Welcome back!
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So we heard from Mike, for one
before God his wife just drugged
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him to church.
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I love that, I want to say
to her, if you are watching,
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good job, but the wife drug him
to church and at Teen Challenge
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and he said if You are
real, have somebody on the stage
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come down and talk to me,
and watch the person leave the
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singing group and
come down to talk to him.
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I just think that is
amazing and it really is so God.
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So now I have his pastor
here and we are going to talk to
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pastor Barry now.
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Now I want to ask you, that
you met him, is it pretty early
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into recovery, or?
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No, no, no, I met Mike
about seven or eight years ago.
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He started coming to the church
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I was serving at.
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We've gotten involved in a
Ministry that he said awhile
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ago that he still talks to
addicts on a regular basis.
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One of the ministries we have
with our church is with NASCAR.
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We take music in and do
music in front of the fans.
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You know I laugh,
because I'm thinking they are
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partying and screaming, so
you have a crowd that is not
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necessarily at the point where
they are even thinking about it.
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Absolutely not, that is the
whole point of the Ministry.
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Is we go into the Lions den and
we set up and tell them to bring
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their kids, their
coolers, their chairs.
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Not to ruin their weekend, but
we take people, and Mike is one
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of our great ones that he has
such a report with those people.
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Just like our God, when He
comes into our life, whenever He
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convicts, He didn't convict
Mike that you are going to hell.
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Your life is a wreck and if you
don't come to Me, it's all over.
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There is a real
embracing and commonality he has
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endured in suffering.
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So what we are able to do with
Mike and them is go into these
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areas and we put on concerts
and the crowds will go anywhere
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from three to 7000 people.
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We set up everything, but
when the people come in we meet
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them on their
level, where they are at.
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The street
corners of their life.
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Some of them are drinking and
partying because they want to
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had a good time.
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Mom has sent them to the track
with their drinks and they have
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worked hard and you deserve it.
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But a lot of people
in the middle of that,
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their wife has left them.
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They are a broken person,
so they are just roaming around
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and the reason they are drinking
is to try to fill the hole that
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is in their life.
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Their trying to use it
as a super glue to put their
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life back, or to
forget about the broken life.
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When we are taking people
like Mike, that have their story
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and Mike looks at one of
these people, he is not looking
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at them through religious eyes.
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He is really looking at them
through eyes of grace that God
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has given all of us,
through His Son Christ.
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So we are able to just...
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Well you know I have to say
Barry, what is amazing about
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that, it is amazing to me
to watch somebody when they
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look at you and you can see
that they are looking at you.
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They are not looking at your
behavior, disgust them, or your
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addictions are disgusting,
but they are looking at you
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and you know it
is with compassion.
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You know that
they have been there.
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Not necessarily that they have
been there and been addicts,
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they just have that
grace in their eyes.
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I've seen that were somebody
is looking at me like that,
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or looking at me with judgment.
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With judgment I will shut
off, it sounds like you guys
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don't do that?
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You
definitely... Absolutely not!
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Mike and the crew from River,
what they do is they are able
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to reach out and touch.
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One of the old Saints said,
heart to God and hand to man.
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Even addicts, people who are
hurting, they know very quick
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if you are there to help them or
if you are looking at them down
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your nose at them.
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Looking at them through eyes
of religion, and it is one of
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things that we
find a lot in society.
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Lot of people out there,
Mike was talking about not being
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able to read.
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Mike is not going to be
one who is going to quote
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scripture at them
like some people can.
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What the world needs to know,
is people want to know you care.
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If you have heard the word
of God and it is hidden in your
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heart, it will come out.
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out of the abundance of our
heart, our mouth will speak.
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When we speak to these
people and we can speak to them
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with our scars, that we can
speak to them with experience.
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They do not have to have
the same testimony I have.
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You know Mike's acid
was his drug of choice.
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His mind was the polifera of
everything from cocaine to Meth.
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So our scars are common.
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It doesn't matter if they have
just been abused, it doesn't
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matter if they
have been rejected.
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We are dealing with a lot of
people right now in the world
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that probably if we will go
back and check it, the source
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of their hurt might have
come sitting in the pews of
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a church somewhere.
