(gentle music)
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- Welcome, everyone.
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We're excited to share
some country wisdom with you.
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- King Solomon had
a thing or two to say
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about the path to wisdom.
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In Proverbs 4, he wrote,
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"Let your eyes
look directly forward
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and your gaze be
straight before you.
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Keep straight the
path of your feet,
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and all your ways will be sure."
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- Join us now
for "Country Wisdom."
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(soft music)
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(birds chirping)
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- Marty, we've jokingly referred
to this as the man cave,
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which it clearly is.
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It's very different
from my little room at home.
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But it's not the typical.
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You do not have a big
screen TV with ESPN playing
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and, you know, pinball
machines and things like that.
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You have some
pretty cool stuff in here.
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- Well, it's just stuff
I've accumulated over the years.
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I taught biology
for about 25 years
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and then outdoor
leadership for about five years.
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And anyway, I've got a
lot more stuff than this,
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but I just put a
few things on my desk
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that we might be
able to talk about.
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- So you've got a
scientific background.
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- Yeah.
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- Can you tell us a
little bit about that
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so the audience knows
you're not just shooting
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from your hip?
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- Yeah. Well, I'm
a educator primarily.
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I wouldn't call myself
the hardcore scientist,
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although I taught
science, you know?
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So I think most of
us that are teachers
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are what we call generalists.
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We know things on a level
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that we can
disseminate it to our students
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in a
understandable, enjoyable way.
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That's the goal,
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and that they come
away with something
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that launches
them into a career path
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that they might
have interest in.
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But you have to
enjoy your subject
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and be passionate about it.
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So my biology degree in
college, chemistry minor,
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equipped me to teach in the
sciences for quite a few years.
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- You said
something interesting earlier
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when you were talking with us,
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that you always had
an affinity for nature,
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even when you were a little boy.
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- [Marty] Right.
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- And the things that
you can observe in nature,
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and you were saying it
really is God's second book,
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that best textbook out there
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is to just be
out there observing.
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- And so there's really
three things that come together
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for somebody to really unlock
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what I call
unlocking the book of nature
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because many people go outside
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and sense something
that is transcendent.
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It's a spiritual
experience to go into Yosemite,
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into the Grand Canyon, or even
just into some little creek.
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You know, there's just
something that you feel there.
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It's a cathedral-like place.
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You know, the trees
with the columns rising up,
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the canyon walls, you
know, the cliffs in Yosemite
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our eyes are lifted
upward and we feel something.
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And so we know
that it's tangible
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regardless of what
your perspective on God.
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So I experience this,
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and I've talked to
enough people to know
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that that is
universally experienced.
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- I don't know how
you can be out camping,
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which I used to do a
lot more in my youth,
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but be out there
in the mountains,
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staring up at the stars
at night, feeling so small,
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how you look up at
all of that and not know
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that you're not the
greatest thing in the world,
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not recognize that there's
something else out there,
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something bigger than me.
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- And it really comes
back to what I talked about
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in another episode
is you kind of come
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to the end of yourself.
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You come to realize
how limited you are,
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how small and infinite space is.
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So I think it's a
real humbling place to be.
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And I think that's one
of the best things about it.
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- I look at
Genesis, the first chapters,
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talking about
the creation story,
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God creating everything.
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He spoke, and it
came into existence,
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but He looked at it
and said, "It's very good."
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Created man and
woman, spent a lot more time
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with man and woman,
but it was still very good.
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Things have been polluted.
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Matter of fact,
people have been lied to.
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And if the devil can get
us discouraged about creation,
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he can change everything.
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But you found God in
creation, haven't you?
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- In fact, the
truth of the matter is,
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the more I study about creation,
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whether it's on
the universe level,
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or whether it's down
to the molecular level,
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I see the
possibilities are so minuscule
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that things could
come about by chance,
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that it's actually
strengthened my faith.
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I can't prove God, but I
see evidence for Him everywhere.
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So that's kind of my default,
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is that I believe in
God because of science.
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- Talk to us about that evidence
a little bit, if you would.
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- Okay, well, I've got
a few things around here,
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and I just want to
use 'em as object lessons.
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To me, that's one of the best
ways to take what's in nature
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and apply it to my own life.
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So I'm gonna start
over here to my left, okay?
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I've got a vase that's
got a bunch of brown sticks.
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Now, most people would just
look at these sticks and go,
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"Well, that's just
a bunch of sticks."
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- Well, it's minimalist art.
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- Yeah, but there's a
story with each one of these.
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You can actually identify
what species of tree it is
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based on these buds, by
leaf scars, by lenticels,
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all of these
different characteristics.
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But I like to look at
these buds from the standpoint
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of what can I understand
about just looking at this twig.
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Most people would just
go, "Yeah (clicks tongue),
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I see a twig."
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- It's a twig. (laughs) - Yeah.
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But I have learned to take
even something like a rock.
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I did this when I was
teaching environmental education
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at the collegiate level.
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I had rocks on each
one of the students' desk.
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And I just said,
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"Tell me everything
you can about that rock.
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And when you get done with that,
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write down every question
you can about that rock.
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I want you to
think about that rock."
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And they just kind
looked- - And that took what?
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About 30 seconds?
(laughs) - Yeah, you know,
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but I gave 'em time.
