Participants:
Series Code: MIW
Program Code: MIW000065A
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00:01 Hi, I'm Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin.
00:02 I'm Arthur Nowlin. 00:04 And welcome to Making it Work. 00:37 We are so happy today to have a very special guest. 00:40 All our guests are special 00:42 but today our nephew Austin James Humphreys. 00:46 Welcome to Making it Work. 00:47 I'm excited and blessed to be here today. 00:49 Excellent. Excellent. 00:51 Well, I thank the Lord. 00:52 Austin is my sister's son, her oldest son. 00:55 She has two sons and his brother's name is Jeran 00:58 who is a sophomore at Southern University in Tennessee. 01:03 Austin, what's going on? 01:05 Everything is going well, I'm about to graduate 01:07 in just a few weeks from Oakwood University, 01:10 so I'm excited about that, getting my B.A in theology 01:13 and a minor in biblical languages. 01:15 Biblical languages, okay, is that Latin and Greek, 01:17 you know, you can speak all of that? 01:19 Yeah, I know all of that, Hebrew, all that. 01:20 So yeah, I know that well. 01:22 Yeah, speak a little bit for me. 01:23 I wasn't prepared to bring that here today. 01:27 Well, today our program is entitled God's setup. 01:31 Indeed how God has set Austin up, 01:34 and, Arthur, you remember 01:36 Austin's first haircutting was with us, 01:38 he was four years old. 01:39 Absolutely. 01:40 And we took him. 01:42 We took him and his parents... 01:43 Yeah, I took him to the barber shop. 01:44 Yeah and I went because I was trying to direct things. 01:46 Yes, it was. 01:47 I still have those pictures. 01:49 We took him to the zoo in the stroller. 01:50 Baseball game. 01:51 We took him to the theater, 01:53 we still took him to see the tigers. 01:54 You know do you remember any of that? 01:56 All of it. 01:57 I was impressed with the tiger's gale, I love that. 01:58 I love that. 02:00 You know but he has always been so faithful, very caring, 02:03 reaching out to us as his aunt and uncle and... 02:06 Well, you know I think it's just 02:08 a communication is really has been positive 02:13 and no strings, he felt, feels comfortable 02:17 in communicating with me most of the time. 02:19 But he beat you in basketball, haven't you let that go. 02:21 Beat you.. He won't let it go. 02:23 He just won't let it go. 02:24 Austin knows that he was thought 02:27 how to play basketball by me. 02:29 By you? Of course. 02:30 Okay. Him and his brother. 02:32 Yeah, all right, right. 02:33 What we want you to tell our viewers today about 02:35 how God has set you up. 02:38 And when you listen to that, it sounds really kind of harsh. 02:41 But we gonna let you tell the story. 02:43 You were born and raised in Chicago, Illinois? 02:45 That's right, yes, ma'am. 02:46 And you are product of the Lake Region Conference, 02:49 and the Lake Region Conference is one of the conferences 02:52 that's located within the Northern America division. 02:55 And we are here within the five states of Minnesota, 03:00 Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, 03:03 and that is known as the Lake Region Conference 03:06 of the Seventh-day Adventist church 03:07 so... 03:09 You know I'm really concerning about where he is... 03:15 his choice. 03:16 His choice of where he intends to go when this is all done, 03:20 when he is getting ready to get his degree 03:22 and he can make it big, give him a call and survey. 03:25 I know he is probably... 03:26 Well, we're gonna get to that, 03:28 we're jumping ahead of schedule. 03:29 Well, I mean, I'm just anxious to hear that. 03:30 Okay, we're gonna let you know about 03:32 where he would like to go versus 03:34 where God wants him and I know he is open to God's will, 03:37 but can you tell us what happened over your story 03:42 when you left the Lake Region Conference 03:44 and where did you go? 03:45 Well we left Lake Region Conference in 2003, 03:48 went to Huntsville, Alabama where my dad 03:50 James Humphreys got the job as chaplain at Oakwood College 03:53 which is now Oakwood University. 03:55 Served there, it was a great, great job for him, he loved it. 04:00 And when he left Lake Region, he had a lot of things going. 04:04 He was a youth director as you all remember 04:05 in Lake Region Conference, so he loves young people, 04:07 his passion for ministry and it just kind of carried over 04:10 to Oakwood University in a major, major way. 04:13 And we moved in 2003, that was exciting for me, 04:16 my brother, new setting, new friends, new family. 