¤ ¤
00:00:01.36\00:00:28.46
It happened here at the
turn of the century in the snowy
00:00:28.49\00:00:31.96
surrounds of a town called Boise
It's the capitol of the State of
00:00:31.99\00:00:36.26
Idaho in the Pacific Northwest.
Winter time brings on chilly
00:00:36.30\00:00:41.27
winds, plenty of snow and
ice storms. In December of 1905
00:00:41.30\00:00:51.28
the man who was making tracks in
the snowy streets of Boise was
00:00:51.31\00:00:55.82
actually one of America's
most infamous assassins. This is
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where Harry Orchard actually
planted a bomb that would change
00:01:01.09\00:01:04.39
history. It was the
first assassination by bombing.
00:01:04.43\00:01:08.66
It was a vile act of terrorism
precisely which still sends
00:01:08.70\00:01:14.20
chills down our spines today.
00:01:14.24\00:01:18.87
¤ ¤
00:01:18.91\00:01:51.67
Just as the New Year was
beginning to make its appearance
00:01:51.71\00:01:54.14
when all seemed safe and
peaceful Harry Orchard sits
00:01:54.18\00:01:59.78
his bomb at
Governor Steunenberg's gate.
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The governor makes his way home
through the dusk to his wife and
00:02:01.98\00:02:07.36
family his mind on happy
thoughts and a loving greeting
00:02:07.39\00:02:11.09
that awaits him. But instead
just at that moment without
00:02:11.13\00:02:16.90
warning a devastating explosion
shattered the evening silence
00:02:16.93\00:02:22.77
and instantly kills him
within eyesight of his wife and
00:02:22.80\00:02:27.91
children. It's time to forever
put an end to this highhanded
00:02:27.94\00:02:33.31
method of wholesale crime and
assassination. Forever put an
00:02:33.35\00:02:41.69
end to wholesale crime,
terrorism? Well in this case it
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would happen. But not in the
way that prosecutor expected.
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But because of a little book
that made its way inside these
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walls. A book stronger than a
bomb. Seems hard to believe but
00:02:56.81\00:03:02.04
wait till you hear this story.
The infamous act of terrorism
00:03:02.08\00:03:09.88
happened here in what is
now known as the Steunenberg
00:03:09.92\00:03:12.75
Historic District. It happened
on this street. The beginning of
00:03:12.79\00:03:17.13
the end happened on this
lot where Idaho's Governor Frank
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Steunenberg lived. His house
once stood right here. One night
00:03:21.50\00:03:28.70
in 1905 a few days after
Christmas Frank was headed home
00:03:28.74\00:03:33.31
looking forward to a quiet
evening with his family. A warm
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meal was waiting. So was an
assassin's bomb. America's most
00:03:37.38\00:03:43.28
notorious assassin, Harry
Orchard, had hidden his bomb
00:03:43.32\00:03:47.46
by the gate. ¤ ¤
Frank Steunenberg had become
00:03:47.49\00:04:25.16
Idaho's most famous citizen.
He's still honored today in this
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state. But he served at a time
when the struggle between mining
00:04:29.60\00:04:34.40
companies and labor unions
had become very violent. At the
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beginning of the 20th century
thousands of laborers and
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immigrants began leaving the
harsh mining conditions of the
00:04:48.45\00:04:51.45
eastern United States
in hopes of finding new
00:04:51.49\00:04:55.26
opportunities in the rapidly
expanding mines of Colorado,
00:04:55.29\00:04:59.46
Montana and Idaho. But this
would prove to be no better.
00:04:59.49\00:05:04.73
Workers had to contend
with tremendous physical labor,
00:05:04.77\00:05:09.74
working 12 to 14 hours a
day underground in dangerous
00:05:09.77\00:05:14.14
conditions with very high
risks to life. Desperate mine
00:05:14.18\00:05:18.45
workers began joining unions
in the hopes of bettering their
00:05:18.48\00:05:22.52
working conditions. This saw the
number of labor strikes rise to
00:05:22.55\00:05:27.72
over 4000 a year by the early
1900s. Laborers were considered
00:05:27.76\00:05:34.13
quite expendable by these
big companies and in Idaho the
00:05:34.16\00:05:38.67
Western Federation of
Miners was trying to fight back.
