Welcome to
Celebrating Life In Recovery,
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I'm Cheri your host and
today we are going to talk about
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differences in the church.
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If you want to know what that
means you have to come join us.
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I'm not even going
to give you a hint.
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I remember when I
first came into the church,
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I was a mess, literally a mess.
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I had been strung out on
heroin and I was a literate.
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I had been homeless and
I came running in so happy.
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I had met Christ, I met
a Christian women that so
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loved on me and was
teaching me the Bible.
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When I came in the church
I just decided that I had to
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look the best I could, but
the best I could from being
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homeless, working in
clubs is that I had a skirt
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that was too tight.
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A top that was too tight
and I had tons of jewelry on.
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I had makeup on that was thick
because I wanted to look my
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best and I was smoking
three packs of cigarettes a day,
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so smoke was billowing
in and after I came in.
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I was absolutely a mess
and I just looked like a little
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hooker, but I was so, I
had met God and God said I was
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lovely and I felt love and
safe for the first time in my
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entire life and I
looked on the people's faces.
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I realized that I do not
know how welcomed I am here.
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Everything in me, I just
wanted to weep and to say,
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first of all you will hate
this, but I wanted to throw
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myself on the ground and
say God this is not fair that
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I have to do recovery here.
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Please don't anyone get
offended because I want to talk
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about this, I want a church
that no one ever has to feel
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that again, I want a church
that was somebody comes in,
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I don't care who they
are, they never feel it again.
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The only reason I'm
telling the story is that I just
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want you to get it.
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I want to get it myself,
but I came in and I wanted to
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throw myself on the ground
because if I left the building
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if I did not stay in the house
of God I would not survive.
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I would have died and I kept
thinking I'll do anything if
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you let me stay here, if you
let me sit next to you I will
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behave, I will dress like
you, I will take all this stuff
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off, I will try to stop smoking.
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And man that was the hardest
thing I think I ever quit.
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Heroin was easier, but I
will try to do all that stuff.
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I remembered that
for the next 10 years,
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and please hear me, 10
years I tried to behave.
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We are going to talk
about some of that today,
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it will be amazing, but
first of all I want to introduce
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you to some people at the café.
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Lisa you have been with
us here before, Cheri we are
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going to interview you and
I love you, from my hometown.
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I like that. Sam, Flo and
Larry you've been on the show
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before and Vicki, we did an
interview with you and I was
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blessed, but thank you for
joining us today at the café.
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Our text for this season is
Psalms 51, my favorite Psalms.
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I'm telling you, in between
weeks that we see each other,
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or hang out together,
read this Psalms because
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you will be blessed
every time you read it,
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and you will
hear something else.
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Psalms 51:1, it says,
"have mercy upon me oh God,
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"according to your
steadfast love, according to the
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"multitude of your tender
mercies and loving kindness,
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"blot out my transgressions. "
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Oh man, please forgive me,
but if you go to Isaiah 58.
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In Isaiah 58 we are
talking about not the addicts
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transgressions today, we
are not talking about somebody
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that is just strung
out on something today.
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We are not talking about
porn addict, we are not talking
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about the self mutilator,
we are talking to the church.
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In Isaiah 58
talks about the church.
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It says, shout out loud
and I'm not going to read it.
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But I want to tell
you my take on this.
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It says shout out loud
and tell my people their sins.
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Right, I'm thinking,
man all right what is it?
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He says they seek me day
after day, week after week.
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They come in the building
and they pray, they open up
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the Bible and do all
that, they do it as if they were
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people doing right, oh shut up!
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And I'm like what else
did they do, they are praying
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asking God why
aren't you seeing this?
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They are fasting and saying
God why are you hearing this?
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They were doing all that
stuff as if He wasn't paying
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attention to us, what is it?
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He says, you know the
fasting that you do is not the
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fasting I'm asking for.
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I'm asking for you to love
on folks, for nobody to ever
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feel like they don't
fit in the house of God.
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Love on each other, reach
out, feed someone, if someone
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is a widow make the
rest of her days feel like
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she's with family,
right, God says that.
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If you look at an addict
that is trying to stand up,
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there is a thing in Ministry
of Healing, it's my favorite,
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it's my favorite book
besides the Bible and the
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Desire of Ages, what else?
Well is one of my favorites.
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You get the point, but in
Ministry Of Healing there is
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a chapter called "Save to
Serve", and I was reading that.
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In the first part of my
recovery, in this chapter,
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Ellen White is the writer
and she says that she wants to
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give a scene of heaven.
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She says there is an addict,
imagine an addict, somebody
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stumbling around, getting
up for an hour a day and trying
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to do right and they
relapse and fall back down.
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She says, now picture
this, heaven, God Himself and an
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Angel coming up and saying God,
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can I please have that one?
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Because they are
going to need encouragement,
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they are going to need
more help and they will need
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someone to lift them up
each time they fall down.
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They will get
discouraged if they don't,
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can I have that one?
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I cried like a baby, I'm
thinking that angel would want
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Billy Graham, no, he
wants me because he knows that
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I am going to need some help.
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So when I came in the church,
it was difficult to come in
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the church, and now years later,
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I want you to stay with me.
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Years later I step
out to do Ministry.
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I'm going to do Ministry
with people that are so trashed.
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It is what God does, you
come out of the church and He
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is going to come out
of addiction, street life,
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He's going to have
you ministering in there.
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It is because He knows us.
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So I meet this girl, and
how I met her is I went to
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a rehab place, right?
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She literally walked up to
some guy and blew both of his
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kneecaps out, I'm thinking
man I hope she never gets
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mad at me, and she's like 17.
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She is hard-core she is
facing 27 years in prison for
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a drive-by shooting, right!
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Not even, this girl
has no sense of guilt.
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Why did you shoot that
person? Why did I shoot him?
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She will tell you why,
but there is no sense of
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she shouldn't have done that.
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When I first met her what
was really funny to me, as,
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she looked at me like,
I don't care who you are.
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Don't talk to me, and
she didn't trust anybody.
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I could tell she didn't
trust the people around her.
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She definitely didn't trust
me, who was I, some evangelist
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coming into the treatment center
to speak, at one point I said
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something to her and
she literally laid into me.
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Cussed me out, and I stood
there and thought, I'm shocked
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that you would talk
to somebody like this.
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I said to her, do you talk to
everybody you meet, like this?
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She's like, Nah,
Nah, Nah cusses me out.
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I can see why you would have
a problem with communicating.
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She was ready to, if she had
a gun she would have shot me,
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but we got into friendship
while I was working at the
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treatment center and I asked
her in she will come to our
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Ministry and hang out with us,
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work on the cameras or whatever?
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What I had at the time was a
show called, 'The Journey Home'.
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I had at risk youth come
in and work on the cameras.
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They were really at risk.
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One time I had a Satanist
kid that came in, sat on the
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corner of the floor and
said, as I walked up to him,
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he said you know
what? Don't come near me.
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I will get up and hit
you right in the face.
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By this time I
was right this close.
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He said I'm serious,
I'll bash your face in.
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I said, is this
better? He laughed at me.
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As soon as he laughed
I thought, I'd got him.
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So I tell these kids to
pick anything, pick the cameras,
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pick the soundboard,
you can floor direct.
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Floor direct or help us to
write out scripts, whatever.
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I had people from the local
television station, which is
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Channel 7, come in and
literally work with these kids.
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They we come in and set
up, because we live in Idaho,
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they would set up
tractors that will it be turned
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over and people laying
there and teach them how to do
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an 'on scene'
interview with someone,
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reporting an
accident or whatever.
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They equip these kids,
the show itself was just
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doing testimonies so I
had this one guy on the show
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who had fallen 130 feet
off of a tree, and broke
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every bone in his
body on the way down.
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Totally paralyzed, in a wheel-
chair, giving his testimony.
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He was an arrogant guy before
he fell, but after you fall
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you're not as arrogant.
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Water skier, firefighter
and he had all this good stuff
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he could do physically.
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But when he broke his neck,
he couldn't do any of that.
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So it's walk with
God was interesting.
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When he was doing his testimony,
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Anna was behind the camera.
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She forgot to move the
camera, somebody else talked
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and Anna was just on this guy.
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I kept thinking man
we have her, we have her.
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Afterward she went up to
him and said you know, I feel
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emotionally like
you look physically.
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They bonded, he taught her
about God and I watched the
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transformation in
this kid's life happen.
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I watched her give her
life to God and literally,
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literally start
writing music for God.
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Started singing for God,
start coming in and ministering
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to the outreach kids we
brought from a place called
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Hayes Shelter
Home, which was downtown.
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She loved on them, it was
amazing to watch the transition.
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I took her on retreats
with me, I took her out to Teen
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Retreats and it was not
the easiest thing to do.
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When I say I took her out to
teen retreats, the first Teen
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Retreat I took her
to, Hanna likes to sing.
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Cheri she's an incredible
singer and Hanna likes to sing
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and she had never
been able to sing nice.
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It was all rap stuff that
was not really good lyrics.
00:10:44.19\00:10:47.44
She would show me some of
the stuff she wrote prior to
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being a
Christian, it was intense.
00:10:50.72\00:10:52.28
I go to a Teen Retreat
and they are these 4 young
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girls singing special music.
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They love me so I asked
them if they would mind if
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Hanna sang with you?
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And Hanna is a Spanish
Latino girl and they said yeah.
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She can sing with us, and
I told Anna, a gang member,
00:11:06.55\00:11:11.34
right! Gang members are
hilarious, her eyes were
00:11:11.37\00:11:15.68
dancing, she was so
thrilled to be asked.
00:11:15.71\00:11:18.13
She was like, yeah alright,
but her eyes were dancing.
00:11:18.16\00:11:21.39
She wanted to do flips,
she couldn't believe she could
00:11:21.43\00:11:24.62
do something so cool,
her mom is in the audience.
00:11:24.65\00:11:27.00
The last time her mom
was in a room full of people,
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it was a courtroom and she
was facing 27 years in prison.
00:11:29.34\00:11:32.12
Her mom was in the audience,
tears are streaming down
00:11:32.16\00:11:34.87
her face and she was out
there singing with this group
00:11:34.91\00:11:37.89
and holding her own and
it is the most amazing thing.
00:11:37.92\00:11:40.80
I watched, I felt the
Holy Spirit all over the room.
00:11:40.84\00:11:43.58
Hanna gets done and gets
down and sits next to me right!
00:11:43.62\00:11:46.33
She is floating spiritually,
God is loving on her.
00:11:46.36\00:11:50.13
I felt like Angels
brought her back to the seat,
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it was so
amazing, so she sits down.
