So it's good to be with
you, it's exciting to be here.
00:01:01.56\00:01:04.73
Hopefully this, this
day I'm going to share
00:01:04.76\00:01:07.03
a lot of things with you.
00:01:07.06\00:01:08.40
Sorry, I couldn't
have been here last night.
00:01:08.43\00:01:11.47
But it seems like a
few things that went on
00:01:11.50\00:01:13.34
God wanted me to
wait until today.
00:01:13.37\00:01:16.87
So as they say some time
00:01:16.91\00:01:18.54
I'm going to dump the
whole load on you today
00:01:18.57\00:01:20.48
over, over a few
hours, the next session,
00:01:20.51\00:01:22.78
and then in this afternoon too.
00:01:22.81\00:01:24.65
If it's okay with
you, I'll kind of combine
00:01:24.68\00:01:26.58
a couple of, a
couple of meetings into one
00:01:26.61\00:01:30.39
but make a little
bit shorter for you also.
00:01:30.42\00:01:33.36
And then my brother over here,
he was kind enough to give,
00:01:33.39\00:01:36.02
even give me a pair of shoes
so I didn't wear my tennis shoes
00:01:36.06\00:01:38.83
on the stage, you know, so it--
00:01:38.86\00:01:41.73
And normal I would wear a pink
00:01:41.76\00:01:44.60
kind of a pinky soaring shirt.
00:01:44.63\00:01:48.94
What colors is it? Salmon.
00:01:48.97\00:01:50.37
Salmon, there you go,
there it takes a lady to tell me
00:01:50.41\00:01:52.57
what color my shirt is.
00:01:52.61\00:01:54.48
And so, you know,
kind of the salmon color
00:01:54.51\00:01:57.08
I wouldn't normally do
that but it was the only shirt
00:01:57.11\00:01:59.61
I knew that I had
that was wrinkle free
00:01:59.65\00:02:01.68
and I could jam it up
in my little carry on bag.
00:02:01.72\00:02:04.62
Because I didn't
know, as some of you know
00:02:04.65\00:02:06.02
I didn't know if I
was going to make connect
00:02:06.05\00:02:08.99
with my luggage in
Atlanta but praise God I did.
00:02:09.02\00:02:11.49
So it's there, been crushed up
00:02:11.53\00:02:13.43
for a couple days so I'll
take a peek at it tomorrow.
00:02:13.46\00:02:17.77
But it is good to be with you,
it's exciting to be with you
00:02:17.80\00:02:20.70
because we live in
exciting times, don't we?
00:02:20.74\00:02:24.07
I believe with all of my
heart that God is coming soon.
00:02:24.11\00:02:26.91
There is no doubt.
00:02:26.94\00:02:28.31
You can't pick up the newspaper,
00:02:28.34\00:02:30.45
you can't turn on television
you can't look around the world
00:02:30.48\00:02:34.32
and say that
something is happening.
00:02:34.35\00:02:37.05
Even people who don't
believe it all and God say,
00:02:37.09\00:02:39.69
"There is
something going on here."
00:02:39.72\00:02:42.29
And it's kind of
amazing but, you know,
00:02:42.32\00:02:43.66
I didn't always
believe like that at all.
00:02:43.69\00:02:46.59
Matter of fact, I
didn't believe in God at all.
00:02:46.63\00:02:50.33
I could care less, in
high school, you know,
00:02:50.37\00:02:53.50
in high school I
was a pretty good kid,
00:02:53.54\00:02:55.90
matter of fact, I got A's
and B's I graduated with honors.
00:02:55.94\00:03:00.78
And I worked a lot.
00:03:00.81\00:03:02.14
I had a full time
job, matter of fact,
00:03:02.18\00:03:03.95
I had one of the
hottest cars and in the school.
00:03:03.98\00:03:06.75
Everybody thought
certainly, my parents
00:03:06.78\00:03:08.48
were the ones that must have
been giving me a lot of money.
00:03:08.52\00:03:11.12
No, my parents used
to borrow some money
00:03:11.15\00:03:12.99
from me but I
worked all the time.
00:03:13.02\00:03:17.46
But then while I was working
doing this wonderful job,
00:03:17.49\00:03:21.36
it was for
PepsiCo bottling company
00:03:21.40\00:03:23.90
and, you know, I drink a couple
of six packs of soda a day,
00:03:23.93\00:03:27.27
it's amazing and I can even
have a tooth in my head today.
00:03:27.30\00:03:30.71
A couple of six packs of soda,
but then they also had a beer
00:03:30.74\00:03:34.61
and wine distributorship
00:03:34.64\00:03:36.34
and there's where I
kind of started going astray.
00:03:36.38\00:03:40.22
I used to sneak a lot of
beer and wine all the time.
00:03:40.25\00:03:45.02
And then after a
while that wasn't enough
00:03:45.05\00:03:47.19
and I started
into drugs and boy,
00:03:47.22\00:03:50.03
I really enjoyed the drugs.
00:03:50.06\00:03:52.16
One night, I was
sitting in a tiny room,
00:03:52.19\00:03:54.60
my little-- this
room wasn't any bigger
00:03:54.63\00:03:56.63
than a spot right up here.
00:03:56.67\00:03:58.57
Sitting in that room,
lit up a joint and woof,
00:03:58.60\00:04:02.70
all of a sudden
the whole room expanded
00:04:02.74\00:04:05.11
in this huge auditorium.
00:04:05.14\00:04:06.98
It was a
basketball size auditorium
00:04:07.01\00:04:09.08
and there was God and the
devil sitting down at the bottom
00:04:09.11\00:04:12.81
and I didn't
need any introduction.
00:04:12.85\00:04:14.18
I knew who they were.
00:04:14.22\00:04:15.55
I was sitting clear up
on the top of the bleachers
00:04:15.58\00:04:17.39
and I was listening to them.
00:04:17.42\00:04:18.85
And all the arguments
that the devil would use to,
00:04:18.89\00:04:22.12
to tell God that I was his,
00:04:22.16\00:04:25.36
well, they were the same
arguments that I had used
00:04:25.39\00:04:27.40
to turn everybody on to drugs.
00:04:27.43\00:04:29.76
You know, come on
it'll, it'll make you like God,
00:04:29.80\00:04:32.57
you know, it will lift
you up to higher existence
00:04:32.60\00:04:34.37
and you, you need to do this.
00:04:34.40\00:04:36.54
I heard a lot of
these interesting things.
00:04:36.57\00:04:38.97
But God would say something
00:04:39.01\00:04:40.74
and the devil would have to
shut up, immediately silenced.
00:04:40.78\00:04:44.41
I could never hear what God
was saying but he'd have to.
00:04:44.45\00:04:46.98
And then another argument.
00:04:49.38\00:04:51.85
God would say
something, silence again.
00:04:51.89\00:04:54.29
This went back and
forth, back and forth
00:04:54.32\00:04:56.02
and finally it was over wham,
00:04:56.06\00:04:58.13
I'm back in my little
tiny postage stamp bedroom
00:04:58.16\00:05:02.13
and no, everybody's gone.
00:05:02.16\00:05:05.63
It's just me and
I'm stone cold sober
00:05:05.67\00:05:07.77
and straight and I'm going.
00:05:07.80\00:05:09.14
What just
happened, I prided myself
00:05:09.17\00:05:11.27
I could handle any kind of drug,
00:05:11.31\00:05:12.91
I could take anything.
00:05:12.94\00:05:14.34
Some of my
friends they may flip out,
00:05:14.38\00:05:15.91
they may go crazy
no, no, no, no not me.
00:05:15.94\00:05:18.31
Man, I could handle it
all. I could handle it all.
00:05:18.35\00:05:21.95
And just the way I'm
talking with you right now,
00:05:21.98\00:05:24.45
all of a sudden in a
moment there's a voice.
00:05:24.49\00:05:26.76
This voice said "Jim, you
have a short time to decide."
00:05:26.79\00:05:31.59
Decide what? I had no idea.
00:05:31.63\00:05:33.86
But every time I
would get loaded,
00:05:33.90\00:05:35.56
every single time,
which was every day,
00:05:35.60\00:05:38.93
voice said, "Jim
you have a short time--
00:05:38.97\00:05:41.10
short time to decide."
00:05:41.14\00:05:42.67
Why? It started
driving me crazy.
00:05:42.70\00:05:44.87
It bothered me so much
00:05:44.91\00:05:46.37
I couldn't have any fun anymore.
00:05:46.41\00:05:48.94
I finally quit.
00:05:48.98\00:05:50.75
Well, what do I do now?
00:05:50.78\00:05:53.08
Maybe I'll call up my parents,
I hadn't called up my folks
00:05:53.11\00:05:55.22
in long time, didn't
want to talk to them.
00:05:55.25\00:05:57.85
Call them up said,
00:05:57.89\00:05:59.22
"Hey, do you mind if I
come home for a little while?"
00:05:59.25\00:06:00.76
I thought that's
cheaper rent, right?
