I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people.
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Hello and welcome to
another 3ABN today program.
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Thank you for
joining us as always.
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And it's good to have
Dr. Yvonne Lewis, co-host.
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It's good to be here.
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And we just want to thank you
for your love and your prayers
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and your
financial support of 3ABN
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as we endeavored to take
this great gospel of the kingdom
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into all the world.
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Jesus said, "Go ye
into all the world."
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We believe in
it. We always have.
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And I am so thankful that
especially in last few months
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that are viewers
have joined with us
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on the "GO!" Evangelistic Team.
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Oh, yes.
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Members and every
day I am signing more.
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There were 17 today and
about, I think, 20 yesterday
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and every day
more and more comes in.
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So we are looking for thousands
of people to join with us.
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And we send them
their certificate
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when they do as
a "GO!" ye member
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and for any monthly
donation of any amount,
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and then every month
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we send them an
evangelistic tool.
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That is such a great idea.
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And every time I
come into your office,
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I see a nice little pile of--
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Oh, yeah. Of certificates.
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So it's incredible. Absolutely.
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And the idea is not
only to support 3ABN
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but it helps people.
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It's for revive and reformation.
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When you get,
whether it's a sermon,
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whether it's
music you listen to it,
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it inspires you,
then guess what happens.
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You want to go out
and tell the world, right.
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That's right.
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So that's what it's all about
speaking to tell the world.
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We have a couple of folk
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who have been doing
this for a long time.
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My privilege to interview
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and we start
with the ladies first,
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Mollie and Hal Steenson.
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It's great to be here.
Great to have you guys here.
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Now somebody may be saying,
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"Why are you
interviewing Hal and Mollie?
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They have been with you
since old shepherd was a pup."
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Right?
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1995. Or longer?
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Yeah, yeah, yeah
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and we have
been known each other
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since late '70s, right.
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That's true. Yes.
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You all just moved up
from Alabama was working here.
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Can you imagine
coming from Decatur, Alabama
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to Southern Illinois,
West Frankfort, Illinois.
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Moved up here but before
we get in to all of that,
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today what we
really wanted to do,
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we're gonna take a
number of our folk here
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that you used to sing.
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We want to go back,
find out information
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that maybe you don't
already know about these folk.
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Not too long ago I interviewed
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presidential
candidate, Ben Carson
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and I went to DC, Wintley Phipps
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and I to do little
interview with him.
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And so I was asking, I
said, what should I ask him
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and I think it was Yvonne.
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So why don't you ask
him something about himself
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that we didn't already know.
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And he gave us a
really good answer.
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He got tickled at himself.
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He said, "Something
that you didn't already know,
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I loved to play pool
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and I taught my
wife how to do so,
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so she can be
competitive with me.
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So that's what he does.
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You know guy like him,
when he lets his hair down
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and he is able to relax.
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So we're gonna find
out some things today
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from Mollie and Hal
that we didn't already know.
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So I think this is
gonna be a fine interview.
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What about you? Oh, I do to.
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I did to. And they
are such great people.
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Oh, absolutely incredible.
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We're gonna do some music first.
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I am so thankful and so thrilled
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with our young
people we have here
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and few that came
from different areas.
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We put together a new CD,
the Lord gave us some songs
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and it's called,
"It's a Beautiful World."
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But one of the
song says, I am a--
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just simply, I am a Christian.
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And it encourages young people
to give your heart to the Lord.
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Don't be ashamed of it.
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Tell the world what
Jesus has done for you.
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So right after this
song and we're gonna go back
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and find out a
whole lot of things
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about Hal and Mollie
we don't already know.
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So let's go to
our song right now.
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Hope you enjoy,
"I Am A Christian."
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I am a Christian
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And I am not ashamed
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I am a Christian
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I call on Jesus name
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I tell the world
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That Jesus died to
save us from our sins
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I am a Christian
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Someone say Amen
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Amen.
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Let's tell everyone
we meet about our Lord
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and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Romans 1:16 says,
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"For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ,
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for it is the
power of God to salvation
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for everyone who believes."
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If you are a Christian
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You are not ashamed
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If you are a Christian
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You call on Jesus name
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Go tell the world
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That Jesus died to
save us from our sins
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If you are a Christian
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You can born again.
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Jesus says in John Chapter
3, "That we must be born again."
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All we have to
do to be born again
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is to love Jesus
with all our heart.
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Confess our sins to
Him and go tell others
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what Jesus has done for us.
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I am a Christian
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And I am not ashamed
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I am a Christian
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I call on Jesus name
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I tell the world
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that Jesus died to
save us from our sins
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I am a Christian
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someone say Amen
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Amen.
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Boys and girls, let's
never be ashamed to tell others
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about Jesus and His
great love for every one of us.
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Remember, the
Bible says in John 3:16,
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"For God so loved the world,
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that He gave His
only begotten Son,
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that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish,
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but have everlasting life."
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I am a Christian
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And I am not ashamed
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I am a Christian
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I call on Jesus name
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I tell the world
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That Jesus died to
save us from our sins
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I am a Christian
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Someone say Amen
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Amen
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I am a Christian
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I'll be born again
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Amen.
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That's a great song.
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Yeah, it is
beautiful. It is really good.
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And the whole
project is really so good
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and our children
need to hear this.
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They need to hear it.
Well, they do such a great job.
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All of them volunteered
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and we've done a program
recently, you will see it
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where we give
the names to each one
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and we talked a
little bit about them
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and hear most of all the songs.
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But today, that's
our hope and prayer
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that you can say,
"I am a Christian."
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Yes. That's what I want to do.
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Now I have to go to my
knees quite often fail God
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but the beauty of
it is when you fail,
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you'll come back
to Him on your knees
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and ask
forgiveness and, you know,
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not literally
always on your knees
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but in submission.
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Lord, I have failed.
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I am a sinner and
please take me as I am.
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I wrote a song years ago says,
"Take the breath you game me,
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take this body of clay
and mold me all over again."
00:08:01.58\00:08:05.41
When you do that,
God is faithful and just.
00:08:05.45\00:08:07.45
He'll forgive us from our sins
00:08:07.48\00:08:09.22
and cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.
00:08:09.25\00:08:12.22
Once again we are
here with Pastor Hal
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and Mollie Steenson.
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Now I've known you
guys-- we're thinking now
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all the songs
going around 1980, 81.
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Anyway it's been 30
some odd years, right,
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35 going on 36 years whatever.
00:08:23.16\00:08:25.73
So we were all
young back then. Thirties.
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We knew you
before there was a 3ABN.
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Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah.
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Absolutely.
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But I want to go
back now farther,
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some of the folk have
heard our story about how we met
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and we all work
together now but--
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let's start with you, Mollie.
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I've know-- ever
since I've known you
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all these years that you and Hal
00:08:44.52\00:08:45.85
but there was a time
before Hal in your life
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and, Hal, there was
a time before Mollie.
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Oh, yeah. I can't remember.
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Believe it or not--
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I can't believe it. I think
I've been married all my life.
00:08:52.26\00:08:53.90
I know. Yeah.
00:08:53.93\00:08:55.26
I know you have been knowing
each other all your lives.
00:08:55.30\00:08:57.27
I want to go back.
00:08:57.30\00:08:58.63
Tell us little bit about
where you were born and raised
00:08:58.67\00:09:00.44
and what kind of
family you raised in.
00:09:00.47\00:09:02.24
Well, I was raised
on a farm in Alabama.
00:09:02.27\00:09:05.44
Just, and, we were poor
but we didn't know we were poor
00:09:05.47\00:09:09.24
because everybody
around us was poor.
00:09:09.28\00:09:10.98
And I know that
you've heard that before.
00:09:11.01\00:09:13.28
But it was a big farm
and my dad was a big farmer.
00:09:13.31\00:09:15.95
He, you know, we ran cattle
and then he farmed TVA land
00:09:15.98\00:09:19.95
and he was just
always out working.
00:09:19.99\00:09:24.39
And he kept having
girls and he needed boys.
00:09:24.43\00:09:28.60
We had some people that lived
on our place that helped him--
00:09:28.63\00:09:31.77
they had boys in their family.
00:09:31.80\00:09:33.37
But we girls had to go
to the fields and work.
00:09:33.40\00:09:35.44
Just like the boys did
00:09:35.47\00:09:36.81
because daddy had to
have help, you know, he--
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How many girls?
00:09:38.91\00:09:40.24
There were four
girls, finally he had a boy
00:09:40.28\00:09:42.31
about the time
he was really back
00:09:42.34\00:09:44.48
and out of doing all
the big, the big farm
00:09:44.51\00:09:47.62
that comes the boy.
00:09:47.65\00:09:48.98
And but we girls,
we, you know, at the time
00:09:49.02\00:09:51.85
and my sisters and
I have discussed it,
00:09:51.89\00:09:55.29
hard work, I mean,
we worked in the fields
00:09:55.32\00:09:57.56
and we drove the tractors
and I know how to turn ground
00:09:57.59\00:10:00.56
and I know how to plow ground
00:10:00.60\00:10:02.13
and, you know, you
know, you just learn.
00:10:02.16\00:10:04.27
I can even drive the
hay baler if I had to.
00:10:04.30\00:10:06.20
I used to drive the truck--
00:10:06.23\00:10:07.57
That's good to know.
00:10:07.60\00:10:09.30
All these years now
we got Tammy Larson here,
00:10:09.34\00:10:11.51
she will go out and do that.
00:10:11.54\00:10:12.87
You know Charlie
is daughter of course,
00:10:12.91\00:10:14.78
but well, I didn't
know Mollie could do,
00:10:14.81\00:10:16.44
now it's good to know.
00:10:16.48\00:10:17.81
I can remember, I
would drive the truck
00:10:17.85\00:10:20.55
and it's a big truck
that they load the hay on.
00:10:20.58\00:10:23.62
And my little legs
were too little to sit down
00:10:23.65\00:10:27.29
and do the clutch and the break.
00:10:27.32\00:10:28.92
You know, how you would
have to go from bail to bail.
00:10:28.96\00:10:31.63
I would yank those boys
off the back off the tractor.
00:10:31.66\00:10:33.60
Throw them off the back.
00:10:33.63\00:10:34.96
That hay when I have to
drive but I had to drive.
00:10:35.00\00:10:38.63
But that's I raised on a farm.
00:10:38.67\00:10:40.54
And my sisters now discussing
all the hard work we did.
00:10:40.57\00:10:43.91
And, at the time all
we-- it just embarrass us
00:10:43.94\00:10:47.04
when people would
see us out working,
00:10:47.08\00:10:48.84
you know, and like
what the boys were doing.
00:10:48.88\00:10:51.31
But we wouldn't give anything
00:10:51.35\00:10:52.68
for the work
ethic that it put in us
00:10:52.71\00:10:54.48
because today hard
work doesn't scare us a bit.
00:10:54.52\00:10:57.02
And I was gonna say
that because it seems to me
00:10:57.05\00:11:00.16
that when that is
developed as a child, you know,
00:11:00.19\00:11:02.79
we talk about
training your children,
00:11:02.82\00:11:05.29
when that's
developed as a child,
00:11:05.33\00:11:06.76
it just carries
on into adulthood
00:11:06.80\00:11:09.16
and you work
hard to get results.
