Hello again, I'm Kathy Matthews 00:00:31.83\00:00:33.64 and this is Thinking About Home. 00:00:33.67\00:00:35.41 We've been doing a series called Plain Talk. 00:00:35.44\00:00:38.67 And our guest has been and is today 00:00:38.70\00:00:41.80 the director of Men's Ministries 00:00:41.83\00:00:43.85 of the Florida conference of Seventh-day Adventists 00:00:43.88\00:00:46.39 and that's Pastor Richard O'Ffill. 00:00:46.42\00:00:48.05 You're just always with us, 00:00:48.08\00:00:51.49 it's seems like lately. 00:00:51.52\00:00:52.49 It is talking plain, talking plain, plain talk. 00:00:52.50\00:00:54.33 You like that I think. 00:00:54.36\00:00:55.42 And today we're going to do some plain talk if, 00:00:55.45\00:00:57.98 and you know unless you've change 00:00:58.92\00:01:00.54 it the last minute. No, no 00:01:00.57\00:01:01.83 I haven't but you know I heard 00:01:01.86\00:01:04.44 you were from Florida, right. 00:01:04.47\00:01:06.47 You bet I'm from Florida, yeah. 00:01:06.50\00:01:07.71 By the way my wife was raised down there, 00:01:07.74\00:01:10.29 originally from Florida? Yeah. Well, 00:01:10.32\00:01:12.10 and when she was about 8 or 9 years old 00:01:12.13\00:01:13.46 and she went to the academy there. 00:01:13.49\00:01:15.10 So there came a time in my life, 00:01:15.13\00:01:17.17 about 16 years ago we went back to Florida 00:01:17.20\00:01:19.30 because her parents were there 00:01:19.33\00:01:20.60 and her sisters are there. 00:01:20.63\00:01:22.09 You it's just, you know sooner or later 00:01:22.12\00:01:24.63 we started Thinking About Home, 00:01:24.66\00:01:25.63 how do you like that? I like that. 00:01:25.64\00:01:28.35 Do you have any senior citizens now there? 00:01:28.64\00:01:30.26 As we say is the Pope Catholic. 00:01:30.29\00:01:33.80 Oh no. Senior citizens is what Florida is about. 00:01:33.83\00:01:38.73 I don't know if you've been down there 00:01:38.76\00:01:40.50 and noticed the, you see it everywhere. 00:01:40.53\00:01:43.83 I preached in some churches Kathy would 00:01:43.86\00:01:46.35 you believe it, where I think the average age 00:01:46.38\00:01:48.84 was like 70, 70 years old. 00:01:48.87\00:01:51.10 And so old age is everywhere, 00:01:51.13\00:01:53.54 old age is everywhere. 00:01:53.57\00:01:55.14 Is it the golden years, is old age 00:01:55.20\00:01:57.12 really the golden years? 00:01:57.15\00:01:58.24 Isn't it something how they call old age 00:01:58.27\00:02:00.38 the golden years? 00:02:00.41\00:02:01.38 Now this is horrible what I'm about say, 00:02:01.39\00:02:03.30 I'm getting older, I'm questioning that. 00:02:03.33\00:02:04.85 And so you're wondering if you are headed 00:02:04.88\00:02:06.07 toward the golden years. 00:02:06.10\00:02:07.07 Doesn't seem very much gold as it used to be. 00:02:07.08\00:02:08.78 No you are headed to getting old 00:02:08.81\00:02:10.74 that I can say now, is it the golden years? 00:02:10.77\00:02:12.90 You know what I've said? 00:02:12.93\00:02:14.69 I've said whoever called old age 00:02:14.72\00:02:16.12 the golden years must have been the man 00:02:16.15\00:02:17.87 who made a million dollars selling cemetery spots. 00:02:17.90\00:02:20.43 No, no you know I really believe with all due 00:02:21.78\00:02:25.64 respect that old age is the biggest crisis 00:02:25.67\00:02:30.04 of our human existence, yes. 00:02:30.07\00:02:31.51 I think that it's the tragedy it takes, 00:02:32.20\00:02:37.40 it takes power, it makes it weak. 00:02:37.43\00:02:38.94 It takes beauty and wipes it out. 00:02:38.97\00:02:41.70 And in fact my dad and I'll talk 00:02:41.73\00:02:46.02 about him a little later. 00:02:46.05\00:02:47.02 He said Dick, it isn't so much 00:02:47.03\00:02:49.26 that the wages of sin is death, 00:02:49.29\00:02:51.48 he says it's the wages of sin is old age. 00:02:51.51\00:02:55.09 And I know some people; you know they're 00:02:55.12\00:02:57.08 all being, because they just soon die sometimes. 00:02:57.11\00:02:59.31 Well, you become trapped in your body and; 00:02:59.34\00:03:04.02 now I know some people say well 00:03:04.05\00:03:05.09 you are only as old as you feel 00:03:05.12\00:03:07.05 and well I'm thankful that there can 00:03:07.08\00:03:10.01 be those who are really upbeat but 00:03:10.04\00:03:12.33 though you may know a person 00:03:12.36\00:03:14.06 who is a 100 years old, who looks like a 50. 00:03:14.09\00:03:17.15 Most of that person's classmates 00:03:17.18\00:03:19.54 or family are long gone. 00:03:19.57\00:03:21.48 Right, that would be the unusual person. 00:03:21.51\00:03:22.81 Yeah. And so generally speaking old age 00:03:22.84\00:03:26.05 is physically debilitating and I don't want, 00:03:26.08\00:03:28.45 you know those who are with us to you know to say, 00:03:28.48\00:03:31.20 oh man I'm going to turn this off 00:03:31.23\00:03:33.03 because it's depressing. 00:03:33.06\00:03:34.03 But I think medical science probably carries us 00:03:34.04\00:03:39.19 all things being equal. 