? [Dramatic] ? ?
[It Is Written Theme] ?
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It has stood the test of time
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God's Book, The Bible
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Still relevant in
today's complex world
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It Is Written,
sharing Hope around the globe
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[Roar of the Ocean] JB:
There are some moments in
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your life that you never forget,
things you know are going to
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change your life.
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Getting married; the
birth of your first child;
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getting the job of your dreams.
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I've experienced
l of those things
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and I can't ever
forget how I felt at the time.
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But then there are times
when your family and your faith
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are all you have to lean on.
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[Suspensful Drone] About
1.6 million Americans are
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diagnosed with
cancer every year.
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Lung cancer
claims the most lives.
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Cancer is a fact of life.
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Medical experts tell us
to eat more fresh fruits and
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vegetables, to exercise well,
to eat little or no red meat,
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drink little or no
alcohol and quit smoking.
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But when you're
relatively young,
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you live a healthy lifestyle,
have a positive relationship
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with God, cancer isn't something
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you expect.
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But not long ago I heard
words spoken to me that I never
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expected I would ever hear.
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The doctor said to
me, "The news isn't good.
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It's cancer."
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Now, that will get your
attention really quickly.
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Cancer means you could die.
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Depending on the type of cancer
you're diagnosed with, it might
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even mean you are likely to die.
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I have a wife and two younger
children, and now I'm learning
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that I could die.
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I'm in my 40s.
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I never need to see a doctor.
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And yet now I could
leave my wife a widow
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and my children fatherless.
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Not good.
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Today I want to share
some of my experience with you.
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My journey, my
still ongoing journey.
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You know, a cancer diagnosis
raises a lot of questions, some
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of them pretty big questions.
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Not just questions of
treatment options and family
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and life and death but
really big-picture questions,
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such as, why me?
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Or, where was God
when this happened?
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Why did God
allow this to happen?
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What happens now?
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Maybe the
biggest question of all,
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where am I going to
spend eternity if I die?
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Now that's a big question.
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Now, for me to come down
with cancer, you know, cancer is
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something that always
happens to other people.
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And now I'm one
of the other people.
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I was always strong,
never sick, never weak.
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I was raised playing rugby.
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I played rugby
into my early 20s.
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That's a man's game.
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I'm not here to tell you I was
the hardest guy on the field,
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but that was the
orientation of my life.
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Certainly never one to be
sick, and now I'm not just sick,
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I have a disease.
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A significant disease.
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I have cancer.
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What's going to happen now?
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Well, let me tell you this.
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One thing I've discovered along
the way, and I want to encourage
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you with, is this:
There are a lot of people
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with cancer.
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Everybody knows someone who
has or has had, or most likely,
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has even died from cancer.
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There are plenty of people among
us right now who are dealing
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with a cancer diagnosis.
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Even though this is a little bit
dark for me to say, the truth is
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there are many people among
us who will be diagnosed one day
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with cancer.
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Well, I want to tell you this:
The truth is, especially for a
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believer in God,
cancer isn't all bad news.
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Now, some people might find that
hard to hear or hard to accept.
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But the truth is, it isn't.
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I'm here to tell you
today, cancer simply isn't
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all bad news.
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[Ocean Roar] I
came home from the It Is
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Written office and the mail
for the day was on the table
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in the kitchen.
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I was flipping through it and I
found a postcard from a dentist,
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and it said on the
postcard words to the effect:
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Mouth cancer.
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Don't mess with it.
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Get checked.
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And I thought man,
this spot on my tongue.
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I don't want it
to be mouth cancer.
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But if it is, I don't
want to not get checked.
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And so I picked up the
phone and I made an appointment
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and I went to see the dentist.
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And the dentist looked in
my mouth and he called over his
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lovely assistant, and she looked
in my mouth as well, and they
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went "Hmmm" for a few minutes.
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And then they
said, "It's nothing.
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You don't need
to worry about it."
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Now, I did get a second opinion,
but if I were to be honest with
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you, I would have to
admit that that wasn't my idea.
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Sometime after my first
encounter with the dentist I was
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having lunch with a friend.
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He was also a
dentist, providentially.
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He found out I was having a
little discomfort in my mouth.
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He took a look, and he said,
"You need to get that biopsied,
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yesterday."
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Well, that got my attention.
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I'll tell you what happened
next, tell you how good God is.
