Welcome back!
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Incredible, incredible
testimony and how we can
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literally get so far out
there that it's not even,
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I don't even think
that we are acting human.
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Our bodies are
trashed, our minds are trashed,
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body organs I'm sure
are starting to shut down
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with you guys.
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And physically did
you have any major crisis,
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at that point were you
in crisis in any way yet,
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or that you knew of?
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Susan: well the last
time that I was arrested,
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I had to turn myself into jail.
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My hair was falling out,
my teeth were falling out,
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I had scabs everywhere
and I was about 45 pounds
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lighter that what I am today.
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Cheri: wow,45
pounds... Susan: correct!
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Cheri: because I was
just thinking like Oh man,
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that is a lot of pounds.
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Susan: it is, it is.
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So you can really tell, I
probably look about 10 or 20
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years younger than when I
used to when it was using.
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Cheri: it is
absolutely amazing the damage.
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Rich: we have had a
lot of mouth work done,
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this is a whole new front grill.
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It's too funny, because
you know we first come we are
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a mess, our face is rotted,
our teeth are falling out
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and all that kind of
stuff, and God just blesses us.
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Susan: He does, He does!
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Rich: He dumped a chunk
of change into her mouth too.
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You have to do those kinds
of things once you get clean
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and sober, those are the
things that you have to start
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taking care of, the
things that you never...
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Cheri: you know I love
when you say you have to start
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taking care of, I
didn't even know that.
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The person that
brought me to Christ, Vegan,
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vegetarian Adventist
woman I thought it was going
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to kill me to
even stay at her house.
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But her husband was a
dentist and they literally
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looked at my teeth and
said sadly that I think that
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your face has
rotted, your jaw has rotted.
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There is so much
infection in that, that there is
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no way you can keep your teeth.
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I remember just
crying, I'm 23 years old.
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The stuff that I have
done in my life has caused me
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to be at this place and
they decided they were going
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to save my teeth, scrape
jaw bones, fix things and all
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that kind of stuff.
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I'm thinking that God
sets people in our lives that
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will walk us into health
even we don't have insurance,
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we don't even know
what needs to be fixed.
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You are saying Susan, the
woman at prison just said,
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what is it that
you keep doing this.
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Susan: why do you keep
doing this to yourself?
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I said I don't know why I
keep doing this, all I know
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is that from the time that
I can remember that I got up
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and use drugs before
went to bed I used them.
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That was just my lifestyle,
that is all I ever knew.
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She say can I pray with
you and I said, sure whatever.
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She grabbed my hands
and she prayed for me,
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and I don't remember
what she said, all I know is
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that from that point
on I have never had the
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obsession to use drugs again.
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Cheri: isn't that amazing!
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Susan: gone immediately!
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Cheri: and we don't do
that, we don't step into
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someone's life, and
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I want to beg people if
you're listening, if you're
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the Café, if you're out
there and you are listening.
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If you feel that somebody has
given you the privilege to pray
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for them, pray with
everything in you because...
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Susan: it made a huge
difference in my life.
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So I started doing
everything opposite, because God
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put it in my heart you
have to do everything opposite
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of what you've done
so far in your life.
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So I went to AA meetings,
NA meetings, I went to church,
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I went to the
school inside the jail.
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I did everything I could
and talked to my boyfriend
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and said, you know what?
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I'm done! I'm all done!
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Cheri: When, because
your not in jail, your
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not in prison so what
did you think when she says
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she is done?
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Rich: I tried to convince
her, you know I'll continue
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to use drugs and
you'll never know.
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She didn't buy that,
and of course I couldn't
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see really what was
going on and she says no
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I can't see you anymore.
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Susan: because, I
knew I was going to die if
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I went out and I
used drugs again.
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This is my last opportunity
to live and at that point
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I wanted to live, so
everything had to change.
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I was taught
everything has to change.
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Cheri: when God, I love
the Bible, you know for some
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people that haven't
opened up the word of God yet,
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I just beg them to open
up the word of God because
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there is a point where
God says, I set before you
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life and death, choose life.
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For some of us that is
so, it's like you look at that
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and the concept is even
huge, choose life, it is my
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choice, and you're
saying I'm making it.
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If by telling you I'm
sorry, I love you and you've
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been in my life a long
time but you cannot stay
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here if you don't
want to get clean.
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Rich: yeah and then I
took an inventory and that's
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when inventory hit me.