00:06:00.79\00:06:03.36
Free rent and my
mom said, "Sure."
00:06:03.39\00:06:07.50
They love me so much, they said,
00:06:07.53\00:06:08.86
"Yeah, come, come
on home, come on home."
00:06:08.90\00:06:11.20
Now I had, I had kind of
00:06:11.23\00:06:12.93
a qualification
to me coming home.
00:06:12.97\00:06:15.20
You see, I wanted my dog.
00:06:15.24\00:06:17.94
Well, let me, let
me tell you something
00:06:17.97\00:06:19.34
before I tell you what
I want to my dog to do.
00:06:19.37\00:06:21.64
My mother was
such a fastidious lady
00:06:21.68\00:06:24.58
that if somebody would
flick an ash on the ashtray
00:06:24.61\00:06:27.35
I swear she would clean it out
00:06:27.38\00:06:29.22
between the
flick and the ashtray.
00:06:29.25\00:06:31.52
That's how,
that's how she was with,
00:06:31.55\00:06:33.82
meticulous and
all of her cleaning.
00:06:33.86\00:06:35.52
And I wanted my
dog to come with me
00:06:35.56\00:06:37.66
and come home and had to
eat at the dinner table with me.
00:06:37.69\00:06:42.20
You know, my folks
love me so much they said,
00:06:42.23\00:06:44.47
"Yeah, it's okay."
00:06:44.50\00:06:47.60
It was amazing.
00:06:47.64\00:06:49.10
Well, I went home I
moved in for a while
00:06:49.14\00:06:51.27
and, you know, I said, I wasn't
going to do any more drugs
00:06:51.31\00:06:55.18
but after a few months went by
it just started tearing me up.
00:06:55.21\00:06:59.05
I wanted something so badly
00:06:59.08\00:07:01.58
and you see, that's
the way it is in life.
00:07:01.62\00:07:03.95
Without the power of
God, you have no willpower,
00:07:03.99\00:07:09.16
you have no real anchor to
stop you from doing anything
00:07:09.19\00:07:12.66
because the devil will drag you
deeper and deeper and deeper.
00:07:12.69\00:07:16.20
Well, I thought. It's
okay to go to the bar.
00:07:19.80\00:07:22.44
So I took off to the bar.
00:07:22.47\00:07:24.51
That the bar guy
walks into the bar
00:07:24.54\00:07:26.11
and the old saying says,
it takes one to know one.
00:07:26.14\00:07:29.28
Guy walks in and
said he's packing.
00:07:29.31\00:07:31.45
He's packing.
00:07:31.48\00:07:33.45
He says, "I need a
ride to the next town."
00:07:33.48\00:07:34.95
I said, "Hey, I'll take you."
00:07:34.98\00:07:36.65
We went out the
car, got in the car,
00:07:36.69\00:07:38.09
he pulls out a joint
out of his pocket said,
00:07:38.12\00:07:39.79
"Would you like a joint?"
00:07:39.82\00:07:41.16
I had it out of his
hand and in my mouth
00:07:41.19\00:07:42.52
so fast he didn't even
have time to say anything.
00:07:42.56\00:07:45.73
And no voice, no voice.
Well, man, this was great.
00:07:45.76\00:07:50.37
I just started getting
loaded all the time again.
00:07:50.40\00:07:55.87
And then I met
a nice young lady.
00:07:55.90\00:07:59.94
She was so
sweet, she was so kind,
00:07:59.97\00:08:03.14
and she would never do anything
like that until she met me.
00:08:03.18\00:08:08.88
Until she met somebody that had
all the arguments of the death
00:08:08.92\00:08:13.49
and again, she
was not a Christian.
00:08:13.52\00:08:16.62
Christians are the only
ones that could be anchored
00:08:16.66\00:08:18.59
in the power of
Jesus Christ to keep you
00:08:18.63\00:08:21.13
from doing things that the devil
00:08:21.16\00:08:22.66
whispers in your ear to do.
00:08:22.70\00:08:26.70
We begin getting
loaded all the time.
00:08:26.74\00:08:29.54
And pretty soon we got
married. We had a child.
00:08:29.57\00:08:33.01
One night I was in
Sacramento, California.
00:08:33.04\00:08:35.94
And partying up
with all my buddies,
00:08:35.98\00:08:38.15
I got so loaded, my
wife had to drive home.
00:08:38.18\00:08:41.52
I couldn't even
drive home, we get home.
00:08:41.55\00:08:44.19
She's changing the
baby on the kitchen table,
00:08:44.22\00:08:47.22
it's small house, small house.
00:08:47.26\00:08:50.49
And I walked into the other room
00:08:50.53\00:08:52.69
and all of a
sudden there's the voice,
00:08:52.73\00:08:55.46
"Jim, you need to
make up your mind now
00:08:55.50\00:09:00.07
tonight is your
last night to decide."
00:09:00.10\00:09:04.87
Wow, now I want to put
a little hiatus in here,
00:09:04.91\00:09:09.44
a little break for just a moment
00:09:09.48\00:09:10.81
and explain something to you.
00:09:10.85\00:09:13.35
From the time
that the voice said,
00:09:13.38\00:09:14.85
"Jim, you have a
short time to decide."
00:09:14.88\00:09:17.82
Now if I told you
that, what would you think?
00:09:17.85\00:09:19.99
You've got a
short time to decide.
00:09:20.02\00:09:21.39
Well, you might think.
00:09:21.42\00:09:22.76
Well, of a day
or two and a week,
00:09:22.79\00:09:25.36
outside maybe a
couple weeks, right?
00:09:25.39\00:09:29.66
But this was-- I
didn't even realize this
00:09:29.70\00:09:32.83
and never even
thought about until
00:09:32.87\00:09:34.20
I was writing a book
called "Second Chance,"
00:09:34.24\00:09:35.90
which is kind of a life story.
00:09:35.94\00:09:37.91
It was two years, it
was a two year timeframe
00:09:37.94\00:09:41.41
before God said this is
your last night to decide.
00:09:41.44\00:09:44.11
We do serve an amazing
loving God who loves us so much.
00:09:44.15\00:09:47.82
He wants to call us.
00:09:47.85\00:09:49.25
He continues to
call, and nurture,
00:09:49.28\00:09:51.89
and woo us to His side.
00:09:51.92\00:09:53.46
He gives us a lot of time.
00:09:53.49\00:09:55.42
But don't think
that that time is just,
00:09:55.46\00:09:58.79
you know, you can continue to do
00:09:58.83\00:10:01.00
something for ever and
ever because at that night.
00:10:01.03\00:10:04.00
there was a
crossroads of eternity.
00:10:04.03\00:10:05.97
This way lead to
eternal damnation
00:10:06.00\00:10:07.97
and this way
lead to eternal life.
00:10:08.00\00:10:09.97
It was very plain,
it was very simple.
00:10:10.01\00:10:13.64
I walked into the
bedroom, I grabbed
00:10:13.68\00:10:16.51
all my drugs out of the drawer,
00:10:16.54\00:10:18.95
I came back walked
into the kitchen said,
00:10:18.98\00:10:20.72
"Honey, I got to
get rid of all this."
00:10:20.75\00:10:22.55
Well, by this time she's loaded.
00:10:22.58\00:10:23.92
She just kind of
smiles, said okay.
00:10:23.95\00:10:26.89
And I walked in the bathroom
00:10:26.92\00:10:28.86
and I flushed
everything down the toilet.
00:10:28.89\00:10:31.03
Now let me tell you something
00:10:31.06\00:10:32.39
I'd flush stuff
down the toilet before.
00:10:32.43\00:10:34.76
But it was what
I thought the cops
00:10:34.80\00:10:36.13
were knocking at the door.
00:10:36.16\00:10:37.50
This was different.
00:10:37.53\00:10:39.13
The moment I flushed the handle,
00:10:39.17\00:10:41.50
it was like this huge weight
was lifted off my shoulders
00:10:41.54\00:10:44.81
a weight, I
wasn't aware I even had.
00:10:44.84\00:10:49.41
Let me tell you
something this is the way
00:10:49.44\00:10:50.95
it is with the devil,
you make no mistake about it.
00:10:50.98\00:10:54.02
It-- wherever
you're viewing this
00:10:54.05\00:10:55.45
or where you're watching today
make no mistake about this.
00:10:55.48\00:10:57.92
The devil takes sin and he puts
it on just one little grain,
00:10:57.95\00:11:01.72
one little grain of
sand one little green a sin
00:11:01.76\00:11:04.33
at a time and
pretty soon, you know,
00:11:04.36\00:11:06.73
you're walking around like this.
00:11:06.76\00:11:08.90
And all of a
sudden, this is normal life.
00:11:08.93\00:11:11.60
You think, oh, man,
I've got such a good life,
00:11:11.63\00:11:13.44
you know, this is
just a wonderful life
00:11:13.47\00:11:16.71
and that's just
what the devil does.
