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Welcome to Issues and Answers.
We're glad that you're able to
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join us today. We're going
to talk about achieving your
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personal best. And here to
talk about this very interesting
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topic is Dr. Delbert Baker. He's
the president of Oakwood College
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a pastor, administrator,
professor, counselor and a whole
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host of a lot of other things
that he's done. With a rich
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background of professional
experience he has served on
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numerous committees, he has
been a past editor for Message
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Magazine and has authored six
books, Telling the Story, Make
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Us One, Secret Keys, Profiles
of Service, From Exile to Prime
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Minister and the Unknown
Prophet. Thank you so much
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for coming to talk to us about
Achieving Our Personal Best.
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Is that a little selfish?
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I don't think so. I don't think
so. I think Christians are very
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much about growing deep
spiritually and many Christians
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are about deepening their
connection with God and even
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working with others. But there's
another dimension, Karen, that
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is wide open and that is really
achieving your best for Christ.
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Living the abundant
life that Jesus talks about.
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So tell me about that.
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Well I think there are many
facets to the abundant life and
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I think that as Christians
we need to think about it. We're
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talking about getting involved
in the very heart of life, that
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you do fun things. You're a
well-rounded person. You're not
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simply that spiritual person who
only knows the Bible and that's
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it. Now you know I'm saying
you've got to know the Bible
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we have to have that connection
with Christ. What I'm also
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saying though that the Bible
leads us to develop the total
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person, the whole person.
And I think it bears emphasizing
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the Christian life, that we
really need to do more things
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and to be sure that we have
a life that is well rounded,
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physically in terms of
developing the body. We do talk
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a lot about health
reform and being...
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And a lot about discipline.
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Discipline, you're right and
that's key. I mean, I think of
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Ellen White's statement
when she says the body is a most
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important medium for the
up building of the character.
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That's powerful and it
really says that we need to have
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bodies that are fit, that are
sound, that are so in tune that
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the Holy Spirit can speak to
us and through us so that health
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side is so crucial to anything
we do. But there's also the
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relational side. How are we with
our families and our friends and
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our loved ones? I mean, are we
so caught up with our work, into
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being a workaholic? I speak to
myself too. I mean, got to have
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that balance and I say that
to myself all the time that it's
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good to be good but if you
have it thrown off and you're
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excluding you're family and your
loved ones then that's being off
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balance. Then there's the mental
side. Are we really challenging
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the mind to be sure that we can
be all that we can be. Are we
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really pursuing those classes or
that deeper level of education,
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a mastery that we should
from the mental perspective.
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There's so many areas,
professionally and in terms of
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relationally. I think of this
statement that Ellen White makes
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and it's one of my favorites.
In fact, I did a search on this
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once on the CD ROM and realized
that she'd mentioned the same
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statement more than 50 times in
different places. She says, and
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I quote, Our greatest duty
to God and man is that of self
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development. I'll repeat that.
Our greatest duty, our greatest
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duty, to God as well as to man
is that of self-development or
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self-improvement, she says in
certain places. Which means that
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we should be in a life
long quest for learning and
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development and achievement.
And when she talks about
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eternity and the Bible talks
about eternity, it doesn't talk
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in static terms of
sitting around playing harps and
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floating around this ethereal
atmosphere. It talks about noble
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enterprises and grand jobs and
tasks and objectives. It talks
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about worship in a dynamic sense
It talks about interacting with
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people, visiting other worlds.
All these wonderful things.
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So the abundant life is a
full life that is chock full of
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things and challenging ourselves
and pushing ourselves. I think
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of the aim of our mission at
Oakwood. It's summed up in three
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words: Education, Excellence,
Eternity. Now we're about
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education and we definitely
believe in education and
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eternity. But I also think we
need to stress the excellence.
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Being the best we can be and not
comparing ourselves with others
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but pushing ourselves, stressing
ourselves, challenging ourselves
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to really reach the extra
limit, to go the extra mile.
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I have to ask you. Had I heard
somewhere that you climbed Mt.
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Kilimanjaro?
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Yeah. That was one of my goals.
That's one of the things I speak
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about when I say about
setting goals for yourself that
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challenge you. That was one of
my life goals. I wanted to climb
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Mt. Kilimanjaro. I heard about
it; this fabled mountain 19,340
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feet that straddles both
Tanzania and Kenya on the
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borderline in Africa. Some
years ago I had the privilege of
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taking that heavy, serious trek
to the top of that mountain.
