WEBVTT 00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:09.099 Welcome to In the Seams, a podcast by Broken 00:00:09.099 --> 00:00:13.500 and Mended. And now your host, David Heflin. 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:23.600 We are glad to have you with us back on In the 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:26.699 Seams. A little while ago, I published my own 00:00:26.699 --> 00:00:29.960 talk from the Diamonds Conference about courage 00:00:29.960 --> 00:00:33.929 and joy and friendship. And today I'm going to 00:00:33.929 --> 00:00:37.369 want to share with you Timothy Gunnell's talk 00:00:37.369 --> 00:00:39.409 at the Diamonds Conference, which was entitled 00:00:39.409 --> 00:00:43.229 Courage for Resilience in Constant Change. Tim 00:00:43.229 --> 00:00:48.030 is the president of Broken and Mended. He's a 00:00:48.030 --> 00:00:51.850 professor, he's a preacher, pastor, and just 00:00:51.850 --> 00:00:54.530 an all -around great guy. As a matter of fact, 00:00:54.530 --> 00:00:57.369 the last time we published one of Tim's Diamond 00:00:57.369 --> 00:00:59.509 Conference talks, it became the most listened 00:00:59.509 --> 00:01:01.869 to podcast we ever had. I don't know if that's 00:01:01.869 --> 00:01:04.329 going to be repeated here, but I think you will... 00:01:04.540 --> 00:01:07.859 appreciate Tim's demeanor, his humility, his 00:01:07.859 --> 00:01:11.060 willingness to be personal, and just makes the 00:01:11.060 --> 00:01:14.439 scriptures come alive within his own story. And 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:16.680 just such an encouragement to anyone that is 00:01:16.680 --> 00:01:18.719 suffering with chronic pain and chronic illness, 00:01:18.819 --> 00:01:21.609 which Tim knows about. very well, very personally. 00:01:21.790 --> 00:01:24.469 And so, as I said, his talk is Courage for Resilience 00:01:24.469 --> 00:01:27.510 and Constant Change. Just want to introduce it 00:01:27.510 --> 00:01:30.129 to you and then just turn it over to Tim. You'll 00:01:30.129 --> 00:01:33.590 be able to hear his message. And by the way, 00:01:33.590 --> 00:01:36.189 you can. Go to the Diamond Conference website, 00:01:36.409 --> 00:01:38.650 which I'll put in the show notes, and you can 00:01:38.650 --> 00:01:41.129 get an all -access pass, which will allow you 00:01:41.129 --> 00:01:42.989 to watch any of the talks from Diamond's Conference. 00:01:43.329 --> 00:01:45.890 And when you do that, you get to see them in 00:01:45.890 --> 00:01:47.890 video, so not just audio like you're getting 00:01:47.890 --> 00:01:50.810 in this case. And I didn't even include the question 00:01:50.810 --> 00:01:53.090 and answer with Tim in this particular podcast, 00:01:53.209 --> 00:01:55.750 but that would be there as well. I don't have 00:01:55.750 --> 00:01:58.310 the exact price in front of me right now, but 00:01:58.310 --> 00:02:00.909 I think it's just over $50, and there's something 00:02:00.909 --> 00:02:03.209 like 20 different talks from the Diamond's Conference 00:02:03.209 --> 00:02:05.680 this past year, all of them having to do 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:07.980 with courage for the journey. And so courage 00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:09.819 for resilience and constant change. Tim spends 00:02:09.819 --> 00:02:13.000 a lot of time speaking about change and pointing 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:14.659 out the fact that you don't really need courage 00:02:14.659 --> 00:02:17.680 when everything is going well. So courage is 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:19.520 going to be when we're faced with something that 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:22.919 we can't control and we can't control when the 00:02:22.919 --> 00:02:26.259 change comes. And he said, the most important 00:02:26.259 --> 00:02:28.960 thing I can do in that situation is to keep moving 00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:32.310 forward. And he said, that is. pretty much a 00:02:32.310 --> 00:02:34.330 description of courage. It wasn't a definition 00:02:34.330 --> 00:02:37.030 of courage, but it's a description of courage. 00:02:37.210 --> 00:02:41.009 I, I can, what I can do is keep moving forward. 00:02:41.870 --> 00:02:44.229 when the change comes. And he says, I can be 00:02:44.229 --> 00:02:47.030 courageous because he's with me. So these are 00:02:47.030 --> 00:02:49.409 just little snippets from Tim's talk. I just 00:02:49.409 --> 00:02:51.729 want to share, hoping to convince you to listen 00:02:51.729 --> 00:02:54.949 to the entire talk. These are things that stood 00:02:54.949 --> 00:02:57.389 out to me as I re -listened to it. So I can be 00:02:57.389 --> 00:03:00.969 courageous because he's with me. Constant change 00:03:00.969 --> 00:03:03.990 is stressful. Change is normal, but that doesn't 00:03:03.990 --> 00:03:07.770 mean I have to like it. Tim's so good about in 00:03:07.770 --> 00:03:10.110 his own personal story, sharing very honestly 00:03:10.110 --> 00:03:12.030 about the struggles and not diminishing them 00:03:12.030 --> 00:03:14.629 at all, and therefore not diminishing your struggles, 00:03:14.770 --> 00:03:18.550 but pointing out the fact that this is stressful. 