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I started looking back at
the instances we had talked
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about previously, you
know how my life had been a
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speedboat going
through a 5 mile an hour zone,
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leaving a wake of destruction.
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The damage that I had
done, not necessarily by
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literally doing damage, but
damage by abandonment to people.
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You know you don't go see
your parents at how much that
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hurts them, or your
sisters, or what not.
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Just being a social ameba
causes harm to other people
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and you don't even realize it.
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So this inventory is
taking place and I'm thinking,
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man I've had it all wrong.
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And God said, you know
what you've have, you have
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had it wrong for 41 years...
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Cheri: so did you hear the Holy
Spirit, Ah, man I love that.
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Rich: yeah, you've done
it, you get it wrong now you
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got to try it My way
Rich, your way hasn't worked.
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This is what your
best thinking got you.
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And what is really
amazing to me is that you start
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hearing the God of heaven,
as soon as you are ready,
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as soon as you can, the God
of heaven just speaks directly
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to you, not audible
voice, but you know it's Him.
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Rich: you know, and you
know what's going on in your
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life, and you know at
that point in time you have to
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make a decision.
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He says, you can use
drugs one more day you're going
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to die, this is it,
it's come down to this.
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You look back on your
life and you say I know it has
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come down to this.
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When you make that
decision and you start telling
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friends, I'm not
going to use drugs anymore,
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well of course naturally
they say, oh yeah, right!
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But you know in your
heart that you have changed,
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you're going to turn around.
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You do not know how
you are going to do it.
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I will call her up and
I say I don't know how,
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I don't know what to
do, and she'd say just pray
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and God will help you.
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So for 3 months I prayed a
3 word prayer, God help me!
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Just God help me,
and He was there for me.
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Cheri: so you know it
doesn't have to be complicated,
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the prayer doesn't
have to be complicated.
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Rich: no, I can remember
lying face down on my bed
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screaming at the top of my
lungs for God to help me that
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last time, because I didn't
know what I was going to do.
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I do know how I was
going to do it, all I know that
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everything I had done
up to that point was wrong.
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Cheri: can I say something,
and I don't want to say
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this to convict
anyone, well that's a lie,
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I'm working on being
honest I want it to convict
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every one of you.
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Sometimes if we don't
look good enough, that people
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don't want to
take the time with us.
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And I imagine you guys
didn't look very good during
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this stage, and so
sometimes because nobody else is
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taking the time, nobody
else has the hope that we're
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starting to develop in
your heart, nobody else has the
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confidence in
recovery like God has for us.
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You are doing this on your own.
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Rich: yeah I don't know
if you could get it in your
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mind's eye 2 drug addicts
now living in a shack that
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have decided to
give their life to God.
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Cheri: I can!
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Rich: and now how they
would fumble along in their
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life making these simple
decisions that would be so
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very difficult for them to make.
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Susan: well the decisions
where things that normal people
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do on a daily basis.
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Cheri: you got out of jail.
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Susan: I got out of jail
and told him that's it no more.
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Cheri: you live in
poverty... Susan: correct!
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Because my mom was
quite the enabler and so we
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didn't pay bills or have
driver license or insurance
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or do any of the things
that we should have been
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doing our whole adulthood.
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He had ran away from IRS
and so was in a lot of debt.
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Rich: I was in trouble
with the IRS and moving every 2
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years somewhere to avoid.
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Susan: we were great
runners, not marathon runners.
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Cheri: so now God
has got a hold of you,
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you are realizing that I
have to stay away from drugs,
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I have to step away from that.
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Were you
successful, I mean did you slip,
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did you relapse, did you?
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Susan and Rich:
no, neither one of us!
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Rich: from the moment
that I cried out to God,
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He lifted the obsession
for me to use drugs also and
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that is when you
realize this is it.
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This is going to be
different, I don't know how it's
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going to happen, but
it's going to be different.
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Susan: and what God told
us was I want you to search
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for Me just as hard as
you searched for your drugs.
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That is going to be the
key for you to stay alive
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and to be clean and sober.
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Cheri: you know I think
that for most of us is huge
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because we'll search
out why were we like this.
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Why did I get this way,
and God says you know what,
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health is more
than not doing drugs.
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It's finding out who I Am,
who you are, what the world
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looks like outside of
these chemical dependencies,
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outside of these addictions.
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That is huge, so I
would imagine that you were
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searching in every
single way you could.
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Susan: and with the
answers started coming from a
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lot of different directions,
we met a lot of people
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coming in studying with us.