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And it was a challenge. I mean
it took three days to go to the
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top and two days to come down.
It was dangerous, it was hard.
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We had to prepare for it, we had
to eat right, we had to think
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right and sleep right. There
were six of us in that group.
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In fact, we had Neil Wilson
who was president of the General
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Conference at that time,
Ted Wilson, his son, who is
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currently in the General
Conference, Bill Johnson who is
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the editor of the Adventist
Review, and myself and then we
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had a physician and a physical
therapist. We were the six
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people who climbed Mt.
Kilimanjaro and it was a
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wonderful, wonderful experience
and what it did was it tested us
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It just really made us take
that tough challenge and hang in
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there and do it and there's no
thrill like reaching the top of
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the mountain and saying by the
grace of God and through some
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discipline and practice I
did it Now that's only symbolic.
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That's only a symbol. I believe
each of our viewers, no matter
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who they are, they need to have
personal goals, fun goals, that
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they want to do that really
excite them, that gets them
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charged and enthusiastic. It
takes the mundane aspect of life
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away. It does away with that and
it gets some more variety and
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some more positive Christian
excitement. How about that?
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Now I also understand that you
have recently run a 26.2-mile
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marathon. That's true. Now I'd
be real curious to find out what
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your personal day
planner looks like.
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Well now that was the spot.
I'm glad you added the 0.02
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because the 0.02, a mile
marathon is really important
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because the last little section
there is a tough one. That's
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true. About three weeks ago I
ran a marathon and it was quite
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a joy, it was a real thrill. It
was the Marine Corp marathon in
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Washington, D.C. I've actually
run eight marathons, this is my
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eighth one, but I haven't run
a marathon in seven years and so
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this was kind of a test to see
if you can still have it, old
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man, can you get out there and
do it, you know. Of the seven I
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ran before, actually five of
those were full marathons, 26.2
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and the other two were half
marathons. So with the passing
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of time I really wanted to
challenge myself and see if I
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could do it and I believe in
staying in shape. Every day I
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do my best to get some exercise
in, 15, 20, 30 minutes or more
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where possible. I'm pretty
consistent with that. I walk, I
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run I do the treadmill, I lift
weights and I try to eat right
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and balance my diet. I follow
New Start. I'm really into that.
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Let me just
say, for our viewers,
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NEW START, the N is for
nutrition, exercise the E, W is
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water, the S is sunshine, the T
is temperance, the A is air, the
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R is rest and the T is trust in
Divine power. I directly believe
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that those eight principles are
key to the healthy life. If a
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person does that that will give
him the platform, all things
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being considered, that
will allow them to do so many
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other exciting things in their
life. So I'm a strong advocate
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in being the best and really
pushing yourself. And God wants
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us to do that I
believe. He wants that.
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Yeah. I believe that he does.
Now tell me about some other
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people maybe that you've
observed in your life that have
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impacted you, of those who have
achieved their personal goals.
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Well and I think that's
key, Karen. When you think about
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being your best models are
wonderful things and I think
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that we need to scan our horizon
and see our own world and see
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individuals that are doing
things that we believe in and
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that can inspire us. I've had
a number of individuals who have
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really made a big impression in
my life. I remember back in 1986
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when I was editor of Message
I was fascinated by Ron McNair,
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the black astronaut, and I
followed his life in 1986 when
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he and the other members of the
Challenger crew experienced that
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explosion. I was crushed like so
many people who saw that, that
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situation happen. I mean it just
broke my heart like the hearts
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of so many other people. And
I remember that at that point in
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time we had a cover story
from Message Magazine that we
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scrapped, and I said by the
grace of God we need to meet
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with Cheryl McNair, his widow.
And it was just a few days
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after that, and I didn't even
know if this was possible, but
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I said maybe this lady, and I
knew Ron was a Christian, I knew
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she was a Christian, I say maybe
she might want to share her
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testimony and tell what it was
like to be married to Ron and
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what his testimony was about
Christ and that kind of thing.
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Well, through a series of
providential events I was able
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to make contact with her home
finally and I talked to Cheryl.
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I told her that we were a
Christian magazine, he'd be a
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wonderful model for our readers
and it would just be a great
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thing if she could share
her testimony. Well she was of
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course broken by grief and it
wasn't the time really to talk
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about that, but she said she
would consider. I tried to call
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her back three times but I
couldn't make contact with her.