00:03:39.22\00:03:40.37 All things being equal now, 00:03:40.40\00:03:43.31 even up through the 70s in other words 00:03:43.34\00:03:45.83 you can be you know so, 00:03:45.86\00:03:47.14 so in being in your 70s. 00:03:47.17\00:03:49.32 But I've read some place a few years ago 00:03:50.06\00:03:51.76 that it seems like the organs of the body 00:03:51.79\00:03:54.51 under present conditions are sort of programmed 00:03:54.54\00:03:58.13 to wear out in 80s, 00:03:58.16\00:03:59.95 you know if we make it to the 80s. 00:03:59.98\00:04:01.34 And it's a sobering thing to think that 00:04:01.37\00:04:05.73 you know you might do well in the 60s, 00:04:05.76\00:04:09.26 you might do well in the 70s but the 80s 00:04:09.29\00:04:11.20 will probably do us in, 00:04:11.23\00:04:13.86 I mean few come out of the 80s 00:04:13.89\00:04:16.49 and those who come out are really old. 00:04:16.52\00:04:18.68 So, now you see where are you coming from, 00:04:18.71\00:04:22.04 why are you saying this, 00:04:22.07\00:04:23.04 why not be upbeat and vivaciously, 00:04:23.05\00:04:24.64 this isn't giving hope. 00:04:24.67\00:04:26.37 No, no as the program goes we'll talk about this, 00:04:26.40\00:04:29.49 I'm just saying let's get real, let's get real. 00:04:29.52\00:04:32.25 I don't think that our lives can have meaning 00:04:32.28\00:04:34.46 at any age as long as we're in fantasy land. 00:04:34.49\00:04:37.46 And you know down where I lived there in Florida 00:04:37.49\00:04:39.56 we got Disney World, so you can go to 00:04:39.59\00:04:41.22 Disney for a day and pretend your Mickey Mouse. 00:04:41.25\00:04:43.52 But when you go home at night 00:04:43.55\00:04:45.12 you realize that, you're still Dick O'Ffill, 00:04:45.15\00:04:47.15 your house has got rats or something, 00:04:47.18\00:04:49.04 you now it's not Mickey Mouse anymore, yes. 00:04:49.07\00:04:50.88 And so sooner or later 00:04:50.91\00:04:52.62 and I think the Christian life, 00:04:52.65\00:04:54.04 if its going to be powerful, 00:04:54.07\00:04:56.38 it's going to be meaningful, 00:04:56.41\00:04:58.20 it's got to be about reality. 00:04:58.23\00:04:59.53 It's not about pretending. 00:04:59.56\00:05:01.16 When I get to be a certain age in my life, 00:05:01.19\00:05:03.86 let's get be real. I'm not 18 anymore. 00:05:03.89\00:05:07.24 Now well I'm still 18 but I'm more than 18 00:05:07.27\00:05:10.83 and I tell the truth sometimes, right, 00:05:10.86\00:05:12.20 I say 18 plus, yeah 18 plus. 00:05:12.23\00:05:14.53 When I stop being 18, I didn't really stop being 18 00:05:14.56\00:05:17.28 I just added more years, right. But I'm not going to 00:05:17.31\00:05:19.72 pretend I'm 18, I'm not 18. 00:05:19.75\00:05:21.26 I'm not going to pretend I'm 30, I'm not 30. 00:05:22.40\00:05:24.39 I'm who I am. And you see I think 00:05:24.42\00:05:26.59 that we would do better inter-generationally, 00:05:26.62\00:05:29.86 if when I talk with an 18 year old that 00:05:29.89\00:05:32.30 I don't pretend I'm 18, really I don't know 00:05:32.33\00:05:35.49 what it's like to be 18 in the 21st century. 00:05:35.52\00:05:38.31 I don't, so why pretend. 00:05:38.34\00:05:39.58 In other words I could say well when I 00:05:39.61\00:05:40.75 was 18 then they're not listening anymore. 00:05:40.78\00:05:43.28 Because when I was 18 when they're 00:05:43.31\00:05:45.33 18 is not the same. 00:05:45.36\00:05:46.34 But the fact is that I'm 60 years old and so, 00:05:46.37\00:05:51.83 I can talk with an 18 year old, 00:05:51.86\00:05:54.25 what do we have in common, 00:05:54.28\00:05:55.56 that we're both alive today. 00:05:55.59\00:05:56.96 And that's what unites us, 00:05:56.99\00:05:58.76 we're not united in our age 00:05:58.79\00:06:00.84 but we're united in the fact that they 00:06:00.87\00:06:02.39 we're both alive today and that we're here 00:06:02.42\00:06:03.70 to support each other. 00:06:03.73\00:06:04.71 The youth support us with our strength 00:06:04.74\00:06:06.84 and may be when you'll get to be 60 00:06:06.87\00:06:08.51 you'll support them with your experience. 00:06:08.54\00:06:10.38 Experience is what I hope. 00:06:10.41\00:06:12.05 I hope we have a little experience by the 00:06:12.08\00:06:14.01 time it happened. 00:06:14.04\00:06:15.01 And that they would respect that, 00:06:15.02\00:06:15.99 that there is truly an experience there. 00:06:16.00\00:06:17.30 You know the Bible, in Ecclesiastes 00:06:17.33\00:06:19.25 I was gonna ask you, the Bible talks 00:06:19.28\00:06:20.25 about old age. I knew you were gonna ask. 00:06:20.26\00:06:22.05 See I even have a place here so 00:06:22.08\00:06:23.37 I wouldn't have to, you got the world's biggest 00:06:23.40\00:06:25.45 Bible here, I do not. 00:06:25.48\00:06:27.25 Well anyway at least I can, 00:06:28.94\00:06:30.79 at least I can read it. 00:06:30.82\00:06:32.11 I used to think at this text, 00:06:32.14\00:06:34.63 are you not having trouble with your eyes? 00:06:34.66\00:06:36.14 When I drive I put on glasses believe it 00:06:36.17\00:06:38.75 or not and, that's why mine started but I 00:06:38.78\00:06:41.32 had to keep them on most of the time after that. 00:06:41.35\00:06:44.19 I can't thread needles very well. 00:06:44.22\00:06:46.28 Oh it's getting so bad and I've been trying 00:06:46.31\00:06:48.99 to tread some needles lately, yeah, 00:06:49.02\00:06:51.00 look in my mouth in the mirror, I still can't, 00:06:51.03\00:06:53.78 even the tonsils they're getting dim. 00:06:53.81\00:06:56.27 Well anyway that, and it talks about that 00:06:57.64\00:07:00.03 in Ecclesiastes 12, you know 00:07:00.06\00:07:01.68 it starts out and I think we're familiar with this 00:07:01.71\00:07:04.09 text which it says, remember now thy creator 00:07:04.12\00:07:06.92 in the days of thy youth. 00:07:06.95\00:07:07.92 And everybody like oh man, here comes a text 00:07:07.93\00:07:10.41 about youth, the rest, or a chapter about. 