00:05:38.70\00:05:42.27
Unfortunately terror became one
of their weapons and the most
00:05:42.30\00:05:47.74
feared terrorist of the day was
Harry Orchard. Back in his 20s
00:05:47.78\00:05:56.12
Harry had started working at a
logging camp in Michigan and he
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began drinking and living
it up with his buddies. He kept
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hearing exciting stories about
the wild, wild west. Eventually
00:06:03.46\00:06:08.33
he left his wife for another
woman and headed for the new
00:06:08.36\00:06:11.77
frontier. Harry made money
quickly but spent it even faster
00:06:11.80\00:06:17.64
Struggling with debt he was even
willing to commit murder for
00:06:17.67\00:06:21.94
hire, a killer for cash.
(Train whistle) Well the biggest
00:06:21.98\00:06:34.86
market for murder at the
time lay in the violent struggle
00:06:34.89\00:06:38.43
between miners and their greedy
employers. In June of 1904 some
00:06:38.46\00:06:45.40
union officials sent Harry
to the Cripple Creek District of
00:06:45.43\00:06:49.10
Colorado to sabotage nonunion
mining. He managed to plant over
00:06:49.14\00:06:55.48
45 kilos of dynamite under the
platform of the railway station
00:06:55.51\00:07:00.05
there. At two in the morning
a train pulled in. A group of
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strike-breaking miners prepared
to board. Harry set off the
00:07:04.12\00:07:08.36
charge. When the dust settled
14 men lay dead and many more
00:07:08.39\00:07:13.29
were crippled for life.
(Train whistle)(Sound of train)
00:07:13.33\00:07:21.50
For this horrible act Harry's
bosses rewarded him with a thick
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wad of money and a seat within
their inner circle. Harry soaked
00:07:29.84\00:07:35.08
up their approval and flattery.
His conscience obviously had
00:07:35.12\00:07:39.75
been buried. Next, Harry
would blow up the Victor Mine in
00:07:39.79\00:07:45.63
Colorado; another notch in his
belt. After Harry had blown up
00:07:45.66\00:07:55.44
the Victor Mine in Colorado then
came the big-name target, Frank
00:07:55.47\00:08:01.28
Steunenberg, Idaho's most
celebrated public figure. While
00:08:01.31\00:08:06.01
governor, he had declared
marshal law, summoning federal
00:08:06.05\00:08:09.88
troops to deal with frustrated
miners who'd gone on a rampage.
00:08:09.92\00:08:14.02
Union bosses determined to get
their revenge. So of course they
00:08:14.06\00:08:20.50
called on America's chief
assassin. It all started here
00:08:20.53\00:08:29.60
where the old Five Star Saratoga
Hotel once stood in the town of
00:08:29.64\00:08:34.31
Caldwell. December 13th, 1905
Harry Orchard had rented a room
00:08:34.34\00:08:40.52
here to keep an eye on
Steunenberg. The governor often
00:08:40.55\00:08:43.85
met with friends in the lobby
and as Harry played cards in the
00:08:43.89\00:08:47.82
saloon he spotted his target
bidding his colleague farewell.
00:08:47.86\00:08:52.36
So Harry rushed upstairs to his
room and grabbed the bomb he'd
00:08:52.39\00:08:56.90
put together, wrapped it in
newspaper. Tucking it under his
00:08:56.93\00:09:01.10
arm he dashed down the street
toward the Governor's home.
00:09:01.14\00:09:05.87
Harry set his deadly trap, wired
it to the gate and walked away.