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I had been invited
to speak at a church.
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Funny enough, there were
some who tried to talk me out of
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going.
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If they had, things would have
turned out very differently.
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I spoke at the
church, had a wonderful time.
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After the church
service, the church family
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is having lunch.
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I'm invited to join them.
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It seems like
there's nowhere to sit.
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Someone graciously clears out
a place for my family and some
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friends who were
with me, and I sit down.
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There's a long row of seats,
and I sit down in one of them.
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Obviously I didn't
sit down in two of them,
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but I sat down here.
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You know how good God is?
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Sitting directly
opposite me was an ENT,
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an ear, nose and throat doctor.
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A head and neck
surgeon, an expert in tumors.
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A man who does this
all day long for a living.
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Well, we got talking.
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He looked inside my mouth.
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He said, "You need
to get that biopsied."
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I said, "Can you do it?"
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He said, "My partner can."
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Three days later they took a
little chunk out of my tongue
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and 10 days later, that
man was operating on me.
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I mean, how good is God?
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He led me 100 miles from my home
into a crowd of people I didn't
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know, and He sat me down
directly opposite the man
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who would save my life.
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You see, that's how God works.
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Even when it appears
things are going terribly,
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God is working for you.
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If you'll open your eyes and
look, if you'll open your ears
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and listen, you will see God
and you will hear God's voice,
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and you'll know that
even when things look grim
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God is with you,
and He's for you,
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and He's not against you.
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The Bible makes this clear.
00:08:04.83\00:08:06.46
David wrote
about it in the Psalms.
00:08:06.46\00:08:08.53
It says this, in Psalm
139, verses 7 through 12:
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"Where can I go
from Your Spirit?
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Or where can I
flee from Your presence?
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If I ascend into
heaven, You are there;
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if I make my bed in
hell, behold, You are there.
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If I take the wings of
the morning, and dwell in the
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uttermost parts of the
sea, even there Your hand
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shall lead me,
and Your right hand
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shall hold me.
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If I say, Surely the darkness
shall fall on me, even the
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night shall be light about me;
indeed, the darkness shall not
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hide from You, but the
night shines as the day;
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the darkness and the
light are both alike to You."
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The surgery was
extremely well done.
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God didn't plant me opposite
just any surgeon, but opposite
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an extremely talented
and very gifted surgeon.
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Things went well.
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And the hope was that
surgery would be all I needed,
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no further treatments.
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Well, it didn't
work out that way.
00:09:19.16\00:09:22.76
Whereas we hoped it would
be surgery and nothing else,
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it ended up being surgery
and 33 radiation treatments.
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No chemotherapy needed,
thank the Lord, but radiation.
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And radiation isn't necessarily
any walk in the park.
00:09:34.93\00:09:38.96
I'll never forget what
my radiation doctor told me.
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He said, "There are some
patients I have, they have
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radiation and they're completely
unaware that anything is even
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taking place.
00:09:48.00\00:09:49.13
Some of them say, 'Doctor, is
the machine working, because I'm
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not actually feeling
anything.' Now, that's good,
00:09:51.60\00:09:54.90
if that's your experience."
00:09:54.90\00:09:56.46
And he said to me, "But then,
way far at the other end of the
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spectrum are those patients
of mine who have radiation
00:10:00.60\00:10:04.20
in their mouth."
00:10:04.20\00:10:06.23
Way far at the
other end of the spectrum.
00:10:06.80\00:10:09.76
That's kind of sobering.
00:10:09.76\00:10:11.50
Well, the first few
treatments, no trouble at all.
00:10:11.63\00:10:14.96
And again, thank God I was
blessed by a wonderful radiation
00:10:14.96\00:10:19.46
oncologist and a fantastic team.
00:10:19.46\00:10:23.73
But then after a while I started
to figure out what my doctor
00:10:23.73\00:10:26.50
meant by "way far at the
other end of the spectrum."
00:10:26.50\00:10:29.73
After a while
there was pain, and then,
00:10:29.73\00:10:32.06
an inability to swallow.
00:10:32.06\00:10:33.20
And while I don't want to give
you all of the gory details,
00:10:33.20\00:10:35.76
if you can't
swallow, you can't eat.
00:10:35.76\00:10:37.26
If you can't eat,
you're going to lose weight.
00:10:37.26\00:10:39.33
And sure, I lost weight,
and then it becomes difficult
00:10:39.33\00:10:42.16
to talk, and then,
talking becomes impossible.
