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Hello and welcome
back to Issues and Answers.
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We're glad to see you. Maybe
you have seen some of the other
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programs where we've been
talking about building bridges.
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So you know what we're about.
Today we want to talk about
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building the bridge again but
this time the power; where do
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you get the power to build a
bridge. It takes enormous power
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to build a bridge of any kind.
So today we want to talk about
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that power. Of course, the power
is with him, with our God, our
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Father and he has told us in
Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me and I
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will answer and I'll show you
great and mighty things which
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you don't know about. And that's
where we can go; that's our
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source of power. What a
wonderful God we serve. He has a
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plan and a purpose and he
will help you build that bridge.
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My guests today are Tim
Garrison and Bill McClendon.
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Welcome back. Good to be
here. Tim Garrison, for those of
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you who may not have met
him, Tim is a church planter in
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Southern California. Yes that's
right. And Bill McClendon is a
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church planter and also
a church administrator in
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Oklahoma, Tulsa. You know,
Bill, you have several roles in
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Oklahoma, right. You're a
church planter, you're a church
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administrator. I have two
questions for you. What is a
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bridge to you in what you're
doing in the kingdom business?
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You used to be in financial and
computer business. Now you're in
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kingdom business and I don't
have to ask you which one you
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prefer. But what is a bridge and
where in your roles do you do
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most of your bridge building?
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Okay, good questions. When we're
talking about bridges we're
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talking about building a
pathway for someone to come to
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Christ. You know, as we look
at the gospel commission of what
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Jesus calls us to do, we're
to go and make disciples. But in
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the world in which we
live today there has to be a
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relationship. There has to be an
element of trust. Before I can
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talk to somebody about Christ
it's best if I get to know them
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and we become friends or
at least a relationship is
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established. So when we talk
about that sometimes we call it
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personal evangelism, where we're
building relationships with
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people I'm putting myself in
someone else's life. We can do
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that through a number of
ways of acts of kindness or just
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ministry to the person, but it's
always with an objective that at
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some point I'm going to be
able to use that relationship to
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introduce them to Christ. So
when you talk about where do we
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do most of our bridge building
- it is the life of the church.
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That's what we are to do. We're
the salt, we're the light and
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it's talking about that affect
that we have wherever we go
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we're to live with such
intentionality that we see
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candidates for the kingdom. And
before I can talk to them about
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Jesus I need to become a friend.
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That's right. But where do you
get the incentive to do that?
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Where do you get the power
to do that? Where do you get the
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willingness and just the open
doors. Where does all that just
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happen? Well any
time we're doing God's
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work we're relying on him
to lead us and this idea of
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building bridges and building
relationships with people is
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really doing his work. So we
have the promise that if we come
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into alignment with his plan.
Too often times we want to do
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church and Christianity and we
ask God to come join us in our
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agenda. But this is putting
us right in the middle of his
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agenda. So we pray and
we believe that as we make
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ourselves available to God that
he will send us and direct us to
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the people whose hearts are
open and willing and receptive.
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What has been your experience
after you've prayed and asked
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the Lord for open
doors what happens?
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Well one thing that I've found
is that amazing, unique kinds of
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things happen when you're
open to the Lord's leading.
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And when you have prayed.
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And when you've prayed, exactly.
In fact, prayer is essential.
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Part of it is that those who
are in a Christian culture and
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largely have friends in a
Christian community, they have
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to be intentional about breaking
out of that community in order
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to build those bridges.
And prayer becomes a dynamic by
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which the Lord begins to show
you ways to break out of that
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comfortable community that
you've been in and begin to
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reach out to new people
and new environments and new
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situations and to break through
the fear that you may have in
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terms of actually doing that.
Now one think I think Bill will
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agree on when it comes to
church plants; you have the
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choice. You're in the community,
you must reach out to the
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community and so suddenly your
whole frame of reference, your
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whole attitude takes a complete
change. And so it's essential
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that you find ways to
reach out into the community.
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You're always thinking of ways
to tie what you're doing to the
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community. Let me give you an
example. This is a simple little
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thing. Every year of course we
have a very nice Easter concert
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and Christmas concert and we do
direct mail and advertise it to
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the community. And we found by
just simply putting one key word
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in our advertising, community,
Moorpark Community Easter
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Concert, Moorpark Community
Christmas concert. It's like it
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opens up a whole door that's
inclusive. It's inclusive.