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And that's what it
takes most of the time,
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is to give people time to think.
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And so they wrote
down what they could,
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and then we unpacked it.
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Okay, what kind of...
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A lot of questions came about.
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And that is one of
the most important things
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from my experience with people,
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is to give time for people
to think and to ask questions.
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Because if people
aren't asking questions,
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information is
just more information.
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- I can't stand it.
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Since you said
that, I gotta pick
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this thing up. - Yeah, what can
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you figure out about a
rock. - Yeah, I gotta pick it.
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Oh, look at that. Wow.
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- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
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- Look at that thing.
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- Well, we're gonna look at that
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a little bit more
carefully. (Jim laughing)
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But we'll get
back to the rock thing.
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But anyway, the stick here,
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we notice, of course
there are buds, okay?
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And in the wintertime
is when I snip these off.
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And when I look at these buds,
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they can help me
identify what it is.
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This is a white ash, okay?
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So this grows out
here in the woods,
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and the bud
pattern is characteristic,
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the arrangement of the buds.
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They kind of go off
this way and then this way,
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and the terminal bud
has a particular arrangement
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and configuration.
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And you know, for
somebody that's studied it,
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they just, "Yeah,
it's an ash," okay?
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So, but I always like to
take it to a deeper level.
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It's like
knowing somebody, okay?
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If I said, "Hey,
Jim, how are you doing?"
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And all I know is your name,
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well, that's
pretty surface level.
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But when I know your story,
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then when I see
you, I think whole story.
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You know, I know what
you love, what your pain,
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all of those things.
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Same thing with you, Janice.
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So with the stick here,
when I look at these buds,
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I have to ask myself,
"What are the buds for?"
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Okay, what are the buds for?
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- For growth.
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- Okay, they're for
next year, right? Okay?
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There's a time and a season
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that these are
prepared for, right?
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So there is a message
of planning here. Okay?
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Now, this is a
brainless creature, right?
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Trees, they don't, as
far as I know, have brains,
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but they do respond
to stimuli and all that.
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But when I look
at these buds, I go,
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"Okay, when did these buds form?
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Did they form in the
middle of the winter?"
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No. When did they form?
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Did they form right
before winter hit? No.
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They started forming
actually late summer.
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Right about now,
this time of year,
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we're kind of
transitioning into the fall,
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summer into the fall season,
these buds start forming.
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And what that speaks to
me on a very simple level is,
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as a man, do I plan ahead,
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or do I put all of my
money, all of my investment
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into the here and now?
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Or am I planning for the future?
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Am I investing in
the future? Do I see?
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Like, you know,
I've talked to people
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that are going through
the winter experience of life.
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And yet during that winter,
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when the tree looks like this,
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the roots are down in
the ground, actually growing,
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and they're
preparing for springtime.
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And when the spring
comes, they're ready.
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So it's not a lost time.
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The winter is not a time
of death, it's a time of rest.
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And so what I will
tell men and women alike
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is if you're going through
a winter season, embrace it.
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Let those roots go
down, go deep with God.
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Don't waste this time.
00:10:08.67\00:10:10.11
This is a time
for you to be ready
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for the growth that is coming.
00:10:12.97\00:10:14.11
So it's a hopeful
way of looking at things.
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So sticks, that would
be an object lesson to me
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that would be
speaking to that human side
00:10:19.35\00:10:24.29
of my heart, you know?
00:10:24.29\00:10:26.02
So that would be one
example. - All right.
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Well, when do
we get to the rock?
00:10:28.16\00:10:29.99
I wanna hear about
that. - Okay, okay, okay.
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Well, before we get to the rock,
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I wanna get to this one here
00:10:33.73\00:10:35.33
because they're connected,
these two are connected.
00:10:35.33\00:10:37.80
One is a living-
- Look, I was not
00:10:37.80\00:10:39.87
a biology major, but even I know
00:10:39.87\00:10:41.57
that those are not the same.
00:10:41.57\00:10:42.60
- Yes, exactly. (Jim laughing)
00:10:42.60\00:10:43.84
So they both will open up,
00:10:43.84\00:10:45.77
one with a lot more
force than the other.
00:10:45.77\00:10:47.38
But I actually
found this pearl oyster
00:10:47.38\00:10:49.51
when I was diving many years
ago in the Marshall Islands.
00:10:49.51\00:10:54.02
And as I was
diving, I found this.
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I pried it free,
took it to the surface,
00:10:57.75\00:11:01.22
pried it open, thinking I
would find this giant pearl.
00:11:01.22\00:11:04.69
(Janice laughing)
I was disappointed.
00:11:04.69\00:11:06.83
But inside it still has
the mother of pearl, right?
00:11:06.83\00:11:09.76
That mantle that
covers the soft-bodied animal
00:11:09.76\00:11:13.87
that a mollusk is,
00:11:13.87\00:11:15.64
every day, it lays down
a very shiny, thin layer
00:11:15.64\00:11:20.11
of this mother of
pearl, you might call it.
00:11:20.11\00:11:22.41
And every layer
makes the shell bigger,
00:11:22.41\00:11:25.78
makes the pearl bigger.
00:11:25.78\00:11:27.52
The one thing I like to say
00:11:27.52\00:11:28.78
is that this is
like many of us, okay?