00:10:42.16\00:10:47.83
However, here I am
talking to you today.
00:10:47.83\00:10:50.46
Which means that
things have worked out well.
00:10:50.46\00:10:54.03
At least, so far.
00:10:54.03\00:10:58.60
So far.
00:10:58.80\00:11:00.63
Now, there's a thought.
00:11:00.63\00:11:03.13
I'll be back with
more in just a moment.
00:11:03.70\00:11:06.16
[Gentle music] >: In
Matthew 4:4:4, the Word of
00:11:07.20\00:11:10.46
God says: "It is written.
00:11:10.46\00:11:12.40
Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that
00:11:12.40\00:11:15.73
proceeds from the mouth of God."
00:11:15.73\00:11:18.46
"Every Word" is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:11:18.46\00:11:21.83
presented by Pastor John
Bradshaw and designed especially
00:11:21.83\00:11:25.00
for busy people like you.
00:11:25.00\00:11:26.46
Look for "Every Word" on
selected networks or watch it
00:11:26.46\00:11:30.43
online every day on our
website, ItIsWritten.com.
00:11:30.43\00:11:34.33
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:11:34.33\00:11:35.96
Watch "Every Word."
00:11:35.96\00:11:37.56
You'll be glad you did.
00:11:37.56\00:11:38.96
Here's a sample:
00:11:39.20\00:11:41.80
[rythmic theme music]
JB: It can be so easy to let
00:11:42.46\00:11:51.36
discouragement sink
into our experience with God.
00:11:51.36\00:11:54.70
So it's important to know what
God has said and to remember
00:11:54.70\00:11:57.43
what He has not said.
00:11:57.43\00:11:59.26
In Isaiah 45:19, God said,
"I did not say to the seed of
00:11:59.26\00:12:03.36
Jacob, seek me in vain."
00:12:03.36\00:12:06.00
Now, Satan would like you think
God doesn't hear your prayers
00:12:06.00\00:12:08.96
and doesn't want
you to come to Him.
00:12:08.96\00:12:10.30
But God makes it plain to us
that He will hear your prayer,
00:12:10.30\00:12:13.23
and He does know
what you're experiencing.
00:12:13.23\00:12:15.60
Despondency and discouragement
are enemies of faith.
00:12:15.60\00:12:19.03
You can be assured today that
God does answer prayer and that
00:12:19.03\00:12:22.00
the person who
seeks God will find Him.
00:12:22.00\00:12:25.16
Don't make the mistake of
believing circumstances more
00:12:25.16\00:12:28.33
than you believe
the promises of God.
00:12:28.33\00:12:30.36
God never told you
that your faith is in vain,
00:12:30.36\00:12:32.93
and He never will.
00:12:32.93\00:12:34.30
I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
00:12:34.30\00:12:36.53
Let's live today by every word.
00:12:36.53\00:12:39.46
JB: This is It Is Written.
00:12:44.03\00:12:45.60
I'm John Bradshaw.
00:12:45.60\00:12:46.56
Thanks for joining me.
00:12:46.56\00:12:47.96
Today I'm sharing a little with
you from my heart about my own
00:12:47.96\00:12:50.80
personal experience with cancer:
my enemy, and in some ways,
00:12:50.80\00:12:57.10
my friend.
00:12:57.10\00:12:59.00
With cancer treatment the goal
is to make it five years from
00:12:59.00\00:13:02.40
the end of treatment and
then you can start talking about
00:13:02.40\00:13:05.96
a cure.
00:13:05.96\00:13:06.96
Until five years have passed,
the fact is, you've pretty well
00:13:06.96\00:13:10.96
just lived from scan to scan.
00:13:10.96\00:13:13.56
Can that be unsettling?
00:13:13.56\00:13:14.93
Well, it sort of
depends on how you look at it.
00:13:14.93\00:13:18.46
The goal with cancer
treatment in many cases,
00:13:18.46\00:13:21.13
not all, but in most, is
to kill all the cancer cells,
00:13:21.13\00:13:24.56
because if you don't
kill the cancer cells,
00:13:24.56\00:13:26.56
the cancer cells will kill you.
00:13:26.56\00:13:29.06
You start asking some
pretty searching questions.
00:13:29.06\00:13:33.13
Questions like, Maybe
this is God's will for my life.
