[theme music playing]
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¤¤
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[energetic music playing]
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¤¤
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>> Welcome to It Is Written
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Canada.
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Thank you for joining us.
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What is everything you ever
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prayed for was finally within
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your grasp?
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The glamour, the fame, the
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fortune, the dream that you
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worked so hard to achieve,
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it was now yours for the taking.
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However, as the spotlight grew
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brighter, the shadows around you
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deepened.
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Would you be able to hold on to
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your faith while standing on the
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stage of worldly recognition?
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>> Today we're honoured to
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introduce a truly remarkable
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guest whose story is a testament
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to the power of faith
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amidst life's most extraordinary
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opportunities.
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Joey Aguilar's incredible
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musical talent propelled him
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into the limelight at
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a young age.
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>> A gifted composer, writer,
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and performer, Joey's passion
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for music was undeniable.
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His dedication and skill set him
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apart, earning him a coveted
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record contract with a major
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music producer in Beverly Hills,
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California.
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>> But what happens when the
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dream you've worked so hard
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to achieve collides with
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challenges that test not just
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your talent, but your values,
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faith, and identity.
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Joey's journey takes us beyond
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the glitz and glamour, revealing
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the deeper struggles of
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navigating success while staying
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true to your divine calling.
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>> Please join us in welcoming
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Joey Aguilar as he shares
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a powerful testimony of faith,
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courage, and the choices
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that shape a life
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devoted to our
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faithful Heavenly Father.
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[humming while playing piano]
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[JOEY] I'm Joey Aguilar
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and I'm originally from
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British Columbia.
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I'm married to Esther Aguilar
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and my- I have two kids,
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Sophia Emma and
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Owen Gibson.
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¤ More than I could fathom ¤
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¤ or comprehend ¤
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[JOEY] So I lived in
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Vancouver Island in Victoria.
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And when in grade five, my
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family moved to Loma Linda, we
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had family in Loma Linda, my
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had family in Loma Linda, my
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passion for music, I guess, has
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always been there.
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I would do special musics...
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...when I was young in
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Loma Linda, Filipino church,
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youth choirs...
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My cousins and a lot of
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the youth were always
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in bands, I guess.
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So we would have all these
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different musical groups.
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So I attended Loma Linda
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Elementary and then junior high
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and the Academy, and then I left
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halfway through the school year
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and went to Orangewood Academy
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and there- Orangewood Academy
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is a smaller school
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so it actually gave me
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more of an opportunity to
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take up some leadership.
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I was assigned
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to do music in their chapels,
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and then I was able to use my
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composing skills.
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Being given the platform in
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Being given the platform in
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these youth programs to be able
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to demonstrate my music and
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play these songs
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and everything.
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I can't say that I
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had a strong
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spiritual relationship
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back then, but I was
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kept in the church
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through those relationships.
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¤ Praise God from whom ¤
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¤ all blessings flow ¤
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[JOEY] I went to La Sierra
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University and I was in the
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music program there and
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joined the La Sierra University
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Chamber Singers, the vocal
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octet, and I was able to
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join a guys group, just a few of
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my friends, just on the side.
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And we called ourselves
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And we called ourselves
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"Christians by Faith,"
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CBF for short.
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And we would sing at, you know,
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the local churches in the
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Glendale, LA, Loma Linda area.
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And the...
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...school even would use us as
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one of their promotional groups.
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And we would go to camp meetings
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and youth events and sing there.
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Well, our group started to
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get into secular...
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...venues and secular community
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events and everything.
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[rock music playing]
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[JOEY] And we...
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[JOEY] And we...
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...would start- started opening
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for Filipino artists, well-known
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celebrities and all that.
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[contemplative music]
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[JOEY] We got a manager,
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who then in turn
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who then in turn
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got us into more
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of the entertainment.
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So the more we were
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in the spotlight and
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it was great, it was
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empowering.
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One of the...
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...producers for the biggest...
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...film and music industries
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in the Philippines and...
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...so he came over to
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the Beverly Hills area
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in one of the suites and
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told our manager, "Hey, okay,
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I wanna hear them.
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Come to my, you know, hotel
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suite at this time."
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So we went there and
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he was there, you know,
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in the dining room and we,
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you know, we stood there and he
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said, "Okay, let me hear you."
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So we sang
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for him a couple of songs.
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And he said, "Okay.
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I can give you a
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five record deal.
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And- but the first thing that
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we're gonna have to do, we're
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gonna have to make some changes.
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First thing we're gonna have to
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do is we have to change your
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name because, you know,
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I have to be honest,
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this is a...
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...primarily a business.
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And if- I can't sell the name...
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...”Christians by Faith,”
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you know, anything that says
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anything Christian or the name
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of Jesus in unorthodox
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countries, I can't sell.
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So we're gonna have to change
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your name, and we're gonna have
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to change your image."
