Are you living the
abundant life in Christ?
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Well, stay tuned to meet a man
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who wants to
share just how to do it.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis
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and you're
watching Urban Report.
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Hello and
welcome to Urban Report.
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My guest today
is David Guerrero,
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Pastor, Counselor and Founder of
Rekindle the Flame Ministries.
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Welcome to Urban
Report Pastor David...
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Thank you, it's good to be here.
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Oh wow! You have an
amazing testimony...
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an amazing journey...
God has just brought you
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through so many
different things,
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let's talk about your
background for a minute
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and let our Viewers
know where you're from
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and some of the journey that
God has brought you through.
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Well, originally, I'm
from Brooklyn, New York.
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Brooklyn... you have to
give a shout out to Brooklyn...
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And at the age of about 18 or
19 we moved to Upstate New York.
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My mother, God bless her soul...
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she had a desire to
get us out of the city,
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we were going through...
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I was born and raised
in in Brooklyn, New York...
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Belfast Iverson... a
very poor neighborhood,
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we literally did not know where
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our food was
coming from week to week,
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my mother was a
single mother, single mom
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and she prayed us to
where God would take our family
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and put us in a position
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where we could be
raised in a Godly atmosphere.
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So, she was a Christian.
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Yes...
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Throughout your whole life.
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Yes and no...
there was a time where...
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when she did leave the Lord...
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but by God's grace,
He brought her back.
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Amen...
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And brought us
all back to the Lord.
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Amen... amen...
so you left Brooklyn?
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Pastor: Yes...
Yvonne: Where did you go?
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Pastor: Upstate New York...
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and lived there
for about 8 to 10 years
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and then by Divine providence
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the Lord began
to tug on my heart
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and I entered the
Pastoral Ministry.
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Hmmm... was
there a pivotal event
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that made you
decide to be a Pastor...
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was there something
that happened in your life
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or did you just feel
this calling... this urge?
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Well, there were two things
that took place in my life,
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early on when I
was about 12 or 13...
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and my uncle
doesn't remember this event
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and he says, "I
don't remember saying that,
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I don't remember coming to
my room asking you the question"
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and he came into my room
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and he just peeked
his head and he said,
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"David, if the Lord came
today, where would you go?"
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And he just left
and I asked myself,
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"Why did he ask
me that question?"
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Right... right...
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And I...
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looked for a Bible in my home
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and I started to read Matthew 24
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and I began to sense the
urgency of Jesus' soon return
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and I gave my life
to Christ that night...
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that was one event,
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the second event was later on
in life when I was a young adult
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there was a Pastor
in Upstate New York,
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his name was Ted Lopez,
he approached me one day
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and he asked me if I would
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consider helping
him in his District,
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as a lay pastor... my
initial response was, "No"
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and I told him
that I would help him
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but being a Pastor was something
that wasn't really looking to do
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we worked together for a week
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and then during the
second week he said,
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"I believe that you're
called to the Pastoral Ministry"
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I told him that I'd
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agree with him and he
said, "Let's pray for one week
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and see what God tells us"
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after that... the
following week we did...
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we were praying
each night together
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and I remember it
was a Friday night
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he said, "Well, What
does the Lord tell you?"
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and I said... he hadn't
spoken to me yet to be a Pastor
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and he said, "Well,
the Lord is telling me
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you need to go back to
School and be a Pastor. "
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So, he began to encourage
me to go back to School,
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and so on and so forth
and I kept saying, "No... "
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and he said,
"Well, let's do this... "
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well, first he asked
me to give the reason why
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and I said, "Financially,
I just can't afford it"
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and so he said, "Listen,
I'm going to take you to AUC...
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and if God opens the
door for you to go to School,
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then it's clear that God
wants you to be a Pastor. "
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And that was
Atlantic Union College.
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Atlantic Union College and so,
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I told him that he
was wasting his time
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and so we drove five
hours to Atlantic Union College
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and to make a long story
short, by the end of that day
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they worked things out so
that I was able to go to School
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with all expenses paid
and so I began to sense
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that God was calling me
into the Pastoral Ministry
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and so I submitted to His will.
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Amen, amen... so once you...
once you got there to school,
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you realized that, "Hey, I
do have a calling on my life,
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God opened the door for me to go
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so it must be what
I'm supposed to do... "
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Yes...
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And then, during the
course of those few years
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that you were at AUC,
did you find yourself...
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because, when people go
to college, sometimes...
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they find themselves
drifting from the Lord,
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were you getting
closer to the Lord
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because you were feeling
called or did you drift a bit?
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I definitely sensed
God's presence and His call
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and there was no drifting,
there was full speed ahead.
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Hmmm... hmmm... amen...
amen... so, you finished college
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and then how did
you meet your wife?
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Well, actually, I met my wife...
when I went back to school
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I was a... I was a
young adult but I was older
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and so God actually called
me, I was an Administrator
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for a private health facility
and I was already married
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but I did meet my wife in
Upstate New York in Ellenville
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and she was visiting
her sister, Marsha Shivonas,
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and it was there that
we met one Sabbath morning
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and... and initially
when I laid my eyes on my wife
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I said... well, I
felt God telling me...
