1 00:00:09,170 --> 00:00:13,230 Teen Pathways 2 00:00:19,610 --> 00:00:20,610 Hey! How are you doing? 3 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:21,430 Hi! 4 00:00:21,470 --> 00:00:24,280 Good, good. Somebody just asked me a question. 5 00:00:24,315 --> 00:00:27,090 And at first I didn't know how to answer them. 6 00:00:27,130 --> 00:00:34,120 But what they said is why God. Why do you work as hard 7 00:00:34,150 --> 00:00:36,620 as you work? Why do you choose God? 8 00:00:36,660 --> 00:00:40,900 Why do you examine all this that you believe in? 9 00:00:40,940 --> 00:00:43,280 And why do you examine whether you've been honest or not, 10 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:45,630 and all those kind of things. It looks like a lot of work 11 00:00:45,660 --> 00:00:46,430 so why do you choose them? 12 00:00:46,470 --> 00:00:48,650 And so that's the question of the day. 13 00:00:48,690 --> 00:00:52,780 And before we start that though I want to have everybody 14 00:00:52,820 --> 00:00:56,800 introduce themselves, and how about if you introduce yourselves 15 00:00:56,830 --> 00:00:59,400 and say something funny about yourself? 16 00:00:59,430 --> 00:01:01,920 Will you start? 17 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:06,870 My name is Matthew Tomoda I'm 14 years old 18 00:01:06,900 --> 00:01:11,780 I live in St Louis and I like cheese. 19 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,100 My name is Amy Oster I'm really glad to be here 20 00:01:17,130 --> 00:01:19,020 and not at school. 21 00:01:19,060 --> 00:01:22,640 My name is Bronson Anderson I live in St. Louis, Missouri 22 00:01:22,670 --> 00:01:25,620 also, and my nick name is the Big B. 23 00:01:25,660 --> 00:01:29,950 Hi, I'm Shira Brooks and there's nothing funny about 24 00:01:29,990 --> 00:01:34,450 myself, except I have more grey hair that you all do. 25 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:38,130 My name is Brian Wilson, I'm from St. Louis, Missouri, 26 00:01:38,170 --> 00:01:41,790 I like all of you to remember that you can sleep in your car, 27 00:01:41,820 --> 00:01:43,810 but you can't drive your house. 28 00:01:43,850 --> 00:01:47,570 My name is A.J. Grant I'm the Pastor here in True Steps 29 00:01:47,610 --> 00:01:51,010 and I don't eat meat which makes me a vegetarian. 30 00:01:51,050 --> 00:01:55,240 I was going to say when you said there's nothing funny about 31 00:01:55,270 --> 00:01:58,370 yourself, I was like we could list thousand stuff. 32 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:05,030 We'll a whole show on "what's funny about Shira?" 33 00:02:05,070 --> 00:02:10,660 Ok. So now why God? What I wanted just put out there, 34 00:02:10,700 --> 00:02:14,470 is that think about not why Gos as far as what your church would 35 00:02:14,510 --> 00:02:18,250 say, we have a whole list of things from any church no 36 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:20,200 matter what denomination as why people choose God. 37 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,690 And there's a stand of pastoral response, too, 38 00:02:22,730 --> 00:02:26,580 and so not that kind of response, but from the day to day stuff 39 00:02:26,610 --> 00:02:29,830 that we as Christians have to examine in your example 40 00:02:29,860 --> 00:02:33,050 in the fact that you're supposed to stand for something. 41 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,650 Why do you choose God? 42 00:02:36,690 --> 00:02:39,060 I choose God because I like to talk to Him at night 43 00:02:39,100 --> 00:02:43,100 lying down, tell all my problems, like to me, it's like 44 00:02:43,140 --> 00:02:46,290 He's just like my best friend, but I can't see Him really, 45 00:02:46,330 --> 00:02:49,450 He's like a friend behind the door, but I'm talking to him 46 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,510 not noticing at all but just like talking, 47 00:02:52,550 --> 00:02:56,460 I completely understand that. But what about somebody 48 00:02:56,500 --> 00:03:00,380 that's not a Christian, do you, when you talk to him, 49 00:03:00,410 --> 00:03:03,130 what happens? 50 00:03:03,170 --> 00:03:05,940 I feel confident and more like easy. 51 00:03:05,970 --> 00:03:06,550 Confident? 52 00:03:06,590 --> 00:03:09,420 Yeah, like everything in the world, like wrong, like tests 53 00:03:09,450 --> 00:03:12,340 friends, parents, brothers and sisters kind of like not today. 54 00:03:12,380 --> 00:03:15,240 Can you explain that to somebody that didn't know God at all? 55 00:03:15,270 --> 00:03:18,260 Like the person that asked me why God. Can you explain 56 00:03:18,290 --> 00:03:22,680 to them what the Holly Spirit is, what that comfort is? 57 00:03:22,710 --> 00:03:28,070 Well, it's just like when you're little and you get scared 58 00:03:28,100 --> 00:03:33,430 and then you run to your parents for a hug, it's like that. 59 00:03:33,460 --> 00:03:34,490 It's like a big hug. 60 00:03:34,530 --> 00:03:37,900 I know what you mean. It's kind of like you can't actually see 61 00:03:37,940 --> 00:03:41,280 Him right there in the room with you, but you can feel His 62 00:03:41,310 --> 00:03:44,700 presence. Sometimes you can actually feel His arms around 63 00:03:44,730 --> 00:03:46,350 you, it not just comforts you completely, 64 00:03:46,390 --> 00:03:50,010 even if you can't see He's right there with you, 65 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,590 The first time I met God, it scared me almost, 66 00:03:53,630 --> 00:03:56,680 it was literally like I felt the whole energy of the room 67 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:00,140 change and it's like I felt the whole energy of the room 68 00:04:00,180 --> 00:04:03,570 change and I felt felt loved and peaceful for the first time 69 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,210 in my life and I was like wow! And I'm hugged. 