Participants: Pr. Kenny & Chris Shelton (Host), Danny Shelton, Yvonne Lewis, Bruce & Tammy Chance
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW017013A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:06 Hello and welcome to 3ABN's Family Worship. 01:10 Happy Sabbath to everyone of you at home. 01:12 Happy Sabbath to all of us here around the table. 01:15 Amen. 01:16 I think this is gonna be 01:17 an absolute awesome time together, Pastor Kenny. 01:19 It is. 01:20 My name is Chris and I just told you his name, 01:22 Pastor Kenny Shelton and we have some, 01:25 not just 3ABN family with us, 01:27 but we have some real biological family here tonight. 01:30 Well, I'm sure, absolutely. 01:31 Yeah. 01:33 You want to introduce some biological family members? 01:34 No, honey. You go ahead. 01:35 You do a better job than I do. You do it right here. 01:37 Well, I believe you got your brother over here, Danny, 01:39 I'm sure many people at home might know who he is. 01:42 Happy to be here. 01:44 And then sister Yvonne sitting next to him. 01:46 We had to have her, we needed some good music. 01:48 Oh, absolutely, absolutely. 01:50 I better be careful 01:52 'cause I've got another musician over here. 01:55 And, you know, not just the music, 01:56 but God gives her good spiritual words 01:59 and thoughts that I hear all the time 02:02 and I'm just thinking how wonderful 02:03 the Holy Spirit works through different individuals 02:06 that helps each of us along the way. 02:09 So it's good to have you here. 02:10 She's certainly been a blessing to me, 02:12 many, many times. 02:13 Yeah. Really has. And you to me. 02:15 Oh, I tell you, well, we can get into that. 02:17 I know, I know. 02:19 I know just recently in the past few months, 02:22 if I broke down, it was usually in her ear. 02:25 So she had to put up with me. Yeah. Yes. 02:26 But to my left 02:28 is my sweet sister-in-law, Tammy, 02:29 and her husband Bruce 02:31 and we are just so excited to have this group together. 02:34 Amen. 02:36 Our topic for this evening is going to be 02:37 the object of God's tenderness care. 02:40 Now whether or not we actually get to it or not, 02:43 I don't know, let's see. 02:45 But to begin with... 02:47 Why don't we go ahead because, you know, 02:48 a lot of times if we start talking, 02:50 if we start singing, 02:51 we forget one of the most important things 02:53 and that is prayer. 02:54 That's right, absolutely. Absolutely. 02:55 Let's pray together at home, 02:57 pray with us if you will, please. 03:00 Kind, loving heavenly Father, 03:01 we thank You for the privilege of prayer. 03:03 We thank You that we can call thee our Father. 03:05 We thank You for the beginning edges 03:07 as it were, the Sabbath. 03:09 Thankful that we can come together. 03:10 Thankful that You have created a day 03:13 which we can come apart from the world 03:15 and that we can worship You in spirit and in truth. 03:18 What a beautiful gift that's You've given to mankind. 03:21 And so now we ask the Spirit, the Holy Spirit be with us 03:24 as we open the beautiful pages 03:26 of that beautiful wonderful book 03:28 that You've left for us. 03:29 We pray the Holy Spirit 03:31 will take possession of our hearts, 03:32 and our minds, and our lives. 03:34 Lord, we're hopeless without You. 03:36 We have no knowledge, no wisdom without thee and so we pray, 03:40 that Your Holy Spirit will help us 03:41 as we look at this most important subject, 03:44 talking about people, 03:45 we're talking about church capacity, 03:46 we're talking about working together, 03:48 not against each other. 03:50 How we need that unity and we need that love 03:52 for one another and that love for You. 03:55 We pray that You again, 03:56 take full possession of each and every one of us, 03:59 and may this be and those who are viewing, 04:01 whether they listen, whether they watch, 04:03 may every question be answered that they have right now, 04:06 something that may be holding them back 04:08 from fully giving their life to You. 04:10 Oh, Lord, let this program be that kind of blessing today. 04:13 May we stand behind the cross of Calvary, 04:15 and may Jesus be seen 04:17 and may He be heard is my prayers. 04:18 I thank You for each one here and for those at home. 04:21 In Jesus' name. Amen. 04:23 Amen. Amen. 04:25 Sister Yvonne, I think you're gonna lead us 04:27 in a song to begin with, right? 04:29 Oh, sure. Sure. 04:30 And let's sing, "We're marching to Zion." 04:32 I like that. Okay. 04:34 Come, we that love the Lord 04:39 And let our joys be known 04:44 Join in a song with sweet accord 04:49 Join in a song with sweet accord 04:54 And thus surround the throne 04:59 And thus surround the throne 05:03 We're marching to Zion 05:08 Beautiful, beautiful Zion 05:13 We're marching upward to Zion 05:18 The beautiful city of God 05:23 Amen. Amen. 05:24 That will be pretty good if we practice it a few times. 05:27 All right. I love that song. 05:29 Thank you. Isn't that great? 05:30 We're marching to Zion 05:32 and really that's kind of a good foundation 05:35 of what we're talking about this evening. 05:38 The object of God's tenderness care. 05:41 And, you know, it's been a long, 05:42 it's been at least three and a half to four months 05:44 since we have been with our 3ABN family, 05:47 doing a family worship. 05:49 And I can't express enough how grateful and thankful 05:53 that we are to be here tonight. 05:55 Amen. 05:56 And... 05:57 Well, why have you, if I can ask, 05:59 why has it been so long? 06:01 Why have we been away for so long? 06:02 If anybody knows, Danny, you know, 06:04 'cause you were right with us, 06:06 but we went down to Florida and me and Pastor Kenny... 06:11 For Christmas vacation, right? 06:13 Yeah, just for a few days, get a little bit of a break 06:15 and we met his family and we ended up talking, 06:19 this gentleman here next to me to get to the ER 06:23 and once he did, they kept him. 06:25 You had a hard time convincing me, 06:27 but brother did and he convinced me. 06:29 I did. I couldn't do it. 06:31 So I was on the phone, "Danny, Danny." 06:35 He knew what to say. Well, we... 06:36 It's very sad. 06:37 I know, you know, you know your family very well, right? 06:39 So, Chris said I can't get him to go to the ER. 06:43 He is having some trouble breathing 06:44 and some, what have you, so I went in and he's like, 06:47 "Oh, I'm fine. I'm like that this." 06:49 I think Bruce will probably testify this, 06:52 I don't know anybody in this world 06:53 I've ever met that's tougher than this guy 06:55 is what I'm saying, that absolutely, 06:57 when it comes to strength of doing anything 07:00 or set his mind to accomplishing something, 07:03 or doing something, or not giving up, 07:05 and never says, no. 07:07 No matter if you said, at 3:00 in the morning, 07:08 "Hey, Kenny, can you come and help me do whatever?" 07:11 He is gonna be there and then, you know, and apologize 07:14 it took him five minutes to get there, you know, 07:17 but he would not go, 07:19 he was not gonna go to the doctor, 07:22 so Chris said, "Maybe you can do something." 07:24 So I went up and he was lying in bed, 07:26 which is rare to see him lying down. 07:27 Right. 07:29 He was really tired and weak and so I said, Tammy, I said, 07:31 "Well, Kenny, you need to go to the ER," 07:33 "Ah, no, I'll be fine," he says, "I'm fine." 07:36 And I said, "Well, I really, really think you ought to go." 07:38 "Oh, no. Let's wait and we'll see." 07:41 So I said, "Damn" exactly what I said 07:43 "What would he say to me?" 07:45 So I said, "If the shoe is on the other foot 07:48 and I was lying there and you were standing here, 07:52 what would you tell me I should do?" 07:54 And he said, "Well, I guess I better get my clothes on." 07:57 Exactly. 07:59 That's what finally, finally got him motivated to go 08:03 and you are absolutely correct 08:05 because it was at the end of October 08:07 and I should tell everybody what happened. 08:09 He ended up having a bypass surgery. 