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, I'm Shelley Quinn,
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and we welcome you
once again to 3ABN Today.
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We're so grateful
that you're joining us,
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and I just have to tell you
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this is not to
feature a ministry today.
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Our interview is a
personal testimony.
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And if you want to hear a
story that gives God glory
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and that will give you hope
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and inspire you
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for what God
can do in your life,
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you want to stay tuned.
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Let me share our scripture
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before I
introduce our special guest,
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and it's one of my
favorite, Jeremiah 29:11-14.
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And the Lord says,
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"For I know the thoughts
that I think toward you,
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says the Lord,
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thoughts of
peace and not of evil,
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to give you a
future and a hope."
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Isn't that
wonderful to know that
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that's what God is thinking?
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But then listen to what He says,
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"Then you will call upon Me."
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When?
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When will we call upon God?
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When we recognize He's the one
that's got a plan for our lives
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and it's better than
the one that we're living.
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He says, "Then
you will call upon Me
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and go and pray to Me,
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and I will listen to you.
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And you will seek
Me and you will find Me
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when you seek Me
with your whole heart.
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I will be found by
you, says the Lord,
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and I will bring you
back from your captivity.
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I'll gather you
from all the nations
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and from all the
places where I've driven you,
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says the Lord,
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and I will
bring you to the place
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from which I caused you
to be carried away captive."
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I am so excited to
have this privilege today
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to introduce and to
interview Pastor Stephen Farr.
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And, Pastor Farr,
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I know only
because we've just now met
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actually sitting on this set,
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but when we were praying,
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you mentioned that
you were thankful to God
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for bringing you from living
inside a U-Haul cardboard box
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to this seat today.
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Right.
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I can't wait to hear your story.
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You are a pastor
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with the Upper
Colombian Conference
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of Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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Yeah, I'm at the
Upper Columbia Conference
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of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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went there
right after graduating
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from Walla Walla University.
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We'll get to that later.
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But I mean I had the
best two-year internship
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before being sent
out to where I'm at now,
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at Andrews University at
the Pasco Riverview Church
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in the Upper
Columbia Conference.
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And I just know
that too was a moment
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that God had set up for me
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because it was a
church-full of people there
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with the senior
pastor, Jared Spano,
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and his wife, Constance,
and the rest of the church,
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and the elders
all came together,
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and they just loved on me
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and they helped me
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to have a first
experience in a church
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as part of a team.
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Praise God. That
was just beautiful.
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Praise God.
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And I know we're
going to unpack some of...
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You've had a
painful past in many ways,
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but God has
brought you through it
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because God had a
plan for his life.
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Before we unpack his story
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and let him share
with us what God has done,
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we know how much you love music,
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and we love the
Burchfield Brothers.
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They are incredible musicians,
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and they're going to play for us
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"Be still my soul."
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Oh, we thank the
Burchfield Brothers.
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That was beautiful.
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Well, if you're
joining us just a moment late,
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our special guest
today is Pastor Stephen Farr,
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and he is going to be
sharing his personal testimony
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which I have a strong
sense, I haven't heard it,
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but that this is
going to be very impactful.
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Kind of let's just get
started back in the beginning.
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Did you grow up
in a Christian home?
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What were the circumstances
of your upbringing?
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Well, I think probably
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the most
important thing to share
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is when I was a little boy,
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my dad worked as a
preacher and evangelist.
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And I remember as a little
boy, I had four other siblings.
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There's Aaron, Nathan,
Rebecca, Jeremiah, and me,
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I'm the second one.
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I grew up in a Christian home,
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and I just remember as a
boy watching my dad preach
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and watching him
sit around campfires
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and play guitar
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and seeing all the
kids singing the songs,
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and you could see that
there was something there
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that was special.
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There was a glow
on people's faces
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and in their eyes
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when they would sing about Jesus
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and when they would
hear the words of life,
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and they would hear the
word that was in the beginning,
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you know, the way the
truth and the life just...
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And you'd see the
sparkle in their eyes
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of the Holy Spirit's presence.
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And I remember as a little boy,
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six-seven years
old thinking to myself,
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"Dad, one day when I grow up,
I'm going to be just like you."
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Now was your father a
Seventh-day Adventist Pastor
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or a Christian Pastor, what?
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Yeah.
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Well, my dad worked
with several ministries
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that are Adventist ministries
that are self-supporting.
00:10:02.93\00:10:04.93
Okay.
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And so throughout that process,
00:10:06.33\00:10:08.17
I ended up getting
to meet a lot of people
00:10:08.20\00:10:09.87
who are part of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:10:09.90\00:10:12.07
throughout my childhood.
00:10:12.11\00:10:13.61
And I remember, you know,
00:10:13.68\00:10:15.31
I remember actually Ty
Gibson, James Rafferty,
00:10:15.34\00:10:18.88
some of these guys
from when I was a kid.
00:10:18.91\00:10:21.22
And you know, them along
with my dad were the people...
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You know, some people have
sports posters on their walls.
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When I was a little boy,
00:10:29.12\00:10:30.46
my heroes were the people
who were preaching the gospel
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and doing the evangelism.
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I thought that, "Man, you know,
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they have found
the words of life
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that give joy and happiness
and eternal life to people."
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And that's what I want
to do with my life too.
00:10:42.60\00:10:44.47
So did you have a
close relationship
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with your father?
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You know, the
funny thing is that
00:10:48.61\00:10:51.48
there were times in life,
00:10:51.51\00:10:52.98
my best
memories were the moments
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when my dad and I, the
relationship was close,
00:10:55.78\00:10:59.05
but I felt like I was just
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one of the spectators many times
00:11:00.49\00:11:02.99
because sometimes
as we know in ministry,
00:11:03.02\00:11:07.00
it can get very
involved in your traveling,
00:11:07.03\00:11:09.06
in your preaching,
and your serving the Lord,
00:11:09.10\00:11:10.97
and sometimes,
the family at home
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gets forgotten a little bit.
00:11:14.07\00:11:17.01
So there were
definitely times in my life
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where my father
connected with me
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and we had a strong bond,
00:11:20.91\00:11:22.24
but there was also a lot
of brokenness too in our home
00:11:22.28\00:11:25.71
and a lot of my dad traveling
00:11:25.75\00:11:27.22
and doing
ministry and serving God,
00:11:27.25\00:11:28.75
that took him away from me.
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And so it's
interesting that you asked that
00:11:30.62\00:11:33.39
and I'm glad you
did because, you know,
00:11:33.46\00:11:36.06
just like the other evangelists
and preachers in the church
00:11:36.09\00:11:38.43
were posters on my wall
00:11:38.46\00:11:39.79
that I dreamed to
aspire to be like.
00:11:39.83\00:11:41.76
I felt too with my dad
00:11:41.80\00:11:43.23
that sometimes I didn't
have that close relationship
00:11:43.26\00:11:46.37
I wanted,
00:11:46.40\00:11:47.74
that he was someone I
wanted to aspire to be like,
00:11:47.77\00:11:50.51
that wasn't always there.
00:11:50.54\00:11:51.87
Amen. Amen.
00:11:51.91\00:11:53.68
So something obviously,
00:11:53.71\00:11:56.38
just because I know you
ended up on the streets,
00:11:56.41\00:11:59.21
there was some kind
of break in your life.
00:11:59.25\00:12:04.55
Where do you want to...
00:12:04.59\00:12:07.36
I mean, do you want
to go to your video now
00:12:07.39\00:12:08.99
or do you want...
00:12:09.02\00:12:10.36
Let me tell you a little
bit leading up to the video.
00:12:10.43\00:12:11.99
Sure. Okay.
00:12:12.03\00:12:13.50
So when I was
about 10 years old,
00:12:13.53\00:12:17.30
I had a dream,
00:12:17.37\00:12:18.77
and in the dream God told me,
00:12:18.80\00:12:20.34
"Stephen, you need
to warn your mother.
00:12:20.37\00:12:23.07
In two years, your
parents are going to divorce."
00:12:23.10\00:12:26.27
And I remember spending
the next two years of my life
00:12:26.31\00:12:28.98
hearing my family fighting
00:12:29.01\00:12:31.68
because, you know, sadly,
sometimes, we come to Jesus
00:12:31.71\00:12:33.82
and we're telling
other people about Jesus
00:12:33.85\00:12:36.15
and we forget that
that personal relationship,
00:12:36.18\00:12:39.25
Holy Spirit-driven
relationship is important,
00:12:39.29\00:12:42.06
and we can run dry.
00:12:42.09\00:12:43.83
And
unfortunately, I lived in a home
00:12:43.86\00:12:45.99
where our faith
00:12:46.03\00:12:48.10
turned into a little
bit of legalism even,
00:12:48.13\00:12:50.40
and it became a situation
where there was abuse at home,
00:12:50.47\00:12:54.87
there was...
00:12:54.90\00:12:56.47
my parents fighting at night
00:12:56.50\00:12:57.84
while I'm in my
room crying and praying
00:12:57.87\00:13:00.18
because I'd had this dream,
00:13:00.21\00:13:02.04
you know,
"Stephen, go warn your mother
00:13:02.08\00:13:03.55
that your parents
are going to divorce."
00:13:03.58\00:13:04.91
I'll never forget
waking up after that dream
00:13:04.95\00:13:07.82
and walking down the hallway
and going into the kitchen.
00:13:07.85\00:13:11.45
There's my mom making bread,
00:13:11.49\00:13:13.22
I'll never forget,
she had a jean dress on,
00:13:13.25\00:13:15.89
and I tug on it,
00:13:15.92\00:13:17.26
then I looked at
my mom and I said,
00:13:17.33\00:13:18.66
"Mom, you need to get ready
00:13:18.69\00:13:20.03
because God just
told me in a dream
00:13:20.06\00:13:21.40
in two years,
Dad's going to leave.
00:13:21.43\00:13:23.37
And you were 10 years old?
00:13:23.40\00:13:24.73
I was 10 years old, and
my mom remembers that day,
00:13:24.77\00:13:26.84
I remember that day,
I'll never forget that day.
00:13:26.87\00:13:28.64
I remember the smell
of the bread in the room,
00:13:28.67\00:13:30.74
what my mom was
wearing, and everything.
00:13:30.81\00:13:32.54
And how did she respond?
00:13:32.57\00:13:33.91
She laughed.
00:13:33.98\00:13:36.01
She laughed and she
says, "Oh, no, son, you know,
00:13:36.04\00:13:39.18
I'm sorry about your dad and
I, this fighting, and things.
00:13:39.21\00:13:41.88
But don't worry,
we're doing counseling,
00:13:41.92\00:13:43.42
everything's going to be fine."
00:13:43.49\00:13:45.92
And I'll never
forget, two years later,
00:13:45.95\00:13:48.69
I was at Auburn
Adventist Academy
00:13:48.72\00:13:50.86
for camp meeting
in the month of June,
00:13:50.93\00:13:53.70
same month I had the dream.
