male announcer: This
presentation is brought to you
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by the friends of the
Amazing Facts ministry.
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CC by Aberdeen Captioning
www.aberdeen.io 1-800-688-6621
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Doug Batchelor: I praise
God because I was a slave.
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It controlled my
time. It took my money.
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It--at the end of the day,
it had to be part of my day.
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It was like I
associated it with comfort.
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It was almost
emotional, but I was addicted.
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Doug: I'm going to be sharing
something very personal with you
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and making a confession.
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You've heard it said before:
confession is good for the soul,
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but very bad for the reputation;
and that may be the case today.
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But your pastor was addicted and
involved in substance abuse for
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over 30 years.
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Yeah, you guys--they
got the substance there
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on the screen right now.
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Now, you think I'm
kidding, but I had a very
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serious problem with
an addiction to ice cream.
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Now, when I get done, you
describe--you let me know what
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you think that--if
it fits the definition.
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I don't know exactly when it
began, but I know it started a
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long time ago.
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And my substance abuse
started innocently enough.
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And I want to make it
clear right from the beginning.
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I'm not saying
that ice cream is a sin.
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Is that clear?
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But it got to the
place where it was for me.
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The Bible says in 1 Corinthians
10:31, "Therefore, whether you
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eat or whether you drink,
do all to the glory of God."
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And I certainly was not
doing it to the glory of God.
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Now, I don't know if any of you
remember a day where years ago
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they had an ice cream man
that would go up and down the
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neighborhood and a bell would
ring and a song would play.
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I don't remember
what the song is.
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Anyone remember
the Good Humor man?
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Do you have happy memories
on those hot summer days
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and you'd hear that music?
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It was like the gates of
heaven had opened up, right?
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And you'd hear that music
playing and this little white
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truck would come out, and
all the kids would crowd into
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certain set spots in the street
and just about throw themselves
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in front of his vehicle.
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And he would step
out, and usually he was
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friendly, and there
in the truck he had his
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dried ice, it was
always so amazing to me.
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He showed me a piece of the
dried ice and the fog billowing
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out, and he'd pull
out these exotic treats.
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And I remember some of my
favorites were--they had one
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called a rainbow rocket.
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It was a double popsicle.
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Had two sticks
that went up through it.
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You could break it in
half and share with a friend.
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So I often would
split a rainbow rocket.
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I'm sure it was full of
colors and chemicals and
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things, but it was delicious.
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It's probably all corn syrup.
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They had another one that
was orange with vanilla inside.
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It was an orange
popsicle with vanilla, anyone?
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They still make
those? But it goes way back.
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And I remember that it
was so important to me.
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I couldn't understand why my
grandmother would not give me 10
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or 25 cents, it's all it
was back then, every day.
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And she said, "It's a treat.
You can't have it every day."
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And I am ashamed to tell
you that I vividly remember
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stealing money
from my grandmother.
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She--this is one of
my earliest memories.
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She hung her black leather
purse over the doorknob of her
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bedroom, and inside her purse
she had another little purse
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that had one of those very
difficult snaps on it that you
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had to twist.
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It was the change purse.
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And she caught me one day.
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I don't know how
many times I did it.
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More than once.
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That's where my
life of crime began.
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It was for ice cream money.
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Do you see?
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And then I went to live with
Dad, and that's when it really
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started to get serious, is--
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in Florida, we actually
had--I know you don't think of
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Miami Beach having
milkmen, but we had a milkman.
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And I looked up online to
see they're still in business.
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The company was
called McArthur Dairy.
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And they would bring the milk
to the door, and my stepmother
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would fill out a form
and--wasn't every day, but like
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every other day he
would bring the order.
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But this was really neat.
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In Miami Beach, the milkman not
only brought milk, they brought
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fresh-squeezed Tropicana orange
juice in a jar, a glass jar,
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and they would
squeeze it that day and you'd
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get fresh orange juice--
and they brought ice cream.
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Now, we always knew when he was
coming because you can't leave
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your ice cream out on
the porch for very long.
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And--you know, I didn't--I
was living with my dad and my
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stepmother and my stepbrother.
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My brother was sick, and I was
struggling during those years.
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One of the treats for me was I
would take a half a pint of ice
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cream and pour in Tropicana
orange juice and mix it all.
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It reminded me of those orange
things the Good Humor man had.
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It was really good,
but it got to where my
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stepmother started saying,
"Who ate all the ice cream?"