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"That's going to be your wife"
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and I approached
her, we began to talk
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and things started to take place
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and a year
later, we were married.
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Oh, amen, amen, so how
long were you a Pastor,
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how long did you... before
you started doing counseling
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because I know
you do counseling,
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as well as pastoring, so
how long did you start...
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how long were you pastoring
before you went into counseling?
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It was approximately two years,
you know, everything I do...
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I'm very convinced and convicted
that God was giving me the tools
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that He wanted me to have
so that I could be effective
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in the ministry that
He was calling me into
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so very early on
in ministry I began...
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to send a call into Chaplaincy,
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and it wasn't
something that I was seeking
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but it was something that God
did... I'll give you a story.
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When I was in
New Haven, New York,
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New Haven,
Connecticut... excuse me...
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at a church there...
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there was a lady
that I was ministering to
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that wasn't an Adventist... but
I was giving Bible Studies to
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and she had cancer and so...
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weekly... I would
go to the hospital,
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after she got very
sick and as she was dying
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I drove from my
house to the hospital
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and I ministered to her
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and the Chaplain that was there
came up to me and he asked me,
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"Have you ever thought
about getting into Chaplaincy?"
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And I said, "No... "
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and he said, "You
would make a good Chaplain"
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and in that experience
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I sensed the Lord
trying to do something,
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the lady and her
husband did go to church,
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they both were going to church
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and so, I said, "Lord, if you
want me to gain these skills,
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you're going to
have to make a way"
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and once again,
He did make a way
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as I leaned on Him,
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to enter into the
Chaplaincy Ministry
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and get four units of CPA
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and become a Board
Certified Chaplain.
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Wow! And what was the
most challenging thing
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about being a Chaplain for you?
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That's a very good question and
I still struggle with it today,
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it was... facing my mortality,
facing my mortality...
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Hmmm... how so?
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Well, as a Chaplain,
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oftentimes, you minister
to people who are dying...
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and watching them go
through that process,
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it had to make me realize
that one day, I too would die
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and so I was constantly
wrestling with that...
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because being so
young back then, I said,
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"I don't want to die now... "
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But God needed to
help me to embrace the fact
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that... and He
says in John chapter 11
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that he who believes
in Him shall never die...
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Hmmm... hmmm...
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And that...
there is a resurrection
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and that no matter what
takes place in my experience,
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before He comes
again, I will live again,
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so that brought me great hope.
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Amen, yes, yes,
and as a Chaplain,
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I would imagine
that you have to...
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you have to be
the bearer of hope
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even in the
midst of hopelessness
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that you pray with people,
it must be really gratifying
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but also sad... so
sad to see people just die
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especially people who
haven't accepted the Lord.
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Yes, yes, it is.
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Were you able to
bring many people
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to accept the
Lord before they died?
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Yes, I can tell
you one experience.
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When I first started
pastoring in Wisconsin,
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when I first arrived
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to Wisconsin... to be
honest... I didn't like it,
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and I said, "Lord,
what am I doing here?"
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And I received
the call miraculously,
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and I'll just very
briefly tell you the story,
00:10:01.30\00:10:04.33
I was in Connecticut and
I was praying to the Lord
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and I said, "Lord,
I'm ready for a change,
00:10:07.44\00:10:09.64
I'll go wherever
you want me to go... "
00:10:09.67\00:10:11.84
and so, about four days later,
00:10:11.87\00:10:14.54
I received a call from a
gentleman named Don Corcum
00:10:14.61\00:10:17.31
and he said... he
was from Wisconsin
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and he had a position
as a Pastor and a Chaplain
00:10:19.71\00:10:22.72
what's interesting is that...
00:10:22.75\00:10:24.09
the day before I
had told my wife,
00:10:24.12\00:10:25.62
"You know, I'd like to try
being a Pastor and a Chaplain,"
00:10:25.65\00:10:29.02
God answered that... that
prayer and I received a call
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the things was... was when
he told me where it was located
00:10:32.69\00:10:36.26
I said, "Oh my!
00:10:36.30\00:10:37.90
Lord, I know I said
'anywhere' but Wisconsin... "
00:10:37.93\00:10:40.44
and so, we knew
God was leading...
00:10:40.47\00:10:43.94
and we arrived there
00:10:43.97\00:10:45.81
and about two
weeks after we arrived,
00:10:45.84\00:10:48.04
and I was
complaining a little bit,
00:10:48.08\00:10:49.41
I said, "What am I doing here?"
00:10:49.44\00:10:50.95
I received a
call from the hospital
00:10:50.98\00:10:52.68
where I was doing Chaplaincy
00:10:52.71\00:10:54.08
and they told me that
there was a gentleman there
00:10:54.12\00:10:57.72
that was actively dying
00:10:57.75\00:10:59.72
and that he needed
somebody to come right away,
00:10:59.75\00:11:01.69
I did arrive at the hospital,
00:11:01.72\00:11:04.99
knew that I
needed to go to the room
00:11:05.03\00:11:06.43
and what happened was...