00:09:05.91\00:09:18.12
A few minutes later came that
fatal surprise. Another mission
00:09:18.15\00:09:27.43
accomplished. Harry returned to
his hotel. But while having sat
00:09:27.46\00:09:35.20
here contemplating the success
of his deadly deed the militia
00:09:35.24\00:09:40.54
surrounded the city. Every
stranger faced scrutiny. And
00:09:40.58\00:09:47.08
some folk had been eyeing the
grumpy stranger at the hotel who
00:09:47.12\00:09:51.65
claimed to be in the area buying
sheep. The police were asked to
00:09:51.69\00:09:55.49
check his room and there they
found the telltale materials for
00:09:55.52\00:10:00.63
constructing a bomb. So on New
Years day authorities had him
00:10:00.66\00:10:09.60
arrested and charged with murder
Harry's trial was to take place
00:10:09.64\00:10:14.54
here at the Canyon County
Courthouse. And the State of
00:10:14.58\00:10:22.08
Idaho managed to secretly arrest
union leader Big Bill Haywood in
00:10:22.12\00:10:27.59
Colorado, stick him on a train
at night and bring him all the
00:10:27.62\00:10:31.59
way to Boise. He had become the
State's target. And so began the
00:10:31.63\00:10:39.30
trial of the century. (Courtroom
conversation) But after a few
00:10:39.33\00:10:56.92
days Harry had a visitor herein
the Warden's office of the
00:10:56.95\00:11:00.49
State Penitentiary. It
was Pinkerton detective James
00:11:00.52\00:11:04.79
McParland, a man who had brought
a gang of Irish thugs the Molly
00:11:04.83\00:11:09.13
McGuire's to justice. America's
most famous detective had been
00:11:09.16\00:11:14.00
asked to interrogate America's
most infamous assassin. The
00:11:14.04\00:11:19.61
police and the prosecutors
really wanted to nail the union
00:11:19.64\00:11:24.18
bosses who had hired Harry
Orchard, the officials behind
00:11:24.21\00:11:27.95
the crime. So they wanted Harry
to become their witness and
00:11:27.98\00:11:32.45
expose those men. At first Harry
wouldn't admit to anything.
00:11:32.49\00:11:37.39
But with final persistence
under pressure (...state witness
00:11:37.43\00:11:45.70
... Never committed...)
The well known lawyer Clarence
00:11:45.73\00:11:50.11
Darrow defended Big Bill and
ended up trying to defend the
00:11:50.14\00:11:54.61
union struggle to protect miners
Chief prosecutor James Hawley
00:11:54.64\00:12:00.15
tried to nail Big Bill as
the man who hired assassins.
00:12:00.18\00:12:04.19
But it all revolved around the
testimony of Harry Orchard and
00:12:04.22\00:12:09.02
in this long trial what caught
the attention of the country,
00:12:09.06\00:12:12.49
what captivated and horrified
Americans everywhere was this.
00:12:12.53\00:12:17.83
Getting inside the mind of
an assassin, the heart of a
00:12:17.87\00:12:23.77
terrorist. ¤ ¤ This
was indeed a horror story.
00:12:23.81\00:12:56.87
Harry was a man that many people
just wanted to hang or at least
00:12:56.91\00:13:02.28
put away forever. In the first
of his two trials Harry was
00:13:02.31\00:13:08.48
sentenced to death. But
something unexpected happened on
00:13:08.52\00:13:12.85
that run. It was something
bigger than all the rage between
00:13:12.89\00:13:17.29
unions and mine owners, bigger
than all the crimes Harry had
00:13:17.33\00:13:22.03
committed, bigger
than his heart of stone.
00:13:22.06\00:13:25.60
A Christian doctor
00:13:25.63\00:13:32.61
decided to send Harry a Bible.
It arrived in the mail. A guard
00:13:32.64\00:13:38.48
brought it to Harry's cell. The
assassin told the warden to get
00:13:38.51\00:13:43.52
lost and take the Bible with
him Then another day the warden
00:13:43.55\00:13:49.96
approached Harry's cell and
barked Orchard Mr. Steunenberg's
00:13:49.99\00:13:54.66
son wants to see you.
Harry was shocked. Why
00:13:54.70\00:14:00.17
would the son of the man he
killed want to see him? The boy,
00:14:00.20\00:14:05.47
trembling, held out a package
saying, Mother sends you this.
00:14:05.51\00:14:12.11
Now it was Harry Orchard's turn
to tremble. What was in that
00:14:12.15\00:14:17.12
package? A bomb? Certainly that
is what he deserved. He opened
00:14:17.15\00:14:24.79
it. No, it wasn't a bomb. It was
another little book, Steps to
00:14:24.83\00:14:31.17
Christ. Harry looked up.
