Welcome to Celebrating Life In Recovery 00:00:10.32\00:00:11.75 I'm Cheri your host. 00:00:11.78\00:00:13.02 What is going on today worker and decide if just say no 00:00:13.05\00:00:15.12 is the ticket. 00:00:15.15\00:00:16.74 I believe if you get this your recovery from whatever, drugs, 00:00:16.77\00:00:20.69 alcohol, porn addictions, well any kind of sexual addictions, 00:00:20.72\00:00:23.82 eating disorders, cutting self-mutilation and the 00:00:23.85\00:00:26.29 cleaner addictions, and I mean cleaner addictions 00:00:26.32\00:00:29.14 the ones we accept. 00:00:29.17\00:00:30.66 Workaholism, perfectionism, religious addictions will be 00:00:30.69\00:00:33.65 easier and you will be blessed. 00:00:33.68\00:00:36.86 You have to stay with us come and join us. 00:00:36.89\00:00:38.96 Abstinence, stopping addictive behavior or what ever 00:01:07.64\00:01:10.31 the hurt, hang-up our habits are that keeps you locked up. 00:01:10.34\00:01:14.05 With whatever, alcohol, food, addiction, shoplifting, 00:01:14.08\00:01:18.16 sexual addictions, porn addictions, online addictions, 00:01:18.19\00:01:21.42 spending too much, workaholism, injury, cutting, burning. 00:01:21.45\00:01:25.44 Let's look at some of the nicer ones, religious addictions, 00:01:25.47\00:01:28.71 gossip, depression, anger, critical spirit, perfectionism. 00:01:28.74\00:01:33.80 Did I say perfectionist, I don't know if anybody has 00:01:33.83\00:01:36.96 that one but I have seen it out there, controlling, 00:01:36.99\00:01:39.81 lying, cheating, abstinence is just the half, 00:01:39.84\00:01:43.76 one half of the first step. 00:01:43.79\00:01:46.67 Don't you hate that? I hate that! 00:01:46.70\00:01:50.21 When I stopped using heroin, I was a heroin addict for 00:01:50.24\00:01:54.00 10 years, from 13 to 23 years old. 00:01:54.03\00:01:56.29 When I stop using heroin I thought you know what, 00:01:56.32\00:01:58.85 everything is going to turn around, everything 00:01:58.88\00:02:02.39 is going to be good. 00:02:02.42\00:02:03.39 I didn't even think when I stopped everything else would 00:02:03.40\00:02:08.81 float nicely to the surface. 00:02:08.84\00:02:11.39 You know when the water kind of settles and 00:02:11.42\00:02:14.47 everything can float up. 00:02:14.50\00:02:16.04 I had no idea that I would have to work with character 00:02:16.07\00:02:20.59 issues and the fact that as an addict I had learned 00:02:20.62\00:02:24.33 all kinds of things so I had to look at all the things 00:02:24.36\00:02:27.35 I've learned as an addict. 00:02:27.38\00:02:28.69 Then I had to look all the things I learned prior to 00:02:28.72\00:02:31.30 becoming an addict that predisposed me to step into 00:02:31.33\00:02:33.85 that life, dysfunctional childhood, 00:02:33.88\00:02:35.85 stopped being loved and all that. 00:02:35.88\00:02:38.11 I thought no way, no way I'm just stopping the addiction 00:02:38.14\00:02:45.76 is one half of the first step. 00:02:45.79\00:02:48.03 Don't you hate that? I thought when I stopped heroin 00:02:48.06\00:02:51.76 I would be fine. Everything would be perfect. 00:02:51.79\00:02:55.25 People told me that, I'm heroin addict and you just need 00:02:55.28\00:02:58.27 to stop doing drugs. 00:02:58.30\00:02:59.66 I stopped doing drugs and everything started coming 00:02:59.69\00:03:03.11 to the surface. I had junk in every single pocket. 00:03:03.14\00:03:07.89 If people say you have skeletons in your closet I thought 00:03:07.92\00:03:11.09 I need to bring these guys out and teach them to dance. 00:03:11.12\00:03:13.50 Because we are in trouble and I am thinking okay I have 00:03:13.53\00:03:17.66 character stuff that is huge. 00:03:17.69\00:03:20.14 I'm manipulative and I lie and I have been on the streets 00:03:20.17\00:03:22.56 forever and I don't know how to behave. 00:03:22.59\00:03:24.65 The first time somebody invited me to dinner, I didn't 00:03:24.68\00:03:28.23 know how to eat with someone and my palms sweat. 00:03:28.26\00:03:30.71 I had no idea about those kind of things. 00:03:30.74\00:03:33.83 The drugs were nothing compared to the things I had to 00:03:33.86\00:03:36.31 learn in my life, and I just hated that. 00:03:36.34\00:03:40.02 I absolutely hate it that is when we stopped looking at 00:03:40.05\00:03:44.67 drug addiction and all the behavioral things that come 00:03:44.70\00:03:47.30 with drugs addiction I started looking at my childhood 00:03:47.33\00:03:49.63 stuff, my parents were addicts. 00:03:49.66\00:03:51.65 The language I learned in my home, emotional spiritual 00:03:51.68\00:03:55.00 language I learned at home was tweaked. 00:03:55.03\00:03:57.05 It was just tweaked, so to decide you were in trouble 00:03:57.08\00:04:01.19 and have to stop the behavior that is killing you is 00:04:01.22\00:04:04.61 important but it is not everything. 00:04:04.64\00:04:06.66 I heard someone say once it was like buying a ticket to 00:04:06.69\00:04:09.28 a theater, but it's not the movie. 00:04:09.31\00:04:12.11 If you know what I mean, I need the ticket, I need to stop, 00:04:12.14\00:04:16.50 but it is not the rest of the thing, the rest of the deal 00:04:16.53\00:04:19.46 is going to take time. 00:04:19.49\00:04:21.00 I remember when God showed me I didn't trust anyone, 00:04:21.03\00:04:24.40 no one and how it hit me as I fell in love to an incredible 00:04:24.43\00:04:30.08 guy, I'm a heroin addict and homeless for 10 years and 00:04:30.11\00:04:33.09 my family are addicts, everybody's addicts. 00:04:33.12\00:04:36.41 My husband was a Boy Scout until he was 18 years old. 00:04:36.44\00:04:40.18 I thought so you were a geek then? 00:04:40.21\00:04:43.32 You are homeless and an addict what is wrong with you? 00:04:43.35\00:04:47.26 His dad was an ambassador for the United States and his 00:04:47.29\00:04:50.46 mom is a violinist with the Madison Symphony, 00:04:50.49\00:04:52.81 an incredible family, right? 00:04:52.84\00:04:54.98 So we fall in love and God gifted me with this man, 00:04:55.01\00:04:58.35 I mean just gifted me. 00:04:58.38\00:04:59.71 He loves me, adores me and I have never been loved and 00:04:59.74\00:05:03.67 nurtured by anyone as much as him in my whole life. 00:05:03.70\00:05:06.22 I mean it is just amazing and one day after 10 years 00:05:06.25\00:05:09.64 of marriage, he looked at me and he was tearing up. 00:05:09.67\00:05:12.59 I thought what Hon? He said you know what Cheri, one 00:05:12.62\00:05:16.23 day you're going to let me love you. 00:05:16.26\00:05:18.70 I thought Hon you're still in my house and that has to 00:05:18.73\00:05:23.57 account for something, and to me I had no idea what he 00:05:23.60\00:05:27.14 was saying was that I had so many trust issues and emotional 00:05:27.17\00:05:30.08 damage that I really never let him close 00:05:30.11\00:05:33.21 enough to love me. 00:05:33.24\00:05:34.93 I don't know the difference because he's the closest 00:05:34.96\00:05:37.24 person ever and he is thinking that there is a wall there. 00:05:37.27\00:05:41.25 It is still there or that have to listen to my husband, 00:05:41.28\00:05:45.25 at first I wanted to say that was not true. 00:05:45.28\00:05:48.28 I let you love me, when I was on the street I moved every 00:05:48.31\00:05:51.18 three months, never did anyone get close to me. 00:05:51.21\00:05:53.65 I did not let them in my life, I never let anyone touch me 00:05:53.68\00:05:56.79 as far as that kind of emotional thing. 00:05:56.82\00:05:58.88 I want to spend the rest of my life with you so I tried 00:05:58.91\00:06:02.38 to convince him it was not true. 00:06:02.41\00:06:04.13 I do let him in, so now I have to convince God. 00:06:04.16\00:06:08.70 God, You know that I love him and You know I've let him 00:06:08.73\00:06:14.95 in, then I hear God through the Holy Spirit Cheri, 00:06:14.98\00:06:17.40 you never let Me in. Oh shut up, not true. 00:06:17.43\00:06:22.38 I did not mean that disrespect- ful to God but He 00:06:22.41\00:06:24.65 knows how I talk, and I said it was not true. 00:06:24.68\00:06:27.12 I let You in, He said not even in your prayers. 00:06:27.15\00:06:30.30 Not even when you are on your knees pleading with Me on 00:06:30.33\00:06:34.72 an issue that means everything to you to I get into that 00:06:34.75\00:06:37.45 place, you don't trust anybody. 00:06:37.48\00:06:40.26 I thought no way, no way and He says, you know what? 00:06:40.29\00:06:47.03 That is the core issue. Wait, I thought the core issue 00:06:47.06\00:06:52.19 was my heroine addiction? 00:06:52.22\00:06:53.94 I thought it was all that kind of stuff. 00:06:53.97\00:06:56.79 He said you don't trust anybody, you have never allowed 00:06:56.82\00:06:59.35 anyone to love you. 00:06:59.38\00:07:01.74 I'm thinking God, wait, and I will get back to that. 00:07:01.77\00:07:11.02 I could taste recovery, I could taste happiness and 00:07:11.05\00:07:14.73 right living forever in thousands of different ways, 00:07:14.76\00:07:17.15 look at all kinds of places and faces or 00:07:17.18\00:07:19.31 I could allow God to lead. 00:07:19.34\00:07:21.07 Our theme text is Isaiah 57:18 from the New Living 00:07:21.10\00:07:26.34 Standard, I want to let people know what version, 00:07:26.37\00:07:28.93 is God is saying, "I have seen what they do 00:07:28.96\00:07:31.88 "but I will heal them anyway" Amen. And I will comfort them 00:07:31.91\00:07:36.31 and comfort those who mourn and I think that is an amazing 00:07:36.34\00:07:41.42 thing, every time I even think of that text I think of 00:07:41.45\00:07:45.74 God's mercy, that He knows all that about me. 00:07:45.77\00:07:48.25 He knows how damaged I am emotionally to the very core 00:07:48.28\00:07:51.14 of who I am and He says I'm going to heal you anyway. 