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So on a wing and a prayer, I
said by the grace of God I said
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I'm going to Houston and I
want to interview Cheryl McNair.
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So even though I didn't get the
final word I jumped in the plane
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and flew down there and I never
will forget that night when in
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the hotel I called her home and
I said Mrs. McNair, I'm in town
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I left a message on her
voice mail. I said I'm in town
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and I'm here to get
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that interview. About an hour
and a half later she called me.
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She said you're what? I'm
in town. She said well, I don't
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know but I'll think about it.
She said this is a tough time
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she said but I do think Ron
would have wanted me to share
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his testimony. He would want me
to tell people what he thought
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of Jesus and what God meant to
him. And she did. She met with
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me the next day. We arranged a
meeting and I never will forget.
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She walked in and you could just
see she was burdened with grief.
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And as she shared her very
emotional testimony she talked
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about how she and Ron had talked
about the possibility of him
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dying and that this was such
a dangerous enterprise that per
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chance that he would never come
back after one of his trips to
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space. She said but he had the
strong conviction that God was
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with him, that God was directing
his life. He believed in the
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providence of God and that his
times were in God's hands. And
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she said he wanted to set a
model for boys and girls, young
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men and young women that they
could be their personal best.
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That's why he devoted time
to community service and that's
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why he worked on Little League
teams and that's why he gave
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himself in reading programs and
that's why he allowed himself to
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be used in ads to inspire young
men and women. He had a rough
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upbringing and yet by the grace
of God and through applying his
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life he was able to reach this
high point. And she said Ron
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would want me to say that he did
his best and they could do their
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best. You know, we ran that
story. It was one of the most
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popular stories that we ever ran
in Message. We got letters from
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around the world. We were
invited to the White House
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because they wanted to hear
about Ron's testimony, how he
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was his personal best. And
Cheryl was so blessed and she
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wrote us a note later and said
I'm so happy that we shared the
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story. It was the first story
where she shared his experience.
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And it all boiled down to
being your best and striving for
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excellence, not allowing your
life to kind of slip down into
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just the average _ of the
mundane. That's one of them.
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Let me give you another one
real quick. That is about Mother
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Teresa. That was a lifelong
dream of mine as well and I
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wasn't editor of Message at that
time. In fact, I was at Loma
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Linda University. I was going
to India to do some meetings. In
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fact I was running an
evangelistic meeting and a
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series there. There were two
things I wanted to do besides
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the meeting. One I wanted to
visit the Taj Mahal. I just had
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to visit there. And then
the second one I wanted to visit
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with Mother Teresa. This
wonderful lady, the Sisters of
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Charity, who had literally
transformed the world in her
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lifetime, a lady who was so
committed to giving herself in
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service for the poorest of the
poor. That was her life story,
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the poorest of the poor. This is
what I'm talking about now, what
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I'm saying, achieving
your personal best. She devoted
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herself... This was
her magnificent obsession.
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I got there and my goal was to
before I met with her I wanted
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to see some her homes. I visited
the home in Calcutta, the home
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of the dying, where the lepers
were and the people, not the
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lepers. This was another place.
But this right here was just
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those people who they collected
off the streets of Calcutta and
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they were dying, literally, and
the sisters would provide them
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simply the philosophy was give
them a loving caring place to
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die. They knew they were going
to die but just a place where
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they could show them love. It
was Saturday night. I went into
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the home there in Calcutta
and it was the most overwhelming
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feeling I've ever experienced.
I walked in there and throughout
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the building I saw all these
people literally lying there on
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mats dying. And these sisters
were walking among them and they
00:15:09.60\00:15:13.87
were touching them, they
were putting their hand on their
00:15:13.90\00:15:18.00
chest. I tried to think, what
would I do, could I do that?