00:11:28.78\00:11:33.59
In life, the winter comes.
00:11:34.72\00:11:38.19
In life, we
find ourselves stuck.
00:11:38.19\00:11:41.56
This pearl oyster
cannot move around.
00:11:41.56\00:11:44.07
It landed on a
coral reef somewhere
00:11:45.20\00:11:49.40
as a tiny little
microscopic larva,
00:11:49.40\00:11:51.84
encrusted itself
and started growing,
00:11:53.01\00:11:55.08
filter feeding, getting
nutrients out of the water,
00:11:55.08\00:11:59.15
growing where it's planted.
00:11:59.15\00:12:01.28
And it just starts
circulating the water,
00:12:01.28\00:12:03.85
circulating the
water, getting its nutrients.
00:12:03.85\00:12:06.39
Pretty ugly on the outside.
00:12:07.66\00:12:09.36
- That's what I was thinking.
00:12:09.36\00:12:10.16
I thought, you know, (laughs)
00:12:10.16\00:12:11.93
it's kinda like us,
ugly on the outside,
00:12:11.93\00:12:13.43
but maybe shiny on the inside.
00:12:13.43\00:12:14.73
- Exactly, and so when we
think about this pearl oyster,
00:12:14.73\00:12:19.47
it's just doing its
job in a very boring way.
00:12:20.57\00:12:24.11
But meanwhile inside,
because of that irritant,
00:12:24.11\00:12:27.54
unfortunately,
this one did not have-
00:12:27.54\00:12:29.44
- (laughs) Enough
irritant. - A pearl in it.
00:12:29.44\00:12:31.05
But if it would've had
some kind of an irritant,
00:12:31.05\00:12:32.98
a grain of sand,
some kind of a parasite,
00:12:32.98\00:12:34.98
it would layer it up
over and over and over that
00:12:34.98\00:12:38.75
until the longer the trial,
00:12:38.75\00:12:41.62
I think the opportunity for
something beautiful is there.
00:12:42.99\00:12:46.29
And instead of complaining
about things as we do as humans,
00:12:46.29\00:12:50.27
for God to show us
that there is something
00:12:50.27\00:12:53.67
much more important going on.
00:12:53.67\00:12:55.77
It's an
opportunity to be a testimony.
00:12:55.77\00:12:57.81
And it's just
this way with people.
00:12:57.81\00:12:59.51
Sometimes people are
beautiful on the outside,
00:12:59.51\00:13:01.51
on the inside,
they're not very beautiful.
00:13:01.51\00:13:03.75
And some people on the
outside aren't beautiful,
00:13:03.75\00:13:05.61
but on the inside
they're very beautiful.
00:13:05.61\00:13:08.32
So that to me is a
really good illustration.
00:13:08.32\00:13:10.92
And I would also like to take it
00:13:10.92\00:13:12.59
to the biblical side of things.
00:13:12.59\00:13:14.62
We've got a couple of references
to pearls in the Bible.
00:13:14.62\00:13:18.23
Can you think of those?
00:13:18.23\00:13:19.39
- The pearl of great
price. - Great price.
00:13:19.39\00:13:20.20
- Okay. Pearl of great price.
00:13:20.20\00:13:21.70
And what's the other one?
00:13:21.70\00:13:22.80
- Or pearls
before swine. (laughs)
00:13:22.80\00:13:23.77
- Pearls before swine.
00:13:23.77\00:13:25.13
- (laughs) He wasn't
thinking of that one.
00:13:25.13\00:13:26.27
- Yeah, yeah.
00:13:26.27\00:13:27.47
No, but that's a
good one. (Jim laughing)
00:13:27.47\00:13:28.50
And there's one
more. Very important.
00:13:28.50\00:13:30.41
- [Jim] I'm trying to think.
00:13:32.07\00:13:32.97
- There's 12 of 'em.
00:13:32.97\00:13:33.81
- Jim, We're flunking.
00:13:33.81\00:13:34.88
- Yeah, I think we
flunked tonight, yeah.
00:13:34.88\00:13:36.14
- 12 of them. - Getting late.
00:13:36.14\00:13:38.08
- Oh, the
foundations - Oh, foundations.
00:13:38.08\00:13:39.48
- Or the gates.
00:13:39.48\00:13:40.55
- Gates, there we
go. - Yeah, that's it.
00:13:40.55\00:13:41.75
- Of the city of
Jerusalem. - The gates of-
00:13:41.75\00:13:43.15
- New Jerusalem. - New Jerusalem
00:13:43.15\00:13:44.55
are single pearls.
00:13:44.55\00:13:46.39
Now, nothing is by chance.
00:13:46.39\00:13:47.72
And I believe that the
pearl is an illustration,
00:13:47.72\00:13:50.89
it goes back to the
pearl of great price,
00:13:50.89\00:13:53.50
that Jesus is that pearl.
00:13:53.50\00:13:55.90
And through His difficult life,
00:13:55.90\00:14:00.87
everything that He went through,
00:14:01.67\00:14:03.20
He is that great pearl.
00:14:03.20\00:14:05.14
And I believe that
each one of the gates
00:14:05.14\00:14:07.71
of the New Jerusalem
represents Him as well.