00:07:51.17\00:07:53.89 I'm going to stay with you until you let Me in. 00:07:53.92\00:07:57.65 I'll hang out with you in prayers, and if you think 00:07:57.68\00:08:00.89 It's close that's okay, but I will wait until you 00:08:00.92\00:08:03.60 actually feel what close is like. 00:08:03.63\00:08:05.48 Because when you let Me in, closer than what you think 00:08:05.51\00:08:09.14 it will actually bring healing into your life. 00:08:09.17\00:08:11.15 God's mercy towards us, God is saying that He knows all 00:08:11.18\00:08:14.89 our garbage, even our hidden junk and He will heal us 00:08:14.92\00:08:18.20 anyway Jeremiah 29:13, "the whole heart must be yielded 00:08:18.23\00:08:23.21 "to God or a change cannot happen. " 00:08:23.24\00:08:25.33 I don't have it within myself to get well. 00:08:25.36\00:08:27.61 The Bible says we are dead in trespasses, dead in sins, 00:08:27.64\00:08:30.72 the whole head is sick, I know that, I know that. 00:08:30.75\00:08:33.95 The whole heart is sick, we have no soundness in it. 00:08:33.98\00:08:37.04 We are held captive by our junk, whether it is child abuse 00:08:37.07\00:08:41.03 family dysfunction, molest, eating, violence, rebellion or 00:08:41.06\00:08:46.03 whatever we are taken captive by Satan. 00:08:46.06\00:08:48.52 God desires to heal us and set us free and that requires 00:08:48.55\00:08:51.78 an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole heart. 00:08:51.81\00:08:55.29 We must surrender all to God. 00:08:55.32\00:08:56.86 The battle against self is the greatest battle we will 00:08:56.89\00:09:00.12 ever fight, it's the me that has been developed by 00:09:00.15\00:09:03.04 all the junk, all the rebellion, all the hurt, all the 00:09:03.07\00:09:06.18 past stuff it's fighting for the right to be in control, 00:09:06.21\00:09:09.16 for it's very life, even if it means your death. 00:09:09.19\00:09:12.70 I learned so well at 2- 3 years old that no one is safe, 00:09:12.73\00:09:17.14 no one can be trusted. 00:09:17.17\00:09:18.32 I had to fight that belief every day and allow God to 00:09:18.35\00:09:21.78 teach me truth. 00:09:21.81\00:09:23.28 When we come back I would like you to meet Ed McClure 00:09:34.27\00:09:37.41 and share part of his journey. He is going to tell us 00:09:37.44\00:09:41.18 what his take on God is, what his take on trust is. 00:09:41.21\00:09:44.86 Stay tuned! 00:09:44.89\00:09:46.03 We want to introduce you to a beautiful book 00:09:52.25\00:09:54.83 Called 'Steps To Christ'. 00:09:54.86\00:09:56.31 Each program in this series is based on a different 00:09:56.34\00:09:58.55 chapter showing you how to become a Christian and 00:09:58.58\00:10:01.66 gain victory over your addictions. 00:10:01.69\00:10:03.56 'Steps To Christ' is our gift to you free of charge. 00:10:03.59\00:10:06.70 Just call us at: 00:10:06.73\00:10:08.30 Welcome back, this is my favorite part of the show 00:10:33.61\00:10:35.53 when we get to actually interview someone and find out 00:10:35.56\00:10:37.96 how God has led you. 00:10:37.99\00:10:39.24 What kind of journey have you been on and what was your 00:10:39.27\00:10:42.51 surrender like and how is your healing in that? 00:10:42.54\00:10:45.60 Ed McClure and you're from Texas and have a ministry 00:10:45.63\00:10:48.51 there and you have really explored some amazing things. 00:10:48.54\00:10:52.01 So I'm going to let you say little bit about your 00:10:52.04\00:10:54.78 ministry and then we will find out a little bit 00:10:54.81\00:10:56.82 about where you come from. 00:10:56.85\00:10:57.82 Well the ministry is Zoe 8, Zoe and the numeral 8. 00:10:57.85\00:11:01.46 The ministry is to, the purpose of the ministry is to 00:11:01.49\00:11:04.67 provide information, provide hope number one. 00:11:04.70\00:11:08.00 Provide hope to people who have experienced the kind of 00:11:08.03\00:11:10.66 things, anything frankly, but who have had challenges 00:11:10.69\00:11:13.85 and difficulties in their life. 00:11:13.88\00:11:14.96 We provide hope and technical information that's real hard 00:11:14.99\00:11:18.13 true facts that enable you to change your life, 00:11:18.16\00:11:20.58 mind, body and spirit. 00:11:20.61\00:11:22.75 Number three is support and relationship. 00:11:22.78\00:11:25.23 That our threefold purpose. 00:11:25.26\00:11:26.75 I just love the way you say that because hope isn't 00:11:26.78\00:11:28.64 going to do it, we have to actually, what do I do now 00:11:28.67\00:11:31.53 I am hopeful but what is the first step? 00:11:31.56\00:11:34.25 The first step I think is hope, you have to have hope 00:11:34.28\00:11:36.90 and you have to believe and then you will begin 00:11:36.93\00:11:38.99 to change whatever behavior or whatever issue that 00:11:39.02\00:11:41.87 you are dealing with. 00:11:41.90\00:11:43.03 Then you need a lot of knowledge to do that is what 00:11:43.06\00:11:45.49 I found out in my case. 00:11:45.52\00:11:46.57 So we are all about researching and providing knowledge 00:11:46.60\00:11:49.18 and information to people to help them make the changes. 00:11:49.21\00:11:51.77 Then the relationship support is equally essential 00:11:51.80\00:11:54.74 because you can't change, I heard you talking earlier in 00:11:54.77\00:11:57.66 the show today about you just can't change something and 00:11:57.69\00:12:01.35 think it is all over, it is just the beginning. 00:12:01.39\00:12:03.42 It's not just that you change that one thing. 00:12:03.46\00:12:05.42 So you know what I know more about you then obviously 00:12:05.46\00:12:09.72 the people here do because we have talked before. 00:12:09.75\00:12:13.98 You weren't always as little as you are now. 00:12:14.01\00:12:16.18 No, I at one time was much more substantial than I am now. 00:12:16.21\00:12:21.16 I'm still pretty big guy but I bring this sweater 00:12:21.19\00:12:24.56 along a lot of times to put it in perspective for people 00:12:24.59\00:12:26.87 because size can be relevant. 00:12:26.91\00:12:28.64 This use to be my daily wear and I used to stuff myself 00:12:28.68\00:12:31.74 into this. - close to 500 pounds! 00:12:31.78\00:12:33.44 500 pounds and really miserable, and the weight was 00:12:33.48\00:12:38.25 less of my problems it seems, because I had severe depression, 00:12:38.29\00:12:43.30 Anxiety for years, heart arrhythmia, high blood pressure, 00:12:43.33\00:12:47.96 oozing, gnarled, psoriasis that nobody could contend with. 00:12:47.99\00:12:52.58 Even all that is just a symptom of toxins and poisons 00:12:52.61\00:12:55.98 trying to get out of your body. - absolutely! 00:12:56.02\00:12:58.34 Outward manifestations of inward conditions. 00:12:58.38\00:13:00.64 Medications, I was on chronic medications, 7 different 00:13:00.67\00:13:05.35 chronic medications to quote 'you never get off'. 00:13:05.38\00:13:08.05 You never stopped taking them, they're with you forever. 00:13:08.08\00:13:11.66 In one year I dropped right at 200 pounds, it really 00:13:11.70\00:13:15.04 took 15 months to get off all the medications and I have 00:13:15.07\00:13:18.38 stayed off the medications and it has been amazing. 00:13:18.42\00:13:21.65 - I mean you are half the man you use to be. 00:13:21.68\00:13:24.80 - well maybe two thirds, no 3/5, 60% of the man I used to be. 00:13:24.83\00:13:30.36 But I still like myself, I love myself now. 00:13:30.39\00:13:34.51 - so I know those conditions, that just doesn't happen 00:13:34.54\00:13:38.78 overnight and so for those who have the same struggle, 00:13:38.81\00:13:42.66 whether it be weight or whatever that has led them into 00:13:42.70\00:13:45.87 the same kind of bondages where did that start for you? 00:13:45.91\00:13:49.28 Just to say one thing here so it stays relevant to as 00:13:49.32\00:13:52.34 many people, we have learned in amazing truth which is 00:13:52.38\00:13:55.97 thin people, and thick or fat people, or obese, or 00:13:56.00\00:13:59.56 whatever word you want to use, 00:13:59.60\00:14:00.66 have a very similar life patterns. 00:14:00.70\00:14:02.86 We worked now with a lot of thin people, but our 00:14:02.90\00:14:05.71 circumstances, anything less than what God would desire, 00:14:05.74\00:14:09.57 or what we would desire for our children and that is how 00:14:09.60\00:14:13.39 I personalize it for people. 00:14:13.43\00:14:14.60 If God is our Father in heaven and we have children here 00:14:14.64\00:14:17.12 on earth that we can relate to what He desires for us, 00:14:17.16\00:14:19.90 we desire for our children, so any health condition or 00:14:19.94\00:14:22.65 emotional condition or any condition that you are in 00:14:22.68\00:14:25.63 is less than the abundant life that God, which is Zoe, 00:14:25.67\00:14:30.03 a Greek word is something that we really want to deal with 00:14:30.06\00:14:34.39 and those things begin generally early in life. 00:14:34.43\00:14:37.18 - you know when I said that it made sense to me because 00:14:37.21\00:14:40.76 I have all the emotional damage that was on the 00:14:40.79\00:14:44.01 inside, and yours was more on the outside. 00:14:44.04\00:14:46.58 So somebody could look at yours, but I had the same stuff. 00:14:46.61\00:14:50.06 I think obesity is very tough, and as I get to know people 00:14:50.09\00:14:53.18 with extreme thinness that is tough too because everybody 00:14:53.22\00:14:56.99 can see it, you are wearing your emotions on the outside. 00:14:57.03\00:15:00.29 I want to make the point that I think those conditions 00:15:00.33\00:15:04.61 are physical and there are spiritual and emotional things 00:15:04.64\00:15:08.89 going on that I think personally drive the physical 00:15:08.93\00:15:11.28 state we are in. 00:15:11.32\00:15:12.95 Okay let's talk about where you came from and then get to 00:15:12.99\00:15:15.48 how that unfolded for you. 00:15:15.51\00:15:16.95 Because I know God showed your so many things in His love 00:15:16.99\00:15:20.65 and it changed everything. 