08:13 What we had found out during a heart cath 08:16 is that one of his arteries had completely closed off 08:19 and that occurred at the end of October, 08:22 so November, December, I continued to see him 08:26 getting weaker and weaker but, you know, 08:28 if he was here doing a program, you never saw it, 08:31 God took control, 08:32 he did the Sabbath school programs, 08:34 you've never ever seen it, 08:36 but every evening his heart would go 08:38 into this irregular rhythm 08:40 and he was having all kinds of signs, 08:43 but he kept it a secret, even from me for many weeks 08:47 and finally, when he told me, 08:49 we started here before we left for Florida, 08:51 but they just were taking their time, 08:53 acted like it was no big deal. 08:56 Of course, after we've come back 08:57 after two months, they're like, 08:59 "Well, now, did you have those symptoms? 09:00 Was that happening when you were here?" 09:01 And I'm like, "Yes, he did." 09:03 It's only a miracle, go ahead. 09:05 God had us where we needed to be. 09:07 Yes. 09:09 Where we needed to be 09:10 for the most optimal care possible for him. 09:12 Amen. 09:14 That was a top, now both hospitals, 09:16 he's only got VA insurance, 09:18 'cause he was a veteran in the Vietnam war. 09:21 He was a medic, 09:22 taking care of people who were injured 09:24 and did an awfully good job is my understanding 09:27 and when he went into the VA, 09:31 it was beyond their capacity to help him. 09:33 So they gave us an option of two hospitals, 09:35 one being the Florida hospital and we said, 09:38 "You know, he is an Adventist pastor." 09:41 So that doctor, he came back in a few hours, he said, 09:44 I used that, I told him you're an Adventist pastor. 09:46 He said... 09:48 Because the Florida hospital is a Seventh-day hospital. 09:49 Yes, is an Adventist hospital. 09:51 Absolutely. Thank you. 09:53 Yes, there is probably people that don't realize that. 09:56 In Florida alone, 09:58 the Adventist health system is huge. 10:00 If you go to Tampa, 10:01 they own numbers of hospitals in one city, 10:03 but I think there's something like 10:05 44,000 Floridians 10:08 work for Adventist health system 10:11 and Brother Des Cummings is the president 10:14 and what a wonderful guy 10:16 and was so helpful during this time. 10:18 We called him and wonderful to have friends 10:22 and to somebody say, "Hey, what are we doing?" 10:24 And for his help. 10:25 So, Des, if you're watching, thank you. 10:27 And sent his assistant, Audrey, 10:30 I can't think of her last name right now, 10:32 but she was absolutely awesome as well. 10:34 In fact, I've spoken to her 10:36 even after we've been home a few times by text 10:39 and she says, she's still praying, 10:41 so we can say, hi to Audrey as well. 10:43 Absolutely. 10:44 And so many, many people, 10:46 but I don't know how much 10:48 we want to actually focus on this 10:50 but it does fit in because during this process, 10:54 we did experience God's generous care. 10:57 Absolutely. Amen. 10:58 Over and over. Over and over answered prayer. 11:01 We never had, we never had a feeling 11:05 that God would take the experience from him, 11:09 but we were always impressed 11:10 that He was there walking with us, every step... 11:14 It was divine providence 11:16 and I just thought as were talking here, 11:18 in our whole lives, 11:21 we've never really taken a vacation together. 11:24 We're close, we're even neighbors, 11:25 we live together 11:27 but never actually taken a vacation together, 11:29 so we're actually just family 11:31 with Reggie and Lady Love and some friends, 11:33 we literally just rented a great big house 11:36 for like a week, 11:37 I think it's gonna be close to a week, 11:38 we said, let's just go down. 11:40 It's over Christmas, we'll go to Florida. 11:42 And we didn't really go anywhere, 11:44 we didn't do the Disney World thing, 11:45 we're just being together and they had a little game room 11:49 and stuff there for the kids, and, I mean, 11:51 it's just a wonderful time and didn't have much to do. 11:54 We actually had taken a motor home 11:55 that somebody had donated to 3ABN, 11:58 we drove it down to leave it to a dealer, 12:00 so they can sell it there easier 12:01 and we can especially in the wintertime, 12:03 but this just being there together 12:06 at the same time and this happening, 12:09 that's not coincidence, it's divine providence. 12:13 It may be even the scheduling and it was, 12:15 scheduling of the date to be down there. 12:18 I think it's scheduled day, you know, like, can you go...? 12:22 Could have been any other time 12:23 but that specific date and the time, 12:25 it just seemed like it all... 12:27 God had a plan in there and He worked it out. 12:29 It was good and I think probably for three months, 12:34 I think I got a phone call from Danny every day. 12:37 Yeah. 12:38 That's pretty good. 12:40 And everyday he called so... 12:42 And maybe sometime a couple of days 12:44 and while I was in the hospital, 12:46 he was busy back 12:49 and forth trying to make arrangements, 12:50 make everything easy as he could, 12:51 so that's just, that's the way he does. 12:53 Made it hard on the nursing personnel sometimes. 12:57 Of course, it's your family, so you think, 12:59 boy, you want someone there 24/7, 13:01 you know, how, how you do, 13:02 so you get there but what a great organization! 13:07 I'm really glad you were there and, 13:10 so the Lord had His hand on this whole thing. 13:11 Amen. 13:12 But one thing I do wanna bring out 13:14 'cause we're talking about God's love today, 13:16 is we're thankful, we can all say, 13:19 Praise the Lord 13:20 that Kenny made it through God loves Him, 13:23 God loves us, he made it through 13:25 but what if he hadn't, and what if tomorrow... 13:28 And it could very easily happen to me 13:29 and I'm not just saying that, 13:31 we all know, Man that is born of a woman 13:32 is of few days and full of trouble 13:34 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut low. 13:36 What if it happens to me and I died? 13:38 Does that mean God loved me any less? 13:40 Does He love you? 13:41 We still should be here if it's me that dies, 13:44 you all still should be here having family worship, 13:46 praising the Lord 'cause, you know, 13:49 the Bible says basically, 13:50 "Blessed are those who die in the Lord." 13:53 Okay, you know, so, I'm just saying that 13:56 because so many people base God's love and, 13:59 "Oh, well, you know, my dad's still alive, 14:01 he is there so, well, praise God, He loves me." 14:04 But what happens when Dad dies? 14:06 Does that mean God doesn't love you? 14:08 Does that mean He, you know, what does it mean, 14:10 no, it absolutely, 14:12 how He loves us 14:14 is that He loves us enough that no matter what happens, 14:17 devil is out to steal, killing, and to destroy, 14:19 so he can rob us of our, our home, I always say, 14:22 our cars, he can rob us of our properties, 14:25 of our finances, rob us even of our health, 14:28 but he can't rob us of our eternity 14:31 with the Lord Jesus Christ, 14:32 because our soul belongs to God 14:34 and so as long as we're willing, 14:36 so whether how long I live or don't live on this earth 14:40 or what I go through or don't, 14:42 has nothing to do with how much God loves me. 14:44 The very fact He can take, would take sinful, 14:48 frail human agents like ourselves and say, 14:50 "You know what? 14:51 I'm gonna make a way for you. 14:53 I'm gonna make a plan of salvation. 14:55 A price has to be paid 14:57 and I'm willing to pay that price 14:58 with My Son and the Son, of course, 15:00 agreeing in the Holy Spirit." 15:02 To do that is an amazing thing that we don't deserve 15:06 and it's called the blessed hope 15:07 that we have. 15:09 So had you gone to sleep and now woke up in the Lord, 15:12 we still should. 