00:11:06.46\00:11:07.96
there were some other
things that were taking place
00:11:08.00\00:11:09.40
that morning and I said,
00:11:09.43\00:11:11.23
"I need to do a couple of
things before I visit this man"
00:11:11.27\00:11:14.27
and God kept
tugging at my heart...
00:11:14.30\00:11:16.50
and God... the Holy
Spirit was telling me,
00:11:16.54\00:11:18.17
"You turn around and you
see this gentleman right now"
00:11:18.21\00:11:20.54
so, I went to
the gentleman's room
00:11:20.58\00:11:23.55
and we began...
and he was sleeping...
00:11:23.58\00:11:26.51
and I just touched him and I
called him by his first name,
00:11:26.55\00:11:29.32
and I said, "I understand
00:11:29.35\00:11:32.02
you are looking to
meet with a Chaplain"
00:11:32.05\00:11:36.29
he woke up and said,
00:11:36.32\00:11:38.49
"Chaplain, can
you do me a favor?"
00:11:38.53\00:11:40.40
and I said, "What's that?"
00:11:40.43\00:11:42.46
He said, "I'm a
Seventh-day Adventist
00:11:42.50\00:11:46.30
and I've left the church
00:11:46.33\00:11:48.47
and I need to meet with a
Seventh-day Adventist Pastor"
00:11:48.50\00:11:51.47
Wow!
00:11:51.51\00:11:53.51
I just started
crying as I held his hand
00:11:53.54\00:11:55.98
and I almost cried now... and
I called him by his first name
00:11:56.01\00:12:00.25
and I said, "I am the Pastor
00:12:00.32\00:12:02.28
of the local
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:12:02.32\00:12:04.32
and the Chaplain
here at this hospital. "
00:12:04.35\00:12:06.19
Look at God... look at God...
00:12:06.22\00:12:09.62
He knew this man was at his end
00:12:09.66\00:12:12.99
and he wanted to see
an Adventist Chaplain
00:12:13.03\00:12:16.46
and Pastor and God...
and God was tugging on you,
00:12:16.50\00:12:20.27
"Don't put if off, go there now"
00:12:20.30\00:12:23.10
Wow! so what happened?
00:12:23.14\00:12:25.37
Well, there was silence
for a moment as he looked at me
00:12:25.41\00:12:30.21
and he said, "You're
the Adventist Pastor?"
00:12:30.25\00:12:32.08
And I said, "Yes... " I
said, "I'm a Chaplain-Pastor,
00:12:32.11\00:12:34.52
I'm the Chaplain here,
00:12:34.55\00:12:35.95
I'm the Pastor of the local
Seventh-day Adventist Church"
00:12:35.98\00:12:38.22
and he said, "Pastor,
I've left the church,"
00:12:38.25\00:12:42.32
and then he started to
list the things that he had done
00:12:42.36\00:12:44.76
and he said, "You think that God
00:12:44.79\00:12:46.63
would forgive me
at this late hour?"
00:12:46.66\00:12:48.43
Hmmm...
00:12:48.46\00:12:49.80
And I assured him that God
would and that he just needed
00:12:49.83\00:12:52.77
to call out the name of
the Lord, confess his sin
00:12:52.80\00:12:55.50
and that God would save
him, and he just lit up,
00:12:55.54\00:12:58.07
and we talked a
little bit and then we prayed
00:12:58.14\00:13:00.38
and he just went off to sleep,
00:13:00.41\00:13:01.74
I left the room and I
was crying because I said,
00:13:01.78\00:13:05.55
"Lord, this was definitely
a divine appointment...
00:13:05.58\00:13:09.58
and Lord, I almost
missed this appointment"
00:13:09.62\00:13:12.05
and I even said, "Lord,
and I've complaining that
00:13:12.09\00:13:14.66
I'm here in Wisconsin"
00:13:14.72\00:13:16.06
and I said, "God, you
know if this is the only reason
00:13:16.09\00:13:20.06
that you brought
me here to Wisconsin,
00:13:20.10\00:13:22.70
then praise the Lord... "
00:13:22.73\00:13:24.07
Yes...
00:13:24.10\00:13:25.43
The next day I
went to the hospital
00:13:25.47\00:13:27.60
to visit him again
and he had passed away.
00:13:27.64\00:13:29.34
So he died...
00:13:29.37\00:13:31.24
In Jesus... he
fell asleep in Jesus
00:13:31.27\00:13:34.98
and... and...
God sent you there...
00:13:35.01\00:13:38.85
just in time...
just in time, you know,
00:13:38.88\00:13:42.02
what's amazing to me is
that when we get to the Kingdom,
00:13:42.05\00:13:45.09
you're going to be able to
look at that brother and say,
00:13:45.15\00:13:48.16
"What a blessing...
we're here together... "
00:13:48.22\00:13:50.73
Yes...