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When they walk into the
church that they are looked at
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differently because we
want them conformed before
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they come in and that is not
how our God, or Christ has set
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this thing up.
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He is the one that
said come to Me as you are.
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He'll change us, He washes
us, He takes our sin and removes
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it from us as far as the east
is from the west, which is just
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unbelievable thought.
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To throw it into a
sea of forgetfulness.
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That is something that
is supernatural because
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we can't do it.
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Now you was tell me about
how long you had been sober
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and clean and
celebrating recovery.
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I'm 18 years into it, but
you know I can still remember
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those things.
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You can still remember the pain
of being lost, of being stuck
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and all that?
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Absolutely! I tried in 1990,
I decided I did not want to
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live anymore.
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So I decided in my life
through a suicide attempt.
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The whole reason now, looking
back was never because of the
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alcohol, it was never because of
the drugs, mine was loneliness.
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I tried it with alcohol, drugs,
I traveled and played music.
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I've been a professional
musician my whole life.
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Chasing the dreams of the world
because in all honesty I grew
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up singing gospel
music as a young man.
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I got to sing with some
of the great gospel singers
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in the country.
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What the world seem to
be offering was a lot more
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accepting to me and how I
was then what the church seem
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to be offering me.
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So whenever I found that place
of alcohol and drugs, I was
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trying to bring to myself this
hole that people have talked
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through the ages about, the
God hole that you try to fill in
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That's what our
life is striving for.
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This trying it with
alcohol or drugs, a cigarette,
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a relationship,
and on March 1, 1990
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whenever I woke up and
I put aside all my drugs,
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I decided that today
that life had to change.
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So after a suicide attempt
you come out of that and that's
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what your decision was?
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I come out on that
day, is Lord here I am.
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If You are real, You are
going to change this life,
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or I'm going to end it because
it wasn't that I wanted to die.
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It was that I just did not want
to wake up tomorrow the same way
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I think that many people out
there in churches, in religion,
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good people without habits,
many of them do not want to
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wake up tomorrow
with things the same.
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The great thing about God I
and what I have found out in my
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relationship, and He
is my friend, I am a Jesus
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freak to the hilt.
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I don't have, He is my friend.
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That's as close to
wrestling as we get.
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I came to a conclusion where
I have a relationship with Him
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and talk to Him about my
frustrations, how aggravated I
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get at life being the same.
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But with Christ my contentment
is this, is that today, where I
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am at, He is sitting here
meeting new people and being
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able to share
and talk about Jesus.
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Which is the whole
point is talking about Jesus.
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I can sit here and I know
where He is and where I am at
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right now is okay.
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But I do not want to stay here.
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Tomorrow has better things.
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If I take up my cross daily
and I follow Him, I'm not stuck.
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It is a continuous evolution,
like Mike said, it's knowing
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Him more today, and not knowing
about tomorrow, walking blindly
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into it. We have
heard great testimonies
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today about that blind faith.
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It is I can look into the eyes
of Jesus, trust Him with all of
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my desires that
He put inside of me.
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All of the things I was
trying to meet with the toys and
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the things of the world,
is I have found out He put all
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those desires in my heart, and
He has an answer for all of them
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The first time I read in the
Bible when it says I actually
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will give you the
desires of your heart.
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I wondered what that
meant because in my depression I
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didn't know what that was.
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In my addiction I didn't know,
I never had enough courage to
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allow those
desires to even develop.
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God said don't even worry about
that, I know what they are.
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So it sounds with your testimony
with your background, with your
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love for Christ, you are in
front of those folks at a NASCAR
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race, or what ever because you
know there are people sitting
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there that if they could they
would take themselves out? Sure!
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That is what you speak about?
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Sure! Well we give opportunities
to be able to talk to someone.
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You know many people truly
put up the blinds in their life.
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Even the ones sitting there
right now, they have kept the
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TV between them and church.
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They can watch these programs
through a TV, but as far as in
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person they can't do it.
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At these tracks when you stand
up in front of people, you are
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talking to people literally.
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They have been to vacation
Bible schools, they have heard
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Bible studies, the stories of
old and the great Bible stories
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that maybe grandma told.
