Participants: Chris Holland
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201527A
|
00:01 IIW-2015-27 TAKING THE RISK - THE TURN
00:07 IIW-2015-27 TAKING THE RISK - THE TURN 00:12 IIW-2015-27 TAKING THE RISK - THE TURN 00:16 IIW-2015-27 TAKING THE RISK - THE TURN 00:20 IIW-2015-27 TAKING THE RISK - THE TURN 00:25 IIW-2015-27 TAKING THE RISK - THE TURN 00:29 IIW-2015-27 TAKING THE RISK - THE TURN 00:35 IIW-2015-27 TAKING THE RISK - THE TURN 00:40 IIW-2015-27 TAKING THE RISK - THE TURN 01:31 >>Announcer: It has stood the test of time. 01:34 God's book, The Bible 01:38 Still relevant in today's complex world 01:44 It Is Written 01:46 Sharing messages of hope around the world! 01:59 CHRIS: Dear friends, thank you so much for joining. I will tell you, we have been on such a 02:03 journey. We've been to Chile, to Peru, to Brazil, to Chile, to Costa Rica, and ending in 02:12 Canada. Now, if you're sitting there confused saying, "I have no idea what you're talking 02:16 about," I want to encourage you to go to itiswrittencanada.ca, and there you can watch the last 02:22 two programs where I have interviewed Pastor Manuel Donoso. Pastor Donoso has an 02:30 incredible story, and today we finish that journey. Pastor Donoso has also written a book, 02:37 his autobiography, A Risk Taker's Journey. At the end of the show, I'll tell you how you 02:42 can get your own copy of that book. Pastor Donoso, thank you so much for joining us once 02:47 again. PASTOR DONOSO: You're welcome, Chris. CHRIS: You know, Pastor Donoso, this has been a 02:52 phenomenal journey. A little confusing, because you're here, there, and everywhere. But the 02:56 overarching theme, the overarching importance of your journey is this: While you may 03:04 not have recognized it, God was doing specific things in your life to guide you along the way. 03:12 And where we left the last show is right here in Canada. You end up in Canada. Where do you end 03:20 up in Canada and what are you doing once you end up in Canada? PASTOR DONOSO: Well, as I said, 03:26 I met the Canadian consul in Costa Rica while I was planning to go to New Jersey. But they in 03:32 turn, they convinced me to come to Canada instead. And so I came to Ottawa planning to study 03:39 poultry. They told me there was a college here in Ottawa, but it turned out it was in the 03:46 outskirts and it wasn't really a college. So I ended up not studying what I wanted to, and 03:53 the reason I came to Canada. So I was here and got a job and eventually met my wife, a 04:02 Canadian, beautiful girl that I said in the book that looked like an angel. CHRIS: Okay. Now, 04:10 we need to hit a pause button, because the last we left your story, there was a woman 04:14 pursuing you who met you in the Amazon jungle. And it sounds even too good to be true, but a 04:21 woman who met you in the Amazon jungle who followed you down to Chile, but you weren't in Chile, 04:29 you were in Brazil, and then you end up in Canada. Now, is this the same. this is not the same 04:34 woman because you said your wife is Canadian. So this woman is, fade to the background. PASTOR 04:40 DONOSO: Yes. CHRIS: Now you meet a new lady. And this new lady eventually becomes your wife 04:45 here in Canada. PASTOR DONOSO: That's correct. CHRIS: And it was happily ever 04:50 after, marital bliss in your life. PASTOR DONOSO: I wish I could say that, but that was not 04:57 the case. We came from two different backgrounds and the marriage was soon in trouble. 05:05 And one of the reasons - and this is perhaps a good counsel - my dream was now go 05:12 back to Chile to start my poultry farm. We had the land, we had. I could have got the 05:17 money as well. And so we, after being married for four years, we went back to Chile with my wife, 05:24 and she loved it there. My parents got a nanny for the children. We had two children at 05:31 the time. And so at the end of the visit, I said, "So, you love Chile?" "Yeah, I love Chile." So 05:39 we are coming to live here." And she said, "No." I said, "No? Why not?" And she said, "It's not my 05:45 country." But that was the last straw in the marriage, because I was very resentful of the fact 05:53 that she was not even considering going back to Chile. CHRIS: I want to hit just a 06:00 little pause button now. Pastor Donoso, you came from a home that had been rocked by marital 06:07 issues. Did your parents stay married during their whole life? PASTOR DONOSO: Yeah, yeah, they 06:12 did. CHRIS: So your parents never divorced, but you've come from a home that has been quite 06:17 challenged in its marriage and parenting and all of this kind of stuff. Now, fast forward a 06:25 number of years. You're married, you're ready to live your dream to run a poultry farm in