00:13:50.76\00:13:52.09
He'll be able to
look at you and say,
00:13:52.13\00:13:53.90
"You got me just in
time, praise God... "
00:13:53.93\00:13:55.86
And then we'll give Jesus
all the glory and the praise
00:13:55.90\00:13:59.43
for the divine appointments
that He places in our lives.
00:13:59.47\00:14:02.60
Absolutely, because it's
all... it all goes back to Him.
00:14:02.64\00:14:05.74
Pastor: Amen... Yvonne:
It all goes back to Him.
00:14:05.77\00:14:07.44
Pastor: Amen... amen...
00:14:07.48\00:14:08.81
Yvonne: So, tell us about
Rekindle the Flame Ministries
00:14:08.84\00:14:12.78
and how you went from
pastoring and chaplaincy
00:14:12.81\00:14:16.25
to Rekindle the Flame.
00:14:16.28\00:14:17.69
Sure, in 2005, the Lord
began to tug on our hearts,
00:14:17.72\00:14:22.39
once again, by
divine providence,
00:14:22.42\00:14:24.79
we began to meet
members in our church
00:14:24.83\00:14:28.93
pastors, administrators
and Conference Officials
00:14:28.96\00:14:32.77
who were visiting
us from time to time
00:14:32.83\00:14:35.34
and God was
placing them in our homes
00:14:35.37\00:14:37.77
and we were
surprised but not surprised
00:14:37.81\00:14:40.88
because at times
they were talking to us
00:14:40.94\00:14:43.95
they were letting us
know how they were empty...
00:14:43.98\00:14:47.68
Hmmm...
00:14:47.75\00:14:49.15
They were in church, they
were engaging in Ministry,
00:14:49.18\00:14:53.29
they held positions in the
church and they were empty,
00:14:53.32\00:14:57.19
we began to
discover that their emptiness
00:14:57.23\00:15:01.20
was because church
and church positions,
00:15:01.23\00:15:04.80
maybe their own possessions,
00:15:04.83\00:15:07.10
maybe the way
they were living life
00:15:07.14\00:15:09.54
became their idol,
and so they began...
00:15:09.57\00:15:11.94
so what we began to see is that
00:15:11.97\00:15:13.71
within the context
of even the church,
00:15:13.74\00:15:16.14
people were... and I
want to be gentle here,
00:15:16.18\00:15:19.65
they were living
a lie, in a sense,
00:15:19.71\00:15:21.78
because on the
outside, everything looked okay
00:15:21.82\00:15:23.55
but on the inside...
things weren't right,
00:15:23.59\00:15:25.25
and so, we began to minister
to them, very quietly...
00:15:25.32\00:15:28.56
in our homes and
doing some Counseling,
00:15:28.59\00:15:31.09
my wife has a
degree in Psychology
00:15:31.13\00:15:33.53
and then in the Seminary I was
taking classes on Counseling,
00:15:33.56\00:15:37.17
then I went through a
certification process,
00:15:37.23\00:15:39.73
and I became a
Board Certified Counselor,
00:15:39.77\00:15:42.24
and the Lord was just once again
00:15:42.27\00:15:43.81
giving me more
tools to help people
00:15:43.84\00:15:45.34
and we began to see that through
this ministering to others,
00:15:45.37\00:15:49.58
we began to help
them to once again connect
00:15:49.61\00:15:52.38
with their first
love, Jesus Christ
00:15:52.41\00:15:54.68
and then become...
and then experience
00:15:54.72\00:15:56.95
the abundant life and to
live that vibrant life in Christ
00:15:56.99\00:16:00.26
and that ministry kept
growing and growing and growing
00:16:00.32\00:16:03.53
and then one evening
my wife and I were talking
00:16:03.59\00:16:05.79
and we said, "Well, what's
a good name for the ministry?"
00:16:05.83\00:16:08.56
and we prayed
about it and it was,
00:16:08.60\00:16:10.17
"Rekindle the Flame Ministries"
00:16:10.20\00:16:11.67
people... when
they hear that name...
00:16:11.73\00:16:13.34
they think...
marriages and we do some of that
00:16:13.37\00:16:16.17
but "Rekindle the
flame" for us meant
00:16:16.20\00:16:18.81
rekindling that love...
that flame... for Jesus...
00:16:18.84\00:16:22.54
Ah... you know that is
such a necessary ministry
00:16:22.58\00:16:26.05
because it's so easy
and people don't realize it
00:16:26.11\00:16:30.45
but when you're in ministry,
ministry is what you do
00:16:30.49\00:16:34.79
but it also has
to be a part of you
00:16:34.82\00:16:38.09
if you're just
doing it, it's a job,
00:16:38.13\00:16:41.33
it becomes "just a job"
and when it's just a job...
00:16:41.36\00:16:46.17
you lose that flame...
00:16:46.23\00:16:47.57
that flame has to
be rekindled right?