00:15:18.04\00:15:22.08
I mean the smell was strong,
it was kind of a pungent odor
00:15:22.11\00:15:26.18
in the place and yet it didn't
bother them. I stayed there and
00:15:26.22\00:15:28.74
I watched and I think in my mind
I was transformed because I said
00:15:28.77\00:15:31.26
this is service. This is going
the extra mile. This is really
00:15:33.38\00:15:38.14
what you call giving yourself
to a true cause and making a
00:15:38.17\00:15:42.86
difference. And it was following
that I went to Mother Teresa's
00:15:42.90\00:15:46.77
home there where the sisters
stay in Calcutta and she wasn't
00:15:46.80\00:15:51.51
there that day. They said she's
out of town and we don't know
00:15:51.55\00:15:56.16
if she'll be back. So we don't
know if you should stay here or
00:15:56.20\00:16:00.78
what. I was really sort of
disappointed but I said I want
00:16:00.81\00:16:05.72
to stay by so I agreed to work
with some of the orphans in a
00:16:05.76\00:16:09.78
children's home and I didn't
know how I would do with that
00:16:09.81\00:16:13.58
because I had never worked with
little kids before. I don't if
00:16:13.62\00:16:17.01
they drove me crazy or if I
drove them crazy but I did do it
00:16:17.04\00:16:20.36
for a while. You know, I stayed
there for a while. Finally one
00:16:20.40\00:16:22.88
of of the sisters came to me and
they said they had another place
00:16:22.92\00:16:26.27
for me to work. So they invited
me out and they showed me they
00:16:26.30\00:16:30.28
were building this roof on her
home there in the place where
00:16:30.31\00:16:33.95
the children stayed in the
orphanage. They figured a big
00:16:33.98\00:16:37.55
guy, maybe I'd be better off
on a roof top, working with that
00:16:37.59\00:16:41.93
you know. So I agreed to do it.
I agreed to do it and so for the
00:16:41.96\00:16:46.45
next four or five hours I worked
out there with the Indian, the
00:16:46.48\00:16:50.91
nationals there and we helped
to repair this roof. And they
00:16:50.94\00:16:54.26
watched me. I would notice them
come up periodically and just
00:16:54.29\00:16:57.99
stand and stare at me. I was the
only expatriate working there.
00:16:58.03\00:17:02.44
The others were nationals. So
they watched me. Finally at the
00:17:02.48\00:17:06.86
end of the day I was ready
to leave and I said well I've
00:17:06.89\00:17:10.68
enjoyed it and they said well
you've worked well. They said
00:17:10.71\00:17:14.43
maybe the mother will be in this
evening and you can see her then
00:17:14.47\00:17:18.29
So I said well that's
really _. Mother Teresa is going
00:17:18.32\00:17:22.76
to be here you know. They said
well maybe so. They said come
00:17:22.80\00:17:26.55
back at six or something like
that, at 6:30. And I went back
00:17:26.58\00:17:30.65
there and I had a chance to meet
with Mother Teresa. It was one
00:17:30.69\00:17:35.20
of the high points that I can
recall. She was so humble and
00:17:35.24\00:17:38.98
she was beautiful in her
humility and she came up and I
00:17:39.02\00:17:42.02
said to her, I had about
five minutes with her maybe. It
00:17:42.05\00:17:44.98
wasn't a long period of time.
And I said Mother Teresa tell us
00:17:45.02\00:17:48.82
how you are impressed to do
these wonderful things and work
00:17:48.85\00:17:51.81
with people. She said oh, no,
no no. She grabbed me hand, I've
00:17:51.84\00:17:54.56
got a picture of it. She grabbed
my hand and she said no, no, no.
00:17:54.59\00:17:57.28
She said it's not about me.
She said it's about Jesus. It's
00:17:57.31\00:18:00.85
about Jesus and it's about
working for the poorest of the
00:18:00.89\00:18:04.34
poor. She said by giving
yourself she says and you don't
00:18:04.38\00:18:07.35
have to come here. You
don't have to come here from the
00:18:07.39\00:18:10.29
United States of America. She
says nobody has to come to see
00:18:10.33\00:18:13.54
Mother Teresa. She say you
can be wherever you are and if
00:18:13.58\00:18:16.72
you're serving the poor and if
you're serving the oppressed and
00:18:16.76\00:18:21.44
those who are outcasts you're
doing the work of Jesus. That
00:18:21.47\00:18:25.32
has stuck with me all my life
ever since those many years ago.
00:18:25.35\00:18:29.60
I said you know we strive to be
great and we strive to be good
00:18:29.63\00:18:34.23
and we strive to be recognized
but that is the essence of life,
00:18:34.27\00:18:38.84
serving and helping and
that I believe is achieving your
00:18:38.87\00:18:42.40
personal best. When you give
yourself to a cause and you give
00:18:42.44\00:18:46.07
yourself to something that is
bigger than you are and you may
00:18:46.11\00:18:49.53
never receive recognition in
this life, but that's greatness.