70 00:04:06,250 --> 00:04:10,670 I'm hugged. And I think that that is hard to explain to 71 00:04:10,700 --> 00:04:11,970 somebody that doesn't know God. 72 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,180 So you guys have a...? 73 00:04:15,220 --> 00:04:18,540 Yeah, it's kind of like, well, the first time you speak 74 00:04:18,580 --> 00:04:23,280 to God, it's kind of like you're speaking directly to Him. 75 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:27,630 He's your Father. And no other father, you know, I love 76 00:04:27,660 --> 00:04:32,440 my father dearly, but he can't give me unconditional love 77 00:04:32,470 --> 00:04:37,220 like God can. And just that feeling of unconditional love 78 00:04:37,250 --> 00:04:40,650 that He'll give you as soon as you speak to Him, 79 00:04:40,690 --> 00:04:44,060 He'll speak to you not in words, but in feeling. 80 00:04:44,090 --> 00:04:45,750 That's great. 81 00:04:45,790 --> 00:04:49,090 No matterow many times you screw up, how many times you push Him 82 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,390 away, He's always there for you to come back to no matter 83 00:04:52,420 --> 00:04:53,390 what you do. 84 00:04:53,430 --> 00:04:55,010 It's nothing like it, nothing at all. 85 00:04:55,050 --> 00:04:58,900 Every night before we go to bed, all my brothers and sisters 86 00:04:58,930 --> 00:05:02,320 they're like 7, they pray, dad goes downstairs after my mum, 87 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:04,690 we hold our hands and pray please help at school tomorrow, 88 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:07,860 and I never really whenever I go to bed I don't get down 89 00:05:07,890 --> 00:05:10,960 on my knees and ask: please help me at school tomorrow, 90 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,930 I'm the type of guy that I like laying in bed before I actually 91 00:05:14,931 --> 00:05:14,935 fall asleep, 92 00:05:14,970 --> 00:05:18,870 and I just talk, sometimes aloud to myself, 93 00:05:18,900 --> 00:05:21,350 I knew that you never shut up. 94 00:05:21,380 --> 00:05:24,580 No, go ahead, Brian. 95 00:05:24,620 --> 00:05:29,380 Anyway, sometimes, they always ask you 96 00:05:29,420 --> 00:05:32,740 you to pray once a day, the Bible teacher, or the pastor 97 00:05:32,770 --> 00:05:35,350 ask you that. And sometimes I don't do that at all, I'm like 98 00:05:35,390 --> 00:05:38,390 I guess I sort of do it because, when I'm talking with myself, 99 00:05:38,420 --> 00:05:41,720 I'm also talking to God in a way. I just talk aloud, 100 00:05:41,750 --> 00:05:43,960 Sometimes out comes an idea and I think that God just gave 101 00:05:43,990 --> 00:05:46,170 me an idea of how to solve my problem. it wasn't me, 102 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:50,220 and I just talk about what happened today, 103 00:05:50,260 --> 00:05:53,860 how can I make tomorrow better, how can I make sure these 104 00:05:53,890 --> 00:05:57,420 problems won't happen again, and I think, maybe if I had said 105 00:05:57,460 --> 00:06:01,020 this, maybe if I chose this instead, wait a minute, ehere 106 00:06:01,050 --> 00:06:03,310 am I make up this kind of stuff? It's not me who came up, it's God 107 00:06:03,340 --> 00:06:06,280 coming up with it. It's the idea that somewhere 108 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:10,140 He's talking back to you. And I'm really nottrying to pray. 109 00:06:10,170 --> 00:06:15,260 So a lot of people that have not had that experience, 110 00:06:15,290 --> 00:06:17,840 do you think they're waiting for this voice 111 00:06:17,870 --> 00:06:20,780 to come up and say: hey, Brian. 112 00:06:20,820 --> 00:06:24,380 They think they have to get down on their knees and they 113 00:06:24,420 --> 00:06:27,600 You great, wonderful, omnient being," you don't have to 114 00:06:27,630 --> 00:06:30,750 do that. You don't have to end it with amen. 115 00:06:30,790 --> 00:06:33,770 There's a really cool song out there called: "Let us pray" 116 00:06:33,810 --> 00:06:36,720 and it says just because we say amen, it doesn't mean 117 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:41,020 the conversation has to end. As in anything you do, you 118 00:06:41,060 --> 00:06:45,290 can pray. I've heard some people who drive, people that are 119 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:46,910 track drivers, people in business who drive a lot, 120 00:06:46,950 --> 00:06:49,750 would talk out loud to themselves in the car just talking to God. 121 00:06:49,780 --> 00:06:52,010 Oh, I thought that they were crazy. 122 00:06:52,045 --> 00:06:55,535 They've lost their mind. 123 00:06:55,570 --> 00:07:00,270 I end up, you take walks by yourself even 124 00:07:00,310 --> 00:07:03,750 and you just end up in thought you're talking to God. 125 00:07:03,780 --> 00:07:06,480 It just happens, it's not like you actually 126 00:07:06,510 --> 00:07:09,140 some people do actually take time every day 127 00:07:09,180 --> 00:07:12,390 to sit down and do a prayer. And that's really cool. 128 00:07:12,430 --> 00:07:15,290 But sometimes I had schedules and I used to do whatever you can 129 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:17,390 I think my favourite time is a long walk in the evening, 130 00:07:17,430 --> 00:07:21,490 or in bed at night. When the day's over and you figure out 131 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:22,830 what's going on next. 132 00:07:22,870 --> 00:07:25,560 What's interesting about that, is that one time I was praying 133 00:07:25,590 --> 00:07:27,460 