¤[Theme music]¤
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¤[Soft music with road noise]¤
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>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw, and together
we are heading somewhere.
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Before we get
to our destination,
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let's go back in
time a little bit...
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2017 was a very active
year for natural disasters.
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Remember the hurricanes?
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What a hurricane season.
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¤[Dramatic music]¤
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Now, those were the storms.
There were others besides.
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Then came the fires.
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[Fire crackling]
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In California, fire
season comes every year,
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and there's always a
danger of fires, always.
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In northern California,
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a swarm of fires affected
about six different counties.
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The worst fire of
them all: the Tubbs Fire.
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And the Tubbs Fire began burning
in the direction of Santa Rosa.
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That's where we're going now.
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In Santa Rosa alone,
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43 people died as a
result of the Tubbs Fire.
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That's 43 known
deaths; there may be more.
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Nine thousand
structures were destroyed,
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5,500 of them in Santa Rosa.
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Three thousand homes
were destroyed in Santa Rosa.
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Five percent of Santa
Rosa's houses were destroyed.
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The destruction was immense.
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We're on our way to Santa Rosa
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to talk to some
survivors of the Tubbs Fire;
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some victims of the
Tubbs Fire, that is,
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people who lost everything;
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and people who lost nothing.
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And we'll ask an
important question.
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And that
question: Where was God?
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Where was God
when the fires burned?
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Where was God
as people suffered?
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Where was God
while people were dying?
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Where was God in the
midst of the devastation?
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It's a very important question,
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not only in the context
of the fires in California,
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the hurricanes that
buffeted the United States,
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but our own lives.
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Everybody meets with
tragedy, disaster, loss.
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And that
question is often asked.
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That question is: Where was God?
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We're heading to Santa Rosa.
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By the grace of God, we'll
find an answer to that question.
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¤[Soft music]¤
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>>Marc Selivanoff: So
it was, uh, Sunday night.
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We went to bed, uh, October 8.
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And, uh, about
maybe 1:30 in the morning,
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the, uh, my wife
got a phone call.
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And I could hear the voice
on the other end of the line
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was very, uh,
tense, and very intense
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maybe would be a better word.
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And she was
basically, uh, screaming,
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"There's a fire; it's
massive; it's headed your way.
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You need to get
out, and get out now."
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>>John: So you get the warning,
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you get the phone
call, and so what do you do?
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>>Marc: So, of course,
at 1:30 in the morning,
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you know, I go
and I look outside,
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and I could smell the smoke.
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And, uh, so we knew
that, based on her phone call,
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this was something serious that
we needed to pay attention to.
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So we got up, very groggy,
started gathering our pets
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and our few
things that we could get,
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um, loaded them into the car.
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And, uh, the smoke was
very thick at that point,
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and, uh, just
headed out and, uh,
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so we ended up at a house
that we own that was vacant.
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We, uh, got settled there,
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and then Anthony, my son, said,
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"Hey, Dad, let's
go back up and see."
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And I said, "We'll
go as far as we can,
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but I don't want
to put us in danger."
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>>John: So you came
back up here to the house.
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What did you find?
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>>Marc: Um, we came
back up, and the fire was,
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was raging, uh, down in
the residential community.
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It was on this hill
and on this hill as well.
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>>John: But the house?
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>>Marc: The house was
still standing at that point.
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So we, uh, we were fighting
the fire with the intention
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of obviously saving our
home and all of our possessions.
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>>Catherine Hamilton:
We got a call at 2 a.m.
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>>Alvin Hamilton:
Monday night, yeah.
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>>Catherine: At midnight, here.
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>>Alvin: It's, it's
like complete hopelessness,
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because you're gone,
except that you have God.
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And so the first thing
that you do is the only thing
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that you know you
can hang on to is God.
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I mean, everything else,
as what you physically can do,
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is not there.
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>>Catherine: After I hear
fire, I hear, in the background,
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"Get out! Get out!
You're being evacuated.
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The fire is two to four
blocks away from your house."
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And I panicked.
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And so I told Alvin, I said,
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"Pray for me. Pray for me.
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Pray for my sanity, and so
that I can be able to pray."
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Because my mind, I felt
like my mind was just gone.
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>>Alvin: "I sought the Lord,
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and he heard me and
delivered me from all my fears."
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>>Catherine: So the
minute he prayed for me,
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not for the fire,
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not for anything
that was happening,
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I just needed my
calmness and my sanity
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to be able to be
in tune with God.
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Because I knew
that if I had that,
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I had everything else.
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So I said--we started praying;
our prayers didn't last long.
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They were
desperate; they were, uh,
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they were rushed.