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All of a sudden 4 little
kids come up and sit behind her.
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They are like 10
or 12, little boys.
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They start kicking the
chair, they are talking and Anna
00:12:02.50\00:12:06.75
is like, I could
feel her tensing up.
00:12:06.78\00:12:10.34
Now she is angry,
her face is angry.
00:12:10.37\00:12:13.86
She finally turns around and
said you know you are dissing
00:12:13.89\00:12:16.49
in the singer's,
they are like what?
00:12:16.53\00:12:18.92
You are a dissing and the
singers, you need to shut up.
00:12:18.96\00:12:23.12
She turns back
around, 4 little boys,
00:12:23.15\00:12:27.02
what do you think they did next?
00:12:27.05\00:12:28.50
They got louder, and
they kicked her chair.
00:12:28.54\00:12:30.93
I said Anna, just let it
go, and she finally couldn't
00:12:30.97\00:12:33.69
stand it, you either
shut up or I will kill you.
00:12:33.72\00:12:37.01
I had to take her outside,
when we go to Team Retreats,
00:12:37.04\00:12:40.11
you cannot kill anyone.
00:12:40.15\00:12:42.40
She was so serious, she
was so incensed that this
00:12:42.44\00:12:46.72
disrespect that was being shown.
00:12:46.76\00:12:48.64
So we end up working together,
it was amazing watching
00:12:48.67\00:12:51.88
her grow, it was
absolutely amazing.
00:12:51.92\00:12:54.39
I could not get her to
go to church with me though.
00:12:54.42\00:12:57.71
She would look at me
and say, don't even ask me.
00:12:57.74\00:13:01.14
I told you that is
off-limits, we can talk about
00:13:01.18\00:13:04.54
everything else
but don't ask me.
00:13:04.58\00:13:06.81
Finally one day, when she
was just in a really good place,
00:13:06.85\00:13:09.78
I said Anna, can you tell
me why you don't want to go
00:13:09.82\00:13:13.63
church? She said, I was
adopted when I was 3 years old
00:13:13.67\00:13:17.53
from Brazil, all of a sudden
I thought oh, from Brazil.
00:13:17.57\00:13:20.98
She was in a Mexican gang,
so I thought she was Spanish.
00:13:21.01\00:13:24.39
She was adopted from
Brazil and all of a sudden,
00:13:24.43\00:13:26.93
when she said that,
I could so see that.
00:13:26.96\00:13:28.67
I could see the
whole culture on her.
00:13:28.71\00:13:30.35
She was adopted from
Brazil to a family over here,
00:13:30.38\00:13:34.07
was molested by the Pastor
in her church, from 3 to 10.
00:13:34.10\00:13:39.02
At 10 years old, she joined a
gang and said absolutely never,
00:13:39.05\00:13:43.71
will I ever be
hurt by anybody again.
00:13:43.75\00:13:45.69
Nobody will touch me, I
will cut them, do you know what
00:13:45.72\00:13:49.34
I mean? She was serious,
so for her when she felt like
00:13:49.38\00:13:52.96
she had to protect
herself, she protected herself
00:13:52.99\00:13:55.39
and it was very serious.
00:13:55.43\00:13:57.11
So she is, no way I am not
going back into the church.
00:13:57.15\00:14:00.49
I hate them, I hate
them, they hurt me, right?
00:14:00.52\00:14:04.69
When somebody is damaged,
sometimes it's every single
00:14:04.73\00:14:07.80
Christian on the planet is
generalized into that damage.
00:14:07.83\00:14:10.87
I'm not saying everybody
is a molester, but in a
00:14:10.90\00:14:13.10
damaged persons
mind, that is what happens.
00:14:13.13\00:14:15.66
At one point Anna was
changing and changing.
00:14:15.70\00:14:18.15
I even brought her here one
time and she did Teen Pathways
00:14:18.19\00:14:21.35
with me, which was a
show we had done prior.
00:14:21.38\00:14:23.83
But all that damage is
there and at one point she said,
00:14:23.87\00:14:28.78
you know what Cheri?
I want to go to church.
00:14:28.82\00:14:32.74
I was like, are you
kidding me? Are you kidding me?
00:14:32.77\00:14:36.91
I'm thinking all of heaven,
the Angels must have sang out
00:14:36.94\00:14:40.33
because this kid
is coming back home.
00:14:40.36\00:14:42.76
I was thrilled, absolutely
thrilled that I couldn't stand
00:14:42.80\00:14:46.94
it, I didn't even know, I
wanted her to say, she said
00:14:46.98\00:14:50.51
how do I dress? I'd say
you could come naked it's okay,
00:14:50.54\00:14:54.03
I don't care how you dress.
00:14:54.07\00:14:55.67
Hun you are back in
the building and God is,
00:14:55.70\00:14:58.02
I know smiling.
00:14:58.05\00:14:59.70
So she dressed as been she
can, Anna is so damaged that
00:14:59.73\00:15:04.69
she couldn't see
herself to put a dress on.
00:15:04.73\00:15:07.01
It was for her to
feel phony and fake,
00:15:07.04\00:15:10.13
if you know what I mean.
00:15:10.17\00:15:11.39
It wasn't out of disrespect,
but she couldn't wear a dress,
00:15:11.43\00:15:14.74
it was not how she had
been for the last few years.
00:15:14.78\00:15:17.53
I said I don't care
what you wear, baggy pants,
00:15:17.56\00:15:20.24
jackets or whatever and she
comes into the church with me
00:15:20.28\00:15:22.83
and I was thrilled.
00:15:22.87\00:15:24.19
I almost had tears on my face
when I walked in the building
00:15:24.23\00:15:26.95
with her in my hand,
she actually held my hand,
00:15:26.98\00:15:29.35
like a little girl, she wasn't
a little girl but she scared.
00:15:29.38\00:15:33.59
We walked in and someone
said something to her about her
00:15:33.62\00:15:39.33
black lipstick, I thought,
God what just happened here?
00:15:39.37\00:15:45.04
I watched her withdrawal
right back into herself,
00:15:45.08\00:15:48.15
right back into herself and
she could have said out loud,
00:15:48.19\00:15:50.99
but was too embarrassed to
say it, but if she could have
00:15:51.03\00:15:53.80
said out loud she
would have said, see Cheri,
00:15:53.84\00:15:55.65
they do not want
me in this building.
00:15:55.69\00:15:57.52
So this whole season we are
talking about the Holy Spirit.
00:15:57.55\00:16:01.13
Right now I want to talk about
that there is things we can
00:16:01.16\00:16:04.70
do to grieve God's Holy Spirit.
00:16:04.73\00:16:07.29
We can actually grieve
all the blessings that God so
00:16:07.33\00:16:10.29
wants to pour into us.
00:16:10.33\00:16:11.74
We can grieve them away by
our junk, sometimes our junk
00:16:11.77\00:16:17.40
is that we judge people.
00:16:17.43\00:16:19.80
God says, you know I want
you baptized by the Holy Spirit
00:16:19.83\00:16:23.15
every day, fill yourself up
every day so when you look at
00:16:23.18\00:16:26.27
people you actually look at
them through the eyes of God.
00:16:26.30\00:16:29.78
Everyone of us is so damaged,
we may not all look like
00:16:29.82\00:16:32.83
Anna with black fingernail
polish and lipstick and
00:16:32.87\00:16:36.18
still cussing up a
storm, as she was at that time.
00:16:36.22\00:16:39.41
She no longer is, she is
a nurse living in Hawaii and
00:16:39.44\00:16:42.60
loving God with
children of her own now.
00:16:42.63\00:16:45.48
It's amazing, but as a
church we have got to get it.
00:16:45.52\00:16:50.17
We have a commission, and
that commission is the same one
00:16:50.21\00:16:53.44
Christ gave us before
He went, love one another,
00:16:53.48\00:16:56.57
love one another and in
that they will know who you are.
00:16:56.61\00:17:00.53
In that, I get to heal.
00:17:00.57\00:17:02.64
We will be right
back, stay tuned!
00:17:02.67\00:17:04.70
Think you've seen
it all? Think again.
00:17:10.21\00:17:13.39
Cheri Peters is back
for a second season of
00:17:13.42\00:17:16.91
Celebrating Life In
Recovery with more lives
00:17:16.94\00:17:20.40
more stories and more miracles.
00:17:20.43\00:17:23.52
Watch the shocking, the
inspiring, and the incredible.
00:17:23.55\00:17:27.45
Check your local
listings to find out when
00:17:27.49\00:17:29.91
Celebrating Life In
Recovery comes to you and get
00:17:29.95\00:17:33.53
ready for another dose
of reality, Cheri style.
00:17:33.57\00:17:37.11
Welcome back, my favorite
part of the show where you get
00:17:51.73\00:17:53.96
to meet some of my friends.
00:17:53.99\00:17:55.31
Today I have a friend that
lives in the same town I'm in,
00:17:55.34\00:17:58.55
and the first time it was
funny, the first time I met her
00:17:58.59\00:18:01.77
she was a vocalist, a
gospel and jazz vocalist.
00:18:01.80\00:18:04.66
She started to sing and I
just felt the Holy Spirit just
00:18:04.70\00:18:08.85
wash over me, I
thought I had to find out
00:18:08.88\00:18:11.99
who this woman is.
00:18:12.03\00:18:13.35
How can someone have a
message that comes across so
00:18:13.38\00:18:17.64
clearly, be so anointed,
and where did you come from,
00:18:17.67\00:18:21.90
and who are you?
00:18:21.93\00:18:23.03
I'm going to share that with
you and you will be surprised
00:18:23.07\00:18:25.76
because what she will say,
is I don't like talking about
00:18:25.80\00:18:29.26
myself, I don't have a testimony
and you will be blessed.
00:18:29.30\00:18:32.73
It's just amazing,
so Cheri I love you.
00:18:32.77\00:18:35.44
I'm glad to be here.
00:18:35.47\00:18:36.94
I'm so glad, because we
tried to do this before.
00:18:36.97\00:18:38.92
Yes we have, and our lives
are chaotic and I am blessed
00:18:38.96\00:18:41.37
and blessed,
and blessed. - Amen!
00:18:41.40\00:18:43.04
So I heard your testimony
before and was blessed by it.
00:18:43.07\00:18:49.23
So I want you to share
with people, who are you?
00:18:49.26\00:18:52.01
Where did you come from?
00:18:52.05\00:18:53.33
When you say, I have been
blessed and I feel guilty,
00:18:53.36\00:18:57.89
when you say that
what you mean by that?