00:11:09.20\00:11:11.50
Yeah, you don't stop and think,
00:11:11.53\00:11:12.87
"Am I gonna go
to the field today?"
00:11:12.90\00:11:14.80
Yeah. You get up and go.
00:11:14.84\00:11:17.11
Absolutely.
00:11:17.14\00:11:18.47
Just like in, in our
family we didn't think,
00:11:18.51\00:11:20.58
"Are we gonna go
to church today?"
00:11:20.61\00:11:22.14
We just got up
and went. That's all.
00:11:22.18\00:11:24.05
Nor, "Am I going
to school today?"
00:11:24.08\00:11:25.61
Yeah. Yeah. It was an option.
00:11:25.65\00:11:27.85
If I didn't go to
school, I had to work.
00:11:27.88\00:11:29.52
So I got up went to
school. School is easy.
00:11:29.55\00:11:31.79
Well, one or the other for sure.
00:11:31.82\00:11:33.15
So you are
working hard into fields,
00:11:33.19\00:11:35.96
what about the
spiritual atmosphere
00:11:35.99\00:11:37.99
of your home?
00:11:38.03\00:11:39.36
We were church of Christ.
00:11:39.39\00:11:40.73
My mother had us in church
every time the doors were open.
00:11:40.76\00:11:44.03
A good godly woman.
00:11:44.07\00:11:45.80
My dad didn't go to church
but he made sure mother had
00:11:45.83\00:11:48.60
a vehicle to take us to church.
00:11:48.64\00:11:50.14
It was very important to him.
00:11:50.17\00:11:51.51
He was a veteran of World War II
00:11:51.54\00:11:53.21
and he felt like a
part of what he fought
00:11:53.24\00:11:55.68
for was our freedom
00:11:55.71\00:11:57.25
and our liberty to go to church.
00:11:57.28\00:11:59.08
So he saw to it
that we have the ability.
00:11:59.11\00:12:02.35
Now later in life
I am happy to say,
00:12:02.38\00:12:04.65
he did start attending
church and our heart's cry
00:12:04.69\00:12:08.02
is that my dad made
Jesus the Lord of his life
00:12:08.06\00:12:10.53
before he went to sleep.
00:12:10.56\00:12:12.13
But growing up
he was hard working,
00:12:12.16\00:12:15.70
hard drinking, gambling,
you know, that was part of part
00:12:15.73\00:12:19.67
and parcel of what
was in my background.
00:12:19.70\00:12:23.30
And, but, the end result
of that was you see things
00:12:23.34\00:12:27.98
that you are never
going to-- that affect you
00:12:28.01\00:12:30.65
so that you will never
go in that direction too.
00:12:30.68\00:12:32.91
So there is
positive with the negative.
00:12:32.95\00:12:36.35
Absolutely. Now,
so how old were you?
00:12:36.38\00:12:39.52
Did you like to meet brother Hal
00:12:39.55\00:12:41.06
here in kindergarten
00:12:41.09\00:12:42.82
or was it high school or
was it after all of that.
00:12:42.86\00:12:45.53
When did you guys...
00:12:45.56\00:12:46.90
Well, I started working
right out of high school,
00:12:46.93\00:12:49.46
I went to work.
00:12:49.50\00:12:50.83
I would dream when I
was in those cotton patches,
00:12:50.87\00:12:52.90
I wanted to be a secretary.
00:12:52.93\00:12:54.34
That was my goal.
00:12:54.37\00:12:55.70
I mean, I want
to be a secretary.
00:12:55.74\00:12:57.17
So in school learnt
how to take shorthand,
00:12:57.21\00:12:59.61
learnt how to type.
00:12:59.64\00:13:01.34
Everything clear like a
tape because I knew that
00:13:01.38\00:13:03.61
was my ticket
out the cotton field.
00:13:03.65\00:13:05.81
And so I learnt
to do those skills.
00:13:05.85\00:13:09.18
And so I
started, started working,
00:13:09.22\00:13:11.75
had a secretarial job.
00:13:11.79\00:13:13.42
Let me tell you this.
00:13:13.46\00:13:15.39
I had never typed on
an electric typewriter
00:13:15.42\00:13:17.69
now tell people of my age,
00:13:17.73\00:13:19.63
never typed.
00:13:19.66\00:13:21.00
And so I had to
go for an interview
00:13:21.03\00:13:24.17
and part of what I had to do
00:13:24.20\00:13:25.77
was type on an
electric typewriter.
00:13:25.80\00:13:28.14
So the gentleman that was going
00:13:28.17\00:13:30.37
to interview me
asked me the day before,
00:13:30.41\00:13:32.47
"Now, you do know how to
type on electric typewriter?"
00:13:32.51\00:13:36.01
And I did lied to him.
I told him, "Yes, I do."
00:13:36.04\00:13:38.38
Because I figured I did.
00:13:38.41\00:13:40.92
Yeah.
00:13:40.95\00:13:42.28
Think that there
was any difference.
00:13:42.32\00:13:43.65
No. I haven't. If you
can type, you can type.
00:13:43.69\00:13:46.05
What I did do was
ask one of the girls,
00:13:46.09\00:13:49.02
"How do you turn this baby on?"
00:13:49.06\00:13:50.96
And so she showed me
00:13:50.99\00:13:52.33
what button and
I passed that test.
00:13:52.36\00:13:53.93
All right.
00:13:53.96\00:13:57.10
Now think how things changed
00:13:57.13\00:13:59.60
because I am sitting here
and I remember those days.
00:13:59.63\00:14:02.97
I remember I took typing
and there were 29 typewriters
00:14:03.00\00:14:07.08
or 31 in a room
and two were electric.
00:14:07.11\00:14:09.88
This was about 68
or 9 and the rest were,
00:14:09.91\00:14:13.28
you know, the ribbons.
00:14:13.31\00:14:14.78
We had to take turns.
00:14:14.82\00:14:16.15
Everybody wants to
try that electric one.
00:14:16.18\00:14:18.39
So you learned to type,
you got out of high school.
00:14:18.42\00:14:20.16
Yeah. Okay.
00:14:20.19\00:14:21.52
So I got the job and
where I got the job was
00:14:21.56\00:14:25.23
Prestolite in Decatur, Alabama.
00:14:25.26\00:14:27.20
Well, Hal's
older brother William
00:14:27.23\00:14:30.97
worked at, at this place
and it was a huge office.
00:14:31.00\00:14:34.60
And he would walk by
my desk every once a while
00:14:34.64\00:14:37.04
and he would say,
"I've got a little brother
00:14:37.07\00:14:38.71
you need to meet."
00:14:38.74\00:14:40.08
Well, I didn't want to
meet his little brother.
00:14:40.11\00:14:41.68
William was just
wild as the March hare,
00:14:41.71\00:14:44.65
he had girlfriends,
and he wasn't somebody...
00:14:44.68\00:14:47.82
Well, he kept telling me,
00:14:47.85\00:14:49.58
"I have got a little
brother you've got to meet."
00:14:49.62\00:14:51.79
So I was living
with a friend there
00:14:51.82\00:14:54.02
in Decatur and so when--
00:14:54.06\00:14:56.32
I am gonna say it
was a Friday night.
00:14:56.36\00:14:57.93
I don't remember for sure.
00:14:57.96\00:14:59.29
But probably it
was a Friday night.
00:14:59.33\00:15:01.23
William comes to my door
because he wanted to go out
00:15:01.26\00:15:03.77
with the girl
that was my roommate.
00:15:03.80\00:15:05.67
And he had Hal with him.
And I happened to have thought,
00:15:05.70\00:15:09.40
he was cute if I ever did say.
00:15:09.44\00:15:12.97
So that's how we met.
00:15:13.01\00:15:14.34
Now we went riding that night,
00:15:14.38\00:15:16.54
the four of us were
riding and Hal could tell jokes.
00:15:16.58\00:15:19.95
He impressed me
with his intelligence
00:15:19.98\00:15:21.95
'cause anybody that
knew that many jokes
00:15:21.98\00:15:24.62
and could talk nonstop
had to be really smart.
00:15:24.65\00:15:27.72
And I can remember we had
our popcorn and potato chips
00:15:27.76\00:15:30.73
and that sort of thing.
00:15:30.76\00:15:32.09
I kept feeding him
00:15:32.13\00:15:33.46
because I was afraid he
was gonna try to kiss me.
00:15:33.50\00:15:37.13
I don't think she
had ever been kissed.
00:15:37.17\00:15:40.10
I had too been
kissed but not by him.
00:15:40.14\00:15:42.27
Not by him. Not by him. Okay.
00:15:42.30\00:15:44.61
So that's how we met. Okay.
00:15:44.64\00:15:46.57
So now, was it kind of
love at first sight as you say
00:15:46.61\00:15:50.41
or was is just kind
of, I think he is cute.
00:15:50.45\00:15:53.35
What did you
think about her, Hal?
00:15:53.38\00:15:54.95
I'll skip-- Well,
we will get to you back
00:15:54.98\00:15:56.42
to your story a bit.
00:15:56.45\00:15:57.79
But when you saw
her at that night
00:15:57.82\00:15:59.15
what were you thinking?
00:15:59.19\00:16:00.69
William knocked on the
door and Mollie came to the door
00:16:00.72\00:16:02.79
then we were going to--
00:16:02.82\00:16:04.16
I don't
remember what she had on.
00:16:04.19\00:16:05.53
She had on little
Mary Poppins outfit,
00:16:05.56\00:16:08.06
white frilly blouse with strap.
00:16:08.10\00:16:10.97
What?
00:16:11.00\00:16:12.33
I remember only
that thing. I like it.
00:16:12.37\00:16:13.70
She opened the
door and they were going
00:16:13.74\00:16:16.57
to a fashion show.
00:16:16.60\00:16:18.57
And William said,
00:16:18.61\00:16:19.94
"Would y'all like
to go riding around?"
00:16:19.97\00:16:21.81
And he told me
suddenly this is the girl
00:16:21.84\00:16:24.25
I work with name Mollie.
00:16:24.28\00:16:25.71
She is tall,
slim and very pretty.
00:16:25.75\00:16:28.22
And so I never
met the other lady,
00:16:28.25\00:16:30.79
the other woman
that Mollie little girl--
00:16:30.82\00:16:33.12
that Mollie was
lived where she just
00:16:33.15\00:16:35.26
moved in shortly before.
00:16:35.29\00:16:37.03
And so when she came to door,
00:16:37.06\00:16:38.76
I didn't know this
was Mollie, this was Rosy.
00:16:38.79\00:16:41.00
So he said-- and
she said, "I don't know.
00:16:41.03\00:16:43.26
I'll go and ask. Hang
on." She shut the door.
00:16:43.30\00:16:46.74
So I standing and
thinking she shut the door.
00:16:46.77\00:16:48.67
I told William, I
punched my brother and I said,
00:16:48.70\00:16:50.84
"I want that one,
right. That one right there.