00:15:20.68\00:15:22.17 Yes He did, the process I went through that year I was 00:15:22.20\00:15:25.86 healing, if you will, I was healing outwardly and physically 00:15:25.90\00:15:29.34 but what was driving down with the healing of my emotions 00:15:29.38\00:15:32.79 and the spiritual healing. 00:15:32.82\00:15:34.54 As I healed spiritually I was able to grow, we can't grow 00:15:34.57\00:15:38.03 when we are broke, you know. 00:15:38.06\00:15:39.41 We have to be broken to begin to heal and get better. 00:15:39.45\00:15:43.45 God through that year, I have shared this with you 00:15:43.48\00:15:47.42 another time, that I literally would wake up at four, 00:15:47.45\00:15:50.70 I didn't work I took a long time off of work and was 00:15:50.73\00:15:53.95 slow to go back to work, and workaholism is 00:15:53.98\00:15:56.20 my more positive addiction. 00:15:56.23\00:15:57.89 I would get up at four in the morning - you know 00:15:57.93\00:16:02.13 I know I didn't physically hear this, but all over 00:16:02.17\00:16:05.70 the world I heard them say that is not a positive 00:16:05.73\00:16:09.23 addiction, I just heard that. 00:16:09.26\00:16:11.52 Nothing that is out of balance is positive so I stand 00:16:11.56\00:16:18.82 corrected and apologize. 00:16:18.86\00:16:21.98 - women and children! - women and children. 00:16:22.01\00:16:25.06 God took me back through my life and the 00:16:25.10\00:16:28.08 process that I had to go through to get well. 00:16:28.11\00:16:30.14 I was to literally go back and relive and it was amazing 00:16:30.17\00:16:33.76 as if I was in a twilight sleep and I would lay there and 00:16:33.80\00:16:37.36 a prayerful or meditative state and would wake up 00:16:37.39\00:16:40.21 almost every morning at four or five in the morning for 00:16:40.25\00:16:43.50 several hours lie in bed and in a very slow procession 00:16:43.53\00:16:46.55 go back through my life and see the things that happened 00:16:46.58\00:16:49.57 to me. Equally important the things I had done 00:16:49.60\00:16:52.19 and inflicted upon others. 00:16:52.23\00:16:53.80 I could smell and feel and taste the times and places, 00:16:53.84\00:16:57.01 but with an understanding in all most as if God was 00:16:57.04\00:17:00.18 standing beside me saying do you see this. 00:17:00.21\00:17:02.44 See how this affected you? 00:17:02.47\00:17:04.84 Do you see how you affected this person? 00:17:04.87\00:17:07.17 Do you see how you got where you are today? 00:17:07.21\00:17:09.44 Then we were able, as God allowed me to do that and go 00:17:09.47\00:17:12.02 through that process, I was able to put those things 00:17:12.05\00:17:14.56 to bed and gain knowledge and understanding. 00:17:14.59\00:17:16.92 We parish for lack of knowledge God says, with that 00:17:16.95\00:17:21.28 knowledge and understanding of how I got where 00:17:21.32\00:17:23.75 I got in my life and the effect it had not only on me 00:17:23.79\00:17:26.95 but on those that have chosen to love me in this life 00:17:26.98\00:17:30.11 and be connected to me. 00:17:30.15\00:17:31.37 They were equally affected and it amazed me, it not only 00:17:31.40\00:17:34.41 enable and that was all part of the process so the pounds 00:17:34.44\00:17:37.42 are coming off, psoriasis and skin is clearing up. 00:17:37.45\00:17:40.84 You know one thing I am stuck at is where did you start? 00:17:40.88\00:17:45.37 Your 500 pounds did you just one day decide I am going 00:17:45.40\00:17:49.53 to turn over, did someone say, you know what buddy? 00:17:49.56\00:17:54.03 That had been said a few times and I think a self 00:17:54.07\00:17:58.46 realization that time had grown very, very short for me. 00:17:58.50\00:18:02.29 The physical problems and the emotional depression and 00:18:02.32\00:18:06.19 despair I really felt, whether it was the Holy Spirit or 00:18:06.22\00:18:10.05 what, I knew, I didn't need a doctor to tell me. 00:18:10.09\00:18:12.98 - you were going to survive? 00:18:13.02\00:18:14.25 I wasn't going to survive and I felt life circumstances 00:18:14.29\00:18:17.53 from my family, my wife, my children were such in some of 00:18:17.57\00:18:20.59 the businesses we were in it would have been catastrophic. 00:18:20.62\00:18:24.41 Really it sounds a little mellow dramatic, there is no good 00:18:24.44\00:18:28.20 news, no good side of the saga of Ed as Ed was. 00:18:28.23\00:18:31.48 I really felt what a legacy to leave, to deprive my wife 00:18:31.52\00:18:37.36 of a normal life by getting so out of control. 00:18:37.39\00:18:41.20 My children to have a normal father, so not only was the 00:18:41.23\00:18:44.88 reality of life with me bad that I really felt I died at 00:18:44.92\00:18:48.53 that point economically in every other way the legacy 00:18:48.56\00:18:52.04 would have been just disastrous, horrendous. 00:18:52.07\00:18:54.64 And you are actually thinking of putting a will together. 00:18:54.68\00:18:56.85 A will yeah, we had a will of sorts but the problem 00:18:56.88\00:19:00.14 wasn't in the will the problem was in all the loans and 00:19:00.18\00:19:03.36 debts, we owned hotels and just the things we were involved in 00:19:03.40\00:19:06.12 the economic cycle of 911. 00:19:06.15\00:19:07.56 A lot of things were going on in our businesses, things 00:19:07.60\00:19:11.50 that needed to be cleaned up, not just my physical 00:19:11.53\00:19:14.02 condition, there was a lot that had to happen. 00:19:14.06\00:19:16.48 I definitely reached a point, I think this is essential, 00:19:16.52\00:19:20.81 so many people I think were looking for that point were 00:19:20.85\00:19:23.89 I had been trying to turn over to God for a long time. 00:19:23.92\00:19:26.80 I had great people including my family members and 00:19:26.84\00:19:29.69 pastors in what ever pray for me. 00:19:29.72\00:19:32.20 I had been a believer and passionate for the Lord for 00:19:32.24\00:19:36.94 a long, long time, so what does it? 00:19:36.98\00:19:39.44 There is really a level, I think it's like peeling an 00:19:39.47\00:19:42.51 onion in a way in reverse. 00:19:42.54\00:19:44.41 To get to the point where you truly surrender and 00:19:44.45\00:19:49.45 you truly let God become God of every single 00:19:49.48\00:19:52.77 aspect of your life. 00:19:52.81\00:19:54.10 What you eat, what you think, what you do with your time, 00:19:54.13\00:19:56.87 how you prioritize, and I work with people today and 00:19:56.90\00:19:59.69 they have given up 70%. They've changed 30% and 00:19:59.73\00:20:04.63 I used to be one of those people. 00:20:04.67\00:20:05.99 I could get on a treadmill and walk, I could go on any diet 00:20:06.02\00:20:08.86 plan. - I bought the ticket to the movies. 00:20:08.89\00:20:11.86 Yeah I heard say that earlier. - that's not the movie. 00:20:11.90\00:20:14.81 Yeah that's not the movie, the movie is life. 00:20:14.84\00:20:17.31 It's our spiritual being, it's everything. 00:20:17.35\00:20:19.75 - you know what is amazing to me and I know that God has 00:20:19.78\00:20:22.21 showed you that, is that when you give the fact that 00:20:22.25\00:20:24.65 He can pour everything into you. - He can. 00:20:24.68\00:20:27.73 You can submit it all and let it all go so whatever it 00:20:27.76\00:20:31.38 Took when I reached that point, I was ready to do it and 00:20:31.42\00:20:35.00 I had a moment, there is these God moments. 00:20:35.04\00:20:39.05 I think God can only display Himself and the majesty, 00:20:39.09\00:20:44.30 the omnipotence of Himself when there is this utter despair 00:20:44.34\00:20:48.91 when only God can save you. 00:20:48.94\00:20:50.29 You have to get so low, you are beyond it, someone like me 00:20:50.33\00:20:52.88 who thinks he's kind of smart. 00:20:52.92\00:20:54.25 - you are smart, incredibly successful. 00:20:54.28\00:20:57.28 In many ways yes, outwardly you could say that, but when 00:20:57.31\00:21:01.30 I had to reach a point where no matter how much money or effort 00:21:01.33\00:21:05.28 or time, or hired experts, and Ed was going down. 00:21:05.32\00:21:08.44 There was no savings and that is a God moment. 00:21:08.47\00:21:12.41 Wait, wait, wait because His moment of getting it. 00:21:12.44\00:21:16.88 A finally saying this is the, everything must change. 00:21:16.91\00:21:20.59 You were kneeling in a doctor's office on the floor? 00:21:20.62\00:21:23.88 Right, actually just before that I made the decision 00:21:23.92\00:21:27.87 to walk away effectively, I had to have an outward act 00:21:27.90\00:21:31.79 of that, I had to get myself into my car and put myself into 00:21:31.82\00:21:35.19 a facility on the East Coast with a major university 00:21:35.23\00:21:37.57 for one month program. 00:21:37.60\00:21:39.14 I was a guy that worked and never took any time off. 00:21:39.17\00:21:41.24 - so that was huge for you! 00:21:41.28\00:21:42.54 Yes, so I like to say when I walked off my front steps 00:21:42.57\00:21:45.41 and got into my car, my wife and two kids were saying 00:21:45.45\00:21:48.15 goodbye, I had loaded up for four to six weeks and that 00:21:48.19\00:21:50.86 was the biggest moment of my life because for once 00:21:50.90\00:21:54.08 I wasn't trying to manage it within myself saying 00:21:54.11\00:21:57.26 I'm walking away from myself. 00:21:57.29\00:21:58.88 I didn't know what I was coming back or what I would 00:21:58.92\00:22:00.82 find in within 36 hours I'm on the floor at Dr. Colbert's 00:22:00.85\00:22:05.45 office in Orlando, Florida, a per chance Segway on my 00:22:05.49\00:22:09.51 way to this institution and we are on the linoleum 00:22:09.54\00:22:13.49 floor on our knees praying and giving every bit of my life. 00:22:13.53\00:22:16.97 He just cut to the quick too via my childhood in my 00:22:17.01\00:22:19.24 emotional state, he diagnosed. 00:22:19.27\00:22:22.50 Didn't say anything about your weight? 00:22:22.53\00:22:23.50 Weight was incidental to him. 00:22:23.54\00:22:25.59 He said you'll melt, you will melt. 00:22:25.63\00:22:26.87 If you can take care of the spiritual problem of me, 00:22:26.90\00:22:30.14 he characterized it as a root of rejection. 