15:14 If we really love Jesus, 15:15 we still should be here having a family worship, 15:18 when that happens to me, 15:21 I insist that you be here and still have family worship 15:24 and you praise the Lord 15:26 'cause that has nothing to do with a lack of God's love 15:29 or where was God when we need Him. 15:31 You know, precious in the sight of the Lord 15:35 are the deaths of His saints, 15:36 so let's don't judge how much God loves us by, 15:39 you know, 'cause we feel good today 15:41 and we don't tomorrow but something just happened 15:45 and because God's love is everlasting. 15:47 I know a couple that were in their 80s 15:49 and one passed away, 15:52 and the other one was so angry, and said, 15:55 "Why, why me? 15:57 Why, why us?" 15:58 And I said, "Why not?" 16:00 There you go. Okay. 16:01 Look how blessed, you had 60 years of marriage. 16:05 That's correct. How people can say that? 16:07 You know. 16:08 Not that you are not gonna miss that person terribly and, 16:13 you know, mourn for that person, 16:14 we understand that, 16:16 but it was, you know, 16:17 why did God allow this to happen? 16:19 And I'm saying, "But why not?" 16:21 This is life, life and death. 16:24 This is what sin has caused. That's a good point. 16:26 And you got to look at the blessings 16:28 of how many years you had together 16:30 but when people say, "Why me?" 16:32 I always say, "Why not?" 16:34 Yeah. Exactly. 16:36 We are going to go through things, 16:38 but one of my favorite verses is Isaiah 43 16:43 and I'll read it from the New King James. 16:46 It says, "Fear not for I have redeemed you. 16:48 I have called you by your name. 16:50 You are mine. 16:51 When you pass through the waters, 16:52 I will be with you and through the rivers, 16:55 they shall not overflow you. 16:57 When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burnt, 17:00 nor shall the flame scorch you, for I am the Lord, your God, 17:04 the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." 17:07 So the Bible doesn't say, "if," you pass through, 17:11 but, "when" you pass through. 17:13 So we know we're gonna pass through some things. 17:16 We've got to go through some things but when we do, 17:21 He promises He'll be with us and we saw, 17:24 we saw that and what you guys went through. 17:27 We saw Him hold you up. 17:29 Sister Chris was, you know, 17:31 by Pastor Kenny's side constantly. 17:34 Day and night. Day and night. 17:36 I mean, it was just, it was a blessing. 17:39 We had to fight from keeping to feel worse for her than you. 17:44 'Cause she was getting no sleep whatsoever, 17:47 at least, they had you sedated, 17:49 you know, for a while but this poor woman, 17:51 she was literally, 17:52 day and night wouldn't leave the room. 17:53 Yeah, I've said that. 17:55 I think she went through more than I did, 17:56 you know, more it been, about it does, 17:58 You know, they realized more what's happening, going on. 18:00 Remember, I got so tore up at one point that I said, 18:03 "Move him out of the bed, and put me in." 18:06 You know, and it's a good chance 18:07 since, you know, that Tammy came 18:10 all the way down to Florida, you know, 18:12 and different ones in the family, her daughter, 18:15 and children all came, different ones 18:16 and then all the prayers 18:18 and the support of 3ABN family is unbelievable. 18:23 Whom you're talking to? 18:25 I'm talking to you right now, you know, 18:26 and many of them will never know 18:28 that you've called, that you've prayed, 18:30 but I felt like it was the answer to prayer. 18:33 It's that simple. 18:35 And time and time again, in the wee hours, 18:37 when your kids sleep at night and different things happen 18:41 and constantly be reminded, interesting, I'd hear they say, 18:44 "You shall not die, 18:46 but live to proclaim the gospel." That's right. 18:48 And I thought, you know, what a beautiful thought. 18:51 Yes. 18:52 It is just an encouragement 18:53 when you're seeing like the roofs coming in. 18:55 Yes. Yes. 18:56 You're not gonna die, but you're gonna live 18:58 to proclaim the gospel. 18:59 So I feel that since... 19:01 Really you had that voice after much prayer as well 19:05 because there was times that we were grieving 19:08 we didn't know if the Lord was finished with us or not. 19:10 Well, there are so many complications, 19:12 It seem like one complication after another 19:15 and it's not to say that we weren't scared, 19:17 of course, we were scared, 19:19 we were afraid, you know, 19:20 but we knew that he was in God's hands. 19:23 Thank God for that. 19:24 What I saw was, when I think of that, 19:26 were they object of God's love 19:30 and I really saw that exemplified 19:32 in Chris for Kenny. 19:33 Kenny didn't know it, a lot of the times, 19:35 especially right after surgery, you know what that's like, 19:38 but we saw that in Chris and Yvonne and I said, 19:42 because this woman was there too, 19:44 she was there 'cause you guys were so close. 19:46 She wanted to be there for you and so she was there too 19:50 and spent a long time but to see that, 19:52 and we would talk about it, we'd say, 19:54 "Look at the love that she has." 19:56 And so, it's just a sample of the earthly of God's 20:00 we're the object of God's love. 20:01 I mean, to think about that human agents, 20:03 so we saw love poured out. 20:06 She was loving you when you didn't even know it. 20:08 That's true. You know what I'm saying? 20:10 And that's what God does with us all the time. 20:12 And I'm sure certainly I didn't deserve it, 20:13 probably grouchy at certain times, 20:15 and not feeling well and kind of like in your mind, 20:18 you know, I don't know all about that 20:20 but she still was there, met every need and, yeah, 20:24 I'm very thankful for that. 20:26 I have to say I am so thankful 20:29 because if we ever get back to this, 20:32 we're actually talking about God's church on earth 20:35 and we're all grafted in and really, 20:38 I'm grafted into this family, 20:41 but I couldn't have asked for a better, you know, 20:45 I really didn't bring you here for our story, 20:49 but I brought you here 20:51 because this is the first time back 20:52 and I just wanted family close 20:54 and I couldn't ask for a better family 20:57 and the times that I was the lowest, 20:59 a lot of times, Danny would start to pray 21:01 and I kid you not, 21:03 you would just feel the Spirit of God come in 21:06 and we would all calm down 21:08 and it was just such a blessing to have family. 21:12 I really consider you as my family, you know, 21:17 and it feels like I've always been here 21:18 and I just love each and every one of you 21:20 very, very much, 21:22 and all of you at home that were praying 21:24 and the Lord did, He didn't take the trial away, 21:27 but He has seen us through it. 21:29 I want to give one example. 21:31 I know you guys have heard it to the point 21:32 you're probably so tired of it 21:34 but it was just so awesome. 21:36 Okay, we all need to hear your testimony. 21:39 You know, before we left the VA 21:42 and the doctor came in and he said, 21:44 "I've called them, you know, Florida Hospital," 21:47 he said, "But I'll let you know. 21:48 It could be a week, it could be three or four days 21:50 before they even have an opening 21:52 because they're so busy." 21:54 They're the number one hospital in the state of Florida 21:57 for cardiac care 21:59 and the fifth in the nation, 22:00 so people are wanting to get into that hospital. 22:03 In fact, after we got there, a lady, 22:05 one of the workers said, "Miracles happen here." 22:08 So I thought how neat that they felt that way, 22:11 that that's a testimony to the hospital 22:13 and it was a miracle that we were there. 22:16 He didn't have insurance to be in that hospital 22:18 but because we were in Florida and that Florida VA, 22:24 they transferred us and the VA took care of that. 22:29 That was God's providence just in that bit 22:33 because we couldn't have been to that great hospital 22:36 had it not been for where we were 22:37 at that particular time. 22:39 True. 22:40 And then that night... 22:42 The size of that hospital bill 22:43 would have given you a heart attack. 