in the car like you were saying and all the sudden 134 00:07:27,500 --> 00:07:30,990 I'm thinking I'm praying by myself, but I'm like all the 135 00:07:31,020 --> 00:07:34,700 sudden just into it and I was feeling really stressed 136 00:07:34,740 --> 00:07:37,510 and I was feeling like nobody I had nobody to listen to me 137 00:07:37,540 --> 00:07:39,780 and help me to work out whatever it is 138 00:07:39,820 --> 00:07:43,810 I'm working out and I heard God in my head say: 139 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:45,870 Cheri, but you haven't brought out to me. 140 00:07:45,910 --> 00:07:49,220 And all the sudden I started actually talking 141 00:07:49,260 --> 00:07:52,820 and I didn't notice that in the car next to me 142 00:07:52,850 --> 00:07:55,640 people are going like oh, 143 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:58,880 But God is near and what I hear you guys say 144 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:01,400 and what I think is cool, is God is so real, 145 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:03,850 that even though I can't say come in my room, 146 00:08:03,890 --> 00:08:07,340 and listen because you'll hear Him, is that the reason 147 00:08:07,380 --> 00:08:10,710 I struggle and the reason I know that I'm in the right place, 148 00:08:10,740 --> 00:08:14,650 is because I have those times that God is there and 149 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:16,810 there's no question. 150 00:08:16,850 --> 00:08:19,390 But God shows up in different ways too, because I remember 151 00:08:19,420 --> 00:08:21,890 when I first met God, I wasn't a Christian, 152 00:08:21,930 --> 00:08:25,890 I wasn't a 7th Day Adventist, I was in this church in Seattle, 153 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:29,850 and an evangelist by the name of Harry Williams was preaching. 154 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,530 And he preached a sermon called "Come back to Bethel. " 155 00:08:32,560 --> 00:08:34,970 The place that you first meet God. 156 00:08:35,010 --> 00:08:38,050 And I've never met God. That Bethel was that 157 00:08:38,090 --> 00:08:40,980 church and He had an appeal. And what the appeal is, 158 00:08:41,020 --> 00:08:43,840 is that He invites people if they want to give their 159 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,670 life to the Lord, to get up out in the pew and come to the 160 00:08:46,700 --> 00:08:52,290 front. Even though I did not get up and go, I felt something 161 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,240 in my psiche, urge me, saying A.J. you need to go. 162 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,740 You need to go. And I think a lot of people in churches meet God 163 00:08:58,770 --> 00:09:02,320 all the time, but never accept His invitation, because that's 164 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,880 God, that's God saying: "Come! I've lovef you with an 165 00:09:05,910 --> 00:09:08,740 everlasting love, I've drawn you with loving kindness" and is to 166 00:09:08,780 --> 00:09:11,540 say: "Come, come, come!" So that's where I first met God 167 00:09:11,580 --> 00:09:15,410 I heard you explain Bethel and I didn't know the connection 168 00:09:15,450 --> 00:09:19,250 untill you explained it to me, can you explain to the group 169 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:21,700 what is Bethel and what's the reference to Bethel? 170 00:09:21,740 --> 00:09:26,470 Bethel, really in the synopsis is the place where Jacob 171 00:09:26,510 --> 00:09:30,520 first met God. He had heard about God, he had no Bible, 172 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:34,500 he had heard it from his grandfather, his father Isaac, 173 00:09:34,540 --> 00:09:38,750 but there after he had messed up, he had lied, he was a mum's boy, 174 00:09:38,780 --> 00:09:42,310 his brother was a hunter and now he's out there in the woods, 175 00:09:42,340 --> 00:09:45,640 in the desert, doesn't know how to hunt, he goes to sleep, 176 00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:48,950 and then for the first time he has the dream where he sees 177 00:09:48,980 --> 00:09:52,400 the ladder. And he wakes up and says: "this place is 178 00:09:52,430 --> 00:09:55,105 Bethel, the place where I first met God. " 179 00:09:55,140 --> 00:09:58,490 And that's really the essence of what Bethel is, the place where 180 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:00,270 you first meet God and for me it was that church 181 00:10:00,310 --> 00:10:03,840 this city because I was baptized there 3 years later. 182 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,340 He never really tried, he didn't decide to go out to the 183 00:10:07,380 --> 00:10:09,450 wilderness and get down on his hands and knees, 184 00:10:09,485 --> 00:10:10,525 and say: "Well, time for me to find God. it's about 185 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:13,930 that time of the year, now I'm going to go find out where He is, 186 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,260 he just was tired and wanted to take a nap and suddenly it just 187 00:10:17,300 --> 00:10:20,300 I mean a lot of times when you're not even looking for God 188 00:10:20,340 --> 00:10:23,310 He shows up, you're like wow! Who is this? What is this? 189 00:10:23,340 --> 00:10:24,500 What's going on in my life? 190 00:10:24,530 --> 00:10:26,220 He's looking for you. 191 00:10:26,260 --> 00:10:28,800 Right He's actually looking for you. 192 00:10:28,830 --> 00:10:29,830 So God's looking for us. 193 00:10:29,870 --> 00:10:34,390 I've heard you say that a couple of times, Brian 194 00:10:34,430 --> 00:10:38,420 that you don't even