00:22:30.18\00:22:33.80 The divorce when I was five years old, my father 00:22:33.84\00:22:36.63 who was violent, he was an alcoholic and I didn't hear 00:22:36.67\00:22:39.20 from him until I was 17. 00:22:39.23\00:22:40.51 I think that was rejection number one and a numerous 00:22:40.55\00:22:44.79 other rejections and other things. 00:22:44.83\00:22:46.46 When you say rejection number one, with his alcoholism 00:22:46.50\00:22:49.96 and all that type of violence from one to five, and this 00:22:50.00\00:22:53.42 child was not safe I'm sure, or felt safe. 00:22:53.46\00:22:56.64 No I think, and I don't want to make it all about me, 00:22:56.68\00:23:00.18 but we have my story and what I say when I am 00:23:00.21\00:23:01.97 doing seminars, consulting with people, everybody has 00:23:02.00\00:23:05.03 a story, the only relevance of my story to you is that 00:23:05.06\00:23:08.08 we each have one that defines how we got what we are. 00:23:08.12\00:23:11.84 What is amazing about your story is just picturing this 00:23:11.87\00:23:15.32 Dr. saying to you, it really isn't about the physical 00:23:15.35\00:23:18.77 stuff right now, you have so much hurt inside. 00:23:18.80\00:23:22.99 And things you have put in separate compartments. 00:23:23.02\00:23:27.14 Yes, he literally said to me at one point when he put his 00:23:27.17\00:23:29.69 hand on my shoulder and said you know how close 00:23:29.72\00:23:32.99 you are to death, it went through me like a hot knife 00:23:33.03\00:23:36.84 through soft butter. 00:23:36.87\00:23:38.69 I knew that was true and looked at him and 00:23:38.72\00:23:41.06 I said I do know. 00:23:41.10\00:23:42.56 He said to me you know that you can go at any minute. 00:23:42.60\00:23:46.46 He also looked at me and said this rejection it started 00:23:46.50\00:23:50.49 here in your childhood and he said rejection takes root. 00:23:50.52\00:23:54.48 Take this for whatever you want to get out of it, 00:23:54.51\00:23:56.36 it takes root in the intestines, when your intestines 00:23:56.40\00:23:58.65 don't work data starts controlling your body and the 00:23:58.68\00:24:00.86 fact that the spiritual root, the rejection which leads to 00:24:00.89\00:24:05.49 bitterness and all sorts of things begins to take over 00:24:05.53\00:24:08.62 your emotions and in the thing you know you're rolling 00:24:08.65\00:24:11.71 into depression and everything is coming apart. 00:24:11.74\00:24:13.50 We have to go to the beginning of the root which is God, 00:24:13.54\00:24:16.23 and take this to God and get delivered of that 00:24:16.27\00:24:20.02 of the spiritual issue. 00:24:20.05\00:24:21.60 So what he said to me - don't you love that, I love that. 00:24:21.64\00:24:24.77 Ask me if I love that, I'm smiling and there was nothing to 00:24:24.81\00:24:27.91 smile about in my life, in my world. 00:24:27.94\00:24:29.75 But at that time when he said that did you get it? 00:24:29.79\00:24:33.47 Oh I got it, I knew, I came to believe that the 00:24:33.50\00:24:37.11 truth has a resignation level and I'm sure there is some 00:24:37.15\00:24:39.53 scientific way when you prove that when you hear the truth, 00:24:39.56\00:24:41.91 which is the Holy Spirit, it cuts through everything 00:24:41.94\00:24:44.63 so in his office I knew and 00:24:44.67\00:24:47.15 I get goose bumps right now, I knew my life was forever 00:24:47.19\00:24:49.90 changed, it was over and I had come to this reckoning 00:24:49.94\00:24:53.12 moment, what on the earth am I doing on January 29, 2002 00:24:53.15\00:24:56.04 with a guy named Dr. Colbert and his incredible wife, 00:24:56.07\00:24:58.93 Mary walked in and they began to pray. 00:24:58.96\00:25:00.76 The nurses began to pray and we were all praying and 00:25:00.79\00:25:04.87 I am just crying babbling all over, I'm all wet and 00:25:04.90\00:25:08.95 they spent 5 hours with me the first day. 00:25:08.98\00:25:11.85 This is what we all need, we need to be important enough 00:25:11.89\00:25:16.68 and loved enough by strangers by really Christians. 00:25:16.72\00:25:20.75 People who are serving Christ, it is the deal and I left 00:25:20.79\00:25:25.91 that office and to me it sounds crazy, it was over then 00:25:25.95\00:25:30.39 because I had surrendered, the Holy Spirit had entered 00:25:30.42\00:25:34.83 in taking control. - you knew what the issue is? 00:25:34.87\00:25:37.87 I barely could speak or think for two days. 00:25:37.91\00:25:40.84 I could not articulate over the phone to my wife about 00:25:40.88\00:25:45.19 my experience and it is all sort of downhill from there. 00:25:45.22\00:25:48.82 We crashed into the mountain and then it became a journey 00:25:48.85\00:25:52.41 of healing and acquiring knowledge. 00:25:52.44\00:25:55.38 My family becoming part of this. 00:25:55.42\00:25:58.28 Did you still get the treatment center? - oh yeah! 00:25:58.32\00:26:00.50 What happened there? - We could go all day about that 00:26:00.54\00:26:02.69 one, we want to be gentle. 00:26:02.73\00:26:04.50 One of the leading educational institutions in America, is 00:26:04.54\00:26:08.38 over there, the temple if you would go to. 00:26:08.41\00:26:12.27 If money was no object you go to this place and they 00:26:12.30\00:26:15.11 taught me many things, many of the things we use 00:26:15.15\00:26:17.89 in our program I learned there these tremendous strategies, 00:26:17.92\00:26:20.93 tremendous truths, but boy the whole body, mind, and spirit 00:26:20.97\00:26:23.94 connection and all that and I went. 00:26:23.98\00:26:25.77 Dr. Colbert encouraged me to go, my wife encouraged me to go 00:26:25.80\00:26:28.71 and stay there, learn behavior modification, learn things. 00:26:28.75\00:26:32.99 I was so physically sick that when they did the induction 00:26:33.02\00:26:36.67 I was only allowed to exercise in the chair with a rubber 00:26:36.70\00:26:40.32 band, or in a pool. 00:26:40.35\00:26:41.86 I couldn't walk from here 20 feet without crippling pain. 00:26:41.90\00:26:45.74 It is hard to explain to people the physical condition. 00:26:45.78\00:26:49.59 You could look at me and say he looks like 00:26:49.62\00:26:51.26 he's out of shape. 00:26:51.30\00:26:52.27 I'm in such ferocious shape, I work out, I mean I go and 00:26:52.28\00:26:56.57 lift weights to prove to myself that I am really a man, 00:26:56.60\00:27:00.01 a person. - you know what I want to say to you when 00:27:00.05\00:27:03.40 you say that? Don't judge anybody on their journey. 00:27:03.43\00:27:06.71 I was so blessed by even the first part of your journey. 00:27:06.74\00:27:11.56 You getting it and the fact God is so gentle with us. 00:27:11.59\00:27:15.59 Being able to come in and say has nothing to do with... mine 00:27:15.62\00:27:19.27 it had nothing to do with the heroin in the fact that 00:27:19.31\00:27:22.92 I never learned to trust or love anybody. 00:27:22.95\00:27:24.96 You are rejection as a little boy and all those things 00:27:25.00\00:27:27.63 and God says, now let Me love you into health. 00:27:27.67\00:27:30.94 His love healed me and has enabled me to love and you 00:27:30.98\00:27:38.52 can't give what you don't have. 00:27:38.56\00:27:39.89 You must receive it whether it's forgiveness or love 00:27:39.92\00:27:42.17 which are the two things I focus on. we don't go 00:27:42.20\00:27:44.38 around forgiving people until you've forgiven yourself, 00:27:44.41\00:27:46.99 forgiving God for the position as I learned in my walk 00:27:47.03\00:27:50.21 that one of the things that is common, I believe, we 00:27:50.25\00:27:54.15 develop an anger and a separation of God, and it may be 00:27:54.18\00:27:58.05 in your subconscious. - as you're eating! 00:27:58.08\00:27:59.95 Why is this happening to me? 00:28:02.17\00:28:03.14 Why do these donuts make me fatter? 00:28:03.17\00:28:04.81 I don't get it, what's wrong with your plan? 00:28:04.84\00:28:07.57 So it begins there. - isn't it amazing to you that God 00:28:07.60\00:28:12.24 says I love you enough go ahead and blame me until you 00:28:12.27\00:28:16.87 actually see that it wasn't Me. 00:28:16.91\00:28:18.32 My desire for you is to be well and happy and laughing 00:28:18.36\00:28:21.93 out loud. - He's is my Father. 00:28:21.96\00:28:24.83 I came to know my dad really well and He blesses me 00:28:24.86\00:28:30.95 mightily and I still have issues in life but it is 00:28:30.98\00:28:37.03 such a different game, I'm not hiding. 00:28:37.07\00:28:39.47 Fear is gone and fear is replaced by love in my life. 00:28:39.50\00:28:43.34 I am far from perfect and will probably remain so until 00:28:43.38\00:28:47.18 I graduate to the next life. 00:28:47.21\00:28:48.69 When you said far from perfect, that opens up something 00:28:48.73\00:28:51.22 for me because I can ask your wife. 00:28:51.25\00:28:53.22 So Elisa, I want to ask you a couple things, one of the 00:28:53.26\00:28:57.49 things I want to ask you is what did you think when 00:28:57.52\00:29:01.95 he called you and said that he had met Don and what had 00:29:01.98\00:29:06.37 happened? What did you think? Did you think he was 00:29:06.40\00:29:09.90 crazy you better get to that clinic? 00:29:09.94\00:29:11.88 I wasn't surprised, everybody was so concerned about him 00:29:11.92\00:29:16.17 and I knew some of the things he needed to do but when 00:29:16.20\00:29:20.48 you just don't listen or aren't able to listen you don't 00:29:20.52\00:29:24.76 want to hear it and it is not discussed very often 00:29:24.80\00:29:27.19 actually it's pretty ignored. 