00:13:33.13\00:13:37.76
Is this my time to go?
00:13:37.76\00:13:40.96
You start
wondering about your family,
00:13:40.96\00:13:44.60
your children, your
ministry in my case.
00:13:44.60\00:13:48.03
Mostly, your family.
00:13:48.03\00:13:51.06
And while being treated
for cancer, more than once
00:13:51.06\00:13:54.33
I asked myself,
What if this treatment
00:13:54.33\00:13:57.86
doesn't actually work?
00:13:57.86\00:14:01.50
Well, the good news for me is,
the physicians are telling me my
00:14:01.50\00:14:06.36
cancer is in remission.
00:14:06.36\00:14:08.36
That means, as far as we know,
there are no more cancer cells
00:14:08.36\00:14:12.56
floating around inside my body.
00:14:12.56\00:14:14.26
It seems as though
we've got them all.
00:14:14.26\00:14:17.03
Now that's not a guarantee.
00:14:17.03\00:14:18.90
The cancer could come back,
but the educated hope right now
00:14:18.90\00:14:22.53
is that it won't.
00:14:22.53\00:14:25.16
Now, I recognize that remission
and guarantee do not appear on
00:14:25.16\00:14:28.43
the same page in the dictionary.
00:14:28.43\00:14:30.43
I recognize that.
00:14:30.43\00:14:32.13
But, right now, the news is
absolutely as good as it can be.
00:14:32.13\00:14:39.46
And I'm thanking God for that.
00:14:39.46\00:14:41.26
Now, I mentioned before, there
are a couple of issues that I
00:14:41.26\00:14:43.03
wanted to share with you, or
go through with you, and one of
00:14:43.03\00:14:45.03
them is this: When you learn
00:14:45.03\00:14:47.40
you have cancer,
one of the questions you
00:14:47.40\00:14:50.43
ask yourself is,
Where am I going to spend
00:14:50.43\00:14:53.73
eternity?
00:14:53.73\00:14:54.43
Because you start asking those
life-and-death, eternal life and
00:14:54.43\00:14:59.13
eternal death, questions.
00:14:59.13\00:15:01.20
So where am I
going to spend eternity?
00:15:01.20\00:15:03.50
Well, I know the right answer:
I've counseled, as a pastor,
00:15:03.50\00:15:07.23
many people dealing with
family members, or people who
00:15:07.23\00:15:10.56
themselves are dealing with
illness, even terminal illness.
00:15:10.56\00:15:14.40
And I always tell
them, You can have assurance.
00:15:14.40\00:15:16.76
God is good.
00:15:16.76\00:15:17.70
You can know that
Jesus is with you.
00:15:17.70\00:15:20.60
Well, now the boot's on the
other foot, and I've got to ask
00:15:20.60\00:15:23.43
myself if I
believe my own message.
00:15:23.43\00:15:27.13
Can I have assurance, knowing
that it's possible my life could
00:15:27.13\00:15:31.40
be ending?
00:15:31.40\00:15:32.40
Well, sure.
00:15:32.40\00:15:34.23
As a Christian
minister, I know what to say.
00:15:34.23\00:15:37.00
Do I have assurance?
00:15:37.00\00:15:37.93
Yes, I do.
00:15:37.93\00:15:40.80
But that question is
followed by another question.
00:15:40.80\00:15:44.80
And that question is, Upon
what do you base your assurance?
00:15:44.80\00:15:48.56
What makes you so sure that
you will have everlasting life?
00:15:48.56\00:15:52.70
Now, that's a good
question to be asking yourself.
00:15:52.70\00:15:55.26
I couldn't say, I'm going to
go to heaven because I'm such a
00:15:55.26\00:15:58.86
good guy, because
I'm such a good person.
00:15:58.86\00:16:01.76
Because that's not why
anybody goes to heaven.
00:16:01.76\00:16:05.20
Heaven isn't
even for good people;
00:16:05.20\00:16:08.36
heaven is for righteous people.
00:16:08.36\00:16:10.90
So, what makes a
person righteous?
00:16:10.90\00:16:12.66
Well, we know
the answer to that.
00:16:12.66\00:16:14.03
The Bible makes clear that
the only thing that makes us
00:16:14.03\00:16:17.06
righteous, the only place we get
righteousness from, is Jesus.
00:16:17.06\00:16:22.70
If we have Jesus,
then we have righteousness.