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Because I was eating
all of the ice cream.
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I mean, I started doing it every
day, and I really enjoyed it.
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It was the highlight of my day.
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But then things really turned
from bad to worse 'cause summer
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came and I needed to find a job.
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And guess where I got a job?
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I got a job
working at Baskin-Robbins.
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Karen and I were in
Miami Beach not too long ago.
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I took her by, tried to find
where the old ice cream shop
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was, and I guess it's not
there anymore in Lincoln Mall.
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But I worked at "31 Flavors,"
and the owner was Lee Scott.
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And I remember when he hired me,
I was only like 14, 15 years old
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and I said--when he was hiring
me, I said, "Now, I'm just
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wondering, are we
allowed to eat the product?"
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He said, "No problem."
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He says, "You can
eat as much as you want.
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You'll get tired of it."
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I never even got
close to getting tired.
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He had--now, you know,
Baskin-Robbins is called 31 not
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because they've got 31 flavors.
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They guarantee having 31 flavors
in the store at any given time.
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They have hundreds of flavors,
and we had new flavors rotating
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in all the time.
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And I'm not kidding you, I would
eat a pralines and cream banana
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split for lunch and then I'd
have a hot fudge mocha sundae
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for dinner.
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And it's amazing when you're
a teenager what you can do to
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yourself, and you
feel indestructible,
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but I really was--
it was getting bad.
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I mean, I ate a
lot of ice cream.
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And the problem was I was not
only now a user, I was a dealer.
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But I worked there until I ran
away from home, and--then it was
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hit and miss on the road for
a little while with ice cream.
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But even when I moved up
into the mountains in a cave, no
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refrigeration obviously.
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It--very long way to
town, grueling height, but it
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was the desert.
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Back then, they had
Thrifty's drugstores everywhere.
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I don't see
Thrifty's drugstores.
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Evidently,
they're out of business.
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I don't know if you can
still get Thrifty's ice cream.
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But in all their drugstores,
they had an ice cream counter.
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Do you remember?
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Well, I'm not kidding.
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Do any of you remember
when it was a nickel a scoop?
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And you could get a
triple scoop for 15 cents.
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Go try and find that.
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But when you're
living in a cave in a desert,
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you got no refrigeration.
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The highlight for me was to go
panhandle and see if I could get
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15 cents.
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I would beg on the street
and say, "Could I please have 15
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cents for something to eat?"
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I didn't tell them what I
was going to eat, but it's true.
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I would spend my last
15 cents on ice cream.
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And I remember--I
wasn't the only one.
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A lot of the street
people, it was a big deal.
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And there were others
that were living in the desert.
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Most of them lived
in the first valley.
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I lived way back in the canyon.
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And I remember I was hanging out
on the street one day with my
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friends and some kid had walked
out of Thrifty's with a triple
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scoop of ice cream.
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And he wasn't paying attention
and the ice cream guy at the
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counter--you know, at Thrifty's
when you got your ice cream, the
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same guy that worked the cash
register, he worked the counter,
00:09:04.37\00:09:07.08
and he didn't always know
what to do with ice cream.
00:09:07.11\00:09:09.48
And so he didn't press--that
first scoop has to get pressed
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down into the cone or
it can become detached,
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and he had a triple scoop.
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And this kid walked out on
the street and he turned and the
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thing fell off the cone.
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But it landed--not flat, it
landed still intact with three
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scoops like the Tower of
Pisa, sticking straight up.
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And the kid began to cry, and
the parents, "Oh, come on in,
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we'll get you another one,"
and they walked in the store.
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I'm standing there with my
friends and we're looking at
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that, and I said, "You
know, only part of that hit the
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ground, kid
didn't even lick it yet.
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And if he did lick
it, the part he licked is
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the part on the ground;
the other stuff is still good."
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And while we were processing
that, before I could act on my
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thought, my friend Richie got
down on all fours and he began
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to eat the ice cream
off the street like that.
00:09:56.26\00:10:02.03
Really I didn't do it, but
I thought about it because I
00:10:02.06\00:10:04.60
thought, "That's some perfectly
good ice cream that's going to
00:10:04.63\00:10:07.10
waste right now."
00:10:07.14\00:10:09.10
And I was mad that Richie did
it first because I really had it
00:10:09.14\00:10:14.78
pretty bad.