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And...
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...you know, so we looked at
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each other like, okay...
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Then he said, you know, "Maybe
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after the third album...
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...we'll see, but you can...
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...probably do a Christian
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values song,
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but still not be Christian and
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not mention Jesus or anything
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of the faith."
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Our image idea of,
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you know, the boy band era, it
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was back then during the boy
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band, that we would have more of
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a bad boy kind of an image.
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And...
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...if any of us had girlfriends
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that our private lives had to be
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even more private and we
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couldn't, you know, let the
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public know that we had
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girlfriends, you know,
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so we had to appear available
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for our fans.
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So we said thank you and
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we left there and he-
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I had an assignment to
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write some, try and write some
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Top 40 songs.
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And...
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...we also had a huge decision
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to make.
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We went back and we
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met together, our group,
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and some of us,
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you know, we were- this is
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where you could really see the
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divide in our group and some of
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us were like, "I don't know..."
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You know, and then
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some of us were like, "Yeah,"
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you know, "let's do it.
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This is an opportunity
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of a lifetime.
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Let's do this."
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And then and the discussion came
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and we're like, "Yeah, but
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where will we be?
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Like, who will we be
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after three albums?
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Who will we become?
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Who will we be after
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five albums?"
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And it actually
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caused tension in our group.
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It got to a point where
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actually had a physical fight...
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...and then it took some of our,
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my- the guys in our group had to
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pull us back and to sadly say
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was me, that's why it's hitting.
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And I fought with one of them.
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All of this because, you know,
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we realize, wait,
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what are we doing?
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The reason why it's really
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hitting me is because these were
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my brothers.
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[afflicted music]
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And we were very close.
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And...
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...I'm happy to say that they
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are still close
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through all of this
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even still now.
00:10:08.74\00:10:09.94
But back then, it was hard.
00:10:10.81\00:10:13.31
It was hard
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to have that
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with them.
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And it was intense.
00:10:20.25\00:10:21.28
It was...
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...you know, it made me realize,
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wait, I'm fighting my brothers
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here, you know.
00:10:25.82\00:10:27.26
And it was almost like-
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because that tension, it was
00:10:29.29\00:10:31.36
like, "This is the moment,
00:10:31.36\00:10:32.99
this is our opportunity that's
00:10:32.99\00:10:35.33
being presented to us to go-
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to become famous, you know,
00:10:37.30\00:10:39.80
to go that route.
00:10:39.80\00:10:41.24
And you guys are doubting that
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right now."
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Like...
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...that's what was going through
00:10:48.34\00:10:50.31
the mind.
00:10:50.31\00:10:51.98
And when we had that...
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...tension and that fight,
00:10:57.72\00:10:59.62
my friends pulled us apart.
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And I said, "What do you-"
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They said, "What are you doing?
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You guys are brothers."
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And I- that's when I realized,
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"Wow, what are we doing?
00:11:11.10\00:11:13.57
What have we already become?
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[laughs]
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And we haven't even started."
00:11:17.31\00:11:19.37
So then we sat down...
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...and we thought to ourselves,
00:11:25.05\00:11:27.05
we need to get back
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to who we are and...
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...where did this group start?
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Why did this group start?
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And we...
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...realized that it started
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in the church.
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Our group started in the church.
00:11:43.93\00:11:45.37
We have- our name is
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Christians by Faith.
00:11:46.84\00:11:48.44
And so we sat down
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together and we prayed.
00:11:52.31\00:11:54.31
You know, music, especially
00:11:54.31\00:11:55.88
contemporary music back then,
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wasn't, like, too accepted
00:11:57.45\00:12:00.18
in the church yet.
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And being in that
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youth group or that friend group
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was all about music.
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Yeah, it really hurt.
00:12:10.03\00:12:11.83
And...
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...I could count
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how many friends I had left
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in the church.
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So, yeah, it hurt.
00:12:21.04\00:12:22.47
So then we
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got together, we prayed,
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and then we decided as a group
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that we weren't going to
00:12:31.78\00:12:33.28
accept the...
00:12:33.28\00:12:34.38
...the contract.
00:12:36.25\00:12:37.52
>> He was really excited
00:12:38.65\00:12:39.85
about it.
00:12:39.85\00:12:40.89
It was a really
00:12:40.89\00:12:42.92
great chance for him
00:12:42.92\00:12:44.93
to use his talents.
00:12:44.93\00:12:47.50
But there was something just
00:12:47.50\00:12:48.73
a little bit off about it.
00:12:48.73\00:12:51.10
He would always come back and
00:12:51.10\00:12:52.30
ask, you know, "What do you
00:12:52.30\00:12:53.44
think about this?"
00:12:53.44\00:12:54.57
They were asking the guys to
00:12:54.57\00:12:56.91
change their images, and he
00:12:56.91\00:12:58.74
couldn't say that he was married
00:12:58.74\00:13:01.14
and they wanted them to change
00:13:01.14\00:13:02.84
their name.
