Participants: Patsy Arrabito
Series Code: 15ASIC
Program Code: 15ASIC000002A
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00:20 Good morning every one.
00:23 You guys are the faithful few 00:24 that are here at the beginning, amen. 00:27 How are you doing today? 00:28 You blessed? 00:29 Well, because you came early, you get a special treat, 00:32 how's that? 00:33 Because you came early, you get a special treat. 00:35 We have a special-- 00:37 This is the first time that this video is gonna be shown. 00:40 This is a work that we've done over the last few months 00:44 to share with others a little about what ASI is all about. 00:48 You know last night, 00:50 I shared with some of our history of ASI-- 00:53 The history of ASI, 00:54 but this is now done in a video. 00:57 And I think you really gonna blessed 00:58 as you watch this video which tells us 01:01 about the mission and the purpose of ASI. 01:22 Have you ever wondered where we began, 01:26 the spark to begin this movement? 01:32 Remember-- 01:35 It took me a long, long time to learn to really believe 01:39 that all things worked together for good. 01:42 To those who love the Lord. 01:45 I still will have to learn many more things. 01:48 But I have been led over a path 01:52 that has helped me to stabilize my faith. 01:58 That great truth can be depended upon 02:04 if one will stay by the Lord. 02:09 Under her guidance, this college was established, 02:13 self supported, inspiring, educated, 02:16 the foundation was laid. 02:18 Ministry sprang up all over the world. 02:21 Lay members and church leaders burned 02:24 to join ministry with the church, 02:26 ASI was born. 02:30 Today, ASI continues with the example 02:33 of the Apostle Paul, 02:34 sharing Jesus Christ in the marketplace. 02:39 Business professionals were needed on the team, 02:42 and as ministry and business united in their efforts, 02:45 a dynamic network was formed. 02:48 Everyday ASI members and ministries 02:51 carried the lights to mission fields across 02:53 the North American division and the whole world. 03:01 It's important to be a part of ASI, 03:03 because I'm able to share my gifts 03:05 with the team of people in so many ways worldwide. 03:08 It's not just the blessing to the people I teach. 03:11 It's a blessing to me as well. 03:15 Building a one day church is a really special experience 03:21 because you get to come in here 03:23 and this people sometimes don't even have a church 03:26 or whatever they built for themselves 03:27 and it's really special, 03:31 you see them come to you, they're all happy, 03:32 they come and shake Your hands, 03:34 say thank you, thank you. 03:35 They value the church so much. 03:38 And building it, it's a good build, 03:41 it's not hard. 03:42 I didn't have to get through any special training to do it, 03:45 but the rewards from them are incredible. 03:48 It's such an experience. 03:50 It's great opportunity 03:52 to be part of ASI as a business, 03:55 because it's God who gave us 03:56 these businesses in the first place. 03:58 And now being a part of the ASI family, 04:02 I can work together in a strategic way 04:04 to use my business, 04:05 to multiply the kingdom of God in the way that 04:08 I never could have done before. 04:09 Well, I-- 04:11 you know I think that this whole program 04:14 says two or three important things. 04:16 Number one, it says I can be involved, 04:20 no matter who I am, 04:22 no matter what my skill level or what my talents, 04:24 I can be involved in that. 04:26 And that really is a message for the whole church. 04:28 The take away is, we can work together. 04:32 We can build community that goes beyond 04:37 what differences we have. 04:40 Healing, teaching, training, 04:47 sharing, proclaiming, 04:51 building faith, restoring. 04:56 This is what we do. This is who we are. 05:00 The tribulation will bring about good and mellow one. 05:08 Make one more efficient. 05:10 And more capable of working for the Lord 05:15 is a hard experience to learn. 05:19 If I'd had my way when I stared out, 05:23 I never would have traveled or would never have chosen 05:27 to travel over a road that had in it tribulations. 05:32 I would have always looked for a road 05:34 that was free from those. 05:36 Because as a young man. 05:39 I'd dodged every time I could 05:42 anything that was hard and difficult. 05:45 And when I was in medical school, 05:48 I found that even young people that were old enough 05:53 and had developed enough to take a medical course 05:56 could become quite famous in dodging a good many things 06:00 that they only could get away with if you understand? 06:03 Your wisdom is sufficient, 06:05 that you will not dodge any hard thing 06:10 and take an easy road. 06:12 Because if you get in the habit 06:14 of doing that you're going to have a hard time. 06:17 We are a team in business and ministry 06:21 together focused on Christ, 06:25 passionate about the mission of the church just like you. 06:29 Join us in spreading the light 06:31 of the advent message to the world. 06:35 What the world needs is Jesus. 06:39 Remember. 06:42 I have the privilege of introducing 06:44 our speaker this morning, a good friend of mine. 06:47 Her name is Pat Arrabito and she directs a ministry 06:51 called LLT Productions. 06:54 It's a medium ministry 06:56 and among their most significant accomplishments 06:59 are two film projects. 07:02 The first is called ''The Seventh Day''. 07:05 It's a five part documentary on the history of the Sabbath. 07:09 How many of you seen that? 07:11 Documentary, great, that's awesome. 07:13 The second is a film called, 07:15 and it's a feature film this time called 07:18 "Hell and Mr. Fudge". 07:21 It's a story of a man named literally Edward Fudge. 07:24 And Edward Fudge studied his way into 07:28 what we called the state of the dead, 07:30 our understanding of the state of the dead. 07:32 He was a Bible Belt preacher. 07:34 And the film is about the amazing story of this man's 07:38 journey into biblical truth. 07:41 And it's a great film, I just love it. 07:43 I have no bones about saying it's the very best film 07:47 that's been produced by any Adventist. 07:49 I like to say it's a vegan film, 07:50 because it's so professional that there is not one moment 07:54 of cheese in the whole film, you know, 07:55 how some of these low budget films 07:57 could be kind of cheesy at times. 07:59 There's not a moment of that, 08:01 the film has wonderful warmth to it, 08:03 it's the human interest story, but it also got deep theology. 08:07 It's a fabulous movie. 