00:11:16.74\00:11:21.34
But all of a sudden when
that happened it was like this
00:11:21.38\00:11:24.48
monster weight was
lifted off my shoulders.
00:11:24.51\00:11:28.15
And I was down there,
00:11:28.18\00:11:29.65
grabbing hold of that cold
white porcelain toilet bowl
00:11:29.68\00:11:32.65
just crying my eyes out.
00:11:32.69\00:11:35.52
It was so wonderful and I turned
00:11:35.56\00:11:36.89
and there was Janine
standing in the doorway.
00:11:36.93\00:11:39.49
She was crying too.
00:11:39.53\00:11:40.86
God had touched
her at the same time.
00:11:40.90\00:11:43.67
I got up and I said, "Honey,
would you join me in a prayer."
00:11:43.70\00:11:48.34
And we walked down in the other
room and it was really simple.
00:11:48.37\00:11:52.17
I just said, "God,
I'm sorry it took so long.
00:11:52.21\00:11:57.08
I'm sorry it took so long."
00:11:57.11\00:11:58.61
But for God, I
believe the angels
00:11:58.65\00:12:00.62
were rejoicing over that
moment, over that prayer.
00:12:00.65\00:12:03.89
God will rejoice in your life
00:12:03.92\00:12:05.59
when you give your heart
fully and completely to God.
00:12:05.62\00:12:08.56
That's what He's
calling each one of you too,
00:12:08.59\00:12:10.49
is to turn your life fully
and completely over to Him.
00:12:10.53\00:12:15.66
Well, we've kind of
around home for a week or two,
00:12:15.70\00:12:19.73
you know, and say,
"Well, now what do we do?"
00:12:19.77\00:12:23.24
Well, I guess we're Christians.
Maybe we ought to go to church.
00:12:23.27\00:12:26.74
So we said, "Well, with
the guy that married us,
00:12:26.78\00:12:29.18
we'll go to his church
and I'm not going to share
00:12:29.21\00:12:31.11
with you what church that was
00:12:31.15\00:12:32.48
because you'll
see in a minute why.
00:12:32.51\00:12:35.88
But we begin going to
his church and week after,
00:12:35.92\00:12:38.39
week after, week after,
week, he said the same thing.
00:12:38.42\00:12:42.12
There was nothing
anything ever anything new.
00:12:42.16\00:12:44.46
I wanted something
that'll sink my teeth into.
00:12:44.49\00:12:46.39
The Holy Spirit was
working in my life and I was,
00:12:46.43\00:12:48.56
I was wanting
something to grab a hold of.
00:12:48.60\00:12:50.80
And nothing, always the same.
00:12:50.83\00:12:52.70
About ready to quit church,
00:12:52.73\00:12:54.27
and they invited us to
go to dinner with them.
00:12:54.30\00:12:57.07
Now I know this going
to sound crazy to you guys
00:12:57.11\00:12:59.31
but man, I thought this is like
going out to dinner with God.
00:12:59.34\00:13:04.41
We got so excited, you know,
00:13:04.45\00:13:05.78
we went out to dinner with them.
00:13:05.81\00:13:07.38
Now everybody's still drinking
a little wine and things
00:13:07.42\00:13:09.55
are so they're
ordering another bottle of wine,
00:13:09.58\00:13:11.25
and another
bottle, and another bottle.
00:13:11.29\00:13:13.32
And after a little
bit, the wife starts
00:13:13.36\00:13:15.72
using four letter words.
00:13:15.76\00:13:18.56
Well, now my wife and I
hadn't been married too long
00:13:18.59\00:13:20.60
but we already had the
non-verbal communication going.
00:13:20.63\00:13:23.37
And for those you're
married, you know, what that is.
00:13:23.40\00:13:25.90
I looked at my
wife, my wife looked at me
00:13:25.93\00:13:27.80
and we thought, this is
not the way a Christian talks.
00:13:27.84\00:13:31.67
And about that moment I got up,
00:13:31.71\00:13:33.04
went to the bar with the fellow,
00:13:33.07\00:13:35.81
he said, "Tell me."
00:13:35.84\00:13:37.18
I said, "What does the
Bible talk about marijuana?"
00:13:37.21\00:13:41.22
Oh, Jim, Jim, said,
00:13:41.25\00:13:42.58
"Everything, everything
is done in moderation."
00:13:42.62\00:13:46.02
That was it. That
was the last moment.
00:13:46.05\00:13:48.22
I knew there's no
such thing as moderation.
00:13:48.26\00:13:51.49
In the United States right now,
you can see what's happening
00:13:51.53\00:13:54.30
these states that are
making marijuana legal.
00:13:54.33\00:13:57.03
Let me tell you
it's the do nothing drug.
00:13:57.07\00:13:59.50
It's the do nothing drug
00:13:59.53\00:14:00.87
because when I used to be
a type Triple A personality
00:14:00.90\00:14:04.37
and engaged in all these things,
00:14:04.41\00:14:06.31
and for years it
just took me right down
00:14:06.34\00:14:08.21
to all I wanted
to do is get loaded.
00:14:08.24\00:14:11.65
Nothing else.
00:14:11.68\00:14:13.38
And they're starting to
see these kind of things happen
00:14:13.42\00:14:15.42
more and more and more.
00:14:15.45\00:14:17.39
But it's the devil's counterfeit
00:14:17.42\00:14:19.22
to the tree of life.
00:14:19.25\00:14:21.42
Don't, don't get
involved in any of these things.
00:14:21.46\00:14:24.79
God's way is so
amazing, it's so wonderful.
00:14:24.83\00:14:30.00
Well, I was trying to
study the Bible a little bit.
00:14:30.03\00:14:34.10
It was starting to
make some sense to me now.
00:14:34.14\00:14:36.91
One day I'm sitting
home, and I see on television,
00:14:36.94\00:14:39.91
here comes this
big beautiful ad,
00:14:39.94\00:14:41.58
"The Bible
unfolded in living color.
00:14:41.61\00:14:44.15
Your children will
love this multi-volume set."
00:14:44.18\00:14:46.85
They went on and on and
on I picked up the phone
00:14:46.88\00:14:48.82
and called and
said I want to order it.
00:14:48.85\00:14:51.09
And after a couple weeks it came
00:14:51.12\00:14:52.75
and I put it up
on the bookshelf.
00:14:52.79\00:14:54.42
And this was cool.
00:14:54.46\00:14:55.92
This was great you know,
I didn't want my son going
00:14:55.96\00:14:58.03
through all the
stuff I'd gone through.
00:14:58.06\00:15:01.03
And a couple
weeks later I thought
00:15:01.06\00:15:02.40
maybe I'd open one of these
and just see what it's like.
00:15:02.43\00:15:05.73
So I opened one.
00:15:05.77\00:15:07.44
Wow, this was good stuff
it was written for children
00:15:07.47\00:15:10.51
and that's exactly what
my experience was right then.
00:15:10.54\00:15:13.61
It was written on my level.
00:15:13.64\00:15:15.08
And I was eating it up
and I was studying the Bible
00:15:15.11\00:15:17.55
and I had these open I'm
going back and forth and.
00:15:17.58\00:15:20.52
And I'm still
looking for a church
00:15:20.55\00:15:22.35
and I'm still church hunting.
00:15:22.38\00:15:24.35
Well, I ended up in
one particular church on,
00:15:24.39\00:15:26.55
on a prayer meeting night.
00:15:26.59\00:15:28.32
And they believe that you're
going to burn forever in hell
00:15:28.36\00:15:30.99
if you don't follow God.
00:15:31.03\00:15:32.36
So I'm asking
the members tell me,
00:15:32.39\00:15:34.10
"Come on now, come on, show
me, show me from God's word,
00:15:34.13\00:15:37.53
where does it say
you're going to burn
00:15:37.57\00:15:38.93
in hell forever and ever?"
00:15:38.97\00:15:40.97
They ignored me.
00:15:41.00\00:15:42.54
Somebody else,
come on, come on now
00:15:42.57\00:15:43.91
tell me I'm not
the one to be denied.
00:15:43.94\00:15:45.71
I said, "Come on
show me from God's word.
00:15:45.74\00:15:47.81
Somebody in this
room, where is it that say,
00:15:47.84\00:15:49.98
'You're going to burn
forever and ever in hell?'"
00:15:50.01\00:15:52.58
I broke up prayer meeting.
00:15:52.61\00:15:54.42
Everybody quit early and
left. That was their answer.
00:15:54.45\00:15:59.15
Went to the
pastor's house next morning.
00:15:59.19\00:16:00.72
"Pastor, everybody in church,
00:16:00.76\00:16:02.09
they couldn't
answer my question.
00:16:02.12\00:16:03.46
Please answer my question.
Show me from God's word alone."
00:16:03.49\00:16:06.83
"Jim, Jim, Jim,
Jim, look, look, look.
00:16:06.86\00:16:10.10
God gave me a vision.
00:16:10.13\00:16:11.67
On the side were all those
are burning in hell forever
00:16:11.70\00:16:14.30
and on this side were
all the saved for eternity.