00:13:02.84\00:13:03.88
And it was a little bit odd,
00:13:03.88\00:13:06.08
but still, what a great
00:13:06.08\00:13:07.32
opportunity...
00:13:07.32\00:13:08.38
...to use his talents.
00:13:09.52\00:13:11.42
We would pray about it
00:13:11.42\00:13:12.75
and there was just something
00:13:12.75\00:13:13.99
a little bit odd.
00:13:13.99\00:13:16.39
And then it just so happened
00:13:16.39\00:13:18.53
that I had a medical
00:13:18.53\00:13:21.20
condition that I had to actually
00:13:21.20\00:13:22.56
go back to Canada.
00:13:22.56\00:13:23.90
I have to say that it was a big
00:13:23.90\00:13:25.73
sacrifice on his part, because
00:13:25.73\00:13:28.37
I always wondered what would
00:13:28.37\00:13:29.90
happen here in Vancouver if
00:13:29.90\00:13:32.74
there weren't the same
00:13:32.74\00:13:34.18
opportunities.
00:13:34.18\00:13:35.48
[melancholy music]
00:13:35.48\00:13:38.48
¤¤
00:13:38.48\00:13:41.12
[JOEY] So coming back to
00:13:41.12\00:13:42.22
Vancouver,
00:13:42.22\00:13:43.95
my wife had to get
00:13:43.95\00:13:45.39
BC certified, and so she went
00:13:45.39\00:13:47.19
back to school.
00:13:47.19\00:13:48.39
And then
00:13:49.72\00:13:51.33
I was trying to find
00:13:51.33\00:13:52.79
where I fit in here.
00:13:52.79\00:13:54.56
All during this time, when we
00:13:54.56\00:13:55.93
were trying to find ourselves,
00:13:55.93\00:13:57.40
we went to Filipino church and
00:13:57.40\00:13:59.47
we would go, you know, checking
00:13:59.47\00:14:01.44
out different churches around
00:14:01.44\00:14:03.04
Vancouver.
00:14:03.04\00:14:04.57
And then I was invited to
00:14:04.57\00:14:06.88
Vancouver Central Church,
00:14:06.88\00:14:08.51
to this church...
00:14:08.51\00:14:09.71
...to do special music.
00:14:10.98\00:14:11.95
...to do special music.
00:14:11.95\00:14:13.05
And so I came and I sang
00:14:13.88\00:14:16.05
in this stage for special music.
00:14:16.05\00:14:18.99
And it actually
00:14:19.55\00:14:21.76
took me by surprise because...
00:14:21.76\00:14:24.23
...when I sang, it was
00:14:25.46\00:14:26.96
dead silent.
00:14:26.96\00:14:28.40
And then I was about to leave
00:14:28.40\00:14:31.37
because I was gonna go back to
00:14:31.37\00:14:32.57
the Filipino church and the
00:14:32.57\00:14:34.60
pastor at that time,
00:14:34.60\00:14:36.47
Pastor Don Kim, chased us
00:14:36.47\00:14:39.47
into the lobby area
00:14:39.47\00:14:41.68
and he said, "Hey," you
00:14:41.68\00:14:43.24
know, like, "would you consider
00:14:43.24\00:14:45.71
being the worship leader...
00:14:45.71\00:14:47.98
...in this church?"
00:14:49.95\00:14:51.39
And I'm like, "Oh, okay."
00:14:51.39\00:14:53.05
I was like, my first thought
00:14:53.89\00:14:55.36
was, "What's a worship leader?"
00:14:55.36\00:14:57.29
[laughs]
00:14:57.29\00:14:58.59
I didn't know because I guess
00:14:58.59\00:15:00.76
back in that time, the worship
00:15:00.76\00:15:02.80
movement was still, was...
00:15:02.80\00:15:04.63
...just evolving.
00:15:05.63\00:15:07.14
And so I was like, "Oh, sure.
00:15:08.97\00:15:11.24
Let me consider it."
00:15:11.24\00:15:13.01
My wife had an appointment,
00:15:13.01\00:15:14.34
a prenatal appointment
00:15:14.34\00:15:15.51
that same week, and so we went.
00:15:15.51\00:15:17.81
And we entered the...
00:15:17.81\00:15:20.62
...waiting area.
00:15:21.52\00:15:23.02
And mind you,
00:15:23.02\00:15:24.89
I have never, ever
00:15:24.89\00:15:27.06
met Pastor Don Kim.
00:15:27.06\00:15:29.86
But who do you think
00:15:29.86\00:15:31.76
was in that waiting room when we
00:15:31.76\00:15:33.63
went in there?
00:15:33.63\00:15:35.23
Pastor Don Kim.