08:09 You need to get yourself a copy of that 08:10 if you haven't yet. 08:12 But the thing that's the most remarkable about 08:14 our speaker this morning Pat Arrabito 08:16 is the fact that she out of great tragedy in losing 08:21 three family members years back. 08:25 Channeled that grief into creative ministry 08:29 and carried on in place of her husband 08:32 and brought his own visions to fruition. 08:35 And you're gonna hear that story in detail. 08:37 Pat is an amazing person. 08:39 She considers herself behind the scenes persons, 08:41 but this morning she is gonna be speaking 08:43 and when she speaks, 08:45 people listen because she is the real deal. 08:47 And I really love Pat. 08:48 And aside from all that, she is my ASI roommate 08:51 for the last 15 years so, 08:54 I think we gonna hear from her next. 08:56 Hello. 09:14 How shall we stand amid uncertainty? 09:21 Where is our comfort in travail? 09:28 How shall we walk amid infirmity 09:35 When feeble limbs are worn and frail? 09:42 And as we pass through mortal sorrow 09:49 How shall our hearts abide the day? 09:57 Where is the strength the soul may borrow? 10:05 Teach us thy way Teach us thy way 10:14 Make us one, 10:19 that our burdens may be light 10:22 Make us one 10:26 as we seek eternal life 10:29 Unite our hands to serve thy children well 10:37 Unite us in obedience to thy will 10:44 Make us one! 10:47 Teach us, Lord, to be 10:51 Of one faith 10:56 of one heart 11:00 One in thee 11:16 Then shall our souls be filled with charity 11:24 Then shall all hate and anger cease 11:31 And though we strive amid adversity 11:38 Yet shall we find thy perfect peace 11:45 So shall we stand despite our weakness 11:53 So shall our strength be strength enough 12:00 We bring our hearts to thee 12:06 in meekness 12:09 Lord, wilt thou bind them in thy love? 12:18 Make us one Make us one 12:23 that our burdens may be light 12:27 Make us one Make us one 12:30 as we seek eternal life 12:34 Unite our hands to serve thy children well 12:41 Unite us in obedience to thy will 12:48 Make us one 12:52 Teach us, Lord, to be 12:56 Of one faith 13:00 of one heart 13:04 One in thee 13:10 Take from me this heart of stone 13:16 And make it flesh even as thine own 13:23 Take from me unfeeling pride 13:30 Teach me compassion 13:32 cast my fear aside 13:37 Give us one heart 13:40 give us one mind 13:44 Lord make us thine 13:48 Oh, make us thine! 13:52 Make us one Make us one, 13:58 that our burdens may be light 14:01 Make us one Make us one 14:05 as we seek eternal life 14:08 Unite our hands to serve thy children well 14:16 Unite us in obedience to thy will 14:23 Make us one! 14:26 Teach us, Lord, to be 14:37 Of one faith 14:43 of one heart 14:47 One in thee 15:02 One in thee. 15:26 Amen. 15:28 Good morning. 15:31 I was 21 years old traveling the world 15:35 proving that I could do it all myself, 15:38 that I didn't need any one. 15:40 I had always wanted to go 15:42 to one of the little Greek islands, 15:43 where there is little white buildings and blue sea 15:46 and it's beautiful. 15:48 Caught a ferry to the island of Naxos, 15:51 I wanted to go to a place 15:52 where there weren't a lot of tourists. 15:55 Found a room for a dollar a night. 15:58 Went out to the water, enjoyed the sea. 16:02 Children came and talked to me, took me sightseeing. 16:06 Sabbath came around a couple days later 16:08 and I wanted to spend the day in another place, 16:10 so I took the bus across the island 16:12 to the second village. 16:14 As I got there, I saw this beautiful curve 16:17 with the village here and cliffs over here. 16:19 And I just thought, 16:20 I'm gonna go out on those cliffs 16:22 and I'll spend Sabbath reading my Bible, 16:23 and having a quite time with God. 16:26 It took me a while to get out there, 16:27 because it was a rocky and stickery. 16:29 Had a bag on my shoulder with my Bible in it, 16:32 traveler's checks, passport, the little money that I had. 16:38 I made it out to the cliffs and I started climbing around. 16:41 And as I was climbing my bag slipped off my shoulder, 16:44 it bounced once on the ledge where I was standing 16:48 and then it flipped down into the sea, 16:52 about 40 feet below. 16:54 And my first thought was, "Oh that could have been me." 17:00 My second thought was, 17:02 there is no way I can get down there, 17:04 and get that bag. 17:07 And I can't go anywhere out in the words without it. 17:10 I scrambled back through the brush and the rocks around 17:14 the curve to the village looking for help. 17:16 I found a teenager 17:18 who could speak a little English, 17:19 and I told him what had happened. 17:21 He went and got his dad, they had a little boat. 17:23 They got in their boat 17:25 and they started chugging across that curve. 17:27 But it was a windy day and there're whitecaps 17:29 and they couldn't get over to the cliff. 17:33 They took me home with them, they fed me, 17:37 they gave me a room to stay in. 17:39 And pretty soon this whole little village 17:41 knew that there was an American tourist 17:43 who had lost her belongings in the sea. 17:47 Every one came out, 17:48 I walked down those cobble streets 17:50 and people would invite me in their home 17:52 and they would offer me food. 17:53 The young people in the village, 17:55 friends of the teenager took me sightseeing. 17:59 Night came, I looked out again 18:01 and the water was still full of whitecaps. 18:04 I slept in that beautiful guest room, 18:07 woke up first thing in the morning, 18:08 crack of dawn, 18:09 I'm looking out my window and there are still whitecaps. 18:12 On the next day, the villagers entertained me 18:15 and took care of me. 18:16 The bus driver came looking for me, 18:17 because he was worried, 18:19 I hadn't come back to his village. 18:20 He offered me money to get back to Athens. 18:23 Other people in the village afford me money. 18:25 The day passed, the whitecaps remained 18:28 and I spent another night in that lovely guest room 18:30 which I could never have afforded 18:32 if I were paying for it. 18:33 Monday morning dawned, I looked out, it was calm. 18:39 The boy and his dad and several other people 18:41 got a little bigger boat, 18:43 they took me on the boat with them 18:44 and they checked across that curve. 18:47 They got right there near the cliffs, 18:49 and a man dived down into the water, 18:52 and on his first dive he came up with my bag. 18:56 Water running out of it. 18:58 They horn the boat going all the way back, the people, 19:01 the whole village was lined up on the wharf 19:03 cheering and clapping because they found my bag. 19:05 They took my stuff, 19:07 they spread it all out on the flat roof to dry. 19:10 My passport had one visa washed out, 19:13 my Japanese one, I was done with it, 19:14 all the other ink was fine. 19:16 My Bible was like this thick, by the time it dried out. 19:20 I had a letter half written to my parents, 19:22 I finished writing it and I said "lick this paper, 19:24 it's salty, spin in the drink." 