00:14:07.71\00:14:11.28
But I think in a
personalized way,
00:14:11.28\00:14:13.45
I think that also anybody
that is going to enter in
00:14:13.45\00:14:17.19
through the gates will
have also had that experience
00:14:17.19\00:14:21.66
of going through trials
00:14:21.66\00:14:23.53
and allowing God to
work through those trials
00:14:23.53\00:14:26.33
to make something beautiful,
which is their testimony.
00:14:26.33\00:14:30.33
And so, to me,
that's what I think of
00:14:30.33\00:14:32.17
when I think of
the pearl oyster.
00:14:32.17\00:14:34.87
- That situation, you know,
00:14:34.87\00:14:36.27
each one of them
in the 12 apostles,
00:14:36.27\00:14:39.21
each one had their
own particular character.
00:14:39.21\00:14:42.81
- Yep. - That we enter
00:14:42.81\00:14:43.81
into that character.
00:14:43.81\00:14:45.85
You know, the
whole thing is amazing
00:14:45.85\00:14:49.05
what God does and
what God does through us
00:14:50.49\00:14:52.85
and the planning
through eternity. (laughs)
00:14:52.85\00:14:56.22
- And we're just
scratching the surface.
00:14:56.22\00:14:57.73
- Yeah.
00:14:57.73\00:14:58.63
- Every time we turn around,
00:15:00.46\00:15:01.80
there is another
natural disaster.
00:15:01.80\00:15:04.43
It seems like every year
00:15:04.43\00:15:06.03
a large chunk of the world's
forests and brush lands burn.
00:15:06.03\00:15:10.67
Hurricanes and
typhoons wipe out large swaths
00:15:10.67\00:15:13.51
of real estate and human life.
00:15:13.51\00:15:16.98
The occurrence of earthquakes
is continually on the rise.
00:15:16.98\00:15:21.38
There is a biblical
reason for what's going on.
00:15:22.68\00:15:25.29
And that's why I'd
like to give you a free copy
00:15:25.29\00:15:27.76
of the pamphlet called "Making
Sense of Natural Disasters."
00:15:27.76\00:15:32.09
Get your free copy
today by logging on
00:15:32.09\00:15:34.96
to
talkingdonkeyinternational.org
00:15:34.96\00:15:38.30
and order offer 106, "Making
Sense of Natural Disasters."
00:15:38.30\00:15:43.37
(upbeat music) (guns firing)
00:15:46.01\00:15:49.31
- You know, no one
could ever calculate
00:15:49.31\00:15:51.58
the amount of sacrifice
00:15:51.58\00:15:52.91
that went into the
making of this great nation,
00:15:52.91\00:15:55.42
the gains of so
many because of the loss
00:15:55.42\00:15:57.82
of the precious few.
00:15:57.82\00:15:59.52
You know, as a child in school,
00:15:59.52\00:16:00.79
I sang "America, the
Beautiful," "God bless America."
00:16:00.79\00:16:04.13
And we started every day
00:16:04.13\00:16:05.13
by reciting the
"Pledge of Allegiance."
00:16:05.13\00:16:08.00
But a lot has changed.
00:16:08.00\00:16:09.30
Biblical predictions are
taking shape at an amazing pace.
00:16:09.30\00:16:12.93
If you're about my age,
00:16:12.93\00:16:14.27
you know that this is not
the country we all grew up in.
00:16:14.27\00:16:17.01
Well, it seems like this
nation is rushing toward a cliff
00:16:17.01\00:16:19.81
with no possibility of return.
00:16:19.81\00:16:22.71
When I became a Christian,
00:16:22.71\00:16:24.11
I began studying biblical
prophecy, last day events.
00:16:24.11\00:16:27.15
I found a book called
"The Great Controversy"
00:16:27.15\00:16:29.38
that was amazing in its clarity.
00:16:29.38\00:16:31.85
If you'd like a copy,
log on to our website.
00:16:31.85\00:16:34.92
- [Narrator] To
order your free copy
00:16:34.92\00:16:36.16
of "The Great Controversy,"
00:16:36.16\00:16:37.69
go to
talkingdonkeyinternational.org.
00:16:37.69\00:16:40.46
Click on the store tab
and order your copy today.
00:16:40.46\00:16:43.80
(inspiring music)
00:16:43.80\00:16:47.04
- So this other rock here.
00:16:47.04\00:16:48.80
- [Janice] He's
finally at the rock.
00:16:48.80\00:16:50.11
Yeah, this rock here. -
He's finally at the rock.
00:16:50.11\00:16:51.47
- I actually picked this up
at a rock shop up in Michigan,
00:16:51.47\00:16:54.94
and when I picked it up,
00:16:54.94\00:16:56.81
I intentionally got
it for my granddaughters,
00:16:56.81\00:16:59.41
so brought it home and got
the hammer and broke it open.
00:16:59.41\00:17:02.18
And maybe you've
seen these before.
00:17:02.18\00:17:04.45
- [Janice] Geodes.
00:17:04.45\00:17:05.25
- But it's a geode. Yeah.
00:17:05.25\00:17:05.92
So inside of this ugly,
00:17:05.92\00:17:09.59
non-descript ball
00:17:09.59\00:17:12.23
is the most beautiful
crystal, sparkly structures.
00:17:12.23\00:17:16.77
And again, what
does that speak to?