04:19 At first I wasn't really in agreeance with it at first, 04:22 the adjustment was tough but it's definitely a blessing now 04:26 when I look back on it. 04:27 In 2005 tragedy struck our home, 04:32 he passed away, May 2005. 04:35 Can you tell us how and what happened that day? 04:36 And it was tough. 04:38 That day he woke up and he made me 04:40 and my brother our favourite breakfast sandwich 04:43 and it was of course egg stripples on hoagie bun 04:47 toasted to perfection. 04:49 What's a stripple? 04:50 And the stripple is basically veggie baking. 04:53 Soy, soy. 04:55 Soy baking for our viewers and we just loved it 04:58 and he would have fried up to perfection. 05:01 I always love mine with cheeses, 05:03 little bit of jelly on it, and it was awesome. 05:05 And he said to himself that, 05:07 and it was just a little bit of pain 05:08 and that he was thinking about going to the doctor 05:10 after he dropped me and my brother off for path finders. 05:13 So he got dressed and he was getting in the shower 05:16 and I got in the shower, and the next thing 05:19 that I can remember is my mother 05:20 screaming in her room and saying, Austin, call 911. 05:24 Hopped off the shower, put some clothes on 05:26 and rush to my father's aid, 05:28 and I can remember just a surreal experience. 05:31 Never forget talking to the 911 person on the phone 05:34 and just how... 05:36 It just seem to me was taken so long 05:38 for emergency to get there. 05:40 Just kind of watching my father's life 05:41 just be sucked out of him. 05:43 So we did CPR, my mother and I... 05:45 I can't remember where my brother was, 05:47 but we are calling 911 and I'm doing CPR 05:51 and I can remember that it just wasn't working. 05:54 I just begin to beat on his chest and calling his name, 05:57 but he's just not responding 05:58 and eventually emergency gets there, 06:01 they pull me away and I could just imagine, 06:04 I'm just in shock, praying to God 06:06 that he will be revived. 06:08 They take him to the ambulance truck, 06:09 my mother goes and my neighbours 06:11 across a street take him to the hospital. 06:14 But that day about the time we got there, 06:16 it was just too late, 06:17 and he had died in the ambulance. 06:19 So it's definitely a tough experience for myself, for me. 06:24 And I think that's where I kind of feel like 06:25 God had set my family up. 06:28 Everything was fine where we were, 06:30 so I have thought of Lake Region, 06:31 I loved my church, I loved my community. 06:34 And I just felt like why would God bring us there, 06:36 if only to experience pain and sorrow. 06:39 And so for a long time as a young man, 06:41 I always felt that when my dad needed me the most, 06:44 I just couldn't do it. 06:45 Where he needed life, I could not bring it. 06:48 And so, as a young man, as you all can imagine 06:50 that was very difficult and hard and hard to handle up. 06:54 I believe I was a freshman in high school, 06:57 so I was only 15 or 16 at the time. 07:00 And it was just a tough experience, 07:01 I was going through a transition, 07:03 gotten into a new school. 07:05 I was very excited. 07:07 Girls, I was really starting to talk to girls 07:10 and really start to get into the thing 07:11 and, you know, playing sports, and I can remember 07:14 playing ball with my dad the week before 07:16 how much fun we had. 07:18 And some of those things that 07:19 I just could not believe were taking place. 07:24 For a period no one could talk to me, 07:27 no one could tell me what to do, 07:28 no one could tell me how to act. 07:30 I remember that I was angry all the time. 07:34 My attitude was nasty. 07:37 I broke the law, I've gotten arrested 07:39 when I was younger, but thank to Lord, 07:43 they dropped the charge, nothing serious, 07:46 and I think that was kind of my turning point, 07:48 where I need to get my life together. 07:51 When I finished high school, everything was great. 07:55 Oakwood Academy which is on the campus 07:57 of Oakwood University and I really... 07:59 And that's located and I'm sorry. 08:01 Oakwood University and Oakwood Academy 08:03 is one of our schools within the North America division, 08:06 it's located in Huntsville, Alabama. 08:08 Definitely and so, I just really, 08:10 really enjoyed my time there. 08:13 During this period, I'd really gotten closure to my mother. 