00:18:49.57\00:18:53.95
That's your greatness. Those are
a couple of models that have had
00:18:53.99\00:18:58.34
a transforming
impact on my life.
00:18:58.37\00:19:00.34
And on so many others. From just
hearing the story. You often
00:19:00.38\00:19:06.95
wonder how to reach people
and get to where they are and to
00:19:06.98\00:19:12.19
hear such a humble reason
and that is the reason. I mean,
00:19:12.23\00:19:17.01
Jesus Christ when he came on
this earth. He came in as a baby
00:19:17.04\00:19:22.13
in a manger, the most humble
place that he could have been.
00:19:22.17\00:19:26.17
He wasn't able to stay in a
hotel. He wasn't able to stay in
00:19:26.21\00:19:30.43
an inn or with someone's family
in their home. None of those
00:19:30.47\00:19:34.07
things. He didn't have a place
to lay his head, yet he was the
00:19:34.10\00:19:37.67
greatest, he was the greatest.
00:19:37.70\00:19:38.93
You know I think if each person
can find, can discover, that's
00:19:38.97\00:19:45.25
the word, discover. Because God
has a place for us and he has
00:19:45.28\00:19:50.24
something special he wants to
do but we've got to discover it.
00:19:50.27\00:19:55.44
And it seems to me that the real
challenge, and most of us our
00:19:55.47\00:19:58.80
problem is we're not looking for
it, we're not seeking it, we're
00:19:58.83\00:20:03.69
not searching. We're not seeking
to discover that which God has
00:20:03.72\00:20:08.93
for us. And to me that's what
really what separates those who
00:20:08.96\00:20:12.92
are successful from those who
are not. Some people search for
00:20:12.95\00:20:16.30
it and they don't give up until
they find it. And other people
00:20:16.34\00:20:19.54
if it doesn't come to them, if
it doesn't come, if they try two
00:20:19.58\00:20:22.29
or three projects and they don't
realize it, they just give up
00:20:22.32\00:20:25.96
and say well I tried. And they
become satisfied with some mean
00:20:25.99\00:20:29.60
attainment. But those who
stress themselves, who commit
00:20:29.63\00:20:32.49
themselves to self-improvement
to self-betterment, to self
00:20:32.52\00:20:35.31
achievement, those are the ones
who keep on searching until they
00:20:35.35\00:20:39.26
find that niche, that place and
that is the point of personal
00:20:39.30\00:20:43.24
fulfillment. And again I want to
stress, we're not talking about
00:20:43.27\00:20:47.44
necessarily recognized greatness
here. These are the anonymous
00:20:47.48\00:20:51.36
great people; people who realize
their place by doing good. They
00:20:51.39\00:20:54.90
are great because they are good.
And it's not about fame and
00:20:54.93\00:20:59.76
glory. It's about glory to God.
And I think that is the secret
00:20:59.80\00:21:04.71
to the self-fulfilled, the
self actualizing life isn't it.
00:21:04.75\00:21:09.59
I mean to find that spot and to
just do what it is that God has
00:21:09.63\00:21:13.21
for you to do,
to find your niche.
00:21:13.24\00:21:16.42
That's interesting you use the
words self-actualizing because
00:21:16.46\00:21:19.79
you know there was this idea
that we take care of food and
00:21:19.83\00:21:23.85
the emotional needs and then
we shall have arrived to become
00:21:23.89\00:21:27.74
self-actualized. But then
what is that? And I think you've
00:21:27.77\00:21:31.55
defined that as being in God's
will and doing those things that
00:21:31.59\00:21:37.39
he did. When Jesus was here what
did he do? And the examples that
00:21:37.43\00:21:43.20
you've given have been people
who have committed their lives
00:21:43.23\00:21:46.86
to service.