22:44 Ooh. 22:46 Yes. Yes. Yes. 22:48 If you recovered, and then you saw the bill, 22:50 and down you go, and that would be it. 22:52 Right. 22:53 But I know that evening, 22:55 it was about 1:00 in the morning 22:57 and the nurse came in and she says, 22:58 "You've bet the odds, 22:59 they're sending an ambulance for you." 23:02 And we weren't expecting it for days, 23:04 so we weren't quite ready, so I'm getting up 23:06 and trying to get things together 23:07 and she comes in five minutes, 23:09 literally five minutes later and says, 23:11 "I was wrong. The ambulance is here." 23:13 And so, in the middle of the night, 23:16 and we were going to downtown Orlando 23:18 and I'm from a city, so I've got this city center 23:21 and I wasn't really comfortable being out there, 23:24 but I was trying to get directions 23:26 and it was quite an ordeal and finally, Kenny, 23:28 they had him on the stretcher 23:29 and he looked at the ambulance driver 23:31 and he said, "Couldn't she just follow you?" 23:33 And he said, "Yes." 23:35 And they're not supposed to take our bags, 23:36 one of them was so kind, 23:38 reached out and grabbed a suitcase, 23:39 one reached out and grabbed a bag, said, 23:41 "Meet us around front..." 23:42 Not getting any names but somebody helped. 23:44 Somebody helped. With an angel. 23:46 And so anyway, he said, 23:48 "Meet us at the front of the hospital." 23:50 So I go around to the front, 23:51 but on my way out of that hospital, 23:53 in the middle of the night, 23:55 I'm going out to that parking lot, 23:56 and I just, I've been talking to the Lord the whole time 23:59 and I said, "God, please send an extra angel if I need it." 24:04 So I went in, got to my car, and I sat around front, 24:07 an ambulance came by and I thought, 24:09 "Well, this time..." 24:10 And I, you know, hopefully, this is the only one 24:12 and took me a while before I could get up to see him, 24:16 they had the lights on 24:17 and I finally got it close enough to know 24:19 that that was him in the back and just by the look, 24:23 the thought went through my mind, 24:24 he's having a Bible study, and I found out later 24:27 that he was having a Bible study 24:28 in the ambulance with the guy at the back. 24:31 So anyway, we get to the hospital, 24:33 I stayed right behind them. 24:37 I stayed right behind them and followed them, 24:39 passed through all of the toll booths, 24:41 Florida has toll booths everywhere. 24:44 And so anyway, everything was dark, 24:47 I hadn't been to Florida hospital 24:48 since the '80s 24:50 so I didn't know my way around 24:51 and there was a lot of construction 24:53 and they started going what looked like down 24:55 under the hospital, 24:56 at least there was underground level. 24:58 And the guy stopped which put me 25:00 in the middle of the road and I pulled up and he says, 25:03 "Ma'am, you're gonna have to go up 25:05 to the next block, make a right, 25:06 make a right, make a right, 25:08 go back to that parking garage." 25:09 And I was like, "Ooh, okay." 25:12 I'm all by myself out here, two o'clock in the morning. 25:14 I go in there, nobody's there, man in the booth 25:17 and there's this man walking around 25:19 and you could tell he wasn't going to a car 25:22 and so I sat in the car, I said, 25:23 "Lord, I don't know if I should get out or not." 25:27 And I waited a few minutes and I just kept praying 25:29 and finally I thought, "I've got to try now." 25:31 And I grabbed my bags 25:33 and I started out and it was so dark, 25:34 I couldn't tell where the front of the hospital was 25:37 and during the day, after we were there, 25:39 where you're seeing all these buildings, 25:41 I didn't know where to go and so I said, 25:43 "Lord, where should I go?" 25:45 And I thought, "Go back to where they let Kenny off. 25:48 There's got to be a door down there somewhere." 25:50 And that's what I did, and started walking, 25:54 and it was so dark, and I started walking, 25:55 at that point, feels like I'm in grass, 25:57 that's how dark it was where I was at, at that time. 25:59 But I made it across and I thought, 26:01 "Surely there's a door." 26:02 I go downstairs 26:04 and it's just this big two panel door 26:07 and it wouldn't open and I, I said, 26:10 "Lord, what should I do now?" 26:13 And I saw, I said, "Should I knock it?" 26:14 And it started to rain... 26:16 As you don't know what's happening to him... 26:17 No. 26:19 And all you want to do is get in the... 26:20 Get in, I wanted to get in, off the street, 26:21 I love some of the details out, 26:23 but I was not comfortable out there on the street. 26:27 And I didn't know where to go 26:28 and so I just had this very uncomfortable feeling 26:31 about me and so I said, 26:34 "Lord, should I knock?" 26:35 And I saw these ladies in the foreground 26:38 and then this gentleman closer to me 26:41 and he picked up his badge 26:43 like he was gonna go in a side door, 26:44 but he turned around 26:46 and he started walking to the glass door, 26:48 he opened the first one, 26:50 then he, he would open the second 26:52 and walk past me real quick and says, "You're welcome." 26:55 I never had the opportunity to say, thank you. 26:59 He never said, "Can I help you?" 27:02 And I had this feeling come over me, 27:04 what just happened? 27:06 And I started to turn and I had this thought, 27:09 "No, look for Kenny." 27:11 So, I mean, I was literally, 27:13 I wanted to see what just happened, 27:14 I was gonna say, you know, 27:16 'cause it just was such a feeling around me 27:19 and I started in, 27:20 I don't think those women ever saw me 27:22 until I was in the hallway 27:24 and they said, "Can we help you?" 27:27 And I told, I said, 27:28 "Well, they just brought my husband 27:29 in here by ambulance." 27:31 And she said, "You can't be here. 27:33 You're not supposed to be in this part of the hospital. 27:36 You go through that wood door and get up to security." 27:39 I didn't mind 'cause I was off the street, 27:41 security sounded real good to me at that time. 27:44 And when I told him, he had the same feeling 27:47 and what he just whispered, 27:49 he said, "He knew you were thankful." 27:51 And we both thought that was an angel 27:54 and when I told Des, Des Cummings. 27:58 Yeah. 27:59 When I told his assistant, she got shivers, she said, 28:02 "That was God." 28:03 Another nurse felt the same way. 28:05 At that hospital everything shuts down at night, 28:08 they should have never let me in 28:10 without questioning, 28:12 how would he know I'm thankful, 28:13 he didn't know who I was or what I was doing there, 28:17 except by the grace of God 28:19 that God had sent him there to let me in, 28:22 and little things kept happening... 28:24 And so thankful that there's such security, 28:26 you're in the middle of a city. 28:27 Yes, yes. 28:29 So to have that kind of security, 28:30 well, sometimes it might be inconvenient to us, 28:33 it's great to know when you're there, 28:34 and not anybody's coming and going, 28:36 there's a, in the cities, there's also a lot of crime, 28:39 to have that and then somehow you, 28:41 the Lord opened up, literally, opened up the door for you. 28:44 It was like, you hear the stories 28:46 about the God's people 28:48 where He opened a passageway through a... 28:50 That's how I felt, like what just took place? 28:54 And for him not to say, "May I help you? 28:57 Or tell me where to go." 29:00 You think the Lord allows sometimes those things, 29:03 little things because sometimes, 29:05 just you're looking for something to grab on to, 29:07 just some little straw 29:09 and maybe he allows little things, 29:11 somebody watching so, that's no big deal, you know, 29:14 that's no big deal, well, to you, at that time, 29:16 that was a huge deal. 29:18 And so I think sometimes the Lord allows us 29:21 these little things, 29:22 just because He knows we need it and, and... 29:25 And we've seen that all the way. 29:27 The object of God's tenderous care, 29:29 there were little things that He kept answering 29:32 throughout this whole ordeal, you know, and that same garage, 29:37 Tammy and one of our daughters Missie was there 29:40 and it was about two or three days later, 29:41 that same garage I was afraid to get out, 29:43 and they had it surrounded by police, 29:45 helicopters over it, looking for a murderer, 29:48 so, I mean, it's just, it's a beautiful area 29:51 but it's kind of a rough area. 29:53 City, there's a million people, you know, and that's, 29:56 that's what you run into. 29:57 Danny, in all these things, we think about 30:00 faith has to be exercised. 