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There was a need; it was urgent;
it was very, very urgent.
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I said, "Please
save my children."
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>>Alvin: "The angel of the
Lord encampeth round about them
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that fear Him
and delivered them."
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>>Catherine: So immediately
after we prayed that,
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and then we
couldn't pray anymore,
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and we started
saying verses in the Bible.
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And so we grasped, um,
Psalms 34 and Psalms 91,
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and we were saying it
back and forth, back and forth.
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>>Alvin: "I will
bless the Lord at all times:
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His praise shall
continually be in my mouth.
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My soul shall make
her boast in the Lord.
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The humble shall
hear thereof and be glad.
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Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
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and let us exalt
His name together."
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>>Catherine: So what really
was the most amazing miracle
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about this home is that
the fire started miles east,
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behind us, and it
stopped right at my backyard,
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and do not proceed to
any other home beyond us.
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>>Courtney Asker: My
mom woke up at 11:45,
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and she smelled smoke.
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So she woke my dad up,
and he just pretty much said,
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"You know, you're freaking
out; go to bed; we're fine."
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And so then she called 911,
and they ended up telling her,
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"No, you're fine."
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Like, "You have
nothing to worry about.
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You don't have to leave.
There's a fire being contained."
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Then it was at 1:19 a.m.
was when her friend texted again
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that Paradise
Ridge Winery is on fire,
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and that's right
below where we are.
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And so that's when my
mom, like, started screaming,
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so that's how I woke up.
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But they still never
told me what was going on.
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So then I went in,
and I helped my mom.
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And she had grabbed, like,
our metal box with our passports
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and birth
certificates and stuff.
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And then she grabbed
a couple photo albums,
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like, her and my dad
and my grandpa and stuff.
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And so then I went
back to my room, and I just,
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like, changed
into sweats real quick,
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and I put on a pair of
flip flops, and then I grabbed
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my school backpack and a
stuffed animal and one picture.
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And so, when we were
driving down the hill,
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like I just remember
seeing, like, red everywhere.
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Then I understood,
you know, like, okay,
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it's, like, the
mountain's on fire.
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¤[Ominous music]¤
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>>John: Now, here's a
question: Can God be trusted?
00:08:04.38\00:08:08.22
Either you've asked
that question yourself,
00:08:08.25\00:08:10.15
or you know somebody who has.
00:08:10.19\00:08:11.65
And I've got an answer for you.
00:08:11.69\00:08:13.69
I'd like you to
get today's free offer,
00:08:13.72\00:08:15.89
"Can God Be Trusted?"
00:08:15.92\00:08:18.03
To receive it,
call 800-253-3000,
00:08:18.06\00:08:21.43
write to the
address on your screen,
00:08:21.46\00:08:22.96
or visit us at iiwoffer.com.
00:08:23.00\00:08:26.70
Can God be trusted? I
have an answer for you.
00:08:26.74\00:08:29.44
800-253-3000,
00:08:29.47\00:08:31.31
or visit us at iiwoffer.com.
00:08:31.34\00:08:34.28
>>Announcer 1:
Have you ever wondered
00:08:34.64\00:08:35.64
if you're good
enough to be saved?
00:08:35.68\00:08:37.45
It's a common question that
has discouraged many people.
00:08:37.48\00:08:40.22
But it doesn't
have to discourage you.
00:08:40.25\00:08:42.32
"Taking a Stand"
00:08:42.35\00:08:43.28
is a powerful
five-part series presented by
00:08:43.32\00:08:45.19
Pastor John Bradshaw
00:08:45.22\00:08:46.39
that will help you discover
the assurance of salvation.
00:08:46.42\00:08:49.82
>>Announcer 2:
Call 1-888-664-5573
00:08:49.86\00:08:53.09
to order the
"Taking a Stand" DVD.
00:08:53.13\00:08:55.23
Or download it
from our webstore at
00:08:55.26\00:08:56.90
www.itiswritten.shop.
00:08:56.93\00:08:59.87
Jesus offers salvation
as a free gift to everyone,
00:08:59.90\00:09:02.87
including you.
00:09:02.90\00:09:04.41
¤[Music]¤
00:09:04.87\00:09:14.38
>>Marc Selivanoff: As
the fire came in the morning,
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it basically, once
the house caught fire,
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there was nothing that
we could do at that point.
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>>John Bradshaw: So help
me get the picture of this.
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Here's your home
and, and everything.
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So around here, there
was, the stuff was on fire.
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>>Marc: The back hill
behind our house was on fire,
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and the hill over there
behind you was on fire as well.