00:16:14.34\00:16:17.14
You just ought to go
find another church."
00:16:17.17\00:16:20.24
That was his answer. He
kicked me out of church.
00:16:20.28\00:16:21.78
Oh, man, I'm going, okay.
00:16:24.31\00:16:27.15
Well, I'm feeling
really kind of down
00:16:27.18\00:16:29.12
about all this now, you know,
00:16:29.15\00:16:30.49
and the next day I had
a really bad toothache.
00:16:30.52\00:16:33.89
Called up the dentist
right across the street
00:16:33.92\00:16:35.96
because I heard he
was a real religious nut.
00:16:35.99\00:16:39.43
"Can you get me in?"
"Yeah, I can get you in."
00:16:39.46\00:16:41.46
Went over and I kind of
made a mistake because you know,
00:16:41.50\00:16:44.73
you ask a dentist a question.
00:16:44.77\00:16:46.33
I don't know if there's
any dentist in here today
00:16:46.37\00:16:47.74
but dentist, I like dentists
if I'm just friends with them
00:16:47.77\00:16:50.81
but I don't like to
be anywhere around them
00:16:50.84\00:16:53.31
if they're practicing on me.
00:16:53.34\00:16:55.58
But I said, "Tell me
doctor, everybody in town says
00:16:55.61\00:16:58.05
you're religious nut.
00:16:58.08\00:16:59.41
What do you believe?
00:16:59.45\00:17:00.78
Man, shuts everything
in there for 45 minutes,
00:17:00.82\00:17:04.62
he's talking and
talking and of course,
00:17:04.65\00:17:06.42
he asked questions too.
00:17:06.45\00:17:07.79
How do you ever
answer when you can't talk.
00:17:07.82\00:17:10.69
Never understood that.
00:17:10.73\00:17:12.13
But the thing this man
is saying it's amazing.
00:17:12.16\00:17:14.93
It's absolutely
amazing. He's going on and on.
00:17:14.96\00:17:17.67
It's like he's got a
checklist of every question
00:17:17.70\00:17:19.70
I had in my mind.
00:17:19.73\00:17:21.40
When he's done.
00:17:21.44\00:17:22.77
I said, "Doctor,
what church do you go to?"
00:17:22.80\00:17:25.21
Oh, he says, "I'm a
Seventh-day Adventist."
00:17:25.24\00:17:26.78
Oh, I've heard of
these crazy people before.
00:17:26.81\00:17:29.78
I want nothing to do with them.
00:17:29.81\00:17:32.15
Well, I guess you could
see the look on my face,
00:17:32.18\00:17:34.12
I didn't hide it too well.
00:17:34.15\00:17:36.52
And, hence, "Yeah, if
you get an opportunity,"
00:17:36.55\00:17:38.22
he said, "Come some time."
00:17:38.25\00:17:39.59
He said we meet on Saturday.
00:17:39.62\00:17:42.09
Saturday. Saturday.
00:17:42.12\00:17:45.63
Yeah, he said this Saturday,
the seventh day of the week.
00:17:45.66\00:17:49.66
Now my wife and I
had just been arguing
00:17:49.70\00:17:52.93
over what day was
the seventh day Sabbath
00:17:52.97\00:17:55.64
and what day we should keep.
00:17:55.67\00:17:57.41
And I knew my
wife couldn't be right
00:17:57.44\00:17:59.54
because she said all I got
to do is look at the calendar
00:17:59.57\00:18:02.11
and the seventh day of the week
00:18:02.14\00:18:03.48
and that's the
day we should keep
00:18:03.51\00:18:04.85
and I knew she was crazy.
00:18:04.88\00:18:07.32
I can say that she's you know,
00:18:07.35\00:18:09.28
about 10,000
miles away right now.
00:18:09.32\00:18:12.55
No, I say it to
her. I share it with her.
00:18:12.59\00:18:14.66
But, well, this is strange.
00:18:14.69\00:18:17.19
Now we had a
business at the time
00:18:17.23\00:18:18.56
it's called Jungle Gems.
00:18:18.59\00:18:19.93
We sold exotic animals all
over the Western United States,
00:18:19.96\00:18:22.56
wolves and cougars
and Malayan sun bears
00:18:22.60\00:18:25.43
and the Agoutis and
grisons and cockatoos.
00:18:25.47\00:18:27.87
And all these,
all these goodies.
00:18:27.90\00:18:30.44
And so I said one day,
00:18:30.47\00:18:31.91
"Honey, would you run the store?
00:18:31.94\00:18:33.27
I want to go to
check out this church."
00:18:33.31\00:18:35.01
"Sure."
00:18:35.04\00:18:36.81
Took my notepad I
figured, I proved every other
00:18:36.85\00:18:39.31
preacher wrong, I'm
going to get this one too.
00:18:39.35\00:18:41.98
And I kind of went
there a little arrogantly
00:18:42.02\00:18:44.52
and sat down and guess
what, this guy, his message,
00:18:44.55\00:18:48.79
"The seventh day Sabbath."
00:18:48.82\00:18:51.63
I took lots of notes.
00:18:51.66\00:18:53.23
Soon as it was
done, I went to library.
00:18:53.26\00:18:54.86
I started studying everything
00:18:54.90\00:18:56.23
I could find on the on the
change of the, the, you know,
00:18:56.26\00:18:59.67
the calendar, the
sun, the moon, the stars.
00:18:59.70\00:19:02.37
I mean, I looked up,
everything I possibly could.
00:19:02.40\00:19:04.67
And I can prove him wrong.
I went back the next week.
00:19:04.71\00:19:07.84
Still a pencil and
paper and guess what,
00:19:07.88\00:19:09.74
part two of the Sabbath.
00:19:09.78\00:19:12.11
I took more notes. I
couldn't prove him wrong.
00:19:12.15\00:19:15.98
I went the next week and the
next week finally my wife said,
00:19:16.02\00:19:18.12
"Aren't you going to
invite me to that church?"
00:19:18.15\00:19:20.96
And well, to be honest with you,
00:19:20.99\00:19:23.59
by this time I'm feeling
kind of like this is my church.
00:19:23.63\00:19:25.86
But I feeling
little bit bad about it
00:19:25.89\00:19:27.63
because the, the paint
is peeling off the walls,
00:19:27.66\00:19:31.57
the tiles are
popping off, off the floor
00:19:31.60\00:19:33.74
and I mean, place was a dump.
00:19:33.77\00:19:36.20
It was a dump.
00:19:36.24\00:19:37.57
So I really built up
the bad stuff to my wife,
00:19:37.61\00:19:39.41
you know, in a
pretty good salesman.
00:19:39.44\00:19:40.78
I built up all the
really bad stuff to my wife
00:19:40.81\00:19:43.08
and then took her and
it wasn't quite as bad,
00:19:43.11\00:19:46.18
you know, so she felt
a little better about it
00:19:46.21\00:19:47.85
but she leans over to
me service times says,
00:19:47.88\00:19:49.88
"Yeah, I see
what you're saying."
00:19:49.92\00:19:53.79
And a couple weeks we said,
00:19:53.82\00:19:55.62
"Well, why don't we
do something about it?"
00:19:55.66\00:19:57.69
So we decided soon a
service was over one day.
00:19:57.73\00:20:00.80
I paced off the bill
and I've got a pretty good
00:20:00.83\00:20:02.93
three foot pace, so
I guess would be a--
00:20:02.96\00:20:05.13
do you-- metric
system here or metric, okay.
00:20:05.17\00:20:08.40
Well, I don't have quite
that pace, same pace maybe.
00:20:08.44\00:20:12.97
But and I took
really good notes.
00:20:13.01\00:20:16.14
We went home and
at the lumberyard,
00:20:16.18\00:20:18.91
that week, they had a sale.
00:20:18.95\00:20:20.35
Now this is
really going to date me
00:20:20.38\00:20:21.78
some of you won't even
know what I'm talking about.
00:20:21.82\00:20:24.65
But they had
four by eight sheets
00:20:24.69\00:20:26.89
a really nice
wood paneling for sale.
00:20:26.92\00:20:30.59
And I bought
enough wood paneling
00:20:30.63\00:20:32.56
for that whole sanctuary.
00:20:32.59\00:20:34.26
And then I had a friend of mine.
00:20:34.30\00:20:35.76
You've seen him in Star Wars
00:20:35.80\00:20:37.13
and some other
things he's a little person.
00:20:37.17\00:20:39.27
He is a good friend, I got him
on Friday night after sundown,
00:20:39.30\00:20:43.97
total darkness, we
snuck out to the church.
00:20:44.01\00:20:46.21
And we piled all that paneling
00:20:47.71\00:20:49.28
in front of the
big old double doors.
00:20:49.31\00:20:51.15
And then a put a
hammer a nail there too
00:20:51.18\00:20:52.85
and then I typed the
message, "My dear children.
00:20:52.88\00:20:55.52
I have grown this
wood in my forest.