19:28 You know, those people loved helping me. 19:33 I was out to prove my independence, 19:36 and thinking that I didn't need anyone. 19:38 And God allowed me to be in a position 19:40 where I desperately needed help. 19:42 And what He showed me 19:43 was that those people were blessed 19:46 to be able to help me. 19:47 Some of those people wrote to me 19:49 for five years after that. 19:51 They loved helping me and they were so blessed. 19:54 And that was one of my first adult lessons 19:57 in what God is like, and how He takes care of us, 20:01 and what he does for us 20:02 that is so surprising and unexpected. 20:05 Life doesn't always happen the way you think it will, 20:08 does it? 20:09 It doesn't always do treat you the way you think it should. 20:13 And I'm really thankful to be old enough 20:17 to see some of the things that God does. 20:19 You know, everyone has a story. 20:22 You have a story, I have a story. 20:24 Everyone has a story. 20:26 And it's our stories that God uses to show what He is like. 20:31 Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians, 20:34 "For we are made spectacle or theatre unto the world, 20:38 and to angels, and to men." 20:40 You don't think about the fact 20:41 that the whole universe is looking at you 20:43 in your life and what God is doing in you. 20:46 Paul exhorts the Corinthians believers and us. 20:49 In 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, he says, 20:52 "You are our epistle written in our hearts, 20:55 known and read of all men, being made manifest 20:59 that you are the epistle of Christ, 21:01 ministered by us, written not with ink, 21:04 but with the Spirit of the living God, 21:06 not in tables of stone, but in the tables of the heart, 21:10 fleshly tables of heart." 21:12 God story is written on ours hearts, 21:15 and it's written for the whole universe to see. 21:19 And it's for the purpose that the universe can see 21:21 what God is like. 21:24 Some of the things that I have learned, 21:26 I want to share with you this morning. 21:29 I have learned that God loves me. 21:31 I have heard that all my life. 21:33 I didn't really take it seriously 21:36 until I was a rebellious teenager. 21:38 I walked into a week of prayer, 21:39 I looked up at the ceiling and I said, 21:42 "God, don't think you gonna get me this time." 21:46 By the end of that we week of prayer, 21:47 God had spoken to my heart and He had impressed my heart 21:50 with a fact that He liked me. 21:53 And it wasn't because I was so good. 21:56 And I couldn't help but like Him back, 21:58 that's what God does. 22:00 He says, I know the thoughts that I think toward you. 22:03 Thoughts-- 22:05 says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, 22:07 to give you an expected end. 22:09 He has plans for us and purpose for us. 22:12 And when things don't look so good, 22:14 it doesn't mean that they aren't good, right? 22:16 Because God does things in ways that we can't understand. 22:19 I learned that, 22:21 it's because God loves me that I have great value. 22:24 It's not because I am so good, because I am so gorgeous, 22:27 talented, accomplished, it's because I am His child. 22:32 Because I am, He loves me, and His love for me 22:35 is what gives me value. 22:37 I remember holding my first born son 22:39 after a long and difficult labor, 22:42 his head was shaped like a bullet 22:44 and he had white stuff all over him 22:46 and I realized later he really wasn't beautiful, 22:49 I couldn't tell at the moment. 22:51 And that baby in my arms did nothing to win my love, 22:57 earn my love, or payback my love. 23:01 I would have died for him on the spot. 23:03 I loved him so much and I realized I'm God's baby. 23:07 There is nothing beautiful about me but He loves me 23:10 and that's what gives me such value. 23:15 You know speaking of ugly, I remember thinking 23:17 before he was born, 23:18 having seen a baby that look kind of unhomely to me. 23:22 You know when my son is born, 23:24 I'm gonna admit if he is not beautiful, 23:26 it doesn't mean I don't love him. 23:28 But when he was born, I couldn't even tell 23:30 because love creates beauty. 23:33 We look at the people we love and they are beautiful to us. 23:35 And that's what God does in us, His love creates beauty, 23:39 and He creates love in us 23:42 because He said love begets love. 23:44 And that way that God loves us 23:46 is what gives us such tremendous value. 23:51 Another thing that I learned along the way 23:52 is that God loves us and in that love 23:55 God allows us to suffer. 23:58 I used to think if I just truthfully obeyed God 24:01 and followed Him well, that I wouldn't need 24:04 the discipline of suffering. 24:07 And then I remember reading, well, 24:09 I was kind of drawn to the Book of Job, 24:11 I wanted to understand Job's experience. 24:13 And then, I also came across Hebrews Chapter 2 24:19 where it says that 24:21 "It became him, for whom are all things, 24:24 and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, 24:28 to make the captain of their salvation perfect 24:30 through suffering." 24:32 That's Chapter 2 verse 10. 24:33 And then over in Chapter 5 it says, 24:36 "Though he were a Son, 24:38 yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered, 24:42 then being made perfectly 24:43 he became author of eternal salvation, 24:45 for all those that obey him." 24:47 And I just thought wow, 24:49 if Jesus suffered to become perfect, 24:54 to develop that character, 24:55 how would any of us feel that we could be like Jesus 24:59 without suffering. 25:00 And I realize that suffering isn't just discipline, 25:03 suffering is entering into Christ. 25:06 And into fellowship with Christ, 25:08 and it's becoming like Christ. 25:10 And that we really can't be like that without it. 25:13 The servant is not better than the master. 25:15 And if Christ endured that, 25:17 then the people who love Him will also. 25:23 I knew then that, well, I had never really suffered 25:26 in my life, that suffering will be a part of my life. 25:30 My husband was an artist, 25:32 but his great passion was soul willing 25:34 and he loved evangelism. 25:36 And he began to share Sabbath history in his evangelism 25:39 and he found people so responsive to it. 25:42 People had never heard those stories. 25:44 They never heard that Saint Patrick 25:45 was the Sabbath keeper. 