30:01 Yes. 30:02 You know, even, even if I'm going into the hospital 30:06 and I'm into the ambulance, 30:08 it's caused her and I to be separated. 30:10 Yeah. 30:11 And I knew she was by herself at that point in time. 30:14 She's going to have to fight to get here, to get there, 30:17 there's no one to help her and I kept thinking, I need to, 30:21 I need to help her, I don't need help. 30:22 I need to help her get where she needs to go. 30:25 How is she going to get in the hospital? 30:26 How is she going to follow? 30:28 How is she going... 30:29 This is all going through my mind, 30:30 is I'm wanting to help her 30:32 and then she's wanting to help me 30:34 and so, you know, through it all, 30:35 I just, Lord had said, "Kenny, I'll take care of her." 30:38 You know, don't, don't worry about that aspect of it, 30:41 you know, you have been praying, 30:43 asked for the angels of heaven to take care of, 30:45 there's things that need to be taken care of right now, 30:47 but don't you worry about her, she will get here, 30:50 all will be well." 30:51 Absolutely. 30:53 So I was thankful for that and so I had to grasp that 30:55 by faith, not by sight, not by things that went on, 30:59 but by faith just, just say, "Okay, Lord, 31:01 I trust that You're gonna, You're gonna do that." 31:03 Absolutely 31:05 Those experiences are just what you just said, 31:07 they encourage us. 31:08 Oh, yes. 31:09 We were recently watching a program about Navy SEALS, 31:12 and the first thought that came to my mind is, 31:14 "Boy, if I was ever taken captive, 31:16 I would hope that Navy SEALS would..." 31:18 And I thought, "No, I'd rather have God's angels." 31:22 There you go. 31:24 Walk out. 31:25 This is how He has taken care of His people in the past, 31:28 and He's promised He's gonna take care of us in the future. 31:31 Our needs will be met if we have faith and we trust, 31:36 you know, when we need a door open, 31:37 He will open it 31:39 and we don't have to worry about 31:40 all the things that happen when Navy SEALS arrive. 31:43 We can walk through the crowd and they don't even see. 31:46 That people might too and for the viewers at home, 31:49 say, well, Kenny is picture of healthy, 31:51 weight is good, he eats great, 31:54 I mean, exercises, you know, and, you know, 31:58 how does this thing happen? 32:00 And someone said to me once, 32:02 "You should choose your parents wisely." 32:04 So a lot of this has to do, you know, with heredity, 32:09 our father was disabled with a heart attack 32:11 at 36 years old, died at 51, 32:14 we've had some aunts that died early, 32:17 Uncle Buds had open heart surgery, you know, 32:19 brother Tom has had open heart surgery 32:22 and in our family, there's a lot of that, 32:24 11 years or so ago, 11 years ago, 32:26 now I had a stent, put in a heart stent 32:29 but praise the Lord, I still play basketball 32:31 every Tuesday night when I can, 32:32 I'm out there running and feel blessed, 32:34 so it's not so, 32:36 they said, when Kenny came in, Yvonne, they said, 32:39 when we saw your tests and saw you, it doesn't fit, 32:43 we expected to see a 300-pound smoker, you know, 32:48 and what happens is, 32:50 this is the world that we live in 32:52 and a lot of things are beyond our control 32:54 but stress and heredity, you know, 32:57 but my thing is I have no doubt in my mind 33:00 that either one of us would have been, 33:03 both of us would have been dead a long time ago 33:06 had we not tried to take care of ourselves 33:08 and don't smoke and drink 33:09 and, you know, try, try to live a Christian life 33:12 where you have the great peace, 33:13 have they which love thy law. 33:14 And so, though we've been through a lot, 33:17 so we give God the credit for that and, Tammy, 33:20 you've had problems too, 33:21 all of us in our family literally, 33:23 but, you know, hey, you live with those things 33:26 and you praise God that every day is a gift 33:29 and, you know, we've seen, we have seen over and over 33:32 because Tammy said so many things 33:35 that went wrong. 33:37 Only about one, I think one out of a hundred people 33:40 during the angioplasty have a stroke, 33:43 you had a stroke. 33:44 Well, we have in our family, 33:46 we try to make light of a lot of things 33:48 and, you know, but take things with a great resolve and say, 33:53 "Hey, that's just life the way it is." 33:54 So Kenny is, when the doctor come to see him, 33:57 he said, "I don't know which one am I talking to." 33:59 He was seeing what, three? 34:01 No, there's two guys there and I was seeing four. 34:03 Yeah, there was two guys there and you saw four, 34:05 so he says to them in that shape, 34:06 kind of, you know, even jesting about that 34:09 which is not funny but is the improvement 34:11 because your eye, literally, 34:13 wasn't following one, and wouldn't follow, 34:16 it was droopy and look at the improvement on this, 34:18 if I hadn't be, if I wasn't, wasn't telling it right now, 34:22 people wouldn't know, 34:24 but though the improvement that we've seen 34:26 has absolutely been incredible, but I told him, 34:29 I said, "Hey, Ken, look on the good part of it." 34:31 As I said, "You go through that Bible reading 34:33 in a year's time, 34:35 you can do it in four months as you see three. 34:37 I said, you can do, you can... You can do in three. 34:40 You can do. 34:42 That was so twisted. Is that cold? 34:45 Our sense of humor is little bit warmer. 34:48 Sometimes, we need that to get us through, 34:51 you can see he's still struggling but, 34:53 but we do see improvement and, you know... 34:55 Yeah. 34:57 That was probably the time I was so upset, 34:59 the worst in hospital, it's a good hospital, 35:02 please don't take it wrong 35:03 but at this time we're in the hospital, 35:05 I saw him for just a few seconds 35:08 and his eyes were not talking together, 35:10 both of them were moving and they kept telling me 35:13 he was tired, it's the anesthesia, 35:15 he's just tired and this went on for hours 35:18 and I finally found it a little bit more stern, 35:22 they said, this could be neurological 35:24 or, you know, it could be vascular, 35:26 what if he's had a stroke 35:27 and they finally sent somebody in there 35:29 and I stood him at the end of the bed, I said, 35:30 "Watch," You know, 35:32 'cause they're quivering as much, 35:33 but you could tell they weren't tracking together 35:36 and then they started running, 35:38 but we were right there in the hospital 35:41 and they missed the four-hour window 35:43 to give him the blood thinner... 35:46 Yes, for, you know, 35:47 in case it had been a blood clot. 35:48 Well, one nurse came and said, "Well, it was too dangerous 35:51 because he would have bled out." 35:53 But we know that it has been done, 35:55 we weren't given that opportunity. 35:57 But one thing that crossed my mind later is, 36:00 here we are, all of us are praying, right? 36:03 We're having faith in God and it finally came to my mind, 36:07 if God's in control, He closed their minds 36:10 because maybe it was a piece of plaque 36:13 and maybe they wouldn't have been able 36:15 to stop the bleeding and we may have lost him. 36:18 Yeah, absolutely. 36:19 So that gave me peace. Oh, yeah. 36:21 So God was in control even in that situation... 