00:20:55.55\00:20:57.39
Adorn the walls of my sanctuary.
00:20:57.42\00:20:59.42
Please place it
there with loving care."
00:20:59.45\00:21:01.32
Signed, "Your savior Jesus."
00:21:01.36\00:21:02.96
And I signed it. And
I pinned it on the door.
00:21:02.99\00:21:07.03
And then we made sure we
came a little late on Sabbath.
00:21:07.06\00:21:10.87
Nobody said a word. All
the paneling on the side.
00:21:10.90\00:21:13.64
Next week, nobody says a word.
Next week, nobody says a word.
00:21:13.67\00:21:16.71
Finally I can stand
it. I asked the elder.
00:21:16.74\00:21:18.37
"Where did all
this paneling come from?
00:21:18.41\00:21:19.97
He says, "We
don't know but he says,
00:21:20.01\00:21:21.38
"I'll tell you,
little old Bessy,
00:21:21.41\00:21:23.21
who was the
pillar of the church,
00:21:23.24\00:21:24.58
every church as a pillar, right.
00:21:24.61\00:21:26.75
Little old Bessy was
so mad that somebody dare
00:21:26.78\00:21:29.12
put the name of Jesus Christ.
00:21:29.15\00:21:31.95
And sign it, "The Jesus."
00:21:31.99\00:21:33.99
You know, she died
before I ever got to tell her
00:21:34.02\00:21:35.69
who actually did that.
00:21:35.72\00:21:37.06
Well, I tell her
in Heaven, right.
00:21:37.09\00:21:39.09
But finally, I said,
00:21:39.13\00:21:42.70
"Well, aren't you going
to do something with it?"
00:21:42.73\00:21:44.83
He said, "Well,
how about will make you
00:21:44.87\00:21:46.20
head of the building committee."
00:21:46.23\00:21:48.67
We weren't even church members.
I said, yeah, sounds good.
00:21:48.70\00:21:50.87
And, you know, God blessed
00:21:50.91\00:21:52.24
I don't have time this
morning to share with you
00:21:52.27\00:21:53.61
a lot of that but God
blessed so much it was amazing.
00:21:53.64\00:21:56.48
Somebody moved in said
00:21:56.51\00:21:57.85
God is impressed us
to put a new carpet.
00:21:57.88\00:21:59.95
Somebody else, we
want to help with a light,
00:21:59.98\00:22:01.52
somebody else
with all the drapes.
00:22:01.55\00:22:03.25
And in no time we had the
most gorgeous looking sanctuary.
00:22:03.28\00:22:07.59
God will do those kind of
things, you know, for you,
00:22:07.62\00:22:10.33
for your family, for your church
00:22:10.36\00:22:11.69
as you step out for Him.
00:22:11.73\00:22:13.16
As you go and do for Him.
00:22:13.19\00:22:16.36
Well, I felt a call to ministry
00:22:16.40\00:22:19.53
and after, after
about three years
00:22:19.57\00:22:22.34
I felt really call to ministry.
00:22:22.37\00:22:24.57
And at that time
I thought everybody
00:22:24.61\00:22:26.21
within the church is
sowing their ascension robe.
00:22:26.24\00:22:28.54
Now I don't know if you
know what that means here
00:22:28.58\00:22:30.18
but, you know, the-- they,
they thought I just thought
00:22:30.21\00:22:33.18
everybody walked on water
00:22:33.21\00:22:34.55
who came into the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:22:34.58\00:22:38.25
You know, I've grown
up a little since then.
00:22:38.29\00:22:40.96
But unfortunately, it should be
true but it's not always true.
00:22:40.99\00:22:45.06
Your, your name
on the church rolls
00:22:45.09\00:22:47.10
does not mean your name
is on the rolls of heaven.
00:22:47.13\00:22:50.77
This fellow by, I
handed him the keys
00:22:50.80\00:22:53.34
to my business to a beautiful
three story home on five acres.
00:22:53.37\00:22:58.84
I said send me the
money when it closes.
00:22:58.87\00:23:00.91
And we took off to school.
00:23:00.94\00:23:03.01
While we're at school
the Lord blessed greatly
00:23:03.04\00:23:04.68
I even got an A in Greek.
00:23:04.71\00:23:06.05
It was amazing.
00:23:06.08\00:23:07.42
It was only God
because the first day
00:23:07.45\00:23:08.78
I sat in that class
with tears coming down eyes,
00:23:08.82\00:23:11.15
I thought what am I doing here.
00:23:11.19\00:23:12.69
What am I doing here?
00:23:12.72\00:23:14.06
But anyway we ended
up needing to go home
00:23:14.09\00:23:16.56
and rescue our business,
rescue the whole thing.
00:23:16.59\00:23:21.23
And an interesting
thing had occurred.
00:23:21.26\00:23:24.40
See all this time
for the several years,
00:23:24.43\00:23:26.97
I was studying
God's word all the time,
00:23:27.00\00:23:29.24
I mean, I was deeply in
study, a great deal of the time.
00:23:29.27\00:23:32.44
I would get up at
five o'clock in the morning
00:23:32.47\00:23:34.44
and go out in the woods
and sit out there and pray
00:23:34.48\00:23:37.21
and talk with the Lord
00:23:37.25\00:23:38.91
for an hour or
two hours sometimes.
00:23:38.95\00:23:41.52
And, and I really, you
may think it sounds funny
00:23:41.55\00:23:44.15
but I could hear
the voice of the Lord.
00:23:44.19\00:23:47.86
I would submit to you today
if you can't hear the voice
00:23:47.89\00:23:50.26
of Jesus Christ saying
00:23:50.29\00:23:51.89
"This is the way walk ye in it."
00:23:51.93\00:23:54.06
Then you've got a problem
00:23:54.10\00:23:55.43
with the very core
of your Christianity
00:23:55.46\00:23:56.97
because Jesus said,
"My sheep, hear my voice."
00:23:57.00\00:24:01.17
Right, if you can hear
God's voice in your life,
00:24:01.20\00:24:03.81
then you've got a problem.
00:24:03.84\00:24:05.17
And I begin having a problem
00:24:05.21\00:24:06.54
because I went to
school to become a pastor
00:24:06.57\00:24:09.68
and I quit studying.
00:24:09.71\00:24:11.35
Oh, sure, I
studied for, for the exams
00:24:11.38\00:24:13.55
and that kind of thing.
00:24:13.58\00:24:14.92
I quit praying to
God and when I got home
00:24:14.95\00:24:17.89
I had a call from
the Conference president,
00:24:17.92\00:24:19.55
he said, "Jim,
we'd like you to pastor
00:24:19.59\00:24:21.06
the brand new
church we just built."
00:24:21.09\00:24:22.86
It was in a ski
area, I love skiing.
00:24:22.89\00:24:25.09
It was wonderful.
00:24:25.13\00:24:26.93
And I looked at my, by this time
00:24:26.96\00:24:28.50
my two children my
wife, myself and I said no.
00:24:28.53\00:24:32.83
The very call, I'd had
of my life and I said no.
00:24:32.87\00:24:39.51
The next day a guy
came into the office
00:24:39.54\00:24:41.41
and he was in real estate said,
00:24:41.44\00:24:43.68
"Jim, I'd like you to
start with me in real estate.
00:24:43.71\00:24:45.81
I'm starting a brand
new real estate office."
00:24:45.85\00:24:47.68
I said, sure.
00:24:47.72\00:24:49.05
My wife worked
our other business
00:24:49.08\00:24:50.42
I went into real estate.
00:24:50.45\00:24:51.92
I became so successful in
real estate, it was unreal.
00:24:51.95\00:24:55.92
Houses and lands and
everything was going amazingly.
00:24:55.96\00:24:58.99
I was-- ended up in
the top four percent
00:24:59.03\00:25:01.03
of all the
Coldwell banker agents
00:25:01.06\00:25:02.60
in all the North America.
00:25:02.63\00:25:04.47
That's pretty high up
in, in things-- I was having.
00:25:04.50\00:25:08.47
I was having 100
listings at a time.
00:25:08.50\00:25:12.04
And on and on and on and on.
I had my own radio talk show.
00:25:12.07\00:25:16.38
I lobbied on Capitol
Hill in Washington D.C.
00:25:16.41\00:25:19.85
rubbing shoulders with the
Congressman and the Senators.
00:25:19.88\00:25:22.62
I was a power player.
00:25:22.65\00:25:24.32
I was on
television doing those things.
00:25:24.35\00:25:26.42
I wrote a
column for a newspaper.
00:25:26.45\00:25:29.42
My wife had
another company also.
00:25:29.46\00:25:32.59
As the world looks at success,
00:25:32.63\00:25:35.63
we were extremely successful,
extremely successful.
00:25:35.66\00:25:40.67
One day sitting in the church,
looking cool, paying tithe,
00:25:40.70\00:25:44.67
doing all the right things.
00:25:44.71\00:25:46.04
Matter of fact, still
going out and preaching.