25:47 They've never heard that the schism 25:49 between the Latin and then the Orthodox churches 25:51 was partially over the Sabbath. 25:53 The Latin church was requiring fasting on Sabbath 25:56 and the Orthodox church, Greek church said, absolutely not, 25:59 the one day of the week that you can't fast is the Sabbath 26:02 because that's a festival day. 26:03 And so, they excommunicated each others leadership 26:07 and there was a big schism. 26:09 And, you know, those stories were new to people 26:11 and we would find people showing up in church 26:13 on Sabbath after hearing those talks, 26:15 when they hadn't even been invited. 26:17 And out of that, he wanted to produce a documentary 26:20 series for secular audience that would trace 26:23 the history of Sabbath, and show the conflicts 26:25 and the heroes and the martyrs, 26:27 and where Sunday came from. 26:30 And he laid that dream before the Lord 26:32 and he began to work toward it, 26:34 and to travel to gather material for it. 26:37 Traveled to Europe, traveled to the Middle East, 26:40 traveled to China 26:42 and other places in Asia collecting material. 26:47 He traveled to Alaska. 26:48 He heard a story of a Inupiat whom God had talked to, 26:54 and told him about the Sabbath, 26:56 told him about the Father and the elder brother 26:59 and a beautiful city that was gonna come down 27:01 and a special fruit that you would eat in that city, 27:03 and taught him that the Father 27:06 had more power than the shamans, 27:08 that his people were subjected to. 27:11 The shamans tried to kill him but they said, 27:13 they couldn't because he was surrounded by a white light, 27:16 and his home was surrounded by a white light 27:17 and they couldn't get through to him. 27:19 And this man told his people, 27:21 every time you see my pole with a flag on it, 27:24 that's the day you don't have to work. 27:26 You can come and I will talk to you about the Father 27:28 and teach you. 27:31 It's a wonderful story, isn't it? 27:32 It just shows you how God is not willing 27:34 that any should perish, 27:35 but that all should come to repentance. 27:37 And where there is no machinery and no human voice can go, 27:41 God sends dreams, or He sends a talking bird 27:44 as he did to Maniilaq, The Eskimo. 27:48 God is so good, isn't he? 27:52 Jim was traveling to Alaska. 27:53 He had enough mileage on his travel bank 27:56 to take our two older sons. 27:58 Tony was 13, Joey was 11 and the dream of their life 28:02 was to go to Alaska. 28:04 They wanted to see elk and go fishing and see polar bears, 28:07 and do all the things that kids would like to do 28:10 in a place like that, they were outdoor kids. 28:13 For 10 days they stayed in the villages up 28:16 in northern Alaska, 28:19 they learned what life is like that it's hard. 28:22 They heard the stories, they interviewed the elders, 28:25 it's an oral tradition 28:26 and stories are passed down from father to son, 28:29 they interviewed different people 28:30 to get the whole story. 28:32 You know, it's a story of tremendous hope. 28:34 People still believe that Maniilaq was a prophet, 28:37 and that his prophecies will yet come true. 28:41 While they are up there, God put on my heart to pray 28:45 particularly for my boys, 28:47 that he would put love in their heart 28:49 as the motive for their choices. 28:52 They'd been baptized. 28:53 I wouldn't say that they were ready for translation. 28:57 But I wanted them to make their decisions based on love. 29:03 It's not enough to obey 29:04 because your mom and dad told you to. 29:06 It's not enough to do good because the church has rules. 29:10 God is calling for the motive of love 29:12 in our hearts for action, 29:14 and that was my prayer for my boys. 29:16 And you know, God has told us in Matthew 7 to ask, He said, 29:22 "Ask and you'll receive, seek and you'll find. 29:25 Knock and it will be opened unto you." 29:27 And he says, "What father if his son asks for bread, 29:31 will he give him a stone? 29:33 If he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?" 29:36 My boys probably would have loved to have a serpent. 29:39 But I know that God heard my prayer, 29:42 because He promised, 29:43 if we ask for what's good, He is not gonna give us a rock. 29:47 And that we are to ask him. 29:51 They were scheduled to return home on Monday, 29:54 landing in L.A 29:56 because they'd been to get cheap flight out of L.A 29:58 And one of our helpers had driven down to L.A. 30:01 to pick them up, 30:02 I live in northern California. 30:04 He gave me a call mid-afternoon, 30:06 and he said, "They're not on the plane." 30:10 And I was kind of shocked, 'cause I thought, 30:12 surely if they've missed their flight, 30:13 they would have called and let us know. 30:16 I called up to Alaska, to our friends up there, 30:20 and that's when I found out 30:21 that the small plane they were flying in 30:23 had not arrived in Anchorage the night before. 30:27 They were-- It was Jim, and our two sons, 30:29 and a young lady from New Zeeland 30:31 and a native pilot. 30:34 Search and rescue was unable to go out, 30:36 because the weather was bad that day. 30:40 But I knew in my heart that they were fine, 30:42 because Jim was working on the Sabbath project, 30:45 and God had given us so many evidences 30:48 of His intervention and of His guidance in it. 30:53 It was a big project. 30:54 Originally Jim had prayed for $10,000. 30:58 He said, "I'll finish this in six months," 30:59 but you know, how things grow, they grow, 31:00 they take on a life of their own. 31:03 And there was more material, and more information, 31:05 and more places to go. 31:06 And ultimately, he was praying for million dollars. 31:09 And me, me of little faith was thinking, 31:12 a million dollars, why do we need a million dollars? 31:18 But that was his prayer, 31:19 and as he began to put material together, 31:22 we could see that was a huge project. 31:24 He storyboarded it all, 31:26 before he had gone up to Alaska, 31:27 almost 600 small frames 31:29 telling the people and places, events 31:30 in the order it should go as he saw it. 31:33 He hadn't written a script for it, 31:35 and he had not filed his information. 31:38 It was all in his head, and in all the books he read. 31:41 So his goal was, when he got back from Alaska, 31:45 he would begin to write on it. 31:48 I knew that God was gonna finish that job. 31:50 He was praying one day for money for the project. 31:53 The phone ring as he was praying, 31:55 and the voice on the other end said, 31:56 "I heard about what you're doing, 31:58 and I'd like to know what you'd do with money, 32:00 if I gave you 10,000 or 25,000, or $50,000." 