36:24 And, you know, and we have to learn, 36:26 I think somebody mentioned it right here, 36:28 Tammy, I was talking about you. 36:30 Every time I want to say something, 36:32 you know, there's times you get a little bit frustrated 36:36 'cause you want to do little early yet, 36:38 and maybe you do it just like, "Oh, boy." 36:40 And the Lord always reminds me, "Kenny, what could have been?" 36:44 That sounds odd, but every time, 36:46 I can't say and I've never said why? 36:48 I mean, didn't make you a good person, 36:50 but I just realized from scripture, 36:52 you don't say, why me? 36:53 Again, why not me? 36:55 And then the other point is, I can't, 36:57 "Kenny, what could have been?" 36:59 Other words, "I protected you from things, 37:01 what the enemy want to take your sight. 37:04 He wants to paralyze you. He wanted to kill you." 37:07 As he does many, many others and not just me, 37:10 so that people need to realize that's what he does 37:12 as you say often, that's what he does, 37:14 the devil can kill, steal, and destroy. 37:17 But, but through it all, God says, as he did Job, 37:20 you can go this far and that's it. 37:23 I had a good sense and the feeling of faith, 37:27 then I sensed that from time to time, 37:29 you're going so far, you keep knocking 37:31 because, you know, you can't get the fluid, 37:33 you know, in your lungs and you've got, 37:35 now you've got pneumonia. 37:36 Now you had a stroke, but through it all, 37:39 He's gonna somehow, gonna take care of that, 37:41 He's gonna do it, we just have to endure 37:43 because God said, 37:44 "I've set a wall 37:46 and this as far is you're gonna go." 37:48 That's so beautiful to know that God's in charge, 37:51 the enemy can't do any more than what God allows him to do, 37:54 so like you said, we praise Him if it's been the other outcome, 37:58 I often say, if something happens 38:00 and I pass away, 38:01 have a good double fellowship lunch 38:03 at church or something... 38:04 Yeah, yeah. Have a good time. 38:06 If we die in the Lord, there's nothing, 38:08 what better is it really if you think about your life 38:10 is still clear in Hm. 38:12 There's people who had left 38:13 and I realized those kind of things, 38:15 but I think God, He's done, 38:16 there's a reason why we're here, 38:18 there's a reason why things may stay 38:20 and they may not, and they might. 38:22 So I have hope everyday, things maybe change, 38:25 things will get better and so on so forth, but if not, 38:28 that's what I want to kind of, thankful, 38:30 to be able to come and do a program or two 38:31 because every day I put it off, it's like Lord will say, 38:34 "Kenny, you've wasted another day." 38:36 You know, not as so good as you did there, 38:38 so you're so good. 38:40 It's another day that's went down, 38:42 you'll never have it again, do something positive for me. 38:45 And so that's the sense of peace 38:48 and the reality of the day 38:50 when you get done and you're able to, 38:52 be able to do the work with 3ABN, 38:53 do different things and reach people, 38:55 there's a, there's a sense of peace inside. 38:59 You know, that song says, 39:00 "I wonder have I done my best for Jesus." 39:02 Oh, if I'm not doing anything, because, 39:04 well, I'll wait till I feel better, 39:06 I may never feel better, in that sense. 39:08 Wait till I get healed. 39:09 I may never, do it now, 39:11 get back in the swing of things and they say, 39:13 "Well, can you read." I said, Well, sometimes I can. 39:15 I may have to move my head, I may have to, but it's okay, 39:18 I'm not ashamed of that, you get through, 39:20 the Holy Spirit will help us so, you know, 39:22 I'm encouraging those of you at home, get involved, 39:24 don't wait till this is all lined out 39:27 and everything is working good. 39:28 Do something for Jesus, 39:29 you'll find peace and you'll find His healing 39:31 and all the time you're trying to heal someone else. 39:33 And He'll give you the strength to meet that challenge. 39:36 Amen. 39:37 Because we, we had the privilege 39:39 of coming to hear your first sermons 39:41 since you got out of the hospital, 39:43 and you started out and it was good 39:47 and the more you were preaching, 39:50 the more strength you got. 39:52 It was the Lord gave you what you needed. 39:55 Well, the saints were praying. Yes, that's true. 39:59 I said that day, I'm so thankful, you guys, 40:02 that was nice, to be a family support, 40:05 that's nice. 40:06 Had a lot of other things to do, but you still did it. 40:09 But I said that, that Sabbath 40:10 and it's been three or four weeks ago. 40:13 I said, they got up saying the opening song, 40:15 and well, you know, 40:16 and I opened the songbook and like, "Say again." 40:19 I'm looking at the songbook and I'm getting 40:21 where I can usually see 40:22 and I have, there's three songbooks, 40:25 there's three pages, seriously, there's three pages there 40:27 and I said, "Lord, what in this world..." 40:29 And you are up... 40:30 I'm up, that was the song, yeah, 40:32 I'm getting ready and I'm trying to, and I said, 40:33 there's three pages of this song here. 40:36 What is the enemy trying to do? And I said, you know what? 40:38 In the name of Jesus, I rebuke that, 40:40 that may happen during this song, 40:41 but it's not going to happen 40:43 from this time to give the word of God. 40:44 Amen. 40:46 Then I just closed it up and I said, 40:47 "It's not going to be that way" and it wasn't that way. 40:49 That's right. And I praise God. That was... 40:50 Yeah. I said, he'll try the very last, 40:53 at the very, you know, 40:55 that he'll try to write to the very end 40:57 but he can't be successful, 40:58 you know, he cannot be successful. 41:00 The enemy cannot be... 41:01 If you press forward in faith. 41:02 Being in ministry, we've sensed 41:04 a lot of attacks over the years, 41:06 you know, financial and this and that 41:08 and different things that have happened, 41:10 but I think 3ABN and Behold, The Lamb, 41:14 we sensed that it's just being ramped up, 41:17 which shows us that we are at the end of time 41:22 because the enemy is truly seeking those 41:25 whom he may devour 41:26 and since January, since we were gone, 41:28 we lost our camera operators 41:30 that we used for Behold, The Lamb presents here 41:33 and now, you and us, are both losing brother Joseph, 41:37 and he's our editor, and he keeps our YouTube 41:40 and all these things going and, you know, 41:43 so the enemy is really working 41:46 but by God's grace, we have to stay positive, 41:49 do what we can, where we can and when we can. 41:54 Yvonne, Chris put on speakerphone the other day, 41:57 so Kenny could hear 'cause as our dad said, 42:00 "You laugh sometimes to keep from crying, right?" 42:03 I told, she was telling me he mowed 42:05 and he did some wheat eating and I said, 42:07 "Well, I think the orgy 42:08 is just gonna make it after all." 42:14 Maybe a little zig-zag on the mow, 42:18 but eventually, it all got mowed. 42:19 It was moving or everything was moving so much... 42:21 That's the other beauty of it, he only, 42:23 he only really mowed a third of the yard. 42:25 It's all green so. 42:27 The beauty is he didn't mowed the yard 42:29 but the thought he mowed it off. 42:31 You know, it was a blessing, like I say, 42:32 "Oh, man, right here." 42:34 Then I say, "Oh, what a blessing," 42:36 to be able to set on it and to do something. 42:38 So you look at the positive 42:39 and I realized what we're talking about here, 42:41 it has not been the program and I've often said... 42:43 It's God's interest in... 42:46 I wanted to read 'cause He says, 42:48 "If I be, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." 42:51 So it's lifting up the name of Jesus, 42:53 not talking about individuals, millions have been through it 42:56 and worse and they've not made it, 42:58 so it's not just about it, 42:59 but I think each one of you brought it very nicely, 43:01 we're giving God the praise, the honor, and the glory, 43:04 He's in charge, He set things up 43:06 and it worked the way He wants it to work 43:08 and that's the way it's going to be and I'm thankful to that. 43:10 Absolutely, absolutely, the one point 43:13 and this may be switching the subject a little bit, 43:16 but the one point is about, 43:19 you know, why aren't there more Christians today? 