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And so when people see it it's
not just a particular church's
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concert or performance.
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Anyone in the community reading
that says hey this is for me,
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I'm invited. This
is for me. Now that's a
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simple thing but it's not always
something you think about unless
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you have a particular attitude
or particular approach. Unless
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you're asking the Lord to
give you a mindset about the
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community itself.
And you know, when you're
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praying and you're asking
the Lord for ideas in prayer,
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haven't you found that
when you're in prayer and in the
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scriptures he will lead you
to texts that are encouraging.
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When you might be thinking Oh
I don't know if this is going to
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work. Sometimes I've gone to the
Lord and I've said Lord I don't
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know. I'm out of ideas and I'm
just kind of tired or just not
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feeling very creative, the Lord
himself will pick you up and
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carry you. He'll remind
you with texts like the one in
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Deuteronomy that says not only
am I with you, not only am I
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using you, I'm going to make
you the head and not the tail.
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That's our God.
You know the thread of
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connecting with people is
all through the Bible and so you
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know our viewers I would
challenge them because many
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have regular Bible study
and they're into the word of God
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but if they pray beforehand
Lord help the scripture speak
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to me in ways that I can begin
to break out of my comfort zone
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and reach out into the community
then the very words of scripture
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will become the direction
that God will provide them.
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It's interesting to know
that if there is a text that has
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especially encouraged you in
your Bible study he's going to
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bring a friend sooner or later
and you can say guess what, this
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is something that I think could
really be a help to you today.
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You can't just give it somebody
until they're ready but the Holy
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Spirit will impress you at
a time when they're open and
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they need it.
Our God is Faithful.
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That's absolutely true. What
happens when we've advertised
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community we have a number of
community families that come in
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and our goal is of course
to encourage them in hopes that
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they come back the next week and
we establish relationship with
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them. There's one particular
couple that came to our Easter
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concert and they sure enough
came back the next week and they
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have been coming regularly to
our group. Speaking about prayer
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she came to me one day and
she said you know pastor I would
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to start a prayer ministry
in your church and I would be
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willing to start a prayer chain
for those who have a prayer
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need. So we have a prayer box,
we have a prayer request form
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and every person that puts a
request in there I hand over to
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this community lady who is not
a baptized member of our group
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but is an attending member and
she then gets on the phone and
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sets up a prayer chain on behalf
of that person. Now that came in
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as a result of us being open to
community people and creating an
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environment where they feel free
then to exercise the gifts that
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they have. That's
great, that's great.
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What have you seen as a result
of prayer? Maybe it was an
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individual or something but
you could say that's an answer,
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that's a direct answer?
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Just a few weeks ago I had the
privilege of baptizing a young
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lady into our congregation and
as I had the opportunity to kind
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of hear the story, because
there's always a story about
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what God has been doing and
how God has been working in that
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person's life. It turns out that
it was another church member
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that was working in the
same place and, you know, it's
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an interesting thing because we
encourage our people to invite
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friends, family, coworkers to
any and every event. As I began
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to hear the story, this young
man had invited this young lady
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to at least 10, 12, 13 different
things. And I believe the first
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event was actually a small
group and she came to the small
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group and she enjoyed that
experience and, of course, it's
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a small group, this meeting, and
they're talking about going to
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church so she came to church.
About the same time we had a
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vacation Bible school and
she had kids and so she came to
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that. As I was talking with her
about this, how is it that God
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led you here she points to
the invitations made by this one
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church member. As I thought
about it, how many times do we
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invite someone one time and
the almost we mark them off the
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list. But if you keep an
attitude of prayer you'll be
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consistent. The time was right.
Now it's interesting. We have
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two Christians now working
in that company and they're very
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intentional and they're praying
that God will use them to reach
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other people in that area. In
fact she had just recently moved
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her desk so she could be a part
of another group that she could
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witness to.
That's building bridges.
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Wow, that's wonderful.
And the power of prayer.