00:13:53.73\00:13:56.10
And I was there with Aunty Dot,
00:13:56.13\00:13:57.87
she was one of those
members of the church,
00:13:57.90\00:13:59.33
you know, that adopts the
kids, take you to camp meeting,
00:13:59.37\00:14:01.24
you go to all the meetings.
00:14:01.27\00:14:04.41
Some of my best
childhood memories
00:14:04.44\00:14:05.77
were at Auburn Adventist Academy
00:14:05.81\00:14:07.18
camp meeting, you know.
00:14:07.21\00:14:08.54
And Aunty Dot would take us
00:14:08.58\00:14:10.85
and we'd stay
there in her trailer.
00:14:10.88\00:14:12.21
But one day, I was
coming back from the meeting,
00:14:12.25\00:14:13.62
we walked up the
steps of that trailer
00:14:13.65\00:14:15.22
into Aunty Dot's trailer,
00:14:15.25\00:14:17.29
and when I got into the trailer,
00:14:17.32\00:14:18.99
I look up and my
parents were there.
00:14:19.02\00:14:22.09
And you could tell by
the look on their face.
00:14:22.12\00:14:23.73
And I could feel it.
00:14:23.76\00:14:25.79
In the moment I saw them,
and the look on their face,
00:14:25.83\00:14:28.16
and looked around the room,
00:14:28.20\00:14:30.57
my memory triggered
00:14:30.60\00:14:31.93
and my heart sunk
right through the floor,
00:14:31.97\00:14:33.30
and before they
even spoke the words,
00:14:33.34\00:14:34.77
"We're separating and
we're filing for divorce,"
00:14:34.80\00:14:36.94
I knew what was about to happen.
00:14:37.01\00:14:38.97
Yeah.
00:14:39.01\00:14:40.38
And that was a moment in my life
00:14:40.41\00:14:44.15
that really tried my faith.
00:14:44.18\00:14:49.02
You know, I'm sitting
here trying to process
00:14:49.05\00:14:50.82
and I'm sure people
at home are as well.
00:14:50.89\00:14:53.22
It's interesting that God
would give you that dream.
00:14:53.25\00:14:58.43
It's interesting that
you've had that foretelling
00:14:58.46\00:15:02.30
if you would of this,
00:15:02.33\00:15:04.77
but I just want to make a point
00:15:04.80\00:15:06.84
before we go on with your story
00:15:06.87\00:15:08.90
is that what Stephen said
00:15:08.94\00:15:11.71
about people
who are in ministry.
00:15:11.74\00:15:14.18
It is so easy to
lose balance in our lives,
00:15:14.21\00:15:18.58
you know,
ministry is very demanding.
00:15:18.61\00:15:20.12
That's right.
00:15:20.15\00:15:21.48
And to keep that
personal relationship,
00:15:21.52\00:15:24.55
and it should
always be God first,
00:15:24.59\00:15:27.86
then your family,
then your ministry
00:15:27.89\00:15:30.16
because if you can't
minister to your own family,
00:15:30.23\00:15:35.06
I mean, if you're not keeping
that personal relationship,
00:15:35.10\00:15:38.67
or if you're not
ministering to your family,
00:15:38.70\00:15:41.07
you can't be held
up as a role model
00:15:41.10\00:15:43.71
and people are going
to look at what you do,
00:15:43.74\00:15:45.84
not what you say.
00:15:45.87\00:15:47.28
So here,
00:15:47.31\00:15:48.64
it had a devastating
effect on your family.
00:15:48.68\00:15:50.75
Yes.
00:15:50.78\00:15:52.11
And they went
through with the divorce.
00:15:52.15\00:15:54.58
How did this impact you?
00:15:54.62\00:15:57.39
Well, I'll tell you that
00:15:57.42\00:15:59.69
going from being
a Christian family
00:15:59.72\00:16:01.72
to my dad leaving the
faith for a time in his life...
00:16:01.76\00:16:05.56
He left the faith even?
00:16:05.59\00:16:06.93
That the Bible
was just a moral book.
00:16:07.00\00:16:08.66
Ooh!
00:16:08.70\00:16:10.07
And you didn't really...
00:16:10.10\00:16:11.57
I mean, you
could read the Bible,
00:16:11.60\00:16:12.93
you didn't have to follow it.
00:16:12.97\00:16:14.30
And so for a
while, he had gone through
00:16:14.34\00:16:16.71
and gotten a degree.
00:16:16.74\00:16:18.17
He had left the church,
he got a master's degree,
00:16:18.21\00:16:20.38
in marriage counseling,
00:16:20.41\00:16:21.91
and drug and alcohol dependency,
00:16:21.94\00:16:23.75
and through this had
gotten into spiritualism.
00:16:23.78\00:16:27.88
Ooh!
00:16:27.92\00:16:29.25
And he just went to
the opposite extreme.
00:16:29.28\00:16:31.02
And I remember,
as a 12-year-old boy
00:16:31.05\00:16:35.06
just feeling like
my whole world view,
00:16:35.09\00:16:37.83
I wasn't sure if
it was real or not.
00:16:37.86\00:16:40.40
And on top of that now,
00:16:40.43\00:16:41.76
if I had prayed
for two years for God
00:16:41.80\00:16:43.37
to save my family and He didn't,
00:16:43.40\00:16:45.43
and if heaven was real
00:16:45.47\00:16:46.84
and my dad was
leaving the faith,
00:16:46.87\00:16:48.67
then the one that I
wanted to grow up to be like
00:16:48.70\00:16:50.61
wasn't going to be in heaven.
00:16:50.64\00:16:52.67
And I started having questions,
00:16:52.71\00:16:54.08
well, now I'm seeing
my brothers and sisters
00:16:54.11\00:16:55.91
are falling away from the faith,
00:16:55.94\00:16:57.28
and the only two that
are staying in the faith
00:16:57.35\00:16:58.88
is my mom and me.
00:16:58.91\00:17:00.32
And so if they're
falling away from the faith,
00:17:00.35\00:17:02.08
what does that mean?
00:17:02.12\00:17:03.49
And do I want to
be a world evangelist
00:17:03.52\00:17:05.02
and be a preacher and follow God
00:17:05.05\00:17:06.59
if I'm going to be in heaven
00:17:06.62\00:17:07.99
and they're not
going to be there.
00:17:08.02\00:17:09.76
And these are the
things that are very scary
00:17:09.79\00:17:11.46
and confusing for
you when you're 12.
00:17:11.49\00:17:13.40
I'm sure, I'm sure.
00:17:13.43\00:17:15.00
Now you were the
second to the youngest?
00:17:15.03\00:17:18.47
No, no, no, I was
the second oldest.
00:17:18.50\00:17:19.83
You were the second oldest.
00:17:19.87\00:17:21.20
So there was my brother Aaron,
and then me, and then Nathan,
00:17:21.24\00:17:23.14
and then Rebecca, and
Jeremiah is the youngest.
00:17:23.17\00:17:25.84
So this had a very
strong, I mean, the waves,
00:17:25.87\00:17:31.45
it's kind of like
when you drop that pebble,
00:17:31.48\00:17:33.52
it just keeps waving out.
00:17:33.55\00:17:34.92
So the pain that this caused,
00:17:34.95\00:17:39.42
a number of
people in your family
00:17:39.45\00:17:41.66
were turning from the Lord.
00:17:41.69\00:17:43.06
Did your mother
always stay true to God?
00:17:43.09\00:17:46.16
She stayed true to God,
and she never remarried,
00:17:46.19\00:17:49.03
she spent her
life raising her kids.
00:17:49.06\00:17:51.33
Praise God.
00:17:51.37\00:17:52.70
And you know, I want to
say something about my mom.
00:17:52.73\00:17:54.67
She is the best Mom
I could have ever had.
00:18:00.38\00:18:02.34
Praise God.
00:18:02.38\00:18:03.75
I remember when
we were driving back
00:18:03.78\00:18:05.25
from that camp meeting,
00:18:05.28\00:18:06.65
the divorce had been announced,
00:18:06.72\00:18:08.05
I was riding in
the car with my mom,
00:18:08.08\00:18:10.32
and she had
remembered that dream I had,
00:18:10.39\00:18:12.92
and she looked into the backseat
00:18:12.95\00:18:14.29
in the rear-view mirror,
and she said, "You know, son,
00:18:14.32\00:18:15.69
you are the oddest
child that I have,"
00:18:15.72\00:18:18.69
and then she
followed it up with some words
00:18:18.73\00:18:20.23
that changed
something in my heart
00:18:20.30\00:18:22.23
and has stuck with me
00:18:22.26\00:18:23.60
throughout my
whole life and testimony,
00:18:23.67\00:18:25.00
and it's been one of the things
that helped God hang on to me.
00:18:25.03\00:18:27.74
She said, "You know, son,
00:18:27.77\00:18:29.10
I've been thinking
about everything in the Bible,
00:18:29.14\00:18:30.61
and the only person I
can think of is Joseph."
00:18:30.64\00:18:33.68
She says, "You must
have a Joseph anointing."
00:18:33.71\00:18:37.38
And later on in my story,
00:18:37.45\00:18:38.78
I'll tell you how
she brought that back
00:18:38.81\00:18:40.35
and it helped to bring
me out of a dark place.
00:18:40.42\00:18:43.99
Okay.
00:18:44.02\00:18:46.09
Joseph went from the pit
00:18:46.12\00:18:47.66
to the prison
to the palace, huh?
00:18:47.69\00:18:49.36
He went from the pit to
the prison to the palace,
00:18:49.39\00:18:51.79
and God took him the whole way
00:18:51.83\00:18:53.16
and put him in
all of those places
00:18:53.19\00:18:54.53
to help develop his character.
00:18:54.56\00:18:55.90
And so we know this is...
00:18:55.93\00:18:57.70
I mean, you
know, the good thing,
00:18:57.73\00:19:00.14
we can see him sitting here,
00:19:00.17\00:19:01.50
so it's kind of like
00:19:01.54\00:19:02.87
we've read the back of the book.
00:19:02.90\00:19:04.24
Right, yeah,
you've read the last page
00:19:04.27\00:19:05.61
but there's stuff
that happens in the middle.
00:19:05.64\00:19:07.01
So why don't we go ahead,
00:19:07.08\00:19:09.41
and do you need
to set up this video?
00:19:09.44\00:19:10.95
Let's look at this video
00:19:10.98\00:19:12.31
'cause I want
you to have full time
00:19:12.35\00:19:13.92
to tell this story.
00:19:13.95\00:19:15.48
Are we ready to show that now?
00:19:15.52\00:19:16.89
Yeah, let's show this
video and I just want to say,
00:19:16.92\00:19:18.62
this video is a video
that was produced by ASWWU,
00:19:18.65\00:19:22.09
which is the Associated Students
00:19:22.12\00:19:23.46
of Walla Walla University.