00:25:46.07\00:25:47.91
But I'll tell you preaching
00:25:47.94\00:25:49.28
without the power
of the Holy Spirit
00:25:49.31\00:25:50.71
and there's a huge difference.
00:25:50.75\00:25:53.62
Jim, the Holy Spirit may
be poured out all around you,
00:25:53.65\00:25:58.75
you're never going to
recognize it or receive it.
00:25:58.79\00:26:02.16
And I realize at that moment
00:26:02.19\00:26:04.43
and had God decided
to come at that time
00:26:04.46\00:26:06.63
I was lost, eternally lost.
00:26:06.66\00:26:09.86
And that's what I've
shared with you, you know,
00:26:09.90\00:26:11.33
you can be
sitting in this church
00:26:11.37\00:26:12.87
and unless you have a
friendship and relationship
00:26:12.90\00:26:15.14
with Jesus
Christ, you can be lost.
00:26:15.17\00:26:18.07
You can do a lost.
00:26:18.11\00:26:19.44
I went to a friend and said,
"Man, got to do something."
00:26:19.47\00:26:23.04
He said, "Yeah, I'm
feeling the same way."
00:26:23.08\00:26:25.25
Well, we ended
up, we started a study
00:26:25.28\00:26:29.52
and in this
study the first night
00:26:29.55\00:26:30.89
I got there, you had to sign.
00:26:30.92\00:26:33.22
You had the sign and commit
45 minutes a day in prayer
00:26:33.25\00:26:36.22
and study with God.
00:26:36.26\00:26:38.53
Forty five minutes a day.
I'm too important for that.
00:26:38.56\00:26:41.66
I don't have time for that.
00:26:41.70\00:26:43.10
I've got this to
do, I got that to do,
00:26:43.13\00:26:44.70
I got to earn
this, I got go do that.
00:26:44.73\00:26:47.04
I can't do it.
Everybody else sign not me.
00:26:47.07\00:26:50.57
We continue on as
the evening goes on.
00:26:50.61\00:26:52.77
It's all times almost
up they plug in a video,
00:26:52.81\00:26:55.31
turn off the lights that
preachers preaching just to me,
00:26:55.34\00:26:58.21
"You Jim, you
piled up so much stuff
00:26:58.25\00:27:00.78
in the front of your door,
00:27:00.82\00:27:02.15
if God calls you to
go on mission for Him,
00:27:02.18\00:27:03.92
you can't even get
to the door to answer."
00:27:03.95\00:27:07.69
Tears coming down my eyes
00:27:07.72\00:27:09.72
hurry and wipe them out
they turn on the lights again.
00:27:09.76\00:27:12.16
Everybody else walking on
00:27:12.19\00:27:13.53
and I'm still look in that book.
00:27:13.56\00:27:15.93
And finally I signed it.
00:27:15.96\00:27:18.23
Let me tell you,
that was my second
00:27:18.27\00:27:19.93
toilet bowl experience.
00:27:19.97\00:27:21.77
It was all of a sudden I realize
00:27:21.80\00:27:23.61
same thing had
happened over time.
00:27:23.64\00:27:25.91
In a new direction.
00:27:25.94\00:27:27.28
I wasn't a drug
dealer any longer
00:27:27.31\00:27:28.64
but I was a dealer, a
dealer of power and money
00:27:28.68\00:27:30.75
and all these things.
00:27:30.78\00:27:32.11
And the devil just dropped
stuff on my shoulders again.
00:27:32.15\00:27:34.68
Here I was,
going around thinking
00:27:34.72\00:27:36.99
life was grand
life was wonderful,
00:27:37.02\00:27:39.59
the world thought I was good
00:27:39.62\00:27:41.76
and all of sudden when I signed
00:27:41.79\00:27:43.93
that God just lifted all
that off my shoulders again.
00:27:43.96\00:27:47.23
And I went home and
guess what I had the time.
00:27:47.26\00:27:50.17
I found the time to spend
that 45 minutes a day in prayer
00:27:50.20\00:27:53.07
and study and more.
00:27:53.10\00:27:54.44
Because the first thing I did,
is went home and I got rid off
00:27:54.47\00:27:56.91
all the premium four letter
word channels on television.
00:27:56.94\00:28:01.18
And some of your probably
know what I'm talking about.
00:28:01.21\00:28:03.75
And I began having that time in
God's Word that time of study.
00:28:03.78\00:28:08.05
And it got so
exciting, it was so wonderful,
00:28:08.08\00:28:10.69
I would wake up in the
mornings and I'd pray and study
00:28:10.72\00:28:13.56
and I look and I would say
00:28:13.59\00:28:14.92
"God, I want to
reach the world for You.
00:28:14.96\00:28:17.89
Lord, please help me
reach the world for You."
00:28:17.93\00:28:21.50
I had no idea how God
would even answer that prayer.
00:28:21.53\00:28:26.20
Well, we're sitting
in church one Sabbath
00:28:26.23\00:28:29.14
as we're having this wonderful
experience with the Lord
00:28:29.17\00:28:31.17
now and I mean, I
wasn't totally grown up.
00:28:31.21\00:28:34.44
I was on the way and
I'm sitting there thinking,
00:28:34.48\00:28:36.85
you know, if we sell
everything we've got,
00:28:36.88\00:28:38.31
man, we can move
down the Costa Rica.
00:28:38.35\00:28:40.98
We can have a maiden, a servant,
00:28:41.02\00:28:42.35
a gardener and a
chef and, you know,
00:28:42.38\00:28:45.19
on and on and on
we can live in style.
00:28:45.22\00:28:47.66
About that moment Lord said,
00:28:47.69\00:28:49.02
"Jim, you need to do
something for me this year."
00:28:49.06\00:28:53.60
Oh, I got out the car.
00:28:53.63\00:28:57.13
Told my wife what
was going on, she said,
00:28:57.17\00:28:58.50
"Yeah, Lord was
telling me the same thing."
00:28:58.53\00:29:00.77
I just praise God that God
was able to speak to both of us
00:29:00.80\00:29:03.24
at the same time.
00:29:03.27\00:29:04.61
And reaches together and
said, "Well, what do we do?"
00:29:04.64\00:29:10.21
Well, Janine said, "Well,
let's go to Maranatha trip."
00:29:10.25\00:29:12.05
Now, we have never been
on the Maranatha trip before.
00:29:12.08\00:29:13.95
We had no idea. But
what called them up.
00:29:13.98\00:29:17.09
Where are you going?
00:29:17.12\00:29:18.45
Well, we're going to Irian Jaya
we're going to South America.
00:29:18.49\00:29:24.29
Irian Jaya.
00:29:24.33\00:29:25.66
I had no idea where Irian Jaya
I was and that's probably too
00:29:25.69\00:29:28.00
expensive a plane ticket anyway.
00:29:28.03\00:29:29.83
So we went to South America.
00:29:29.86\00:29:31.53
And it was such an
amazing experience.
00:29:31.57\00:29:34.67
I'm laying block I'd
never laid block in my life,
00:29:34.70\00:29:36.87
I'm laying block.
00:29:36.91\00:29:38.24
And the guy on
the other side says,
00:29:38.27\00:29:39.67
"Jim, isn't amazing?
00:29:39.71\00:29:41.34
We're the answer
to so many prayers."
00:29:41.38\00:29:44.65
And I thought, you know,
I haven't been the answer
00:29:44.68\00:29:47.12
to anybody's prayers in years.
00:29:47.15\00:29:50.25
And it just tears again
started, started flowing,
00:29:50.29\00:29:53.42
thinking, God,
thank you so much.
00:29:53.46\00:29:55.39
My wife and I began finding
such excitement in all of this,
00:29:55.42\00:29:58.29
it was amazing.
00:29:58.33\00:29:59.66
We got back home, we said,
00:29:59.69\00:30:01.03
we went to
Maranatha headquarters
00:30:01.06\00:30:02.40
and said we want to
put together own teams.
00:30:02.43\00:30:04.13
We began doing our own teams
00:30:04.17\00:30:05.60
doing more and more
pretty soon we, we helped them.
00:30:05.63\00:30:08.14
They'd never really put together
00:30:08.17\00:30:09.50
medical, and
dental and eye teams
00:30:09.54\00:30:11.04
and did evangelism
and build the building
00:30:11.07\00:30:13.24
and all the same time.
00:30:13.27\00:30:14.61
We go in and just
going to blitz a place.
00:30:14.64\00:30:16.88
Man, by the time we're done,
00:30:16.91\00:30:18.25
everybody knew who
Seventh-day Adventists
00:30:18.28\00:30:20.18
were in a
community, it was exciting.
00:30:20.22\00:30:22.78
It was exciting.
00:30:22.82\00:30:24.45
One day Maranatha
called me and said,
00:30:24.49\00:30:26.15
"Jim, can you help us in
Bangladesh with a project?"
