16.38\00:55:19.91
The film had showed
00:55:19.95\00:55:21.28
in over 150
theaters and public venues.
00:55:21.32\00:55:24.72
And it's being shown
not just by Adventists,
00:55:24.75\00:55:27.36
but by other people
out there in other places.
00:55:27.39\00:55:30.23
And the kind of
responses we're getting
00:55:30.26\00:55:31.86
are so encouraging.
00:55:31.89\00:55:33.23
Do you know that many
people have never even heard
00:55:33.26\00:55:35.30
that there was another view
of what happens to the lost?
00:55:35.33\00:55:38.93
One of our actors came
in the day before our shoot,
00:55:38.97\00:55:42.17
and he dropped the script
on the counter and he said,
00:55:42.20\00:55:44.67
"This script has
really impacted my life."
00:55:44.71\00:55:47.04
And we said,
"What's your story?"
00:55:47.08\00:55:48.41
He said, "Well, I
was raised Catholic,
00:55:48.44\00:55:49.88
I left the church as a teenager,
00:55:49.91\00:55:51.25
came back to God as an
adult and as a Protestant.
00:55:51.28\00:55:54.28
But he said, "I never even heard
00:55:54.32\00:55:55.88
that there was
another view of hell.
00:55:55.92\00:55:59.09
One lady wrote a little
note after watching the film,
00:55:59.12\00:56:01.46
she said, "You
know, I was raised
00:56:01.49\00:56:03.49
believing in eternal torment,
00:56:03.56\00:56:05.06
but she says even as a
child, I couldn't understand
00:56:05.09\00:56:07.13
how a God of love
could do such a thing.
00:56:07.23\00:56:09.60
And she says, "You've
confirmed my childhood beliefs,
00:56:09.63\00:56:11.53
and I can hardly wait to
tell my friends and family."
00:56:11.57\00:56:15.20
We have a
documentary in the works
00:56:15.24\00:56:17.11
that will go
along with the film,
00:56:17.14\00:56:18.57
that will go deeper into
it and be able to take people
00:56:18.61\00:56:20.68
through all of the scripture
that has to deal with it.
00:56:20.71\00:56:23.55
We have more to say
on this subject of death.
00:56:23.58\00:56:26.38
We're so blessed and fortunate
00:56:26.41\00:56:27.78
to know what God is really like,
00:56:27.82\00:56:29.88
and we have an obligation
to share that with the world
00:56:29.92\00:56:34.26
who is in
ignorance of His character.
00:56:34.29\00:56:38.33
This morning, I want to
end just on the whole idea
00:56:38.36\00:56:43.00
that God has told us to ask.
00:56:43.03\00:56:46.70
Jesus said, "You have
not, because you ask not."
00:56:46.74\00:56:49.67
You know, He said, "Make
high demands on me, ask me."
00:56:49.70\00:56:53.74
And do we?
00:56:53.78\00:56:55.18
Are we afraid to
ask God for things?
00:56:55.21\00:56:57.01
Do we think that we
are not worthy of it?
00:56:57.05\00:56:58.81
Do we think that He's a
stingy, punitive father,
00:56:58.85\00:57:02.45
and he wants to
make us work for it?
00:57:02.48\00:57:05.75
It's not true.
00:57:05.79\00:57:07.12
He said to ask.
00:57:07.19\00:57:10.86
Philippians 4
says, He's well pleased--
00:57:10.89\00:57:13.29
Said to ask Him,
and Ellen White says,
00:57:13.33\00:57:15.53
He's well pleased when we make
the highest demands upon Him
00:57:15.56\00:57:19.70
that they may glorify His name.
00:57:19.73\00:57:21.84
You know the bigger
things He does for us,
00:57:21.87\00:57:23.34
the more honor He gets.
00:57:23.41\00:57:25.57
The more we ask of
Him, the greater opportunity
00:57:25.61\00:57:27.74
we give Him to show who He is.
00:57:27.78\00:57:30.05
You have a dream,
ask Him to accomplish it.
00:57:30.08\00:57:32.91
You've children on the
faith, ask Him to save them.
00:57:32.95\00:57:36.08
You need money for a project
to honor Him, ask Him for it.
00:57:36.12\00:57:40.26
He's good, and He will
give us what we ask for
00:57:40.29\00:57:43.02
when it's an honor to His name.
00:57:43.06\00:57:44.59
He doesn't always
ask, answers immediately,
00:57:44.63\00:57:46.70
and He doesn't always answer
us the way we hope He will.
00:57:46.73\00:57:50.43
But He takes every opportunity
to be seen, and to be known,
00:57:50.47\00:57:54.84
and to be
glorified for who He is.
00:57:54.87\00:57:57.47
And you know, we
are His hands down here.
00:57:57.51\00:57:58.97
We are who He has
00:57:59.01\00:58:00.74
to show the world who He
is, and to show the universe
00:58:00.81\00:58:03.51
that He's exactly
who He says He is.
00:58:03.58\00:58:05.55