00:15:35.23\00:15:36.53
[laughs]
00:15:36.53\00:15:37.87
And so like, "Oh, hi, Pastor
00:15:37.87\00:15:39.37
Don Kim!"
00:15:39.37\00:15:40.47
Maybe a day or two
00:15:40.47\00:15:42.14
after that,
00:15:42.14\00:15:43.67
went to Safeway, did our
00:15:43.67\00:15:45.01
groceries.
00:15:45.01\00:15:46.27
Again, Pastor Don Kim.
00:15:46.27\00:15:48.21
We're like,
00:15:48.21\00:15:49.31
"Hi, Pastor Don Kim!"
00:15:49.31\00:15:50.85
[laughs]
00:15:50.85\00:15:52.31
And my wife and I said...
00:15:52.31\00:15:54.05
"...If this is not a sign,
00:15:55.38\00:15:57.45
this has never happened before.
00:15:57.45\00:15:59.55
And so if this is not a sign
00:15:59.55\00:16:01.62
from God, then I don't know
00:16:01.62\00:16:03.26
what is."
00:16:03.26\00:16:04.26
So we called Pastor Kim and we
00:16:04.26\00:16:05.76
said okay.
00:16:05.76\00:16:06.86
¤ Praise God from whom ¤
00:16:07.93\00:16:12.07
¤ all blessings flow ¤
00:16:12.07\00:16:18.11
[JOEY] Eventually I realized
00:16:18.11\00:16:19.77
that worship was more
00:16:19.77\00:16:22.31
than the songs you sing,
00:16:22.31\00:16:24.61
more than the words you hear,
00:16:24.61\00:16:26.75
more than a sermon.
00:16:26.75\00:16:28.48
Worship is life
00:16:28.48\00:16:30.32
because God first loved us,
00:16:30.32\00:16:32.79
right, so He's always been there
00:16:32.79\00:16:34.89
from the beginning.
00:16:34.89\00:16:36.32
And it's a
00:16:36.32\00:16:38.16
reaction of our lives,
00:16:38.16\00:16:40.96
a reaction to Him
00:16:40.96\00:16:43.00
first loving us and being there.
00:16:43.00\00:16:45.00
And so we bring that as a
00:16:45.00\00:16:47.47
congregation all together,
00:16:47.47\00:16:50.37
and it's a reaction, our songs,
00:16:50.37\00:16:51.94
our praise, it's...
00:16:51.94\00:16:54.08
...a response of life.
00:16:54.88\00:16:57.51
And that's what I learned,
00:16:57.51\00:16:59.01
what worship was.
00:16:59.01\00:16:59.78
what worship was.
00:16:59.78\00:17:00.55
[ESTHER] He was here
00:17:00.55\00:17:01.72
worship leading when I had our
00:17:01.72\00:17:04.45
daughter and I was studying to
00:17:04.45\00:17:05.19
daughter and I was studying to
00:17:05.19\00:17:06.32
write the board exam and I
00:17:06.32\00:17:08.12
thought, you know, I'm just so
00:17:08.12\00:17:10.66
grateful that he is using his
00:17:10.66\00:17:13.56
God given talents.
00:17:13.56\00:17:15.06
We felt like, you know, this is
00:17:15.06\00:17:16.00
We felt like, you know, this is
00:17:16.00\00:17:16.90
our landing place, this is our
00:17:16.90\00:17:18.33
home, this is where we wanna
00:17:18.33\00:17:19.93
raise our family.
00:17:19.93\00:17:21.00
I started...
00:17:21.00\00:17:22.04
...working while he was here
00:17:22.90\00:17:24.74
at the church, and I knew,
00:17:24.74\00:17:27.11
I mean, it was just part time,
00:17:27.11\00:17:27.71
I mean, it was just part time,
00:17:27.78\00:17:28.44
but I thought, you know, this is
00:17:28.44\00:17:29.61
important, he's doing something
00:17:29.61\00:17:31.71
that he loves, he's using his
00:17:31.71\00:17:34.38
talents for God, and he was
00:17:34.38\00:17:37.29
feeling fulfilled.
00:17:37.29\00:17:39.02
>> In the worship teams that...
00:17:39.02\00:17:41.16
...I mentored, that was the
00:17:42.06\00:17:44.46
number one, was take the focus
00:17:44.46\00:17:46.70
off of you and
00:17:46.70\00:17:49.60
bring it to God.
00:17:49.60\00:17:51.27
>> He had been asked to change
00:17:51.27\00:17:52.73
the church.
00:17:52.73\00:17:53.74
It was a very conservative
00:17:53.74\00:17:55.54
church, and they wanted it to be
00:17:55.54\00:17:57.11
more contemporary and...
00:17:57.11\00:17:58.57
...he was able to do that,
00:17:59.44\00:18:01.24
very slowly, but with the
00:18:01.24\00:18:03.24
help and support of the
00:18:03.24\00:18:05.31
leadership.