00:16:50.87\00:16:54.44
I want that one."
00:16:54.48\00:16:55.84
And so love at first
sight, I don't guess so.
00:16:55.88\00:16:58.85
Fifty one days
later, we got married.
00:16:58.88\00:17:00.98
Oh, have mercy. Fifty one days.
00:17:01.02\00:17:02.65
Fifty one days.
Fifty one days later.
00:17:02.68\00:17:04.55
I tell him--
She's crazy about me.
00:17:04.59\00:17:08.09
You couldn't help--
you just got to liked her.
00:17:08.12\00:17:09.76
I am telling you.
00:17:09.79\00:17:11.23
I tell people let a
little 19 year old girl,
00:17:11.26\00:17:14.33
fresh off the farm,
make a decision for me
00:17:14.36\00:17:17.57
that affected
the rest of my life.
00:17:17.60\00:17:20.94
Well, Mollie just
recently had her birthday
00:17:20.97\00:17:23.64
and November the 15th
00:17:23.67\00:17:26.31
was our 46th
wedding anniversary.
00:17:26.34\00:17:30.58
And so people said
when we got married,
00:17:30.61\00:17:32.45
"51 days, it'll never last."
00:17:32.48\00:17:35.02
Last year, 46 years so...
It's almost been 51 years.
00:17:35.05\00:17:37.29
Yeah.
00:17:37.32\00:17:38.65
Mollie, really working you know.
00:17:38.69\00:17:40.02
You married in last 51
days, you know, 51 years, right.
00:17:40.06\00:17:42.46
Awesome.
00:17:42.49\00:17:43.83
And we both feel that
the Lord put us together
00:17:43.86\00:17:46.83
even back then and
we weren't Christians
00:17:46.86\00:17:49.36
but we still feel like
00:17:49.40\00:17:51.67
that there was
some divine guidance
00:17:51.70\00:17:54.10
even back then.
00:17:54.14\00:17:55.47
Let's go back and
catch up with Hal now.
00:17:55.50\00:17:57.21
So you were raised where?
00:17:57.24\00:17:58.87
I was raised in
Decatur, Alabama. We lived at...
00:17:58.91\00:18:01.24
That's close to
where Mollie lived?
00:18:01.28\00:18:02.61
About 40 miles apart.
00:18:02.64\00:18:04.31
She lived near
Huntsville, Alabama.
00:18:04.35\00:18:06.72
And well, not quite 40
miles but pretty, pretty close
00:18:06.75\00:18:09.28
and I was raised there.
00:18:09.32\00:18:11.55
And my dad was a farmer too
00:18:11.59\00:18:14.32
but he was also a
safety design engineer
00:18:14.36\00:18:17.09
for the State
Highway Department.
00:18:17.13\00:18:18.53
He was over North
Alabama, 13 counties signing
00:18:18.56\00:18:22.06
and center lining the highways
and putting up all the signs
00:18:22.10\00:18:24.83
and everything and...
00:18:24.87\00:18:26.57
I worked for him every summer
00:18:26.60\00:18:28.34
and when I got little bit older
but when I was 12-years-old,
00:18:28.37\00:18:33.94
I didn't have anything to
do and so I called my brother
00:18:33.98\00:18:37.35
who ran a automotive shop,
00:18:37.38\00:18:39.31
transmission shop and
said, "Can I come out and help
00:18:39.35\00:18:42.35
and maybe make some money?"
00:18:42.38\00:18:43.79
He said, "Yeah, come out."
00:18:43.82\00:18:45.79
And so I got out there,
I got a broom and started
00:18:45.82\00:18:48.02
sweeping off the floor.
00:18:48.06\00:18:49.99
And he said,
"What are you doing?"
00:18:50.03\00:18:51.36
I said, "Well, I am cleaning."
00:18:51.39\00:18:52.93
He said, "No, now
pull the engine out
00:18:52.96\00:18:54.36
of that car over there."
00:18:54.40\00:18:56.90
So I wondered what took
me three days to get it out
00:18:56.93\00:18:58.87
but I got it out.
00:18:58.90\00:19:00.24
And I worked for years
00:19:00.27\00:19:01.77
and that was a
way God blessed us too
00:19:01.80\00:19:03.57
because when I was in seminary,
00:19:03.61\00:19:07.44
I worked as mechanic
in Lakeland, Florida.
00:19:07.48\00:19:09.84
Walked in and just
laid down my certifications
00:19:09.88\00:19:12.08
and he said, "When do
you want to go to work?"
00:19:12.11\00:19:14.78
And I said, "Well,
I am going to school,
00:19:14.82\00:19:16.15
21 hours a semester,
don't have a lot of time."
00:19:16.18\00:19:19.35
And God blessed truly,
remember him back on it,
00:19:19.39\00:19:22.89
I was working
13, 15 hours a week
00:19:22.92\00:19:25.46
and making $600 to $800 a week.
00:19:25.49\00:19:28.40
Working, you know, certified
in certain specifications
00:19:28.43\00:19:32.13
around things and everything.
00:19:32.17\00:19:33.50
So God really blessed.
00:19:33.54\00:19:34.87
But my dad was a cotton farmer.
00:19:34.90\00:19:36.24
We farmed all over
North Alabama every flat land,
00:19:36.27\00:19:40.18
hill and hollow.
00:19:40.21\00:19:41.88
And I remember, when
I was little my mother
00:19:41.91\00:19:45.55
used to pull me
around on her cotton sack.
00:19:45.58\00:19:47.88
She picked cotton
and would pull me around
00:19:47.92\00:19:49.95
on a cotton sack till I
got big enough to get off
00:19:49.98\00:19:52.52
that cotton sack
and daddy didn't make
00:19:52.55\00:19:54.36
any bones about it.
00:19:54.39\00:19:55.89
It's time for you to pick--
00:19:55.92\00:19:57.69
Now, you've
been picking one row,
00:19:57.73\00:19:59.49
now start picking two.
00:19:59.53\00:20:02.03
He said, "Now
you've been picking two,
00:20:02.06\00:20:03.50
start picking three."
00:20:03.53\00:20:04.87
Well, how do you pick the row?
00:20:04.90\00:20:06.23
You startle the
one in the middle
00:20:06.27\00:20:07.77
and you pick that
picked ones on both sides.
00:20:07.80\00:20:11.14
And so we picked cotton.
00:20:11.17\00:20:12.87
So Mollie and I
have really, really,
00:20:12.91\00:20:15.68
come up to social ladder.
00:20:15.71\00:20:17.11
We have moved from the
cotton fields of Alabama
00:20:17.15\00:20:20.45
to the corn fields of Illinois.
00:20:20.48\00:20:24.59
We love it though.
We had the same story.
00:20:24.62\00:20:27.49
My family, only it was
tomatoes that we picked.
00:20:27.52\00:20:30.26
Now what did you-- I am sure
you must've had the same story.
00:20:30.29\00:20:33.56
What did you
pick? You know-- I know.
00:20:33.60\00:20:35.40
She was Leave It to Beaver.
00:20:35.43\00:20:36.77
She, her family is more
likely Leave It to Beaver
00:20:36.80\00:20:38.67
but anyway we will--
00:20:38.70\00:20:40.04
I picked what TV
show I was gonna watch.
00:20:40.07\00:20:41.70
Oh, my, my.
00:20:41.74\00:20:43.51
No, I didn't come
from a royal environment.
00:20:43.54\00:20:47.41
You know, from New York. So...
00:20:47.44\00:20:49.48
We had five kids in
a two bedroom house.
00:20:49.51\00:20:51.98
She had two kids in
a five bedroom house.
00:20:52.01\00:20:54.28
Now, how does that
work, I don't know.
00:20:54.32\00:20:56.52
But anyway let's get back.
00:20:56.55\00:20:57.89
So you guys, now you
get through high school
00:20:57.92\00:21:00.26
and after high school
what do you want to do?
00:21:00.29\00:21:01.92
You just going into--
you're working in mechanics?
00:21:01.96\00:21:04.69
Working as mechanic
00:21:04.73\00:21:06.36
and then I got into
the line of clothing,
00:21:06.39\00:21:09.53
retail clothing and was a buyer
00:21:09.56\00:21:12.77
for some major
clothing stores in Alabama
00:21:12.80\00:21:16.34
and everything.
00:21:16.37\00:21:19.31
My family, several
people in my family worked for
00:21:19.34\00:21:22.14
clothing store corporations
that was in the south-east,
00:21:22.18\00:21:25.15
very big in the south.
00:21:25.18\00:21:26.92
And by the way, I have had
four brothers and five sisters.
00:21:26.95\00:21:30.92
There were ten of us. Oh, okay.
00:21:30.95\00:21:32.55
It was Johnny, Jean,
Becky, Betty, Billy, James,
00:21:32.59\00:21:34.72
William, Wayne, me and Judy.
00:21:34.76\00:21:36.12
Don't ask me to do that again.
00:21:36.16\00:21:38.16
Yeah, yeah. And but...
00:21:38.19\00:21:39.53
You know, had
middle names that you say.
00:21:39.56\00:21:41.13
Oh, everybody. Yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:21:41.16\00:21:42.50
Betty, Wayne or
whatever, you know.
00:21:42.53\00:21:44.43
Billy George,
Betty Fay, Alice Jean,
00:21:44.47\00:21:47.30
Rebecca Anne and Thomas.
00:21:47.34\00:21:49.14
Yeah, you do.
00:21:49.17\00:21:50.51
You knew, if I give
second name in the south
00:21:50.54\00:21:52.77
so you know when
your mother is mad at you.
00:21:52.81\00:21:54.74
Yes, that's true.
That's true. Probably that.
00:21:54.78\00:21:57.01
But I started
in retail clothing,
00:21:57.05\00:21:59.21
worked there for a
while, matter of fact
00:21:59.25\00:22:00.68
I was working there
when Mollie and I first met.
00:22:00.72\00:22:03.49
And, she after, about--
00:22:03.52\00:22:07.52
well, after the first
date her shoving those--
00:22:07.56\00:22:10.73
well, not really a date,
we are going out together,
00:22:10.76\00:22:12.53
her shoving those
potato chips and popcorn
00:22:12.56\00:22:14.60
in my mouth and everything.
00:22:14.63\00:22:15.96
I told to my brother,
00:22:16.00\00:22:17.33
"I am not going
back out with her."
00:22:17.37\00:22:18.70
And he said, "Yes, you will.
00:22:18.73\00:22:20.07
You told her you're
taking her out Sunday night.
00:22:20.10\00:22:21.44
This was on Thursday."
00:22:21.47\00:22:22.80
"I have to work with that girl."
00:22:22.84\00:22:24.17
I got to work with that girl.
00:22:24.21\00:22:25.54
So she came in
where I was working,
00:22:25.57\00:22:27.84
and a lady that
worked there, we stood there,
00:22:27.88\00:22:29.64
Mollie and I stood
there and talked for a minute.
00:22:29.68\00:22:31.38
She came in there
and after she left,
00:22:31.41\00:22:34.58
this lady came
over to me and said,
00:22:34.62\00:22:36.22
"Hal, you
better marry that girl.