try. Can you ellaborate on that, 195 00:10:38,450 --> 00:10:41,560 because I think I see a lot of people that they just are 196 00:10:41,590 --> 00:10:44,780 working it. I mean they're just: "I've got to find God. 197 00:10:44,810 --> 00:10:47,970 I've got to do the right thing. " What's your take on that? 198 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:53,090 If you try too hard, we look at other people, 199 00:10:53,130 --> 00:10:57,750 he just bowed a devotion ebery day and she sings up in front of 200 00:10:57,780 --> 00:11:01,550 the church, and it's a great relationship, I better start 201 00:11:01,580 --> 00:11:04,290 doing a devotion every day, and I better start singing up 202 00:11:04,330 --> 00:11:07,010 in front of the church, and I'll get that better relationship 203 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,340 with God. And we're looking out the outer appearance 204 00:11:10,370 --> 00:11:13,790 of how it is, where if I'm coming to God, 205 00:11:13,830 --> 00:11:17,180 I have to bring some sort of talent to Him. 206 00:11:17,220 --> 00:11:21,710 And God can actually take us and make whatever talent He 207 00:11:21,750 --> 00:11:26,210 wants. And all we have to do is, the great success stories 208 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:29,290 in the church of, the best ministers are people 209 00:11:29,330 --> 00:11:32,890 who are looking for God. Sometimes it's like, I heard 210 00:11:32,930 --> 00:11:35,650 storiew of guys who are on highs on drugs, and they heard this 211 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:38,150 voice talking to them: "this is not exactly the best thing you 212 00:11:38,180 --> 00:11:40,620 need to be doing. " And they are like: "who is this? Am I freeking 213 00:11:40,650 --> 00:11:44,160 out again?"and it's actually God talking to them. 214 00:11:44,190 --> 00:11:47,670 When you're lost, He's going to come looking for you. 215 00:11:47,700 --> 00:11:49,690 You can't make your way back to God. 216 00:11:49,730 --> 00:11:54,110 We're not smart enough. We cannot go back and 217 00:11:54,140 --> 00:11:58,450 reach our steps back to God. He has to follow us. 218 00:11:58,490 --> 00:12:02,710 He has to pick us up. We just have to be willing to be picked 219 00:12:02,740 --> 00:12:04,160 up and taken. 220 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,590 That's pretty heavy. And I think what's really nice about it, 221 00:12:07,620 --> 00:12:10,790 is because I think that we do get on this kind of, we have 222 00:12:10,830 --> 00:12:14,680 a picture in our head that we're getting accross to be in that 223 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:18,540 picture, and we don't connect with God untill we give it up and 224 00:12:18,570 --> 00:12:20,120 just be ourselves. 225 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:24,160 You've got to understand that God loves you no matter what. 226 00:12:24,190 --> 00:12:28,160 Not by works, not anything, I mean He loves you no matter what. 227 00:12:28,190 --> 00:12:32,810 He has put you on this earth, He loves you like a mum 228 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:37,390 loves her son or daughter. And that's the way it is, 229 00:12:37,430 --> 00:12:40,560 that's the way it's always going to be, and that's the way I feel 230 00:12:40,590 --> 00:12:41,730 about it. 231 00:12:41,770 --> 00:12:44,950 I have to jump in here, because talking to teens and not just 232 00:12:44,980 --> 00:12:47,590 teens but adults, you come across individuals who are 233 00:12:47,620 --> 00:12:51,840 who are smoking, who are drinking, who are doing 234 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:55,830 all sorts of crazy things and say God loves me just as much as you. 235 00:12:55,860 --> 00:13:00,630 So what's your tripping about? But the issue has never ever 236 00:13:00,660 --> 00:13:03,730 really been God's love. Yes, that's there. 237 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,800 But the issue is human response to that love. 238 00:13:06,830 --> 00:13:09,630 And that's what we'll all hear about, 239 00:13:09,670 --> 00:13:12,190 how does the human being, the child of God 240 00:13:12,220 --> 00:13:14,670 whether in the church or out of the church, 241 00:13:14,710 --> 00:13:18,160 having faith, having no faith, how does somebody respond 242 00:13:18,190 --> 00:13:20,240 to God's love. 243 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:24,710 The human response should be or what you think it'd be, 244 00:13:24,740 --> 00:13:29,330 would be like: "yeah, I want this, I want You to save me, 245 00:13:29,370 --> 00:13:33,930 and everything, but it's like most people, some people just 246 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:35,170 just don't accept God. 247 00:13:35,210 --> 00:13:39,920 Naturally human beings are going to think that I'm not worthy 248 00:13:39,950 --> 00:13:45,490 of this. I have messed up too much, I cannot look at you 249 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:47,700 though, feeling guilty about how much I messed up, 250 00:13:47,740 --> 00:13:50,420 and that's the big problem, we think we had fallen so far 251 00:13:50,450 --> 00:13:59,040 of God, that we're way beyond being redeemed anyway. 252 00:13:59,070 --> 00:14:04,500 Or we're to say I am just that good, 253 00:14:04,540 --> 00:14:09,940 I can get whatever I want, look at me! 254 00:14:09,970 --> 00:14:14,530 I've always felt like Brian said, it's like: 255 00:14:14,570 --> 00:14:16,440 "You know, You love me? Are you kidding?" 256 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:21,550 So if there is the other side of it, is that I really don't 257 00:14:21,580 --> 00:14:23,140 need you. 258 00:14:23,180 --> 00:14:24,260 Too much pride or too much guilt. 