00:18:05.31\00:18:06.41
It- he knew that we were all on
00:18:06.41\00:18:09.12
the same page and I thought,
00:18:09.12\00:18:10.92
what a really great place for us
00:18:10.92\00:18:13.15
to be in and that I had an
00:18:13.15\00:18:15.52
opportunity to continue to work
00:18:15.52\00:18:17.33
and support our family, too, so
00:18:17.33\00:18:19.16
that he could still continue
00:18:19.16\00:18:20.46
to work in serving
00:18:20.46\00:18:22.76
Oak Ridge Church.
00:18:22.76\00:18:24.03
>> And I was given the
00:18:25.00\00:18:26.20
opportunity also...
00:18:26.20\00:18:27.70
...to...
00:18:28.64\00:18:29.67
...teach at Deer Lake School
00:18:30.84\00:18:32.84
in the media and
00:18:32.84\00:18:35.78
senior choir.
00:18:35.78\00:18:37.75
So went back to school
00:18:37.75\00:18:40.45
and I went to BCIT
00:18:40.45\00:18:42.65
and to Van Arts to upgrade
00:18:42.65\00:18:44.45
and to Van Arts to upgrade
00:18:44.45\00:18:44.95
my teaching certificate.
00:18:45.09\00:18:46.96
And then K through 3 choirs,
00:18:46.96\00:18:48.82
which I love.
00:18:48.82\00:18:50.19
[ESTHER] I remember he would
00:18:50.19\00:18:51.33
come home from teaching saying,
00:18:51.33\00:18:52.09
come home from teaching saying,
00:18:52.09\00:18:52.56
"Wow, this is great.
00:18:52.63\00:18:54.10
I love teaching media, I love
00:18:54.10\00:18:57.00
teaching music."
00:18:57.00\00:18:58.23
So he was doing both worship
00:18:58.23\00:18:59.87
ministry at Oak Ridge and at
00:18:59.87\00:19:02.04
Deer Lake School, and started to
00:19:02.04\00:19:04.51
use all of these different
00:19:04.51\00:19:06.17
talents that you would think
00:19:06.17\00:19:07.78
were not...
00:19:07.78\00:19:08.81
...that weren't, they weren't
00:19:10.51\00:19:12.61
very similar, but they were very
00:19:12.61\00:19:14.15
complementary because he was
00:19:14.15\00:19:15.68
still able to use his
00:19:15.68\00:19:17.75
creativity.
00:19:17.75\00:19:19.05
What's really great about
00:19:19.05\00:19:20.59
worship ministry is that
00:19:20.59\00:19:23.32
there were a lot of young people
00:19:23.32\00:19:24.69
that also wanted to participate.
00:19:24.69\00:19:26.96
And so he took it
00:19:26.96\00:19:29.53
to heart and he would invite
00:19:29.53\00:19:31.23
all the young people to come in
00:19:31.23\00:19:33.47
and join.
00:19:33.47\00:19:34.64
"If you don't know how to play,
00:19:34.64\00:19:36.24
that's okay.
00:19:36.24\00:19:37.27
We can learn together."
00:19:37.27\00:19:38.51
And he thought, "Okay, so our
00:19:38.51\00:19:40.44
group is getting a little large.
00:19:40.44\00:19:42.11
If they're not- if they can't be
00:19:42.11\00:19:44.15
on praise team every Sabbath,
00:19:44.15\00:19:46.58
where are they gonna go?"
00:19:46.58\00:19:48.25
And so he said, "We really need
00:19:48.25\00:19:49.78
a youth leader."
00:19:49.78\00:19:51.19
And so I thought- he's like,
00:19:51.19\00:19:52.42
"Do you think you can start a
00:19:52.42\00:19:53.82
youth group during Sabbath
00:19:53.82\00:19:55.79
school so that while the other
00:19:55.79\00:19:57.23
band is playing and practising,
00:19:57.23\00:19:59.79
the other young people have a
00:19:59.79\00:20:00.96
place to go?"
00:20:00.96\00:20:02.06
And so I said, "Sure, I'll take
00:20:02.06\00:20:04.23
the youth group."
00:20:04.23\00:20:05.33
And it ended up being a
00:20:05.33\00:20:07.20
ten year, ten-plus year
00:20:07.20\00:20:09.14
ministry with him.
00:20:09.14\00:20:10.64
So he was doing the worship
00:20:10.64\00:20:12.31
team and I was leading the
00:20:12.31\00:20:14.08
youth class.
00:20:14.08\00:20:15.84
And it was very rewarding.
00:20:15.84\00:20:18.45
We would open up our home, they
00:20:19.61\00:20:21.55
would come on Saturday nights
00:20:21.55\00:20:24.05
and just jam, bring their
00:20:24.05\00:20:26.09
instruments, I would cook,
00:20:26.09\00:20:28.29
we would turn it into like a
00:20:28.29\00:20:29.69
movie night.