00:03:18.689 --> 00:03:21.129 And when we're chronically ill and have chronic 00:03:21.129 --> 00:03:23.050 pain, there's constant change in our bodies, 00:03:23.150 --> 00:03:25.229 not to mention the other circumstances in our 00:03:25.229 --> 00:03:28.669 life. And so change, he says, is normal. I mean, 00:03:28.689 --> 00:03:31.310 that happens. It happens to everyone, maybe even 00:03:31.310 --> 00:03:33.710 more so for people with chronic pain, chronic 00:03:33.710 --> 00:03:36.030 illness, but that doesn't mean we have to like 00:03:36.030 --> 00:03:39.280 it. And he brings out the point that even small 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:44.280 change can still be a big stress. So even if 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:46.139 it's a small thing, maybe it's a change in medicine. 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:48.659 Maybe it's a change in your schedule. You had 00:03:48.659 --> 00:03:51.199 to reduce your hours. Maybe it's a change in 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:53.319 something in your family schedule and dynamics 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:56.599 in your relationships. All that can add up to 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:59.819 be a big stress. But probably the most powerful 00:03:59.819 --> 00:04:02.300 thing he says, at least in my opinion, that I 00:04:02.300 --> 00:04:05.120 took away is that God is bigger than all of it. 00:04:05.180 --> 00:04:09.460 They don't stress out our bigger God. So these 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:13.699 changes don't stress out our bigger God. So I 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:16.579 hope that you will listen to Tim's talk. I know 00:04:16.579 --> 00:04:19.500 you will enjoy it if you do. And again, just 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:24.300 thank you for... being here with us in the seams. 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:27.060 Encourage you to go to brokenandmended .org to 00:04:27.060 --> 00:04:29.300 see more about our ministry, how you can help 00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:31.139 us if you're in a position to financially partner 00:04:31.139 --> 00:04:34.160 with us. But if you're not in that position and 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:37.079 you're just looking for... you know, help for 00:04:37.079 --> 00:04:39.879 the journey for your own pain and chronic illness. 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:42.160 I hope you'll see some of the resources and support 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:44.839 groups that we have available. So thank you for 00:04:44.839 --> 00:04:48.139 listening. I'll be back here in just a couple 00:04:48.139 --> 00:04:50.259 of weeks, if even that long. We have another 00:04:50.259 --> 00:04:53.379 interview scheduled on April 30th. So in early 00:04:53.379 --> 00:04:55.879 May, we should have the next episode ready to 00:04:55.879 --> 00:04:59.680 go. All right. Enjoy. Enjoy your listening of 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:03.959 Tim's talk. Welcome back, everyone, to Diamonds 00:05:03.959 --> 00:05:08.620 2024. We are so glad that you're here, and I 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:10.399 hope that you enjoyed your break, enjoyed your 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:13.519 rest. We are going to be launching into a session 00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:16.860 with Dr. Timothy Gunnels. He is with Broken and 00:05:16.860 --> 00:05:19.779 Mended Ministries, and I'm sure he'll share more 00:05:19.779 --> 00:05:24.420 of his story and Broken and Mended. But before 00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:26.720 we get into it, I just want to remind you we 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:28.420 have a giveaway at the end of this session, and 00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:30.439 you can find the link in the description of this 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:33.379 video. Or sorry, you can find the link emailed 00:05:33.379 --> 00:05:37.120 to you, as I was corrected. But in the description 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:39.980 of this video, you can find the link to the study 00:05:39.980 --> 00:05:44.360 guide, which Tim has contributed to, to the merch 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:48.350 shop. discord form and all of the things so that 00:05:48.350 --> 00:05:50.970 you can connect with diamonds and get the most 00:05:50.970 --> 00:05:55.230 