259 00:14:24,290 --> 00:14:27,730 That's the problem. 260 00:14:27,770 --> 00:14:31,750 That's why that text that is in John 17:3, I think it's 261 00:14:31,780 --> 00:14:35,590 so powerful. Bronson, do you have that? 262 00:14:35,630 --> 00:14:40,880 John 17:3 says: "And this is eternal life to know You, 263 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:46,140 the only true God and accept Me Jesus Christ, as Your Son, 264 00:14:46,170 --> 00:14:50,420 this is the gift I've given them. " 265 00:14:50,460 --> 00:14:57,620 See the human response to know God, is to accept Jesus Christ. 266 00:14:57,650 --> 00:15:04,780 And true life, if My question is: why God?, true life is the 267 00:15:04,810 --> 00:15:06,780 knowlege of Jesus Christ. Unconditional love, 268 00:15:06,810 --> 00:15:10,030 grace and how it changes us. 269 00:15:10,070 --> 00:15:13,890 What I think is really amazing about that and my 270 00:15:13,930 --> 00:15:17,270 background that is really different again, I say that 271 00:15:17,300 --> 00:15:20,660 a lot, but you know my parents were 14 and 16 years old, 272 00:15:20,690 --> 00:15:23,640 addicts, I was homeless for ten years and found God 273 00:15:23,670 --> 00:15:26,260 and I looked at myself and never saw anything of value 274 00:15:26,290 --> 00:15:28,810 me ever, I didn't think there was anything worse, 275 00:15:28,850 --> 00:15:34,160 even liky, and so all the sudden God gives me this picture 276 00:15:34,190 --> 00:15:36,300 of who I am and says: "not only do I like you, 277 00:15:36,340 --> 00:15:39,730 but I love you and I can take your life and I can show you 278 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:43,060 gifts that are unbelievable talents, that are unbelievable, 279 00:15:43,100 --> 00:15:46,370 and has anybody got that sense that God kind of opens that up 280 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:47,370 for them? 281 00:15:47,410 --> 00:15:52,410 About several months ago I went to a prayer conference 282 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:54,280 to Andrews and my relationship with God was 283 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:58,240 I used to say on the rocks. And since it is compulsive in 284 00:15:58,270 --> 00:16:01,440 Andrews all I remember is, we were in the church, 285 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,580 and they were doing a song service when I 286 00:16:04,620 --> 00:16:06,660 I don't know what the song was about, but something 287 00:16:06,700 --> 00:16:11,440 that affected me. There's a prayer garden outside, it's 288 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:13,290 really nice, you go out and sit there and pray. 289 00:16:13,325 --> 00:16:15,695 I almost spent like 15 minutes of praying, 290 00:16:15,730 --> 00:16:20,820 and I just broke down and cry. I just suddenly realized that 291 00:16:20,860 --> 00:16:25,920 I needed to let Him take over. And some girl, I don't know who 292 00:16:25,950 --> 00:16:27,370 she was, her name was Tony or something like that, 293 00:16:27,405 --> 00:16:29,627 came up and we prayed for half an hour, 294 00:16:29,662 --> 00:16:31,850 I guess she had the same problems as I got, 295 00:16:31,890 --> 00:16:34,010 I never saw her ever since, I don't know where she is 296 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:37,560 today, but I want to say thank you if you're out there. 297 00:16:37,590 --> 00:16:41,080 Because ever since then it's like everything is going so 298 00:16:41,110 --> 00:16:43,300 much better, I understand the Bible more, 299 00:16:43,340 --> 00:16:47,430 And if I look at a verse, I'm like: ok, it's you/thy 300 00:16:47,460 --> 00:16:49,930 that is old English, I understand 301 00:16:49,970 --> 00:16:54,560 and get a better Bible, I guess, and I understand a little bit 302 00:16:54,590 --> 00:16:59,000 more and talking to other people if it says this here, it says 303 00:16:59,030 --> 00:17:01,770 this here, does that sound the same, like when you look at 304 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:02,800 this verse, that's rather connective. 305 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:06,940 Brian, can I ask you something? If I didn't know God at all, 306 00:17:06,970 --> 00:17:12,260 what would you tell me about how to find Him? 307 00:17:12,300 --> 00:17:15,350 You really don't have to look, He's going to be there for You. 308 00:17:15,390 --> 00:17:18,130 But all you have to do, you just have to open up the door. 309 00:17:18,170 --> 00:17:20,720 You have to open up your own doors. Everybody has this wall 310 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:23,590 around their heart. And He can't force His way through. 311 00:17:23,620 --> 00:17:26,420 When Jesus knocks your door, it's a little nice rock, 312 00:17:26,450 --> 00:17:28,520 it's not like He's kicking in, you'd better make some room, 313 00:17:28,550 --> 00:17:31,210 or I stand. 314 00:17:31,250 --> 00:17:35,090 Like you have to seek Him and find Him with all your heart, 315 00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:40,920 like in Jeremiah, I believe it says 29:11: 316 00:17:40,950 --> 00:17:46,680 "Final plans I have for you, declares the Lord, 317 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,700 plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give 318 00:17:49,730 --> 00:17:52,390 you hope in the future. Then you will call me and come and 319 00:17:52,430 --> 00:17:55,060 pray to me and I'll listen to you and you'll seek me and 320 00:17:55,090 --> 00:17:57,910 find Me and you'll find Me when you seek me with 321 00:17:57,940 --> 00:17:59,670 all your heart. " 322 00:17:59,710 --> 00:18:01,840 So He has hope and future plans for me. 323 00:18:01,870 --> 00:18:05,340 Yes, He has everything planned like a map. 324 00:18:05,380 --> 00:18:08,560 See what Brian is saying, is you don't have to go on 325 00:18:08,590 --> 00:18:10,630 some huge journey accross the planet, 326 00:18:10,670 --> 00:18:14,490 and look for Him, but the search is an internal search of faith 327 00:18:14,530 --> 00:18:18,320 of opening your will and your heart and your innermost 328 00:18:18,350 --> 00:18:20,700 being and say: alright, I'll give You a chance. 