00:22:36.25\00:22:38.85
She's got dancing eyes."
00:22:38.89\00:22:41.06
I'll never forget that.
00:22:41.09\00:22:43.16
And she just-- her
eyes were just dancing,
00:22:43.19\00:22:46.39
it's because she was seeing me.
00:22:46.43\00:22:48.30
That's right. Well,
of course. Of course.
00:22:48.33\00:22:52.07
Did you grow up in a
spiritual environment?
00:22:52.10\00:22:54.27
No, I was worked with,
00:22:54.30\00:22:55.64
I refer to as a
slip away Baptist
00:22:55.67\00:22:57.97
and what it was
because mother would give me
00:22:58.01\00:22:59.87
my offering to put
in the offering plate
00:22:59.91\00:23:03.18
and I would go to church
00:23:03.21\00:23:04.55
and when I would bow their head
00:23:04.58\00:23:05.91
for the opening
prayer, I would slip away.
00:23:05.95\00:23:10.15
And I would go
down to Sam's Superette
00:23:10.19\00:23:12.49
and take my offering like
a good little Christian boy
00:23:12.52\00:23:15.56
and I would buy me a soda
00:23:15.59\00:23:17.99
and some candy and stuff with it
00:23:18.03\00:23:19.56
and everything.
00:23:19.59\00:23:20.93
And the only time I
were really seriously
00:23:20.96\00:23:23.73
went to church was
for vacation Bible school
00:23:23.77\00:23:27.64
and it was for the
cookies and the Kool-Aid.
00:23:27.67\00:23:29.84
But mother always
made sure that we went.
00:23:29.87\00:23:32.81
And then later on in life,
00:23:32.84\00:23:34.68
mother I went with
mother not living at home.
00:23:34.71\00:23:38.01
I went with mother
almost all the time really,
00:23:38.05\00:23:41.62
but I had never really
had a-- here's what to say
00:23:41.65\00:23:45.19
and maybe somebody
needs to hear this.
00:23:45.22\00:23:48.36
I had a friend of mine.
00:23:48.39\00:23:49.72
I was about
12-years-old, he 13 or 14
00:23:49.76\00:23:53.16
and we were in a church service.
00:23:53.19\00:23:55.66
And he was sitting there,
00:23:55.70\00:23:57.03
doing the
invitation or standing there,
00:23:57.07\00:24:00.00
broke and crying
and they were singing--
00:24:00.04\00:24:04.11
"Just as I'm" and
he is really having
00:24:04.14\00:24:06.78
an experience with the Lord.
00:24:06.81\00:24:09.44
And so the pastor says, "Okay,
we're gonna open up the altars
00:24:09.48\00:24:13.68
and mother leaned
over to me and said,
00:24:13.72\00:24:16.25
"Why don't you go down
and rededicate your life
00:24:16.28\00:24:18.35
and take Ron with you?"
00:24:18.39\00:24:20.52
So I reached over
and told Ron come on,
00:24:20.56\00:24:22.12
you want to go with me?
00:24:22.16\00:24:23.49
And he cried and, yes, yes.
00:24:23.53\00:24:25.03
And so we went down to the altar
00:24:25.06\00:24:26.90
and front and
the pastor came over,
00:24:26.93\00:24:30.83
pat us on the back and
said, "You boys are here,
00:24:30.87\00:24:33.17
we will get your
names in a minute."
00:24:33.20\00:24:34.94
Never did talked to him,
00:24:34.97\00:24:36.54
never explained
the plan of salvation,
00:24:36.57\00:24:39.17
never prayed with
him anything at all.
00:24:39.21\00:24:41.94
And said, well,
these are boys here,
00:24:41.98\00:24:43.51
this is wonderful they're
gonna be Baptized tonight.
00:24:43.55\00:24:46.38
But that was not, not
the right thing to do.
00:24:46.41\00:24:49.35
Let people know
what you're doing
00:24:49.38\00:24:51.45
when something
like that happens.
00:24:51.49\00:24:53.99
Absolutely. Yeah.
00:24:54.02\00:24:55.36
So now, you guys get together,
00:24:55.39\00:24:58.56
you start dating
obviously and more frequently
00:24:58.59\00:25:00.96
'cause we know this
thing travels fast 51 days.
00:25:01.00\00:25:03.90
Fifty one days. Fifty one days.
00:25:03.93\00:25:05.27
But, now, did you
decide before you got married,
00:25:05.30\00:25:08.84
you know, well, we
need a Christian home,
00:25:08.87\00:25:10.21
let's go to church,
00:25:10.24\00:25:11.57
let's give our
hearts to the Lord
00:25:11.61\00:25:12.94
or what happened?
00:25:12.97\00:25:14.31
Explain that.
00:25:14.34\00:25:18.91
We did. We did.
00:25:18.95\00:25:21.25
We knew, we knew that
the answer was in church
00:25:21.28\00:25:25.92
but we found out that church
00:25:25.95\00:25:28.32
wasn't the answer
that Jesus was the answer.
00:25:28.36\00:25:31.26
Now we got married,
everything was fine.
00:25:31.29\00:25:34.66
But it wasn't, it was never
00:25:34.70\00:25:36.93
what we knew that
a marriage should be.
00:25:36.97\00:25:38.70
And so let's go
like a couple of years
00:25:38.73\00:25:40.94
into the marriage
00:25:40.97\00:25:42.30
when and thing weren't too good.
00:25:42.34\00:25:44.21
And he was
drinking and I can say that.
00:25:44.24\00:25:47.14
Oh, sure.
00:25:47.18\00:25:48.51
And, you know, I may be,
I didn't do all the don'ts
00:25:48.54\00:25:53.11
and did most of the
dos and I was like this.
00:25:53.15\00:25:55.98
But that doesn't get you in.
00:25:56.02\00:25:57.35
You know, my testimony
is, when I made Jesus Christ
00:25:57.39\00:26:00.06
the Lord of my
life, I didn't drink,
00:26:00.09\00:26:01.72
I didn't smoke, I
didn't go with wild men.
00:26:01.76\00:26:04.43
I was a second grade
00:26:04.46\00:26:05.79
Sunday school
teacher in a church.
00:26:05.83\00:26:08.26
But I never made Jesus
Christ the Lord of my life.
00:26:08.30\00:26:11.17
I've never asked
Him to be my Savior.
00:26:11.20\00:26:13.54
And so I would have been
just as lost as the person
00:26:13.57\00:26:17.71
on the street doing whatever.
00:26:17.74\00:26:19.67
And so Hal and I had bad
times. We had hard times.
00:26:19.71\00:26:23.95
The things
weren't going well for us.
00:26:23.98\00:26:25.88
And we were going to
church. We would go to church.
00:26:25.91\00:26:28.78
And we knew the
answer was in church
00:26:28.82\00:26:32.65
but the church wasn't the answer
00:26:32.69\00:26:34.32
the Lord Jesus
Christ was the answer.
00:26:34.36\00:26:36.62
And that's what we
finally, almost accidentally
00:26:36.66\00:26:41.40
stumbled upon was
relationship with Jesus.
00:26:41.43\00:26:45.60
Then things came together.
00:26:45.63\00:26:47.67
Mollie actually made
Jesus Christ Lord of her life
00:26:47.70\00:26:52.27
one day at work-- several--
seven months before I did.
00:26:52.31\00:26:56.14
I believe so. So...
00:26:56.18\00:26:58.41
I was-- I worked with a
lady, her name was Diane.
00:26:58.45\00:27:02.65
And she was just
wild as a March hare.
00:27:02.68\00:27:05.79
I keep saying that.
Don't know what I mean by that.
00:27:05.82\00:27:07.76
I never heard that.
Yeah, we do. No, I am.
00:27:07.79\00:27:09.72
She ran the bars on the weekend,
00:27:09.76\00:27:11.73
she know and she just dated
00:27:11.76\00:27:13.56
and just she was
just into everything.
00:27:13.60\00:27:17.00
And I worked with her.
00:27:17.03\00:27:18.37
And she and I were good friends.
00:27:18.40\00:27:19.93
I weren't any better than her.
I didn't do all those things.
00:27:19.97\00:27:23.10
Remember, I didn't do the do's,
00:27:23.14\00:27:25.54
you know, I
didn't do the don'ts.
00:27:25.57\00:27:26.91
I was just good person.
00:27:26.94\00:27:29.08
But she and I work here.
00:27:29.11\00:27:30.45
So she came by my
office one Monday morning
00:27:30.48\00:27:33.48
and she said, "Mollie, I
got born again yesterday."
00:27:33.52\00:27:37.25
And I said, "Oh, Diane,
you get saved every summer."
00:27:37.29\00:27:39.59
Because every summer,
they have these big revivals
00:27:39.62\00:27:43.66
and everybody goes
down and get saved again.
00:27:43.69\00:27:45.93
Well, she said, "No,
you don't understand.
00:27:45.96\00:27:48.76
I made Jesus Christ
the Lord of my life."
00:27:48.80\00:27:51.83
And for some reason,
00:27:51.87\00:27:53.20
tell me it's not
the convicting power
00:27:53.23\00:27:54.80
of almighty God.
00:27:54.84\00:27:57.01
I almost start crying
and she starts talking to me
00:27:57.04\00:28:01.04
about the difference in "saved"
00:28:01.08\00:28:03.58
and "making Jesus
Christ your Lord."
00:28:03.61\00:28:06.11
And so we get up at
Wolverine Tube in Decatur,
00:28:06.15\00:28:09.42
Alabama in
1980, I am gonna say 6
00:28:09.45\00:28:13.52
and I might be off
a year or two but--
00:28:13.56\00:28:15.19
Seventy six.
Seventy six. Seventy six.
00:28:15.22\00:28:17.89
That's right, 1976.
00:28:17.93\00:28:20.13
We get up and we are
going to the ladies lounge
00:28:20.16\00:28:22.26
and I get down on my knees
and with Diane there with me,
00:28:22.30\00:28:26.37
I asked Jesus Christ
to be the Lord of my life.
00:28:26.40\00:28:28.57
And I want you to
know, my life changed.
00:28:28.60\00:28:29.94
It's never been the same.
00:28:29.97\00:28:31.64
I got gloriously born
again in a ladies bathroom
00:28:31.67\00:28:38.18
in Decatur, Alabama.
00:28:38.21\00:28:39.55
Isn't that
interesting how you can be,
00:28:39.58\00:28:42.42
you can think that
you're saved but you're not.
00:28:42.45\00:28:45.72
You can think that
because you're not doing
00:28:45.75\00:28:48.72
certain things or because
you are going through emotions
00:28:48.76\00:28:51.49
doing certain things
you think you're saved.
00:28:51.53\00:28:54.60
But it's all about the
relationship with Jesus.
00:28:54.63\00:28:56.30
It's all about Jesus.
You can't get good enough.
00:28:56.33\00:28:58.87
That's right.
It's not how it works.
00:28:58.90\00:29:01.70
I was thinking
about doing a sermon,
00:29:01.74\00:29:04.74
Shelley says I
can't use this title.