00:17:17.83\00:17:19.87
To me, it just
speaks of the hidden things.
00:17:19.87\00:17:23.67
- And you had to
strike it with a hammer
00:17:24.87\00:17:26.37
in order to reveal it.
00:17:26.37\00:17:27.18
- That's a good point, Jim.
00:17:27.18\00:17:28.28
I like that. I
didn't even think of that.
00:17:28.28\00:17:30.45
But that's a good one.
00:17:30.45\00:17:31.78
Sometimes that broken
beauty that I was talking about
00:17:31.78\00:17:35.52
in that other
episode is a true thing.
00:17:35.52\00:17:38.72
Sometimes we have
to have that brokenness
00:17:38.72\00:17:41.52
before the
beauty is actually seen.
00:17:41.52\00:17:44.39
- It also reminds me,
00:17:44.39\00:17:45.89
a verse that just
popped in my head,
00:17:45.89\00:17:47.40
about how man
looks on the outside,
00:17:47.40\00:17:50.93
but God's looking at your heart.
00:17:50.93\00:17:52.70
Because I wonder how many
ugly rocks I've walked past.
00:17:52.70\00:17:56.00
- [Marty] Exactly. (Jim laughs)
00:17:56.00\00:17:57.07
- You know? Ah, it's
just a dumb, ugly rock.
00:17:57.07\00:17:59.31
You know? - How many people
00:17:59.31\00:18:00.38
on the street? -
And how many people
00:18:00.38\00:18:01.41
have I passed? -
Yeah, you passed.
00:18:01.41\00:18:03.04
Because like, you
know, your lip curls,
00:18:03.04\00:18:04.81
like, "Ick, I don't
wanna talk to them."
00:18:04.81\00:18:07.98
And you might
be passing someone.
00:18:07.98\00:18:09.95
God is looking inside and
seeing the potential inside.
00:18:09.95\00:18:13.96
- "As you've done it unto
the least of these, my brethren,
00:18:15.32\00:18:17.36
you've done it unto me."
00:18:17.36\00:18:18.76
And so those people are there
for us to be tested sometimes.
00:18:18.76\00:18:23.80
- All right, I told you
I wasn't a biology major,
00:18:25.17\00:18:25.97
but even I know what that is.
00:18:25.97\00:18:27.67
- It's not
anything related to biology,
00:18:27.67\00:18:31.77
even though it has
00:18:31.77\00:18:33.04
some green on it. -
Go ahead, put your money
00:18:33.04\00:18:34.28
where your mouth is. -
Minerology, isn't that part?
00:18:34.28\00:18:35.64
- I guess it's not really
bio- - Biology's a living thing.
00:18:35.64\00:18:36.91
- 'Cause it's not alive.
00:18:36.91\00:18:38.21
You're right. - Living things.
00:18:38.21\00:18:39.05
- Okay, I was
00:18:39.05\00:18:40.32
an English major. -
It has some green on it.
00:18:40.32\00:18:41.38
- Clearly, I was an
English major. (laughs)
00:18:41.38\00:18:42.18
- Oh, boy, right on camera too.
00:18:42.18\00:18:44.85
- I thought I was so close.
- English major's much harder.
00:18:44.85\00:18:46.65
- So close to
looking like an A student.
00:18:46.65\00:18:48.66
And I flunked.
00:18:48.66\00:18:50.19
- Well, yeah, but these are
some metal objects over here.
00:18:50.19\00:18:53.03
And I wanna
contrast- - That's metal too?
00:18:53.03\00:18:55.00
- Yeah, these
two, and this one here,
00:18:55.00\00:18:57.80
I'm gonna kind
of do a little bit-
00:18:57.80\00:18:59.13
- [Janice] Well, you
didn't find that out in nature.
00:18:59.13\00:19:00.24
- No, you're
right. You're right.
00:19:00.24\00:19:01.37
- [Jim] Yeah, plumb bob
was not nature. (laughs)
00:19:01.37\00:19:02.97
- Okay, so out of these three,
00:19:02.97\00:19:04.67
like if I was talking
to some kids, I'd say,
00:19:04.67\00:19:06.31
"Okay, which is
the one from nature,
00:19:06.31\00:19:09.21
and which are the
ones from manmade?"
00:19:09.21\00:19:11.98
And they would look at it
and probably figure it out.
00:19:11.98\00:19:14.25
So what are the
ones that are manmade?
00:19:14.25\00:19:17.32
- He wants her to flunk
00:19:17.32\00:19:18.52
on camera again. -
Well, obviously, that one.
00:19:18.52\00:19:19.92
- [Marty] No, I mean, out
of these three right here,
00:19:19.92\00:19:20.72
what are the manmade ones?
00:19:20.72\00:19:23.63
- I'd say this one and that one.
00:19:23.63\00:19:24.96
- [Marty] Yeah, okay.
00:19:24.96\00:19:26.46
So this one's- -
What do you think, Janice?
00:19:26.46\00:19:27.73
. Well, I can't,
00:19:27.73\00:19:29.80
can I pick it
up? - You don't have
00:19:29.80\00:19:30.87
your glasses on.
- You can touch it.
00:19:30.87\00:19:31.67
- I don't have my glasses on.
00:19:31.67\00:19:32.93
I thought I'd, you know,
00:19:32.93\00:19:34.07
look at it this
way. - Okay, yeah, yeah.