your 06:32 home country of Chile, and your wife says, not going to happen. PASTOR DONOSO: Not a way. 06:37 CHRIS: And you use the phrase "it was the straw that broke the camel's back." PASTOR 06:43 DONOSO: Yes. CHRIS: What do you mean by that? What happens? PASTOR DONOSO: I mean that 06:47 something. that our marriage was already in trouble, so that this was kind of the thing that 06:55 brought it to the precipice, I guess, because there was no dialogue. She was not willing to 07:02 discuss it. And so I withdrew and I became kind of living my dream in my own mind. It kind of 07:12 became an obsession that affected the marriage. And eventually, after. you know, I 07:19 was quite successful. I was in management by this time. I had a couple of businesses as well. 07:24 And so what happened is I began to live my life in my head, the dream, rather, in my head. And 07:36 eventually, my wife got tired of that and she. one day, she left. Even though we did not have many 07:44 fights or arguments, it was just distance. There was hardly any communication between us. So one 07:52 day, I came home from work and she had left me a note that she had left and taken the children. 07:57 CHRIS: I can only imagine that you were devastated by this, Pastor Donoso. PASTOR 08:03 DONOSO: Totally. CHRIS: And I'm sure we have viewers that are watching right now who have 08:08 experienced it, either as the children of divorced parents, or who are suffering from marital 08:14 challenges right now. Your wife left. You have a couple of options on what to do. So what 08:25 happens next in your life? PASTOR DONOSO: Well, one of the ironies of this is that, just 08:31 prior to my wife leaving, I had become a born-again believer through a co-worker that had led 08:40 me to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. And so when my wife left, I thought she was coming 08:49 back. I never expected that she would stay away. But then it dawned on me that she wasn't 08:54 coming back. So at that time, I was really puzzled with the idea of the breakup because I had 09:03 just become a born-again believer, and suddenly, now my marriage is broken. And so I 09:09 made a covenant with God, because I said, "I have no testimony." Now I was a divorced 09:17 man, or separated. "I have no testimony, because this happened after I have accepted Jesus into 09:25 my life." CHRIS: Right. PASTOR DONOSO: So I said, "I don't understand it, but I am going to 09:31 wait on You to put this marriage back together no matter what it takes, no matter what anybody 09:39 says, including my wife, no matter what happens, I will wait and I will believe that You will 09:44 put this marriage back together." CHRIS: So we talked in the first show that at a very 09:50 early age, you began talking with God. And now, as you have become a born-again believer, 09:56 you become a believer in Jesus Christ, you take Jesus at His word where Jesus says, "Without 10:03 Me, you can do nothing, but with Me, all things are possible." So you take Jesus at His literal 10:10 word, what the Bible says, what is written in God's Word, and you begin talking to God just as 10:16 you did as a youth, but now having a better understanding, and you say, "God, I believe 10:22 that I am not to give up on this marriage." You're separated at this point. What happens next? 10:29 PASTOR DONOSO: Well, the separation entered into the second year, and then one day I 10:38 remember - and I was believing that God was going to put this marriage back together - when I 10:44 was at work and one day, somebody appeared and asked for me, asked for the manager, and 10:51 they brought him to me, and he handed me an envelope, and the envelope contained the divorce 10:57 papers. And to me, that was. it really shook my faith for a little time, because I had been 11:07 never expecting that. But very shortly after that, my strength was strengthened, and I kept on 11:14 believing that. And, well, six years later. of the total separation. Since the time my 11:23 wife had left, six years passed by. And then we remarried. CHRIS: Okay. Now, there's a lot 11:31 of time in that six years, and we need to revisit that. I want to go back, though. Your divorce 11:37 papers come, and you actually get divorced? PASTOR DONOSO: Yes. CHRIS: And you talk 11:44 about the devastation it was, even in your faith journey. Something that I think is very 11:49 important, oftentimes, we see preachers on TV that talk about Christianity in the context of, 11:57 you accept Jesus, and then you seemingly will walk inches above the ground, and life will be 12:05 glorious, life will be prosperous, and you won't have any worries, and everything will 12:12 work out. But in your experience, though, you accept Jesus to the best of