00:18:57.92\00:18:59.49
I no longer feel
guilty, I just feel blessed.
00:18:59.53\00:19:01.95
That is all that I can say.
00:19:01.98\00:19:03.03
There have been a lot of
trials in everyone's life and
00:19:03.06\00:19:06.04
when I look at it reflectively,
I have just been blessed.
00:19:06.07\00:19:08.93
And I don't mean just by
diminishing it, I just want to
00:19:08.97\00:19:11.75
shout it, I want to talk about
it, say it over and over again.
00:19:11.79\00:19:14.23
I was born in Boise Idaho,
and yes there are more than 3
00:19:14.27\00:19:16.97
black people in
Idaho, because I married one.
00:19:17.00\00:19:18.88
We added to the population.
00:19:18.92\00:19:21.28
When you say that I
laugh, because I took Jackie,
00:19:21.32\00:19:24.52
you know I have a daughter,
when we moved there she was 4.
00:19:24.56\00:19:28.77
I ended up taking her to Georgia
during her homeschooling,
00:19:28.81\00:19:32.29
she was doing a civil war
thing, so I took her to Georgia
00:19:32.32\00:19:35.77
and we went into
this ethnic restaurant.
00:19:35.80\00:19:39.59
She walked in and she's
little, 4, she was like, mom!
00:19:39.63\00:19:44.71
Those pictures have
black people in them.
00:19:44.75\00:19:48.08
And I don't know how to
respond to that because she is
00:19:48.11\00:19:52.96
just adorable, "and everybody
in here is black and they
00:19:52.99\00:19:57.80
are so pretty, oh mom. "
00:19:57.84\00:20:00.02
She went on and on and the
owners of the restaurant came
00:20:00.05\00:20:03.47
in and kissed her on the face,
made a special meal for her,
00:20:03.50\00:20:06.85
and made over her and all
of a sudden I realized that she
00:20:06.88\00:20:10.20
was culturally starved in Idaho.
00:20:10.23\00:20:12.99
I love Idaho, but we
have little diversity.
00:20:13.02\00:20:18.88
A little diversity, a little
apparent diversity, and it
00:20:18.92\00:20:21.83
is growing by leaps and bounds
and I like that very much.
00:20:21.87\00:20:24.97
My family has been in Idaho
since 1905, and know we were
00:20:25.00\00:20:28.03
not lost in the desert we made
a purposeful choice to be there.
00:20:28.06\00:20:30.53
Both sides of the family,
so I love being there and
00:20:30.57\00:20:32.62
I've lived elsewhere
many times and came back to
00:20:32.66\00:20:34.67
Boise again and
again and I love it.
00:20:34.71\00:20:36.57
I have a strong faith tradition,
great-grandfather founded
00:20:36.61\00:20:40.08
one of the first black
churches, if you can imagine,
00:20:40.12\00:20:42.46
yes there were enough people
for church in Boise Idaho.
00:20:42.49\00:20:45.24
It also became the Idaho
Black history Museum of which
00:20:45.27\00:20:47.98
I am one of the
founding board members in 1995.
00:20:48.02\00:20:50.89
I got to go during
your annual thing this year,
00:20:50.93\00:20:53.77
and I was so blessed.
00:20:53.81\00:20:55.50
There was a Doctor, a woman
that got an award this year.
00:20:55.54\00:20:58.64
Who? Doctor Amy Oliver,
she was a former professor at
00:20:58.68\00:21:01.15
Boise State University,
and now at the Northwestern
00:21:01.19\00:21:03.47
Nazareth University and
has been one of my friends and
00:21:03.50\00:21:05.75
mentors for a long, long time.
00:21:05.78\00:21:07.29
I called her husband, who
passed away this last year,
00:21:07.32\00:21:10.43
my Pastor since 1970, even
when they move to Rhode Island
00:21:10.46\00:21:13.54
and came back, he has
been a blessing to me.
00:21:13.57\00:21:15.86
I know that word
sounds like it's contrived,
00:21:15.90\00:21:18.15
but I have been
blessed, and blessed.
00:21:18.19\00:21:19.49
I grew up in Boise, left
Boise and got married and
00:21:19.53\00:21:22.85
came back, got divorced
and lived close to my folks,
00:21:22.88\00:21:26.17
about nine blocks from them.
00:21:26.21\00:21:27.18
It wasn't a needy thing,
it was a choice, raising kids,
00:21:27.19\00:21:29.56
you have to be
close to relatives and
00:21:29.60\00:21:31.34
that was a great thing.
00:21:31.38\00:21:32.56
At one point, one of my sons
announced to us he had chosen
00:21:32.60\00:21:38.12
to become, to
follow the Nation of Islam.
00:21:38.15\00:21:40.76
Not the nation of Islam, Muslim.
00:21:40.79\00:21:43.61
So he follows Islam, and my
husband whom I had been married
00:21:43.65\00:21:47.71
to for 27 years, is a
Pastor, a Baptist Pastor.
00:21:47.74\00:21:51.10
Who said, Muslim, who said,
Islam what happened to this
00:21:51.13\00:21:54.49
child, he's your child Cheri.
00:21:54.53\00:21:55.89
It was my child,
it is his stepfather.
00:21:55.92\00:21:58.02
Still I was blessed, I call
the same Pastor, Pastor Oliver,
00:21:58.05\00:22:02.06
who was in Providence
Rhode Island at that time.
00:22:02.09\00:22:04.90
Can I ask you Cheri,
that as you are talking about,
00:22:04.94\00:22:07.68
because that is a huge thing
for any of us to have our kids
00:22:07.72\00:22:12.05
all of a sudden say, you
know what I have looked at this.
00:22:12.09\00:22:16.40
You didn't raise ignorant
children, you have children
00:22:16.43\00:22:20.18
that are making decisions
and you are saying, man.
00:22:20.21\00:22:23.43
You understand that on
both sides of my family,
00:22:23.47\00:22:26.23
on my mothers side and
my father side, have a long
00:22:26.27\00:22:28.99
history of people in the church.
00:22:29.03\00:22:30.92
Pastors on both sides,
deacons, mothers of the church,
00:22:30.95\00:22:34.76
Deaconesses,
pianists, and it goes on and on.
00:22:34.80\00:22:38.22
You can walk down the street
and somebody would know who's
00:22:38.26\00:22:40.18
kid, in which church you
went to, and that kind thing.
00:22:40.21\00:22:42.71
Philip grew up under the
tutelage age of my mother,
00:22:42.74\00:22:45.17
my mother didn't teach us
fairy tales, but we read about
00:22:45.21\00:22:48.29
comparative
religions at 7 or 8, 9 and 10.
00:22:48.33\00:22:51.81
I want you to tell the story
that you told me about your
00:22:51.84\00:22:55.20
mom and fairy tales,
especially like sleeping beauty.
00:22:55.24\00:22:58.34
Sleeping Beauty, mother said
fairytales, we are not going
00:22:58.38\00:23:00.63
to do fairytales, and one
of them was Sleeping Beauty.
00:23:00.67\00:23:03.04
She said listen to this
story, there is a woman alone in
00:23:03.08\00:23:05.38
the forest, lying by herself
in repose, and a stranger comes
00:23:05.41\00:23:09.08
up and laps his lips, uninvited,
and unannounced, on this woman.
00:23:09.11\00:23:12.74
This is not a good thing.
00:23:12.77\00:23:14.48
- I love that, I
never heard anyone say that.
00:23:14.52\00:23:17.40
You know what, Hansel and
Gretel throwing kids in the oven
00:23:17.43\00:23:20.33
are not, - these were not
pretty, not pretty stories.
00:23:20.37\00:23:23.10
Children wandering around
without parents in a forest,
00:23:23.14\00:23:25.83
it goes on and on and on.
00:23:25.87\00:23:27.13
She wanted you to know
that this was the truth, this is
00:23:27.16\00:23:29.43
what I want you to know
about the world around you.
00:23:29.46\00:23:31.69
Yes she wanted us to
know that the world was
00:23:31.73\00:23:33.58
not just Boise Idaho.
00:23:33.61\00:23:34.84
My mother had lived many
other places and just had a view
00:23:34.88\00:23:36.98
of the world, she was really
an acronyisms, a woman out of
00:23:37.02\00:23:39.66
her time and she instilled
that with me and with my kids
00:23:39.70\00:23:42.31
living nine blocks away.
00:23:42.35\00:23:43.81
She had a very, very powerful
influence and my dad was
00:23:43.85\00:23:46.52
more traditional,
straight down the line.
00:23:46.56\00:23:49.35
Grandpa was Baptist,
I'm Baptist, your Baptist.
00:23:49.39\00:23:51.45
That kind of thing, so it
was a real surprise to everyone
00:23:51.49\00:23:53.88
but my mother and I, when
Philip made that announcement.
00:23:53.91\00:23:56.27
Not that it wasn't
of a concern initially.
00:23:56.30\00:23:58.73
So I call this
Pastor, who was in Providence,
00:23:58.77\00:24:01.68
he came home every
August and retired in Boise.
00:24:01.71\00:24:04.55
I said, you know this is
what's happening, He's known
00:24:04.58\00:24:06.67
Philip since he was 2.
00:24:06.71\00:24:07.68
He said don't sweat it, I
will be home, and he didn't
00:24:07.69\00:24:09.50
talk like that he's
much more eloquent than that.
00:24:09.54\00:24:11.40
Don't sweat it, I'll be home
in August and we'll talk to him.
00:24:11.44\00:24:13.52
Called Philip and he
said, he's between 17 and 18,
00:24:13.55\00:24:16.50
he said bring your
Koran, bring your Bible and come
00:24:16.53\00:24:19.44
ready to spend time.
00:24:19.47\00:24:21.36
Phillips spent maybe
about four hours with him,
00:24:21.39\00:24:23.57
and as Philip was
driving his car back home,
00:24:23.61\00:24:25.72
he was calling on the
phone and saying this guy really
00:24:25.75\00:24:28.27
knows his Bible
and I am proud of him.
00:24:28.30\00:24:29.65
This is an amazing young
man, he knows his Bible and
00:24:29.69\00:24:32.53
he also knows his Koran.
00:24:32.57\00:24:34.07
And the reason he knows
that is because he was a
00:24:34.10\00:24:36.15
theologian and studied
all religions of the world.
00:24:36.18\00:24:38.16
He could give you the literal
translation from every language.
00:24:38.19\00:24:44.99
He gave me faith and hope
and understanding when he said,
00:24:45.02\00:24:47.78
God is in charge. - Amen!
00:24:47.82\00:24:50.07
I'm not questioning
it, God is in charge.