00:19:23.53\00:19:24.86
Okay.
00:19:24.89\00:19:26.23
They do a
really amazing ministry
00:19:26.26\00:19:27.60
where they tell
students' stories,
00:19:27.63\00:19:29.50
and so this will just
be a clip from that video.
00:19:29.53\00:19:31.77
Okay.
00:19:31.80\00:19:33.13
And if you watch it
00:19:33.17\00:19:35.17
and you want to
hear how the video ends,
00:19:35.20\00:19:37.67
you can just go on the Internet
00:19:37.71\00:19:39.31
and search The
Stephen Farr Story,
00:19:39.34\00:19:42.31
and it'll bring it
upon YouTube and in Vimeo,
00:19:42.34\00:19:45.28
and you'll be
able to watch that.
00:19:45.31\00:19:46.65
All right. And that's Stephen
with a P-H and Farr is F-A-R-R.
00:19:46.72\00:19:50.39
So let's watch this video now.
00:19:50.42\00:19:52.59
Jeremiah 29:11 says,
00:20:00.93\00:20:03.26
"'For I know the
plans I have for you,'
00:20:03.30\00:20:05.20
declares the Lord,
00:20:05.23\00:20:06.87
'plans to prosper
you and not to harm you,
00:20:06.94\00:20:09.30
plans to give you
hope and a future.'
00:20:09.34\00:20:12.97
" When I was 12 years
old, my parents got divorced.
00:20:13.01\00:20:16.68
I'd been raised in
a Christian family,
00:20:16.75\00:20:18.38
and really in reality the
thing that mattered to me most
00:20:18.41\00:20:22.08
in life was family.
00:20:22.12\00:20:24.89
It wasn't too
long after my dad left
00:20:24.92\00:20:26.62
that I started
getting really depressed.
00:20:26.65\00:20:30.03
At 13 years old,
I started drinking,
00:20:30.06\00:20:32.06
and started getting into drugs,
00:20:32.09\00:20:33.63
and started hanging
out in the wrong crowd.
00:20:33.70\00:20:37.10
I went from being homeschooled
to going into public school.
00:20:37.17\00:20:41.24
None of my clothes
were cool. I didn't fit in.
00:20:41.27\00:20:43.91
I didn't know how to talk right.
00:20:43.94\00:20:46.54
It wasn't too long
after all of this occurred
00:20:46.57\00:20:48.74
that my depression
really started getting me down.
00:20:48.78\00:20:52.98
And I remember, one
night, we were partying,
00:20:53.01\00:20:55.52
I'd invited all
of my friends over,
00:20:55.55\00:20:57.82
and we threw
this really big party,
00:20:57.85\00:20:59.32
and I got
absolutely belligerently drunk.
00:20:59.35\00:21:02.39
You know, one of
the hardest things
00:21:02.42\00:21:03.76
for me in my life was
00:21:03.83\00:21:05.29
when my dad would
get upset with us.
00:21:05.33\00:21:08.93
Sometimes, he
was really abusive,
00:21:08.96\00:21:10.30
and I'd vowed in my heart
that I would never, ever, ever
00:21:10.37\00:21:13.00
hurt one of my
brothers and sisters
00:21:13.03\00:21:14.37
because I loved my family
00:21:14.40\00:21:15.74
more than anything in the world.
00:21:15.77\00:21:17.61
But that night, I
got in a really big fight
00:21:17.64\00:21:19.41
with my brother.
00:21:19.44\00:21:20.78
I ended up punching
him right in the face
00:21:20.81\00:21:22.38
as hard as I could.
00:21:22.41\00:21:24.38
I'll never forget
the look on his face.
00:21:24.41\00:21:26.72
He was shocked.
00:21:26.75\00:21:28.18
After I punched him
in the face, I left.
00:21:28.22\00:21:30.79
And I remember, I was walking
on this graveled driveway,
00:21:30.82\00:21:33.36
I went for like a
mile walking in the rain
00:21:33.39\00:21:35.39
with no shoes on my feet.
00:21:35.42\00:21:37.56
When I came back to my
house, everybody was gone.
00:21:37.63\00:21:41.03
And I went in the
house, and shut the door,
00:21:41.06\00:21:43.60
and then I just
started having these thoughts
00:21:43.67\00:21:45.27
about how worthless my life was.
00:21:45.30\00:21:47.97
I went over to the
drawer, I opened it,
00:21:48.00\00:21:51.01
I opened another
drawer, I opened another drawer,
00:21:51.04\00:21:53.14
I started searching
for something in my room
00:21:53.17\00:21:55.04
that I could use to hurt myself.
00:21:55.08\00:21:56.85
Finally, in this one drawer,
00:21:56.88\00:21:58.21
I found an entire
set of razor blades.
00:21:58.25\00:22:01.42
I started cutting
myself frantically.
00:22:01.45\00:22:04.59
I felt like I just
had to do something
00:22:04.62\00:22:06.32
to end my life
to get it over with.
00:22:06.35\00:22:08.26
My family was broken,
my dad didn't want me.
00:22:08.29\00:22:10.36
I ended up doing
the one thing in my life
00:22:10.43\00:22:12.26
I never wanted to do,
00:22:12.29\00:22:13.63
which was hurt
somebody that I loved the most.
00:22:13.70\00:22:18.17
Suddenly, I heard a
pounding on the door.
00:22:18.20\00:22:21.67
I realized that my sister
had showed up and come back.
00:22:21.70\00:22:25.74
She was able to
get into the room,
00:22:25.77\00:22:27.28
and she came running over to me,
00:22:27.31\00:22:28.81
and she jumped on me,
00:22:28.84\00:22:30.58
and she pulled away
the razor blades from me,
00:22:30.65\00:22:33.42
and she started
screaming and sobbing.
00:22:33.45\00:22:35.02
And she was like,
"What are you doing?
00:22:35.05\00:22:37.75
What are you doing?
00:22:37.79\00:22:39.39
You're like my dad.
00:22:39.42\00:22:40.89
How could you ever do anything
to hurt yourself or leave me?"
00:22:40.96\00:22:45.29
You know, at that
moment in my life,
00:22:45.33\00:22:46.70
I really didn't know if
God had a plan for my life.
00:22:46.73\00:22:49.03
I didn't even know
if I believed in God.
00:22:49.06\00:22:51.90
But I did know
00:22:51.93\00:22:53.44
that seeing how
much my sister loved me
00:22:53.47\00:22:55.37
and how much I meant to
her made me want to try.
00:22:55.40\00:23:00.21
I want to see the rest of
this, so we go to Vimeo.com
00:23:00.28\00:23:04.45
or just Google you.
00:23:04.48\00:23:06.48
Yeah, go on YouTube
00:23:06.51\00:23:07.85
and search The
Stephen Farr Story
00:23:07.88\00:23:09.22
or just go on
Google, go on in the Internet
00:23:09.25\00:23:11.75
and search The
Stephen Farr Story,
00:23:11.79\00:23:14.06
Stephen with a P-H,
00:23:14.09\00:23:16.06
and you can watch it on Vimeo
or you can watch it on YouTube.
00:23:16.09\00:23:18.26
Okay.
00:23:18.29\00:23:19.63
So, Stephen,
00:23:19.66\00:23:21.36
you had sunk to
a very low level,
00:23:21.40\00:23:25.03
I mean, in the depression
00:23:25.07\00:23:26.47
is likely what you
were trying to self-medicate
00:23:26.50\00:23:30.31
with drugs and alcohol.
00:23:30.34\00:23:32.54
And even the cutting is...
00:23:32.57\00:23:34.88
I mean, were you really
attempting suicide at there
00:23:34.91\00:23:37.88
or were you just
self-medicating with the pain?
00:23:37.91\00:23:40.92
Well, it was
definitely a suicide attempt.
00:23:40.95\00:23:44.22
I mean, that was just a
breaking moment in my life.
00:23:44.29\00:23:46.25
I had just, you
know, assaulted my brother.
00:23:46.29\00:23:49.12
Yeah. You know?
00:23:49.16\00:23:50.73
I had done something violent
00:23:50.76\00:23:52.16
against someone that
I love and care about
00:23:52.19\00:23:53.90
and, you know,
00:23:53.93\00:23:55.56
I'd seen how I went
from a Christian family
00:23:55.60\00:23:57.70
to going into public school
00:23:57.73\00:23:59.07
to allowing the
influences of the world
00:23:59.10\00:24:00.64
to take me down on a
road where I was two people.
00:24:00.67\00:24:03.20
I was someone who
still believed in God
00:24:03.24\00:24:05.37
but was struggling with my faith
00:24:05.41\00:24:06.88
because, you know,
00:24:06.91\00:24:08.24
I had prayed for
my family to be saved
00:24:08.28\00:24:09.61
and the thing that
mattered to me most in life
00:24:09.64\00:24:11.05
had fallen apart.
00:24:11.08\00:24:12.68
And so, yeah, I
started the self-medicating
00:24:12.71\00:24:14.48
by giving into
the peer pressures,
00:24:14.52\00:24:15.88
wanting to fit in.
00:24:15.92\00:24:17.29
Yeah.
00:24:17.32\00:24:18.65
And it led to
that moment in my life
00:24:18.69\00:24:20.16
where I just felt like
Satan was saying to me,
00:24:20.19\00:24:23.19
"You know, your
life is worthless.
00:24:23.22\00:24:24.79
Look. God could never love you.
00:24:24.83\00:24:26.33
You've drunk alcohol,
00:24:26.36\00:24:28.03
you've been involved
in all these parties,
00:24:28.06\00:24:29.70
you've done all the things."
00:24:29.73\00:24:31.07
"You've disappointed Him."
00:24:31.10\00:24:32.43
"You've disappointed God,
you've done everything wrong,
00:24:32.47\00:24:34.14
and He'll never take you back."
00:24:34.17\00:24:35.50
And so at that point,
what's there to live for
00:24:35.54\00:24:37.31
if you're separated from God?
00:24:37.34\00:24:38.67
Yeah. You know?
00:24:38.71\00:24:40.18
So how did you end up...
00:24:40.21\00:24:43.65
I mean, obviously, it
wasn't just like, "Woo-hoo!
00:24:43.68\00:24:48.25
okay, I'm rescued,"
00:24:48.28\00:24:51.42
because I know you ended
up on the street somehow,
00:24:51.45\00:24:54.09
so kind of walk us
through, did you seek help?
00:24:54.16\00:24:58.36
Did they put
you in the hospital?
00:24:58.39\00:25:00.30
What happened?
00:25:00.33\00:25:01.66
Well, they put me
in a halfway house,
00:25:01.70\00:25:03.03
but because I was 19,
I didn't have to stay.
00:25:03.06\00:25:05.10
Okay.
00:25:05.13\00:25:06.47
And I discovered
that I didn't have to stay
00:25:06.50\00:25:08.97
and I had a car,
00:25:09.00\00:25:10.61
and so I signed
myself out and went home
00:25:10.64\00:25:13.27
and got all my stuff in
the middle of the night,
00:25:13.31\00:25:14.84
and ran away to the big city.