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Or a sermon that
mom had taken them to.
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They have heard all that.
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They have grown up in it, but
something has happened to make
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then put up that barrier,
that they do not want to
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hear it no more.
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We come in, all the
sudden standing in the middle.
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The amazing thing, we had
a great moment not long ago
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in Talladega Alabama,
when a man literally walked up,
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with a beer in his hand,
and he knew that he was walking
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into 30 believers.
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He had got beer on his shirt.
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He might have a
Budweiser, or beer hat on.
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He came in there and what he'd
done was he asked for prayer.
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He said my family is falling
apart, and my son is sick.
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I need prayer.
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What reached him was not,
and I think we all know that it
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is not the desire for a heart
to see that is where they stay.
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But I think that is
probably how they came to Jesus.
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Is I am not strong enough
to change me, but if I can get
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close enough to
you, maybe you can.
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So I think as believers in
every walk, not even having the
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testimony that me and you have,
of the sobriety, and the clean.
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But being
delivered out of religion.
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Being delivered
out of depression.
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There are people that are going
to be, that are going to have
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that armor on, that are
going to come into our lives
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and they are going to
risk, if we do not condemn them,
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and just say how do you come
close to me, the Bible tells
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me to shun this.
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You know we have
to be very careful.
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I want to be what Jesus said.
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Jesus was accused of something
that was not heard of now
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that the church
is being accused of.
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They said look at
this friend of sinners.
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He is eating with
sinners, and tax collectors.
00:12:01.25\00:12:04.04
Look at Him, this
friend of sinners.
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Not friend of former
sinners, this friend of sinners.
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That is the identity I want.
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I am sure enough that
He is able to keep me.
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He is able to keep
me, and I'm covered.
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You know there are some
areas whenever it is sin.
00:12:19.18\00:12:23.89
Sodom and
Gomorrah, I am not going.
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It is whenever God speaks to us
and says there's hurting people
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that need Me.
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That's when we can
risk loving each other.
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That I can risk loving
you, you can risk loving me.
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Not knowing that our churches
our filled with people whose
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hearts are just as dark
as those people at the tracks
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that never go to
a church anywhere.
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Theirs is just as dark, what
we want to do is we want to get
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in the way of their destination
that they have set for
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themselves, aren't we all in
life's destination toward hell?
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That's the
destination that we have.
00:13:02.95\00:13:05.33
But the cross, and our
Christ has stopped that and has
00:13:05.36\00:13:10.10
gotten in the way that if
we do this right, we would have
00:13:10.13\00:13:13.67
to go around the cross. Right!
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Now what God has done, He
has allowed us through life and
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relationships and ministries
is to be able to get in the way.
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Mike, he has done a wonderful
job of getting in the way of
00:13:22.91\00:13:27.50
people who know about the
cross, they know about church,
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Be say I am not going.
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I'm never going to go, the
roof will fall in if I walk-in.
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Even with that I have this woman
that came up, she is in her
00:13:36.43\00:13:41.02
30s and she was so hurt,
she would have killed herself at
00:13:41.05\00:13:47.71
the drop of a hat
and had tried many times.
00:13:47.74\00:13:50.32
So she is finally brave enough
to walk up to me, because I
00:13:50.35\00:13:54.51
tell my testimony freely
and she, it gave her enough
00:13:54.54\00:13:57.12
courage to come up.
00:13:57.15\00:13:58.19
The only thing that
she was able to say was
00:13:58.22\00:14:00.78
I'm still smoking.
00:14:00.81\00:14:01.96
I wanted to say
are you kidding me?
00:14:01.99\00:14:03.67
But she was like I know
this is going to get in my way
00:14:03.70\00:14:08.84
to even get in the building,
yet if I don't get in the
00:14:08.87\00:14:10.99
building, I'm
going to kill myself.
00:14:11.02\00:14:12.36
I'm thinking that somebody
has to yell from the top
00:14:12.39\00:14:15.05
of the tallest church.
00:14:15.08\00:14:16.90
We have got to stop that.