your 12:19 ability, you're following His ways being obedient to Him, having covenanted with Him that 12:26 you are not going to turn away; you are going to wait on Him to work out this marriage. And 12:32 instead, the divorce papers come. The divorce becomes final. When you were praying, Pastor 12:40 Donoso, at those times, were your prayers very sugar-coated, pretty prayers? Or were you 12:48 asking questions of God? Were you talking to God about how you were confused? Talk to me 12:53 briefly about that. Because I want our viewer to really kind of understand where you were in 12:58 your faith. PASTOR DONOSO: See, one of the things that I knew is that God hated divorce. I knew 13:03 from His Word. And so one of. I knew that it was pleasing to God to put this marriage back 13:11 together. But it was mainly because of the years of struggle in the marriage, I cannot say 13:20 that we were totally in love. We were not. So it wasn't that the motivation for me to hold on. 13:26 But it was truly - and God is my witness to that - that I said, "Because this happened after I 13:34 became a born-again believer, I don't accept that. I don't accept that this doesn't have a 13:40 happy ending, because God permitted this to happen." And so that's what I hold onto, I 13:48 held to, during that time, in believing. And God, one of the things that God told me over and 13:55 over and over again was to trust Him. He never actually said to me, that I could understand, 14:02 that, "I'm putting this marriage back together." But He just said, "Trust Me. Trust Me." And 14:09 sometimes, I got quite tired of that word "trusting" because I used to put dates on when I 14:17 thought that we would get back together. And it was. for those that will read the book, 14:24 purchase the book, they will see that there was tremendous experiences and struggles and 14:30 victories during that period of six years of waiting. CHRIS: So you make a decision to trust the 14:39 Lord, to trust Him with all your heart, and wait upon Him, which I'm sure was a difficult thing, 14:46 probably at times a frustrating thing, but you make this decision to trust. "I'm going to 14:53 trust You, Lord, no matter what happens." Your divorce is final. Now, we already know the end to 14:57 the story. But how do you eventually get remarried? What is the connection that begins to 15:06 draw the two of you back together? PASTOR DONOSO: One of the things that people have read 15:11 the book in many countries have sent me word of what ministered to them. Many of them have 15:19 mentioned the counsel that I give them on prayer. And it's basically for five years, I 15:25 began to pray that God will change my wife, will change her heart, because I believe that 15:33 she was the one who left me, so God needed to make a change in her. But the more I prayed this 15:43 way, the farther away we got, until one day I went to. I got serious with God and I said, 15:49 "God, you need to do something and change my wife, change her heart, take away this," and so 15:55 on and so forth. And God spoke to me very, very forcefully to basically say, "Shut up. I have 16:04 not listened to you all these years, you complaining about your wife, and I will never 16:08 listen to that. Why don't you begin to pray blessings upon your wife instead of asking Me 16:15 to change her and this and that?" And I finally got this revelation that it is Satan the 16:26 one that accuses us before God. And so as Christians, very often, what we call prayer is 16:34 nothing more than an accusation against the person that we are praying for. And I have many 16:40 testimonies of people that have embraced this form of prayer. And so I began to pray that way. 16:47 CHRIS: So you have this dialogue with God. You're praying saying, "Lord, change my wife, change my 16:55 wife, change my wife." The Lord intervenes and says, "Manuel, I'm going to talk to you in a 17:02 very serious way. You need to stop praying for your wife to change and you need to pray 17:07 about me changing you." PASTOR DONOSO: Exactly. CHRIS: You know, I was looking up the text 17:12 while you were talking, Proverbs 3:5. 