00:25:14.88\00:25:17.45
And within no time,
00:25:17.48\00:25:18.91
the friends that I ran away with
00:25:18.95\00:25:20.72
disappeared.
00:25:20.75\00:25:22.55
Of course, I was 19,
00:25:22.58\00:25:23.92
so I can move on with
my life and be an adult.
00:25:23.99\00:25:26.96
The friends
disappeared, the money ran out,
00:25:26.99\00:25:28.69
the gas ran out in the
car, the car broke down,
00:25:28.72\00:25:30.93
and the next thing you know,
00:25:30.96\00:25:32.29
here I am in
Olympia, Washington,
00:25:32.33\00:25:33.70
homeless on the streets.
00:25:33.73\00:25:36.13
And I'll never forget,
00:25:36.16\00:25:37.50
one day, I was
00:25:37.57\00:25:39.33
downtown Olympia
panhandling money for food.
00:25:39.37\00:25:43.61
And somebody saw that
I had gotten some money,
00:25:43.64\00:25:46.37
and I decided to get up and
go walking through the alleyway
00:25:46.41\00:25:48.68
to go over to
the local McDonald's
00:25:48.71\00:25:50.78
or somewhere where I
could spend a few dollars
00:25:50.85\00:25:52.35
to get something warm to eat.
00:25:52.38\00:25:54.72
And this person decides
to chase me with a knife
00:25:54.75\00:25:58.02
to try to steal my money.
00:25:58.05\00:26:01.52
And as a result of it,
00:26:01.56\00:26:02.89
I ended up running
00:26:02.92\00:26:05.89
as far as I could
as fast as I could
00:26:05.93\00:26:07.70
until I got out on the
end of this road somewhere,
00:26:07.73\00:26:09.66
and I found a KOA campground.
00:26:09.70\00:26:12.73
Somehow I was able
to get my car there,
00:26:12.77\00:26:14.47
and move there, and stay there,
00:26:14.50\00:26:15.84
and I was afraid
to go back to Olympia
00:26:15.87\00:26:17.34
because of this experience
00:26:17.41\00:26:18.74
of being almost stabbed
over a five-dollar bill, right?
00:26:18.77\00:26:24.05
I was afraid to
go back downtown,
00:26:24.08\00:26:25.55
and so I had,
luckily, a tent in my trunk,
00:26:25.58\00:26:29.62
and I had just enough money
00:26:29.65\00:26:30.99
that I had been
able to scrounge up
00:26:31.02\00:26:33.39
to pay for a campground site.
00:26:33.46\00:26:36.93
And I remember, I
get my tent set up,
00:26:36.96\00:26:38.33
and I put everything in
there, my car runs out of gas,
00:26:38.36\00:26:40.30
I can't run the heater anymore,
and wouldn't you know it,
00:26:40.33\00:26:42.36
in the month of
November or October,
00:26:42.40\00:26:43.90
or October, November, it snows.
00:26:43.97\00:26:47.64
And I remember, after it snowed,
00:26:47.67\00:26:49.44
it was like a
Berrien Springs snow
00:26:49.47\00:26:52.14
or it was like
Washington state snow
00:26:52.17\00:26:53.98
where it snows and melts,
00:26:54.01\00:26:55.34
and that's the worst kind
00:26:55.38\00:26:56.75
'cause then it's just
cold and everything's wet.
00:26:56.78\00:26:58.11
It's miserable.
00:26:58.15\00:26:59.71
And for three days, I
hadn't had anything to eat.
00:26:59.75\00:27:02.48
All of the stuff
in my tent was wet.
00:27:02.52\00:27:04.19
And I remember,
being down in the bottom
00:27:04.22\00:27:05.65
of that sleeping
bag in that tent,
00:27:05.69\00:27:07.46
the only thing I had left dry,
00:27:07.49\00:27:08.86
and I bowed my head
00:27:08.89\00:27:10.26
and I said the first
prayer I'd said in a long time.
00:27:10.33\00:27:13.63
And I'd gone on a long journey
that led me from my place
00:27:13.70\00:27:16.23
where I wanted to be a
world evangelist to that boy
00:27:16.26\00:27:18.53
that was in the
bottom of that sleeping bag.
00:27:18.57\00:27:21.07
And I just said, "God,
if you'll save my life,
00:27:21.10\00:27:24.57
I'll give You my
life and I'll serve You."
00:27:24.61\00:27:27.81
And I'll never forget this.
00:27:27.84\00:27:29.18
The next thing that happens is
00:27:29.21\00:27:30.55
I have someone
tapping on my tent.
00:27:30.58\00:27:33.42
Now at first, I thought
it was the wind blowing.
00:27:33.45\00:27:35.88
And being so wet and
cold, I was thinking,
00:27:35.92\00:27:37.69
"Now if you come out of
the bottom of this sleeping bag
00:27:37.72\00:27:39.52
and you open this tent
and there's nobody there,
00:27:39.55\00:27:41.29
you're going to
freeze to death."
00:27:41.32\00:27:44.13
But the tapping kept happening.
00:27:44.16\00:27:47.20
And so I open up that door
00:27:47.23\00:27:49.33
and the woman who
owned the campground
00:27:49.36\00:27:51.37
is standing there.
00:27:51.40\00:27:53.07
And she says, "Young man,
your mother just called me."
00:27:53.10\00:27:56.71
Wow!
00:27:56.74\00:27:58.07
I said, "My
mother just called you?
00:27:58.11\00:27:59.44
My mother
doesn't know where I am."
00:27:59.47\00:28:00.81
She said, "Your
mother just called me
00:28:00.84\00:28:02.21
and she said to me on the phone,
00:28:02.24\00:28:04.91
'Do you have any children?'"
00:28:04.95\00:28:07.02
First words.
00:28:07.05\00:28:08.48
And the woman says,
"Well, this is kind of weird,
00:28:08.52\00:28:10.79
I don't know who
you are but yes."
00:28:10.82\00:28:12.15
And she says, "Well, my
child is the one in the tent
00:28:12.19\00:28:14.26
in your campground.
00:28:14.29\00:28:15.62
Would you allow your child
to freeze to death in a tent?"
00:28:15.66\00:28:20.20
And she looked at me and
she said, "Come with me."
00:28:20.23\00:28:23.50
And she took me and
she put me in this cabin.
00:28:23.57\00:28:26.74
And it was a
cabin with bunk beds.
00:28:26.77\00:28:29.04
Wait, back up, hold the
phone, hit the pause button,
00:28:29.07\00:28:32.17
how did your mother
know you were there?
00:28:32.21\00:28:34.21
You know, to this day,
00:28:34.28\00:28:35.61
my mother swears she
never called that place.
00:28:35.64\00:28:39.01
She did not. She
didn't know I was there.
00:28:39.05\00:28:40.65
She had no idea where I was.
00:28:40.72\00:28:43.42
Wow!
00:28:43.49\00:28:44.85
So here's a moment in my
life where I say a prayer
00:28:44.89\00:28:47.49
and I know that
divine intervention happened
00:28:47.56\00:28:49.42
because who called
that woman on that phone?
00:28:49.46\00:28:52.06
Wow!
00:28:52.09\00:28:53.53
So here I am, I
walk into this cabin,
00:28:53.60\00:28:55.63
and there's a heater,
00:28:55.66\00:28:57.00
but the beds have
no mattresses on them.
00:28:57.07\00:29:00.14
It's kind of like
prison or jail cell mattresses.
00:29:00.17\00:29:03.91
And so I'm frozen.
So I take all my stuff.
00:29:03.94\00:29:06.31
I lay it around this heater,
00:29:06.34\00:29:07.68
and I turn that
heater on its full blast
00:29:07.71\00:29:09.41
and I say another prayer.
00:29:09.44\00:29:11.45
I lay face first on the
floor, on the wooden floor.
00:29:11.48\00:29:14.45
I'll never forget
the feel of that floor
00:29:14.48\00:29:16.05
with that heater blowing.
00:29:16.08\00:29:17.42
It was actually the
best feeling in life.
00:29:17.49\00:29:18.82
I've never been so happy
00:29:18.85\00:29:20.19
to be sleeping
in on a wood floor.
00:29:20.22\00:29:23.12
And while I'm saying a prayer,
I closed my eyes, I said,
00:29:23.16\00:29:26.80
"God, You just got
me out of the cold.
00:29:26.83\00:29:28.70
If that was You,
00:29:28.73\00:29:30.80
You got to bring
me some food too."
00:29:30.87\00:29:34.24
And while I'm praying,
and I'm crying, I fall asleep,
00:29:34.27\00:29:38.44
and I have another dream.
00:29:38.47\00:29:40.18
And this is a dream
that changed my whole life
00:29:40.21\00:29:43.58
because in this dream,
00:29:43.65\00:29:44.98
suddenly I'm
walking in downtown Seattle,
00:29:45.01\00:29:46.65
I only recognized it
00:29:46.72\00:29:48.05
because I had also
been homeless there,
00:29:48.08\00:29:50.62
at 15 and 16 years old,
00:29:50.69\00:29:52.05
I was running around in Seattle
00:29:52.09\00:29:53.46
and Auburn and
Federal Way with gangs
00:29:53.49\00:29:54.86
and getting into that lifestyle.
00:29:54.89\00:29:58.06
And I only
recognized it in the dream
00:29:58.09\00:29:59.49
because of the Space Needle.
00:29:59.53\00:30:01.73
And in this dream,
I'm playing a guitar
00:30:01.76\00:30:04.57
and singing praises to God,
00:30:04.60\00:30:06.84
and I'm looking up to heaven
00:30:06.87\00:30:08.20
and my face is shining
00:30:08.24\00:30:09.64
with the glory
of the Holy Spirit.
00:30:09.67\00:30:12.27
And then I start to realize
I'm not the only one singing.
00:30:12.31\00:30:16.61
Now a puzzling thing is,
Shelley, I didn't own a guitar,
00:30:16.64\00:30:19.48
I didn't play a guitar.
00:30:19.51\00:30:22.32
Yet. Yeah.
00:30:22.35\00:30:23.69
Now in this
dream, I'll never forget,
00:30:23.72\00:30:25.05
this guitar has a
white strap on it.
00:30:25.09\00:30:26.69
I never forget the white strap
00:30:26.76\00:30:28.09
because it was one
of those beautiful cloth
00:30:28.12\00:30:29.62
white strap guitar straps.
00:30:29.66\00:30:31.89
And I turned around
00:30:31.93\00:30:33.26
and there was a
whole multitude of people,
00:30:33.29\00:30:35.03
thousands of people
singing praises to God,
00:30:35.06\00:30:38.20
looking up to God,
their faces are shining,
00:30:38.23\00:30:39.70
and I realize around this
whole multitude of people,
00:30:39.73\00:30:43.41
there is a light,
00:30:43.44\00:30:45.77
and all of the people
outside of the light are blind,
00:30:45.81\00:30:49.04
all the people in the
alleyways and everything,
00:30:49.08\00:30:51.01
they can't see but
they can hear the singing.