00:14:16.93\00:14:18.13
Because people are dying and
little things are stopping them
00:14:18.16\00:14:22.50
from getting help
because they feel so judged.
00:14:22.53\00:14:24.48
They don't even get
to the core hurt yet.
00:14:24.51\00:14:26.17
We stand, we have a tendency
to stand across from the
00:14:26.20\00:14:31.25
sinners on this chasm.
00:14:31.28\00:14:34.23
This canyon, and we
have a tendency to shout,
00:14:34.26\00:14:37.02
we have the answer.
00:14:37.05\00:14:38.46
Come to this side.
00:14:38.49\00:14:39.95
It is great whenever
they describe our Jesus.
00:14:39.98\00:14:43.13
He describes
himself as a shepherd.
00:14:43.16\00:14:44.90
Shepherds do not drive
sheep, they lead sheep.
00:14:44.93\00:14:48.64
I think it is going to
take, not everyone can do this,
00:14:48.67\00:14:51.95
whenever I became a believer
March 1, 1990, there were places
00:14:51.98\00:14:56.83
I could not go
that served alcohol.
00:14:56.86\00:14:58.82
I could not, for my sobriety,
for my walk with the Lord.
00:14:58.85\00:15:03.05
I could not be
around it whatsoever.
00:15:03.08\00:15:05.42
There came a day, there is
not a time, it's when ever God
00:15:05.45\00:15:09.34
makes known in your heart that
you can be, you're safe now.
00:15:09.37\00:15:13.84
That you are prepared, but now
it is going to take some of us
00:15:13.88\00:15:18.11
to be able to cross the chasm to
where these people are, and lead
00:15:18.14\00:15:22.34
them to Christ.
00:15:22.37\00:15:24.25
There is a reason why.
00:15:24.28\00:15:25.66
We have to do it,
everyone can fish for men.
00:15:25.70\00:15:29.46
What we have talked about with
our group, is I am an Evangelist
00:15:29.50\00:15:34.92
by heart, by call.
00:15:34.95\00:15:36.85
That is what I am now.
00:15:36.89\00:15:38.72
Saved by grace, I am,
but I don't want to fish with
00:15:38.75\00:15:42.97
a cane pole, and I
don't want to fish with a net.
00:15:43.00\00:15:47.19
I really do want
to fish with dynamite.
00:15:47.22\00:15:49.98
What do you mean by that?
00:15:50.01\00:15:54.00
You know as an Evangelist,
is that I heard you say awhile
00:15:54.04\00:15:58.61
ago, He's coming! He's coming!
00:15:58.64\00:16:01.46
The end could be now.
00:16:01.50\00:16:05.01
This show may never air.
00:16:05.04\00:16:08.48
If that is the case I have
brothers and sisters who are not
00:16:08.52\00:16:14.68
believers and if I wait on
just the opportunity to have the
00:16:14.72\00:16:19.88
one-on-one, which many people
do that, and we have to do that.
00:16:19.92\00:16:25.06
I embrace those moments, still
there is times I feel like going
00:16:25.10\00:16:29.56
out to make a big splash to
get as many, and inform people.
00:16:29.59\00:16:33.30
I can't make their decisions,
but we want to tell people that
00:16:33.34\00:16:37.01
Jesus saves them,
He is crazy about you.
00:16:37.05\00:16:39.63
He knows every desire
you have in your heart.
00:16:39.66\00:16:42.01
All those things that make you
to, things that you do, He has
00:16:42.04\00:16:45.87
got the answer, He is the
one that put them in there.
00:16:45.90\00:16:48.57
I didn't put
that in there wrong.
00:16:48.61\00:16:50.66
I put it in there so
you could find Me, know Me.
00:16:50.70\00:16:53.63
Look in my eyes and
know that I love you.
00:16:53.66\00:16:55.87
Trust Me, hear My small voice,
yet hear Me whenever I thunder.
00:16:55.90\00:17:01.19
So the thought of fishing with
dynamite is going to be probably
00:17:01.23\00:17:06.49
more along the line of
controversial ways of getting
00:17:06.52\00:17:09.20
into the face of lost people.