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Yeah they were praying that
God would use them. In fact, not
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that long ago she came to me
because she had a physical need
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that she had been diagnosed
with cancer. We had prayer and
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anointed her as a body of
believers and just a few weeks
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ago she came back and she
said the doctors are saying the
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cancer is gone. So it's in every
thing that you do, prayer is the
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power. We had a
woman that walked into
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prayer meeting and she said I
was just on the phone with some
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body and he told me that his
son-in-law is going to be coming
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here to pastor and he sounded so
helpful and so genuine. I asked
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him are you a Christian? He said
well yes I am. She said well
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what church? And he told
her. She has been coming. She
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hasn't been baptized yet but she
has changed her work so that she
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can come to church and she's
praying. Before she changed the
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place where she was working. She
was prayer walking. And she said
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this is so fun and I get to
talk to people and they don't
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understand so I can explain
to them. But she was thrilled
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because she was
discovering the power of prayer.
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Well it's really absolutely
true prayer is such an essential
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ingredient. I know many people
they really would like to do
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this, they would like to
reach out to others and they're
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hesitant. They don't always know
how. So they need the power of
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prayer to really give them the
strength to be that underlying
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divine power that replaces their
human hesitancy. Courage is not
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the absence of fear, it's moving
in spite of your fear. So you
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need the courage that God can
give you through prayer to step
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out and take those risks.
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I think prayer is a two-way
street. You're talking to God
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and you're listening to him
through his word. And he says
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I haven't given you fear. That
hasn't come from me. I won't
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give you a spirit of fear. I'll
give you a spirit of power and
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of love and of a sound mind.
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You know, I prayed about being
in an environment where there
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were strangers, people I had
never met before. Sometimes as
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pastors we are particularly
in an environment of other
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believers and so we have to be
very intentional about trying to
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get outside of that. So I found
myself in a courthouse full of
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other potential jurors and I
didn't know any of these people.
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There were 200 or so of them. So
several of us were called up to
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actually be placed on a jury.
I wasn't sure what the Lord was
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doing with that but I actually
got into the jury box and
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generally speaking pastors are
not always the ones selected as
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jurors. When the judge was
talking to me about some of my
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feelings and ideas and so forth
I said well I sort of believe
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that I've been here five
different times and I've always
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been dismissed and I think
my theory is that the defense
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attorney thinks that I'll be too
judgmental and the prosecution
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thinks I'll be too merciful.
Well they selected me to serve
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on that jury. So for a week I
went through this jury process
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you know with my other fellow
jurors and I had an opportunity
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to really get close to these
people. During the breaks we
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would walk and talk and
share and by the end of that
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experience we didn't want to
leave. We had bonded together.
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I'm very close and good friends
now with several of those jurors
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So you know the Lord puts you
in these situations when you're
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open to them and when you ask
him and pray about it. Then he
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gives you the power to do what
needs to be done when you're in
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them. That's why prayer is so
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important. I remember when I
first became a Christian I was
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so excited that I told everyone
and you know I was probably
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was pretty confrontational.
00:16:17.67\00:16:19.57
But your life had
been totally changed.
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That's right and I couldn't
understand why everybody else
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didn't want
exactly what I wanted.
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You want to say why
haven't you gotten with it?
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And a lot of my witnessing
turned into arguments and turned
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into other things. What I
learned then that's why we pray
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is that God has people who
are willing and open and that's
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where we want to go. We could
witness to a thousand people and
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it would be like witnessing
to a potted plant. But God has
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people whose hearts are open,
he knows where they are and he
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wants to bring us into contact
with that individual. And when
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that happens then building
bridges and witnessing and
00:16:55.78\00:16:59.05
sharing our faith is a positive
experience. Not that it isn't
00:16:59.08\00:17:03.05
sometimes a little scary, a
little bit uncertain, but when
00:17:03.08\00:17:06.99
you see what God can do
you look back and you go wow.
00:17:07.02\00:17:10.59
You just want to say how did
you do that? But he makes it so
00:17:10.63\00:17:15.80
enjoyable and so rewarding.