Bravely the boy announced,
00:14:31.20\00:14:36.04
Mother says she forgives you for
the terrible wrong you've done
00:14:36.07\00:14:39.74
to our family. She asks you to
give your heart to Christ. She
00:14:39.77\00:14:45.08
says she hopes you will be saved
in God's kingdom. Well that was
00:14:45.11\00:14:51.99
too much. Harry couldn't even
begin to take this in. A heart
00:14:52.02\00:14:58.86
broken family sending love and
forgiveness to the cold blooded
00:14:58.89\00:15:05.33
killer of their husband of their
father. Impossible. But Harry
00:15:05.37\00:15:14.88
began to read this little book.
And it summarized what the Bible
00:15:14.91\00:15:20.15
Gospels were saying about Christ
and explained how a man like
00:15:20.18\00:15:25.42
Harry who'd never had a
meaningful relationship in his
00:15:25.45\00:15:28.92
life could have a meaningful
relationship with Christ. Harry
00:15:28.96\00:15:35.96
turned to the Bible he'd
previously refused to accept.
00:15:36.00\00:15:39.10
It began really getting truth
of his attack. It began breaking
00:15:39.13\00:15:44.64
through all his barriers all
his toughness, smashing into his
00:15:44.67\00:15:50.28
callous point of view. For years
Harry had bragged to his buddies
00:15:50.31\00:15:59.42
that he didn't believe in God,
didn't fear God. He saw himself
00:15:59.45\00:16:04.79
as a rebel against religion. His
only major egress was that he
00:16:04.83\00:16:10.70
hadn't put up a fight. He knew
he'd rather die than suffer the
00:16:10.73\00:16:15.60
humiliation of prison. Harry
turned to the Bible and, in
00:16:15.64\00:16:28.35
desperation began to read it.
And what happened? The words of
00:16:28.38\00:16:33.59
the Bible itself describe its
effect in Hebrews chapter four
00:16:33.62\00:16:38.03
and verse 12:...
00:16:38.06\00:17:01.12
Yes, the effect on Harry Orchard
was utterly amazing. The Bible
00:17:01.15\00:17:06.19
was really having an effect
on this assassin. He was changed
00:17:06.22\00:17:11.33
by the power of the Bible.
Love replaced his hate. No other
00:17:11.36\00:17:18.23
book in history has ever
contained such power. The power
00:17:18.27\00:17:22.40
to save, change and heal. You
see it in the changes it made
00:17:22.44\00:17:27.98
to Harry Orchard. And you'll be
amazed by the change it'll make
00:17:28.01\00:17:32.05
in your life when you give it
a chance. Harry spent sleepless
00:17:32.08\00:17:45.96
nights agonizing over this
issue. Was it really possible
00:17:45.99\00:17:50.27
for someone like him to find
peace with God. Can a murderer
00:17:50.30\00:17:55.77
be truly forgiven and saved?
Then Mrs. Steunenberg herself
00:17:55.80\00:18:01.01
came to visit him. This
wonderful Christian widow shared
00:18:01.04\00:18:06.01
words of encouragement through
the bars of his cell. And her
00:18:06.05\00:18:11.75
words taken straight from the
Bible that he held in his hand
00:18:11.79\00:18:15.72
broke his down completely.
He was finally able to grasp the
00:18:15.76\00:18:21.76
fact of God's incredible
forgiveness. Harry began
00:18:21.80\00:18:26.33
studying the word of God and
praying through his long lonely
00:18:26.37\00:18:30.84
nights. He found himself falling
on his knees over and over.