00:16:22.70\00:16:25.43
If we have Jesus, then we
have the gift of eternal life.
00:16:25.43\00:16:28.56
I want to tell you something:
I had never in my life been so
00:16:28.56\00:16:32.70
thankful for Jesus Christ as
when knowing that my life could
00:16:32.70\00:16:37.13
be coming to an end, I had Jesus
and therefore the very real
00:16:37.13\00:16:41.96
assurance of everlasting life.
00:16:41.96\00:16:44.26
First John 5 verse 12 says,
"He that has the Son has life."
00:16:44.26\00:16:50.20
So, if you know you have
Jesus, you know you have life.
00:16:50.20\00:16:54.13
And there I was.
00:16:54.40\00:16:55.46
Thanking God more than ever
before for Jesus, because having
00:16:55.46\00:17:01.26
Christ in my life
assured me that eternal life
00:17:01.26\00:17:05.90
was truly mine.
00:17:05.90\00:17:07.70
Now, if you don't really
care about living forever, then
00:17:07.70\00:17:12.13
I guess having Christ in your
life isn't really important.
00:17:12.13\00:17:15.96
If you don't care about honoring
God and pleasing God, hm.
00:17:15.96\00:17:21.13
But for me,
that's what I care about.
00:17:21.13\00:17:23.70
I do want to live
forever, I do want to be
00:17:23.70\00:17:25.63
in the presence of God,
I do want to honor the One
00:17:25.63\00:17:28.00
who gave Himself
so that I might live.
00:17:28.00\00:17:30.36
I want to experience
eternity with my family.
00:17:30.36\00:17:33.30
I want whatever it is God wants
to give me, I want to receive
00:17:33.30\00:17:36.36
because of the love that
I have for God in my heart.
00:17:36.36\00:17:40.83
And looking down through
the years, the potentially very
00:17:40.83\00:17:45.36
short years that my
future, whatever was left of it,
00:17:45.36\00:17:48.93
I could face the
future with confidence,
00:17:48.93\00:17:51.53
because I knew in
my heart I had Jesus.
00:17:51.53\00:17:54.60
And I want you to
have that same confidence.
00:17:54.60\00:17:56.93
If you know that Jesus really is
yours, and you have Him by faith
00:17:56.93\00:17:59.66
in your heart, then
cancer, diabetes, heart disease,
00:17:59.66\00:18:03.06
a stroke, whatever it might be,
you can face the future with a
00:18:03.06\00:18:06.56
confidence that comes from
knowing that you belong to Jesus
00:18:06.56\00:18:11.50
and He belongs to you.
00:18:11.50\00:18:14.00
Second Peter 3 verse 9
says, "The Lord is not willing
00:18:14.13\00:18:18.36
that any should perish."
00:18:18.36\00:18:20.43
I mean, think about that.
00:18:20.43\00:18:22.00
Isn't that magnificent?
00:18:22.00\00:18:23.66
It's God's will
that we be saved.
00:18:23.66\00:18:26.63
It's God's will
that we be blessed.
00:18:26.63\00:18:28.70
The world is filled with people
who view God as a tyrant, as
00:18:28.70\00:18:32.33
somehow harsh and mean-spirited.
00:18:32.33\00:18:34.53
But God's like the wealthy
man who wants to give the
00:18:34.53\00:18:39.13
poverty-stricken man a gazillion
dollars, except salvation is
00:18:39.13\00:18:42.60
worth so much more than that.
00:18:42.60\00:18:45.43
God wants to bless us.
00:18:45.43\00:18:49.20
You think you
want to go to heaven?
00:18:49.53\00:18:51.33
God wants you to be with Him
in eternity infinitely more than
00:18:51.33\00:18:55.13
you want to be there.
00:18:55.13\00:18:57.46
God is good.
00:18:57.46\00:19:00.40
Well, a cancer diagnosis
can be pretty hard on a family.
00:19:00.96\00:19:05.36
And I had to ask myself
really early on what I would
00:19:05.36\00:19:07.96
tell my children.
00:19:07.96\00:19:08.93
At the time,
they were 13 and 10.
00:19:08.93\00:19:11.86
What do I tell them?
00:19:11.86\00:19:13.03
How do I explain it to them?
00:19:13.03\00:19:15.23
My wife and I made the decision
that we would involve the
00:19:15.23\00:19:17.63
children in every
aspect of what was going on.