08:17 She really provided all that we needed my brother and I. 08:20 And she really sacrificed her life for me. 08:22 When I went to Oakwood, the transition was tough 08:26 because my father worked on the campus, 08:28 people knew who I was, and I just kind of felt 08:31 a sense of entitlement to, you know, 08:36 where I was, you know, my father's service, 08:38 he has built great things here, 08:39 and I needed to experience God for myself. 08:44 I think so often in my life, 08:45 I was viewing God through his eyes. 08:47 I really didn't have a connection with him. 08:49 I used to be while all the time my father died, 08:51 it was like half of myself going with him 08:55 because so much of his spirituality I relied on. 08:58 And I realized, the only way I was gonna make it out 09:00 was to know him for myself. 09:03 Going to Oakwood, not a lot of people know this. 09:07 My first major was not theology. 09:09 I think I had gotten into like IT tech or something like that. 09:12 I was undecided and I'm really calling Uncle Arthur 09:15 just to tell him I wasn't sure what to do. 09:17 And I basically was just being like gentlemen, 09:18 just kind of running away from the calling of God. 09:22 And I remember in my room one night, 09:25 and the Lord was just wrestling with me, 09:27 and He just wouldn't let me sleep. 09:29 And it was almost like a clear, clear voice telling me 09:31 that I'm supposed to be a minister of the gospel 09:34 and that He has called me for this purpose and... 09:36 All right, let me interrupt you here. 09:38 Yes. 09:39 A young man, you know, experiencing 09:40 all these different things, just new environment, 09:44 you know, and yet you were running away from your calling. 09:49 Right. 09:50 But still something was holding you, you know, 09:54 keeping you together to the point 09:55 were you wouldn't do anything extremely 09:59 out of character in and of itself. 10:01 And what was that? 10:02 I just think it was the anointing on my life. 10:04 I think after a period of time, 10:07 I remember I could have done worse, 10:09 and I could have gone out 10:12 and lashed out in a greater way. 10:13 But I think the anointing on my life and a calling 10:16 because I tell people all the time, 10:18 it was the Holy Spirit 10:19 that really has just saved my life. 10:22 I remember there has been some times 10:24 where I wanted to leave home, run away, 10:27 because the pain was so real and it was so new, 10:29 and it was just hard going through life as a young man 10:32 in the prime time of, you know, his life, 10:35 not being able to have a father, 10:36 but I do remember that the connection with my mother, 10:39 the family worship that we would have at home, 10:42 that was staple in my household. 10:44 No matter where, I can remember 10:46 even the day my father died that night, 10:48 we still had family worship. 10:50 And I believe that family worship 10:52 back then was still a staple for me 10:55 even then when I was in college, 10:58 I always had worship and I think those connections 11:01 which was small at time then be, 11:02 may not want to do it, but the impact was amazing. 11:06 So that's really what kind of got me through 11:08 my first couple of years of college. 11:11 I've really gone through a rough patch 11:12 my sophomore junior year dealing with ministry. 11:17 I was wrestling with the calling, 11:19 I wasn't sure if I was worthy if I could, 11:22 if I could do it. 11:24 I felt as though I was insignificant. 11:26 I felt as though, I could not meet the expectations 11:30 that my father had exceeded and I really... 11:33 So you felt pressure a little bit... 11:34 Oh, of course, Of course going into the ministry 11:37 and the name he had built for himself 11:39 at Oakwood University. 11:40 He was respected highly, and I kind of felt as though, 11:43 I wasn't meeting the expectation, 11:45 so I was forcing, 11:48 I guess a feeling that I could be great 11:50 instead of just with time maturing 11:53 and letting the Lord mature me into the man 11:55 that he wanted me to be. 11:56 So it was just a kind of a rough patch for me. 11:58 My grade slipped, not afraid to say that. 12:01 And the Lord took me through a period 12:02 where I need to define myself and start over, 12:06 and become really just brand new. 12:09 I think that in that year, I got closed to my brother. 12:12 I got closer again with my mother. 