32:03 And Jim said, "I'll call you back." 32:06 Called him back and the man send $50,000, 32:08 that was the beginning. 32:10 And over and over again, God opened Iraq, 32:14 it had been closed to tourism, Jim was able to get into Iraq. 32:17 China was close to tourism at that time. 32:19 He told the travel agent, 32:21 "As soon as there is a way for me to get into China, 32:24 book me a ticket." 32:25 The agent called one day, he said, "There's a tour, 32:27 it's going across China 32:29 to all the places that you want to go." 32:31 So Jim said, "Book me," there were three other men 32:33 that were gonna go with him with equipment. 32:36 The agent called one day, he said, 32:37 "By tomorrow I need $1,400 32:41 to hold your place on that tour." 32:44 We had no money, Jim was an artist. 32:46 The next day, someone walked into the studio, 32:50 someone we hadn't met before, but he heard, 32:52 and Jim explained the project to him and he left. 32:54 He came back an hour later 32:56 and he pulled a roll of bills out of his pocket, 32:58 and counted off 20 $100 bills. 33:01 We hopped in the car 33:02 and went down to the travel agent. 33:04 Jim pealed off the 1,400 and then he said to the agent, 33:08 "I've got 600 left, shall I put this 33:10 toward what's needed for the rest of the balance. 33:12 And the agent said, "No," 33:14 when the time comes, he will have it. 33:16 See what God does, He uses our experiences 33:20 to give faith to other people. 33:23 And it was true, God took care of it. 33:25 And on that trip, 33:27 he had opportunity to share with people, 33:28 they wouldn't have otherwise. 33:30 Their guide was a young Chinese woman. 33:32 And she made it plain right at the start 33:34 that she was communist, and she heard 33:36 that four of the people on the tour are Christians, 33:37 and she made it plain, 33:39 I don't want to hear anything about God. 33:42 So Jim had with him a Christ Object Lessons book, 33:45 he was reading. 33:46 And he sent to her, her name was Doe, 33:47 he said, "Doe, I'll help you with your English. 33:49 Come sit with me on the bus or the train, 33:51 and I'll help you with English. 33:53 So she comes, sit with him, and he would tell her stories, 33:56 he would tell her stories like the prodigal son, 34:00 the sower sowing the seed. 34:02 He would tell her some of the stories 34:04 from the old true education readers, 34:05 those heartening stories. 34:07 Toward the end of the trip, she said to him, 34:09 and he wish she'd come to sit with him, 34:11 he put his Christ Object Lessons away. 34:12 He would say, "You don't want to hear this book, 34:14 because it's a Christian book. 34:16 Toward the end of the trip, she said to him, 34:18 "Where do you hear these stories, 34:20 they won my heart." 34:22 He said, "Well, a lot of them are in this book here." 34:26 She said, ''Can I have your book?" 34:28 And he left it with her. 34:30 And we know that God's word does not return void. 34:33 No one know what's happened, but God knows, 34:35 and she had that book. 34:38 So God had opened that door. 34:41 Over and over again, 34:42 God had provided ways and means, 34:44 and I knew that God was going to accomplish his dream 34:48 of a Sabbath documentary. 34:50 There was no doubt, 34:51 and I believe that He needed Him to do it. 34:54 And I knew that they were okay. 34:55 Besides, my son had taken with him his 34:57 "How to survive in Alaska" book. 35:00 So I had confidence when I went to bed that night, 35:06 I prayed and have you ever asked God to talk to you. 35:09 Sometimes we need the voice of God, don't we? 35:12 And very often, God has led me right to the verses that are-- 35:17 what His word is to me, 35:18 and I know it's Him talking to me. 35:21 And I went to bed that night, and I said 35:22 God, I don't know what's happening, 35:24 I don't have any word, 35:26 I believe that my family is fine, 35:27 but please talk to me. 35:29 And He took me to a verse in Job 23:10, 35:33 "But he knows the way that I take, 35:35 when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold." 35:39 And I thought, 35:40 "Man, why are you giving me that one?" 35:43 And I thought, well, it's probably, 35:45 'cause it's a trial to not know and have to wait. 35:48 And later I thank God for that verse, 35:50 because you know, He knows that we are about dust, 35:54 and yet He's promised 35:56 that He can make gold out of dust. 36:01 God is amazing. 36:03 The next day we waited for news, and as we waited, 36:06 my house filled up with friends who had heard, 36:09 friends hooked to wait with me. 36:12 Early afternoon, I had a phone call from search and rescue, 36:16 which was headed up by an Adventist pastor, 36:19 and they said, we've located the plane, 36:22 and we're sending the helicopter in, 36:25 and that's all they would say. 36:26 My brother is a pilot, he lived in Sacramento, 36:29 I called him, and I said, they've found the plane, 36:32 he called them, 36:33 he'd been keeping in touch with them, 36:35 and he called me back and said, "I'm gonna fly over 36:37 and be with you when you get the news." 36:39 So he flew over in his plane, 36:41 my dad picked him up at the airport 36:43 and brought him to the house. 36:45 And my brother let me outside, 36:49 and he and my dad closed their arms around me, 36:52 and my brother said, "There are no survivors." 36:58 And my head was spinning, 37:00 and I think that time stood still, 37:05 and I thought, but there are survivors, 37:07 because I'm still here, and my two younger children. 37:11 I don't know how long we were out there. 37:15 People say that you go through a stage of denial, 37:17 but there was no denial in me, I knew it was true. 37:22 I went back in the house, my son Andy was seven, 37:26 my daughter Ella was almost nine. 37:29 Andy ran across the room, 37:30 and he just flung out these words, 37:33 "My daddy is dead, isn't he?" 37:35 And you know, as a parent, it's our-- 37:37 our job is to protect our children. 37:40 We raise our children 37:41 hoping that we can protect them from damage, 37:44 and get them to adulthood whole. 37:47 And at that moment, I wanted more than anything to say no. 37:51 But it wouldn't have made a difference 37:53 'cause it was true. 37:56 He climbed on my lap, and my daughter was on my lap. 37:59 And I felt like we were-- 38:01 this tiny spot of the most intense agony 38:06 in this huge universe. 38:08 You know, and where is God, and does He know 38:11 and 'cause He know how much pain we're in right here, 38:14 and how can we bare this. 38:17 And at that moment, I felt a core of peace in me 38:21 that I knew is not me, that God was right there. 