00:19:17.63\00:19:20.30
So, I was very
up front with them,
00:19:20.30\00:19:21.86
told them what I was facing,
told them what it might mean.
00:19:21.86\00:19:24.76
They were very positive and
were a huge source of strength
00:19:24.76\00:19:27.43
for me.
00:19:27.43\00:19:28.76
They came with me to all of my
treatments, they came to all of
00:19:28.76\00:19:30.80
my doctors' appointments.
00:19:30.80\00:19:33.13
In fact, having them with
me, made the atmosphere a lot
00:19:33.13\00:19:39.03
lighter than
otherwise it wouldn't have been.
00:19:39.03\00:19:41.13
I have to tell you this:
I was visiting the doctor
00:19:41.13\00:19:44.33
in the doctor's office one day.
00:19:44.33\00:19:45.60
The radiation doctor.
00:19:45.60\00:19:47.26
He's explaining various things
to me, some complicated things,
00:19:47.26\00:19:49.83
some very important
things, and that's when he said,
00:19:49.83\00:19:52.30
"Now, Mr. Bradshaw, I
think you understand this.
00:19:52.30\00:19:55.50
You're an intelligent man."
00:19:55.50\00:19:57.03
I said, "Doctor stop.
00:19:57.03\00:19:58.26
Stop."
00:19:58.26\00:19:59.40
And I turned to my
son and I said, "Son,
00:19:59.40\00:20:02.10
you heard the doctor.
00:20:02.10\00:20:03.63
It's official.
00:20:03.63\00:20:05.06
He said I'm an intelligent man.
00:20:05.06\00:20:09.13
That ought to settle it."
00:20:09.13\00:20:11.40
My son didn't even miss a beat.
00:20:11.40\00:20:13.63
He looked at me and he
said, just like that, "Dad,
00:20:13.63\00:20:16.76
I think we need
a second opinion."
00:20:16.76\00:20:20.13
Well, what are you
going to do about that?
00:20:20.83\00:20:23.80
Well, there are other questions
that you've got to deal with
00:20:23.80\00:20:26.73
when difficulty comes.
00:20:26.73\00:20:30.50
What about worry?
00:20:30.50\00:20:33.13
And what about
the question, Why me?
00:20:33.13\00:20:37.33
I'll be back with
more in just a moment.
00:20:37.33\00:20:40.03
[Indian music with Sitar]
JB: "Eyes for India" is giving
00:20:41.06\00:20:45.16
sight to the blind, and you can
be a part of this amazing work
00:20:45.16\00:20:49.03
that God is doing.
00:20:49.03\00:20:50.76
Fifteen million
blind people live in India.
00:20:50.76\00:20:52.93
More than any other
country in the world.
00:20:52.93\00:20:55.86
And many of the blind
in India could see again,
00:20:55.86\00:20:57.93
if only they could have
simple cataract surgery.
00:20:57.93\00:21:01.56
It Is Written is
making that happen.
00:21:01.56\00:21:04.16
Would you
support "Eyes for India"?
00:21:04.16\00:21:07.40
For just $75 you will be giving
the gift of sight to someone who
00:21:07.40\00:21:11.90
desperately wants to see.
00:21:11.90\00:21:14.03
Here's all you need to do:
call 1 (800) 253-3000 to donate
00:21:14.03\00:21:19.46
and support "Eyes for India."
00:21:19.46\00:21:22.63
Or you can write to
It Is Written, Box O,
00:21:22.63\00:21:25.60
Thousand Oaks, CA 91359.
00:21:25.60\00:21:29.43
You'll also find
"Eyes for India" online
00:21:29.43\00:21:32.06
at ItIsWritten.com.
00:21:32.06\00:21:35.46
JB: Thanks for joining
me today on It Is Written.
00:21:36.93\00:21:40.66
I was pastoring a church once
when a dear older lady in the
00:21:40.66\00:21:43.90
church contacted me.
00:21:43.90\00:21:45.06
She said,
"Pastor, come and visit me.
00:21:45.06\00:21:46.73
I have something very
important to tell you."
00:21:46.73\00:21:50.00
I visited her, didn't
know what was on her mind.
00:21:50.00\00:21:52.06
She was in really good spirits.