00:30:51.05\00:30:53.52
Yeah. They can hear the praise.
00:30:53.55\00:30:55.58
How symbolic.
00:30:55.62\00:30:56.99
And so the
people start wandering
00:30:57.02\00:30:58.82
towards this shroud of
light around all of God's people
00:30:58.85\00:31:01.36
that are praising
Him in those streets.
00:31:01.39\00:31:03.76
And as they walk into the light,
00:31:03.83\00:31:07.40
they immediately
have their eyes opened,
00:31:07.43\00:31:12.47
they go right in
with all of the people
00:31:12.50\00:31:13.94
who are singing,
they look up to God,
00:31:13.97\00:31:15.37
and they start singing the songs
00:31:15.40\00:31:16.74
as if they've been
singing in their entire life.
00:31:16.81\00:31:19.84
And then all of a sudden,
I'm zipped out of my body,
00:31:19.87\00:31:22.01
way up above the
world and I see the...
00:31:22.04\00:31:23.85
In your dream?
In my dream, yeah.
00:31:23.88\00:31:26.05
And in this dream,
I'm way up above the world
00:31:26.08\00:31:29.25
and I see almost like a
fire break out over Portland
00:31:29.28\00:31:32.72
like a diamond, or a jewel,
00:31:32.75\00:31:34.42
or like the fire
of the Holy Spirit
00:31:34.46\00:31:35.99
is something that I
would describe it as now.
00:31:36.02\00:31:37.83
At the time, I didn't
know what to make of it.
00:31:37.86\00:31:40.53
And then it happens in Portland,
00:31:40.60\00:31:42.03
in Vancouver, and Seattle,
00:31:42.06\00:31:43.40
and then little teeny
dots break out all over the map
00:31:43.47\00:31:45.50
from the north to the south,
00:31:45.53\00:31:46.87
go all the way around the world,
00:31:46.94\00:31:48.27
and when it reaches
the West Coast again,
00:31:48.30\00:31:50.01
boom, the world
explodes into the Star of David
00:31:50.04\00:31:51.67
and I hear...
00:31:51.71\00:31:54.41
a knocking at
the door of my cabin.
00:31:54.44\00:31:56.41
And the knocking was
so loud, it woke me up.
00:31:56.44\00:31:59.61
So here, I am on
the floor, I mean,
00:31:59.65\00:32:00.98
because I just felt
like I was in outer space
00:32:01.02\00:32:02.55
and here I am on the
floor and I'm literally...
00:32:02.58\00:32:03.99
I mean, it was so real, I
was literally panicking like,
00:32:04.02\00:32:06.05
"Oh, I'm on the floor."
00:32:06.09\00:32:08.49
And I hear the knocking again
00:32:08.52\00:32:09.86
and I go to the door
and I open that door,
00:32:09.89\00:32:11.23
the snow is gone and
I hear birds singing.
00:32:11.26\00:32:13.40
I look around, nobody's there,
00:32:13.43\00:32:14.76
and then I
looked down at my feet,
00:32:14.80\00:32:16.36
and wouldn't you know it,
00:32:16.40\00:32:18.23
there was an entire box of
food sitting on that porch.
00:32:18.27\00:32:21.17
Of course.
00:32:21.20\00:32:22.54
And as I bring
that box of food in
00:32:22.57\00:32:24.87
and I sit it on the bed
and start going through it,
00:32:24.91\00:32:26.61
it wasn't just any food,
00:32:26.68\00:32:28.68
it was all of
my favorite things.
00:32:28.71\00:32:31.45
Of course, because
God answered your prayer.
00:32:31.48\00:32:33.42
Because God
answered, and to this day,
00:32:33.45\00:32:35.55
I don't know who
left that box of food.
00:32:35.58\00:32:37.49
It wasn't the lady
at the KOA campground.
00:32:37.52\00:32:39.89
And so two times God showed me,
00:32:39.92\00:32:42.52
He removed any human element
from it that I wasn't aware of.
00:32:42.56\00:32:45.06
Yes.
00:32:45.09\00:32:46.43
To show me that
when you cried out to Me
00:32:46.46\00:32:48.03
just like you
said in Jeremiah 29:11
00:32:48.06\00:32:49.86
at the
beginning of this program,
00:32:49.90\00:32:51.23
you know, "For I know
the plans I have for you."
00:32:51.27\00:32:53.47
"And when you come to the place
00:32:53.54\00:32:54.87
where you recognize
that I have a plan for you
00:32:54.90\00:32:56.37
and you cry out to
me, I'm going to show up."
00:32:56.40\00:32:59.57
Amen.
00:32:59.61\00:33:00.98
"And I'm going to bring you back
00:33:01.01\00:33:02.34
out of the captivity
that you put yourself in."
00:33:02.38\00:33:04.48
You know, Stephen,
they're going to be people
00:33:04.51\00:33:06.72
and you
probably have had people.
00:33:06.75\00:33:08.58
Sometimes, God
communicates with us.
00:33:08.62\00:33:13.39
His number one way
00:33:13.46\00:33:14.79
to communicate
with us is right here.
00:33:14.82\00:33:16.22
Amen. The Word.
00:33:16.26\00:33:17.63
That's right.
00:33:17.66\00:33:18.99
And the Holy
Spirit will never tell us
00:33:19.03\00:33:20.70
anything different,
00:33:20.73\00:33:23.10
anything that opposes His word.
00:33:23.13\00:33:25.40
So there will not be
anything contradictory.
00:33:25.43\00:33:28.24
But I believe, God does...
00:33:28.27\00:33:30.11
I mean, He says in
Joel, He says Acts,
00:33:30.14\00:33:33.07
you know, "I'll give
them dreams and visions,"
00:33:33.11\00:33:36.61
and God can speak to
us in a number of ways.
00:33:36.64\00:33:40.22
We can hear that still
small voice of the Lord.
00:33:40.25\00:33:45.09
And some people will
be looking and thinking,
00:33:45.12\00:33:49.06
"That is so strange.
00:33:49.09\00:33:50.83
I've never heard
anything like that before."
00:33:50.86\00:33:53.70
But I know many people
00:33:53.73\00:33:56.87
who God has spoken
to them in a dream.
00:33:56.90\00:33:59.27
Doesn't mean that
they're prophets, or kings,
00:33:59.30\00:34:02.70
they're just people
that God wants to reach.
00:34:02.74\00:34:07.18
And so obviously,
He was setting you up.
00:34:07.21\00:34:11.61
That's how I
like to say it. Yeah.
00:34:11.65\00:34:13.52
He was setting you up.
00:34:13.55\00:34:14.88
Yeah, and the thing that
came to my mind, I think,
00:34:14.92\00:34:16.55
the important thing that
I would say to the people
00:34:16.58\00:34:20.09
listening to my story right now
00:34:20.16\00:34:21.49
is that I
realized in that moment
00:34:21.52\00:34:24.46
that I had asked
God to save my life.
00:34:24.49\00:34:26.13
Amen.
00:34:26.16\00:34:27.50
And how did He save my life?
00:34:27.53\00:34:29.13
He reminded me of
the reason for living
00:34:29.16\00:34:32.10
that He gave me
when I was a boy.
00:34:32.13\00:34:33.64
Amen.
00:34:33.67\00:34:35.00
You know, so it was
the dream that I had,
00:34:35.04\00:34:37.44
the experience that I had,
00:34:37.51\00:34:38.84
the miracle of the
woman putting me in the cabin,
00:34:38.87\00:34:40.38
and having a dream,
00:34:40.41\00:34:41.74
and having
these things happen...
00:34:41.78\00:34:45.78
I cried out to God,
I asked Him to save me,
00:34:45.81\00:34:47.78
and He didn't do
anything except for reminding me
00:34:47.82\00:34:49.95
what He had already
told me when I was a boy,
00:34:49.98\00:34:51.92
"Stephen, someday
you're going to grow up
00:34:51.95\00:34:53.29
and be a world evangelist.
00:34:53.36\00:34:55.09
Someday you're going
to be working for Me."
00:34:55.12\00:34:57.63
Amen.
00:34:57.66\00:34:59.19
So here's the crazy thing.
00:34:59.23\00:35:01.33
You would think that
after this experience
00:35:01.36\00:35:03.37
that I would have
my come-to-Jesus moment
00:35:03.40\00:35:05.27
and I would immediately
become a world evangelist,
00:35:05.30\00:35:08.54
right, because in our minds
we think of world evangelists
00:35:08.57\00:35:10.71
as people on TV
00:35:10.74\00:35:12.07
or in a stadium
speaking to thousands of people,
00:35:12.11\00:35:14.78
and we don't know
how they got there.
00:35:14.81\00:35:17.05
And so in our mind, we
just see a man up preaching
00:35:17.08\00:35:19.31
and we don't
think, "Well, you know,
00:35:19.35\00:35:20.92
maybe he had a
life and an experience
00:35:20.95\00:35:22.35
that led to that moment
00:35:22.38\00:35:23.72
or maybe God used him
to touch thousands of lives
00:35:23.79\00:35:25.62
and that's why
thousands are listening."
00:35:25.65\00:35:28.16
But I didn't give my
life to God in that moment.
00:35:28.19\00:35:32.06
I still struggled.
00:35:32.09\00:35:33.43
In fact, I got a call from home
00:35:33.50\00:35:35.16
shortly after
that I called my mom,
00:35:35.20\00:35:37.10
I told her what happened,
00:35:37.17\00:35:38.50
and my mom gave me the news
00:35:38.53\00:35:40.14
that my sister
had become addicted
00:35:40.17\00:35:41.90
to meth and heroin.
00:35:41.94\00:35:44.44
And so I thought,
"Oh, it's a clear sign..."
00:35:44.47\00:35:46.11
This is the sister who said
you were like a father to her?
00:35:46.14\00:35:48.68
Yes, this is the same
sister who saved my life.
00:35:48.71\00:35:51.78
And so because she
had actually saved my life
00:35:51.81\00:35:54.95
by wrapping my arms
when I had cut them,
00:35:54.98\00:35:56.99
she took care of me
00:35:57.02\00:35:58.89
when she found me
trying to attempt suicide,
00:35:58.92\00:36:01.16
I felt "My sister's in trouble.
00:36:01.19\00:36:03.19
I need to go home."
00:36:03.22\00:36:05.49
And I went home and I
tried to help my sister
00:36:05.53\00:36:07.76
and fell back in with
the same crowd of friends
00:36:07.80\00:36:09.66
that I had before,
and before you knew it,
00:36:09.70\00:36:11.17
I was smoking
and drinking again,
00:36:11.20\00:36:13.10
I had forgotten
all about the dream,
00:36:13.13\00:36:15.24
and two years
of my life went by.