00:07:10.44\00:07:12.32 This is the rest of the story right. No, no 00:07:12.35\00:07:13.64 this chapter is not about youth, 00:07:13.67\00:07:16.21 it's about old age. 00:07:16.24\00:07:17.29 And some people who would call it 00:07:17.32\00:07:19.12 the Golden Years, listen to this, 00:07:19.15\00:07:20.37 remember now thy Creator in the days of 00:07:20.40\00:07:22.86 thy youth, listen how it describes old age. 00:07:22.89\00:07:25.10 While the evil days come not, 00:07:25.13\00:07:28.21 nor the years draw nigh, 00:07:28.24\00:07:31.18 when thou shall say I have no pleasure in them. 00:07:31.21\00:07:33.47 In other words it's calling the later years, 00:07:33.50\00:07:36.44 the evil time in which it's not fun anymore. 00:07:36.47\00:07:39.83 Now you can say, well all it's just, it just so, 00:07:39.86\00:07:42.61 now this is, this is what it says here. 00:07:42.64\00:07:44.03 It says when you get to be old it's not fun anymore 00:07:44.06\00:07:47.09 and then it sets off your kind of 00:07:47.92\00:07:49.29 describing it says, while the sun 00:07:49.32\00:07:51.50 or the light or the moon or the stars 00:07:51.53\00:07:53.08 be not darkened, nor the clouds 00:07:53.11\00:07:54.56 return after the rain, failing eyesight. 00:07:54.59\00:07:56.84 And so my wife could pick these out 00:07:56.87\00:08:00.82 because she is able to, you know see 00:08:00.85\00:08:02.54 that the symbolism and all this, 00:08:02.57\00:08:04.08 but basically this text is saying your eyes go bad, 00:08:04.11\00:08:07.80 your hair grows gray, I've already got one 00:08:07.83\00:08:09.83 of those symptoms. 00:08:09.86\00:08:10.83 Your teeth fall, you can't hear anymore, 00:08:11.54\00:08:14.66 you can't sleep at night, somebody leads you around. 00:08:14.69\00:08:18.13 Yeah, you feel like you're going to fall, 00:08:18.16\00:08:19.76 you're afraid to go out, 00:08:19.79\00:08:20.90 you feel like you're going to fall. 00:08:20.93\00:08:22.24 And it just describes the whole phenomena 00:08:22.27\00:08:24.97 and then it gets up to the last 00:08:25.00\00:08:26.35 and then it talks about to the silver cord 00:08:26.38\00:08:28.69 being loosed, and then it says 00:08:28.72\00:08:30.77 the dust shall return to the earth 00:08:30.80\00:08:32.08 and so there is the story of our life. 00:08:32.11\00:08:35.36 And I wouldn't exactly call that the gold, 00:08:35.39\00:08:37.86 the golden years. 00:08:37.89\00:08:39.69 I think it's the crisis of human existence. 00:08:40.00\00:08:42.71 When I preach sometimes, 00:08:45.17\00:08:46.28 there will be some young people sitting up 00:08:46.31\00:08:48.37 on the front row and I can't resist 00:08:48.40\00:08:50.41 calling them forward and I'll, 00:08:50.44\00:08:52.60 and so I'll bring a young person forward 00:08:52.63\00:08:55.01 and I'll say to the congregation 00:08:55.04\00:08:57.71 I want to announce something about this 00:08:57.74\00:08:59.63 young person that they may not have known. 00:08:59.66\00:09:01.19 Did I do that in any camp meeting, 00:09:01.22\00:09:02.58 yes you did that, I can remember it, yes. 00:09:02.61\00:09:04.25 And I'm gonna announce something 00:09:04.28\00:09:05.26 they don't know and, then you have 00:09:05.29\00:09:06.26 Dick Nunez and his son. 00:09:06.27\00:09:09.42 And so I announce that this young person, 00:09:10.55\00:09:13.14 this young strong beautiful person 00:09:13.17\00:09:14.88 is old age positive, old age positive, 00:09:14.91\00:09:18.13 that even a new born baby is old age positive 00:09:18.16\00:09:20.78 and that, and then I go ahead and tell, 00:09:20.81\00:09:24.77 I said we're all born old age positive 00:09:24.80\00:09:26.99 but we don't begin to have symptoms 00:09:27.02\00:09:28.93 until about the age of 45. 00:09:28.96\00:09:31.06 Now I'm not gonna ask you how old you are? 00:09:31.11\00:09:33.01 Oh you're not, but anyway. 00:09:33.04\00:09:35.21 But it is something how, when we had 00:09:35.24\00:09:38.03 our 25th class anniversary from high school, 00:09:38.06\00:09:41.38 we were probably 38, 39, 40 I don't 00:09:41.41\00:09:44.65 remember what it was. 00:09:44.68\00:09:45.65 We were actually more handsome and 00:09:45.67\00:09:47.43 more beautiful than we were when we were18. 00:09:47.46\00:09:49.88 Well, I can agree with that. 00:09:49.91\00:09:51.30 Yeah but they're just, just five years 00:09:51.33\00:09:54.10 later you begin to see those changes. 00:09:54.13\00:09:57.55 Suddenly it's just one day I don't care, 00:09:57.58\00:09:58.98 it's not about living healthy 00:09:59.01\00:09:59.98 or your lives you know, 00:09:59.99\00:10:01.58 it says that skin texture changes. 00:10:01.61\00:10:04.53 Mine's changed tremendously just this 00:10:04.56\00:10:05.78 past year. It's unbelievable, 00:10:05.81\00:10:07.31 it's unbelievable and you know where 00:10:07.34\00:10:09.40 before you used to, you know when 00:10:09.43\00:10:10.57 you smile you'd have wrinkles and then 00:10:10.60\00:10:11.99 pretty soon you'd have wrinkles 00:10:12.02\00:10:13.16 when you not smile. 00:10:13.19\00:10:14.58 It's the bags underneath there, 00:10:14.61\00:10:16.33 and the bags under eyes and the neck 00:10:16.36\00:10:18.75 changes and you begin to and you see 00:10:18.78\00:10:21.28 I remember my father-in-law and he passed away 00:10:21.31\00:10:23.97 when he was 88 and he was a handsome man, 00:10:24.00\00:10:27.92 a strong handsome man, he sang beautifully. 