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And there's actually
two houses that were there.
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And while we were here,
those exploded and went up.
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Probably 100-foot wall of
fire right just over there.
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There's two houses over there on
that side of the property that,
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while we were
here fighting the fire,
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went up in smoke,
and you could hear them.
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It was like a
747 just taking off,
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and the popping of windows
and whatever else happens
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when a house goes up in flame.
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And my son actually went over
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to make sure that that
side of the property was okay.
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So he was over
there fighting the fire.
00:10:02.10\00:10:03.63
I was here, and I
decided we should be together,
00:10:03.67\00:10:05.43
so I left this and
went to be with him.
00:10:05.47\00:10:07.60
But what ended up
happening then is that the wind
00:10:07.64\00:10:09.44
brought the fire up from
the residential community.
00:10:09.47\00:10:12.37
Um, it overcame,
and landed on the house,
00:10:12.41\00:10:16.88
and the house went up in flames.
00:10:16.91\00:10:18.28
And at that point we
had to leave as well.
00:10:18.31\00:10:20.35
¤[Soft sad music]¤
00:10:20.38\00:10:22.65
>>Courtney Asker: That Monday,
00:10:22.68\00:10:24.05
we still hadn't
known, like, what,
00:10:24.09\00:10:27.66
what anything looked like.
00:10:27.69\00:10:28.72
We didn't know if
anything had burnt down.
00:10:28.76\00:10:30.29
I couldn't eat or sleep at all
00:10:30.33\00:10:32.56
because I didn't know
if our house was okay.
00:10:32.59\00:10:35.80
And my mom pretty
much kept saying, like,
00:10:35.83\00:10:37.27
"There's no way that
it could have survived."
00:10:37.30\00:10:39.40
I just kept saying,
like, "No, it has to be there.
00:10:39.43\00:10:41.97
Like, there's no
way it can be gone."
00:10:42.00\00:10:44.41
And I think it was
about, like, that evening,
00:10:44.44\00:10:47.71
Monday--I have a
friend who was going,
00:10:47.74\00:10:50.61
and driving
around and taking videos.
00:10:50.65\00:10:53.15
And so I texted
him, and I was, like,
00:10:53.18\00:10:54.65
"Go to this address."
00:10:54.68\00:10:55.65
And so he went
there, and he took pictures,
00:10:55.68\00:10:57.85
and it was all gone.
00:10:57.89\00:11:00.29
And, like, I
just remember, like,
00:11:00.32\00:11:02.22
breaking down
completely and, like,
00:11:02.26\00:11:03.89
I couldn't even
stand because of it.
00:11:03.93\00:11:06.26
So we didn't find out
until, like, that evening,
00:11:06.29\00:11:08.86
the day after the fires.
00:11:08.90\00:11:11.80
>>John: When did you come back?
00:11:11.83\00:11:12.73
How soon could you,
could you come back,
00:11:12.77\00:11:14.50
to have a look at your place?
00:11:14.54\00:11:15.74
>>Courtney: Um, we
didn't come here until,
00:11:15.77\00:11:19.67
like, two weeks after.
00:11:19.71\00:11:22.38
>>John: Tell me
what that was like.
00:11:22.41\00:11:24.31
>>Courtney: Um, well, the first
time it was only my parents
00:11:24.35\00:11:27.68
who came here
because I was with a friend.
00:11:27.72\00:11:29.95
And then I think maybe a
little less than a week after,
00:11:29.98\00:11:34.32
that's when I came
here for the first time.
00:11:34.36\00:11:37.33
'Cause that's when
they were finally, like,
00:11:37.36\00:11:39.06
letting people
come up and, like,
00:11:39.09\00:11:40.83
search for things,
you know, in their house.
00:11:40.86\00:11:43.60
Since, like, after we
had found out about it,
00:11:43.63\00:11:45.83
like, I wasn't necessarily,
like, that emotional.
00:11:45.87\00:11:50.71
And so I didn't
think that I would, like,
00:11:50.74\00:11:53.24
start crying when we
come, when we came up here.
00:11:53.27\00:11:55.68
But when we got here and, like,
I actually got out of the car,
00:11:55.71\00:11:58.45
like, that's when I just
started sobbing with my dad,
00:11:58.48\00:12:02.15
pretty much.
00:12:02.18\00:12:03.39
And, like, that's the first
time I've seen him cry in, like,
00:12:03.42\00:12:05.75
a really long time.
00:12:05.79\00:12:07.62
>>John: I hate to
ask you this question,
00:12:07.66\00:12:09.42
but if the firetrucks had
somehow arrived an hour earlier,
00:12:09.46\00:12:12.56
might your house
still be standing?