00:29:27.23\00:29:29.47 It was a white elephant in the room and nobody's talking 00:29:29.50\00:29:32.20 about it. - you're not talking about him? - no! 00:29:32.23\00:29:33.85 Now I know it's not a pun. It could be. 00:29:33.89\00:29:38.87 But you know it becomes uncomfortable as a family to 00:29:38.91\00:29:44.58 talk and everybody is talking to me. 00:29:44.62\00:29:46.79 Why don't you do something, I said I can't do anything, 00:29:46.82\00:29:50.05 there is nothing I can do. 00:29:50.08\00:29:52.08 We have done everything we can do so he came to the point 00:29:52.11\00:29:55.72 where he had to do something himself. 00:29:55.75\00:29:57.60 When he called me and said and talked about Dr. Colbert, 00:29:57.63\00:30:00.73 I had never met him either but I wasn't surprised. 00:30:00.76\00:30:03.78 Because there has been volumes of prayer going into this. 00:30:03.82\00:30:08.06 It wasn't an accident that appointment had just happened 00:30:08.09\00:30:12.29 to open up. - no! 00:30:12.33\00:30:13.41 - Dr. Colbert is a very busy man, very famous. 00:30:13.44\00:30:16.51 That was divine, I mean the hand of God was on that 00:30:16.54\00:30:19.67 appointment, a friend of a friend, a casual thing. 00:30:19.70\00:30:22.75 Pastor John Haggy in San Antonio, Texas who's son 00:30:22.79\00:30:25.81 happened to work for me just bing, bang, bong you're driving 00:30:25.85\00:30:29.05 to the East Coast so just stop by Don's and will get you in. 00:30:29.08\00:30:31.79 Now I just have to say to people, and Elisa you know 00:30:31.83\00:30:35.40 more than anybody else right now is that when you actually 00:30:35.43\00:30:39.21 surrender and put your hand up, when you start telling God 00:30:39.24\00:30:43.17 you know God what ever, He opens doors that will wow you. 00:30:43.21\00:30:47.10 You have to step out with that faith. 00:30:47.14\00:30:49.52 And that is what he did, he gotten in his car that day 00:30:49.56\00:30:52.12 because he had tried to do this a couple times. 00:30:52.16\00:30:56.59 But as he said 9-11 happened and then it was Christmas, 00:30:56.63\00:31:00.55 then the New Year and then he finally went. 00:31:00.58\00:31:03.32 We didn't think he was going to go, mostly just the huh 00:31:03.36\00:31:05.75 he'll get to it one of these days. 00:31:05.78\00:31:07.92 But for him to just get in that car and go, it was that 00:31:07.96\00:31:11.74 first step as we say to initiate something to happen in 00:31:11.78\00:31:15.52 your life, you just can't sit back and wait for it 00:31:15.56\00:31:17.85 to happen, go after it, go get it. 00:31:17.89\00:31:21.23 That was a turning point and he was ready to come home 00:31:21.26\00:31:24.96 after seeing Dr. Colbert and we are all saying no, 00:31:24.99\00:31:28.62 you have already done this and you never take time off, 00:31:28.66\00:31:32.45 go take the time off and spend that time even if you 00:31:32.49\00:31:35.42 don't learn anything in that place at least you're in 00:31:35.46\00:31:38.36 a safe place for a four-week period of time. 00:31:38.39\00:31:41.26 Take advantage of it! 00:31:41.30\00:31:42.91 In that place that taught me much I developed some 00:31:45.43\00:31:49.04 relationships that live on to this day, but more than 00:31:49.08\00:31:52.66 anything, and it is why really went there. 00:31:52.69\00:31:55.33 I knew that I was really done myself and it was over. 00:31:55.37\00:31:58.73 So in my prayer talk with God I was acknowledging that 00:31:58.77\00:32:01.73 I am done, I would look in the mirror and not even 00:32:01.77\00:32:04.70 recognize who was there. 00:32:04.73\00:32:06.26 Well know this is when I was really sick, you see this 00:32:06.29\00:32:11.54 person I can even connect with who and what I am, I primarily 00:32:11.58\00:32:17.00 went there to get away because I knew I had to isolate 00:32:17.04\00:32:20.29 with God and say this could not have been Your plan. 00:32:20.32\00:32:23.51 So I am way out of control, so the purpose of going there, 00:32:23.54\00:32:27.35 and the benefit in the end, the biggest benefit of 00:32:27.39\00:32:30.07 isolation, it was just me and God, no business, no phones, 00:32:30.11\00:32:33.05 I did cheat a little. 00:32:33.09\00:32:34.94 - I was going to say workaholic you would have to have 00:32:34.98\00:32:38.26 a phone somewhere. I would call out and they would call 00:32:38.29\00:32:40.79 in and say you are breaking the rules you are an addict 00:32:40.83\00:32:43.86 and you will never get well, because their prognosis for 00:32:43.89\00:32:46.89 me was not very good. 00:32:46.92\00:32:47.95 I was cheating a little here and there but I had a lot of 00:32:47.98\00:32:51.56 time with God, day and night mostly 24 hours a day. 00:32:51.59\00:32:54.37 I was with Him and I prayed and read the Bible. 00:32:54.41\00:32:57.12 I had my experience at Don's on the way, you see God gave 00:32:57.16\00:33:01.84 me this massive dose of truth and deliverance really before 00:33:01.88\00:33:06.07 I got there so that four weeks was incredibly fruitful. 00:33:06.11\00:33:10.38 Incredibly fruitful. - I am so blessed that makes me 00:33:10.42\00:33:14.10 say God if you are right here I'd kiss You on the face. 00:33:14.14\00:33:17.75 And I'd kiss on the face, right now if there are any 00:33:17.78\00:33:20.92 questions, if anybody has a question right now for Ed? 00:33:20.95\00:33:24.34 Connie! Yes I actually do have a question for you but 00:33:24.37\00:33:26.96 before I ask the question I have to give you a little 00:33:27.00\00:33:29.56 background about my family history. 00:33:29.59\00:33:31.40 I was raised in a small family, just my parents my 00:33:31.43\00:33:35.13 sister and I in Wisconsin. 00:33:35.16\00:33:37.22 When you walked into our home it look like a normal home. 00:33:37.25\00:33:39.77 You go into the kitchen and the refrigerator was fully 00:33:39.80\00:33:42.28 stocked as well as the cupboards in the kitchen. 00:33:42.32\00:33:44.04 But if you went downstairs there is a full refrigerator 00:33:44.07\00:33:47.66 and freezer stocked with food as well as a bunch of 00:33:47.69\00:33:51.25 shelving for canned goods. 00:33:51.28\00:33:53.14 That was the first hint that it might be really important 00:33:53.18\00:33:56.80 in our house, so the next thing you notice if you have 00:33:56.83\00:34:01.47 dinner with us that my parents were incredibly praising 00:34:01.50\00:34:06.10 us continually for the more we ate. 00:34:06.14\00:34:08.93 Now it wasn't just that they were praising us for eating 00:34:08.96\00:34:12.50 everything on our plate, and once you finished it you did 00:34:12.53\00:34:15.76 a good job, they did do that but in addition to that if 00:34:15.79\00:34:19.82 you ate an additional plate, two plates or more, you got 00:34:19.85\00:34:24.49 even more praise and it became almost a contest between my 00:34:24.53\00:34:29.13 sister and I, how much can we eat? 00:34:29.17\00:34:31.54 How much praise can we get today and we so wanted to 00:34:31.58\00:34:34.38 please our parents and there was so much positive 00:34:34.41\00:34:38.22 affirmation that we learned to stuff ourselves. 00:34:38.25\00:34:41.99 So then as they became adults we brought that tendency 00:34:42.03\00:34:46.32 to overeat and stuff ourselves and that feeling of being 00:34:46.36\00:34:50.62 overstuffed became normal for us. 00:34:50.66\00:34:53.59 So I guess one question I have for you is first of all 00:34:53.63\00:34:57.76 how prevalent is that tendency for parents to praise 00:34:57.80\00:35:03.24 their children so greatly when they over eat really and 00:35:03.27\00:35:08.73 also if you have any tips for me, and my sister as well, 00:35:08.76\00:35:14.18 for how we could overcome this tendency to over eat 00:35:14.22\00:35:17.83 because it is such a natural thing for us to do and 00:35:17.86\00:35:21.00 we can't seem to break out of it, either of us. 00:35:21.03\00:35:24.10 Well thank you that was a great question and I think it 00:35:24.13\00:35:27.30 is relevant to so many people. 00:35:27.33\00:35:29.40 I think first as the parents, now before I was a parent 00:35:29.43\00:35:33.46 I was a good critic of parents, but having been one 00:35:33.50\00:35:37.50 I have to reassess my position on parenting. 00:35:37.53\00:35:42.61 Parents are people too and a couple things come to mind. 00:35:42.65\00:35:45.89 I have already mentioned the scripture of my people perish 00:35:45.92\00:35:49.12 for lack of knowledge. 00:35:49.16\00:35:50.52 I found as I became a father, it took me at least 00:35:50.56\00:35:53.82 30 years I would rate myself, about 20 years excuse me 00:35:53.85\00:35:56.31 before I became a pretty good father. 00:35:56.35\00:35:58.33 I like myself as a father today. 00:35:58.37\00:35:59.74 We come so ill-equipped to be parents. 00:35:59.78\00:36:01.82 So many of us in so much to know, we are talking about 00:36:01.86\00:36:05.62 diet and nutrition, the brightest medical minds in 00:36:05.65\00:36:08.74 America don't understand diet and nutrition so how can 00:36:08.77\00:36:11.82 we expect parents to know? 00:36:11.85\00:36:13.13 We need to forgive the parents first of all for just 00:36:13.16\00:36:16.25 being human like the rest of us. 00:36:16.29\00:36:17.83 But indeed you are touching on some things I did learn 00:36:17.86\00:36:20.54 at that great institution on the east coast which is a 00:36:20.58\00:36:23.23 behavior modification, where does behavior 00:36:23.26\00:36:25.71 learned come from. 00:36:25.74\00:36:27.69 As children we are taught through the reward system of 00:36:27.73\00:36:31.31 what is good and what is bad because not only an act of 00:36:31.35\00:36:35.09 consciousness but it becomes a subconscious behavior. 00:36:35.12\00:36:38.30 Which can really undo you, I can tell you right now that 00:36:38.34\00:36:41.49 my mother, God bless her, is a nurse. 