38:26 And He was keeping me in peace 38:29 in the midst of the worst thing that could ever happen to me. 38:33 My daughter looked at me, and she said, 38:35 "Mom, I'm sure glad you're not the kind of person 38:36 that blames God for everything." 38:39 I thought it's my daughter feeling that presence too, 38:43 and at the same time, my son is blaming God. 38:46 We are all so different. 38:48 And yet God knows, He knows our hearts, 38:50 He knows our needs, 38:52 and He is there to minister to us 38:54 whatever that is. 38:57 Then Ella said, "How about Tony and Joey." 39:00 And I had to say them too. 39:02 You know, in that instant our family was cut in half, 39:06 and for my son especially, 39:10 it was all the men in the family, 39:12 it was his heroes, his mentors, 39:14 it was the men who kept a lid on him, 39:16 'cause he was always a bit too much. 39:18 It was like gravity was gone for him. 39:23 I knew that God was there, 39:26 and I knew that God was gonna finish the work He had started. 39:31 And I knew that God would do it with or without me. 39:37 I wanted God to do with me, I want to be part of it. 39:41 I don't have the gifts that my husband had, 39:44 I'm not the artist, and the creative person, 39:47 and didn't have the capabilities, 39:50 but another thing I learned is that 39:52 God can do anything He wants 39:54 with anyone He wants to do it with. 39:57 Do you think that you don't have 39:58 any of the gifts or abilities? 40:00 Are you a one talent person? 40:04 It does not matter. 40:05 God picks the least likely, 40:09 because He can be seen for who He is. 40:12 There is a verse in Isaiah, that I really love. 40:15 A few verses, that is Isaiah 41:17-20, it says, 40:20 "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none. 40:23 And their tongue feels them for thirst. 40:26 I the Lord will hear them. 40:28 I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 40:32 I will open rivers in high places, 40:35 and fountains in the midst of the valleys, 40:37 I'll make the wilderness a pool of water, 40:40 and the dry lands springs of water. 40:42 I'll plant in the wilderness the cedar, 40:44 the acacia tree, the myrtle and olive tree 40:46 are set in the desert, 40:48 the fir tree, and the pine tree, 40:50 and the box tree together. 40:51 That they may see and know, and consider, and understand 40:56 that the hand of the Lord has done this, 40:58 the Holy One of Israel has created it." 41:01 It starts out with, 41:03 when the poor needy are thirsty, they need water. 41:06 It ends up with, and God's gonna do it in a way, 41:10 that you'll see and know and consider 41:11 and understand that He did it. 41:14 God accomplishes His work 41:16 in a way that we know who did it. 41:19 Remember the story of Moses, 41:21 he didn't want to go to speak to Egypt. 41:24 He said, I can't even talk, don't ask me to do this, 41:28 and God wanted him to do it. 41:31 And God wanted him to do it in a way 41:33 that everyone would know that it was God. 41:36 My favorite author, Ellen White says, 41:38 "God intended to accomplish the work 41:40 in a manner that would pour contempt on human pride. 41:45 If you know, you can't do it, 41:48 and God does it, you know that it's Him. 41:52 And that's exactly what God did with the Seventh day Series. 41:57 It took me eight years of research, 41:59 and all the time I was praying that God would send someone, 42:02 who knew how to do it better than me 42:04 and faster than me. 42:06 And God didn't send anyone. 42:08 I know how to research, I can do that. 42:11 So during those eight years 42:12 I prayed for a producer, director, 42:14 who would know how to produce it, 42:16 and he would see the scope and the value of it. 42:19 I prayed for someone who could write the script, 42:21 because writing script is an ability 42:25 that a person learns, and I didn't have that ability, 42:28 and I prayed that God would send the right host. 42:30 And for those eight years, 42:32 He didn't send any of those things. 42:34 At the end of eight years, I had a manuscript 42:38 that was over 200 pages, it had over 1000 footnotes. 42:42 Some of the footnotes had 10 sources. 42:45 Every footnote was filed in hard copy 42:48 and in my computer so it couldn't be lost. 42:52 And I sent that out to a few people and they said, 42:55 "This is way too long, this is too big." 43:00 I wrote a book. 43:02 About that time, someone, one of my friend said, 43:06 "Have you talked to Jeff Wood, he's a producer." 43:08 I said, "No, he is such a busy guy." 43:10 And he said, "Let me give part of the script to him." 43:12 So he gave him, 43:14 that was laid out in four parts, 43:15 he gave them the first part. 43:16 And I had a call, and he said, 43:18 "I'm interested in this, let's talk." 43:21 So we met together, looked it over, and I told him, 43:24 you know, there's all these other parts here it is. 43:27 And he said, "Well, would you be interested 43:29 in having scriptwriter, come on board." 43:31 And I'm like, "Absolutely, yes." 43:34 He suggested his brother Jim Wood, so Jim came, 43:37 we began to talk and I asked Jeff, 43:39 "What do you think 43:40 we are looking at in budget for this?" 43:43 He said, "I think it's a million dollar project." 43:46 And I'm like, "Yes." 43:50 And God did it. 43:52 Ultimately it was a $4 million project. 43:55 At this point it's been translated into 19 languages. 43:59 There are four more in the works, 44:01 and it's being used all over. 44:03 And look what God did, 44:05 and look what He chose to do it with, 44:08 someone who couldn't do it. 44:10 We-- None of us have any right to think 44:13 that we can't do something for God. 44:17 We have no right to think that we don't have abilities-- 44:25 'Cause God measures differently than we do. 44:27 And that's another thing that I learned about God. 44:30 He measures things differently than we do. 44:32 Remember the widow with her two coins, 44:35 and how Jesus thought 44:37 that she had given more than all of the rich people 44:39 that were putting a lot of money in, 44:41 'cause she'd given her all. 44:45 Her heart went with her gift, that's what Ellen White says. 44:48 The value is estimated not by the worth of the coin, 44:52 but by the love to God, and the interest in his work, 44:54 that had prompted the deed. 44:56 It's the motive that gives character to our acts, 45:00 stamping them with ignominy or high moral worth. 45:06 Here's another one I love. 45:08 Those who think they can do, but little, 45:11 should improve every opportunity 45:12 to do that little. 