00:16:47.60\00:16:50.71
That's right...
00:16:50.74\00:16:52.27
And so, it's interesting to know
00:16:52.31\00:16:54.01
because pastors and
people in ministry know...
00:16:54.04\00:16:57.15
they don't really
have anybody to talk to
00:16:57.18\00:16:59.11
because they can't talk
to people in the church,
00:16:59.15\00:17:02.02
if they talk to
other pastors sometimes
00:17:02.05\00:17:04.39
that can, you
know, be a problem,
00:17:04.42\00:17:06.72
so, to whom do they go?
00:17:06.76\00:17:08.59
Of course you talk to the Lord,
00:17:08.62\00:17:09.96
but the Lord also
speaks through people
00:17:09.99\00:17:11.83
to give you tools
to... to... to equip you...
00:17:11.86\00:17:15.90
Yes...
00:17:15.93\00:17:17.27
And so, what a
wonderful ministry
00:17:17.30\00:17:19.53
because some
people get so caught up
00:17:19.57\00:17:21.67
doing the work of the Lord,
00:17:21.70\00:17:23.14
they forget the
Lord of the work, right?
00:17:23.20\00:17:25.24
Yes...
00:17:25.27\00:17:26.61
And so that's what you and
your wife felt called to do,
00:17:26.64\00:17:29.71
what is the ministry
doing now, what are you doing?
00:17:29.74\00:17:33.05
Okay, we can fast
forward and today,
00:17:33.08\00:17:36.25
as of May 31st of
this year, we entered into
00:17:36.28\00:17:39.02
Rekindle the Flame
Ministries full time...
00:17:39.05\00:17:41.79
after pastoring
for almost 18 years
00:17:41.82\00:17:44.93
once again,
00:17:44.96\00:17:47.63
it was my wife
that kept feeling...
00:17:47.66\00:17:50.10
I have a wonderful
wife, I love my wife dearly...
00:17:50.13\00:17:52.47
Oh, I love that...
00:17:52.50\00:17:53.84
Because she always
senses the call first
00:17:53.87\00:17:55.67
and then she says,
"David, I can see it... "
00:17:55.70\00:17:57.77
and I say... and
I think it's because
00:17:57.81\00:17:59.64
I get comfortable too...
00:17:59.67\00:18:01.01
and I go, "I can't see it... "
00:18:01.04\00:18:02.84
Yvonne: "I don't
want to see it... "
00:18:02.88\00:18:04.81
Pastor: "I don't want to see it"
00:18:04.88\00:18:06.21
several years ago,
she started saying,
00:18:06.25\00:18:09.28
"David, the Lord is really
calling us to do this full time"
00:18:09.32\00:18:12.12
and we were in
Steven's Point, Wisconsin,
00:18:12.15\00:18:15.49
I was enjoying pastoring and
I still feel that I'm a pastor,
00:18:15.52\00:18:21.83
you still pastor
people, you're a shepherd
00:18:21.86\00:18:24.03
and God started to
work on me some more
00:18:24.07\00:18:26.20
when my wife told me,
00:18:26.23\00:18:27.80
"We need to sell our home
and really just launch out"
00:18:27.84\00:18:31.04
to be honest with you,
I had a hard time with it
00:18:31.07\00:18:35.94
because I enjoyed where I lived,
00:18:36.01\00:18:37.81
I was living in a
very affluent neighborhood,
00:18:37.85\00:18:42.12
the Lord had placed us there,
00:18:42.18\00:18:43.52
a very nice home,
3,000-square-foot home...
00:18:43.55\00:18:46.22
and the idea of
leaving that home
00:18:46.25\00:18:49.09
and going
where? I didn't know...
00:18:49.12\00:18:51.89
was very frightening
to me and so what I did
00:18:51.93\00:18:55.83
was... I agreed with her
but I put the house up for sale
00:18:55.86\00:19:00.64
"By Owner" in a section...
00:19:00.67\00:19:03.64
in the newspaper and on the Web
00:19:03.67\00:19:07.21
where I was hoping
that no one would find it.
00:19:07.24\00:19:08.91
Were you trying to set
it up to fail... kind of...?
00:19:08.94\00:19:11.55
Yes, but we had
people come through
00:19:11.61\00:19:15.45
and then finally, one
day, a person came through
00:19:15.48\00:19:17.69
and he said,
"This is the house... "
00:19:17.72\00:19:19.42
and he gave me an offer...
it was close to the asking price
00:19:19.45\00:19:25.16
and I said, "I
need to pray about it"
00:19:25.19\00:19:27.13
my wife gave me that little kick
00:19:27.16\00:19:28.50
and she said, "What do you mean
'you need to pray about it?'"