00:18:30.87\00:18:35.91
Fellow prisoners sometimes
mocked him about losing his mind
00:18:35.94\00:18:39.61
Harry didn't care. He was
finding something much bigger
00:18:39.65\00:18:44.92
Someone much bigger portrayed
so vividly in the Bible. ¤ ¤
00:18:44.95\00:19:06.81
Now there were plenty of
skeptics in Harry's day. Plenty
00:19:06.84\00:19:10.41
of people who didn't want
to hear about an assassin being
00:19:10.45\00:19:13.98
converted. They were familiar
with death row conversion
00:19:14.02\00:19:18.65
stories. They knew what
prisoners were willing to do to
00:19:18.69\00:19:22.52
save their necks. After all
hadn't this man already cut a
00:19:22.56\00:19:26.59
deal with prosecutors? He'd
got life imprisonment instead of
00:19:26.63\00:19:30.90
being hanged. But Harry Orchard
kept going. Quietly in this
00:19:30.93\00:19:36.60
penitentiary he kept building
up his spiritual life. He made a
00:19:36.64\00:19:41.31
commitment to Christ. He
was baptized into a church
00:19:41.34\00:19:44.68
fellowship. People who visited
him saw the lines on his face
00:19:44.71\00:19:49.25
soften. There was now a humble
honesty in his gaze. Yes, that's
00:19:49.28\00:20:00.46
hard to believe about a
terrorist and assassin. It's
00:20:00.50\00:20:04.33
hard to accept. But a year
later during another sentence
00:20:04.37\00:20:09.84
hearing the judge didn't
even recognize Harry when he was
00:20:09.87\00:20:12.87
brought up to the bench. That
tells us something In fact Harry
00:20:12.91\00:20:17.65
maintained such a cooperative,
disciplined, kindhearted
00:20:17.68\00:20:21.15
attitude in his cell that
eventually the warden granted
00:20:21.18\00:20:24.92
Orchard permission to establish
a little chicken and egg prison
00:20:24.95\00:20:29.72
industry. One day someone
noticed a sickly chicken limping
00:20:29.76\00:20:37.27
along the beside Harry. So they
shouted, Hey Harry why don't you
00:20:37.30\00:20:41.54
stomp on that lame chicken and
get rid of it? Harry turned and
00:20:41.57\00:20:46.44
exclaimed, I couldn't take
the life of a helpless chicken.
00:20:46.47\00:20:52.51
Something foreign had burst out
of this former assassin's mouth.
00:20:52.55\00:20:56.28
Something different had been
growing inside him. This from a
00:20:56.32\00:21:01.36
man who at one time wouldn't
have hesitated taking the life
00:21:01.39\00:21:06.19
of a human being. Eventually the
warden came to admire Harry so
00:21:06.23\00:21:12.53
much he actually set him up
in a little cottage inside the
00:21:12.57\00:21:16.24
penitentiary where he could have
his own garden. And this warden
00:21:16.27\00:21:20.68
of the Idaho State Penitentiary
would make a statement about
00:21:20.71\00:21:24.81
Harry Orchard. He affirmed that
the man he observed every day
00:21:24.85\00:21:29.98
year after year was indeed a
truly converted just man living
00:21:30.02\00:21:36.62
a true Christian life. He even
wrote: I would have absolutely
00:21:36.66\00:21:42.23
no hesitancy in trusting either
my person or my property of any
00:21:42.26\00:21:48.67
kind or amount to his
custody. At one point a Harvard
00:21:48.70\00:21:53.64
psychology professor spent eight
hours interviewing Harry. His
00:21:53.68\00:21:58.71
analysis: This is a
healthy, honest, straightforward
00:21:58.75\00:22:04.22
individual. A well-known pastor
who came to visit Harry would
00:22:04.25\00:22:09.49
describe him as one of the
finest Christian characters I've
00:22:09.52\00:22:14.03
ever met. Let me tell you about
one of the remarkable statements
00:22:14.06\00:22:22.44
in this book that Harry Orchard
studied so diligently. It's in
00:22:22.47\00:22:27.21
2 Corinthians
chapter five and verse 17:
00:22:27.24\00:22:30.35
Is that kind of transformation
really possible? Well I can
00:22:42.02\00:22:46.16
assure you that Christ
completely changed Harry Orchard
00:22:46.19\00:22:50.70
His terrorism came to a complete
and total end. Not just because
00:22:50.73\00:22:55.57
he was locked up but because the
Bible transformed him. Behind
00:22:55.60\00:23:00.98
prison walls he became
known as a compassionate _
00:23:01.01\00:23:06.08
grandfather, a man of peace for
the troubled inmates around him.