00:29:04.77\00:29:07.28
It's called salvation by
works program but she says,
00:29:07.31\00:29:12.78
she says I can't use that title.
00:29:12.81\00:29:15.25
But she says what I
can use is, our God,
00:29:15.28\00:29:19.59
"God won't take you like you are
00:29:19.62\00:29:21.79
but He will sure
accept you like you are."
00:29:21.82\00:29:24.03
God loves us.
00:29:24.06\00:29:25.66
And once He accepts us
there's gonna be some changes.
00:29:25.69\00:29:29.46
So you go home
and you face Hal then
00:29:29.50\00:29:32.43
and you tell him what happened?
00:29:32.47\00:29:33.80
Yeah. I got to. Gloriously...
00:29:33.84\00:29:35.17
I knew something would happen.
00:29:35.20\00:29:36.54
And again I was going to church
00:29:36.57\00:29:40.64
and it was
nominal here and there.
00:29:40.68\00:29:42.54
But it seems like the closer
00:29:42.58\00:29:44.55
I would go to the
Lord, of course, the more,
00:29:44.58\00:29:51.32
it seem like the
worst he would become.
00:29:51.35\00:29:54.19
Yeah. You know John 1:3
says that the light couldn't--
00:29:54.22\00:29:59.23
"The darkness
couldn't overcome the light"
00:29:59.26\00:30:00.80
and I liked the
amplified translation.
00:30:00.83\00:30:03.40
Couldn't
comprehend or understand.
00:30:03.43\00:30:05.23
I couldn't understand.
00:30:05.27\00:30:07.44
And so it just seemed like
00:30:07.47\00:30:08.94
it was driving as
further and further apart.
00:30:08.97\00:30:11.27
I tell people,
oh, it was so good
00:30:11.31\00:30:13.54
for husband and
wife to get born again
00:30:13.58\00:30:16.48
at the same time
00:30:16.51\00:30:17.85
making Jesus
Christ Lord of their lives
00:30:17.88\00:30:20.25
because you progress
00:30:20.28\00:30:21.62
at the same rate and everything.
00:30:21.65\00:30:23.18
But I came in one
night and she was,
00:30:23.22\00:30:25.52
I could hear in the bedroom,
00:30:25.55\00:30:27.49
back in the
back bedroom praying.
00:30:27.52\00:30:28.86
She was praying for me
and I thought, oh, no this...
00:30:28.89\00:30:32.63
I went in there and she
got up out of the bed and said,
00:30:32.66\00:30:35.00
"I've been praying for you."
00:30:35.03\00:30:36.36
And I said, "I
want you to stop that.
00:30:36.40\00:30:39.20
I don't want
you to pray for me."
00:30:39.23\00:30:41.30
And I started torturing.
00:30:41.34\00:30:42.67
I don't really know what exactly
00:30:42.70\00:30:47.54
what I was saying
or doing or whatever.
00:30:47.58\00:30:50.25
But my thoughts and intense
was to put out that light,
00:30:50.28\00:30:54.68
just is to shut
her up or whatever.
00:30:54.72\00:30:57.39
And I started torture
00:30:57.42\00:30:58.79
and I remember
the first part of this
00:30:58.82\00:31:00.76
because she stuck her
finger out at me and said,
00:31:00.79\00:31:04.53
"Stop in the name of Jesus."
00:31:04.56\00:31:07.66
And I hit the floor.
00:31:07.70\00:31:10.60
I don't mean I just kind
of did this charismatic...
00:31:10.63\00:31:15.20
I went crumbled to the
floor and I thought honestly,
00:31:15.24\00:31:20.68
I thought she had shot me.
00:31:20.71\00:31:23.01
That's what it was
like. I thought she had a gun.
00:31:23.04\00:31:24.98
You felt some kind of energy.
00:31:25.01\00:31:26.55
I mean, it just knocked
me completely off my feet,
00:31:26.58\00:31:30.62
knocked me in the floor.
00:31:30.65\00:31:32.75
Mollie said that I laid
there, she began to pray for me.
00:31:32.79\00:31:36.32
And a crystal
like stuff, green stuff
00:31:36.36\00:31:39.49
came running out of my
mouth about that big around.
00:31:39.53\00:31:42.60
It took the color,
00:31:42.63\00:31:44.37
literally took the
color out of the carpet.
00:31:44.40\00:31:47.50
And I did, I
thought she had shot me up.
00:31:47.54\00:31:50.01
She spoken to me
and prayed over me
00:31:50.04\00:31:52.27
and prayed for deliverance.
00:31:52.31\00:31:53.64
I told people for a year
after that she could say,
00:31:53.68\00:31:56.85
"Would you pass me
the salt?" And I ducked.
00:31:56.88\00:32:01.08
Go pointing that to you.
00:32:01.12\00:32:02.45
Yeah, pointing
that me for a fact.
00:32:02.48\00:32:03.85
Wow.
00:32:03.89\00:32:05.22
That's deep.
00:32:05.25\00:32:06.59
And I was a
very young Christian,
00:32:06.62\00:32:07.96
very uneducated and
anything shouldn't know
00:32:07.99\00:32:11.03
anything about
demonology or, you know,
00:32:11.06\00:32:14.40
but I realized now
and see I had this sensing
00:32:14.43\00:32:18.07
when this was going on that
00:32:18.10\00:32:19.43
Jesus was standing
right there beside me.
00:32:19.47\00:32:21.37
I just had that sensing
and again I had no teaching,
00:32:21.40\00:32:25.94
my teaching was, you
know, not anything to do with,
00:32:25.97\00:32:30.58
anything with the power of God.
00:32:30.61\00:32:33.21
And Hal even knew
to, to tell him to stop
00:32:33.25\00:32:36.18
in the name of Jesus.
00:32:36.22\00:32:37.55
That wasn't-- that
was kind of not something
00:32:37.59\00:32:40.46
I've ever said before my life.
00:32:40.49\00:32:42.32
But I want you
to know, he stopped.
00:32:42.36\00:32:43.73
It worked.
00:32:43.76\00:32:45.09
You got up and what did--
00:32:45.13\00:32:46.80
after you discovered
you weren't shot and after,
00:32:46.83\00:32:49.43
what did you think?
00:32:49.46\00:32:50.80
I mean... I
stayed away from her.
00:32:50.83\00:32:52.80
Okay.
00:32:52.83\00:32:54.17
I didn't get close
to her for a while.
00:32:54.20\00:32:56.17
But then, I began to
put the things together
00:32:56.20\00:32:58.74
and place things together
and trying to get my life
00:32:58.77\00:33:01.94
straight, trying
to get it worked out.
00:33:01.98\00:33:03.85
And it's in-- a lot
of it is in God's timing,
00:33:03.88\00:33:10.29
God's purpose, God's place.
00:33:10.32\00:33:12.75
On November the 8th 1976,
00:33:12.79\00:33:15.72
I did make Jesus
Christ Lord of my life.
00:33:15.76\00:33:17.89
Okay.
00:33:17.93\00:33:19.26
Had a miraculous manifestation
of Jesus in my life
00:33:19.29\00:33:24.27
and just never been the same.
00:33:24.30\00:33:28.20
Let me backup just a
little if I can about that.
00:33:28.24\00:33:31.41
I was working with a lady
and her name was Adna Taylor
00:33:31.44\00:33:34.68
and she had a
husband named Bill Taylor.
00:33:34.71\00:33:36.75
And Bill Taylor decided--
00:33:36.78\00:33:39.11
he loves Hal
Steenson with all his heart.
00:33:39.15\00:33:41.38
And he started praying
for Hal, loving on Hal,
00:33:41.42\00:33:44.95
showing Hal the right way
00:33:44.99\00:33:47.36
and about that
time we got eight-track.
00:33:47.39\00:33:53.50
I guess it was an eight-track.
I t might have been in album.
00:33:53.53\00:33:56.43
It was way back when we
had this big stereo system.
00:33:56.46\00:33:59.83
And it was called "Praise
Gathering for Believers."
00:33:59.87\00:34:03.41
It was Bill Gaither
very first thing he ever did.
00:34:03.44\00:34:06.07
And we put that on
in our living room.
00:34:06.11\00:34:08.18
Now remember--
00:34:08.21\00:34:09.54
And I wasn't
born again that day.
00:34:09.58\00:34:11.05
Just he wasn't--
Hal wasn't born again.
00:34:11.08\00:34:14.58
We did not know
what was going on.
00:34:14.62\00:34:16.92
We would start
listening to that,
00:34:16.95\00:34:18.52
both of us sitting
in the living room for.
00:34:18.55\00:34:20.82
We would just cry.
00:34:20.86\00:34:22.72
There were songs on there like
00:34:22.76\00:34:24.29
"I have returned to
the God of my father,"
00:34:24.33\00:34:26.70
all these songs.
00:34:26.73\00:34:28.83
And we realize now
it was God by the power
00:34:28.86\00:34:32.80
of His Holy Spirit drawing us
00:34:32.83\00:34:35.00
and softening us
and touching our heart.
00:34:35.04\00:34:37.24
God wants people to be
born again to come into--
00:34:37.27\00:34:40.08
out the darkness and into
light more than people want to.
00:34:40.11\00:34:44.78
You know, we just need to pray
00:34:44.81\00:34:46.35
and trust God for
our lost loved ones.
00:34:46.38\00:34:48.35
God's right there for us. Amen.
00:34:48.38\00:34:50.09
What would you say,
Mollie, to that wife right now,
00:34:50.12\00:34:53.42
who is the believer,
00:34:53.46\00:34:54.92
who's husband is not a believer.
00:34:54.96\00:34:57.53
What would you say
to her to encourage her,
00:34:57.56\00:35:00.30
to make her know
that God is with her?
00:35:00.33\00:35:03.87
She got to have a firm grasp
00:35:03.90\00:35:08.30
on the hand of
Almighty God and trusting Him.
00:35:08.34\00:35:11.44
And, and you have
to walk in the light,
00:35:11.47\00:35:13.98
you have to walk in.
00:35:14.01\00:35:15.34
You know, like today I
would do things different
00:35:15.38\00:35:17.68
from the way I did back then.
00:35:17.71\00:35:19.08
But I still know, and all I knew
00:35:19.11\00:35:20.45
how to do back then.
00:35:20.48\00:35:21.82
So all you have to do
is what you know to do.
00:35:21.85\00:35:23.79
God doesn't expect you
to do what you don't know.
00:35:23.82\00:35:26.55
You just to the degree
that you know, you trust God.
00:35:26.59\00:35:30.93
Read His word.
Spend time in His word.
00:35:30.96\00:35:33.23
That's vitally important.
00:35:33.26\00:35:35.86
And I should spend
time in His word, pray,
00:35:35.90\00:35:39.50
and you don't have to do
all of these big fancy prayers.
00:35:39.53\00:35:44.37
Prayers talking to God.
00:35:44.41\00:35:46.27
Prayers are letting
your heart touch God's heart.
00:35:46.31\00:35:49.14
And then
listening, that's a hard part.
00:35:49.18\00:35:53.11
Listening for God to
just kind of impression
00:35:53.15\00:35:55.75
on what to do next.