17:23 CHRIS: So God speaks to you in a mighty way. You begin now praying in a very different way. 17:28 You begin to pray about God changing your life. The promise of the Scripture is that He will 17:34 then guide and direct you in His path. So what begins to happen as you begin praying for God to 17:42 change you and not to change your wife? PASTOR DONOSO: The first thing that I noticed, very 17:48 shortly after I started praying this way, is to see my wife for the first time as an individual, 17:53 not necessarily my property, my wife. But I began to see that she had dreams and aspirations 18:02 of her own. And I began to long to help her to accomplish her dreams and be happy. And God did 18:13 such a work in my heart to the point that I actually told God, "I know that You can put this 18:18 marriage back together. But if I am not the person that is going to make my wife - my ex-wife, at 18:25 this time - happy, I pray that You put somebody else in her path to make her happy." And. 18:32 but God said, "No, you are the man." And immediately, almost immediately - so the people that 18:39 will read the book will see the testimony - how quickly this form of prayer works, because 18:46 almost immediately, we began to warm up toward each other. And my wife had managed the children 18:54 for six years - for five years at that time - perfectly. Now something. the energy went out 19:02 of her and she couldn't handle it anymore and she began to pray, "Lord, I cannot do it 19:09 alone. I cannot do it alone." CHRIS: So you have this renewed relationship that comes 19:14 together. You begin talking to one another again. You begin reconciling. All the while, 19:22 though, God begins working on your heart in your relationship with Him. Tell me what happens. 19:29 You and your wife begin to attend church together. Talk to me about that. What happens 19:34 there? PASTOR DONOSO: Well, I had many experiences that God led me to a particular 19:44 denomination. I was born in the Catholic Church and I attended the Catholic Church for many 19:53 years together with my wife. Then God led me into another denomination and I actually was 19:55 baptized by immersion there. And an experience happened there that it was very obvious. The 20:02 pastor was claiming that God was asking to do something, and my spirit was telling me that it 20:07 wasn't so. And so that. I began to pray. I actually went to the altar at that particular church 20:17 and asked the elders to pray for me. And when they asked me what I wanted to pray for, I said, "I 20:23 want to know the truth." And he prayed for the truth, and that was the last time I attended 20:28 that church, because on the Monday, I received a book that the title of the book was Which 20:35 One is the Christian Sabbath: Saturday or Sunday? And I read that book and I was immediately 20:43 convicted, began to attend the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I passed on this knowledge to my 20:52 wife - my ex-wife, at that time - and actually, after much struggle, she began to attend 20:59 the Adventist Church with me. And we were baptized while we were still divorced in 1989, and 21:07 then God called me to the ministry after that. CHRIS: 1989, you're baptized 21:12 together. PASTOR DONOSO: Together. CHRIS: The following year is when you're 21:17 married, remarried? PASTOR DONOSO: Yeah, we remarried shortly after the baptism. 21:21 CHRIS: And then God calls you into the ministry to share this amazing and powerful story, and 21:30 you've been in the ministry for 25 years, sharing this story. In our last few minutes here 21:38 together, Pastor Donoso, just briefly outline - a person who's struggling at home today - how 21:46 can they start praying to see God answer their prayers? PASTOR DONOSO: I think God doesn't 21:53 require complicated and sophisticated prayers. It's simply taking God at His Word 21:58 and listen to what He has to say in return, because we are not very good at listening to what 22:04 God has to say. And God, during those six years, He transformed my life totally. So if you asked 22:11 my wife today, "Why did you marry the same man twice?" she will tell you, "No, I only 22:17 married a different person the second time." CHRIS: Pastor Donoso, what a powerful, 22:25 powerful testimony. You know, friend, we see God move in miraculous ways. Pastor Donoso 22:33 outlined a very simple process by which you can access God, and that is to take Him at His Word, 22:40 to talk to Him, and He will listen and He will answer. Pastor Donoso, let's close our 22:49 time together with prayer, and I would ask that you please pray for us and pray for our viewers 22:55 today. PASTOR DONOSO: Yes. Father in Heaven, first of all, I want to thank you for the 23:00 opportunity that You have given me to share what You have done in my life. To You be the honour 23:06 and the glory and the praise. And now, Father, I pray for anyone that is viewing this 23:11 telecast today that is just struggling perhaps in a relationship, in a marriage 23:15 relationship. It may be even divorce right now. Don't give up because God is still on the 23:21 throne. Just listen to His voice and do what He asks you to do. Sometimes it's not easy. But He 23:28 will give us the strength, the wisdom, the power, to carry out His will in our lives. He wants 23:35 to do amazing things for us. And