00:20:29.69\00:20:30.76
It just became a really great,
00:20:30.76\00:20:32.73
healthy community for the
00:20:32.73\00:20:34.46
young people.
00:20:34.46\00:20:35.80
And those are our best years,
00:20:35.80\00:20:38.33
I have to say, and our kids grew
00:20:38.33\00:20:39.77
up around that.
00:20:39.77\00:20:41.04
They didn't know any different.
00:20:41.04\00:20:43.57
They thought, "Oh, this is
00:20:43.57\00:20:44.57
normal, like, we always have
00:20:44.57\00:20:45.91
people over at our house."
00:20:45.91\00:20:47.88
>> And I remember being
00:20:47.88\00:20:49.54
super young and seeing...
00:20:49.54\00:20:52.45
...this guy named Marcus.
00:20:53.35\00:20:55.28
He was playing the drums
00:20:55.28\00:20:56.48
and I always thought he was
00:20:56.48\00:20:57.52
super cool.
00:20:57.52\00:20:59.25
I always watched just the drums
00:20:59.25\00:21:00.96
when there was worship and I
00:21:00.96\00:21:02.12
remember always being in the
00:21:02.12\00:21:03.32
front row.
00:21:03.32\00:21:04.29
And one day I remember asking
00:21:04.29\00:21:05.99
my parents, "Can I learn
00:21:05.99\00:21:07.50
the drums?"
00:21:07.50\00:21:08.50
And without hesitation they just
00:21:08.50\00:21:10.03
said yes and bought me a drum
00:21:10.03\00:21:11.70
set and just put it in my room
00:21:11.70\00:21:13.84
and let me start banging on the
00:21:13.84\00:21:14.97
drums right away.
00:21:14.97\00:21:16.84
And it was never
00:21:16.84\00:21:18.91
pushed on me, like worship or
00:21:18.91\00:21:21.58
feeling the need to do all these
00:21:21.58\00:21:22.78
things, I was always seeking out
00:21:22.78\00:21:24.88
to do it, and they always just
00:21:24.88\00:21:25.91
gave me the means to
00:21:25.91\00:21:27.48
or put me in that situation
00:21:27.48\00:21:29.28
where I had the opportunity.
00:21:29.28\00:21:29.92
where I had the opportunity.
00:21:29.92\00:21:30.99
[singing and drumming]
00:21:30.99\00:21:33.66
¤¤
00:21:33.66\00:21:36.22
[JOEY] Ready?
00:21:36.22\00:21:37.36
[guitar strumming]
00:21:37.36\00:21:38.66
[SOPHIA] Growing up and
00:21:38.66\00:21:39.83
observing, you know, my parents'
00:21:39.83\00:21:41.20
spiritual journey, it really
00:21:41.20\00:21:43.40
inspired me, and I would say
00:21:43.40\00:21:45.87
my brother as well.
00:21:45.87\00:21:47.20
¤ ...loves a cheerful giver ¤
00:21:47.20\00:21:48.94
¤ ha, ha, ha... ¤
00:21:48.94\00:21:50.44
>> Turning the worship band
00:21:50.44\00:21:53.07
into something fun
00:21:53.07\00:21:55.51
that everyone wanted to join in
00:21:55.51\00:21:57.71
doing and everyone wanted to be
00:21:57.71\00:21:59.38
a part of it, everyone felt like
00:21:59.38\00:22:01.02
that they had a place.
00:22:01.02\00:22:02.68
>> So the British Columbia
00:22:02.68\00:22:03.99
Conference Communication
00:22:03.99\00:22:05.52
Director back then, Charles
00:22:05.52\00:22:07.56
Aguilar, I know we have the same
00:22:07.56\00:22:08.92
last name, good family friends.
00:22:08.92\00:22:11.09
So Charles moved on and
00:22:11.09\00:22:13.26
joined the ADRA team, and the
00:22:13.26\00:22:15.16
British Columbia conference was
00:22:15.16\00:22:16.36
looking for a communication
00:22:16.36\00:22:18.00
director to take over.
00:22:18.00\00:22:19.57
And they asked me to-
00:22:19.57\00:22:22.34
if I would consider.
00:22:22.34\00:22:23.77
>> Each of those experiences
00:22:23.77\00:22:26.04
actually built him
00:22:26.04\00:22:28.54
in a way that God needed
00:22:28.54\00:22:30.21
him to be.
00:22:30.21\00:22:31.88
>> All these years, I've loved
00:22:31.88\00:22:33.75
working in the local church, and
00:22:33.75\00:22:35.18
I still love working in the
00:22:35.18\00:22:36.35
local church.