00:24:50.11\00:24:52.01
He is now 30 and still Muslim.
00:24:52.05\00:24:53.74
What is interesting to me
is that we do not know where
00:24:53.77\00:24:56.43
somebody is going to go.
00:24:56.47\00:24:57.69
I see people leave,
they are doing this stuff,
00:24:57.73\00:25:00.50
and come back was such a clear
understanding of who God is,
00:25:00.54\00:25:03.95
I'm not saying anything about
your son or where he is at.
00:25:03.99\00:25:07.37
We judge Muslims in a
way that would have no idea.
00:25:07.40\00:25:14.77
I went to Thailand, I was
so going to go over and do some
00:25:14.80\00:25:20.81
incredible things
with Buddhists over there.
00:25:20.84\00:25:23.40
They're so on fire and religious
not on fire as for Christ,
00:25:23.43\00:25:28.91
but on fire to what they
believe, in their prayers,
00:25:28.95\00:25:31.88
in their commitment to
God and I was shamed by that.
00:25:31.92\00:25:34.82
I thought, you know!
00:25:34.86\00:25:36.38
It's been edifying for me, I
didn't know what I didn't know
00:25:36.42\00:25:39.28
and I have learned so
much about the Muslim faith.
00:25:39.32\00:25:42.28
I have learned stuff about
me, I learned that I had some
00:25:42.32\00:25:44.79
judgments, when you talk
about the gal walking in and
00:25:44.83\00:25:47.27
she was excited at
church with black lipstick,
00:25:47.30\00:25:49.54
people were talking,
so I have learned that
00:25:49.57\00:25:51.77
I had to do
things with my own mouth.
00:25:51.81\00:25:53.32
There is a song, "right on
my tongue let my words edify,
00:25:53.35\00:25:58.74
"let the words of my mouth
be acceptable in thy sight. "
00:25:58.77\00:26:03.05
We need to do that every day,
we need to hold the judgment.
00:26:03.09\00:26:08.96
Go on, come on, but it is
hard, like you said, we judge
00:26:08.99\00:26:12.73
and don't even know we
are judging. - that's right!
00:26:12.77\00:26:16.43
So can you share with me with
what, if Jackie was going into
00:26:16.47\00:26:21.41
a Muslim faith, I don't
even know what that is really.
00:26:21.45\00:26:25.62
I just know what
I have been told.
00:26:25.66\00:26:27.20
I also know, by traveling
around the world, sometimes what
00:26:27.24\00:26:30.34
I have been told ain't it.
00:26:30.38\00:26:32.49
Well it is no different than
when you look in the Christian
00:26:32.52\00:26:35.02
faith, there's all kinds
of generations of Christians.
00:26:35.06\00:26:37.60
Even our own churches
is generations of what a
00:26:37.64\00:26:39.80
Christian looks like, walks
like, talks like, dresses like.
00:26:39.83\00:26:42.20
What kind of lip stick
they wear, wear it or not.
00:26:42.24\00:26:44.70
There are a lot of differences,
so that is the first thing
00:26:44.73\00:26:49.40
that I've learned, to be
open and understand that not
00:26:49.43\00:26:52.50
everything that I
have wrapped up in my head,
00:26:52.54\00:26:54.97
is not the stereo typical thing.
00:26:55.00\00:26:56.77
I've never been in a more
loving group, we have a very
00:26:56.80\00:27:00.97
small mosque in Boise Idaho
who embraced me when I walked
00:27:01.00\00:27:04.17
in the door, things I
didn't know, do I wear my shoes,
00:27:04.20\00:27:07.33
do I take them off,
what do I have to do?
00:27:07.37\00:27:08.75
Do I cover my head? Let me
help you, I'm so glad you are
00:27:08.79\00:27:13.18
interested, let me share, I
never felt more embraced than
00:27:13.21\00:27:17.57
I did when I went there.
00:27:17.60\00:27:18.81
I explain, the first time I
went, it was to visit my son.
00:27:18.85\00:27:22.72
- even just stopping that
whole thing, they hate you.
00:27:22.75\00:27:26.58
Yes, it is not the
case, it is not the case.
00:27:26.62\00:27:30.29
Very interested in human
rights, very interested in
00:27:30.33\00:27:34.06
preserving all kinds of
dignity for religions of all
00:27:34.10\00:27:36.81
different kinds, that is
what I found in my community
00:27:36.85\00:27:39.53
in Boise Idaho.
00:27:39.56\00:27:40.98
I'm grateful for those
relationships, and grateful for
00:27:41.01\00:27:43.04
what I have learned.
00:27:43.07\00:27:44.18
My son broke his neck. -
literally broke his neck?
00:27:44.21\00:27:47.67
Severed C-1
vertebrae in two places. - how?
00:27:47.71\00:27:51.10
Playing football, never
played football in high school.
00:27:51.13\00:27:53.85
Didn't like football,
he went to play with his
00:27:53.89\00:27:55.98
brother doing fun
stuff and broke his neck.
00:27:56.02\00:27:58.04
He was in a town about 300
miles away, and his girlfriend
00:27:58.08\00:28:00.87
called and said, hey, I
think he really hurt himself.
00:28:00.91\00:28:03.64
Of course he's a macho kind
of guy, no I'm cool, I'm cool.
00:28:03.67\00:28:06.50
- he got up? Yeah he got
up and play 3 more plays.
00:28:06.54\00:28:09.16
She called me and I
tried to do the mother thing.
00:28:09.19\00:28:11.40
It is hard to do a
mother thing on the phone.
00:28:11.44\00:28:13.58
You can only has so much
attitude, I was shaking my head,
00:28:13.62\00:28:15.83
people weren't getting what
I was saying, you need to get
00:28:15.86\00:28:18.04
your behind, I was
doing the best I can,
00:28:18.07\00:28:20.46
but he did go to the hospital.
00:28:20.49\00:28:21.74
The Doctor called me that
was there, he said, I think he
00:28:21.78\00:28:24.06
probably got a concussion,
he's okay, he's just got stars.
00:28:24.09\00:28:26.98
Before he left the hospital
my son said, I really did see
00:28:27.02\00:28:29.87
stars, I think you
need to take an x-ray.
00:28:29.91\00:28:31.43
Now there is something
wrong when you need to tell the
00:28:31.46\00:28:32.72
Doctor to take
an x-ray. - right!
00:28:32.75\00:28:34.01
They found he had
severed his C-1 in 2 places.
00:28:34.05\00:28:36.30
The Doctor called...
- that's a huge injury!
00:28:36.34\00:28:38.53
That's a huge injury, huge,
huge, that's life threatening.
00:28:38.56\00:28:40.62
The Doctor called me and
said, he will be fine we are
00:28:40.65\00:28:42.44
going to send him home.
00:28:42.48\00:28:43.45
Then he called me back
and said, ah, Miss Buckner,
00:28:43.46\00:28:46.58
I don't know what to
do, I don't know what to do.
00:28:46.62\00:28:49.69
- so you are like, don't tell
me that, you are the Doctor.
00:28:49.73\00:28:52.70
You have my baby.
They put him in a halo.
00:28:52.74\00:28:55.12
By the time I got to Pocatello,
three hours away, they had
00:28:55.16\00:28:57.86
released him, now who is
in charge? Who is in charge,
00:28:57.90\00:29:01.74
I'm just asking
who is in charge.
00:29:01.78\00:29:03.20
He said that C-1 vertebrae,
we also had called my Doctor
00:29:03.24\00:29:07.97
as we were going down, 10%
of those who sever C-1 live.
00:29:08.00\00:29:12.70
10% live, in all
cases, except this exception,
00:29:12.74\00:29:16.48
their quadriplegic, my
son is not a quadriplegic.
00:29:16.52\00:29:20.22
He is a highly
functioning, amazing guy,
00:29:20.26\00:29:22.60
who also broke his
neck a second time.
00:29:22.63\00:29:24.90
- but how did he get up,
nobody can answer that then?
00:29:24.94\00:29:29.51
How did he get up and walk?
00:29:29.54\00:29:31.06
I know, you know, who?
- let's say it out loud.
00:29:31.10\00:29:34.35
It's a God
thing, it's a God thing.
00:29:34.39\00:29:36.44
Yes he was really working
out, he developed nice great
00:29:36.48\00:29:40.00
muscles in his neck,
because they had trouble
00:29:40.04\00:29:43.08
even putting the screws
in to get a halo in there
00:29:43.12\00:29:46.13
but it is a
blessing, a blessing.
00:29:46.16\00:29:47.15
One of the things that my
son taught me, we came to Boise
00:29:47.18\00:29:50.66
and we realize that Halo
is outdated technology and I
00:29:50.69\00:29:55.07
looked for surgeon, surgeons
are in those high levels
00:29:55.11\00:29:59.45
of specialties, you
have to wait a long time.
00:29:59.49\00:30:02.40
I'm a pushy woman,
ultimately after not a very
00:30:02.43\00:30:05.27
pretty story, that wasn't
my best Christian self, I said,
00:30:05.30\00:30:08.51
you need to see my baby now
and I was acting really bad.
00:30:08.54\00:30:11.57
He did, and he looked at
the x-rays and said it was a
00:30:11.61\00:30:14.60
compelling break and we
need to get him into surgery.
00:30:14.64\00:30:16.19
- I have seen you
when you get intense.
00:30:16.22\00:30:19.19
I'm thinking,
those doctors, man.
00:30:19.23\00:30:22.55
They didn't have a chance,
they didn't have a chance.
00:30:22.59\00:30:25.01
He did have surgery and they
did a lot of amazing things.
00:30:25.04\00:30:27.43
They wired, fused,
bolted and all these things.
00:30:27.46\00:30:29.96
The boy, a man is powerful
and his brother was with him
00:30:30.00\00:30:33.16
the whole time,
it was great stuff.
00:30:33.19\00:30:34.49
We were blessed and
blessed, but one of the first
00:30:34.52\00:30:37.68
follow-up appointments I
took him to, there had been
00:30:37.71\00:30:40.80
another person from Boise State
University who had suffered
00:30:40.83\00:30:43.08
the same kind of
injury and was a quadriplegic.
00:30:43.12\00:30:46.75
I was saying to Philip,
we are so blessed that your
00:30:46.78\00:30:50.37
going to be fine.
00:30:50.41\00:30:51.62
He said mom, he was blessed
and I went, Philip you're
00:30:51.66\00:30:56.94
your fine, you're
going to be great.
00:30:56.97\00:30:57.94
He said mom, he was blessed,
and it really took me back.