00:17:09.23\00:17:11.51
If I wait for them all to come
to our church, if that is the
00:17:11.54\00:17:15.66
way that this is going to happen
then I'm afraid that there are
00:17:15.69\00:17:19.77
going to be a lot
of people not make it.
00:17:19.81\00:17:22.24
What is really interesting
is I have a friend that is an
00:17:22.27\00:17:26.10
ex-stripper, and you will
love this, I don't know how many
00:17:26.13\00:17:29.92
people can even
understand this story.
00:17:29.96\00:17:32.75
She is getting ready to do a
dance for someone, and she had
00:17:32.78\00:17:35.81
been studying the Bible with
someone who had enough grace
00:17:35.84\00:17:38.83
to just say, let me
show you some stuff.
00:17:38.87\00:17:40.98
She is getting ready to do a
dance for someone and she said
00:17:41.01\00:17:45.59
God revealed to her who she
was and she said all of a sudden
00:17:45.63\00:17:50.18
I feel like I
did not belong there.
00:17:50.21\00:17:52.12
He did not shame her,
He didn't do any of that.
00:17:52.16\00:17:54.24
He said you are a child of God,
and you are beautiful, and I
00:17:54.28\00:17:57.29
love you and she walked
out and never worked again.
00:17:57.32\00:17:59.51
But she was driving by a strip
club one time, and she said
00:17:59.54\00:18:02.93
there are still
people in bondage there.
00:18:02.96\00:18:05.27
I can't just drive by, so she
made little gifts and put them
00:18:05.31\00:18:08.40
on every car, just saying
you are a treasure of God.
00:18:08.43\00:18:11.76
She does 1700 gift bags a month
now in Los Angeles to different
00:18:11.80\00:18:16.78
clubs, she doesn't go in.
00:18:16.82\00:18:18.26
She doesn't get tempted in all
those ways again, but you are
00:18:18.29\00:18:20.69
right in that none of
those girls are going to come
00:18:20.72\00:18:23.03
to a church, but now they do.
00:18:23.07\00:18:25.09
They leave the club and they
are in the building, so there
00:18:25.13\00:18:27.43
are some people that are
called to go out and say.
00:18:27.47\00:18:30.93
There are ones that are
called to go out and do that.
00:18:30.96\00:18:34.39
The hands-on part of
it, called to do what I do.
00:18:34.42\00:18:37.41
All of us are called to
pray for those going out.
00:18:37.44\00:18:39.83
Or do Bible studies when
they get in the building.
00:18:39.87\00:18:43.01
Absolutely there is
ways, and we all have our part.
00:18:43.04\00:18:46.12
The one out there standing
on the platform preaching the
00:18:46.15\00:18:49.91
gospel is not more important
then the one that is backstage
00:18:49.95\00:18:54.40
who is just going to give the
smile to an abused young child
00:18:54.44\00:18:58.86
who has never seen a smile.
00:18:58.90\00:19:00.18
You might be called just to
work in a bus Ministry that when
00:19:00.21\00:19:04.86
that little girl walks in that
has no one at home to run the
00:19:04.89\00:19:08.36
combed through her hair,
that no one at home who is going
00:19:08.40\00:19:11.84
to say yes those
colors go together.
00:19:11.87\00:19:13.27
That you are going to be able
to stand at that door when she
00:19:13.31\00:19:15.97
walk seeing you can run your
hands through her hair and say
00:19:16.01\00:19:18.64
baby you are beautiful.
00:19:18.67\00:19:19.77
Your beautiful! Those
things, I preach it a lot.
00:19:19.80\00:19:23.49
From where I am at to the body
of Christ, you've got to know
00:19:23.53\00:19:28.01
the importance of your words
and your smile with a sincere
00:19:28.05\00:19:31.92
heart, getting in the way,
rubbing elbows with the lost
00:19:31.96\00:19:35.76
people, listen, He set us free
from that part where we can't
00:19:35.80\00:19:39.46
get real close to the Lepers.
00:19:39.49\00:19:41.74
He will keep us, we think that
we can't go over and lay hands
00:19:41.77\00:19:45.69
on the dead and
see them raised again.
00:19:45.72\00:19:47.73
The Bible tells us this.