out of these sessions. So without further ado, 00:05:55.410 --> 00:05:58.810 I will turn it over to Tim and keep your questions 00:05:58.810 --> 00:06:01.029 till the end because we will have a Q &A period 00:06:01.029 --> 00:06:04.910 at the end of the session. So welcome, Tim. Thank 00:06:04.910 --> 00:06:11.629 you. I'm very honored to be here. I am Dr. Timothy 00:06:11.629 --> 00:06:15.120 Gunnels, but as My dad and I both say we have 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:18.420 the same doctorate. We're not the kind of doctor 00:06:18.420 --> 00:06:22.060 that can help you, meaning we're not medical 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:24.480 doctors. I do have a son -in -law who's studying 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:28.319 to be a medical doctor, but the help I offer, 00:06:28.420 --> 00:06:33.480 I hope, is spiritual and emotional, and then 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:36.860 I hope that does improve the physical because 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:40.879 we're holistic beings. We're created to be whole. 00:06:41.399 --> 00:06:46.480 I am a board member of Broken and Mended and 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:50.060 got my shirt on. And let's see if I can get that 00:06:50.060 --> 00:06:53.720 on. You see my email there, Tim, at brokenandmended 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:58.540 .org. And I had an interaction with a lady when 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:00.899 I was traveling today about Broken and Mended 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:04.420 and what it's about. But we are here to provide 00:07:04.420 --> 00:07:08.699 resources and support. and support groups, both 00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:11.680 live and online. And it has spread around the 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:14.279 world, literally. And we're translating into 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:18.399 Spanish and Swahili. And I'm sure we're going 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:20.639 to go into different languages from there in 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:25.500 some of our materials. But we are one of many 00:07:25.500 --> 00:07:28.980 organizations out there that are Christian -based, 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:32.980 trying to support people with chronic pain and 00:07:32.980 --> 00:07:35.560 illness. And the reason I'm involved is because 00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:41.889 I'm a sufferer. I am a fellow struggler. I drove 00:07:41.889 --> 00:07:46.009 about four hours today back home to Middle Tennessee. 00:07:46.170 --> 00:07:48.810 I was in Atlanta the last couple of days with 00:07:48.810 --> 00:07:52.129 my sister who had cancer surgery. She's very 00:07:52.129 --> 00:07:54.350 dear to me. Her name is Teresa. She did well. 00:07:54.689 --> 00:07:56.790 She's recovering, but she's still in the hospital. 00:07:57.290 --> 00:08:00.529 And it's my mom's 84th birthday today, but I 00:08:00.529 --> 00:08:03.430 talked to her last night. Probably will not be 00:08:03.430 --> 00:08:06.029 able to talk to her today, but my mom's had frontotemporal 00:08:06.029 --> 00:08:09.430 dementia for the last 13 years. She's not aware 00:08:09.430 --> 00:08:14.670 that it's her birthday, but we know she has great 00:08:14.670 --> 00:08:19.370 value and that she's a beautiful, beautiful person. 00:08:20.670 --> 00:08:22.949 I am honored to be one of the speakers for this 00:08:22.949 --> 00:08:25.509 conference. I'm thankful for Sarah and all the 00:08:25.509 --> 00:08:27.750 others who volunteer their time to put this conference 00:08:27.750 --> 00:08:32.759 together to encourage other people. As I mentioned, 00:08:32.820 --> 00:08:35.220 I join you as a fellow traveler of life and a 00:08:35.220 --> 00:08:37.360 fellow struggler of chronic pain and illness. 00:08:37.820 --> 00:08:39.980 I hope that what I share today will encourage 00:08:39.980 --> 00:08:42.340 you to keep pressing ahead and to realize that 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:46.179 you have great value in the eyes of God. And 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:49.820 I personally value you. And thank you for encouraging 00:08:49.820 --> 00:08:54.360 me today with your presence. So a little story, 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:59.960 a little bit of my story of struggle. When I 00:08:59.960 --> 00:09:02.779 found myself sitting on my couch day in and day 00:09:02.779 --> 00:09:06.500 out in terrible pain, unable to climb stairs, 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:09.279 to drive more than a few miles, or even pick 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:12.620 up my little girl, I felt like I was no longer 00:09:12.620 --> 00:09:17.440 of any value to anyone, especially my family. 