00:30:57.95\00:31:00.88
He was right, when we talk
about the glory of God and how
00:31:00.91\00:31:04.01
we can't wait to get
to heaven and be with Him.
00:31:04.04\00:31:05.68
But when somebody
dies, we go oh! Oh! Oh!
00:31:05.71\00:31:10.09
Philip said, he was no
less blessed than I mom.
00:31:10.13\00:31:13.56
So that was a real opening,
yeah this kid, but my journey,
00:31:13.59\00:31:17.75
my journey, and obviously
this is part of my journey.
00:31:17.79\00:31:20.52
- tell him not to get
mad at me for saying this.
00:31:20.55\00:31:23.06
But I hope he comes back
to Christianity and just has a
00:31:23.10\00:31:27.29
Ministry with Muslims because
he will understand them in
00:31:27.32\00:31:31.48
ways that are unbelievable.
00:31:31.51\00:31:32.98
If he doesn't, it's a God thing.
00:31:33.02\00:31:36.09
There is a job for him,
and I think he is doing it.
00:31:36.13\00:31:39.58
He is an honorable loving
person, he totally honors the
00:31:39.62\00:31:43.76
Ministry of his father,
and the religion of his family,
00:31:43.80\00:31:47.91
his extended family,
we are many all over.
00:31:47.94\00:31:52.49
It's been a learning
opportunity for all of us.
00:31:52.53\00:31:55.88
I want to talk about
that you are now in Ministry.
00:31:55.91\00:31:59.09
You're in a Ministry teaching,
talk about what is your
00:31:59.13\00:32:02.28
Ministry, and
you just started...
00:32:02.31\00:32:04.69
You left your working gig.
00:32:04.72\00:32:07.03
I've been a corporate person,
if I tell you how long you'll be
00:32:07.07\00:32:11.12
counting and saying
she must be an old grub.
00:32:11.16\00:32:13.07
I've been in corporate
for like 30 years and I opened
00:32:13.10\00:32:17.41
a coaching firm, I believe
it really is my Ministry.
00:32:17.45\00:32:21.69
I know that it is, it was
over and over again things that
00:32:21.72\00:32:24.43
told me this and I listened.
00:32:24.47\00:32:25.76
My husband said, the burning
Bush would be in the front
00:32:25.79\00:32:28.33
yard, and you would be
looking for the root cause
00:32:28.37\00:32:30.05
of the Bush burning.
00:32:30.08\00:32:31.22
So, Stop, be still, and listen.
00:32:31.26\00:32:33.29
That is what my
husband kept telling me.
00:32:33.32\00:32:34.48
What I am doing is
working with people to help them
00:32:34.51\00:32:36.41
realize their dreams, and
it is a holistic approach with
00:32:36.44\00:32:39.10
your mind, body and spirit.
00:32:39.13\00:32:40.64
The Spirit is so critical
to you finding wholeness.
00:32:40.67\00:32:44.07
It is not just those that
have suffered terrible losses
00:32:44.11\00:32:47.42
which everyone has experienced
loss, but finding out who
00:32:47.45\00:32:50.67
you are, society has all
kinds of dictates about who we
00:32:50.71\00:32:53.57
should be, how we walk in
the world, but if we don't walk
00:32:53.60\00:32:56.19
in the world and wholeness,
we are not going to find that
00:32:56.22\00:32:59.39
joy that can only come from
knowing who we are and where
00:32:59.43\00:33:02.56
we come from and
who is in charge.
00:33:02.60\00:33:04.46
Is that combination. - exactly!
00:33:04.49\00:33:06.29
To me I love the way you
say that, because when I walked
00:33:06.32\00:33:10.17
into the church, I have to
be in a place to where somebody
00:33:10.20\00:33:14.01
gives me that space and
the affirmation to do that.
00:33:14.05\00:33:18.85
- That's right, that's right!
00:33:18.88\00:33:20.36
If I come in, what you
are saying, you should be
00:33:20.40\00:33:22.86
looking this way, you
should be acting this way,
00:33:22.89\00:33:25.83
than I am never going
to really look at who I am,
00:33:25.87\00:33:28.78
or celebrate who
God created me to be.
00:33:28.81\00:33:31.96
I love that word, celebrating,
celebrating our differences,
00:33:32.00\00:33:35.05
our uniqueness, the
opportunities we have
00:33:35.09\00:33:37.18
before us and celebrating it.
00:33:37.22\00:33:39.36
My grandma used to say,
and I used to think it was all
00:33:39.39\00:33:41.56
hers until I got out the
world and found out everybody's
00:33:41.59\00:33:43.72
grandmother said,
God don't make junk.
00:33:43.76\00:33:46.45
- yeah, Amen! - He
just don't make junk.
00:33:46.48\00:33:49.11
I believe that, our
journey is to find out, there is
00:33:49.14\00:33:52.64
another song, that is from
another friend of ours that
00:33:52.67\00:33:56.09
is here today, that has a
song for everything, but it is,
00:33:56.13\00:33:59.51
'Order My Steps' you know.
00:33:59.54\00:34:01.74
You sang that at a concert
and I got to be in the choir.
00:34:01.78\00:34:04.76
You where the choir
singing, Singing, singing!
00:34:04.80\00:34:07.94
Sing so off key that I felt
bad for every single person.
00:34:07.97\00:34:10.75
- It was a joyful
noise. - it was a joyful noise.
00:34:10.78\00:34:12.93
That is all we cared about,
we all came together, not all
00:34:12.97\00:34:15.62
of us are singers, but
we made a joyful noise.
00:34:15.66\00:34:18.26
I'm grateful for
that opportunity.
00:34:18.29\00:34:19.61
In all my steps is
God in every single thing,
00:34:19.64\00:34:22.68
every single thing.
00:34:22.72\00:34:24.01
I can make a mess of
it, I need some help.
00:34:24.05\00:34:27.64
But you also was it
Michael that you are working at?
00:34:27.68\00:34:32.39
Oh Hewitt Packard.
00:34:32.42\00:34:33.77
- I'm sorry, but your
call to diversity was?
00:34:33.81\00:34:38.31
I work in cultural diversity
and gender work and it was
00:34:38.34\00:34:42.57
wonderful work, it was
wonderful work and I am able to
00:34:42.61\00:34:46.81
continue doing that now.
00:34:46.84\00:34:47.96
I work in a
corporate environment
00:34:47.99\00:34:49.31
and with individuals.
00:34:49.35\00:34:50.52
I have clients across the
world that we do a lot of phone
00:34:50.55\00:34:52.64
coaching, so we
work with groups.
00:34:52.67\00:34:55.11
What is interesting to me
when I came into the church,
00:34:55.15\00:34:58.66
I realize that I wasn't
okay, and now I am totally.
00:34:58.70\00:35:02.14
I can dress right, people
want me to come over for dinner.
00:35:02.18\00:35:04.58
I can stay to potluck.
00:35:04.61\00:35:06.03
- I can stand at the
grocery store with you now.
00:35:06.06\00:35:09.07
I know, and I love that.
00:35:09.10\00:35:10.45
I think we don't understand,
when I started looking around
00:35:10.49\00:35:14.52
and realized that even within
the church that there were
00:35:14.55\00:35:18.54
black-and-white issues.
00:35:18.58\00:35:19.86
This person is the
Italian, this person is a biker,
00:35:19.89\00:35:24.22
this person is, we
had all these separations.
00:35:24.25\00:35:27.20
All these kind of clicks,
we even have this is a Korean
00:35:27.23\00:35:31.84
church, this is a Spanish
church, this is a black church,
00:35:31.87\00:35:35.24
and this is the White church,
and this is the church from
00:35:35.27\00:35:38.60
Russia, this is the bask church.
00:35:38.64\00:35:40.72
We have all will separations,
when I came in and looked
00:35:40.76\00:35:44.45
around I'm thinking,
aren't we supposed to be one?
00:35:44.48\00:35:47.97
What we find over and over
again, if you look at it really
00:35:48.01\00:35:51.76
critically, I don't think
there is a church that doesn't
00:35:51.80\00:35:55.91
have good intent, but there
is intent and there is impact.
00:35:55.95\00:35:59.54
You say come in and let us
be one, but I want you to walk
00:35:59.58\00:36:03.14
this way, you know what I mean?
00:36:03.17\00:36:04.80
I want to get dressed this way,
00:36:04.84\00:36:06.11
I want you to talk that way.
00:36:06.15\00:36:07.35
- You have to play
music I like. - yes!
00:36:07.38\00:36:10.60
You are welcome as long
as you fit into the box.
00:36:10.64\00:36:13.52
I think it is really a
hard thing, but church is a
00:36:13.56\00:36:16.37
microcosm of society, we
are diverse, we are different,
00:36:16.41\00:36:20.09
but we have to understand
that difference is just that
00:36:20.12\00:36:23.77
we do things uniquely.
00:36:23.80\00:36:25.18
Our goal for me societally,
as well as in the church
00:36:25.21\00:36:28.33
is to be inclusive. - Amen!
00:36:28.37\00:36:31.10
It's just not knowing
you're different, but act like
00:36:31.14\00:36:34.21
me okay, and by the way
I'll probably deride if you try
00:36:34.24\00:36:36.74
to act too much like me,
because you know you are not me.
00:36:36.78\00:36:39.94
So the real contradiction of
term and that is really true...
00:36:39.97\00:36:41.44
Exactly, so we have this line,
00:36:41.47\00:36:42.95
we need to work on including
in what you use that word,
00:36:42.98\00:36:47.27
celebrating,
celebrating our differences.
00:36:47.30\00:36:49.51
Sabbath is one of the most
segregated times a day in the
00:36:49.54\00:36:54.23
world, it's very true.
- I've heard that before.
00:36:54.26\00:36:57.98
I mean you asked the difference
between Muslim and Christian,
00:36:58.01\00:37:00.10
think about the Christian
faith, it's like you said,
00:37:00.13\00:37:02.32
we have a black church
and then we got this church,
00:37:02.35\00:37:04.51
and that church or
even a single church,
00:37:04.54\00:37:06.99
because we are so proud
to tell you that we also
00:37:07.02\00:37:09.21
have a service in Spanish.
00:37:09.25\00:37:11.61
Of course they all meet by
themselves at three o'clock
00:37:11.64\00:37:14.01
and we are out
at 11:15. - right!
00:37:14.05\00:37:15.71
- now that it's negative,
but it is not as inclusive
00:37:15.75\00:37:19.82
as it should be.
00:37:19.85\00:37:21.14
But what I think about
all that, is that you give me
00:37:21.17\00:37:23.54
permission, as my
friend, and I'm sure of this.