00:35:55.78\00:35:57.12
But that's, that's
what I would encourage you
00:35:57.15\00:35:59.05
just trust God.
00:35:59.09\00:36:01.06
This lady, I have to
meet. Think what you know to do.
00:36:01.09\00:36:03.09
After meeting one
night, I heard her ask Mollie,
00:36:03.12\00:36:07.16
we're pastoring then,
I have been pastoring for
00:36:07.20\00:36:09.30
couple of years.
00:36:09.33\00:36:10.67
Ask Mollie after
service she said,
00:36:10.70\00:36:12.47
"My husband comes
home a lot drinking,
00:36:12.50\00:36:14.60
slaps me around, treats
me like trash and everything.
00:36:14.64\00:36:18.41
What would you do?"
00:36:18.44\00:36:19.77
And Mollie said,
"Do you have any kids?"
00:36:19.81\00:36:22.54
And she said, "Yeah,
I got a couple of boys."
00:36:22.58\00:36:24.35
And she said, "Do
they have one of those
00:36:24.38\00:36:26.31
aluminum baseball bats?"
00:36:26.35\00:36:27.68
And the lady said, "Yeah."
00:36:27.72\00:36:29.28
Mollie said--
tell her, Mollie said--
00:36:29.32\00:36:31.85
Well, he didn't have to
tell everything like that.
00:36:31.89\00:36:33.56
We want to hear
now. I want to hear now.
00:36:33.59\00:36:35.39
Oh, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:36:35.42\00:36:36.76
Get your aluminum baseball
bat and stand behind the door
00:36:36.79\00:36:39.23
and when he
walks through the door,
00:36:39.26\00:36:41.90
pop him right in the forehead
and turn his lights out.
00:36:41.93\00:36:45.33
The lady said, "I
mean, would you do?"
00:36:45.37\00:36:48.70
Mollie said, "You
asked me what I would do.
00:36:48.74\00:36:52.41
Now do you want to
know what Jesus..."
00:36:52.44\00:36:56.14
That's a good
one. That's a good one.
00:36:56.18\00:36:57.91
I got her to and
she wouldn't listen.
00:36:57.95\00:37:01.18
She did get her retention
and it's a blessing to her.
00:37:01.22\00:37:02.78
Yeah, of course.
00:37:02.82\00:37:04.65
Absolutely.
00:37:04.69\00:37:06.22
So you guys are
growing in the Lord now.
00:37:06.25\00:37:09.06
You have given
your heart to the Lord
00:37:09.09\00:37:10.89
and then you are not
only just going to the church
00:37:10.93\00:37:12.96
but at some point, you decided
00:37:12.99\00:37:14.70
you want to become a preacher.
00:37:14.73\00:37:16.63
That was 1 Corinthians 9:16.
00:37:16.67\00:37:22.07
Paul says, "Woe unto me if
I do not preach the gospel!"
00:37:22.10\00:37:25.97
This was the scripture
that I stood on for years.
00:37:26.01\00:37:29.04
So we
surrendered to the ministry,
00:37:29.08\00:37:31.75
we gave up our jobs, our homes,
00:37:31.78\00:37:33.11
everything that we had there
00:37:33.15\00:37:34.48
and went and did
what God wanted us to.
00:37:34.52\00:37:36.89
Mollie worked, put
me through seminar,
00:37:36.92\00:37:39.02
I worked, I worked too
but then we moved up here.
00:37:39.05\00:37:44.03
What kind of
seminary, what kind of church?
00:37:44.06\00:37:45.96
It was Assembly of
God, it was Pentecostal
00:37:45.99\00:37:48.00
where people come--
00:37:48.03\00:37:49.36
You went from church of
Christ to like Assembly of God?
00:37:49.40\00:37:51.63
Here is my walk.
00:37:51.67\00:37:54.24
I went from the
church of Christ to--
00:37:54.27\00:37:56.81
when Hal and I
were looking for God.
00:37:56.84\00:38:00.88
It was in the Baptist Church
and from the Baptist Church
00:38:00.91\00:38:03.88
we went to an
Assembly of God's Church.
00:38:03.91\00:38:05.71
That's where we went then
from there to the college.
00:38:05.75\00:38:09.18
And, while we were in college
00:38:09.22\00:38:11.15
we went to a charismatic church.
00:38:11.19\00:38:14.69
And from the charismatic church
I was in the Church of God
00:38:14.72\00:38:17.73
for just a short time, you know,
00:38:17.76\00:38:19.83
when I first came to
3ABN, and from the church God
00:38:19.86\00:38:24.83
I became an Adventist.
00:38:24.87\00:38:26.90
And so six
different denominations,
00:38:26.94\00:38:29.64
I can tell
fairly intelligent I am.
00:38:29.67\00:38:31.41
Amen.
00:38:31.44\00:38:32.77
And you've been here
lot of years from then.
00:38:32.81\00:38:34.14
But in each one I had always
00:38:34.18\00:38:37.31
and this was
Hal's heart's cry too.
00:38:37.35\00:38:39.71
Father, we know we're in error,
00:38:39.75\00:38:41.95
and you are and everybody
got some error in their life,
00:38:41.98\00:38:44.75
that doesn't mean you are bad.
00:38:44.79\00:38:46.29
But if you are open
to it, you're teachable
00:38:46.32\00:38:48.46
and God draw us, show
us, shows us the truth.
00:38:48.49\00:38:52.46
And we really felt like
00:38:52.49\00:38:54.16
when we came to
the Adventist church,
00:38:54.20\00:38:56.20
the Adventist
church has more truth
00:38:56.23\00:38:59.30
than any other denomination
00:38:59.33\00:39:00.84
that we've been associated with.
00:39:00.87\00:39:02.27
Now, how in a world that you
go from Decatur, Alabama area,
00:39:02.30\00:39:06.27
you pastored and
co-pastor and whatever,
00:39:06.31\00:39:09.24
associated
pastor of 3,000 members
00:39:09.28\00:39:11.38
of two or three
big church any anyway.
00:39:11.41\00:39:14.02
In Lakeland was
that a big church?
00:39:14.05\00:39:15.98
No, it was maybe a
couple of 200 or 300 in Decatur.
00:39:16.02\00:39:20.16
And then a smaller
church in Lakeland.
00:39:20.19\00:39:23.22
Okay. But you're
pastoring here in Florida--
00:39:23.26\00:39:25.63
Co-pastoring.
00:39:25.66\00:39:27.00
Wasn't it beautiful,
you are around all the city
00:39:27.03\00:39:28.50
and, you know,
everything you want.
00:39:28.53\00:39:29.86
Yeah. I still
wonder about that sometime.
00:39:29.90\00:39:31.77
Then how in the world
00:39:31.80\00:39:33.50
that you come to
West Frankfort, Illinois?
00:39:33.54\00:39:36.87
I mean that's a... A
Point to put you, huh?
00:39:36.91\00:39:41.14
What got you up
here to Illinois?
00:39:41.18\00:39:42.51
We met a man in Florida
that invited us to come up
00:39:42.54\00:39:46.45
and pray about starting
00:39:46.48\00:39:49.18
a Charismatic
Church in the city.
00:39:49.22\00:39:50.69
His name is Mike
Adkins. Mike Adkins.
00:39:50.72\00:39:52.42
Yeah. I know him all my life.
00:39:52.45\00:39:53.89
I still know him.
I've grown up with him.
00:39:53.92\00:39:55.66
I haven't seen Mike in a while.
00:39:55.69\00:39:57.29
But anyway we came
up and we came to town
00:39:57.33\00:40:00.40
and met with the people
00:40:00.43\00:40:01.76
and did a little
meeting and the people--
00:40:01.80\00:40:03.23
It was winter
time when you came?
00:40:03.26\00:40:04.73
April, 1981. Oh,
April that's not bad.
00:40:04.77\00:40:07.20
Okay. Yeah.
00:40:07.24\00:40:08.57
And so it was cool thought
00:40:08.60\00:40:11.01
but had just
come up from Florida.
00:40:11.04\00:40:13.14
We stopped in
Decatur at our parents homes
00:40:13.17\00:40:16.11
and our daughter
stayed there, came on up.
00:40:16.14\00:40:19.18
And we met with the people
00:40:19.21\00:40:20.68
and people were just really
weren't, just really nice.
00:40:20.72\00:40:23.79
They didn't like us too good.
00:40:23.82\00:40:25.25
They did. God knows.
00:40:25.29\00:40:26.62
May be the way we
talked, I don't know.
00:40:26.65\00:40:28.76
But anyway we
left in the coal mines
00:40:28.79\00:40:32.23
with the really running
down the wells that pumped,
00:40:32.26\00:40:35.56
not the mines the wells
00:40:35.60\00:40:37.73
and that smell and everything
00:40:37.77\00:40:39.63
and so when we
left, what did we do?
00:40:39.67\00:40:42.84
Well, we thought well,
well, this is something
00:40:42.87\00:40:45.87
we aren't gonna do.
00:40:45.91\00:40:47.24
We are not going
there. We had so much of that.
00:40:47.28\00:40:49.91
You're gonna
ran back to Florida.
00:40:49.94\00:40:51.28
Yeah.
00:40:51.31\00:40:52.65
We are on our
way back to Florida.
00:40:52.68\00:40:54.02
Yeah. So we were going
over the bridge into Kentucky.
00:40:54.05\00:40:57.12
Going into
Paducah. Yeah, sure Paducah.
00:40:57.15\00:40:59.05
Yeah. And God spoke to Mollie.
00:40:59.09\00:41:00.89
I just started
crying saying Hal,
00:41:00.92\00:41:03.36
"I hate that a moment
ago but God's still in me.
00:41:03.39\00:41:05.69
We're gonna have to go."
00:41:05.73\00:41:07.80
Then I said in very, I
believe very emphatically,
00:41:07.83\00:41:11.10
very boldly that God had us here
00:41:11.13\00:41:14.34
for our next step in
what He wanted us to do.
00:41:14.37\00:41:18.27
And that was to be
in the Adventist Church.
00:41:18.31\00:41:20.88
Where we met you.
00:41:20.91\00:41:22.24
The second week.
00:41:22.28\00:41:23.75
Yeah. How did we meet?
00:41:23.78\00:41:25.25
You were doing some
work for Mike on a building.
00:41:25.28\00:41:29.35
Carpenter. My
brother is carpenter.
00:41:29.38\00:41:30.72
Carpentry work.
00:41:30.75\00:41:32.09
We were building a
building for him right downtown.
00:41:32.12\00:41:34.42
And then you
continued to do some work for us
00:41:34.46\00:41:39.39
in the church and
we had you in singing,
00:41:39.43\00:41:42.60
ministering a few times.
00:41:42.63\00:41:44.87
And it just grew from there.
00:41:44.90\00:41:46.87
And so our
church was doing good.
00:41:46.90\00:41:50.67
We had a Christian
school and we're not--
00:41:50.71\00:41:52.04
They started-- excuse me.
00:41:52.07\00:41:53.41
They started on Main
Street in West Frankfort
00:41:53.44\00:41:55.38
in little building.