00:12:12.59\00:12:14.36
>>Marc: It would be
standing, but I don't,
00:12:14.40\00:12:16.40
I don't hold that
against the firemen.
00:12:16.43\00:12:17.97
>>John: Oh, yeah, sure.
00:12:18.00\00:12:18.97
>>Marc: Yeah, this fire
was so large and so, uh,
00:12:19.00\00:12:21.37
out of control and so hot...
00:12:21.40\00:12:24.07
I think the key priority then
00:12:24.11\00:12:25.34
was saving lives and
making sure that they could save
00:12:25.37\00:12:29.04
as many people as they could.
00:12:29.08\00:12:30.75
>>John: You were
kind of the last--
00:12:30.78\00:12:32.51
>>Marc: The last, the last one.
00:12:32.55\00:12:34.48
Yeah.
00:12:34.52\00:12:35.52
And as we were
standing there watching,
00:12:35.55\00:12:37.72
the firetrucks arrived,
00:12:37.75\00:12:39.75
and that's part of the
reason why they survived
00:12:39.79\00:12:41.92
is three firetrucks arrived
on the street on the other side
00:12:41.96\00:12:45.59
and ended up, uh, able to save--
00:12:45.63\00:12:47.76
and the winds,
you know, cooperated,
00:12:47.83\00:12:49.26
but the firemen were able to
save, uh, those houses there,
00:12:49.30\00:12:52.90
which I'm grateful for.
00:12:52.93\00:12:53.74
I'm happy that
they have their home.
00:12:53.77\00:12:57.21
¤[Ominous music]¤
00:12:57.24\00:13:04.65
>>Announcer 3: In Matthew
4:4, the Word of God says,
00:13:08.18\00:13:10.79
"It is Written,
00:13:10.82\00:13:11.62
'Man shall not
live by bread alone,
00:13:11.65\00:13:13.92
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:13:13.96\00:13:17.76
"Every Word" is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:13:17.79\00:13:20.90
presented by
Pastor John Bradshaw
00:13:20.93\00:13:23.03
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:13:23.06\00:13:26.07
Look for "Every
Word" on selected networks,
00:13:26.10\00:13:28.97
or watch it online
every day on our website,
00:13:29.00\00:13:31.27
itiswritten.com.
00:13:31.31\00:13:33.31
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:13:33.34\00:13:35.54
Watch "Every Word."
You'll be glad you did.
00:13:35.58\00:13:38.68
>>John Bradshaw: I'm John
Bradshaw from It Is Written,
00:13:41.75\00:13:43.92
inviting you to
join me for "500,"
00:13:43.95\00:13:47.52
nine programs
produced by It Is Written,
00:13:47.56\00:13:49.82
taking you deep
into the Reformation.
00:13:49.86\00:13:52.99
This is the 500th anniversary
00:13:53.03\00:13:55.43
of the beginning
of the Reformation,
00:13:55.46\00:13:57.13
when Martin Luther
nailed his Ninety-Five Theses
00:13:57.17\00:13:59.63
to the door of the Castle
Church in Wittenburg, Germany.
00:13:59.67\00:14:02.50
We'll take you to Wittenberg,
00:14:02.54\00:14:04.04
and to Belgium, to
England, to Ireland,
00:14:04.07\00:14:07.21
to Rome, to the Vatican City,
00:14:07.24\00:14:09.38
and introduce you to the people
who created the Reformation,
00:14:09.41\00:14:12.45
who pushed the
Reformation forward.
00:14:12.48\00:14:14.35
We'll take you to
sites all throughout Europe
00:14:14.38\00:14:16.22
where the reformers
lived and, in some cases, died.
00:14:16.25\00:14:19.12
We'll bring you
back to the United States
00:14:19.15\00:14:20.79
and take you to a
little farm in upstate New York
00:14:20.82\00:14:23.69
and show you how God
spread the Reformation here.
00:14:23.73\00:14:26.70
Don't miss "500."
00:14:26.73\00:14:28.70
You can own the
"500" series on DVD.
00:14:28.73\00:14:31.77
Call us on 888-664-5573,
00:14:31.80\00:14:36.30
or visit us online
at itiswritten.shop.
00:14:36.34\00:14:40.84
¤[Soft sad music]¤
00:14:42.14\00:14:44.65
>>Catherine Hamilton: I'm
not sure what God is trying
00:14:44.68\00:14:46.18
to tell us, but I know
that God spoke in Santa Rosa.