00:21:52.06\00:21:55.40
She told me that the doctors had
told her she had liver cancer,
00:21:55.40\00:22:00.83
and that she only had a
few months left to live.
00:22:00.83\00:22:04.93
I said, "Well,
how are you doing?"
00:22:04.93\00:22:08.33
She said, "Well, Pastor,
I've always tried to get cancer
00:22:08.33\00:22:11.66
in a part of my body
where I had two of something.
00:22:11.66\00:22:15.60
I lost a breast.
00:22:15.60\00:22:16.93
I lost an eye."
00:22:16.93\00:22:18.60
It might have been that she
lost a kidney, I don't remember.
00:22:18.60\00:22:21.60
She said, "But I
only have one liver."
00:22:21.60\00:22:25.46
Her energy was just remarkable.
00:22:25.46\00:22:27.23
I said, "So, how
are you going to be?"
00:22:27.23\00:22:28.93
She said, "You know, Pastor.
00:22:28.93\00:22:30.70
And she looked at me
with a sparkle in her one eye,
00:22:30.70\00:22:33.40
and she said,
"Jesus and me are going to
00:22:33.40\00:22:37.53
get through this together."
00:22:37.53\00:22:41.23
You know, when it comes to a
setback in your life -- cancer,
00:22:41.23\00:22:44.80
it could be anything really.
00:22:44.80\00:22:45.96
Something major.
00:22:45.96\00:22:47.43
It pays to have a
really positive attitude.
00:22:47.43\00:22:50.53
It helps you and it
helps those around you.
00:22:50.53\00:22:53.23
The Bible says in the Proverbs.
00:22:53.23\00:22:54.66
Proverbs 17 verse 22.
00:22:54.66\00:22:56.83
"A merry heart doeth
good like a medicine."
00:22:56.83\00:23:00.13
And that's really true.
00:23:00.13\00:23:02.16
I've got a lot
to be thankful for.
00:23:02.16\00:23:05.00
Perhaps this is just another way
of saying, count your blessings.
00:23:05.00\00:23:10.60
People, get bitter, and
they get angry with God.
00:23:10.60\00:23:13.50
God can handle that.
00:23:13.50\00:23:15.00
That's okay.
00:23:15.00\00:23:15.96
But is it really necessary
to get bitter with God?
00:23:15.96\00:23:19.93
I mean, what's the
worst thing that could happen?
00:23:19.93\00:23:23.36
Well, the worst thing that could
happen is that you could die.
00:23:23.36\00:23:27.36
But let's be honest about this.
00:23:27.36\00:23:29.20
What then?
00:23:29.20\00:23:30.50
What then?
00:23:30.50\00:23:31.86
You die, and then?
00:23:31.86\00:23:34.43
Well, the Bible says this in
First Thessalonians chapter 4:
00:23:34.43\00:23:38.10
"The Lord himself shall be
sent from heaven with a shout,
00:23:38.10\00:23:41.83
with the voice of the archangel
and with the trump of God.
00:23:41.83\00:23:45.26
And the dead in
Christ shall rise first.
00:23:45.26\00:23:48.90
Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up
00:23:48.90\00:23:51.43
together with him in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air,
00:23:51.43\00:23:53.83
and so shall we
ever be with the Lord."
00:23:53.83\00:23:57.06
Hey, stop and think about that.
00:23:57.06\00:23:58.46
So shall we ever
be with the Lord.
00:23:58.46\00:24:01.30
When you look at the big
picture, even when things are
00:24:01.30\00:24:04.13
going really bad, things
are actually pretty good.
00:24:04.13\00:24:09.56
Paul said in Philippians 1:21,
"For to me to live is Christ
00:24:09.76\00:24:15.26
and to die is gain."
00:24:15.26\00:24:18.80
The fact is, God is with you in
your trial, whether it's cancer
00:24:18.80\00:24:23.66
or diabetes or heart
disease or whatever it is.
00:24:23.66\00:24:27.50
You see, these things
are going to push you.
00:24:27.50\00:24:29.53
They're going to push
you one way or the other.
00:24:29.53\00:24:31.93
They'll push you
either closer to God,
00:24:31.93\00:24:35.30
or further away from God.
00:24:35.30\00:24:37.40
The thing is, you get to decide
what direction they push you in.
00:24:37.40\00:24:44.23
When life takes an unexpected
turn, a difficult turn,
00:24:44.23\00:24:46.66
a turn for what we
might say is the worst.