00:19:34.07\00:19:34.74
- Oh, well, yeah.
00:19:34.74\00:19:35.27
Now, I can tell.
00:19:35.27\00:19:36.57
The giveaway is the
writing on the back here.
00:19:36.57\00:19:37.91
- [Marty] Yeah, okay, you
can't look at that, but let's-
00:19:37.91\00:19:40.08
- And maybe the
screws. Those are clues.
00:19:40.08\00:19:42.58
- Okay. - So does that,
00:19:42.58\00:19:43.95
that looks like that was not
a happy time probably, right?
00:19:43.95\00:19:46.38
This guy right
here? - Something melted.
00:19:46.38\00:19:47.68
- Yeah. Yeah. So anyway,
we've got copper nugget here.
00:19:47.68\00:19:51.05
This is aluminum.
00:19:51.05\00:19:52.52
And here is piece of
brass, which is a plumb bob
00:19:52.52\00:19:56.12
with a little bit
of a lead tip here.
00:19:56.12\00:19:58.59
And this was used
for millennia, you know,
00:19:58.59\00:20:01.50
trying to get walls
straight and everything.
00:20:01.50\00:20:04.23
So this is...
00:20:04.23\00:20:05.37
Now, the thing I
wanna contrast here
00:20:06.43\00:20:11.31
in this particular story
00:20:11.97\00:20:12.77
is we've got two manmade things.
00:20:12.77\00:20:15.28
So we're gonna take a
look at these two things, okay?
00:20:15.28\00:20:18.45
So we've got that
and this, all right?
00:20:18.45\00:20:20.82
They're both made
outta metal, both manmade.
00:20:20.82\00:20:23.72
What do they have in common?
00:20:23.72\00:20:25.42
- Oh, it's
another trick question.
00:20:25.42\00:20:26.65
- Both metal.
00:20:26.65\00:20:28.02
- We already said
that, Jim. - Okay.
00:20:28.02\00:20:29.92
- Ope, well, this went
right over my head then.
00:20:29.92\00:20:31.43
- Yeah. So what else
do they have in common?
00:20:31.43\00:20:34.30
- [Janice]
They're both old? (laughs)
00:20:35.50\00:20:37.00
- Okay. Yeah.
00:20:37.00\00:20:37.87
- Well, you're not
coming up with anything either.
00:20:41.87\00:20:43.81
- I'm, you know, like I
say, it's too late in the day.
00:20:43.81\00:20:46.01
I'm just set on autopilot here.
00:20:46.01\00:20:47.51
(all laughing)
00:20:47.51\00:20:49.04
And he's asking all
these hard teacher questions.
00:20:49.04\00:20:50.61
- Well, let's just
think about this here.
00:20:50.61\00:20:51.91
Okay, I'll tell
you a little bit about,
00:20:51.91\00:20:53.62
you know what
this is, plumb bob.
00:20:53.62\00:20:54.95
That's affected by what?
00:20:54.95\00:20:56.22
What's the force
that's making it go down?
00:20:56.22\00:20:58.52
- Gravity.
00:20:58.52\00:20:59.35
- Gravity, right?
00:20:59.35\00:21:00.49
All right, now this
here is actually a piece
00:21:00.49\00:21:02.76
of the fuselage of an
aircraft that crashed.
00:21:02.76\00:21:05.76
- Oh, that met gravity. - Yes.
00:21:05.76\00:21:07.73
- In a bad way.
00:21:07.73\00:21:08.93
- Yeah. Is gravity good or bad?
00:21:08.93\00:21:11.43
- Yes. - It depends.
00:21:11.43\00:21:12.47
(Jim and Janice laugh)
00:21:12.47\00:21:13.70
- It's really very good. Right?
00:21:13.70\00:21:15.30
- If you're
hanging with your ice axes,
00:21:15.30\00:21:16.87
and you slip, it's bad.
00:21:16.87\00:21:18.21
- Yeah, exactly.
00:21:18.21\00:21:19.27
But yeah, overall
it's a very good thing.
00:21:19.27\00:21:21.28
We could not live
without it, right?
00:21:21.28\00:21:23.28
So this is used with gravity
to actually point downward
00:21:23.28\00:21:28.35
and get things,
you know, up and down.
00:21:29.92\00:21:32.29
This here is a piece
of a crashed aircraft.
00:21:32.29\00:21:36.02
This is actually, I
etched this on the back
00:21:36.02\00:21:38.13
so I would
remember it as I got older,
00:21:38.13\00:21:40.20
but this was from around
1950 on Mount San Gorgonio
00:21:40.20\00:21:45.10
in Southern California.
00:21:45.10\00:21:46.87
This DC-3 crashed on
the side of the mountain.
00:21:46.87\00:21:51.14
- That was melted
metal. - Yeah, yeah.
00:21:51.14\00:21:53.21
So this was aluminum,
and it just totally melted.
00:21:53.21\00:21:57.48
Now, there is a
story of an accident here.
00:21:57.48\00:22:00.92
This is
destruction and death, right?
00:22:00.92\00:22:03.62
A contrast would
be, this is something
00:22:03.62\00:22:06.22
that is used with gravity
00:22:06.22\00:22:08.02
to do just the opposite.