00:10:27.95\00:10:30.51 And he told us one time, he say I look in 00:10:30.54\00:10:33.10 the mirror and I say what's happening to me 00:10:33.13\00:10:36.99 and I've been, Kathy, I've been in convalescent homes 00:10:37.02\00:10:41.85 where the, and this is, this is gonna 00:10:41.88\00:10:44.26 sound terrible, where these little prunes are, 00:10:44.29\00:10:46.14 little prunes, right that we love so much 00:10:46.17\00:10:48.45 but you look over on the chest of drawers 00:10:48.48\00:10:51.94 and there is a picture of a beautiful woman. 00:10:51.97\00:10:54.20 Guess who? That same person, 00:10:54.50\00:10:56.32 guess who, guess who. 00:10:56.35\00:10:57.57 And you, because you see I think in all of our 00:10:57.60\00:11:00.36 minds when we see an older person we think 00:11:00.39\00:11:03.71 that's the way they always were. 00:11:03.74\00:11:05.04 I tell people I say I can't remember 00:11:05.07\00:11:08.72 my grandmother when she wasn't old. 00:11:08.75\00:11:10.64 So therefore, but I truly can't, I only, 00:11:10.67\00:11:14.73 I only knew one and they were very 00:11:14.76\00:11:16.71 old when I was little. 00:11:16.74\00:11:18.25 And so to you she was born old. 00:11:18.28\00:11:20.01 Oh well I tell, you know, she didn't get old, 00:11:20.04\00:11:22.60 she was born old. I don't remember thinking that 00:11:22.63\00:11:24.09 way but I suppose it, it was like that. 00:11:24.12\00:11:25.82 But you know where I'm coming from, yes. 00:11:25.85\00:11:27.06 In other words you only knew her as a, 00:11:27.09\00:11:29.31 as on old person, as an old person. 00:11:29.34\00:11:30.92 So therefore when she would pass on, 00:11:30.95\00:11:32.57 it wouldn't come as a jolt you know it was 00:11:32.60\00:11:34.94 well she was old anyway and then, 00:11:34.97\00:11:36.65 it's been expected for a while, right. 00:11:36.68\00:11:38.31 But what about your parents, 00:11:38.34\00:11:39.37 are your parents living? 00:11:39.40\00:11:40.67 I still, my mother's still living 00:11:40.70\00:11:42.98 just turned 82 a week ago. 00:11:43.01\00:11:44.47 But you've lost, my father 11 years ago, 00:11:44.50\00:11:47.25 your father. 00:11:47.28\00:11:48.25 And you know my dad is 85 00:11:48.26\00:11:54.56 and my mother was 83 and it's been, 00:11:54.59\00:11:59.83 it was just last winter that she passed on 00:11:59.86\00:12:02.89 and I think this has been a little bit 00:12:02.92\00:12:05.23 of shock for me. 00:12:05.26\00:12:06.23 Now, when I say shock I knew it was there. 00:12:06.24\00:12:10.82 And you know, I could tell the change 00:12:10.85\00:12:12.70 but I don't think it really impacted me 00:12:12.73\00:12:16.12 or it wasn't impacted until it really happened. 00:12:16.15\00:12:18.75 And someone told me just a few weeks ago, 00:12:18.78\00:12:21.68 they said you know I don't we've realized 00:12:21.71\00:12:24.33 our mortality till our parents die. 00:12:24.36\00:12:26.79 Because it was always out there, 00:12:26.82\00:12:28.88 it was always happening, 00:12:28.91\00:12:30.29 obviously in some horrible situation 00:12:30.32\00:12:32.93 where our spouse dies or a child dies 00:12:32.96\00:12:34.91 you know that's awful but I think 00:12:34.94\00:12:38.15 you know all these things being equal, 00:12:38.18\00:12:40.05 it was suddenly when we watch the ravages 00:12:40.08\00:12:41.96 of old age and then suddenly one of them 00:12:41.99\00:12:45.93 dies and you say what's going on. 00:12:45.96\00:12:48.55 And you know what I think this 00:12:48.58\00:12:50.29 has done to me; I think it's 00:12:50.32\00:12:52.45 made me realize that I'm next, 00:12:52.48\00:12:55.30 moving then on. 00:12:56.86\00:12:57.83 That before it was grandma ahead of the 00:12:57.84\00:13:00.80 line, you know and so grandma 00:13:00.83\00:13:02.29 and then we had years, but now 00:13:02.32\00:13:04.05 suddenly its mom. 00:13:04.08\00:13:05.20 And here's my dad, my dad was 00:13:05.23\00:13:08.43 a big man, he could always work harder, 00:13:08.46\00:13:10.76 he was always stronger, 00:13:10.79\00:13:12.23 you know had more energy 00:13:12.26\00:13:13.95 than even I did and then last year 00:13:13.98\00:13:17.31 he has two strokes. 00:13:17.34\00:13:18.87 And he loses the ability to swallow 00:13:18.90\00:13:21.13 and so now he takes the food directly 00:13:21.16\00:13:23.70 into his stomach, you know so for 00:13:23.73\00:13:24.90 him breakfast psh, psh, a dinner is psh, psh, 00:13:24.93\00:13:27.96 supper is psh, psh. And we're talking 00:13:27.99\00:13:30.33 about invalid, we're talking about invalid, 00:13:30.36\00:13:32.38 this is my dad. And so as I look at that, 00:13:32.41\00:13:35.59 it's caused me to kind of go through 00:13:35.62\00:13:38.02 all these thoughts, yes of course. 00:13:38.05\00:13:39.94 And I think that, that's probably what, 00:13:39.97\00:13:42.70 what the scripture means when it says 00:13:42.73\00:13:46.32 remember when you're young 00:13:46.35\00:13:48.03 what it's going to be like 00:13:48.06\00:13:49.41 and you would say, so what, 00:13:49.44\00:13:50.61 so you can be depressed. 00:13:50.64\00:13:51.61 No, no, no, so that you'll live better, yes. 00:13:51.62\00:13:55.40 You know because young people think 00:13:55.43\00:13:56.83 that they're going to be young forever. 