00:21:46.89\00:21:47.92
You know, and I believe
in Maslow's hierarchy and I
00:21:47.95\00:21:50.23
totally buy into that whole how
you start with the basics and
00:21:50.27\00:21:53.42
then you go to the self-
actualizing. However, I want to
00:21:53.45\00:21:55.93
give a little different twist to
it. I really believe that if we
00:21:55.97\00:22:00.48
can seek self-actualization
even from the beginning, even
00:22:00.51\00:22:04.82
before the food and the basic
safety issues that God will
00:22:04.86\00:22:09.10
bless us in a way if that search
is about his will. You see if
00:22:09.14\00:22:14.45
we seek him first and his
kingdom all the other things
00:22:14.48\00:22:16.62
will be added to us. So if that
self-actualization, seeking the
00:22:16.66\00:22:20.49
kingdom of God which many
people argue that it can be
00:22:20.52\00:22:22.76
and is, that as we do that these
other things will be added as
00:22:22.80\00:22:25.61
well. And so I think that we
ought not to become so caught
00:22:25.64\00:22:28.38
up, let me get my basics first
and then when I've got all these
00:22:28.42\00:22:30.90
things out of the way
then I will go for that. In the
00:22:30.93\00:22:34.24
abundant life, the life in
Christ, he says you come to me
00:22:34.28\00:22:37.26
and he will take our nothing
and make it into something great
00:22:37.30\00:22:41.18
and something special. He will
give us exceedingly above all
00:22:41.21\00:22:45.79
that we could ask or think.
And if we're used by him here he
00:22:45.83\00:22:50.09
also will continue that in
the earth to come in eternity.
00:22:50.12\00:22:55.87
I hear that you're saying we
really have accountability. We
00:22:55.90\00:23:01.00
have a responsibility, we have
a personal stewardship to move
00:23:01.03\00:23:06.10
beyond. We have it
for ourselves and we
00:23:06.13\00:23:08.97
also have it for others and I
think that anyone who has this
00:23:09.01\00:23:12.15
sense if whatever a person
is doing good in their own lives
00:23:12.18\00:23:15.45
and they realize that they are
being blessed with success, they
00:23:15.49\00:23:18.73
have a responsibility to
pass it onto others. They have a
00:23:18.76\00:23:21.52
responsibility to mentor and to
share this with other. They have
00:23:21.56\00:23:24.82
a responsibility to share with
others their secret of success,
00:23:24.85\00:23:27.99
how they came across this self
fulfillment and discovering what
00:23:28.02\00:23:30.77
God has for them. They don't
simply have a light and hide it
00:23:30.81\00:23:33.31
under a bushel but they share
it with everyone and they say
00:23:33.35\00:23:36.59
this is how God used me and
God can use you the same way and
00:23:36.62\00:23:39.51
that way we kind of pass the
dream and keep hope alive and we
00:23:39.55\00:23:42.72
just give it from one person to
the next. It's a wonderful thing
00:23:42.75\00:23:45.44
I think at this point in time
in the nation when we have gone
00:23:45.47\00:23:48.36
through many tough periods;
we're going through a tough time
00:23:48.40\00:23:51.38
right now that probably will
continue for a bit. This is the
00:23:51.41\00:23:54.53
time when people need to share
joy. They need to share the
00:23:54.57\00:23:57.24
abundant life. They need to
share what it means to trust in
00:23:57.28\00:24:00.17
God and to believe in him and
have confidence that whatever
00:24:00.20\00:24:03.83
happens God is in charge
and his providence will be the
00:24:03.86\00:24:07.42
controlling power to the very
end. That's the abundant life.
00:24:07.46\00:24:11.33
In achieving your personal best
doesn't sound like you're doing
00:24:11.36\00:24:15.20
much comparison
with other people.
00:24:15.23\00:24:16.71
No, no it's not about comparison
with other people and I think
00:24:16.75\00:24:19.62
that's where many of us make our
mistake when we say I want to
00:24:19.66\00:24:22.77
better than someone else. You
know whatever your goal is be it
00:24:22.81\00:24:25.64
if you want to go to school and
get another degree or you want
00:24:25.68\00:24:28.72
to get classes, if you want to
be in better shape, if you want
00:24:28.76\00:24:32.04
to develop or mend relationships
with others or create new
00:24:32.07\00:24:35.32
relationships, if you
want to be more diverse in your
00:24:35.35\00:24:39.08
relationships. You know if you
want to do something special on
00:24:39.12\00:24:44.15
you job, if you want to be about
improving your work place, what
00:24:44.19\00:24:49.19
that word initiative that
special word which means you go
00:24:49.22\00:24:51.76
beyond what is expected or
required of you. If you really
00:24:51.79\00:24:54.26
want to soar spiritually, it's
there, you can do it. If you set
00:24:54.30\00:24:58.38
the goal and by the grace of God
you move toward that he can help
00:24:58.42\00:25:02.14
you to achieve that. But we've
got to set it and we've got to
00:25:02.17\00:25:06.00
be willing to get off our seats
and before the television and
00:25:06.03\00:25:09.23
the remote control and kind
of just moving around in our own
00:25:09.27\00:25:12.13
little safe world. We've got to
get out there and do something
00:25:12.16\00:25:14.99
special so God can
bless us. It's up to us.