- Make your life better.
00:22:08.02\00:22:09.99
- Yeah, to build things up.
00:22:09.99\00:22:11.26
- Keep better walls up and-
00:22:11.26\00:22:13.03
- And so we've got
the same force of gravity
00:22:13.03\00:22:17.17
and also just the force of
a aircraft into the mountain,
00:22:17.17\00:22:20.77
but a totally
different outcome, right?
00:22:22.00\00:22:24.17
So when we think of
this aircraft in particular,
00:22:25.54\00:22:29.28
what happened?
00:22:29.28\00:22:30.95
There's a story behind that
piece of metal there, right?
00:22:30.95\00:22:34.98
That aluminum ore came
out of a mountain probably.
00:22:34.98\00:22:39.95
And then it had to be
smelted, made into the aircraft,
00:22:39.95\00:22:44.73
which could seem to
defy gravity, right?
00:22:44.73\00:22:48.60
As long as the laws of
physics were followed, right?
00:22:48.60\00:22:53.37
And also the laws
that govern aviation,
00:22:54.54\00:22:57.94
like instruments in bad weather.
00:22:57.94\00:23:01.58
So if you have bad weather,
00:23:01.58\00:23:03.88
I can see because
of radar and stuff
00:23:03.88\00:23:06.45
where the mountain is and stuff.
00:23:06.45\00:23:08.25
I don't know the
whole story on this,
00:23:08.25\00:23:09.75
but I do know that
the laws of nature,
00:23:09.75\00:23:13.89
they're the same.
00:23:15.19\00:23:16.09
And God's laws are the same.
00:23:17.29\00:23:19.63
Can we break the
laws of God really?
00:23:20.70\00:23:24.47
- With no
consequences, you mean?
00:23:24.47\00:23:26.00
- Right. I mean, we
really can't break them.
00:23:26.00\00:23:29.54
We only will verify them.
00:23:29.54\00:23:32.17
Given enough time, we
will verify those laws.
00:23:33.94\00:23:38.45
Same thing with this.
00:23:38.45\00:23:39.75
We can follow the
laws of nature, physics,
00:23:39.75\00:23:43.95
and it will go well.
00:23:43.95\00:23:46.22
But if we try to go against
any of the laws of physics
00:23:46.22\00:23:50.69
and aviation and good judgment,
there will be a consequence.
00:23:50.69\00:23:55.46
And so that's just
a simple object lesson
00:23:55.46\00:23:58.00
involving two manmade things.
00:23:58.00\00:23:59.47
That goes a little bit deeper.
00:23:59.47\00:24:01.54
This would probably not
be a lesson for, you know,
00:24:01.54\00:24:04.01
a five-year-old,
00:24:04.01\00:24:06.17
but they would understand,
00:24:06.17\00:24:07.41
a five-year-old
would understand this.
00:24:07.41\00:24:09.78
So when I teach people
00:24:09.78\00:24:12.21
about how to use
God's book of nature,
00:24:12.21\00:24:15.42
we can use natural objects.
00:24:15.42\00:24:18.12
Everything is an opportunity.
00:24:18.12\00:24:19.72
I think that's the
really exciting thing
00:24:19.72\00:24:21.76
is Jesus, He was the master,
and He would take anything,
00:24:21.76\00:24:26.63
He would use money
as an object lesson,
00:24:26.63\00:24:28.90
He would use a fish
as an object lesson,
00:24:28.90\00:24:31.37
the sower and the seed,
everything was an object lesson.
00:24:31.37\00:24:35.57
And why did He
use those methods?
00:24:35.57\00:24:37.47
- Because people remember them.
00:24:38.67\00:24:40.14
- [Marty] Exactly.
00:24:40.14\00:24:41.24
- They
understand them instantly.
00:24:41.24\00:24:43.04
- And this is a principle too,
00:24:43.04\00:24:44.61
and I'm gonna come full circle
00:24:44.61\00:24:46.11
about how there are principles
00:24:46.11\00:24:48.18
behind unlocking
the book of nature.
00:24:48.18\00:24:51.75
- And
unfortunately, I gotta tell you,
00:24:51.75\00:24:52.82
your circle's
gotta be narrow enough
00:24:52.82\00:24:54.56
for about three minutes.
00:24:54.56\00:24:55.79
- (laughs) Okay.
00:24:55.79\00:24:56.96
- While watching the clock.
00:24:56.96\00:24:58.03
- Yeah, no problem.
00:24:58.03\00:24:59.33
So there are three
things that come into play
00:24:59.33\00:25:02.33
when we're looking at nature
and trying to understand things
00:25:02.33\00:25:06.03
and apply it to our lives.
00:25:06.03\00:25:07.10
And the first one is,
00:25:07.10\00:25:08.40
we need to have
some knowledge of nature.
00:25:08.40\00:25:10.67
So we need to have
this inquisitive mind.
00:25:10.67\00:25:12.77
We need to keep learning.
00:25:12.77\00:25:14.61
You know, we see a
flower, we get a book,
00:25:14.61\00:25:17.41
and we try to identify
it and learn all about it.
00:25:17.41\00:25:19.95
We discover some neat things.
00:25:19.95\00:25:22.42
So we are continually
learning about nature,
00:25:22.42\00:25:24.65
but we continue to
study in God's Word, you know?