00:24:46.66\00:24:50.10
See, none of that changes
the fact that God is good.
00:24:50.10\00:24:53.06
God is good anyway, even when
someone you love or care about
00:24:53.06\00:24:57.46
is in a fight for their life.
00:24:57.46\00:24:59.86
God is still good.
00:24:59.86\00:25:03.03
The question is,
where to from here?
00:25:03.23\00:25:08.80
I can tell you that I consider
myself to be profoundly blessed.
00:25:09.63\00:25:13.83
Cancer hasn't been all bad.
00:25:13.83\00:25:16.26
It's shown me many things that
I otherwise wouldn't have been
00:25:16.26\00:25:18.53
able to see.
00:25:18.53\00:25:19.26
It's given me much that I would
never have been able to get from
00:25:19.26\00:25:21.60
anywhere else.
00:25:21.60\00:25:23.53
So now, I'm committed to
thanking God for every day
00:25:23.53\00:25:27.23
that comes along.
00:25:27.23\00:25:29.20
I'm grateful for the
opportunities that come to me.
00:25:29.20\00:25:31.53
I see them, I sense
them, I appreciate them.
00:25:31.53\00:25:34.83
I appreciate and love my
family now more than I have
00:25:34.83\00:25:38.40
ever before.
00:25:38.40\00:25:41.73
It's onwards, really, and
by the grace of God, upwards.
00:25:41.73\00:25:46.00
It's my intention, my
hope, to be here and ready
00:25:46.00\00:25:48.90
to meet Jesus on the
day that He comes back.
00:25:48.90\00:25:51.50
If that's not to be,
well, that's out of my hands.
00:25:51.50\00:25:55.40
What is in my hands is to
embrace the gift of salvation
00:25:55.40\00:25:59.13
that God has given me.
00:25:59.13\00:26:00.46
What is in my hands is to live
with God in the very center of
00:26:00.46\00:26:03.93
my life, looking forward to the
great day when Jesus returns.
00:26:03.93\00:26:09.96
So for now, the
journey continues.
00:26:09.96\00:26:14.40
And I'm grateful.
00:26:14.40\00:26:16.10
I want to encourage you to
call now for your free copy of
00:26:17.60\00:26:21.13
"Confidence in Chaos."
00:26:21.13\00:26:23.36
You can have confidence in
God no matter what's going on
00:26:23.36\00:26:26.80
in your life.
00:26:26.80\00:26:28.16
I wrote this book, and I
want to offer it to you, free.
00:26:28.16\00:26:32.03
Call now, 800-253-3000.
00:26:32.03\00:26:35.86
If the line is busy,
please do call again.
00:26:35.86\00:26:38.76
800-253-3000.
00:26:38.76\00:26:42.26
You can write us at P.O. Box 6,
00:26:42.26\00:26:45.06
Chattanooga, TN 37401.
00:26:45.06\00:26:48.76
Or visit us online
at www.ItIsWritten.com.
00:26:48.76\00:26:53.53
To support It Is Written
financially, and we would
00:26:53.53\00:26:56.76
so appreciate that, you
can call that same number
00:26:56.76\00:26:59.90
800-253-3000.
00:26:59.90\00:27:02.30
Write to the same
address, P.O. Box 6,
00:27:02.30\00:27:05.60
Chattanooga, TN 37401,
or again visit us online at
00:27:05.60\00:27:11.23
www.ItIsWritten.com.
00:27:11.23\00:27:15.36
Let's take a
moment to pray together.
00:27:19.10\00:27:21.30
Our Father in heaven, we thank
you today that You are good.
00:27:21.30\00:27:24.63
Even when things
look bad, You're good.
00:27:24.63\00:27:27.20
We thank You that
there is always hope,
00:27:27.20\00:27:30.30
there is always a future,
and that we can lean on you
00:27:30.30\00:27:33.43
and trust in you, no matter what
00:27:33.43\00:27:35.56
our circumstances.
00:27:35.56\00:27:36.66
Give us that
faith today, I pray.
00:27:36.66\00:27:39.93
In Jesus' name, amen.
00:27:39.93\00:27:43.76
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:44.23\00:27:45.56
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:45.56\00:27:47.83
Until then,
remember: It is written.
00:27:47.83\00:27:51.63
Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that
00:27:51.63\00:27:56.83
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:27:56.83\00:27:58.90