00:13:56.86\00:13:58.06 Wouldn't bring us to a closer world with Christ, 00:13:58.09\00:14:02.81 it could bring us to a closer world with Christ, 00:14:02.84\00:14:04.69 give us clear thoughts about 00:14:04.72\00:14:06.39 what I ought to be now, I think so. 00:14:06.42\00:14:08.78 Because you see it's this idea that 00:14:08.81\00:14:11.22 I'm immortal, with the young people, 00:14:11.25\00:14:14.11 I'm immortal, I'm never going to die. 00:14:14.14\00:14:15.11 And so with this kind of an ideology 00:14:15.12\00:14:19.99 they can do some crazy things 00:14:20.02\00:14:21.61 and they think well, you know it'll 00:14:21.64\00:14:24.60 catch up with me but one day it catches up 00:14:24.63\00:14:26.62 with everybody. 00:14:26.65\00:14:27.85 We are all heading that direction. 00:14:27.88\00:14:30.08 We're all heading, and so I think that the 00:14:30.11\00:14:31.83 sooner we look at our mortality, 00:14:31.86\00:14:34.86 and the scripture says look at it when 00:14:34.89\00:14:36.90 you're young, remember not thy creator 00:14:36.93\00:14:39.32 when you are young so that this 00:14:39.35\00:14:40.91 doesn't catch you by surprise, yes. 00:14:40.94\00:14:42.85 I see, well you know I haven't thought of 00:14:42.88\00:14:45.34 it quite that way to bring it out 00:14:45.37\00:14:47.02 in connection with the other verses. 00:14:47.05\00:14:49.10 Usually it's always just the one verse along, 00:14:49.13\00:14:51.58 that's right. 00:14:51.61\00:14:52.60 Remember thy creator in the days 00:14:52.63\00:14:53.73 of thy youth. 00:14:53.76\00:14:54.73 And another thing that's happened 00:14:54.74\00:14:55.71 that I think is sad and it's in our society. 00:14:55.72\00:14:59.49 I think that in this day of tears, 00:14:59.52\00:15:02.65 I think that's what this life's about, 00:15:02.68\00:15:04.64 lets face it. 00:15:04.67\00:15:05.64 If we've all got a death decree against us, 00:15:05.65\00:15:09.04 going forth of weeping. 00:15:09.07\00:15:11.58 And so that's right, this veil of tears, 00:15:11.61\00:15:14.22 yes, then originally God meant for the 00:15:14.25\00:15:17.20 generations to minister to each other. 00:15:17.23\00:15:19.31 Where the old person could be cared for, 00:15:19.34\00:15:23.11 that the young would look out for the old, 00:15:23.14\00:15:24.97 because remember this is a terrible thing to say. 00:15:25.00\00:15:27.76 Our parents started out diapering us, 00:15:27.79\00:15:29.98 it ends up just the other way, yes, yes. 00:15:30.01\00:15:32.40 And you now that, and you know 00:15:32.43\00:15:33.91 you could say that and there's, 00:15:33.94\00:15:35.79 what goes around comes around. 00:15:35.82\00:15:37.26 That they start out caring for us helpless. 00:15:37.29\00:15:39.59 And we end up caring for them, okay. 00:15:39.62\00:15:42.01 When you in that oriental culture, 00:15:42.04\00:15:43.72 it seems like they care more respect for older age. 00:15:43.75\00:15:47.50 I'm not sure just exactly how they take care 00:15:47.53\00:15:49.53 of someone physically, but at least respect, 00:15:49.56\00:15:52.38 but this culture needs that council a great deal. 00:15:52.41\00:15:56.56 Because we've got a great deal 00:15:56.59\00:15:58.20 of senior citizens now. 00:15:58.23\00:15:59.30 Well this, see this culture is about youth. 00:15:59.33\00:16:01.33 See this culture is under the illusion 00:16:01.36\00:16:04.15 that where as the years go by 00:16:04.18\00:16:06.30 we're gonna get younger and younger. 00:16:06.33\00:16:08.10 And so and if it doesn't do that 00:16:08.13\00:16:11.35 may be that's an older statement 00:16:11.38\00:16:12.94 at least it's broken off the youth, 00:16:12.97\00:16:14.83 it's developed these subcultures. 00:16:14.86\00:16:16.41 So what they've done is that, 00:16:16.44\00:16:19.64 they've taken something that was 00:16:19.67\00:16:21.19 to be supportive like a long strong beam 00:16:21.22\00:16:23.61 that could bear the weight of this life 00:16:23.64\00:16:26.46 and they've cut it in pieces. 00:16:26.49\00:16:28.10 So now the youth have to live alone 00:16:30.09\00:16:32.73 and they can't bear themselves. 00:16:32.76\00:16:33.88 The youth can't stand themselves, 00:16:33.91\00:16:35.30 but because this culture has broken them off 00:16:35.33\00:16:38.78 into a subculture then they don't have 00:16:38.81\00:16:41.11 the support of those 00:16:41.14\00:16:42.17 who are further down, right. 00:16:42.20\00:16:43.98 And because each of us are broken off, 00:16:44.01\00:16:45.85 we don't have the support of those 00:16:45.88\00:16:47.95 who can give us just the strength we need. 00:16:47.98\00:16:49.47 So in reality we need each other. 00:16:49.50\00:16:50.71 It was the way it was meant to be, 00:16:50.74\00:16:52.51 it was to be a continual. 00:16:52.54\00:16:54.51 And so every time we slice this 00:16:54.54\00:16:56.85 into smaller and smaller pieces, 00:16:56.88\00:16:58.44 we weaken the integrity of our ability 00:16:58.47\00:17:02.17 to live life as it really is. 00:17:02.20\00:17:04.49 So ministering to them? 00:17:05.10\00:17:06.61 Well you know, to us, to them, to us, I don't. 00:17:06.64\00:17:10.85 You know when I think of that, them 00:17:10.88\00:17:12.47 doesn't seem quite right, 00:17:12.50\00:17:14.01 but ministering nevertheless. 00:17:14.04\00:17:16.82 I'm a director for community services 00:17:16.85\00:17:18.80 of the community services for the Florida 00:17:18.83\00:17:20.89 conference among the other things I do. 00:17:20.92\00:17:22.48 And you know what I tell 00:17:22.51\00:17:24.31 the community service people 00:17:24.34\00:17:25.96 and then we could say the community service 00:17:25.99\00:17:27.04 ladies and they tend to be 00:17:27.07\00:17:28.38 on the higher circle, right. 