00:36:15.27\00:36:18.07
Until one morning, I woke up,
00:36:18.11\00:36:19.87
I was living in my
mother's house again,
00:36:19.91\00:36:21.38
I had failed at
helping my sister,
00:36:21.41\00:36:23.01
and fallen into the
pit that she was in.
00:36:23.04\00:36:26.25
And I woke up with a hangover,
00:36:26.28\00:36:29.35
I went to the
window of the house,
00:36:29.38\00:36:30.89
and all of a sudden, a
car pulls into the driveway.
00:36:30.92\00:36:34.76
And I don't recognize the car.
00:36:34.79\00:36:36.12
It was a Geo
Metro, turtle green,
00:36:36.16\00:36:39.86
kind of a bluish sea green,
00:36:39.89\00:36:41.30
ugliest car I had
ever seen in my life.
00:36:41.33\00:36:44.53
And I'm like, "Who in the world
is pulling into my driveway?"
00:36:44.57\00:36:48.74
And so all of a sudden,
someone gets out of this car,
00:36:48.77\00:36:50.61
but the windows
were kind of foggy,
00:36:50.64\00:36:51.97
the weather was bad outside,
I couldn't tell who it was.
00:36:52.01\00:36:53.78
So I go to the door
and I open the door,
00:36:53.81\00:36:55.14
and lo and behold,
00:36:55.18\00:36:56.51
the person who walks up
onto my porch is my father.
00:36:56.54\00:37:01.38
And I hadn't seen my dad
that time in maybe five years.
00:37:01.42\00:37:05.29
Okay.
00:37:05.32\00:37:06.65
And he says, "Son, I've
given my life back to God.
00:37:06.69\00:37:09.66
Now before you tell
me to get off this porch,
00:37:09.69\00:37:11.49
I know I've lost a right
to talk to you in your life
00:37:11.53\00:37:13.80
about God or about
spiritual things or anything.
00:37:13.83\00:37:16.10
But last night,
00:37:16.13\00:37:17.73
I was over in
Edmonton where I live now,
00:37:17.77\00:37:20.24
I was on my knees
next to my bed praying
00:37:20.27\00:37:22.34
and I said, 'God, I've
given my life back to you,
00:37:22.37\00:37:25.31
but is there anything
that I can do for my son,
00:37:25.34\00:37:27.48
Stephen, to try to help him?'"
00:37:27.51\00:37:29.28
Wow!
00:37:29.31\00:37:30.65
So your dad had walked
away completely from God,
00:37:30.68\00:37:35.25
turned his back on God,
00:37:35.28\00:37:37.49
and gotten
involved in spiritualism,
00:37:37.52\00:37:41.19
but something brought...
00:37:41.22\00:37:42.82
I mean, you know, it's amazing.
00:37:42.86\00:37:45.33
If you've ever
really known the Lord,
00:37:45.36\00:37:49.66
it's like God won't let you go.
00:37:49.70\00:37:51.53
Oh, yeah. He's not
going to let you go.
00:37:51.57\00:37:53.17
So your dad had backslidden
00:37:53.20\00:37:55.87
just because he was
a very driven person,
00:37:55.90\00:38:00.28
thought he was doing well,
00:38:00.31\00:38:01.64
and we've all
got to remember this
00:38:01.68\00:38:03.78
that you can't minister
00:38:03.85\00:38:07.22
unless you've got a
personal relationship
00:38:07.25\00:38:08.95
with the Lord when
you end up in trouble.
00:38:08.98\00:38:10.32
That's right. Yeah.
00:38:10.39\00:38:11.72
But God brought
him to that point
00:38:11.75\00:38:13.49
where he got down on his knees
and said, "I need you, Lord."
00:38:13.56\00:38:17.23
Yeah, now I got to tell
you the most amazing part.
00:38:17.26\00:38:20.60
He says, "I've lost any
right to talk to you about God,
00:38:20.63\00:38:22.70
but when I was on my
knees praying next to my bed,
00:38:22.73\00:38:27.64
God told me
that this was the way
00:38:27.67\00:38:29.17
that I could make a
difference in your life."
00:38:29.20\00:38:31.97
And from behind his back,
he pulls out this black case,
00:38:32.01\00:38:35.78
and he hands me this black case,
00:38:35.81\00:38:38.78
and he turns around,
walks off that porch,
00:38:38.81\00:38:41.05
gets in his
car, and drives away.
00:38:41.08\00:38:42.42
I haven't seen my
dad in five years.
00:38:42.45\00:38:45.02
And I'm standing here,
00:38:45.05\00:38:46.76
now mind you, I have a hangover,
00:38:46.79\00:38:49.42
my head's cloudy,
00:38:49.46\00:38:50.83
I feel like, "What in
the world just happened?"
00:38:50.86\00:38:52.46
I just saw my dad
for the first time
00:38:52.49\00:38:54.30
in five years.
00:38:54.33\00:38:55.66
I'm holding a guitar
case. What am I doing here?
00:38:55.70\00:38:57.70
And it's got the
white shoulder strap.
00:38:57.73\00:39:00.34
I went to my room,
00:39:00.37\00:39:01.70
I placed it on the floor
in the room I was staying in,
00:39:01.74\00:39:03.41
I opened the guitar,
00:39:03.44\00:39:05.01
and in there is the
very guitar from my dream
00:39:05.04\00:39:07.51
with the white guitar strap.
00:39:07.58\00:39:09.18
Wow! That's amazing.
00:39:09.21\00:39:10.55
But you know, you said something
00:39:10.58\00:39:11.91
in your comment though
00:39:11.95\00:39:13.28
that I would like
to say to the audience
00:39:13.31\00:39:16.92
that's viewing right now.
00:39:16.99\00:39:19.05
If there is anyone out there
00:39:19.09\00:39:20.46
where you've fallen
into drugs and alcohol
00:39:20.49\00:39:23.46
or maybe you've been
raised in a Christian home
00:39:23.53\00:39:25.46
and you feel like
you've done things
00:39:25.49\00:39:28.06
which have caused
God not to love you
00:39:28.10\00:39:30.37
or turn His back on you,
00:39:30.40\00:39:31.73
if you're in that place
00:39:31.77\00:39:33.10
where you're even
having the enemy give you
00:39:33.13\00:39:34.64
depression and suicidal thoughts
00:39:34.67\00:39:37.04
and he's trying to convince
you that your life is worthless,
00:39:37.11\00:39:40.08
I just want you to remember that
00:39:40.11\00:39:42.64
who you are is not
dependent on what you do.
00:39:42.68\00:39:46.72
Amen.
00:39:46.75\00:39:48.08
When Jesus died on the
cross for you and gave His life
00:39:48.12\00:39:50.69
so that you could be reconciled
as a son and daughter,
00:39:50.72\00:39:54.16
He did that while
you were still sinning,
00:39:54.19\00:39:57.03
He did that knowing that
00:39:57.06\00:39:58.39
when you were
born into this world,
00:39:58.43\00:39:59.76
that you would be a sinner.
00:39:59.79\00:40:02.83
And from the
moment you cry out to God
00:40:02.86\00:40:07.04
and you ask Him, you say,
00:40:07.07\00:40:08.40
"God, I'm in this
place of depression,
00:40:08.44\00:40:09.77
I'm having suicidal
thoughts, I'm in drug addiction,
00:40:09.80\00:40:11.57
I'm cutting, I'm
suffering with bulimia,
00:40:11.61\00:40:14.88
or you're doing any of
those self-destructive things
00:40:14.91\00:40:17.65
that are caused by a
disconnection from God,
00:40:17.68\00:40:19.78
from the moment
you cry out to Him,
00:40:19.81\00:40:22.35
the dream that He gave to
you when you were a child,
00:40:22.38\00:40:25.02
the stuff that you
thought you'd be in the future
00:40:25.05\00:40:26.76
that which you think you've lost
00:40:26.79\00:40:28.26
because of the
things you've done,
00:40:28.29\00:40:31.16
God comes immediately
to the sound of your voice
00:40:31.19\00:40:35.00
like you're a
lamb, like a little lamb
00:40:35.03\00:40:36.80
lost from the
sheepfold caught in the thicket,
00:40:36.87\00:40:39.20
He picks you up,
He carries you home,
00:40:39.23\00:40:41.04
He restores to
you all the things
00:40:41.07\00:40:42.70
that the enemy took from you,
00:40:42.74\00:40:44.21
and with joy in His heart,
00:40:44.24\00:40:45.57
He creates a
banqueting table before you
00:40:45.61\00:40:47.64
in the presence of
your enemy, which is Satan.
00:40:47.68\00:40:50.18
And so I just want
the viewers listening,
00:40:50.25\00:40:52.48
if you're out there and
you're feeling depressed,
00:40:52.51\00:40:54.35
if you're having
suicidal thoughts,
00:40:54.38\00:40:55.72
if you're thinking that
00:40:55.75\00:40:57.09
you've walked away
from God for so many years
00:40:57.12\00:40:58.75
that it's
impossible for His plan
00:40:58.79\00:41:00.36
to come true in your life,
00:41:00.39\00:41:01.72
that is a lie from
the devil because...
00:41:01.76\00:41:03.19
Amen.
00:41:03.22\00:41:05.26
You know, Shelley, we
actually have eternity.
00:41:05.29\00:41:09.63
It says in Titus
1:2, "God, who cannot lie,
00:41:09.66\00:41:12.07
promised us
eternity before time began."
00:41:12.10\00:41:14.64
Amen.
00:41:14.67\00:41:16.00
And so that promise,
00:41:16.04\00:41:17.84
from the moment we
give our lives to Him
00:41:17.87\00:41:20.18
is yes and amen.
00:41:20.21\00:41:21.54
Amen.
00:41:21.58\00:41:22.91
It doesn't matter how
long we've lived in this world,
00:41:22.94\00:41:24.28
I mean, think about
the thief on the cross.
00:41:24.31\00:41:25.85
Yes, yes.
00:41:25.88\00:41:27.22
Well, let's fast forward.
00:41:27.25\00:41:28.58
So you get this...
00:41:28.62\00:41:32.25
Again, this is a
direct sign from God.
00:41:32.29\00:41:36.96
How did that affect you?
00:41:37.03\00:41:39.29
We've only got
about 10 minutes left
00:41:39.33\00:41:41.46
to share this story.
00:41:41.50\00:41:42.83
I want to hear
00:41:42.86\00:41:44.20
how God has taken
you through the steps
00:41:44.27\00:41:47.14
to bring you to the point now
00:41:47.17\00:41:48.90
where you're working on
your Masters of Divinity,
00:41:48.94\00:41:51.44
you're a pastor,
00:41:51.47\00:41:52.81
you've got a heart for people,
young people in particular,
00:41:52.84\00:41:57.88
and for urban ministry.