00:17:15.83\00:17:17.43
He does and he also does give
you the strength through prayer
00:17:17.47\00:17:20.94
to sometimes deal with those
situations that you don't think
00:17:20.97\00:17:24.41
are so successful or
maybe somebody hasn't been as
00:17:24.44\00:17:28.34
responsive. So that you don't
just cower back into your home
00:17:28.38\00:17:31.61
and say well I'll never do that
again, but instead you have the
00:17:31.65\00:17:35.05
strength to be determined. And
the other thing is we never know
00:17:35.08\00:17:38.99
we just simply never know what
will happen with that contact
00:17:39.02\00:17:42.66
that we made down the line. It
may at first seem like it wasn't
00:17:42.69\00:17:46.39
especially effective but down
the line it can be because we
00:17:46.46\00:17:50.13
planted that seed
in that person's life.
00:17:50.17\00:17:52.13
And if there's prayer the Lord
will take it and do something
00:17:52.17\00:17:57.41
with it. Yes that's right.
00:17:57.44\00:17:58.77
My husband does something
that some people may think well
00:17:58.81\00:18:03.28
that's really very insignificant
because you probably will never
00:18:03.31\00:18:09.58
see this person again. We
travel and we eat out when we're
00:18:09.62\00:18:15.29
traveling and before we eat
we'll have the blessing there in
00:18:15.32\00:18:20.20
the restaurant. So Don nearly
every time will say to our
00:18:20.26\00:18:25.07
waiter or waitress, we're going
to ask God to bless our food
00:18:25.10\00:18:29.90
is there something that we
can pray for you. Now nearly
00:18:29.94\00:18:34.28
every single time he gets a very
positive response. Sometimes
00:18:34.31\00:18:40.38
people are surprised and they'll
say Hmm a I don't know. I don't
00:18:40.42\00:18:46.22
think so. But that's very, very
few and far between. Usually
00:18:46.25\00:18:51.53
they'll say oh you're going to
pray for me? Why I've got kids
00:18:51.56\00:18:56.83
in trouble or you know my
marriage is on the rocks or
00:18:56.87\00:19:00.04
I'm working two jobs
to keep things afloat.
00:19:00.07\00:19:04.21
You know that's very significant
You know these servers in
00:19:04.27\00:19:07.94
restaurants, they're taken
so for granted and they're often
00:19:07.98\00:19:11.41
abused by people, you know, who
isn't getting their food right
00:19:11.45\00:19:15.15
or whatever. To look at them
and for a moment recognize their
00:19:15.18\00:19:19.75
humanity I think is a really
powerful thing. I always like to
00:19:19.79\00:19:24.36
say there are islands of
humanity all around us and
00:19:24.39\00:19:26.19
every place that we intersect
another human being, at the
00:19:26.26\00:19:30.07
grocery store, at the gas
station, in our neighborhood
00:19:30.10\00:19:34.10
is an opportunity to
touch that island of humanity.
00:19:34.14\00:19:38.07
I think by building a bridge,
building a pathway to someone's
00:19:38.11\00:19:43.38
heart for the Holy Spirit to
touch, you're saying I respect
00:19:43.41\00:19:48.65
you. I believe
one day this bridge is
00:19:48.68\00:19:53.59
going to come into play. You
know if you're going to build a
00:19:53.62\00:19:57.23
a bridge you want the bridge
to be used and leaving those
00:19:57.26\00:20:00.80
bridges in place
is very powerful.
00:20:00.83\00:20:03.87
Can I tell you a story, a
prayer story that I just love.
00:20:03.90\00:20:08.84
This girl has become a friend
of ours but at the time I first
00:20:08.90\00:20:12.27
heard the story we didn't know
her. Her name is Janelle Chang.