12:15 And I think that through just the power of a family, 12:19 you all know, you all helped me, 12:20 and I believe that it has just made me a better man. 12:25 I've realized that my father, 12:27 his only expectation was to see Jesus 12:30 and his standard was God. 12:32 And once I took my focus off my father's accomplishments 12:35 and face my eyes toward the cross, 12:37 I realized it even he was insignificant without Jesus. 12:41 And so, I realized now that no matter what I've done, 12:44 no matter where I've preached, no matter who I've met, 12:47 I still remember that we're all at a centre of the cross, 12:51 and if we keep our eyes on Him that we'll be all right. 12:54 And so that was kind of my staple 12:56 to get me through the rough passage. 12:58 I believe that God is, 13:02 He kind of has a sense of humor. 13:04 You know, I'd always tell God, 13:06 I never want to be a pastor, never. 13:07 I used to be at, you know, 13:08 here at Lake Region camp meetings 13:11 and I would just hate the process. 13:13 I would hate doing it. 13:15 I would hate having to go wake up early, 13:17 pack up the car, pack up that van... 13:20 A green and white van. 13:22 A green and white van I hated it, 13:24 and now I find myself can't, just can't wait to do it. 13:28 You know can't wait to be in the ministry 13:31 that my father was in, 13:32 and I can't wait to make an impact. 13:35 If my life can be just half of what James Humphreys did, 13:38 then I'll be satisfied. 13:40 Do you still feel that at this point in your life that they, 13:44 that people compare you, you know, 13:46 right now with what they remember about your dad, 13:49 they compare you as also, okay. 13:50 Oh, sure, oh, sure, all the time. 13:52 Wherever I've preached, I preached somewhere 13:53 where someone knew my father, they'll always say, 13:55 I just want to see your father inside of you. 13:58 When I go speak somewhere, if I go meet somebody, 14:00 they just said, "Oh, you look just like Jimmy." 14:03 And I take it as a hard compliment 14:05 because he was such an awesome guy, 14:08 but he never made himself above anyone else. 14:11 He always was level with the people, 14:12 he loved the people. 14:14 And I think that it's just an honor 14:16 to be called a son of James Humphreys 14:19 but also, I have to remember, 14:20 I have to make a name for myself. 14:22 I know that the people when they, 14:25 when they see me when I preached 14:26 and they gonna see James Humphreys, 14:28 they're gonna get Austin Humphreys in his new way. 14:30 But I still have the same values that my father did. 14:33 I still have the same vision, the same passion for ministry. 14:37 I tell people this all the time, 14:38 my main goal is salvation. 14:40 Okay. 14:41 And if that's what, if that's my goal, 14:43 then I've got to do things 14:45 and I've got to be about kingdom building. 14:46 Kingdom. 14:47 And making it to the kingdom and that's my goal. 14:49 Let's talk about your values. 14:51 What are your values today being 23 years of age, 14:54 you know, being in celibate, you are in a relationship. 14:58 Yes. 14:59 How do you talk to young people about remaining celibate, 15:03 waiting until marriage? 15:05 I know you're a pastor, 15:06 you're looking forward to getting married and, 15:10 so what are your values today being a young man 15:13 in this life that we're living today? 15:16 Well, I think, you know now, now that I'm 23 years old 15:19 and you know being celibate is not easy, it's difficult. 15:24 But I know that when I speak to other people about it, 15:27 I have to be real, those feeling are there. 15:29 And I think that I've made a commitment to God, 15:33 and I've made a choice to stay celibate 15:36 until I get married, until I receive the proper, 15:42 I guess covering and blessing to receive that. 15:46 I think my values, they really haven't changed 15:49 as far as who I still am today, 15:52 I still have a strong prayer life. 15:55 I think a part of it is my relationship 15:56 with Jesus Christ. 