329 00:18:20,740 --> 00:18:23,060 That's all. It's like He stands at the door, 330 00:18:23,090 --> 00:18:25,400 and all He wants you to do is just crack that door. 331 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:29,190 When you crack that door He'll start talking to you 332 00:18:29,230 --> 00:18:33,570 and you open the door more, and more and more and the next 333 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:34,870 thing you have this amazing relationship of which the Bible 334 00:18:34,900 --> 00:18:36,560 says is equivalent of eternal life. 335 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:41,480 Biblically I think is incredible, is I think that and I don't know 336 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,770 what it is, maybe A.J. knows where it is, but there is a thing 337 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:49,860 in the Bible that talks about when I as a non-Christian 338 00:18:49,900 --> 00:18:51,890 and I'm not saying a non-Christian, whether I've been 339 00:18:51,930 --> 00:18:54,500 raised in a Christian home, all my life or whatever, 340 00:18:54,540 --> 00:18:57,040 but I as a non-Christian in that I don't have a personal 341 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:01,250 relationship with Jesus yet, as soon as I turn and any energy 342 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:04,850 goes to that relationship, all of heaven rejoices. 343 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,380 All the angels say:"Stop! I think she's got it! 344 00:19:08,420 --> 00:19:12,670 And it's like that whole sense is that all of heaven says 345 00:19:12,710 --> 00:19:16,890 "Wow! I think she's got it. " and they stop and it's like, 346 00:19:16,930 --> 00:19:19,190 you know, I can see my angel like holding their breath, saying 347 00:19:19,220 --> 00:19:22,800 "I think she's going to ask me. " 348 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:27,700 I like what A.J. said about about the door, 349 00:19:27,740 --> 00:19:30,950 you got to crack that door, and once that door is cracked, 350 00:19:30,980 --> 00:19:34,270 your heart is going to become wide open and also I've heard 351 00:19:34,300 --> 00:19:37,520 about a window. You stand in your house, and look out the 352 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,810 window. Back in your room, you're not going to see what's in that 353 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,250 frame, you go towards that window which is going towards 354 00:19:45,290 --> 00:19:49,570 God and you get right close to it, you'll see the whole world. 355 00:19:49,610 --> 00:19:53,490 I think Cheri what you talked about is found in Luke 15 356 00:19:53,530 --> 00:19:57,380 where Jesus is telling the 3 parables, one of the lost 357 00:19:57,410 --> 00:19:58,820 sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. 358 00:19:58,850 --> 00:20:02,880 And all three end with the same theme: "I tell you in the same 359 00:20:02,910 --> 00:20:07,240 way, there'll be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who 360 00:20:07,270 --> 00:20:12,390 repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not repent. " 361 00:20:12,430 --> 00:20:17,510 It just seems to me, especially because I felt so worthless or 362 00:20:17,540 --> 00:20:21,110 unlogged and when I think of all of heaven just kind of 363 00:20:21,140 --> 00:20:25,080 on the edge of their seat saying "yes, she's got it!" 364 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:27,440 that to me was just an incredible view 365 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:32,140 and I think the reason why even in my worst days 366 00:20:32,180 --> 00:20:35,660 hold on to my faith, is how can I find that love anywhere else? 367 00:20:35,700 --> 00:20:37,770 I can't find it anywhere else. 368 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:42,270 When the Bible talks about rejoicing, I want to think, 369 00:20:42,300 --> 00:20:46,610 NCAA Championship with Connecticut, out sets Duke and 370 00:20:46,650 --> 00:20:48,550 everybody is just rejoicing, I mean that's what's going on in 371 00:20:48,590 --> 00:20:50,970 heaven over one sinner that repents. 372 00:20:51,010 --> 00:20:53,505 Through all the way? 373 00:20:53,540 --> 00:20:56,000 Again, you know. 374 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:59,880 Even if it's just a little cling like I was lying in my bed 375 00:20:59,910 --> 00:21:03,710 one night, and had a really bad day. And for most of my life 376 00:21:03,750 --> 00:21:06,340 God wasn't very real to me, I just got down on my kness 377 00:21:06,380 --> 00:21:08,640 pray the same prayer every single night, 378 00:21:08,670 --> 00:21:11,230 and that was it. He wasn't really like a close friend. 