Welcome back to Your
Favorites by Request.
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Music has given me a
wonderful opportunity
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to meet a lot of great people.
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And I have a
friend now on the phone
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who is a wonderful person.
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I love Simon Ivascu,
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he is part of
the Freedom Singers,
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a wonderful man,
Simon, how are you today?
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I'm right and I'm good, Tim.
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Thank you for chatting
with me, it's good to see you.
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Oh, it's great to see you too.
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And you are calling
from British Columbia, right?
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Sure. Excellent.
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Well, now I know a
lot about your story.
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I mean, in fact,
I've had the privilege
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of traveling with you
as the Freedom Singers.
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But tell our viewers
a little bit about you?
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Well, I like to
think, I'm a normal guy.
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I just came unusual into Canada,
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a number of years ago.
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I came as a stow in
a shipping container.
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We escaped along with a
buddy of mine from Romania,
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we ended up in Italy
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and from there we
got into a container,
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somebody locked us up
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and we were
shipped across the ocean
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which at that
time I didn't know,
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if we were gonna make it or not.
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We didn't know what
country we were going to
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but here we are today.
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Oh, that is amazing, so amazing.
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You have written a book
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and if people want
to get to really know
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the full breath of the
story and depth of the story,
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they would need
to read that book,
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because it is
wonderful and it's...
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I traveled many nights with you
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and would hear the story
and would never tire of it.
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So thank you for allowing me
the privilege of meeting you.
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And I know that at one point,
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because I know
the story so well,
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I'm gonna just interrupt you
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to know that music has played
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a really
important part of your life
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at a certain
moment in that voyage.
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Absolutely, and, you
know, when it comes to songs,
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majority of them
that I'm familiar with,
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they have such an
important message.
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Message of hope,
message of encouragement,
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and that you are right,
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at one point you
know our story is,
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we were stuck in
the bottom of ship
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in the container,
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not being able to get out
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without water,
without food, without hope.
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We got at the very
lowest point in our life
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where we just didn't
know what else to do.
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We literally, we
were dying, slowly dying.
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Our bodies were shutting down
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after three days
without the water.
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And that's where little tunes
started ringing in my mind.
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In fact, I've
heard my buddy whispering
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the words of the tune,
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and I thought he was
praying at the beginning,
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and then I listened more closely
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and I caught
myself just whispering.
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We couldn't sing by
that point, we were so weak.
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And I caught myself
whispering the same words.
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And to me, it really stuck
with me, that particular song.
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It's one of my favorites,
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"Because He lives,
I can face Tomorrow".
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Oh, wow.
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That is so powerful.
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And you've heard
me often singing,
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you know, you
don't have to be stuck
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in a shipping container
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to go through life,
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through challenges in your life.
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But this is a song
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that I hope the
audience will take it to heart
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and just put God in
their lives and trust Him.
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You know, it's
one of those things
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that you are either on your own,
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and good luck with that,
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or you put God and
say, Lord, I trust You,
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because I can face
whatever is coming my way
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because of You.
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Yeah, right.
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I love that song.
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Oh, that's great, Simon.
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Oh, what a treat to hear that.
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God sent His son
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They called Him Jesus
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He came and died
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Heal and forgive
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Because He lives
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I can face tomorrow
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Because He lives
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All fear is gone
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Because I know
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He holds the future
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And life is worth the living
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Just because
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He lives
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Simon, thank you so very
much for sharing that with us,
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and it's great to see you again,
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and I look forward to
seeing you soon, brother.
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Peace to you. Thank you.
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God bless you.
God bless you, Simon.
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We hear from our
Western friends now,
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Kathleen out in
Sunizona, Arizona.
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And our north of
the Mexican border
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I think that is
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and William in Moab, Utah
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which is close to the
beautiful Arches National Park.
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And they both requested
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one of the most
popular 20th century hymns,
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"The Old Rugged Cross".
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On a hill far away
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Stood an old rugged cross
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The emblem of suffering
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And shame
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And I love that old cross
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Where the dearest and best
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For a world of lost
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Sinners was slain
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So I'll cherish
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The old rugged cross
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Till my trophies
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At last I lay down
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I will cling
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To the old rugged cross
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And exchange it some day
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For a crown
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O that old rugged cross
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So despised by the world
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Has a wondrous attraction for me
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For the dear Lamb of God
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Left his glory above
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To bear it
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To dark Calvary
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In that old rugged cross
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Stained with blood so divine
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A wondrous beauty I see
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For 'twas on that old cross
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My Jesus suffered and died
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To pardon and sanctify me
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So I'll cherish
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The old rugged cross
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Till my trophies
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At last I lay down
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I will cling
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To the old rugged cross
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And exchange it
some day for a crown
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Now you sing it.
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Oh yeah, good words.
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So I'll cherish
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The old rugged cross
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Till my trophies
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At last I lay down
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I will cling
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To the old rugged cross
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And exchange it some day
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For a crown
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I love songs about the cross.
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And here's another
great song about the cross,
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"Lead me to Calvary".
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King of my life
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I crown Thee now
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Thine shall the glory be
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Lest I forget Thy
thorn-crowned brow
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Lead me to Calvary
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Lest I forget Gethsemane
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Lest I forget Thine agony
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Lest I forget Thy love for me
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Lead me to Calvary
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Lest I forget Gethsemane
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Lest I forget Gethsemane
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Lest I forget Thine agony
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And lest I
forget Thy love for me
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Lead me to Calvary
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May I be willing, Lord, to bear
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Daily my cross for Thee
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Even Thy cup of grief to share
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Thou hast borne all for me
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Lest I forget Gethsemane
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Lest I forget Thine agony
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Lest I forget Thy love for me
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Lead me to
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Calvary
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Remember Jesus loves
you. Thank you for watching.
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Send me your song
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Then you sing along with me
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Your Favorites by Request
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La-la-la, la-la-la
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