00:22:36.35\00:22:37.35
And then joining the conference,
00:22:37.35\00:22:39.95
I realized that
00:22:39.95\00:22:42.06
I'm using my- the talents that
00:22:42.06\00:22:44.06
God's given me to reach
00:22:44.06\00:22:46.56
whole churches, like many
00:22:46.56\00:22:47.93
churches and many schools now.
00:22:47.93\00:22:50.27
So I just love that.
00:22:50.27\00:22:51.87
¤ Thou rising moon ¤
00:22:53.40\00:22:55.54
¤ in praise rejoice ¤
00:22:55.54\00:22:59.91
[JOEY] So looking back at when
00:22:59.91\00:23:02.31
we were performing that
00:23:02.31\00:23:03.18
we were performing that
00:23:03.18\00:23:04.58
the focus was on us,
00:23:04.58\00:23:06.82
but then in worship,
00:23:06.82\00:23:09.32
it's not about us.
00:23:09.32\00:23:10.72
We let go of ourselves
00:23:10.72\00:23:12.75
and bring that attention
00:23:12.75\00:23:15.29
this way and up to God.
00:23:15.29\00:23:17.06
So it's not, it's not about us.
00:23:17.06\00:23:19.59
¤ ...lift me up ¤
00:23:19.59\00:23:20.66
¤ (Lord, lift me up) ¤
00:23:20.66\00:23:22.13
¤ when I am weak ¤
00:23:22.13\00:23:23.80
¤ (when I am weak) ¤
00:23:23.80\00:23:25.90
¤ Soon my heart begins to feel ¤
00:23:25.90\00:23:29.34
¤ a miracle happening in me ¤
00:23:29.34\00:23:32.71
¤ And love is real ¤
00:23:32.71\00:23:34.41
¤ (And love is real) ¤
00:23:34.41\00:23:36.18
¤ And love can heal ¤
00:23:36.18\00:23:37.88
¤ (And love can heal) ¤
00:23:37.88\00:23:39.88
¤ You came with ¤
00:23:39.88\00:23:41.15
¤ open arms I see ¤
00:23:41.15\00:23:43.35
¤ You made a miracle of me ¤
00:23:43.35\00:23:46.72
¤ Oh, Lord ¤
00:23:46.72\00:23:48.89
¤¤
00:23:48.89\00:23:51.89
[RENÉ] As Joey discovered,
00:24:00.77\00:24:02.40
worship is more than the songs
00:24:02.40\00:24:04.87
you sing.
00:24:04.87\00:24:06.04
More than the words you hear.
00:24:06.04\00:24:08.41
More than a sermon.
00:24:08.41\00:24:10.68
Worship is life, a response to
00:24:10.68\00:24:13.62
God, the Giver of Life.
00:24:13.62\00:24:16.02
The one who first loved us.
00:24:16.02\00:24:18.69
The one who has always been
00:24:18.69\00:24:20.59
there for us.
00:24:20.59\00:24:22.12
[MIKE] Joey's journey led him to
00:24:22.12\00:24:23.99
see how, when he was performing
00:24:23.99\00:24:27.00
in his band, the focus was on
00:24:27.00\00:24:28.96
himself and his band members.
00:24:28.96\00:24:31.20
But in worship it is
00:24:31.20\00:24:33.34
not about us.
00:24:33.34\00:24:34.44
Instead, in worship, we turn our
00:24:34.44\00:24:37.01
attention upward to God,
00:24:37.01\00:24:39.17
who is above us.
00:24:39.17\00:24:41.61
[RENÉ] In learning and
00:24:41.61\00:24:42.84
experiencing that vital lesson,
00:24:42.84\00:24:45.55
Joey was able to let go of
00:24:45.55\00:24:47.82
himself and to teach his worship
00:24:47.82\00:24:50.75
teams to let go of themselves
00:24:50.75\00:24:53.72
and bring their focus to God.
00:24:53.72\00:24:55.86
Joey's journey reminds us of the
00:24:56.79\00:24:59.29
power of faith and family
00:24:59.29\00:25:02.10
in making life's toughest
00:25:02.10\00:25:03.73
decisions.
00:25:03.73\00:25:05.10
By choosing to honour his
00:25:05.10\00:25:07.10
identity and values over worldly
00:25:07.10\00:25:07.67
identity and values over worldly
00:25:07.80\00:25:09.90
fame, he lived out the truth
00:25:09.90\00:25:12.91
of Jesus's prayer
00:25:12.91\00:25:14.71
in John 17,
00:25:14.71\00:25:16.48
of being in the world,
00:25:16.48\00:25:18.68
but not of the world.
00:25:18.68\00:25:20.92
Today, Joey stands as an
00:25:21.88\00:25:24.19
inspiration to many who have
00:25:24.19\00:25:26.59
faced similar struggles.