15:57 I think you know, I tell people this all the time. 16:00 I say it, you know, I talk to God 16:02 as if you know he is like my homey, 16:05 my best friend, I talk to him all the time 16:07 when I'm driving, when I wake up in the morning, 16:09 when I go to bed in night, when I'm at work, 16:11 even when I'm about to preach, 16:12 I just always in constant communication, 16:15 and that allows me to be able to hear his voice 16:17 and to make the proper decisions now. 16:18 I think now that I'm older I'm realizing 16:22 that it is hard to walk in this life 16:24 without having a connection with him and so... 16:28 One of the things that I think about you is that 16:31 you went through a tragedy, 16:33 you know especially when experiencing 16:35 the situation with your dad 16:37 and now you have come to the point were you'll be... 16:41 You will soon be a pastor in a particular church. 16:43 Yeah. 16:45 You know, so how do you reach out to these people 16:48 that may have gone to these tragic experiences. 16:51 Of course. 16:52 You know so what's gonna be your motivation for it? 16:55 I think each tragedy is different in its own right. 16:57 I think that in my specific case, 17:00 it was just a dramatic experience for me, 17:03 but I think how I can be able to reach out to people 17:06 is that, I know where you've been, 17:08 you know, I know what you are going through. 17:09 I think but the one thing 17:11 that got me through was simply Jesus Christ, 17:14 and I think my motivation is to restore, 17:18 restore your peace of mind. 17:20 I think one of the major things about me 17:22 when I went through my tragedy is that I had no peace. 17:24 You know I was... 17:25 I hated myself, I hated God and... 17:28 You know sometimes we had to realize 17:30 that God does certain things and it's always for our good. 17:35 And I think that's kind of why I feel like God set me up, 17:38 because I knew for a while that I was called to the ministry, 17:42 but didn't have that close relationship with him. 17:44 When my father passed away, it was difficult 17:47 and I felt as though, I just wasn't gonna make it, 17:51 but I realize now that through his death, 17:54 a new life has resurrected in me, 17:56 and that I have a life and I have a certain peace 17:59 that just surpasses all understanding. 18:01 And I'm thankful now that, you know... 18:04 People ask me all the time, would you change 18:06 anything right now, would you change. 18:07 If you can go back in time and change 18:09 and do anything all over again, I just don't think I would. 18:12 I think I'm glad that my father is resting and waiting 18:16 for the King of kings and the Lord of lords 18:17 to call his name. 18:18 And I'm thankful that through his death, I have new life. 18:21 Now, go ahead. 18:22 And so I just feel as though when I see people 18:25 and see what they are going through, 18:27 I want them to experience and it's difficult. 18:29 The grieving process is hard. 18:31 It doesn't take, you know, 18:32 it's not just gonna be a 12 step process 18:34 that you go through. 18:35 It's not gonna be just, you know, 18:37 few sessions with counselors. 18:38 It takes years to get over things of that nature. 18:40 Doesn't matter who it is, it can be a brother, 18:42 it can be a sister, it can be a grandmother, 18:44 aunt, uncle, it doesn't matter. 18:45 Losses are real and death is real, 18:48 but I serve a Savior who still lives, 18:50 and I want to get that message out to all the world. 18:52 That's a blessing. 18:54 You know yesterday when you, you know, 18:56 my nephew came here to preach for a Youth Federation, 19:00 and we have it in the spring and the fall, 19:02 and what that it is for the young people 19:04 from our 21 churches 19:06 within the Motor City district of Detroit, 19:09 and Austin was invited to be the guest speaker. 19:12 And when you were preaching, someone turned around afterward 19:17 and said, I see a little bit of Dr. Kim in him. 19:20 You know and here we are family and I was just... 19:24 I was really blessed but here we are from a family, 19:28 you know our Taylor family. 19:30 Your father, Uncle Derrick, 19:33 Cousin Ricardo, your mother, me, 19:38 here we're all speakers and preachers and eloquent 19:42 before the Lord, even Uncle Arthur in his own right. 19:45 You know, I know it's a gift from God what we have. 19:49 You know not just a gift of gap but when we say things, 19:52 we say things with substance. 19:54 And we're all here serving the Lord and in the midst. 19:58 You know, I want to tell you something, 20:00 I don't know if you knew this story. 20:01 I talk to your father then on May on the... 20:05 I guess it was April 30th on that Saturday night, 20:08 and I was making the decision 20:10 whether not to be stewardship leader. 