00:19:28.53\00:19:29.86
I said, "Well, I
need to pray about this"
00:19:29.90\00:19:31.23
and I explained
to the individual
00:19:31.27\00:19:33.30
the reason why I
needed to process this
00:19:33.34\00:19:34.90
because we didn't
have a place to go
00:19:34.97\00:19:36.50
and then I began to
share with him the expenses
00:19:36.54\00:19:39.01
that it would take if I moved
00:19:39.04\00:19:41.61
and then... on
top of that he said,
00:19:41.64\00:19:42.98
"You've got to move in 30 days"
00:19:43.01\00:19:44.35
and so, he came
back with another offer
00:19:44.38\00:19:48.22
and he added... because he said,
00:19:48.25\00:19:50.19
"Well, when you look at this...
that's 15 more thousand dollars,
00:19:50.22\00:19:52.89
I'll give you 15
more thousand dollars"
00:19:52.92\00:19:54.86
above what he had offered
00:19:54.92\00:19:57.66
and he said,
"What do you think now?"
00:19:57.69\00:19:59.63
and I said, "I
still need to pray... "
00:19:59.66\00:20:01.56
and my wife kept saying,
00:20:01.60\00:20:03.20
"David, I think the Lord
has answered our prayers. "
00:20:03.23\00:20:04.87
He was giving you 15,000 dollars
above what you were asking?
00:20:04.90\00:20:09.10
15,000 dollars
above what he had offered
00:20:09.17\00:20:12.17
which was close
to my asking price.
00:20:12.21\00:20:13.54
Wow!
00:20:13.58\00:20:14.91
And that night I told my family
00:20:14.94\00:20:18.61
that I didn't want
to talk about it anymore
00:20:18.65\00:20:19.98
that I needed to pray...
00:20:20.02\00:20:21.35
and so I spent most of
that night with the Lord
00:20:21.38\00:20:23.75
and the Lord told me,
"You have an idol... "
00:20:23.79\00:20:26.62
I said, "Well,
what is that idol?"
00:20:26.65\00:20:28.36
He said, "It's your
home, you won't let it go. "
00:20:28.39\00:20:31.46
and I said, "Lord,
it's not an idol... "
00:20:31.49\00:20:33.40
like the Lord doesn't know...
00:20:33.43\00:20:36.26
I said, "I just need to know
where my family is going to go,"
00:20:36.30\00:20:38.90
He said, "David, let it go...
00:20:38.93\00:20:40.27
and let me be in
control of where you go"
00:20:40.30\00:20:42.94
and so, I remembered going
to sleep with tears in my eyes,
00:20:42.97\00:20:48.01
hearing the Lord tell me,
"The just shall live by faith. "
00:20:48.04\00:20:51.48
I got up the next
morning and my wife said,
00:20:51.98\00:20:53.92
"In any case, that's it,
so what's your decision?"
00:20:53.95\00:20:55.72
I said, "I've
calculated things and given...
00:20:55.75\00:20:58.69
what we'll make on the
earnings of the house...
00:20:58.72\00:21:01.56
the Lord can provide for us...
at least one year, maybe two,
00:21:01.59\00:21:05.03
I said, "We're going
to launch out by faith"
00:21:05.06\00:21:07.53
and we sold the house...
00:21:07.56\00:21:09.10
and we sold the
house... it was by faith,
00:21:09.13\00:21:13.17
we had nowhere to
go, I was almost homeless
00:21:13.20\00:21:17.17
we had nowhere...
00:21:17.21\00:21:18.57
we couldn't find a
place to live or anything
00:21:18.61\00:21:20.48
and so, then, for
about three months
00:21:20.51\00:21:24.05
we lived in a camping resort
in a trailer, for three months.
00:21:24.08\00:21:30.15
We have a
picture of that, as well.
00:21:30.19\00:21:32.05
Yes.
00:21:32.09\00:21:33.42
I think we'll ask them to
00:21:33.46\00:21:34.79
put that up in a
second so, go ahead...
00:21:34.82\00:21:36.59
And we lived in that
trailer for three months.
00:21:36.62\00:21:40.00
That's the trailer
isn't it, take a look.
00:21:40.06\00:21:42.63
Yes, that's the trailer,
00:21:42.66\00:21:44.00
we lived in that
trailer for three months
00:21:44.03\00:21:45.80
and God brought us to an
experience in that trailer
00:21:45.83\00:21:49.67
where we learned to
get along even better,
00:21:49.70\00:21:52.71
our prayer life was
just radically changed,
00:21:52.74\00:21:55.71
we were just praying and asking
God to... pleading with God...
00:21:55.74\00:21:58.41
to help us to...
please help us to find a place
00:21:58.45\00:22:02.15
and then... and I
was searching for a home
00:22:02.18\00:22:05.79
almost... just about
every day and then my wife...
00:22:05.82\00:22:09.46
I love my wife... she's...
00:22:09.49\00:22:10.83
she is so
spiritually in tune with God,
00:22:10.86\00:22:14.86
she said, "Dave, you
know what the problem is?