00:19:47.77\00:19:49.25
So we can risk loving someone.
00:19:49.28\00:19:54.76
Someone risked loving me
and I gave my heart to Lord.
00:19:54.79\00:19:58.54
I walked in and look at my
mom and dad and gave up my band.
00:19:58.57\00:20:02.79
I told the band I don't know
about being a Christian, but
00:20:02.82\00:20:06.05
I'm getting ready to
follow the teachings of Christ.
00:20:06.08\00:20:09.24
I have always been so very
of being labeled like some of
00:20:09.28\00:20:13.97
these that claim themselves
Christ like when ever me and you
00:20:14.00\00:20:17.90
both know they are not.
00:20:17.94\00:20:18.91
No they are not Christ
like, not the one in the Bible.
00:20:18.93\00:20:20.82
I remember that there is Mega
churches all over the country.
00:20:20.86\00:20:25.64
On the day that I gave my heart
to the Lord, mom said you need
00:20:25.67\00:20:30.42
to make this public profession.
00:20:30.46\00:20:32.23
You need to find a church,
you need to do that, yes mom!
00:20:32.27\00:20:36.50
I know of this little church
in Indiana and they are going to
00:20:36.54\00:20:40.96
church, just go to that.
00:20:40.99\00:20:42.40
I remember that she
said I will call the pastor.
00:20:42.43\00:20:44.81
Whenever I drove up it was a
little bitty church, and there
00:20:44.85\00:20:51.75
heavy, greasy haired ugly suited
man standing in the back and I
00:20:51.78\00:20:58.65
knew right then that
this guy loved Jesus.
00:20:58.68\00:21:02.59
Whenever I got out I had the
long hair, trench coat, chains
00:21:02.62\00:21:06.46
and when I walked across that
road he looked at me and said
00:21:06.50\00:21:10.31
you must be Berry?
00:21:10.34\00:21:11.42
That day, in that church, I
waited for the call to the altar
00:21:11.46\00:21:15.77
and waited until everyone was
done, it was empty and he said
00:21:15.80\00:21:20.08
is there anyone else?
00:21:20.11\00:21:21.54
With all consciousness, I
stood up and wanted to shout it.
00:21:21.57\00:21:26.78
That is where I shouted it from,
is this is my walk and I have
00:21:26.82\00:21:32.00
nothing I want of this world.
00:21:32.03\00:21:34.15
I give it all, I don't just
give my sin, this is where a lot
00:21:34.19\00:21:37.70
of people mess up, we give our
sin, we are real quick to give
00:21:37.73\00:21:41.21
Him our dirty
laundry to clean it you know.
00:21:41.24\00:21:43.03
This is bothering me,
this is heavy, that is when
00:21:43.07\00:21:47.49
He became my Savior,
but I made Him my Lord
00:21:47.52\00:21:49.92
when I gave Him my trophies.
00:21:49.95\00:21:52.00
All of my talents, all of
my good that I have ever done,
00:21:52.04\00:21:55.49
or thought about doing.
00:21:55.53\00:21:56.74
He became my king and I gave
Him all the good stuff I had
00:21:56.77\00:22:01.32
because you see what I had good,
this cleansed soul, this pure
00:22:01.36\00:22:04.89
white soul that my sins were
forgotten by the King of Kings.
00:22:04.92\00:22:08.42
I walk in and said I have
nothing else possession wise
00:22:08.46\00:22:12.11
that I need, but this
thing that is now pure...
00:22:12.15\00:22:15.76
That you just gave me I'm giving
00:22:15.80\00:22:18.36
back to You.
00:22:18.39\00:22:19.74
That is the relationship.
00:22:19.77\00:22:21.75
As I have looked and get to
meet the Mike's that God has
00:22:21.79\00:22:28.16
just radically smoked them,
and he has laid his life open.
00:22:28.19\00:22:34.52
Now people that know
Mike, people that know me,
00:22:34.56\00:22:38.37
is that it is not about
the religion game, the religion
00:22:38.41\00:22:42.46
game is old, it's
losing, it has failed.
00:22:42.49\00:22:45.80
Now what we have is this
grace, we have this mercy, that
00:22:45.84\00:22:50.35
we get to walk in.