00:41:55.41\00:41:56.75
I think first time I went
there they had 10, 12 people.
00:41:56.78\00:41:59.31
Probably. Literally started.
00:41:59.35\00:42:01.02
Ended up buying this huge place.
00:42:01.05\00:42:03.39
It used to be Grandpa
John's where you shopped.
00:42:03.42\00:42:05.72
And it would hold, I don't know,
00:42:05.75\00:42:07.29
it could seat
1,200 people maybe.
00:42:07.32\00:42:08.66
Not 1,200.
00:42:08.69\00:42:10.03
But the Church began to
grow and to grow faster.
00:42:10.06\00:42:11.89
I never seen anything like
that from this area a church.
00:42:11.93\00:42:15.26
These too, both of
them considered pastors
00:42:15.30\00:42:17.80
had a tremendous
growth in a church.
00:42:17.83\00:42:21.60
So, and he was
always building something
00:42:21.64\00:42:24.64
so he needed to, you
know, he would ask me,
00:42:24.67\00:42:26.68
we became
friends and so we go out
00:42:26.71\00:42:28.81
and help a little
bit and nothing else,
00:42:28.84\00:42:30.65
lay out floors but he
always had his workers, members.
00:42:30.68\00:42:34.02
They would come and
work, volunteer all the time.
00:42:34.05\00:42:36.65
But he had, here
the carpenter come
00:42:36.69\00:42:38.45
and helped us
layout this and do this
00:42:38.49\00:42:40.56
and so I would
go out and it's...
00:42:40.59\00:42:42.26
See this was the Grandpa
John Borgsmiller Complex.
00:42:42.29\00:42:46.03
It was on, I
think about 20 acres,
00:42:46.06\00:42:48.73
had the big parking lot between.
00:42:48.76\00:42:50.20
It was in Federal
Bankruptcy and it's impossible.
00:42:50.23\00:42:53.87
You couldn't buy.
00:42:53.90\00:42:55.24
You can't buy property
that's in Federal Bankruptcy.
00:42:55.27\00:42:57.84
It was in a lot with
five other properties.
00:42:57.87\00:42:59.81
Yeah.
00:42:59.84\00:43:01.18
But we didn't
know that so we did it.
00:43:01.21\00:43:03.65
But it's impossible. We
were told it's impossible.
00:43:03.68\00:43:05.88
A man told Hal, can I say this.
00:43:05.91\00:43:09.25
It will be a cold day
in-- And you know where.
00:43:09.28\00:43:12.79
And you know where
00:43:12.82\00:43:14.16
before you get the
keys to this property
00:43:14.19\00:43:16.06
that very man had to
take the keys to Hal.
00:43:16.09\00:43:18.29
He had to bring the keys to me.
00:43:18.33\00:43:21.26
He walked down
and said, I told him,
00:43:21.30\00:43:23.23
"You don't know a
lot about that place.
00:43:23.26\00:43:24.83
You don't know
anything about my God."
00:43:24.87\00:43:26.53
And he brought
it back and he said,
00:43:26.57\00:43:28.20
"Well, I have learned
a lot about your God,"
00:43:28.24\00:43:29.67
and dropped the keys.
00:43:29.70\00:43:31.11
But see, that was putting faith,
00:43:31.14\00:43:33.68
putting faith in
this to trust God
00:43:33.71\00:43:35.48
because if God, if God
says go, your might well go
00:43:35.51\00:43:39.05
because He's, because,
Danny, when God guides...
00:43:39.08\00:43:41.85
He provides.
00:43:41.88\00:43:43.22
He provides.
00:43:43.25\00:43:44.59
And so that, you know,
part of the walk that we had
00:43:44.62\00:43:49.16
before we became
Adventists that's what fitted us
00:43:49.19\00:43:52.03
to be able to
fit in here at 3ABN
00:43:52.06\00:43:54.66
and not to be swayed
00:43:54.70\00:43:56.26
when the winds of adversity
ever blow against 3ABN.
00:43:56.30\00:44:01.60
You know, we have
seen some gale force winds.
00:44:01.64\00:44:03.74
Yeah, we have. But
you know what we do?
00:44:03.77\00:44:05.47
We stand. All right.
00:44:05.51\00:44:07.34
We know we're standing with
Him we know who stands with,
00:44:07.38\00:44:10.38
who is still standing by us.
00:44:10.41\00:44:12.05
Yeah.
00:44:12.08\00:44:13.42
You know, I can mention.
00:44:13.45\00:44:15.18
I just-- I'll do this right now.
00:44:15.22\00:44:17.15
We're supposed to give
glory and love to the Lord.
00:44:17.19\00:44:19.79
But I can mention because
we watched through the years
00:44:19.82\00:44:22.62
everything that
can be thrown at you,
00:44:22.66\00:44:25.03
thrown at you, and Mollie and I,
00:44:25.06\00:44:27.13
I'd like to think
that we're not stupid,
00:44:27.16\00:44:30.53
you know, we're pretty
smart and pretty spiritual too.
00:44:30.57\00:44:34.20
And we've seen the whole
nine yards, every bit of it.
00:44:34.24\00:44:37.71
And we're still here
and others that are here
00:44:37.74\00:44:40.94
that our tremendous
Christian men and women of God
00:44:40.98\00:44:45.21
that have ridden
out through the years,
00:44:45.25\00:44:47.22
everything that the
enemies tried to through at you,
00:44:47.25\00:44:49.58
brother, and they're
still-- they didn't say,
00:44:49.62\00:44:51.49
"Oh, well, Danny."
00:44:51.52\00:44:52.85
No.
00:44:52.89\00:44:54.22
They said, this is God's
vision and God's put Danny here
00:44:54.26\00:44:57.79
to allow this to come to pass.
00:44:57.83\00:45:01.16
And so I just
command you, brother,
00:45:01.20\00:45:03.13
that you stood in faith.
00:45:03.16\00:45:04.50
And see, that's where Mollie
and all the moves we made,
00:45:04.53\00:45:08.17
the charismatic
moments, everything we did,
00:45:08.20\00:45:10.14
it takes same
faith coming out of there
00:45:10.17\00:45:12.87
and coming into here.
00:45:12.91\00:45:14.24
It's the same faith.
00:45:14.28\00:45:16.04
And I thank God for
the stand that you've taken
00:45:16.08\00:45:19.15
and God just shown
00:45:19.18\00:45:21.05
Himself to be real
and Himself to be true.
00:45:21.08\00:45:23.79
Anything that the devil said,
00:45:23.82\00:45:25.59
I'll tell you how you
can tell when he is lying.
00:45:25.62\00:45:27.59
Anytime his mouth moves.
00:45:27.62\00:45:29.19
Okay. All right.
00:45:29.22\00:45:30.63
So anyway, we just got
people all over the world
00:45:30.66\00:45:34.03
that are with you and know
00:45:34.06\00:45:36.26
that you are truly a man of God.
00:45:36.30\00:45:39.33
Well, you know,
nobody is perfect.
00:45:39.37\00:45:41.24
I made a lot of mistakes
just like you have at home
00:45:41.27\00:45:43.81
and all of us here.
00:45:43.84\00:45:45.17
But our vision has began
00:45:45.21\00:45:46.54
we know what the
Lord called us to do,
00:45:46.57\00:45:48.54
to build a television station
that would reach the world.
00:45:48.58\00:45:50.71
But then undiluted
Three Angels' Messages,
00:45:50.75\00:45:52.71
one would
counteract to counterfeit.
00:45:52.75\00:45:55.12
And I didn't
know where that went.
00:45:55.15\00:45:56.48
We didn't have the
money, property, equipment,
00:45:56.52\00:45:58.02
anything to do it.
00:45:58.05\00:45:59.39
But the first people
that encouraged me the most
00:45:59.42\00:46:02.49
was Hal and Mollie.
00:46:02.52\00:46:03.86
Literally, they
were the first ones
00:46:03.89\00:46:05.59
when I would to talk
to people in my home,
00:46:05.63\00:46:08.13
we call denomination,
there were pastors,
00:46:08.16\00:46:10.73
there were church
leaders who thought
00:46:10.77\00:46:12.47
this was impossible.
00:46:12.50\00:46:14.17
Hal and Mollie, they were
supported from the word go.
00:46:14.20\00:46:17.41
What for Lord
said, go the world do it.
00:46:17.44\00:46:19.27
You know, I am
like, is this for real?
00:46:19.31\00:46:21.71
I would never forget,
Yvonne, we were building this,
00:46:21.74\00:46:24.41
out in there, literally
bean filed at that time
00:46:24.45\00:46:27.32
just first the uplink
station we call it about
00:46:27.35\00:46:29.92
1,6000 square foot building.
00:46:29.95\00:46:31.92
I had one of the
presidents of a conference,
00:46:31.95\00:46:34.92
very good guy,
wonderful guy came down
00:46:34.96\00:46:37.89
and he saw the shell
of this huge building
00:46:37.93\00:46:40.60
and a black board we
put on the outside of it,
00:46:40.63\00:46:42.73
installation board said
temple on it, of all things
00:46:42.76\00:46:46.33
but we were up on a
ladders, my brother Kenny and I
00:46:46.37\00:46:49.90
and he pulls in comes
out from Chicago pulls in
00:46:49.94\00:46:52.81
and he stands, gets
out of the car and he goes,
00:46:52.84\00:46:55.54
"What are building
a building so big for?
00:46:55.58\00:46:59.31
This thing is too big.
00:46:59.35\00:47:02.18
Why are you
building something so huge?"
00:47:02.22\00:47:05.29
So we had tried to explain
him. We didn't know ourselves.
00:47:05.32\00:47:08.42
We just knew, hey we want
to have our room for growth.
00:47:08.46\00:47:11.19
The very next day,
charismatic Pastor Hal,
00:47:11.23\00:47:15.16
right, drives out to visit us.
00:47:15.20\00:47:18.40
Gets out of the car,
'cause the cover spreads
00:47:18.43\00:47:21.80
and he didn't just said, I said,
00:47:21.84\00:47:23.37
"What do you think, brother?
00:47:23.41\00:47:24.74
You know, what do you think?"
00:47:24.77\00:47:26.11
"Oh, it's too big.
It's just way too big.
00:47:26.14\00:47:28.31
And he so...
00:47:28.34\00:47:29.68
brother Hal, very
next day gets out,
00:47:29.71\00:47:32.01
Kenny and I were
still up on the ladder
00:47:32.05\00:47:33.42
we are driving these--
00:47:33.45\00:47:34.78
we didn't have the nail
guns and stuff back then,
00:47:34.82\00:47:36.48
you know, so
we're driving all these
00:47:36.52\00:47:38.22
with the roofing
nails used to put that
00:47:38.25\00:47:40.12
temple board in, black board in.
00:47:40.16\00:47:42.06
And so Brother Hal
pulls in, back he gets out,
00:47:42.09\00:47:45.66
and I said, "What do
you think, Brother Hal?"
00:47:45.69\00:47:47.03
He said, "Too little, too small.
00:47:47.06\00:47:49.53
Why are you building
such a small building?"