00:17:28.41\00:17:29.54 I say if you do nothing else 00:17:31.07\00:17:33.97 in community services, 00:17:34.00\00:17:36.06 minister to the aged, yes. 00:17:36.09\00:17:39.16 And I really mean that, now 00:17:39.19\00:17:42.81 I'm not saying that the street people are not 00:17:42.84\00:17:44.82 worthy or that, you know the poor 00:17:44.85\00:17:48.96 and the needy, right, and people who've had 00:17:48.99\00:17:51.09 tragedy that these. 00:17:51.12\00:17:52.22 But you see the greatest tragedy 00:17:52.25\00:17:54.35 is old age. You see you can't, 00:17:54.38\00:17:56.77 you can't recover from that. 00:17:56.80\00:17:58.29 There is no cure for that and you know 00:17:58.32\00:18:01.02 I mean there is a cure for most 00:18:01.05\00:18:02.02 everything else. You know, 00:18:02.03\00:18:03.30 I'll get a loan or I'll get a new house 00:18:03.33\00:18:05.75 or I'll let my house burn down, 00:18:05.78\00:18:06.82 those kind of cures. 00:18:06.85\00:18:07.82 But what do you do about this and 00:18:07.83\00:18:09.04 so I just plead with them. 00:18:09.07\00:18:11.11 One year I did a survey in the 00:18:11.14\00:18:13.95 Florida conference and I had the ladies 00:18:13.98\00:18:16.14 locate the shut-ins, 00:18:16.17\00:18:17.88 now they weren't ten millions. 00:18:17.91\00:18:20.43 You know it wasn't that many per church. 00:18:20.46\00:18:22.77 Then I wish the churches out there who 00:18:22.80\00:18:24.51 are participating with us in this program 00:18:24.54\00:18:26.79 that you would do a survey of the 00:18:26.82\00:18:30.26 old people, the shut-ins in your church. 00:18:30.29\00:18:33.99 And that you would then say our first 00:18:34.02\00:18:36.89 responsibility is to minister to these people. 00:18:36.92\00:18:39.47 Because, doesn't it say in the book of James, 00:18:39.50\00:18:41.60 pure religion and undefiled is to visit 00:18:41.63\00:18:45.54 the widows and the orphans. 00:18:45.57\00:18:47.51 And Kathy I interpret widows 00:18:47.54\00:18:50.45 as being grandma, yes. 00:18:50.48\00:18:52.70 This has to be, well certainly they're included. 00:18:52.73\00:18:55.10 This has to be the people that are in 00:18:55.13\00:18:56.76 the old folks home yes. 00:18:56.79\00:18:58.29 You know I even heard, 00:18:58.32\00:18:59.80 oh this is awful case and I hope it 00:18:59.83\00:19:02.32 never happen again where one 00:19:02.35\00:19:04.36 church in some place they dis-fellowshipped. 00:19:04.39\00:19:07.47 You know they took her name off 00:19:07.50\00:19:08.51 the church rolls, because she was 00:19:08.54\00:19:09.81 in-convalescent at home and couldn't come 00:19:09.84\00:19:11.26 to church anymore, really. 00:19:11.29\00:19:12.45 And I thought oh no, no. 00:19:12.48\00:19:15.37 That will be painful. But anyway 00:19:15.68\00:19:18.13 that what missionary work, 00:19:18.16\00:19:20.96 it is sweeter than to minister to these weak. 00:19:20.99\00:19:25.67 You bear in mind that when your mate's dead, 00:19:25.70\00:19:29.62 yes, you wake up everyday 00:19:29.65\00:19:31.41 your body just hurts you so bad. 00:19:31.44\00:19:33.69 Your kids don't care about you anymore; 00:19:33.72\00:19:36.42 you've lost all your influence. 00:19:36.45\00:19:37.82 You don't, your finances are busted, yes. 00:19:37.85\00:19:41.04 You can't fly away from your body, 00:19:41.07\00:19:43.54 you can't get out, you're trapped. 00:19:43.57\00:19:44.73 You are doing time that only death will 00:19:44.76\00:19:46.66 set you free. If this isn't the 00:19:46.69\00:19:48.75 greatest missionary work that we could 00:19:48.78\00:19:50.53 in a nurturing sense, 00:19:50.56\00:19:52.21 I can't think of anything else that would be. 00:19:53.14\00:19:54.87 You know I think that this thing with mom 00:19:55.84\00:19:58.99 and dad has made me think about 00:19:59.02\00:20:03.61 the coming of Jesus, in the way 00:20:03.64\00:20:04.65 that I didn't do before. 00:20:04.68\00:20:06.21 You know and you hear me keep reminiscing, 00:20:06.24\00:20:09.56 a number of years ago we talked about 00:20:09.59\00:20:11.41 the coming of Jesus a lot, yes. 00:20:11.44\00:20:13.07 You see my daddy when he was a young man, 00:20:13.10\00:20:16.11 he didn't think he would ever grow old 00:20:16.14\00:20:19.51 enough to be, to finish college 00:20:19.54\00:20:20.91 or to be married, yes. 00:20:20.94\00:20:22.11 Jesus was coming. And they believed, 00:20:22.14\00:20:24.91 the Seventh-day Adventist church 00:20:24.94\00:20:26.93 was built on the blessed hope. 00:20:26.96\00:20:28.43 And then suddenly it seemed like 00:20:29.46\00:20:30.78 when he didn't come, and we still believe it. 00:20:30.81\00:20:32.47 Well, it may be, it may be intellectually, 00:20:33.26\00:20:36.72 but in a way at least in my life time 00:20:36.75\00:20:39.97 we began to create our own heaven on earth. 