00:22:14.90\00:22:16.93
You're looking but
you're not praying... "
00:22:16.97\00:22:18.93
And I said, "Honey, I'm looking,
I'm praying while I'm looking"
00:22:18.97\00:22:22.64
I said, "We've got
to find a house... "
00:22:22.67\00:22:24.47
She said, "David,
why don't you step back
00:22:24.51\00:22:26.27
and let's pray for a while
00:22:26.31\00:22:28.11
and let us allow
God to find the place"
00:22:28.14\00:22:32.78
and so, I did
that... and lo and behold...
00:22:32.81\00:22:38.12
I did find a home
located on Craig's List,
00:22:38.15\00:22:42.12
the Lord led me to
look on Craig's List
00:22:42.16\00:22:46.09
we... I made the call...
00:22:46.13\00:22:49.50
and the gentleman gave us
the description of the property
00:22:49.53\00:22:54.70
and my wife said, "How
many people have given us
00:22:54.74\00:22:58.24
a lovely description
of their property... "
00:22:58.27\00:23:00.44
And then you go and see
it and it's a dive, right?
00:23:00.48\00:23:03.21
Yes, and we arrived
there that afternoon
00:23:03.24\00:23:06.88
and we drove up
the long driveway...
00:23:06.92\00:23:10.45
about 200 to 300
yards and we saw the home
00:23:10.49\00:23:13.56
and my wife said,
"This is the house... "
00:23:13.59\00:23:16.62
And... to make a
long story short...
00:23:16.66\00:23:20.13
we made an offer...
00:23:20.20\00:23:21.53
that gentleman, he
accepted the offer,
00:23:21.56\00:23:24.03
and then once again,
00:23:24.07\00:23:25.53
the Lord brought us...
He brought us to this trial
00:23:25.57\00:23:28.34
because it wasn't
easy getting that home.
00:23:28.37\00:23:30.61
Things seemed to be progressing
with the sale of the home...
00:23:30.64\00:23:37.71
we had two...
three incidences...
00:23:37.75\00:23:40.42
where the devil
tried to stop it,
00:23:40.45\00:23:42.92
the first
incident was the first bank
00:23:42.95\00:23:45.35
which was my own personal bank,
00:23:45.39\00:23:46.72
told me that the
banking laws had changed...
00:23:46.76\00:23:48.89
and that I couldn't
buy that particular home,
00:23:48.92\00:23:50.99
that they could not sell it
to me... and they told me this
00:23:51.03\00:23:53.53
one week before closing.
00:23:53.56\00:23:55.63
Ohhh...
00:23:55.66\00:23:57.00
So, I went to another bank,
00:23:57.03\00:23:58.80
they said, "We could do
this, not a problem... "
00:23:58.83\00:24:01.80
they pushed the
closing date another 30 days
00:24:01.84\00:24:04.67
now the owner is
getting a little restless,
00:24:04.71\00:24:07.21
he's like, "Will this
gentleman really get a loan?"
00:24:07.28\00:24:09.54
And one week before the closing,
the bank calls me and says,
00:24:09.58\00:24:17.62
"Guess what?
Banking laws have changed
00:24:17.65\00:24:20.36
and you need 16,000 dollars. "
00:24:20.42\00:24:23.59
Yvonne: One week...
00:24:23.63\00:24:25.79
Pastor: I had one
week before the closing.
00:24:25.83\00:24:28.33
Yvonne: One week before
closing you need 16,000 dollars.
00:24:28.36\00:24:33.13
Pastor: And... by that
time in our walk with the Lord
00:24:33.17\00:24:37.51
and our experience,
we naturally and quickly
00:24:37.54\00:24:42.04
got on our knees and prayed,
00:24:42.08\00:24:43.41
my wife said, "We need to
talk to the Lord about this. "
00:24:43.45\00:24:45.75
We prayed... got up
off our knees and said,
00:24:45.81\00:24:49.85
"God is going to have to
provide we only have one week...
00:24:49.88\00:24:52.39
Friday is the closing... "
00:24:52.42\00:24:53.79
the next day I
received a phone call
00:24:53.82\00:24:56.73
from an individual... who...
00:24:56.79\00:24:58.89
I hadn't spoken to in a
long time... we had not spoken,
00:24:58.93\00:25:02.20
and they asked me
how things were going
00:25:02.23\00:25:04.43
and how things were
going for our ministry,
00:25:04.47\00:25:06.63
they had heard that we were
looking at a piece of property,
00:25:06.67\00:25:08.30
I shared with them that
00:25:08.34\00:25:10.21
we had looked at
this piece of property,
00:25:10.24\00:25:12.11
that we were
supposed to have closed
00:25:12.14\00:25:13.48
but something had
happened with the Bank,
00:25:13.51\00:25:14.91
now, I didn't want
to tell him the details
00:25:14.94\00:25:16.31
because I said, "God
has answered this prayer"
00:25:16.34\00:25:17.81
they said to me,
"Tell me what it is... "
00:25:17.85\00:25:22.28
I wrestled with
that and they said,
00:25:22.32\00:25:24.42
"Listen, God has
impressed me, tell me... "
00:25:24.45\00:25:26.32
I told him what had taken
place and they said to me,
00:25:26.35\00:25:31.69
"Where can I meet
you to write the check?"