00:10:14.81\00:10:17.11
And I wouldn't just eat one
triple thing of ice cream, I
00:10:17.15\00:10:20.42
would eat one when I arrived at
town and then later in the day
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I'd get another one before I
went up the hill, and that would
00:10:23.12\00:10:25.95
have to last me.
00:10:25.99\00:10:28.06
You know, I used to wonder why
was it so important to me, and I
00:10:28.09\00:10:31.86
later found out
there was a study.
00:10:31.89\00:10:35.33
Believe it or not,
there's medical research.
00:10:35.36\00:10:38.40
"Journal of Clinical
Investigation," this is a study
00:10:38.43\00:10:40.80
done in 2011.
00:10:40.84\00:10:43.30
A team of researchers led by
Lukas Van Oudenhove, University
00:10:43.34\00:10:48.14
of Belgium, they were publishing
images of brain activity during
00:10:48.18\00:10:53.35
times of sadness, and they
had 12 volunteers that had their
00:10:53.38\00:10:57.95
brain scanned with an MRI and
also agreed to have a feeding
00:10:57.99\00:11:01.96
tube put into their stomach.
00:11:01.99\00:11:05.29
Then they were shown images and
played some neutral or sad music
00:11:05.33\00:11:10.00
and shown neutral or sad images,
and then they would rate how
00:11:10.03\00:11:12.90
they felt on a
scale of one to nine.
00:11:12.93\00:11:15.30
And when they were feeling sad,
they would then inject in their
00:11:15.34\00:11:18.04
stomachs a solution.
00:11:18.07\00:11:19.64
Some of them
got a salt solution.
00:11:19.67\00:11:21.14
They didn't know what
was going in their stomach.
00:11:21.18\00:11:23.71
Some of them would get a fat
solution that would be similar
00:11:23.75\00:11:26.88
to what you would find in
ice cream, and then they would
00:11:26.92\00:11:30.05
evaluate them afterward.
00:11:30.09\00:11:32.05
And they found out in almost
every case those who were sad
00:11:32.09\00:11:35.16
after being given the
fatty solution, it says
00:11:35.19\00:11:38.23
the effect was significant.
00:11:38.26\00:11:40.40
In a pharmacological sense,
the fatty solution reduced the
00:11:40.43\00:11:44.53
intensity of sad emotions by
almost half, which is about as
00:11:44.57\00:11:48.57
much as any prescription
antidepressant can achieve.
00:11:48.60\00:11:53.27
And so you are wondering
why you thought ice cream
00:11:53.31\00:11:55.51
was comfort food.
00:11:55.54\00:11:57.71
They finally done
research to say it actually does
00:11:57.75\00:12:01.18
work as an antidepressant.
00:12:01.22\00:12:03.75
So I guess you could say I was
addicted to antidepressants, but
00:12:03.79\00:12:07.79
it came in the form of
Haagen-Dazs, and it was
00:12:07.82\00:12:11.83
pretty serious.
00:12:11.86\00:12:14.03
Now, you think I jest.
00:12:14.10\00:12:17.07
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Amazing Facts wherever and
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important, to
share it with others.
00:12:46.90\00:12:51.13
Doug: You know, the
Bible says that a little bit of
00:12:51.17\00:12:54.57
certain things is okay, but
something can be taken to an
00:12:54.60\00:12:59.51
extreme and it becomes sin.
00:12:59.54\00:13:02.98
Ecclesiastes 10:17, "Blessed are
you, O land, when your king is
00:13:03.01\00:13:07.45
the son of nobles, and
your princes feast at the proper
00:13:07.48\00:13:09.88
time--For strength
and not for drunkenness!"
00:13:09.92\00:13:14.26
I mean, it was
to excess with me.
00:13:14.29\00:13:16.99
And then even when I moved
out of the cave, I lived for a
00:13:17.03\00:13:19.63
while--I had a meat
business, lived in Palm Springs.
00:13:19.66\00:13:22.80
I am not kidding you.
00:13:22.83\00:13:24.50
I would eat ice cream every
night, and I would more than
00:13:24.53\00:13:27.80
once eat a half a quart.
00:13:27.84\00:13:31.37
And then even after I moved into
the hills in Covelo and I got
00:13:31.41\00:13:34.34
baptized, this is when it,
I think, got really serious.
00:13:34.38\00:13:40.52
You know, when you give up your
addictions and you only got a
00:13:40.55\00:13:43.08
few left, you overcompensate.
00:13:43.12\00:13:46.35
And as I gave up the drugs and
the smoking and the drinking,
00:13:46.39\00:13:51.26
all I had left
was the ice cream.