00:09:17.460 --> 00:09:20.980 I felt like I'd let them down. And even to God, 00:09:20.980 --> 00:09:26.769 some days I felt like I wasn't valuable. When 00:09:26.769 --> 00:09:29.110 I had to take two to three naps every day because 00:09:29.110 --> 00:09:33.230 of debilitating fatigue and couldn't even help 00:09:33.230 --> 00:09:36.629 my wife carry in groceries, I often felt worthless. 00:09:38.029 --> 00:09:39.990 When I had to give up teaching Sunday school 00:09:39.990 --> 00:09:43.990 classes, leading worship, and keep my speaking 00:09:43.990 --> 00:09:46.690 appointments, I had to cancel several that I 00:09:46.690 --> 00:09:51.259 was looking forward to being a part of. I was 00:09:51.259 --> 00:09:53.840 convinced that life would move on without me 00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:56.019 and that any value I ever had was behind me. 00:09:57.299 --> 00:09:59.580 How could the things that had been such a big 00:09:59.580 --> 00:10:05.799 part of my life now be too difficult to do? I 00:10:05.799 --> 00:10:08.299 let my pain, fatigue, and self -pity take over 00:10:08.299 --> 00:10:11.720 my thoughts. It's what Satan wanted, but it was 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:17.309 never the plan of the Lord. Ask him, ask God 00:10:17.309 --> 00:10:19.730 to use me to be a blessing to others and the 00:10:19.730 --> 00:10:22.629 strength that he provides. And he's provided 00:10:22.629 --> 00:10:25.509 this avenue. He's provided opportunities with 00:10:25.509 --> 00:10:27.990 broken and mended. He's provided individual opportunities 00:10:27.990 --> 00:10:30.610 just to visit and share and encourage people. 00:10:32.490 --> 00:10:35.389 While I'm no longer in that two -year -plus intense 00:10:35.389 --> 00:10:40.529 flare with my psoriatic arthritis, God showed 00:10:40.529 --> 00:10:43.269 me clearly that my value is not defined by any 00:10:43.269 --> 00:10:47.509 amount of pain or anything physical. Who we are 00:10:47.509 --> 00:10:51.769 and what we are worth is not defined by our pain, 00:10:51.850 --> 00:10:56.710 by illness, by our appearance, or anything that 00:10:56.710 --> 00:11:00.809 burdens us. We have worth and we can be a blessing 00:11:00.809 --> 00:11:05.409 to others. I'm the youngest of five siblings. 00:11:05.490 --> 00:11:08.110 I mentioned my sister. She is the one and only 00:11:08.110 --> 00:11:13.230 girl of those five. I come from a long line of 00:11:13.230 --> 00:11:17.879 strong and healthy men. But I was what they used 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:20.919 to call, when I was younger, a sickly child. 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:26.259 Beginning at 18 months, I had double pneumonia. 00:11:27.700 --> 00:11:30.100 Most people can't remember that far back, but 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:32.580 I guess it was such a traumatic experience at 00:11:32.580 --> 00:11:35.940 the hospital that I have some vague images of 00:11:35.940 --> 00:11:39.419 what that was about. From that point on in my 00:11:39.419 --> 00:11:42.259 life, I have struggled from year to year with 00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:47.509 my health. I currently suffer from four chronic 00:11:47.509 --> 00:11:53.990 conditions, but none of them are who I am and 00:11:53.990 --> 00:11:59.149 none of them determine my value. My physical 00:11:59.149 --> 00:12:02.769 pain, my struggles with diabetes, with psoriasis 00:12:02.769 --> 00:12:05.929 and eczema and with gastrointestinal disease 00:12:05.929 --> 00:12:10.789 serve as regular reminders that I'm alive and 00:12:10.789 --> 00:12:16.289 that I must move ahead in the strength. When 00:12:16.289 --> 00:12:19.529 I was in junior high and high school, and even 00:12:19.529 --> 00:12:23.649 through college, which was a really long time 00:12:23.649 --> 00:12:29.269 ago, I was very skinny. Don't worry, I'm not 00:12:29.269 --> 00:12:31.190 anymore. A lot of the reasons I was skinny is 00:12:31.190 --> 00:12:33.950 because I just stayed sick all the time. And 00:12:33.950 --> 00:12:36.070 I'm definitely not anymore. Now the doctor is 00:12:36.070 --> 00:12:39.870 like, you need to lose some weight. I was usually 00:12:39.870 --> 00:12:43.419 the last pick for sports teams. I was picked 00:12:43.419 --> 00:12:48.179 on for my appearance. Yet never ever did I believe 00:12:48.179 --> 00:12:51.299 for an instance my worth or value or who I was 00:12:51.299 --> 00:12:53.700 as a person had anything to do with my physical 00:12:53.700 --> 00:12:58.200 strength, my athletic prowess, or even my physical 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:04.059 appearance. I suffered through dark periods of 00:13:04.059 --> 00:13:07.840 anxiety and depression, but none of that defines 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:13.799 me either. The one who determines my worth and 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:16.860 defines who I am as my Heavenly Father, my Savior 00:13:16.860 --> 00:13:19.559 Jesus, and my Comforter and Guide, the Holy Spirit. 