00:25:31.73\00:25:34.76
And in 24 hours the
Lord raised 16,000 dollars,
00:25:34.80\00:25:40.30
but that's not
the end of the story.
00:25:40.34\00:25:42.60
Come on... come on... oh
man! we are running out of time,
00:25:42.64\00:25:45.84
tell us, tell us, what is it?
00:25:45.87\00:25:47.61
Okay, Thursday night I
received a call from the owner
00:25:47.64\00:25:50.35
telling me the Title
Company had made a mistake,
00:25:50.38\00:25:53.05
we looked at it together
and indeed they made a mistake,
00:25:53.11\00:25:55.58
he said, "You owe me
two more thousand dollars"
00:25:55.62\00:25:57.19
I said, "I don't
have 2,000 dollars"
00:25:57.22\00:25:58.95
I said, "Can we adjust
the price?" He said, "No... "
00:25:58.99\00:26:00.82
he said, "I'm not even
sure that you can close,
00:26:00.86\00:26:03.02
you call me if you can
get the 2,000 dollars. "
00:26:03.06\00:26:05.16
We got on our knees
again and then we prayed
00:26:05.19\00:26:07.06
the Lord impressed me to look
at our e-mail from our website
00:26:07.10\00:26:13.97
I looked... it said,
00:26:14.00\00:26:15.34
"Congratulations, such and such
has just donated 2,000 dollars"
00:26:15.37\00:26:17.77
so my wife and I knew that
the Lord... He was leading...
00:26:17.81\00:26:20.81
He was placing us,
He was going to place us
00:26:20.84\00:26:22.68
on that 22 acre
piece of property,
00:26:22.71\00:26:24.81
God is amazing.
00:26:24.85\00:26:26.45
So, praise God... so now,
00:26:26.48\00:26:29.25
you went from
that little trailer
00:26:29.28\00:26:32.35
to a 22 acre piece of property.
00:26:32.39\00:26:34.82
Yes.
00:26:34.86\00:26:36.19
You just can't
fail when you obey God.
00:26:36.22\00:26:39.19
You can't fail and
look at what God did,
00:26:39.23\00:26:42.00
God is just
incredible, He showed you...
00:26:42.03\00:26:44.77
He was calling you
00:26:44.80\00:26:46.13
from this step to
this step to this step
00:26:46.17\00:26:48.80
and He'll do that for
you, you know that God will...
00:26:48.84\00:26:53.04
God... if He's
calling you to do something,
00:26:53.07\00:26:56.21
He's going to
equip you to do it.
00:26:56.24\00:26:58.38
Pastor: He's able.
00:26:58.41\00:26:59.75
Yvonne: He's able, now,
your ministry is not just
00:26:59.78\00:27:02.88
for people in ministry... you're
ministry is for lay people,
00:27:02.92\00:27:06.25
anybody who wants to
get to know God better.
00:27:06.32\00:27:08.92
Pastor: Anybody that is looking
to live the abundant life.
00:27:08.96\00:27:11.19
Yes and how would you say,
00:27:11.23\00:27:13.03
what's the key...
what's the key to that?
00:27:13.06\00:27:15.06
Pastor: Living the abundant life
00:27:15.10\00:27:16.67
is a life of
prayer and a life of faith
00:27:16.73\00:27:19.83
and we have to act on
what God tells us to do
00:27:19.87\00:27:22.74
and He will provide for us
00:27:22.77\00:27:24.34
and He will lead us to
live that abundant life.
00:27:24.37\00:27:26.88
Yvonne: Amen...
thank you so much
00:27:26.91\00:27:28.74
for being with
us, what a blessing.
00:27:28.78\00:27:30.21
Pastor: Thank you
and God bless you.
00:27:30.25\00:27:31.58
Yvonne: What a blessing.
Pastor: Yes, I've been blessed.
00:27:31.61\00:27:32.95
Yvonne: May God
continue to bless you
00:27:32.98\00:27:34.35
in all that
you're doing for Him.
00:27:34.38\00:27:35.72
And may God
continue to bless you too,
00:27:35.75\00:27:38.75
it's so important
that you understand
00:27:38.79\00:27:41.86
that there is a
calling on your life as well,
00:27:41.89\00:27:44.69
everybody has an assignment,
00:27:44.76\00:27:46.86
God has an assignment for you
00:27:46.90\00:27:48.93
and all you've to
do is pray and ask Him
00:27:48.96\00:27:52.00
and then be prepared
to step out in faith.
00:27:52.03\00:27:53.97
Pastor: Amen.
00:27:54.00\00:27:55.34
Yvonne: Well, we've reached
the end of another Program,
00:27:55.37\00:27:57.44
I can't believe it.
00:27:57.47\00:27:58.81
Join us next time
because you know what?
00:27:58.84\00:28:00.71
It just wouldn't be
the same... without you.
00:28:00.74\00:28:02.71