00:13:51.29\00:13:54.23
Then you really go overboard.
00:13:54.30\00:13:58.53
And I remember living up in
Covelo, I would quote the Bible
00:13:58.57\00:14:02.97
and I'd say, "God
is taking us to a land
00:14:03.00\00:14:06.37
flowing with milk and honey.
00:14:06.41\00:14:08.88
God believes in ice cream.
00:14:08.91\00:14:12.38
This is heavenly food."
00:14:12.41\00:14:14.35
I mean, why would He say that
He's going to take them to a
00:14:14.38\00:14:16.38
land of milk and honey--and then
I went to the store and I found
00:14:16.42\00:14:19.19
Haagen-Dazs honey vanilla.
00:14:19.22\00:14:21.09
I said, "Praise the Lord.
00:14:21.12\00:14:23.93
This is biblical."
00:14:23.96\00:14:26.70
And I had Scripture for it.
00:14:26.73\00:14:29.90
But, you know, there is a
verse that says if you found
00:14:29.93\00:14:32.90
honey--Proverbs
25:16, "Have you found honey?
00:14:32.93\00:14:36.20
Eat only as much as you
need, lest you be filled
00:14:36.24\00:14:40.64
with it and vomit."
00:14:40.68\00:14:43.55
Some things that are good, that
are meant to be a treat, that
00:14:43.58\00:14:46.78
God would bless,
you can do to excess.
00:14:46.82\00:14:50.52
Now, this is a very important
principle of what I'm sharing
00:14:50.55\00:14:52.69
with you today.
00:14:52.72\00:14:54.12
And I know you're laughing, and
I'm meaning for you to, and some
00:14:54.16\00:14:56.83
of what I'm saying is tongue
in cheek, but I'm sharing this
00:14:56.86\00:14:59.76
odyssey with you
because it relates to real life.
00:14:59.79\00:15:02.83
What I'm sharing with you is
true, I'm not making this up.
00:15:02.86\00:15:05.97
I mean, I was addicted.
00:15:06.00\00:15:08.94
Now, I'm embarrassed to tell you
this, but when I traveled and I
00:15:08.97\00:15:16.41
stayed at a hotel, one of the
first things I'd do is I'd find
00:15:16.44\00:15:20.32
out where's a 7-Eleven.
00:15:20.35\00:15:22.62
When I was going to a hotel
to do a meeting and Bonnie said,
00:15:22.65\00:15:26.96
"Well, they've got a shuttle
that goes to the airport,"
00:15:26.99\00:15:29.72
I'd say, "Well, I'm
going to need a rental car."
00:15:29.76\00:15:32.76
"Well, we won't need--"
I said, "Well, you know,
00:15:32.79\00:15:34.20
I might need to get
something to eat and--"
00:15:34.23\00:15:37.30
But you know
what I was thinking?
00:15:37.33\00:15:39.27
Hotel was too far
away from ice cream.
00:15:39.30\00:15:41.70
Was at this conference
center, and I needed a
00:15:41.74\00:15:45.11
car so I could get ice cream.
00:15:45.14\00:15:49.48
And then when I realized
that here I had rented a car and
00:15:49.51\00:15:52.78
Amazing Facts' supporters were
paying for me to have a rental
00:15:52.81\00:15:55.28
car so I could get ice
cream, I felt guilty and
00:15:55.32\00:15:57.55
so I refunded the money.
00:15:57.59\00:15:59.35
And it occurred to me that
ice cream cost me $35 a pint.
00:15:59.39\00:16:06.80
I'm not
kidding. It was that bad.
00:16:06.83\00:16:09.76
Only once or twice did I order
room service; $8 for ice cream,
00:16:09.80\00:16:15.54
and then you want to tip the
person who brings it 'cause I'd
00:16:15.57\00:16:18.14
tell them, "Please hurry."
00:16:18.17\00:16:19.71
Because they'd bring
it to you all melted and
00:16:19.74\00:16:21.08
then it's no good.
00:16:21.11\00:16:24.48
Then I realized this
is just starting to--
00:16:24.51\00:16:26.45
"This has gone too far," I
thought, "I got a problem."
00:16:26.48\00:16:29.78
And so I started
praying about it.
00:16:29.82\00:16:32.05
I said, "Lord, I got
to stop eating ice cream."