00:41:57.91\00:41:59.45
Tell us...
00:41:59.48\00:42:00.82
Give us the
fast-forward version.
00:42:00.85\00:42:03.25
Well, I went from being that boy
00:42:03.28\00:42:04.62
standing on that
porch getting that guitar
00:42:04.65\00:42:06.59
to going on a very long journey.
00:42:06.62\00:42:08.12
It didn't happen overnight.
00:42:08.16\00:42:10.43
And I think
that's important to say
00:42:10.46\00:42:11.79
because, sometimes, we
think that people come to Jesus
00:42:11.83\00:42:13.90
and then everything
in life gets perfect.
00:42:13.93\00:42:16.00
But you know, 2
Corinthians 3:18 says that,
00:42:16.03\00:42:17.93
"As we behold Him,
00:42:17.97\00:42:19.30
we are changed
from glory to glory."
00:42:19.33\00:42:21.17
Our relationship with Jesus
00:42:21.20\00:42:22.60
and the ministry of
the Holy Spirit in our life
00:42:22.64\00:42:24.94
is something that
occurs over a lifetime.
00:42:24.97\00:42:26.78
Amen.
00:42:26.81\00:42:28.14
And so since
standing on that porch
00:42:28.18\00:42:29.71
and now it's
been a lot of years,
00:42:29.74\00:42:31.95
but God took me on a
journey that led me...
00:42:31.98\00:42:35.25
I ended up being homeless
again after getting the guitar,
00:42:35.28\00:42:37.75
I struggled,
00:42:37.79\00:42:39.32
I didn't
immediately give my life to God,
00:42:39.35\00:42:41.16
I went through
a lot more things,
00:42:41.19\00:42:42.52
but in 2005, I got rebaptized
at the Hood View Church.
00:42:42.56\00:42:48.76
Pastor Dan George
was the pastor there
00:42:48.80\00:42:50.47
at that time.
00:42:50.50\00:42:51.83
From there, I
struggled even again
00:42:51.87\00:42:54.27
after getting baptized.
00:42:54.30\00:42:55.64
I thought, "Well,
I'm going to get baptized
00:42:55.67\00:42:57.01
and my life will get
right, and I'll overcome
00:42:57.04\00:42:58.54
all of my
addictions and problems."
00:42:58.57\00:43:00.91
"Satan's going to leave me alone
00:43:00.98\00:43:02.31
now that I'm baptized."
00:43:02.34\00:43:03.68
Yeah. No, it
doesn't work like that.
00:43:03.71\00:43:05.38
It's a relationship with Jesus
that changes you over time.
00:43:05.41\00:43:07.82
Yeah.
00:43:07.85\00:43:09.18
And I want to
zip forward in time
00:43:09.22\00:43:12.09
to the moment
where I actually...
00:43:12.12\00:43:13.99
Many years later, decided that
00:43:14.06\00:43:15.79
I was going to leave
San Diego, California
00:43:15.82\00:43:17.76
where I had actually
ended up homeless again,
00:43:17.79\00:43:19.26
my brother took me
in off the streets,
00:43:19.29\00:43:21.53
I had been living
with him for a while,
00:43:21.56\00:43:22.93
and I decided I was
going to leave there
00:43:22.96\00:43:24.63
and go live
with my grandparents.
00:43:24.67\00:43:27.24
And I was going to, finally,
after all of these years,
00:43:27.27\00:43:29.44
give my life to God.
00:43:29.47\00:43:30.81
And I was going to go live
with my grandma and grandpa,
00:43:30.84\00:43:32.44
and go to church,
and go to prayer meeting,
00:43:32.47\00:43:34.08
and try to follow the
calling that God had given me.
00:43:34.11\00:43:37.45
And I'll never forget, I
move in with my grandparents,
00:43:37.48\00:43:40.62
and shortly after being there,
I messed up one more time.
00:43:40.65\00:43:43.59
And I ended up going out,
00:43:43.62\00:43:45.55
I got my first
job, I got a paycheck,
00:43:45.59\00:43:47.36
I went and relapsed on alcohol,
gambled all my money away,
00:43:47.39\00:43:50.63
and I show up at home,
00:43:50.66\00:43:52.19
my grandma met me at the door,
00:43:52.23\00:43:53.60
she says, "Go to
your room and go to sleep,
00:43:53.63\00:43:54.96
we'll talk to your
grandpa in the morning."
00:43:55.00\00:43:57.63
And I wake up the next morning
and I smell biscuits and gravy.
00:43:57.67\00:44:00.34
Now my grandma's cooking
00:44:00.37\00:44:02.20
is some of the most
amazing stuff on planet earth.
00:44:02.24\00:44:03.94
And I come down
00:44:04.01\00:44:05.34
and I'm eating my
biscuits and gravy,
00:44:05.37\00:44:06.71
and my grandpa's sitting
at the head of the table,
00:44:06.74\00:44:08.08
he never says a
word the entire meal.
00:44:08.11\00:44:11.18
And I'm thinking,
"Well, I better enjoy this.
00:44:11.21\00:44:12.68
It's my last meal
before I get kicked out."
00:44:12.71\00:44:16.32
And I'll never
forget, when that meal ended,
00:44:16.35\00:44:18.65
my grandfather
looked me right in the eyes
00:44:18.69\00:44:21.09
and he says "Grandson, I
know that you're a good man,
00:44:21.12\00:44:26.53
and I know you
want to be different,
00:44:26.56\00:44:28.73
and so I'm going to
give you another chance."
00:44:28.76\00:44:31.00
Praise God.
00:44:31.03\00:44:32.37
And he got up from that table
00:44:32.40\00:44:34.40
and he walked into his
room and shut the door.
00:44:34.44\00:44:37.61
And tears were
streaming down my face
00:44:37.64\00:44:39.27
because in that moment, I
had experienced God's love.
00:44:39.31\00:44:42.34
Praise.
00:44:42.38\00:44:43.75
I had gotten baptized
00:44:43.78\00:44:45.11
and there I was making
all the same mistakes again.
00:44:45.15\00:44:47.85
Here I was, I gotten baptized,
00:44:47.88\00:44:49.35
I thought I was
supposed to be good,
00:44:49.38\00:44:50.72
not sin no more, and not mess up
00:44:50.79\00:44:52.12
and everything else,
00:44:52.15\00:44:53.49
and my
grandfather showed me that
00:44:53.52\00:44:54.86
even though I kept falling
down and skinning my knee
00:44:54.89\00:44:58.39
that God still believed
in His purpose for my life,
00:44:58.43\00:45:00.80
and He used my grandpa
to speak to me those words,
00:45:00.83\00:45:02.86
"Grandson, I know you
want to be a better man,
00:45:02.90\00:45:04.73
I believe that
you are a better man.
00:45:04.77\00:45:06.27
I see you through God
the Father's eyes, not yours.
00:45:06.30\00:45:09.77
And I know that
you're a son of the Father,
00:45:09.80\00:45:12.34
up in heaven."
00:45:12.37\00:45:13.71
And so he spoke
those words into my life,
00:45:13.78\00:45:15.31
and from that
point, three years later,
00:45:15.34\00:45:17.85
I was volunteer
pastoring a church.
00:45:17.88\00:45:21.38
I went to ARISE,
00:45:21.42\00:45:23.08
I got to go through ARISE
00:45:23.12\00:45:24.75
and spend time
with David Asscherick.
00:45:24.79\00:45:26.32
Explain for many of our viewers
who may not know what ARISE is.
00:45:26.35\00:45:30.03
Well, ARISE is a Bible
worker training school,
00:45:30.06\00:45:32.13
it's in Australia
and in Jasper, Oregon.
00:45:32.16\00:45:35.33
Ty Gibson, James
Rafferty, David Asscherick,
00:45:35.36\00:45:37.40
and a lot more people
make that ministry happen.
00:45:37.47\00:45:40.34
And they train people to
do door-to-door evangelism,
00:45:40.37\00:45:44.87
to do the entire
evangelism cycle,
00:45:44.91\00:45:46.81
how to understand the Bible,
how to give Bible studies,
00:45:46.88\00:45:48.81
how to win hearts for Jesus.
00:45:48.84\00:45:50.18
So I got to go to ARISE
00:45:50.25\00:45:51.58
which was one of the
best experiences of my life.
00:45:51.61\00:45:53.62
If anyone out there
00:45:53.65\00:45:54.98
is considering
going to ARISE, do it.
00:45:55.02\00:45:56.72
It's worth it.
00:45:56.79\00:45:59.02
So yeah.
00:45:59.05\00:46:00.39
And you know, David Asscherick
00:46:00.46\00:46:01.79
also had a big
influence in my life too
00:46:01.82\00:46:03.53
because he just continually...
00:46:03.56\00:46:06.53
while I was at ARISE,
expressed a belief in me.
00:46:06.56\00:46:08.73
Amen.
00:46:08.76\00:46:10.10
And then also I
want to mention too
00:46:10.17\00:46:11.57
that I ended up back
at the Hood View Church
00:46:11.60\00:46:13.84
with my grandparents,
00:46:13.87\00:46:15.20
and Jim McMurray at the
time was the senior pastor.
00:46:15.24\00:46:18.77
And Jim and
Betty McMurray told me,
00:46:18.81\00:46:20.18
"We think you need to go down
00:46:20.21\00:46:21.54
and volunteer
this little church,
00:46:21.58\00:46:23.18
Estacada Church."
00:46:23.21\00:46:24.55
It's the first place I
got my start in ministry,
00:46:24.58\00:46:26.28
and I just want to say thank you
00:46:26.31\00:46:28.92
to the people of
Estacada too because...
00:46:28.95\00:46:32.12
You hadn't been
through Walla Walla yet?
00:46:32.15\00:46:33.49
I hadn't been
through school or anything.
00:46:33.56\00:46:35.49
I was just lay
pastoring a little church,
00:46:35.52\00:46:37.16
25 to 30 people
coming on Sabbath.
00:46:37.23\00:46:38.89
And in two years of
doing that ministry,
00:46:38.93\00:46:41.53
God took that
church from 25 people
00:46:41.56\00:46:43.47
to nearly 100
attending every week.
00:46:43.50\00:46:45.13
Praise the Lord.
00:46:45.17\00:46:46.50
I mean there were Sabbath's
where we had just packed out.
00:46:46.53\00:46:48.84
Praise the Lord.
00:46:48.87\00:46:50.21
And so through the
influence of people
00:46:50.24\00:46:53.04
like David Asscherick
and Jim and Betty McMurray
00:46:53.07\00:46:54.94
who saw calling on my life,
00:46:54.98\00:46:56.34
who knew I'd only
been on the streets
00:46:56.38\00:46:57.95
three years previously
00:46:57.98\00:46:59.31
but gave me the
opportunity to ministry
00:46:59.35\00:47:00.85
because they saw the Holy Spirit
00:47:00.92\00:47:02.28
moving in my
life, were influential.