43:22 People say, "Well, you know, these people, 43:24 their trust in God," 43:26 you know, and you may be watching, 43:29 maybe you're not a Christian, at home, 43:30 you're watching your neighbors and, you know, 43:32 and I always say and when we grew up, our folks said, 43:35 "Now our neighbors are watching you." 43:37 And, you know, so we want to be 43:39 a good influence on these neighbors, 43:40 but I've wondered before, 43:42 why aren't there more Christians? 43:44 And our church friends 43:45 and why not more Seventh-day Adventist Christians? 43:47 And the sad part is people look at us 43:51 and I believe that the reason, you know, 43:53 I always say that, we say, 43:55 well, we're waiting on Jesus to come back, when really, 43:57 He's waiting on His people 43:59 to prefect His character within our lives 44:02 so that He can come back for a victorious church 44:05 and that's what He wants to do. 44:09 But we get so caught up in the things around us, 44:12 as we're the object of His love and tender care, 44:15 we should show that to those around us 44:18 if we represent Him. 44:20 And I know over the years, I've been unkind to people, 44:23 I've been that way, we grew up in a church 44:26 that was very, you know, 44:28 say judgmental basically of somebody, 44:31 you know, we had members, we call it "Our church" 44:34 and if somebody, somebody say, well, I saw... 44:37 That person hadn't been to church in several months 44:39 and when somebody said, 44:40 they saw him smoking, well, it's a little group, 44:42 we tend to get together and say, well, you know what? 44:44 We need to take their names off these books, like what, 44:47 you know, what does that do? 44:49 And sometimes we, we don't know what people go through, 44:52 we have no idea, you don't know what I've been through 44:54 and I don't know what you've been through 44:56 and so we spend so much time 44:58 judging each other or listening to gossip 45:00 and listening to all of this, that how can, how can God, 45:04 I'm amazed He uses any of us honestly, 45:07 if I ever want to throw up my hands, 45:09 it's usually and not, 45:10 when you said, my dad, you said, 45:12 I just want to throw up my hands, you know, 45:13 when we throw up your hands, would be when you look at, 45:16 at what we have, 45:18 there is nothing hard about reading the Bible 45:22 and understanding the gospel 45:24 and even doctrines would then, 45:26 to say the Seventh-day Adventist church, 45:28 we talked about a little bit before, 45:30 but there's nothing hard about understanding the Bible, 45:34 from Genesis to Revelation, 45:35 when it talks about the Sabbath, 45:37 it's referring to the seventh day of the week. 45:38 That's right. 45:40 And hardly any Bible scholars will tell you, 45:43 they try to tell you that Sunday or Friday 45:45 or any other day is the Sabbath 45:47 because if there are Bible scholars, 45:49 then they know it and they studied it 45:51 well enough to know, 45:53 now there's all kinds of reasons 45:54 why I don't think I should keep it, 45:56 but really the doctrines of it, when you see it, 45:59 and when the Bible says, 46:00 you know, that the people are sleeping, 46:02 you know, "Lazarus come forth," 46:04 you know, "he was sleeping" 46:05 Jesus said, that's not hard to understand, really, 46:08 I mean, that's very simple. 46:09 So you think, well, maybe people just don't, 46:12 we and I've heard this expression growing up, 46:14 well, I guess people just don't want the truth. 46:16 You know, they do want the truth 46:18 but if they don't see it in us, because Jesus is the truth, 46:22 and if they don't see the love and the care and the tenderness 46:26 we're talking about towards others, 46:28 it doesn't make any difference what you believe or what they, 46:31 you go to church or whether somebody dies 46:33 and goes straight to heaven or hell or whether they sleep. 46:35 So what I would encourage today, 46:37 'cause in my own life, 46:38 I have to deal with it all the time, 46:40 it is as I get older, 46:41 you know, we only have one round through this, 46:44 it's I'm sorry for the years 46:47 that I've been judgmental of the people 46:49 when number of years ago, 13 years ago, 46:52 we don't talk about it much, 46:53 but I went through a very public personal situation, 46:57 a divorce. 46:59 Well, people have written about it, 47:00 thousands of people have written, 47:02 books have been written, 47:03 everything, people don't even know me, 47:05 they have no idea what I went through 47:07 and yet somebody says this or that 47:10 and they pick it up and they believe it. 47:12 I get letters, 13 years later from people saying 47:16 and these are church people, 47:17 "Shame on you 'cause you did such and such." 47:19 And I have to think about it and say, 47:22 "I've never met the person, they don't know me. 47:23 Where did they hear that?" 47:25 so I've been guilty in the past, 47:28 so you hear something yourself, 47:29 oh, well, this, I heard this and that, 47:31 now it's made me so sensitive to that, 47:34 that I heard on the news the other night, 47:36 some politician, 47:37 they were accusing him of something 47:38 and years ago, Kenny, I would have said, 47:40 "Well, that's terrible." 47:41 And I said, you know what? 47:43 He may not be guilty of that at all 47:44 because one faction is against him 47:46 and you can build up all this you want to, 47:49 but what I would encourage 47:51 each and every one of us is simply to love, 47:55 when we love Jesus, it will show, 47:57 He says, "If I be lifted up" that's not just giving 48:00 you Bible scriptures, said, look what Revelation 13 means, 48:03 Revelation 14, it means, when you have someone in need, 48:06 a friend, a neighbor, or worse, an enemy, that's in need, 48:10 that you're there for them, that you say, 48:12 "Lord, help me to be a witness. 48:14 Help me to be a blessing to these people." 48:17 And that's what people see, they'll be drawn to the Jesus 48:20 'cause if they look at us, they see frail human agents, 48:23 we have nothing good to offer 48:25 and I'm talking about myself as well, 48:27 but if I'm, if I keep my eyes and my thoughts 48:31 and my life's mission is serving the Lord, 48:34 then Jesus shines out, He'll shine out of you 48:37 and shine out of me and, people, 48:39 that's what they'll be drawn to is to Jesus 48:41 and so, if I can encourage anybody 48:45 from my own life lessons of making 48:48 so many mistakes, is don't judge people, 48:50 you have no idea what they're going through. 48:53 Your eyes can deceive you, our hearts are deceitful, 48:56 nothing's more deceitful than our own hearts 48:58 and justifying what we're doing 49:00 but if we simply love one another 49:02 and that's why to me, there's, you can take it, 49:07 I mean, talk about it over and over and over, 49:10 you can dissect it, you can go through it, 49:12 and you can understand all the prophecies 49:14 and you can understand all of this 49:16 but it boils down to one thing, Jesus loves me this I know, 49:19 speaking of that, my guitar's here, 49:22 Jesus loves me this I know 49:24 and I think that's really the answer, right? 49:26 Yeah. It is. 49:27 And so folks at home, maybe just sing this with us. 49:30 We'll do real simple 49:32 because the gospel is simple, right? 49:34 Amen. 49:35 Jesus loves me this I know 49:40 For the Bible tells me so 49:45 Little ones to Him belong 49:50 They are weak but He is strong 49:55 Yes Jesus loves me 50:00 Yes Jesus loves me 50:05 Yes Jesus loves me 50:09 The Bible tells me so 50:14 It's a universal language. 50:16 Music they say is but the love of God, 50:18 I mean, what else can you say but Jesus loves me, 50:21 this I know, for the Bible tells me so. 50:23 That's all you need to know today. 