00:14:46.21\00:14:50.62
>>Marc Selivanoff: You know,
even now there's times when
00:14:50.65\00:14:52.95
I'll be talking on my
phone, or at the end of the day,
00:14:52.99\00:14:55.32
and I'll just
start driving here,
00:14:55.36\00:14:57.99
and realize, wait a
second, what am I doing?
00:14:58.03\00:15:00.63
I don't live here;
[chuckles] I live over there.
00:15:00.66\00:15:02.93
And, uh, so, you
know, it's been a challenge,
00:15:02.96\00:15:06.13
and every day
there's new emotions and new,
00:15:06.17\00:15:08.67
uh, decisions and new
challenges that come up.
00:15:08.70\00:15:12.71
But, uh, you know,
we're confident that God
00:15:12.74\00:15:15.34
has not forgotten about us,
00:15:15.38\00:15:17.45
that He has provided for us,
00:15:17.48\00:15:19.01
and that He is walking
with us each step of the way.
00:15:19.05\00:15:22.38
>>Courtney Asker: I don't think
I ever, like, got angry at Him,
00:15:23.25\00:15:25.85
but I think I was just kind
of, almost let down, you know.
00:15:25.89\00:15:31.09
When we, when me and my mom
were driving down the hill, um,
00:15:31.13\00:15:35.03
so there's, like, a
little pond that's right there.
00:15:35.06\00:15:37.07
You can kind of see
it, like, a little lake.
00:15:37.10\00:15:38.67
>>John Bradshaw: Yeah.
00:15:38.70\00:15:39.77
>>Courtney: I remember,
like, she was just praying,
00:15:39.80\00:15:40.90
like, "Use that lake."
00:15:40.94\00:15:42.97
You know, just use that tiny
little thing just to shield,
00:15:43.00\00:15:45.44
like, our house.
00:15:45.47\00:15:47.21
And, like, I actually
thought that it would work.
00:15:47.24\00:15:51.38
You know, I
thought that He would,
00:15:51.41\00:15:53.01
like, actually protect, like,
all of our houses and stuff.
00:15:53.05\00:15:56.25
So I think, I just
felt like, you know,
00:15:56.28\00:15:58.42
kind of let down by Him a bit.
00:15:58.45\00:16:01.19
>>Alvin Hamilton: I, I felt
a heavy load of responsibility
00:16:01.22\00:16:06.83
that--why, God?
00:16:06.86\00:16:08.66
You picked me.
You picked our home.
00:16:08.70\00:16:11.27
You saved our family.
00:16:11.30\00:16:13.10
I just felt a heavy load.
00:16:13.13\00:16:14.40
Lord, I'm going to
have to do a lot more.
00:16:14.44\00:16:17.37
I'm going to have
to do a lot better
00:16:17.41\00:16:18.77
because this is just
incredible, you know.
00:16:18.81\00:16:21.81
And, you know, what happened
is this home next to us that,
00:16:21.84\00:16:26.45
that burned down was
one of the only homes
00:16:26.48\00:16:29.22
that people could
actually drive up and see
00:16:29.25\00:16:31.12
because the
military and the police
00:16:31.15\00:16:33.56
had blocked off so many areas.
00:16:33.59\00:16:35.36
So we had car after car
driving into our cul-de-sac.
00:16:35.39\00:16:39.06
Some people
stopped, and they would come,
00:16:39.09\00:16:41.16
and they would talk to us,
00:16:41.20\00:16:42.43
and we would tell them
what God had did for us.
00:16:42.46\00:16:44.70
People would
come in and go, like,
00:16:44.73\00:16:45.90
"Man, you guys were lucky."
00:16:45.93\00:16:47.24
You know, we weren't lucky.
00:16:47.27\00:16:48.80
God did this for
us. It was outrageous.
00:16:48.84\00:16:52.04
"Many are the
afflictions of the righteous,
00:16:52.07\00:16:55.28
but the Lord
delivereth him out of them all."
00:16:55.31\00:16:58.21
>>Catherine: So what I
learned from it is that
00:16:58.25\00:17:00.18
you can depend on
God's words like this.
00:17:00.22\00:17:02.68
It has ears, so it
hears when you pray.
00:17:02.72\00:17:05.32
It has hands, so it can
stop things from happening.
00:17:05.35\00:17:09.76
It has legs; it can actually
move and just do stuff for you.
00:17:09.79\00:17:14.83
So it is really
actually actively a life.
00:17:14.83\00:17:17.50
It does stuff.
00:17:17.53\00:17:19.00
>>Alvin: "O taste and
see that the Lord is good:
00:17:19.03\00:17:22.97
blessed is the man
that trusteth in Him."