45:14 It may be the smallest link in the longest chain, 45:18 separate it from other influences 45:20 that may appear of very little worth, 45:22 but in God's great chain of circumstances, 45:25 it may be the link 45:26 that connects the soul to heaven. 45:28 You don't know what your little acts are doing. 45:30 You don't know what your smile or your kind words, the card, 45:34 you don't know what God does with those little things. 45:37 And you know what makes them of great worth. 45:40 It's the love of God in our heart 45:42 that motivates those actions. 45:44 Did you know that love is power? 45:47 Love is power. 45:49 Moral and intellectual strength are involved in this principle 45:51 and cannot be separated from it. 45:54 Whatever is done out of pure love, 45:57 be it ever so little or contemptible 45:59 in the side of men is holy fruitful. 46:03 For God measures more with how much love one works 46:05 than the amount he does. 46:07 Love is of God, that's from a Review 46:09 and Herald article, May 11, 1886, 46:12 "Did you hear that, that whatever is done 46:14 out of the motive of pure love is holy fruitful." 46:19 We might not see the fruit of it now. 46:22 We might not know what God's doing with it. 46:24 But you can believe this promise, 46:27 that if you've done it out of the motive of love, 46:29 it's holy fruitful. 46:33 Those of you who have experienced great loss, 46:35 and that's probably all of you. 46:37 I heard a quotation one time that said, 46:41 "You should treat everyone you meet 46:42 as though they suffer from great pain, 46:46 because they do." 46:48 That is a human condition down here. 46:52 We want to protect our children from it, 46:54 we want to raise them without that pain. 46:57 And yet I've learned that it's in the journey, 47:03 that we show who God is. 47:05 It's not necessarily the arrival 47:08 or the accomplishment or the growing up 47:11 or the reaching the goal. 47:12 That's the most important part of this journey. 47:16 You know, maybe it's in our falling down, and stumbling, 47:20 and being wounded and damaged. 47:22 You know, maybe it's in our great need of Jesus, 47:28 that the story is really told of who He is. 47:31 You know, not one of us grew to adulthood 47:34 without pain and damage. 47:37 And in this world, not one of our children will either, 47:41 much as we wish to protect them. 47:44 But it's in that pain, it's in those wounds 47:47 that we find out how much we need God, 47:50 and that we find out how faithful, 47:52 and how good God is. 47:54 We would not know if we didn't need Him. 47:57 You know, we hate to be in need. 47:59 We are so self sufficient. 48:01 We don't want to need anything. 48:03 And yet God in His mercy, another thing I've learned. 48:06 And in His love, allows us to be in great need. 48:10 And it's in that need that we find out who He is, 48:13 and how faithful He is. 48:15 How could we know otherwise? 48:17 If we're so self-sufficient that we can accomplish anything 48:20 and everything by ourselves, we don't even need God. 48:24 And I look at the millennial generation, 48:28 and so many of them are in that position. 48:31 Life is good, they have everything they need, 48:34 they are successful financially. 48:36 They don't realize that they need God. 48:39 And I know that they will find out, 48:41 they will suffer, and God in His mercy 48:44 will allow them to be in need, 48:47 so that they can know how good He is. 48:52 You know, Paul, when he was a prisoner in Rome, said, 48:56 "The Lord can bring victory out of that, 48:58 which may seem to us discomfiture in defeat. 49:02 When misfortune and calamites come, 49:04 we're ready to charge God with neglect, or cruelty. 49:08 We need to learn that chastisement 49:09 is part of His plan. 49:11 And that under the rod of affliction, 49:14 the Christian may sometimes do more for the master, 49:16 that when engaged in active service." 49:19 That's sounds really strange, doesn't it? 49:23 That under the rod of a affliction, 49:25 you might be able to do more for God 49:27 than you could in active service. 49:30 You remember in the chapter on John the Baptist 49:33 in Desire of Ages, where she says, 49:37 that God's faithful servants are never laid aside 49:40 in sickness and in health, in life and in death, 49:43 he uses them still. 49:46 That God could use us in sickness. 49:49 That God could even use us in death. 49:51 Isn't that to his credit of what an amazing God He is. 49:55 And not only that, that He allows us those things, 49:58 and sometimes not for our own chastisement. 50:01 Sometimes our need or our trial 50:05 is for the good of somebody else 50:07 and a blessing for somebody else, 50:09 we don't know. 50:10 You know, we can never complain or question 50:14 what it is that God is doing with us, 50:16 because we know that He is good. 50:18 We know that He has good plans for us. 50:20 We know that He uses anything and everything 50:23 that happens to us. 50:25 And we can know, that no matter what it is, 50:27 no matter how grievous, no matter how shattering, 50:31 no matter how painful, God is able to use it for good, 50:35 not only for us, but for someone else. 50:38 When I think that God could take the loss of my family, 50:43 the agony of that, and end up using it 50:46 to encourage or bless someone else. 50:48 I'm just overwhelmed and amazed 50:51 at what God can do. 50:53 Paul went on to say scene that we're surrounded 50:56 by so great a cloud of witnesses, 50:59 let's lay aside every weight in the sin 51:01 that so easily be besets us. 51:03 Let's run with patience, the race is set before us. 51:07 Looking to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. 51:10 We're not alone in this, we're being watched, 51:13 not only by heavenly beings, 51:15 and not only by the universe, whatever is out there, 51:19 but we are being watched by each other. 51:21 You don't know what people see in you. 51:24 You can be totally surprised by what someone has seen 51:27 in an experience of yours or in a response of yours. 51:30 Something you're completely unaware of that 51:32 God used to draw attention to Himself, 51:35 to His credit, He can do that. 51:38 And I stand in all that, because God is so good, 51:41 that He can take the worst thing, 51:43 and the most painful thing and use it for good. 51:46 You know as parents that your children's agony 51:50 and your children's troubles are yours. 51:54 And having to see my children suffer, 51:56 the way they did, 51:58 to have lost their dad and their brothers 52:00 was my pain as well. 52:04 We went memorize all the verses on the resurrection. 