00:20:12.31\00:20:17.11
She was 21 years old. She'd
gone to Boston to take a year of
00:20:17.15\00:20:21.62
college and didn't know a soul
up there. Her parents took her
00:20:21.65\00:20:26.05
from Tennessee, got her
a little apartment, got her
00:20:26.09\00:20:28.02
settled in school and then at
5:30 on Sunday morning they had
00:20:28.09\00:20:32.16
to take their rented car and
go back to Logan Airport and fly
00:20:32.19\00:20:37.07
back to Tennessee. Well she fell
apart because it was 5:30 in the
00:20:37.10\00:20:42.00
morning, her parents were gone,
it was her birthday and she was
00:20:42.04\00:20:46.74
in a strange town and she said
Lord I don't even know why I
00:20:46.78\00:20:51.08
insisted on coming up here and
going to school because this is
00:20:51.11\00:20:55.38
a big strange city, I don't know
anything about Boston. I don't
00:20:55.45\00:20:58.92
even know what you want me to
do with my life. Well you know
00:20:58.95\00:21:04.29
words are important. What we
say what we hear ourselves say,
00:21:04.33\00:21:09.43
these words, they make an impact
on our own thinking and on our
00:21:09.46\00:21:14.54
own mind. The more she was
fussing and fuming the worse
00:21:14.57\00:21:19.84
she felt. She was crying and
carrying on about how bad it was
00:21:19.87\00:21:25.21
to have your 21st birthday
in a strange town and she wore
00:21:25.25\00:21:30.85
herself out with fussing and
crying and storming around and
00:21:30.89\00:21:35.42
telling the Lord she didn't know
what to do. She finally fell
00:21:35.46\00:21:41.10
across her little sofa and fell
asleep. She had a dream and in
00:21:41.16\00:21:47.57
her dream she saw Jesus and
Jesus said to her, I know your
00:21:47.60\00:21:52.44
finances are tight. But I know
you have $50 that you've been
00:21:52.47\00:21:56.95
saving for some New Balance
shoes. I want you to take that
00:21:57.01\00:22:01.72
money and buy a dozen long-
stemmed red roses and I want
00:22:01.75\00:22:06.92
you to pray over those. Prayer
is important at every step in
00:22:06.96\00:22:12.59
our life. And he said after
you've prayed over these roses
00:22:12.66\00:22:17.73
I want you to take them to
people who really need me and
00:22:17.77\00:22:22.80
give them a rose and then say
this is a very special day in my
00:22:22.84\00:22:28.04
life and I want you to have this
flower, and I want you to pray
00:22:28.08\00:22:33.48
so that I can bless them. Well
in the dream she argued with the
00:22:33.52\00:22:38.52
Lord. She said that is a crazy
idea. I need shoes, I need those
00:22:38.55\00:22:42.42
New Balance shoes and those are
strangers; they aren't going to
00:22:42.46\00:22:47.60
want a rose from a stranger.
Forget it. But in the dream the
00:22:47.63\00:22:52.23
Lord won. You know usually when
you have a dream, you forget it.
00:22:52.27\00:22:56.84
When you wake up you don't
remember it. But when she woke
00:22:56.87\00:23:01.18
up she remembered every detail
of the dream. So when she got up
00:23:01.24\00:23:06.08
she put on her coat, walked
out the door. She said Lord this
00:23:06.11\00:23:10.05
seems a little strange to
me but I'm going to do it and I
00:23:10.09\00:23:13.92
have peace because this is an
adventure you told me to do and
00:23:13.96\00:23:18.36
I'm going to obey you. She found
the roses and she paid for them,
00:23:18.39\00:23:22.80
it took nearly all of the $50
because this was the season of
00:23:22.83\00:23:26.97
the year and they were long-
stemmed gorgeous roses. But she
00:23:27.00\00:23:31.07
found people. She found a man in
the gutter, literally. I mean he
00:23:31.14\00:23:36.48
was living on the street,
smelled awful. He looked like he
00:23:36.51\00:23:40.82
didn't have a friend in
the world. She walked up to him
00:23:40.85\00:23:45.09
a rose and she said I just want
you to have this rose. It's a
00:23:45.15\00:23:50.43
very special day in my life and
he looked at her, tears in his
00:23:50.46\00:23:55.90
eyes and then she said silently,
Okay God, there he is bless him,
00:23:55.93\00:24:01.10
do something special in his life
he really needs you. Then she
00:24:01.14\00:24:06.31
went to the subway and
she found a mother that was
00:24:06.34\00:24:08.81
exhausted, several children,
and they were crying. The mother
00:24:08.84\00:24:13.18
looked like things were out
of control and she walked up to
00:24:13.21\00:24:17.52
her. Same little speech, gave
her this and again there were
00:24:17.55\00:24:21.92
tears. She was having such a
wonderful time because each time
00:24:21.96\00:24:25.99
she would say all right God,
there they are, do something
00:24:26.03\00:24:30.40
special. She finally had one
rose left. She got off the train
00:24:30.43\00:24:34.84
walked across the street
and went to the hospital. Inside
00:24:34.87\00:24:39.21
this hospital she saw a nurse in
the corridor and she said I have
00:24:39.27\00:24:43.61
a rose. Is there a patient
that you think might enjoy this?