00:16:32.09\00:16:35.12
Certainly anything that is
preoccupying my day--my father
00:16:35.16\00:16:39.43
was an alcoholic, and I
think I've got that nature.
00:16:39.46\00:16:43.40
My father would plan
his day around alcohol.
00:16:43.43\00:16:47.70
When he made lunch appointments,
he wouldn't just take a person
00:16:47.74\00:16:51.21
to a restaurant
because he liked the food.
00:16:51.24\00:16:53.74
The restaurant had to first and
foremost have alcohol, then they
00:16:53.78\00:16:57.75
figure out what else they had.
00:16:57.78\00:17:00.05
And then after work,
he'd stop at the bar.
00:17:00.08\00:17:02.68
And if he went on
vacation, it had to be somewhere
00:17:02.72\00:17:04.75
where there was a bar.
00:17:04.79\00:17:06.79
And if he went on a fishing trip
or if he went racing or whatever
00:17:06.82\00:17:09.22
he did, there was always
the ice chest with alcohol.
00:17:09.26\00:17:11.56
His whole life, that was just--
had to be there in the picture.
00:17:11.59\00:17:15.46
And I was realizing ice
cream was doing that to me.
00:17:15.50\00:17:19.00
I'd get on TV in front of
everybody, preach about the
00:17:19.03\00:17:21.47
health message, do a back
handspring, and then go home
00:17:21.50\00:17:23.71
and eat a pint of Haagen-Dazs.
00:17:23.74\00:17:26.91
Yes, sometimes
I'd eat a whole pint.
00:17:26.94\00:17:29.98
The average American eats
42 pints of ice cream a year.
00:17:30.01\00:17:35.58
I was eating about 120.
00:17:35.62\00:17:38.92
I'm not exaggerating.
00:17:38.95\00:17:41.02
And then I'd go to
the doctor, he'd say,
00:17:41.06\00:17:42.46
"Doug, cholesterol looks good.
00:17:42.49\00:17:44.53
Blood pressure okay?"
00:17:44.56\00:17:46.13
I'd say, "Not bothering me."
00:17:46.16\00:17:50.03
And I had all these
rationalizations, but
00:17:50.07\00:17:52.67
I knew I was addicted.
00:17:52.70\00:17:55.77
"How do you know?"
'Cause I couldn't stop.
00:17:55.80\00:17:58.24
I'd spend my last
15 cents on ice cream.
00:17:58.27\00:18:06.21
You know, Jesus talks about
this where He said, "Woe to you,
00:18:06.25\00:18:08.95
scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites!
00:18:08.98\00:18:10.92
You devour widows'
houses, and for a pretense you
00:18:10.95\00:18:12.82
make long prayers."
00:18:12.85\00:18:15.69
In Luke 11,
"Woe to you, lawyers!
00:18:15.72\00:18:18.06
For you load men with burdens
hard to bear, and you yourselves
00:18:18.09\00:18:21.23
do not touch the burdens
with one of your fingers."
00:18:21.26\00:18:23.47
So I'd preach a sermon on
gaining the victory over sin
00:18:23.50\00:18:26.60
when I was a slave.
00:18:26.63\00:18:28.54
Now, I--the reason I
picked this subject--
00:18:28.57\00:18:30.74
and I prayed about this.
00:18:30.77\00:18:32.07
I think the Lord wanted
me to talk to you about this.
00:18:32.11\00:18:34.78
The same dynamics that I
struggled with are real in our
00:18:34.81\00:18:39.61
lives on something
that is a lot more serious.
00:18:39.65\00:18:42.95
Some people maybe
it's not ice cream.
00:18:42.98\00:18:46.29
Maybe it's alcohol.
00:18:46.32\00:18:48.12
There are people that go
to church and they go through
00:18:48.16\00:18:51.33
the motions of being a
Christian and they've got
00:18:51.36\00:18:53.76
an addiction to
shopping, they can't control it.
00:18:53.80\00:18:58.43
They do it for
comfort. It could be some drugs.
00:18:58.47\00:19:01.94
Some people sit at
the computer and they're
00:19:01.97\00:19:03.30
addicted to other things.
00:19:03.34\00:19:05.27
It might be
pornography, and it's like you
00:19:05.31\00:19:09.14
live a secret life.
00:19:09.18\00:19:11.01
There's a lot of different
ways that it plays out.
00:19:11.05\00:19:13.62
Jesus doesn't just come to save
us in our sin; He comes to save
00:19:13.65\00:19:17.29
us from our sin, and He can.