00:25:24.65\00:25:28.12
And as we learn
things in God's Word,
00:25:28.12\00:25:29.96
we see the intersection of God's
Word and the natural world.
00:25:29.96\00:25:34.93
So we've got the physical first.
00:25:34.93\00:25:36.70
God created the physical
for us to understand first.
00:25:36.70\00:25:39.80
And when we intersect
them with the spiritual,
00:25:39.80\00:25:42.80
with the influence of the
Holy Spirit during meditation
00:25:42.80\00:25:47.18
and saying, "Lord,
what's a lesson here?"
00:25:47.18\00:25:49.44
We have this
flash of inspiration
00:25:49.44\00:25:52.95
that brings something
home in a personalized way
00:25:52.95\00:25:57.25
that speaks to a person's
heart like very few things do.
00:25:57.25\00:26:01.82
And so what I love it
is that it's a spiritual
00:26:01.82\00:26:04.86
and the physical coming together
00:26:04.86\00:26:06.59
with the Holy Spirit fusion
00:26:06.59\00:26:09.66
that you come away
with a changed heart
00:26:09.66\00:26:12.30
and a personalized experience
00:26:12.30\00:26:14.30
that you can share
with somebody else.
00:26:14.30\00:26:16.27
- I'll never look at
buds or some of these things
00:26:17.64\00:26:20.48
the same way again. -
No, I'll never pass a stick
00:26:20.48\00:26:22.18
again without thinking-
- Yeah, without thinking
00:26:22.18\00:26:24.05
these things. - What
object lesson is here?
00:26:24.05\00:26:25.28
- Marty, really appreciate.
00:26:25.28\00:26:26.61
I mean, you know,
it's gonna give me,
00:26:26.61\00:26:29.52
I think, a new appreciation
to look at various things
00:26:29.52\00:26:32.02
other than buds too
00:26:32.02\00:26:33.15
and begin thinking of
some of those lessons.
00:26:33.15\00:26:35.32
Because what you've shown
really God's in everything.
00:26:35.32\00:26:38.66
He can bring it
all forward to us.
00:26:38.66\00:26:40.96
Would you say that's correct?
00:26:40.96\00:26:42.50
- That's correct. He's
speaking to us all the time.
00:26:42.50\00:26:45.13
Are we listening?
00:26:45.13\00:26:46.07
- There's the big question.
00:26:47.37\00:26:48.54
- Yeah.
00:26:48.54\00:26:49.37
- That's the question.
00:26:49.37\00:26:50.44
In today's world,
it's harder than ever.
00:26:50.44\00:26:52.34
And that's why it's important
to turn off our devices
00:26:52.34\00:26:54.84
and to have some maybe
fasting, technology fast.
00:26:54.84\00:26:59.91
- Good point. - And get away.
00:27:00.82\00:27:01.62
- Marty, thank you so much.
00:27:01.62\00:27:02.42
- [Marty] You're welcome.
00:27:02.42\00:27:03.22
- Appreciate it. - Thank you.
00:27:03.22\00:27:04.52
(dramatic music) (guns firing)
00:27:06.12\00:27:09.46
- You know, no one
could ever calculate
00:27:09.46\00:27:11.63
the amount of sacrifice
00:27:11.63\00:27:12.96
that went into the
making of this great nation,
00:27:12.96\00:27:15.40
the gains of so
many because of the loss
00:27:15.40\00:27:17.83
of the precious few.
00:27:17.83\00:27:19.50
You know, as a child in school,
00:27:19.50\00:27:20.70
I sang "America the
Beautiful," "God Bless America."
00:27:20.70\00:27:24.07
And we started every day
00:27:24.07\00:27:25.07
by reciting the
"Pledge of Allegiance."
00:27:25.07\00:27:28.01
But a lot has changed.
00:27:28.01\00:27:29.31
Biblical predictions are
taking shape at an amazing pace.
00:27:29.31\00:27:32.95
If you're about my age,
00:27:32.95\00:27:34.28
you know that this is not
the country we all grew up in.
00:27:34.28\00:27:37.05
Well, it seems like this
nation is rushing toward a cliff
00:27:37.05\00:27:39.82
with no possibility of return.
00:27:39.82\00:27:42.79
When I became a Christian,
00:27:42.79\00:27:44.19
I began studying biblical
prophecy, last day events,
00:27:44.19\00:27:47.13
I found a book called
"The Great Controversy"
00:27:47.13\00:27:49.40
that was amazing in its clarity.
00:27:49.40\00:27:51.80
If you'd like a copy,
log on to our website.
00:27:51.80\00:27:54.17
- [Narrator] To
order your free copy
00:27:55.24\00:27:56.04
of "The Great Controversy,"
00:27:56.04\00:27:57.64
go to
talkingdonkeyinternational.org.
00:27:57.64\00:28:00.48
Click on the store tab
and order your copy today.
00:28:00.48\00:28:03.78
(inspiring music)
00:28:03.78\00:28:06.68
- Thank you for watching.
00:28:07.48\00:28:08.88
Join us again for another
exciting "Country Wisdom."
00:28:08.88\00:28:10.72
- See you next
time. (clicks tongue)
00:28:10.72\00:28:12.49
(gentle music)
00:28:12.49\00:28:15.16