00:36:41.52\00:36:44.18 She is and RN and as I went back and read it my childhood 00:36:44.22\00:36:47.02 because I had some stuff in my childhood that I blacked 00:36:47.06\00:36:49.88 out, but when I began to reconnect to that childhood 00:36:49.92\00:36:52.68 indeed one I got my first shots and had to go to a doctor 00:36:52.71\00:36:55.96 the reward was a cherry vanilla ice cream cone. 00:36:56.00\00:36:58.01 The reward was food, now food is a good reward because 00:36:58.05\00:37:04.05 it is effective and it's satiating capabilities and it 00:37:04.08\00:37:08.59 can make us feel good, that is a whole complex subject 00:37:08.63\00:37:12.35 that we can go into really deep or just on the surface. 00:37:12.38\00:37:15.69 But I will say this much, there are chemical things 00:37:15.72\00:37:19.09 that go on with certain foods and there are society 00:37:19.12\00:37:22.41 things, some satiating things that are true about food. 00:37:22.45\00:37:25.87 Food is in effect reward system because it will make you 00:37:25.90\00:37:28.92 feel good, it will do it for chemical reasons, it will do it 00:37:28.96\00:37:31.94 for emotional reasons and you probably have had both 00:37:31.97\00:37:33.90 those things happening to you. 00:37:33.93\00:37:35.20 Again not a conscious act which sets you up for problems 00:37:35.23\00:37:39.40 in your life so I do think that we teach in our program 00:37:39.43\00:37:43.52 strongly to have healthy, positive rewards and be careful 00:37:43.56\00:37:47.61 with their children, do not tell them that children 00:37:47.65\00:37:50.00 are starving in Africa there for clean your plate. 00:37:50.04\00:37:52.33 To put a guilt thing to insert the program in your mind to 00:37:52.36\00:37:56.63 react that way because you're a young woman, but you are 00:37:56.67\00:38:00.36 not a child anymore and you are still dealing with those 00:38:00.40\00:38:03.72 programming issues and have to work through those things. 00:38:03.75\00:38:06.85 First of all I think is real dangerous for us to engage 00:38:06.88\00:38:11.44 in those behaviors and I think again that it happened but 00:38:11.47\00:38:15.99 it needs to be dealt with. 00:38:16.03\00:38:18.01 Second, I want to make this point, food is something that 00:38:18.04\00:38:22.07 is the negative, food is a gift from God. 00:38:22.10\00:38:24.77 This is the temple of God and what did He give us to 00:38:26.55\00:38:29.57 put into the temple, water and food. 00:38:29.60\00:38:32.04 The festivals and the celebra- tions in the Old Testament, 00:38:32.07\00:38:36.58 food was an integral component, in Ecclesiastes there's 00:38:36.62\00:38:40.01 three different scriptures that very specifically say 00:38:40.04\00:38:44.31 God wants man and woman to enjoy his food or her food 00:38:44.35\00:38:47.80 and it is meant to be that and we are to do it with 00:38:47.84\00:38:50.88 a merry heart Ecclesiastes 9:7, go enjoy your food 00:38:50.92\00:38:53.96 with a merry heart for now is the time I favor you 00:38:53.99\00:38:57.00 needs to be in balance. 00:38:57.03\00:38:59.56 He also expects us to eat intelligently and with wisdom 00:38:59.60\00:39:03.75 and knowledge of nutrition and diet. 00:39:03.79\00:39:06.28 Way, way, way back pre-fast foods, fragmented foods. 00:39:06.32\00:39:10.03 In our book 'Eat Your Way To a Healthy Life' we talk 00:39:10.06\00:39:14.01 about the four F's, but literally the four F's of food 00:39:14.04\00:39:17.96 are killing Americans and if not the world. 00:39:17.99\00:39:20.57 Fragmented foods, God made whole foods not fragmented foods 00:39:20.61\00:39:24.69 we eat the wrong foods. 00:39:24.72\00:39:25.99 Family foods, is what you are talking about is where we 00:39:26.03\00:39:29.47 learn bad behavior early on innocently from families. 00:39:29.50\00:39:32.44 We eat those fragmented foods because that is what we 00:39:32.47\00:39:35.35 ate growing up or there are things that are part of 00:39:35.39\00:39:38.23 our heritage so much it's just family tradition that 00:39:38.26\00:39:41.09 can be negative, fast food. 00:39:41.13\00:39:43.16 Nothing fast is really all that good, maybe a fast 00:39:43.19\00:39:47.53 prayer occasionally, but a nice long heartfelt prayer 00:39:47.57\00:39:51.87 would yield a far more better reward. 00:39:51.91\00:39:54.50 Fast foods is destructive, God meant us to enjoy our 00:39:54.54\00:39:57.58 food and that doesn't mean we should do it fast. 00:39:57.62\00:40:00.59 We're just from Italy where Lisa's family are Italian 00:40:00.62\00:40:03.81 and her parents took the family to connect with their 00:40:03.84\00:40:06.99 roots, those people eat for hours. 00:40:07.02\00:40:08.91 They eat fresh food, because food additives is our fourth 00:40:08.95\00:40:13.44 F., we put things into our food that isn't good for us. 00:40:13.47\00:40:17.18 Frankly, when we manipulate an engineer the food to 00:40:17.22\00:40:20.90 where it is not really the food God made. 00:40:20.93\00:40:22.38 So those four F's are dangerous and you are touching 00:40:22.42\00:40:25.17 on probably your family and what they were feeding you, 00:40:25.21\00:40:27.93 all those things are important but it is important 00:40:27.97\00:40:30.91 to keep in balance. 00:40:30.95\00:40:32.33 One of the things, I had an opportunity to speak as a 00:40:32.36\00:40:35.56 Guest speaker almost a year to the day after I left that 00:40:35.59\00:40:38.76 institution, invited by the founder. 00:40:38.79\00:40:41.24 Back to the same institution because I had lost 200 pounds 00:40:41.27\00:40:44.14 and this was a new cover boy let's go back here 00:40:44.18\00:40:46.48 and see what's going on. 00:40:46.51\00:40:47.48 Look what we did, are we proud of this kid and they give 00:40:47.51\00:40:51.42 you a jacket if you lose 100 pounds, it's a blazer and 00:40:51.46\00:40:54.43 they reward it to you and it's a big deal and use it to 00:40:54.47\00:40:57.41 energize people so you owe me two jackets and 00:40:57.45\00:40:59.95 I'm coming back to get them. 00:40:59.98\00:41:01.17 We got a windbreaker, and never got the other jacket but 00:41:01.21\00:41:04.39 it's not important because I had an opportunity to speak. 00:41:04.43\00:41:07.64 That was very important to me because my life had changed. 00:41:07.67\00:41:11.49 I had gone from not being able to walk to fit and abundant 00:41:11.53\00:41:15.31 realizing the dreams of my life. 00:41:15.35\00:41:18.05 - and no psoriasis? - no psoriasis, the skin blew them 00:41:18.08\00:41:21.18 the way the most. 00:41:21.22\00:41:22.19 I went to the head and it touches an interesting thing 00:41:22.20\00:41:25.88 what's really big and ugly and you don't even touch 00:41:25.91\00:41:29.71 yourself, you don't want to. 00:41:29.74\00:41:31.39 I was in such pain and my muscles atrophy, I digressed for 00:41:31.43\00:41:35.70 just a moment so when I was there and 00:41:35.73\00:41:39.61 just learning to lift the rubber bands and try to see 00:41:39.64\00:41:42.54 what kind of exercise. 00:41:42.57\00:41:44.42 I went in for a massage because this was a wonderful thing 00:41:44.46\00:41:47.40 about this place, somebody in my size could actually 00:41:47.43\00:41:49.42 go and get a massage and here was 00:41:49.46\00:41:51.93 this women or man would touch you. 00:41:51.97\00:41:54.38 When she first touched me it was almost like lightning 00:41:54.41\00:41:57.80 bolt, oh my gosh I had forgotten it. 00:41:57.83\00:41:59.75 She would spend a whole hour loosening my shoulders 00:41:59.78\00:42:03.71 a little bit because they have become so bound up. 00:42:03.74\00:42:07.60 This woman touched me in my heart and I got to know her 00:42:07.63\00:42:10.89 the month I spent there because I went there three times 00:42:10.92\00:42:13.85 a week to get treatments, therapy is really what it is. 00:42:13.89\00:42:16.91 She began to tell me some of her life and about her 00:42:16.94\00:42:19.93 daughter, she was a single mom. 00:42:19.97\00:42:22.34 Long to short, God put on my heart to visit three people 00:42:22.37\00:42:25.67 to thank them for having ministered to me when I was at 00:42:25.70\00:42:28.96 the lowest point in my life. 00:42:28.99\00:42:30.22 I booked an appointment with her when my wife and 00:42:30.26\00:42:33.42 I was visiting to speak. 00:42:33.45\00:42:34.75 I went in and got on the table and she started touching 00:42:34.78\00:42:38.23 my spine, she said I remember people by their spines and 00:42:38.26\00:42:41.67 by their skin and I feel I know you but 00:42:41.70\00:42:44.00 I don't know your skin. 00:42:44.03\00:42:46.06 She said I've do this for a living for 15 or 18 years and 00:42:46.10\00:42:48.99 have worked with thousands of people and I don't know 00:42:49.03\00:42:51.89 your skin, who are you? 00:42:51.93\00:42:53.28 I reiterated a story where she had told me about her 00:42:53.32\00:42:55.92 daughter and I say did you go to Wilmington Beach? 00:42:55.96\00:42:58.50 Did you go ahead and do that to step out and the weirdest 00:42:58.53\00:43:02.81 thing was Ash Wednesday and she had these 00:43:02.85\00:43:04.71 ashes on her forehead. 00:43:04.74\00:43:06.06 I said I'm Ed McClure and I was here and I have lost 00:43:06.09\00:43:09.71 200 pounds and she said I remember the first time I saw 00:43:09.74\00:43:13.07 you and thought I have to touch him because it's my job. 00:43:13.11\00:43:16.41 Because of the psoriasis, it was so ugly, 00:43:16.44\00:43:18.88 not just the weight. 00:43:18.91\00:43:20.41 She had heavy people all the time but the psoriasis and 00:43:20.44\00:43:22.73 it oozing and I remember looking at your legs and 00:43:22.76\00:43:25.34 remember asking you what is it? Is it contagious? 00:43:25.38\00:43:28.15 I've been fully diagnosed? It's like liquid and yet 00:43:28.19\00:43:31.78 she touched me, not the legs just the shoulders 00:43:31.82\00:43:35.34 and they were safe. Anyway long to short she ended up 00:43:35.38\00:43:38.50 laying on the floor weeping because saying I needed, 00:43:38.54\00:43:41.96 it's what God did, this isn't about wisdom of the 00:43:42.00\00:43:45.39 institution, God transformed my life. 00:43:45.43\00:43:47.75 She kept saying, your skin, how did it come back to life? 00:43:47.79\00:43:53.62 I said it was God and she took it as a witness and testimony 00:43:53.65\00:43:56.57 and so I digressed but when I went back the most important 00:43:56.60\00:43:59.45 thing in brief talk to the whole place, for the teachers to the 00:43:59.48\00:44:03.34 directors and the in-house residents at the time, 00:44:03.37\00:44:05.61 50 to 75 people. 