00:19:17.32\00:19:19.52
And you'll have a peace and a
joy when He does that's unlike
00:19:19.55\00:19:22.39
anything you can imagine.
00:19:22.42\00:19:23.79
Romans 6, verse 12.
00:19:23.83\00:19:25.99
This was our memory verse.
00:19:26.03\00:19:27.60
"Therefore do
not let sin reign."
00:19:27.66\00:19:30.47
Now, God didn't say that we're
never going to stumble and fall.
00:19:30.50\00:19:34.34
He says if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father.
00:19:34.37\00:19:37.34
What He does say, though, is
sin should not reign over you.
00:19:37.37\00:19:41.74
"In your mortal body, that
you should obey it in its lusts.
00:19:41.78\00:19:44.65
And do not present your
members as instruments of
00:19:44.68\00:19:47.08
unrighteousness to sin,
but present yourself to God as
00:19:47.12\00:19:50.79
being one alive from
the dead and your members as
00:19:50.82\00:19:53.15
instruments of righteousness.
00:19:53.19\00:19:54.99
For sin shall not have dominion
over you, for you are not under
00:19:55.02\00:19:58.83
law but under grace."
00:19:58.86\00:20:00.93
Jump down to
verse 17 in Romans 6.
00:20:00.96\00:20:04.40
"But God be thanked that
though you were slaves of sin,
00:20:04.43\00:20:07.47
you obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine to
00:20:07.50\00:20:10.24
which you were delivered.
00:20:10.27\00:20:11.67
And having been
set free from sin, you
00:20:11.71\00:20:13.68
became slaves of righteousness.
00:20:13.71\00:20:15.71
I speak in human terms because
of the weakness of your flesh.
00:20:15.74\00:20:19.38
For just as you presented your
members as slaves of uncleanness
00:20:19.41\00:20:23.05
and lawlessness leading into
more lawlessness, so now present
00:20:23.08\00:20:27.09
your members as slaves to
righteousness for holiness."
00:20:27.12\00:20:31.83
And He goes on to say in verse
23, "For the wages of sin is
00:20:31.86\00:20:34.46
death, but the gift of God
is eternal life through Jesus
00:20:34.50\00:20:38.00
Christ our Lord."
00:20:38.03\00:20:39.73
You know, if you look up higher
in the same chapter, Paul says
00:20:39.77\00:20:43.30
in 1 Corinthians chapter 10,
"All things are lawful for me,
00:20:43.34\00:20:49.91
but not all
things are expedient."
00:20:49.94\00:20:52.21
You might even find
something that inherently
00:20:52.25\00:20:53.92
may not be bad, but it is
out of balance in your life
00:20:53.95\00:20:58.45
and it's taking up your time.
00:20:58.49\00:21:00.72
Some people, they are
addicted to a TV program.
00:21:00.76\00:21:06.73
I know it's hard to--
for us to understand it.
00:21:06.76\00:21:10.53
Sometime the things that
tempt you may not tempt me.
00:21:10.57\00:21:13.34
You might laugh at
what was a problem for me.
00:21:13.37\00:21:15.80
"Oh, you got a
problem? I don't understand it."
00:21:15.84\00:21:18.34
But it's not your
problem, it was my problem.
00:21:18.37\00:21:19.87
Who knows why?
00:21:19.91\00:21:22.01
But those same people--I know
people that are Christians, a
00:21:22.04\00:21:28.75
lot of them, and at a certain
time every day they've got to be
00:21:28.78\00:21:33.96
where a TV is or they tape it.
00:21:33.99\00:21:36.36
And they've got to watch
a soap opera because they
00:21:36.39\00:21:39.09
have gotten sucked
into this artificial--
00:21:39.13\00:21:41.06
now, I don't laugh at that.
00:21:41.10\00:21:42.70
I cannot understand how people
will look at these actors going
00:21:42.73\00:21:46.03
through these
bizarre things on TV saying,
00:21:46.07\00:21:48.77
"Oh, no, was it with her?"
00:21:48.80\00:21:50.61
"Yes, it's with her."
00:21:50.64\00:21:51.94
"Oh--but did you
kill him?" "No, I kill--"
00:21:51.97\00:21:54.31
And they're going "Aaah,"
they're crying and they're
00:21:54.34\00:21:56.04
watching all this.
00:21:56.08\00:21:57.31
I've tried to give Bible studies
to people who--they got the soap
00:21:57.35\00:21:59.48
opera on and they say,
"Well, just a minute--ahh!"