50:25 And we have people that's in prison, 50:27 people incarcerated, 50:29 and Brian Hamilton here heads a prison ministry, 50:32 and Richard Bland has been here for so many years, 50:35 and they say, we're going to prison 50:37 and believe it or not, right here 50:38 in the United States of America, 50:40 there are people and they are in their 20s and 30s, 50:42 never read the Bible, never heard the word of God 50:45 unless it were used in vain 50:47 and all they really need to understand is 50:49 Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. 50:54 Doesn't that make it a world of difference? 50:57 So if we can remember that ourselves 50:59 and then share that with those around us, 51:02 let others see Jesus in us, 51:05 so and while I say that again, I have to be very careful, 51:10 I realized my mistakes more and more all the time. 51:13 Yes. 51:14 But if I could, if I could do what I've done in 1984, 51:18 when I felt the Lord said, "Build a television station 51:21 that would reach the world." 51:22 We had no idea, Kenny, what was going to, 51:24 over the next 32, almost 33 years would happen, 51:28 but the things that have happened 51:30 I never dreamed they would. 51:31 When we were carpenters, people really liked us, 51:34 the same like we didn't have any enemies, Kenny and I, 51:37 you know, we're well like in town 51:39 I'm sure we had some, but we played ball all over, 51:41 we didn't care if it's blue shoes, 51:43 whether basketball, softball, no matter what, 51:45 we got along with the other teams, 51:47 oh, we tried to beat each other and, and but after it's over, 51:50 we liked each other 51:52 and probably if you said around town those Shelton boys, 51:54 "Yeah, they're good guys, you know." 51:56 And we say that about all of our friends 51:58 whether it's the Ramseys or, you know, the Hopkins, 52:00 or whoever, they're great guys but when we got into ministry, 52:05 I never saw the devil really working on my life 52:09 to go to the ministry. 52:10 Once we got in ministry and dedicated, all of a sudden, 52:13 I saw people that 52:14 I thought we were friends don't like anymore 52:18 and it took me years to figure out 52:20 what have we done wrong? 52:21 All we're doing is in ministry 52:23 and it occurred to me the devil hates 52:25 as long as we're living for our self 52:28 and just living then, then the devil leaves you alone. 52:31 But when you get serious and you commit your life, 52:35 like we've done and what you have done, 52:37 the devil hates you. 52:39 He hates you because every week he hates it when you're on, 52:42 on Behold, The Lamb, on 3ABN or when you're out preaching 52:46 and he hates everyone and he hates you, 52:49 because he's out to steal, kill, and to destroy. 52:52 Jesus said, "I've come to give you life 52:54 and give it more abundantly." 52:55 So today, encouragement is just remember, 52:58 if you're ever in doubt, Jesus loves me this I know, 53:01 for the Bible tells me so. 53:04 That's a start and then say, 53:05 "Lord, what would you have me to do?" 53:07 The gospel is simple, we come and go, you come, 53:10 it's all about stop and go, the devil says, stop, 53:12 and the Lord says, go, "Go ye and to all the world." 53:15 Ellen White says, "Our greatest asset is 53:17 our own personal testimony of what God has done for us." 53:21 Yvonne has an incredible testimony. 53:23 Someday, we may been encouraging her, 53:26 girl, you gotta write a book about it, 53:28 'cause where God has brought her from 53:31 and in the world's eyes, she's been very successful. 53:35 But she doesn't look like that, 53:36 she just sees it as a path the Lord took her on to, 53:40 get her where she is now at Dare to Dream. 53:42 This is much more important so, 53:44 I encourage everybody to look at your own personal testimony 53:47 where God has brought you, 53:48 that's all you have to know, we always say, you know, 53:50 I have called the cemetery and with, well, I mean, 53:53 seminary, seminary to preach 53:56 but, but really, don't get ready 53:59 and, well, I'm not ready, 54:01 soon as you give your heart to the Lord 54:03 and you go forward and give testimony 54:06 and God will bless you in ways and, and He will reach, 54:09 Jesus begins to reflect at you, 54:10 no one can argue with your own personal testimony. 54:13 I don't care, nobody in the world can tell me, 54:15 well, God isn't in control of your life or 3ABN. 54:19 I've seen it over and over and over, 54:21 till it can't be a coincidence, it happens too often, 54:23 so I've talked enough, 54:25 but I just want to encourage people 54:27 and closing here, 54:28 Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. 54:30 Maybe we just, maybe go around the table. 54:32 Bruce, you have just a word you want to say, 54:34 and, Tammy, have a word, 54:35 and, Chris, and it'll be nice to go out singing 54:37 "Jesus Loves Me." 54:40 Yeah, just a quick word. 54:41 A thought that comes to my mind is 54:43 even what you was going through, 54:45 all the people that you was actually witnessing to 54:47 at that time. 54:49 I'm afraid it was. Sure. Yeah. 54:51 I was thinking while ago that's how we treat people, 54:55 how we help others, what we do. 54:57 You know, one thing, we're all good to say, 54:59 "Well, I'll pray for you." 55:01 Somebody tells you a problem, "Well, I'll pray for you." 55:02 You can do more, you can do more than prayer. 55:05 You can physically help that person, 55:08 there's things that you can do to help that person, 55:10 it's kind of so easy to say, "Oh, okay, I'll pray." 55:14 Well, that's important to pray, 55:16 but let's see what we can do too to help. 55:18 If John is hungry, don't say, "I'll pray for you." 55:21 Give him an apple. Amen. 55:22 And what we've done is we've summed up 55:25 the living church, the living church 55:27 that's fully reflecting the love of God 55:31 and there is no boundary once you deny yourself, 55:34 you talked about denying self 55:36 and allowing the Spirit of God to come in, 55:38 there's no boundaries to what He can do through you. 55:40 Amen, sister Yvonne, word of encouragement. 55:43 Danny, if you'll do that song, would just go out singing. 55:45 I don't think there's anything wrong with that 55:46 after you have a word. 55:48 No matter what you're going through, 55:49 know that God is in control, 55:51 He's not going to give you more than you can bear, 55:54 He's not going to let the enemy overtake you, 55:57 you are in His hand 55:58 and nothing can pluck you from His hand. 56:00 Amen. Amen. 56:02 Beautiful promise. Praise the Lord. 56:03 Praise the Lord. So don't be discouraged. 56:04 The Bible says that, 56:06 "All who live godly shall suffer persecution." 56:09 So if you're going through things today, 56:11 just say, "Praise the Lord." 56:13 May Chang used to say, 56:14 one time I was really pouring my heart out to her, 56:17 this happened to me and this happened, 56:18 and she said, "Oh, that's so wonderful, 56:20 you are receiving the Jesus' treatment. 56:23 I really want to get my life in line 56:24 so I can receive the Jesus." 56:26 And I was felling sorry for myself, I'm like what? 56:29 And she says, she says, 56:30 "No, what a blessing to receive." 56:33 We don't deserve the Jesus' treatment 56:35 but look what happened to him on this earth, 56:37 so we should be thankful for what she says, 56:39 so don't be discouraged, no matter what, 56:42 Jesus loves you, He died for you, 56:44 He made a plan of salvation for you, 56:46 He's coming back very soon. 56:48 So maybe at home, 56:49 if you maybe haven't been singing in a long time, 56:51 you don't feel like it or you say, 56:53 "Well, I can't carry tune." 56:54 Who cares, right? 56:57 God loves to have praises of His people, 56:59 so you're gonna go out singing this old song. 57:00 Here we go, ready? 57:02 Jesus loves me this I know 57:07 For the Bible tells me so 57:12 Little ones to Him belong 57:17 They are weak but He is strong 57:22 Yes, Jesus loves me 57:27 Yes, Jesus loves me 57:32 Yes, Jesus loves me 57:37 The Bible tells me so 57:42 The Bible 57:44 Tells me so 57:49 Happy Sabbath. 57:50 Amen. |
Revised 2017-05-04