00:17:23.00\00:17:26.47
>>Catherine: So this
Word, in times of danger,
00:17:26.51\00:17:29.11
in the future, I know
that I can depend on it.
00:17:29.14\00:17:31.68
I know I can go to it. I
know I can tell it, ask it.
00:17:31.71\00:17:36.25
I know that it will hear.
00:17:36.28\00:17:37.72
It will see.
00:17:37.75\00:17:38.82
It has a mouth; it can speak.
00:17:38.85\00:17:40.96
It can say, "Wind,
time to turn around.
00:17:40.99\00:17:44.26
Don't touch that house."
00:17:44.29\00:17:46.09
And it actually obeys
and does stuff like that.
00:17:46.13\00:17:49.00
It is a miracle!
00:17:49.03\00:17:51.27
"He that dwelleth in the
secret place of the Most High
00:17:51.30\00:17:53.60
shall abide under the
shadow of the Almighty.
00:17:53.64\00:17:56.04
I will say of the Lord, He
is my refuge and my fortress:
00:17:56.07\00:17:59.57
my God; in Him will I trust.
00:17:59.61\00:18:01.81
Thou shalt not be
afraid for the terror by night;
00:18:01.84\00:18:04.45
nor for the arrow
that flieth by day;
00:18:04.48\00:18:06.82
nor for the pestilence
that walketh in darkness;
00:18:06.85\00:18:09.48
nor for the destruction
that wasteth at noonday."
00:18:09.52\00:18:13.39
>>John: So let me
ask you a question.
00:18:14.42\00:18:16.09
You're a
Christian. You're a believer.
00:18:16.12\00:18:18.36
You're in it with
God, boots and all.
00:18:18.39\00:18:22.56
Where was God in
the middle of this?
00:18:22.60\00:18:24.87
Your, your home
has been destroyed.
00:18:24.90\00:18:27.77
Your possessions
are being obliterated.
00:18:27.80\00:18:30.84
Not everything, the things
you hold most precious are safe.
00:18:30.87\00:18:33.71
>>Marc: Yes.
00:18:33.74\00:18:34.78
>>John: All this other
stuff, which is precious,
00:18:34.81\00:18:37.45
is going up in smoke literally.
00:18:37.48\00:18:39.11
>>Marc: Yeah.
00:18:39.15\00:18:40.08
>>John: And, and the
loss is astronomical.
00:18:40.12\00:18:41.78
Where is God?
00:18:41.82\00:18:42.85
>>Marc: You know,
that's a fair question,
00:18:42.88\00:18:44.32
and it's something that
I think you do wrestle with
00:18:44.35\00:18:47.42
because we know that
God could prevent this.
00:18:47.46\00:18:50.73
>>John: Sure.
00:18:50.76\00:18:51.79
>>Marc: And, you know,
it says in Scripture that
00:18:51.83\00:18:53.96
"before you
call, I will answer."
00:18:54.00\00:18:55.90
And in our case,
00:18:55.93\00:18:57.83
what gave me
hope and encouragement
00:18:57.87\00:19:00.24
and a confidence
that God was with us,
00:19:00.27\00:19:02.97
in spite of what
just happened to us,
00:19:03.00\00:19:05.61
was we had, uh, been,
uh, had acquired a property.
00:19:05.64\00:19:11.85
So we had picked
this up back in April.
00:19:11.88\00:19:14.62
And, uh, the plan was just
simply to fix it and flip it.
00:19:14.65\00:19:18.12
But we made a
decision around July
00:19:18.15\00:19:19.85
that maybe we
should keep it as a rental.
00:19:19.89\00:19:22.22
And that turned out to be
a very important decision.
00:19:22.26\00:19:26.26
And we were
literally two days away
00:19:26.29\00:19:28.73
from renting it
when the fire happened.
00:19:28.76\00:19:31.07
And so for us, the blessing
was that we had a place to go.
00:19:31.10\00:19:36.17
It had just been rehabbed.
No one had ever lived there.
00:19:36.20\00:19:38.77
And we were able to, at 2 in
the morning when we left here,
00:19:38.81\00:19:41.21
all in a panic, we
were able to go there
00:19:41.24\00:19:44.38
to a place of safety
and a place of quiet.
00:19:44.41\00:19:46.55
And so for me, when I
feel overwhelmed about that,
00:19:46.58\00:19:49.45
I, I know without a doubt that
God had prepared a place for us,
00:19:49.48\00:19:53.96
and that He was
watching out for us,
00:19:53.99\00:19:56.46
and that we would be okay.