379 00:21:11,270 --> 00:21:14,200 But one day I had a really bad day and I was just 380 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:17,100 lying in my bed, stearing at the ceiling. I couldn't fall asleep, 381 00:21:17,140 --> 00:21:20,940 and I just started talking to God. And it was nothing nig, 382 00:21:20,970 --> 00:21:24,960 I just told Him about my day, told Him how horrible I felt, 383 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:28,890 but it's like at that very moment I just felt His presence 384 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,770 for the first time and it wasn't much, but from that point on 385 00:21:32,810 --> 00:21:35,210 it's like I can actually feel He's a real friend to me, 386 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,570 He wasn't just somebody that was way up in heaven 387 00:21:37,610 --> 00:21:40,480 and I got down on my knees to beg forgiveness for every night. 388 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:42,240 He was a real friend to me. 389 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:46,100 An incredible difference. An incredible difference. 390 00:21:46,130 --> 00:21:49,880 It's the greatest love in the world. If you ask Him 391 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:51,570 to come down, there's nothing greater that we can ever get 392 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:54,600 from His love. I mean when He was arrested, 393 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:57,630 and taken to trial, when He was arrested in the garden of 394 00:21:57,670 --> 00:22:00,190 Getsemany, the soldiers came up to Him and said: 395 00:22:00,220 --> 00:22:02,210 "Are you Jesus Christ?" And He goes: "I am. " 396 00:22:02,250 --> 00:22:04,200 And as soon as he said that, they all fell down. 397 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:08,470 The power of his voice nocked them down. 398 00:22:08,510 --> 00:22:10,880 And when they got up they said: "Are you Jesus Christ?" 399 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:13,600 and He nocks them down again. He said: "I am. " 400 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,250 And when He is on the cross and hanging there, 401 00:22:16,290 --> 00:22:20,300 at any time with a single thought, a single breath, 402 00:22:20,340 --> 00:22:23,570 He could have wiped out the entire existence of 403 00:22:23,610 --> 00:22:27,550 of humans and to start all over and say: "I messed the first 404 00:22:27,590 --> 00:22:30,730 time, I want to do it right but no, He said, "I want to 405 00:22:30,770 --> 00:22:33,360 give them one more chance. " That's the biggest part of it 406 00:22:33,390 --> 00:22:36,030 is that somebody out there is giving us a chance. 407 00:22:36,060 --> 00:22:39,320 It's the greatest idea when like you flunk a test, 408 00:22:39,350 --> 00:22:42,540 the teacher's like: "Well, you had a terrfic weekend 409 00:22:42,570 --> 00:22:45,570 and you propably had fun with your friends and you had 410 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,940 a trip last night and you had no time, so I want to give you 411 00:22:47,980 --> 00:22:51,200 a chance to take it over again. You're like: "Oh, finally, yes, 412 00:22:51,230 --> 00:22:54,650 this is my big chance. " and you sit back: "Ok, give me the test 413 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:56,030 and I'm going to ride my book read as much as I can, 414 00:22:56,070 --> 00:22:59,260 and cram as much as I can, because I just got the best 415 00:22:59,300 --> 00:23:02,170 chance in the world to get an A plus. As what happens when 416 00:23:02,210 --> 00:23:04,950 you suddenly realize that hey, God's giving me the chance 417 00:23:04,990 --> 00:23:07,780 you're like: "I'm going to read the Bible, I'm going to tell 418 00:23:07,810 --> 00:23:10,530 my friends, I want to be the best person I can be for Him. " 419 00:23:10,565 --> 00:23:12,205 Because I get it. 420 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:15,650 The greatest feeling in the world is knowing that one person 421 00:23:15,690 --> 00:23:17,620 loves you, you just have to know that He loves you. 422 00:23:17,650 --> 00:23:23,170 And it's not a behavioural thing, He loves me. 423 00:23:23,210 --> 00:23:25,240 You just have to accept that He loves you no matter what. 424 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:31,580 What I've experienced in my own life, is that when I accept that, 425 00:23:31,620 --> 00:23:36,300 I can trust that if I have to look at something 426 00:23:36,330 --> 00:23:39,700 ugly within myself, that I can do it through His eyes 427 00:23:39,735 --> 00:23:40,700 Because He loves. It's like there 428 00:23:40,735 --> 00:23:43,090 are some things about myself 429 00:23:43,130 --> 00:23:46,080 that I am kind of ashamed of. I used to when I was a homeless 430 00:23:46,110 --> 00:23:49,030 for ten years, I learned to manipulate and lie really well 431 00:23:49,070 --> 00:23:51,680 to survive. And it was hard to give that up. 432 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:54,260 Especially when you come into the church and 433 00:23:54,300 --> 00:23:57,130 and I can lie and manipulate something to get something 434 00:23:57,170 --> 00:23:58,480 done that fast or I can do it the right way 435 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:02,270 and it takes like a week or two. I was like I'm thinking 436 00:24:02,300 --> 00:24:05,260 "Lord, but we could do this quicker"and He's like 437 00:24:05,300 --> 00:24:09,010 "honey", and so I've been able to look at those things 438 00:24:09,050 --> 00:24:11,670 were awful about myself, and He loves me so much 439 00:24:11,710 --> 00:24:15,970 it was easier. 440 00:24:16,010 --> 00:24:20,370 I can totally relate to that. I can remember being confused 441 00:24:20,410 --> 00:24:23,340 about ok God loves me but what about my garbage? 