00:20:40.00\00:20:41.99 You see when we were poor and when were 00:20:43.01\00:20:44.89 little prosecuted yeah, then we say 00:20:44.92\00:20:47.08 this earth is not my home, yes. 00:20:47.11\00:20:49.36 I'm just passing through, my treasures are. 00:20:49.39\00:20:50.55 Well just as soon as you get a couple of cars 00:20:50.58\00:20:52.69 and you get you know nice house, 00:20:52.72\00:20:54.21 you can never get paid off, don't want to get. 00:20:54.24\00:20:56.52 Then pretty soon you'll say well really I, 00:20:56.55\00:20:58.21 severed from it. Yeah, rather not 00:20:58.24\00:21:00.38 be severed from it. Yeah. And so, 00:21:00.41\00:21:02.44 I think what this old age, 00:21:02.47\00:21:04.84 this close up view of it with dad and mom, 00:21:04.87\00:21:08.16 it made me realize that 00:21:08.19\00:21:12.48 we're not getting out of this side the 00:21:12.51\00:21:14.96 coming of Jesus, right. 00:21:14.99\00:21:16.06 That it is the blessed hope, 00:21:16.09\00:21:17.96 that it's the resurrection, 00:21:17.99\00:21:18.96 the trumpet sill sound and the dead in Christ 00:21:18.97\00:21:21.35 shall raise first, that's what we need to have 00:21:21.38\00:21:23.07 a hold on. Isn't this true 00:21:23.10\00:21:24.27 and you know I thought of the mighty men, 00:21:24.30\00:21:26.38 I don't know if you've read 00:21:26.41\00:21:28.29 about President Reagan, you know 00:21:28.32\00:21:29.90 he has Alzheimer's disease, yes. 00:21:29.93\00:21:30.91 And I was reading a little article and 00:21:30.94\00:21:34.20 they said he doesn't know anymore who is, 00:21:34.23\00:21:36.40 here he was this man influenced 00:21:36.43\00:21:38.51 the whole planet so much, yes. 00:21:38.54\00:21:40.76 And they said that the secret service stands 00:21:40.79\00:21:43.29 near by and he throws leaves in the 00:21:43.32\00:21:45.20 swimming pool and then they 00:21:45.23\00:21:46.37 clean them out and he throw. 00:21:46.40\00:21:47.71 And I thought this is what you get power, 00:21:47.74\00:21:51.11 influence, fame and then you're throwing leaves 00:21:51.14\00:21:54.41 in the swimming pool and they're pulling them out 00:21:54.44\00:21:56.23 and see. It makes you wanna say, 00:21:56.26\00:21:57.98 Oh Jesus, come Lord Jesus, have mercy, yes. 00:21:58.01\00:22:00.43 Do you know, you know even in the scripture, 00:22:00.46\00:22:01.87 yes, I don't think we read about it very often, 00:22:01.90\00:22:04.38 but David that powerful man after God's own 00:22:04.41\00:22:07.33 heart, yes, yes. It doesn't say he got 00:22:07.36\00:22:09.46 Alzheimer's but he must have had dementia. 00:22:09.49\00:22:12.06 Because, because it says that in his old age 00:22:12.09\00:22:15.74 in winter they had a young woman sleeping 00:22:15.77\00:22:17.64 with him to keep him warm, and he didn't know 00:22:17.67\00:22:20.07 that she was even there, right. 00:22:20.10\00:22:21.91 What does that tell you? 00:22:21.94\00:22:23.94 The old man David, yes, that man of God, 00:22:23.97\00:22:27.25 he couldn't tell where they, what was going on, right. 00:22:27.28\00:22:31.85 But you see the Bible, are you clearly depressed? 00:22:31.88\00:22:35.63 Well, let's do something else. 00:22:37.62\00:22:39.48 No, but you see what this does, 00:22:39.51\00:22:42.55 it drives us to Jesus, yes. 00:22:42.58\00:22:44.21 Now, you can go out and say well, 00:22:44.24\00:22:46.11 let's eat, drink and be merry before 00:22:46.14\00:22:47.99 tomorrow we die. 00:22:48.02\00:22:48.99 You know that's one tax that people take, 00:22:49.00\00:22:50.38 well this is all it is, I'm gonna do it right. 00:22:50.41\00:22:54.14 But this is to burn the candle on both ends. 00:22:54.17\00:22:56.82 This is lose, lose, yes. 00:22:56.85\00:22:59.33 But this kind of knowledge says no 00:22:59.36\00:23:01.69 I'm going to live my life in ministry 00:23:01.72\00:23:03.87 for others, wisely. 00:23:03.90\00:23:04.91 See, this is what I've been thinking lately. 00:23:04.94\00:23:06.78 I thought a selfish life is going to end up 00:23:06.81\00:23:10.03 a loser; it's a bitter life because we could 00:23:10.06\00:23:12.75 never have our lusts fulfilled. 00:23:12.78\00:23:15.04 And that because we have to be old 00:23:15.07\00:23:18.06 and die one time, the thing that makes 00:23:18.09\00:23:19.84 life meaningful along the way will be service 00:23:19.87\00:23:22.11 to others, yes. Well, yes otherness. 00:23:22.14\00:23:25.93 And that's what Jesus' life was about. 00:23:25.96\00:23:27.91 He knew that at the end of the line 00:23:27.94\00:23:29.91 he was going to be crucified 00:23:29.94\00:23:31.42 and if he didn't sit around in a little 00:23:31.45\00:23:34.06 bowl thinking about it, 00:23:34.09\00:23:35.57 you know, he made it worth while, untenable. 00:23:36.61\00:23:38.26 But all the time He's thinking of others 00:23:38.29\00:23:40.49 and that thinking of others is giving him 00:23:40.52\00:23:42.62 the strength to bear, to keep on, 00:23:42.65\00:23:45.49 with his mission. 00:23:45.52\00:23:46.49 And so we live in a society that's 00:23:46.50\00:23:48.26 so selfish, and it's not preparing us 00:23:48.29\00:23:50.71 for inevitable, yeah. 00:23:50.74\00:23:52.22 And really the way we prepare for 00:23:52.25\00:23:54.26 the inevitable is to work and think for others. 00:23:54.29\00:23:57.03 Don't you think so? Yes I think so. 00:23:57.06\00:23:58.39 You know I want to invite our audience 00:23:58.42\00:24:01.80 to write or call 3ABN and for topics 00:24:01.83\00:24:08.13 for the future on Thinking About Home. 00:24:08.16\00:24:10.89 I would be happy to take your suggestion, 00:24:10.92\00:24:12.83 and maybe there would be something 00:24:12.86\00:24:15.15 that you would suggest that we could work on. 00:24:15.18\00:24:17.03 And would meet your needs or some area 00:24:17.06\00:24:20.92 that the Lord would bless you on, 00:24:20.95\00:24:22.07 the address is 3ABN, PO Box 220, 00:24:22.10\00:24:26.73 West Frankfort, Illinois 62896. 