Lord, today, we thank you because You are doing marvelous 23:41 things through this ministry of It Is Written. Continue to bless them so that they reach out to 23:46 many souls that are hungering for the Word of God and for the love of God, is my prayer, in 23:53 Jesus' name, amen. 24:30 >>Bev: Hi everyone The NEWSTART acronym coined by Weimar Institute, a wellness centre 24:39 located in California. In today's segment, we're focusing on N for Nutrition. A healthy 24:47 lifestyle starts with good nutrition and, when we talk about how to eat well, we like 24:51 to break it all down into the three main components of carbohydrates, fats, and 24:56 proteins. We need all three for a balanced and healthy diet Now, when you hear me talking 25:01 about diet, I'm not referring to dieting (I don't believe in dieting!) but, rather, your 25:07 overall every-day eating pattern. Well, let's start with carbohydrates, or "carbs" for 25:12 short. Over the past several years, we've been hearing a lot about high-protein, 25:17 low-carbohydrate diets. Well, I'm glad that that particular craze is over, because your body 25:23 absolutely, positively needs carbohydrates to function. In fact, carbs are your body's 25:28 preferred fuel for optimal performance, so it's really important that you eat enough 25:34 carbs each and every day. Now, I'm talking about the good carbs! Things like delicious 25:39 whole-grain breads and whole-grain pastas; tasty brown or wild rice, and other whole 25:45 grain cereals like oats, millet, rye - have you heard of quinoa and amaranth?; then there are 25:51 succulent, juicy fruits - my favourites are mangos, golden kiwis, and cherries; and then 25:57 scrumptious vegetables - I love zucchini, eggplant, and sweet yams. And if you haven't 26:03 tried whole wheat pasta as yet, you really must! It's so delicious! The best thing for 26:08 us is to stay away from the more processed foods - you know, those convenience foods in the 26:15 crinkly bags and the enticing-looking boxes. Sure, they might save us time when 26:20 we're cooking or snacking, but those foods are full of salt, sugars, fats and chemical 26:25 preservatives. Things that our bodies really don't need. What are bodies do need, though, are 26:30 the vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals that are found readily in plant 26:37 foods. Now, when it comes to fats, a little goes a long way, and there are some fats that are 26:43 healthier than others. When the fat comes from natural plant sources such as avocadoes, nuts, 26:48 seeds, and olives, those are healthy choices. When it comes to protein, if you're looking 26:54 for optimal health, you'll want to include more plant-based protein sources rather than 26:59 animal-based sources. Studies show that the healthiest diet is one that is high in 27:04 carbohydrates, low in fat and moderate in protein. And, I find it interesting - and wonderful - 27:11 that most of the major health organizations are now encouraging people to include 27:18 more plant-based foods in their every-day eating. Here are some easy, delicious ways of 27:22 incorporating plant-based proteins into your diet: Purchase a good vegetarian 27:28 cookbook - there are lots of them in your local book store. Toss some beans into your 27:34 salads, rice and pasta dishes - delicious ones to try are chick peas or garbanzo beans, kidney 27:41 beans, black beans. Beans are a powerhouse of good protein. Adapt your favourite meat-based 27:48 recipe by using soy products, gluten. Shake it up - blend some soft tofu with fruits and one of 27:56 the delicious soy, rice or almond milks - delicious! If you want additional information on 28:02 healthy eating, visit the Physicians Committee for responsible medicine at 28:06 www.pcrm.org, and you'll find links to lots of great resources. See you next time! 28:20 CHRIS: Dear friends, we only heard a few key moments in the story of Pastor Donoso. If you 28:25 want to hear more, I want to encourage you to get his book. We're offering that book today 28:30 to you for any size donation. In addition to that, for free, we'll offer you a DVD of the 28:36 three programs that we did together. Here's the information you need to receive today's 28:41 offer. 29:32 CHRIS: Pastor Donoso, thank you so much for being with us today. PASTOR DONOSO: It was a 29:35 privilege, Chris. CHRIS: Dear friend, what an amazing journey. If you'd like a link to Pastor 29:41 Donoso's website, you can go to the itiswrittencanada.ca web page and find it there. Please 29:48 join us again next week. Until then, remember it is written: "Man shall not live by bread 29:54 alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 30:01 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ |
Revised 2016-04-14