00:22:50.38\00:22:51.35
My number one thing that I
preach to the young men and
00:22:51.37\00:22:55.89
ladies, the addicts and the
misfits and all these people.
00:22:55.93\00:23:00.27
Which we were.
00:23:00.31\00:23:01.31
Amen! Which I love that.
00:23:01.34\00:23:02.78
even the Bible
says, which you guys were.
00:23:02.82\00:23:05.66
So you know, I know how to
00:23:05.69\00:23:07.17
speak to them. Absolutely!
00:23:07.20\00:23:08.61
We get to tell them there is
one thing that is unforgivable.
00:23:08.64\00:23:12.44
That is giving up.
00:23:12.47\00:23:13.96
He can't forgive giving up.
Messing up He is really good
00:23:14.00\00:23:19.33
at forgiving and so as we
walk this thing out, perfect
00:23:19.36\00:23:24.65
we are not yet.
00:23:24.69\00:23:26.44
You know what is
really interesting to me is
00:23:26.47\00:23:29.54
that surrender where I
said God I'm going to give you
00:23:29.58\00:23:33.39
all this stuff and when I
finally got overstressing about
00:23:33.42\00:23:37.67
the drugs and alcohol, I
almost heard heaven say, I am
00:23:37.70\00:23:40.40
so glad you are finally
getting over this because now
00:23:40.44\00:23:43.06
I want to show you how cool
everything else is going to be.
00:23:43.10\00:23:46.29
I thought it was all about the
work of recovery, He said no,
00:23:46.33\00:23:49.49
I know your
talents, I know how it is
00:23:49.52\00:23:53.25
going to feel for you to
laugh without using anything.
00:23:53.28\00:23:56.38
When you can stay present
in your life with the people
00:23:56.42\00:23:59.48
all around you.
00:23:59.52\00:24:00.70
I didn't know any of that
stuff and God said wait until
00:24:00.73\00:24:03.19
I show you that.
00:24:03.23\00:24:04.20
I have, in 1990 I gave my
heart to Jesus, in He has worked
00:24:04.21\00:24:08.89
with me and I have been a basket
case and Angel after Angel
00:24:08.93\00:24:12.78
probably has quit saying, I
don't want to be assigned to him
00:24:12.82\00:24:17.49
Whenever I gave my heart to
the Lord, one thing that I said
00:24:17.52\00:24:22.16
well Lord I will do anything
for You, but I don't want
00:24:22.19\00:24:25.10
to be a pastor.
00:24:25.13\00:24:26.26
I don't like
pastor's, they are pastor's.
00:24:26.29\00:24:30.35
Well I'm a pastor now, and
an Evangelist, but since then
00:24:30.39\00:24:34.54
this 28-year-old guy,
in the back of a 79 van,
00:24:34.57\00:24:40.61
in White County Illinois, who
was deciding I do not want to
00:24:40.65\00:24:44.62
live anymore, that was going
to take a pistol and end life,
00:24:44.65\00:24:48.58
as I know it, He has taken
that guy who no one counted
00:24:48.62\00:24:52.73
as good for anything.
00:24:52.77\00:24:54.99
I am a pastor at a wonderful
church, I serve a wonderful
00:24:55.03\00:24:58.48
congregation, I have a beautiful
wife and four daughters.
00:24:58.51\00:25:02.98
I have preached in Nicaragua,
I have preached in Amsterdam
00:25:03.01\00:25:07.45
Holland, I have preached
in Botswana, South Africa,
00:25:07.48\00:25:11.08
Zimbabwe, I have been all
around the world to preach
00:25:11.12\00:25:14.68
this message gospel
that has changed my life.
00:25:14.72\00:25:15.99
To a people who do not
have any clue about the alcohol
00:25:16.02\00:25:19.99
in the drugs that we talk about.
00:25:20.02\00:25:21.22
I have found in India,
what an amazing thing just to
00:25:21.26\00:25:26.67
know this God in my heart.
00:25:26.71\00:25:28.08
To talk to a people that
do not believe the Bible.