00:24:43.65\00:24:47.32
And she said Ah I don't even
have to think. Come with me.
00:24:47.35\00:24:51.25
She took her down the hall to
Carlos's room. She said Carlos
00:24:51.32\00:24:55.22
is 15; he's dying of a
malignant brain tumor. His
00:24:55.26\00:25:00.00
family is there in the room.
They don't speak English, but
00:25:00.03\00:25:03.47
there is a translator there
so she can help you. So she took
00:25:03.50\00:25:07.00
her into the room, introduced
her to the mother and father and
00:25:07.04\00:25:10.47
the sibling and then to the
translator so that she could
00:25:10.51\00:25:14.21
walk around to the other side
of Carlos's bed and she could
00:25:14.24\00:25:17.85
look him in the eyes. She patted
his cheek and she said, My name
00:25:17.91\00:25:23.32
is Janelle and I have a rose for
you and she put it there beside
00:25:23.35\00:25:28.99
him so he could feel that velvet
petal on his cheek. Of course,
00:25:29.02\00:25:34.60
she saw a tear go down on
the pillow. She went over to his
00:25:34.63\00:25:39.67
mother and gave her a hug and
you know a hug is universal in
00:25:39.73\00:25:44.54
all languages. Then she just
tiptoed out of the room. But she
00:25:44.57\00:25:48.48
noticed that the translator was
following her out of the room
00:25:48.54\00:25:52.85
and she said how did you know
about Carlos. She said I didn't
00:25:52.88\00:25:57.89
know about Carlos. Out came the
whole story. I had this dream.
00:25:57.92\00:26:02.19
Jesus told me to buy these roses
I had $50 I was going to use
00:26:02.22\00:26:06.56
for New Balance shoes. He told
me to do this and it's been a
00:26:06.59\00:26:10.70
great experience. He told me
to pray over them and he would
00:26:10.73\00:26:15.74
direct me. So that's the story.
The translator said, now I have
00:26:15.77\00:26:20.78
a story for you. Last night
before I left the hospital I
00:26:20.81\00:26:24.48
said Carlos, is there one thing
I can do for you. We both know
00:26:24.51\00:26:29.72
you're not going to be here much
longer. He said, One red rose.
00:26:29.75\00:26:34.89
And she said I forgot, I
couldn't do it. It was late last
00:26:34.92\00:26:39.53
night. I came in early this
morning and here you are with
00:26:39.56\00:26:46.00
this rose. And they both then
were in awe at the big God who
00:26:46.03\00:26:52.47
loves us enough to send flowers.
00:26:52.51\00:26:55.08
You know Ruthie it just shows
that when we reach out and when
00:26:55.11\00:27:00.45
we pray to God that we be
sensitive to others that our
00:27:00.48\00:27:05.15
lives are enriched
as well, even more.
00:27:05.19\00:27:07.56
But this translator had one more
thing to say. She said, I come
00:27:07.62\00:27:11.56
here on weekends and during
the week I'm the vice-president
00:27:11.59\00:27:15.50
of the New Balance Shoe Company.
And she said, you will never buy
00:27:15.53\00:27:19.83
another pair of New Balance
shoes. I want to do this for
00:27:19.87\00:27:24.94
you and for your God. God is so
big and he does love us enough
00:27:24.97\00:27:29.58
to send flowers.
He does, yes uh-huh.
00:27:29.61\00:27:32.21
Thank you so much for being with
us today. We're out of time but
00:27:32.25\00:27:36.48
thank you Tim, thank you Bill.
It has been such a joy to hear
00:27:36.55\00:27:40.76
these stories and to rejoice
together about the power of
00:27:40.79\00:27:44.96
building bridges, the power of
prayer. And thank you for being
00:27:44.99\00:27:49.53
with us. We'll be praying for
you as you build bridges with
00:27:49.56\00:27:54.07
prayer. God bless.
00:27:54.10\00:27:56.34