00:23:06.11\00:23:10.05
He expressed a steady, calm,
unshakable joy in Christ he'd
00:23:10.09\00:23:16.29
discovered in the Bible. ¤ ¤
00:23:16.32\00:23:28.74
Harry Orchard who died in prison
at 88 is buried here in the
00:23:28.77\00:23:35.01
Morris Hill Cemetery. But
the book that transformed him is
00:23:35.04\00:23:41.72
still very much alive today.
Has any other book on earth
00:23:41.75\00:23:46.05
had so much power. Even in a
world of random explosions, sky
00:23:46.09\00:23:52.66
scrapers collapsing and any
number of acts of hatred you can
00:23:52.69\00:23:57.83
lift up the Bible and say the
worst of what's inside us can be
00:23:57.87\00:24:02.97
transformed. Our darkest habits
can be turned upside down.
00:24:03.00\00:24:08.04
Even a cold blooded killer can
be changed. If we read the Bible
00:24:08.08\00:24:16.99
with the same trust as Harry
Orchard did there's no question
00:24:17.02\00:24:21.26
it'll change us too. Jesus said
it very simply in John chapter
00:24:21.29\00:24:26.39
eight and verse 32:...
00:24:26.43\00:24:28.13
When you read the Bible to find
truth, to find God's plan for
00:24:33.77\00:24:37.11
our lives, to learn what it
means to be saved, to discover
00:24:37.14\00:24:41.38
God's promise of Divine
forgiveness we'll never be the
00:24:41.41\00:24:45.21
same again. Read the Bible. Read
it for yourself. Read it to find
00:24:45.25\00:24:52.22
happiness. Read it to find
true peace. Read it to find
00:24:52.25\00:24:56.02
forgiveness. Read it to find
your Savior and you won't be
00:24:56.06\00:25:00.23
disappointed. If you would like
to read the amazing little book
00:25:00.26\00:25:09.64
that changed the life of
hardened criminal Harry Orchard
00:25:09.67\00:25:12.41
if you would like to experience
the peace and forgiveness that
00:25:12.44\00:25:16.91
knowing Jesus brings then I'd
like to recommend a free gift
00:25:16.95\00:25:20.75
we have for all our Incredible
Journey viewers today. It's the
00:25:20.78\00:25:25.45
book Steps to Christ. This
little book, given to Harry
00:25:25.49\00:25:28.76
Orchard in prison by the wife of
man he had murdered, will change
00:25:28.79\00:25:32.76
your life just like it did for
Harry. This book Steps to Christ
00:25:32.79\00:25:37.57
is our gift to you and is
absolutely free. I guarantee
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there are no costs or
obligations whatsoever.
00:25:42.07\00:25:45.24
So take the time to order the
free gift we have for you today.
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Phone or text us at 0436-333-555
in Australia or 020-422-2042 in
00:25:49.88\00:26:02.26
New Zealand or visit our website
TiJ.tv to request today's free
00:26:02.29\00:26:08.66
offer and we'll send it to you
totally free of charge and with
00:26:08.70\00:26:12.37
no obligation. So don't delay.
Call or text 0436-333-555 in
00:26:12.40\00:26:19.07
Australia or 020-422-2042 in New
Zealand or visit our website to
00:26:19.11\00:26:27.05
request today's
offer. Write to us at:
00:26:27.08\00:26:42.36
Don't delay.
Call or text us now.
00:26:42.40\00:26:44.97
If you've enjoyed our visit to
Boise, Idaho and our reflections
00:26:45.00\00:26:52.31
on the difference Jesus can make
in our lives, then be sure to
00:26:52.34\00:26:56.24
join us again next week when
we will share another of life's
00:26:56.28\00:26:59.98
journeys together. Until
then let's pray to the God who
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changed Harry's life and
who can change ours as well.
00:27:05.22\00:27:11.29
Dear heavenly Father, we thank
you for your word the Bible.
00:27:11.33\00:27:15.90
Thank you for the story of
Harry Orchard where we can see
00:27:15.93\00:27:19.93
firsthand the impact that the
Bible can have on our lives. We
00:27:19.97\00:27:24.81
want to know you as our friend
and Savior. Please open our
00:27:24.84\00:27:30.05
hearts so that you can lead us
and guide us as we follow you.
00:27:30.08\00:27:34.58
In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
00:27:34.62\00:27:38.02
¤ ¤
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