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We were watching television
and listen to the radio,
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what ever we could to
find who God truly was.
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Cheri: so you were
initially not watching
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Christian television,
and tell us about that
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because I love this part.
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Rich: well we were
watching, we had this little
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black-and-white
13 inch television.
00:09:54.25\00:09:56.58
One day I was convicted,
I said Susan, we can't be
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watching this
garbage on TV anymore.
00:10:00.28\00:10:02.33
This has got to go, it
is part of changing, because
00:10:02.36\00:10:06.69
of the violence and
whatnot, it just wasn't right.
00:10:06.72\00:10:09.49
So I was flipping with
the channels and we got 3ABN.
00:10:09.52\00:10:14.90
It was Pastor Doug
Batchelor on there and he was
00:10:14.93\00:10:18.41
talking, hey come
here and look at this guy.
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What he was saying
started to make sense and it was
00:10:21.58\00:10:26.73
interesting because we
would go to NA meetings, and
00:10:26.76\00:10:29.79
there's another preacher
on the radio that we would
00:10:29.82\00:10:31.88
listen to, and he was
saying different things then
00:10:31.91\00:10:34.79
was happening on 3ABN.
00:10:34.82\00:10:36.29
So every time that we
would get in the car we would
00:10:36.32\00:10:39.88
listen to this radio and
then we'd say, well let's
00:10:39.91\00:10:42.28
see what 3ABN
has to say about it.
00:10:42.31\00:10:44.28
So we would go back and we
listen and one of evangelists
00:10:44.31\00:10:47.22
would be on there, you know
Kenneth Cox, or one of those
00:10:47.25\00:10:49.99
guys and it would
always get answered.
00:10:50.02\00:10:51.99
But it always
answered what made sense,
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it made perfect sense.
00:10:54.32\00:10:56.21
Cheri: and take you
back to the Bible, this is
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where the Bible says this.
00:10:57.72\00:10:59.18
Susan: You have to realize
Rich was a class valedictorian,
00:10:59.21\00:11:02.53
but he could read at
the end of his addiction.
00:11:02.56\00:11:04.95
Rich: yeah I had smoked
my brain so she was reading
00:11:04.98\00:11:08.18
the Bible, so it was so
important for us to have
00:11:08.21\00:11:10.45
somebody there to put
the text up on the screen and
00:11:10.48\00:11:15.07
then interpreted it, and bounce
it back with another text.
00:11:15.10\00:11:17.73
Then you say okay now
things are starting to come
00:11:17.76\00:11:19.50
together a little bit.
00:11:19.53\00:11:20.70
I can understand this
and it was so helpful.
00:11:20.73\00:11:24.39
Cheri: can you
remember when you began to
00:11:24.42\00:11:30.04
feel alive, joy, happiness.
00:11:30.07\00:11:33.54
Rich: I remember one
night we were laying in bed
00:11:33.57\00:11:36.32
giggling, for no reason.
00:11:36.35\00:11:38.47
Remember that, I don't
know she remembers that,
00:11:38.50\00:11:41.17
but I just started
laughing, and then she started
00:11:41.20\00:11:44.00
laughing and we
couldn't stop laughing for about
00:11:44.03\00:11:46.67
45 minutes to an hour.
00:11:46.70\00:11:49.09
That was the first time
I think that I had really
00:11:49.12\00:11:53.20
laughed, I mean you
know when you're drunk...
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Cheri: smoking some weed.
00:11:56.88\00:11:59.36
Rich: whatever, you are
laughing but it's not a real
00:11:59.39\00:12:02.30
joy, I mean it's just
another medication to crack
00:12:02.33\00:12:06.91
jokes or what ever.
00:12:06.94\00:12:08.12
Is just another way of
medicating yourself because
00:12:08.15\00:12:10.70
you don't want to
look at reality so make
00:12:10.73\00:12:12.32
everything funny and
it's not real either.
00:12:12.35\00:12:14.46
So I could remember
that joy that I was actually
00:12:14.49\00:12:18.32
free from something.
00:12:18.35\00:12:19.54
Cheri: when I want to
talk to any kind of an addict,
00:12:19.57\00:12:22.77
I just want to assure
them that that day is coming,
00:12:22.80\00:12:25.91
where all of a sudden
you'll laugh out loud and you'll
00:12:25.94\00:12:29.30
like being in your own
skin, and you'll all of
00:12:29.33\00:12:31.32
a sudden say you know
God, How did You do this?