00:13:20.259 --> 00:13:22.960 I must accept that no matter my circumstances, 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:27.259 no matter how I feel, no matter how others look 00:13:27.259 --> 00:13:31.059 at me or what they might say to me, my worth 00:13:31.059 --> 00:13:34.679 is already great because the Lord God values 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:42.710 me. I'm created in His image. Jesus died for 00:13:42.710 --> 00:13:45.590 me, and the Spirit lives within me because I'm 00:13:45.590 --> 00:13:51.870 a redeemed follower of Jesus Christ. For more 00:13:51.870 --> 00:13:57.649 than two years, I suffered from the most intensive 00:13:57.649 --> 00:14:04.049 flares. I'd had plenty of previous pain and previous 00:14:04.049 --> 00:14:10.129 illness and previous issues. I went into a flare 00:14:10.129 --> 00:14:14.970 that involved pain and inflammation in more than 00:14:14.970 --> 00:14:21.529 36 joints. I have symmetrical psoriatic arthritis. 00:14:21.870 --> 00:14:24.629 It's often just one -sided for people or just 00:14:24.629 --> 00:14:29.029 in a few joints. Mine, it's both sides from my 00:14:29.029 --> 00:14:33.210 neck to my toes. And I say that it was more than 00:14:33.210 --> 00:14:35.730 36 because that was about how high I could count 00:14:35.730 --> 00:14:40.450 before I got tired and had to take a nap. My 00:14:40.450 --> 00:14:43.970 pain levels hovered around 8 or 9 on a 10 -point 00:14:43.970 --> 00:14:50.990 scale on my good days. The pain was never controlled, 00:14:51.149 --> 00:14:55.009 and I would often go lie down in the bed and 00:14:55.009 --> 00:15:01.960 cry. And that was just a few years ago. Yes, 00:15:01.980 --> 00:15:06.659 I was miserable and I felt worthless. But I knew 00:15:06.659 --> 00:15:12.879 and still know that God loves me. And he was 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:15.960 and will always be with me. And who I am is not 00:15:15.960 --> 00:15:26.960 my pain or my illness. God wants to work in us. 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:30.519 He wants to work on us and he wants to work through 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:35.090 us. One of the benefits of such pain and misery, 00:15:35.250 --> 00:15:40.230 and it's hard for a lot of people to understand 00:15:40.230 --> 00:15:43.090 or fathom that there are benefits that can come 00:15:43.090 --> 00:15:46.350 with pain and misery. One of those benefits is 00:15:46.350 --> 00:15:49.710 for people who trust in God and know him and 00:15:49.710 --> 00:15:55.389 love him, is that he can use pain and suffering 00:15:55.389 --> 00:15:59.549 and struggle to peel away the frivolous, the 00:15:59.549 --> 00:16:03.519 minor. the less important concerns of life from 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:06.039 our hearts and minds, and use it to transform 00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:12.679 us more into the likeness of Jesus. Not only 00:16:12.679 --> 00:16:15.100 do I come from a long line of physically strong 00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:20.559 men, but I also come from a long line of angry 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:26.159 men. One of the works of the flesh that the Apostle 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:30.470 Paul discusses in Galatians chapter 5 is... One 00:16:30.470 --> 00:16:33.269 that I personally struggled with most of my life. 00:16:37.049 --> 00:16:43.429 As God tells Moses, he talks about essentially 00:16:43.429 --> 00:16:46.789 generational sin. I won't get into all the theology 00:16:46.789 --> 00:16:50.129 of that, but there can be repercussions and consequences 00:16:50.129 --> 00:16:53.909 for four generations. And I feel like I'm in 00:16:53.909 --> 00:16:58.490 that fourth generation of angry men. And I struggled. 00:16:59.210 --> 00:17:02.009 with what Paul says in Galatians 5, verse 20, 00:17:02.190 --> 00:17:06.109 with what most translations of the Bible call 00:17:06.109 --> 00:17:11.470 fits of anger. I'm thankful that God has used 00:17:11.470 --> 00:17:15.710 my pain and my illness to destroy that work of 00:17:15.710 --> 00:17:18.670 the flesh and give me instead a spirit of love 00:17:18.670 --> 00:17:23.470 and compassion for myself first and for other 00:17:23.470 --> 00:17:28.930 people. I believe I'm becoming more of what he 00:17:28.930 --> 00:17:31.849 wants me to be and who he wants me to become 00:17:31.849 --> 00:17:39.490 through the physical challenges, through the 00:17:39.490 --> 00:17:45.069 weakness. It sounds very counterintuitive that 00:17:45.069 --> 00:17:48.670 what makes me most miserable physically works 00:17:48.670 --> 00:17:52.049 against the desires of my flesh and causes me 00:17:52.049 --> 00:17:55.700 to... lean more on the Lord for my strength and 00:17:55.700 --> 00:17:58.140 producing in me something far greater than my 00:17:58.140 --> 00:18:03.279 natural tendencies. I want to remind all of us, 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:06.839 when we are weak and frail, God often does his 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:13.019 best work. Just a few of the people of the Bible, 00:18:13.079 --> 00:18:17.839 I think of that, about that God worked through. 