00:37:23.57\00:37:26.85
I could sit down and say
Cheri I want you to teach me
00:37:26.89\00:37:29.88
some things I don't know
about our cultural differences.
00:37:29.91\00:37:32.87
I know that you can do
that, I can grow in that,
00:37:32.91\00:37:36.02
I can learn from you
and do that with some folks,
00:37:36.06\00:37:39.44
as a church, can we do
that with each other enough so
00:37:39.47\00:37:42.78
that when you sit next to
me, those differences are really
00:37:42.82\00:37:46.59
not there, or are celebrated?
00:37:46.62\00:37:49.21
I think one of the
things that we have to try to
00:37:49.24\00:37:51.97
understand is the differences
are not going to go away.
00:37:52.01\00:37:55.47
It is a respect for them, I
do not like the word tolerance.
00:37:55.51\00:37:58.94
Everybody preaches
tolerance, let me tell you this.
00:37:58.97\00:38:01.69
If I said, Cheri I can tolerate
you living in my neighborhood.
00:38:01.72\00:38:05.53
Ya hey, I can tolerate
your child coming in my house,
00:38:05.57\00:38:09.70
that is not very
loving or inclusive.
00:38:09.74\00:38:12.22
I don't like that language.
00:38:12.25\00:38:13.22
So when we get to a point
where we can value, one of my
00:38:13.23\00:38:16.88
closest friends at home
sings her heart out, sings 24/7.
00:38:16.91\00:38:20.58
We exercise at the gym,
yes I do go occasionally,
00:38:20.62\00:38:23.42
it's Monday, it's part
of my getting to wholeness,
00:38:23.45\00:38:26.11
I'm getting on a five
week program, I'm going to die.
00:38:26.15\00:38:28.77
She just sings, and I
mean this girl can't sing.
00:38:28.81\00:38:31.08
The girl cannot sing, but
she makes such a joyful noise,
00:38:31.11\00:38:35.36
and we have such a great time.
00:38:35.39\00:38:36.70
So when it comes that I
could sit next to this woman and
00:38:36.73\00:38:39.65
just love her and enjoy
her, whether she sings on key or
00:38:39.68\00:38:42.56
not, but she
makes me want to sing.
00:38:42.60\00:38:44.81
She just lifts me up, that's
the thing we hope to happen.
00:38:44.85\00:38:47.69
Or at least it's a goal for me.
00:38:47.72\00:38:49.66
We are going to
open up for questions.
00:38:49.69\00:38:51.63
I want to say that I
believe when we get to heaven,
00:38:51.66\00:38:56.79
that we will all have incredible
differences and we will
00:38:56.83\00:39:00.77
celebrate everyone of
them, and just be blessed by the
00:39:00.80\00:39:04.71
people we sit next to.
00:39:04.74\00:39:05.95
But the world right
now is looking at us today,
00:39:05.99\00:39:09.04
and they are really looking
at a church hoping to find
00:39:09.07\00:39:11.85
a church that no
matter where we come from,
00:39:11.89\00:39:13.86
no matter what our background
is, they want us to be
00:39:13.89\00:39:16.68
celebrating our
differences today.
00:39:16.71\00:39:18.88
I want to have that, I
think to me, to the extent that
00:39:18.92\00:39:24.70
I cannot accept the
person sitting next to me,
00:39:24.74\00:39:27.55
the person in front of me,
the person coming in the room,
00:39:27.59\00:39:31.11
is to the extent that I
grieve the Spirit and am unable
00:39:31.14\00:39:34.78
to be blessed the way God
wants to bless me as His body.
00:39:34.81\00:39:38.41
I just wanted to say
that out loud, I don't know
00:39:38.45\00:39:41.10
who's listening,
but I want to say that.
00:39:41.13\00:39:43.57
As a church let's
start loving on each other.
00:39:43.60\00:39:46.10
So I'm going to
open it up for questions.
00:39:46.13\00:39:48.59
Does anybody have
a question? Vicki.
00:39:48.63\00:39:50.89
There is so much that I
could say, first thank you for
00:39:50.93\00:39:54.05
sharing because I
go to a church that
00:39:54.08\00:39:56.57
I walked into and looked
very different, and walked into
00:39:56.60\00:40:01.95
this 90% black church.
00:40:01.99\00:40:05.19
If you look at it, it looks
like a quote, unquote black
00:40:05.23\00:40:07.99
church, really it
was multicultural.
00:40:08.02\00:40:10.01
We had people from Nigeria,
Jamaica, Peru, you name it,
00:40:10.05\00:40:13.56
different countries, so it
wasn't black-and-white, it was
00:40:13.60\00:40:17.07
multicultural and I
believe we are all meant to be
00:40:17.11\00:40:19.37
to embrace our differences.
00:40:19.41\00:40:21.65
So with that said, as a
mother who seems overjoyed with
00:40:21.68\00:40:25.33
love for her son, what
would you say to mothers,
00:40:25.37\00:40:28.25
or fathers, that have a son
or daughter that is different.
00:40:28.29\00:40:32.91
Whether they are walking to
a beat of a different drum so
00:40:32.94\00:40:36.82
to speak, or they showed
an interest say, in Judaism or
00:40:36.85\00:40:40.70
perhaps something
other than Christianity.
00:40:40.73\00:40:44.60
What would you say to them?
00:40:44.63\00:40:45.89
- if so cryptic, I
would say love them.
00:40:45.93\00:40:47.27
Love them and pray for
them, pray without ceasing.
00:40:47.30\00:40:49.84
Just like you do with the
kids that are not using that
00:40:49.88\00:40:52.38
other path, that is
all there is for me.
00:40:52.42\00:40:55.15
- I have to say to
Cheri, is sometimes people,
00:40:55.18\00:40:59.07
even when their kids are
acting out in any kind of way,
00:40:59.11\00:41:02.61
because I worked
with addicts mostly,
00:41:02.64\00:41:04.08
so acting out in addictions.
00:41:04.11\00:41:06.03
So when I see a look in
your eyes, I don't want them to
00:41:06.06\00:41:09.58
see fear or judgment, I
want to them to see mamma,
00:41:09.61\00:41:12.78
and Mama loves you
if you know what I mean.
00:41:12.82\00:41:15.00
It's a huge thing, that
if they read in my eyes what
00:41:15.04\00:41:20.86
the truth is, I love you.
00:41:20.89\00:41:24.11
And to sense that
it's not different.
00:41:24.15\00:41:26.27
I'm so sure that
God is in charge,
00:41:26.30\00:41:28.38
they have to see
that in your eyes.
00:41:28.41\00:41:30.45
Sam you had a question.
00:41:30.48\00:41:33.63
Yes, well I have a comment.
00:41:33.67\00:41:36.75
As I mentioned to you that
I have no problem with racial
00:41:36.79\00:41:42.96
prejudiced because you see
I am and I Italian but most
00:41:43.00\00:41:49.14
people think I'm a Japanese.
00:41:49.17\00:41:51.95
- when you said
that I wanted to laugh,
00:41:51.99\00:41:53.06
I'm thinking you are
an Italian? You promise?
00:41:53.09\00:41:56.79
That's what people
think that I am Japanese.
00:41:56.83\00:42:00.49
That is where the problem is.
00:42:00.52\00:42:02.55
For obvious reasons I can't
tell you where, but my wife
00:42:02.59\00:42:08.08
and I went to this
church in Michigan.
00:42:08.12\00:42:11.29
We felt so awkward because
it was a Caucasian church.
00:42:11.32\00:42:19.53
Practically everybody is
Caucasian and they were tense.
00:42:19.56\00:42:27.73
They didn't want to
see a Japanese man with
00:42:27.77\00:42:31.43
a Caucasian wife, right.
00:42:31.47\00:42:34.45
- that's hard, mixed
marriages is hard for people,
00:42:34.49\00:42:37.30
I'm finding out, and didn't
realize, it was such an issue.
00:42:37.33\00:42:40.49
We had a tough time and
said we will never return to
00:42:40.52\00:42:44.85
this church, well of
course you can't do that because
00:42:44.89\00:42:49.18
of relatives and that
is why we went to that
00:42:49.22\00:42:53.51
church in the first place.
00:42:53.55\00:42:55.31
If you years later we went
to that church and there was
00:42:55.34\00:43:01.03
100% change, people were warm.
00:43:01.06\00:43:05.51
I notice that there
were ethnic diversity,
00:43:05.55\00:43:11.99
many different nationalities
attending that church.
00:43:12.02\00:43:15.56
Well I just found out recently
that the Minister came to
00:43:15.59\00:43:21.24
that church about
seven years ago and the
00:43:21.27\00:43:24.99
whole atmosphere
just turned around.
00:43:25.03\00:43:29.40
- so he came in
with a teaching spirit?
00:43:29.44\00:43:33.77
Or he just came in and taught?
00:43:33.81\00:43:36.64
Or just through
people from the community?
00:43:36.68\00:43:39.31
But the people's attitude
had just completely changed and
00:43:39.34\00:43:43.29
I feel that, you know you
can turn off people, visitors,
00:43:43.33\00:43:49.62
by not being loving, cordial.
00:43:49.65\00:43:54.91
- can I just take that Sam?
00:43:54.94\00:44:00.13
I know when you can turn
off visitors and turn off each
00:44:00.17\00:44:04.02
other, you can hurt
and injure each other.
00:44:04.05\00:44:06.84
I want to go a step above that,
00:44:06.87\00:44:09.82
you can grieve the Holy Spirit.
00:44:09.85\00:44:12.77
- what does that mean?
00:44:12.80\00:44:14.56
To me grieving the Holy
Spirit, the Holy Spirit wants to
00:44:14.60\00:44:17.18
pour in to us, wants to use us.
00:44:17.21\00:44:18.87
We are the body of Christ,
we are the light of the world,
00:44:18.90\00:44:22.46
we bring God's colors to
the world and anytime I my junk
00:44:22.50\00:44:25.95
gets in the way of the Holy
Spirit being able to love on,
00:44:25.98\00:44:29.37
edify and affirm, and lift
somebody up in front of me,
00:44:29.40\00:44:32.73
when my junk gets in the
way, it is like I grieve Him.
00:44:32.77\00:44:36.03
As friends if you and I are
hanging together and I say some
00:44:36.07\00:44:39.34
thing that hurts you, you
are grieved, you are a vexed.
00:44:39.37\00:44:43.41
Your spirit has to withdraw
and figure out what just
00:44:43.44\00:44:47.44
happened, what did she say?
00:44:47.47\00:44:49.05
I think that God, the
Holy Spirit is grieved
00:44:49.08\00:44:51.51
in the same way.