00:12:31.35\00:12:33.65
Rich: yeah, yeah you turn
around and sometimes it's in
00:12:33.68\00:12:36.97
reflection, you look at
something that you used to
00:12:37.00\00:12:40.30
do it no longer do and
say wow, how did that happen?
00:12:40.33\00:12:45.33
Rich: how did He do that?
00:12:45.36\00:12:46.87
Susan: and for me
it's just being able to be
00:12:46.90\00:12:49.64
okay with who I am, and
being able to accept my past for
00:12:49.67\00:12:54.31
what it was and to see how
God sees me, and to be okay.
00:12:54.34\00:12:59.90
Cheri: you know do you
feel that you have to go back
00:12:59.93\00:13:03.14
and understand every event?
00:13:03.17\00:13:04.38
Susan: no, I don't.
00:13:04.41\00:13:05.89
Cheri: because you know
some people do and some people
00:13:05.92\00:13:08.63
need to at times, but I
say look at the face of God
00:13:08.66\00:13:12.69
because we really have
been given a new heart and a new
00:13:12.72\00:13:16.29
mind and I want to understand
that one not my old one.
00:13:16.32\00:13:19.86
Susan: you know I'm
almost come to the point where I
00:13:19.89\00:13:22.42
don't even know who
that person is anymore.
00:13:22.45\00:13:24.60
It's that big of a difference.
00:13:24.63\00:13:26.79
You know God has
changed me so much.
00:13:26.82\00:13:28.76
It's that big of a difference.
00:13:28.79\00:13:31.23
Cheri: what does your folks say?
00:13:31.26\00:13:32.43
Susan: you know, both of
my parents have passed away
00:13:32.46\00:13:35.28
recently, but
they weren't too sure.
00:13:35.31\00:13:38.20
They were happy that I
was clean and sober, but then
00:13:38.23\00:13:40.66
we changed so much that
we didn't do the things that
00:13:40.69\00:13:43.57
they used to do.
00:13:43.60\00:13:44.67
You know I wasn't smoking,
I wasn't drinking, I wasn't
00:13:44.70\00:13:46.83
going to the casinos,
I wasn't watching the TV.
00:13:46.86\00:13:49.62
So it was
different for them to accept.
00:13:49.65\00:13:53.76
Cheri: so they wanted you
somewhere in the middle where
00:13:53.79\00:13:56.06
you could do that but not
get lost in your addictions.
00:13:56.09\00:13:58.03
Susan: exactly!
00:13:58.06\00:13:59.09
Cheri: and for an
addict you can't do that.
00:13:59.12\00:14:00.45
Rich: no! Cheri:
we have to be healthy.
00:14:00.48\00:14:04.00
Rich: yeah and a lot of
times we have to go to that
00:14:04.03\00:14:06.04
extreme for our own protection,
because we know if we
00:14:06.07\00:14:08.96
try to bend it half way
it is not going to work.
00:14:08.99\00:14:12.33
Cheri: can you talk
about what has been, not only
00:14:12.36\00:14:17.39
for us at the Café,
but for anybody listening,
00:14:17.42\00:14:19.48
what has really been
some of the key steps,
00:14:19.51\00:14:23.52
or the key
things in your recovery.
00:14:23.55\00:14:25.42
The things that
you say, you know what!
00:14:25.45\00:14:27.02
Pay attention to this.
00:14:27.05\00:14:28.36
Rich: you know one of the
main things as I think back
00:14:28.39\00:14:32.04
now and when someone
would ask me a question when
00:14:32.07\00:14:35.93
they are struggling with
cigarette smoking, or what not.
00:14:35.96\00:14:38.11
I always reflect back on my
life and I start here and say,
00:14:38.14\00:14:42.54
okay I came to God and
cried out to God, right?
00:14:42.57\00:14:45.43
God lifted the
obsession for me to use drugs.
00:14:45.46\00:14:48.20
About a year later, He
tapped me on the shoulder and
00:14:48.23\00:14:52.51
says, Rich you know
you are calling yourself a
00:14:52.54\00:14:54.24
Christian, it's time
that you quit smoking.
00:14:54.27\00:14:56.10
Cheri: it took me
forever to quit smoking.
00:14:56.13\00:14:58.09
Rich: okay so you see
what I'm saying, okay so then
00:14:58.12\00:14:59.92
I quit smoking, but...
00:14:59.95\00:15:01.04
Cheri: and I get
it from everywhere.
00:15:01.07\00:15:02.12
Rich: that's for sure.