00:25:26.59\00:25:28.56
And above all,
00:25:28.56\00:25:30.39
he stands tall as a man of
00:25:30.39\00:25:32.83
integrity, a devoted husband
00:25:32.83\00:25:35.66
and father, and a true
00:25:35.66\00:25:37.70
testament to God's grace,
00:25:37.70\00:25:40.30
guidance, and goodness.
00:25:40.30\00:25:43.10
>> Joey's story brings to mind
00:25:43.10\00:25:45.17
a few inspiring sentences
00:25:45.17\00:25:47.44
from this little book,
00:25:47.44\00:25:49.18
Help In Daily Living.
00:25:49.18\00:25:50.65
>> This was certainly the case
00:26:21.14\00:26:22.91
in Joey's life.
00:26:22.91\00:26:24.48
His plans were not God's plans
00:26:24.48\00:26:26.98
for his life.
00:26:26.98\00:26:28.45
Yet this truth, instead of
00:26:28.45\00:26:30.62
making him bitter, made him
00:26:30.62\00:26:33.15
better because he trusted God
00:26:33.15\00:26:36.12
and he saw how God's love for us
00:26:36.12\00:26:38.79
leads Him to always want what is
00:26:38.79\00:26:40.96
best for us, even better
00:26:40.96\00:26:43.67
than what we want for ourselves.
00:26:43.67\00:26:46.07
>> Friends, whenever my plans
00:26:46.84\00:26:49.00
don't work out the way that I
00:26:49.00\00:26:50.41
want, I feel disappointed and I
00:26:50.41\00:26:52.71
pick up this little book,
00:26:52.71\00:26:53.88
Help In Daily Living, which is
00:26:53.88\00:26:55.78
our free offer for you today.
00:26:55.78\00:26:57.81
And it, by reading it, rolls
00:26:57.81\00:27:00.28
back the curtains so that I can
00:27:00.28\00:27:02.18
see clearly God's plans
00:27:02.18\00:27:04.19
for my life.
00:27:04.19\00:27:05.29
Before you go, we would like to
00:27:06.79\00:27:08.82
thank all of you who have
00:27:08.82\00:27:10.06
supported the ministry of It Is
00:27:10.06\00:27:11.73
Written Canada with your prayers
00:27:11.73\00:27:13.33
and financial contributions.
00:27:13.33\00:27:15.03
Without your support, this
00:27:15.03\00:27:16.73
television ministry could not
00:27:16.73\00:27:18.43
have reached so many people for
00:27:18.43\00:27:20.50
so many decades.
00:27:20.50\00:27:21.97
>> Yes, thank you.
00:27:22.64\00:27:25.01
And we would like to invite you
00:27:25.01\00:27:26.91
to follow us on Instagram and
00:27:26.91\00:27:29.18
Facebook and subscribe to our
00:27:29.18\00:27:31.55
YouTube channel and also listen
00:27:31.55\00:27:34.15
to our podcasts.
00:27:34.15\00:27:36.02
And if you go to our website,
00:27:36.02\00:27:38.39
you can see our latest programs.
00:27:38.39\00:27:40.76
>> You, too, can experience the
00:27:41.62\00:27:43.32
fullness of life found in the
00:27:43.32\00:27:45.16
words of Jesus when He said...
00:27:45.16\00:27:47.30
¤ Lord lift me up ¤
00:27:55.17\00:27:57.04
¤ (Lord lift me up) ¤
00:27:57.04\00:27:58.74
¤ When I am weak ¤
00:27:58.74\00:28:00.61
¤ (When I am weak) ¤
00:28:00.61\00:28:02.61
¤ Soon my heart begins to feel ¤
00:28:02.61\00:28:06.11
¤ a miracle happening in me ¤
00:28:06.11\00:28:09.32
¤ Lord lift me up ¤
00:28:09.32\00:28:11.29
¤ (Lord lift me up) ¤
00:28:11.29\00:28:12.92
¤ When I am weak ¤
00:28:12.92\00:28:14.92
¤ (When I am weak) ¤
00:28:14.92\00:28:16.76
¤ Soon my heart begins to feel ¤
00:28:16.76\00:28:20.26
¤ a miracle happening in me ¤
00:28:20.26\00:28:23.47
¤ And love is real ¤
00:28:23.47\00:28:25.23
¤ (And love is real) ¤
00:28:25.23\00:28:27.27
¤ And love can heal ¤
00:28:27.27\00:28:28.80
¤ (And love can heal) ¤
00:28:28.80\00:28:30.71
¤ You came with
00:28:30.71\00:28:31.94
¤ open arms I see ¤
00:28:31.94\00:28:34.24
¤ You made a miracle of me ¤
00:28:34.24\00:28:39.11
¤ Oh Lord ¤
00:28:43.05\00:28:47.59
¤ Lord lift me up ¤
00:28:48.56\00:28:51.73
¤ When I am weak ¤
00:28:51.73\00:28:55.60
¤ A miracle... ¤
00:28:58.23\00:29:13.31