00:44:05.65\00:44:07.07 As I told them there were 10 things, or nine or think it 00:44:07.11\00:44:12.41 was that had led to my success. 00:44:12.45\00:44:15.07 I said the first one and looked at the founder, they 00:44:15.11\00:44:18.50 taught us there to disassociate ourselves from food. 00:44:18.53\00:44:22.44 They said to me specifically in week three, I went and 00:44:22.48\00:44:25.92 said why does the food have to taste so bad, why don't 00:44:25.95\00:44:29.36 you sauté the chicken with a little garlic? 00:44:29.39\00:44:32.22 Frankly all these people here are wealthy and they are 00:44:32.26\00:44:35.82 going to go back home to their apartments in Paris 00:44:35.86\00:44:38.61 were they have come from, and they aren't going to eat 00:44:38.64\00:44:41.36 this way so what are we doing here? 00:44:41.39\00:44:42.56 The number two guy looked at me and said, you are a sick 00:44:42.60\00:44:46.96 man you've been here three weeks and not gotten it. 00:44:46.99\00:44:50.06 You're still hung up about the food, I said no, 00:44:50.09\00:44:52.96 and I hadn't found it Ecclesiastes 9:7 and God had 00:44:52.99\00:44:55.78 not taken me in His own word to give me His perspective of food 00:44:55.82\00:45:00.03 which is that it should taste good. 00:45:00.06\00:45:02.54 He doesn't want to have a lousy festival in His name. 00:45:02.58\00:45:04.43 He said let us have a feast in My name. 00:45:04.46\00:45:07.76 Enjoy it and give all the glory to God, anyway I said 00:45:07.79\00:45:12.08 you taught us to eat three meals a day, so that is like 00:45:12.11\00:45:17.31 a 1056,1095 meals so you have told me to do something 00:45:17.34\00:45:21.46 1095 times that it's essential to my health and then 00:45:21.50\00:45:25.58 you tell me to disassociate from that. 00:45:25.62\00:45:27.09 Instead we did go into the word God and we did find 00:45:27.13\00:45:31.51 encouragement in His word about, I must say we were in the 00:45:31.54\00:45:34.71 restaurant business all our life so food is important to 00:45:34.74\00:45:37.87 us, there are Italian and it's important to them. 00:45:37.91\00:45:39.71 It can be healthy as long as it is to God, as we submit it to 00:45:39.75\00:45:43.78 God, we are eating His way and we are eating His food. 00:45:43.82\00:45:47.11 We are following His teaching, His will for our life 00:45:47.14\00:45:50.40 with the food and it's a great thing. 00:45:50.44\00:45:51.78 Let me just ask you one thing, the disassociation from 00:45:51.82\00:45:54.78 food and the reinforcement that it brings initially 00:45:54.81\00:45:58.15 is just too detached the emotional strength to it. 00:45:58.18\00:46:01.10 I agree, I agree, on an emotional level you are right. 00:46:01.14\00:46:03.56 But you see that's where you have to make it God's food, 00:46:03.60\00:46:05.99 it is not my food, I am not eating to feel good I'm 00:46:06.03\00:46:07.90 eating to feed the temple of God. 00:46:07.93\00:46:10.26 I'm recognizing that it's okay with Him if it tastes good and 00:46:10.30\00:46:14.66 I enjoy it, but I must eat in moderation. 00:46:14.70\00:46:16.82 I must eat it in a balanced way in these things. 00:46:16.85\00:46:20.38 I just want say the last blessings in my speech were the 00:46:20.41\00:46:23.34 two things, anybody can do seven of the things I did, the 00:46:23.37\00:46:26.23 8th thing was my wife so tough luck here's my ninth but the 9th 00:46:26.27\00:46:33.23 one was God and because this institution disassociated from 00:46:33.27\00:46:40.20 God I just had to say to give God and our Lord credit 00:46:40.23\00:46:44.21 for I am here speaking to you today on how you get this 00:46:44.25\00:46:48.19 healthy this fast. 00:46:48.23\00:46:49.43 That has to be a lead, a change for them and it 00:46:49.47\00:46:54.11 kind of shocked them. 00:46:54.14\00:46:55.46 After we were dismissed people wanted to talk to us because we 00:46:55.49\00:46:58.68 had these revolutionary thoughts that food should taste good. 00:46:58.71\00:47:02.47 We were talking about God and immediately the first person 00:47:02.51\00:47:06.23 that cornered us in the lecture room was a Jewish guy. 00:47:06.27\00:47:09.56 He had been there when I was there a year ago and had seen 00:47:09.60\00:47:12.85 me a year before, there were a lot of Jewish people, 00:47:12.89\00:47:15.59 people from all over the world there from all faiths. 00:47:15.62\00:47:18.37 They said well what about festivals, what about the 00:47:18.41\00:47:21.09 holidays and what about this and the different religions, 00:47:21.13\00:47:24.53 the way we eat and we told the story of Elisha's family. 00:47:24.56\00:47:27.70 I'm back to family food where they are Italians but I had 00:47:27.74\00:47:30.84 to change some basic ingredients to whole foods and 00:47:30.88\00:47:35.99 I am not going to get into a food lecture. 00:47:36.03\00:47:38.12 But we went into their family heritage without changing 00:47:38.16\00:47:42.20 what we ate but look at whole natural ingredients 00:47:42.23\00:47:45.11 that were healthy and fed the body. 00:47:45.15\00:47:47.12 A second point, a long answer but with such a question 00:47:47.16\00:47:50.81 that as long as we are submitting food to God just like 00:47:50.85\00:47:54.47 we have to submit everything else. 00:47:54.51\00:47:55.78 We are not to just bless our food oh Lord but to nourish 00:47:55.81\00:47:59.03 of our body you that is important, but mean it. 00:47:59.07\00:48:01.15 How can you take something that you know is unhealthy and 00:48:01.18\00:48:06.35 asked Him to bless that and eat it? 00:48:06.39\00:48:08.27 There is a scripture in 11 Corinthians I think 29 and is 00:48:08.30\00:48:12.12 talking about the Lord supper. 00:48:12.16\00:48:15.45 There is a scripture that says very specifically, and it 00:48:15.49\00:48:18.57 is tied to taking communion, but tell me that these words 00:48:18.60\00:48:21.88 are perhaps aren't true on their own away from communion? 00:48:21.92\00:48:25.17 It says my people eat unworthily and for this reason 00:48:25.20\00:48:30.47 many are sick and parish. 00:48:30.50\00:48:32.89 When I look at that scripture I said what is He saying? 00:48:32.93\00:48:36.88 Because He told us to enjoy our food with a merry heart 00:48:36.92\00:48:40.29 in Ecclesiastes but nowhere with God, our Father or 00:48:40.33\00:48:43.19 what we tell our children to eat something that is 00:48:43.22\00:48:46.05 not good for us. 00:48:46.08\00:48:47.52 You know we have a few minutes left and I was wondering if 00:48:47.55\00:48:50.63 you could, I know there was a lot of things you learned in 00:48:50.67\00:48:53.37 recovery is there anything out you want to share with us? 00:48:53.40\00:48:58.57 I just talked to a lot about food and it is not just what 00:48:58.61\00:49:02.62 you eat but what's eating you and I feel led and impressed 00:49:02.65\00:49:07.27 to emphasize that the unwinding of Ed and the healing of 00:49:07.31\00:49:12.11 Ed and in fact my getting so sick physically really tied 00:49:12.15\00:49:15.83 to emotional issues and spiritual issues and I don't 00:49:15.86\00:49:19.51 want to leave that under spoken. 00:49:19.55\00:49:21.52 Anyone who thinks they can change their life simply by 00:49:21.55\00:49:24.71 changing what the eat or how much they eat or how often 00:49:24.74\00:49:28.22 they eat it probably will find themselves to be one third 00:49:28.26\00:49:31.70 fixed, or one third of away to life and relapsing. 00:49:31.74\00:49:34.75 That is what the diets don't work because diets go, I hate 00:49:34.78\00:49:39.63 that word, but diets go to assume you can change the 00:49:39.67\00:49:42.27 behavior for a short period of time without changing 00:49:42.31\00:49:44.87 any other real circumstances and 00:49:44.91\00:49:47.45 you'll get a different result, wrong. 00:49:47.48\00:49:48.98 Only for a very short season. 00:49:49.01\00:49:50.42 So what is eating you is as important as with our program 00:49:50.46\00:49:54.86 God took me back to the history of my life and I saw the 00:49:54.90\00:49:59.04 people who hurt me and had to forgive them and to heal 00:49:59.07\00:50:03.15 those wounds in me and the people I hurt which is equal. 00:50:03.18\00:50:07.69 Right, and I want to ask you, in a day did He do that? 00:50:07.73\00:50:12.20 No, no! - the way you looked was no I wish. 00:50:12.24\00:50:16.57 I told you I was in my little basement room and would 00:50:16.61\00:50:19.46 lay down there and sleep down there for a while just 00:50:19.49\00:50:22.31 healing and thinking I need to be alone. 00:50:22.35\00:50:23.89 When I came back from six weeks away by the time I got 00:50:23.93\00:50:28.13 back and had went through it I wasn't ready to assimilate. 00:50:28.17\00:50:32.33 I had to stay away from work for the most part. 00:50:32.37\00:50:35.50 I didn't have a life, I was a born again born again. 00:50:35.54\00:50:39.26 I was a baby and I am still a baby in a way but 00:50:39.29\00:50:43.67 I have some wisdom and knowledge to share. 00:50:43.70\00:50:46.00 It took I would say at least eight months of solid, almost 00:50:46.03\00:50:51.44 every day prayerful and submitted to the Lord saying 00:50:51.47\00:50:55.07 this thing, and I will share this. 00:50:55.11\00:50:56.96 My prayer was God make me the man You intended me to be 00:50:57.00\00:51:02.09 in my mother's womb and that is Psalms 139. 