00:19:56.49\00:19:58.76
>>Courtney: Before the
fires when I was meeting
00:19:58.79\00:20:00.60
with my youth pastor, um,
when I told her that I was,
00:20:00.63\00:20:04.53
like, "Okay, I'm
ready; like, I want to do it.
00:20:04.57\00:20:06.84
I want to get baptized."
00:20:06.87\00:20:07.90
It was about a week and
a half before the fires,
00:20:07.94\00:20:10.37
and that's when she had told me.
00:20:10.41\00:20:12.37
And she had said that Satan
is pretty much going to test me.
00:20:12.41\00:20:17.98
She said, "It
doesn't happen to everyone
00:20:18.01\00:20:20.22
who's going to get baptized,
but I have had situations where,
00:20:20.25\00:20:24.49
you know, I've had kids who
have had stuff happen to them
00:20:24.52\00:20:27.79
right before they get baptized,
00:20:27.82\00:20:29.66
and that makes them lose a
little bit of faith in God,
00:20:29.69\00:20:32.89
or not trust Him, or, you know,
get angry at Him or whatever."
00:20:32.93\00:20:37.30
And so she said, you
know, "Just be aware."
00:20:37.33\00:20:40.40
Like, there's probably
going to be something happen.
00:20:40.44\00:20:42.64
And then a week
and a half later,
00:20:42.67\00:20:43.87
that's when the fires happened.
00:20:43.91\00:20:46.07
>>John: So you weren't
tempted just to give up on God?
00:20:46.11\00:20:48.18
>>Courtney: Umh-umm.
00:20:48.21\00:20:50.15
>>John: Good for you.
00:20:50.18\00:20:51.81
You know, it really
does make you wonder.
00:20:58.05\00:21:01.69
If you've not been
through a loss like this--
00:21:01.72\00:21:05.63
the vast
majority of us have not--
00:21:05.66\00:21:09.63
it's kind of
hard to put yourself
00:21:09.66\00:21:11.30
into somebody else's shoes.
00:21:11.33\00:21:12.67
What must it be
like to go through?
00:21:12.70\00:21:15.94
Well, of course, while not
everybody has had their home
00:21:15.97\00:21:19.77
burn or been through Hurricane
Irma or some such thing,
00:21:19.81\00:21:25.25
we all suffer
loss on some level.
00:21:25.28\00:21:29.85
And it tends to
shake our faith somehow.
00:21:29.88\00:21:34.76
Sometimes it's a seismic shake,
sometimes a little, small shake.
00:21:34.79\00:21:40.63
But that question
comes to you: Where was God?
00:21:40.66\00:21:45.07
Where was God when my
child got desperately ill?
00:21:45.10\00:21:49.17
Where was God when my
spouse...ruined the marriage?
00:21:49.20\00:21:55.28
Where was God
when the fire burned?
00:21:55.31\00:21:58.15
You know.
00:21:58.18\00:21:59.25
Where was God?
00:21:59.28\00:22:01.85
The place you find
answers to that sort of question
00:22:01.88\00:22:04.79
is the Bible,
00:22:04.82\00:22:05.89
the only reliable place
that you can find an answer.
00:22:05.92\00:22:09.06
So let me read to you
from 2 Corinthians chapter 4,
00:22:09.09\00:22:13.83
from verse 16.
00:22:13.86\00:22:15.40
Here's what the Bible says:
00:22:15.43\00:22:18.07
"Therefore we do not lose heart.
00:22:18.10\00:22:20.40
Even though our
outward man is perishing,
00:22:20.44\00:22:22.57
yet the inward man is
being renewed day by day.
00:22:22.60\00:22:26.81
For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment,
00:22:26.84\00:22:30.18
is working for us
a far more exceeding
00:22:30.21\00:22:32.55
and eternal weight of glory,
00:22:32.58\00:22:35.02
while we do not look not
at the things which are seen,
00:22:35.05\00:22:37.62
but at the things
which are not seen.
00:22:37.65\00:22:41.02
For the things which
are seen are temporary,
00:22:41.06\00:22:44.83
but the things which
are not seen are eternal."
00:22:44.86\00:22:49.06
So how about that?
00:22:49.10\00:22:50.07
The Bible talks about
our "light affliction."
00:22:50.10\00:22:52.87
Now, I don't want to
meet any of these householders
00:22:52.90\00:22:55.70
and tell them,
"You lost everything.
00:22:55.74\00:22:56.84
That's a 'light affliction.'"
00:22:56.87\00:22:58.51
But if you look
for God in the flames,
00:22:58.54\00:23:01.68
there's a chance you
might not be able to see Him.
00:23:01.71\00:23:03.68
But if you keep on looking,
God will come into view.