00:15:02.15\00:15:03.18
Cheri: I smelled like
cigarettes all the time,
00:15:03.21\00:15:05.31
I sprayed perfume all
over me, I was like God take
00:15:05.34\00:15:08.96
this one from me,
and He never did it easy
00:15:08.99\00:15:11.13
like the first part.
00:15:11.16\00:15:12.46
Like heroin He did easy,
smoking and He said, I just
00:15:12.49\00:15:15.00
want you to feel how
difficult it is for addictions.
00:15:15.03\00:15:17.26
Rich: the things
we do, things we do
00:15:17.29\00:15:19.18
to hide our addictions.
00:15:19.21\00:15:20.46
So after that, after
the smoking stopped about
00:15:20.49\00:15:23.88
a year goes by and once
again I keep this little
00:15:23.91\00:15:25.85
tap on the shoulder, and
you're not talking very well,
00:15:25.88\00:15:29.12
but you're not
speaking quite right,
00:15:29.15\00:15:30.63
but you're
giving your testimony,
00:15:30.66\00:15:31.80
but a lot of trash is
coming out of your mouth.
00:15:31.83\00:15:33.61
I think you need to
clean your mouth up...
00:15:33.64\00:15:35.10
Cheri: are you reading my
mail, He tells the that too!
00:15:35.13\00:15:40.58
Rich: so all this
is happening, right?
00:15:40.61\00:15:42.84
Yeah, okay, well that was a
struggle but we got through it
00:15:42.87\00:15:47.30
and then of course a
little while longer it goes
00:15:47.33\00:15:49.96
on and I think it's
time you get baptized.
00:15:49.99\00:15:53.18
In a little while longer, what
the point I'm trying to make
00:15:53.21\00:15:56.86
is at what point
was I God's child?
00:15:56.89\00:16:00.56
It was all the way
through, so your original
00:16:00.59\00:16:04.48
question I think dealt
with what do you tell somebody
00:16:04.51\00:16:07.80
in those situations,
when they are struggling and
00:16:07.83\00:16:11.85
their trying to
deal with things.
00:16:11.88\00:16:15.63
Well you have to, I get
enjoyment from looking back
00:16:15.66\00:16:18.04
and saying God
was always with me.
00:16:18.07\00:16:19.59
I was always His child.
00:16:19.62\00:16:21.61
Cheri: so it sounds
like what you're saying,
00:16:21.64\00:16:23.95
is trust the process.
00:16:23.98\00:16:25.59
Rich: exactly!
00:16:25.62\00:16:26.73
Cheri: where you may have
God really on you right here,
00:16:26.76\00:16:30.40
He may leave the
smoking for 2 or 3 years
00:16:30.43\00:16:33.21
because He's dealing with this.
00:16:33.24\00:16:34.67
Not that He wants your lungs
to be trashed for that long,
00:16:34.70\00:16:36.93
but this right
here is important.
00:16:36.96\00:16:38.36
And with me after 20
something years of recovery,
00:16:38.39\00:16:41.46
God says, You know Cheri,
I want to work on your lying,
00:16:41.49\00:16:43.83
and I'm thinking what!
00:16:43.86\00:16:45.54
And I'm shocked and it is
really funny to me that an
00:16:45.57\00:16:49.48
addict would be shocked
with that but I'm shocked and
00:16:49.51\00:16:51.56
thinking you mean exaggerating,
He's says, we call that lying,
00:16:51.59\00:16:54.16
but I think it's amazing
that He says, I will work on
00:16:54.19\00:16:59.00
one thing at a time and
some of these things to an
00:16:59.03\00:17:02.71
outsider may not
seem important at all.
00:17:02.74\00:17:05.00
They may say the smoking
is more important then this
00:17:05.03\00:17:08.74
person learning that
their loved and God said, oh no,
00:17:08.77\00:17:11.34
this person needs
to know their loved.
00:17:11.37\00:17:13.69
The smoking will be easier.
00:17:13.72\00:17:15.38
Rich: Maybe the smoking is the
manifestation of why, the way
00:17:15.41\00:17:19.32
they feel, you have to
fix the first part, before the
00:17:19.35\00:17:22.33
manifestation can go way.
00:17:22.36\00:17:24.51
Cheri: exactly, I'm
going to open up for questions.
00:17:24.54\00:17:26.92
I know there is people in
the cafe that are dying to
00:17:26.96\00:17:29.31
ask you some things.