20:12 Stewardship leaders, what, it's like a trustee 20:15 and helping with the finances of the church 20:17 and the programs of the church, 20:19 and I didn't want to do it, 20:20 and I didn't even know what it was, 20:22 okay. 20:23 And your father said, sis, you need to pray 20:28 and I see that you need to pray at 5.30 20:31 and I said is that AM or PM. 20:33 And he says sis that's AM. 20:35 He said I need you to get on your knees and pray, 20:38 and God is gonna open that door for you. 20:40 He said but call me tomorrow and I'm gonna do 20:43 some research for you and, 20:46 but I feel that you should do this for the Lord. 20:48 And I said, brother, 20:50 I said I just can't, you know, do this. 20:53 And he was my pastor, that was my pastor. 20:56 I called, I got a call from Micah 20:58 on that morning that he was sick, 21:00 then I get a call that he had passed. 21:02 Right. 21:03 I said that can't be, I just spoke too him. 21:05 And it was again God saying, you know, the setup, 21:09 you know, but I got to tell another testimony, 21:12 and I'm not ashamed of what God has done. 21:14 My husband and I was in some financial situation 21:17 and your mother had received some finances 21:20 from your father's life insurance 21:23 and our house loan was three months behind. 21:24 Wow. 21:26 Gone into foreclosure. Wow. 21:28 Going into foreclosure and your mom called me, 21:31 she knows her sisters. 21:32 She said to me what's wrong. 21:34 I said nothing, nothing. 21:36 We cannot be ashamed to ask for help 21:38 when we're going through difficulties, 21:40 and she said what is it? 21:41 And I said, you know, the business is slow, 21:43 money is not coming in, we're behind in house loan. 21:47 She said how much do you need. 21:49 She send it immediately to the bank. 21:51 Wow. 21:53 Three days later my checks started coming in, 21:55 I reimbursed your mother the whole amount, 21:59 the whole amount. 22:00 But God in the midst of everything, 22:04 she stopped what she was doing 22:06 not in mourning and grieving 22:09 and said what are your needs, big sister? 22:11 And I'm the elder sister, and you know and I told her, 22:16 if I ever once got to pull all this together, 22:18 I will do right 'cause it used to be about me, 22:21 you know how Aunty Kim was. 22:22 You know all about Aunty Kim 22:24 you know that every child has that fabulous aunty 22:27 that's what I thought of myself. 22:28 Okay. 22:30 That's what I was about to say. 22:31 You used to be I mean like... 22:32 God has done a mighty work. 22:35 You know, but I want to tell you 22:37 how much your father meant to us, 22:40 and in the fellowship we all had together 22:43 when you were babies. 22:44 Right. 22:45 And you remember, you were born with a... 22:47 You now, you didn't talk about that how you were born 22:48 with a hole in your heart. 22:50 Got hole in my heart, right. 22:51 Before you talk about that, you know, 22:53 I think what's important is the fact that 22:57 the relationship that we all had is different. 23:00 Right. 23:02 You know my relationship with Jimmy was different. 23:05 But it was to the point where he allowed me 23:10 to express my feelings to him and he was encouraging 23:14 because I was not born into 23:16 the Seventh-day Adventist faith, 23:18 and he walked me through and showed me the humility 23:24 that was required for me to understand 23:27 what it really meant to love Jesus 23:30 and to really be motivated enough to extend myself 23:35 and to be more inquisitive to understand 23:38 what I was getting myself into. 23:39 Right. 23:41 And he really was my friend, you know, 23:44 I really considered him to be a very, 23:46 very good friend of mine. 23:47 Definitely. 23:49 People keep asking why haven't I come back to Oakwood alumni 23:52 for years and years and years, 23:54 because I remember standing in the front of the Von Braun 23:56 taking those pictures with your dad. 23:58 And then a few weeks later, I get the call 24:01 and I couldn't go back. 24:02 Austin, I couldn't go back. 24:04 This was the first time I've been back in seven years. 24:06 Wow. Seven years. 24:08 I never knew that, wow. 24:09 Yes. 24:11 Well, I just think that, that just shows his impact 24:13 that he had in all of us. 24:14 It wasn't just us, you know, Uncle Arthur I know he truly, 24:18 you were one of his best friends, you know. 24:21 Every time you got a chance to come, 24:22 you all come, we come over there. 