00:23:03.71\00:23:05.61
He'll come into focus.
00:23:05.65\00:23:07.05
If you're trying to
hear the voice of God
00:23:07.08\00:23:08.65
while the fire
engines are wailing,
00:23:08.68\00:23:10.89
it might be right
then you can't discern
00:23:10.92\00:23:12.55
the voice of God.
00:23:12.59\00:23:13.32
It may be that you can.
00:23:13.36\00:23:15.46
But if you hang in there,
God's leading will become clear.
00:23:15.49\00:23:18.59
And whatever you're
going through right now,
00:23:18.63\00:23:20.56
whatever you have
faced or will face,
00:23:20.60\00:23:22.70
you can know that God is
right there with you, too.
00:23:22.73\00:23:26.60
¤[Ominous music]¤
00:23:26.63\00:23:32.84
>>John: Now, here's a
question: Can God be trusted?
00:23:34.91\00:23:38.65
Either you've asked
that question yourself,
00:23:38.68\00:23:40.52
or you know somebody who has.
00:23:40.55\00:23:42.28
And I've got an answer for you.
00:23:42.32\00:23:44.15
I'd like you to
get today's free offer,
00:23:44.19\00:23:46.39
"Can God Be Trusted?"
00:23:46.42\00:23:48.49
To receive it,
call 800-253-3000,
00:23:48.52\00:23:51.96
write to the
address on your screen,
00:23:51.99\00:23:53.66
or visit us at iiwoffer.com.
00:23:53.70\00:23:57.23
Can God be trusted? I
have an answer for you.
00:23:57.27\00:24:00.04
800-253-3000,
00:24:00.07\00:24:01.97
or visit us at iiwoffer.com.
00:24:02.00\00:24:04.84
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:24:05.31\00:24:07.24
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:24:07.28\00:24:10.75
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:24:10.78\00:24:13.92
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:24:13.95\00:24:18.09
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:24:18.12\00:24:19.62
to the address on your screen,
00:24:19.65\00:24:21.02
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:24:21.06\00:24:24.79
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:24:24.83\00:24:27.76
Our number
again is 800-253-3000.
00:24:27.76\00:24:31.83
Or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
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>>John Bradshaw: The chainsaws
are whirring in the background.
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The construction--or
maybe the destruction--equipment
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is working behind us because
great tragedy has taken place.
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Real loss.
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Where was God?
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Let Jesus tell you.
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We're going to
settle it right now.
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Matthew chapter 28 and
the second part of verse 20.
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Jesus said, "...and
lo, I am with you always,
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even to the end of the age."
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And then Matthew wrote, "Amen."
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So that settles it.
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Where was God?
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He was with those
who were suffering.
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Where was God?
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He was with you in
your own personal hell.
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Where was God?
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He was walking beside you.
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You know what He was
doing? He was carrying you.
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Because it's the
grace of God that enables us
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to accomplish or do or
endure anything at all.
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If we look at circumstances,
our faith might be shaken.
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If you'll look
at the Word of God,
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look to the cross on
which Jesus died for you.
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If you look to God's promises,
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you will know, and
you will be certain.
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He never leaves you;
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He's always with
you, no matter what.
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And best of all,
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one day soon Jesus will
return and gather us together
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and take us home,
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to a land where
there'll be no loss, no death,
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no devastation, no disaster.
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We'll never
wonder, "Where was God?"
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For we will be there
in God's presence forever.
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You want to be there?
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I know you do.
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Let's pray together now.
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Father in heaven,
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we thank You for the
assurance that You are with us.
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You never abandon us.
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In our darkest
moments, You are there.
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In our struggles, You are there.
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In times of loss,
grief, despair, difficulty,
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You are there.
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And in times of
joy and celebration,
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in times of
gladness, You are there.
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Lord, we thank You today.
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Though we don't always
understand what You allow,
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we understand enough of
You to know that You are good,
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that You are God.
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We look forward to the
day when Jesus returns,
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and the sadnesses and
the sufferings of this earth
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will be gone forever.
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Let that day come soon.
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Friend, you want
to be ready then.
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You want to be ready now.
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Would you open your
heart to God now and say,
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"Lord, I want you to be my Lord.
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I want the God of
heaven to be my God.
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I want Jesus to be my Savior"?
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If that's your prayer,
pray it in your heart now.
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And, Lord, hear
the cry of our heart.
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We look forward
to seeing Jesus soon
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and spending eternity with You.
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We thank You for it.
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And we pray, and we trust,
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in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Thanks so much
for joining me today.
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I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
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Until then, remember:
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"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
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but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
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