00:17:29.34\00:17:30.37
Were going to start
here with Pastor Ken.
00:17:30.40\00:17:32.38
I'm Pastor Ken, and by
the way I have a question
00:17:32.41\00:17:35.55
because in my past I
relate a lot to both of you
00:17:35.58\00:17:38.97
in the fact that I was
on Meth for 25 plus years.
00:17:39.01\00:17:42.33
I know the thing that I
got out of it was such a high,
00:17:42.37\00:17:47.05
such an adrenaline rush,
and such a powerful power.
00:17:47.08\00:17:51.59
And getting off of it in
your recovery, my question is,
00:17:51.63\00:17:56.10
what have you replace that with?
00:17:56.14\00:17:57.98
You can't just, Meth
to me is so powerful you
00:17:58.02\00:18:01.22
can't just stop doing it.
00:18:01.26\00:18:04.42
Something has to replace
that, some kind of energy,
00:18:04.45\00:18:07.49
so for both of you what is that?
00:18:07.53\00:18:10.12
Rich: well like she was
saying, and this is something
00:18:10.15\00:18:14.37
we both agreed on and it
is why I think there is a
00:18:14.41\00:18:17.85
success story here is
because God put it in both of
00:18:17.89\00:18:21.30
our hearts that we
had to find the real deal.
00:18:21.33\00:18:23.77
We had to find Him, we
had to search for Him and then
00:18:23.81\00:18:27.44
once we began to find Him
we needed share about Him.
00:18:27.47\00:18:31.07
About what's been
going on in our lives.
00:18:31.10\00:18:33.96
How He changed our lives.
00:18:34.00\00:18:35.43
How He's helped us and
He's always there for us,
00:18:35.46\00:18:38.22
and He's always
been there for us.
00:18:38.25\00:18:39.33
So it's been one
constant search for the
00:18:39.37\00:18:42.85
true character of God.
00:18:42.89\00:18:43.99
When we found the
real God of the Bible,
00:18:44.03\00:18:45.95
that's what did it.
00:18:45.99\00:18:47.54
Cheri: what I love is when
somebody says, that sense of
00:18:47.58\00:18:51.60
power, it is always an illusion
of power with the drugs.
00:18:51.63\00:18:55.62
When you come into a
relationship with Christ,
00:18:55.65\00:18:58.04
when you come into that
and realize the significance
00:18:58.08\00:19:01.49
of who God is and
the power of that.
00:19:01.52\00:19:04.91
The significance of who
you are in Christ and feel that
00:19:04.94\00:19:07.73
for the first time you
are going to be laying in bed
00:19:07.76\00:19:10.52
laughing in out loud.
00:19:10.55\00:19:11.58
Rich: yeah, and you
actually feel, I fit in,
00:19:11.61\00:19:14.11
I fit into the human family now.
00:19:14.15\00:19:16.23
Susan: and I think also
the power was being able to go
00:19:16.27\00:19:19.53
and tell people exactly
what God had done in our lives.
00:19:19.57\00:19:22.79
And to be happy about
it, when I tell people I'm a
00:19:22.83\00:19:25.17
3- time felony they
are, just their jaw drops,
00:19:25.21\00:19:27.73
but it is incredible
how God can take you where
00:19:27.77\00:19:30.26
you were and
change you completely.
00:19:30.29\00:19:32.18
Cheri: when I look at
the church, and I know for
00:19:32.22\00:19:35.26
some churches, it's
especially little addicts,
00:19:35.29\00:19:38.27
they don't want little
addicts up there giving their
00:19:38.30\00:19:40.31
testimony, do
you know what I mean?
00:19:40.35\00:19:41.64
But we need to, at any
stage in our recovery we
00:19:41.68\00:19:45.64
need to be able to talk
to somebody and say out loud,
00:19:45.67\00:19:48.13
isn't God amazing.
00:19:48.17\00:19:49.81
I remember reading one
time in the Bible and I was
00:19:49.84\00:19:52.48
reading about Mary
Magdalene and the demoniac.
00:19:52.52\00:19:55.37
I'm thinking when I get
to heaven I'm having lunch
00:19:55.41\00:19:57.93
with those guys and
saying, isn't it cool that we
00:19:57.97\00:20:00.46
are like right
here, and we belong here.
00:20:00.49\00:20:03.69
It's amazing!
00:20:03.73\00:20:05.39
I'm going to find out if
there's any more questions,
00:20:05.43\00:20:07.40
Angela you had a question.