00:21:59.51\00:22:03.32
And why can't they
get--I can't understand it, but
00:22:03.35\00:22:06.05
it gets ahold of them.
00:22:06.09\00:22:08.46
And their lives revolve around
that program "As My Stomach
00:22:08.49\00:22:12.16
Turns," or whatever it's called.
00:22:12.19\00:22:15.23
And it takes over their life.
00:22:15.26\00:22:17.93
And for most
people, it's not an issue.
00:22:17.97\00:22:20.64
Now, I don't know
what your temptation is.
00:22:20.67\00:22:23.64
We're all different.
00:22:23.67\00:22:25.27
Some of you are Peter, some are
James, some are John, some are
00:22:25.31\00:22:27.48
Mary, some are Martha.
00:22:27.51\00:22:30.95
The devil knows what it is, and
he wants to get ahold of you so
00:22:30.98\00:22:35.48
that it controls you, that
it sort of becomes the defining
00:22:35.52\00:22:38.35
influence in your life instead
of Jesus being the one who's in
00:22:38.39\00:22:42.72
control of your life, and
at some point--the first step
00:22:42.76\00:22:45.89
is you got to--like
I did, you got to say,
00:22:45.93\00:22:47.96
"This is out of control.
00:22:48.00\00:22:49.96
I got a problem.
00:22:50.00\00:22:51.50
And, Lord, I need Your help."
00:22:51.53\00:22:53.90
And it's not a good witness.
00:22:53.94\00:22:57.74
You know, when--up in the hills
near our cabin, we've got a few
00:22:57.77\00:23:05.11
trees that are
nice-looking trees.
00:23:05.15\00:23:08.12
And I was out walking one day,
and I remember seeing that this
00:23:08.15\00:23:11.45
poison oak vine was beginning
to go up a rather picturesque
00:23:11.49\00:23:17.03
oak tree up there in the hills,
and I didn't think much of it.
00:23:17.06\00:23:21.63
Now, usually poison
oak, it just kind of crawls
00:23:21.66\00:23:24.13
along the ground,
it's not very big,
00:23:24.17\00:23:25.73
or it might get up in the
manzanita bushes a little bit.
00:23:25.77\00:23:27.90
But they are vines, and
unencumbered they will continue
00:23:27.94\00:23:30.84
to grow and they
get pretty massive.
00:23:30.87\00:23:34.18
And a few years later, I went
walking by that same tree and I
00:23:34.21\00:23:37.91
noticed that the poison oak vine
had wrapped around and was going
00:23:37.95\00:23:41.62
up into the tree and that was
creating a lot of weight on the
00:23:41.65\00:23:45.32
branches, taking over
the whole lower half of this
00:23:45.35\00:23:48.02
very big majestic oak tree
which normally would be very
00:23:48.06\00:23:50.46
strong and independent.
00:23:50.49\00:23:52.99
And I realized that something
had to be done or--when the snow
00:23:53.03\00:23:56.06
came, it was going
to-- the weight was going to
00:23:56.10\00:23:57.80
take that tree down.
00:23:57.83\00:23:59.53
All it took was chainsaw and one
cut, and I knew it would die.
00:23:59.57\00:24:07.41
Even though I made the
cut, the vine was still hanging
00:24:07.44\00:24:11.05
there, but I
wasn't worried anymore
00:24:11.08\00:24:13.25
'cause once I knew I made
the cut, it was going to die.
00:24:13.28\00:24:17.19
And sure enough, as time
went by, the vine rotted,
00:24:17.22\00:24:20.06
it blew out of
the tree, and the tree
00:24:20.09\00:24:22.09
continued to
flourish and stand strong.
00:24:22.12\00:24:25.16
Some of us know
we've got tendrils.
00:24:25.19\00:24:27.10
And they start small in our
lives, but they'll continue to
00:24:27.13\00:24:30.20
grow and wrap themselves around
your life and start sapping the
00:24:30.23\00:24:33.57
strength and distracting your
energy and your time from what
00:24:33.60\00:24:36.84
God wants you to do.
00:24:36.87\00:24:39.11
Now, I'll interpret your silence
to mean that maybe the Holy
00:24:39.14\00:24:45.68
Spirit is speaking to you and
you know that there's things in
00:24:45.71\00:24:48.58
your life that
are out of balance.