00:18:19.660 --> 00:18:23.039 worked on are Abraham, Moses, Jacob, and the 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:29.119 Apostle Paul, and only chose a handful. Abraham's 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:33.779 a liar, and he's too old by the world's viewpoints, 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:38.059 and it seems even by biology to produce an heir 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:42.380 that God has promised. Moses is a murderer, and 00:18:42.380 --> 00:18:46.480 he's a fugitive, and he very likely has a speech 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:50.579 impediment. Jacob goes from being a conniver 00:18:50.579 --> 00:18:54.299 and a deceiver, a supplanter. His name literally 00:18:54.299 --> 00:19:00.440 means deceiver or supplanter. To this person, 00:19:00.500 --> 00:19:02.579 and it's one of my favorite images in the book 00:19:02.579 --> 00:19:07.259 of Genesis, this crippled old man. He's crippled 00:19:07.259 --> 00:19:09.700 in his hip from wrestling with God. He limps 00:19:09.700 --> 00:19:14.569 the rest of his life. He learns to trust. and 00:19:14.569 --> 00:19:17.670 worship God, and he's leaning on his staff, worshiping 00:19:17.670 --> 00:19:22.150 God at the end of Genesis. The Apostle Paul seems 00:19:22.150 --> 00:19:26.410 to have clearly suffered from ailments and weakness. 00:19:29.750 --> 00:19:34.410 These people, real people, all remind us that 00:19:34.410 --> 00:19:37.890 God sees the value we do not see. He wants to 00:19:37.890 --> 00:19:42.410 work in us and through us for his glory and for 00:19:42.410 --> 00:19:48.349 our benefit. and the blessing of others. It may 00:19:48.349 --> 00:19:50.569 require, and I think it does require often a 00:19:50.569 --> 00:19:55.630 reframing of what blessing may be or a reframing 00:19:55.630 --> 00:20:02.490 of what kind of benefit we can be or the ways 00:20:02.490 --> 00:20:04.849 that God can benefit us through our struggle. 00:20:06.309 --> 00:20:08.670 That's one of the reasons I shared that about 00:20:08.670 --> 00:20:15.140 God removing that anger. that so characterized 00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:20.920 my life for so many years. In the book of Judges, 00:20:20.920 --> 00:20:23.480 in the Old Testament, Judges 6 and 7, we read 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:28.140 that Gideon was the youngest in his clan, and 00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:31.900 he felt powerless over a situation when God called 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:34.200 him to be a deliverer of Israel to lead people 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:37.599 back to faith in him. In fact, Gideon is hiding. 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:45.279 in a threshing floor and down in a hole. And 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:48.539 he's dealing with, basically in a wine press, 00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:50.640 threshing wheat because he doesn't want to be 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.000 seen. He doesn't want the wheat to be taken. 00:20:53.380 --> 00:20:55.359 And when he's confronted by the angel of the 00:20:55.359 --> 00:21:00.180 Lord, he says, who am I? I'm this weak and helpless 00:21:00.180 --> 00:21:05.640 guy. I can't do anything. We read that Gideon 00:21:05.640 --> 00:21:09.309 was scared. He lacked. trust in God's promises 00:21:09.309 --> 00:21:14.170 and actually took some convincing when Gideon 00:21:14.170 --> 00:21:18.529 puts God to the test a few times that God himself 00:21:18.529 --> 00:21:22.609 would deliver. And he didn't need someone strong 00:21:22.609 --> 00:21:25.289 to do it. He needed someone who would submit 00:21:25.289 --> 00:21:29.009 and trust in him. Gideon had value that only 00:21:29.009 --> 00:21:32.509 God could see. How Gideon viewed himself and 00:21:32.509 --> 00:21:36.920 his situation was not the truth. God had different 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:44.259 plans. We are weak. We struggle. We cannot always 00:21:44.259 --> 00:21:48.119 think clearly because we feel awful. I don't 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:50.960 feel that great today. One of the reasons I'm 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:54.059 sticking to my notes is because I know my brain 00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:58.720 may not fully function as it should. None of 00:21:58.720 --> 00:22:00.539 that weakness, none of that struggle, none of 00:22:00.539 --> 00:22:05.549 that lack of clear thinking some days. Change 00:22:05.549 --> 00:22:08.170 is the fact that we have great value in the eyes 00:22:08.170 --> 00:22:13.210 of the Lord. And our disease, our illnesses do 00:22:13.210 --> 00:22:17.450 not determine our value nor define us as a person. 