00:20:07.43\00:20:09.24
Yes I do have a question.
00:20:09.27\00:20:11.01
I would like to know,
this is a family question by
00:20:11.05\00:20:13.51
the way, I would like to
know you do have any children
00:20:13.55\00:20:15.98
together, or from a
previous relationship?
00:20:16.02\00:20:18.95
Rich: you know we kind
of got together and talked
00:20:18.98\00:20:23.37
about it, we couldn't
take care of ourselves.
00:20:23.40\00:20:27.72
So we thought, we agreed
we wouldn't have children.
00:20:27.75\00:20:31.59
We got married at what
age, I think I was 42...
00:20:31.63\00:20:35.40
Susan: I was 35, and we
were barely able to take care
00:20:35.43\00:20:40.24
of ourselves, so
neither of us have any children
00:20:40.28\00:20:42.89
from a previous marriage.
00:20:42.92\00:20:44.29
I wanted to, but we just
got to the point where we
00:20:44.32\00:20:47.53
could barely hang on ourselves.
00:20:47.56\00:20:49.54
Rich: we had depression
going on, I remembered for
00:20:49.58\00:20:52.49
the first 2 years she
sat and stared into space.
00:20:52.53\00:20:55.37
And cried every day, every
day and after that happened,
00:20:55.40\00:21:01.15
I went through the
same kind of metamorphosis.
00:21:01.19\00:21:04.19
So we found out that we
had to get on a regiment of
00:21:04.22\00:21:07.99
exercise, and the proper
food, that is why the health
00:21:08.03\00:21:11.77
message was so appealing to us.
00:21:11.80\00:21:13.61
Cheri: I want you to
stay there for a while because
00:21:13.65\00:21:17.17
for a lot of us, I mean
coming into this church, one
00:21:17.21\00:21:20.49
of the things that
blesses us more than anything is
00:21:20.52\00:21:23.46
when somebody says,
here have a glass of water.
00:21:23.49\00:21:27.10
You know, have a
cantaloupe, do something and not
00:21:27.14\00:21:30.38
realizing that the nuro-chemical
repair that happens
00:21:30.42\00:21:33.62
with just being out in
the sun, learning how to
00:21:33.66\00:21:35.75
breathe and eating right.
00:21:35.79\00:21:37.06
Rich: yeah learning
how to do all those things,
00:21:37.09\00:21:38.93
of course we have to
be taught to do that.
00:21:38.97\00:21:41.45
I know if I want to get
depressed all I have to do is
00:21:41.49\00:21:45.96
stop eating flax seeds,
stop exercising, and start going
00:21:45.99\00:21:49.23
to bed at weird times and
getting up at weird times.
00:21:49.26\00:21:52.46
3, 4, 5, 6 days
I will be a mess.
00:21:52.49\00:21:56.69
Susan: and for me it
was just drinking water,
00:21:56.72\00:21:59.61
It still is just drinking water.
00:21:59.64\00:22:01.24
It's just something I
never did and so it's a hard
00:22:01.27\00:22:04.12
thing to keep my body hydrated.
00:22:04.15\00:22:06.33
Cheri: so you learn a lot
about taking care of yourself
00:22:06.36\00:22:10.71
as you stepped into
your relationship with God.
00:22:10.75\00:22:13.85
Not only who God is, which
is amazing, but who you are,
00:22:13.89\00:22:18.02
how your body was
created, how to take care of it.
00:22:18.05\00:22:20.98
Rich: right, and socially
too, we never had any social
00:22:21.02\00:22:24.83
skills, it took us 4 or 5
years before we would invite
00:22:24.86\00:22:28.64
somebody over for dinner.
00:22:28.67\00:22:29.93
Cheri: I would introduce
people like, Hi, my name is
00:22:29.97\00:22:32.09
Cheri, the first
suicide attempt I had was when
00:22:32.13\00:22:33.90
I was 8 years old.
00:22:33.94\00:22:34.97
And they would look
at me like, alright.
00:22:35.00\00:22:37.84
But we don't know
how to do any of that.
00:22:37.87\00:22:40.68
Rich: we don't know how
to make small talk and have
00:22:40.72\00:22:43.16
somebody over and eat at
talk about normal things.
00:22:43.20\00:22:45.57
Cheri: so it was 5 years before
you invited somebody over?
00:22:45.61\00:22:47.78
Rich: yeah,
after we were married.
00:22:47.81\00:22:49.17
Cheri: and did you
just decide after 5 years,
00:22:49.20\00:22:50.50
I'm going to
have some of the over?