52:07 My son felt so burdened and guilty 52:09 like, somehow they must not like him, 52:11 or he even said God, God doesn't even like me, 52:14 'cause if God liked me, He won't let that happen to me. 52:17 And I think in his mind was a question to, 52:19 if God is really as loving as we say He is. 52:22 And if He really loved me that much, 52:24 He wouldn't let it happen to me, 52:25 or if God is strong as they say He is, 52:28 He could have stopped it from happening and He didn't. 52:30 So those questions went around in my son's mind 52:32 and we prayed and read promises, 52:36 and you know, we have to say that my son probably 52:40 still struggles with those things to this day. 52:43 My daughter, for five years, 52:46 she didn't want to think about it, 52:47 but she couldn't help but think about it. 52:49 And she'd think, "I'm okay," 52:50 and then at night she cried herself to sleep. 52:53 And for her when her dad was gone, 52:55 it was like God was gone. 52:56 You know, for children, their dad is the image of God. 53:00 And she felt like, she couldn't see God, 53:02 because her dad was gone. 53:04 When she was 14, 53:06 she made an adult commitment to God, 53:09 and He helped her through it and He walked her through it. 53:13 And I think God, He can do such a thing, 53:15 you know, he can lead us. 53:17 My son still struggles, God's not done with him. 53:20 God has given us promises. 53:22 You know, how often God talked to us when we needed. 53:25 My children were young, and I was agonizing over them. 53:31 He sat on the couch one night, put him to bed early and cried, 53:33 I said, "God, look at my kids, they are helpless. 53:36 Look at me, I can't even save myself much less my kids. 53:39 What are we gonna do?" 53:40 And He took me right to those verses in Isaiah 49, 53:44 where He promises that He would take the captive away, 53:47 that He would contend with him who contends with us 53:49 and He would save our children, that's our God. 53:53 After we finished the Seventh day Series, 53:56 we wanted to talk about 53:57 what God is like in relation to death. 53:59 The character of God, and we started by, 54:01 wanting to talk about hell and eternal torment. 54:03 Do you realize that over 60 percent of Americans 54:05 believe in eternal torment? 54:08 Do you realize that most Christians, most of Islam, 54:11 very large proportion of people in this world 54:13 believe in eternal torment? 54:15 And it's the devil's attempt to make God look like himself. 54:19 We got to know Edward Fudge, and when we heard his story, 54:23 we thought, it's a good way to talk about it. 54:26 It's a sweet story, 54:27 and God led him every step of the way 54:29 through difficulties, and trials, and heartache 54:33 to the place where he could see that. 54:35 The dead are really dead, and God is not such a God 54:38 as to torment sinners endlessly in fire. 54:43 Again it was an act of God to produce the movie. 54:46 We didn't have funding. 54:47 We set it aside for a while and I had phone call one day, 54:50 and the man on the other end, someone I had not met 54:53 and still have not. 54:54 He said, "It was really a mistake for you 54:56 to stop working on that project, 54:57 is there anything I can do to talk you into it." 55:00 And I said, "I've never stopped praying 55:01 that God provide the means for us to do it." 55:04 He said, "Well, I think I can get you some money. 55:06 Three weeks later, there was an envelope on my desk 55:09 with a half a million dollars in it. 55:11 That was marching orders, that wasn't the whole budget, 55:14 but that God is going, 55:16 and step by step, God accomplished it. 55:19 The film had showed 55:21 in over 150 theaters and public venues. 55:24 And it's being shown not just by Adventists, 55:27 but by other people out there in other places. 55:30 And the kind of responses we're getting 55:31 are so encouraging. 55:33 Do you know that many people have never even heard 55:35 that there was another view of what happens to the lost? 55:38 One of our actors came in the day before our shoot, 55:42 and he dropped the script on the counter and he said, 55:44 "This script has really impacted my life." 55:47 And we said, "What's your story?" 55:48 He said, "Well, I was raised Catholic, 55:49 I left the church as a teenager, 55:51 came back to God as an adult and as a Protestant. 55:54 But he said, "I never even heard 55:55 that there was another view of hell. 55:59 One lady wrote a little note after watching the film, 56:01 she said, "You know, I was raised 56:03 believing in eternal torment, 56:05 but she says even as a child, I couldn't understand 56:07 how a God of love could do such a thing. 56:09 And she says, "You've confirmed my childhood beliefs, 56:11 and I can hardly wait to tell my friends and family." 56:15 We have a documentary in the works 56:17 that will go along with the film, 56:18 that will go deeper into it and be able to take people 56:20 through all of the scripture that has to deal with it. 56:23 We have more to say on this subject of death. 56:26 We're so blessed and fortunate 56:27 to know what God is really like, 56:29 and we have an obligation to share that with the world 56:34 who is in ignorance of His character. 56:38 This morning, I want to end just on the whole idea 56:43 that God has told us to ask. 56:46 Jesus said, "You have not, because you ask not." 56:49 You know, He said, "Make high demands on me, ask me." 56:53 And do we? 56:55 Are we afraid to ask God for things? 56:57 Do we think that we are not worthy of it? 56:58 Do we think that He's a stingy, punitive father, 57:02 and he wants to make us work for it? 57:05 It's not true. 57:07 He said to ask. 57:10 Philippians 4 says, He's well pleased-- 57:13 Said to ask Him, and Ellen White says, 57:15 He's well pleased when we make the highest demands upon Him 57:19 that they may glorify His name. 57:21 You know the bigger things He does for us, 57:23 the more honor He gets. 57:25 The more we ask of Him, the greater opportunity 57:27 we give Him to show who He is. 57:30 You have a dream, ask Him to accomplish it. 57:32 You've children on the faith, ask Him to save them. 57:36 You need money for a project to honor Him, ask Him for it. 57:40 He's good, and He will give us what we ask for 57:43 when it's an honor to His name. 57:44 He doesn't always ask, answers immediately, 57:46 and He doesn't always answer us the way we hope He will. 57:50 But He takes every opportunity to be seen, and to be known, 57:54 and to be glorified for who He is. 57:57 And you know, we are His hands down here. 57:59 We are who He has 58:00 to show the world who He is, and to show the universe 58:03 that He's exactly who He says He is. |
Revised 2022-04-12