442 00:24:23,380 --> 00:24:27,810 And if I'm asking the question why God now, it's propably 443 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:32,240 because of this. Is that He is the only force in the universe 444 00:24:32,270 --> 00:24:36,470 that can take my garbage and regenerate functionality 445 00:24:36,510 --> 00:24:40,760 out of that. He can take my disfunction and use me 446 00:24:40,790 --> 00:24:45,010 by taking care of my stuff and being a blessing to 447 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:46,670 somebody else. It's like an eternal shower, 448 00:24:46,700 --> 00:24:49,270 you go in just as you are, and you come out clean 449 00:24:49,300 --> 00:24:52,100 but you find something else and go in the shower 450 00:24:52,130 --> 00:24:54,454 and He cleans that up and that's your life, that's the Christian 451 00:24:54,489 --> 00:24:54,865 experience. 452 00:24:54,900 --> 00:24:58,480 When you let God into your life, like when you have visitors 453 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:02,070 coming in your house, you vacuum the floor, dust the garments, 454 00:25:02,100 --> 00:25:03,070 you really cleaned up 455 00:25:03,100 --> 00:25:08,380 yeah, hide all the dirt and then you're going to pick up all the 456 00:25:08,420 --> 00:25:10,620 dirt you don't have to do that when God invites you 457 00:25:10,650 --> 00:25:12,000 when you invite God into your heart. 458 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:15,150 He's like: "here's a heart, I need help cleaning this up. " 459 00:25:15,180 --> 00:25:18,000 and sometimes he won't only help you, He'll actually clean 460 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:18,490 it up. 461 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:20,590 I have to read this. This is my favourite one and when I first 462 00:25:20,620 --> 00:25:23,910 met God, it helped me tremendously. 463 00:25:23,950 --> 00:25:27,160 Psalms 51. It says: "Generous and love, 464 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:30,690 God give grace, huge in mercy, wipe out my bad record, 465 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,310 scrib away my guilt, soak out my sins in your loundry, 466 00:25:34,340 --> 00:25:37,900 I know how bad I've been, my sins are steering me down, 467 00:25:37,930 --> 00:25:40,700 You're the one I violated and sinned at all. 468 00:25:40,740 --> 00:25:43,440 Since you've seen the full extent of my evil, 469 00:25:43,470 --> 00:25:46,530 You have all the facts before You and whatever You decide 470 00:25:46,570 --> 00:25:49,600 about me, is fair. I've been out of step with you for a long 471 00:25:49,630 --> 00:25:52,250 time in the wrong sense before I was born. 472 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,130 When you're after is the truth from the inside, 473 00:25:56,170 --> 00:25:59,130 inner me than conceived in new and true life, 474 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:02,090 soak me in Your laundry and I'll come out clean, 475 00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:04,270 scrub me and'll be snowhite" 476 00:26:04,300 --> 00:26:08,100 there's your shower thing "scrub me and I'll be snowhite 477 00:26:08,130 --> 00:26:11,390 turn me into a foottaping song, set these once broken bones 478 00:26:11,430 --> 00:26:14,650 to dancing, don't let too close for blemishes and give me 479 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:18,940 a clean bill of health. God, make fresh start in me, 480 00:26:18,970 --> 00:26:22,240 shape a genesis week from the chaos of my life. 481 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:25,330 Don't throw me out with the trash or fear to breathe 482 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:28,320 holiness into me, bring me back from the great exile, 483 00:26:28,360 --> 00:26:31,250 put a fresh wind in my sail, give me the job 484 00:26:31,290 --> 00:26:33,820 of teaching rebels your way so they can find their way 485 00:26:33,850 --> 00:26:36,150 home. " I love that. 486 00:26:36,190 --> 00:26:40,610 It's the easiest part. We make it sound so easy, 487 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:44,560 because it is. All you have to do, is just say: "here I am, 488 00:26:44,590 --> 00:26:46,620 make me whatever You need me to be. " 489 00:26:46,660 --> 00:26:49,860 It's that easy. We don't have to says so many prayers, 490 00:26:49,890 --> 00:26:52,840 we don't have to give so much time, we don't have to 491 00:26:52,870 --> 00:26:55,750 be up in front of church preaching and teaching and 492 00:26:55,780 --> 00:26:59,470 singing, all we have to do is, just say: "here I am, take me 493 00:26:59,510 --> 00:27:01,320 do as You will. " 494 00:27:01,350 --> 00:27:03,380 So I think that I would like to just kind of bring everything 495 00:27:03,420 --> 00:27:10,070 summarize everything by saying it's really so simple. 496 00:27:10,100 --> 00:27:11,680 It's so simple that sometimes I don't even know 497 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:14,530 that I don't even know how to raise my hands, but God 498 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:17,340 says I will even lift you up. All you have to do, 499 00:27:17,370 --> 00:27:19,485 is turn your eyes in my direction. 500 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:22,880 All of heaven rejoices, I will change your life, 501 00:27:22,910 --> 00:27:25,440 Iwill give you hope in the future, I will clean all that 502 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:27,980 kind of stuff up and I will show you who you are in me, 503 00:27:28,010 --> 00:27:31,830 and it will be incredible. So, please, trust Him, 504 00:27:31,870 --> 00:27:35,290 turn to God and remember that there's no other love 505 00:27:35,330 --> 00:27:38,720 greater than the love of God. Thanks for joinig us 506 00:27:38,750 --> 00:27:41,590 and see you next time.