00:22:50.54\00:22:51.57
Rich: know the guy
forced his way, he didn't force
00:22:51.60\00:22:53.99
his way, he's a wonderful
Pastor, young Pastor that
00:22:54.02\00:22:56.67
we really hit it off with.
00:22:56.71\00:22:57.95
He took great care of us
and he invited himself over,
00:22:57.98\00:23:00.82
he said you know I'm
going to come over for lunch,
00:23:00.85\00:23:03.66
and we said okay.
00:23:03.69\00:23:05.07
We got all excited, and
we still had sheets hanging
00:23:05.10\00:23:08.23
on the windows, no furniture,
but it worked out well
00:23:08.27\00:23:12.02
and now Susan does a
real good job at entertaining
00:23:12.06\00:23:15.78
people at our home now.
00:23:15.82\00:23:16.92
Cheri: God has
blessed you with that.
00:23:16.95\00:23:18.58
Susan: yes He has.
00:23:18.62\00:23:20.13
Cheri: one thing that
I know about recovery is
00:23:20.17\00:23:22.46
that as God gets us to the
point where we can stand up,
00:23:22.49\00:23:25.47
He says now let me show
you what your natural gifting
00:23:25.50\00:23:28.35
are because we don't know
what they are, we don't know
00:23:28.39\00:23:31.20
anything but how
to get some good dope.
00:23:31.24\00:23:34.20
Rich: the funny thing, God
I think has a sense of humor
00:23:34.24\00:23:37.85
in regards to the fact
that when we started going to
00:23:37.89\00:23:41.47
church I was
falling asleep all the time.
00:23:41.51\00:23:43.26
So the Pastor there said, you
need to teach Sabbath school.
00:23:43.29\00:23:47.65
Okay, and they made her in
charge of health ministries.
00:23:47.69\00:23:52.01
So here is a guy...
00:23:52.04\00:23:53.07
Susan: it was a
church of like 8 people.
00:23:53.10\00:23:54.66
Rich: not many people
but still here's 2 addicts,
00:23:54.70\00:23:57.36
one guy can't read, now
he's teaching Sabbath school.
00:23:57.40\00:23:59.98
Someone that has damaged
their body all their life is
00:24:00.01\00:24:02.56
now in charge of
health ministries.
00:24:02.60\00:24:04.64
Cheri: you know I wish
we had a ton of time but we
00:24:04.68\00:24:08.21
don't, and I know that
you God has accepted you
00:24:08.24\00:24:11.06
into Ministry where you
are not only working with
00:24:11.10\00:24:13.88
addicts trying to
educate the church.
00:24:13.91\00:24:15.62
Trying to get people
to look at health things.
00:24:15.65\00:24:17.89
Working for Amazing
Facts, I mean the story actually
00:24:17.93\00:24:21.60
unfolds in an incredible way.
00:24:21.63\00:24:23.76
Would you ever consider
being on the program again?
00:24:23.79\00:24:26.90
Rich: oh sure, by all means.
00:24:26.93\00:24:28.91
Cheri: thank you so much
for paying attention to God,
00:24:28.95\00:24:32.05
for being here, for
sharing with us who you are and
00:24:32.09\00:24:35.16
what God has done in your life.
00:24:35.19\00:24:36.31
And thank you for
taking time to fight for your
00:24:36.34\00:24:39.14
recovery every day
doing the right thing.
00:24:39.17\00:24:41.01
Rich and Susan:
thank you so much!
00:24:41.05\00:24:42.74
We are, I'm going to
have a break, stay with us.
00:24:42.77\00:24:45.73
I want to kind of bring
this whole thing to a close,
00:24:45.77\00:24:48.69
because there was a
lot that was said today.
00:24:48.73\00:24:50.55
There was a lot that I
want you to think about.
00:24:50.59\00:24:53.31
If you are stuck in
addiction I want you to just
00:24:53.35\00:24:56.64
have the courage to just
say, like Rich was saying,
00:24:56.68\00:24:59.94
God help me.
00:24:59.98\00:25:01.01
And you can say that
for as long as you need
00:25:01.04\00:25:02.56
to say that, and God
says, it doesn't have to
00:25:02.59\00:25:04.36
be more complicated.
00:25:04.40\00:25:05.54
I will pay attention
every time you say it.
00:25:05.58\00:25:08.22
We will be right
back, stay with us!
00:25:08.26\00:25:09.99