00:25:28.12\00:25:31.06
But when they look in
your eyes and hear your story
00:25:31.10\00:25:33.97
and they hear your passion,
all of a sudden they want to
00:25:34.01\00:25:37.29
know who I know.
00:25:37.33\00:25:38.59
They do not want to know
what I know, they want to
00:25:38.62\00:25:42.09
know who I know.
00:25:42.13\00:25:43.38
So the reason I can celebrate
what we are doing is that
00:25:43.41\00:25:49.66
it is not over yet.
00:25:49.69\00:25:50.71
If the party is over then this
would be a let down for now,
00:25:50.74\00:25:55.95
but it is not.
00:25:55.98\00:25:57.72
Tomorrow is another great
opportunity to be able to meet
00:25:57.76\00:26:02.56
people we have never met before.
00:26:02.59\00:26:03.69
To preach a gospel to a
young person, to a kid tonight.
00:26:03.73\00:26:06.81
I get to go and we've got a bus
of kids that we are busting in.
00:26:06.84\00:26:11.46
Tonight I get to go to talk to
these little people who do not
00:26:11.50\00:26:16.09
know all of the love
that God's giving them.
00:26:16.12\00:26:20.62
We get to do it through a
hamburger, or through macaroni
00:26:20.66\00:26:24.93
and cheese or what ever it is.
00:26:24.96\00:26:25.96
That first of all we
show them that we care,
00:26:26.00\00:26:28.76
and then they will listen to us.
00:26:28.80\00:26:30.69
Being able to say you
know what, I have been scarred.
00:26:30.73\00:26:33.47
I've been hurt,
I've been broken and...
00:26:33.51\00:26:37.51
And all of them have
been scarred, hurt and broken.
00:26:37.54\00:26:40.47
I don't care where, especially
all of them have when they can
00:26:40.51\00:26:46.40
say what happened, how
did you get fixed, and that is
00:26:46.43\00:26:48.82
when you share.
00:26:48.85\00:26:49.93
It is truly the surrender.
00:26:49.97\00:26:51.31
You was talking about
someone turning on the TV.
00:26:51.34\00:26:54.31
They are scanning the
program and tonight they have
00:26:54.35\00:26:57.25
stopped here, and what they
have done is they have probably
00:26:57.29\00:26:59.96
already asked the
question that Mike asked.
00:27:00.00\00:27:03.67
Okay God, if you
are real, say something.
00:27:03.70\00:27:07.31
Maybe right now, in
fact I'm going to believe it,
00:27:07.34\00:27:10.69
that right now that someone
somewhere is just broken.
00:27:10.72\00:27:15.13
They do not want the religion,
they have chased a lot of
00:27:15.16\00:27:18.57
different paths, and
they think that they have come
00:27:18.61\00:27:21.99
to the end and there is no hope.
00:27:22.02\00:27:23.37
And they do not want to
wake up tomorrow the same.
00:27:23.41\00:27:25.33
They do not have
to, they do not have to!
00:27:25.37\00:27:30.24
I hear the preacher coming out.
00:27:30.28\00:27:31.44
They don't have
to. They don't have to!
00:27:31.47\00:27:34.19
We are going to be right back,
and when we come back I want
00:27:34.22\00:27:37.79
to end this with the pastor,
but I also want you to have
00:27:37.82\00:27:41.41
prayer for us, and anybody
out there that has just got to
00:27:41.45\00:27:44.50
that point and says I
don't want to wake up the same.
00:27:44.53\00:27:47.51
I don't care if you are in the
building and everybody around
00:27:47.54\00:27:51.61
you thinks you are fine.
00:27:51.65\00:27:53.07
Everybody around you sees you
every week and think you don't
00:27:53.11\00:27:55.91
need prayer and you are fine,
but right now you are saying
00:27:55.94\00:27:58.70
I do not want to
wake up the same tomorrow.
00:27:58.74\00:28:00.14
We are going to come
back for prayer about that.
00:28:00.17\00:28:01.93
And know it that
you do not have to.
00:28:01.96\00:28:03.65
It is incredible,
the gospel is incredible.
00:28:03.69\00:28:06.15
We will be right
back! Stay with us!
00:28:06.19\00:28:07.34