00:24:48.62\00:24:51.52
It may be something
that-- outwardly is harmless
00:24:51.55\00:24:54.72
as ice cream.
00:24:54.76\00:24:56.66
It may be
something more serious.
00:24:56.69\00:24:58.19
It might be a serious
substance abuse, or practice, or
00:24:58.23\00:25:02.86
relationship that is unhealthy.
00:25:02.90\00:25:06.74
And you need to say,
"Lord, I can't do this
00:25:06.77\00:25:09.30
without Your help."
00:25:09.34\00:25:11.21
And you come to Jesus
and you confess that you need
00:25:11.24\00:25:13.88
supernatural intervention,
and the Lord can give you the
00:25:13.91\00:25:17.85
victory and you will rejoice.
00:25:17.88\00:25:20.55
And it is so nice when
you can look back and say,
00:25:20.58\00:25:25.62
"Free at last. Free at last.
00:25:25.65\00:25:27.69
Thank God
Almighty, I'm free at last."
00:25:27.72\00:25:31.49
announcer: Don't forget to
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00:25:34.36\00:25:36.30
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Amazing Facts wherever and
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00:26:00.49\00:26:03.73
important, to
share it with others.
00:26:03.76\00:26:07.30
male: I just really started
getting involved with crime,
00:26:08.30\00:26:10.37
break and enters,
selling drugs, stealing cars.
00:26:10.40\00:26:13.03
male: All of us were
high, drugs all over the car,
00:26:13.07\00:26:15.10
paraphernalia, pipes.
00:26:15.14\00:26:16.47
female: I was suicidal, I was
developing an eating disorder,
00:26:16.50\00:26:19.64
so, like, all these things
were just coming into play.
00:26:19.67\00:26:22.61
male: One night I was flicking
through my channels in my dorm.
00:26:22.64\00:26:26.15
There was this
guy, this preacher.
00:26:26.18\00:26:27.48
male: By the end of the
program, I had a complete
00:26:27.52\00:26:30.35
understanding of
what's God plan actually is.
00:26:30.39\00:26:34.66
male: I started going through
these Amazing Facts study
00:26:34.69\00:26:37.29
guides and I finished
those, and I was so hungry
00:26:37.33\00:26:40.63
I couldn't put them down.
00:26:40.66\00:26:41.96
male: These series helped me
to see how reasonable God is.
00:26:42.00\00:26:46.40
female: So after doing the
studies and learning the truths
00:26:46.43\00:26:49.44
that I had been learning, I
decided to take that next step.
00:26:49.47\00:26:53.17
male: I thank God for
ministries like Amazing Facts,
00:26:53.21\00:26:56.04
to a great extent the reason
why I am in the church today.
00:26:56.08\00:27:00.05
male: Thank
you. male: Thank you.
00:27:00.08\00:27:01.38
female: Thank you
for changing my life.
00:27:01.42\00:27:03.89
announcer: Written by
the hand of God and spoken
00:27:11.39\00:27:14.36
with His voice, some
words will never fade.
00:27:14.40\00:27:20.50
¤¤¤
00:27:20.54\00:27:28.54
announcer: Get Pastor
Doug Batchelor's 12-part sermon
00:27:28.58\00:27:30.51
series on the Ten Commandments
by calling...or visit
00:27:30.55\00:27:35.35
afbookstore.com.
00:27:35.38\00:27:37.75
announcer: Did you know
Amazing Facts has a free Bible
00:27:38.65\00:27:40.59
school that you can do from
the comfort of your own home?
00:27:40.62\00:27:44.09
It includes 27 study lessons to
aid in your study of God's Word.
00:27:44.13\00:27:48.40
Sign up today by
calling... That's...
00:27:48.43\00:27:56.71
¤¤¤
00:27:56.74\00:28:02.54
announcer: Don't forget to
request today's free offer.
00:28:02.58\00:28:04.78
It's sure to be a blessing.
00:28:04.81\00:28:06.55
And thank you for your
continued support as we
00:28:06.58\00:28:08.82
take the gospel of
Jesus Christ to the world.
00:28:08.85\00:28:11.69
We hope you'll
join us next week as we
00:28:11.72\00:28:13.89
delve deep into the Word of God
00:28:13.92\00:28:15.96
to explore more amazing facts.
00:28:15.99\00:28:20.96
announcer: This presentation
was brought to you by the
00:28:24.23\00:28:26.13
friends of the
Amazing Facts ministry.
00:28:26.17\00:28:29.37