00:25:15.02\00:25:20.12
Again thank you so much for
coming to the program. And is
00:25:20.16\00:25:22.92
there anything else that you
would like to say before we end?
00:25:22.95\00:25:26.41
Well it's a great topic and
I enjoy talking about it and I
00:25:26.45\00:25:30.74
just want to encourage any of
our viewers to look within and
00:25:30.78\00:25:34.94
say what is it that God wants me
to do? I mean what can I do to
00:25:34.98\00:25:38.30
take my life to the next level?
There are so many wonderful
00:25:38.33\00:25:42.37
things that we can do and that
the world needs. We need people
00:25:42.40\00:25:46.41
to look for the abundant
life who then enrich the entire
00:25:46.44\00:25:49.73
society and especially
after September 11 and all these
00:25:49.77\00:25:52.99
events that this nation has
experienced and is experiencing.
00:25:53.03\00:25:56.79
We need people, like I said
before, we need people to share
00:25:56.82\00:26:00.51
the joy and pass the news on and
to make a difference where they
00:26:00.55\00:26:03.96
are. And I know that if people
will look God will reward their
00:26:03.99\00:26:07.37
search with discovery and
they'll see what he wants for
00:26:07.40\00:26:09.94
them to do and they will
experience that abundant life
00:26:09.98\00:26:12.49
and even take it
to the next level.
00:26:12.52\00:26:13.71
Thank you so much for coming
to the program. Would you offer
00:26:13.75\00:26:17.07
prayer before we end today?
00:26:17.10\00:26:18.90
Yes. Our Father, we thank
you for the opportunity to share
00:26:18.94\00:26:22.03
here in this program. We thank
you for this broadcast and this
00:26:22.06\00:26:24.89
program and we pray that it
might bring inspiration to the
00:26:24.92\00:26:28.51
hearts of thousands, hundreds
of thousands, even millions. We
00:26:28.54\00:26:32.28
know that you have a wonderful
plan for our life, a wonderful
00:26:32.31\00:26:35.71
future and we want to find it.
So we pray the Holy Spirit might
00:26:35.74\00:26:38.85
help us to discover what that
plan is and that we might find
00:26:38.88\00:26:42.43
joy and fulfillment when we do
so. And so Lord we ask that we
00:26:42.47\00:26:45.90
might search your word, we might
pray and we might seek, we might
00:26:45.93\00:26:49.33
look that you might reward
our search that we might have
00:26:49.36\00:26:52.61
satisfaction not only in this
life but also satisfaction and
00:26:52.64\00:26:56.68
joy and eternal joy in the life
to come. These things we pray
00:26:56.71\00:27:00.39
and claim in the name of
Christ our Lord and Savior Amen.
00:27:00.43\00:27:04.10
Amen. Thank you again. And for
those of you who are watching
00:27:04.13\00:27:07.22
the program, if you'd like to
have more information about some
00:27:07.25\00:27:10.31
of the topics that we have
covered of some of the books
00:27:10.34\00:27:13.52
that Dr. Baker has written,
visit the 3ABN website at
00:27:13.55\00:27:16.66
www.3ABN.org or you can call
the 800 number 1-800-752-3226
00:27:16.70\00:27:29.41
Take advantage of this
opportunity to achieve your
00:27:29.44\00:27:32.53
personal best. Stretch beyond
what is comfortable. Make a list
00:27:32.57\00:27:36.22
of things that you have been
thinking about that have been
00:27:36.25\00:27:40.19
upon your mind and put them
before the Lord and allow God to
00:27:40.23\00:27:44.14
make something wonderful,
wonderful happen out of your
00:27:44.17\00:27:47.51
life. So take today and say hey
I'm going to achieve my personal
00:27:47.55\00:27:51.15
best. I'm going to go as a
personal steward to do the best
00:27:51.18\00:27:55.51
that I can, not only for
myself but for others too.
00:27:55.54\00:27:58.11
God bless you.
00:27:58.14\00:28:00.13