00:47:02.32\00:47:04.95
And then from going
through ARISE for a year,
00:47:04.99\00:47:07.99
I went to four years
at Walla Walla University,
00:47:08.02\00:47:11.16
I had the
opportunity to start a ministry
00:47:11.19\00:47:13.13
called Win a City there.
00:47:13.16\00:47:15.30
We had prayer
ministry... Win a City.
00:47:15.33\00:47:17.37
Yeah, Win a City. Okay.
00:47:17.40\00:47:19.10
With the idea that
people are the kingdom of God.
00:47:19.13\00:47:22.67
We become the living stone
00:47:22.70\00:47:24.04
when we give our lives to Jesus,
00:47:24.11\00:47:25.44
built on Him the cornerstone.
00:47:25.47\00:47:27.64
And so through that ministry,
00:47:27.68\00:47:29.01
I started prayer
ministries on the campus,
00:47:29.04\00:47:30.65
and Bible reading ministries,
00:47:30.68\00:47:32.18
and we did Truth Link
Bible study ministries,
00:47:32.21\00:47:34.78
and small groups,
and all these things.
00:47:34.82\00:47:36.32
I went through Walla Walla.
00:47:36.35\00:47:37.69
In my senior year,
I had the privilege
00:47:37.72\00:47:39.29
of being the
spiritual vice president there.
00:47:39.32\00:47:42.99
And I guess the
last thing I'll say
00:47:43.02\00:47:44.36
to kind of sum up the
fast forward of my life
00:47:44.39\00:47:46.16
is I'll never forget the day
00:47:46.19\00:47:48.16
when I was about to graduate
from Walla Walla University
00:47:48.20\00:47:50.37
when the phone rang,
00:47:50.40\00:47:52.63
and it was the
Upper Columbia Conference
00:47:52.67\00:47:54.14
saying, "Stephen, we see a
call on your life to ministry."
00:47:54.17\00:47:56.47
Praise the Lord.
00:47:56.50\00:47:57.84
"We want to give you
a two-year internship,
00:47:57.87\00:47:59.94
we want to sponsor you."
00:47:59.97\00:48:01.51
That's two-hand.
I know, isn't it?
00:48:01.54\00:48:03.68
Yeah.
00:48:03.75\00:48:05.08
"And we want to
sponsor you, and,"
00:48:05.11\00:48:06.45
you know, all in one breath,
00:48:06.48\00:48:07.82
"we want to sponsor you
to the Andrews University,
00:48:07.85\00:48:09.45
we want to affirm
you and your call,
00:48:09.48\00:48:11.42
and we want to make this."
00:48:11.45\00:48:13.59
And I hung up
from that conversation
00:48:13.66\00:48:15.32
and the first person
I called, you can guess.
00:48:15.36\00:48:17.36
Momma. It was Momma.
00:48:17.43\00:48:20.00
And I said to Mom, I said,
00:48:20.03\00:48:21.36
"Mom, I'm not calling
you to tell you I'm on drugs,
00:48:21.40\00:48:24.60
I'm not calling you
to tell you I'm in jail,
00:48:24.63\00:48:26.17
I'm not calling to
tell you I need money.
00:48:26.20\00:48:28.87
I'm calling to
tell you that your son
00:48:28.90\00:48:30.97
is going to be the man
00:48:31.01\00:48:32.64
that you always
believed he would be."
00:48:32.67\00:48:34.51
Now I want to remind you
of that Joseph Anointing.
00:48:34.54\00:48:36.58
Praise.
00:48:36.61\00:48:37.95
Because it was one night
00:48:37.98\00:48:39.31
where I almost
gave up on my life,
00:48:39.35\00:48:40.72
I almost attempted
suicide a second time,
00:48:40.75\00:48:42.32
and just before I
did, my mom called.
00:48:42.35\00:48:45.49
And I got on the phone with her
00:48:45.52\00:48:46.86
and "You and Dad ruined my life,
00:48:46.89\00:48:48.22
and you divorced, and God,
this, and everything else."
00:48:48.26\00:48:49.92
And she listens for 20
minutes and when I stopped,
00:48:49.96\00:48:51.43
and she said, "Stephen,
00:48:51.46\00:48:52.79
I'm going to
remind you of something.
00:48:52.83\00:48:54.63
You got a Joseph
Anointing on your life,
00:48:54.66\00:48:57.10
and you may be in a
deep, dark pit right now,
00:48:57.17\00:48:59.80
but one day, God's going
to pull you out of that pit.
00:48:59.83\00:49:02.44
And someday,
He's going to use you
00:49:02.47\00:49:03.81
to serve Him in
places you never dreamed."
00:49:03.84\00:49:06.27
And she hung up that phone.
00:49:06.31\00:49:08.24
And so I just want to
look right at the camera
00:49:08.28\00:49:10.35
and I want to say, Mom,
thank you for following God
00:49:10.38\00:49:15.45
no matter what brokenness
happened in your life.
00:49:15.48\00:49:17.29
Amen.
00:49:17.32\00:49:18.65
And for loving me and seeing
me through God the Father's eyes
00:49:18.69\00:49:21.59
and for
expressing that belief in me
00:49:21.62\00:49:25.33
and telling me that I
had that Joseph Anointing
00:49:25.36\00:49:27.33
because your love for me
00:49:27.40\00:49:28.73
and your support
for my whole life
00:49:28.76\00:49:31.40
has brought me to the...
00:49:31.43\00:49:33.57
helped bring me to the place
where I gave my life to Jesus
00:49:33.64\00:49:35.97
and to be in the
place where I am now.
00:49:36.00\00:49:38.04
And the power of life
and death is in the tongue.
00:49:38.07\00:49:42.88
and I just want to encourage
all of you mommas out there
00:49:42.91\00:49:46.48
and you daddies
and granddaddy's,
00:49:46.51\00:49:50.69
speak God's word
into your children's life,
00:49:50.72\00:49:54.59
speak God's word into
your grandchildren's life
00:49:54.62\00:49:58.16
because His word
does not return void,
00:49:58.19\00:50:00.90
He will accomplish...
00:50:00.93\00:50:03.50
It will accomplish every purpose
00:50:03.57\00:50:05.40
for which He sent it.
00:50:05.43\00:50:06.97
And God knows the
end from the beginning.
00:50:07.04\00:50:09.37
So He looks at us
00:50:09.40\00:50:13.07
and He calls things
00:50:13.11\00:50:14.44
that are not as
though they already were,
00:50:14.48\00:50:15.98
and that's what
your momma was doing.
00:50:16.01\00:50:17.55
Yep.
00:50:17.58\00:50:18.91
And that is
powerful because God says
00:50:18.95\00:50:20.92
He watches over
His word to perform it.
00:50:20.95\00:50:23.32
So you are now working
on your Masters of Divinity.
00:50:23.39\00:50:27.56
Tell us what...
00:50:27.59\00:50:29.09
You share it, we just
have a couple of minutes,
00:50:29.12\00:50:30.86
but what is it that you
want to do with your life?
00:50:30.93\00:50:33.70
Where's God calling you?
00:50:33.73\00:50:35.43
Well, I know God has
called me like in the dream
00:50:35.46\00:50:37.57
He gave me when
I was a little boy
00:50:37.60\00:50:38.93
and the dreams that He
gave me throughout my life
00:50:38.97\00:50:40.57
to remind me of that dream
00:50:40.64\00:50:42.60
to preach the gospel
of Jesus to the world
00:50:42.64\00:50:45.84
and to share that gospel,
00:50:45.87\00:50:47.28
especially with our young people
00:50:47.31\00:50:49.51
because like you
were just saying,
00:50:49.54\00:50:51.85
it's so important for
our young people to realize
00:50:51.88\00:50:54.12
with all of the
garbage out there
00:50:54.15\00:50:55.48
about how the
millennial generation is lost
00:50:55.52\00:50:57.19
and they'll never be anything,
00:50:57.22\00:50:58.55
what the Bible says about them?
00:50:58.59\00:50:59.92
Amen.
00:50:59.95\00:51:01.29
You know, my grandfather
gave me a little picture frame
00:51:01.32\00:51:03.86
and it says on
this picture frame,
00:51:03.93\00:51:05.26
"Teamwork."
00:51:05.29\00:51:07.33
It says, "Never doubt that
a small group of thoughtful,
00:51:07.40\00:51:10.67
committed people
can change the world,
00:51:10.70\00:51:13.54
indeed it is the
only thing that ever has."
00:51:13.57\00:51:17.51
You know, through
getting my Masters of Divinity
00:51:17.54\00:51:19.44
or my degree at
Walla Walla University
00:51:19.47\00:51:21.01
and hopefully one day,
00:51:21.04\00:51:22.38
going on to getting the doctoral
00:51:22.41\00:51:23.75
in urban evangelism,
00:51:23.78\00:51:26.55
and working with young people
I'm actually with my MDiv,
00:51:26.58\00:51:29.45
taken an emphasis in
Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
00:51:29.48\00:51:32.89
I really believe
that God just wants us
00:51:32.92\00:51:34.86
to be the door
greeters in His church
00:51:34.89\00:51:37.63
that will never turn
one of His children away.
00:51:37.66\00:51:40.00
And like my
grandfather did for me,
00:51:40.03\00:51:41.60
and my mom did for
me, and my dad did for me,
00:51:41.63\00:51:43.80
and God used
different people in my life,
00:51:43.87\00:51:45.67
Jim and Betty
McMurray, and David Asscherick,
00:51:45.70\00:51:47.37
and all of these
people to pour into me
00:51:47.44\00:51:49.57
and to tell me what God saw
00:51:49.60\00:51:51.24
when He looked
at me through Jesus,
00:51:51.27\00:51:52.74
through the Holy
Spirit, what God saw.
00:51:52.77\00:51:55.24
And I just believe God
has given me a Ministry
00:51:55.28\00:51:57.75
of just doing
one-to-one ministry
00:51:57.78\00:51:59.88
with people around the world,
00:51:59.91\00:52:01.25
preaching sermons, serving Him,
00:52:01.28\00:52:02.62
going wherever He calls
me to go because He promises,
00:52:02.65\00:52:04.79
"I'll put you in the right place
00:52:04.82\00:52:06.39
at the right time
00:52:06.42\00:52:07.76
saying the right
thing to the right person."
00:52:07.79\00:52:09.92
Synchronicity is
the word I like to use.
00:52:09.96\00:52:11.89
The Holy Spirit puts
you where the need is,
00:52:11.93\00:52:14.30
and then God uses
you to make a difference.
00:52:14.33\00:52:16.13
Amen. Well, we are
going to take a quick break.
00:52:16.16\00:52:19.50
I just love your story.
00:52:19.53\00:52:21.27
We're going to come
back for a final thought
00:52:21.30\00:52:23.71
in just a moment,
00:52:23.74\00:52:25.07
but right now,
here's our news break.
00:52:25.11\00:52:26.44