00:24:26.76\00:24:30.25 And the 800 number is, 1-800-752-3226. 00:24:30.28\00:24:35.95 Now before we close there is another 00:24:35.98\00:24:40.27 subject that we can go out with 00:24:40.30\00:24:43.40 and that's the subject of dysfunction. 00:24:43.43\00:24:45.46 Well I, you know I don't know how far 00:24:45.49\00:24:48.79 to go into this. Well it doesn't seem like it would 00:24:48.82\00:24:50.69 exactly relate but there is some relationship 00:24:50.72\00:24:53.00 to what we're talking about here, isn't it? 00:24:53.03\00:24:54.00 I think what you are mentioning is that 00:24:54.01\00:24:57.36 we live in a generation that really 00:24:57.39\00:25:00.30 is so cut off from its past. 00:25:00.33\00:25:02.21 And if it's not cut-off it wants to accuse 00:25:02.24\00:25:06.35 the other generation, yes. 00:25:06.38\00:25:08.14 And I think when you mentioned dysfunction 00:25:08.17\00:25:10.22 it reminds us of that text in Proverbs, 00:25:10.25\00:25:11.35 which says there is a generation 00:25:11.38\00:25:12.62 that hates his father and despises his mother, 00:25:12.65\00:25:15.27 Proverbs 30. And I think that you said earlier 00:25:15.30\00:25:18.22 that in other cultures they respected their aged. 00:25:18.25\00:25:20.98 They respected the generations that may, 00:25:21.01\00:25:23.29 you see this one doesn't, orient culture. 00:25:23.32\00:25:25.08 This one not only doesn't respect it, 00:25:25.11\00:25:27.27 it lives a selfish life, but it accuses its past. 00:25:27.30\00:25:31.55 In other words, lining them for what I am. 00:25:31.58\00:25:33.84 For what I am, well the reason that I'm what I'm, 00:25:33.87\00:25:35.81 and here my father might be 85 years old, 00:25:35.84\00:25:38.57 well father did it to me, he messed up, 00:25:38.60\00:25:40.64 and have mercy on him, have mercy. 00:25:40.67\00:25:42.80 Sure he had flaws, don't we have any flaws. 00:25:42.83\00:25:45.47 Surely he made mistakes, haven't we made any? 00:25:45.50\00:25:47.93 But this idea that in this generation we want to say 00:25:48.53\00:25:51.86 well all my troubles are the cause of my fathers 00:25:51.89\00:25:55.44 or my grandfathers or my environment. 00:25:55.47\00:25:57.51 And so just as soon as we say that Kathy, 00:25:57.54\00:25:59.60 we're saying hey don't blame me. 00:25:59.63\00:26:01.42 I'm not responsible for the way I act. 00:26:01.45\00:26:03.25 So what this is doing is perpetuating the sins, 00:26:03.28\00:26:06.16 in fact this becomes literally descending 00:26:06.19\00:26:08.80 the sins of the fathers upon the children, 00:26:08.83\00:26:10.26 into the third and forth generation. 00:26:10.29\00:26:12.01 I think one of the greatest problems that we have 00:26:12.04\00:26:13.94 in this whole area, is not only 00:26:13.97\00:26:15.87 not respecting our aged, 00:26:15.90\00:26:19.68 the fifth commandment says honor your 00:26:19.71\00:26:23.16 father and mother. It doesn't say if 00:26:23.19\00:26:24.50 they were good guys, it doesn't say if 00:26:24.53\00:26:26.78 they were ministers or Bible workers. 00:26:26.81\00:26:29.28 Well, how are you going to, 00:26:29.31\00:26:30.29 how are you going to explain that to the ones 00:26:30.32\00:26:36.38 who have really abused. I mean I always 00:26:36.41\00:26:39.01 think about that, really abused their children. 00:26:39.04\00:26:41.91 I think in the last few seconds of the program 00:26:41.94\00:26:43.43 we get really get into that. 00:26:43.46\00:26:45.33 We can't get into except to say 00:26:45.36\00:26:46.42 that God gives us a gift of forgiveness, yes, 00:26:46.45\00:26:49.45 for our sakes. For our sakes 00:26:49.48\00:26:51.88 and you see this gift of forgiveness enables us 00:26:51.91\00:26:54.67 to get on with our lives, it enables me 00:26:54.70\00:26:56.29 to see my aged father with compassion. 00:26:56.32\00:26:58.74 To have mercy on him, and administer to him 00:26:58.77\00:27:02.95 in spite of what I might perceive that he might 00:27:02.98\00:27:05.84 or might not have done. 00:27:05.87\00:27:06.96 Oh how important it is that we recognize 00:27:06.99\00:27:10.40 our own responsibility, that we pray 00:27:10.43\00:27:12.87 that God will help us to forgive those, 00:27:12.90\00:27:14.90 albeit our parents that have wronged us, right. 00:27:14.93\00:27:17.18 And then if we'll do that, 00:27:17.21\00:27:19.33 he'll give us grace, amen, amen. 00:27:19.36\00:27:21.58 We need that gift of forgiveness, absolutely. 00:27:21.61\00:27:24.71 You know we've been ending with prayer. 00:27:24.74\00:27:26.95 We want to do that again, 00:27:26.98\00:27:28.65 we want to ask the audience to join us again 00:27:28.68\00:27:31.74 on Thinking About Home, but stick with us, 00:27:31.77\00:27:33.78 we're gonna pray for you. 00:27:33.81\00:27:35.36 Heavenly Father, in a special way we pray 00:27:35.39\00:27:38.41 for the aged. O Lord, this great crisis 00:27:38.44\00:27:41.55 not only do we pray for them, we pray that 00:27:41.58\00:27:43.71 you will come quickly, oh come Lord Jesus, 00:27:43.74\00:27:46.23 yes, sound that great trumpet, 00:27:46.26\00:27:48.44 that trumpet of resurrection we pray in Jesus name. 00:27:48.47\00:27:51.47 We look forward to that wonderful day 00:27:51.50\00:27:54.56 through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. 00:27:54.59\00:27:58.70