00:44:51.55\00:44:52.68
The Bible says don't grieve
the Spirit, don't grieve the
00:44:52.71\00:44:55.89
Spirit so I know that all
this stuff is very personal for
00:44:55.93\00:44:59.19
each of us, but I also
know it's very personal for God.
00:44:59.22\00:45:02.45
As His
representatives on the planet.
00:45:02.49\00:45:05.57
Do you hear that? - I hear you.
00:45:05.60\00:45:08.24
I also think that some
significant happened here,
00:45:08.28\00:45:10.74
we don't know what
happened in this congregation,
00:45:10.77\00:45:13.70
but someone went
forward and spread the gospel of
00:45:13.73\00:45:17.01
Jesus Christ and it
caught fire, and it caught fire.
00:45:17.04\00:45:20.28
Somebody stepped up.
00:45:20.32\00:45:22.86
That is too funny, I know
there was another question.
00:45:25.90\00:45:28.20
Lisa, you had a question.
00:45:28.23\00:45:29.45
When you talk about grieving
the Holy Spirit, I know that
00:45:29.48\00:45:34.46
I have done that and
got very sensitive to that.
00:45:34.49\00:45:37.92
What I say to the Lord
is that when I'm talking,
00:45:37.96\00:45:40.67
ministering, being a
friend, a wife, a mother,
00:45:40.70\00:45:44.39
help me to have Your
heart on that person.
00:45:44.42\00:45:47.55
Not to see how they
are acting, how they look,
00:45:47.59\00:45:50.65
if they are in sin, if they
are Muslim, if they are a Jew,
00:45:50.68\00:45:53.38
if it's my mother, if
it's someone who I don't like,
00:45:53.42\00:45:56.46
not my type of person,
help me to have Your heart.
00:45:56.49\00:45:59.46
Because He died for all of
us and loves us all and wants
00:45:59.50\00:46:02.82
to fix us all and I
need His help sometimes when
00:46:02.86\00:46:06.50
I am talking to somebody,
because I might not have that
00:46:06.53\00:46:09.43
feeling for
them and He helps me.
00:46:09.47\00:46:11.99
- We don't know
how to love like that.
00:46:12.03\00:46:13.74
On the show we talked about
the Holy Spirit and the gifts
00:46:13.78\00:46:17.69
of the Spirit's, or
the fruits of the Spirit.
00:46:17.72\00:46:19.69
First fruit is agape
love, so God pours that into us.
00:46:19.72\00:46:23.69
So I learn to love only
with my dependents on the
00:46:23.72\00:46:27.62
Holy Spirit, because the
love with the world has taught
00:46:27.65\00:46:29.77
me is not that good.
00:46:29.80\00:46:32.25
In our humanness, we are
human and we try to be like Him.
00:46:32.28\00:46:35.91
That's incredible, when I
went to God one time and said,
00:46:35.95\00:46:39.55
God, who do I work with?
00:46:39.58\00:46:41.48
Do I work with Buddhist, we
have like 50 billion different
00:46:41.51\00:46:45.54
denominations, do I work
with such and such and such and
00:46:45.58\00:46:49.10
such, do I work with an addict,
God forbid the prostitute,
00:46:49.14\00:46:52.63
do I work with whatever?
00:46:52.67\00:46:53.74
I am vexed, I'm
thinking God I don't know.
00:46:53.77\00:46:56.67
Some people say we
should work with them,
00:46:56.70\00:46:59.53
but not this group, so
I said in my prayer that
00:46:59.56\00:47:03.41
I want to know, I want to know.
00:47:03.45\00:47:06.59
I don't want to know kind
of, I seriously want to know,
00:47:06.62\00:47:09.14
crying, wanting to know.
00:47:09.18\00:47:10.83
The Holy Spirit said,
I'll give you something easy.
00:47:10.86\00:47:15.18
I'm thinking easy is
good, put a little mirror under
00:47:15.21\00:47:19.49
their nose and if it
steams up work with them.
00:47:19.53\00:47:22.24
That is what I'm saying, do
I work with them, He said yes.
00:47:22.28\00:47:24.57
And yes, and yes, and yes.
00:47:24.61\00:47:26.67
If they are alive, they are
my children, and judgment does
00:47:26.70\00:47:31.47
not come, there is a
thing in the Bible that says,
00:47:31.51\00:47:33.98
when judgment comes is
at the end of all this.
00:47:34.01\00:47:36.59
There will be a
judgment day, but it is not now.
00:47:36.63\00:47:39.65
Jesus said at one time,
even the angels don't judge.
00:47:39.68\00:47:42.76
You don't know the end of
your life, you don't know the
00:47:42.80\00:47:46.41
end of my life, all you know
is that I have breath in me.
00:47:46.44\00:47:49.99
If I have breath in me,
as Christians we are to love,
00:47:50.03\00:47:53.54
affirm, edify, lift
up, educate if we can.
00:47:53.58\00:47:57.12
If the person is able to
be educated at that point,
00:47:57.15\00:47:59.96
but sometimes that is not
even our gig. - that's right!
00:47:59.99\00:48:02.77
Our gig is to love on
or pray for those things.
00:48:02.80\00:48:07.38
Maybe pray with. - oh,
you've gone too far for me.
00:48:07.42\00:48:11.97
So we have a little bit
of time and I would like to,
00:48:14.21\00:48:18.17
you have said at the beginning
the show, you said to me
00:48:18.21\00:48:21.61
personally, you know I
just don't have a testimony.
00:48:21.64\00:48:24.89
But I say that I see a
woman that has gone through a
00:48:24.92\00:48:28.10
number of things in your life
that has kept the foundation
00:48:28.14\00:48:32.10
in Christ, how do you do that?
00:48:32.13\00:48:33.67
Well you know it
is like breathing.
00:48:33.71\00:48:36.93
He is there, and
I know He is there.
00:48:36.97\00:48:40.12
There are times that I
know that you heard me say this
00:48:40.15\00:48:42.00
before, I'm not
sure He is keeping score
00:48:42.03\00:48:43.56
as well as I'd like him
to, I'm right at the end,
00:48:43.60\00:48:46.32
this could be a
deal breaker Lord.
00:48:46.36\00:48:48.80
He says, ah nah, you
are okay, you're okay.
00:48:48.83\00:48:51.42
I believe that is true, I
have the core sustaining root,
00:48:51.45\00:48:55.97
foundation and it
goes on and on and on.
00:48:56.00\00:48:58.39
I know, I'm trying to fix
things and take care of it,
00:48:58.43\00:49:01.11
sometimes it is not my job
and I will get to the point
00:49:01.14\00:49:04.08
and say that I know Who is
in charge, I've been reminded.
00:49:04.11\00:49:07.04
But you have gotten to the point
where you said God this is hard.
00:49:07.08\00:49:08.52
This one is hard?
00:49:08.55\00:49:09.55
Oh yeah, my parents died 8
weeks apart from each other and
00:49:09.58\00:49:11.86
I did all the right things
and gave all myself these kudos
00:49:11.90\00:49:14.00
and pats on the back
and for handling, handling,
00:49:14.04\00:49:16.44
handling, and I thought I was
going to lose my mind because
00:49:16.48\00:49:18.88
that was my linchpin, my core.
00:49:18.92\00:49:21.65
Who are you? When you are
an orphan even though you are
00:49:21.69\00:49:23.98
as old as God yourself, it felt
really funny to lose both my
00:49:24.01\00:49:27.59
parents and lose them so
quickly and it was very hard.
00:49:27.62\00:49:30.80
And how do I stand back up.
00:49:30.83\00:49:32.39
- yes, then my kids god
mother died right after that.
00:49:32.43\00:49:34.87
Then one of my closest friends
was murdered a month after
00:49:34.90\00:49:38.06
that and I'm going, and I
do pray like you do, Lord,
00:49:38.10\00:49:41.22
this is Cheri,
remember this is me.
00:49:41.26\00:49:42.60
Have you got me confused
with so many down the street
00:49:42.63\00:49:45.49
and I'm getting the overspill,
it's a little too much,
00:49:45.52\00:49:48.35
too much for me.
00:49:48.38\00:49:49.45
- because you said you won't
give us more than I can handle.
00:49:49.48\00:49:51.60
But now You're pushing it.
00:49:51.63\00:49:53.07
Yes Lord You are
pushing it, this is the big one.
00:49:53.11\00:49:54.86
But truthfully that
is what sustains me,
00:49:54.90\00:49:57.00
that's what sustains me.
00:49:57.04\00:49:58.03
As Christians is that,
that foundation is that I know
00:49:58.07\00:50:02.58
whatever hits me, whether
I understand it or not, I can
00:50:02.62\00:50:06.71
go to God, I can walk around
and I can weep in His arms.
00:50:06.75\00:50:10.81
I can weep in prayer,
I can say I'm confused.
00:50:10.84\00:50:14.21
My mother used to say this
all the time, and her brother
00:50:14.24\00:50:17.17
was a minister, there is a
Scripture that talks about now
00:50:17.21\00:50:19.81
we see through a glass
darkly but later face-to-face.
00:50:19.85\00:50:22.19
Because I want to understand
and I want to know what
00:50:22.22\00:50:24.25
I'm not going to know,
that is hard for somebody that
00:50:24.29\00:50:26.29
is a little bit
of a control freak.
00:50:26.32\00:50:28.08
I'm not supposed to know
and the other thing that helps
00:50:28.11\00:50:30.60
the all the time is,
faith is the substance of things
00:50:30.63\00:50:33.09
hoped for the
evidence of things not seen.
00:50:33.12\00:50:35.46
I need that, and the other
one is weeping may endure for
00:50:35.49\00:50:39.03
a night, weeping may
endure and that is true.
00:50:39.06\00:50:43.60
I swear that the darkest
times for me come at night when
00:50:43.64\00:50:47.08
you are alone and in the dark
and truly the morning comes.
00:50:47.12\00:50:50.53
Truly it comes.
00:50:50.56\00:50:52.43
We talked about grieving
the Holy Spirit on this.
00:50:52.46\00:50:56.79
I just want to get
back to into churches.
00:50:56.83\00:51:02.69
What would you say to somebody
in a church that says you
00:51:02.73\00:51:07.45
know what, as you
guys talking I realize that
00:51:07.49\00:51:09.96
I have issues with
racial differences?
00:51:10.00\00:51:13.35
I have issues with people
that are different, a kid coming
00:51:13.39\00:51:16.76
in with piercings or
black lipstick or whatever.
00:51:16.79\00:51:20.17
I have issues with that.