00:30:26.19\00:30:29.62
We went over there and
my wife and I are living
00:30:29.66\00:30:32.16
at the orphanage, thousand
kids there, thousand kids
00:30:32.19\00:30:35.43
at the school in orphanage.
00:30:35.46\00:30:37.73
And this one little girl
my wife befriended, Binika.
00:30:37.77\00:30:40.24
Binika was sweet
little 9-year-old girl
00:30:40.27\00:30:42.40
we are buying
her good cute clothes
00:30:42.44\00:30:44.74
and everything
else she was so nice.
00:30:44.77\00:30:47.08
I come home one day
and my wife's in tears.
00:30:47.11\00:30:49.81
"Honey, what's wrong?"
00:30:49.84\00:30:51.18
"They're going to sell Binika."
00:30:51.21\00:30:53.21
Sell Binika?
00:30:53.25\00:30:54.88
Yeah, she turned
10-years-old today
00:30:54.92\00:30:57.19
and the parents
can't afford to keep her.
00:30:57.22\00:30:58.85
They're going to sellers
as prostitute or as a slave.
00:30:58.89\00:31:03.36
I tell you dinner that
night was not too exciting
00:31:03.39\00:31:06.70
and as we're sitting
around the dinner table,
00:31:06.73\00:31:09.56
we had one friend that
we've done a lot of work with.
00:31:09.60\00:31:12.77
Lot of mission projects
said, "Why don't you buy her?"
00:31:12.80\00:31:16.50
Never thought about
buying a person before.
00:31:16.54\00:31:20.04
Well, we ended up buying that
little girl for 10 US dollars,
00:31:20.08\00:31:25.28
$10 we bought this little girl
00:31:25.31\00:31:27.02
and then we helped
the family out too.
00:31:27.05\00:31:29.42
So they didn't have to
sell and more of their children.
00:31:29.45\00:31:31.72
And here the other
day that's been years ago,
00:31:31.75\00:31:33.52
the other day, this
little girl, I forgot
00:31:33.56\00:31:36.86
she no longer a little girl
00:31:36.89\00:31:38.23
but she Skyped her
Facebook to my wife.
00:31:38.26\00:31:40.30
And they began talking.
00:31:40.33\00:31:41.66
She's in Bangladesh,
she is doing wonderfully.
00:31:41.70\00:31:43.77
A wonderful exciting time.
00:31:43.80\00:31:47.94
They wanted us
to go to, to Nepal.
00:31:47.97\00:31:51.34
While we're
working in the Nepal,
00:31:51.37\00:31:52.97
the nurses come to us and
the nurses are telling us.
00:31:53.01\00:31:57.01
You know, this little
fellow took poison one day.
00:31:57.05\00:31:59.78
He no longer wanted to live.
00:31:59.81\00:32:01.15
His two sons brought
him here to the hospital.
00:32:01.18\00:32:03.15
We're actually
building a tiger fence.
00:32:03.18\00:32:05.95
A tiger fence to
keep the tigers away from,
00:32:05.99\00:32:09.19
you know, the
people at the hospital
00:32:09.22\00:32:11.29
and doing some other things.
00:32:11.33\00:32:13.09
And they said, "We
just can't keep doing this
00:32:13.13\00:32:15.93
we, we put a tube down and
we bagged him for two days.
00:32:15.96\00:32:19.73
We can't do it any
more can you guys help?"
00:32:19.77\00:32:22.54
Well, I hate hospitals
too, I don't like dentist
00:32:22.57\00:32:24.44
and I hate hospitals,
you know, it's not actually
00:32:24.47\00:32:26.98
a fall you don't, you
know write me letters.
00:32:27.01\00:32:30.35
And I thought well,
what are you going to do?
00:32:30.38\00:32:34.85
I said, okay.
00:32:34.88\00:32:36.22
Next day I get there I
labored with God that night
00:32:36.25\00:32:38.45
about even going to the hospital
00:32:38.49\00:32:39.82
but the next day I get there.
00:32:39.85\00:32:41.99
This my training, okay,
you take this little thing
00:32:42.02\00:32:44.69
you squeeze your
watches chest raise and lower
00:32:44.73\00:32:46.76
you squeeze,
squeeze, squeeze that's it,
00:32:46.80\00:32:50.23
did that for about five
minutes and the nurse leaves
00:32:50.27\00:32:52.27
she said, "Your relief will
be here and a half an hour."
00:32:52.57\00:32:55.17
Oh, man, by ten minutes
00:32:55.20\00:32:57.21
I thought my
hands were going to die,
00:32:57.24\00:32:59.21
they're killing
me, 15-20 minutes,
00:32:59.24\00:33:01.11
then I thought this is
crazy, where's my relief.
00:33:01.14\00:33:04.11
Thirty minutes finally
somebody showed up and I mean,
00:33:04.15\00:33:06.21
I just, aw, it was hurting
and had to come the next day.
00:33:06.25\00:33:10.05
Well, next day now
I'm a little better,
00:33:10.09\00:33:11.72
a little cooler
about this you know.
00:33:11.75\00:33:13.66
Got in and squeezing him.
00:33:13.69\00:33:15.12
He is pretty good, you know,
00:33:15.19\00:33:16.52
I could actually get
them squeezing with one hand.
00:33:16.56\00:33:18.06
I could put my hand on his head
00:33:18.09\00:33:20.30
and look at his
little black eyes,
00:33:20.33\00:33:21.83
his little black
Hindu eyes looking up at me
00:33:21.86\00:33:24.53
and I tell him about
Jesus, how much Jesus loved him.
00:33:24.57\00:33:27.60
And, you know, I kept on
squeezing half hour went by.
00:33:27.64\00:33:30.21
Nobody showed up,
00:33:30.24\00:33:31.57
an hour went by
nobody showed up.
00:33:31.61\00:33:33.01
But- any hands,
it didn't get tired.
00:33:33.04\00:33:34.61
And I kept telling him
about how much Jesus loved him
00:33:34.64\00:33:37.08
and how special he was to Jesus.
00:33:37.11\00:33:38.88
Two hours, two and a half hours,
00:33:38.91\00:33:41.45
all of a sudden his
chest starts getting huge.
00:33:41.48\00:33:44.02
I start yelling for somebody
00:33:44.05\00:33:45.59
and all of a sudden
people come from everywhere
00:33:45.62\00:33:47.76
it's like the
movie ER or something
00:33:47.79\00:33:50.16
and there's holes in his chest
there's blood going everywhere.
00:33:50.19\00:33:52.69
And nobody says a word to me.
00:33:52.73\00:33:54.06
I'm still there, sitting there
squeezing, watching his chest.
00:33:54.10\00:33:57.50
Finally, they wipe him all up
00:33:57.53\00:33:58.87
and they all leave
nobody says anything to me
00:33:58.90\00:34:00.80
and I'm still squeezing.
00:34:00.84\00:34:02.50
I start talking to him
again and praying for him
00:34:02.54\00:34:04.67
and telling him how sweet
he is and Jesus loves him,
00:34:04.71\00:34:07.64
three and a half hours finally
four hours somebody came.
00:34:07.68\00:34:10.85
My hands never got tired.
00:34:10.88\00:34:13.38
Three weeks later, the
nurse has emailed me and said,
00:34:13.42\00:34:15.35
"You know, that
little fellow you're helping,
00:34:15.38\00:34:17.19
he walked out of here
today under his own power.
00:34:17.22\00:34:20.32
And he wants to know
who these people were
00:34:20.36\00:34:22.52
because he wants to
find out about their God."
00:34:22.56\00:34:25.69
Now that's a
good part of the story
00:34:25.73\00:34:27.43
but the story is even better
00:34:27.46\00:34:28.96
because here about six weeks ago
00:34:29.00\00:34:31.93
some friends that
we were in the Nepal
00:34:31.97\00:34:33.94
with all those years ago said,
00:34:33.97\00:34:35.44
"You remember
this little fellow?"
00:34:35.47\00:34:36.81
I said, Yeah.
00:34:36.84\00:34:38.17
Well, he is now working,
he's a Seventh-day Adventist
00:34:38.21\00:34:40.38
and he's working at
Scheer Memorial Hospital.
00:34:40.41\00:34:42.94
And go, praise God,
you know, praise God.
00:34:42.98\00:34:47.52
Another project, I was
starting to get so excited
00:34:47.55\00:34:50.59
about evangelism pretty soon
00:34:50.62\00:34:52.32
as we're doing
Maranatha projects.
00:34:52.35\00:34:54.62
I kind of wanted to
just leave the project
00:34:54.66\00:34:56.06
alone and just do evangelism.
00:34:56.09\00:34:58.23
I'm doing evangelism in India.
00:34:58.26\00:35:00.06
At a time when evangelism
00:35:00.10\00:35:01.83
and wasn't a
popular thing in India
00:35:01.86\00:35:04.17
and this particular meeting,
it was coming up to the time
00:35:04.20\00:35:08.14
when it was going to
be the Sabbath topic.
00:35:08.17\00:35:11.27
And the pastor who
was helping now said,
00:35:11.31\00:35:13.38
"Beware the devil's
going to do something."