00:51:02.13\00:51:04.11 Make me to realize Lord, and I see with my eyes closed 00:51:04.15\00:51:07.18 I can go right back to that place and say look what 00:51:07.21\00:51:09.79 I have done, look at the psoriasis, look at this 00:51:09.82\00:51:12.33 at the emotional damage I did to my family, look at the havoc, 00:51:12.36\00:51:15.92 look at the wreck of this man at age 50 and the tragedy of it. 00:51:15.95\00:51:19.47 But for whatever reason if I give it to You today and 00:51:19.51\00:51:23.49 submit myself and ask You to make me the man 00:51:23.52\00:51:26.13 You plan me to be. 00:51:26.16\00:51:27.37 I will accept that and if that means I'm out of careers 00:51:27.40\00:51:29.94 and I go broke, the worldly way of going broke or whatever 00:51:29.97\00:51:33.66 that means, and He was assuring me daily fear not because 00:51:33.69\00:51:37.34 you will have it all. 00:51:37.38\00:51:38.35 I will restore you in ways of physical restoration and 00:51:38.36\00:51:40.83 the ability to walk on a beach and get you a beach house. 00:51:40.86\00:51:43.33 It's a testament, I drew a place in the institution. 00:51:43.37\00:51:46.22 They said draw a place a dream of where you want to be. 00:51:46.26\00:51:49.48 I drew a place in chillingly three years later I realized 00:51:49.52\00:51:52.85 we had built that place in the subconscious we had did it. 00:51:52.88\00:51:56.18 - Gods that I want to bless you. 00:51:56.22\00:51:58.28 He said He wanted to bless me. 00:51:58.32\00:52:00.31 You have blessed us and I want to say that you have 00:52:00.34\00:52:03.01 blessed us how I am so grateful that you came on and so 00:52:03.04\00:52:06.65 grateful that you did this journey and I know Ed, I know 00:52:06.69\00:52:10.01 that eight months a lot of people will say eight months 00:52:10.04\00:52:13.33 is too long, that eight months daily and I am sure 00:52:13.36\00:52:16.38 you were blessed by God. 00:52:16.42\00:52:17.98 Oh yes, yeah. - amen 00:52:18.01\00:52:19.50 Thank you so much and we'll be right back so stay with us. 00:52:19.54\00:52:22.09 Amazing stories, real people in real situations discussing 00:52:27.48\00:52:30.54 issues that really matter. 00:52:30.57\00:52:32.52 A complete first season of Celebrating Life In Recover is 00:52:32.56\00:52:35.70 now available on DVD and can be ordered by calling 3ABN 00:52:35.73\00:52:38.84 or online at 3ABN.org hosted by Cheri Peters. 00:52:38.88\00:52:42.17 This season follows principles of the book 00:52:42.20\00:52:45.46 'Steps to Christ'. 00:52:45.50\00:52:46.86 See for yourself how God changed the lives of the 00:52:46.89\00:52:48.93 convicted, and the accused and victims of terrible crimes. 00:52:48.96\00:52:51.86 You won't want to miss a moment 00:52:51.89\00:52:53.63 of these powerful interviews. 00:52:53.66\00:52:55.37 You cannot give up some stuff and hold on to other things. 00:52:59.95\00:53:02.70 CS Lewis wrote 'In the Great Divorce', 00:53:02.74\00:53:04.93 I often thought when I read that quote that what is a 00:53:16.43\00:53:19.72 souvenir? A souvenir is a thing that remind you of a 00:53:19.76\00:53:22.77 pass thing and God is saying give up all that stuff. 00:53:22.80\00:53:25.95 I gave up heroine and all the stuff from the streets. 00:53:25.98\00:53:29.09 Some of the manipulation, most of the lying and 00:53:29.13\00:53:31.57 I didn't even see the core issue. 00:53:31.60\00:53:33.63 So what I love about God is His love for us and it's so 00:53:33.66\00:53:36.64 great that it He stayed right with me until I was able 00:53:36.67\00:53:39.61 to surrender all of my issues, all of my junk. 00:53:39.64\00:53:43.87 Like my inability to trust, to love and all of that. 00:53:43.90\00:53:47.52 I really did long to be the normal, in fact not only 00:53:47.55\00:53:51.14 did I long to be normal, I bought every single 00:53:51.17\00:53:53.91 self-help book on the planet. 00:53:53.95\00:53:55.42 I don't know if Ed went through that, but I bought 00:53:55.46\00:53:58.32 everything, I had my shelves full of stuff in one day as 00:53:58.35\00:54:02.52 I am in my basement, going through my issues, letting God 00:54:02.55\00:54:06.69 bring healing into my life, God said I want you to 00:54:06.72\00:54:09.16 give up your books, all the self-help books. 00:54:09.20\00:54:11.70 I'm thinking no way, I can't do it, how am I going to learn 00:54:11.73\00:54:15.68 to be well and overcome my low self-esteem? 00:54:15.72\00:54:18.44 My depression and this and that and He said, 00:54:18.48\00:54:21.13 when I come back you will be perfect, perfect transformed. 00:54:21.17\00:54:26.12 I'm thinking yeah, but are You coming back tomorrow? 00:54:26.15\00:54:29.62 If You're not coming back tomorrow I just want to be 00:54:29.66\00:54:33.10 normal today and He said trust Me. 00:54:33.13\00:54:35.52 It took me a long time, but as soon as I learned to 00:54:35.56\00:54:38.73 surrender to Him, He filled me with His Holy Spirit 00:54:38.77\00:54:41.91 who made me free. 00:54:41.94\00:54:43.87 Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, 00:54:43.90\00:54:47.99 meekness, temperance, self- control, all with things I need 00:54:48.03\00:54:52.09 that I didn't even know how to get. 00:54:52.12\00:54:53.96 He just gave them to me free, to show me how to live as 00:54:53.99\00:54:57.65 I was created to live. 00:54:57.68\00:54:59.32 I didn't even believe that these things really existed. 00:54:59.36\00:55:02.39 But God taught me that they do and I can be healed by 00:55:02.42\00:55:05.42 them, what an amazing thing. 00:55:05.46\00:55:08.19 Remember abstinence is the beginning, one half of the 00:55:08.22\00:55:12.34 first step, in fact if you want a guaranteed relapse, 00:55:12.37\00:55:16.45 do nothing after you stop the drugs or whatever. 00:55:16.49\00:55:19.98 What ever has kept your bondage, after you stop the food 00:55:20.02\00:55:23.17 like Ed was talking about or the anger or rejection 00:55:23.21\00:55:27.32 or porn or bitterness or alcohol or unforgiveness, 00:55:27.35\00:55:31.42 what ever, you will relapse if you don't go further. 00:55:31.46\00:55:35.46 Know that you have the privilege of asking God, the God who 00:55:35.50\00:55:39.73 created all things, the God who is desired is to see you 00:55:39.76\00:55:43.67 healed, to lead you and He will teach you how to live. 00:55:43.71\00:55:47.58 How to be healthy. How to laugh. How to love. 00:55:47.62\00:55:50.66 How to grow in peace. 00:55:50.70\00:55:51.86 We do not recover overnight, we grow in stages. 00:55:51.90\00:55:54.58 You don't have to wait like I did to hear God say to you 00:55:54.62\00:55:58.20 after 21 years of sobriety to be ready to start. 00:55:58.23\00:56:01.26 Start now because the Bible says today if you hear His 00:56:01.30\00:56:04.85 voice don't harden your heart. 00:56:04.89\00:56:06.24 Today please listen and do not turn a deaf ear, 00:56:06.27\00:56:09.10 Hebrews 4:7 says that. 00:56:09.14\00:56:11.25 Ask Him, it's His desire to save you, to free you from 00:56:11.28\00:56:14.72 bondage as we talked about with Ed and all the different 00:56:14.75\00:56:18.15 things that he had to look at. 00:56:18.19\00:56:19.32 All the different places God had to take him. 00:56:19.35\00:56:21.37 All the way back to his childhood. 00:56:21.41\00:56:23.43 I love what he said, God is so gentle and He will be 00:56:23.46\00:56:26.93 gentle with you, He will walk you in your head to 00:56:26.96\00:56:30.36 where you need to go, to where the hurt was, where the 00:56:30.40\00:56:33.86 injustice was, where the hurt you did to somebody 00:56:33.89\00:56:36.70 else and how to forgive and all those things. 00:56:36.74\00:56:39.48 You just have to ask Him, you got to ask Him and have 00:56:39.52\00:56:42.96 Faith that He is God and He knows and He loves you. 00:56:43.00\00:56:46.86 Ed in his testimony talked about God never giving up. 00:56:46.89\00:56:50.72 Never lost hope in him. 00:56:50.76\00:56:52.84 Never walked away from him during those eight months 00:56:52.88\00:56:55.89 in the basement and He will do the same, trust Him. 00:56:55.92\00:56:58.81 Next time on Celebrating Life In Recover we are going 00:56:58.84\00:57:01.69 to talk about faith and acceptance. 00:57:01.72\00:57:03.98 Faith and acceptance is a huge thing. 00:57:04.02\00:57:06.21 We need to have faith that God is God, that He loves us, 00:57:06.24\00:57:09.40 that he's crazy about us and we need to accept all the 00:57:09.43\00:57:12.68 promises and the Bible that are really geared towards us. 00:57:12.71\00:57:16.21 I never had a problem with that, when we talk to people 00:57:16.24\00:57:19.71 and they have addictions and alcoholism and porn 00:57:19.74\00:57:23.60 addictions and eating disorders and all that stuff I never 00:57:23.64\00:57:26.56 have a problem with that and every once in a while I hear 00:57:26.60\00:57:29.69 somebody that it wasn't their addiction, their whole life 00:57:29.72\00:57:32.78 changes because of somebody else's behavior. 00:57:32.81\00:57:35.02 Next week Joyce Swift is going to be on this show and she 00:57:35.05\00:57:38.31 wrote a book' They Are All Dead Aren't They?' 00:57:38.34\00:57:40.02 A young boy came in and killed off everybody in her family 00:57:40.05\00:57:43.77 and devastated not only her, but an entire community. 00:57:43.80\00:57:48.37 She had to pick herself up, find out who she is again. 00:57:48.40\00:57:52.93 Who God is and how she is she going to heal. 00:57:52.96\00:57:55.15 How is she going to step out of that? 00:57:55.19\00:57:56.66 How was she going to have faith and acceptance of 00:57:56.70\00:57:58.50 what God is doing? 00:57:58.54\00:57:59.76 You won't want to miss this one, it is life-changing. 00:57:59.80\00:58:04.20 Until then please remember that God is crazy about you. 00:58:04.23\00:58:08.85 He's crazy about me, He's crazy about Ed, He is crazy 00:58:08.88\00:58:13.46 about all of us and that is so exciting. 00:58:13.50\00:58:16.75 I want you to know that I'm crazy about you too, 00:58:16.78\00:58:19.26 see you next week! 00:58:19.29\00:58:20.33