00:47:49.56\00:47:52.20
And I said, "Well,
look at the contrast
00:47:52.23\00:47:54.80
because where
there is no vision,
00:47:54.84\00:47:56.17
you know, he had
the vision and told us,
00:47:56.20\00:47:58.61
"You're gonna
outgrow all of this."
00:47:58.64\00:48:00.04
But we could imagine
we were working out of
00:48:00.08\00:48:02.68
12 foot by 20 foot shack,
00:48:02.71\00:48:04.95
that's really all we had built
to put the uplink system in
00:48:04.98\00:48:08.78
and little handmade switcher.
00:48:08.82\00:48:10.52
Those who watch the
anniversary special,
00:48:10.55\00:48:12.59
now you saw that.
00:48:12.62\00:48:13.96
Yeah. That's what we were.
00:48:13.99\00:48:15.32
Now there's this
building it's 150 feet long,
00:48:15.36\00:48:17.79
60, 70 feet
wide, two stories high,
00:48:17.83\00:48:20.80
office's one end,
studio's in the other
00:48:20.83\00:48:23.03
and he's saying it's too small,
00:48:23.06\00:48:25.60
and you know
what, you were right.
00:48:25.63\00:48:28.04
How many building's
have we built since then?
00:48:28.07\00:48:30.17
I've always told you every time
00:48:30.21\00:48:31.97
and last one he did some
plans and he brought to me
00:48:32.01\00:48:34.94
and the first thing he said
was "Don't say it's too small."
00:48:34.98\00:48:37.61
You are not
saying it's too small
00:48:37.65\00:48:38.98
when you building and
moving in the vision of God
00:48:39.01\00:48:41.98
you cannot build big enough.
00:48:42.02\00:48:44.32
As long as you don't try
to build six flags over Jesus
00:48:44.35\00:48:47.66
everything is fine.
00:48:47.69\00:48:49.52
Go back to the original thing
which is the vision of God.
00:48:49.56\00:48:52.59
Right now, do we need
more space here at 3ABN?
00:48:52.63\00:48:55.56
Oh, yeah.
00:48:55.60\00:48:56.93
We don't have
storage space, for our sales,
00:48:56.97\00:48:59.80
there are some people in offices
00:48:59.83\00:49:01.40
just all came together,
00:49:01.44\00:49:02.77
but Danny, we still
have it built big enough.
00:49:02.80\00:49:04.87
I know, I know it.
00:49:04.91\00:49:06.44
But we are trying to
work with what we got
00:49:06.47\00:49:08.11
and we've had to expand
00:49:08.14\00:49:09.48
and build a huge
for the call center,
00:49:09.51\00:49:12.11
to store all the
things that's coming,
00:49:12.15\00:49:14.12
moving and going
through the ministry.
00:49:14.15\00:49:15.98
We have the uplink
facility, we have the church
00:49:16.02\00:49:18.92
it's also a worship
center for camp meetings.
00:49:18.95\00:49:21.32
We have the schools
two of them actually,
00:49:21.36\00:49:23.63
the upper grades
and the lower grades.
00:49:23.66\00:49:25.86
We have the
sound center back here,
00:49:25.89\00:49:27.83
the call center,
we built what we call
00:49:27.86\00:49:29.86
to Boss Auditorium.
00:49:29.90\00:49:31.40
Our main facility
here's probably 35,000 feet,
00:49:31.43\00:49:34.57
the worship
centers may be 40,000
00:49:34.60\00:49:36.37
the other 16,000 then we built
00:49:36.40\00:49:38.71
the sound
center recording studio
00:49:38.74\00:49:41.11
and over the years
somehow God has blessed
00:49:41.14\00:49:43.85
and thank you for
your love and prayers
00:49:43.88\00:49:45.71
and financial support.
00:49:45.75\00:49:47.08
Now, do we love
doing all of this?
00:49:47.12\00:49:48.45
No, every time we
do it it's more work,
00:49:48.48\00:49:50.39
it's more money,
it's more expense,
00:49:50.42\00:49:52.22
but as we grow and commission
00:49:52.25\00:49:54.02
to go into all around the
world we just say, okay, Lord,
00:49:54.06\00:49:56.49
and you open up the
doors we'll go forward.
00:49:56.52\00:49:58.69
But we're working right now.
00:49:58.73\00:50:00.06
We have what four
large studios here
00:50:00.10\00:50:02.56
then we have
3ABN radio of course,
00:50:02.60\00:50:04.43
it's back over at the uplink.
00:50:04.47\00:50:06.03
You do at the original building
00:50:06.07\00:50:07.84
some of your Dare to
Dream programs over there,
00:50:07.87\00:50:10.24
we do Latino program over there,
00:50:10.27\00:50:12.34
we have a Kid's Time studio,
I mean, it's just something.
00:50:12.37\00:50:15.61
So if you haven't seen
the anniversary special
00:50:15.64\00:50:18.38
we'd love for you to get it.
00:50:18.41\00:50:19.75
Maybe you could even
call we'll just send you one--
00:50:19.78\00:50:21.35
can we send them one free?
00:50:21.38\00:50:22.72
Absolutely.
00:50:22.75\00:50:25.72
Mollie is vice
president and general manager
00:50:25.75\00:50:27.72
but I'll tell
everybody this, she's the boss.
00:50:27.76\00:50:30.23
Because I mean, we're here
00:50:30.26\00:50:31.59
but Mollie knows
more about this ministry
00:50:31.63\00:50:33.90
I'm telling the
truth about this.
00:50:33.93\00:50:35.26
Yes, she does.
00:50:35.30\00:50:36.63
Than anybody including
myself, including you or you
00:50:36.67\00:50:39.07
because she works
everyday with everybody.
00:50:39.10\00:50:41.70
She started out as a secretary
00:50:41.74\00:50:43.94
and here she is general manager
and vice president and yeah,
00:50:43.97\00:50:47.74
you know, up until
just last few months ago,
00:50:47.78\00:50:49.81
if I need a phone
number I'm still, she was my--
00:50:49.84\00:50:52.55
she to work at 3ABN
as my secretary, right.
00:50:52.58\00:50:55.32
So I'm still "Hey,
Mollie, can you..."
00:50:55.35\00:50:56.92
and here she's busy
in all this meetings,
00:50:56.95\00:50:59.25
working with everybody,
but finally, you know,
00:50:59.29\00:51:01.79
Jill Morikone in
the last few months
00:51:01.82\00:51:03.43
isn't that been
relate Mollie because Jill
00:51:03.46\00:51:05.29
whatever you
want she can find it,
00:51:05.33\00:51:07.26
she does it, she's incredible.
00:51:07.30\00:51:09.16
And Jill is amazing
00:51:09.20\00:51:11.10
and thank God
for her and for Greg.
00:51:11.13\00:51:13.10
But, you know, I want to
thank you for letting me.
00:51:13.13\00:51:15.57
I played on-- I'm a team player,
00:51:15.60\00:51:17.71
I love being part of the team
00:51:17.74\00:51:19.41
and I was playing
on a team and you know,
00:51:19.44\00:51:21.51
I got kicked out
from my team actually.
00:51:21.54\00:51:24.31
Maybe I had to, I
had to leave that team
00:51:24.35\00:51:26.92
and you let me come
be a part of your team.
00:51:26.95\00:51:28.95
You made me play
on the team of 3ABN
00:51:28.98\00:51:32.12
and it has been
some and Hal too.
00:51:32.15\00:51:34.26
If this has been the
most rewarding time of my life
00:51:34.29\00:51:39.19
has been here at
3ABN helping you.
00:51:39.23\00:51:42.50
I hold your arms
up that's what I do
00:51:42.53\00:51:47.34
and trying to
hold the world back
00:51:47.37\00:51:50.21
so you can take your--
00:51:50.24\00:51:51.67
the vision God
has placed within you
00:51:51.71\00:51:54.24
and watch that vision
unfold before the whole world.
00:51:54.28\00:51:57.88
And I just thank you so
much for let be a part of it.
00:51:57.91\00:52:00.35
They are people out there,
00:52:00.38\00:52:01.82
Danny, that will be
here and the reason why
00:52:01.85\00:52:05.75
is because it's like this.
00:52:05.79\00:52:07.12
We have the same
spiritual DNA. We got that DNA.
00:52:07.16\00:52:11.59
And I believe there's
people out there that have that,
00:52:11.63\00:52:13.96
well, they are
going to give to 3ABN.
00:52:14.00\00:52:16.40
Oh, I had a dream it's just here
00:52:16.43\00:52:18.53
recently that somebody
before the end of the year
00:52:18.57\00:52:20.47
was gonna give a
tremendous amount of money,
00:52:20.50\00:52:22.94
so whoever you are send it in.
00:52:22.97\00:52:25.81
And we are hoping
he's a true dreamer.
00:52:25.84\00:52:28.44
Old men dream great.
Dream great. Perfect.
00:52:28.48\00:52:29.81
That's right. That's right.
00:52:29.84\00:52:31.55
We do have the
same spiritual DNA.
00:52:31.58\00:52:33.95
You know, as I
sit and listen to you
00:52:33.98\00:52:35.75
all it's so amazing to me
00:52:35.78\00:52:37.12
how God has used
you in each other's life
00:52:37.15\00:52:40.99
to build this ministry,
00:52:41.02\00:52:42.72
to support each
other, to be there.
00:52:42.76\00:52:45.43
It's just-- God is amazing.
00:52:45.46\00:52:46.80
Huge support
because honestly the way
00:52:46.83\00:52:49.06
I grew up in church I
grew up the way small church
00:52:49.10\00:52:52.13
and grew up for--
they showed me vision
00:52:52.17\00:52:56.07
because I saw what they did.
00:52:56.10\00:52:58.01
And that really said,
you know what, they can do it
00:52:58.04\00:53:02.04
and surely I can do it
too, but it was them saying,
00:53:02.08\00:53:04.35
whatever you
need we'll help you,
00:53:04.38\00:53:05.71
whatever you want to do.
00:53:05.75\00:53:07.08
There was no this is
mine, this is yours it's like
00:53:07.12\00:53:09.55
that's your vision
then here we'll help you.
00:53:09.58\00:53:11.92
But Hal said in the beginning,
00:53:11.95\00:53:13.29
I saw, I had a dream
saw Southern Illinois
00:53:13.32\00:53:15.26
a hub of wagon wheel with spokes
00:53:15.29\00:53:17.16
reached into all the world
00:53:17.19\00:53:18.53
and that's your
vision go for it.
00:53:18.56\00:53:19.89
Go for it. Amen. Amazing.
00:53:19.93\00:53:22.40
So now we've learned
some things about him
00:53:22.43\00:53:24.57
we didn't
already know, didn't we?
00:53:24.60\00:53:26.00
That's right, I love it.
00:53:26.03\00:53:27.37
But our time has
just about all gone.
00:53:27.40\00:53:28.74
We're gonna have to
go to the news break
00:53:28.77\00:53:30.24
and then we're gonna come back
00:53:30.27\00:53:31.61
for a closing
thought in just a moment.
00:53:31.64\00:53:32.97