00:51:20.21\00:51:21.74
I know when I meet somebody
that hear something that changes
00:51:21.78\00:51:26.60
their mindset, and says I
don't want to be judgmental.
00:51:26.64\00:51:29.19
I don't want to be that,
what would you say to them as
00:51:29.23\00:51:31.75
far as it is how to change that?
00:51:31.79\00:51:33.42
First thing I would say,
congratulation, you are human.
00:51:33.45\00:51:36.73
You don't like everybody, I
really get concerned when so
00:51:36.77\00:51:40.49
many says, ah, I have no
prejudices, I like everybody
00:51:40.53\00:51:44.22
and I am so superior.
00:51:44.26\00:51:46.97
I want to go Hummm,
speak with fork tongue.
00:51:47.00\00:51:48.87
What you don't know, you
don't know so the top is to say,
00:51:48.90\00:51:52.81
I got this issue, and the
next thing is to take the step.
00:51:52.85\00:51:55.95
I do not mean that you have
to go throw your arms around
00:51:55.98\00:51:59.04
them because they know
what your arms anymore than
00:51:59.08\00:52:00.29
you want to put
them around there.
00:52:00.32\00:52:01.31
But the more you know, the
more you find out about someone,
00:52:01.34\00:52:04.33
you develop a relationship.
00:52:04.37\00:52:05.98
Everybody doesn't want to
be close and touchy-feely,
00:52:06.02\00:52:09.28
but you have to, it is
hard to hate somebody when you
00:52:09.32\00:52:13.16
really know them,
sometimes when you base it on a
00:52:13.19\00:52:16.96
stereotype you think you
know, but when you begin to know
00:52:16.99\00:52:20.59
someone there is an opportunity
00:52:20.63\00:52:22.07
to break down those barriers.
00:52:22.10\00:52:23.52
Open up ask them, who are you?
00:52:23.56\00:52:24.91
Better than that, tell
them who you are because you can
00:52:24.94\00:52:29.21
feel under scrutiny when so
many comes up and bombards you,
00:52:29.25\00:52:33.48
who are you? Where
are you coming from?
00:52:33.51\00:52:34.80
I can have the best
intentions but it sounds like
00:52:34.84\00:52:37.56
I'm interrogating you,
why don't I share me with you?
00:52:37.60\00:52:40.55
Why don't I share something
with you and then give you
00:52:40.59\00:52:43.51
the opportunity to share?
00:52:43.54\00:52:44.99
To me all that, in understanding
God not only has to
00:52:45.02\00:52:51.38
bring us from a place of
whatever, a place of where we
00:52:51.41\00:52:57.76
were raised in loving
families, or place of damage,
00:52:57.80\00:53:00.28
or a place of where ever it is.
00:53:00.32\00:53:03.21
Where every He finds us,
that He has to bring us to be
00:53:03.24\00:53:06.56
able to see His face, accept
the sacrifice that was made
00:53:06.59\00:53:10.08
for us, and then moves us
into a body of all kinds of
00:53:10.11\00:53:13.56
folks all trying to
figure out who they are,
00:53:13.60\00:53:15.92
or and what they are in Christ.
00:53:15.96\00:53:17.36
At the same time He is
saying now I want you guys to
00:53:17.40\00:53:20.51
look at each other lovingly,
and we are like I don't
00:53:20.55\00:53:23.63
know how to do that.
00:53:23.67\00:53:25.13
When I first came into the
church what cracked me up is
00:53:25.16\00:53:27.78
I didn't know how
to eat with someone.
00:53:27.81\00:53:29.38
I was homeless and
didn't have a lot of modeling as
00:53:29.42\00:53:33.70
a child, so when somebody
said, let's have potluck
00:53:33.73\00:53:37.98
together, my palms would sweat.
00:53:38.01\00:53:40.69
I didn't want someone to touch
me because I knew they would
00:53:40.73\00:53:42.84
feel me sweaty and anxious.
00:53:42.88\00:53:44.68
Then somebody would say
just talk about anything.
00:53:44.72\00:53:47.54
I didn't know, people
start talking about the weather.
00:53:47.58\00:53:50.96
I thought these guys are so
concerned about the weather.
00:53:50.99\00:53:54.50
They talk to somebody
else and say nice weather we're
00:53:54.53\00:53:57.45
having, and I'm thinking
what are they talking about?
00:53:57.48\00:54:01.07
I didn't even know the typical
social things that people
00:54:01.10\00:54:04.65
do to feel each other out.
00:54:04.69\00:54:06.63
All that light talk. -
or dance, the dance we do.
00:54:06.66\00:54:09.69
Another piece is
humbling ourselves.
00:54:09.73\00:54:11.87
You know I don't know you,
I don't want to offend you,
00:54:11.91\00:54:15.72
but Blah, blah, blah,
blah, just to be humble.
00:54:15.76\00:54:18.69
Say I don't know
everything and ask the question.
00:54:18.72\00:54:21.58
It is so important not to
attack, not make someone feel
00:54:21.62\00:54:24.90
they are being put
upon, that is my answer.
00:54:24.94\00:54:27.07
Share me, share me.
00:54:27.10\00:54:29.44
- and once we do
that we do really fall
00:54:29.47\00:54:33.57
in love with people.
00:54:33.60\00:54:34.71
When somebody opens up to
me, like Sam, I'm going to
00:54:34.75\00:54:39.08
tell a little bit about you.
00:54:39.12\00:54:40.37
Sam, I talk to you on another
show, but as a kid in Japan
00:54:40.41\00:54:45.84
during bombs going off,
Sam ran from those bombs.
00:54:45.87\00:54:50.77
You know what I mean? It is
a life that is so different.
00:54:50.80\00:54:55.14
As you talked, you so
became a part of my family of
00:54:55.18\00:54:59.53
Christ, I so fell in love
with your history and what
00:54:59.56\00:55:03.12
you know about God and
how God has brought you along.
00:55:03.15\00:55:06.67
I could talk about
everybody on the set today,
00:55:06.70\00:55:09.37
the testimonies and the stories.
00:55:09.41\00:55:11.43
So we have talked about
on this show of the fact that
00:55:11.46\00:55:15.26
there is all those judgments
being made for each other,
00:55:15.29\00:55:18.98
but as Christians we have
the privilege to ask God to fill
00:55:19.02\00:55:22.68
me up with the Holy Spirit and
00:55:22.71\00:55:23.73
teach me not to
make those judgments.
00:55:23.76\00:55:25.98
Teach me what it means to
accept and love someone, and the
00:55:26.01\00:55:29.46
first gift of the Spirit
is love, the first fruit.
00:55:29.49\00:55:32.47
He says I will not only teach
you, but I will love through
00:55:32.51\00:55:35.92
you until you get it.
00:55:35.96\00:55:37.25
For me, I think it is
like the rest of my life and
00:55:37.29\00:55:40.02
I'm saying go ahead God,
because I don't want to lean on
00:55:40.06\00:55:43.23
my own understanding anymore.
00:55:43.27\00:55:44.74
I don't want to figure this
out anymore, I want You to do
00:55:44.77\00:55:47.49
it through me and stay
tuned we will be right back.
00:55:47.52\00:55:50.21
Cheri Peters uses the
book, 'Coming Of The Comforter'
00:55:55.90\00:55:58.60
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00:55:58.64\00:56:02.05
Recovery, written by Lee
Roy E. Froom is a 320 page book
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3ABN now offers this book
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Call 3ABN at 618-627-4651
or go online to 3ABN.org.
00:56:16.69\00:56:23.30
The Bible talks about the
gift of the Holy Spirit and
00:56:39.19\00:56:41.46
I think that is the only thing
that gets us in to recovery.
00:56:41.49\00:56:44.18
It is the only thing
that educates us on how to be
00:56:44.21\00:56:46.62
Christians, especially
with cultural stuff at all the
00:56:46.66\00:56:49.04
different things we deal with.
00:56:49.07\00:56:50.37
God says, I want to give
you the Holy Spirit more than a
00:56:50.40\00:56:54.47
good parent wants to give
good gifts to their children.
00:56:54.50\00:56:57.89
It is just a huge thing,
Christ, the last thing He said
00:56:57.92\00:57:00.63
when He left is that He wanted
to give us the Holy Spirit.
00:57:00.66\00:57:03.81
Then I read Peter the
disciple is filled with the Holy
00:57:03.84\00:57:07.18
Spirit and he walks by
somebody and his shadow falls on
00:57:07.21\00:57:10.51
them and they are
well, they are healed.
00:57:10.55\00:57:12.28
I'm thinking, oh,
shut up, I want to do that.
00:57:12.31\00:57:14.83
I want to actually have my
shadow fall on somebody and
00:57:14.86\00:57:17.18
have them be well and
then I thought, wait a minute.
00:57:17.21\00:57:20.09
That Spirit that they are
talking about in Peter that
00:57:20.13\00:57:22.77
causes that kind of reaction
of one a shadow falls on
00:57:22.80\00:57:25.40
them is in you, to
make you well first.
00:57:25.44\00:57:27.82
So the first person
that gets the benefit of the
00:57:27.85\00:57:30.61
Holy Spirit is the
person that asks for it.
00:57:30.65\00:57:33.15
So if you have any issues,
if you even think that maybe
00:57:33.19\00:57:36.34
you need to learn something
about cultural diversity,
00:57:36.37\00:57:39.68
about accepting of young
people, old people, pierced
00:57:39.71\00:57:42.62
people, tattooed people,
black people, White people,
00:57:42.66\00:57:45.54
Italian-Japanese people.
00:57:45.57\00:57:48.08
If you have any of that
just ask God, fill me with the
00:57:48.12\00:57:52.78
Holy Spirit and so heal
me that my desires and become
00:57:52.82\00:57:57.02
Your desires, my eyes
become Your eyes, my mouth as
00:57:57.06\00:58:00.36
I speak to someone, I
speak life into them because
00:58:00.39\00:58:03.66
I am speaking from
the throne room of God.
00:58:03.69\00:58:06.25
I'm speaking in my
healing not in my damage.
00:58:06.29\00:58:08.78
If we do that as a church,
man, could you imagine that
00:58:08.81\00:58:13.46
we would just
draw the world to us.
00:58:13.50\00:58:15.31
And right now the world
is not coming because we are
00:58:15.35\00:58:17.42
not learning to love
each other, but let's do it.
00:58:17.46\00:58:20.37
Love each other and until
next week, I am crazy about
00:58:20.41\00:58:23.28
you, God is crazy
about you, see a next time.
00:58:23.32\00:58:26.18