00:22:20.710 --> 00:22:23.349 We are going to have some time for Q &A at the 00:22:23.349 --> 00:22:26.529 end of my talk. And so I'm going to be moving 00:22:26.529 --> 00:22:31.369 ahead here with getting closer to the end. I 00:22:31.369 --> 00:22:34.309 do want to spend a few more minutes reading and 00:22:34.309 --> 00:22:36.650 reflecting on some scriptures that help me to 00:22:36.650 --> 00:22:39.789 look past my pain and illness to a healthier 00:22:39.789 --> 00:22:46.730 view of life. When Jesus is in the Garden of 00:22:46.730 --> 00:22:51.049 Gethsemane, crying out to God before his arrest, 00:22:51.450 --> 00:22:55.869 his trial, and his crucifixion, he urges his 00:22:55.869 --> 00:22:59.880 apostles in Matthew 26, 41 to... Keep watching 00:22:59.880 --> 00:23:02.539 and praying that you may not enter into temptation. 00:23:03.660 --> 00:23:07.400 The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. 00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:17.619 The last word is a big one for me. Jesus knows 00:23:17.619 --> 00:23:24.859 my flesh is weak. He's fully aware of my weakness. 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:29.400 The Apostle Paul struggled with distress, and 00:23:29.400 --> 00:23:33.420 as I mentioned earlier, some ailments, I think, 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:36.759 for sure. He had some kind of thorn in the flesh, 00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:39.559 and I think that most scholars would say that 00:23:39.559 --> 00:23:42.700 thorn in the flesh had to be something more than 00:23:42.700 --> 00:23:44.819 likely that was physical. There might be some 00:23:44.819 --> 00:23:49.700 debate for that. We're pretty sure, if nothing 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:53.279 else, he had a significant problem with his eyesight. 00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:56.819 Whatever it was, whatever that thorn in the flesh 00:23:56.819 --> 00:23:59.380 was, he prayed and he was honest and open about 00:23:59.380 --> 00:24:01.359 this. He prayed for it to be taken away, but 00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:05.519 it was not removed from him. It was not taken 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:11.220 away. In 2 Corinthians 12, 9 and 10, he tells 00:24:11.220 --> 00:24:16.420 us God's response to that prayer. And he has 00:24:16.420 --> 00:24:19.319 said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:23.630 power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, 00:24:23.690 --> 00:24:26.089 therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses. 00:24:26.230 --> 00:24:28.910 Now that's Paul talking again. I will rather 00:24:28.910 --> 00:24:31.490 boast about my weaknesses so that the power of 00:24:31.490 --> 00:24:35.450 Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I'm well content 00:24:35.450 --> 00:24:38.390 with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, 00:24:38.390 --> 00:24:41.130 with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ's 00:24:41.130 --> 00:24:48.190 sake. But when I'm weak, then I am strong. Since 00:24:48.190 --> 00:24:50.349 my daily battle with chronic pain and illness 00:24:50.349 --> 00:24:54.980 began, What the writer of Hebrews says about 00:24:54.980 --> 00:24:58.000 Jesus in Hebrews 4 .15 is taking on greater meaning 00:24:58.000 --> 00:25:01.460 for me. For we do not have a high priest who 00:25:01.460 --> 00:25:05.279 cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one 00:25:05.279 --> 00:25:08.559 who's been tempted in all things as we are yet 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:12.420 without sin. I feel confident that Jesus wanted 00:25:12.420 --> 00:25:16.200 to give up several times. We see that in the 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:18.180 Garden of Gethsemane. He wanted the cup to pass 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:21.019 from him. I feel confident that the regular times 00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:23.700 that he would slip away into the wilderness to 00:25:23.700 --> 00:25:27.460 pray and spend time in solitude with the Father 00:25:27.460 --> 00:25:30.819 gave him the strength to push through the weak 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:36.099 and weary moments. One more scripture before 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:44.579 I start to close. Psalm 73, 25, and 26. Whom 00:25:44.579 --> 00:25:48.680 have I in heaven but you? And besides you, I 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:52.299 desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart 00:25:52.299 --> 00:25:55.859 may fail, but God is the strength of my heart 00:25:55.859 --> 00:26:04.900 and my portion forever. I mentioned key takeaways 00:26:04.900 --> 00:26:07.519 in the study guide, but in case you don't have 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:10.740 one or don't have it in front of you, I just 00:26:10.740 --> 00:26:14.119 want to remind you of three things for sure that 00:26:14.119 --> 00:26:17.309 we talked about. that I hope you'll take from 00:26:17.309 --> 00:26:23.269 this. I am weak, but he is strong. His grace 00:26:23.269 --> 00:26:32.309 is enough. He is my strength all day long. Let 00:26:32.309 --> 00:26:36.789 me close by saying, I take many medications. 00:26:38.069 --> 00:26:40.190 I'm in the middle of a significant medication 00:26:40.190 --> 00:26:43.150 change currently for my psoriatic arthritis. 00:26:44.119 --> 00:26:47.359 Having to stop one, it was working pretty well, 00:26:47.420 --> 00:26:49.799 but not as well as another one probably will. 00:26:50.700 --> 00:26:54.099 And so the rheumatologist said you got to stop 00:26:54.099 --> 00:26:57.839 that one for at least a month. I'm feeling the 00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:03.140 stop. I'm feeling the gap. I can't physically 00:27:03.140 --> 00:27:06.359 do many of the things I'd like to do. Sometimes 00:27:06.359 --> 00:27:10.079 I really am bothered by my inabilities and weaknesses. 00:27:13.400 --> 00:27:17.980 of my goals have changed. But many of those goals 00:27:17.980 --> 00:27:22.779 were really my goals and not how God wanted to 00:27:22.779 --> 00:27:29.160 use me. I rest in him when I hurt. I cry out 00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:34.259 in pain to him when I feel overwhelmed. He reminds 00:27:34.259 --> 00:27:36.519 me through his word and encouragement of others 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:38.940 that I have great value in his eyes and that 00:27:38.940 --> 00:27:42.190 no disease will ever diminish or determine my 00:27:42.190 --> 00:27:46.630 value, or define who I am in his eyes. I thank 00:27:46.630 --> 00:27:49.490 God that I can serve him in whatever ways he 00:27:49.490 --> 00:27:57.190 uses me, in whatever ways I can be useful. You 00:27:57.190 --> 00:28:03.329 have value. Even on your worst days, when you 00:28:03.329 --> 00:28:06.549 feel the worst, you have value and worth beyond 00:28:06.549 --> 00:28:10.690 what you can see. You and I are not defined by 00:28:10.690 --> 00:28:14.430 our illnesses. We are defined as image bearers 00:28:14.430 --> 00:28:20.750 of God, and he can work through us in our weakness. 00:28:22.529 --> 00:28:29.670 Please pray with me. Oh, God, our Father in heaven, 00:28:29.789 --> 00:28:34.029 you are holy. You're great. You're loving. You're 00:28:34.029 --> 00:28:37.210 beautiful. You're amazing. You're faithful and 00:28:37.210 --> 00:28:45.119 true. I thank you for making us human beings 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:51.160 in your image. To be bearers of your image all 00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:57.019 our days. Help us to find our value, our worth 00:28:57.019 --> 00:29:01.140 in being your image bearer. Be with us in our 00:29:01.140 --> 00:29:05.299 weakness and give us your strength. And may we 00:29:05.299 --> 00:29:09.400 understand that your grace is sufficient to see 00:29:09.400 --> 00:29:13.279 us through. each day as we go through our struggle 00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:16.299 with illness and disease and pain and frustration, 00:29:16.660 --> 00:29:20.180 that you are with us and that you can do things 00:29:20.180 --> 00:29:23.299 with us that we can't even imagine. Open our 00:29:23.299 --> 00:29:27.319 eyes and our hearts to those possibilities. Help 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:29.640 us to love ourselves and give ourselves a break 00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:33.200 when we need it and to be a blessing to others 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:44.839 every day. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you so much, 00:29:44.900 --> 00:29:48.200 Tim. That was encouraging to me. And it's so 00:29:48.200 --> 00:29:50.460 funny. I was praying with Tim right before his 00:29:50.460 --> 00:29:52.660 session started and we're talking, praying about 00:29:52.660 --> 00:29:56.140 like specifically second Corinthians 12, nine 00:29:56.140 --> 00:29:58.259 and his grace being sufficient in our weakness. 00:29:58.380 --> 00:30:00.220 And I did not know that you were going to be 00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:05.299 talking about that. You did not know it. um well 00:30:05.299 --> 00:30:08.240 now uh is a great time to ask your questions 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:11.019 we have some time set aside to um