24:24 You know, he would always want that time 24:26 when we'll go to bed 24:27 and he would just sit up and talk to you. 24:28 I always used to wonder, you know, 24:30 what would you all talk about sitting up, 24:31 and now that I'm older, I can understand 24:33 and just talk to you and just you get a point to me in. 24:36 You know, can we love you just as a sister, 24:38 and I think that when we get to the kingdom, 24:40 the embrace that we all will share, 24:43 you know, I think that 24:45 I can't imagine what it's gonna be like. 24:47 Often times I dream about, you know, 24:49 what will I do, you know, 24:51 what emotions will I have and it's just... 24:54 I just got to get there. You know I go to get there. 24:56 We as a family I've got to get there. 24:59 And I think that's the message 25:00 that I kind of have for young people living today. 25:01 I want to just go back. 25:03 My nephew was born with a hole in his heart, 25:05 and my wedding was going to have to be postponed 25:08 because Pastor Humphreys, he married Arthur and I 25:12 and my sister called and said Austin could travel, 25:15 and Jimmy could to the wedding 25:17 and you know look at you today, you know, 25:21 health wise how you are doing? 25:22 Doing good, really good. 25:25 I am excited that the hole in my heart 25:29 wasn't a thing that still reoccurs. 25:32 I'm able to preach the gospel with power. 25:34 Power. 25:35 I'm still able to whip Uncle Arthur on a basketball court. 25:38 So, you know the thing, we're doing good. 25:40 I think the hole in my heart, 25:42 I think I have a scar in my heart, 25:45 it's just a constant reminder I never forget 25:47 when I came out the operation room, 25:49 they will always tell me 25:50 the first person I cried out for was my father, 25:53 and I think it's just a testimony 25:54 everyday of God's grace and mercy. 25:58 Every time I feel discouraged, I always know 26:00 that I have this wound and I love the scars. 26:03 People say they hate the scars, 26:05 but my scar always remind me of what God did 26:07 and how he saved my life 26:09 and the connection I have with my dad. 26:10 I can remember embracing him, and I was scared and nervous, 26:13 but I just know that anytime I got into my dad's hands 26:17 or somebody's hands, 26:18 every time I got into his hands, 26:20 I always knew that there was safety. 26:22 And so, the scar just reminds me 26:25 even though it was years and years ago, 26:27 still is a constant reminder of the mercy and grace of God. 26:32 God's setup, you know, that was an powerful, 26:36 powerful message you had yesterday 26:39 but it made me think about how we think about setup. 26:43 A lot of times we think about setup 26:45 from a negative perspective. 26:46 Right. 26:48 In this case it was positive. 26:49 It's a positive thing you know God set us up, 26:53 because he saw what was down the lies, 26:55 he saw our future and he was actually trying to prepare us. 26:58 I agree. 26:59 You know so. I agree. 27:01 That first thought instead of it being negative, 27:03 we had to realize if it's coming from God, 27:06 it's going to be positive. Yes, we want to be positive. 27:08 Right, right, definitely I think the setup. 27:10 I think God sets all of us up in different ways. 27:12 Sometime it's a setup we won't even know about it. 27:16 We look at how God spared our lives 27:18 and we can always say that, you know, 27:21 when we see it and we look back over it 27:23 and we see the route that 27:25 we wanted to go was not the best. 27:27 I still even, you know, 27:28 remember not being outside of my father, 27:30 just I know God has set me up 27:32 to where I could have made decisions 27:34 where things happen out of nowhere, 27:36 and I believe my life, I'm still here 27:38 because he set me up, 27:39 so anytime he wants to set me up, he can do it. 27:41 He can do it. 27:42 And I know, so definitely. 27:44 Well, listen, we're out of time. 27:45 We have just a few minutes left. 27:46 I just want to say few seconds left. 27:49 God can set me up anytime and God is waiting 27:52 and he is willing to set you up. 27:54 Austin, congratulations on your graduation. 27:55 Thank you. 27:57 We will be there to watch you walk across that stage. 27:59 On that stage, yes. 28:00 And we love you and may God continue to bless you. 28:03 I'm Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin. 28:04 I'm Arthur Nowlin. 28:06 And thank you and you continue to make it work. 28:08 God bless you. Let God set you up. 28:10 Amen. |
Revised 2016-07-18