00:35:13.41\00:35:15.84
Yeah, okay, I got it
covered right I've got to,
00:35:15.88\00:35:18.45
I've got an extra
light bulb for the projector
00:35:18.48\00:35:21.58
and if the projector totally
goes and the computer goes,
00:35:21.62\00:35:24.79
I've got enough notes and
things like I can cover it.
00:35:24.82\00:35:27.92
I'm ready, I'm in
about five minutes
00:35:27.96\00:35:30.89
all of a sudden over
here in the Telugu language,
00:35:30.93\00:35:33.26
this lady screaming
help me, help me, help me.
00:35:33.29\00:35:35.76
And everybody around her
00:35:35.80\00:35:37.13
is wailing and
hollering it is so loud
00:35:37.17\00:35:38.77
that couple thousand
people I had to stop.
00:35:38.80\00:35:41.97
I motioned to
her to come alongside
00:35:42.00\00:35:43.64
and then she comes over here.
00:35:43.67\00:35:45.07
Everybody who sees this kid
in her arms draped upside down,
00:35:45.11\00:35:48.64
eyes rolled back and
they start screaming.
00:35:48.68\00:35:52.08
We have her moved
over the side over here
00:35:52.11\00:35:54.32
where a doctor friend of mine
00:35:54.35\00:35:55.68
was and he begins
examining the kid,
00:35:55.72\00:35:57.59
while everybody
over there is wailing.
00:35:57.62\00:35:59.59
And I'm thinking, what do I do?
00:35:59.62\00:36:01.96
I tell everybody well
let's take it to God in prayer
00:36:01.99\00:36:04.93
because I thought, I
can't do anything else.
00:36:04.96\00:36:06.80
And did that sound wrong?
00:36:06.83\00:36:09.76
I can't do anything
else so let's take it to God.
00:36:09.80\00:36:12.73
I have nothing else to do
so let's go ahead and pray.
00:36:12.77\00:36:15.77
Do you ever find
yourself in that situation?
00:36:15.80\00:36:18.11
Well, I did.
00:36:18.14\00:36:20.01
And as I would pray,
interpreter would pray
00:36:20.04\00:36:22.38
and as he would
pray, I'd look over to Jim,
00:36:22.41\00:36:24.25
thumbs up, thumbs down.
00:36:24.28\00:36:25.85
Thumbs down and pray.
Thumbs down pray, thumbs down.
00:36:25.88\00:36:28.82
So went back and
forth and back and forth.
00:36:28.85\00:36:30.59
And all of sudden, thumbs up.
00:36:30.62\00:36:32.65
And I thank the
Creator, God of the universe.
00:36:32.69\00:36:35.02
And it went
throughout that whole city.
00:36:35.06\00:36:36.83
That this God
that of these meetings
00:36:36.86\00:36:39.56
had raised that
child from the dead.
00:36:39.59\00:36:43.40
I went and asked Jim, I said,
Jim, was that that kid dead?
00:36:43.43\00:36:48.74
Pause, well, there was no pulse.
00:36:48.77\00:36:52.37
Jim, you're the doctor.
00:36:52.41\00:36:53.74
Was that kid dead?
Well, there was no pulse.
00:36:53.78\00:36:58.65
Thought isn't it
interesting for us
00:36:58.68\00:37:00.48
especially in "civilized" world.
00:37:00.52\00:37:03.79
You know, civilized
countries that we can't expect
00:37:03.82\00:37:07.56
and think that God
can do mighty miracles,
00:37:07.59\00:37:11.49
mighty miracles.
00:37:11.53\00:37:14.30
I look at Peter,
walked up the temple steps
00:37:14.33\00:37:18.23
and a beggar's there
and he sees a paralytic.
00:37:18.27\00:37:20.84
He'd been there
for years probably
00:37:20.87\00:37:22.94
and he anybody
who comes the temple
00:37:22.97\00:37:24.71
they got an offering
to give at the temple.
00:37:24.77\00:37:26.41
So he gets a little excited
puts out of cup for Peter
00:37:26.47\00:37:29.14
and Peter checks
out says, let's see,
00:37:29.18\00:37:31.51
I don't have any
silver, I don't have any gold
00:37:31.55\00:37:35.08
but what I've got, I
give to you, rise and walk.
00:37:35.12\00:37:40.22
Man's up.
00:37:40.26\00:37:41.59
Now here in Australia and
in America what do we have?
00:37:41.62\00:37:46.90
Silver, gold? What Peter had?
00:37:46.93\00:37:52.63
He didn't have any
silver, he didn't have any gold.
00:37:52.67\00:37:55.00
What did he have? Holy Spirit.
00:37:55.04\00:37:57.77
What don't we have?
Yeah, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit.
00:37:57.81\00:38:04.45
God is looking to do
mighty things in our lives.
00:38:04.48\00:38:06.98
Brothers and Sisters,
00:38:07.02\00:38:08.35
when I was
sitting in that church
00:38:08.38\00:38:09.72
the Lord said the Holy Spirit
00:38:09.75\00:38:11.09
maybe poured out all around you.
00:38:11.12\00:38:12.45
You're never going to
recognize it or receive it.
00:38:12.49\00:38:15.82
What I've
discovered over these years,
00:38:15.86\00:38:17.79
that's absolutely the truth.
00:38:17.83\00:38:19.86
I didn't recognize it.
00:38:19.89\00:38:21.23
It is beginning to be
poured out around the world.
00:38:21.26\00:38:23.60
God is doing mighty
things, tremendous things.
00:38:23.63\00:38:26.17
This afternoon
I'm going to share
00:38:26.20\00:38:27.70
a lot of stories with you,
it may blow your socks off.
00:38:27.74\00:38:30.47
Stories you
can't hardly imagine.
00:38:30.51\00:38:32.84
But it's from a
God, Who is active
00:38:32.87\00:38:34.51
in the world today, Who
is doing incredible things.
00:38:34.54\00:38:37.11
And I want to ask you today,
is God active in your life?
00:38:37.15\00:38:40.88
Because you see, God
can't just trust anybody
00:38:40.92\00:38:44.19
with the latter rain.
00:38:44.22\00:38:46.15
He can only--
because it's too powerful.
00:38:46.19\00:38:48.46
He can only trust people
who committed 100% to Him.
00:38:48.49\00:38:53.26
And if you see it, it
was popular in the US,
00:38:53.29\00:38:55.33
maybe it was here too,
you see a bumper sticker
00:38:55.36\00:38:57.97
on the back of a
car going down the road,
00:38:58.00\00:38:59.33
"Jesus is my co-pilot."
00:38:59.37\00:39:00.80
Anybody ever? Not one here.
00:39:00.84\00:39:03.34
And let me tell
you if that's the case,
00:39:03.37\00:39:04.87
He's in the wrong seat.
He's sitting in the wrong seat.
00:39:04.91\00:39:08.14
God wants to be
the pilot in your life.
00:39:08.18\00:39:10.31
He doesn't want to be in your
life in an advisory capacity.
00:39:10.35\00:39:14.22
God steps in and out of time,
He's got your life mapped out.
00:39:14.25\00:39:17.35
He knows
everything about your life
00:39:17.39\00:39:19.22
and He wants to take your life
00:39:19.25\00:39:20.59
and bless you in
an incredible way.
00:39:20.62\00:39:23.66
He's got so much for you.
00:39:23.69\00:39:25.03
I never realized and believe
00:39:25.06\00:39:27.03
the things that
God would do for us.
00:39:27.06\00:39:29.80
And now I look
back and think, what?
00:39:29.83\00:39:32.00
If I'd been sitting in that
church pew like you are today,
00:39:32.03\00:39:34.77
if I had been sitting there
00:39:34.80\00:39:37.37
and I had not answered
that call when God called me.
00:39:37.41\00:39:41.38
What would have
happened to little Binika?
00:39:41.41\00:39:44.78
What would have happen
to our little Hindu friend?
00:39:44.81\00:39:49.38
What would have
happened to that dead child?
00:39:49.42\00:39:52.39
And I mean, the list I
could go on and on and on
00:39:52.42\00:39:55.59
about the things that
God is done through our life.
00:39:55.62\00:39:57.86
God wants to do those
things in your life too.
00:39:57.89\00:40:01.43
The key is will you
allow Him and will you create
00:40:01.46\00:40:04.83
a friendship and
relationship with Him,
00:40:04.87\00:40:06.57
above everything else,
by getting into His word
00:40:06.60\00:40:09.14
studying His Word
and talking with Him?
00:40:09.17\00:40:11.21
If you do that I want to, I
want to see your hand today,
00:40:11.24\00:40:15.61
amen, amen.
00:40:15.64\00:40:17.75
Let's have prayer.
00:40:17.78\00:40:19.11
Father, thank You so
much for Your incredible love.
00:40:19.15\00:40:21.65
Fill us this day
in Jesus' name, amen.
00:40:21.68\00:40:25.45